1 Pet 2:1-3
INTRO: Have you ever noticed how - in life - one thing seems to lead to another. There seems to be a very natural process of progressing. Well, perhaps you, with me, have seen this very thing in the Bible. I marvel at how God - through His word - takes a simple truth and begins to build on ti. Its wonderful to see the grand logic of the scriptures as it unfolds. Now, in the verses we have read - seen in connecting with words already written - is that progress of thought. It still centers in the concept that the Christian life is a changes life. But Peter explains that the change occurs through a healthful diet. The subject is growing.
I. DISEASES THAT RETARD GROWTH 2:1
A. What an important word is wherefore!
1. in A.S.V. it is therefore a connecting word
2. what Peter is about to say relates inseparably to what he has already said
3. and he has written of new birth and brotherly love
B. Laying aside literally, strip away
1. this is a decisive, definite moral action
2. things he is going to mention cannot be allowed to remain in newly born Christian because they retard and destroy both spiritual development and brotherly love
3. now, this is a strong imperative
C. The germs that infect and harm -- inhibit growth?
1. all malice - a general word for evil and wickedness
2. all guile - two facedness; deceiving another to gain ones own ends; impure motives (2 Cor 8:21)
3. hypocrisies - acting a good part while being bad; one who seems to be a Christian but who is not (Ps 26:2)
4. envies - desiring what another has; feeling ill toward him because he has it (S of S 8:6)
5. all evil speakings - gossip; tale bearing; malicious intent (Eph 4:31,36)
6. how can we grow in Christ, how can love develop among us if this disease problem plagues us individually?
II. THE PROPER DIET FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS 2:2
A. New Christians are babes in Christ (1:3 & 23)
1. so care must be exercised in diet
2. so very often babes in Christ die in infancy - as babies in a family need every care, so new Christians
B. The Father expects growing
1. signs of immaturity as in 2:1 must not continue
2. 1 Cor 13:11 growing, maturing so important to the development of healthy love in the church
C. The food? unadulterated milk of the word
1. desire means yearning ... another strong word
2. sincere means without additional elements
3. what might the milk of the word be?
a. it is somewhat difficult to determine ... but
b. themes: the identity of the church: faith and obedience; the great passages on the nature, character of the new life; principles of morality, etc.
c. books: synoptics; 1 & 2 Peter; Ephesians; Acts: James
d. although the bible is written to be understood, we must take first things first ... and build upon that it is no disgrace not to tackle John, Romans, Hebrews, Revelation immediately
D. What about spiritual junk food?
1. there is a world of religious material being written
2. quite honestly, much of it is not helpful ... and is harmful to an unsuspecting or untaught person often creates more confusion than help!
3. the sincere milk of the word is the growth agent!
III. WHOLESOME MOTIVATION?
A. Firstly, our salvation
1. A.S.V. adds in 2:2 grow thereby unto salvation
2. comment on the sense of ultimate salvation
3. salvation without growing isnt possible
B. And note 2:3 (quoted from Ps 34:8)
1. grow because of Gods graciousness to us
2. a continuing affinity for the things of God
3. the kindness of God is not an excuse for doing as one pleases to do ... it is an obligation to do what God pleases!
CLOSE: Are we growing in Christ? Are there any unhealthy signs of immaturity in us?
Cecil A. Hutson
13 May 2001
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)