What are we Craving?
Am service August 17th 2008
1 Peter 2:1-3
Introduction
A great threat to spiritual growth is what is known as spiritual fatalism -- the belief or feeling that you are stuck with the way you are -- "this is all I will ever experience of God -- the level of spiritual intensity that I now have is all I can have; others may have strong desires after God and may have deep experiences of personal pleasure in God, but I will never have those because . . . well, just because . . . I am not like that. That’s not me."
This spiritual fatalism is a feeling that genetic forces and family forces and the forces of my past experiences and present circumstances are just too strong to allow me to ever change and become more zealous for God, or more fervent, or more delighted in God, or more hungry for fellowship with Christ, or more at home with spiritual things, more bold, or more joyful or hopeful.
Spiritual fatalism is tragic in the church. It leaves people stuck. It takes away hopes and dreams of change and growth. It squashes the excitement of living for and with Christ -- which is growth. So thousands of people live year after year without much passion for Jesus or zeal for his name or joy in his presence or hope in his promises well, that’s just the way I am. And they just settle in.
In this text God commands us not to be spiritual fatalists. (John Piper)
What this means is that if you feel stuck because you don’t have the kind of spiritual desires that you should, then for the believer there are some things that you can do to ensure spiritual growth. We will learn three things today about my growing spiritually.
Read Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:1-3
I. In order to grow spiritually we must be willing to let go of the old way of Life.
Vs. 1 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,”
This passage clearly defines the attitude of an unbeliever. As a believer, if will ever experience all that I am intended to experience in my relationship with Jesus, then I must come to the knowledge that there are some things that I need to confess and get rid of in my life.
This passage begins with the words, “Wherefore” which is the same as “Therefore”. Anytime you start reading a passage of scripture and it begins with a “Therefore” you must ask you self the question what is that “therefore” , there for. (lets say that question together on the count of 3) Well I am glad you asked.
These five attitudes that are mentioned in this passage directly relate back to what we learned last week in the previous passage. We are to love one another with a pure heart fervently. The very things that we are to strip off are the things that dirty and soil our love. These five attitudes have to do with how we treat each another, with our behavior toward our Christian brothers and sisters.
The passage says “Wherefore laying aside” it means to take these things and literally strip them off just as you would strip off your clothes; we are to cleanse ourselves from all that defiles us.
A. As believers we must strip off "malice". The word means wickedness, all kinds and forms of evil, such as fornication (which is sex outside of marriage), adultery (which is sex with someone else other than your spouse) wickedness, covetousness, murder, backbiters, haters of God and His Word.
It could also mean deep-seated feelings against a person; hatred that lasts on and on; intense and long-lasting bitterness against a person. It means ill will, actually wishing that something bad would happen to a person. It means to be vicious, spiteful, and to hold a grudge. It means that a person has turned his heart over to evil:
= A person no longer has any good feelings toward the other person—none whatsoever.
= A person could care less if something bad happened to the person.
The statement is strong: as believers we are to strip off malice—in all of its forms. We are to be pure and clean, and we are to live pure and clean lives before our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
B. Believers must strip off "guile" or “deceit”. We must not purposefully deceive and mislead people; it means we must not be two-faced.
C. Believers must strip off "hypocrisies". The word means one who pretends, puts on a show, acts out something he is not. The word is plural it means All kinds of hypocrisies.
A person is a hypocrite when he acts as though he loves and believes God, but he does not live like God tells him to live, when he pretends to be following God, but he is living like he wants to live, when he shows a concern for the things of God, but his real concern is for the things of the world, when he professes to believe God’s Word, but he questions it and adds and takes away from it, when he promises, but he never intends to keep his promise.
Jesus warns hypocrites, severely warns them. Believers must, therefore, strip off any semblance of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is one of the sins that Jesus really spoke out about in the scriptures.
= Hypocrites shall receive the greater damnation (Matthew 23:14).
= Hypocrites are children of hell (Matthew 23:15).
= Hypocrites are fools and blind (Matthew 23:17, 19).
= Hypocrites are blind guides (Matthew 23:24).
= Hypocrites are full of extortion and excess (Matthew 23:25).
= Hypocrites are full of all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27).
= Hypocrites are serpents, a generation of vipers (Matthew 23:33).
= Hypocrites shall not escape the damnation of hell (Matthew 23:33).
We as believers are warned to strip it away, have nothing to do with it.
C. Believers must strip off "envies". The word means that a person covets what someone else has, covets it so much that he wants it even if it has to be taken away from the other person. He may even wish that the other person did not have it or had not received it. We may look at people and envy their money, position, looks, social status, possessions, popularity, clothes, authority.
D. Believers must strip off "evil speakings". This means to criticize, judge, backbite, gossip, censor, condemn, and grumble against another person. It means to talk about and to tear down another person; to spread false accusations about.
These are the things that we are to let go of, literally strip away. We are told in scripture “not to gratify the sinful nature”, but we are to live by the Spirit of God. The attitude and attributes of a person living by the spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23 “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Now that we know what we should not do in order to grow spiritually, what is it that we should do.
II. In order to grow spiritually we must crave the Word of God.
Vs. 2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
The statement is an imperative, a command: "You desire, crave, and yearn the sincere milk of the Word. And the craving and yearning are to be constant."
The word "desire" means to crave, yearn, and long for the Word of God. It is a strong word, very strong. It paints the picture of being an absolute essential, of hungering and thirsting after the Word. If a believer is to grow, it is absolutely essential that he hunger and thirst after the milk of the Word.
Too many of us crave the Word here and there, sporadically. Growth can come only as we live in the Word day by day.
The word "sincere" means unadulterated, unmixed with anything else. Your cannot add to it, or take anything away from it.
The word "milk" usually in scripture refers to the food needed by immature believers. But this is not the case with this passage. A distinction is not being made between believers. All believers are seen as needing to grow and to learn more about the Lord. All believers are to desire the milk (food) of the Word.
The purpose for craving and yearning after the Word is that we may grow in the wisdom and understanding of the God we serve.
III. Once we experience true spiritual growth it should make you hungry for more.
Vs. 3 “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious”
The result of craving the Word of God is spiritual growth and then “we taste that the Lord is gracious.” God feeds us, nourishes and nurtures us. He reveals and feeds our souls, teaching us all about His grace, His wonderful salvation and promises to us.
= He teaches us how to live pure and clean lives; how to conquer the temptations of life; how to walk through the trials of life.
= He teaches us all about the great salvation and promises He has made.
= He teaches us all about Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ and the glorious hope we have of living with the Lord forever and ever.
= He teaches us how to worship, praise, and honor Him as we walk in this corruptible world.
God just takes His Word and feeds us, nourishes and nurtures us in His marvelous grace. As we crave and yearn for His Word, growth takes place and we will crave more. Then our lifestyle and attitude will be more of you God and less of me.
Conclusion
What are you craving in this life? I don’t know were you stand spiritually, I do know that some of you need to throw off some of the things that were listed here in this passage. Some of you need to come for the first time in your life and taste the Lord is good.
Why is it that we settle for being stagnant Christians, have you ever smelled stagnant water, it really stinks, well if you are a Christian and you are no longer growing no matter your age, then it won’t be long before you begin to stink spiritually. When we are no longer seeking God, seeking the nourishment of His word we are in danger of sinking back into the old ways of life. Call it backsliding if you want, but I say it stinks because then we give Jesus and His church a black eye. If that is you let go of pride and come to the altar this morning and rid yourself of it today.
(Thanks sermoncentral contributors, preacher’s sermon and outline bible)
