WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.839 Good morning. 00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:17.019 My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, 00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:20.559 and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:24.100 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:29.600 We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:33.260 but because we're following Jesus together as one community, 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:38.859 and as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good, 00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:42.660 they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad they can't have it, 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:48.000 which means that everyone needs to hear what God has to say in his word. 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:50.939 It's good to be back with you all. 00:00:51.400 --> 00:00:54.060 I told someone that earlier this morning, they asked me, is that actually true? 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:59.200 Is it actually true to be back? And it is. It's good to go, and it's good to return. 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:03.300 And I'm excited for us. We're going to begin the book of 2 Peter today, 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:06.719 and I invite you to turn there with me now. 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:10.320 You can turn in your worship guide. It's printed near the end. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:12.040 You can turn in your Bible or your phone. 00:01:13.060 --> 00:01:18.260 And as we come to this book, there's a lot of controversy surrounding the book of 2 Peter 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:22.560 regarding potentially who wrote it, where it was sent to. 00:01:22.620 --> 00:01:24.780 I'm not going to drag us down into the weeds on that. 00:01:24.820 --> 00:01:27.180 I'm happy to discuss that more offline if you'd like. 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:30.300 I'm simply going to teach it in this way. 00:01:30.580 --> 00:01:35.840 The book of 2 Peter is a letter written by a man named Peter. 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:42.200 He writes it in the 60s A.D. to a church somewhere in the Roman Empire. 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:48.160 And he writes it with one desire, one purpose in mind. 00:01:49.740 --> 00:01:53.920 Peter wants these Christians, this church, to grow. 00:01:53.920 --> 00:02:00.040 And so that question is before us as well as we come to this book. 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:01.680 Do we want to grow? 00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:04.460 Do you want to grow? 00:02:06.019 --> 00:02:13.039 Do you want to experience more and more of the blessings that God has for us in Jesus Christ? 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:18.039 This growth that Peter tells us about is going to come in two ways. 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:19.000 He wants them. 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:23.479 He longs for them to grow in grace and knowledge. 00:02:24.500 --> 00:02:29.599 In fact, knowledge is going to serve as one of the main themes of the book of 2 Peter. 00:02:29.739 --> 00:02:33.139 And it's to that we're going to turn this morning as we come to the introduction. 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:38.579 If we think about knowledge, of course, we probably have a variety of different attitudes toward it. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:41.960 But some of us maybe experience shame when we think about knowledge. 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:46.520 We've been Christians for a while and we feel like we should know more. 00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:48.060 We should have learned more at this point. 00:02:48.140 --> 00:02:50.160 We're embarrassed that we don't. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.720 Perhaps others of us, when it comes to knowledge, we're cynical. 00:02:55.860 --> 00:02:59.880 We know people who have tremendous amounts of knowledge in the faith. 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:04.180 And yet it doesn't seem to have changed their lives at all. 00:03:04.799 --> 00:03:06.819 They know the facts and the right answers. 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:09.419 And they're still jerks. 00:03:11.519 --> 00:03:13.919 And so we wonder if knowledge is really worth it. 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:14.500 We're cynical. 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:16.519 We think about those knowledge people. 00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:19.000 Something worth, not worth touching. 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:21.979 Maybe you're tired when it comes to knowledge. 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:24.819 You've been coming to church for a long time. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:26.359 You've been hearing sermon after sermon. 00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:27.719 It sort of washes over you. 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:31.400 You don't feel like it really makes a difference. 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:36.039 The pastor says lots of things, but it doesn't seem to have an impact. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:37.579 It doesn't seem to have a power to. 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:41.099 It doesn't connect with us and touch us where we want to be touched. 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:44.099 And then finally, some of us love knowledge. 