SERMON SUMMARY:

In this closing message on 2 Peter, the pastor draws from the final verses of the letter to examine the nature of Scripture itself. Peter's recognition of Paul's writings as Scripture establishes the divine origin and authority of the biblical text. The sermon explores four key characteristics of Scripture: it is wise, coming not from human observation but from God's own revelation through the Spirit; it is sometimes hard to understand, which is a normal and even good feature of encountering an eternal God; it is twistable, as ignorant and unstable people have always distorted God's word for their own ends; and finally, Scripture is not itself the Savior. The pastor emphasizes that while the Bible is holy, true, and essential for growth in faith, it is Jesus Christ who saves, redeems, and will return to bring believers into the new creation. The proper response to Scripture is not to worship the text but to follow it back to the One who speaks through it.

QUOTES:

The wisdom of God must be given to us from God.

We are not just learning algebra here. We are learning eternal things from an eternal God.

When we encounter unsearchable things in the scriptures, things that are hard, that is not a bad thing. That's actually a very good thing. That means we've encountered God's wisdom and judgments that are both high and deep.

How much greater destruction would there be to put words in God's mouth? To take his holy word and twist it into something ugly and unholy.

The Bible is holy because God is holy. The Bible is truth because God is truth. The Bible is life because God is life. The Bible is good because God is good.

No one was ever saved by a book. Now this book is beautiful and true and unique. It's a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. But this book does not save you from sin.

The scripture is the speech, but Jesus is the speaker. And so we're following the speech back to the speaker so that there we can find grace in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

This book did not shed its blood to be a sacrifice in your place. Jesus did that.

God is not trying to trick us or hide from us. When he gives us his word, he is not speaking in the Bible in code that we have to find some magic key that can crack it open. God wants us to know him.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

2 Peter 3:14-18 (primary passage)

1 Corinthians 2:9-13 (on divine wisdom revealed by the Spirit)

Romans 11:33 (on the unsearchable depths of God's wisdom and judgments)

Hebrews 5:11 (on becoming dull of hearing)

KEY POINTS:

- Peter's recognition of Paul's letters as Scripture in the first century challenges the notion that the Bible was assembled arbitrarily by later councils seeking control.

- Scripture is wise, but that wisdom is not discovered by human observation -- it is given by God through His Spirit.

- The perspicuity of Scripture means the core truths of the gospel are clear and accessible to all, while some passages remain more difficult to understand.

- Scripture can be twisted by those who are ignorant -- not innocently, but willfully -- and Christians must be on guard against this.

- The Bible is not our Savior. We love and honor Scripture, but our ultimate trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom the Scripture points.

2 Peter 3:14-18

1 Corinthians 2:9, 10, 13

Romans 11:33

Hebrews 5:11

Psalm 119:130

Genesis 3:1

John 14:6

Romans 3:23

1 Peter 3:18

Ephesians 2:8-9

John 3:16

Matthew 11:25

Psalm 119:105