The Wonderful Word Of God

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SERMON OUTLINE

• 💭 Consider this: Knowing that the Bible is the wonderful Word of God, how can you make a greater commitment to read and obey it today?
• I. It Is A More Sure Word Of Prophecy
• II. It Can Be Verified
• III. It Is A Tangible Product
• IV. It Is A Light That Shineth In A Dark Place
• V. It Points To The Second Coming Of Christ

💭 Consider this: Knowing that the Bible is the wonderful Word of God, how can you make a greater commitment to read and obey it today?

TRANSCRIPT

As we are fast approaching the Reformation Sunday in 3 weeks time, I thought it would be good for me to preach a series of messages on the importance of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. So prayerfully I would touch on topics like the word of God, true worship and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every week we are gathered in church to hear the preaching of the Bible. But what is so amazing about the Bible? Our text is taken from 2 Peter 1:19: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” Allow me to give you a brief background of this text. This was a letter written by the Apostle Peter to the Christians who were scattered all over Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey, due to the persecutions. He was coming toward the end of his earthly ministry and soon he would lay down his life according to what the Lord Jesus had told him many years ago (John 21:18-19). But as long as he still had breath, life, and strength, he continued to preach the glorious truth of the word of God.

Here we want to learn from the Apostle Peter why he was willing to preach until the very end. The title of our message is “The Wonderful Word Of God”.

I. It Is A More Sure Word Of Prophecy

Firstly, this text tells us that the Bible is “a more sure word of prophecy”. What does it mean by the “word of prophecy”? There are some who say that he was only referring to the Old Testament scriptures. There are others who say that he was only referring to those passages or prophecies relating to the second coming of Christ, because the book of second Peter, particularly chapter 3, speaks extensively about the second coming of Christ.

But the truth is that Peter was not only referring to the Old Testament scriptures. or prophecies relating to the second coming of Jesus Christ—He was speaking about the entire holy scriptures, the Bible.

How do we know? Because in verse 15, Peter included his own writings. He said, “Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance” (2 Peter 1:15). He was referring to his epistles, both first and second Peter. During that time, the New Testament was already being written, circulated, and recognised as the canon of the 27 books.

What is the meaning of “prophecy”? We always understand prophecy as foretelling the future. But if you read through the prophets, you will find that a lot of prophets were not simply foretelling the future, but they were also preaching the word as in they would always say, “Thus saith the Lord.” Prophecy can be foretelling or forthtelling as in preaching the word. When the Bible was completed, and there was to be no more new revelation added, no more to be subtracted. When you and I foretell the future, we are foretelling what was already recorded in the Bible. For example, the future events like the rapture, the tribulation, the second coming of Christ, the millennial kingdom and so forth. So basically prophecy was a declaration of God's truth.

We have a more sure word of prophecy. Perhaps the first thing that catches our attention is the phrase “more sure”. The word sure means steadfast, or stable. And because of the word more, this verse becomes a comparative statement. In other words, you take two things and you compare them. They are either similar or different. One is better than the other. The Bible could have said, ‘We have a sure word of prophecy’, We would we would have understood what he meant. But it said we have a more sure word of prophecy. To help us to better understand the phrase more sure, we think of the words good, better, and best. Good is a simple adjective. Better is a comparative adjective. Best is a superlative adjective.

I always give this illustration: if one day my wife cooks me dinner, a special homemade hamburger. After I've eaten it, she expects me to give my comments—I cannot just keep silent after the meal. So there are three adjectives I can use. The simplest one is, ‘Your hamburger is good’. Or I can use the superlative adjective, ‘Your hamburger is the best’. Or I can use the comparative adjective, ‘Dear, I think your hamburger is better’. The moment I do that, the next question my wife is going to ask me is, ‘You said it is better, but better than what?’ And what I'm going to say next is extremely important—it can be encouraging to her, it can be meaningless, or it can even make her angry. If I were to say, ‘It is better than garbage’, that would cause World War III in my family, right?

