Second Peter, chapter 1, beginning at verse 16. Hear now the word of the Lord. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty, For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But we 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." Now, there are certain topics in the body of Christ that tend to garner more interest than others. So for instance, the study of end times may be one. Another may be the study of spiritual gifts. And then the third would be on the subject of decision-making. In fact, back in September of 2022, Pastor Greg taught in one of his discipleship groups on the subject of biblical and wise decision-making. Now this discipleship group sought to answer the following questions. How do I discern God's will? Can I know the sovereign will of God? Should I seek to know the sovereign will of God? What is the difference between the moral will of God and the sovereign will of God? Which should be our focus in decision-making? Should I seek to make decisions based on feelings, promptings, peace, or having peace? Should I seek a sign from God? How do we tend to misuse the Bible in decision-making? And also, how should I rely upon the Bible for decision making? Now, this discipleship group was well attended. And I suspect that the reason why Christians, in general, struggle with making decisions is in relation to some of the questions that arose from that study. Specifically, this idea of decision-making based upon promptings and signs. Now, in the church, Christians may refer to these promptings as prophecy. which in many cases is indistinguishable from what the world refers to as following their gut instincts. In many cases, unbelievers may experience some measure of success in the past from following their gut, and so they develop a lifestyle and a habit of just following their gut. Likewise, for the Christian, they may have experienced some measure of success from what they refer to as prophecy and also similarly adopt it as a way of life. And so, I want to be very clear this morning that living a life that is dominated by following after signs and inner promptings is not only unwise, but in some instances, dangerous. And so, today will be the third and final message on the subject of prophecy. So far, if you recall a few months ago, I attempted to lay a biblical foundation for prophecy from the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 18, 15-22. I've also demonstrated the consistency between the authority and the function of prophecy in both the Old and New Testament from passages such as 1 Corinthians 14, 29-33. Now, having laid a theological foundation from these two passages, today I wish to address the subject from more of a pastoral and practical perspective. This is where, as they say, the rubber meets the road in regards to the practical implications of whether or not prophecy continues. could say it like this, does it really matter what I believe about prophecy? Certainly it does, especially as it relates to decision making and discernment. Now, what you believe about ongoing prophecy will impact not only how you make decisions, but even the types of decisions you make. And the heart of the matter is this. Is the Bible sufficient for decision-making, or do I also need some sort of fresh, ongoing revelation from God in order to make a decision? Some say yes, that the Bible is insufficient for decision-making. Now, in a debate between Dr. Michael Brown and Jim Osman, Osman asked the question about 30 minutes into the debate, do I need revelation today or do I have an all-sufficient word? and this was doctor michael brown's answer of course you need revelation today you have the bible but of course you need revelation so then jim osmond in the debate presses the question for the says just like i need something outside of scripture again doctor michael brown without hesitation says this of course when you're seeking the will of god When you're asking him for wisdom on a situation, when you don't know, when you're ministering in a critical life and death situation, and you ask God, give me wisdom, show me what's going on in this person's life, help me to get to the heart and root of this. Lord, I've got to make a major decision. Are we to sell our possessions and go to the mission field, or are we to work with the poor in this city? Again, what's being said out loud is that the Bible is insufficient for making decisions. The logical conclusion of continuationism is that the Bible is insufficient specifically as it relates to guiding the people of God. Otherwise, why would we need the Revelation? Let me put it like this. Think of two types of Christians. One is Mr. cessationist, who doesn't believe in ongoing revelation, fresh revelation from God. And then you have Mr. continuationist, who does. When it comes to making decisions in life, Mr. cessation is he prays he studies the word of god and then he acts upon either the direct commands principles and the providential circumstances in comparison you have missed the continuation is right he also praise he also studies the word of god but then he has to wait upon some inner prompting or some sign from God before he can act. Practically speaking, God's word is not sufficient for Mr. Continuationist, for he also needs a fresh revelation from God before he can act. This again is the practical