lamp, shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Amen. What a text we have before us this morning. And before we take a look at these three verses, I want to, as is my normal habit of giving a flow, an understanding of where we are at, where Peter is taking this letter. And you know, at times it's, I encourage you to really go and read the entire letter in one sitting. It really helps. You know, when I come here and I keep on... taking little chunks of the letter. It's hard to see the flow of it. And I'm trying to bring that out. And I'll reference at times even things that Peter is saying in chapter three, for example. And that very much has to do, as a matter of fact, one of the surveys of the New Testament that I have sitting in my shelf, His approach there is really taking the book of Peter, 2 Peter, and working backwards. So he takes chapter 3 and he works backwards to chapter 1 because it flows better. but for the sake of the way the letter is written. That's why I make reference to the end as well. So just as a little side note. But here in this letter, what Peter is doing, he's beginning by reminding again. Remember the first letter was to these scattered saints, and it's to the same people who are in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey, who are suffering from the outside, and now it's come to the inside. Challenges on the inside. False teachers, for example, is what he will begin explaining in chapter 2. But if we were to really identify the core purpose of this letter, it would be Peter responding to these false teachers who are leading the flock astray. away into an ungodly life. Among other teachings, the main error of these false teachers is they got their eschatology wrong. They got their end times wrong. Now, I'm not saying that they are having a strong stance on when the millennium is going to happen. This is not an argument of, are they premill, amill, postmill. whatever it may be, this is not what the argument is. That's an in-house discussion. That's not a discussion that is happening between false teachers and the church. Any of those who would take those positions really are ones that will agree that there is an end. There is a consummation of all things. And that end throughout Scripture is identified as the day of the Lord. the day of the Lord, the coming of Christ, something that we will see and discuss, as I said, later on this morning, but also later on in the book of Peter. But what we know of these false teachers is this, they dismiss the coming of Christ entirely. And so with this kind of teaching that Christ is not coming, well, the implications of that, it really completely alters or changes the way that a person will actually live their life out. So if there is no second coming of Christ, then there is no need for holiness. There's no need to pursue holiness. There's no judgment. But just as a quick comment in passing, something that we'll expand on later in the letter, and that is this. If the false teachers are teaching, and they were teaching that Christ is not coming, Let's not be so quick, as we're trying to bring this to our day and age, let's not be so quick to be saying that this teaching is not prevalent in our day. It may not be as obvious, but I will tell you one thing, even if people, and what's more sad probably, is that people actually do believe he's coming and yet still live the way that the false teachers are teaching them to live. And that's the sad reality that we live in. And so, since the beginning of the letter, from really when the pen drops, when Peter begins writing, he's admonishing the saints to pursue holiness, to pursue holiness, a life of holiness, a godly life, a life that grows in the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. who is the knowledge of God and the true knowledge, he says. He uses that two times, true knowledge of Jesus Christ. In a way, he's combating against these false teachers and their false doctrine and teaching. But a life that grows in the knowledge of God through the true knowledge of Jesus Christ is that true knowledge, not the false knowledge of the false teachers. Well, how will you know this? How will you know that you're living this life in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, by and through the one who has called you, Peter says, by his glory and by his excellence. That's how you'll know. This is beholding his glory and being transformed because your eyes have really seen the King of glory. All He's about is glory. He's the ruler of glory. He reigns gloriously. And His glory goes before Him. And so how much of the glory, if I could just ask you, of Christ are you really beholding? And are you being transformed from glory to glory? You see, it's the excellence of Christ. It's the glory of Christ. When you see Him, is within Scripture and you experience by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is transformation. This is becoming more like Christ. And so Peter continues as he flows down in chapter 1 with listing some qualities. Right? In verses 5 through 7, he lists some qualities, and I must ask, how many of these qualities are yours? How many of these qualities