So the standard of comparison is of utmost importance. And when the apostle Peter said we have a more sure word of prophecy, we need to know what is the standard of comparison. We need to know what is more sure or better than what. If you look at the preceding verse, verse 16, Peter said, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). Out there in the world there are many cunningly devised myths or fables. and second Peter was written to Christians who were under great persecutions and sufferings. Whenever you go through difficult times, especially when you are suffering for your faith, you will be forced to re-evaluate your faith. When you know that your faith may cost you your life, you want to know what you believe in is really true.

So Peter gave the persecuted Christians the proof; ‘We were not just preaching a bunch of man-made myths, but we were the eyewitnesses of Christ majesty’. The phrase “eyewitnesses of [Christ's] majesty” was a reference to Matthew chapter 17, commonly known as the mount of the transfiguration. Remember Peter along with James and John had this remarkable experience when Jesus took them up onto the mountain and was transfigured before them. And so here he was referring to that experience in verses 17 and 18, “when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount” (2 Peter 1:17-18). In those days the eyewitness accounts of Christ were extremely important because they were the authenticity of the Christian faith.

So the phrase “a more sure word of prophecy” was a standard of comparison between the eyewitness account of Christ, and the word of prophecy which is the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. In other words, Peter was saying, ‘I have seen Christ. I am an witness of his majesty in the transfiguration. But what we have in our hands, the Holy Scriptures, is more sure, it is more steadfast and certain than my experiences’. But how can the Bible be better than an eyewitness account?

II. It Can Be Verified

This brings us to our second point, “It can be verified”—because only a written account can be verified. Remember even when it was the Apostle Paul preaching to the Bereans, in Acts chapter 17, they wanted to verify whether what he said was true or not. So what did they do? They searched the scriptures (Acts 17:11).

Even the apostolic experiences needed something to verify. We need the word of God as a yard stick to measure what is true and false, what is right and wrong. The world has said many things but who can verify what they have claimed? Anybody can say anything.

In northern Spain in the birthplace of Ignatius, it was said that in that house Ignatius received a vision of Mary. But who can verify it? Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church, said that he had a vision of 12 golden tablets and Morona the angel asked him to translate those tablets. Today, the Mormon church is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. But who can verify his visions? Benny Hinn the telly evangelist once claimed that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him as 900 ft tall. All these are visions that cannot be verified. But we have the Holy Scriptures. God has given something to us that in every age. every believer can go back to and verify the truth. The Bible is a wonderful gift of God.

Another reason why it is more sure than an apostolic experience is that only a written account can be preserved. In other words, when God gives a vision to a man, that vision ends and dies with that man. It cannot go any further than that man. He can recount that vision to other people. He can say, ‘This is the vision that I have received’. But he cannot pass on this God-given vision, no matter how wonderful that experience is. Only in the written word can God preserve the final product.

Sometimes we will play the game of lining up a group of people. They are separated by several metres. We whisper in the ear of the first person a certain message, and then he turns around and whispers into the ear of the second person. And the second person turns to the third person, and it goes on, and on, and on, until finally it reaches the final person. When we ask the last person what is the message, to our surprise, the message is totally different from the actual one. The message is lost, twisted, distorted, added, subtracted, somewhere in the translation. Only in the written word can the message be perfectly preserved, and God has done so in the Bible.

III. It Is A Tangible Product

Thirdly, it is a tangible product we hold in our hands. That is why the inspiration and preservation of the Bible is so important. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). God breathed out the final product that we now have in our hands. It is not something passed down by word of mouth. But the final product is here. Of course, God breathed out his words in the original languages, Hebrew, Greek, and some part of it Aramaic, but as long as it is faithfully translated into the different languages of the world, we say this is the word of God because it derives the inspiration and preservation from the original languages.

So our faith is not founded on the hearsay of our ancestors, or the stories or traditions passed down to us which cannot be verified. God in his wisdom has provided something for us which can be verified and preserved perfectly. Something that is more sure, more reliable and more enduring. Jesus himself said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). And this something is the Bible that we can depend and rely on for life and for all eternity.

