Introductionn:

How Did He Know That?

I.  The Word of Knowledge.

A.     The Definition of the “word of knowledge”.

       What It Is Not—Those who do not believe the gifts are for today.

1)    Practical knowledge. It is knowing what to do in the day-to-day situations that arise. It is knowing how to apply the wisdom that one has to daily living. It is being able to make practical application of truth to life. It does no good to know truth unless a person knows how to use the truth.

2)    The gift to share with others how they should live; the ability to apply truth to their lives in day-to-day living; the ability to make practical application of truth to life.

       3)    Having the ability to understand and speak God’s truth, with insight into the mysteries of His Word, that cannot be know apart from God’s revelation (Rom.16:25; Eph.3:3; Col.1:26; 2:2; 4:3; 13:2).

       4)    The ability to major on grasping the meaning of the truth of the word of God by study of the word of God

What is the “word of knowledge”?

       It is information given to us supernaturally, knowledge of things that we could not know through natural attainment or study.  The Spirit will speak through you about an issue in someone’s life.  It’s a divine impartation of knowledge concerning a person or situation that could not come through natural thought processes.  Its something that flashes into your mind which God prompts you to say. 

1.       In the Old Testament.

a)        Elisha Exercised the Word of Knowledge In A Remarkable Way.

·         He warned the king of Israel of the Syrian king's plans (2Kings 6:8-12).

·         He told Naaman he would be healed if he would wash in the Jordan River seven times (2Kings 5:9f)

·         He told his servant Gehazi what was in Gehazi's mind (2Kings 5:20-27)

·         He told the Shunammite woman that she would have a son the next year (2Kings 4:8-17)

·         When the Shunammite woman's son died, the Lord did not reveal it to Elisha, and Elisha was surprised because he was so accustomed to knowing what was happening (2Kings 4:18-27)

       We know from this that the gifts of God are totally His to control and not something we can operate of our own volition.

2.       In the New Testament.

a)        Jesus Often Manifested the Gift of the Word of Knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

·         Jesus sent His disciples into town and told them how it would be when they were there (Mark 11:1-7, Luke 22:7-13)

·         Jesus told Peter to catch a fish, open its mouth and remove a coin, and pay the tax man (Matthew 17:24-27)

·         When Nathaniel was brought to Jesus, the Lord told him what he had been doing earlier (John 1:45-51).

·         When Jesus encounter the Samaritan woman at the well, He had told her that she had five husbands and the one she is living with is not her husband (John 4:16-19 cf. 4:29)

b)        The Gift Is Exercised Through Peter & Paul in the Book of Acts.

1)        The Gift Exercised Through Peter.

·         Peter knew by a “word of knowledge” that Ananias and Sapphira had lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11).

·         Peter read what was in the heart of Simon the sorcerer through the “word of knowledge” (Acts 8:9-25).

2)        The Gift Exercised Through Paul.

·         Against Paul’s warnings his Roman jailers decided to sail from Crete (Acts 27:9-12), he warned the men on board that they would lose the ship.

·         In the night an angel of the Lord told Paul that, although the ship would be destroyed, everyone would be saved as long as they stayed together (Acts 27:13-44). 

B.      In The Church Today.

Pastor Chuck Smith

   At Calvary Chapel, where I pastor, there is a Korean lady who was separated from her brother when her homeland was divided into north and south.  He was in the north, she was in the south, and they had lost contact for some 40 years.  On day the Lord started prompting her with a new concern for her brother, so she began praying that somehow God would help her find him if he were still alive.  She heard that he had been sent to Mandchuria, so she prayed again that the Lord would help her contact her brother.  While she was in prayer, the Lord gave her a phone number in Manchuria.  She called that number and her brother answered!  Just recently this woman returned from a trip to visit her brother.  Before she left, the Lord had showed her a vision of her brother’s house.  When she arrived in town she quickly recognized the house she had been shown, and she was reunited with her brother!  That’s the word of knowledge—a marvelous gift of God (Living Water, p.112).       

1.       The Conviction & Rebuke of Those Harboring “dirty little secrets.”

a)        When this happens from the pulpit.

1)        The Pastor Seems to Know All About Your Little Secrets.

2)        The Spirit Also Gives Understanding of Specific Things Occurring In Someone’s Life.

(a)      When this happens you may be tempted to say, “Oh, what a terrible thought.  That must be my wicked imagination.  I shouldn’t think that.”  Yet you’ll find often that you’re exactly right.   

b)        The Gift is Often Exercised During the Teaching of the Word of God.

When I want to illustrate a particular point, I will make up a hypothetical case—and later discover hat it hit someone right between the eyes.  They say, “Why, that’s me!  Who told him about me?”  (Pastor Chuck Smith, Living Water, p.113). 

C.     Is The Word of Knowledge the Same as the Word of Wisdom?

1.       What is the word of knowledge?

               Just as with the “word of wisdom”, the “word of knowledge” is not a vast reservoir that you can tap anytime you want. It is not a huge storage depot to which you have access at anytime.  Just as in the case of the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge often is exercised without our knowledge – frequently without our even being aware of it. 

               It is information given to us supernaturally, knowledge of things that we could not know through natural attainment or study.  The Spirit will speak through you about an issue in someone’s life.  It’s a divine impartation of knowledge concerning a person or situation that could not come through natural thought processes.  Its something that flashes into your mind which God prompts you to say. 

a)        Peter Exercised the gift without being aware of it (Matthew 16:13-17)

·         Jesus acknowledged that his words were a revelation from the Father.

·         Jesus said, No one know the Father except the Son & he to whom the Son reveals (Matt.11:25-27)

·         Jesus prays for His disciples (John 17:6-8 cf. John 6:44-45)

·         Paul said the gospel which he preached was not according to man (Gal.1:11-17)

2.       The Purpose of this Gift?

a)        To Intercede on Behalf of Others—for the profit of all (1 Corinthians 12:7)

       The Lord gives us these insights so that we might begin to pray, and intercede for hurting people and their needs.  Paul instructed Timothy to correct those who are in error, “that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2Tim.2:26).

(a)      So many times when people fall prey to the deception of the enemy, the Lord will show us.

(b)      When you look at them you know something is not right, the Spirit reveals to you their problems only so you might pray for them to be delivered from the power of Satan.

b)        A Word of Caution!

       We must be open minded—but no so much that we are gullible.  We must be open minded to all the Spirit is doing and wants to give.  But when people pass off as spiritual gifts what is not of the Spirit their actions belittle the genuine and prejudice other against the authentic work of the Spirit.  God is not the author of confusion (1Cor.14:33 cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 we must test all things)

c)        Let God Use You.

       There is Much That God Wants to Do in Our Lives!  It is my desire to be fully open to be led by the Spirit, to be used by the Spirit, that the Spirit of God might be manifested in my life however He may desire. 

·         Our Heavenly Father longs to give us wisdom & understanding, and the word of knowledge is an important aspect of that wisdom and understanding. 

·         Lets be sensitive and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, thankful for His faithfulness and grateful that He speaks to our hearts even though at times we don’t respond.  May the Lord fill us with the fullness of His Spirit until He flows forth like a gusher of living water from our lives, healing and touching those around us with His unspeakable love!