are mine? They're listed in 5 through 7. How many of these qualities are actually increasing? As time passes, are they growing? Day by day, year by year, do you see a trajectory headed in the right direction, a growth? Brethren, there needs to be this tangible growth in our lives as it pertains to these qualities of faith. As a matter of fact, if this is true of you, Peter says that this is a direct result of your growing in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says that if these qualities are yours and are increasing, well then you're not going to be useless nor unfruitful as it pertains to the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a measure, this is a A measurement. But he continues and tells them, actually in one sense, these are not days to sit back and coast. These are not days to just sit back and let God. He says there's no such things really as that in the Christian life. You're either swimming upstream or floating downstream. only the blind or short-sighted as Peter says those who have forgotten the purpose of the cross and the message of the gospel those who profess to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ but are really dead Those are the ones that are floating downstream. And as I listened to one of Doug Wilson's podcasts, he says, only dead things float downstream. Yeah, that's true. Only dead things. Inactive things. Things that are not swimming upstream to the mouth of the river, the source of life, right? But it should not be like this with us. We cannot be those that are floating downstream. But don't ever think that you're immune to sin. or immune to being lazy, or immune to the power of the enemy. Therefore, Peter says, be all the more diligent. He gives us that admonition. He encourages us, be all the more diligent to make certain about God's calling and choosing you. And how? by practicing these qualities that Peter mentions. Simply amazing, if you ask me, because this takes us and this teaching actually moves us away from the ever-pervasive teaching in our day of passive Christianity. And it really directs us to strive for, to yearn for, to long for, to actually live holy lives. And we really need to understand that what Peter has mentioned in verse 10, that through these, through practicing these qualities, he says, you have entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Brethren, without faith, it is impossible to please God. And without holiness, you will not see Him. Now, I know what the argument is. The argument being, it is not my holiness that allows me to see God, it is because of the holiness of Christ. And to that I would say a loud amen. But brethren, there must be a tangible, visible expression of the holiness of Christ in our lives. It's because the holiness of Christ penetrates deep. It works in such a way that it doesn't remain there, but bursts forth into every area of our lives. It's to touch everything we are to be about. So that whether it's the way we talk, whether it's the way we think, whether it's the way we treat each other, whether it's the way we respond to certain situations, the things we allow to pass before our eyes, it could be the things we meditate on, it could be the way we dress, it could be the way we carry ourselves, it could be who we are and what we do. Really, all of this needs to be an aroma of the holiness of Christ in our lives. This is life. And this is the way we are to live. This is not diminishing free grace by any means. This is rather an upholding of the gospel of grace that leads to holiness. If you are lacking in holiness, you may have embraced a false gospel. If you don't see holiness coming out in your life because of who Christ is in you, you may have embraced a false gospel. The gospel of grace produces a people who strive for holiness, who long for holiness, and who will one day experience it in its fullness on the day of the Lord when He comes. It is here in these final verses of chapter one, really, that Peter begins to unfold his refutation against these false teachers. And exactly on that point, the day of the Lord, the coming of Christ. And we will see more about these false teachers and their schemes, but for now, we can deduce this one thing. If they are teaching against and denying the coming of Christ, well then holiness is not important, judgment of sins is irrelevant, the way to a life of sin has now been opened. This is why, in this first chapter, Peter is bringing forth the importance of living a holy and godly life, and to hold to this truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming. He begins at verse 16, and we discussed this in the last study with a strong affirmation that when he and others were declaring the coming of the Lord, that means when the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in power, when Peter was preaching this, even on the day of Pentecost, and he was declaring this, and the other disciples and apostles, this is what they were preaching. This is what they were talking about. Jesus Christ is coming. He just ascended and yet this is what they're preaching. This is what they're teaching. Jesus Christ is coming. And he says this is not a