ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-VI—2Peter 1:2b, 3b(:1-4)
Attention:
Symbiotic relationships: Dinoflagellates
Science tells us that tiny microscopic one-celled plants that live in the oceans, produce at least half of the oxygen that humans & air-breathing animals need to breathe.
Dinoflagellates(‘whirling whip’) are microscopic, single-celled organisms that mostly live in the oceans. Some of them are photosynthetic, meaning that: in the presence of light, they produce organic compounds(their food) from carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the water. The process of photosynthesis, produces oxygen as a by-product.
•Certain species of microscopic Dinoflagellates can rapidly reproduce & accumulate, causing an ‘algal bloom’ known as a ‘red tide.’ So besides producing oxygen, thru photosynthesis, they may also produce toxins as other by-products of their existence. A ‘red tide’ can literally poison the fish that may swim within such effected waters.
•Some Dinoflagellates are bioluminescent emitting a blue-green light when disturbed. It’s very noticeable at night.
•I remember in my earlier days, while on ocean research cruises. The toilets on those vessels would use salt water gleaned directly from the ocean. And depending where we were & the water conditions, whenever we would flush a commode(in darkness), the water would turn an eerie blue-green from a high presence of dinoflagellates.
*Symbiosis—‘Involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association.’
*Some Sea Anemones & Corals literally have microscopic dinoflagellates living separately within their tissues...a relationship called symbiosis. These symbiotic dinoflagellates within the tentacles & bodies of the anemones & corals, help to produce additional ‘food’ for the anemone or coral. The anemone or coral in turn, produces ‘food’ & carbon dioxide, on which the dinoflagellate feeds & by which it photosynthesizes. When the dinoflagellates are removed from the anemone or coral &/or vice-versa, neither of them does well. However they thrive when each is fully given to the other.
Likewise, God’s people saved by faith, are in somewhat of a ‘symbiotic’ relationship with God. He lives within each believer thru His Holy Spirit. That relationship, produces all that His people need in order for them to THRIVE.
God’s people in turn, supernaturally & willingly produce the loving witness & work that God requires & needs in maintaining His witness on earth.
The FAITH of God’s people taps into the vast resources that are only available to them by God’s hand.
Personal SAVING faith, that is centered in Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord, gains/acquires everything that is essential for living empowered as God has always intended!
Need:
We live in a world that surrounds itself with & seeks to indoctrinate everyone with priorities that are born of the flesh, rather than the priorities born of God.
Thru what Christian faith acquires/gains for the believer, the Christian exerts a tremendous influence on the world, offering it the ONLY EFFECTIVE opposition to local & global ungodliness!
The apostle Peter informs those who are faithful to Jesus Christ, that they are completely/amply/fully supplied for godly living.
God’s people are completely/amply/fully supplied for godly living thru their faith in Jesus Christ.
•Your Christian faith truly completes you!
BUT, ?What are the things that saving faith in Christ attains/acquires for God’s people?
So far in this series, we have found that,
Some provisions acquired thru faith in Jesus Christ, are...
1. TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)[parts-1 & 2]
2. CHRISTIAN FAMILY(:1b)
3. The SINGULAR, PERFECT SAVIOR(:1c)
4. MULTIPLIED GRACE & PEACE(:2a)
Today we’ll find that...
5—Another provision acquired thru your faith in Jesus Christ is...
KNOWLEDGE Of GOD(:2b, :3b)
Explanation:(:2b, :3b)God Is FOR you/us
:2b—“... In the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord,”
:3b—“...through the knowledge of Him who called us...”
*It is interesting to note that the “multiplication” of “grace & peace” sought by God for His people, can only occur WITHIN the confines or bounds of a proper “knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord.”
•So, the major result of “the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord” is the “multiplication” of “grace & peace” in their lives.
The more intense & intimate a person’s “knowledge of God” is, & in particular, the “knowledge of God” thru “our Lord” “Jesus”,....THEN the greater & more empowering becomes the “grace & peace” experienced by the Christian!
*Now, look at verse :3...
“...through the knowledge of Him who called us...”
As with the “grace & peace” God wants you to have, thru “the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord”, so ALSO “all things that pertain to life & godliness” come to God’s people(“us”), by means of “the knowledge of Him who called us.”
A person can SUPPOSE that they “know” “God”, yet say so, all-the-while denying a ‘relationship’ with “Jesus”!
*Such “knowledge” is limited to “knowing” ABOUT “God”, but NOT “knowing” “God” personally!
*Godly “knowledge” is more than a mere superficial, historical knowledge of people & events.
•“Jesus” is the very One whom “God” sent to accomplish salvation for ALL who would eventually be His people.
