Chapter one. First Peter chapter one We're going to read verses fourteen and fifteen We'll return a couple more places. I do have this on the screen if you want to just read it off of there as well but First Peter one hundred fourteen and fifteen. We're focusing on this morning ignorance. Not as a good thing But as a bad thing.

There is an ignorance particularly that is willful. And God is dealing particularly with that subject in his word this morning. Man sadly has chosen often to avoid the truth, to avoid or run from knowledge rather than run to it. And God is not particularly pleased with that issue. Jesus said in his word, you shall know the truth and the truth shall what?

Set you free but you need to know the truth. You need to search for the truth. We need to be telling other people the truth because the truth is vital. Knowledge is vital. It is necessary.

Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the what? The word of God. Truth in regards to the Lord's salvation, yourself, this world. These truths are necessary. They are important to our relationship with God and our service to him.

Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is often a stumbling block to us. Particularly when we could know the truth and do not seek, do not search for it or listen to it. So, first Peter one hundred fourteen and fifteen, as obedient children, not fasting yourselves according to the former lust and your ignorance but as he with a call who he which hath called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation because it is written, be you holy for I am holy. I I went through verse 16 out of habit there but we're particularly focusing in on this word ignorance.

As obedient children, not fasting yourselves according to the former lust in your what? In your ignorance. The policeman turns his little lights on and he pulls you over and he gets out of his squad car and he walks up to the window of your vehicle and he looks you, looks at you, and he says, do you know why I pulled you over? Often times, they do that. I'm not sure why they do that.

I'm not sure if they they want to get you to admit what you did. So, maybe you'll admit to a second thing that you did that you didn't they're not getting for. I don't know but anyway, so, and often times, what the officer hears is I don't what? I don't know. Or sometimes the officer says, well, I pulled you over because of this And the person says, well, I didn't know.

Or I didn't see. I didn't see the speed limit sign. I didn't see the red light. Well, therefore, I guess it's okay that you ran it because you didn't see it. No, cops never say that.

I didn't see the stop sign. I didn't know I was going the wrong way. Well, there was probably a sign you missed that said, wrong way. I didn't know my taillights were out. My license was expired or my tags were expired.

I remember one time I I was I had to do something. I pulled my license out to to do something and I looked at the front of my license and it was like six months expired. I thought, boy, it's a good thing I didn't get pulled over but if I'd have got pulled over, whose fault would that have been? Mine. But I didn't know.

I was what? Ignorant. I wasn't doing it on purpose, but I should have purposed to make sure that my license was what? Not expired, that it was valid. Yeah.

Policemen don't take too well to those excuses. Proverbs one seven, God says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction. So, the wise person fears the Lord and then searches to to know the Lord desires to know him and his way. That's the beginning of the path of knowledge but a fool says, well, I just don't care. I'll just stay what?

We're going to say this over and over again this morning. I'll just stay ignorant, okay? Proverbs one twenty two, how long these simple ones will you love simplicity? And scorners delight in their scornings and fools what? Hate knowledge.

The fool says, well, I just won't bother to learn and therefore, I won't be held accountable for it because I didn't what? I didn't know. Does it work that way? The answer is no. It doesn't work that way but somehow, we trick especially the foolish person tricks themselves to thinking, well, hey, if I don't, if I don't search out knowledge, if I don't search for the truth, then I can't be held accountable for it.

God says, no. I don't I don't think it works that way. Second Peter three five, for this, they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Now, Peter is referring to the flood to the creation of the world and then to the flood that followed. Are there a lot of smart people that are willfully ignorant on that subject today?

The answer is yes. Many of them have heard the truth and they just refuse to acknowledge it. So, they spend their whole life trying to prove the opposite and sad to say, many scientists, not all, but many scientists today, their purpose, their driving motivation behind what they do is to prove the existence of the world without who? Without God. I thought it was interesting.

I was online the other day and I saw high headline that said, the dinosaurs weren't killed by an asteroid that hit the earth sixty six million years ago. Oh, we just discovered it wasn't an asteroid. And they said, well, we think it was volcanic activity that killed off the dinosaurs. And, of course, they're still working in millions and millions of years according to their estimating. But, you know, it would just be a little simpler if they accepted what?

