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The Revelation Knowledge in Christ (Part 4) · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. So welcome to church this evening.
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And it's good to see our faces. We will push
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further in what we have been teaching regarding
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the revelation knowledge in Christ. We have been
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able to establish more significantly what the
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revelation of God is and what it is not. And
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now we are focusing on the believer in Christ.
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Of course, when we get to another word, which
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is the knowledge, we are going to check how the
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word was also used for unbelievers, but we have
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been able to see what the revelation knowledge
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is and is not, and how God communicates, how
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God can actually use. Extraordinary means to
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reach out to people. How God can use extraordinary
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means to reach out to people. So just to bring
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us to par from what we started on Sunday and
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to connect it with where we are going to continue
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today. Romans 16, 25 to 26. Again, Romans 16,
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25 to 26. Missionary knowledge in Christ. I say
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now to him who is able to establish you according
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to my gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ,
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according to the revelation of the mystery kept
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secret since the world began, but now made manifest
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by the prophetic scriptures, made known to all
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nations according to the commandment of the everlasting
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God for obedience to faith. And we say that we
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see the two words revelation and mystery in verse
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25. And what did we say the word revelation is?
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Who can remind us? What is the word revelation?
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Anybody, any free person that is able to say?
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What is revelation? The Greek word, right? I
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didn't say the definition, but the Greek word.
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What is it? Apocalypse. Okay, good. Apocalypse.
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And we say this from the word apo, right? Which
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means to cease to be from something or far away
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from something. And we say the other one is kalutu,
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which implies to cover or to hide. So we say
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it's talking about something that is far away
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from being hidden, right? Something that is far
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away from being hidden. We say away from being
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covered or hidden, right? Put some words to it
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and say it's disclosure, right? It's disclosure.
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It's unveiling, right? Unveiling God's plan since
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the world began, right? Unveiling God's plan
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since the world began. And I made a comment about
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the fact that when you read the scripture, it
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looks as if the attention is on the Jewish nation,
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right? On the Jewish nation. But if you read
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in detail, you will see that God's plan, right,
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is for all men. And that we are not second citizens
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of heaven, you know, first citizens, the Jews.
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Then I'm not even sure maybe we would make it
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to second citizens if we really check. Because
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if you have the Jews, maybe the Samaritans will
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also claim that they worship on the mountains,
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right? Closer relative, then probably they are
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even which other nation? probably some Egyptians
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that were part of them. Romans, yes, Romans too
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would get, you know, they would receive the gospel,
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giving Paul's journey in Italy, Europe, and other
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parts, Cyprus as well. Then, maybe it will now
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get worse, right? So if you will count in that
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sense, we might not be even second citizens in
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the sense of what we are talking about. But what
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Paul is saying here is that since the world began,
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All men are to come into God, irrespective of
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their nation. And we've significantly taught
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in this church that the importance of the Jewish
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nation is God showing how he would communicate,
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using them to communicate the gospel. Not even
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only that, but also the picture of the family,
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how God would establish his family, the oracles
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of God, everything is painted through that nation.
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If you read the Old Testament, you will see it's
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for them. But when you continue to understand,
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you will see that the revelation is that it's
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to all men. And that was the problem that made
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us talk about the Samaritans and then the Italian
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soldier and how Israel said they are not part
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of the people of God in that sense, right? So
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we proceed and we said the word mystery is mysterion,
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right? which means to be hidden, secrets, religious
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secrets in some sense. He said, confided only.
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Now, this one is the one that we will add to
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it because on Sunday, we said, we made one, I
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mentioned a phrase, which is not obvious to the
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understanding, right? That was where we ended
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on mystery, that it is not obvious to the understanding.
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So it means that something is actually communicated.
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And if we pay attention to it, we can get the
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understanding, okay? Something is communicated
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in the Old Testament text, and if we pay attention
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to it, right, or what is communicated, we will
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know what God's intention is, right, since the
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beginning of the world. So, the word misery is
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not obvious to understanding, right? We say confided
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only in some places you will see that's confided
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only to people initiated not to ordinary mortals.
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Some definitions also put such kind of an explanation.
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But it's actually referring to people who can
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actually pay attention to the scriptures and
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see it, right? And that is why Jesus would say
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the Pharisees always check the scriptures, right?
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So they check the scriptures, but yet they didn't
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see. So it means that it remains a mystery to
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them. It remains a mystery. to them but it's
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not a mystery it's just that it's not obvious
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to the understanding now today we're just going
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to go through uh a couple of scriptures that
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will link us to the word epignosis so ephesians
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chapter four ephesians chapter four ephesians
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chapter four uh sorry ephesians chapter one let's
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go to ephesians chapter one first we'll come
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back to ephesians chapter four ephesians chapter
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one uh from the one we read always for prayers
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for verse 17, but we're just going to read from
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verse 15. that you may know what is the hope
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of his calling and what the riches of the glory
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of his inheritance in the saints and what is
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the exceeding greatness of his power to us who
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believe according to the workings of his great
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might, which he wrote in Christ when he raised
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him from the dead and set him at his own right
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hand in the heavenly places, far above all principalities
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and power. and might, and dominion, and every
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name that is named, not only in this world, but
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also in that which is to come. And he hath put
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all things under his feet and gave him to be
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the head over all things to the church, which
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is his body, the fullness of him that filleth
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all in whole. And what we see here is that it's
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similar to, I think there are about three scriptures
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like that, right? It's similar to... Romans chapter
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1, right? It's similar to that, Romans 16, sorry.
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It's similar to Romans 16, 25 to 26, because
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it picks the word revelation in the knowledge
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of him, right? Revelation, it picks the word
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revelation in the knowledge of him. And that
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revelation is also the word apocalypses, right?
