March 26, 2026 -- II Peter 1:16-21 -- Faith Comes by Hearing

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 2 Peter 1:16–21.
 
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) and that point is emphasized here as well by the Apostle Peter. Though he was an eyewitness to the transfiguration of Jesus, seeing His glory, he heard the voice of God “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Peter urges his readers then, and us today, to hear the prophetic word. Read the Bible. Attend church and hear the Bible read and explained. Know that word of God read and preached are means of grace.
 
Means of grace, what a strange expression, what it that? It is a technical phrase, used through-out church history, to describe how believers are fed and nourished in the Christian faith. Faith is fed by the Word of God. It is living and active (that’s what the writer of Hebrews teaches). That means the Bible exposes weakness. The Bible feeds knowledge. The Bible informs worship. The Bible teaches believers how to hear from and believe in Jesus. (The other means of grace are baptism, Lord’s Supper, preaching, the Sabbath—the celebration of Jesus each Sunday).
 
Many people flock to see “great worship events” where there are Christian-rock bands and a fiery preacher who spends more time on miracles and wonders, than on really explaining the word. The emphasis is on spectacle, rather than in hearing the word read and explained. Here is the problem. I remember, the Spring of 1997, waking up my son Adrian to see the Halley-Bopp Comet. It passes by the earth once every 2,534 years. So, it was epic. I am not sure my son remembers it. We question what we see. What we see is fleeting. However, hearing, telling and hearing what is retold embeds what we’ve heard deep into our hearts.
 
Peter urges believers to hear the prophetic word from the Bible. It will shine as a lamp into the darkness of our hearts. As the word is spoken and heard, preached and heeded, the listener’s soul experiences the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the brightness of the first rays of dawn, which pierce the darkness and promise ever greater light. As Jesus is heard through the Bible and the preaching of the word, He is like the light of the morning star rising within you, illuminating your faith and captivating you by His brilliance. Read the Bible with anticipation. Read the Bible expecting to hear the Truth which lights up your life.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the means of grace by which we can know Jesus. Jesus, Who has been designated by You as the One Who draws us from the chains of sin to the glorious freedom of forgiveness and we are named Your beloved sons and daughters. Spirit of the Living God, teach us to read and listen to Scripture until it moves us from being merely dutiful readers, to becoming eager hearers of the word. Let that word shine within us the bright dawn of the new day illuminated by Jesus, the bright morning sun of life, Whose brilliance will ever increase within us. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/BXWvis6Xk1w?si=qizKtnBs0bs0f5gO Jesus, Thank You

 

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