Title: The Glory and Evidence of Christ
There was a man named Simon who made a living by fishing on the shores of Galilee. His greatest dream and happiness today was to catch a lot of fish and own a wealth of material. He invariably relied on his own experience to fish on the Sea of Galilee.
One day, he worked all night long, but he could not catch a single fish and he was in despair and discouragement. Now the day is bright. I trimmed the net while promising a vague tomorrow. They were fixing their nets for the next fish.
Then Jesus came to Peter. He told Peter, Simon, to go out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Peter's common sense was not right. Now was not the time to fish, it was the time to finish. Also, in my experience, there was no meat in the deep. But they listened to Jesus and obeyed them. Then an amazing thing happened. It was a situation where common sense and experience did not work. A lot of fish is also a problem, but it was amazing to be able to catch fish there at that time. So many people were surprised by the catch.
1. The Apostle Peter testifies of what he personally witnessed (verse 16).
Let's look at verse 16. “It was not according to a cleverly crafted story that we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we ourselves have seen his majesty.” Amen.
We always put a lot of emphasis on faith. Of course, faith should be emphasized a lot. But that belief must be based on knowledge. Because a belief that does not presuppose knowledge is highly likely to be a blind belief. How vaguely do we have our beliefs? The Bible tells us clearly. It must be knowledge presupposed to knowledge, and knowledge presupposed to belief.
How do you know and believe in Jesus Christ? Don't you say you believe without knowing who you are? We must know and believe rightly. I need to know and believe who Jesus Christ is to me. This belief is the right faith. We must have great faith and that faith must grow. However, this growth of faith does not grow without knowing who Jesus Christ is.
The Bible is by no means a fictional story. It is not a “crafted story” to stimulate people's curiosity. It was God who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. These are the words that God gave for the clear foundation of history. This is a story told by people of God who have personally witnessed and experienced that fact.
These are the words of God written by those who personally witnessed the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. You must believe this. Even if it is not understood by our human reason, it is true. Because it is a miracle of God and a miracle of Jesus, we may not understand it. Even if we do not understand, His power is still alive and working. We shouldn't be tough anymore. We must not turn our backs on God and turn our backs on God through pride.
2. God testifies, “This is My Beloved Son” (vv. 17-18).
What revelation of God came to the Apostle Peter? The apostle tells the story of the glory of Jesus Christ who came from the Mount of Transfiguration in the text. Jesus Christ was transfigured in great glory. Then a voice was heard from heaven.
Matthew 17:5 says, “Suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Peter witnessed this sight. Not only Peter, but James and John also witnessed it. A cloud covered them, and a voice was heard in the cloud. This cloud was a symbol of the presence of God's glory. In the Bible, when God's glory is always present, clouds accompany it. That is, whenever God appeared, a cloud appeared.
In the clouds in the sky, God appeared in glory. He appeared and testified of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus says that he is the Beloved Son of God and that he is pleased with God. So, listen to what Jesus has to say.
Is there any more accurate evidence than this? God Himself called Jesus Christ His Son. He also said that the only person with whom God was pleased was Jesus Christ. He told them to listen to the preaching of Jesus Christ and obey them. These words show what kind of faith we have when God loves us and has blessed us.
First, God said that Jesus Christ is the beloved Son.
If you are in that Jesus Christ, you can receive God's love. The world sees appearances. Appearance matters. He likes and follows people who have a lot of power and wealth. But our God loves and honors us when we have complete faith in Jesus Christ.
Second, when we believe in Jesus Christ and are in Him, He welcomes us with joy.
When we are accepted by God and give joy to God, we will be blessed with prosperity.
When we give joy to our parents, they are happy. Faith is also pleasing to God when we give him joy. How will you please me? He said that God is pleased with Jesus Christ. When we are in that Jesus, we become joy to God.
Third, obey.
What does obedience to God mean? It is obedience to Jesus whom God has sent. It is not just saying that we believe and love you, but actually keeping the word. It is obedience. Peter realized the deep meaning of this obedience.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us become those who please God. Let us be obedient. I will live as you say. Clearly, the testimony of God is presented before us precisely in this way. There can be no other way. I'm so sure. There should be no doubt.
3. Evidence of prophecy through the Bible, the Word of God (verses 19-21)
The Bible is the Word of God. It was not made by human will. It was given to us only by the will of God. He tells us to heed the words of the prophecy.
The words of prophecy spoken by the apostle could speak of the Old Testament. Just by reading these words, we have the power as the words of salvation. However, there are times when we need to study in depth and look into it. That is why the Apostle said that the Holy Spirit was with the Old Testament prophets and “studyed and searched diligently” (1 Peter 1:10).
So it shouldn't be released on your own. That is why it is said, “First of all, know that not all prophecies of the scriptures are private interpretation.
Also, 2 Peter 3:16 says, “And in all his epistles they also spoke of these things, but some of them are difficult to understand, and the ignorant and the ungrateful, like the rest of the scriptures, force themselves to unravel them, which leads to their own destruction.”
Today, there are many cases of self-destruction while trying to arbitrarily unravel the Bible. So heretics appear a lot. We must be careful not to be deceived by such heretics. There are many who boast that they have discovered a new truth. Nothing new at all.
The words Jesus spoke were recorded in the Bible, and those words are still being introduced today. Beware of those who say that they alone speak the truth and that their interpretation of the Bible is the best. We must always be fearful and humble before the Word.
The Bible was spoken by people moved by the Holy Spirit as they received it from God. So the Bible is authoritative. These are the words of God that God made the human author to write through the Holy Spirit. So, when dealing with the Bible, we should read it with humility. The Bible, written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, cannot be understood without the help of the Holy Spirit. We should seek the help of the Holy Spirit as we read the Word of God.
Saints who are filled with the Holy Spirit cannot help but be nervous when dealing with the Word of God or when the Word is preached. I can't help but thank you. But too often we treat ourselves too easily. As God's saved people, this is not the right thing to do.
invitation to the word
Dear brothers and sisters, according to the record, Peter also died on the cross. As he died, he said that he could not die on a cross like Jesus, and that he was crucified upside down. Before Peter died, he left the first and second Peter books to us as the Word of God. When God gave the Word through the Holy Spirit, it was given through the Apostle Peter.
God shows Peter, and Peter is telling us what he witnessed. What we witnessed was that Jesus Christ descended in glory as the Son of God with power. It was so majestic.
We need to know him right. Because that is our salvation. We too have received Jesus as our Savior with the help of the Holy Spirit. I believed. I also experienced a thrilling faith.
We, too, must tell you about this fact. We must share this good news with our neighbors. We must proclaim our Savior, Jesus Christ, who will return in great glory and majesty. Then he will come with the power of judgment. We must prepare before it is too late. Now is the time to wake up from sleep. I need to realize that I am truly a man of God and become the saints who receive blessings.