Something More Sure! 2 Peter 1:16-21

Today we’re going to talk about something more sure.

Have you ever been asked, “Are you sure?”

Have you ever replied, “Absolutely! For sure.”.

In our epistle today Peter says, “for sure” about the gospel.

He says, “We did not invent cleverly devised myths, when we made known to you, the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

They saw with their own eyes the miracles Jesus did; and years later, they wrote about them, so that the whole world could see them through their words.

Peter goes on to describe the miracle of the Transfiguration. “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with who I am well pleased.’, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were on the holy mountain with him.” They heard and saw it; it wasn’t made up or imagined, so we can be sure of it.

In our Gospel, Matthew tells us in detail, about Christ’s transfiguration. Peter, along with James and John, for a brief time, would see that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, as he revealed his glory.

Matthew says his face shone like the sun; it must have lit up the evening sky. Even his clothes were shining, a brilliant, dazzling white, unlike any white they had ever seen.   

And then, Moses and Elijah, came down from heaven and had a conversation with Jesus. Luke tells us what they were talking about: his departure, his death and resurrection.

The reason Moses and Elijah could do this was because God had already taken them physically into heaven.

All other believers, when they die, when we die, our souls go to heaven to wait for the resurrection of our bodies; then after the resurrection when Jesus comes again, we’ll live in heaven, in body and soul for all eternity.

The two greatest prophets of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, were the only two people who didn’t have to wait for the resurrection; they were taken into heaven in both body and soul, not just their souls.

God did this as a special honor for them, and as a witness to others that our bodies while someday be raised and brought to heaven. And God did it for one more reason: He had something for them to do back on earth.  

He would send them back to earth, for just a short time one night, so that they could encourage Jesus to carry out the difficult task of dying on the cross.

When Peter saw Moses and Elijah and Jesus all having a conversation, he decided he should get involved, so he offered to set up three tents for them so they could all stay for a while.

Have you ever had that mountaintop experience that you wished would never end; or you wish you could go back to that time and experience it all over again?  That’s how it was for Peter and James and John on the mountain that night.

While Peter was still talking, Matthew says, a bright cloud covered them all.

That cloud was the presence of God; and we know that for sure because a voice came from within the cloud, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

This was another way that God was encouraging His Son to complete that terribly difficult task of saving the world.

When cloud cleared, Jesus saw that Peter, James, and John were on the ground; they had fallen down in fear. He reached down and touched them, and said, “Rise and have no fear.” There’s nothing here to be afraid of.

Then as they headed back down the mountain, he told them to keep what they had seen and heard to themselves, until after his resurrection. Don’t even tell the other disciples.

Now that must have been hard.

Imagine the other disciples drilling them, “What happened up there? What did you see.”

“Oh, nothing.”. Or maybe they just said, “Jesus said we shouldn’t say.”. “Why?”.

Now that’s a good question. Why did Jesus say they should keep it to themselves?

At this point the Transfiguration was to encourage Jesus. Later, it would be to encourage believers that Jesus is indeed, the risen Son of God. And that’s why Peter, James, and John needed to be there to see it, so they could report it in the years ahead.

After Jesus rose, then they would tell the other disciples and many people, about Jesus’ transfiguration. And in light of His resurrection and ascension, His transfiguration would all make sense.

Later, some of the apostles would put it into writing.

Which brings us back to our epistle.

Peter, who saw all this, and would proclaim it and write about it, assures us that all these things about Jesus are historical facts, so we can be sure of them.

He continues, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic Word… For no prophecy of Scripture was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Or as Paul put it, “All Scripture is God-breathed”, or inspired.

The things reported in the Gospels, Jesus’ miracles and parables, his transfiguration, and crucifixion and resurrection, are all historical events that the disciples heard and saw, and reported.

So that we might be even more assured of the truth of these things, God saw to it that the apostles wrote under the direct influence and control of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing went into Scripture that God didn’t want there, not a word. Each word is His word, and each word is true.

So we have the historical witness about Jesus, as in a history book, and to make us even more sure of it, we have the very words of God about Jesus in the Gospels. And in the Old Testament we have all the prophecies about him that we see fulfilled in the New Testament.

We live in a secular society that likes to throw shade on some of the things the Bible says, especially about Jesus; it assumes or infers that they’re probably made up or imagined.

Because of this negative influence, and for other reasons, there may be times when we find ourselves doubting some of things in the Bible, or doubting the gospel, or doubting God Himself.

But it’s not necessary to do that. God hasn’t given us anything that needs to be doubted.

When we doubt, it’s just us being people in this world; being influenced by our limitations; projecting our limitations on Jesus. If we couldn’t do those things, then how could he.

Peter tells us how: because he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

God doesn’t want us to have to doubt this, and so he gives us a historical record in an inspired, God-breathed book, the Bible.

It’s like when you love and care for someone; you don’t want them to have to go through the anxiety of doubting that; you want them to be happy and secure in your relationship; so you do things to assure them.

God knows our nature; He knows that we sometimes have doubts about Him and His Word. That’s no reflection on Him, but on us. 

Even though the onus is on us, God gives us the carefully witnessed events of the gospel, made even more sure for us, by inspiring the writers of Scripture, so that they wrote the right, exact words.

And he gives us the Holy Spirit in our hearts through Baptism, so that we can do more than just know the information that’s in the Bible, and know the events in life of Christ, and know His teachings, because of the Holy Spirit in us, we can know these things with faith; believe them for our salvation, and for our love and joy, and for many more blessings.

In His Word, by His Spirit, God is at work in us, making us ever more sure of gospel of Christ, and all of Scripture, which all bears witness to Christ. And he does it because he cares.

Finally, as God assures us, and makes us more sure of the gospel, we experience a greater measure of the peace that passes understanding.

May it always guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.