The Powerful Seed Of The Word Bears The Fruit Of Love 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 Series

1 Peter 1:22 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. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,

“All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

25 but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.

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

The foundation upon which our maturity can be built is the Word of God. The seed that grows and bears the fruit of love is the word of God. The seed (sperma) by which we are born again is the word of God.

The Word of God is Powerful for:

Proof of God’s Plan

Predictive proof of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, the past, and the end of the world.

Psalm 138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name

for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

God’s Name and His Word are above all things.

Predictive Prophecies of Gensis, Exodus, Joshua, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jesus, Paul

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:18-21

God spoke the Word of prophecy. The words of the prophets are God’s word-God’s words. Therefore, there is no place for private interpretation. I’ve heard many people debate the issue of interpretation, and have seen some students come through the doors of the Bible college who reject the understanding of Scripture which has stood the test of time, embracing strange doctrines clearly contrary to the historic Christian faith. The Bible is to be understood in community. The Holy Spirit works out the work of interpretation through the Body of Christ. It is not a matter for private individuals to work out on their own. There may be many levels of meaning to Scripture. The wealth of God’s word is endless. Yet, the old saying continues to ring true, “If it’s true it not new. If it’s new, it’s not true.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:1

Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s word. This means He is the communication of God to humanity. He is the means by which God expresses who He is.

Paradigms for Ideals/Identity

Our stories-those we are told and we tell our children, define who we are. Ravi Zacharias

“life is like a grammar lesson. Sometimes we find the past-perfect and the perfect-tense”. (anon)

This may be true, that we superimpose in our imaginations some form of perfection on the past, longing winsomely for the “good old days” that may never have been all that good. But we also can learn great lessons from the past, and, particularly, from the great people of the Bible who set standards of what we should and shouldn’t do. In each we can see various ways of responding to the Word of God.

Adam Ignored the Word of God and, as a result, plunged the human race into sin