Growing the Fruit of Knowledge

Meet New Zealand’s Takahe [Takahe picture]

It’s a beautiful bird that miraculously recovered from the brink of presumed extinction

It’s native to the South Island and carries a great deal of significance to the Māori population

It’s virtually indistinguishable from another New Zealand native bird: the Pukeko [Pukeko picture]

They’re look is similar and they’re mannerism may appear identical to the untrained eye – even their names have an analogous ring to non-native speakers

Their major difference? The Pukeko can fly; the Takahe cannot…

I’ve always had a particular pity on flightless birds—they’re kind of like fish that can’t swim in my mind…

And though the topic we’re going to be discussing today has little to do with birds or fish, it has everything to do with containing the appearance of a quality, without having its most essential aspect

Like a bird that cannot fly…

As you may be aware, we concluded our walk through 1 Peter last week, where Pastor Greiner completed the letter on hope [Hope for Everyday Life slide] with enduring truths that stand firm in the face of our adversary – the devil

But hope is never static – it’s always moving

And those in pursuit of hope ought to always be changing as well

That’s why our summer series will serve as a pretext to 2 Peter and will be divided into two parts

The first section will cover Hope for Fruitful Service based on 2 Peter 1:5-7

This passage contains 7 outworkings and characteristics of a Christian who is seeking to live out his or her faith

Verse 4, the verse immediately preceding, gives the provocative statement leading into the 7 attributes…

2 Peter 1:4a – For by [God’s glory and excellence] He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature…

I don’t want us to glaze over that shocking remark: become partakers of the divine nature…

If you have good theology, that phrase probably makes you squirm a bit…

But it is not calling us to be God, but unashamedly saying we are to be like God – far better than the alternative…

What does it look like to “become partakers of the divine nature”?

Thankfully, the passage continues with our key verse for the summer:

2 Peter 1:5-7 – Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

The second characteristic will be our focus for this morning: Growing the Fruit of Knowledge

But for this first part of the series, we wanted to put flesh to the characteristic rather than speak of each in theoretical terms

To accomplish this, we’re choosing a biblical character that embodies the attribute-at-hand

Obviously, Jesus embodies each of the 7 qualities with total perfection – after all, He is the divine person

And while we are to emulate Jesus in everything, we thought it would be helpful to select a biblical person to investigate… warts and all

For the characteristic of knowledge/wisdom, who do you think embodies or represents this attribute profoundly? (Solomon)

I’d invite you to turn to 1 Kings 3 – we’ll look at an isolated incident in the life of Solomon and then take a wider lens to see what it looks like to live a life characterized by knowledge – the kind that Peter talks about in his second epistle

And while you’re turning there, allow me to give a bit of context into the passage we’re about to read…

*(David’s rough succession | David’s final charges (kill these 2 guys) | Solomon kills 3 | Beginning to be established)

That leads us to our passage this morning – we’ll focus on vv 6-9, but let’s get a running start with vv 1-5 as well… (*explain while reading)

Text

Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. ² The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. ³ Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁴ The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” ⁶ Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷ Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. ⁹ So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

*context of what follows provided later

With that context in mind, let’s walk through 3 truths about Making every effort to add to your saving faith knowledge from Solomon’s life

First…

I. Ask God for Wisdom

Let’s start off by defining our words

Sometimes it’s helpful to understand a term by looking at what it isn’t (*e.g., empty (nothing in it) | darkness (= absence of light))

The same rings to for a complex attribute like knowledge/wisdom (by the way, I’ll be using those interchangeably throughout this message, since they are very close in definition and implication)

So, what are some characteristics that are the opposite of wise and knowledgeable? (unwise, foolish, ignorant, uninformed, impractical, etc.)

The definition that I’d suggest, in line with our passage for this morning, would be: Knowledge: the mental faculties, perspective, information, and impetus to lead a life of godliness

*(walk through each aspect)

Notice the unique purpose implied in this definition: to lead a life of godliness…

This is not how the world would define knowledge – by their definition, knowledge would be synonymous with information—something that can be acquired through any textbook

What we are talking about here is true knowledge

So where do we get this true knowledge – the kind Peter claims is conducive towards a life of godliness?

Well, as our text and first heading would suggest, it’s less of a get and more of a gift (*repeat)

Long before Solomon walked the earth, Job uttered these profound words:

Job 28:12-15, 20-22 – But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me”; and the sea says, “It is not with me.” Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price… Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the sky. Abaddon and Death say, “With our ears we have heard a report of it.”

