Loving The Brethren-1 Series

LOVING THE BRETHREN-I—1Peter 1:22—2:12

Attention:

In our study of 1Peter we have examined the fact that Christians are...

CONSIDERED ALIEN(:1-2)...

We've also discovered:

WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD—(:3-12)

And found out some means of...

UNLEASHING Your SPIRITUAL VITALITY/Vigor—(:13-21)

Today we’re going to begin applying the above truths toward LOVING THE BRETHREN(1:22—2:12).

Peter exhorted the aliens to love their brothers & sisters in Christ as they were also loved by God.

Christians are to love as they are loved by God.

How are Christians to live out God’s love?

Encounters thru which Christians are to live-out God’s love.

1—God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...

CLEANSING(:22a)

Explanation:(:22a)

: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,”

Purity—Begins with obedience

Obedience—begins with the truth(word & voice)

Sincerity—begins with purity

Fervency—Begins with sincerity

Being obedient is manifested by one’s having “purified” his “soul.”

This purification is a personal work wrought thru a disciplined commitment to the truth that Jesus’ power in His Holy Spirit must be engaged to circumvent the desires of the flesh, thru cleansing of the soul.

“Purified”—agnizw—1)To make pure, purify, or cleanse either ceremonially or morally. Strong—To make clean, i.e. figuratively--Sanctify(ceremonially or morally). Used 7X.

“Souls”(See 2:11)—quch—1)Breath—1a) The breath of life—1a1) The vital force which animates the body & shows itself in breathing, 1b) Life, 1c) That in which there is life; 2) The soul—2a) The seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions(our heart, soul etc.), 2b) The (human)soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end & secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life, 2c) The soul as an essence which differs from the body(distinguished from other parts of the body). Strong—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely(the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational & immortal soul; & on the other from zwh, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew vpn, xwr & yx). From —qucw—meaning ‘to breathe.’

Argumentation:

2Pet. 1:5-9—“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, & to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours & abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, & has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”

Js. 4:7-10—“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.”

Isa. 1:14-17—“Your New Moons & your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”

Illustration:

Computer chip manufacturing—Much cleaner environment than a surgical operating room in a hospital—Uber-clean—Dust free—Impurity free/Even one speck of dust from one hair of your head in the works causes the works to quit working as desired!/All employees in contact with the machinery are uniquely hooded, gloved, & booted—No part of their body can be exposed/Much of the process takes place in sealed chambers using robotics/“Computer chips are only about the size of a fingernail, yet contain hundreds of millions of transistors, not to mention all the wiring needed to connect those transistors into a working machine & connect it to a motherboard & the rest of the world.”/PURITY

Used Dishes—Dirty/Why wash them?—Harmful bacteria/Make you sick/PURITY

My salvation experience/Realization of filth & depravity of sin/PURITY needed

Application:

?What has Your encounter with CLEANSING yielded?

?You exhibit God’s love?

2—God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...

OBEDIENCE(:22b)

Explanation:(:22b)

: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,”

Purity—Begins with obedience

Obedience—begins with the truth(word & voice)

Sincerity—begins with purity

Fervency—Begins with sincerity