“A Passion for Discipleship”
(1 Peter 1:22-2:3)
Series: The Pursuit of Passion
4-23-06 (AM) (4 of 5)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
- Please open your Bibles to 1 Peter, chapter 1.
This month our theme has been “The Pursuit of Passion.” We are taking the five Sundays of April to review the five reasons we exist as a church. In the order we are reviewing them the five purposes of First Baptist Church are: worship, ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship. So today we are looking at discipleship and then, next week we’ll look at fellowship. You will not want to miss next week. Following our morning worship service and Sunday school we’ll walk over to Central Park for a great time of fellowship together. Sandwiches from Subway will be provided and there will be lots of fun things for the kids, music, time to meet and greet one another. And we’ll not have services next Sunday evening. We really want to give everyone time to just enjoy the afternoon together. This week we’re focusing on discipleship.
The passage of Scripture in 1 Peter is at the end of chapter one and the beginning of chapter two. Usually the chapter divisions in the Bible are helpful to us in finding where the study of passages begins and ends but not always. This morning, we’re going to be looking at the topic of the Word of God. And this topic begins in verse 22 of chapter one and goes through verse 3 of chapter two.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
- Pray.
One of the things I like to share with new Christians and new members of First Baptist Church is that every single one of us is on the same journey. The journey begins the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and savior and then, we’re off! I’ve shared with you all before about my thinking that when I received Christ and was baptized at age 15, that that was it. I thought I had graduated from Christianity and now I could watch everyone else sweat through the invitation.
How I wish someone had come alongside me right then and said, “Todd, you have just begun the journey. Let me tell you about discipleship. Let me tell you about growing in Christ Jesus.”
That word “discipleship” means becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Every person who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and savior is on the journey to becoming more and more like Jesus. The theological term for discipleship is sanctification. Sanctification means that we each grow in our Christian maturity. Our life changes over the years. There’s a pattern. We become increasingly holy. People can tell we’re becoming more like Jesus.
What I want to do this morning is talk about what I believe is the most important way we can grow and become like Jesus and that is through the Word of God. I want to answer this question: What role does God’s Word have in discipleship?
So let me invite you to get out a pen, a pencil, lipstick, mascara, something to write with and let’s answer this question
**What Role Does God’s Word Have in Discipleship?
1. God’s Word Saves Us (22-23)
The Bible teaches that every human being must be saved. The word saved simply means that you and I realize we have a problem called sin and that sin has a penalty. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” So I have a problem called sin and my sin deserves judgment. I must be judged for my sin. And the judgment is death. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ took my judgment upon Himself. He died for my sin. He took my place. The only way I can be forgiven of my sin is to believe in Jesus Christ, believing that He took my place on the cross for my sin.
We cannot be saved apart from the word of God. The Bible says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” You cannot be saved apart from the word of God. You can watch a Christian movie, read a Christian book, listen to Christian music, but you cannot be saved unless you read or hear the word of God in which the gospel is explained and you believe that word and receive that Word. God’s Word saves us.
Now look again at verses 22-23:
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
The Apostle Peter is instructing the Christians to whom he is writing to love one another. But the love Peter is talking about is not a drummed-up love, it is a sincere love that is the natural result of being saved. That becomes clearer in the next verse. How is this love possible? Verse 23:
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever,
Having been “born again.” The words “born again” are words that mean “salvation.” When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and savior we are “born again;” we are saved. Peter explains, “not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.”
When you and I were born physically into this world, we were born of corruptible seed, or perishable seed, or seed that will not last. The life given to us by our physical parents is a life that will not last. It will end in death. The statistics for death remain 100%. Every one out of one persons will die. That’s what Peter means when he talks about corruptible seed. The life our parents gave us will eventually end.
And so Peter says the Christian has been born again, he has been saved by the Word of God, by the Gospel, the Good News that was preached. And this life that the Christian enjoys never ends. The Christian has been born of incorruptible, imperishable seed, “the Word of God which lives and abides forever.”
And let me just say right now that if you have never been born again, your life will end at physical death. But if you’ve been born again, your life will continue beyond physical death. If you’re born just once you’ll die twice. You die spiritually and physically. But if you’re born twice, you’ll just die once because Jesus Christ has saved you from the penalty of sin.