So you can’t break out a pickax and start breaking up ground to find it, you can’t pull out your checkbook and write the appropriate number to acquire it, and you can’t work or travel or listen or talk endlessly to earn it

Job moves on to the Keeper of wisdom’s storehouses…

Job 28:23-28 – God understands its way, and He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When He imparted weight to the wind and meted out the waters by measure, when He set a limit for the rain and a course for the thunderbolt, then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. And to man He said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

And while a whole sermon series of itself could be written on this passage, we see very clearly that wisdom is not gotten but given – and more specifically, it’s given by only ONE – God almighty

God later confronted Job in the whirlwind to provide some much-needed wisdom

For Solomon’s part, God visited him in a dream and asked what Solomon would request…

And notice the context of the request: Solomon was doing almost everything wrong!

He’d just formed an alliance with Egypt: any history there to speak of?

He’d gone to the idolatrous high places that God had very clearly forbidden in His law

And it seems as though he himself was offering up a burnt sacrifice of an unspecified amount – also a no-no

What’s his saving grace…

1 Kings 3:3a – Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David…

His missteps were from a lack of… KNOWLEDGE!

They certainly weren’t from a lack of LOVE

And what does he humbly admit he needs? (knowledge/wisdom)

Maybe that’s where you find yourself today—you’re not doing everything right and you’re making a lot of mistakes along the way…

Do you love the Lord? Are you trying to walk with HIM as Lord?

As James 1 would say…

James 1:5 – But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

If you love Him, He’s happy to give this good gift generously

Ready for a challenge?

If it’s not already a habit of yours, ask God for wisdom every day

It can be specific or simple: “God, please grant me wisdom”

I timed it in my office and that prayer took me two seconds…

The latter half of James 1:5 came to pass for Solomon – God graciously granted him wisdom in unparalleled abundance

And how did he, initially, utilize that wisdom?

For the exact purpose it was requested – “to judge [God’s] people to [and] discern between good and evil” (v 9)

Thus…

II. Wise Decisions Lead to Blessing for You and Others

On it’s face, requesting that a baby be cut in half doesn’t sound very wise, does it…

For our trained medical physicians in the congregation, what happens to a person if he’s cut in half? Two words: they die

I’m sure most of you know the narrative, but right after the gift of wisdom is granted to Solomon, he’s approached by two harlots…

*(summarize story, or read if time)

This narrative speaks to the nature of wisdom, the mechanics of wisdom, as well as the results of wisdom

Let’s use this narrative to look first at…

A. Wisdom’s nature

The sort of knowledge that we’re called to embody is unlike that of the world

The nature of worldly knowledge is limited in its capacity and undermined by its purpose

Its capacity is limited by its intentional neglect of God, thus it cannot transcend matter or human knowledge

In other words, it’s a flightless bird… Is it still a bird, sure… but it can’t do what a bird ought to do

Additionally, it’s undermined by its purpose: true knowledge, if you remember, is intended “to lead a life of godliness”

Paul highlights the nature of worldly knowledge in 1 Corinthians 8…

1 Corinthians 8:1a – we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. (ESV)

The purpose of worldly knowledge is not to know for the sake of edifying others—it’s simply to know more than YOU

That way, I can be better than you – do you see where this can cause issues?

In the narrative that closes 1 Kings 3, Solomon shows the antithetical nature of true knowledge a number of ways:

1. true knowledge listens

*explain (he first heard them out – crazy as it was)

2. true knowledge transcends

*explain (he didn’t get lost in the details, but sought to discern the heart of a mother vs the type of woman who would smother her child and (in the same night) steal another’s)

3. true knowledge sacrifices

*explain (he selflessly engaged in this dynamic conflict rather than selfishly excusing or making a safe judgment)

Where might you or I fail in this area?

If true knowledge listens, are you careful to listen when others speak? (*interrupt vs assess)

If true knowledge transcends, do you look past the details of a matter or do you get caught up in rabbit trails and spend time spinning your wheels on needless specifics? (*what they’re saying vs why or how they’re saying it)

And if true knowledge sacrifices, do you give of your time and comfort to others for their sake, or do you get easily annoyed and either avoid or give easy answers (*engaging vs disengaging)

But what’s more – we see how true knowledge ought to work in this narrative

B. Wisdom’s mechanics

True knowledge is unconventional – we see that throughout God’s Word

Want to tear down the fortified city? Walk around it a bunch of times and then yell on your final go-around

