We Have Certainty in the Greatest Word Ever Heard :: 2 Peter 1:16-21

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well by holding fast to as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day shines through and the light bearer arises in your hearts (v 19).

We live in a time of immediate information, an abundance of opinions, and a constant parade of experts who want to guide us through the times. They all talk about the threats we face and the steps we should take to avoid suffering, controversy, and difficulties. Every other voice we hear seemingly responds with cries of misinformation or disinformation! Then we are left to wonder: Who can we trust? What can we trust? Where can we find something to trust? When can we trust it? And why is it so hard to trust?

Saint Peter gives us the answers to our questions of who, what, where, when and why. 

In verse 19 of our epistle reading, Saint Peter calls our sinful world a dark and gloomy place. Because of the light of Christ shining through ... because of the certainty of our Lord’s all-atoning death on the cross for our sins followed by his glorious resurrection being proclaimed ... we have something to trust ... something to pay attention to ... something that will not change ... something that will give us more than a burst of euphoria ... something that will last forever.  

WE HAVE CERTAINTY IN THE GREATEST WORD EVER HEARD

1.

We Christians have that certainty ... in Holy Scripture. Saint Peter says Holy Scripture is more certain than anything else. Holy Scripture can be trusted because no prophecy has ever been carried by the will of man, but by the Holy Spirit, it was carried to men, spoken by God (v 21). Above all other teachings, feelings, and experiences ... the Word of God we hear in Holy Scripture is inerrant. Seriously, we couldn’t make this up that God died on a cross and rose from the dead so that you will live eternally. This is the only Gospel (Gal 1:7). Listen to it. For it was not by embracing sophisticated myths that we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but because we became eyewitnesses of his majesty (v 16).

The most fabulous thing about Peter’s witness is that in his recounting of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, he never mentions what he saw. He doesn’t speak of seeing Moses and Elijah. He makes no mention of the fact that Jesus went through a metamorphosis ... that his clothes became as white as light ... that his face was shining like the sun. He doesn’t mention how he saw the cloud overshadowing them. He doesn’t discuss his feelings that urged him to build three tents and stay on the mountain forever. 

Instead, he speaks of what he heard, saying, For when [Jesus] received from God the Father honor and glory, when such a voice was carried to him by the Majestic Glory [saying], ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am well pleased,’ indeed, this voice we ourselves heard out of heaven when it was carried to him [because[ we were with him on the holy mountain (vv 17-18). 

2.

It was the Word of God that granted Peter such certainty and confidence. It was the Word all by itself. It was not what he saw. It was not his shared experience. He didn’t base it on tradition. It was founded firmly on what he heard. Faith comes through hearing. 

This Word that he heard moved Peter to write his epistle in such a way that it would also give those who hear this Gospel ... confidence ... trust ... faith. And because of it you can have the same sure and certain trust as you wrestle with who and what to trust ... where to trust it ... and why. Because Peter put so much stock in the Word from God over and above his personal experience, then you can as well. Peter bids us to listen to the Word alone ... which unites itself with Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. 

Before you think to yourself ... Well, he’s Peter ... He’s the chief among the apostles. He’s one who walked with Jesus and talked with Jesus. He saw Jesus live without sin. He saw Jesus die on a cross as the bearer of all sin. He saw Jesus shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins. Then he saw that He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! ... Of course Peter can be that confident.

But then remember this is the same Peter who, six days before the transfiguration, was rebuked by Jesus and identified as a Satan because his mind was set on the things of man ... on the way things always have been. This is the same Peter who thought he would get to stay on the mountain forever. This is the same Peter who just minutes after eating the Lord’s Supper declared that he would never deny Jesus ... that he loved Jesus ... that he would die with Jesus ... but when pressed by a servant girl ... he denied Jesus ... he caved in to fear and faithlessness. This is the same Peter who lived with doubt.

3.

The change in Peter took place not because of what he saw ... it came precisely because of what he heard ... the greatest word we will ever hear ... as he tells us in both of his epistles. First, he says, it is according to the abundant mercy of God that he has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that is incorruptible, unstained, and unfading, being kept in heaven for you (1 Pt 1:3-4). ... You were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Pt 1:18-19). 

This is the Word Peter remembers. This is the greatest Word Peter ever heard. Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The blood of Jesus is given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. The blood of Jesus is the means of grace by which God fills you with the glorious and inexpressible joy as you await the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pt 1:9). This is the Word to which you will do well to take heed of as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the light-bearer arises in your hearts (v 19). Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hb 9:22). This is also why we are hearing Peter’s second epistle today. 

The Christians that first received this Word were not unlike you. They too were being bombarded by a lot of other teachings, a lot of other traditions, a lot of other ideas and lifestyles from their family and friends and elders. This constant pressure led them to wonder ... Who can we trust? Whose Word gives us a certain foothold? Why should we trust it?

When we stop listening to the Word, Satan deceives us. That’s how he snared Eve. He appealed to her desire ... asking the nuanced question, did God really say? In so doing, he led humanity into sin ... he led humanity away from God ... he led humanity to listen to his own desire ... and because of that, we were left with confusion, disorder, chaos, and death. 

And Satan is still doing that today ... appealing to the heart and mind ... appealing to rationalism and pietism ... asking ... Did God really say you are a sinner and will continue to sin? You know the answer: Yes! He asks ... Did God really say you need the forgiveness of sins every day? You know the answer: Yes! He asks ... Did God really say you need his means of grace? You know the answer: Yes!

4.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in an age of misinformation and disinformation, our Lord Jesus, through His apostle Peter, is calling us into repentance. 

Repent of following sophisticated myths about God and how he loved you. Repent of your failure to listen to the Word of Jesus. Repent of not holding fast to the Word through the Spirit, who proclaims that forgiveness is yours on account of what Jesus has done ... in his life, his death, his resurrection ... and that this Word you have heard continues to come to you through his means of grace. Listen to God’s Word. He cannot lie to you. He will not deceive you. He will never issue a statement of correction or revision. The greatest word you will ever hear is ... Your sins are forgiven on account of the blood of Christ.

5.

Please now turn to page 327 in your service book and join me in confessing our faithful doctrine on this. How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? 

6.

You will do well in holding fast to [this] Word as a light shining in a dark place. His Word has arisen and it continues to tell you that you have the forgiveness of sins on account of the life, death, rest, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and that you continue to receive the forgiveness of sins in his Divine Service. His Word says baptism unites you in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. His Word announces the grace of God in absolution. His Word gives you the body and blood of our Lord because it is given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. These means work together.

These are no sophisticated myths. This is the witness that the Holy Spirit proclaims to you. God’s Word is the light bearer. God’s Word echoes in your ears. God’s Word bears witness of the Holy Spirit that the Only Begotten Son of God set aside his majestic glory and suffered the darkness of sin and death on the cross and was laid to rest in the grave for you, and then on the third day, rose again. It is the greatest Word ever heard ... in Jesus’ name.