There are many people who believe that experience is more important than the word of God. Do you remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke chapter 16? I believe you do.The rich man wanted Abraham to send someone from the dead to warn his brothers not to come to the place of torment.

And Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets,’ referring to the Old Testament scriptures. ‘Let them hear them.’

But the rich man said, ‘Please send someone from the dead to testify to my brethren, and they would then repent.’

Why? Because they would not pay attention to the scriptures. He knew his brothers, because even he himself did not pay attention to the scriptures, that was the reason why he was in the place of torment.

‘So, send someone from the dead so that they would repent.’ Will that do the job to the rich man? Yes.

But Abraham said, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

When I was a young Christian, I always wanted to be like the people in Jesus' time who were able to see him, witness his miracles, and hear his teachings. How wonderful it will be. And yet the Bible said, "The world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:10–11)

Jesus said, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29) Believe in what? Believe in the more sure word of prophecy—the Bible, the Word of God. This is the beauty of the Word. It is even more sure than what Peter had received from the mount of transfiguration.

IV. It Is A Light That Shineth In A Dark Place

Our fourth point is “it is a light that shineth in a dark place”. The Word of God was likened unto a light that shineth in a dark place. The phrase a “dark place” means the darkness of this fallen world. And this fallen world would prevent people from seeing the truth until the light of God's Word shines forth. Indeed, you and I are living in a dark, sinful, and wicked world, and we desperately need the Bible as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105)

If you ever pick up a big rock in your garden and you try to see what is underneath the rock, the moment you lift it up, you will often find insects, bugs, and worms that love darkness, scrambling for cover. That happens to us when the light of God's Word shines upon our sins. God's Word is light. And today the Holy Spirit is using this passage to remind us that it is a light that shineth in a dark place. But the question is how do we respond to the Word of God? The great intention of God giving the Bible to the world is to serve the purpose of being a lamp and a light. The Bible shows to us concerning God and ourselves which otherwise we would not have known.

It shows to us what a sinner we are and the eternal punishment we will be facing. A place where the Bible says the fire never stops burning. And it also directs us to the way of eternal salvation that is in Christ Jesus, the one who died shedding his precious blood to pay the penalty of our sins. Without this lamp and this light, all of us would still be groping in a world that is darkened with sin and immorality. We will never be able to find our way to God.

A lamp will not serve the purpose of a lamp if it is not kept burning. It must be shining. The Word of God that is a lamp unto our feet must be burning just like the lamps in the sanctuaries or the pillar of fire to Israel, always burning. The Word of God will not serve the purpose of being a lamp unto our feet if we do not read it, if we do not obey it, if we do not apply it into our lives.

We ask our children, ‘Who is speaking to you when you read the Bible?’ and they answer, ‘God is speaking to me.’ And yet we throw this book to one corner of our house. I'm not saying that we ought to worship this book, but we ought to have a great reverence for the Word of God. We ought to read it, meditate upon it, and obey it. Likewise, the Word of God will not serve the purpose of being a light unto our path if we do not use it, or we continue to live in darkness. God has given to us this lamp and light, not for us to cover it, but rather, to let it shine before men. Jesus himself said let your light shine before men.

So in our conversation, let there be light.

In our thoughts, let there be light.

In our behaviours, let there be light.

In our walk, let there be light.

The Bible is always guiding us, and we must let that be the centre and foundation of our lives.

A word of exhortation to those who are still outside God's kingdom. If you are an unbeliever still lingering in spiritual darkness, let me share with you this illustration of a woman who was cleaning the attic of her house and all of a sudden the door closed on her and she was surrounded by darkness. She was so afraid that she dared not move, and remained in that position for many, many hours until her husband came back and went looking for her, heard a cries, opened the door of the attic, and she was less than five ft away from the door. She was scared to death because she had no light. That is the way sinners are.