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It's still the word apocalypses. We'll come to
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that. Let's go to, I think, 2 Corinthians. Before
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2 Corinthians, Ephesians 3, just open to the
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next page. Ephesians 3, Ephesians chapter 3,
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from verse 1. in the mystery of Christ, which
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in other ages was not made known unto the sons
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of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles
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and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles
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should be followers and of the same body and
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partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel,
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whereof I was made a minister according to the
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gifts. of the grace of God given unto me by the
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effectual working of His power. Now, we see the
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word here again, revelation and mystery, right?
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Revelation and mystery. And one thing that is
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now unfolding again, that we'll begin to see,
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is the word knowledge, okay? Revelation, mystery,
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and we see knowledge, right? In Ephesians 1,
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17, you will see wisdom and revelation in the
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knowledge. of him right spirit of wisdom and
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revelation the knowledge of him and then ephesians
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3 we will see revelation he made known ephesians
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3 3 revelation he made known unto me the mystery
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how by revelation he made it unto me the mystery
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which i wrote a full time in few words right
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and again the word mystery again we'll find it
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in uh We find it in verse 4, whereby when they
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read, they may understand my knowledge, right?
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They may understand my intermission. So, we see
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the word knowledge, right, unfolding. Now, the
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word knowledge in Ephesians 1, right, 17, is
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the word epignosis. Okay? So, let's start from
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there. It's the word epignosis. It's the word
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epignosis, which refers to precise knowledge,
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precise knowledge, accurate understanding. precise
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knowledge, accurate understanding, coming to
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full recognition of Christ, right? Precise knowledge,
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accurate understanding also means coming to full
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recognition of Christ, of Christ. So if we read
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it together, it will mean, in verse 17, that
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the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
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of glory, may give you, because we taught this
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and we've explained this, that this is the wisdom
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that is found in the spirits. Because it is by
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this wisdom that Paul wrote what he wrote. He
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said the wisdom of the Spirit and revelation
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means opening up, taking away from being hidden
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in the knowledge of Him. It means that we will
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have precise understanding of Christ through
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revelation. Okay, we'll have precise understanding
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of Christ's revelation in the knowledge of him.
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So when we open the scriptures and it's explained,
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right, we will come to the precise understanding
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of who Christ is. So again, when we open the
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scriptures and the scriptures are explained to
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us, revelation, we will come to the precise understanding.
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Right? Accurate knowledge of Christ. Accurate
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knowledge of Christ. You can just write this
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down. We'll come back to reading the scripture.
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This knowledge actually is, it can also be regarded
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as experiential knowledge or functional knowledge
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of Christ. Okay? Functional means that a knowledge
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that you come into and you work in it. Right?
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We're going to see subsequently where it says
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work in this knowledge. So it is not a knowledge
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that is passive. But when we see the scriptures
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explained, the Old Testament explained, it tells
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us as believers how to live, right? It is functional
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in our life. It is experiential. So experiential
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knowledge of God is not like, oh, you see Jesus
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in a vision. And after that, you know. Something
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changed and all of that. But it's talking about
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teaching from, you know, the scriptures and this
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revelation become functional, right? Becomes
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functional in our lives. This revelation becomes
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functional in our lives. So it's the word epignosis.
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Now let's pick it. It's from the word epi and
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gnosis. So it's the word, the first word is epi,
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just like we had apo and calypso. We have epi
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and gnosis. epi and gnosis and what do they mean
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the gnosis there is the word knowledge actually
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so gnosis g -n -o -s -i -s is actually the word
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knowledge which it is actually used in other
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parts of the scripture so you will find some
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parts of the bible where it uses the word knowledge
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which uses the word gnosis right and you will
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find some parts the same word knowledge is explained
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or the original word is Epignosis, right? So,
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the gnosis refers to knowledge, right? And it's
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referring to knowledge. And the epignosis carries
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the sense of accuracy, which is different from
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just irregular information. Okay? It's different
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from regular information. It's different from
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just knowing something by just knowing. But it's
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talking about accuracy. Knowledge is what gives
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it that effect. It's like I was trying to explain
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it when I was studying. It's like saying a higher
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knowledge or saying an accurate knowledge, precise.
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I actually called it the peak. Okay, I used the
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word peak for it because I was trying to see
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something that could come close to it, right?
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It refers to the peak of the knowledge of Christ,
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like what you should know, the accurate knowledge
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of Christ. We see that it's talking about epignosis
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coming to the full awareness. It also means coming
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to the full awareness of who Christ is and what
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Christ has done. Good. So we're going to check
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a couple of scriptures and see how this word
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has been used. But before then, let's see what
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Paul said about epignosis and the revelation.
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When we come to chapter 3, we will see that it
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says, How that by revelation he made known unto
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me. So Paul is saying that he had a revelation.
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It was granted unto Paul, right, to write and
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unveil what is called mystery. Okay, so he's
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saying when you read, you would understand my
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knowledge in the mystery of Christ. Means that
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Paul knows something. Something was landed onto
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Paul, right, when it comes to the mystery of
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Christ, and he knew it by the Spirit. Let's see
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other people that Paul included in that bracket.
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It says, which in other ages was not made known,
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right, unto the sons of men. Now, here it looks
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like it was not made known unto the sons of men.
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It was hidden, right? But what we said is that
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it is not obvious to the knowledge. It is not
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clearly stated. It is not something that is fully
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stated. We can put it that way as well, right?
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It's not something that is fully stated or that
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can't be fully stated, okay? So we're talking
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about the Old Testament times, right? So in other
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ages, he's talking about the Old Testament times.
