THE CHRISTIAN DRESS CODE

#3 - Put on Knowledge

2 Peter 1:3-9

by Rev. John R. Hannem, Calvary Baptist Church, North Sydney, NS – January 27^th 2008

   In Bill Bryson’s book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, he confesses to the vastness of his own ignorance. Here’s a brief excerpt,

“About four or five years ago I was on a long flight across the Pacific, staring idly out the window at the moonlit ocean, when it occurred to me with a certain uncomfortable forcefulness that I didn’t know the first thing about the only planet I was ever going to live on. For example: I have no idea why the oceans are salty but the Great Lakes aren’t. And that represents only a mere sliver of my ignorance. We live in a universe whose age we can’t quite compute, surrounded by stars whose distances we don’t altogether know, filled with matter we can’t completely identify, operating in conformance with physical laws whose properties we don’t fully understand.”

    No matter how educated we become—no matter how much trivia we memorize—no matter how many degrees we earn—no matter what we know—the truth is we humans are all infinitely lacking when it comes to complete knowledge. We’re not even close! Anyone who has studied enough knows that knowledge is like a bottomless pit because the more we know—the more we realize what we don’t know. The greater our education—the more we reveal our ignorance.

   I’m embarrassed to admit that I have repeatedly learned this lesson personally—because over and over again I find myself revealing my ignorance in sermon form. In spite of how much or how hard I study it doesn’t matter how many books I read or how carefully I go over my manuscript I still spend many Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings wringing my hands over one or more flawed or easily misunderstood sermon statement that pointed to my lack of knowledge.

   This morning the garment of grace that we are studying in the dress code of a Christian is knowledge, and as and any truly wise person knows—we humans don’t really know all that much. Our knowledge is very limited so how are we to “wear” this particular garment of grace? If we “put on” what we know—it won’t be much! In our text from 2nd Peter, God helps us feel a little bit less overwhelmed by our ignorance—by telling us what we need to know kind of like a college professor telling his students what will be on the test.

Look once again at verse 3 and 5 and you’ll see what I mean. Peter says: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness—through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.”

  What is Peter talking about here? Exactly what do we need to know? Because, of course [As Buchanan puts it] “We need to know what we need to know before we can know it.” I’ll zero in on the answer to that question in a moment, but first, I want you to note the order in which Peter lists these virtues,  these garments of grace that we are studying together. You see, this isn’t a random list. These items must be worn together. They need each other for this dress code to work.

   Two weeks ago we learned that each of these “garments” — each of these virtues —must be built on what? Right! Faith is where it begins! Foundational Garment) … We can fill our spiritual wardrobes with each of the virtues in this list and can attempt to don them every day—but without faith it would be obvious to all that we were “dressed” improperly. None of these “accessories” work without faith. Everything starts there.

   Then last week we said that goodness is the first virtue we add to faith. We said that without a faith relationship with God—without being good, we can’t truly do good. Without God empowering our good deeds we often do them for bad or selfish reasons. Without His guidance many times we do good things that are “good for nothing” because they really don’t help.

   The next “garment” we take off the “hanger” is knowledge and once again I must point out that this list is not random. Goodness must come before knowledge because knowledge needs goodness.

   Buchanan says, “Knowledge, like the flesh of a puffer fish, has a toxin lurking in it: pride. Knowledge wants to turn us into know-it-alls—to make us show-offs and blowhards and bullies. Those who know want everyone else to know they know. So they showboat their intelligence. An unspoken but pervasive assumption among many of us is that to know more than others is to be better than they are.”

   I’m reminded of Paul’s words in 1st Corinthians 8:1 where he says, “We know that we all possess knowledge—but be careful because knowledge puffs up whereas love builds up.” So, knowledge is a good thing—but alone it is dangerous. Apart from the virtue we studied last week—I mean, if knowledge is not built on goodness—well, then instead of helping, knowledge is often used to humiliate, intimidate, or alienate others. Unless knowledge is anchored in goodness—we grow susceptible to snobbery and smugness.    

   Again Buchanan says, “Goodness detoxifies knowledge. It draws the venom out of it—venom that can cause alarming swelling of the head. Smartness is a small accomplishment if you’re deficient in goodness. A big head on a small soul is as ugly as an orc!”

   So we do need the garment of goodness in order to effectively wear the garment of knowledge. The two go together. Let me put it this way: wearing knowledge without goodness is like wearing a tie without a shirt.