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:46.599 It's actually a lot of us here. 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:48.520 It's a lot of people in Reformed churches. 00:03:48.659 --> 00:03:51.219 We're thinking, why are we talking about the downsides of knowledge? 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:54.039 Of course, knowledge is wonderful. 00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:59.000 It's my desire to grow in knowledge as much as I can. 00:04:00.099 --> 00:04:05.419 But perhaps you're tempted to use it as a weapon rather than a tool. 00:04:05.419 --> 00:04:10.780 It's with those questions that we turn to the book of 2 Peter. 00:04:10.899 --> 00:04:13.219 We're going to be reading verses 1 and 2. 00:04:13.339 --> 00:04:15.560 And so I invite you again to turn there with me. 00:04:15.619 --> 00:04:20.439 And remember as we come to this portion of God's word, that it is God's word. 00:04:21.599 --> 00:04:26.779 And God tells us that his word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold. 00:04:26.779 --> 00:04:33.139 And it is sweeter than honey, even the honey that comes straight from the honeycomb. 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.379 And so that's why we read it now, starting at verse 1. 00:04:36.379 --> 00:05:01.980 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:10.040 Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for your word that you've given to us. 00:05:10.140 --> 00:05:15.540 You haven't left us, but you've given us great riches, a great inheritance. 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:20.439 And so we ask that you'd send your Holy Spirit this morning and that you would help us. 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:23.660 You'd help us in our cynicism. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:26.220 Father, you'd help us in our shame. 00:05:27.520 --> 00:05:29.060 You'd help us in our tiredness. 00:05:29.060 --> 00:05:34.379 You'd help us in our love, that we would grow, that you'd challenge us and encourage us by your word, 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:35.819 and that you'd do it by your spirit. 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:44.100 We thank you that we don't have to somehow whip up enough enthusiasm for this to work, 00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:47.600 but we rely on the supernatural power of your Holy Spirit. 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:53.699 And we ask, based not on our merit or anything we've earned, but in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:54.759 Amen. 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:54.920 Amen. 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:05.500 I have learned a lot about the military in my last three years in Colorado Springs. 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.759 Of course, I have a brother who's in the military, so I knew a little bit, 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:10.839 but I didn't know how much I did not know. 00:06:11.459 --> 00:06:15.980 And there's certainly many things that you all go through and endure that I am not jealous of. 00:06:17.340 --> 00:06:20.740 And there are some things that you have that I am a little jealous of. 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:25.780 One of those things is access to USAA. 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:31.220 I would love to have access to USAA, right? 00:06:31.259 --> 00:06:37.139 Because I know of their wonderful reputation, both their financial services, their insurance products. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:38.860 I can't get it. 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:41.100 As you know, it's limited. 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:43.720 There's only two ways, primarily, to get access to it. 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:46.480 Either you have it through your service, right? 00:06:46.520 --> 00:06:50.080 You'd say, I have served for the military, therefore I have access. 00:06:50.260 --> 00:06:55.280 Or it's your relationship to someone who has service. 00:06:55.820 --> 00:06:58.360 Those are the ways you get entry in. 00:06:59.440 --> 00:07:03.660 Of course, I'm interested in, the only way I can get it right, would be through a relationship. 00:07:04.380 --> 00:07:06.980 So there's probably still some hope for me. 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:11.120 There's a chance, right, that I could marry into USAA. 00:07:14.400 --> 00:07:20.800 That, of course, if I did that, I would be receiving it, not through my service, but through someone else's. 00:07:20.840 --> 00:07:24.620 And that's the point that Peter begins with here in his letter. 00:07:24.740 --> 00:07:27.980 He tells us about the faith that his hearers have. 00:07:28.080 --> 00:07:30.319 It's faith that they have obtained. 00:07:30.520 --> 00:07:34.980 This word, obtained, is not a word about something they've earned or grasped. 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:40.600 It's a word that's used about things that are received by a lot or an inheritance. 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:42.939 This is a receiving word. 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:46.040 They have not earned or taken hold of their faith. 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:49.780 Instead of saying obtained, we could say they have received it. 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:52.660 It's something that's been given to them. 00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:55.200 And then we go on to hear this repeated. 00:07:55.400 --> 00:07:58.020 It's a faith of equal standing with ours. 00:07:58.540 --> 00:08:02.740 Now, with ours here, ours might be a reference to the fact that Peter's an apostle. 