Feeding on the Word
Sermon Series: The Manual
1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3
Last week we learned that the Manual, God’s Word, is useful for
- teaching
- rebuking
- correcting
- training
It has a very solid purpose in preparing each and every Christian to do the work which God has called us to do. By spending time in His Word, it enriches our lives and helps us to grow.
That’s what we are going to look at today. How feeding on the truth of God’s Word can make a tremendous difference in each of our lives, if we commit ourselves to eating from it daily.
Turn if you would to 1 Peter 1:22ff
1Pe 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1Pe 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
1Pe 1:24 For, “All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
1Pe 1:25 but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
1Pe 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
1Pe 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
1Pe 2:3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Many people think that the Word of God (the Bible), does not apply to them these days. They assume since it was written so long ago, that it was only useful for those it was written to in the past.
Well, that brings to mind a question. If it was only important for the people in Jesus’ time period, why is it still the most popular selling book on the market, year after year and why do so many people read and study from it?
The Answer: Because people are hungry for TRUTH. The truth found in God’s Word still applies to our lives today.
- That which was truth back then is still truth today
- That which changed a heart back then changes hearts today
- That which challenged people back then challenges people today
- That which taught people back then teaches today
- That which made people familiar with the characteristics and attributes of God back then, still makes us familiar with His characteristics and attributes today
While reading the passage from 1 Peter, did any on you notice the two main descriptive words about God’s Word. They are Living & Enduring. What do they mean?
I looked up what Webster’s had to say about it:
LIVING:
1 : to be alive (Not dead, but alive & active)
2 : to continue alive (to not die, to prosper, to live without ending)
3 : to remain in human memory or record (Not to be forgotten)
ENDURING:
1 : to undergo (as a hardship) especially without giving in
(the Bible has been criticized for years, insulted, torn apart, but not finished)
2 : to continue in the same state/to last
(to last, God’s Word does not change, although people have tried to change it)
3 : to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding
Let me use the following the illustration to help bring it home:
- True or False?
On the Internet, there is a news group in which readers post “Urban Myths” and discuss whether or not they are true, false or unanswerable. Let me share a couple of them with you. (Little Audience Participation)
Raise your RIGHT HAND = TRUE
Raise your LEFT HAND = FALSE
- A penny dropped from the Empire State Building will embed itself in the pavement. (False)
- The bubbles in bubble wrap (the packing material) contain a toxic gas. (False)
- You can send a coconut through the mail without wrapping it. (True)
- Welding while wearing contact lenses will cause the lenses to stick to your eyeballs. (False)
- Unless marked “DAIRY”, fast food shakes aren’t milk, but mostly carrageen gel. (True)
- Albert Einstein did poorly in school. (False)
- A woman adopted a stray dog in Tijuana, Mexico and later discovered it was a sewer rat. (False)
- Some Oregon highway workers blew up a whale and showered the town with blubber. (True)
- A mime had a heart attack during his act. The audience thought it was part of the act and did nothing. (False)
- Bubble Yum bubble gum is made with spider eggs (False)
In today’s world it is sometimes difficult to tell the truth from the false. Some things may sound true, but they are only myths. Other things seem hard to believe, but they are true. Many times, there is no way to know the difference either way.
Myths come and go. The TRUTH endures forever. That’s one reason the Word of God has survived for thousands of years. No other document has stood the test of time like the Holy Bible. Generation after generation has found that God’s Word is TRUE. It can be trusted.
Unlike these myths that are out there, God’s Word is said to be living and enduring. It has been in existence and continues to remain in existence. It hasn’t been snuffed out but has carried on throughout the centuries.
Again, the reason it has been so overwhelmingly popular throughout the years, it because it is full of TRUTH. People have been converted to Christianity just because of a passage they have read from the Bible. That’s why the Gideon’s are so well known for putting Bibles in Hotels & Motels throughout the world. That perhaps one individual who may be struggling with issues in life may find the TRUTH of God’s Word right there in their hotel room. The testimonies given by the Gideon’s are phenomenal. The very words found within Scripture are powerful and moving.
- They Words of God can melt the coldest hearts of sinners
- It can change lives from the moment the Words are read
- It can reassure a Christian who may be having doubts
- It will encourage anyone of us when we are down
- MOST OF ALL: It will build up Christians in their faith
Peter finishes off by challenging his readers to crave the Word of God as a baby would crave and desire to be fed milk. For it is the very Word of God that helps new Christians to grow as they read & learn what His Word has to say.
It will challenge us to step out of our comfort zones and do something new & different for each individual, that will bring glory to God. Doesn’t God deserve the Glory, honor and praise that we can bring Him? These are His Words, and as we see others from the Bible who learned to lean on God and His Words of TRUTH, we see that God was faithful in the lives of those who trusted Him.
Last week I told you about a counselor I know who uses a method to help people to rediscover the truth in their lives.
1. Daily tell yourself the truth
2. Act as if it were true
Get into God’s Word and trust Him to be true to His Word.
Conclusion:
God’s Word is the everlasting TRUTH. It will be around forever. It is so important that you allow yourselves to be consumed by the TRUTH that is written inside. Making it a part of who you are. When you feed on God’s Holy Word, it will help you to grow. Peter says that feeding on the Word will help us to grow up in our salvation. The very word ‘GROW” comes from the Greek word “auxano” which is a word that refers to the normal healthy growth of a plant that brings it to the point of bearing fruit.
The normal Christian life is to be a life of growth.
God’s Hope & plan is that Christians will move from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity…
from being helpless to the point of saying,
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”
There are many voices calling after us each and every day. There are words that sound true, but aren’t, there are blatant false words and if you look hard enough, you will find the truth being spoken. But keep your eyes and ears fixed in the right direction. We find that the Bible is the very Word of God.
God-Breathed. It is the one and only Voice of Truth.
