Goal for tonight is to focus on the surpassing value of the Word of God...

Let’s review our theme verse...I Peter 4.19...

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Keep working on it...it takes time and repetition to memorize something...you can do it!

Now we’ll turn to our text for tonight...I Peter 1.22-2.3

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass

   and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

   and the flower falls,

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Let’s look at this in three parts as we listen again to the apostle Peter...

If we were to summarize this passage into a single truth, it wouldf be this – believers live and grow in and through the Word of God

Love One Another                           

Peter begins this short verse with a transition, again looking backward to the earlier truths in the chapter, about being sober-minded and setting your hope fully on God’s grace; about not living according to your old life, but instead in a holy way, that’s in accordance with the character of the Father; about conducting yourselves with fear, reverence, throughout the time of your exile, which is another way of saying throughout our lives on this earth, with the truth firmly in our minds that we have been redeemed with the unspeakably precious blood of Christ, and the end result that our faith and hope are in God.

Peter summarizes this transformed life by the interesting phrase, “having purified your souls...” 

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 

Peter uses the perfect tense – describes an action completed in the past but which has ongoing effects and consequences in the present

“Purify” renders Gr ‘hagnizo’ – used seven times in the NT, but only three refer to purity in the moral sense; the remainder refer to ritual cleansing or purity

The other two references are short but powerful...

I John 3.3:  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

James 4.8:  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

When we pull those thoughts together, we get this sense of a past event, our deliverance from sin and shame, our salvation, when God made us holy, set us apart unto Himself...extending now into the present day...as John says, everyone who hopes in Him; or as James admonishes us to “draw near to God”

The idea isn’t ritual purity based on keeping a set of rules, but on a completely changed life, a revolution of your heart and soul, that Peter has already described as being “born again” – as if you’ve never lived before...and not just the moment of justification when you were made right in the eyes of God, but also the sanctification that is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in us as day after day He transforms us into the image of Christ...

We’ve talked about God’s perspective on human salvation with the idea of foreknowledge, and looked at other NT references to predestination, calling, justification, sanctification, and other important ideas...this passage looks back to our perspective...look again at Peter’s statement:

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 

We know that the cause of God’s action to justify us, to make us holy, isn’t our obedience to the truth, for if that were true, that would be a salvation by works...but the sanctification of the Spirit, as Peter says in verse 2, does involve us...it’s deeply connected with the truth of God’s word, and our obedience to it...the Word of God is absolutely essential to the life and growth of every believer...we’ll get to more about that in just a bit...

Here, we find an interesting word choice, one that I think shows a progression of maturity in believers...as we are made pure before God, as we are increasingly obedient to the truth of God’s word, we should exhibit a sincere – genuine -- brotherly love...the Gr word is ‘philadelphia,’ used only six times in the NT, and, oddly enough, it’s in the feminine gender...fraternal affection...a love that could be said to found in the world, in families and among close friends...a strong friendship love...you probably have this kind of love for those who are not believers, but are dear to you...

But then Peter extends that thought to a command: love one another earnestly from a pure heart

Though in English it’s the same – “love” – the Gr word changes from ‘philadelphia’ to ‘agape’ – from fraternal affection to God’s kind of self-sacrificial, unconditional love...

Most of the time in the NT, the phrase “love one another” uses ‘agape’ ...John 13.34-35... 

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Another example is I Peter 4.8: 

8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 

In both I Peter 1.22 and I Peter 4.8, the word “earnestly” means “fervently, eagerly” ... it’s used also in Luke 22.44 of Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane...so the point here is clear...we should love one another as earnestly as Jesus prayed in the Garden...until He sweat great drops of blood...

Do we love one another like that? What would church be like if we loved one another like that? Would it be different or would it be pretty much the same?

The Word of God                           

Peter continues into the main part of the text in verses 23 through 25 as he now begins a kind of praise hymn to God’s word...

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass

   and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

   and the flower falls,

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

We might also understand the word “since” as “because” – because you have been born again, ‘anagennao,’ the same phrase he used in verse 3...but now instead of describing the nature of the salvation we enjoy as believers, he turns to the means of the salvation, the vehicle through which God brings that salvation to pass...the living and abiding word of God

Peter begins with an important distinction and definition of the Word of God...one characteristic that is NOT true of the word, and three characteristics that ARE true of the word...