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:06.699 He might be saying, your faith is worth the same as an apostle's faith. 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:08.900 It might be a Jew-Gentile thing. 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:10.699 He might be saying, you Gentiles. 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:13.160 Many people think this letter was written to Gentiles. 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:17.460 You Gentiles have the same kind of faith as we Jews do. 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:19.560 The point, regardless, is this. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:23.340 There are not different levels of faith that are worth more. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:28.500 His faith as an apostle is worth the same as their faith. 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:29.240 Why? 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:32.340 Well, he hasn't earned it, right? 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:34.019 There aren't different levels of merit. 00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:38.759 And then finally, we find out why there are not different levels of faith. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:44.460 Because all of them have received it and obtained it based not on their service, but on the service of another. 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:49.159 They've received it by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:56.279 In other words, their faith comes through and only through Jesus Christ and what he's done on their behalf. 00:08:57.740 --> 00:09:03.620 And so there is nothing that they can do to earn it or improve upon it. 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:13.299 If you are a member of USAA, perhaps from time to time, you have to call to have certain things dealt with, right? 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:17.480 And when you call, you're going to expect there's going to be certain types of security questions. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.419 One of the security questions might be this. 00:09:20.539 --> 00:09:22.779 How do you have access to this account? 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:28.339 You might be able to say, well, I have access because of my service. 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:34.299 Or you might say, I have access because of my mother's service, my father's service, my husband, my wife. 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:44.319 When Christians are asked, how do we have access to Jesus Christ and his benefits? 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:46.840 Why is it that we have faith? 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.020 There is only one answer. 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:54.920 It is not because of our service or anything that we have done. 00:09:55.460 --> 00:10:00.180 It is because of and only because of the service of another. 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:03.400 Why do we have faith? 00:10:03.660 --> 00:10:09.080 We have faith because it's been given to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:10:09.280 --> 00:10:12.600 His service is the only service that matters. 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:14.160 It's the only service that counts. 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:17.319 We recognize this every time we pray, right? 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.679 We always end by saying, in Jesus name. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:29.699 Which is our way of saying, I have access to these benefits and privileges only because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 00:10:29.819 --> 00:10:36.039 And therefore, I know my faith is not worth more or less than the faith of the apostle Peter. 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:40.819 I have access to the same things. 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:43.840 Of course, then, you know, USAA. 00:10:44.160 --> 00:10:46.460 It's not the whole world that has access to it. 00:10:46.520 --> 00:10:48.340 It's those with relationships and service. 00:10:48.780 --> 00:10:50.420 The same thing with Jesus Christ. 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:54.560 He talks to those who have obtained a faith, meaning there are some that do not. 00:10:54.559 --> 00:11:01.379 Only those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ through his righteousness are the ones that have access to faith. 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:03.539 And so there's a limiting factor here. 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:11.599 When we're talking about growing, we are talking only about those who belong to Christ. 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:21.600 Only those who have repented of their sins and taken hold of the offer of this righteousness, recognizing they have nothing to offer, putting aside any of their works. 00:11:22.060 --> 00:11:24.960 Remember, there's no other answer to the security question, right? 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:25.620 It is not. 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:28.060 I have access to this faith because of what I've done. 00:11:28.059 --> 00:11:35.119 It's not because of my education, the things that I've learned, the things that I know, the people that I've built relationships with, the ministries that I participated in. 00:11:36.579 --> 00:11:44.419 The only answer is that we are sinners without hope outside of the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior. 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:48.819 How do you have access? 00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:52.219 There is only one answer. 