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Right. First of all, we know that as at that
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time, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ
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was in a promise was to come. Right. So they
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had things written to them that are not obvious.
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And also coupled with the fact that the death,
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burial and resurrection of Christ had not taken
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place. Right. It means that we can say they had
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progressive knowledge. OK, so their knowledge
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progressed up until, right, up until. until Paul.
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Now, but it's not just Paul. Who are the other
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people that are within these brackets, that are
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within this bracket? Let's see. So what about
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here? May we then understand my knowledge in
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the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was
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not made known unto sons of men, as it is now
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revealed unto his holy apostles and the prophets
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by the Spirit. By the Spirit. So Paul is saying
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here, right, the apostles, The holy apostles
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and prophets here is referring to the apostles.
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It's referring to the apostles. It's not saying
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the prophets of old, but it's saying that this
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revelation is revealed to the apostles. It means
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that the explanation of what was hidden in old
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times, in other ages, is revealed to Paul and
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the apostles. And we're talking about the apostles
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that walked with Jesus. We're talking about the
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disciples of Christ and how that was revealed
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to them. And in their writing, we can also see,
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just like Paul, their knowledge in the Old Testament.
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Their knowledge regarding the Old Testament texts.
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So, it was revealed to the early apostles. And
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if we just go to 1 Peter, and we can use Peter
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as an example, right? We can use Peter as...
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We can use Peter as an example. Okay, go to 2
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Peter 1. 2 Peter 1, verse 12. My tabernacle,
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even as the Lord Christ has showed me. Moreover,
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I endure that ye may be able after my decease,
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right, to have these things in remembrance. So,
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understanding. For we have not followed Conan
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the Pharaoh, when we made known unto you the
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power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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but we are eyewitnesses of the majesty, for he
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received from God the Father honor and glory,
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when there came such a voice to him from... The
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excellent glory, this is my beloved Son, in whom
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I am well pleased. And this voice which came
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from heaven we heard, and when we were with him
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in the holy mountain. We have also a more sure
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word, right, of prophecy, whereunto ye would
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do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that
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shineth in that place, unto the day done, and
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the day star arise in your hearts, knowing this
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first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of
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private interpretation. For the prophecy came
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not in all times by the will of man, but only
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men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
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Now, knowing that the scripture is not of private
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interpretation, saying that all scriptures need
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to be read together, right? So it's telling us
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that Peter had knowledge that these scriptures
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need to be read together. That's verse 20. And
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I think verse 19, we dealt with it, right? We
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dealt with it in cell meeting. talking about
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the writings, right? Talking about the scriptures
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that brings light onto us. We dealt with that
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in Sermon. So what we are seeing here, right,
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is that Peter also had the knowledge. Peter also
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had an understanding on how to read the scripture,
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right? And Peter also had the revelation. Of
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course, this was talking about what they had
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on the holy mountains, right? What was granted,
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it was also granted unto them for them to see
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and then to understand, right? It was granted
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to them to see and... And just like every other
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apostle, right? They all had the spirit that
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give them the understanding of what the scriptures
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are saying together. That's why Peter would say,
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no scripture has its own, is separate from the
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other, right? All scriptures are together and
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that is actually revelation. Okay? So private
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interpretation is not talking about my own meaning
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or your own meaning, right? But no scripture
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stands alone. No scripture stands on its own,
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but must be put together. And that reflects a
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similar text in which Paul is writing here. So,
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it means that the people who could explain the
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Old Testament to us, that were granted to explain
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in their writings, the Old Testament to us, were
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the apostles. And therefore, we peek from their
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understanding and their explanation of the scripture.
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So, Apostle Paul, then Peter, and... other apostles.
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Apostle Paul, Peter, and other apostles. So the
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Revelation will be understanding the Scriptures
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together from the Epistles. Revelation understanding
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the Scriptures together from the Epistles. And
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there's one other text that we can read. There's
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one other text that we can add to that. So we've
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had Ephesians 1, we've had Ephesians 3. Romans
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1, we've had that. Then we can go to 1 Corinthians
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2. 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2. Now, if
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we read from verse 9, right? If we read from
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verse 9. As it is written, eyes I had not seen
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and ear heard, neither have entered into the
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hearts of man the things which God hath prepared
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for them that love him. But God hath revealed
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them unto us by Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth
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all things, yea, the deep things of God. For
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what man knoweth the things of a man, saith the
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Spirit of man, which is in him. Even so the things
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of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
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Now we have received not the Spirit of the world,
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but the Spirit which is of God, that we might
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know. Things that are freely given to us. And
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verse 13 says, which things also we speak, right?
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Pay attention to that. These things we also speak,
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not in words of man's wisdom, but that which
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the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spirituals
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with spiritual. But the natural man received
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not the things of... the Spirit of God, for their
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foolishness unto him, neither can he know them.
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Now, verse 13, right, in a way, right, points
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to the fact that the Scriptures, right, it says,
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the things we speak, not in words and wisdom
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of man, right, not in words that men teach. If
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you read verse 1, it also said, I came to you
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not in excellence of speech, right? So, Paul
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is writing to the church and explaining to them
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that what we speak, What we speak is not that
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which is of man's wisdom, but that which the
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Holy Ghost teaches. So it means that Paul also
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refers to something here, that there are some
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people that are speaking some things that the
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Holy Ghost teaches unto them. And this is, in
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a way, trying to point to the apostles here as
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well. Because he says, we speak not what is wisdom,
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but that's what the Holy Ghost speaks. It's comparing
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spirituals to spirituals. Also referring, right,
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to the fact that they have a knowledge, they
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have a wisdom that is granted unto them, right?
