seed. The human seed. The old Jewish
writers called it the filthy seed. The filthy drop is actually
what they called it. Which is in itself corrupt, and
it is that seed whereby the corruption and depravity of human nature
is passed from father to child. That's the corrupt seed. And
we were born of that corrupt seed the first time, but we're
born again not of that corrupt seed, thank God, but we're born
of incorruptible seed by the Word of God. Now, what are we
talking about here, the Word of God? Christ is the Word of
God. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. So we are born by the power
of Christ. We're born by the word of the
Christ of God. Who liveth and abideth forever.
He liveth and abideth forever. He is the word of God. But also
we're born by the gospel of God. By the word of God, the gospel
of Christ. I'll show you that in two passages
of scripture, in Ephesians chapter 2. Because everyone here knows
you cannot separate the incarnate word and the written word. Christ
and his word. Christ, his word, are one. His purposes, Christ and his
purposes are one. His promises, his blessings,
his doctrine, the doctrine of Christ, They're one, and they're
both Christ and his word liveth and abideth forever. But here
in Ephesians 2, it says in verse 1, and you hath he quickened. He quickened us. No question
about that. He quickened us. All right, who
were dead in trespasses and sin. But now look at James chapter
1. James chapter 1 verse 18. Of his own will, James 118, beget
he us. By his will and by him, he beget
us with the word of truth. So it's inseparable. We're born
by the will of God, we're born by the word of God. We're born
by an act of Christ, we're born by the word of Christ. Of his
own will, beget he us with the word of truth. It's the word
of God that hath begotten us, born again by the word of God,
Christ. And it's by the word of God,
the gospel. Look down at verse 25 of 1 Peter. But the word of the Lord endureth
forever. That's what we read back there,
liveth and abideth forever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached unto you. You see, that's very clear. That's
very plain there. We're born again, not of the
filthy seed, but we're born of the incorruptible seed, the Word
of God. Christ, the Word of God, and
the Gospel, the Word of God. That's how we're born. But now
back at verse 24. Now here's the first birth. This is what was produced in
that first birth. This is the product of that filthy
seed. All flesh is as grass, frail, mortal, temporary, perishing. All flesh is as grass. And all
the glory of man, all of his accomplishments and his ways
and philosophies and ideas and all that he produces, by this
flesh, all that he produces, Now the believer, Christ is the
vine, he is the branches, and the fruit is the fruit of the
vine. The branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, but the vine. But now this fleshly man, born
of corruptible seed, is his grass. Everything he produces, all his
glory and accomplishments and credentials and attributes are
produced from this grass, this flesh. All his glory is as the
flower of grass. The flowers, the grass, the bushes
spring up and look beautiful for a while. Nothing more beautiful
than flowers. Nothing more beautiful. But there's
nothing more ugly than flowers when they're gone, when they're
withered. Dead. Lifeless. Lifeless. All right, now listen
to this. Read that verse again. All flesh,
all flesh, everything produced from this corruptible seed is
as grass. And all the glory of man as the
flower of the grass, the grass withered, the flower thereof
falleth away. So we who live in the flesh, born
of the flesh, in a measure are nothing but grass in another
form. Everything we eat is grass. Everything that goes to make
up our flesh and sustain our natural man is from the ground. God said dust you are. Dust you
are. I got to thinking about this
when I was looking at that scripture. And while we live only in this
natural flesh, if we don't know Christ, if we don't have spiritual
life, we're like grass. And there's absolutely nothing
that goes to make up this body that didn't come out of the ground.
Our milk comes from cows that eat grass. Our meat comes from
stirrers that eat grass. Our eggs come from chickens that
feed off the ground, from pigs that eat things, acres and deer
and all the rest of it, everything that we have physically is from
the ground. That's the reason when we die,
everything we have that comes from that first birth is thrown
back in the ground and rot and decay and it's gone. That's what
this is saying. We're born again, not of this. natural life and flesh, corruptible
seed, filthy drop, that produces nothing but corruption and decay. It's like the grass. Oh, it has
its time of beauty, it has its days of glory, but its source
is the dirt. And that's where it's headed.
Every single smidgen of it is headed back to the dust. Everything
we've accomplished, every name we've made for ourselves, every
monument we've erected, everything has to do with this natural light
is going back in the ground. That's just so. But now verse 25, but the Word
of God, Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, Christ who is our Christ who is our life. He endures forever. Everything
that I receive from him, by his will and his purpose, this life
I receive from him, this new man, this new creature, any man
being Christ is a new creature. Nothing of it, about it, is going
to die. Not till God dies. Not to Christ,
guys. Because Christ in you. That's
the hope of glory. I prevail to Christ before and
in you. And this word, this is a living
word. This word we're preaching. This
is not corruptible seed here. This is incorruptible seed. This
is life. It's life-giving. Life-giving. And then he says in verse 1, You see, he's quoting Isaiah
40. This is not something that's
of recent origin. Go back to Isaiah 40. Peter here
is quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. This has always
been true since Adam fell. Well, Adam came from the dirt.
That's where God left him. He lost spiritual life and all
he retained was dirt. And here in Isaiah 40, this is
what Peter's quoting, verse 6, the boy said, cry, he said, what
shall I cry? What's my message? All flesh
is grass. All the glory thereof is as the
flower of the field. The grass withered, the flower
faded, because the spirit of the Lord bloomed upon it. People's
grass. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. The word
of God endureth forever, who liveth and abideth forever. So
verse 1 of chapter 2 says, wherefore, that being the case, that being the truth, this natural life is spiritual
life. Grass and dust, this is of God,
endured forever. Born of God, of His living Word,
by His Spirit, through the resurrection of Christ
from the dead. Because Christ lives, we live.
And we'll never die. Wherefore, laying aside, since
we're born of God, since we're new creatures, since we have
the life of God, since we're no longer children of darkness
and children of dust only. That's what we were, children
of dust only, not grass anymore. Our glory doesn't wither anymore,
it's his glory, the glory you've given me, Christ said, I've given
them. So therefore, let's lay aside,
laying aside all malice. What is malice? Ill will, bad
feelings, Guile, what is guile? Deceit, dishonesty. Hypocrisy,
what is hypocrisy? Everything that's the opposite
of sincerity, everything that's not sincerity. Envy, what's envy? Covetousness. Evil speaking,
what's evil speaking? Jealousies. Well what are these
things? Well they're not the fruit of
this new life, they're the fruit of that old life. They're not the fruit of the
new life, they're not the product of the new life, they're the
fruit and product of the old life. It's like in Galatians
5, he tells about what's the works of the flesh, and then
he talks about the fruit of the spirit. So these things he's
saying here, these are the works of the flesh, the grass, not
the fruit of the spirit. Secondly, these are the ways
of that corrupt seed, not the new. incorruptible sin. This is the character of people
who don't know God. These are the means that these
people of the flesh use to promote themselves and to advance in
this kingdom of dust and ashes. These are the things they use,
malice, guile, insincerity, envious, evil speaking, to tear somewhere
else to build themselves up. Now wherefore, since you are
a new person, you have the life of God, and this isn't your life
anymore, then you lay these things aside. Lay them aside. Lay them aside. And notice he
says laying them aside. It's not a once for all act. You know when God saves a man,
When God redeems a sinner, God does the work for him and in
him. That's right. God does the work
for us. I show you that work for us in
Hebrews 10. Listen to it. In Hebrews 10. God does the work for us. In
Hebrews 10 verse 9. Then said Christ, Lo, I come. to do thy will, O God, he taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second, by the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all." Now once for all, that's done, the work
for us, outside of us, on our behalf, once for all. You can't
add anything to it, you can't contribute to it, it is finished.
Verse 12, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God. When God saves
us, he does a work for us. But he also does a work in us.
And let me show you that. Turn to Philippians 2. And this
is progressive. This is not once for all. This
is progressive. This is a work that goes on all
the time, throughout our whole lives. Laying aside these things. Laying them aside. These are
not the ways of God's people. These are not the fruit of God's
Spirit. These are the ways and means
by which natural grass promotes itself. And here in Philippians
2, listen to this, verse 12. Paul writes to the church at
Philippi where they were having problems, disturbances. And he
says in verse 12, Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always
obeyed, not only, not as in my presence only, but now much more
in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trepidation. What's the word salvation mean
there? The salvation of your soul? My soul? No. That's finished. I don't work out the salvation
of my soul. Christ did that. It's not by
works of righteousness which we've done. By his mercy he's
done it. But what are they working on
here? They're working on their personal problems. They're working
on their conflicts. They're working on their jealousies.
They're working on their envies. They're working on these things
that divide and cause strife. Work it out, he says. Not only
in my presence, but when I'm gone. Work out this problem. For it's God, listen, which worketh
in you. God who worketh in you. Both to will, to want to do,
and to do is good pleasure. Do these things without murmuring
and disputing. That's what he's saying. It's
God working, God working. I'll show you another, Ephesians
3. I'll write it, yeah, Ephesians
3, verse 14. Ephesians 3, verse 14. I'm sorry, it's Ephesians 4,
verse 14. That you, we henceforth be no
more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness
whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth, we may
grow up, grow up into him in all things, which is the head,
even Christ. We've got some growing to do.
That's what our text is saying here, as newborn babes. When
we're born again, we're babes. You desire the sincere milk of
the Word that you may grow thereby. It's God who worketh in you.
Working. How are we born? We're born by
the Word. The Word of God. Being born again
of the Word of God. How do we grow? By the Word of
God. The same way, this life This
grass, it came from that old seed. This new life came from
God. God's Word. He spoken to us by
His Son. He speaks to us through His Word.
