The Source of Holiness - God’s Word
I Peter 1:22-2:3
Intro:
1. ILL: ODB from January 24, 2010 - When a teenager, Poh Fang, became a Christian . . .
2. There is power within the Word of God - in & of itself. Rom 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes . . .
I. 1:23b-25 - What is the Nature of God’s Word?
A. v23 - It’s imperishable.
1. Imperishable (ἄφθαρτος) = not subject to decay, incorruptible, immortal, lasting forever.
2. v24-25 - “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
3. History of God’s Word:
a. In the beginning, God’s word was verbally handed down from generation to generation - up until Moses wrote it down.
b. Then - Moses wrote it down - the Law of Moses (our first 5 books of the Bible).
c. Then - the prophets spoke & wrote (pretty much the rest of the Old Testament).
d. Then - the apostles & those closely associated with them, wrote the New Testament.
e. What makes it imperishable is all the 66 books we have in our Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit. II Tim 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed (inspired) and is useful for teach- ing, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
B. v23 - It’s living.
1. Living (ζάω) = animated, affects behavior.
2. “The Word of God is made alive only when it is read”, because only then does it become alive in you!
C. v23 - It’s enduring.
1. Endure (μένω) = stay, remain, dwell, continue to exist. Mark 13:31 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
2. When the Word of God gets into a person’s heart, it becomes enduring. Col 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
D. v25 - It’s the preached word.
1. Lord Jesus Himself is called the Word of God.
a. Jn 1:1-2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
b. Jn 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
2. But this word is the gospel message of salvation which we have written in the Bible & was preached! (I Cor 15:1-4)
II. 1:22-23a - What Does God’s Word Do for You?
A. v22 - It purifies you.
1. How does it purify you? When you obey the truth, God’s word.
3. This purifying is by faith.
a. Act 15:9 - He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
b. Rom 1:5 - . . . we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
3. This obedience is expressed primarily with genuine love for other Christians.
B. v23 - It is involved in your new birth. - Jn 1:5 - I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
1. The word of God takes on the role of the father in spiritual birth. Jam 1:18 - He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
2. Baptism takes on the role of the mother in the new birth.
a. Tit 3:5 - He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit . . .
b. Act 2:38 - Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the for- giveness of your sins . . .
C. It penetrates & judges. Heb 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
III. 2:1-3 - How Do You Receive God’s Word?
A. v1 - Through repentance.
1. Jam 1:21 - Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
2. How is repentance activated?
a. Through “Spiritual Breathing”!
b. Confession of your sins to God. (I Jn 1:9)
c. Ask the Lord, through prayer, to take control of your life again. (Lk 11:13)
B. v2-3 - Through craving it.
1. “I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once a year. My custom is to read four or five chapters every morning immediately after rising from my bed. It employs about an hour of my time, and seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day. In what light soever we regard the Bible, whether with reference to revelation, to history, or to morality, it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue”. - John Quincy Adams
2. “I search the Bible as a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb—study book after book. Then I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters when they do not break the sense. Then I shake every twig, or a careful study of the paragraphs and sentences and words and their meanings”. - Martin Luther
ILL: Kittens born between us in Norton - craving their mother’s milk.
http://biblelifemessages.org/