Grow in Grace and Knowledge (2 Peter 3:14-18)

I. Introduction. A. Orientation. 1. As Peter tells us a. The Day of the Lord is coming. b. But the day of our departure is much closer. (i) Im not talking about the Rapture, (ii) But the day of our death. c. You need to make sure youre ready, (i) That you will be found in Christ, (ii) At peace with God, (iii) Spotless and blameless. 2. What should you do to get ready? Just two things: a. Turn away from your sins b. And trust in Christ. (i) Thats all thats necessary, (ii) But its also more than you think. (a) Repentance is not just turning from the wrong things you do, (b) Its also putting on the right things. (c) It includes growing in grace and knowledge. B. Preview. 1. Thats what weve been talking about growing in grace a. About putting off sins and putting on Christ. b. Weve already seen two ways we can: (i) We must stop quenching the fire of Gods Spirit with water of world. (ii) And we must pray continually (iii) That the Lord would stoke that fire. 2. Tonight, well look at one more way to make it burn hotter: the Word. a. How can you hope to grow (i) In the knowledge of your Lord Jesus (ii) If youre not in His Word? b. And realizing that there are two dimensions to knowledge (i) Facts and experience (ii) How can you grow unless (iii) You both read and apply it? c. Lets consider,

2 (i) That to gain the strength you need (ii) To put off sin and to put on Christ, (iii) You must be in the Word, (iv) And you must apply it to your life. II. Sermon. A. First, you must be in the Word. 1. There are two main ways to do this: a. Read it. b. And hear it preached and taught. 2. First, you need to read the Word. a. Luther, at the end of his life, (i) Was asked if he would do anything differently, (ii) If he could live it again. (iii) He said, Yes; that he would read the books of men less, (iv) And the Bible more. (v) Thats good advice. b. You need to read the Word. (i) You need to read it more. (a) You need to read it systematically (b) From cover to cover, little by little (c) Until youve finished, (d) To make sure you see the message of the whole Bible (ii) And you need to focus on the areas of greater importance (a) The New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. (b) The whole Bible is His Word, (c) And as Paul told Timothy, (d) All of it is profitable (2 Tim. 3:13). (e) But some parts are more profitable than others. (iii) As you know, RBT is starting (a) Beginning with Gospel of Matthew. (b) Heres an opportunity (1) To read through Bible in three years, (2) And discuss it with others. (3) You could consider joining that. (iv) You can also listen to the Bible on CD or mp3. c. Do be careful though when you read: (i) The goal is not just to read it, (ii) But to understand it, (iii) To receive it in faith,

3 (iv) To remember it, (v) And apply it, (vi) That you might gain experience in the Word. (vii) Well get to this in a few moments. 3. The second way you can be in the Word a. Is through its preaching and teaching. (i) The Lord has given gifted men to His church (ii) To read, explain, apply, exhort, and encourage. (iii) To build up the body, (iv) To equip us for the work (Eph. 4:11-13). b. He has ordained this preaching and teaching take place (i) On His holy day (ii) When His people meet for worship. (iii) Paul wrote to Timothy, Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you (1 Tim. 4:13-16). c. If He has ordained these things for your good (i) For your sanctification, for your growth in grace, (ii) For your salvation (iii) You can be sure He also intends for you to come and hear it. (iv) The author to the Hebrews writes, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (10:23-25). d. The Lord, in His providence, (i) Also put it on hearts of some of these men (ii) To commit their sermons and other teachings to writing. (a) In our library, (b) We have some of the writings (c) Of the most godly men who ever lived: The Puritans. (1) Youll never find reading their books a waste of time (2) As you already know (3) From the time weve spent in Pilgrims Progress. e. If you want to grow in grace, be in the Word often:

4 (i) Read it, memorize it, (a) Seek to understand it, (b) Hear it preached, (c) Read sermons and books that teach it. (d) And receive it in faith. (ii) It will give you the knowledge (a) The Spirit will use (b) To guide and direct your steps (c) That you might become more like Jesus. B. But dont forget knowledge is only the first step: you also need experience. 1. Its been said a. The difference between knowledge and wisdom (i) Lies in experience (ii) In the ability to apply what you know. b. For example, the book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom. (i) It doesnt just contain the Ten Commandments, (ii) It shows you how to apply them (iii) To every area of life. (a) The Lord blessed Solomon (b) With the greatest wisdom known to man. (c) People came from everywhere (d) To hear what he had to teach. (e) Through the inspiration of the Spirit, (f) He wrote that wisdom down (g) So that the church of all ages (h) Could benefit from it. (i) Knowledge wont do you any good, (j) Unless you apply it. c. John Frame taught us in seminary (i) That knowledge is application. (ii) The more you know how to apply something (iii) The more you understand it. (iv) If you cant apply it (v) You really dont know what it means. d. The Lord gave you His Word (i) That you might apply it, not just know it. (ii) Jesus said to His disciples, If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them (John 13:17). e. The Lord indicted the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum (i) Because they had heard much,

5 (ii) But did so little with what they heard, (iii) Even though it was confirmed with so many miracles. (iv) He said, Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! (Luke 10:13-15). 2. The point is, a. The Lord doesnt want you to read just to know (i) Knowing is the means to the end (ii) He wants you to read to do! (iii) That is true wisdom, (iv) And the only way to grow in grace and knowledge. b. Knowing the right thing to do (i) But not doing it (ii) Only makes you doubly guilty. (iii) Jesus said, That slave who knew his masters will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more (Luke 12:47-48). c. Should you avoid reading and studying the Bible (i) Because you become more responsible to do it once you know it? (ii) It is safer to know less? (a) Of course not! (b) The Bible is the only book (1) That can show you the way of salvation. (2) You need to read it! (c) Its the only standard the Lord has given you (1) To tell whether or not (2) What you do is pleasing to Him. (3) You need to read it! (d) The world what the people of this world do (1) Is not the standard, (2) The Bible is! (3) You need to read it! (iii) The Lord commands you (a) To grow in grace and knowledge.

6 (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) To read the Word, To hear it preached and taught, To read sermons, So that youll have the information the Spirit uses To guide you into the truth.

(iv) Value it; treasure it; (a) Get as much as you can, (b) Like a miser grabs up gold! (c) Set your heart also to do it (d) And you will grow in the likeness of Christ. d. Just a final word of caution: (i) Not everyone who teaches and preaches, (ii) Teaches and preaches Gods truth. (iii) Peter warned of those who distorted the Scripture in his day: Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness (2 Pet. 3:15-17). (iv) The Bereans were commended (a) Because they even held what Paul said (b) Up against the standard of the Scriptures: (c) The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:10-11). (v) The church is full of celebrities today (a) Those looked at as great men of God, as great teachers, (b) But who teach a great deal of error. (c) There are even those in the Reformed camp (d) Who are guilty of teaching error. (vi) Dont believe everything you hear, (a) But prayerfully compare it with Scripture. (b) When you see something is Gods will (c) Then hold it fast in your heart (d) And do what it says.

7 e. To sum up: Read the Bible in faith and apply it. (i) Believe what it says, (ii) Embrace its promises, (iii) Tremble at its threatenings, (iv) And submit to its commands. (v) If you do this, you will grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord. Amen. http://www.graceopcmodesto.org