Let’s look first at the non-characteristic...perishable

It renders the Gr ‘phthartos’ – being subject to breaking down into one’s constituent elements; whether until one is dead or after one is dead; six uses in NT, Peter uses it twice...just five verses ago in verse 18, he uses the word to describe silver and gold, that which is perishable, as unsuited to serve as a ransom price for us...that was of too little value, though silver and gold were the most valuable commodities in the ancient world; Paul uses it to describe a wreath, and the mortal human body...everything in the created order could be described as ‘phthartos’ – it’s the opposite of the nature of our eternal inheritance; it’s fading, defiled, already breaking down...you might think of it this way: if you had a container of anything in the world, and turned it over, you’d find an expiration date...

The word of God is not perishable at all...it is not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

Those three words – imperishable, living, and abiding – Ge ‘aphthartos’ – not perishable – Gr zao – alive, living – and Gr meno, to remain or stay – are important to our understanding of the word of God...and the word for “word” is a well-known word to us, “logos” defined as the content of God’s communication to us about Himself, His record of His message to humanity...the gospel, certainly, but much more than that, too...

The word will never break down, fade, become less in value or worth...to revisit our analogy, if you had a container of the word of God, and turned it over, you would never find an expiration date...it’s not perishable...

The word will always be alive, it will never cease to live, it will never die or stop in any sense

The word will remain, stay, dwell...both in a universal sense and in an individual sense, with each of us...the word will be present, not distant, but near to us...

As I reflected on this truth of the word of God, I wanted to see what else the Scriptures say about this word, ‘logos,’ and I discovered a wellspring of truth...I had to narrow my choices to just ten things to share with you...here we go...

The Word is Jesus Himself...Revelation 19.13: 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. I’ve noticed that Tony has turned in successive weeks to Revelation 19, and I have as well...we don’t compare notes, but the Spirit does seem to be leading us both there...from the Word in the beginning of creation itself in John 1.1 to the conquering Warrior King Jesus in the final battle humanity will ever know in Revelation 19, we can understand this about God the Son: His Name – His identity, His character, His nature, His authority – is fully captured by the title “The Word of God” ... Holy is the Lord!

The Word is God Himself...John 1.1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is the use of ‘logos’ that we all think of...the one verse establishes the eternality and preexistence of God the Son, and the deity and equality of God the Son...it’s a tremendously important verse, conveying some of the most significant truths in the NT... as the eternal Word becomes incarnate...John 1.14: 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth... to quote the Christmas carol, “...word of the Father, now in flesh appearing...”

The Word is eternal......Matthew 24.35: 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. The Word isn’t just living and abiding, but it is eternally living and abiding...there has always been the Word of God, and there will always be the Word of God...

The Word is truth...John 17.17b:  your word is truth. You can’t get much more simple than that...you’ve heard it said, “all truth is God’s truth...” – apart from Him and His word and character, truth does not exist...this is reinforced by John 14.6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Indeed He is!

The Word is authoritative.......Luke 4.32: 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. Jesus is authoritative and His word is authoritative...the Scriptures are not suggestions or guidelines or recommendations, they are God’s direction for people...how we are to live, who we are to be...given the fact that the Word of God has proceeded from the mouth of God, where it originated in the mind and heart of God, we must regard it as normative...what it says is to be our norm...it is prescriptive as authoritative truth, not descriptive of what God would like us to be or do...”Thus saith the Lord” carries the full weight and gravitas of the Almighty God...

The Word is going to be fulfilled...Luke 24.44-45: 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures...what God has said is true, even if it hasn’t happened yet...and what is still prophetic will come to pass; just as the words of the OT prophets were fulfilled, so will be the words of the NT prophets...all that has been said about Jesus in the word of God will come true...we can count on it... T

The Word is the message of salvation......Acts 8.4:  4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Acts 15.35: 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. The Scriptures, which in the NT were the writings of the OT, and now, for us, of course include the NT, made up the content of the apostolic message...that truth applied to the apostles like Paul, Barnabas, Peter himself, and all the others...and it applied to those who fled Jerusalem under the persecution of the Jewish religious leaders and were dispersed throughout the Empire...in other words, they very believers to whom Peter wrote this letter...for all Christians in that day, and every day after, the word of God is what we preach and teach...we have no authority, nor need, to create a new story...the gospel remains the message of Christ and the cross, to all people in all places at all times...I Corinthians 1.22-24 says this: 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

The Word is the proof of our love for Jesus...John 14.23-24a: 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. Obedience to the word is a fundamental truth of the Christian walk...our church...every church...must be devoted not just to knowing the Word of God, but obeying it...keeping it...because we are forced to, in some law-driven way? No...because we understand that keeping His word is fundamental to our love for Him...we cannot walk in known disobedience to the Lord of Glory and expect to have a close, abiding relationship with Him...that one who would abide with Christ must walk in the words of Christ...and don’t overlook that fact that Jesus links the love and presence of the Father to His own love and presence, and promises both to that one who loves Him and demonstrates it through honoring His word...

