Sermon: Be Holy: Grow! (1 Peter 2:1-3)

 Sermon can be heard at Firstbaptistrocklin.com

A man was walking across a bridge one day, when he saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump. He ran over and said: "Stop. Don't do it." "Why shouldn't I?" he asked. "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Are you religious?" He said, "Yes." The man said, "Me too. Are you Christian or Buddhist?" "Christian." ‎"Me too. Are you Catholic or Protestant?" "Protestant." "Me too. Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist." "Wow. Me too. Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God." "Me too. Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist Church of God." "Me too. Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?" He said: "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915." The man said: "Jump, you heretic scum,"

This is a joke of course and the reason it is kind of funny is because there is an element of truth to this.  We have seen this kind of thinking in the church.  This morning we are continuing a thought in 1 Peter.  The last message was Be Holy: Love One Another.  This morning’s message is titled Be Holy: Grow and we are at 1 Peter 2:1-3.

Love One Another (v.1:23) 

We are commanded to love one another.  Jesus himself commanded it.  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35 NIV)

Peter reminds his readers that they had believed in the truth of the gospel, thus they had been purified and from this they are to “love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:23 NIV) He continues to remind them that they have been born again through the hearing of God’s word that was preached to them. 

-You are born again (v.23)

Being a believer in Christ is to be redeemed from our empty and guilty past; We are bound to the Lord and also to one another through the gospel.  Holiness strengthens and builds devotion to God and the love for each other.  So we see Peter encouraging Christians to love one another.  He does this by reminding them of what God has done for them through the teaching and the preaching of the word, which renews, cleanses and matures the Christian. 

This message to love one another is as important today as it was in Peter’s time.  In Peter’s time people were divided by jealousies and hatred of the past,   Jews and Gentiles we worshiping together for the first time.  To bring them together Peter focuses them on the source of their redemption, Christ.  The love that binds the redeemed believers flows from the love of the Redeemer.  Christian love is the love of grace that God has shown us, we are shown love, compassion and forgiveness and we in turn show that same grace, love, compassion and forgiveness to others.       

   

How do we do this?  This goes against our natures; we need a new heart and new set of motives.  This is done through the gospel.  Christian love is born as Christians are born, through the truth of the gospel.  It is the truth of the gospel which we were obedient to that sweeps our hearts of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander.  We learn the gospel….

-Through the living and enduring word of God

It is the word by which we first hear and learn of the gospel of Christ, when we submit to its truth we are cleansed of sin and filled with the Holy Spirit.  It is by this renewing, this regeneration we are given a new life, a new heart, we are made a new creation.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment and points us to Christ. Through the word of God, God uses grace to bring us along to understand our need for Christ salvation.  This is the power of the gospel, it is through the word where he sows the seeds of the gospel in our heart, and changes us.  We do not do this on our own, it is an act of grace and it is by our faith in Christ that we are saved.  In the power of His gospel, God has come to cleanse and renew His people. Which brings us to our scripture this morning. 

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3 NIV)

Therefore or So (v. 2:1)

We have a “therefore” and I think we answered “what’s it therefore”.  Peter is referring back to verse 22 and to love one another.  What Peter is going to do in these verses is explain in more detail what is involved with that.  And the first thing he addresses is to “rid yourselves”.  He is saying to put off, put away attitudes and habits that are harmful to others.  The Greek word used here is used to give a picture of taking off something and putting something else on, like changing a shirt.  It is used throughout the New Testament, especially when it is talking about “putting off wrongful practices”.

Genuine love for others requires us to rid our lives of practices that are harmful to others.  So Peter gives us a list of things we need to…     

-Rid yourself of:

- Malice:  This is wickedness, and action with ill intent, but also any action harmful to others.

-Deceit:  Deceitfulness that harms others through trickery or falsehood. 

-Hypocrisy:  or insincerity, the masking of inward evil by an outward show of righteousness.

-Envy:  The opposite of thankfulness for the good of others.

-Slander:  Any speech which harms or is intended to harm another person’s status, reputation. 

