II Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen
When I was four years old, my dad and mom took me to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The only reason I remember it is because of something that happened that day. I vaguely remember being in a large room with maybe a vaulted ceiling. There was a man across the room at some distance who was a very short man. I am short, but this guy was extremely short. I was kind of taken up short by it. I thought, “Wow! He is about my size. My mom probably hasn’t noticed this gentleman.” So, I cupped my hands to my mouth and said about as loud as I could, “Hey, Mommy, look at the baby man!”
I remember that because that was not the thing to say, quite obviously. In my mind, I knew you couldn’t be a man and a baby at the same time, but you know that is a possibility. Haven’t you met someone in their fifties who still thought like they were ten years old, someone who is in their fifties who socially had no maturity, or someone in their fifties who has known the Lord for thirty years, but was still immature spiritually speaking?
Sometimes we talk about “adulting.” “Oh, it’s so hard to adult.” Well, the fact is, it is time to grow up. Now, if you are fifteen, you don’t need to act, dress, and think like you are fifty, and if you are fifty, you don’t need to be cool, hip, and act like you are twenty. That is ridiculous. The point is not how big you are, but how much progress you have made since, say, this time last year.
II Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” So, grow up! I Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” So, growing is very obviously connected to the Word of God and our ingesting of it.
When the Bible says, “Grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” it doesn’t just mean to know about Him. I know Bill Rice and I know Mr. Joseph Biden. One is my dad and one is my President. I know my dad in the sense that I know him and I am known of him. I know about Mr. Biden, but he knows nothing about me and probably never will. So, what we are talking about here is not just knowing about the Lord Jesus, but knowing Him and growing in that knowledge and grace.
What actions would be found in a growing person or would result in a person’s growing spiritually? II Peter 3:1-3 says, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful…knowing this first.” So, the Bible talks in I and II Peter about remembering and knowing the truth, the Word of God. So, I am to remember, be mindful. In other words, it is not just that I know it, but I am aware that I know it. I know that I know it. It is not just somewhere in the back of my mind. I am holding it in front of my face; I can see it and am mindful of it.
Verse 17 says “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked.” So, I can know something, but if I forget it, I can be led away with falsehood. Sometimes we are given a job to do and we don’t want to do it. Someone comes back and says “I thought you were supposed to be doing thus and so,” and we say, “I forgot.” Well, we forgot not because of a lack of mental capacity or strength, but because we had no desire for the thing. So, remember and review. Remember what you know. Grow up.
Second, we should accept what we know. Verse 5 says, “For this they willingly are ignorant of.” He is talking about future times. There were those who did not know about the future because they were not willing to act on what was right in the present. So, you can be willing or ignorant. In English, “ignore” is baked into the word “ignorance,” which is to say many times we don’t know because we don’t pay attention. I am ignorant of something because I am ignoring it. I’m disregarding it. I am giving it no heed or mind whatsoever. In the Bible, “ignorant” just means “to be hidden.” But here there are two words put together which give you the same idea. “This they willingly are ignorant of.” They don’t know willfully. They don’t know because they don’t want to know.
In contrast, verse 8 says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant.” He is talking about things future and saying, “Don’t be in the dark. You’ve got to accept what it is you know.” A lot of times we know more than we think we do. We just don’t want to acknowledge that we know things that will obligate us to take action. When I was a kid, I would often ask my dad a question to which he would reply, “Do you really want to know?” What he meant was, “If you are just making conversation, let’s talk about something else. If you really want to know, hold on; it will take a few minutes, but I am going to explain this to you.” So, review and accept.
Then, we need to apply. In verses 11-14 the Bible says, “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto…seeing that ye look for such things.” All this means is if I know this is true, I need to apply it. Were you ever given something by your mom for supper that you did not wish to eat? Maybe you didn’t want to eat your peas. At the end of the meal the peas were gone, but when your mom poured the half inch of milk from the bottom of your glass, out fell twenty-five peas. You were not ingesting or applying them. You accepted them; they were on your plate, but you didn’t want to act on them and you didn’t want them to act on you. So, grow up. Remember, accept, and apply.
The Bible says we are to be people of holy conversation and godliness, separated to God in the way we live. Would your family, coworkers, and other people say that you are a godly person? Not merely are you pious or great in accomplishments, but are you godly? We are to be godly, not perfect, but have a sincere heart toward God. We are to live in the promises God has given, being people of courage. Verse 13 says, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
There is a future coming. I need to live on the promises of God. I need to live in peace “that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” Am I blameless, at peace, godly? Am I living with courage on the promises God gave? It is a wonderful thing when a child is born, but it is normal, natural, and right for every baby to grow into maturity. Today, you and I should grow up remembering, accepting, and applying what we have been taught from the authority of God’s Word.