That's how we were born. That's how this life is produced
by the Word. That's how this life is continued
by the Word. That's how this life is sustained
by the Word. That's how this life is comforted
by the Word. That's how this life grows by
the Word. It's a new life. So lay aside
these ways of the world, and works of the world, and means
of the world, and this character of the world. You're a new person.
You're God's person. And as a newborn baby in the
family of God, desire, pursue, seek the sim-sim milk of the
word that you may grow. I'll show you another scripture,
1 Thessalonians 2, about this progressive growth. Now remember
this, when God renews a person, there's a work done following
that's effectual once for all. There's a work in him that goes
on all the time. It's God working. Now listen
to 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you received the word of
God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually
worketh. worketh, worketh in you that
believeth, worketh the word. I know some people, men, some men have a problem
with carrying a Bible to church with them. They don't think it's
macho, you know, let the wife carry the Bible. But I'm sure
glad my surgeon was not ashamed to carry his textbook to class. Aren't you? I'm thankful. And
I know what the old writer said, say friend, say friend, would
you grow in the knowledge of the Lord? Then take the scriptures
to your heart and feed on his word. The scriptures and the
Lord by one tremendous name, the word, the scriptures and
the Lord That's the same name. The written and incarnate word
in everything is the same. This is Christ. I try. I'm not ashamed of this either. I'm not ashamed of him. I need him. I need his word. I'm not going to advance at all
without his word. I'm not going to grow at all
without his word. I'm not going to make any progress at all. without his word. But all of
this, verse 3, all of this depends on one thing. If so be you have
tasted that the Lord is gracious. That's what it rides on and rests
on. What I'm saying tonight will be a blessing to everybody who's
tasted that the Lord is gracious. It won't bless anybody else.
That's the people it's going to bless. that the Lord is gracious,
that he's been gracious to you and merciful to you in letting
you live as long as you have, in saving your soul, in supplying
your needs. He's been gracious. Oh, how merciful. If you've tasted that the Lord's
gracious, you'll be convinced of four things.
Here they are. If you've tasted that the Lord
is gracious, number one, is to know him is the chief wisdom.
That's the chief wisdom. You'll feel sorry if everybody
doesn't know him. He's the chief wisdom. Number two, to be in
his family is the greatest blessing. There's not a blessing in this
world greater than being a son of God in his family. Thirdly,
to bless in Christ And his sovereign grace, particular effectual redeeming
grace, is the only real peace you'll ever know. That's peace. That's peace. I've often said
the only place a man will worship, really worship, is at the throne
of an almighty sovereign God who controls all things. That's
where he'll worship. That's where he'll bow down, at the throne of an almighty
sovereign God, sovereign in everything. Secondly, the only place a man
will find salvation is a gift from the hand of that sovereign
God. He did it all. He fulfilled all of it. And thirdly,
the only place that a person will find peace I mean peace
in happiness or sorrow, peace in health or sickness, peace
in prosperity or poverty. Peace is to know that all things
work together for good to them who love God, who are called
according to his purpose. That's peace. That's worship. That's redemption. That's peace. And the fourth thing of which
I'll be totally convinced, if I've tasted that the Lord is
gracious, is to one day be like him. And that's a blessed, blessed
hope, to be like Christ. But here's the key in verse 4,
too. To whom coming, to whom coming. This is something I didn't hear
preached when I was growing up. There are a whole lot of things
I didn't hear preached when I was growing up in church. But this
is so important. To whom coming? Now, first of
all, we find out this is a person. Christ said, come to me and I'll
give you rest. It's not coming to the pastor,
or to the altar, or to the baptister, or to the church building, or
to the religion. It's coming to him. To whom?
Coming. Come unto me and I'll give you rest. Who? Everyone
who thirsted. Come to me and out of your belly
will flow rivers of living water. Come into him. And it's a coming
continually. It's not I look to Christ, it's
I'm looking to Christ. It's not I came to Christ, I'm
coming to Christ. It's not I trusted Christ, I'm
trusting Christ. It's believing. That's what I
read this morning over there. Having not seen ye love in whom
though now ye see him not yet, believing continually. coming
to Christ. Acceptance with God is coming
to Christ. Assurance is coming to Christ.