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And what they teach means their pistols, which
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is their teaching, right, is granted to them
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by the Holy Ghost, right? The explanation is
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granted unto them. Because already in verse one,
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you're already saying, I'm coming to declare
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the testimony of God. Not in words and wisdom
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of men, right? Not in words and wisdom of men,
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but that's which the Holy Ghost teaches, okay?
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That's which the Holy Ghost teaches. Means that
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when they open the scriptures and they're writing
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their epistles, there is a revelation of the
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Holy Ghost that is helping them to interpret
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this and bringing it to our knowledge, right?
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And bringing it to our knowledge. Now... The
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challenge is, right, why I'm trying to emphasize
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the fact that Paul and other apostles had a specific,
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would I say, grant unto them, specific privilege
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grant unto them to write the epistles is to shift
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the way from new revelation, right, where someone
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will come and say, well, I have a new revelation,
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I have a new interpretation of the Bible, right,
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or I have seen something new, right, something
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new. So, it shows, one of the scriptures shows
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that the apostles, they were given the responsibility
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to help us to understand what has been written
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in other ages that we do not understand. Okay?
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That is not obvious to our eyes. They have been
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given the responsibility to help us to understand
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what has been written in ages past that we do
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not understand. And we are working in that revelation.
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And that is why when you observe Paul's teaching,
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it's about what you have in Christ and how you
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should live. Okay? If you observe their teachings,
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the teachings of the apostles, it's about what
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you have in Christ and how you should live. So
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it's about what Christ has done, death, burial,
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and resurrection, and what that means to you
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as a believer. So when you begin to listen to
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sermons, and teachings come from the podium or
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from the pastors, and they explain to you what
29:38
Christ has done, right? You also pick what that
29:42
means to you. Then when you go out, you are able
29:44
to live a life of faith, right? You're able to
29:48
live a life that Christ has called you to live.
29:51
For example, if you read Ephesians 1, it says
29:54
that the essence of this revelation in the knowledge
29:57
of Him is that you might be able to know what?
30:03
of your calling. So if you go to Ephesians, I
30:05
think that should be 1, 1 verse 19, 18, sorry.
30:10
It said, eyes of your understanding being enlightened
30:12
by this revelation in the knowledge of him, eyes
30:16
of understanding being enlightened, right? You
30:19
may know the hope of your calling. Okay? So you
30:22
know the hope of your calling. You understand
30:25
the riches of his glorious inheritance in the
30:27
saints. You understand the power that is what?
30:30
Verse 19, that is at work in you. Okay? So you
30:35
understand the power that is at work in you,
30:38
right? As a believer, right? You understand the
30:42
power of God that is at work. What erodes in
30:44
Christ and then how it is impacting you. So this
30:49
is what he's saying that post -teaching you will
30:52
find what Christ has done and the conduct of
30:55
the believer and how the believer should live.
30:57
on a daily basis, right? And this becomes experiential.
31:00
So for someone knowing the hope of their calling,
31:02
it's like knowing that you are commissioned to
31:04
the military, for example, right? If you know
31:08
you are commissioned into the military, we don't
31:10
need to have a conversation when war starts.
31:13
For example, you know it's your responsibility
31:15
to go to war, right? So if you are commissioned
31:19
for that, you don't need anyone to begin to,
31:21
you know, we don't have to cajole you when that
31:23
circumstance comes. So it's the same. Like a
31:25
believer, right? When it is time for prayers,
31:29
you don't have to be cajoled. So it means that
31:32
the revelation and knowledge of God will make
31:34
it like easy for you to pray. Let me put it that
31:39
way. Like you don't struggle. You don't struggle.
31:41
Prayer is not something that they call and you
31:43
take it lightly. The revelation and knowledge
31:46
of God will also make you, you know, be able
31:49
to go out and talk to someone about Jesus, right?
31:53
Because that is what you have been commissioned
31:55
for. Right? That's what you have been commissioned
31:58
for. So, this knowledge helps you to function
32:02
well as a believer. Okay? It helps you to function
32:06
well as a believer. And when I started this teaching,
32:09
in the first track, I talked about the fact that
32:11
we met some believers and they were asking questions.
32:15
Right? And we met another guy, a Muslim guy,
32:18
and he said that, you know, and I realized that
32:20
what the guy was saying, even some believers
32:22
do not have the understanding. Do you get the
32:25
point? So, When you come into this knowledge,
32:27
right, when you grow, which you're going to see
32:30
is very good because it's also knowledge that
32:31
helps us to grow. When we grow in it, right,
32:34
you begin to function effectively. We don't have
32:37
to call you to come to church. We don't have
32:39
to call you to come for evangelism. We don't
32:40
have to call you to do prayers, right? You will
32:43
not be like one guy that we met that said he
32:46
doesn't even want to hear about God or give us,
32:48
he collected our paper and said, literally, he
32:50
will not come. And do you know his last statement?