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:59.899 Of course, you might be wondering at this point, what does knowledge have to do with any of this? 00:12:00.699 --> 00:12:03.079 Remember, we're asking the question, what good is knowledge? 00:12:03.219 --> 00:12:04.319 What does knowledge do? 00:12:05.219 --> 00:12:08.259 Well, we find out that knowledge does not earn us anything. 00:12:10.699 --> 00:12:13.980 Many people may be impressed by your knowledge. 00:12:15.419 --> 00:12:16.179 God is not. 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:25.699 The faith of those with mental illness is the same faith. 00:12:25.819 --> 00:12:27.939 It's worth the same as those who have a healthy mind. 00:12:28.599 --> 00:12:33.659 My faith now is not worth more or less than my faith when I was eight years old. 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:44.399 Books have been written, right, about the implications of this, about the implications of the fact that our faith is through Jesus Christ's righteousness, 00:12:44.419 --> 00:12:51.439 alone, so I'm going to focus just on the benefits in terms of knowledge when it comes to justification by faith alone. 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:53.699 The fact that our faith only comes through righteousness. 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:55.579 How does that impact you? 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:03.219 Tomorrow, on Monday, knowing that your knowledge does not earn you anything with God. 00:13:03.319 --> 00:13:05.479 Well, it impacts you in this way. 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:09.580 It's okay to say, I don't know. 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:15.639 It's okay to say, I don't know. 00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:17.500 It's not something we need to take security in. 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:19.240 We don't rest on our knowledge. 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:21.720 It's not the foundation of our faith. 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:26.500 There are times, as a pastor, where someone will ask me a question about something in the Bible, 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:29.799 and I don't know the answer. 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:32.379 And I hate that. 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:34.679 Right? 00:13:34.779 --> 00:13:36.340 I'm supposed to know the answers. 00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:38.960 I potentially feel some shame about that. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:43.299 And I'm also allowed to say, I don't know. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:51.820 And it's a reminder to me that my righteousness is by Christ's righteousness, not by my knowledge. 00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:56.440 The same is true of all of us. 00:13:56.980 --> 00:13:58.140 We are free. 00:13:58.780 --> 00:14:04.500 We're able to have a peace that comes from knowing we don't earn things from God and others. 00:14:04.640 --> 00:14:07.660 We're able to be okay with where we're at. 00:14:08.540 --> 00:14:13.360 We're able to rest on God's work and his promise to us. 00:14:15.020 --> 00:14:18.020 It's possible to be too smart for our own good. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:23.299 It's possible to use our knowledge to hold other people at a distance. 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:29.639 It's possible to be taken in by Satan's lie that our knowledge somehow means that we have faith 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:35.579 and be fooled to thinking that our faith and love is greater than it is. 00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:39.419 We can fool ourselves that we're more godly than we were last year 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:42.460 because we know more about the Bible than we did last year. 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:46.679 And yet that's not the way the Bible talks about knowledge. 00:14:48.019 --> 00:14:53.659 1 Corinthians chapter 8 tells us that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:59.299 And so we know that as we grow as Christians, it doesn't earn us anything. 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:01.819 Our faith is not hanging in the balance. 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:05.620 Instead, it's been given to us as a gift by Jesus Christ. 00:15:05.819 --> 00:15:07.120 We have received it. 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:10.319 We're told in verse 1, we've obtained it. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:18.100 You might be thinking at this point, aha, got the knowledge people. 00:15:19.140 --> 00:15:23.980 I now know what they need to know, which is that my knowledge doesn't matter that much. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:27.400 Of course, that's not what Peter's telling us. 00:15:28.020 --> 00:15:32.820 If knowledge does not earn us our standing with Jesus Christ, what good is knowledge? 00:15:33.180 --> 00:15:34.760 What is knowledge for? 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:36.140 What does it do? 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:40.000 Well, we find out in verse 2 exactly what knowledge is for. 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:45.199 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:50.199 In other words, remember I told you that Peter wants these people to grow and he wants them to grow in two ways. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:54.080 He wants them to grow in grace and he wants them to grow in knowledge. 00:15:54.220 --> 00:15:55.759 That's how he ends the letter, by the way. 00:15:55.899 --> 00:15:57.480 Here he asks that it would be multiplied. 