Knowledge
FRR CofC January 28, 2018
Introduction
2 Peter 1:5-10 For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall.
A study by David Dunning and Justin Kruger in 1990 “Dunning Kruger Effect” seems to prove that there is cognitive bias where people of low ability suffer from an illusion of superiority, mistakenly assessing their cognitive ability as greater than it is. They see themselves as more knowledgably on a subject than they are in truth. Their report "Why People Fail to Recognize Their Own Incompetence" (2003), indicate that much incorrect self-assessment of competence derives from the person's ignorance. Those that had better knowledge of a subject tended to underrate their abilities or were closer to rating themselves realistically.
This has been observed from ancient times.
- China: 500 BC "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance"
- Greek: 400 BC, spoke of the wisdom of being aware that we know nothing
- William Shakespeare, said in " (As You Like It), "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool”
- Victorian era: "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"
- W. B. Yeats "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity."
Sadly, there are many people in the world who rate themselves in the same way in the spiritual realm. Their assessment of them selves is based on ignorance of the scriptures.
Page 1,KNOWLEDGE (intro)
Point: Our virtue (courage) that we gain is of little benefit without the knowledge to go along with it. The world is full of brave fools.
Romans 10:1-3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
We should pursue spiritual knowledge from our childhood to old age. We are never too old to learn.
It is not surprising that knowledge is given as a Christian characteristic.
We might be worldly wise but destitute of the knowledge of God, which is counter to God’s will.
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge–
1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
What is knowledge? (Webster’s College Dictionary)“awareness; acquaintance with facts; range of information; all that has been perceived or grasped by the mind; learning; enlightenment; the body of facts accumulated by mankind”
Page 2,Knowledge Commanded
Commanded by the apostle Peter.
2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...
Commanded by the apostle Paul.
Romans 16:19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.
1 Corinthians 14:20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
Hebrews 5:12-14For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God's word. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
Page 3, Things We Need to Know 1
The Will of God - Very Important! Not knowing God’s will becomes apparent on the
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'They obviously don’t know what God’s will is!
Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
We can't even become Christians otherwise.
Romans 6:17-18 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
We can't live as a Christian without knowledge.
Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
The Love of Christ.
Ephesians 3:17-19 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.Knowing what we don’t know.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.Spoke in class about Paul saying he is an example of the great love Christ has for us. Forgive the one persecuting the church.
John 14:1-3 "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Page 4, Things We Need to Know 2
The Hope of God's Calling.
Ephesians 1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
It is an anchor of the soul
Hebrews 6:19We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain,
One hope of our calling
Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
The Greatness of His Power.
Ephesians 1:19-22 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
That He raised and exalted Christ.
And will likewise raise us.
1 Corinthians 6:14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
Page 5, Why We Need to Know These Things,1
Because ignorance of His will, will not excuse us.
Ignorance alienates us from God.
Ephesians 4:18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart;
All are commanded to repent.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent:
Paul prayed that ignorant people would be saved as we read in our opening text.
Romans 10:3.For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
Page 6, Why We Need to Know These Things,2
Because hope influences us.
That there is more to life than the total of what is here on earth.
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
1Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
Because His power has given all we need.
2 Peter 1:3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
The knowledge of His power increases our faith.
Page 7, The Source of Our Knowledge
Told once what the word BIBLE means: “it stands for BasicInstructions Before Leaving Earth.”
The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ
Colosians 2:2-3that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
These treasures of wisdom are only obtained through study.
Psalms 119:104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ
Page 8, Results of Knowledge
It should cause us to grow.
2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...
How?
1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
It increases our responsibility.
Luke 12:41-48 Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.
James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Page 9, We are responsible for our own ignorance.
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Matthew 13:15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'
Eternity will be determined based upon our knowledge of God's word and how we then apply it in our life. •
Let us NOT “mature in our weakness”
1