32:54
He said, God knows my heart. I'm like, no, this
32:57
guy is not. If you are in the revelation of God,
32:59
right? If you are in the revelation of God, you
33:03
will not say, well, God knows my heart. He understands
33:05
me, right? And all of that. And that just shows
33:09
that his name is, is he Afraid or? His name is
33:12
Afraid, right? Afraid, right? And what we'll
33:15
just begin to perceive is that maybe his parents
33:17
are pastors or he has had an encounter. with
33:23
the faith, right? He has not advanced with the
33:24
faith, but he has not come into the revelation
33:26
of the hope of his calling. There was, you know,
33:30
I mean, I know many of people, many of you met
33:31
a lot of people, but we met very interesting
33:33
people. There was one that ran, ran and almost
33:36
entered the wrong school bus. Probably she was
33:38
going to Nefkosha and she was hiding for us inside
33:41
Gornieli bus, right? Until probably we passed,
33:44
she now came down to Russia and it was Bishop
33:46
that was trying to, you know, ensure that she
33:48
heard, but she was totally ear blocked. And I
33:52
perceive as well that if you ask her, she actually
33:55
looks like someone that has been in church as
33:58
well for a long time. But the reality of this
34:03
precise knowledge of Christ is not done on them
34:05
yet. They can say a few things about Jesus. They've
34:09
not grown in this revelation. So the conduct
34:12
is not visible. It is not functional. It is not
34:16
experiential for them. In the sense that... When
34:20
they bring things about God, it's not about exciting,
34:24
but it doesn't trigger them. It doesn't raise
34:26
them to do something. It doesn't make them active.
34:31
I don't know whether you are always excited,
34:33
but when it comes to someone teaching, I'm always
34:36
very excited to hear the teaching, to increase
34:40
in knowledge, to go for evangelism, to talk to
34:43
someone about God. Or someone just comes to you
34:47
and the person tells you, She's a believer, which
34:50
happened to me yesterday in class. And I had
34:53
to just cut it. I said, let's talk about it after
34:55
the class. She's from Syria. And you know those
34:58
kind of people. And her name is Joy. And she
35:00
has a name that is almost like a Nigerian. So
35:03
I was questioning. I'm not sure you're in this
35:05
class. This is not your name. I thought she was
35:06
impersonating someone. Because the name was like
35:09
Joy Chiamaka, something like that. But she's
35:11
from Syria. And she looked at me. She said, I'm
35:14
a Christian. And my weekday. became strong because
35:20
she not said i'm from syria i said i get that
35:21
a lot i get that a lot now it excites me to see
35:25
someone from a place where i where i don't i
35:28
wasn't expecting the light will come out from
35:30
and i see light there it gets me excited and
35:33
she said she's been looking for churches all
35:35
around cyprus and she had not found and but they
35:38
invited her to one church in our campus i said
35:40
okay maybe after that time we'll invite you here
35:43
so that you can come now it excites me when i
35:46
see someone that I wasn't there, someone that
35:48
I probably planned to preach to and the person
35:50
that I believed. It just excites me. I'm like,
35:52
okay, there are many people in places that we
35:55
think that there are no believers. Do you know?
35:57
There are many people in places that we think
36:00
that there are no believers. She explained, she
36:02
said, you know, I think they do their Arabic
36:04
service. We're talking about Turkish service,
36:07
right? This one is their service is Arabic and
36:10
she said there's a Byzantine language that they
36:12
speak in their church and all of that. I said,
36:13
wow. I was excited. Like, so we are saying we
36:17
want to go to Syria. There are people there,
36:18
bro. There are people there doing great job,
36:21
you know. So this kind of thing should excite
36:24
you. This is because the revelation of God is
36:27
done on you that, man, this message is to all
36:30
nations everywhere. They must hear it. They must
36:34
believe and all of that. So it should always
36:36
excite you. You should get excited by the things
36:39
of God. So let's come back to epignosis. Epignosis,
36:42
the precise understanding. Let's see how this
36:45
has been used. Okay. Sometimes it's actually
36:48
used even for unbelievers. Okay. That's the most,
36:51
I mean, that's what I, you know, paid attention
36:53
to. And I realized that this word was also used
36:55
for unbelievers. You know, because when I, when
36:58
those days, when we used to think epignosis,
36:59
we are, you know, we, it is for us. Right. But
37:03
the Bible writing also used it for unbelievers.
37:06
So let's start. Unbelievers, epignosis used for
37:08
unbelievers. Right. Epignosis used for. Romans
37:14
1, verse 8. Romans 1, verse 8. Romans 1, verse
37:25
8. Romans 1, verse 28. Can you go to verse 28,
37:32
please? Verse 28. And even as they did not like
37:38
to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them
37:44
over to a reprobate mind to do those things.
37:51
which are not, right? When they do not want to
37:55
regard God, retain God in their knowledge. It
37:59
means that the preaching of the gospel that was
38:02
presented to them and the teaching, right, is
38:06
a precise understanding about God. Okay, the
38:10
gospel that was preached to them is a clear gospel.
38:12
It's not fake gospel. You know, there's anything
38:14
like that. It's not a diluted gospel. It's not
38:17
something that cannot save them. Okay, you know,
38:21
if they preach something that cannot save you
38:22
to you, it will be unfair to say that we judge
38:25
you when you don't believe it. But these people
38:28
were given the accurate knowledge of God, but
38:31
they refused to retain God. It means to believe
38:35
it, to receive it, to recognize it, right, and
38:39
stay in it. So they did not retain God in their
38:45
knowledge. So let's go to the next one, Romans
38:47
3 .20. Romans 3, 20. Now this one just connected
38:56
it to the knowledge of sin. It said, therefore,
38:58
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh
39:01
be justified in a sight. So by the deeds of the
39:05
law, there shall no flesh be justified. For by
39:07
the law is the precise knowledge of sin, the
39:09
knowledge of sin. So here he's talking about
39:12
the knowledge of sin. So he's using it in relation
39:15
to sin. He's using it in relation to sin, talking
39:19
about no man can be justified. by no flesh can
39:24
be justified in his sight through the deeds of
39:27
the law. So unbelief is also visible here, right?
39:30
Unbelief is also visible here because it says
39:32
the deeds of the law cannot justify someone.