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:02.659 The last verse of 2 Peter, he commands them to grow in grace and knowledge. 00:16:03.539 --> 00:16:05.620 These things are not separate but connected. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:10.779 It's tempting for us as Western people to think about our minds and our lives as things that are not related. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:13.539 That's not the way the Bible thinks about knowledge, though. 00:16:14.420 --> 00:16:16.440 To know is also to do. 00:16:16.560 --> 00:16:17.720 To know is to act. 00:16:17.800 --> 00:16:20.100 If we don't act, then we don't know. 00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:22.879 And so there's two truths here that go together. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:29.279 First, we cannot grow without knowledge. 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:34.840 Second, if we're actually gaining knowledge, we will grow. 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:40.379 And so we'll look first at the fact that we have to have knowledge to grow. 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:45.399 For someone who's cynical about knowledge, maybe we've been burned by knowledge in the past, 00:16:45.439 --> 00:16:48.779 it's tempting for us to think of doctrine as a four-letter word. 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:55.379 And yet Peter is going to explain throughout this letter the ways in which doctrines actually affect our day-to-day lives. 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:02.620 If we don't know what God has revealed to us, the truths that he's told us, we can't act on them. 00:17:03.059 --> 00:17:04.399 Knowledge leads to growth. 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:07.500 There are things that are true and things that are false. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:12.339 It is tempting for some to despise knowledge, but it is necessary. 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:15.679 God is a person. 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:18.079 He's revealed himself in his word. 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:24.980 If we want to know him and love him more, we have to learn more about what he's told us. 00:17:25.379 --> 00:17:28.019 We have to study his word and grow. 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:34.919 If we want more grace and peace, if we want that to be multiplied in our lives, 00:17:35.439 --> 00:17:37.619 we cannot despise knowledge. 00:17:37.619 --> 00:17:42.539 Knowledge is necessary. 00:17:44.399 --> 00:17:48.879 If we want to experience grace and peace, we'll expect knowledge to play a role. 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:51.959 Now, I don't want to get ahead of myself too much. 00:17:52.199 --> 00:17:58.459 Next week in verses 3 and 4, we're going to dive deeper into the kind of knowledge that creates growth. 00:17:58.459 --> 00:18:04.679 And we're going to see the way that knowledge allows us to access more grace and peace. 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:11.220 But the opposite truth is also here as well, which has a purpose. 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:13.160 Knowledge must lead to growth. 00:18:13.560 --> 00:18:19.039 The purpose of knowledge is that grace and peace would be multiplied to us. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:23.259 Now, you might be wondering, what does that mean, grace and peace? 00:18:23.320 --> 00:18:26.620 If justification is an act, as I mentioned during a confession of faith, 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:30.299 if it can't be reduced or subtracted or added or subtracted, 00:18:30.320 --> 00:18:32.500 how can we grow in grace and peace? 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:35.539 Of course, grace is talking about God's grace towards us in Jesus Christ, 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:37.740 the peace that we experience with him. 00:18:38.119 --> 00:18:40.619 We don't change in our standing with God. 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:42.900 If we're forgiven of our sins, we're forgiven. 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:44.480 There aren't degrees of forgiveness. 00:18:46.140 --> 00:18:51.480 We can grow in our experience of the benefits of those things. 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:58.299 We can grow in our experience of sin having less and less of a hold in our life. 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:05.099 We can grow in our experience of knowing God's care for us as our heavenly father 00:19:05.099 --> 00:19:09.319 and struggling less and less with our fears and anxieties about the future. 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:13.660 We can know more and more that we're at peace with God, 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:18.339 experiencing the benefits of a clean and clear conscience. 00:19:18.339 --> 00:19:21.439 It is possible for us not to improve upon our forgiveness, 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:27.240 but to improve on our experience of the benefits and the privileges that God offers to us. 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:31.480 That's what Peter is talking about here, that grace and peace would be multiplied to them. 00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:34.899 They would know and take hold of these things more and more. 00:19:36.959 --> 00:19:39.480 If you think about USAA, you might be a member, right? 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:45.400 And there may be services and things that you have not taken advantage of. 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:47.980 Maybe you've taken hold of their insurance products, 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:52.700 but you don't understand the benefits that are there for you in their banking services. 