The truth that there was a worldwide flood and along with that worldwide flood, God said, the fountains of the deep opened up. Well, what does that mean? Well, that means there was water under the surface along with probably all kind of volcanic activity that happened that turned into a big mess as it rained forty days and forty nights and just completely redid the geology of the surface of the earth and destroyed the dinosaurs. Eventually, given enough time, maybe they'll come around to that, but sadly it seems man is determined oftentimes to just ignore the easiest, simplest, clearest answer, particularly if they have to bow before who? If they have to bow before before God.

Willful ignorance, the Bible says, is foolishness. God calls those who are willingly ignorant fools. He does not excuse them because they choose to be ignorant. Men have a bad habit of choosing to close their eyes and plug their ears. Lest as Matthew says, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their hearts and should be converted.

And Matthew of course is quoting Jesus. Lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears should understand with their heart and that should lead them to conversion or to be born again. That should lead them to accept the God who made them and his son that he sent to die for them. And so they are willingly or willfully ignorant. The fool uses ignorance as an excuse to follow his lust.

A cloak to hide his rebellious heart. Well, it wasn't that I was speeding on purpose. I didn't know what the speed limit was. That's what the fool says. I didn't know I was cheating on my taxes by not reporting thousands of dollars of income.

I didn't know that was illegal. You didn't? I didn't know I couldn't chew gum in school. That that was me. I did it one time.

I got caught by my computer teacher. And what really upset me is all the girls chewed gum every day. And the one time I chewed gum, I got caught. It wasn't fair. The fool uses ignorance as a pardon to escape the consequences of his actions.

Should be able to sin and not face the what? The consequences. The fool says, I didn't see the no parking sign so I shouldn't have to pay the ticket. Well, the par par. No parking sign was right there.

Whose fault is it that you didn't open your eyes and look at it? Because you didn't look at it. Therefore, you don't have to pay the ticket. There's no consequences. Does it work that way?

No, it doesn't work that way. I didn't know the gun was loaded. Heard about that in the news a while back from some celebrity that shot somebody on set. But sadly, that is repeated often. I didn't know the guy I sold the illicit drugs to would overdose.

Yeah? So, because you didn't know they were going to actually take the illegal drugs, that you're not culpable for selling them to them? I don't think so. I didn't know I was drunk. This is one of the things that that never makes sense to me.

You tell people they can get drunk but not drive drunk. So, you you you go to a a baseball game and what is the thing that they sell the most of at a baseball game? Beer. Beer. And one of the thing, when I think of baseball, I think of a particular smell.

Unfortunately, and it's the smell of everybody around me that's drinking big cups of beer. And then those people that go to the baseball game and they drink the big cup. No, I know not everybody's drinking beer but a lot of people are, okay? And they bink, drink the big cups of beer. They got there not walking, they got there in a what?

They got there in a car, okay? And so, they have to, somebody has to drive home. Okay? And they say, well, you should have a designated driver. Well, wouldn't it just be easier if you didn't get drunk?

And what happens to people when they get drunk? They don't think what? They don't think rationally because they're drunk and so they don't know they're drunk and so they get behind a car and they drive what? And they drive drunk and the policeman pulls them over and they're they can't stand up straight and they say, well, I didn't know I was drunk. Well, you know, that happens when you drink alcohol, you get drunk.

So, what would be the best message to tell people? Don't get drunk and don't sell beer at ball games but anyway, I guess that would be too simple and wouldn't make enough money. So, I shouldn't have to face the consequences because I didn't know. Doesn't work that way. The fool uses ignorances, ignorance, he ignores God's standards.

He ignores God's standards to do as he pleases, to not have to make the hard decisions. So, the fool says, well, I'm just not going to read the Bible because then, I'll know what God expects and then I'll have to follow it. So, I just won't, I just won't read it and you say, well, that's silly. Well, it is silly and it actually describes a lot of people. Even sometimes Christians who kind of get away from the Lord and get out of church and they don't want to come back to church because well, if they come back to church, they're going to hear what?

