December 4, 2011
Morning Service

I Peter 2:1-5

 

Review:

1.   Peter wrote this letter to the area churches in modern day Turkey, around the year 64 AD.  This is the area where the Apostle Paul, Barnabas, and Silas had originally gone on their missionary journeys.  This also is the area of the 7 churches in the Book of Revelations.

2.   Peter begins the letter with words of encouragement for the future, and the inheritance we have in heaven.

3.   Then tells them to continue on even though they are facing many trials at the present.

4.   Peter encourages them to live a life of holiness, to be different than the world around them.

5.   And at the end of chapter 1 he tells them to love one another.  He tells them how short lived our lives really are, but that the Word of God abides forever.

 

Now let’s see what chapter two has in store for us:

 

Desire the pure milk of the Word.

1Pe 2:1-25 KJVR  Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking,  (2)  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:  (3)  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

• Jesus told Nicodemus, “you must be born again, of the water, and of the Spirit.”  Jesus said in another place, “Joh 6:63 KJVR  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

·     Peter is saying you are new born babes, you have been born again.  So now let’s learn the things that will enrich your life, and he points them to the Word of God.  The teachings of Jesus.

·     First of all you gotta quit some things, or put them out of your life.  Paul says the same thing many times in his writings.  Paul says put to death these things.  Peter just says lay them aside.

1.    Malice;  Extreme enmity of heart.  Also means badness, or wickedness.

2.   Guile;  being deceitful in anyway.

3.   Hypocrisies;  The word means, feigning to be what we are not; assuming a false appearance of religion.  The word is also associated with dissimulation.  Paul uses it to describe Peter’s actions of not eating with the gentiles, when some of his Jewish friends showed up.  Gal. 2:13.

Some people use this word to describe some Christians, judging them, when it is not our place to judge anyone.  We are better off to think of this teaching;  Mat 7:3-5 KJVR  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  (4)  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  (5)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

4.  Envies;  Hatred of others on account of some excellency which they have, or something which they possess which we do not.

5.   Evil speaking;  It would include all unkind or slanderous speaking against others.

On this topic Jesus said, Mat 15:18-20 KJVR  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  (19)  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  (20)  These are the things which defile a man:

THIS IS WHY WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN, OF THE WATER, AND THE SPIRIT.

 

Vs.2;  AS NEWBORN BABES;  This is the wonderful thing about becoming a Christian, and being born again.  We have an opportunity to work on our lives.  God has forgiven, and washed away all our sins, we can start out brand newborn babes.  Peter says lay aside all these bad things, and as a babe in Christ, DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, OR TEACHINGS OF CHRIST.  AND THIS IS WHAT THEY, AS WELL AS WE, ARE RECEIVING.

JESUS SAID;  Mat 18:3 KJVR  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

When we were first born, we had the traits, and genes of our natural parents.  This, in some cases wasn’t too good.  But once we got older, and more mature, many of us have found out there is a better way, and that WAY is to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, and ask Him to come into our lives to help us be what He would like for us to be.  DOING THIS WILL BRING HAPPINESS, JOY, AND SATISFACTION IN OUR LIVES.  WHERE ONCE WAS MALICE, GUILE, HYPOCRISY, ENVY, AND EVIL SPEAKING.

 

ONCE WE HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR, PETER ENCOURAGES US TO;

Offer up spiritual sacrifices.

(4)  To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,  (5)  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 

• Now that you are a lively stone, a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, what are the spiritual sacrifices you are going to offer up?

1. Let me suggest, praise.  Our songs of praise are written to by anointed men and women of God, to give glory, and honor to our God.  It is He that deserves our praise, and it must come from the heart.
2. Let me suggest your time.   Eph 5:15-16 KJVR  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  (16)  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

You are best to decide if you are offering your time in a worthy manner to God as a spiritual sacrifice.

3. Let me suggest your monetary gifts to the Lord’s work.  Again you are the one to examine your spiritual sacrifice of giving.  The Word teaches us to give as we have been prospered.  Do we give in a SACRIFICIAL manner? 
4. Let me suggest good works.  Do we make ourselves available to help others?  Do we make ourselves available in a sacrificial way to help others.  The key word is SACRIFICIAL.

Jesus said this;  Mat 6:19-21 KJVR  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  (20)  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  (21)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

WE FIND THAT ONCE WE BEGIN STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD THERE ARE MANY CHANGES WE MUST MAKE IN OUR LIVES.  THEY ARE ALL FOR THE BETTER.  GOD ONLY WANTS US TO BE HAPPY, AND HIS WAYS ARE WHAT GIVES US THAT HAPPINESS.

 

WE CAN SEE THAT BY LAYING ASIDE THESE BAD TRAITS, AND PUTTING ON THE GOOD TRAITS THAT IT WILL HELP US TO ATTAIN THE JOY, HAPPINESS, AND PEACE THAT WE ALL WANT.