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:54.380 Maybe vice versa. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.839 It doesn't change your standing with them. 00:19:56.920 --> 00:20:00.539 It changes your experience of the benefits that you receive. 00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:09.539 And so if our knowledge is not leading to our growth in grace and peace, 00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:13.500 we are growing superficially in knowledge. 00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:17.059 We are not growing truly in knowledge. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.519 It is possible to know lots of facts about God 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:26.599 and not to have grown in grace and peace in any way. 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:36.019 A couple years ago, I was a guest at the House of a Woman in another part of the United States. 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:40.159 And this woman works for a missions organization. 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:45.059 And as I got to know her, she told me about her life story. 00:20:45.179 --> 00:20:48.079 She had a lot of difficult things happen to her in her life. 00:20:48.159 --> 00:20:49.839 She had gone through a very difficult divorce. 00:20:50.199 --> 00:20:52.699 And then her ex-husband had met a tragic end, 00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:54.339 and she had challenges with her children. 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:59.799 But she also recounted to me all the ways that God had been faithful to her in the midst of that. 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:08.199 And it was clear to me that this woman had a deep experience of God's grace and peace. 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:12.059 She had a presence about her that was peaceful. 00:21:12.259 --> 00:21:16.519 She had confidence in the Lord that came across in her attitude and also in her words. 00:21:16.959 --> 00:21:21.599 She had seen God's faithfulness to her over and over in very challenging circumstances. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:29.399 And I don't know this for sure because I did not challenge her. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:35.519 But if she and I were to go head to head on Bible trivia, 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:42.240 I am pretty confident that I could clean her clock on the differences between Sheshbazar and Zerubbabel 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:44.839 when it comes to the period of the restoration in Israel's history. 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:55.220 I probably have greater factual knowledge than she did just as a function of my job. 00:21:57.220 --> 00:22:02.199 This woman had greater knowledge of God than I did. 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:11.099 Because she had a greater experience of God's grace and his peace, 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:12.539 and that was clear to me. 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:20.480 And so she knew God more than I did. 00:22:24.439 --> 00:22:29.599 Knowledge is meant to lead to grace and peace. 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:33.799 It is meant to be something that grows us in our relationship with God. 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:37.319 In other words, theology is not an intellectual hobby. 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:42.619 We're told, remember, the book of Proverbs, we started out in the summer. 00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:46.599 Proverbs chapter 1, verse 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of what? 00:22:48.159 --> 00:22:48.519 Knowledge. 00:22:48.939 --> 00:22:50.460 It's the beginning of wisdom in chapter 9. 00:22:50.779 --> 00:22:52.159 Chapter 1 is the beginning of knowledge. 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:55.799 Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 00:22:55.879 --> 00:22:59.000 In other words, if we don't have fear of the Lord, we're not growing in knowledge. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:04.119 If we have knowledge, then we should be growing in the fear of the Lord. 00:23:04.220 --> 00:23:12.960 It is possible to know all sorts of things about the Bible and know less about God than a four-year-old who can say with sincerity, 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:16.640 Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:26.800 It is possible to understand and learn all the different views about the end times in the Bible. 00:23:28.860 --> 00:23:33.940 And if you're still just as much of a jerk to your spouse as you were before you learned those things, 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:36.240 you have not grown in true knowledge of God. 00:23:38.620 --> 00:23:42.020 It is possible to study the four Gospels in the Bible 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:46.819 and be able to outline the similarities and the differences between the four accounts. 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:54.279 And if we have not grown in any way in following the example Jesus gives in the Gospels of loving our neighbor, 00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:58.980 we have grown in knowledge in a superficial way. 00:23:59.539 --> 00:24:03.099 We have not grown in true knowledge of God. 