The fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
When people look at us, do they see a reflect of Jesus Christ
Thinking about growth from 2 Peter 1
People have been displaced from their homes
Sermon 1: A basis for growth
Sermon 2: Add to your faith – virtue/moral excellence
Not like climbing up a ladder, but there is an order to the sequence
Sermon 3 (today): Add to your faith knowledge
To know God better
To have a practical knowledge
An experiential knowledge
Reading Prov 4:1-9
Solomon’s wisdom
We need to grow wiser and understand the doctrines of the Bible
This understanding needs to inform the way we live
It is not merely academic
Head knowledge must effect our will, our conscience, our actions
Knowledge:
Add to your faith knowledge
The greek word epignosis – 2 Peter 1:2-3 (more personal knowledge)
The greek word gnosis – 2 Peter 1:5 (more factual knowledge)
Read and study the Bible diligently (2 Timothy 2:15)
Hard work
You may wish to use commentaries or books
More important is the Holy Spirit – He will teach you
Examples – Matthew Henry, JC Ryle, CH Spurgeon
To correctly understand the truth
To understand the context
To understand the application
To understand the principles
To correctly understand the Old Testament – example
Read through the bible
To better know God
To understand Jesus Christ
Creation, fall, redemption, consummation (of all things)
We are to renew our mind – Rom 12:12, Eph 4:23
Has your mind been renewed?
Is your mind shaped by ungodly thinking? – examples
Study God’s Word
Studying the word of God
Audio bibles
Different places to start – read the gospels (the life of Jesus)
"… as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby …" – 1 Peter 2:2
Often
Little by little
We must become mature
"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food." – Heb 5:12
They had started to drift away
Can you teach others about the scriptures?
"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." – Heb 5:13-14
We must grow in our knowledge to the point where we can help others
There are things that we might find hard to understand – examples
Do not avoid difficult things
Be like the Bereans – search the scriptures
We must give all diligence – things will not come easily 2 Peter 1:5
Apply God’s Word
Reading Phil 1:9-11
Example of James and John (the sons of thunder), Peter, David, Abigail, Jacob
Apply knowledge correctly
A knowledge applied to everyday living
Do not be "… always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." – 2 Tim 3:7
A connection between virtue and knowledge
Know the doctrines of grace
Know the grace of the doctrines
Not one against the other but both together!
Non-negotiable truths [primary issues] – examples
Matters of conscience/secondary issues – examples
"But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all" – 2 Tim 2:23-24
"Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies" – 1 Cor 8:1
Closing Remarks
Above all – grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ
