Whenever a man or a woman that God has
purpose to save, when they're in their darkness and their sin
and their ignorance, they come to this Word and they a lot of
times decide they're going to do something for God. They're
big and they're proud and they know a lot. And they've got a
real hard heart, and they're real righteous in their own eyes,
and they're going to do something for God. So they come to this
Word, and God begins to make it known to them that no man
chooses Him. He chooses whom He will, and
He passes by whom He will. It's of God's mercy that a man
is put in Christ. And this brings the high and
mighty man down a little bit. He begins to think he'll reckon
up his righteousnesses to the Lord and the Lord will be pleased
with him. And the Lord makes it known in
his heart that sinners aren't redeemed, they aren't purchased,
they aren't freed out of bondage by corruptible things such as
silver and gold. Not by your bring in the shekel
of the sanctuary, not by your adherence to the law of God,
not by your adherence to the Word of God, not by your willingness
in your doing. Those are corrupt things. It's
what Peter told us here. And he finds out it's not by
those things that we're redeemed, but we're redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ Jesus the Lord. This One who is precious to God,
the Father. This One who is chosen of the
Father and precious. This One who was foreordained
before the world was made. This One in whom all spiritual
blessings were given to His people in Christ according as He chose
us in Him before He ever even made the world. This very One
who came forth, God of God, came forth as a man. and perfectly fulfilled all righteousness. And this brings the mighty man
down just a little bit more. And the mighty man thinks, well,
I'm going to give my heart to Jesus. And he keeps hearing the
Word of God, and God keeps instructing him out of His Word, and God
makes it known, you don't sanctify yourself. You don't give yourself
life. You have no willingness to come
to Me whatsoever, except I make you willing in the day of My
power. Except I give you life by the Word, by the seed, by
the incorruptible seed, and you'll be born again. You have no hope
and you have no life. The Holy Spirit of God will get
the glory for bringing you to Christ. And that brings the mighty
man down a little bit more. And the mighty man thinks, surely
there's something about me, something about my flesh, something that
God looked down through time and He saw I was going to believe.
Something about me He saw. And the Word of God says, everything
about your flesh is grass. And the best glory you have as
a man is like the flower of the grass. And it withers and today
it's standing and tomorrow it's in the oven and burned up and
it's worthless and useless. And the mighty man is brought
to say, I have absolutely no hope. It's not of my choosing. It's not of my willingness. It's
not of my works of righteousness. It's nothing about me. I am altogether
filthy and undone. Lord, have mercy on me. Lord,
save me by your grace. Lord, save me by your mercy. And God makes it known to him,
I have. I've been calling you this whole
time. I've been teaching you this whole time. I've been taking
no as an answer from you this entire time. And I've been drawing
you to Myself because I've loved you from everlasting. My Son
has redeemed you. And now My Spirit has given you
new life. You're not your own. You're Mine. And He says this to us. Chapter
2, verse 1. Wherefore, seeing as how God
has done it all, and all you are is undone in yourself. Wherefore,
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. If so be,
you've tasted that the Lord is gracious. Our first lesson here
is one of humility toward God. You notice here, I want you to
see something, that Peter mentions three things in connection with
the Word of God, in connection with the truth. In verse 21 he
says, the believer by him believes in God that raised him up from
the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be
in God. Faith and hope. That comes through
the Word of God, faith and hope. And look at this third one, verse
22. Seeing ye have purified your
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren. Here's the third thing, love.
See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently. We've got faith, hope, and love. Faith, hope, and love. When God
is pleased to give us life by the Word, this is the Word whereby
the Gospel is preached unto you. This is the Word by which God
is pleased to give us life, to give us new birth. Look here
in verse 23, first chapter of verse 23, being born again, not
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible. by the Word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. Christ is the Word made flesh
that dwelt among us, and we don't separate the written Word from
Christ the Word because Christ is the way, the truth, and the
life of which the written Word speaks, and who is truly the
life of the written Word. He said, search the Scriptures,
for in them you think you have life, but they are they which
testify of me, and it will not come to me that you might have
life. Word of the written words. We don't separate them. It pleased
God, it pleased God, it pleased God to save through the preaching
of the Word. At the end of verse 25, he says,
this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.
