Godly Knowledge
An all-creatures Bible Message

Godly Knowledge
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
30 June 2019
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 77:7-12
Isaiah 11:6-10
Romans 1:18-25

Godly knowledge is what it takes for us to understand the glory of God, which was present and evident in God’s creation, and which existed until the time of the Fall when Eve and Adam disobeyed God, because they thought they knew better than God; or that they believed that their knowledge was greater than the Godly knowledge or the glory of God that created them and the world around them.
 
And we strongly believe that this is the problem with the world today, for it is full of violence, pain, suffering and death that didn’t exist in Eden or doesn’t exist in heaven.
 
This isn’t something that only happens today for as we read in Psalm 77:7-12, where the psalmist was struggling with the same problem some 3000 years ago.

7. Will the Lord reject forever?
And will He never be favorable again?

The psalmist saw all the corruption and warring madness around him, and questioned whether the Lord just got so fed up with the people and the ways they were behaving that He gave up on them and condemned them to live in the violence and corruption of their own making.

8. Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His promise come to an end forever?
 
9. Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?
Selah.

The psalmist was looking at the world around him with Godly knowledge and continued to question the reasons why the world was in such a corrupt way with all its problems.
 
And this Godly knowledge made him very sad, as we are today.

10. Then I said, "It is my grief,
That the right hand of the Most High has changed."

In other words, the psalmist believes that God had indeed allowed the people and the world to stew in the evil of the people’s own making, which we believe is what is happening to this very day.
 
But then the psalmist did something that we all need to do; he said in his heart and soul that he was not going to succumb to the evil and ungodly ways of the people in the world around him.

11. I shall remember the deeds of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.
 
12. I will meditate on all Thy work,
And muse on Thy deeds.
NASB

In his Godly knowledge, the psalmist was going to hang onto the ways of the Lord that he knew still existed.
 
And unlike him then, today we also have the teaching of Jesus and the prophets, and hopefully the unction of the Holy Spirit to guide us in the Godly knowledge of the Lord.
 
One of these examples is what Isaiah envisioned when he wrote 11:6-9...but we also need to look at verse 10, for it tells us that this will come to pass.

6. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the kid,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
 
7. Also the cow and the bear will graze;
Their young will lie down together;
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
 
8. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.

This is the peaceful way that things were in the Garden of Eden, and like the prophet Isaiah and the psalmist, we need to focus upon these things, for they all reflect the glory of God that created the heavens and the earth.
 
Then Isaiah told us what such a restored world would look like.

9. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.

In other words, the people of this earth will have such Godly knowledge that nothing or no human knowledge could ever exceed it.
 
But then, in his Godly knowledge, Isaiah tells us when this will happen.

10. Then it will come about in that day
That the nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.
NASB

The root of Jesse, the father of David, is really God; so what this means is that the people must wholeheartedly return to God, which includes living in His heavenly will as the peacemaking children of God we are all called to be.
 
And while we are talking about Godly knowledge, we need to take a look at what we are told in Romans 1:18-25...

18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

This is what the psalmist saw in his Godly knowledge, and it answers why the world is in its present state of corruption and violence.

19. because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

In other words, we should all be able to recognize these facts and no longer live in these corrupt ways...

20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Or, that we are without excuse for we all see the beauty of God’s creation even through the pollution, corruption, and violence that is so evident all over the world.

21. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

If we are honest with ourselves, we should also be able to see these things and reject the corrupt and evil ways of this world that not only pollute this planet, but also cause millions of humans and billions of animals to suffer and die every year, and no longer contribute to them, but instead live as the peacemaking children of God who help free creation from its present corruption.
 
And in doing this we also need to recognize the evil doers of this world and reject them and their ways.

22. Professing to be wise, they became fools,
 
23. and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

In other words, they put the corrupt ways of this world, such as the raising, killing and eating of animals, and believing that there is no such thing as global warming, as even our president does, foremost in their minds, and made them an idol before God.

24. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.
 
25. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
NASB

If we understand these things and grow in Godly knowledge then we can also reject the evil around us and become part of the solution.
 
We can return to the root of Jesse.
 
We can help free creation from its present corruption.
 
We can live as God’s peacemaking children.
 
We can and should be full of Godly knowledge.
 
Amen?
 
Amen.

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