TRUE EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

2 Peter 1:1-4

As you know, the series we have been in for the last month or two has been the study of the heart of God.

And so, far we have specifically focused on the heart of Christ during His ministry on Earth and how He showed us His heart through His actions. And we know that the heart of Christ was perfectly displayed on the cross for you and for me!

Over the past weeks,

We have seen His compassionate heart.

We have seen His gentle and lowly heart.

We have seen His heart that passionately opposes sin.

We have looked at the sympathetic heart of Christ

And we have seen the example of the servant heart of Christ.

Last week, apart of the Easter message was that His heart lives to intercede on our behalf.

I believe at this time we are going to make a shift from studying specifically the heart of Christ and look at God’s Word at what it says about the heart of the Father.

But first, I listen to a few pastors regularly and one of those pastors in Tony Evans.

I was scrolling through one of his messages from 2017 and listened to it while I was driving and he so better explained using this passage in 2 Peter the goals for our studying the heart of God. His message brought me to this passage and I think it expresses the goals of our studies and why we should all want to study knowing the heart of God. Why we should all pursue growing in knowledge of who He really is.

So, let’s read this passage and see why we should be in this study.

Read 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 1-4

The first thing to notice is that he is talking to believers here. He is talking to those who have obtained the same saving faith in Jesus Christ as he had.

So, this message is to those who have already begin a relationship with Jesus. Last week, we gave an invitation to those to begin that relationship with Christ. I pray that if you do not know Him in this room that you would listen to today’s message and let it draw you in to His presence and see that you can KNOW God! You can have a personal relationship with Him. And the benefits of knowing Him are vast!

Its also important to look at this word knowledge used in verse 2 and 3. The Greek word here is epignosis. And it is talking about true, experiential knowledge. Personal knowledge. This is not talking about getting a degree from a college. This is talking about having an intimate, personal knowledge of the fact or attribute that you are studying about Him.

Its like I could stand up here and tell you statistics about one of my Baseball idols growing up, Nolan Ryan. Some of my favorites being that his career spanned 27 season and that he struck 7 different fathers and sons. I can tell you 354 pitchers in baseball history have struck out 1,183 or more batters in their careers. Nolan Ryan struck out 1,183 DIFFERENT batters.

I could go on and on about this great man because there is a lot of knowledge about him out there but I could not just walk up to his house in Texas and walk in. I know about him, but I completely lack a personal, intimate, experiential knowledge of him. He would tell me, to depart from his house.

These verses are not about knowing statistics or facts about God but knowing Him personally.

This verse and our study is not so that you receive more facts about His grace, but in a time of need for His grace, you run to Him and allow His grace to cover you.

Its not so that you can know about the peace of God that surpasses understanding, but so that when you need peace, you will run to Him and allow His peace to fill you.

Its not just about knowing He is your Father but allowing Him to Father you!

See its two part. learning about Him and then allowing Him to be that for you!

THAT is experiential knowledge of God and THAT is what we are pursuing.

So, let’s look at these goals I have been reading every Sunday.

If you can remember, one of our goals for this study is to experience His presence more richly.

As we grow in our experiential knowledge of Him, verse 2 Peter 1:2 says that His grace and peace will be multiplied.

2 Peter 1:2 ESV

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

I love that word! Not added to. This is not addition. This is not 5 +5 =10. This is 5 x 5 = 25. This is not 10 +10 = 20. This is 10 x 10 = 100.

What a word! That grace and peace may be multiplied.

As we grow in experiential knowledge of Him does this not sound like we will experience His presence more richly? His grace and His peace will be multiplied.

Is there anyone in here that can honestly say that they couldn’t use more grace and peace? Could you use it multiplied in your life?

Then join me in this journey to grow in our true knowledge of God.

The second goal of our study is to see who we are in Christ more truly.

Read verse 3. 2 Peter 1:3

2 Peter 1:3 ESV

His 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,

Through the true knowledge of God, we can understand that all things, yes all things that pertain to live and godliness has been granted to you through His divine power. Can you see how we begin to see who we are in Christ more truly?

When you become a Christian, you receive the Holy Spirit and with it, all that we need, and the divine power and nature of God.

You see He is granted it (verse 4) to us through His great promises. Jesus promises His Holy Spirit in John 16:7

John 16:7 ESV

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Jesus says that it would be better, why? So that you can have all things that you will need for life and godliness.

Tony Evans describes us as a an egg in the mother’s womb. Once it is fertilized, life begins and a new creation is created with its entirely new DNA. All that that baby needs or will need in this life physically is right there in their DNA. You don’t have to go find arms and legs, they are already there. They just need to be developed. Their hair color is already there written in their DNA, it just hasn’t grown yet. Childhood, adolescence, and adulthood is already there.

Just like this, when we accept the seed of the gospel in our hearts and the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us, we receive everything that we need for life and godliness. We receive His divine power and His divine nature. But we are going to have to grow in it. We are going to have to develop them.

If you need more patience in life, you already have all that you need, you just need to grow in it.

If you need more peace in your life, you already have it, you just need to let it develop in your life.

If you need more love in your life, you already have all of it, you just need to grow in your knowledge of it.

