Add to Your Faith - Knowledge

Opening

Good morning!

I’ve been thinking a lot about how God made us all differently and how we are knowledgable in a variety of areas. You may or may not be book smart, but I bet you know a lot about certain things. What would you say knowledgable about?

Maybe you know a lot about your job - you can troubleshoot any issue

We have a number of people in this church that drive big rigs – it takes a lot of knowledge to do so safely. Did you know some of the trucks have 18 gears? Most of us have a hard enough time driving with automatic transmissions!

Parents know a lot about their kids - well, until they become teenagers, but little ones – Carrie and I know right away what food our kids won’t eat. This cheese pizza is okay, but he won’t touch that one – even though they both have the same 3 ingredients

Or maybe you know a lot about pop culture or your brain is filled with random trivia. You can tell me how many skittle pieces are produced each year.

70 billion - in case you wanted to know. Thanks, Google!

Well, the Bible talks a LOT about knowledge. Of course, God’s main concern is NOT that we know more and more about any of the things I just listed.

None of them are evil, some of them are really good – especially the skittles.

But more than anything, God wants us to be knowledgeable about what? Him, His Word, His Will

A lot of the things we know now have temporary value, but knowledge about the things of God has value forevermore.

Knowledge is also critical to our mission - Believe, Belong, Become. To believe requires us to know what we believe. To belong requires us to know who we are as a family - our identity. To become requires us to continually grow in knowledge.

God wants us to use our brains. We don’t quit thinking when we follow Jesus - we think better!

How knowledgable are you about the things of God? Do you know as much about Him as you do other things?

The most urgent question for today is do you have room to grow? If you’re like me, the answer is YES.

So let’s get studying! We’re going to open up the great textbook, our life manual - the word of God.

Bibles

If you need a Bible today, please raise your hand nice and high and one of our ushers will bring you one.

Did you know that you can keep it, if you don’t have one of your own?

Just promise me that you’ll read it. Don’t let it collect dust!

We’ll be starting with 2 Peter on page 1051 if you have one of the church Bibles

Series

We are in a series called Add to your faith

As Pastor Josue reminded us last week, faith is our starting point. It begins with all that Jesus did for us.

We do not earn our salvation. Rather, Jesus died for our sins on the cross and he rose from the grave three days later revealing his power over death and sin.

We are saved by grace (an undeserved gift) through faith in Jesus Christ.

I like to think of faith as choosing to trust Him. That’s our starting point. And God has made a great case for His trustworthiness. He is faithful.

Peter opens his second letter by challenging believers to keep growing. He says that God has given us everything we need for a godly life. Then he says . . .

2 Peter 1:5–8 (NIV)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Each one is building off of the other. Last week we added goodness to faith. And this week we add Knowledge.

Where does it all lead? To a healthier, more impactful life in Christ.

Before we jump into knowledge - we need goodness first because the world doesn’t need anymore know-it-alls. Adding knowledge is not about puffing ourselves up.

But knowing God, knowing what is good – we need more of that!

Today we are going to look to the wisdom of Solomon to teach us how to gain this kind of knowledge. Please turn with me to Proverbs chapter 1. It should be page 542 in the church’s Bible

Here in Proverbs we see a father giving advice to his son. We today, as sons and daughters in Christ, are also invited to sit at the Father’s feet as he instructs us. One of the first things the father says is

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Fearing the Lord means starting with awe. Acknowledging who He is. Taking Him seriously as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the all-knowing, all-powerful God. - that’s a great starting point

It says in that verse that fools despise wisdom. I hope none of us are foolish, but rather hungry for knowledge and wisdom.

By the way, the Hebrew word for knowledge (da’ath) is similar to the word for wisdom.

One commentator says that “both comes from God and can be learned through instruction or discipline.” Wisdom is often thought of knowledge applied or put into action. Often you’ll see the words used interchangeably.

So, knowledge begins with fearing the Lord. Then we get instruction on how we can know more about the things of God.

Proverbs 2:1–6 (NIV)

My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding—

indeed, if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

You see gaining knowledge has to do with a lot more than just our brains. There is a call for us to use our senses (hear, see, touch, etc.) to learn from him and receive what he freely gives.

