The Truth Has Been Told
Opening Prayer
God of truth, may Your Word illuminate my life and change me.
Read 2 Peter 1:12–21
[12] So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. [13] I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, [14] because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. [15] And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. [16] For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17] He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [18] We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. [19] We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [20] Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. [21] For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What testifies to the validity of God’s Word?What convinces you of the Bible’s claims about Jesus? For Peter they are established by its many eyewitness accounts (17,18) and confirmed by the Holy Spirit’s actions within ordinary people (21). The Bible is the fruit of human encounters with God over about 1,500 years in a multitude of ways, but it’s far more than a historical document. It’s God-breathed, alive and active (2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12), bringing revelation that exposes the heart of situations and people, and is a weapon against Satan’s lies about our secure standing in God (Eph. 6:17). It’s our daily bread, too, sustaining us better than food! In this letter Peter repeatedly refers to other Bible passages to undergird his argument, for Scripture confirms Scripture—it is its own evidence. The basis of our eternal hope is that just as Jesus fulfilled so many biblical prophecies by his first coming we can be confident that he’ll fulfill the rest. This means that we can live in joyful and fruitful expectancy, weathering all attacks on the truth (19), for Jesus will return in even greater majesty than he displayed at the Transfiguration, when every eye will see that he is Lord (Rev. 1:7).
Apply
You are the only “Gospel” that some people will ever read (see 2 Cor. 3:2,3). Pray that others will see Jesus in you.
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