They're going to hear God's word and then they're going to have to what? Do something about it and so they just kind of stay away. I didn't believe or I didn't know, didn't believe in God or the judgment or Jesus Christ or sin? But you should have. We'll get to that a little bit.

Everyone is doing it. It must not be so bad. But they said it was okay. Who did? Your friends who are drunk?

I don't think that that counts. I didn't know it was a baby. Abortion. So, it's not alive. Yet, it is alive.

Everybody knows that a baby before they're born is what? Alive. What do you mean you didn't know it was alive? Obviously, it was alive, and it is a human life. I didn't know that's what they meant.

I didn't know it would end up this way. Well, you might want to find out because when judgement day comes, I didn't know isn't going to what? Isn't going to cut it and when you face consequences in your life for wrong things that you do, you can't just get out of em by saying, I was ignorant. If you get drunk behind the wheel of a car and you hit somebody and you kill em, you're in trouble. And saying, well, I didn't know isn't isn't going to cut it.

It isn't going to cut it. The foolish bury their heads in the sand and when they get caught or confronted with their rebelliousness, they claim, oh, I didn't know. As though that fixes everything. Someone once said that ignorance was the most costly commodity in a republic. And why is that?

Well, because we choose people to govern us and if we're ignorant about the people we choose and we choose the wrong people, then, now, we're in trouble. Ignorance is the most costly commodity in a republic and sadly, there's a whole lot of that. In so many areas of life including politics. Turn if you would, turn if you would to numbers. I think I have the numbers chapter 15 and we're going to read starting in verse 22.

Numbers fifteen and twenty two. I want you to see something. Under the old covenant, under the law of Moses for Israel, and praise the Lord, we're not under law, we're under what? We're under grace. We're not part of the old covenant.

We're part of the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ which he shed on the cross of Calvary for us but God does not change. Sometimes, in time, the way God works in humanity changes a bit but God does not change. He is still the same and I just want you to notice here in the law in verse 22, how God dealt with ignorance. In regards to sin. Verse verse 22.

And if you have aired and not observed all these commandments which the Lord has spoken unto Moses, even all that the Lord hath commanded by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses and hence forward among your generations, then it shall be, if ought to be committed, if anything be committed, any sin, any transgression, be committed by what? Ignorance without knowledge, okay? Of the congregation, then, the Lord will simply ignore it himself and they will not face any consequences. Is that what it says? No.

It's okay because they didn't know. No. That's not what it says. Let's keep going. Verse 24 again.

It says that all the congregation, middle of verse, shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor under the Lord with his meat offering and his drink offering according to the manner and one kid of the goats for his sin offering, for his sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of Israel and it shall be forgiven them for it is ignorance and they shall bring their offering a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord and their sin offering before the Lord for their ignorance and it shall be forgiven all the congregation, the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them, seen all the people were in ignorance. Now, God doesn't simply just write off and say, oh, it's okay. You were ignorant. You didn't know.

No. Long lengthy list here of all the sacrifices and offerings they had to make to atone for their what? Their ignorance because they should have known and they still sinned and even if I honestly didn't know but I still did something sinful, it's still what? It's still sinful. It's still sinful.

And praise God under the new covenant in Christ Jesus, those sins are under the blood of who? Jesus Christ. And they will not be held against us. Before God's throne someday because Jesus Christ shed his blood to pay the price for how many of our sins? All of our sins.

Those that we did in ignorance and those that we did willfully, Christ died for them all. But there's still consequences when we do wrong even if it's done in ignorance. You still have to pay the ticket even if you didn't know the speed limit went down. There are consequences that we still pay here. There are consequences to our fellowship with God.

It is not something to be trifled with and God required Israel to bring all these offerings to atone. For their sin of ignorance. Yes, God showed mercy. But they still had to bring the what? They still had to bring off.

It still cost them. Something. For their sin. Even though it was done. In ignorance.