Let’s look at four ways God gives us knowledge when we seek it out

Here’s the first point:

God gives me knowledge when I . . .

1. Listen for it

Proverbs 2:2 (NIV)

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding—

In verse 2, we are told to turn our Ear to wisdom, but it doesn’t stop there!

The author says we also need to apply our Heart to understanding

Why? Because we can hear words all day, but if we don’t care, then it’s just noise. In one ear and out the other.

We are called to be active listeners . . . listening in such a way that we are truly seeking to hear what God is saying to us

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says . . .

John 10:27 NIV

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

If we’re NOT listening to the Shepherd, then who do we belong to? . . . Because His sheep listen!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Speaking of listening . . .

I have some friends who told me they have heard God’s audible voice and I believe them. Most of them have said that it happened once or twice in their whole life. I have never had that experience. But God speaks to me all the time. And I believe that He speaks to you all the time too. The question is . . . are we listening?

So How do we listen for God when we don’t literally hear a sound? We listen for him internally. Remember the Holy Spirit has taken up residence inside of us

I want to challenge you to try a few things.

1. First, Talk less when you are praying. - zip your lips

Sit in your thoughts with God

Leave some room to pause and reflect

Create space for Him to answer

it’s easier said than done, but practice it

You’ll know it’s God’s voice if it undoubtedly honors Him, it’ll be true, gracious, loving, genius, or if it stretches you

2. Second, Listen to biblical teaching

You are in a good place at Centerpoint. We are commited to centering on the word of God - to teaching out of the Bible

We have sermons archived on our website that you can listen to at any time

Join a Bible study where Bible’s are open. We have several here. I think of David Sample who leads our InDepth Bible study group every Sunday

3. Listen to sound advice from trusted sources

People who have a mature walk with Christ.

When you need to make a decision look for those who don’t have a stake in the game - meaning they can look at your situation with less bias and emotion

Often times it is helpful to hear from more than one person to get a couple different perspectives

Just don’t pick the one that is easiest, rather the one that seems to be in line with God’s word

God gives me knowledge . . . when I listen for it.

Point number two is that God gives me knowledge when I . . .

2. Ask for it

Proverbs 2:3 (NIV)

indeed, if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

Talk to God, call out to him, cry if you need to . . . ask for knowledge

In 1 Kings 3 there is a story of King Solomon (who is very likely the author of the book of Proverbs) who is given an opportunity to ask God for anything. Can you imagine that? My daughter, my son, ask me for anything.

Rather than asking for power, for wealth, for a long life, or even victory over his enemies; Solomon asks God to give him a discerning heart. He asks for wisdom and knowledge. And God gives it to him. And then God gives him all those other things that he didn’t ask for, since he pleased God by prioritizing wisdom.

Similarly, James writes to the church . . .

James 1:5 (NIV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

It never hurts to ask!

If you don’t know something, speak up. Ask! And then LISTEN

Through prayer, we can ask God directly. What a privilege we have in Jesus to have immediate access to the all knowing one. Right?

_ _ _ _ _

Some of you know Nondo Smith. He recently taught through Revelation for us. He is someone that I look up to who is so knowledgable. Nondo shared a story with me of a time that he had an idea in his mind that was unsettling and leading him down the wrong path and when he went to the Lord in prayer - He Asked God for knowledge - and God immediately gave him clarity that it was from a false spirit and removed it from his mind. It was such a powerful experience that he remembers it vividly all these years later.

God speaks to us some way or another when we ask him for knowledge. Sometimes we have the privilege of it being immediate and direct, as in Nondo’s experience.

_ _ _

I love the following prayer from Psalm 25 as we think about asking God for knowledge. We can pray this too!

Psalm 25:4–5 (NIV)

Show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

God gives me knowledge . . . when I Listen for it, when I ask for it.

Point number three is that God gives me knowledge when I . . .

3. Look for it

Proverbs 2:4a (NIV)

and if you look for it as for silver

If you are looking for something precious to you - maybe it has monetary value like silver or gold, or it is an important keepsake that you can’t live without - you will do everything to find it.

