How Does Your New Birth Happen?
I Peter 1:22-2:3
I. God Supplies the Word
A. They received the word - the Father’s seed in the new birth process.
1. v23 - The word is an imperishable seed; it lives & it endures.
a. v24 - Men & their philosophies change, whither & die like grass.
b. v25 - The word lasts forever.
2. v25 - This word is preached to you & you receive it.
3. Your faith begins to produce a developing fetus.
a. Repentance: as the result of godly sorrow, it is a decision to change your life.
(II Cor 7:10)
b. The Good Confession: your pledge of allegiance, the logical expression of your faith.
B. 2:2 - The word continues to enable you to mature in your salvation.
1. ILL: Crave the word like a baby craves milk.
2. ILL: Kittens craving milk.
II. You Supply the Obedience
A. Obedience to the gospel is important.
1. II Thess 1:8 - He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
2. Obedience is not working your way to salvation - it’s a humble response to the Lord’s authority over you.
a. Matt 28:20; I Jn 2:3; 3:22 & 24; 5:3 - obedience is to the Lord’s commands.
b. Heb 5:9 - Lord Jesus is the source of salvation to those who obey Him.
c. Act 5:32 - The HS is given to the obedient.
d. Rom 1:5 - obedience comes from faith.
e. II Cor 10:5 - obedience involves your thoughts.
f. II Cor 9:13 - obedience accompanies your confession of faith.
g. Rev 3:3 - you are to obey what you have seen & heard.
3. v22 - The result of your obedience to this truth is purification & a sincere love for one another from the heart.
B. Christian baptism is the mother’s womb in the new birth process. Part of obeying the gospel is being baptized!
1. I Cor 15:1-5 - Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
2. Rom 6:3-4 - Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
III. The Church Supplies the Relationships
A. The church is the purified, born again people getting together to encourage & build one another’s faith.
B. v22 - The church supplies the people to love.
1. It’s sincere (ἀνυπόκριτος) = lit. unhypocritical.
2. It’s deep (ἐκτενῶς) = fervent, intent.
C. The church supplies the nourishment.
1. v25 - Where you get the word preached to you.
2. 2:1 - Where you get encouragement to rid yourself of the world.
3. 2:2 - Where you can grow up in your salvation.
http://biblelifemessages.org/