As we grow in our experiential knowledge of who God is, we begin to better understand and see who we are in Christ and all that we already have. We will see that He has already given us all that we need. We just need to grow and develop more.

Our third goal for this study is that we would become more obedient to His calls and commands.

We just talked about how the gift of the Holy Spirit gives us access to all things. So, Galatians chapter 5 is all about choosing to be obedient to the HS and not the flesh. We see that those two things are opposed to each other. And when we choose to walk by the flesh, we are walking in opposition to the “all things” promises in 2 Peter.

Do not read Galatians 5:22

Galatians 5:22 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

When we choose to walk in the Spirit, He is produce the singular fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We already have all love, all joy, all peace, all patience, all kindness, all goodness, all faithfulness, all gentleness and all self-control.

When we grow in understanding about who He is and see ourselves more truly about who we are in Him, we will naturally desire to obey His commands and develop and grow into all the things that His HS has already given us. We will see the promises fruit of His Spirit in our lives.

Its surrendering to the Holy Spirit that allows us to experience all of this in our lives through the divine power and divine nature that is already in us!

One day, the fourth point, we will talk about this but I believe this is a life that is walking in proper fear of the Lord, our fourth goal for this study.

So, I hope that this has given you clarity on our current study. I pray that you will take up the challenge of growing in our experiential knowledge of who He is and who you are in Christ. Not just learning about Him but allowing Him to be all of that He is for you!

So, I’m going to ask you to join me for some homework for some challenges this week. I want to ask you to try these 3 things in the coming weeks to develop and experience Him more deeply.

Will you accept the challenge before I tell you what they are? Come on! Give me an amen if you are willing.

That’s a verbal contract and we have that on recording.

CHALLENGE #1: GET ALONE IN CREATION

You want to see Him and know about Him? His creation declares Him.

Psalm 33:6–9 (ESV)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;

he puts the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

Psalm 19:1–2 (ESV)

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

One of the most recent times that I experienced God in creation, was at the last Men’s event at the barn. I sat next to a tree that one of the storms blew over. Here is a massive tree blown over. I’m sure that it was home to many a birds and animals.

I sat and watched a small bird hopping and singing songs in its branches. It was acting like nothing just happened. I imagined this tree was its home and he just lost it. But the bird didn’t stop and lament. He didn’t act all sad. He kept on singing and appearing not to worry about what he will eat or where he will sleep. He kept singing his songs of praise to His creator. He wasn’t worried.

I saw the Lord in that little bird. I saw the promises of the Lord in that little bird. I was reminded that the Lord loves me so much more that that bird and that I should learn from him that I shouldn’t be worried or fear. I felt the reassurance of the Lord in His promises. I was inspired by the faith of that bird. His creation speaks to us.

Would you take some time this week, during beautiful Spring, to go outside and be with the Lord in His creation? Leave your phone inside, go alone and talk to the Lord. Pay close attention to His creation all around you.

Or study the cycle of life. Or the human eye.

Go to creation and experience the truths of who God is.

The heavens declare His glory. Are you seeing it? Are you experiencing it?

Will you set aside time this week to intentionally experience Him?

CHALLENGE #2: STUDY THE LIFE OF CHRIST

If you want to grow in knowledge of God, study the gospels and the life of Christ.

Colossians 1:15 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus responded with

John 14:9–11 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

If you want to know Him better, look to Jesus! Study His words. Study His actions.

This week, will you sit down to read the gospels and pray before you read and ask God to show Himself to you through the life, words and actions of Jesus? Will you look at the Word as the Lord reveling Himself to you, so that you can have a better understanding, a truer knowledge of Him?

If you do this, you will begin to grow and develop in knowledge of Him.

CHALLENGE #3: TESTIMONY

Would you this week, sit down with someone and ask to hear their testimony? Would you ask to hear their story? Would you ask someone to share with you how the Lord is working in their lives right now?

There is power in the sharing of testimonies. The word says that we will overcome by the power of the blood and the word of our testimonies.

Don’t ask to be nosy or to later gossip about it, but ask so that you can see the Lord moving. So that you can grow in knowledge. So that maybe that person has learned the answer to the question that you are asking. Or maybe you can glorify God with them for how He is moving.

Also this week, ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share your testimony. When was the last time you shared with someone not at church your salvation experience? When was the last time you shared with someone a hard time that the Lord has recently pulled you through?

Would you accept this challenge to search your life for how the Lord is moving in your life, how the Lord is helping your experience Him more truly, and how you can share that with someone else?

Invite the band up.

Now, remember, you’re on video verbally agreeing to do these challenges!

I’m going to do them. I’m going to ask you about them!

And I want to hear about your experiences in them. Would you email or text me when you do these challenges?

Remember, get alone, outside for the purpose of seeing Him.

Read the life of Christ for the purpose of seeing Him.

Hear or share a testimony for the purpose of seeing Him.

I firmly believe the truths that are in 2 Peter.

May His grace and peace be multiplied in your life.

May you realize and walk in the HS that has giving you all thing pertaining to life and godliness and has given you His divine power and nature.

I pray that you will walk down this path with me and accept these challenges with me.

Let’s pray.