II Peter 1:16-21
God’s Word Stands

Introduction
1. What is more sure than the audible voice of God or a vision of Christ?
2. Satan can give you any feeling, experience or emotion that you want...BUT HE CANNOT
DUPLICATE THE WORD OF GOD.
3. II Peter 1:16-21 gets us back to the word.

What is more sure than the audible voice of God or a vision of Christ?
I. THE MAJESTY OF THE WORD 1:16-18
A. The Majesty of Confidence 16a
We have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the
power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Cunningly devised fables…stories, fictions, myths, fables…made up stuff…this
must be the accusations that were being made. Myths devised by human wisdom in
contrast to the Holy Spirit is the accusation.
2. When we made know unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…
*We Peter is referring to the apostles who were divinely inspired.
*When we talk of the power of Christ it is no fable…no made up story. When
we talk about Jesus coming back it is no fairy tale or figment of our imagination!
B. The Majesty of Consciousness 16b-18
There are two reasons Peter can make this statement:
1. Vision 16b
We were eye witnesses of His majesty.
*The words eye witnesses appear only here. It is a technical term of the Gnostics.
It was to designate only those who had been initiated could know the highest
grade of mystery.
*It was probably a favorite term of the false teachers.
*His majesty is His magnificence! The Transfiguration was a picture of the 2nd
coming in miniature…We saw it! The resurrected Christ…We saw Him in the
upper room!
*To be substantiated in a court of Jewish law the incident must be confirmed by 2
or 3 witnesses. We saw His majesty! He was seen by us and over 500 at one
time. We saw His majesty…eye witnesses (the initiated)!
2. Voice 17-18
The reason we know: For He received honor and glory from the Father.
When was this? When there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory.
What did we hear: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
*Excellent glory…I feel it was the shekinah glory…the bright overshadowing
cloud in the wilderness and the glory that filled the Temple.
*We eye witnessed this Peter was more concerned with what He heard than what
He saw!
*We heard this voice…It was a definite personal experience not only by Peter, but
James and John…maybe He is referring to the 12. Remember it took 2 or 3
witnesses to hold up in court.
**Which came from heaven when we were with Him on that holy mountain.
Holy by His presence Holy means set apart. The mountain was a
common mountain to a ‘sacred one’, one set apart.
**Isn’t that what Christ does with us? We are saints…set apart by His
presence. We are to live to God and for God.
His power and coming are real…we saw and we heard!

What is more sure than the audible voice of God or a vision of Christ?
II. THE MEANING OF THE WORD 1:19-21
Suppose it were to be announced by radio, television, internet, Facebook, Tik Tok and
Tweeted around the world that on a particular day and hour God would speak from heaven
to all the people of the world. Do you think nearly everyone would take time to listen?
No doubt only a few would miss it! Let us remember…God has spoken!!
A. It Is Reliable 19a
We have a more sure word of prophecy.
1.More sure…something that is firm. It can be trusted. It is more reliable that what we saw or heard.
2.Word of prophecy…this is a word of the prophets. It is different from prophecy in verse 20. To us it would be what we consider the Old Testament. The Word of God is more valid than a voice from heaven heard with the natural ear or more sure than seen with the personal, human eye. To us, DNA & finger prints are more sure, more reliable than an eye witness account.
3.This is a rebuke to those who went beyond Scripture to cunningly devised fables. Be careful of dreams, visions, voices, feelings, imagination…We have a more sure word...The Bible!
B. It Is Received 19b
Unto which ye do well if you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place until
the day dawn and the day star arise in your heart.
1.It is one thing to have the word. It is another to heed the word. As a lamp a lamp is so we can see…to light our path…to keep us from falling.
2.Dark place is murky, dirty, parched.
*What a picture of the world in which we live.
*The Word is our only sure hope to help us navigate, see, guide, to keep us from falling or stumbling.
3. Take heed…not only have the word, but hear, obey, do…stay in the Word!
4. Until the dawn and day star arise in your heart.
*The day star in (Revelation 2:28) I will give Him the morning star. The
morning star will herald a new day…The Son will come!!
*The Word works inside out. You are changed inside out. It will make the old
new. A restoration will take place in your heart. Out of the heart flow the
issues of life!
C. It Is Revealed 20
Knowing first that no prophecy (future) is of any private interpretation. This goes back
to ye do well to take heed.
1.To me the meaning of private interpretation is seen in v. 21. How did it originate?
What is its source?
2.Is come or springs up. No prophecy comes out of private disclosure.
3.These are not their own ideas. The words did not merely come from the prophet.
D. It Is Reasonable 21
1. Reason: for prophecy came not at any time by the will of man.
*Prophecy…For The prophet is not a self starter.
*Scripture (v. 20) is of divine origin. Not by the will of man (is emphatic) Was
any prophecy born of us? He is not warning against personal interpretation or
study, but ‘would be’ prophets adding to these sacred pages is in view.
2.But holy men of God spoke move by the Holy Spirit.
*This is why I believe in the inerrant, inspired Word of God in their original language.
*Moved is borne along. Luke used the word of a sailing vessel carried along by the wind (Acts 27:15, 17). Human authors were controlled by the divine Author. In doing so never erasing their personality or consciousness involved in the process. Man spoke, but God so worked in them that what they said was His word.


What is more sure than an audible voice from God or a vision of Jesus Christ?
It is the written, inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God!!

Satan can give you any feeling, experience or emotion that you want,
but he can never duplicate the Word of God.