And that’s the only way you can be saved. You’re not saved by being a religious person, by being baptized, or by being a member of a church. Jesus said to a very nice religious man in the third chapter of John’s gospel, “You must be born again.”
What role does God’s Word have in discipleship, in becoming more like Jesus Christ? God’s Word saves us. The journey begins there. And God’s Word saves us, because, number two:
2. God’s Word Survives Us (24-25)
It outlasts us. It outlives us. See what Peter says there in verse 24:
24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,
25 But the Word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the Word which by the gospel was preached to you.
Peter’s saying God’s Word saves us because God’s Word survives us. It outlasts us. And Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8, illustrating that man is kind of like grass. Grass grows and looks nice and healthy, but then it dies. The beauty of it fades away. He then contrasts the glory of man with the glory of God’s Word. He says, “But the Word of the LORD endures forever.”
God’s Word survives us. Jesus said the same in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will by no means pass away.” God’s Word survives us.
What role does God’s Word have in discipleship, in becoming more like Jesus Christ? God’s Word saves us because God’s Word survives us. Number three:
3. God’s Word Sanctifies Us (1)
Sanctification is the pattern of holiness in our lives. Look at verse 1. In the New King James Version, and most translations, the verse begins with the Word “Therefore.” I have said exactly one gazillion times from this pulpit that when you read the Word “therefore” at the beginning of a verse, you must ask what the “therefore” is “there for.” Context is king. Verse one builds upon what precedes it, what we just studied. You can’t talk about being sanctified until you talk about being saved. Peter says, “You’ve been born again. Now here’s how you’re supposed to live.”
1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
Five things. Lay that behavior aside. That’s the old you. That’s how you used to live. That’s your “B.C” life, “Before Christ.” You used to live a life of malice. You used to deceive people. You used to be hypocritical. You used to envy one another. You used to speak evil of one another. You don’t live that way anymore. Amen?
If a Christian is still struggling with these five bad behaviors, then he’s not growing in his sanctification. Man, I know people who profess to know Jesus Christ who live like this. Their lives are full of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. You know any? Folks who claim to know Jesus Christ and gossip. Friends, that’s evil speaking, pure and simple. Someone calls you on the phone and says, “Now I’m not gossiping, but—,” you just stop them right there and say, “Then don’t,” and hang up the phone. Someone starts speaking evil about another brother and sister stop him right there and tell him to grow up!
I look at some people who claim to know Jesus Christ and their lives are so full of these behaviors that something obviously isn’t adding up. Either they are not saved and are deceived into thinking they are saved or they are not growing in their sanctification.
Peter assumes that the people to whom he is writing are saved and he’s telling them how to grow up, how to become more like Jesus Christ. So he says the way to rid yourself of these behaviors is by growing in your sanctification and that comes through the Word of God which strengthens us. That takes us to number four.
What role does God’s Word have in discipleship, in becoming more like Jesus Christ? God’s Word saves us, God’s Word survives us, God’s Word sanctifies us, and:
4. God’s Word Strengthens Us (2)
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby,
How many of you have ever fed a baby or watched a baby drink a bottle of milk? Cute, isn’t it? That baby has a natural craving for milk. It will cry out for milk. And all of the young couples said, “Amen.” That baby will cry out in the middle of the night for milk. There’s a natural desire.
Listen to me carefully. Are you listening? A Christian has a natural desire for the Word of God. I really wonder about some folks who have no interest in the Word of God, no interest in the preaching of the Word, the teaching of the Word, the study of the Word. A Christian has a natural desire for the pure milk of the Word.
I was so honored to preach Brother Norman Hill’s funeral yesterday. Norman, the great runner, “finished his race” last Wednesday evening. He went home to be with Jesus. I was so blessed to meet with his family and get to know them a little better and learn how Norman had influenced them. I learned that Norman had read through the Bible on several occasions and had given some of his children Bibles that he had read through. What a blessing. What a legacy for a father to pass on to his children. The Word of God strengthens us and a Christian has a natural desire to grow through the study of the Word.
That’s why we come to Sunday school and worship because we want, we crave, the Word of God. Last August when we started our new schedule of simultaneous worship and Sunday school we knew it was going to be a major adjustment for our church family. Some folks were used to coming early and getting out at 10:30 and others were used to coming late and getting out at 12. So we struck a compromise as we sought to expand our Sunday school teaching time by having two Sunday schools with more time for fellowship and teaching.
