1 Peter 2:1-10 Desiring the Word
Introduction: Story of 4-H pig, mine was small compared to others. Nutrition affects growth...
Proposition: Every Christian should be growing.
How? Peter now tells us how…
I. You will grow if you desire to regularly take in good nutrition (2).
A. It ought to be natural
(appetite and growth are natural, if not something is wrong and take to Dr.)
B. It ought to be regular
(lots of growth when regular steady diet, hit & miss results in not much growth)
C. It ought to be from God’s Word.
(context says this milk of the word is the Word of God, 1:25)
D. It ought to be pure
(sincere = idea of being without guile; pure, without corruption, without mixture)
The Word of God should be studied in its CONTEXT.
Be careful: Preachers, Teachers and even you can mix in their own ideas, pet
ideas/doctrines...
E. It may come in various forms:
(milk of the word is more than just “milk”, implies that which nourishes).
1. Personal Bible Study (nothing like digging in for yourself to increase your knowledge)
2. Men’s/Ladies’ Bible Studies
3. Attending classes (Institute, Sunday School, Bible College....)
4. Hearing God’s Preached word...
App: You ought to have some study tools at your house.
Study Bible, Concordance, Bible Atlas, Bible Dictionary, One or two volume
Commentary (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
You ought to have and know how to use these sort tools.
These are basic tools of the trade: Electrician (wire cutters, wire strippers, volt meter...)
Cook (mixers, blenders, oven...)
Cop (gun, hand cuffs, night sticks, cars...)
Shame on us if we have been saved for any length of time and don’t have and know how
use basic stuff...
App: You ought to have this desire to take in God’s Word on a regular basis. Perhaps you
say, I used to but I lost it, I even tried to regain it but it never seemed to last....
This desire is accomplished when you obey verse one.
F. It ought to be a Priority
Babies eat ASAP after birth, after waking up… if they don’t they fuss for food…
II. You will grow if you are cleansed from all sins against other believers (1).
A. Malice = an all-inclusive term for evil/wickedness of mind, evil thoughts;
guile = general bad attitudes that would disrupt our relationships with others...
Malice and guile come out in the forms of hypocrisy, envy & evil speaking.
Could it be we don’t have the desire that we ought to have because we are harboring ill
feelings and thoughts against our mates and fellow church members...
III. You will grow if you remember what your previous relationship was like (3).
A. Tasted something really good – usually you want more of it, and want it again and
again.
Ill: Been along time since you had something, you eat it again, saying I forgot how good it
was...
Missionaries long for certain things... While in Korea we missed certain kinds of fruit because some where hard to find or very, very expensive.
IV. You will grow if you remember you are a part of something bigger (4-10).
Just as Jesus was rejected, you may be too, but God joins you together with Christ to
create something beautiful.
A. You are a stone in a structure/spiritual house (temple) (5-8).
B. You are a part of a priesthood (5, 9).
C. You are a part of a group called "The people of God" (10).
To build something all of the pieces need to fit together properly….
Structural integrity depends on quality of each stone…
Your actions, attitudes, desires, faithfulness.... affects others in the body/building of God.
You are an integral part of something that is bigger than yourself.
(Don’t be the weakest link, others are counting on you).
God is concerned about each individual stone in the structure....
Summary: Every Christian should be experiencing spiritual growth and they will if they follow
the four items outlined by Peter in this passage.
Are you growing or not?