effect of scriptures plus revelation. It is a weakening of both the authority and sufficiency of the scriptures themselves. Now, this weakening of the authority and sufficiency of scripture oftentimes leads otherwise sound Christians to make bad decisions. Let me give you one example. In a roundtable hosted by the american gospel you had on one side sam storms doctor michael brown again and then on the other side uh... justin peters and Jim Osman again. And so the subject of Mike Bickles came up. Mike Bickles was the founder of IHOP, the International House of Prayer. And this segment was taped prior to his moral failures becoming public. But in any case, Justin Peters and Jim Osman pressed both Dr. Michael Brown and Sam Storms regarding the false teachings of Mike Bickles. But this is what Sam Sorms had to say. He said, Mike Bickles is probably my best friend in the world. I was in a small group with him and his wife for seven years on his staff as a senior associate involved at IHOP for an additional four years. Eleven years, I know this man to the depths of his soul. I can't think of a more biblically orthodox, humble Christ-exalting individual who lives an incredibly simple lifestyle. We would look like we were living the Benny Hing lifestyle compared to how Mike lives. Every penny of his honoraria and his royalties goes to missions to support the mission's base. Then he goes on to say, so when I hear people say I think Mike Bickles is a false teacher, it angers me. Now, in the same clip, there was an addendum that was attached to the video after Mike Bickle's failures became public. And this is what Sam Storms and Michael Brown wrote. Both of us were caught completely off guard by the recent disclosure concerning Mike Bickle's sin. We had only known Mike to be a godly man who was leading an exemplary life. Our comments in the discussion affirming Mike were recorded six months before numerous allegations were made against him. We acknowledge that we were lied to and deceived by Mike, and we grieve for the damage this does to the name of the Lord, the reproach it brings to the spirit, and the devastation experienced by his victims." Again, Dr. Michael Brown, Sam Storms, these are not your extreme, off-the-handle charismatics. These are men who are very conservative, who are well-educated, who have walked with the Lord for many years. But this is why I say that living a life by following signs and promptings can be dangerous. Even in a reformed church like ours, following after signs and promptings can make you an easy target for the lies of the devil. And so, with all of that as an introduction, I want us to look at a particular portion of scripture that speaks to this issue of the sufficiency of scripture for wise decisions. Now, we will approach this text under the following two points. First, the power of God. And second, the power of his word. Look with me once more at 2 Peter 1, beginning in verse 16. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Peter says that the gospel was not disclosed to him through some cleverly devised tale, but rather he was an eyewitness to the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This then leads us to point number one, which is the power of God. The power of God. You see, God alone has power in comparison to all pretenders. In a recent YouTube interview, multimillionaire Brian Johnson, who invests in the study of longevity and the use of AI, or artificial intelligence, made this statement. There used to be three levels of ambition. Start a company, start a country, start a religion. And those are on time scales, because you build a company, and they do well for a certain time. But then it goes out of business, and it kind of fades. Countries have usually longer durations, and religions usually outlast them all, maybe thousands of years. Then he says, now there is a four and five. Number four is don't die. Number five is become a god. Number four and number five are things that people have always dreamed of doing all throughout history, but it's never been practical. You always have to make up stories like, in this religion, if you obey these rules, you get this afterlife where this amazing thing happens. Or I'm going to go to the jungle and drink this elixir because of whatever. It's being in the imaginations, but it's never being practical. And so what I'm suggesting is this thought experiment teases out where we are at in time and place. But I'm suggesting as a species, we have not yet internalized the ambition right before us. We don't understand that death can be conquered. It is a reasonable thing to say that's possible. And if you do that, then the idea of becoming some kind of expansive, omnipotent kind of intelligence is an interesting goal. And so, Brian Johnson, who has over one million YouTube followers, by the way, trusts in the hope of AI to create some sort of utopia where mankind lives like gods. But this, again, is not a new truth, but an old lie. You see, man, since the beginning of time, has traded being an image bearer for being an image maker. And time and time again, man trusts in the work of his hands for salvation. And time and time again, God has had to remind mankind that He alone possesses real power. Now this is one theme that Peter actually picks up in chapter 3 of 2 Peter. He says in chapter 3 