And by this means, it pleased God to give us spiritual life
in the beginning, and it pleases God to grow us by the same means. By the same means, through the
preaching of the Word, the living Word, which by the Gospel is
preached unto you. I want you to see a connection
here. In chapter 2, verse 1, Peter says, Wherefore laying
aside all malice, Then he says in verse 2, as newborn babes
desire the sincere milk of the Word. The first portion here
of malice that we need to lay aside is the maliciousness and
the hypocrisy and the guile and the evil speaking That's against
this Word. That's not truth. That's crafty
and deceitful. That's the first thing. And we
receive this Word like a newborn babe receives sincere milk. Peter's
not talking about what Paul talks about in another place where
he says milk's for babes and strong meat is for them that
are of age. Here he's talking about lay aside everything that's
malicious and contrary to the sincerity and purity of the Word
of God and receive it as a baby, as a child. Now look over at
1 Corinthians 14, 18. You saw those two words there,
malicious, lay aside that, as babes desire this word. Look
at 1 Corinthians chapter 14. The Corinthian brethren had a
lot of carnality about them, or at least in their midst. They
were all set on gifts and having all these different abilities
and everybody in the church wanted to have something to outdo the
other one in the church and all this, you know. And there was
all this competition amongst them. And listen to what Paul
said, I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all. Yet in the church I had rather
speak five words with my understanding. that by my voice I might teach
others also than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
Now watch what he says. What's his point? Brethren, be
not children in understanding. Howbeit in malice be ye children,
but in understanding be men. Paul calls a desire to be showy
and to say no to God's Word. He calls true spiritual understanding,
true maturity, to receive this Word, the sincere milk of the
Word, the truth of the Word, and know that this is the Word
whereby you're going to be grown. And maliciousness is to count
this not to be needful, but to think, well, I've got all these
gifts now. We've got all these. This is
what you need. This is what we need. Of all
the gifts that the brethren may have is for the edification of
the body. It's not for anything else. It's
for the edification of the body. Believers grow. We're going to
grow. But we're going to grow utterly
dependent upon the Word of the Gospel which God has appointed
to grow us. We're not going to grow independent
of it. We're not going to grow up to where we don't have to
have it. We're not going to grow up A baby grows up and doesn't
have to have its mother's milk, but you still have to eat. You
still have to come to the table and eat. And as you grow, you
do take on stronger meat. But never forget this point. Where we start is where we continue.
We never grow beyond the need of the Gospel, the living Word
being preached. And I said this is humility to
God because our faith is in God. Our hope is in God. And this
faith and this hope is grown in God through this Word because
that's how God said He'd do it. And we can poke out our chest
and say, well, I don't believe that. It's not that we don't
believe, it's God we don't believe. Because He said, this is how
I'm going to do it. This is how I'm going to do it. How long
will we do this? Look at Ephesians 4. Ephesians
4 verse 13. How long will we feed upon this
Word like this? Ephesians 4 verse 13. Till we
all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more
children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine
by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and
wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. So
when we first read here, wherefore laying aside all malice, and
all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
it's that which is against this Word, which is against God, against
this Word, against faith and hope that's in God that comes
through this Word. Evil speakings against this Word,
contrary to this Word. And as newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Now,
the second lesson is in humility toward one another, particularly
love for one another, because just as he's going to grow us
in faith and hope through this word, he's going to grow us in
love for one another through this word. Now, look at this
with me here in 1 Peter 1, verse 22. He says, seeing you have purified
your souls in obeying the truth. That's done. The heart's been
purified. The soul's been purified. Now
love one another unto unfeigned love of the brethren. See that
you love one another with a pure heart fervently. The thing about
the Word of our Lord is this. As we're taught in the heart
by the Spirit of God through the Word, we grow in knowledge. We do grow in knowledge, but
at the same time we grow in grace. Because knowledge without grace
just puffs up, makes a man independent. But knowledge with grace makes
the flesh wither and the inner man grow up. And that's how God
grows His people, through this word. It makes a man grow in
unfeigned love while all the malice and the guile and the
hypocrisy is subdued, that part of the flesh. You know when you
see these commercials sometimes of when they're advertising some
kind of spray that kills weeds and things
like that. And they'll show these weeds,
you know, come up out of the sidewalk or come up out of the
ground or whatever, and they'll spray it, and then you'll see
that weed wither away or whatever. That's what the Word of God does.