•John 8:31, 32—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, & the truth shall make you free.”
•Jn. 5:21-23—“For as the Father raises the dead & gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
•2Tim. 3:1-5—“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
•And AS WITH ANY relationship, your relationship with God must be constantly & consistently ‘nurtured’ in order for it to be both a good & meaningful relationship.
•That’s a major reason that we gather as the church on a regular, weekly basis. And ‘nurturing’ is why no-matter-who-you-are, you need to be part of that regular gathering.
•IF you NEGLECT that gathering, your relationship with God suffers. AND also, the relationship with & thru His family suffers.
•Heb. 10:23-25—“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
“Knowledge”(See :2, 3, 8)—epignwsiv—Noun Dative Sing. Fem.—1) Precise & correct knowledge—1a) used in the NT--Of the knowledge of things ethical & divine. Epignwsiv has an intensive meaning as compared with gnwsiv, it is a fuller, clearer, more thorough knowledge. The verb epiginwskw has the same intensive force as compared with ginwskw. Strong—Recognition, i.e. by implication--Full discernment, acknowledgement. EBC—Full knowledge. Used 20X.
*Throughout 2Peter, Peter uses three different Greek words to describe varying aspects of knowing & knowledge(EBC/BECNT):
•The verb epiginwskw(“known”) occurs in 1:2 & :3, & twice in 2:21.
•Peter employs its corresponding verb ginwskw(“know”) in 1:20 & 3:3.
•The noun, Gnwsiv(“knowledge”) occurs at 1:5, 6, & 3:18.
*So the “apostle” “Simon Peter” is VERY concerned that you have a personally, intimate knowledge of God!
Argumentation:
Php. 3:7-14—“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know[ginwskw] Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
•How can a person, or a church for that matter, increase their “knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord”?....By doing just what Paul said he did!
1Jn. 2:3-6—“Now by this we know[ginwskw] that we know[ginwskw] Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” & does not keep His commandments, is a liar, & the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
Titus 1:10-11, 15-16—“For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers & deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.”.....“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled & unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind & conscience are defiled. They profess to know[eidw] God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, & disqualified for every good work.”
1Cor. 1:30-31—“But of Him[God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--& righteousness & sanctification & redemption-- that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
•Jer. 9:23-24—“Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands & knows[lks saw-kal’/ginwskw-LXX] Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, & righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.”
Mat. 11:27—Jesus said,—““All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know[epiginwskw] the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
1Cor. 2:16—“For “who has known[ginwskw] the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Jn. 17:1-3—“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, & said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, “as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know[ginwskw] You, the only true God, & Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
2Pet. 1:5-8—But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge[ginwskw], to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, & to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours & abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge[epiginwskw] of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Col. 1:9-12—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it[your faithfulness], do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge[epiginwskw] of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
Illustration:
I ‘know about’ presidential candidate ‘Donald Trump.’ I can look up his stance on issues that are important to me. I can do research on his performance as former president of the United States. I can attend the rallies for his presidential bid. I can shake his hand & speak to him & he can speak to me. I could allow him to hold one of my young grandchildren. But even after those types of encounters, I could NOT CORRECTLY say that I ‘know’ him personally! I don’t spend time with him. We don’t pal-around together. We don’t talk to one another on the phone. I don’t know his kids or his pets or even if he has any. We don’t live in the same house. I can safely say that I ‘KNOW about’ ‘Donald Trump’, BUT, I do NOT ‘KNOW’ Donald Trump.
*Some of you here today claim to ‘know’ YHWH God. You can look up His stance on issues that are important to you. You can get information about Him from His ‘children.’ You can do research on His performance as God of the universe He created. You can immerse yourself in Bible Study & Sunday School to increase your knowledge about Him. You can attend ‘worship rallies.’ You can bow your head & speak to Him.
*But even after those types of encounters, you CANNOT CORRECTLY say, that SIMPLY BY DOING THOSE THINGS, performing those acts, that you ‘know’ God personally!
KNOWLEDGE Of GOD
Application:
?Has YOUR faith acquired for YOU, A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD that brings His Grace & Peace?
?What provisions are acquired thru YOUR Faith in Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Recall the symbiotic relationship of some Sea Anemones & Corals with Dinoflagellates. Each is made greater by the other.
Action:
A provision acquired thru faith is...
5. KNOWLEDGE Of GOD(:2b, :3b)
1. TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)[parts-1 & 2]
2. CHRISTIAN FAMILY(:1b)
3. The SINGULAR, PERFECT SAVIOR(:1c)
4. MULTIPLIED GRACE & PEACE(:2a)
Pt# 5 only! presented 04/17/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Road
Bennettsville, SC 29512