All of these sins aim at harming other people, which is the opposite of love which seeks the good of others.  I hope you can see the connection between your relationship with God and your relationship with others.  It’s like a cross, you have to a vertical relationship first, before you can truly love horizontally. 

If you have these types of feeling towards another person, not just Christians—you will want to check your relationship with God.   In other words I don’t care what the other person has done, as a Christian you are to love others, especially another Christian. 

This is only possible if have a relationship with Christ.  A relationship that is alive and growing, healthy and life changing!  Let me make this perfectly clear if you have any of these feelings towards someone, you are not growing in Christ.  I can assure you of this.  The feelings of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander are the result of a ‘broken’ relationship with God.  It is usually something we are unwilling to give to God and because of that we never truly grow.  So how do we grow?

To Grow (v.2)

- What is necessary for growth?

To grow we have to have a desire to get rid of the sin in our lives.  When we put our faith in Christ, we are changed and a result of that change is new desires.  One of those new desires is the desire to rid ourselves of sin, and a craving for ‘pure spiritual milk’.  In a healthily relationship with Christ, this new craving is like a new born baby longs for milk.  If you have been around a new born baby, you know they are eager to feed regularly.  This picture is very easy to understand, especially if you have ever been awakened by hungry baby.  I don’t believe Peter is talking about basic Christian teaching, but is referring to a desire for nourishment to grow.

So this isn’t just about new Christians, this about Christians at different levels of growth and maturity, eagerly desiring to grow in their faith, they are hungry to know more.  The healthy growing Christian are not satisfied with just Sunday morning, but want to know Christ more, to go deeper in relationship with Him and others. This is what Peter wants to see his readers to desire; it is what I want to see in you!

-Desire the word

This desire is feed by the word of God.  The word of God is pure; it is free from all impurities.  The word is perfect, it will not lead us astray or deceive those who read it.  His word is truth. 

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. (Psalms 18:30 NIV)

The word is living as Peter has reminded us in verse 23, it is life generating.  The word is nourishing and sustaining for the Christian life, enabling us to grow in salvation. 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

How important is the word of God in your life?  Moses said this, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life” Deuteronomy 32:46-47 NIV

We are born again by the word of God.  We are sustained by the word of God, “Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4 NIV)

-Grow in salvation

Listening to the word, reading the word, studying the word, praying the word, are all ways we take it into ourselves for growth.  By taking in ‘pure spiritual milk’ we grow up in our salvation, we grow in maturity. 

The word, gives us hope, set us free, it is the word the Holy Spirit uses to shape us and mold us.  It is the word which is our sword against the enemy.

The Lord is Good! (v.3)

But there is more.  “Taste and see that the LORD is good”, once you have experienced the Lord you are never the same.  Once you have seen the Lord work in your life and in the lives around you, you want to know more. 

How does experiencing God connect with the word of God?  Peter knew the words of Scripture were the words of the Lord, so to read or to listen to Scripture is to hear the Lord speak.  To drink the milk of the word is to taste again and again what the Lord is like.  We can delight in and experience the joy of being near Him, to have fellowship with Him.  His words also guide and direct our lives.  His words encourage us in times of needs and in times of healing.  It is the word of God, by which we can know Him and learn about His nature, His character and will.   

We are commanded to love one another.  We can only do that if we rid our lives of the sin that keeps us from harming others.  The only way we can have victory in this life over sin is first to put our faith in Christ alone, by faith alone.  It is through Christ our sins are forgiven and we are made a new creation, given a new life, a new heart.  Keeping this incredible act of grace before us, always keeping our eyes on Christ, we can live holy lives worthy of our calling.  

The more we grow in this relationship with Christ the deeper our love will be for one another.  We will begin to share the grace, love, forgiveness we have experienced with Christ with others.  We can only grow in relationship with Him through His living and enduring word.  So desire the word of God like a new born baby desires milk.  Make it a part of your everyday life, talk about in your lying down and your getting up, share with your children, and talk about at your dinner tables and on your walks.  Bind it to your door frames and to your forearms and your head.  Let the word always be on your lips so that you may see the Lord is great! Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation continually say, The LORD is great!" (Psalms 40:16 HCSB)

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3 NIV)