That's what it does. The Lord said that the way you're
going to be known is by love. He said, by this shall all men
know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another. It's not going to be by earthly
honors. It's not going to be by any kind
of dress. It's not going to be by any kind
of fleshly distinction. It's going to be by love. Now,
this love that we're talking about is not simply a sentimental
pity for fellow man. There's hosts of folks that do
that. A man can do that and never even have heard the word of God
at all. That's innate in man to feel sorry for folks who want
to help them to some degree. But what we're talking about
here is a true love, a love that God gave. The Pharisees did many
things for many people. But when Christ came, he said,
I know you, that you have not the love of God in you. How'd
he know it? How'd he know it? He said, I'm
coming in my father's name and you receive me not. He said,
another will come in his own name and him you will receive. What was he telling them? He's
telling them this. How can you believe which receive
honor one of another? True love's not that love that
does something to get a pat on the back. It's not love that
does something to have folks look and say, well, he loves. That fellow right there loves.
That's feigned love. You got your reward. You got
it. You got what you wanted. You
did what you did to be seen so people would say, boy, that person
loves unselfishly. It wasn't unselfish love at all.
It was love to be seen, to get an honor from one another. There
is no unfeigned love of brethren except it be through this incorruptible
Word of God, through the Spirit of God. Because all men by nature,
the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the
Word of God and can't be. In our flesh, we were hateful
and hating one another. That's what the flesh is. Hates
God and hates brethren. It can't come about except the
Word, except the soul be purified. You see the Word there, verse
22? Seeing ye have purified your
souls. If you want to read this sometime over Numbers 9, there
was all these different ways that a person could be dead and
be unclean and be defiled. and they had to come and they
had to take the ashes of a red heifer and they had to be sprinkled
with the ashes of that red heifer and mixed with water of purification,
and it would sanctify their flesh ceremonially. But that's all
it did, it was just a picture of what the gospel would do,
what Christ would do through the Holy Spirit, through the
gospel. And the commentary on Numbers 9 is Hebrews 9. And in
Hebrews 9.13 it says, If the blood of bulls and goats and
the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the
purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? This is not a put-on thing with
God's people. It's sincere. It's real. It's
pure. It's unfamed because it's of
God. It's of the Spirit of God that
purges us. And it doesn't stop there. John
said, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin. We need continual cleansing from
our sin within us. Our soul is purified and it continues
to be purified. How is it? Verse 22. Look at
verse 22. You've purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit. You see how that comes
about? In obeying the truth through
the Spirit. This Word does have a cleansing
effect through the Spirit. It cleanses the inner man. It
cleanses our conscience. It makes us to know when God
speaks into the heart, if you're a hypocrite, God's going to make
you know it, if He is. And He's going to make you confess
to Him, I'm a sham. I've just been doing everything
I've been doing to be seen of men. And He'll bring us down
off that pedestal of pride, and He'll make us true lovers of
God and lovers of our brethren. And He continues to do this,
and He does this through the Word. The Lord said this, and
I want you to see this in John 17. John chapter 17. I'm sure this comes about through
the Word. John 17 verse 26. He had said
there in this prayer, He had said in verse 17, Sanctify
them through thy truth, thy Word is truth. Now look what He says
in verse 26, And I have declared unto them thy name, and will
declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in
them and I in them." How'd that love come about? He said, I've
declared it to them and I will continue to declare it to them. So that the love that you've
had for me may be in them and I in them. Christ in you is what's
going to create this love in us. And it's going to be done
through the Word. Now, I said to you that illustration
about the weeds and the flesh withering. Look there in 1st
chapter, verse 24. For all flesh is his grass, and
all the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
the flower thereof falleth away. You remember from Thursday night.