Sin committed in ignorance. Still has what? It still has consequences. Either has consequences on us today or tomorrow or the next day in this life or the consequences were paid by my savior Jesus Christ when he died on the cross but it's they still have what? They still have consequences both temporal and eternal.

We see that in the scripture. Look if you would back at first Peter one hundred fourteen and fifteen again. Let's see. I think maybe I have that. Yeah, I have that up here.

As obedient children not fasting yourselves according to former lust in your ignorance but as he which have called you as holy so be holy in all manner of conversation. Look if you would turn to Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians chapter four. We're going to read a few verses. Oh, I got that on the screen too.

Alright. You can just look up here if you like. Ephesians chapter four verses 17 through 20. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. When he says other Gentiles, he's talking about other Gentiles who are not what?

Who are not saved, okay? Who are not believers in Christ, okay? So, let's read that again. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you who are saved that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles in the vanity of their mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the what?

The ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness but you have not so learned Christ. Okay, in first Peter 114 and in this verse here, the word ignorance is used of those who are ignorant of the Lord because they do not know him. They have not been saved, okay? Now, God doesn't give them a pass. They're going to be judged because they chose not to accept the Lord, to search for him, to get to know him.

And we'll get to that in just a few minutes but it is descriptive of those who are not saved. So, if that ignorance is descriptive of those who do not know the Lord, they're ignorant of spiritual things. This is should not be descriptive of who? Of us, of you. If we know Christ as savior, if we have the Holy Spirit living inside of our heart, if we have the word of God, then ignorance is not a word.

As it relates to spiritual things that rightly should define a Christian. Now, somebody who just got saved and hasn't been taught, they have a lot to learn. And they are ignorant of some things which we who are saved are not and have been saved for a long time and study the word of God are not as ignorant though, okay? It does take time. It is a process but God defines the lost world as ignorant of spiritual things and he says of his children that he expects something different of them but you have not so learned Christ.

You know what? You know better or at least you should know better. At least you should know better. We can't come to God always with God. Well, yeah, I didn't know that.

I didn't know that. I didn't know that. I remember sitting at a rock concert when I was in high school. It was a Christian rock concert, but trust me, it was still a rock concert. And I remember sitting there at this rock concert, and the the the the group is up there with their their drums and their electric guitars and man, they're jamming out and it's really really loud and you know, and inside the spirit was telling me, yeah, this something's wrong here.

Something's wrong here. This is just is not the way to praise the Lord. This this isn't. What it's doing is it's you know, pumping my adrenaline but it's not, you know, edifying me spiritually. But I looked around me.

I thought, you know, well, you know, if there there seem to be enjoying it. So, I guess it's okay but in my heart, I didn't have a verse. I couldn't take the scriptures. Thou shalt not go to whatever's concert that I was at. But in my heart, I knew that this just wasn't the place for me to be.

I was ignorant of a verse or principle from God's word but the holy spirit living inside me said, you know, this isn't right and I should've what? Should've listened. Should've listened. And often times, that's the case. You may not be able to to you may not know a verse to quote.

There may not be a verse that says, thou shalt not drink this. But the Holy Spirit and some principles maybe you've learned from God's word should lead you to think, well, this is probably something I shouldn't drink or probably some something I shouldn't swallow or some place I shouldn't go. God expects better of his children particularly as we grow in the Lord and God does expect us to grow. We who have come to know the truth of salvation, We who have come to know God's will for our lives in Christ. We who know the scriptures as the as the word of God and have the holy spirit dwelling within us to guide us, to guide our understanding, are expected by our savior and our father to learn and grow and obey.

Learn and grow and obey. Second Peter two two, desire the sincere milk of the wine. The word that you may grow thereby. Grow how? Grow in your understanding of the Lord and his will for your life.

Saying, well, I'm just ignorant and choosing not to take advantage of what God has given to us is foolishness and sometimes Christians can act foolishly. Let's see. Second Timothy three fourteen and fifteen. This is Paul talking to Timothy. He says, but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them and that from a child, thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise and the salvation through faith which is in Greek Jesus Christ.