39:35
So if anybody puts his hand in the deeds of the
39:37
law, right, it means the person cannot be justified.
39:40
So here again, we see that it's talking about
39:42
unbelief. Romans 10, 2. Romans 10, 2. There were
39:50
two more scriptures for that. Romans 10, 2. For
39:56
I bear them record that they have a zeal for
39:59
God, but not according to knowledge. Not according
40:06
to knowledge. They have a zeal for God. And this
40:09
was talking about Israel. Again, they were in
40:11
unbelief. This is what Paul was talking about.
40:13
You have zeal for God, but not according to the
40:16
accurate knowledge of God. Not according to the
40:18
precise knowledge of Christ. So their knowledge
40:21
about God is not precise. That precise knowledge
40:24
is in Christ. That accurate knowledge of God
40:27
is in Christ. So what differentiates us from
40:31
every other religious group or faith is that
40:37
we are in the accurate and precise knowledge
40:39
of God. Do we get it? And that is why I refer
40:42
to those guys that say to the unknown God. They
40:46
mention to the unknown God. And they were doing
40:49
something to the unknown God. That is not the
40:51
precise knowledge of God. Anybody can put anything
40:54
down and say, this is God and I'm serving, right?
40:58
But that is not their credence. Now, they are
41:01
even doing it something closer, which is Judaizing,
41:04
right? But it's not ending in Christ. It should
41:08
end in Christ. Christ is the end of it, right?
41:10
Let me put it that way. It should end in Christ.
41:12
So, but not according to the precise knowledge
41:15
of Christ. zeal, but not the accurate knowledge.
41:25
1 Timothy 2, verse 4. 1 Timothy 2, verse 4. It
41:32
says, Who will have all men to be saved and come
41:35
to the knowledge of the truth? I don't know if
41:38
this is even much on the unbeliever, but it's
41:42
okay. We'll just keep it there because it's referring
41:44
to people who come to save, right? Who come to
41:47
salvation. So, it's talking about who come to...
41:50
The knowledge of the truth. Now, let's read from
41:53
verse 1. Read from verse 1. I exhort, therefore,
42:00
that first of all, supplications, prayers, and
42:02
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for
42:06
all men. For kings and for all that are in authority,
42:10
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
42:14
all godliness and honesty. For this is good and
42:18
acceptable in the sight of God. our Savior, who
42:23
will have all men to be saved and come, right,
42:26
to the knowledge of the truth. So, when you're
42:30
making prayer, right, this is the focus of the
42:32
prayer, that all men would come. When you pray
42:35
for leaders, right, when you pray for people
42:37
in authority, that all men may be saved and all
42:40
men may come to the precise knowledge of the
42:43
truth. So, we see it here in 1 Timothy 2, verse
42:47
4. 2 Timothy 2, verse 25. 2 Timothy 2, verse
42:52
25. The last verse will be for us, for the believers.
42:58
In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves,
43:01
if God paraventure will give them repentance
43:04
to the acknowledging of the truth. So sometimes
43:07
the word is used as acknowledgement, okay? To
43:10
acknowledge the truth, right? So acknowledge
43:13
the truth. So it's talking about those themselves,
43:15
those who have not believed, right? That they
43:18
may come to the acknowledgement of. Now let's
43:22
see where it is used for believers. So we see
43:24
here that some people rejected it. They rejected
43:26
the precise knowledge of Christ. They rejected
43:30
the precise, the accurate knowledge of Christ.
43:32
They didn't come to the awareness of that knowledge.
43:36
So we'll start with Ephesians 1. Epignosis is
43:39
used within the context of those that have believed.
43:43
Within the context of those that have believed.
43:46
Ephesians 1 verse 17. So we'll begin to see things
43:51
like walk. Things like know, things like do,
43:55
right? Experientially, right? What we see. So
43:59
one verse, verse 17. That God of our Lord Jesus
44:06
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you
44:08
the spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge
44:10
of him. The next one. The eyes of your understanding,
44:12
being enlightened, that ye may know what is the
44:15
hope of his calling and what the riches of his
44:17
glorious inheritance in the saints. And what
44:20
is the exceeding greatness of a Spartan who believes
44:23
according to the workings of his mighty power,
44:27
right? So, we will know. We will come to the
44:30
knowing of the hope of our calling. Why you are
44:33
a believer, right? Why you are a believer. People
44:35
can ask you why you are a believer. Why you believe
44:37
what you believe, right? Which is connected to
44:41
you giving an account, right? You give an account.
44:44
You give an apology. Why do you believe worship?
44:47
So when you know the hope of your calling, it
44:49
is easy, right, for someone to ask you and for
44:53
you to give an explanation. But if you don't
44:56
know the hope of your calling, someone will ask
44:58
you and you will say, well, I don't do church.
45:01
You know, I don't do church. I just go to church
45:04
once a year, right? So no man or none of us should
45:09
get to that point, right? It's not a point where
45:12
we should be. So this revelation that we teach
45:14
day in, day out. should bring us to the point
45:17
where we know the hope of our calling and we
45:18
stay there. Right? We know the hope of our calling
45:21
and we stay there. Ephesians 4, verse 13. I think
45:26
you'll start from Ephesians 4, verse 11. And
45:31
it gave some apostles and some prophets and evangelists
45:34
and some pastors and teachers for the perfection
45:37
of the saints, for the work of ministry, for
45:38
the defiance of the body, to win all coming the
45:43
unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of
45:47
God unto a perfect man. unto the measure of stature
45:51
of the fullness of Christ. Now, this is actually,
45:55
just stay previous. We'll come back to that.
