Finding the Knowledge of God

Text:  Prov. 2:1-6

  • Intro:
    • Many people get saved and then they stagnate. 
    • The reason is that they don’t find the knowledge of God. 
    • In other words, they know Jesus as their Saviour but that’s all they know. 
    • We say, “Read your Bible and come to church.” 
    • They start but they soon give up because they don’t “get it.”
  • Today we’re going to see what finding the knowledge of God takes so that you can grow beyond the principles of the doctrine of Christ [Heb 6:1] and go on unto perfection.
  • The process of finding the knowledge of God – Prov 2:1-3
    • “Receive my words” – through reading, preaching and teaching –
      • This is absorbing the words and believing them.
    • “Hide my commandments” – Ps 119:11
      • Not just memorizing them but getting to know them so well that you can obey them without having to look them up –
      • These “commands” will guide you.
    • “Incline thine ear unto wisdom” –
      • That is to pay close attention to and listen willingly to wisdom by cutting out all of the commotion and distractions that compete.
    • “Apply thine heart to understanding”-
      • That is to employ yourself diligently to –
      • Often you don’t understand something in the Bible because you haven’t “worked at it” hard enough to understand –
      • Other times your lack of understanding may be due to disobedience [Job 28:28].
    • “Criest after knowledge” – this is prayer, which leads to the next point.
  • The prayer for finding the knowledge of God – Prov 2:3
    • See Prov 2:6; Jas 1:5; Lk 24:32, 45
      • You aren’t going to understand this Book unless the Lord gives you the understanding [Prov 2:6] –
      • So pray to him for knowledge.
    • While we’re on this point notice the triad of wisdom, understanding and knowledge –
      • These three show up together in many different places –
      • They are briefly described as follows:
    • Knowledge – FACTS – the “what” of what you know
    • Understanding – FAITH – the “how” of what you know
    • Wisdom – FEAR – the “who” of what you know [Prov 1:7]
  • The pursuit of finding the knowledge of God – Prov 2:4 – “seekest her… searchest for her” –
    • We are to seek for the knowledge of God as we would seek for silver or search for a hidden treasure –
      • These two admonitions show you the significance of what you are after –
      • They show you the:
        • Value of the knowledge of God
        • Work involved in finding the knowledge of God
        • Time involved – years
        • Persistence it takes – stay with it
        • Difficulty involved – it’s hidden
        • Goal of finding the knowledge of God – you will find it
  • The prerequisite of finding the knowledge of God – Prov 2:5 – “the fear of the Lord” –
    • You say, “I don’t understand” –
    • You won’t until you do the first three things and then when you do those you will understand the fear of the Lord –
    • It is something no one else can quite explain to you – you must know it for yourself.
  • The promise of finding the knowledge of God – Prov 2:5 – “and find the knowledge of God” –
    • You will find it –
    • Seeking to find the knowledge of God is not a vain pursuit –
    • We try every way we can to help you with Sunday school lessons, Sunday morning and evening preaching, Wednesday Bible study, radio broadcasts, internet posts, and men’s and women’s Bible studies
    • BUT we cannot do your work for you!
  • Conclusion:
    • You must go through the process, you must pray, you must pursue, you must meet the prerequisite and God will fulfill his promise!!