verses 3 to 6, know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God, the heavens existed long ago, and the earth formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water." And so Peter reminds his audience of the power of God in both creation and of the power of God in destruction. Again, from the beginning of the world, God's power has been on display. Genesis 1.1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and the darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, let there be light. And there was. You see, God created everything out of nothing by the power of his word. He said, let there be, and there was. You see, that's the type of power that kings and dictators and the Brian Johnsons of this world pretend to have. Sure, they can say certain things and it gets done. But God alone possesses all power in which he says it and it always gets done. There are no limitations to the power of God. Now, Peter not only speaks of the power of God in creation, like I said, but in these passages he also speaks of the power of God in destruction as well. Peter points to the incident of the great flood. There was a great reset, as it were, in which there were only eight survivors. But, you see, Peter brings up the power of God in the great flood. to point to a future display of the power of God. If we continue reading in chapter 3, verse 10, Peter says, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burnt up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat, He says, according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. And so there is coming a day when the world will see the power of God on display in destruction and recreation. The Bible often refers to this act of recreation as the new creation. It speaks of there being a new heavens and a new earth. But here's something for you to get excited about. You see, the new creation is not only in the future, but the new creation is now. You say, what do I mean? 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a what? New creation. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come. And so the same power that created the cosmos in the past and the same power that will recreate the cosmos in the future is the same power that's at work in you today. Believer, even now you are a new creation. Again, John puts it this way in 1 John 3. Beloved, now you are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is. Again, now you are a son of God. Now you are a new creation. So when sin and Satan brings various temptations your way, remember, you are a new creation. Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we may think that God does not have the power to change us. Sometimes we think that how I am today will be how I will always be. But that is a lie. For God has power. He has power to free you from sexual immorality, from anger, from bitterness, from pride, from laziness, from fear, from anxiety, God has power. My question to you today is, do you believe this? Do you believe that God has power? Do you believe that God has the power to save your children or to sustain you if they remain lost. Do you believe that God has the power to heal or to strengthen you day by day in the midst of great sickness and disease? Again, do you believe that God has the power to change your circumstances or that he has the power to change you in the midst of your circumstances? Again, I remind you, the same power that worked at creation is the same power at work in you today. Now, going back to 2 Peter 1.16, Peter describes the power of God in what he sees and also in what he hears. Peter says that he was an eyewitness of Christ's majesty. And then he says that he heard the utterance from heaven in verse 18. In other words, he heard the voice of God. Now, Peter, of course, is referring to what took place in Matthew 17 when Christ was transfigured. Again, as I've said in the past, Matthew 17 is a passage of scripture that's dripping with prophetic fulfillment and significance. Again, if you recall, the three, Peter, James, and John, are taken up to a high mountain. They see the appearance of Moses and Elijah, and Jesus' face begins to shine, and his clothes become white. And then Peter speaks of building a tabernacle, but then he is interrupted by the voice from heaven that says, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. Again, this goes all the way back to our first study when we began a few months ago by looking at Deuteronomy 18. If you remember again, Deuteronomy 18.15, it says, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. And so, what takes place was the fulfillment of this prophecy that Christ is the prophet who is like Moses. In fact, the prophet who is greater than Moses. It is to Him we are to listen. Again, Jesus is the word, right? John 1.14. Listen to the word. The word that exegetes or explains the Father, right? John 1.18. Listen to him. Again, what a powerful experience that must have been for Peter. And yet, Peter says that there is something more sure than even this experience. Going back to 2 Peter 1.19, We read, so we have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. Peter says that the audible voice of God was powerful and amazing. Again, to hear God speak is no small thing. Think about it. If you were there, and you heard what Peter heard, and you saw what Peter