45:58
Let me explain this. We'll go to the next one
45:59
after. This one is actually talking about we're
46:02
coming to precise and accurate knowledge of Christ.
46:06
And this comes when there is teaching. Okay?
46:10
This comes when there is teaching by the pastors,
46:14
by, you know, leaders of church, right? When
46:17
there is a teaching, We come to precise knowledge.
46:20
So every time when there's a teaching, we increase
46:23
in the knowledge of Christ. We increase in the
46:27
knowledge of Christ. And so it's not like we
46:31
all come to the unity of faith, right? Unity
46:33
of faith is actually how we gradually grow into
46:37
the precise knowledge of Jesus, right? We grow.
46:42
So it's not about... Churches coming together,
46:44
I think we should highlight that. So unity of
46:47
faith is not different churches coming together
46:49
and saying exactly the same thing or doing the
46:53
same thing or doing, in our case, a concert.
46:57
Not exactly that, but actually, every believer,
47:02
every church as we teach, we come to know Christ
47:06
much more. We come to the awareness of it. Christ
47:10
becomes done on us every day as we go through.
47:13
So he said, the unity of faith is therefore,
47:17
will be we coming to the knowledge of Christ,
47:20
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
47:23
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
47:25
So growth taking place. You can go to the next
47:30
one now. That we henceforth be no more tossed
47:33
around, tossed to and fro, and carried about
47:36
with every wind of doctrine by the slight of
47:39
men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie
47:42
in wait to deceive. So, it means that the believer
47:45
that works in accurate knowledge of God allows
47:48
him or herself to grow in the precise knowledge
47:52
of Christ, you will not be tossed around. You
47:55
will not be tossed to and fro. It means you'll
47:57
be stable. You'll be established in that knowledge.
48:00
Or rather, we can say the knowledge of Christ
48:03
will establish you. Okay? The precise knowledge
48:06
of Christ would establish you. You will know
48:08
who Christ is. No one can deceive you about Christ.
48:12
No one can give you a teaching that is not Christ's.
48:16
Therefore, you are established in that teaching.
48:22
Philippians 1 verse 9. Philippians 1 verse 9.
48:29
It says, And this I pray, that you love me about
48:32
more and more in the knowledge and in all judgment.
48:37
This is also epignosis. So he said, and I pray
48:43
that you love me about more in the knowledge
48:44
and in all judgment. So you love abounding more
48:48
and more in knowledge, right? In knowledge. It's
48:51
through the knowledge and in all judgment. Now
48:53
let's go to the next one. I think I'm checking
48:55
the time. Colossians 1 verse 9. Colossians 1
49:03
verse 9. I think this should be similar to Ephesians.
49:08
For this cause, we also, since we heard of, we
49:10
heard of it, right? We heard it. Do not cease
49:12
to pray for you that. We're not supposed to pray
49:15
for you and to desire that you might be filled
49:18
with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom
49:21
and spiritual understanding. So be filled with
49:24
the knowledge of him, right? So you already have
49:27
the Holy Ghost in you, right? But you're regularly
49:30
being filled with the precise knowledge of Christ.
49:33
The believer has the Spirit and you're regularly
49:35
being filled that you desire, and look at how
49:38
he put it, to desire. Right? Do not cease to
49:42
pray for you and to desire. So his strong desire,
49:45
his will, what he wishes, just like he says,
49:47
my desire for Israel is that they will be saved.
49:50
Now, Paul's desire for the believer is that you
49:54
will be filled with the precise knowledge of
49:57
Christ. Okay? So that's Paul's desire. While
50:00
he has a desire for his people to be saved, his
50:03
desire towards us is that we will be filled regularly
50:06
with the precise knowledge of Christ. Colossians
50:10
2 verse 2, that the heart might be comforted,
50:19
being knitted together in love and unto all riches
50:23
of the full assurance of understanding, right?
50:26
To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God,
50:31
right? And of the Father and of Christ. So that
50:34
the heart might be comforted, knitted together
50:37
in love, right? So this is the conduct of the
50:40
believer here, in all riches of the full assurance
50:44
of the understanding. Right? From this precise
50:47
knowledge of the mystery of Christ, or the mystery
50:50
of God, the Father, which is in Christ. Right?
50:53
From this precise knowledge, the mystery of God,
50:57
the Father, which can be found in Christ. So
51:00
this brings it all together. God, the Father,
51:02
and then emphasizing Christ at the center of
51:05
it. Colossians 3, verse 10. Colossians 3, verse
51:10
10. And have put on... Can you go back to verse...
51:16
Verse 9, a little bit. Lie not to one another,
51:21
seeing that ye have put off the old man with
51:26
his deeds. Okay? That's an instruction. And have
51:29
put on a new man, which is renewed in knowledge
51:34
after the image of him that created him. So,
51:38
we have put on a new man. So, this new man, when
51:41
you became born again, you don't have the full
51:44
knowledge. Okay? In fact, you just started your
51:48
journey, so you don't have the full knowledge.
51:50
No believer that comes to the face today has
51:54
the full knowledge, right? That is why you can
51:57
see a believer, like you said, lie not to one
52:00
another. A believer can lie, can engage in those
52:03
kind of conducts. A very new believer, right,
52:06
can engage in those conducts. That is why Paul
52:09
is giving an instruction that the way you can
52:11
excuse yourself or... Ensure that you don't engage
52:17
in such conduct as lying and every other thing
52:19
that was mentioned here is that you renew, right?
52:23
You renew your mind, right? Through the knowledge
52:26
of Christ. Through the knowledge of the person
52:29
that created you, right? Of Christ who created
52:32
you, you renew your mind through the knowledge,
52:35
right? So this new man has to regularly renew
52:38
himself, right? Through the knowledge of Christ.
