Key Thought: Consistently being exposed to God’s Word is absolutely crucial for winning our daily battle against sin and to the growth (fruitfulness) of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:1-3 “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 2:22-25, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
- Love one another deeply from the Heart
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.
- Been born again not of corruptible but incorruptible seed (which is the word of God).
1 Peter 1:18-19, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from our forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
John MacArthur comments on this phrase “Been Born Again” when he says, “It is almost as if Peter anticipated his readers asking why they should love the way he had commanded them. He therefore told them they should be expected to love that way because they had “been born again.” The Greek word for the phrase “been born again” emphasizes that the new birth occurs in the past, with ongoing results in the present. One of those results is that believers will show love for one another.”
1 Peter 2:1 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”
- Malice
James 1:19-21 says, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
- All Deceit
Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
- Hypocrisy
Matthew Henry “In matters of religion hypocrisy is counterfeit piety. In civil conversation hypocrisy is counterfeit friendship, which is much practiced by those who give high compliments, which they do not believe, make promises which they never intend to perform, or pretend friendship when mischief lies in their heart.”
- Envy
1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
- Slander of every kind
1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,”
Question: How do newborn babies crave milk?
- They will cry if they don’t get it
- They are passionate about it
Psalms 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, He meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
2 Peter 3:18 says, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
- Grow in Grace
1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
- Grow in Knowledge
2 Peter 1:5-8 when he says, “For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Key Thought: “If we are to win our daily battle against these specific sins Peter mentions and grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we must carve out time on a consistent basis to expose our hearts and minds to God’s word.