fable. It's not a myth. It's not a tale. is a well-thought-out, make-believe fictional story. This isn't a once upon a time and everyone in the end is happily ever after kind of story. Peter's saying that what he is talking about is something so majestic, so wonderful, so dreadful, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Old Testament speaks of that. And this is where Peter's getting at. What really, what Peter does for us here in the remaining verses is that he brings two arguments between 16 and 21. And these two arguments to sustain the teaching, the reality of the coming of Christ. First, as we saw already, Peter's saying that he, along with James and John, were eyewitnesses, eyewitnesses of the majesty of Christ. This is a wonderful testimony of the coming of Christ. The transfiguration was an event in which God spoke. He spoke to those who were present. Remember how I said last time, the baptism was speaking to Christ, and His public ministry, transfiguration, is speaking about Him to those around. And so, declaring Jesus as the beloved Son, in which He, Christ, received both honor and glory from God the Father, Peter says. And this is remarkable in the sense that God the Father is confirming. And making known to all there that this is Jesus, the Promised One, that the prophets of old have written about and spoke about, the Anticipated One, the Great One, the Messiah, the One that will come and rule forever, the root and the offspring of David. This is Christ. And God is making this known. In other words, that which God was relaying through the prophets of this whole time is now saying in an audible voice Himself. Audible voice Himself, no prophet, no buffer, no intermediary to convey this profound message. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This is it. And Peter says, we were eyewitnesses of that. We saw that, we heard that with our ears. there on that holy mountain, the mountain that is made holy because of the Almighty who is on the mountain. So the transfiguration in Peter's mind is a clear testimony, a declaration, an affirmation of the Holy Scriptures, that the glimpse of the glory of Christ on that holy mountain was a pointing forward, a future, a prophetic picture of the glory in which Christ will appear when He comes again. And what a sight that will be. What a glorious sight that will be. In all His glory and power, radiant and beauty. Come, come Lord Jesus, says the Spirit in the bride. Well, that was just argument number one from a follower of Christ, a man who sat under the teaching of the great Savior. And this was not only Peter, remember, there were other eyewitnesses there, James and John. So this is not something that Peter just came up with, or it can't be very viable. But Peter moves on to argument number two, as found in our text this morning, verses 19 through 21. In a nutshell, Peter's second argument is this. The scriptures declare this wonderful truth, Jesus is coming. The scriptures declare this wonderful truth, Jesus is coming. But let's look at it in more detail. He begins with a statement that scholars actually go back and forth on. I'll tell you, preparing for this study was quite challenging for me, because there's a lot of things in this text that could go either way. And yeah, I had to land somewhere, and I did. But have patience with me. Be merciful with me. All right, what is this prophetic word and what does it mean that it is made more sure? Well, the prophetic word has been viewed in multiple ways. I'll name just a few and then I'll tell you what I've deduced. It could mean any word uttered by the prophets. It could mean others, well, others say that it is the word spoken at the transfiguration that Peter is alluding to. So others will say that, and there's this one commentary, and he actually holds to the view that it is strictly the prophetic word that is tied directly to the passages that speak of Christ's coming, second coming of Christ. Namely, Isaiah 42 and Psalm 2. So there is a view of that as well. Then there's others who say that it's the New Testament Scriptures, especially when quoting the Old Testament. That one is not as solid, I would say. And lastly, there are those who say that it is referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. And as I told my boys, I said, whenever you're reading a commentary, I said, typically, the commentators will always point out all the views, and the last one is their view. And so I like to take that approach, right? So then the last one, then the last one that you just say is your view. So that is my view, that it's referring to the Old Testament scriptures, Old Testament scriptures. several reasons as to why I landed there. If we look at the meaning of the prophetic word, we see it meaning as the logos of prophets. The logos of prophets. The writings of the prophets. And if we skip forward really to verse 20, we'll see Peter is really giving more meaning there. The prophecy of Scripture, he says. The prophecy of Scripture. So you have the word of the prophets, the prophetic word, and then you have the prophecy of scripture what to the first century jews and we gotta take this into account the word