Growing Your Knowledge of God, Part 2

The worse things get closer to whatever God is planning to do.

Dr. Tony Evans says that's why the Bible tells us to hang in there and grow our knowledge of God, even when we feel like giving up the temptation when you're persevering is to quit and say, I don't want the God thing anymore. 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.

Dr. Evans says that the knowledge of God isn't a set of facts that we learn. It's something that grows within us through experience. Let's join him in the book of Second Peter, as he explains.

Peter is writing to 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 experience or 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 says 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 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 an inverse 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. In other words, 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 favor, 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 a little addition of God, that's one thing. Peter wants you with a little multiplication of God has 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. How is this going to happen? Watch this. Now he says in verse three, seeing 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. Some of us are looking for stuff we already own. 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. 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.

So what then is this salvation and where can I find all this stuff? Tony Evans that you're telling me? I already have, because I've already have it. I sure wish you'd 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 inverse for for 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 lust, guess what he says. He says that when the location for the everything 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. But the problem is we were born with spiritually dead spirits, unable to make contact with God. What God did was he quicken your human spirit by an intrusion by the Holy Spirit. And it's called being born again or receiving the nature of God. Second, within 517, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things pass away and all things become new. So what God did was he gave you a new spirit. When God's spirit entered your spirit, you got a new nature.

But in seed form, in other words, it wasn't fully grown. It was in the 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 and see form.

You've got this little seed you planted in the ground. Corn. And you come out with a with all these ears on it. Lucy, have 10 years of corn or stock. Could you open that thing up and see to me? No. But when planted in the right soil, what you have here is what you have in the seed. He calls it the seed. You have all your potential. All your potential is in the seed. So if God has not invaded the seed of your spirit, what do you think your potential is? What do you think my potential is? Now, we may not be living up to that potential, but it's not cause it's not there.

It's in the seed. But the seed have to develop. And he says when it develops, you escape the corruption, you escape the corruption, the DNA of God overrides the deterioration and entropy of the world because you have in you on you the divine blueprint.

So that in the raises the next question. OK. How do I get this seed cooking? How do I get the seed working? Cause cause I'm tired. I've been saying 10 years and 20 years in high. I get the seed working so that the new nature begins to dominate. Watch us now for this very reason. Also apply all diligence. All right. Diligence means zeal. In other words, what Peter is getting may tell you take seriously in your faith.

That is with your salvation. He says you have a common faith. You already saved because he thought the born again believers in your faith.

Here it is, supply.

The seed has the whole stalk of corn and its possibilities in it. But if you don't supply the soil, then the seed has no place to express its potential.

The supply he's talking about is not adding on to what God has done. Thus, supply. He's talking about is creating an environment so that all that is done can flourish. So here's what you do. He says supply, first of all.

Number one, moral excellence. Moral excellence. Some versions translate the word can be translated. Virtue, virtue. No questions. What does that mean?

Moral excellence or rote? You meant giving something.

What it needs to fulfill what it was designed to do.

The question is, what is this thing you must and what is this thing that he's telling us to add? That's what I'm designed for.

Just flip over one page to chapter three, verse 18, but grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To him, be the glory. Here it is. You were made in your divine nature to bring glory to God. That's your DNA and divine design. So if you want the seed in your spirit to expand, you must add it to your salvation.

The goal of glorifying God first with this ten thirty one says whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So you must now live with the consciousness of glorifying God, which now adds virtue to your salvation. You must ask, how will this make God look? How will this expand how God is viewed? How will this make God look bigger and better? How will this put God on advertize men? When you become conscious, functionally conscious of the purpose of spiritual growth or your salvation, which is to bring glory to God, what you just added to your faith is moral excellence.

Very says add to your moral excellence or virtue.

Knowledge. Faith is not blind. It must be informed. To put it another way, you cannot grow beyond what you know. You cannot grow beyond what you know.

In other words, when you see how you should glorify God, God wants you to add to that glorifying of him the virtue. More information. Because if I add more information to my glorifying him, what did I just add? The ability to glorify a more. That's why people go on for a masters degree. They want to master a subject. They don't just want to have the general information. They want to have the specific targeted information in a given field. He says, God, once you become a master Christian, he I just want to be a high school graduate Christian. He doesn't even want you to just be a be a born again Christian. He wants you to become a master's degree. Same where you have now mastered. Why? Because when you go for a master's degree, you have to accumulate more information because now the seed is expanding.

And so he says, don't stop there. Add to your knowledge, self-control. Self-control means holding onto oneself. It was used regularly of athletes who had to discipline themselves in order to maximize their skill in a certain performance.

Add whatever you need to stay focused on your goal, whatever you need to not lose focus.

Why? Because that's what the enemy wants to do to us. He wants to shake our focus, to erode our discipline. So we jump off the track. So we get off the wagon so that we lose our focus. And he knows that that's what the enemy wants to do.

So whatever you have to add is self-control so that you keep getting the knowledge, so that you keep expanding the virtue, piggybacking on your faith. So you may need accountability to stay on task.

He goes on and add to your self-control.

He says, perseverance, that means in everyday language. Hang in there. Don't quit.

Don't throw in the towel. And perseverance is almost always related in the Bible to trials.

How can we persevere when those trials seem too tough to take? Well, Dr. Evans will share a secret about that when he continues our message in just a moment.