What does Paul say to Timothy? But continue thou in the things. Continue to learn and continue to follow. This is what God expects of you, Timothy. What does Paul write in second Timothy two fifteen to Timothy?

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Continue in it. Continue to study it. Continue to learn it. Continue to follow it.

Be doers of the what? The word and not hearers only. Learn it. Study it. Meditate on it.

Do it. That is what God expects of his children. We are not to just bury our head in the sand, close our eyes, and plug our ears, stay home and fill our head with worldly entertainment and say, well, you know, I didn't know. No. God expects better of his children and he deserves better of his children.

God does not accept ignorance as an excuse. In Acts seventeen thirty, I think maybe I have that here. It says at times of this ignorance, God winked at but now, Paul says, God commanded all men everywhere to what? To repent. Of the lost in particular, God says, you can't you can't claim ignorance.

You not, you need to what? You need to repent. Romans chapter 118 through 20. For the wrath of God is revealed in on from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man who hold the truth and unrighteousness because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God has showed it unto them for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power godhead so that they are what? Without excuse.

Well, what about those people on the other side of the world that haven't had the exposure to the gospel that we've had? Is God going to hold them accountable? Well, it seems to me from God's word he is. If you have an issue with that, you're going to have to take it up with who? You're going to have to take it up with God and God says, there is a longing in the heart of every human that enters this world.

Christ is the light that lighteth every man that comes into the world. That should lead him, draw him to search out the what? The truth. There is a world around us. That screams that there is a god who loves us, who provides for us, who is beautiful, who is wise, who is intelligent, who is all these things.

There is an awareness of sin and right and wrong. That is in every man a conscience that God gives. That should lead one to realize that you are a sinner and that you need a savior. That should drive people to search for the truth. And God says, ignorance when they stand before God someday is not going to be accepted.

As God said, if they wanted to know, I would have showed them. But humanity would prefer to be willingly willingly ignorant. If we reject the God who made us, his son, who died for us and rose again, The salvation that he offers, the faithfulness of his word. If you do not repent of your previous ignorance concerning the Lord and salvation except Christ, you will be held accountable and not by me but by who? But by God.

There is no excuse for ignoring the God who made you and saying, as some do in their hearts, there is no god because there is. Only the fool says in his heart, there is no god. Ignorance is no excuse. And as concerning God's children Paul was particularly concerned that they grow in their knowledge and their faith and their understanding. Romans eleven twenty five, for I would not brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery.

Lest you should be wise in your own conceits that blindness is in part come to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. That you should be what? Ignorant. Paul says, I would you brethren that you were not ignorant. Means you have to learn and listen, study In first Corinthians 10, Paul says, moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant.

Chapter 12 verse one, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Learn. Paul says, I'm going to share with you what you need to know. Please learn it. Please study it.

Please meditate on it. Please apply it to your life. Because ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is a stumbling block. Ignorance leads us into consequences.

That we would otherwise not have to bear. If we would study God's word, if we would search it, if we would seek the truth, we would avoid a whole lot of problems. The world suffers from a whole lot of problems today and many of those can be summed up in this. They are ignorant. They need to come to the Lord so that he can teach them and we who are Christians who know the Lord.

We need to spend more time at his feet like Mary, brother Martha. Learning. That we not be ignorant. So that we know when we get up from our time with the Lord, what he wants us to do. And how to do it.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word today. Thank you for giving it to us that we might know the truth of salvation, the truth of you and and Lord that we might learn from it and grow in our lives and our knowledge of you and we pray that you would help us to find more time to study it than we do and that we you would help us to remember and use it as a guide in our lives. In service to our king. We pray Lord for those.

If there be one here today that has yet to receive you as the Lord and savior of their life and maybe as they sit here today, they're even unsure of what that means. Lord, I pray that they would come to me so that I can share with them from God's word how that they can be saved and know it today. Because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God and you use it to pull at men's heartstrings to bring them to you and Lord, if they're here today and they're not saved, Lord, you're pulling. I pray that they would come. And be saved In Jesus precious name, we do pray.