of the prophets was understood as the holy scriptures of old namely the old testament uh... even jesus himself on many occasions with on many occasions say it is written so what peter saying here is that this prophetic word the old testament as a whole which also includes the prophecies that talk about his second coming that pertain to this. Well, in this, the scriptures, we have something made more sure, is what Peter says. Something made more sure. The prophetic word made more sure. Now, what does he mean by that? The prophetic word made more sure. Made more sure than what? Is he drawing a comparison? Is Peter saying that because of his experience, the Word of God is made more sure? Or is he saying that the Scriptures are made more sure because of his experience? I know, you probably didn't even think about this. Yeah, it really just got me thinking a lot more. It was challenging. But in other words, what he's saying is, is Scripture even more certain than eyewitness testimony? Or does it mean that his eyewitness testimony, the transfiguration, confirms Scripture? You see the two arguments there. Well, there are those who argue that if the transfiguration authenticates Scripture, then We are saying that Scripture can now be based on different experiences and eyewitness accounts through which then anyone and everyone can bring their experience to the table. My argument really back to that argument is this. What is the New Testament, much of the New Testament? Is this not a testimony of all that the writers have experienced as they walked with Jesus? First-hand experience? As they were eyewitnesses? This is where commentators actually take Scripture, like this Scripture right here, and dissect it too far to the point where you don't even know from where they cut or what they cut. It's just a big mess of words. It is important not to import our time and our era into the time of writing. Not initially, because the text, it was written for that time. Yes, it has implications, and we draw these things for ourselves as the Spirit leads us and as Scripture defines Scripture. as it pertains to us. But it is important to know that the Holy Spirit was moving men, specifically the men who have walked with Jesus as it pertains to the New Testament, to write what they have seen and experienced, inspired and carried along, moved by the Holy Spirit. But I'm jumping ahead to verses 20 and 21. So, what does it mean to be made more sure? It's simply that the prophetic word, the Scriptures, to which Peter is referencing, the Old Testament writings, it is these that are thoroughly reliable. That's what he's getting at. These Scriptures are reliable. To say it is one or the other is really to pit one, meaning the Transfiguration or the Scriptures, is really to pit one against the other. The Transfiguration against the Old Testament writings. Think with me, who spoke through the prophets of old? God did. Who spoke at the Transfiguration? God did. So, The transfiguration brings, yes, confirmation that the Old Testament is the Word of God. Scripture validating Scripture. God validating Himself. God proving out that His Word stands and it will come to pass. And this is Peter's argument. If God says Jesus is coming, brethren, He's coming. This is what Peter's saying. It is important to note, though, that Peter is not, and some would think this, Peter is not bringing this argument to avoid any accusation against him on some subjective experience he had. So Peter's not bringing the Word of God and saying, I'm just going to try to validate my own experience here. His experience at the transfiguration stands alone. It actually goes alongside, right? Scripture. Peter is saying that actually the transfiguration is what the Old Testament points to, to this very thing that the transfiguration has revealed. And that is this, Jesus is coming. As one commentator rightly put it, he said, the transfiguration shows that the promise of the Lord's coming should be taken literally and cannot be dismissed as a spiritual truth. I like that. And we can take it even a step further. We have full assurance, based on the New Testament writings, which are available and open for all to read, that they confirm what the Old Testament writings have been saying all along. You can open up Scripture and see that. They are thoroughly reliable. They can be trusted, because He can be trusted. Not only can they be trusted, but they must be read and followed. And so, see with me what Peter says next, that Scripture is our guide. Scripture is our guide. He says, it is the revealed Word of God to us. And brethren, we would know nothing about God if it was not for Scripture. Think about what we have in our hands. What blessing, what grace, what mercy, what kindness, what love of the Father to reveal Himself. Amazing. And Peter continues and says, you do well to pay attention to that. You do well to pay attention to that. In other words, pay very close attention to the Word of God. And just as a side note, I don't think it would be wise for us to limit this to only the Old Testament, but Scripture as a whole. Even in this letter, and we'll get to that, Peter actually refers to the writings