Living Word Series

Title: "Living Word "

Big Idea: Purified Soul, Sincere Love, a New Birth, Desire For a New Life, Spiritual Growth.

1) The Word Produces - a Purified Soul (vs.1:22)

2) The Word Produces - a New birth (vs. 1:23)

3) The Word Produces - Spiritual Growth (vs. 2:2)

Read Sermon Text: 1 Peter 1:22-25-1 Peter 2:1-3 3 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, (1:23) having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

(1:24) because

"All flesh is as grass,

And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers,

And its flower falls away,

(1:25) But the word of the Lord endures forever."

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

(2:1) Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, (2:2) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, (2:3) if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

NKJV

1) The Word Produces - a Purified Soul (vs.1:22)

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, NKJV

a. Peter's use of the word "purified" is not implying that our soul was filled with the righteousness of God. but the this "purification" takes place as we empty ourselves of all the impurities which defile our soul. This emptying of self creates a place in which is filled with the spirit of God. The evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in the "sincere love" of brethren.

(Illustration) When a person plugs in a power cord to an appliance the electricity flows from the source through the individual conductors to the appliance and infuses the appliance with power to operate. Without that power the purpose and use of the appliance is useless. God infuses us through the conductor of the Holy Spirit, it is the power of God that empowers our lives to fulfill the task of "sincere love". "To know God is to Love with a pure heart".

b. The words "have purified" are from the perfect tense verb in the Greek. That is, a pass completed process that is consistent and habitual obedience to the word had resulted in the purifying of their soul. Obedience will produce results so that their souls were in the present state of purification. They also rectified an existing evil practice in their lives that of hypocritical affection for their Christian brethren. The lesson for us is that our obedience of God's word are heart of life is being purified and this purification process puts sin out of our experience.(Word studies in the Greek New Testament)

c. Sincere Love-The Greek word used to define the "sincere love" means an "unfeigned" (anupókriton) or a genuine love, free from hypocrisy. There is no motivation to love one another than the love of God in and through us.

d. This love that flows from God is able to overcome all the fleshly desires, however purification process is not just external but must begin with our spiritual heart and allow it to work it out in our lives. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 "ye must be born again" The regeneration process must start with the dying to self and the things of this world and become new through the "new birth". We are a new creation and all that we were has passed away. Then we must begin the process of living in and through the Spirit.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV

e. We have two wonderful "assistants" to help us: (1) the Word of God and the (2) Spirit of God. The same truth that we trusted and obeyed to become God's children also nurtures and empowers us. It is impossible to love the truth and hate the brethren. The Spirit of God produces the "fruit of the Spirit" in our lives, and the first of these is love (Gal 5:22-23). If we are filled with the Word of God (Col 3:16 ff) and the Spirit of God (Eph 5:18 ff), we will manifest the love of God in our daily experiences.

(from The Bible Exposition Commentary. Copyright © 1989 by Chariot Victor Publishing, and imprint of Cook Communication Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. NKJV