Growing Your Knowledge of God, Part 1

You can spend all kind of money and all kind of time trying to come up with a better soul and the best, you can come up with this old management.

But Dr. Tony Evans says God isn't interested in soul management. He's interested in soul transformation. He wants to change your soul.

But that comes through expansion of the spirit.

This is the alternative. With Dr. Tony Abbott, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative.

People think they can manage anything from their diet to their desires with enough self-control today. Dr. Evans explains why that's not enough to get the job done. As he talks about growing our knowledge of God, let's join him.

The day I want to talk to you about growing in the knowledge of God and I. I have just the person to talk to you about it, because the apostle Peter is really committed to this thing about growing. For example, Peter says and first, Peter to two, like newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word in order that you might grow. Peter says in second Peter, chapter three, verse 18, grow in grace and then the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter is passionate about our growth and nothing expresses that passion nor that process anymore. Then second, Peter, chapter one. This passage, if you can grab it, grasp it, put your arms around it. I think you will have what you need to either begin or to speed up your process of experiencing God in the real world of life. Peter is writing The Christians. He says in the middle of verse one to those who have received the faith, the same kind of hours. So these are born again Christian people he's writing to. He's not concerned with winning the lost. Right now, he's concerned about getting the saved into an experiential knowledge of God. Notice what he says at the end of verse two. He wants you to have the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Notice what he said in the middle of verse three through the true knowledge of him who called us. Notice what he says at the end. Diverse eight in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So Peter is concerned that we enter into what he calls the EPICA Gnosis. That's the Greek word for the full knowledge or true knowledge. Or let me give you another word, the authentic knowledge of God. Peter is not first concerned with how many Bible verses you can quote, how many Bible studies you've been in. He's not concerned about how many times you use Jesus's name throughout the week. He's not concerned about how many references to God you make in the course of your life. He's concerned that you have an epic gnosis and authentic experience of the knowledge of God. He starts out with an exciting phrase. I am excited about this phrase because we read it and we skip it usually because we think it's like an introduction before the real message. But he says into verse one, by the righteousness of our God and savior Jesus Christ. So please notice he calls Jesus Christ both God and Savior. Jesus Christ is not just savior. Jesus is also God. Jesus is God with skin on. God wanted to become a man so that he could relate to men. So God put skin on in the person of the second member of the Trinity. The second member of the Godhead, Jesus Christ.

And then he says, grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, our Lord. Even before I get into this message, I'm excited because I want to talk about multiplication. He says grace and peace be multiplied to you. In other words, if you want more grace and you want more peace, you've got to have a multiplication in the knowledge of God. No knowledge of God. Less grace, less peace. Grace is all that God is free to do for us because of what Jesus Christ has done. It is his unmerited favor. If you want more faith, you have to have a greater knowledge of God. Peace is the ability to be calm, no matter how chaotic things are going on around you. If you want more calm in the midst of the storm of life to be multiplied to you, you must expand your experiential knowledge of God.

You see, five plus five will grant you ten, but five times five will grant to twenty five. Ten plus ten will grant you twenty. Ten times ten will grant you a hundred. So if you're satisfied with. Addition of God, that's one thing. Peter wants you with a little multiplication of God. That's a whole different level because that's times he says I want Grace to be multiplied, not just added. I want peace to be multiplied, not just added. And he certainly doesn't want grace and peace to be subtracted. He wants grace and peace to be multiplied. That is abundantly supplied, in fact. Second Corinthians, chapter nine, verse eight, says that God is able to make Grace abound bound to you so that in every way, exceedingly, you will see an abundance for more than you need. So what God is saying is he wants to give you a multiplied experience with him. But that is connected with your language of God and of his son, Jesus Christ. So you want to feel good right now that God is interested in multiplying your experience and not merely giving you an addition.

He wants to give you a multiplication of your experience with him.

How is this going to happen? Watch this. Now he says in verse three, seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything. Somebody say everything. Look at your name and say everything. Let's turn to somebody else and say everything. Because the text says, see that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the EPICA Gnosis, the authentic knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. Guess what?

Everything you need to become. All you are meant to be. You already have. Let me say that again. Everything you need to become. All you were redeemed to be.

You already possess. Some of us are looking for stuff we already own.

The great publisher Randolph Hearst was one day looking for an exclusive painting that he was not able to find. He really wanted his painting. He said his staff all around the world to look for this painting. They came back and said we could not find the painting anywhere. We went around the world looking for this painting. But what are your cleaners was down in the basement cleaning up the basement where you have all your artifacts and all paintings. Only you discover what we were searching the world for. You had already in your basement. Some of us are looking for life and you already have it. Some of us are looking to be more Christian and you already have it. Some of us are looking to be more like God. And you already have it, because my Bible says, and I think your Bible says the same thing. Everything pertaining to life and godliness has been granted to us by his divine power.