   But, let’s go back to the original question—what knowledge are we talking about here? What do we need to know? What’s going to be on the “test?” Well, as you probably noticed earlier, Peter says it’s not what we need to know—but rather who we need to know. Look at verses 2, 3, & 8 again. We are to have, “ knowledge of God and of Jesus--knowledge of Him--knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ” So you see, just like the other two virtues we have studied so far—the source of knowledge is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Knowing Him makes all the difference!

   Let me illustrate that this way. There was once a Shakespearian actor who was known far and wide for his one-man show of readings and recitations of the classics. He would always end his performance with a dramatic reading of the 23rd Psalm. Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want .”  The crowd would listen attentively. And then, at the conclusion of the Psalm, they would rise in thunderous applause in appreciation of the actor’s incredible ability to bring the verse to life. But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up and said, “Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite the 23rd Psalm?” The actor was quite taken back by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his talent and pridefully thinking that perhaps the young man’s performance would make his own seem even more magnificent. Well, with a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words to this much-loved Psalm. When he finished there was no applause. There was no standing ovation. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the young man’s recitation, that every eye in the house was full of tears. Amazed by what he heard, the actor said to the youth, “I don’t understand. I’ve been performing the 23rd Psalm for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training—but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?” The young man humbly replied, “Well, sir, you know the Psalm—but I know the Shepherd.” Let me ask you —do you know Jesus—I mean ,really know Him? I’m not talking about your knowledge of facts, I’m not talking about your understanding of New Testament Greek. I’m asking, how well do you know Jesus Christ? Because Peter says that this is what we need. Knowing Jesus is the garment he’s talking about that benefits us in so many ways. And as we get to know Jesus more—we deepen our personal relationship with Him by knowing more about Him. And that’s the way it is in any relationship.

   A. W. Tozer who says, “The most important thing about us is what we think about God!” Tozer’s famous statement is so true! Nothing—nothing is more important than our knowledge of God—because the more we know about Him the better we know Him. I think this is why Paul said, “I am resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” (1 Corinthians 2:2; Philippians 3:10)

     Note that, in our text, Peter uses the word knowledge four times. The word that he uses in verse 5 is “gnosis.” And, “gnosis” is your general, one-size-fits-all Greek word for knowledge. It’s the knowledge of inquiry and discovery, ….. the knowledge you dig up as you study. But the Greek word for “knowledge” that Peter uses the other three times is “epi-gnosis” which literally means, “fullness of knowledge” or “complete understanding.” So what Peter is saying is that fullness of knowledge comes from an accumulation of “gnosis.” You add some today and tomorrow and the next day. We learn more about Jesus little by little—piece by piece. As we have often said, the Christian life is more of a marathon than a sprint. It’s a life-long journey of one step and then another and another in which we learn more and more about Jesus. Don’t you know Jesus better today—don’t you have a better understanding of God today—than the day you became a Christian? I hope that is true! When it comes to our knowledge of God and of Jesus we turn our “gnosis” into “epignosis” by drawing on four main sources.

(1) The first is our study of God’s Word of Truth—the Bible.

 

 

   We get to know the Word that Become Flesh by studying His written Word. This is our “textbook.” As people living 2000 years since Jesus physically walked this earth, this Book is our primary source of knowledge about our Lord’s nature and work. It’s the book that rightly divides truth from falsehood. Remember this book is precious and unique—it is unlike any other book—because in these pages our eternal God is revealing His character and attributes. In the Bible God is literally spelling it out for us. God’s written Word is one thing that Job clung to amidst his trials. He didn’t know why all this happened to him. He didn’t have the answers to all his questions but he clung to what the Scriptures told Him about God. In Job 23:12 he said, “I have not departed from the commandment of God’s lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”  Now we don’t know what portion of the Bible Job had access too way back then but it couldn’t have been more than a fraction of what you and I possess. Yet he still clung to it’s truth amidst all the uncertainty of his life—with all his strength. He cherished God’s Word as the treasure that it is!

