2 Peter 1:19-21
We also have the completely reliable prophetic word. You do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts, since we know this above all else: No prophecy of Scripture comes about from someone’s own interpretation. In fact, no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us your word, which Peter explained is your reliable prophetic word. We might wonder how we know it’s true. Within it are the words of a promised Messiah, your Son, who was promised of the Old Testament; those promises were given hundreds and thousands of years before Jesus came. The gospels record the fulfillment of those prophecies. Jesus came to this earth and accomplished all that was spoken about him—hundreds of prophecies fulfilled. The fact that your Son is not in a grave anywhere points us to the reliability to trust all the words your Spirit has given us.
The words of the Old Testament all directed us to your Son, who would come to rescue the world from all its sins. We were trapped in sin with no way out, but like a light in the dark, your word pointed to the promise of a Messiah who would and did save us from our sins. Jesus truly walked the earth and lived the perfect life in our place so that whoever believes in him and his life-giving work will have eternal life. Jesus became part of your created order so that he would willingly go to the cross, then suffer and die for our sins. He rose on the third day just as you and he promised; there, all scripture is fulfilled because he defeated sin, death, and the Devil. He rose as he stated, giving authority and reliability to your word.
If man had written these words alone, they would have been filled with narcissistic, self-loving words about how great we are, pointing only to the ways we are so great that you must love us. Instead, they point out our many flaws and failures, our need for our Savior, and the forgiveness of sins Jesus won on the cross.
Many will never read these words, simply refusing to believe them because someone told them their opinion about you. Others will read them but still refuse to trust them because it is too hard to understand how someone would give their life in place of another. Please give us opportunities not to give our opinion but share the forgiveness Jesus won for us on the cross. Let us share the reliability of your words with those who do not know so they, too, will be brought into the light of your love and mercy. Let our words not be our interpretation but have your Spirit be within us so they are your words of comfort and hope for all we meet today. Amen
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God has given us his word through the Holy Spirit, and we trust it by faith. In His Word, we have the words for eternal life that brings us salvation through the forgiveness of sins Jesus won on the cross.