The Word is the proof of our obedience: James 1.22: 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. While earlier we learned that keeping His word affirms our love for Him, and opens the door to full and complete fellowship with the Son and the Father, here the emphasis is on our willingness to be honest with ourselves as we are confronted by the Word...when God speaks to us, rebuking us in our sin or convicting us for our disobedience, we face the question of our response...will we submit to Him, or rebel against Him in pride and arrogance? Will we do what the Word says and honor Him, or just hear Him, but then turn aside? If we choose the second path, just know this: you’re no longer a disciple...I’m not saying you lose your salvation, but you’ve stopped learning from Him as disciples do...beware hearing God’s word and then turning away from it...

The Word is the means of our sanctification...John 15.1-3: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. We understand this idea of being cleaned through the word better as we view it in the context in which it appears...that’s why I included the first two verses...Jesus is the true Vine, the Father is the Vinedresser, and we are the branches of the Vine...once He has established the relationships in this parabolic narrative, Jesus turns immediately to the idea of pruning...the Father is unyielding in His purpose to draw from each branch the most fruit that it can produce...and to do that, He will prune back everything in that branch that doesn’t contribute to bearing fruit for the Vinedresser...vineyard owners and those who work in vineyards describe vines after they have been pruned and are ready for the fruit-bearing season as “clean”...and it is the word of Jesus that does that in our lives...that work of the Spirit working through the means of the Word is very often how the Father brings about our sanctification...what a blessing it is for His firm hand to tend to us as a branch in the Vine... 

Peter closes this portion of his thoughts with a quotation from Isaiah 40.8...

24 for

“All flesh is like grass

   and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

   and the flower falls,

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

This is another NT interpretation of the OT scriptures...what Isaiah called “the word of the Lord” using the Gr word ‘rhema’ not ‘logos’ meaning a specific statement or saying or word...is now the Word is “the gospel” – the “good news” – the truth of God taken from a Law-driven setting to one of grace, as believers all over the known world of Peter’s day were taking the truth of Jesus the Messiah to Jews and Gentiles alike...it was preached to the people of Asia Minor, to those in Palestine, to those in the capitals of Jerusalem and Rome...everywhere someone would listen, the gospel would go forth...and that word would remain forever...

How do you respond to the Word? Do you see it’s value? How would someone know you love God’s word? Do you keep it?

Got Milk?                           

Peter now closes this passage by applying the word to our lives...

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

His focus is clear – we are to put away – take off and lay aside, as a garment – five behaviors that all pertain to our relationships with each other...”malice” is about depravity and perversion in a general sense...any turning of something good into something wicked or evil...”deceit” is not unknown to us...cunning and treachery would be good synonyms...”hypocrisy” is also familiar...it comes from a Gr root meaning “to wear a mask” and applied to actors in Greek theater...to appear to be something you are not...”envy” is simple but pernicious...jealousy, spite, and resentment toward the success or possessions of others...”slander” is evil speech, abusive words falsely spoken that damage another person’s reputation

All of these willful sins are found in our relationships with others...Peter tells us to put them aside...do not take them up, do not put them on...do not let these sins characterize how you relate to others...and the implication is that putting off this way of relating to others is a basic, not an advanced, skill...believers should never be guilty of any of these hurtful sins..

Instead, 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

We might think milk is somehow bad or not to be desired...that would only partly be true...newborn infants desperately need milk...they aren’t able to handle anything more substantial than that...and it’s exactly what they need...and in spiritual terms, it’s just what new believers need...there are some truths that are more suited to more mature believers, just as some foods are more suited for adults than children...

Peter is doing just what Jesus told him in John 21 to do: feed the lambs...they need to grow up, now that they know that the Lord is indeed good...

But for those of us who have known the Lord and walked with Him for years, then we need to be seeking solid food, as the author of Hebrews tells us...Hebrews 5.11-13: 

11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

My counsel to all of us would be this: feed at the right trough...if you’re a newborn believer, find someone to give you the spiritual milk you need...if you’ve made a good start in your Christian walk, and you’ve reached a moderate level of maturity, find the right level of food for you and a small group or discipleship class that meets your need...if you are a mature believer, eating solid food straight from God’s word, you can be, along with Peter, one who feeds the lambs and tends the sheep...every church needs mature saints who can disciple others...that might be you...if it is, then step up and serve the flock! 

What are some ways you are seeking to grow spiritually? Is the Lord blessing that persistent effort?