Have You Got Milk?

I am sure the majority of you have watched the television commercials advertising milk with the catchy little slogan that says, “Got milk?” Maybe you recall the commercials of years gone by that said, “Milk, it does the body good.” What you can pick up from these slogans is that milk is good for a person’s physical health. Milk is high in calcium, which is vital for having strong bones, and strong bones are necessary to support the muscles and nervous system of the human body.

Spiritually speaking, “milk does the soul good” as well. However, I am not talking about the milk that comes from a cow, but I am speaking of what Peter calls “the pure milk of the Word” (1 Peter 2:2). The words of the Bible are likened to milk, and they are as essential to our spiritual growth as milk is to the growth of the human body. Just as a cow’s milk is good for the body, the milk of God’s Word is good for our soul, because the Bible contains a message that leads us to find eternal life in Jesus Christ. If you desire physical life then drink cow’s milk; however, if you desire spiritual life then drink the milk of God’s Word.

I encourage you to pay close attention this morning, for if you don’t then this message might slip right “past your eyes” (pasteurized). I urge you to listen closely as we look at three prominent passages of Scripture on the milk of God’s Word, for to miss the message that God wants us to receive could result in “udder chaos” (utter chaos) in our relationship with the Lord.

Young Christians Must Desire the Word (1 Peter 2:2-3)

2 As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

In Psalm 34:8 we read, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in him.” Anyone who has ever given God a try and who has truly tasted the love of Jesus Christ will know that God is living and real. Jesus said in John 7:17 that, “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own” (NLT). Jesus confidently declared, “If you will just give the Lord a try you will see that He is real and desirable.” Anyone who attempts to taste of God’s goodness will be blessed, for that person will receive eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

In John 3:3 we read that when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we are “born again.” We begin our new life in Christ as an infant begins his new life in the world. If you have recently accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then you are a newborn baby and you will soon desire to be fed. Peter urges us to “desire the pure milk of the Word” (v. 2). He likens to Word of God to milk, because the Word is as essential to a Christian’s growth as milk is to an infant’s growth. For just a moment let’s look at the importance of a mother’s milk to her baby.

A mother produces [milk that contains] antibodies to infectious agents that a newborn might be exposed to. If a mother breast-feeds her newborn, a process known as diathelic immunity takes place, in which the baby receives the necessary antibodies to fight infection. During the first seventy-two to ninety-six hours after childbirth, breast milk contains colostrum, which carries immuno-globulins that greatly enhance the newborn's immunity against disease. Babies deprived of colostrum have considerably higher rates of viral and bacterial infections.(1)

Just as a mother’s milk helps a baby’s immune system defend against infection, God’s Word will help newborn Christians defend against the infectious attacks of Satan. The Devil is like a virus that is out to find a weak host to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 warns that our “adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan becomes angry when someone gives their life to Jesus Christ, and he will try to attack that person while they are still weak in their faith, attempting to make them stumble and fall. He wants new Christians to give up on God before they start growing in Him. Warren Wiersbe says, “Man’s wisdom is no match for Satan’s cunning. Our only defense is the inspired Word of God.”(2)

Some Christians Remain As Infants (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?