This powerful exploration of 2 Peter 1:16-21 challenges us to move beyond secondhand faith and embrace the transformative power of firsthand experience with God. The passage addresses a critical moment when early believers faced doubt, persecution, and false teachings that questioned whether Christ would return, whether prophets truly spoke God's words, and whether God even cared about their suffering. Against this backdrop of uncertainty, Peter makes a bold declaration: this isn't mythology or clever storytelling—we were eyewitnesses to Christ's majesty. The sermon draws us into the Transfiguration, that mountaintop moment where Jesus revealed His divine glory before Peter, James, and John, confirmed by the very voice of God declaring His pleasure in His Son. But here's where the message becomes deeply personal for us: we're called to be more than thermometers that merely reflect our environment's temperature. We're called to be thermostats that actually change the atmosphere around us. This means our faith cannot remain on the mountaintop—it must descend into the valleys where real life happens. The prophetic word is described as a light shining in dark places, and we're reminded that each of us carries a star within, a divine light that the world desperately needs to see. The challenge before us is clear: develop our own firsthand testimony, try God for ourselves, and let that internal star rise in our hearts so brightly that it illuminates every space we enter.

The Power of Being There: Why Firsthand Faith Changes Everything

There's something undeniable about firsthand experience. When someone challenges your account of an event you personally witnessed, you have the ultimate response: "I was there." Those three words carry a weight that ends debates and settles disputes. In courtrooms, eyewitness testimony can determine the outcome of a case. In relationships, being present for pivotal moments creates bonds that secondhand stories never could.

This same principle applies to our faith journey. The difference between inherited religion and personal encounter with God is the difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing them.

When Doubt Creeps In

Imagine living in a time when following Christ could cost you everything—not just your reputation or comfort, but your very life. No church buildings to gather in safely. No freedom to worship openly. Instead, there were arenas where believers faced wild animals, crucifixions for those who refused to deny their faith, and constant persecution from an empire that saw Christianity as a threat.

In those difficult circumstances, false teachers began spreading dangerous lies. They whispered that Jesus wasn't really coming back. After all, decades had passed since the resurrection, and nothing had changed. They claimed the prophets of old weren't truly hearing from God—just sharing their own interpretations and ideas. Most damaging of all, they taught that God didn't really care about His suffering people.

When life is hard and promises seem delayed, doubt finds fertile ground. When suffering continues without relief, it's tempting to wonder if God has forgotten us.

The Testimony That Cannot Be Shaken

This is where the power of being there becomes crucial. Peter, one of Jesus's closest disciples, heard these false teachings and decided enough was enough. His response wasn't based on theory or tradition—it was grounded in lived experience.

"We did not follow cleverly devised stories," he declared. "We were eyewitnesses of his majesty."

Peter had watched Jesus walk on water when storms threatened to capsize their boat. He had seen five loaves and two fish multiplied to feed thousands until everyone was satisfied. He witnessed blind eyes opened, deaf ears unstopped, paralyzed legs strengthened, and dead bodies raised to life. These weren't stories passed down through generations or myths embellished over time. These were events he experienced firsthand.

But Peter didn't stop with general testimony. He pointed to one specific moment that left such an impression that decades later, he could still feel it, see it, hear it.

The Mountain Experience

Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John up a mountain—just His inner circle, the ones He knew had His back no matter what. There, before their eyes, Jesus was transfigured. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became dazzling white. And then two figures appeared beside Him: Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, the entire foundation of their faith.

If you needed two people to validate your ministry, Moses and Elijah would be the ultimate endorsement.

But even that wasn't the pinnacle of the experience. A voice came from heaven—from God Himself—declaring, "This is my son whom I love, with him I am well pleased."

This wasn't just a nice spiritual moment. This was a divine coronation, a heavenly confirmation of exactly who Jesus was and what He came to do. When false teachers tried to cast doubt on the gospel, Peter could say with absolute confidence: "I was there. I know Him. I've tried Him for myself."

From Mountaintop to Valley

Here's the thing about mountaintop experiences: they're powerful, transformative, and necessary. But we can't live on the mountaintop. After that incredible encounter with God's glory, Peter, James, and John had to come back down the mountain and get to work.

We all need those moments of spiritual elevation—times when we feel God's presence so tangibly that doubt seems impossible. But the real test of faith is what we do in the valley. Can we take what we experienced on the mountain and live it out when we're back in the mess and chaos of everyday life?

Peter tells us we have "a prophetic message as something completely reliable"—like a light shining in a dark place. Our world can be undeniably dark. We see violence, injustice, hatred, and systems that oppress and marginalize. We experience darkness in personal struggles, grief, and seasons of uncertainty.

But we have a light. And we're called to be that light.

Thermostats, Not Thermometers

There's a crucial difference between thermometers and thermostats. A thermometer simply reflects the temperature around it—it tells you what's already there. A thermostat, on the other hand, sets the temperature. It determines the environment. It changes the atmosphere.

Too many of us are walking around being thermometers. When the world is angry, we're angry. When the culture is cynical, we're cynical. When people are hopeless, we're hopeless. We're simply reflecting what's around us.

But God is calling us to be thermostats—to change the atmosphere, to set a different tone, to bring light where there's darkness.

You're a Star

The biblical text speaks of "the morning star rising in our hearts." This isn't just poetic language—it's about transformation that happens from the inside out. You have a light in you. You have a purpose in you. You have potential in you.

Don't let anyone put your light out. Don't let circumstances, setbacks, disappointments, or other people's opinions make you forget who you are and whose you are.

But here's the reality: many of us have been dimming our lights. We're tired. We've been fighting battles that seem endless, carrying burdens that feel too heavy, showing up and putting in the work while feeling like nobody notices or cares. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, we let our light fade.

But the world needs your light. Your family needs your light. Your community needs your light. There are people in dark places who need to see you shining so they can find their way.

You might be the only Bible somebody reads. You might be the only sermon somebody hears. You might be the only light somebody sees in their darkness.

Developing Your Own Testimony

The beautiful truth is that you don't have to rely solely on someone else's experience. You can know God for yourself. You can try Him for yourself. You can experience His faithfulness, provision, peace, and power in your own life.

When you walk with Him through valleys and celebrate with Him on mountaintops, when you cry out to Him in your darkest hour and watch Him show up, when you trust Him with your impossibilities and see Him do the impossible—then you'll have a testimony that can't be shaken.

You'll be able to say, "I tried Him for myself, and I know too much about Him to doubt now."

Keep Shining

While we wait for promises to be fulfilled, while we endure trials that test our faith, while we walk through valleys that seem endless—we wait with purpose. We work with intention. We shine with hope.

Because we serve a God who keeps His promises. Every word He has spoken has come to pass. Every prophecy He has given has been fulfilled. Every promise He's made has been proven true.

So keep shining. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep your light burning bright. Let it rise in your heart. Let it illuminate every space you enter. Let it give hope to everyone you encounter.

Because when you've experienced God for yourself, when you've been there and seen His faithfulness firsthand, no false teacher, no circumstance, no amount of waiting can shake what you know to be true.

You're a living witness. And the world needs your testimony.

Ramblings of a Pastor in Training

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

I'm a Living Witness - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.