SEARCHING FOR THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE FATHER

Pro 2:1  My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

Pro 2:2  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Pro 2:3  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

Pro 2:4  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Pro 2:5  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Pro 2:6  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

 

As “sons” in Christ we have an expectation of the Father to grow up into a son who has been “conformed to the image of His Son,” and this unique opportunity that we have to be educated by the Father is special indeed. When we trusted in the gospel of our salvation and believed this truth unto eternal life, most saints miss out on this unique opportunity to understand and appreciate that there is more that the Father has to give the saint than just His justification. Also, it is understanding who God has made us to be “in Christ” as we grow as saints through His word and begin to understand the necessity to be educated by Him, and also to have within us the ‘burning desire’ to want to be taught by Him on a consistent basis.

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

 

And regardless of whatever this world ‘throws at us,’ we should not be ‘swayed’ from our desire to continue to be edified by the Father. And as Proverbs 2:2-4 shows, we should desire the knowledge of our Father as “silver,” and search for it as one would be zealous to find the hidden “treasures” of this earth. It’s about the son possessing the zealous attitude to be educated by the Father as one would be about the things of this world that entices us on a daily basis. And when the son begins to experience the afflictions and the tribulations that are associated with living in godliness, he is not to be “moved” by what he faces, but he is to let the doctrine work “effectually” within him knowing that it is “profitable” in overcoming any and all the things that he will face.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

2Co 6:3  Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

2Co 6:4  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

2Co 6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

2Co 6:8  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

2Co 6:9  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

2Co 6:10  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

 

Therefore, as “sons” we ought to possess the mutual thinking of Paul when the things of this world begin to act as a “stumbling block” in our lives as sons who have a desire to be taught of the Father. And regardless whatever Paul faced, he operated upon a renewed mind towards these things, and even though he was experiencing the afflictions and lusts of the flesh, he looked “not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen.”

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

 

 And it was as if Paul separated himself from the “old man” when these things came upon him, and in all reality, he did. Furthermore, when we that are “sons” give in to this ungodly world, we actually separate ourselves from our “new man” and all the doctrine that he has been taught about this world’s enticements and the sufferings that we can face daily. But our motivation ought to be the glorious truths that we have learned concerning all that our Father has given us, and that we are members of the household of God, and no more citizens of this evil earth.

Ti 3:11  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

2Ti 3:14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

2Ti 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

The Apostle Paul was “delivered” from the persecutions he faced, but this deliverance was not of a physical nature; notice Paul says that he “endured” them, and that it was the Lord who “delivered” him. But this deliverance concerned his “inward man” only through the doctrine whereby he became strengthen; and as he exhorts Timothy to “continue” in the ministry, Timothy understands and appreciates that he too will suffer the persecutions and afflictions that will come upon him by the “evil men and seducers” of this world, but he is not to be “moved” by whatever came his way, he was to “continue” on the path that his Father chartered for him as a “man of God” regardless whatever the outcome.

1Ti 6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

1Ti 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1Ti 6:13  I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

1Ti 6:14  That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

Therefore, Timothy as a “man of God” understood and appreciated the need to “fight the good fight of faith” just as Paul says he also “fought a good fight,” and Timothy knew that just as Paul was “ready to be offered,” he would have to “continue” on in the ministry in Paul’s absence even if it meant his own death as well. However, today most do not face this type of afflictions for the gospel’s sake, but we too have an expectation to “fight the good fight of faith” with the zealous attitude to “continue” on the course that our Father has chartered for us no matter what we face, because we know that keeping our ‘eye on the prize’ has heavenly a value associated with it, and because of our spiritual blessings that we have “in Christ,” we ought to walk worthy of who God has made us to be “in Christ.”

 

2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

 

Finally, as we “continue” to be taught by our Father in His thinking, ways, and the things that He values and esteems, we can sometimes find ourselves to the point where we want to take a ‘time out’ when it comes to getting our sonship education, but our motivation should be as Paul’s was; he looked upon the wisdom and knowledge of the Father as the way the natural man would view the “treasures” of this earth. And as such, the man would ‘go all out’ to search for the treasures if he knew he could one day find it, and benefit from it, regardless of what he has to endure, or the dangers involved, knowing the risk/reward factor will be worth his time and effort. And it is our “riches” in heavenly places that far exceed any and all the earthly treasures that the natural man covets, and because of these “riches” that are ours, we ought to view our Father’s “knowledge and wisdom” as the “treasures” that they are to our sonship benefit. So regardless whatever the obstacles, whether we face the things that the Apostle Paul  shows us in 2Corinthians chapters 4 and 6, or we face sufferings to a lesser degree, we are doctrinally equipped to “continue” on our sonship path as we gain more “knowledge and wisdom” of our Father’s will for us today.

Rod Jones