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:08.559 If we memorize Psalm 29 and we know that God gives his people strength and peace, 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:13.079 but we're still just as anxious as we were before, 00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:18.559 we have not grown in true knowledge of God. 00:24:19.919 --> 00:24:22.799 If theology is an intellectual exercise, 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:28.399 then we are like a professional sports team that is always practicing, 00:24:29.399 --> 00:24:31.779 but never plays a game. 00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:41.359 Our knowledge of God is meant to drive us out into the world in action. 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:43.759 That is what Peter wants for these people. 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.460 He wants them to have knowledge. 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:51.440 And we're going to dig into some doctrine in 2 Peter. 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:55.819 Peter is going to go head to head with false teachers. 00:24:55.819 --> 00:25:01.419 These false teachers are teaching things that are incorrect about the Bible, 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:06.339 and so Peter is going to throw some punches about the doctrine of Scripture. 00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:11.960 These teachers are teaching things about the end times that are incorrect, 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:16.740 so Peter is going to throw some doctrinal punches about Jesus' return. 00:25:18.679 --> 00:25:24.200 All of that is so that these people would grow in grace and peace. 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:29.919 Their knowledge is meant to serve a purpose. 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:31.339 Now you might be asking at this point, 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:35.559 okay, I want the kind of study that leads to true knowledge. 00:25:35.659 --> 00:25:40.240 How can I study the Bible in such a way that it increases my experience of grace and peace? 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:42.480 Glad you asked. 00:25:43.220 --> 00:25:45.339 We'll talk about it next week in verses 3 and 4. 00:25:47.679 --> 00:25:50.879 But I'll end with this as we're getting ahead of ourselves. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:55.640 About a year ago, I was driving north on I-25, 00:25:57.080 --> 00:25:58.620 and I was getting off on Uinta, 00:25:59.080 --> 00:26:02.380 and I was doing a ride on red, so my car was stopped. 00:26:03.600 --> 00:26:05.300 And while I was waiting for traffic to go, 00:26:05.560 --> 00:26:08.360 the car behind me decided it was time for them to go ride on red, 00:26:08.560 --> 00:26:09.640 and they rear-ended me. 00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:12.580 They drove right into the car with their large pickup truck. 00:26:14.540 --> 00:26:16.920 And I'm a man, you'll understand this. 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:18.740 I'm a checker when I leave the house. 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:22.140 So it's always keys, wallet, phone. 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:24.279 Now women, I know you may not understand this. 00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:25.279 You just got the purse, right? 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:26.880 It's a lot easier for you, but we're always checking. 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:27.720 So I'm always checking. 00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:29.640 Even if I'm out, I'm leaving the car. 00:26:29.820 --> 00:26:30.620 Phone, wallet, keys. 00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:31.300 Phone, wallet, keys. 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:34.019 I get rear-ended. 00:26:34.600 --> 00:26:36.080 I pull off to the side of the road. 00:26:36.820 --> 00:26:38.660 I look into my passenger seat. 00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:41.860 There is no phone. 00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:46.059 So I can't take any pictures of the accident. 00:26:46.979 --> 00:26:48.359 Can't call anyone. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.939 In a very vulnerable position, right? 00:26:52.740 --> 00:26:55.359 The woman who runs me allows me to borrow her phone, 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:57.679 which is extremely helpful. 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:03.039 Except how many phone numbers do you think I've memorized? 00:27:05.879 --> 00:27:07.419 I know you all love to hate millennials. 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:13.039 I have, at that time, had only memorized one phone number cold, 00:27:13.380 --> 00:27:16.160 and that was my parents' home phone in Maryland. 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:21.500 And I'm on the side of the road, Uinta, in Colorado Springs. 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:23.019 What good is that to me? 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:27.220 Now we ended up getting it resolved. 00:27:27.360 --> 00:27:28.320 They took responsibility. 00:27:28.620 --> 00:27:29.800 Thankfully, I didn't need the pictures. 00:27:30.840 --> 00:27:32.220 I learned a very important lesson. 00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:38.640 And I also realized that I did not have the knowledge necessary 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:41.400 to get a hold of anyone except my parents. 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:44.559 So what did I do? 00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:48.160 This is a quirk of my personality, 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:50.339 but I made some flashcards of phone numbers. 00:27:52.700 --> 00:27:55.779 And I started memorizing people's phone numbers, 00:27:55.900 --> 00:27:57.680 knowing that I want to be in a position, 00:27:57.819 --> 00:27:59.319 no matter where I am, 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:01.839 I want to be able to access those relationships. 