saw, surely you would declare that Jesus was the Christ. And yet, Peter says that there is a more sure prophetic word than hearing the audible voice of God. What could be possibly more sure than hearing the audible voice of God? Well, this leads us to point number two, which is the power of the word. Now, verse 19 has various interpretations. The two most common being that the transfiguration has made the prophetic word more sure because the apostles themselves witnessed the fulfillment of it. The other interpretation is that in the prophetic word, we have something more sure than the voice from heaven. Now, the first interpretation avoids a comparison between the audible voice of God and the prophetic word. It is reflected, for instance, in some translations like the New King James Version, which renders the verse, and we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Most commentators, however, maintain that there is a comparison being made based upon the sentence structure and the word selection in the Greek. And so the phrase, more sure, seems to be the more accurate rendering. Now, this phrase, more sure, means firm. or secure, especially in the sense of legally guaranteed security. It is translated as guaranteed, for instance, in Romans 4.16, as firmly grounded in 2 Corinthians 1.7, and as certain in 2 Peter 1.10. So again, we ask the question, what is more sure, guaranteed, firmly grounded, and certain than the audible voice of God. a diversity of opinions on this matter. Some say it is the gospel. Some say it is the second epistle to the church father, Clement. Some say it is the book of Revelation. Some say it is the New Testament. Some say it is the Old Testament. I take the view of John Calvin, however, and understand the prophetic word to be the Old Testament prophets specifically. And so commenting on this verse, Calvin writes, the apostles had the prophets as the patrons of their doctrine. The faithful also sought from them a confirmation of the gospel, for the truth of the gospel is here simply proved by a twofold testimony, that Christ had been highly approved by the solemn declaration of God, and then that all the prophecies of the prophets confirmed the same thing. Now, this view actually, to me, appears to be consistent with what Peter says in the very next verse and the next chapter as well. Peter says in verse 20, 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. And then beginning in verse 1 of chapter 2, he speaks of the false prophets under the Old Testament in comparison to false teachers that were present during his day. And so going into chapter 2 he writes, but false prophets also arose among the people just as there will also be false teachers among you who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." And so the emphasis in the context of this passage appears to be specific to the Old Testament prophets. But of course, the application not only applies to the Old Testament prophets, but the Old Testament and the New Testament as well. In fact, if we jump over to chapter 3, where Peter actually gives the reason for writing this letter, he includes the instructions of the apostles right alongside the Old Testament prophets. He says, This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. And so the application of what Peter says applies to all of God's word. The written word of God is more sure than any miraculous utterance from heaven. This shows forth both the authority and power of the scriptures. Having said all of that, we don't just want to hear all of this as a theological study, but we want to seek to apply this. What is the application of what we've heard so far in this sermon? Well, Peter tells us. Going back to 2 Peter 2, 1, 19, Peter says that we do well to pay attention. Don't just hear the word of God. Don't just hear the words coming out of my mouth this morning. But pay attention to it. Study it. Fix your gaze upon it. be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The psalmist in Psalm 119 puts it this way, oh how I love your law, it is my meditation all day long. Or, as Peter puts it, pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place. Now, this term, dark place, can be translated as a waste place. Think of, for instance, a desert. So what Peter is saying is give attention to the word like a torch or a campfire in the midst of a desert that gives light until the coming of the morning sun. Again, this place is a dark place. This world is a dark world. And the word of God supplies us with all of the light that we need until the coming of the sun, S-O-N. Now, until the night is gone, What is going to guide you in the darkness? Is it going to be inner promptings? Is it going to be signs, feelings, peace about a situation, following your heart? Again, a lot of what people refer to as being led by the spirit is nothing more than following your heart in disguise. And we know what the Bible says about the heart, right? Jeremiah 17, 9, the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? Or Proverbs 28, 26, he who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered. Again, the truth, if people would be honest, is that it is not being led by the spirit, but it is being led by the heart. They just say it is the spirit so that they don't have to give an account to the decisions that they have made. You