of Paul as scripture, as scripture. Something we'll, again, in chapter three. But why is it that we are to pay very close attention to scripture, to the word of God? Well, Psalm 119, 105, right? Because your word, O Lord, is what? A lamp to my feet and a light to my path. This is how we grow in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ. Peter says it's a lamp shining in a dark place. I love that imagery there, that many times, even, so I'm out in the dark, putting the animals away, I thank God for light. Because sometimes it can get really dark out there, and I can't see anything. It's amazing. It's a comfort, it's a guide, the light, and it's what darkness cannot swallow up. It can't put out. And this is true, but Peter's not using a word that simply means dark or black night. He's using a unique word that carries the meaning of a gloomy or very dreary place. Some translations use the word murky. In other writings, this word is even used, and when I say other writings, I mean other writings in that time period, use this word for even to describe hell. But whatever the meaning, we know that the light dispels the darkness. It removes the darkness in front of our eyes and clears the path so that the dark world we live in and all of its practices do not engulf us, do not swallow us up. And Paul says that we live in this evil present age, right? And always at risk of being confused or drawn away by the practices and the ways of this world, or even becoming conformed to the pattern of this world. We need to take heed to what Christ said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness. It's impossible. If you follow me, it's impossible that you will walk in darkness. You will have the light of life. Christ is the Word made flesh, brethren. You search scriptures, he once said, it is these, right? These that testify of me, he says. He says, if you read Moses, if you read the prophets, if you read Psalms, they speak of me. This is all about me. And you will do well to pay attention to the word. This light gives life, gives life. It gives air to breathe when the darkness around will have you. What a guide, what a savior, what a treasure His word is. This is how we combat against false teachings. We go to the Holy Word of God. But Peter continues, and he gives an expiration, doesn't he? He gives an expiration for this lamp shining in a dark place. And you begin to read that, and you see that expiration in the word until. That tells us this lamp, this light, is not forever. Or is the expiration the darkness? I would say the expiration is the darkness, because the Word of God stands forever. So see with me. He says, pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. That's not an easy text to understand. But from my readings and what I've deduced based on the context of scripture here and as a whole is this, that this is our hope. Christ is our hope. Until the day dawns is pointing to the day of the Lord, when Christ returns, His second coming. And that is in agreement with what Peter has been saying all along. It is also in agreement with what Paul says in Romans 13, 12. He says, the night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. The day is almost near. Put on the armor of light. That portion of text is easier to understand until the day dawns. That's not until the day dawns, the second coming of Christ. But the second portion is now so easy. What is meant by the morning star arising in our hearts? Well, in the past, some have taken it to mean that the light is shining in a dark place is the Old Testament period, the day dawning is the preaching of the gospel, and the morning star arising in our hearts is conversion. While that makes sense, and it's perfect sense theologically, but it doesn't flow contextually. Let's begin by stating, what is that morning star? To whom does it refer? Well, it is interesting that the star or planet that is called the morning star or evening star, does anybody know? I saw it this morning, Venus. Yeah, I was sitting in my office. I saw Venus right there in the southwest. It's the first to appear. It's called really the light bringer. It's the first to appear after the sun sets and the last to disappear after the sun rises. It actually catches the sun's rays just before dawn, before the sun rises, and is a promise of daytime. The sun is coming. One commentator wrote that, and I had to share that with you all. I think that's a beautiful picture. The sun is coming. Daylight's coming. There's Venus. We know it's coming. And so we have this picture before us, but more so, more reliable, more certain is this, the word of the prophets, the Old Testament scriptures, which mentioned this. I see, and actually in Numbers 24, 17. I seen him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come forth from Jacob. A scepter shall rise from Israel and shall crush through the forehead of Moab and tear down all the sons of Tumalt, or sons which cause uproar." Does anybody know who said that prophecy? Balaam. Yeah, Balaam. Isn't that interesting? I think Peter's gonna talk about him as Jude did as well. But Balaam was a false teacher, but one that God used to bless Israel. Thus