The Word of God reveals to us Jesus is the light of the world—the only way to salvation. He is so near standing and knocking on the door of your heart, and yet, so far because that heart is closed. Sometimes we attend a funeral service and we hear our friends say to us, ‘Well, I shared the gospel with my unbelieving father or mother who has passed away. She seems to be very receptive. But unfortunately, she died not receiving Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour.’ And they will say this, it is so close. Dear friend, this closeness is as far as heaven is to hell.

If you are still lingering outside the kingdom of darkness, no one can save you from your sins. Only Jesus Christ, the one who died and shed his precious blood, can save you.

V. It Points To The Second Coming Of Christ

Finally, “it points to the second coming of Christ”. The light of God's word will continue to shine until the day dawned and the day star arise in your hearts. The “day star” mentioned here is mentioned in other passages of the Bible as the morning star. And Christ is the morning star. Revelation 22:16 said, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelation 22:16)

The phrase morning star means the one who brings the light. In secular ancient writings, it was used for the planet Venus, which precedes the morning sun in the sky. Here this word was used for the second coming of Christ. He will first come, and he will come very soon, and then he will rule the world for 1,000 years, and he will establish his eternal kingdom. The light of God's word will continue to shine until this glorious event when our Lord Jesus returns—in all his majesty.

Revelation 1:7 said, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." This event marks the climax of God's revelation of his salvation purpose and his judgment on the wicked. Well, it is easy for us to understand that the light of God's Word will continue to shine until Christ returns. But what does Peter mean when he said that it will arise in your hearts?

Christ will return in a blaze of physical visible light that will affect everyone for blessing or for cursing—believers and unbelievers. The reference to the hearts indicates his return will also transform believers into the perfect reflections of his truth and righteousness, and make them into the image of his glory. In other words, at his second coming, Christ will replace the perfect revelation of the Holy Scriptures with the perfect revelation of His person. He will fulfill the written word and write it forever on the hearts of the glorified saints. The day will come when our Lord, the day star, the morning star, He will write these words forever in our hearts.

Knowing that the Bible is the wonderful word of God, what should be our response? Peter said, "Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed." (2 Peter 1:19) This is the well of your soul—your eternity. To take heed is to pay attention and apply what you have been instructed. When a parent tells the child or gives an instruction to him or her, that child has to submit and obey. It will do him no good at all, absolutely no good, when he says ‘All right, father’, but he goes and does something else. We must not only believe in the word—we need to invest our time in the Word. We need to meditate in the Word, obey the Word and apply it into our lives. In every given situations, we use the word as a yard stick.

The Bible is this light and this lamp. Just as someone has said, do not be impressed how the man has mastered the Bible, but how the Bible has mastered the man. Has the Bible mastered you? The Bible is the wonderful word of God. And if you have forgotten whatever I've said, please do not forget that it is a more sure of prophecy. It can be verified. It is perfectly preserved. It is a tangible product we hold in our hands. It is a light that shineth in a dark place, and it will continue to shine and shine until our Lord Jesus returns.

Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, indeed, Thou has once again reminded us of thy wonderful Word, Thy Word that Thou has divinely inspired and preserved for us that today we can hold in our hands. that even thousands of years ago the Apostle Peter even said it is a more sure word of prophecy. It is even more steadfast and stable and certain than his eyewitness account of your majesty. Not because your majesty is without glory. It is a most glorified event. But the Bible is more sure because it can be verified. It can be perfectly preserved. It is a tangible product that thy people can hold in our hands and read for ourselves and be saved and be discipled.

It is a light that shineth in a dark place. It is a lamp and a light unto our path and it will continue to shine until our Lord Jesus returns. When our Lord Jesus comes in our glorified state, he will write these words forever in our hearts. What a blessed hope and assurance. May each and every one of us esteem thy word most highly. If we believe in the Bible, then we must read it, meditate upon it, obey it, and apply it into our lives. Blessed be thy precious name.

For we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.