Following Jesus

The virgin birth and deity of Jesus Christ is a fundamental truth of the Gospel. Apart from Jesus’ being both human and divine, there is no gospel. Much of what Matthew writes in his gospel is for the purpose of defending the major doctrines of the Christian faith.  In the narrative of Chapter One verses 18-25, Matthew declares and defends the fact of the virgin birth of Jesus from the perspective of his foster father, Joseph. Matthew shows us that the virgin birth of Jesus is not only declared it is indisputably defended.

The devil recognizes how important the doctrine of Jesus’ second coming is to the church. When Christians live in anticipation of Christ’s promised return, they demonstrate spiritual zeal and enthusiasm, recognizing that they will soon give an account to their Master. As the Apostle John wrote, it is a purifying hope (1John 3:3) But, when believers forget about the second coming and start focusing on things of the world, they become absorbed in the temporal and grow apathetic and cold toward the eternal. This is why remembering Jesus promised return is so important. We want to consider an overview of the second coming of Jesus as it is declared in the Scriptures.

The Bible was written by God through the miracle of inspiration by means of faithful men. But Peter reminds us that not all prophets are true and faithful. He warns of false teachers. If the warning of false teachers was real for Peter’s readers, how much more must we heed his warning when we, by means of modern media and technology, are exposed to a much broader spectrum of bible teachers. Not everyone who speaks for the Lord is truthful and Peter gives us the information necessary to recognize false teachers.

God’s witness is never flawed. It is miraculously inerrant because it is the record of the true God Who cannot lie and Who cannot make mistakes. His Word is perfect because He is perfect. This morning we want to take a look at the doctrine of Inspiration. In doing so, we will look at other texts of Scripture together with our text here in 2Peter. This way we will get a fuller understanding of the miracle that is the Bible.

The gospel message and the letters of the Apostles are not myths. They are facts based upon a real person. Peter reminds us that he was an eyewitness of both Jesus as a man, and Jesus as Almighty God shining in all the brightness of heaven’s glory in His transfiguration on Mt. Hermon. Peter saw the shekinah glory of God the Father and heard His voice declare, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” The answer to life’s big questions and life’s problems is not found in some religion or philosophical contemplation. The answer is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ.

National Pastor Aquila Darimani reports on his ministry in Ghana West Africa and preaches on the importance of living by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God.