St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church -- Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Transfiguration -- Feb 3^rd and Feb 6^th , 2005

Dear children who have seen through the eyes of faith the glory of God. Amen.

Throughout history there has been myths. Some of these myths have been talked about for so long and spoken of by so many people, they almost sound like they are true. We hear stories about Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. Everywhere you turn there seems to be another myth or legend about something or someone. But there is always one common theme amongst these myths. There is never anything to support that it is true. Many people will tell you, but there never really is any proof.

As we look at the Bible we realize that there are many people who look at the Bible as one big myth. They might acknowledge that the Bible is beneficial and good, but they will not believe that the words and things in the Bible are true. That is why we will wan to make sure and study the words that our text talks about. God through the apostle Peter points out that the words in the Bible are not his cleverly invented stories. They are God’s words spoken through him. For this reason we are going to use this text to help refocus our hearts on the wonderful book we call the bible using the theme:

As we look at the verses for our text, we will do well to remember what the aim or main point of this letter from Peter is. Peter knows that he is getting closer to his death, but he wants the Christians that he is writing to to always be ready for the Lord’s return. He doesn’t want them to lose their hope for the Lord’s return. This letter is a great reminder that is very helpful to keep us all going, even when things might not be going well around us. It is important to remember that no matter what is going on around us, our eternal salvation is sure and the Lord’s return for us will happen.

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." "The power and coming of the Lord" is a clear reference to the return of Christ for the final judgment. It is sometimes called the "day of the Lord". As we read God’s Word we realize that this day is a reality for the entire human race. When we hear the word "power" in connection with Jesus’ return we know that Jesus’ coming is going to be visible and a glorious event. Not once in all of Scripture do we hear of a secret return to snatch the church up to heaven. Jesus’ next return will be it. This coming will include the final judgment and destruction of this world.

It is said that people should not use their cell phones while they are driving. I think that I know why. I don’t know about you, but the few times that I use the cell phone while driving, I find that it is easy to get too involved in the conversation and then to lose concentration on the driving part of things. All of a sudden you are 10 miles down the road and you don’t really remember too much along the way. In much the same way, I think that we as Christians lose sight of the Lord’s coming at times. Because of all the distractions and other concerns in life, the Lord’s return is not as important in our lives as it should be. If we look back at our past week, how many times were we thinking about Jesus’ return? Most likely the stresses, pressures, sins, and cares of life take up most of our time. That is why it is so good to come to God’s house as often as possible to hear God’s comforting message, to clear the clutter that blocks are view of Jesus, to cast asid! e the worries and stresses and focus on what God’s Word has to say.

That is why we will want to cherish what God’s Word has to offer to us. But there are too many people in this world that think that the Bible is not really all that great. There are many people who think that the Bible is not all real. To many the Bible is a book full of myths and stories. Peter assures us that he is not promoting any myth. The Bible is not a book of stories, but the world’s truest history. Throughout history there have been people who have misused God’s Word by talking about the many myths contained in it. If you study Church history, you soon realize that the one of the Devil’s greatest tools to defeat Jesus and his people is to cast doubts about the Bible. The apostles after Jesus times faced it. And we face it to this very day. For some reason, our sinful mind is drawn to this type of thinking. That is part of the reason that Peter was led by the Holy Sprit to write this letter. God wanted the people of all ages to know that the message of ! Jesus’ return found in the Bible is real and not some man-made invention..

Sadly many Christian scholars today treat the Scriptures as myth. The New Testament is treated as some story that that has some deeper hidden meaning that we must use our reason to figure out. People like this tell us to look at the myth and story to see what is really being taught. But this is not what Peter said, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Rather than resorting to using myths, Peter claims that he actually saw the glory of God on that holy mountain. He was an eye-witness, "We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him Jam well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." Peter takes us back to that day of the transfiguration. He not only saw, but also heard the voice of God speaking those words about his Son. The Transfiguration was a reminder of the full glory waiting for our Lord at the end of his suffering. Peter was given a glimpse of the glory existing between the Father and the Son from all eternity. What a boost to the faith of Peter this must have been.

This is something for us to hold on to also. The Christian faith is not built on legends or myths which need the clever minds of men to separate truth from fiction. The Christian faith is based on the reality of God’s Son coming into this world in human flesh, who gave his perfect life to save sinners from their sins. The glory and power that was shown in a small amount by Jesus on the day of Transfiguration is the same glory that is ours through faith in Jesus. Thankfully our eternal hope doesn’t rest on us becoming full of glory. Clever stories and great myths could never bridge the gap between the sinner and God. Only the truth of God’s perfect plan to save us, which is clearly told to us on the pages of the God’s holy book.

In contrast to the "cleverly invented stories" of verse 16, and in addition to the personal view of glory which Peter had, we now have the word of the prophets made more certain, "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." The Word of the prophets comes from God in contrast to the word of the Greek philosophy, which originates in the mind. The word of the prophets was more certain because it was directly from God, as David said in 2 Samuel 23:2, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue." Jeremiah said that the words of the Lord were placed in his mouth. Moses was told, "These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites" (Ex 19:6). The word of the Jews and Greeks was based on human speculation and offered no real wisdom or! truth compared to the word of the prophets, which came from God.

We cannot ignore God’s Word. We are to "pay attention to it," or "hold to it". The Word is like a lamp that shines in a dark place. Our lives become darkened when we lose our eagerness for the Lord’s return. But then the lamp of God’s Word shines and keeps our hope alive until Jesus’ coming.

There are many dark moments we must face in life. But then the soft glow of the lamp of God’s Word sustains us and comforts us. That is why we will want to make the study of God’s Word a constant part of our life. The material things of life are like a short-lived candle. The lamp of God’s Word will never fail. The comfort that God’s Word offers to sinners living in a sinful world cannot be measured. How can we measure the joy of reading that Jesus has washed my sins away? How can we measure the value of knowing that God is watching over every part of my life for my good? How can we measure what it means to know that God’s promises are all true and that heaven is our home?

It is at this point that the questions begin to pop into people’s heads. How do we know that God’s Word is true? In a world of so much uncertainty, how can we trust that God’s Word hasn’t been tainted by sins or that it is all perfect? Those are real questions and God knows that these types of questions will be asked. That is why he continues in our text with these words, "Above all you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Prophecy, which is the giving of God’s Word, did not have its origin in the will of man. It was not man’s will that gave birth to the Scriptures. God gave us Scripture. It is not man’s cleverly invented story. Yes, God did use human writers to physically write down the words of the Bible, but these men "were carried along by the Holy Spirit." As a stream carries precious gold from the place of its origin and deposits it in a certain location, so the Holy Spirit carried the Word along within the lives of ordinary people and deposited it. The Spirit becomes responsible for the final placement of the thoughts and words on the page. It is this miraculous inspiration of the Scriptures, which comforts us and reassures us regarding the many promises of the return of Christ.