If you know and know that you know, you’re wise.

Steve Brown:
If you know and know that you know, you’re wise. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was author and seminary professor Steve Brown, and this is Key Life. We’re all about radical grace. Because of what Jesus has done, God’s not mad at you. Keep listening, and that message will set you free to live a life of joy and surprising faithfulness.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Keep your Bible there, because I’m going to be referring to a lot of different Scripture. If you were listening yesterday, we looked at Acts 19, and that’s the place where Paul comes into a new church, or into a new group of people, and there are Christians there. And he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they were baptized. And they said, we’ve never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. And so, he told them about Jesus, baptized them in the name of Jesus, and they got great power. As we did that, I was called to mind an Arabian axiom. Let me give it to you again and then let me talk about it a little bit.

Those who don’t know and think they know are fools, shun them. Those who don’t know and know they don’t know are students, teach them. Those who know but don’t know they know are asleep, wake them. Those who know and know they know are wise, follow them.

And I was thinking, you know, that applies to that 19th chapter of Acts. And I ought to stop and say something about it.

Those who don’t know and think they know are fools, shun them.

You know what we do? We pay too much attention to those who don’t know and think they know. We have talking heads that lie to us, people who produce commercials and they lie to us, politicians who lie to us, those who put down the Christian faith as if it’s not important, those who make fun of those of us who are Christians. They call us Christian Nationalists and most of us are not in the negative sense of that. It goes on and on and on. They have given microphones to idiots. That’s a little bit strong, and it doesn’t sound very Christian, but it’s true. I mean, with social media, anybody can say anything, and they do. With 24 7 news, anybody can say anything, and they do. With the 18 commercials they play in commercial breaks on television and radio, they can say anything, and they do. And we pay too much attention to them. That first statement is one that applies to our culture. And I don’t want to be too harsh, but so many people act as if they know the truth and they don’t know what they’re talking about. A lot of people say things about the Christian faith and they don’t know what they’re talking about. They make fun of us and they don’t know what they’re talking about. What should you do about that? Get a gun? No. Start a movement and get on a platform and yell as loud as you can. Go after them and give them the same thing they’ve given to you. No. Scripture is pretty clear about that. We’re called to be political, but not partisan. And political means, within our group, we demonstrate people who know and know that they know. So, the axiom is right.

Those who don’t know and think they know are fools, shun them.

And then it goes on.

Those who don’t know and know they don’t know our students, teach them.

I think there are a lot of people around who are Christians, and we’re talking about the Holy Spirit of course, who can say the way the people in Acts 19 said.

We don’t even know there’s a Holy Spirit.

We are bereft of solid Bible doctrinal presuppositional teaching in the church. And we’ve got to do something about that. I mean, it’s good to have good sermons, but those sermons have to be doctrinal and based in truth in a clear and specific way. And there are a lot of people in the church who are far more dangerous than they think they are. People in the church who’ve been given far more than they think they’ve been given, people in the church who could be used far more than they’re being used, that they just don’t know it. So, it’s very important, as the Arabian axiom says.

Those who don’t know and know they don’t know are students, teach them.

Then he says.

Those who know but don’t know they know are asleep, wake them up.

I believe that it would be really dangerous to wake up the church. Despite everything that I’ve said before, as a matter of fact, the church is a powerful tool in the hands of God. And the people in the church are some of the strongest, most faithful, clear witnesses that I know. But they cower because they’ve allowed unbelievers to intimidate them into silence. And so, if they don’t know that they know, wake them up. And say, look, don’t let them do this to you. You get out. And when you have an opportunity, you speak a word for Jesus and never hide who you are. Never hide the fact that you’re a Christian.

And then those who know they know and know they know are wise, you should follow them.

And that’s what I’m doing with me and with you on this broadcast, I’m making sure that you know, I’m making sure that you know that you know. And I’m making sure that I know. I spend a lot of time studying these texts so I can teach them to you. And so, there’s a sense in which I’m the learner, too. And I want to know that I know and be wise. Okay, enough about that. I’m not going to take the time to read the Scripture I read to you on Monday, but you might want to keep your Bible open to these particular texts. We looked at Ephesians 1, and then we looked at II Timothy 1:7 which does say.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of self-control.

Or of sound mind. Now, the first thing I want you to understand is that when you talk about the Holy Spirit and power, there’s enough. Ephesians 1:18 through 19.

Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, which are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable. What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

There it is.

What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

In other words, there’s enough. My friend and one of the voices of Key Life often says.

That you will run out of sin before God runs out of grace.

Or I might say.

You’ll run out of need and they will always be met, before God ever runs out of grace.

His grace is an ocean. When I was a teenager, I delivered papers, got up at four in the morning, was not my favorite time except, except that the supermarkets put food out by their doors in those days. Then when the staff came from the supermarket, they opened the doors and put it up on the shelves. And if you had a thieves heart, and I did in those days, you could steal some of that food. I stole cherry pies and I don’t want you to send me letters on that, but stolen cherry pies are the best tasting cherry pies I’ve ever had. And as an aside, my friends would say, if my dad ever finds out about this, I’m going to be history. And I thought, you know, if my dad finds out, he’ll love me, and that’s a lot worse. But at any rate, I was a paperboy, and I sold subscriptions, and I won a contest, and I lived in the mountains of North Carolina. And as a prize for selling more subscriptions than anybody else, I got a free trip to the ocean of North Carolina. Got to visit the marine place there, gigantic. I got to see a lot of things, but for the first time in my life, and I was 16 years old, I saw the ocean. Now, you may not think that’s a big deal, but for this mountain boy who had never seen the ocean, it was something else. And I sat there and said, wow. And then I said it backwards, wow. There’s a lot of water in that ocean. And then I thought, and there is plenty, there is enough. Later on, when I read in Ephesians that there was enough, I thought about that ocean. And there are similarities, the ocean, and God, and God’s Spirit are very, very big. Enough for you, and me, and everybody else. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Steve Brown, author, Bible teacher, cherry pie stealer. Who knew? Thanks Steve. And hope you’ll join us again tomorrow in this study when we will explore the idea that when we need the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will be there. Again, that’s tomorrow here on Key Life. Don’t miss it. Well, Steve has preached a lot of great sermons. Like, a lot, a lot. But a number of them have kind of bubbled up to become classics. One of those classics is called When Believing is Hard and Pretending Doesn’t Work. If you have ever experienced dark and lonely times, if you ever waver in your faith, and p.s. that’s all of us, this sermon is for you. So, get it on CD for free right now by calling us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] and ask for that CD. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Again, just ask for your free copy of the CD called When Believing is Hard and Pretending Doesn’t Work. Finally, if you value the work of Key Life, would you support that work through your giving? You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word or two, doesn’t matter. Just text that to 28950. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.