Want to kill the warrior-giant? Send in the 15-year-old with a few little stones

Or here in our narrative: want to see who the mom truly is? Threaten to cut the kid in half

Or what we learned about last week: want to gain control? Relinquish it to God

Want to gain your life? Lose it for Christ’s sake

Want to be the greatest? Be the servant of all

The gospel itself is folly to the Greek and a stumbling block to the Jew

Likewise, the mechanics of true knowledge will make no natural sense

We see example after example of this: if a husband wants to lead his family better, wisdom dictates that He must sacrifice more

Or if a man or woman desires to grow in knowledge, he or she must… ASK

In short, true knowledge requires FAITH – a rested assurance that GOD (rather than YOU) will handle the matter

Solomon, in seeking to work out true knowledge, trusted that God’s promise to grant him wisdom had come to fruition

Which leads to…

C. Wisdom’s results

Remember, all of this is for the purpose stated in 2 Peter 1:4-5 - true knowledge will lead to growth in Christ

And with that, true wisdom will also edify others in the process

Justice was certainly executed in the instance of these two women – the careless and heartless woman was left without a child, while the innocent party left with her baby boy intact

This will inevitably lead to God’s glory as well…

III. Wisdom is Designed to Bring Glory to God

The prior passage closes with this remark:

1 Kings 3:28 – When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

Though it was Solomon speaking and handing down his judgments, it was God getting the glory

This was also seen later in his life, when he was visited by the Queen of Sheba:

1 Kings 10:1, 6, 9 – Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions… Then she said t the king, ‘It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom… Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel.”

A sure-fire test to see if you’re expressing true knowledge or worldly knowledge is this: who gets the glory? (*obvious conclusion: God: true | you: worldly)

But allow me to push this litmus test further – if you’re convinced that you exercise true knowledge—in other words, God’s getting the glory—then let me ask you: do the people around you know Jesus?

If it’s true that this type of knowledge ought to characterize a Christian, then it goes to show that you’ll display this knowledge wherever you go (for if you’re a Christian, then you’ll always be where you are)

Then has that led to conversations with my coworkers? Conversations with my classmates? Conversations with my friends or family?

The manifestation of true knowledge brings glory to God – worldly knowledge will only be concerned for self, as Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 8

But we recognize that…

IV. Wise People Can Sometimes Make Foolish Decisions

Remember how our initial passage revealed the heart of Solomon?

1 Kings 3:3a – Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David…

We then saw what his request for wisdom resulted in: powerful judgments that are uncommon to the natural man

After that, we flashed forward to chapter 10, where the Queen of Sheba gave glory to God for this vast knowledge

Turn a single page over, and we see this:

1 Kings 11:1a, 4b – Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh… his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

I hope you see the obvious contrast between these two passages

Solomon began by loving the Lord, leading him to ask God for wisdom to shepherd His people

This resulted in a wise and sacrificial servant for the flock of God, bringing the Lord glory among the nations

Yet sometimes that glittery glory can look pretty good, and our hearts turn from the gift Giver towards the gifts themselves…

1 Kings 11:9-11 – Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded. So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.

Solomon endured a great loss through his series of foolish decisions

And the implications of his decisions were generational…

What binds us to true knowledge? How do we ensure we stay in-step with godly wisdom, leading to sanctification and God’s glory?

I think our passage makes it obvious: our affections

When we are loving the Lord and humbly asking for His wisdom, He is gracious to grant the request – after all, He’s a God who keeps his promises, as Solomon learned in contrast to the supposed gods he ran towards

But remember, we are walking through this study to learn, based out of 2 Peter 1:5-7, how to live in hope by becoming partakers of the divine nature

So does Peter have anything to add regarding our current topic of Knowledge??

He actually uses the word a couple of times in the surrounding verses:

2 Peter 1:2 – Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord

2 Peter 1:3 – seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:8 – For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Another form of Knowledge is also used in 12 and 14 of chapter 1

But what do you notice about this knowledge?

It’s all about knowing Christ!

Knowledge without Christ is a flightless bird – it may be pretty and it might look like all the other birds, but when it flaps its wings… nothing happens…

Not so with true knowledge

Revisiting Job, God asks of him (in the King James) –

Job 39:26 – Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south? (KJV)

The clear answer is “no” – for its only by Christ’s enabling that wisdom takes flight

So, ask for wisdom, and I’d challenge you to do so daily

Serve others by sacrificially applying knowledge

This will bring glory to God, as you ground your affections firmly on giver of wisdom that cannot remain grounded