Download 1 Peter 2:1-3 - Ebenezer Baptist Church

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GOD OF ALL GRACE
Growing In The Word
1 Peter 2:1-3 part 11
INTRODUCTION: In chapter one, Peter challenged believers to live holy and love their brothers and sisters
in Christ. In chapter two, Peter challenged believers to forsake sin and grow by feeding on the Word of God.
We need to ask ourselves how serious we are about pleasing our Lord and Savior.
I. DISCARDING OF SINS
The five sins listed in verse one are relational sins. All of these sins aim at harming other people, which is the
opposite of love which seeks the good of others. "Laying aside" is the imagery of removing garments. It
means "to strip off" or "to throw aside." We must put off, completely lay aside the old things of the flesh. We
cannot grow spiritually mature unless we put off these things.
A. SIN OF MALICE. (ill will, injure) Malice is the desire to inflict pain and harm with ill intent to others.
B. SIN OF GUILE. (craft, deceit,) Deceitfulness that harms others through trickery, falsehood or misleading
statements about another person.
C. SIN OF HYPOCRISY. (the acting of a stage player, insincerity) The masking of inward evil by an
outward show of righteousness, the attempt to hid one's true identity. The hypocrite is a fake, an imposter, a
phony.
D. SIN OF ENVY. Envy is the desire to possess things that belong to someone else. It is an attitude of
resentment toward another person who has excelled or has been blessed. Envy hopes for the downfall of
another and advancement of oneself. (Mark 15:10)
E. SIN OF EVIL SPEAKING. (slander, gossip) Any speech which harms or is intended to harm another
person’s reputation. It means to talk down another person.
II. DESIRING THE WORD
A. LIFE FROM THE WORD.
Peter used the figure of a newborn baby from the physical world and applied it to Christian living. We should
hunger for the Word of God as a baby would for its mother's milk.
We are born again by the word of God. (1Pet. 1:23) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
We are sustained by the word of God. (1 Pet. 2:2; Matt. 4:4) "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
B. LOVE FOR THE WORD.
The longest chapter (Psalms 119) is devoted to the Word of God. In this Psalm, the Psalmist wrote of his love
for God's Word.
"Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold." Ps. 119:127
"My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly." Ps. 119:167
Robert Chapman wrote, "The great cause of neglecting the Scriptures is not want of time, but want of heart,
some idol taking the place of Christ."
C. LIGHT FROM THE WORD.
The word "sincere" can be translated as pure. It means the Word of God is undiluted. The Word of God
reveals the One true God. We learn spiritual principals to know the way to live our lives. The Bible brings
light into our spiritual darkness.
"The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening
the eyes." (Ps. 19:8)
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Ps. 119:105)
When we open the Word of God we should pray like the psalmist: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of thy law." (Ps. 119:18)
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." (Ps. 119:130)
"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." (2Cor. 4:6)
III. DELIGHTING IN THE LORD
A. LEARNING OF CHRIST.
The Living Word and the Written Word cannot be separated. The Word of God allows us to learn of Christ.
We realize that He is our Bread of Life, our Living Water, our very life. (Col. 3:4) We learn of His will, His
work, His ways. The more we learn of Christ, the more delighted we will be in knowing Him as Lord and
Savior. The Word will aid us to grow in our salvation and into Christlikeness.
"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." (Ps. 34:8)
B. LOVELINESS OF CHRIST. (Ps. 27:4)
In salvation, we realize that Christ is gracious. He is kind and loving to His children. Like Peter, we learn that
He is precious.
As a theologian long ago said, "There is nothing in him which is not loveable."
Drawing close to Christ in sweet communion is unexplainable, for it is heavenly. The loveliness of Christ can
be seen in His earthly ministry and His glorious position in heaven. Think of the moment when He gave sight
to the blind man and the first person he saw was Jesus. Place yourself in the room when Jesus raised the young
girl who died and the joy her family must have felt when Jesus gave her life. Go along with Him as He
preached the gospel to the poor. Picture Him as He sat on the hill side teaching the people or when He fed the
multitudes. Experience the joy of Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus came out of the tomb. Think
of the love the woman at the well must have experienced when Jesus forgave her and gave her living water.
Imagine the loveliness of Christ to the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears while she poured out
the alabaster box of ointment. How lovely Christ must have been to her when she heard Him say: "Thy sins
are forgiven." How lovely Jesus must have been to the woman taken in adultery and He saved from being
stoned to death. How beautiful Jesus must have been to this woman when He forgave her. How loving was our
Lord to us when He hung on the cross for our filthy sins. He is seated now at the Father's right hand in all His
majesty and glory. How beautiful is our Lord Jesus Christ.
LESSONS FOR LIFE:
Babies are to grow into mature adults. God wants us to grow up to be spiritually mature adults. This requires a
steady diet of the Word of God. As we grow in the Word, we will discover how lovely Jesus is and how good
He is to us. Are you growing spiritually? “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the
things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”