see, it's easy and less confrontational, for instance, to leave a church for unbiblical reasons by just saying I was led to leave. Or, at other times, you might hear people say things like, God led me to leave my spouse, or God led me to do this, or God led me to do that. And oftentimes, the thing that God is leading them to do is completely contrary to the Word of God. See, I'll never forget a story that the late R.C. Sproul told concerning a Christian woman who had been married to an unbelieving husband for more than 40 years. Now, the guy was a provider. He was kind. He was faithful. He was nice. But his wife just couldn't stand the fact that he had remained in unbelief for so long. And so she left him. Poor guy was calling every night, begging her to come home. And there the woman was before R.C. Sproul, asking him for some advice. This is what she said, I just don't know what to do about it. I've been praying day in and day out that God would show me his will. She says, how can I know the will of God? I, that's R.C., said, well, the first thing you can do is stop praying. She looked at me. She says, am I going to get an answer now? I said, yes, you're going to get the answer. I said, here's what God's will is for your life. God's will for you is to go back to your husband. You ask me what the will of God is, and God says in Holy Writ that if the unbelieving partner wants the believing partner to stay and there is no other biblical grounds for divorce, it is your moral duty to stay. That's the prescriptive will of God. But what she was trying to find out was that if maybe that perchance God might have a special will for her that was not set down as the normative basis of Christian behavior for all of the people in the body of Christ. She wanted God not to reveal his will, but to give her permission to violate his will. She was looking outside the precepts of God for some mystical, supernatural, direct will that God would circumvent the revealed will of God. See what R.C. is getting at. is that some of us get caught up in trying to figure out the secret will of God. And we're naturally drawn to it in prophecy. And here's the thing about it. There are individuals who get so drawn and wrapped up into it that they even lay aside the Word of God, the study of the Word of God, meditating on the Word of God, seeking counsel. No, I want a quick answer from God. I just want God, I just want to hear that audible voice from heaven to tell me what to do. But you see, the Lord calls us not to be preoccupied with the secret things. but with the things that he has revealed. Deuteronomy 29, 29, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of his law. Again, how foolish and dangerous it is to seek guidance from subjective impressions within us and signs outside of us when we have a clear, objective word from God right in front of us. To be sure, we can find guidance for all of life's decisions either by direct command or by principles from scripture and everything else is taken care of by the providence of God. Thank God for His kind providences. And I'm not just talking about the extraordinary providences. I'm not talking about just, you know, God heals someone miraculously. But I'm speaking of all of God's providences, the mundane, the day-to-day. Thank God for all of His providences. Also, How freeing it is to not be preoccupied with trying to figure out and make decisions based on the secret will of God for your life. R.C. again says it this way, there are a lot of things that come up in our lives that scripture does not clearly define. But in those areas, we are free. God's will, in terms of his law, does not say, I have to marry Vesta Morris, that's his wife. God tells me, I have to marry a Christian. He gives us precepts and legislation that controls what is righteous and what is allowable in His sight. But my Heavenly Father gives me latitude that I could theoretically find 50 million women that would be eligible in terms of the precepts of God's Word as candidates for marriage. If it's God's sovereign will that I marry Vesta Sproul, the only way I'm going to know that for sure is after the fact. And I'm not going to be paralyzed in my life worrying about it now. That's God's business, not mine. And so, God's Word is sufficient for guidance and decision-making in the life of a believer. We do not need some sort of fresh revelation or ongoing prophecy to fill in the gaps. But, as Peter remarks, God's guidance is only effectual in the midst of a dark world. if we pay attention to it. Amen? Let's go to the Lord in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word that became flesh. We pray today, even as we have heard your Word, that the power of the Holy Spirit would take this word and apply it to the hearts of your people, that we would not only be hearers of your word, but doers of your word, that we would pay attention to it in all of life's decisions, that we would, even as the psalmist says, make it our meditation all the day long. We thank you again for what you are doing in our lives. We thank you for all of the kind providences that you bring our way. We pray, Lord, that we would continue to honor you by giving attention to the things that you have revealed and seeking to obey all that you have commanded by the power of the Holy Spirit. As in Jesus' name we pray, amen.