Sermon Tone Analysis

Things to ponder

This series has been all about some common passages that are worth considering, worth pondering.

As we wrap up this series hopefully you have pondered some of the things we have looked at.

Kingdom beatitudes (Mt5:3-12)

Don’t have a defiled heart (Mk7:21-23)

Possessing the qualities of love (1Cor13:1-13)

Works of the flesh - Watch out! (Gal5:19-21)

Fruit of the Spirit (Gal5:22-23)

Be One! in unity (Eph4:4-6)

The great put on (Col3:12-17)

There are many things that are of value to the kingdom dweller and today we are going to focus on the value of knowledge.

Open your bibles to 2Pt1:3-12 that is where we will be shortly.

(Transition) Like the other messages in this series we need to look at context, then meaning and of course, the application, and Lord willing draw a conclusion.

Now, let me lay out the scripture for us this morning, please follow along for this is a passage well worth pondering

So, now lets get into this and wrap up our series.

The Context

As simply Christians we know that context matters so we can exegete a passage properly, right?

So, looking at the passage contextually is important.

Grace and peace multiplied, and how multiplied?

Through knowledge (v.2)

What would you like to see multiplied in your life?

Other scriptures used in this section: (Rom5:1; Eph2:7-8 1:3; and Php4:7)

(Insert Knowledge of Jesus Christ PowerPoint here)

Now, grace and peace are often used as a part of a greeting in the culture and we see it several times in the N.T.

It is important that we take note that the blessings are multiplied (what blessings?

Grace and peace) in true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Grace - God’s unmerited favor, brought the peace of God and peace with God to us.

Rom5:1 “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Now consider Eph2:7-8 “7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

So, grace, peace needed, they are provided not by works of righteousness, but by the Righteous one.

who makes peace and gives peace beyond our comprehension, consider Php4:7 “7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

But it is only in Christ that we can enjoy the fulness of God’s favor and peace.

Eph1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

God’s grace and peace are multiplied through knowledge of Jesus Christ!

(Transition) Knowledge of Christ leads to understanding God’s provision through Christ

Knowledge of all things pertaining to life and godliness (2Pt1:3-4)

(Like others, this is not on the screen, leave the PowerPoint up, please)

God gives us all things, through knowledge of Him who called us to glory.

In context this is about our spiritual life in Christ.

It is through knowledge that we are able to fully enjoy a full life in Christ through the divine power provided and gives us the exceedingly great and precious promises as noted in (v.4).

Knowledge so not to have spiritual myopia or amnesia (2Pt1:9; Rom8:29; Col3:9-11)

Myopia (N) nearsightedness.

lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.

This is spiritual shortsighted, not growing in knowledge of Christ Jesus

Are we not to grow in Christ, to be conformed like Christ as noted Rom8:29 “29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” Or if you want you can look up Col3:9-11.

Spiritual amnesia means we fail to grow because we have forgotten why we were redeemed in the first place, to have our sins forgiven!

Have you had your spiritual eye check up lately?

Knowledge so that we will not stumble (2Pt1:10, 1:5-8,; 1Jn1:8-10)

(Below not on screen, do not change the PowerPoint)

You will never stumble when you are seeking true knowledge and growing in the graces found in (vv.5-8) and we will talk about those in a minute or two.

Growing in Christ does not mean we are perfected, but being perfected.

It does not mean we never sin, it means we sin less and our sins are forgiven; consider 1Jn1:8-10 “8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

Knowledge about our abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom (2Pt1:11; 2Tim4:18, 4:6-8)

God’s grand entrance, abundant entrance provided through true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Think about what Paul told Timothy 2Tim4:18 “18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.

Amen.”

Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the lamb!

oh how we love to sing it, to know it, to believe in it, to walk in it!

By growing in the graces listed in our passage we are able to live victoriously in this life and anticipate what lies ahead of us

(Transition) Knowledge and the value of the knowledge is what we are looking at in our passage today, now may we go from the context to the meaning.

The Meaning

We have looked contextually leading us up to the passage we want to focus on.

Developing Christ like graces in the growing Christian.

(Insert: Growing in Christ Like Graces PowerPoint here)

In brief these graces, virtues are found in (2Pt1:5-7)

Faith: “Conviction, strong assurance”

Virtue: “Moral excellence, goodness”

Knowledge: “Correct insight”

Self-control: “Self-discipline”

Perseverance: “being up under trials”

Godliness: “godly character out of devotion to God”

Brotherly kindness: “Love toward brethren”

Love: “active goodwill toward others

We have had other sermons focusing on these graces before, and I’m sure we will again in the future but I don’t want to belabor them today but want to focus a little more on a few key words

Look at 2Pt1:8 “8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing (some versions like NKJV say abounding), they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are to abound in these graces for when we do we are growing in knowledge of Jesus Christ.

This is more than intellectual knowledge but applied knowledge

This is a process of developing and deploying these God given graces.

Another word to notice is “add” look at; some use the word add, others the word supply.

(Below is not on screen, please leave the PowerPoint up)

Another word to notice is the word “to” in (vv.5-7) we are to add to, or add in to the previous grace listed.

These graces work in harmony with one another.

All in harmony to produce a an overall effect, a maturing Christian.

(Transition) true knowledge of Christ requires that we develop and deploy each of these graces, these godly characteristics and to do so with:

Develop the graces with all diligence (2Pt1:5, 10)

I ask you to look at our passage again, look at 2Pt1:5 “5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,” and then if you look down to 2Pt1:10 “10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”

So develop and deploy these graces takes an earnestness, an effort, and a zeal!

To become a Christian is easy, to grow as a Christian, and that is God’s desire, takes effort.

Diligence what a great word; (N): careful and persistent work or effort.

(Transition) So with all diligence applying these graces and pressing on with the message today, we now get to the exhortation, or the application section.

The Application section

What good is a sermon without an application?

So, here are some “musts” some take away’s from the passage today.

(Insert We Must PowerPoint here)

We must never forget, past, present, and hope for future (2Pt1:2-4, 9-11)

Never forget our past, that our sins have been forgiven, we have been purified of them

We have escaped from the corruption in the world through lust