52:40
So the new man is renewed. So we are renewed
52:42
daily through the precise knowledge of Christ.
52:45
through the accurate knowledge of Christ, and
52:47
therefore we find ourselves in the right conduct.
52:50
Okay? We find ourselves in the right conduct.
52:53
So when you see yourself exhibiting certain conduct,
52:56
maybe you should check what does the scripture
52:58
say about it? Have I come to the understanding
53:01
and the reality of what the Bible says regarding
53:04
that issue? Okay? So you can check your conduct
53:08
and say, well, in this conduct, have I come to
53:11
the understanding of... what the Bible says.
53:13
For example, how believers should relate among
53:15
themselves, right? Maybe you find yourself exhibiting
53:18
anger, you find yourself regularly, you know,
53:21
using the wrong words, you find yourself quick,
53:24
you know, to anger and all of that. Now, you
53:26
can check the scriptures and learn and say, okay,
53:29
how is a believer, right, expected to walk in
53:34
this precise knowledge? And you'll see the precise
53:36
knowledge of Christ teaching you how to... Hold
53:40
yourself, which is self -control, temperaments,
53:42
and all of that that we see in Galatians 5. So
53:46
this new man is renewed through the knowledge
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of God. So it means that the food of the new
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man, the food of the new man is this knowledge.
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And the new man continues to grow in that knowledge.
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We can see some other scriptures for believers.
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Titus 1 verse 1. Titus 1 verse 1. So Paul, servant
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of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, according
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to the faith of the elect and the acknowledging
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of the truth, which is after godliness. So Paul
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is just giving his own profile here, right? Acknowledging
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of the truth. So an apostle of Jesus Christ,
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according to the faith of God's elect and the
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acknowledging, right? Holding on to the knowledge
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of Christ. So he's an apostle acknowledging the
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truth, which is after godliness. Now let's go
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to Philemon 1 verse 6. where we see this same
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word, Philemon 1, verse 6. We still have a couple
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of them here. All right, let's just write them
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down. Philemon 1, verse 6. 2 Peter 1, verse 2.
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2 Peter 1, verse 2. 2 Peter 1, verse 3. Okay,
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2 Peter 1, verse 1 and 2 and 3, right? 2 Peter
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1, verse 2 to 3. And then 2 Peter, verse 8. So
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Peter used the word, 2 Peter verse 8. 2 Peter
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verse 8. So let's go to Philemon. So what does
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Philemon say? He said that the communication
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of thy faith may become effectual by acknowledging,
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right? Coming to the precise knowledge of every
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good thing which is yours in Christ. So the communication
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of thy faith would be effective, right? By acknowledging
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or coming to the precise knowledge and awareness
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and recognition of all that is yours. So it's
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like saying, coming to the precise knowledge
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of Christ, which is every good thing that is
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yours in Christ. So I just put it in my own way.
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Coming to the precise knowledge of Christ, which
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is every good thing that is yours in Christ.
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Coming to the precise knowledge of Christ, which
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is every good thing that is yours in Christ.
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2 Peter 1 verse 2 says, Grace and peace be multiplied
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unto you through the knowledge of God. of Jesus
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Christ, Jesus our Lord. So the increase in what
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we say more grace, when we say more grace, then
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you should want increase in the knowledge of
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Christ. So more or less, if we say more grace
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unto you, more grace to study the word, more
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grace to learn about Jesus, more grace to pray,
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right? More grace to stay in the place of prayer,
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more grace to study for hours, right? To come
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to church, more grace to come to church because...
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You know, it's a precise knowledge that a precise
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knowledge of Christ teaches that. So when someone
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says more grace to you, it's pushing responsibility
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to you that it will multiply when you know much
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more, right? Through the word. Verse three, I
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think says almost the same thing. According to
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this, the vampire has given us all things that
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pertains unto life and godliness through the
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knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
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and virtue. So all that pertains to life and
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godliness, right? granted unto us through the
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knowledge. Through the knowledge. So, giving
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to us all things that pertain to life. So, what
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pertains to life and godliness that you will
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know will be through the knowledge of Christ.
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Okay? So, the knowledge of Christ makes you to
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understand what pertains to life and godliness
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that belongs to you. It's through the knowledge
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of him that has called us unto glory. Giving
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us all that pertains to life and godliness. So,
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it means that there might be things that pertain
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to life and godliness that I'm not aware of.
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Right? Simply because I've not paid attention
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to it from what the scripture says on those matters.
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Verse 8. Then we'll finish here. For if these
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things be in you and abound, they make you that
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ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in
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the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now this
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is the last scripture we are going to hold on
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to. Right? He says you will not be unfruitful.
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The positive way to say is that you will be profitable
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in the knowledge of Christ. So you're not just
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going to have the knowledge of Christ, right?
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But you will be profitable. The knowledge of
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Christ will yield fruit in your life, okay? If
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they are bound in you, if you increase in it,
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it should yield fruit. So it's saying that you
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will not be barren, right? You will not be unfruitful
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in the precise knowledge of God. It means that
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the precise knowledge of God has an effect. in
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the life of the believer. The precise knowledge
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of God brings profitability. You will be profitable
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to the kingdom because you are abounding in these
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things that Paul is saying. Help me on our feet
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as we just pray. We appreciate you being here
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today. We hope you carry this word with you throughout
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your week. Don't forget to check the show notes
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for additional insights. Stay connected with
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us through our website or follow us on social
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media. If you were encouraged, share this message
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with someone you care about. Until next time,
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stay blessed.