Years ago my mom lost a diamond out of her wedding ring. She was so stressed. She went through the vacuum dust bag, she looked in her car several times, retracing steps, and then went back to her car one more time and found it in a crevice. She didn’t give up because it was valuable to her.

We need to look for the Lord that way!

Some of you might know the famous Jeremiah 29:11 verse about God’s plans, but do you know Jeremiah 29:13?

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God is not trying to hide from us. Rather it tends to be our own issues that are blocking our view. Right? Our fears, our sins, our busyness, our impatience . . .

Sometimes we need to slow down and LOOK - make some observations of where God is already at work.

Psalm 105:4–5 (NIV)

Look to the Lord and his strength;

seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

Sometimes it is observations about the past - how God HAS been at work, how he HAS answered us before - that can help us to see now. Remembering His faithfulness.

And of course we should also Look to Scripture!

Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Your word is a lamp for my feet,

a light on my path.

We emphasize the Bible so much in church because the Bible illuminates so much in our lives. God speaks through His Word!

God gives me knowledge . . . when I listen for it, when I ask for it, when I look for it.

And my final point is this . . . God gives me knowledge when I . . .

4. Reach for it

Proverbs 2:4 (NIV)

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

It’s a treasure hunt. We may need to go out of our ways, even get down on our knees and dig. I think there is a distinction between this and looking.

I see a physical aspect here. That we have to get moving and stay persistent to find our treasure - to find knowledge that can only come from God.

The REACH is a pursuit. We are active. We are learning by getting out there . . . by doing.

James writes . . .

James 1:22 (NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Having the knowledge, but living without putting it into practice is meaningless. It is as ridiculous as looking in the mirror - as James said - and then immediately forgetting what we saw. What was the point of even looking?

Reaching for it means that we apply the knowledge that God gives us - this pleases our heavenly Father and we benefit from it.

Philippians 4:9 (NIV)

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I would imagine most of us have worked in roles where we had to learn on the job. You don’t become an electrician simply by reading about it. You have to work as an apprentice and get your hands dirty as part of the process of learning. The same principle applies here.

I’ve found that I’ve gained knowledge by serving in the church and a volunteer. And many of you experience the same on a regular basis.

If you want to learn something, try teaching it. I’ve never learned more than when I had to put together a lesson. Some of the best learning was when I had to break it down to teach to children. I know some people who lead Bible studies during their lunch break at work.

Learn by sharing your faith with others. It’s hard at first, but it gets easier over time.

Get creative and find ways to learn by doing.

Remember, God gives me knowledge . . . when I listen for it, when I ask for it, when I look for it, and when I reach for it.

Testimony

Many of you know James Casey. He is a member of Centerpoint and has been part of a few of our small groups. James gave his life to Christ and then it seems in record time completed every one of our Next Steps Classes -

Connection

Baptism

Membership

Christian Basics 1 -3

Theological Foundations 1-3

Evangelism

And 1:1 Discipleship

James absorbs books like no other. At any given time I think he is reading 3-4 books about Christianity.

He inspires me as a pastor to keep adding knowledge, in part so I can answer all the challenging questions he asks me.

I asked James if he could answer a few questions about adding knowledge. Go ahead and take a look at the screen.

___

Thank you to James for sharing with us. I affirm everything that he said!

Conclusion

Church, we are called by God to Add to our Faith . . . Knowledge.

What can you do to grow in knowledge starting today?

I hit on some of the senses (hear, see, touch, etc.) to help you remember these things. Smell seemed too far of a stretch for this passage. Although looking back at the four points

if you listen

if you ask

if you look

if you reach

then you’ll nose more than you do right now

I know. Ridiculous! But, Now you’ll remember my points!

It doesn’t matter how educated you are, If you went to college, If you got good grades growing up.. . What matters church is that you Know God and His Word.

So today, I challenge each of you to add to your faith, knowledge.

If you need prayer of any kind tonight, we want to pray for you.

Maybe it’s to KNOW Jesus for the first time or KNOW Him deeper

Or Maybe you need confirmation that He knows your situation and that He wants to carry you through

In a moment, the worship band will lead us through “Holy Forever” and the pastors and prayer partners will be in the back of the room to pray with you.