God's word stands. But moving on, what is meant by the phrase, arising in your hearts? Well, this is not referring to a conversion experience. I think the text doesn't allow us to go there. If the Word of God is the lamp to my feet until the day of the Lord, then the morning star rising in our hearts must be the fulfillment of Scripture as a whole. We will not need the light of the Word of God, the Scriptures to lead us in a dark place, because Christ will be our light. And there will be no dark place. It's where righteousness shall dwell. Where the Lamb will be the glory in Emmanuel's land. When Christ returns, our hearts will be enlightened by the Morning Star Himself. Christ. It is like the proverb, and I love this proverb in chapter 4, verse 18, Isn't that beautiful? We see Christ fully. The righteousness is that path of righteousness that we have in Christ Jesus, we're walking in this pilgrimage. It comes to full day when we shall see him, right? This is the day in which we will no longer see through a glass dimly. This is where all veils are removed, and this is where we shall see him as he really is. And when we do, beholding him in all his glory, we shall be like him. But until that glorious day, he has not left us alone. We have the light of Scripture. We have the light of Christ. We have the light of the, who is the light of the world. We have the light of the gospel. We have the light of the Holy Spirit. We have no excuse. We have a lot of light. So we would do well to pay attention. Any verses, and I'll try to speed up here because I'm only, you realize I have two more verses to go. All right, Peter's actually bringing these last two verses here, validity to the prophecy of Scripture. He does so because from this he will move into chapter 2 where he will begin to unfold the ways and the teachings of these false teachers. He's establishing a truth about Scripture here. The pattern of how Scripture came to be in a direct refutation against the false teachers who cannot be trusted, and they do distort the Scriptures. as they do with Paul's writings as well. And so he begins in verse 20 with a statement of first importance. He says, but know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. Now again, this is another difficult text and we would have to really work through it. Is Peter referring to the origin of prophecy or the way that it is interpreted? In other words, it's either Peter saying that no prophecy originated in the prophet's own thinking, but from God's mind, or no prophecy can be privately interpreted in the reader's or hearer's own thinking. So those are the two different arguments brought forth. Both statements are true, but I believe the former is more contextually sound. I didn't hold to my commentary. I think I did, right? Meaning, the prophecy of Scripture, the Word of God, is not something that man came up with. Peter is concerned about the source of prophecy here, not the interpretation of it necessarily. Why can Scripture be trusted? because it is not a matter of the prophet's own thinking or imagination. It's from God. And almost all commentators will reference Jeremiah 23 as a good text, as a just model text. And I think it is to our benefit to read. And it does shed some light on what Peter is saying. As a matter of fact, I'll just summarize it here in several points. In verse 15, God, speaking through Jeremiah, the Lord says concerning the prophets that through them pollution has gone forth into all the land. He continues and says, do not listen to the words of the prophets. They are leading you into ruin. They speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord. God's calling out the false teachers false prophets here and and what they are like in verse 21 He makes this statement of fact. I didn't send these prophets to you They ran to you. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied and Lastly in verse 25. He says I have heard what the prophets have said who? prophesied falsely in my name saying I had a dream I had a dream and And so clearly we see that the spoken word from these prophets were coming from their own understanding, from their own minds and interpretation. It originated from their own will. And I think that what Peter writes in his first letter will shed even more light on this verse. And that is this, in 1 Peter 1, verse 10 through 12, he says, This is really something here though. Because if the prophets made up their prophecies, think about this with me, if they made up their own prophecies or were a matter of one's own unfolding or explaining, then why were they making careful searches and inquiries to its meaning? This is the case in point. No prophecy of Scripture is something that man just invented. God gives the Word, God gives meaning to the Word. And the prophets didn't make up what they wrote. And as Calvin said, they did not blab their inventions of their own accord or according to their own judgments. But really, either way we cut it, we have this one truth. God is the author of Scripture. He dictates. He gives. He speaks. And He gives meaning. And this is Peter's point here as he will begin to unfold or unravel all that is false about