We thank God for the way the church body has adapted to this schedule and how God is blessing us with growth. It has also been encouraging to receive positive feedback, especially from folks who initially questioned the schedule change. Last fall, not long after the new schedule began, our FAITH Learners were asked to submit a Sunday school testimony. Those of you who have been through FAITH know that the Sunday school testimony is shared with folks you’re visiting. I want to read to you a testimony written by one of our members from back last fall. Listen to this:
“Our church and Sunday school classes have been really growing over the past several years. We were starting to get so many people in our class we barely had a place for everyone to sit. So several weeks ago, our church changed our worship schedule from the traditional schedule of early church, everyone in Sunday school, and then late church to a completely different schedule. We now have two Sunday school classes and two worship services. A worship service and a Sunday school class start at 8:40 and lasts until 10:00 AM. At 10:00, you switch. Those of us who go to the early Sunday school then go to the sanctuary for service. The early service people go to Sunday school. The second session goes from 10:15 to 11:30.
When our church was discussing this change, I have to admit I did not know how I would like it. I am a creature of habit and, like most people, I was pretty comfortable with the routine I was in. Let’s face it, my wife and I had a hard enough time getting ourselves and our kids out of bed and to Sunday school at 9:40 like it was on the old schedule. We thought there would be no way we could make it by 8:40 every Sunday. But, my wife and I decided to commit to the change and give the new schedule a chance. Boy, we are sure glad we did.
This new schedule has worked out great for us and the kids. We how have extra time to spend in our Sunday school class. We can share, laugh, joke, and comfort each other when needed. Before the change, the class members only had a couple of minutes for a quick hello and some small talk before getting into the lesson. Now we really have the opportunity to get to know one another without feeling like we are being rushed. Before the change, our teacher had a hard time getting through the lesson without having to hurry. Now, we have plenty of time to really get into the Word of God. I still can’t believe how much better our Bible study has become. And the best part is, now that we have smaller classes, we have plenty of room for visitors like you to come be a part of what is going on at First Baptist Church. Not to mention (the fact that) the pastor now finishes his sermon right at 11:30, so we always beat the crowd to Shoney’s for lunch!
But seriously, I have a whole new attitude about our Sunday school class and coming to church. what a blessing this change has been!”
He talks about the blessing of having more time for fellowship and more time for discipleship, more time to study the Word of God. What a blessing it is to crave the Word of God, to feed the desire for God’s Word.
That’s why we come to worship and Sunday school. You can’t get enough of the Word of God in the worship service, you need to get fed in the Sunday school, too. I read one preacher lamenting the fact that people were getting their spiritual food only in the worship service. He said, “I come to the pulpit, you open your mouth, I bottle feed you, then I shake your hand and burp you on the way out!”
As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. Get the Word in worship, get the Word in Sunday school, and get the Word in your private devotion time, too.
Do you have a regular time of devotional Bible reading? Do you read through the Bible regularly, memorizing verses from time to time that especially feed your soul?
Do you know that nothing will satisfy your soul like the Word of God? It’s true. One of the reasons we don’t crave the pure milk of the Word is because we fill ourselves with junk food. Have you ever eaten a bunch of junk food and spoiled your appetite? The same happens for people who profess to know Christ. They fill their minds with television, movies, video games, novels, magazines, and feel like they are full. The problem is that all that stuff doesn’t grow you. It isn’t nutritious. It will not strengthen you.
See, God’s Word saves us, survives us, sanctifies us, strengthens us, and finally, number five:
5. God’s Word Satisfies Us (3)
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
That’s better translated, “since” you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, or the Lord is good. Peter is likely alluding to Psalm 34:8, where the psalmist says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”
The believer understands that the Word of God satisfies us because he has tasted of the Word and has met God in it. God’s Word satisfies us because—it is GOD’S Word!
That’s what the psalmist meant in Psalm 1:1-3 where he said:
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 19:10, “Thy Word is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.”
Psalm 119:16, “I will delight myself in your statutes; I will not forget your Word.”
Psalm 119:127, “I love your commandments more than gold, yes than fine gold!”
And our Lord Jesus Himself, in fighting away the temptation of the devil said to him in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Stand for prayer. The written Word testifies to Living Word. Jesus said, “These are they which testify of Me.” . . .
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