Wayfaring Strangers Part 7" Got Milk?' Series

Wayfaring Strangers

A study of 1 Peter

Part 7

“Got Milk”

1 Peter 2:1-3

Today is part 7 of our on-going study of 1 Peter

Titled Wayfaring Strangers

We have learned that Peter was writing to the believers who were scattered because of their faith

And how we

As believers in a hostile world

Are also wayfaring strangers

Over the last few weeks we have taken a hard look at how we as believers will face hard times

And how with the help of God we can learn to not only overcome these tough times

But actually, grow in spiritual maturity because of them

We looked hard at our salvation and exactly what that means

Seeing that salvation is initiated by God

He chose us

The Holy Spirit spoke to our Hearts

Convicted us of our sins

Caused us to reach out to Christ

Who in turn cleansed us from our sin the moment we accepted him

We saw how this salvation was planned before the creation of the world and how the

Old Testament prophets wrote about it

But did not understand it

And we also saw that we while we have received this gift in full

But we also will not fully grasp what we have received until Jesus returns

Chapter one is about hoping in Jesus in the midst of suffering.

Chapter 2 begins unwrapping what we are to become in Christ

How we should act

Talk

Live

Now that we have been redeemed

In Days past God spoke through his prophets

But now

He primarily speaks to us through his Word

The word is what guides us

Gives us the rules for living a righteous life

The word answers life’s most difficult questions

And if taken in daily

Will change our lives

We should crave God’s word

If you have ever come to me for counseling

You know I will ask about your quiet time

It is imperative, if we want to grow in spiritual maturity

If we want to become more like Jesus

That we put the word in us

Desire the word of God

Crave it

Long For it

None of us have a desire problem

We all crave something

Long for something

The problem is we desire the wrong things

We crave the wrong Things

We long for the wrong things

And we get ourselves into tight spots

By Not acting like the believers that we are

Let’s read 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 1-3

Peter says

Because you have been born again

Because God sent Jesus to forgive your sins

Because you have received the guarantee of a priceless inheritance

That you should prepare your minds for action

Exercise self-control

Fear God--- expand on this

Love others just as God loves you

And

Chapter 2 verses 1-3

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

Just a few short verses 3 in all

That if lived

If applied

Can change our Lives

Verse 1a

“So get rid of all evil behavior”

So, what is evil behavior?

When we think of evil behavior

We often want to think of people like the shooters at the recent mass killings

Or Hannibal Lector from silence of the Lambs

These are indeed examples of evil behavior

But

In the world today, there is often a fine line between good and bad

God is very clear on the difference

All types of sexual immorality including porn , written and visual fit in this category

God says don’t

And we

Should not

Other types of evil behavior are

Lying

Stealing

Manipulating

Gossiping

Back biting

Grumbling

Complaining

Causing division and dissention

Self-worship

Placing other things in the place of God in your life

Selfishness

Self-centeredness

Addictions

I could go on and on

All of these things are evil because they take our focus off of God

They destroy our witness

When we as Christians do these thing

Even though God says don’t

What we are telling the non-believing world is

I call myself a Christian

But I don’t really believe God’s word

Peter says get rid of it

Get rid of it

Get rid of it

And he gives us the way in just a few more verses

But now he continues with the things we must get out of our lives

Verse 1d

“Be done with all deceit”

Deceit

Webster’s dictionary defines deceit as ----

“the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.”

Concealing the truth

And misrepresenting the truth

The world says what they don’t know won’t hurt them