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:06.879 I don't want to rely on my phone, my contacts. 00:28:07.299 --> 00:28:08.799 They're stored up in the cloud somewhere. 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:13.039 I want to be able to call people in Colorado Springs. 00:28:13.159 --> 00:28:15.539 I want to be able to get a hold of my family members. 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:18.579 I want that knowledge. 00:28:20.819 --> 00:28:24.879 And that knowledge did not earn me anything with those people. 00:28:25.639 --> 00:28:27.199 If I came up to you and I said, 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:29.259 guess what, I memorized your phone number. 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:32.859 You might think it was a little creepy. 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:36.440 You definitely wouldn't say, 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:38.640 that has been what I've been waiting for. 00:28:40.900 --> 00:28:42.660 We can finally be friends. 00:28:43.379 --> 00:28:45.119 You have earned your place. 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:46.480 You have earned favor with me. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:50.099 I now know that you care enough. 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:53.500 You're serious about this relationship. 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:57.539 No, I don't have time to memorize a lot of phone numbers. 00:28:57.720 --> 00:28:59.500 I memorize the ones for people 00:28:59.500 --> 00:29:03.180 I already have deep and meaningful relationships with. 00:29:03.360 --> 00:29:05.680 It's the relationship that comes first 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:06.960 and then the knowledge. 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:08.900 And I did not memorize those numbers 00:29:08.900 --> 00:29:10.660 so that I could win debates or show off. 00:29:10.779 --> 00:29:13.559 I memorized them so that no matter where I am 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:17.600 and no matter what situation I find myself in, 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:21.440 I know I can access the benefits 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:23.340 and the privileges of the relationships 00:29:23.340 --> 00:29:25.460 I already have with those people. 00:29:26.120 --> 00:29:29.340 That knowledge is not an academic exercise. 00:29:29.339 --> 00:29:31.419 It is a relational exercise. 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:34.939 It is critical to have the knowledge 00:29:34.939 --> 00:29:39.539 because I value the relationship so much. 00:29:41.179 --> 00:29:42.299 Brothers and sisters, 00:29:42.439 --> 00:29:45.399 the same thing is true with our heavenly father. 00:29:45.699 --> 00:29:47.659 He is not impressed with our knowledge. 00:29:48.939 --> 00:29:51.859 We do not pursue knowledge about God 00:29:51.859 --> 00:29:53.779 to prove anything to him. 00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:57.000 Our faith comes by the righteousness of Jesus Christ 00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:58.700 and only by his righteousness. 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:01.900 But because we have that relationship 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:04.519 and it means so much to us, 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:08.319 it's because of that that we grow in knowledge. 00:30:09.660 --> 00:30:13.460 We grow because we want to be able to access 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:17.180 and enjoy and understand everything 00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:19.500 that God has given to us in Jesus Christ. 00:30:21.359 --> 00:30:24.079 And so why, what is knowledge for? 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:25.019 What can it do? 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:30.259 We grow in knowledge so that no matter where we are 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:34.039 and no matter what situation we are in, 00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:38.259 we can know and experience the benefits 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:41.700 and the privileges, the grace and the peace 00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:44.660 of our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:30:45.900 --> 00:30:47.160 Please pray with me. 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:52.039 Our father in heaven, we thank you 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:54.299 that we can come before you with confidence 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:57.240 because our righteousness comes from Jesus 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:59.019 and not from anything that we do. 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:02.599 And so we ask that you would stir up that love in us 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.920 that as we know your care for us, 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:08.639 it would propel us to want to know you more, 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:12.299 to pursue true and right knowledge of you. 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:15.480 We ask that you do that now by your spirit. 00:31:16.139 --> 00:31:17.159 You do it for us 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:19.779 as we celebrate together the meal 00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:21.200 that your son gave to us. 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:22.360 And we ask these things 00:31:22.360 --> 00:31:23.740 in the mighty name of Jesus. 00:31:24.360 --> 00:31:24.600 Amen.