Everything you need to meet all of life's demand in a way that would please God, godliness, everything. You need to meet all the demands of life you already have. But the problem is, if you don't know you have it, then you don't know where to go get it. And if you don't know you have it, you'll go looking in places that can't offer it to get what's already been granted. When the sperm of a male enters the egg of a female life is born. There is life. The moment that the sperm enters the egg, there is conception of a life. Now, the problem with that life is its undeveloped life. But everything that baby is ever going to be is already in the DNA of the conception. You don't have to go looking for arms to so on today. You don't have to go looking for feet to sew onto the egg. You don't have to go looking for eyes to pluck it. You don't have to go looking for it is because even though you can't see it, it's already built into the conception, the conception of life supplies to the life in embryonic form. Everything's the life gonna need to be a life when it comes out of the womb. In fact, everything that that conception needs to become a full grown man or a full grown woman is in the seed of conception.

You don't have to find adulthood. It's already there. You don't have to find adolescence. It's already there. You don't have to go out and find somebody who can paint. Skin color is already there. Everything that that child is ever going to be is already there. The only thing that stops you from knowing whether it's a male or a female, the only thing that stops you from knowing all the idiosyncrasies. Well, this new birth is development. The lack of development makes you think everything's not there. If you don't already know it, but the fact of development brings out everything that was deposited at conception, he says, by his divine power. God has granted us everything that we are needed. I love that old commercial about prego spaghetti sauce, prego spaghetti sauce and the TV commercial. Somebody would say, well, where's the tomato? And the answer would be, it's already in there. Where's the sausage? Well, it's already in there. Where's the oregano is already in there. In other words, when they were advertising the spaghetti sauce, everything you were looking for was already there. I don't know what you're looking for, but I can tell you is already there. You say. But I'm looking for joy is already there. I'm looking for peas is already there. I'm looking to. Powell is already there. I'm looking for productivity is already there. I'm looking for meaning. It's already there. I'm looking for happiness already that I'm looking for a future is already there and I'm looking for a purpose and it's already there. What can I find all this stuff I'm looking for? Cause you're not looking in the place where it was put. It's already there. The stuff we're looking for that pertains to life, being able to look at all and address all of life's issues and the things we're looking for to address them in a way that pleases God. Godliness, he says, has been granted by his divine power. You know, at Christmas time, you'll go and buy toys for your children, or perhaps you'll buy things for your own home and they will tell you on the front of the package, batteries not included. In other words, we have all the stuff, but you've got to find your own power. What we have not included is the power to pull all what the product is designed to do. So batteries are not included. Well, guess what? God says I not only have given you everything. Batteries are included because it includes my divine power. He says to pull up what the equipment is designed to do. I've got good news for you today that everything that you're needing to become. Oh, God wants you to be. You already have. But you may not know you have it. You may not been looking in the right place for it. And that when you discover its location, that includes everything. Batteries are included, that the power to use it is with the receiving of it. He says you have received everything pertaining to life and the new nature, like buying an expensive car. You know, when you really box the top of the line car, you don't have to buy extras because everything is included. If it's the top of the line, you have a top of the line salvation. You didn't get his salvation. Well, you got to be adding stuff. You got on top of the line salvation from God and the Lord Jesus Christ and batteries are included.

So where have all these extra has been hiding in our lives? Dr. Evans will have the answer when he continues our message in just a moment.

Is he a stranger, a casual acquaintance, someone you only know about through what you've read? Or is he something more?

How well do you know Guy truly knowing God is more than intellect, more than emotions or actions. It's an authentic connection where two souls are uniquely bonded in love. That's the kind of relationship with God. Dr. Tony Evans explains in his latest book and Bible study, Knowing God, along with the accompanying video based Bible study and guy with that kind of life and relationship with God.

Find out more at Tony Evans story.

And if you visit us right away and help out with a contribution, we'll send you the Power of Knowing God Book, Companion, Study, Guide and Resource DVD, as well as all eight full length messages from Tony's current teaching series. Knowing God Together, this package of resources creates a powerful foundation for deeper study. That'll teach you how to move from being a casual acquaintance with God to being an intimate friend. It's all our way of showing our appreciation for your faithful support of this ministry. Get all the details and make your request online at Tony Evans dot org or give us a call at one 800 800 32 22. Before this special offer runs out, I'll repeat that information for you later in the program. But right now, here's Dr Evans with more of today's message.

So what then is this salvation and where can I find all this stuff? Tony Evans that you're telling me? Already have, because if already have it. I sure wish you would help me find it cause I can locate it, even though you told me I already have it. Well, let me tell you where it's located. Details you in verse four four by these. He has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world.

By last, he says that when the location for the every thing he has granted for all he intends you to be is located in what he calls inversed for the divine nature is located in the divine nature. Your nature is your essential disposition. Your nature is your core being, your nature is your total essence is sort of like this.

We're made up of of three parts. We're made up of body.

That gives us the ability to relate to the outside world through the five senses we're made up of soul.