   Have you ever heard the story of Ali Hafed? Ali Hafed was a wealthy, contented farmer who had large fields, beautiful orchards, and lush gardens. One day a man told him about diamonds. The man told Ali how wealthy he could be if he owned a diamond mine. After that conversation, for the first time in many years, Ali Hafed went to bed discontented. Diamonds! He craved a mine of his own. He hungered for the wealth it would bring. In his mind’s eye he could see the gems sparkle and flash with a thousand colors. He could see himself running his hands through piles of the glimmering stones. Why, it would be like possessing the very stars of Heaven! Well, it wasn’t long before Ali sold his farm and began a long search across the world for a diamond mine. He traveled many weary miles in strange and hostile places, finally becoming poor, broken, and defeated. Then, in this depressed condition, on a gray morning far from home, Ali Hafed took his own life. One day, the man who had purchased Ali Hafed’s farm led his camel into the garden to drink. As his camel put its nose into the shallow water of the garden brook, the farmer noticed a curious flash of light. He bent down and pulled a rough black stone from the brook a stone that reflected all the hues of the rainbow. You guessed it. It was a diamond! The man had discovered what would become the diamond mine of Golconda, the most significant diamond mine in the history of the world. Had Ali Hafed remained home and dug in his own fields, he would have had acres of diamonds. Every shovelful of soil—revealed gems which since then have decorated the crowns of monarchs.

   You and I could search the world over for wisdom and knowledge and secrets of success. We could travel and study for endless years in the greatest universities but we need to go no further than the Bible at our bedside to find the greatest treasury of wisdom in all the world because this book tells us about God—it tells us of His power and love and grace! It tells us all about His Son Jesus “in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)

(2) Our second source when it comes to knowledge of God is worship and prayer.

   You see, whereas the Bible tells us about God—we can actually meet Him when we open our hearts to His presence in prayer and worship. It’s like the difference between those paleontologists in Jurassic Park who had read all about dinosaurs and dug up their fossilized bones for years and then they traveled to that island where they actually met some dinosaurs face-to-face. The more time we spend with God—in prayer and worship—talking to Him and listening to Him—the more we abide with Him, the better we know Him.

If we spend time with Him we grow in our knowledge of Him. But if we ignore these things—if we don’t spend time in prayer and worship well, we begin to forget Who Jesus is—and what He is truly like.

(3) A third way that we add to our knowledge of God is by looking at God’s creation.

   Every molecule helps us learn something more about our Lord. It’s as if He has left clues for us even in the tiniest of places,…  clues that guide us to Him. In the DVD version of his best-selling book, Case for a Creator, Lee Strobel includes interviews with scientists and astronomers who say they have come to the conclusion that God created the world the way He did as an invitation for us to study and learn more about Him. Strobel is right! By studying creation, we find God! We see His limitless wisdom in the intricate created order. We see how much He loves us—by creating this unique world where humans could live. We come to know God better by studying creation. It is just as Romans 1:20 says! “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

(4) One final source of knowledge of God is Christian community.

   Over the years mankind has benefited from sharing discoveries—pooling our knowledge of everything from how to start a fire to how to how make antibiotics. Shared knowledge—shared experience—benefits everyone. Think of it. How did you learn to do laundry or work in the garden or drive a car? How did you learn to surf the Internet or read a road map? How did you learn to deal with the inevitable disappointments and heartaches of life? Most of the things like this that we know we learned from others who shared their knowledge with us. Well, the same principle is found in the Body of Christ. We learn more about Jesus, we learn more about God, we increase our personal knowledge of God as we share our experiences with each other corporately in the context of Christian community. This is why Hebrew 10:25 cautions us and says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”

   I don’t know about you, but it encourages me to hear personal testimonies from other believers. I learn so much from people who share how they met Jesus and things they have learned through following Him. It strengthens my own convictions about God. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have gleaned from the truly great Christians I have met in life, many of whom I met right here in this church.

   Chip Ingram refers to these kind of people as his “Spiritual Mt. Rushmore” and I like that. Think for a minute. If you were to carve four faces into some mountain of solid rock—four people who have shared their knowledge of God thereby helping you to grow in your own knowledge of God—who would they be? Everyone got that mental picture? Well, aren’t you thankful for the knowledge they shared with you? Wouldn’t you be far more ignorant, far less mature, wouldn’t you know Jesus less, if not for those spiritual mentors?

   These four things are sources of this knowledge that Peter tells us we need to “put on.” As Buchanan puts it: “Scripture. Worship and prayer. Creation. Community. God is hidden in plain sight in all these things.” Let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Father God, It is just as Peter says, our greatest need is to know You more. And we praise You for taking the initiative in meeting this need. Thank You for the Bible, this precious book. Thank You for the disciplines of worship and prayer. Thank You for the beauty of this Universe! And thank You for the church this community of believers full of people from whom we draw strength and encouragement and knowledge. Now—as we conclude this time of worship, as we abide in Your presence, I ask that You would speak to each of us and teach us what we need to do - not just to know You better but also to be known as people who know You. Show us how to live and work and relate such that we will be known as Your children. Teach us how to lift up Jesus so that the lost will be drawn to Him, and in that relationship will come to know You as we do. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.