Series: 1 Peter
Sermon: “A Loving Congregation”
1 Peter 1:22-25
Pastor John Bright
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, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 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,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”
When I start teaching a new book in Bible Study, I like to ask the “newspaper questions” – Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Why was 1 Peter written? As we need have exhortation (encouragement) today, they needed it the Early Church. You see, they were living in a culture that was hostile to God’s Word. Do we?
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We are at the end of this first section in Chapter One. This is the fourth exhortation – or encouragement – for these 1st century Believers. Quick review – Peter was encouraging them to:
• Have hope v. 13
• Live holy lives v. 14-16
• Live in fear of God v. 17-21
All of these are important if we are going to be a Faithful Congregation in the 21st century. Now we come to one of the most misunderstood exhortations – loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Loving one another v. 22
“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,”
To understand what the love means in the Bible – here’s a little explanation: “The ancient languages differentiate among sexual, brotherly, and familial love, and also the kind of love that God has for creation and that we may have for Him.
The Hebrew word yada and the Greek word eros are the words used to indicate sexual love. In the New Testament, the Greek word eros is not found because there is no context in which it might be used.
The second type of love is the brotherly love that exists between close friends regardless of gender. There is no sexual connotation; it is the love for and by a friend. The Hebrew word is ahabah, and it is used to describe the love between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:17. The Greek word for brotherly love or affection is phileo, as used to refer to friendship in John 15:19, Romans 12:10, and Hebrews 13:1.
Of family or tribal love, the Hebrew word is once again ahabah, indicating a deep affection, and the Greek word is storge. We find ahabah throughout the Old Testament because of its broad range of meanings, but the Greek word storge is only found in the New Testament as a negative word, astorgos, meaning "without natural love" (e.g., in 2 Timothy 3:3).
Finally, there is the Hebrew word chesed and the Greek word agape, which are used to express the kind of love God demonstrates toward His elect. Chesed is often translated as “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness.” A good example of chesed is found in Numbers 14:18, “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression” (ESV).
Agape love is the goodwill and benevolence of God shown in self-sacrifice and an unconditional commitment to the loved one. Agape is similar to chesed in that it is steadfast, regardless of circumstances. Agape love is the kind of love we are to have for God in fulfillment of the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37). Jesus wants to instill agape in His followers as we serve others through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 22:39; John 13:34). https://www.gotquestions.org/definition-of-love.html
We find two of these Greek words in v. 22 – “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren (philadelphia), love (agapeo) one another fervently with a pure heart.” These Believers have come together and found there starting point was learning to love each other like brothers and sisters in Christ. Not the easiest thing to do!
We also have to consider how we love one another before salvation and after salvation. Before salvation we have not been purified and we are not obeying the truth. In that state, we loving others is optional. After you are saved, loving one another is a requirement. (Does that sound better than saying it’s a commandment?) This is the greatest need we have in the local congregation today – to be seen as a place where love for on another is present. What does that look like? A quote from St. Francis of Assisi: “Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and an be of service to him. And blessed is he who loves his brother as well when he is afar off as when he is by his side, and who would say nothing behind his back he might not, in love, say before his face.”
That change is worked in us when we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The power of regeneration v. 23
“23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,”
The Believer has been “born again.” What does that mean? Ephesians 2:1-3 “2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
The Non-believer, the lost man or woman, is spiritually dead. They can walk around and the way they walk looks just like the world around them. I have suggested to folks when they gather for Thanksgiving or Christmas with their family, start looking at their lost family members as ZOMBIES. They are the WALKING DEAD. Guess what? We was them! That what we used to be. What happened? That verse 3 is not the end of the story!
Ephesians 2:4-5 “4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”
We can love because we have been changed - “because of His great love with which He loved us.” The great change within us, moving us from death to life, is referred to as regeneration. It’s a change promised in both the New Testament and the Old Testament:
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Ezekiel 36:25-27 “25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
The change if regeneration is total and complete – at least is should be that way. Dr Dale Sides calls it “re-gene-a-ration.” It like a whole a new DNA has been placed in every cell of your body. That’s how vast and powerful is the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the Believer – especially our ability to love.