That's your personhood or personality, everybody. And he has a different body and everybody. And he also has a different soul. The job of your soul is to give instruction to your body so your body does what your body does, cause your soul tells it what to do. Your soul is made up of mind, the emotions and will. So your ability to think, your ability to feel, your ability to choose is all wrapped up in this thing called your soul. Our bodies are decaying. Our bodies will die. Your soul is forever OK, because your soul is your you whenever your soul leaves your body. Trust me, you're in a coffin because your body only lives because your soul is still resident in it. But there is the deepest part of you. We talked about this last time. That is your spirit, your spirit. Now here's the problem. Our bodies are flawed because they are decaying. They're getting older and one day will die. Our souls are dysfunctional. Everyone in here, I hate to tell you this, but Peter told me to tell you that everybody in here has a dysfunctional soul that is dysfunctional at different levels based on your experiences, your background, how you were raised and the things that influence you. But all of our souls have been distorted by sin and circumstances. So that's why we think some of the things we think, that's why we feel some of the things we feel and can't get rid of those feelings. Why? Because our souls have become distorted due to all of the things that engulf us in this world, what he calls inverse for the corruption of the world, the corruption of the world in which we live, including our own corruption, has distorted your soul. So I hate to tell you this, and I hate to tell me this, but it's true. You can't trust you.

You can't trust you because the Marine, you can't trust you.

Is that on your best day? You're looking through a glass darkly on your best day. You are looking at right through a distorted soul. Now, the thing that you have that's supposed to sort all this stuff out is your spirit.

Your spirit is the essential essence of who you are.

But the problem is we were born. We're spiritually dead. Spirits.

We were born with a nature that was spiritually dead, that is unable to make contact with God.

When we had the storm here the other day and the snow began to fall, my TV went off, my TV went off, it said searching for signal.

I fiddled with it. I tweeted. I twisted it. I pushed the red reset button. And every time it came back on searching for signal, searching for signal, searching for signal, searching for signal. So this went on all day.

I walked outside and looked up at the satellite on my roof and the satellite on my roof was covered with slow snow, covered the round parts so that the signal could not bounce off. In other words, I could not get a picture because circumstances had clouded up my ability to receive a signal. You and I were born with covering over our spirits that blocked us from receiving the signal of God because we can't get God's signal in our spirits and our unconverted days. The signal of God couldn't bounce off of it. Which means the soul had nothing to feed on except the world in which it lived.

So if you live in a good world with positive parents and you weren't molested and and you only were exposed, the good things, you have a decent soul. But if you live in a world where things were chaotic and things were evil and you were fed negative and evil stuff all the time, then your soul may look more chaotic than the person you're next to.

When God's spirit entered your spirit, you got a new nature. But in seed form.

In other words, one fully grown. It was in seed form.

And the only way you come to discover a brand new life that has been conceived is when there is development. If the seed doesn't develop, it's not good. It's not alive. It's because it's not growing any. So the reason we're not experiencing more of the DNA of God is we're satisfied to remain in seed form.

So here's the way it spells work. Your spirit is supposed to grow in your soul so that your spirit now dictates to your soul, your soul.

Being corrected by the spirit that's now growing inside of it is going to give me new information to your body. So your body begins to do different. Cause your soul is functioning different. But the soul is only functioning different cause the spirit has taken it over. But if the spirit is still being remaining in c form the soul that never change. So the body doesn't function differently. So if you want to function differently in the body, it's cause it's got to be a change in the soul. But there's only a change in the soul when there is development in the spirit. So that's why you can spend all kind of money and all kind of time trying to come up with a better soul. And the best you can come up with his soul management. And that's what a lot of people are spending time and money on, managing their souls better.

You can do that. You can go to a therapist and an analyst and you can go to talk to your friends and they can help you manage your soul better. God is ministered and soul management, even the soul transformation. He wants to change your soul. But that comes through expansion of the spirit. It's expansion of the spirit. Goslar trying to manage you like that. He's trying to change you. He's trying to change me. He does that through the expansion of the divine nature, not going out, creating new stuff.

New programs. New. This new. That new. No, no, no, no, no. The only program he depicted is that which expands the seed of the spirit in the whole.

Dr. Tony Evans talking today about the difference between improving our behavior and transforming our soul. And the first step toward a godly soul transformation is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You can find out more when you visit Tony Evans dot org and follow the link that says Jesus. You'll find everything you need, including a special invitation from Dr. Evans and some free resources to get a new life with Christ started off right. Again, that's at Tony Evans dot org. And while you're there, don't forget to take advantage of the special limited time offer we're making available today. Tony's brand new book, The Power of Knowing God, along with the Companion Study Guide and Resource DVD, plus all eight messages from his current Knowing God series on c.D and Digital Download. All these are our gift to you as our way of saying thanks. When you make a generous contribution to help keep Tony's important teaching available on this station and throughout the world, just contact us right away at one 800 832 22. To make the arrangements before time runs out, resource team members are standing by to assist you. And again, the number, one 800 800 three, two, two, two, or request the Knowing God package on line at Tony Evans dot org. Again, that's Tony Evans dot o R.G.. Tomorrow, more from Dr. Evans on why the knowledge of God isn't a set of facts that we learn, but something that grows within us through experience. I hope you'll be with us.

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