Confirmed

Text: II Peter 1:12-21

 

I.         How important is the proof of what we know? - Hebrews 2:1-4

            A.        God put a lot of effort into not just saying but proving.

            B.        Jesus Christ is the foundation - I Corinthians 3:11

            C.        It becomes a solid foundation - II Timothy 2:19

            D.        So many people rely on a blind faith of emotion or ignorance, but that isn’t the foundation of Christianity - Hebrews 11:1

            E.        We use a word, “confirm” it means:

                        1.         To strengthen; to make firm ... To assure the accuracy of previous statements

                        2.         Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

                        3.         When God made a covenant with Israel, He promised to confirm it - Leviticus 26:9

                        4.         And such He did - Psalms 105:10

                        5.         When His message was delivered, God confirmed the word - Isaiah 44:26

                        6.         And such was done with the new covenant - Mark 16:20

II.        How the covenant through Christ was confirmed

            A.        By angels

                        1.         At his birth - Luke 2:10-11

                        2.         At his death - Matthew 28:5-6

            B.        By the Wise Men - Matthew 2:1-2

            C.        By John the Baptist - John 1:29

            D.        By those who witnessed the life of Jesus - II Peter 1:16-18

            E.        By Moses and Elijah - Matthew 17:1-5

                        1.         Though no record of their words are given, their presence was a witness

            F.        By the ruling Jews - John 3:1-2

                        1.         Though most did not follow Jesus, notice Nicodemus said that others knew Jesus was from God.

            G.        By the demons - Luke 4:41

                        1.         When your enemies admit who you are, while not good testimony, it does mean there is something there.

            H.        By Jesus’ teachings - Matthew 7:28-29; John 7:45-46

            I.         By His miracles - Mark 2:5-12

                        1.         Even enemies could not deny them - Acts 4:16

            J.         By his own admission - John 8:57-59

            K.        By his life - Mark 14:55-56

                        1.         They couldn’t find a shred of evidence of any wrong that he had done.

            L.        By a thief - Luke 23:42-43

            M.       By those who killed him - Matthew 27:54

            N.        By his resurrection - Romans 1:1-4

                        1.         The resurrection is a highly provable event. The evidence, though denied, has never been disproved.

            O.        By the prophecy - Luke 24:44

                        1.         Some have calculated that there are over 300 prophecies concerning the Christ.

                        2.         Each were fulfilled in complete detail.

            P.        By changed lives - Acts 4:13

                        1.         Discouraged, defeated, fearful disciples changed into fearless defenders of what they witnessed.

                        2.         They died willingly for what they knew to be the truth.

III.       Often we don’t think of the thoroughness of God’s confirmation regarding the life of Christ.

            A.        The confirmations were varied.

                        1.         Long term and immediate

                        2.         By those who followed and by those who opposed

                        3.         By personal testimony and subtle impacts

            B.        Christianity is not a blind faith - II Peter 1:16-19

            C.        Where is your faith this day?

Based on an article by David Tant