Somebody smarter than me said the greatest problem in the local church is that we are not who we were designed by God to be. As Believers, we were made to be thick-skinned and tender hearted. That’s how we can “love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (v. 22) Instead, we have become hard-heated and thin skinned. We get upset with one another to easily and neglect God’s direction in Matthew 18:15-17 “15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”
In the local church, we tend to do it the way the world does it and forget the Word of God that brought us death to life.
Holding to the Word of God v. 25
“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,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”
We can’t love one another without loving God.
We can’t love God without loving God’s Word.
That might be hard word for some of you here this morning. Next week – talk more about building our lives on the foundation of God’s Word.
This morning – do you love the Word of God? Do you have a deep desire for the Word of God that is like a unquenchable thirst or a gnawing hunger? When all else fails – do you turn to the words of Scripture for relief?
Part of the agape love that God has for His People is the gift of Holy Scripture. God is clear on the WHY -
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” When you want this for your life, it becomes an easy thing to love the folks around you – even the folks in the next pew. Amen.
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. Is there any area of your life where love has grown cold?
• God works a great change in the life of every Believer! Would you be able to explain that change to another person? Try writing it down to help you clarify this part of your testimony.
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TEACHING SHEET
Sermon Series: 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:22-25
“A Loving Congregation”
Why was 1 Peter written? As we need have exhortation (encouragement) today, they needed it the Early Church. You see, they were living in a culture that was hostile to God’s Word. Do we?
This is the fourth exhortation – or encouragement – for these 1st century Believers. Quick review – Peter was encouraging them to:
• Have hope v. 13
• Live holy lives v. 14-16
• Live in fear of God v. 17-21
Loving one another v. 22
“The Hebrew word yada and the Greek word eros are the words used to indicate sexual love.
The Hebrew word (for brotherly love) is ahabah, and it is used to describe the love between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:17. The Greek word for brotherly love or affection is phileo, as used to refer to friendship in John 15:19, Romans 12:10, and Hebrews 13:1.
Of family or tribal love, the Hebrew word is once again ahabah, indicating a deep affection, and the Greek word is storge.
Finally, there is the Hebrew word chesed and the Greek word agape, which are used to express the kind of love God demonstrates toward His elect. Chesed is often translated as “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness.” A good example of chesed is found in Numbers 14:18, “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression” (ESV). Agape love is the goodwill and benevolence of God shown in self-sacrifice and an unconditional commitment to the loved one.
https://www.gotquestions.org/definition-of-love.html
v. 22 – “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren (philadelphia), love (agapeo) one another fervently with a pure heart.”
The power of regeneration v. 23
Ephesians 2:1-3 & 4-5
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ezekiel 36:25-27
The change if regeneration is total and complete – at least is should be that way. Dr Dale Sides calls it “re-gene-a-ration.” It like a whole a new DNA has been placed in every cell of your body. That’s how vast and powerful is the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the Believer – especially our ability to love.
Somebody smarter than me said the greatest problem in the local church is that we are not who we were designed by God to be. As Believers, we were made to be thick-skinned and tender hearted. That’s how we can “love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (v. 22) Instead, we have become hard-heated and thin skinned. We get upset with one another to easily and neglect God’s direction in Matthew 18:15-17
Holding to the Word of God v. 25
We can’t love one another without loving God.
We can’t love God without loving God’s Word.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” When you want this for your life, it becomes an easy thing to love the folks around you – even the folks in the next pew. Amen.
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. Is there any area of your life where love has grown cold?
• God works a great change in the life of every Believer! Would you be able to explain that change to another person? Try writing it down to help you clarify this part of your testimony.
• Pray the scripture for November 3 – 1 Peter 2:1-8 “Built Upon God’s Word”
