That You May Have Confidence (2 Peter 3:1-2)
Gary McManus, 08/15/2021Part of the God's Word is Life series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Americans trouble with truth. . . .
Americans have trouble with what is true.
Examples: UFOs, Covid-19
The X-files tag line: “The truth is out there. . .”
The whole quote is: “The truth is out there. But so are lies.”
Jesus followers claim to have the truth.
(John 14:6, John 8:32, John 3:21)
The word “truth” in the Bible over 130 times.
Americans believe the COVID-19 pandemic is a message from God but disagree on the message.
The bigger problem is that all do not attend church/worship; ignoring 2,000 years of experience.
The internet has turned into the MISINFORMATION
super highway.
Example: Kash Lee Kelly of Lake County, Indiana.
Internet social media platforms (or programs):
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Snapchat and more.
You don’t have to know anything to put your two cents worth out there and get millions of followers:
--one young woman is a billionaire
--another began at 8 years of age, now 15 with 11 million followers
These people are called INFLUENCE-RS.
Problem? Not really. But it runs interference with the TRUTH.
Media preachers are another example.
Jim Bakker; a convicted felon
Joel Osteen. . .a Pastor? Like Pastor McManus?
Pastor McManus does not know how.
Today’s Word of God (2 Peter 3:1-2):
--wholesome thinking
--recall the words spoken
-- in the past
--by the holy prophets and
--the command given by our Lord and Savior
-- through your apostles.
See Luke 1:1-4
“. . .so that you may know the certainty of the things
you have been taught.”
Parts of Acts are in first person: “we went there”,
we did this.”
(Acts 16:10–17; 20:5–15; 21:1–18; 27:1–37; 28:1-16).
How did books get into the New Testament?
There were four tests.
The first test was Apostolic Authority. (See Luke 1:21-23)
The teaching DID have to come from the Apostles or
those they taught or made “servants of the Word.”
The second test was if the writing was inspired.
Were they “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)
The third test is the “Rule of faith”. Those in agreement with all the other writings.
The fourth test: congregations had to agree that these books
were worthwhile—and were in use in the churches.
Not one man. Not one committee. It was the
Holy Spirit in the writings seeing the books as
valuable for the whole church.
Do you want to get closer to the Truth?
Here is YOUR Bible
Lost books of the Bible? No such thing.
A writing from Judas? (2007)
These books don’t make the grade.
This writing doesn’t even begin to qualify to pass the
tests of the books that were acceptable to have in the New Testament.
Do you want to get closer to the Truth? Amen.
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