Tragedy of Ignorance

TRAGEDIES OF IGNORANCE
HOSEA 4: 6 - 11
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
A survey was taken in 1962 at a christian college where 91 % surveyed were members of the church of Christ. They scored 8 to 9 points lower than the denominational students.
1. 33% did not know that Jonah was a prophet on a ship bound for Tarshish.
2. 17% did not know Romans was the sixth book in the NT.
3. 55% did not know who wrote 2 Timothy.
4. 45% did not know who wrote Revelation.
5. 56% did not know Luke wrote Acts.
6. 21% did not know Isaiah wrote Isaiah.
I am not going to ask how many you knew, but ignorance of the scripture among members of the church should help us understand God’s concern for his people in Hosea 4: 6.
In like manor, our nation is being destroyed for lack of the knowledge of God.
A good note on this survey was that after one year of study the members of the church showed an increase of 28 percentile where there was only a 15 percentile increase among the denominational students. We can learn if we will study.
Do we truly question the need and importance of Bible class? Do we not need to be here to study God’s word more?
I. Let us look at some tragedies of the ignorance of God’s word.
A. Acts 3: 17 - 19 Ignorance brought on the sin to crucify Jesus.
17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
By ignorance they killed Jesus. By believing, repentance, and obedience they obtained salvation.
B. Eph. 4: 17 - 18 Ignorance separates one from God. Paul writes…
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Ignorance can blind our thinking, the heart of man.


C. Rom. 10: 2 – 3 Ignorance causes one to reject God’s righteousness and accept his own righteousness.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
D. John 16: 1 – 3 Ignorance can cause the righteous to be a victim to their own self righteousness.
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Jesus told his apostles that they might remember when this began to happen. Let us remember that the religious world is ignorant of God’s true will and do not know it.
E. Matt. 13: 15 – 16 Ignorance can keep one from being converted.
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
One must open their eyes and ears and their hearts to Christ and His will to accept Christ and be baptized for the remission of their sins. Overcoming ignorance by accepting Jesus Christ and His word.
II. God wants us to be knowledgeable Christians.
A. 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9 Peter wants us to understand, the Lord will fulfill His promises.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Jesus wants us to repent and obey Him. He gives us time.
B. 1 Tim 2: 4 – 5 Paul teaches Timothy that it is God’s will that all know the truth and obey that truth for there is one truth.
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
There are not many true Gods, nor many mediators, nor many truths. There is one.
C. John 8: 32 A knowledge of the truth can make one free.
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
1. John 17: 17 Jesus says, God’s word is truth.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

2. John 6: 45 – 46 We are drawn by the knowledge of God’s word.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
We can not come to that which we do not know. We can study and know the truth, the Bible.
D. 2 Peter 1: 2 Grace and peace is multiplied through knowledge.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
1. 2 Peter 2: 20 We can fall back into sin, be entangled and lost again.
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2. 2 Peter 1: 5 – 9 Knowledge is a part of the christian virtues.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
3. 2 Peter 1: 10 – 11 Knowing the truth and obeying the truth, Christ has promised to save us.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
E. Eph. 5: 11 Paul teaches to speak out against, to expose sin.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
1. Titus 1: 9 Elders are to hold fast the faithful word.
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
2. Jude 3 We are to earnestly contend for the faith.
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
3. How can we expose, exhort, convince, contend for the word, unless we have a knowledge of the word of God?




III. What can we do to replace our ignorance with the knowledge of God’s truth?
A. Mark 12: 30 Fall in love with the Lord.
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
The story was told of a young lady who read a book and commented on how dull she had found it to be. Not long after, she meet the author and fell in love with him. She read the book again and when finished she commented that it was one of the most interesting books she had ever read. What made the difference? She fell in love with the author. In like manor, we will read, study, and obey the Bible when we come to love its author, God.
Children do not have trouble reading letters from their parents because they love them. When we learn to love God we will read, study and obey the Bible as the truth, the word of God.
B. 1 Cor. 8: 2 - 3 We must never think we know all we need to know from God’s word.
2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
C. 2 Tim 2: 15 Study and study some more.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.


D. Matt. 5: 6 Just as one hungers for food for the body, one should hunger for the truth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Are you a christian today? Have you obeyed Jesus in baptism for the remission of your sins? Do you love Jesus? Jesus says if you love him you will obey him. Will you come to Jesus today?
Are you a christian and not studying God’s word as you should? Then begin, today.
Are you not coming to Bible class for fear you will learn to much or by learning you might be asked to do something? Why are you not in love with God enough to come and study together? Could you not learn something in one hour that may help you eternally? Do you need to come back to your first love?
What ever your need will you bring it to God? Will you come now?

Acts 17: 30 – 31 Ignorance is no longer an excuse to God, He has commanded repentance.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.