Perseverance is coming to Christ. Growth in grace is continually
coming to Christ. Whether I'm 30 or 70, it's coming
to Christ. And how do we come to Him? Alright,
verse 4. To whom? Continually coming as
unto a living stone. A living stone. Disallowed indeed of men. but
chosen of God and precious. There are two places I want you
to look in your Bibles. Isaiah chapter 28, coming to
Christ a living stone, rejected of men, but chosen of God and
precious. Let's look at this, Isaiah 28. He's the chief cornerstone, he's
the foundation. In Isaiah 28, 16, Therefore thus
saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion a foundation, a stone,
a trident stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, and he that
believeth shall not make haste. This is our foundation. We build
upon Christ the rock. And then another scripture is
Matthew chapter 16. Our Lord speaking to his disciples
in Matthew 16. Matthew 16, verse, be patient
with me now, verse 13. I'm making a point that's vital
and then I'll let you go. Matthew 16, verse 13. When Jesus
came to the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they
said, some say you're John the Baptist, some say you're Laos,
others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But he said, but whom
do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said to him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, flesh
and blood. He didn't reveal that to you.
You didn't learn that from the grass and from the flowers. and from natural man. My Father
in heaven revealed that to you. My Father revealed who I am.
I'm the Christ, the Son of the living God. And I say unto you
that thou art Peter, your little stone. And upon this rock, not
upon Peter, but upon his confession. Not upon Peter, a natural man,
a human being, but upon this confession of who Christ is.
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This is the
rock, this is the stone, this is the foundation on which I
build my church, my kingdom. And the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. And that's what we said here
in 1 Peter 2, verse 4. To whom coming? To Christ. Trusting, coming, looking, always,
as unto living stone. Disallowed indeed of men, but
chosen of God and precious, he's that cheap cornerstone. You also,
oh watch this, you also as living stones are built up a spiritual
house. Now that old tabernacle in the
wilderness was temporary, it was a tent. Bolted that thing
up and hauled it around, hauled it around, just a tent, wasn't
permanent. The Temple Solomon built, they
tore it down, built another one. They tore it down. But this temple,
this temple is a living temple. It's not made of mortar and stones
and things like that. But this is Christ. This temple
of God, this habitation of God, where God dwells. He doesn't
dwell in houses made with hands anyway. But Christ is the cornerstone. Christ is that living stone.
But you also, are built up a spiritual house, and this is the way it
is. First of all, we're dug from
a pit. Let me read you this. We're dug from a pit. Isaiah,
all stones are dug from a pit. Isaiah 51 says, Harken to me,
you that follow after righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look
to the rock whence you are hewed. Look to the hole of the pit whence
you are digged. Look unto Abraham your father,
the avid savior that bared you. I called him alone, blessed him,
then christened him. Look to the rock, and look to
the pit where I found you." And like a stone is carefully selected
by a builder, God chose us, separated us by Spirit, and laid us on
that chief cornerstone, Christ. We were laid on Christ the foundation,
grafted into him, and from him we received life. And we are
the tabernacle of God. That's right. You as living stones
are built on Christ the foundation, and you're built by God, and
you're built up a spiritual house, and you're a holy priesthood.
They don't have those fellows running around, offering up lambs. We are a priesthood. And what
we offer, spiritual sacrifices. Spiritual sacrifices. I'll read
this to you, listen. Hebrews 13, 15. By him, therefore,
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That
is, the fruit of our lips. The sacrifice of praise, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to God and to do good and to
communicate. To help others, forget not, with
such sacrifices, God's will, please. God's will, please. To whom coming? O stone, disallowed of me and
rejected of me, but chosen of God and precious. You also are
dug from a pit, selected by God. laid on Christ, grafted into
him. The life of Christ becomes yours,
and you are a tabernacle of God, you are a royal priesthood, and
you offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and worship
to God. And he dwells in you. You're
the temple of God. Let's read just a couple of verses
here. 1 Peter 2. Wherefore, as contained
in the Scripture, That's what I read a while ago. Behold, I
lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. All his stones are elect. And
all of them are precious to you. You're precious. Precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. And he that
believeth will not be confounded. And unto you that believe, he's
precious. He's precious to God. He's precious
to you. He's precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
The stone, the chief cornerstone, Christ, which the builders disallowed,
he's made the head of a corner, and he's the stone of stumbling
to them. He's offensive, a rock of offense. And where do they stumble at?
They stumble at the Word. That's where they stumble. Guys
don't believe that. That's all right. Lots of folks
don't. They stumble at the Word. We live by the Word. We grow
by the Word. We're comforted by the Word.
Faith is increased by the Word. We thrive on the Word. But they
stumble at the Word. That's the reason most folks
don't preach the Word. They get up before a congregation, close
the Bible, put it over there and start ranting and raving
and running up and down and screaming and yelling at people that they
ought to do so and so. But they're disobedient, they
stumble at the word. But listen, being disobedient,
whereunto they were appointed. God said to Pharaoh, I raised
you up for this purpose, to get my glory, to get glory in you. But you're different. You know
what he says about you here? He says you're a chosen generation.
You're a royal priesthood, you're king priests. Kings and priests. your holy nation, your peculiar
people, your purchased people, that you should show forth the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light, which in times past, I told you this morning, without God,
without hope, without Christ in this world, but now with people
of God. All right, I hope that's a blessing
to you.