To truly know God, an authentic connection, not just knowing about him. It's a relationship completely fuzed by love. And it's the kind of relationship with God. Dr. Tony Evans explores in his latest book, DVD and Bible study Nowingi Discover a connection with God you've never known before. Live that kind of relationship with God and experience life in all of its truthfulness. Discover more. A Tony Evans story. Tony Evans story.

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Here's a little secret. The worse things get, the closer you are. That's muscle. That's my little secret.

The reason he doesn't want you to throw in the towel yet is cause the worse things get, the closer you are to whatever God is planning to do. The worse things get. The Riebling says don't throw in the towel is because the closer you are. He says persevere and to your perseverance and godliness. Cause the temptation when you're persevering is to quit.

And say, I don't want the God thing anymore to bail out on God.

Hi, Lord. Delivered for God. Even though you don't see anything happening.

Hey, watch us. Now watch as he comes to the next one. Brotherly kindness. The Greek word there is Philadelphia. Here it is. Find a brother or sister who's going through something similar to you. Administer to them brotherly kindness meant to selflessly reach out to another member of the family of God and pour into them. I know what you're saying. I need somebody to pull him to me if you need healing.

To whatever degree you can. Minister smiles You need healing. If you're battling depression. As tough as it may be and as best as you can, Minister, somebody else is depressed. If you're going through mental struggles and I know it's tough, Minister, there's somebody else who has mental struggles. What you are needing give brotherly kindness, kindness to a mother, a member of the family of God. Many says on top of that, the last one add to that love.

Add to that love what women did not just show love with a deep brotherly kindness.

Brotherly kindness is to a brother. That's to somebody who's on your side or your team.

That's somebody you don't mind talking to, dealing with because they are brother or sister and they're going through what you're going through. So you can relate that somehow you can relate to.

But God demonstrated his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us when he talked about love. He Tomball folk. You are particular about folk. You would naturally gravitate to folk. You may go in the other direction from. This has to do with ministering to the regular people in your life. Let's talk about ministering to somebody who you know and I want to talk to. I don't like her God demonstrating his love in that while we were sinners against him.

Christ, Dad, what's gonna happen?

He says this. Verse eight four. If these qualities are yours and are hid, his growth increasing. They render you neither useless nor unfruitful. Here it is in the true EPICA Gnosis in the true knowledge, the authentic knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, you're going to become Shruti and we're not Telmo crazy. We're talking about fruit producing.

God has a lot of Christians with no fruit. They're still Christians.

But nothing is coming out of their lives that God can use. Why would God bless somebody that's unfruitful?

What happens if you don't do this addition? You just say I'm saved as I'm enough. Verse nine. In closing, for he who lacks these qualities is blind and myopic. That's the Greek word for we would get ideas with myopic, short, near-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

Wow. Any mother is only thinking about nine months is thinking short term. You've got to be thinking 18 years.

Not much is your introduction.

That's what not much is. Not much is beginning the process. The short term. The thing my mother 18 years.

You've got to plan on it, he says.

For those who lack these qualities, you're not thinking. You don't have the big picture. You're just living day by day. You're missing a big part. The person who says I only want to go to the ninth grade and I see it, they think in short term, that may be good. Now that you in the fifth grade. But when you are trying to get a job, that's a whole different story.

A whole different story. He says no. Think of the bigger picture. Both of time and eternity, you will become fruitful. Life will become meaningful, he says.

And the root problem in closing here, he says, the root problem is the person who won't develop these qualities on the spiritual level has forgotten his purification from his former sins. You forgot Calvary, you forgot the cross.

And whenever we forget the cross, we're in trouble. I'm in trouble. You're in trouble when you forget the cross. When that just becomes something that happened 2000 years ago, he says you're in trouble because now you won't see the need.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus picked up the tab. He paid it in full speed. I'd want you to forget the price he paid at Calvary for our sins. Become slow fall and add in what he has provided for our new nature. Cause the price was, too, that he paid for you to forget the expensive cost of the payment for our sins.

A reminder of what Jesus did so that even in our imperfection, we can truly know the perfect God. Here's Dr. Evans once again with a vitally important message for you.

If you're not absolutely sure that you have received salvation, that you're on your way to heaven. Then let's get that straight right now. God offers you salvation as a free gift because of the sacrifice of his son. And if you will come to Jesus Christ acknowledging your need for a savior because you recognize you're a sinner, recognizing you can't save yourself. And appealing to Jesus to apply his death. Into your life. He will come and forgive your sins and give you eternal life right now. Simply say to the Lord I, Norma Sena. I know I need a savior. I'm believing in you alone to be my savior. So I now accept your offer to give me eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. And then thank him for the free salvation he just gave you.

To learn more about what it means to be a real Christian. Visit Tony Evans dot org and click on the link that says, Jesus, Tony will walk you through everything you need to know. And while you're there, don't forget to request that powerful package of resources I told you about earlier. It includes all eight messages from Tony's current series, Knowing God, as well as his just released book, The Power of Knowing God. And we'll even include the interactive study guide and resource DVD containing custom material that Dr Evans recorded specifically for this study. They're all yours when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. So be sure to drop by Tony Evans dot org right away to make the arrangements before this limited time offer runs out. That's Tony Evans. Scott O. R.G. or reach out to our resource center at one 800 800 32 22. Where team members are standing by around the clock to help you. Pieces of firewood burn much hotter when they burn together. Tomorrow, Doctor Evans will explain that believers who want to be on fire for the Lord work the same way as he talks about the relationship between our connection with other people and our connection to Christ. Be sure to join us.

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