2 Peter 3:17-18 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
· A child needs to grow or develop in all stages of their life, or they fall incomplete and unsuited for the task GOD has in store for them.
· A professional musician needs to grow in their craft; otherwise, their music becomes stale and irrelevant.
· A church needs to grow for the same purposes.
· We need to grow in Christ.
Let’s look at 2 Peter 3 17 once more: this time reading from three popular translation:
· Amplified Bible (AMP)
“But grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory (honor, majesty, splendor), both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
· King James Version (KJV), New International (NIV) and New American Standard (NAS)
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
· Message Bible
“But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!”
All five translations use the word “Grow.”
All five translations state that we are to grow in “Grace.”
However, when it comes to the word “Knowledge,” there are slight differences. KJV, NIV, NAS and AMP use the word “Knowledge;” however, Message Bible uses the word “Understanding.”
There is a difference between knowledge and understanding.
· Knowledge is basic or elementary learning.
o In Heb 5:12-14 it states “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
· What is these elementary truths Paul wrote about? Just mentioning a few:
o The 5-steps of salvation are pretty basic and elementary:
o Being born again by hearing the Word and believing in GOD
o Developing Faith-based life.
o Repenting from sin is beyond just "trying to do good.”
o Confessing Jesus as LORD and Savior is something basic to being a Christian.
o Being Baptized in the name of the FATHER, Son and Holy Spirit is fundamental to the Christian faith.
o Believing in the Resurrection is pretty basic as well.
o There are others…but Paul’s point is for us to spring from this level and elevate our level of GODliness beyond the basics.
· We should aspire for heights greater than knowledge. We should consider understanding.
· When we consider understanding, that includes knowledge plus comprehending the impact of the use of knowledge.
o It is understanding the direct and the inferred meaning of scripture. We ask ourselves “What does GOD expect me to learn, understand and do?”
o To understand our skill, is to go beyond knowing pieces of information but knowing how to use the information.
The fifth translation is called The Passion Translation.(TPT)
· “But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May he receive all the glory both now and until the day eternity begins. Amen!”
There is a big difference between knowledge, understanding and intimacy.
· Intimacy applies the abstract emotion; love. The TPT translation connects the value of love in any relationship especially the relationship between GOD and humanity.
Ok,
· Apply that kind of thinking to the medical field comparing the differences between knowledge, understanding and intimacy.
· Would you rather be treated by someone with knowledge of the human body, understanding of the body or intimacy or love of their craft?
· I know that I would select the person who has an intimacy with their craft.
· This is the person who dreams and can’t stop talking about their craft, loves exploring and learning plus, will work unlimited hours.
· They are completely dedicated because they believe in it.
· They have a deep and abounding love for what they do and how they can help others.
So, we need to grow in knowledge, understanding and mainly, intimacy.
Jesus teaches that we are to grow in the kingdom.
· In Mark 4:26 – 29, Jesus spoke about His love; the Kingdom of GOD. Jesus said, “This is what the kingdom of GOD is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
This is the life of a dedicated farmer.
· He prepares the soil, plants the seed, protects it from insects and ensures sun, moisture, and nutrients for the plant.
· However, it is GOD that allows the seed to germinate and grow. The seed is at GOD’s disposal. It will grow because it surrenders its will and trusts GOD.
What else does this say to us about the kingdom of God?
· It reminds us that God’s kingdom isn’t something we can control. GOD reigns and controls HIS kingdom.We grow in trusting HIM.
Like the seed, we need to surrender our will and control to GOD almighty by confessing both our dependence on him and our need for his wisdom to guide us.
· In 1 Cor 3:6-9 it states “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
All that work that we do and give ourselves credit for, is the work of GOD.
· Jesus speaks about the existence of good and evil coexisting in Matt 13:24-30: “Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
· Furthermore, he interpreted the parable in Matt 13:37-43 where it states “He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
You see that it is only natural that the weeds grow.
· GOD allows it.
· HE created everything and allowed interaction within HIS scheme that creates adversity or conflict.
Why should we grow?
· It’s natural isn’t it. You may have to think pretty hard to identify some things that refuse to grow. However, it would be easier to consider those things that do grow.
· To be all that we can be.
· To be prepared to honor GOD in HIS service.
· To be able to withstand the craftiness of Satan.
· To endure life’s turbulence. Usually unplanned and unscheduled. They come without our consent.
· Also, what happens if we don’t grow? We become stagnant. What happens to stagnant water? IT smells and becomes unattractive and unproductive for anything or anyone.
We need to grow in life. We need to grow in the kingdom. If we don’t grow, we suffer in faith, works, and become stagnant and unproductive for the Master who is depending on us to deliver the Word about Jesus.
We need to see what GOD is telling us…we need to accept growth as breathing. We need to be dissatisfied with anything short of growing for GOD. Doing so, could save our life but mostly, it could benefit us when attempting to do what GOD wants us to do. Also, we need to remember that with GOD in control, HE will take care of us. We need to let go and let GOD. We need to release the steering wheel of our life and let GOD take control.
Amen, amen and amen!
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