I'm going to go over here to Isaiah 40. I want to show you
something. I pointed this out to you Thursday
night, but do you remember what the Lord said? This is where
Peter is quoting that from. Why is it that the grass withers
and the flower fades away? Look at verse 7. Because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it. Because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it. When does He do that? When the
Gospel is going forth. and the Word of God is coming
forth, that flesh that is full of malice and pride and envy
and hypocrisy and evil speaking, when God's working, He's blowing
upon that flesh and it's withering. It's withering away. And at the
same time, that incorruptible Word is planted in the inner
man and it's growing thereby. So you have two things happening
here while the Word's going forth. The flesh is withering because
the Spirit of the Lord blows on it. And the other thing that
happens is that newborn baby's growing by the Word of God, by
the same Word it was conceived by. I said to you that knowledge
puffs up. Knowledge puffs up. That's the
frightening thing about religion, is this. A man can get knowledge. He can get all the knowledge
about all the systems, about everything. But unless he's born
of this incorruptible seed, he's too big for his britches all
the time. Can't be taught, won't be taught, won't bow, won't submit,
won't do anything anybody asks him to do. And thinks he's God's
gift to everybody. Knowledge puffs up. But where
the Spirit is, as knowledge is going forth, grace is going forth. Grace is going forth. That's
what Peter says. Look over there in the second epistle. He says, Grace and peace be multiplied
through you. Chapter 1, verse 2. Grace and
peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God
and of Jesus our Lord. But you take away the grace and
the peace. A man can get the knowledge. He can get a head
knowledge of it. But without the grace and the
peace being multiplied, it puffs up. But as the Spirit grows us
in knowledge of Christ, as the Spirit does it, He grows us in
grace. And so, growing up in the Spirit,
we grow down in the flesh. Unfeigned love is grown while
the malice and guile of the flesh is subdued. And unfeigned love
is vitally, that's why it's vitally connected with the gospel. So
is faith, hope, and love, all three. Now, our best knowledge,
always, we do grow, and we do grow and become spiritual, mature
believers. But we don't ever get past being
a babe in malice and these things. We don't ever get past being
a baby and our needful dependence upon the Lord. Ever. Ever. Our best expressions of God,
our best speaking about God is still just stammering like a
little infant. While we're at this side of glory.
Our most mature state, this side of glory, is still just as weak
and frail as a baby. Just so. Look over at 1 Corinthians
13. And look here now. I said to
you we talked about faith and hope and love coming through
this gospel. This is what Paul said. 1 Corinthians 13 verse 9. He said, we know in part and
we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When
I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child. I thought
as a child. But when I became a man, I put
away childish things. You understand that illustration?
As long as we're in this body before Christ comes and we're
made perfect in Christ, perfectly conformed to His image, we're
still children. But when He comes, we're putting
away these childish things. For now we see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then
shall I know even as also I am known. And now about a faith,
hope, and love. These three. But you know which
one's going to still be there? You know which one's going to
remain when Christ comes? Not faith. We're going to see
Him face to face. I'd hope we're going to have
Him, but love, love will still be there. All right, let's end
with this, Matthew 18. Matthew 18. Verse 1, At the same time came
the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in
the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except
ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble
himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven." Peter learned this Through much trial, didn't he?
Through much trial. But he said this, Wherefore,
seeing as how we're chosen of God, seeing as how we're redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ, seeing as how we're sanctified
through the Spirit of God, seeing as how our flesh profits us absolutely
nothing, seeing as how we were born of the incorruptible seed
by the Word of God, by the Gospel which is preached unto us, and
seeing as how this is how God is pleased to grow His people
in grace. Wherefore, laying aside all malice,
and all guile, and hypocrisy, and envy, and all evil speakings,
as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that
you may grow thereby, if so be you've tasted at the Lord is
gracious. Amen.