these teachers from chapter 2. And interestingly enough, he will cite actually many Old Testament passages to make his point. But moving on to verse 21. He actually expounds further, giving understanding to verse 20. He says, for or because no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will. So he's meaning the Word of God as Scripture did not originate with man as if the prophets thought up something and declared it as the Word of God. No. Peter gives us the method. How did the Word of God come to us? How did it come here? How did we receive the Old Testament and New Testament Scripture? It was through the instruments of men that were moved by the Holy Spirit that spoke from God. It's pretty plain. Hard to understand. This is how the prophetic word came. This is how Scripture came to be. This is how it was penned down. And as most commentators make mention, this is really a mystery. It is. A divine mystery of supernatural work of God for our good. B.B. Warfield says this so wonderfully and clearly. He says, the images or ideas which fill or pass in procession through the consciousness are determined by some other power than the recipient's own will. Peter uses really a maritime image or word, moved or carried along there, moved or carried along. Same word used by Luke in Acts chapter 27, when speaking of the ship that was caught in the violent wind and could not face but were carried along by it. In a similar way, and most commentators will bring this imagery in and say that the writers of Scripture, they were the prophets that raised their sails and the Holy Spirit filled them and carried them along. He, the Holy Spirit, inspired them to write what they wrote without a violation to their personality or style of writing. But that's a mystery. That's supernatural. Why would we expect anything different? The writers were not in a hypnotic state. They were not in a trance. It wasn't they were knocked out and all of a sudden heard a word and said, okay, and they're just writing down, yeah, yeah, yeah. They made inquiries. They searched. They tried to figure out, what does this all mean? But this is the beauty of God working through His people. There is cooperation with God, an active one, not a passive one, but not as equals, but as the Holy Spirit moved them. Some references from Isaiah and Jeremiah. You could see this. Isaiah 8, 11. The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me. Jeremiah says, almost in a, I don't want to write, God. I don't want to write anymore. Jeremiah. You overpowered me and prevailed, Jeremiah says. I couldn't resist. And he said, if I say I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart, as it were, a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in. I cannot. This is Jeremiah saying, Lord, you move me, and I can't prohibit that. I can't stop your moving me because you're carrying me along. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah again in 1516, "'When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart's delight.'" Amos also, "'Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants, the prophets.'" Well, I would like to end with a wonderful summary of how God used various people, who they were, who they were to Penn and what we have today as the Holy Word of God. Only God can really do this. I just copied this from a commentary that summarized it really well. It says, thus God did not produce a stereotyped Bible. with one style from Genesis to Revelation. Rather, he prepared the authors in individuality and talents. He permitted David's love for nature to shine through in the Psalms, Paul's acquaintances with pagan literature to be evident in his epistles, Luke's medical knowledge to characterize his writings, Mark's abruptness to be in his gospel, Paul's more logical manner to be a contrast to John's almost mystical eloquence, and all the time, each wrote what God willed. This is the miracle of divine inspiration, inerrant, infallible. We have this wonderful word, the light to guide us, brethren, a gift from God to lead us. It is the word of God, the God-breathed word that is given to us for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. It is this that reveals the false teachings of Peter's day and ours as well. So when Peter is making an appeal or stating the truth of the second coming of Christ, he's not making a blanket statement. He comes in two fronts, from his apostolic testimony, being an eyewitness, and also from Scripture, the very Word of God, both declaring this wonderful truth that will actually take place. And we shall see it with our own eyes. Jesus is coming, brethren. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we do come before you and thankful, O Lord, for your kindness towards us. It is. We could sit here all day and just give You praises and honor and glory for what You have done for us, in us and through us, Lord. All because of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh. Praise be to Your name. Help us, Lord, to take hold of the Scriptures, to take hold of Your Word, O Lord, and to study them, to know them, and to grow more in love with You, in knowing Jesus Christ. It's in His name we pray. Amen.