What Will You Do With The Knowledge You Have Been Given

·38 min·3 clips

A father wonders what last words to give his daughter Hannah before she leaves, realizing he's already given her the knowledge she needs.

The episode is a sermon delivered at Locust Grove Church of Christ, focusing on the theme 'What Will You Do With The Knowledge You Have Been Given.' The speaker begins by sharing a personal moment: he is preparing to send his daughter Hannah off to college and reflects on what final words of encouragement to give her. He realizes that over 18 years, he has already imparted the necessary knowledge, leading him to extend the question to the entire congregation. The sermon defines knowledge as acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles from study or experience, noting that listeners have gained this through both study at the church and personal life experiences. The speaker uses hypothetical scenarios, such as knowing a winning lottery number or the location of a fountain of youth, to illustrate how people might act on valuable knowledge, then applies this to spiritual knowledge of God. He references Proverbs 1:7, explaining that fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, interpreted as reverence rather than fear. The sermon critiques those who reject wisdom, comparing them to class clowns, robbers, or adulterers who ignore known consequences. A key passage is 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, where the speaker highlights how God chooses the foolish, weak, and lowly things of the world to shame the wise, sharing his own past as a 'foolish boy' to show God's transformative power. The parable of the sower from Matthew 13 is analyzed in detail, with the speaker asking listeners to identify which type of soil they are—whether the seed falls on the path, rocky ground, among thorns, or good soil—and urging them to act on their knowledge. He then turns to 2 Peter 1, encouraging listeners to add qualities like goodness, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and love to their faith and knowledge. The speaker addresses practical applications, such as behaving as Christians in workplaces or schools, and warns against being ineffective or unproductive. He reiterates that God's commandments are not grievous and that obedience leads to blessing, using his own life and Hannah's future as examples. The sermon concludes with an invitation for listeners to respond, emphasizing the urgency of using knowledge for salvation before judgment. Throughout, the tone is exhortative and pastoral, blending personal anecdotes with scriptural exegesis.

As heard by us

A direct sermon on turning received knowledge into commitment before the seed is lost.

Knowledge is framed less as something to hold than something to answer for. The speaker begins with the question of what encouragement might truly last, then turns that pressure toward those shaped by Locust Grove Church of Christ: if the teaching received there is valuable, it…

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Why you'd press play

If you keep waiting until you know everything, this sermon has a question for you: what will you do with the knowledge you have been given?

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