We Did Not Follow Cleverly Devised Stories

In one paragraph

This message was a return to 2 Peter 1:12-21, with the first portion of the sermon reviewing the earlier passage (verses 1-11) that the congregation had covered three weeks before Easter. The preacher walked through why Peter kept repeating himself to his readers, and why that repetition still matters. The passage ended with the transfiguration account and the question of how scripture gets its...

Read together

1. 2 Peter 1:1 Peter identifies himself as a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ
2. 2 Peter 1:2 grace and peace multiplied through knowledge of God and Jesus
3. 2 Peter 1:3 his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through knowledge of him
4. 2 Peter 1:4 very great and precious promises so we may participate in the divine nature
5. 2 Peter 1:5-7 make every effort to add to faith goodness knowledge self control perseverance godliness mutual affection love
6. 2 Peter 1:8 possessing these qualities keeps you from being ineffective and unproductive
7. 2 Peter 1:9 whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind forgetting they have been cleansed
8. 2 Peter 1:10 make every effort to confirm your calling and election
9. 2 Peter 1:11 receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our lord and savior Jesus Christ
10. 2 Peter 1:12 Peter says he will always remind them even though they know and are firmly established in the truth
11. 2 Peter 1:13-14 Peter will refresh memory as long as he lives in the tent of this body knowing he will soon put it aside
12. 2 Peter 1:15 Peter will make every effort so after his departure they will always remember these things
13. 2 Peter 1:16 we did not follow cleverly devised stories but were eyewitnesses of his majesty
14. 2 Peter 1:17 he received honor and glory from God when the voice came from the majestic glory saying this is my son
15. 2 Peter 1:18 we heard this voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain
16. 2 Peter 1:19 we have the prophetic message as completely reliable pay attention to it as a light shining in a dark place
17. 2 Peter 1:20 no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation
18. 2 Peter 1:21 prophets spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit
19. Romans 14:23 that which is not born of faith is sin
20. Matthew 17:1-8 Jesus took Peter James and John up the mountain and was transfigured before them
21. Matthew 16:28 some standing here will not taste death before they see the son of man coming in his kingdom
22. John 21 Jesus restores Peter on the beach feed my sheep tend my lambs
23. John 21:18 when you are old you will stretch out your hands indicating the death by which Peter would glorify God
24. Malachi 4:5 I will send the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord
25. Revelation 22:16 Jesus identifies himself as the root and offspring of David and the bright and morning star
26. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 words of institution for the Lord's Supper on the night he was betrayed
27. Colossians 3:16 benediction let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom

Talk about it

1. Peter says he will keep reminding his readers of things they already know, because we are 'leaky people.' What truths from Scripture do you find yourself needing to hear again and again, and why do you think that repetition matters?
2. The sermon drew a distinction between 'first B' and then 'do,' meaning belief comes before behavior, not the other way around. How have you seen that order play out, or get reversed, in your own experience of following Jesus?
3. Peter warns that without growing in qualities like self-control, perseverance, and love, a believer can become ineffective and unproductive in their knowledge of Christ. What does that kind of ineffectiveness look like in a real person's life, and what do you think causes it?
4. Peter appeals to the transfiguration as eyewitness testimony, saying 'we were not following cleverly devised stories.' Why do you think it mattered to him to ground his message in something he had personally seen, and what difference does that make to how you read his letters?
5. The sermon closed with the image of Scripture as 'a light shining in a dark place,' given and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Where in your daily life do you most need that light right now, and what would paying closer attention to it look like for you this week?