5-13-12 Sermon

I am sorry that this sermon did not get recorded. Please see the manuscript below:

HOW TO BE UNSELFISH
Living God's Way -- Part 5

          

           

1 Peter 3            The Message (MSG)

Cultivate Inner Beauty

 ^1-4The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

 ^4-6Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

 ⁷The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground.

We're going to take a look at relationships today and I thought a fun way to start that would be to have you think of your relationships in terms of an Olympic event.  Then I started to think that through a little bit and remembered that most events in the Winter Olympics started at the top of a hill and go downhill very rapidly.  No, that's not a good picture for relationships.

On the other hand, what if they gave gold medals for great relationships?  What would it take to get one of those?  What if for having a great relationship, a great marriage, being a great parent or a great friend you're going to stand up on one of those platforms, they'll play an anthem and you'll have a medal around your neck because you did something to make a relationship great?  They talk about a single quality for Olympic athletics as being the quality of dedication, if they're going to earn a gold medal after years and years of practice.  We're going to talk about an important single quality for relationships.

The quality that's talked about in I Peter is a quality that's called submission. 

When you hear that word is your first feeling positive or negative?  I thought I'd take a look at some of the positive meanings that are used today for that word.  But I knew I was in trouble when I began looking down the list of definitions.  I saw words like " back down, bend to another person's will; comply; cower; crawl; cringe; give in; live a dog's life."  Not one positive phrase. 

This word submission suffers from an image problem.  A word that used to have a more positive slant to it when the New Testament was written, today has taken on an almost entirely negative slant. 

But whenever you see this word in the Bible, here’s a Definition of SUBMISSION:  having the courage to give up my rights to meet another person's needs.  That attitude deserves a gold medal. 

This ability to be unselfish in our relationships is one of the main ingredients to learning to live God's way.  There are three basic ways to live life:  My way,          God's Way, Other's Way

I can live life Other's Way doing what they say and because I want to make them happy; I'm just doing it because I have to; In that case I'm subjected, down under them, controlled by them.

Or I can live life My Way doing what I want because I want to.  That means I'm up above everybody else, trying to be the best.  That’s selfish and self-centered.

In the New Testament, Peter says, neither of these are what works.  Do it God's way—submission.

My way is being a tiger, I claw my way to the top.  Other's way is being a turtle, I hide in my shell and just let people throw things at me and slowly poke my way through life.  My way and Others' way -- neither of them work.  A lot of you may think that submission is doing it Other's way and it's not.  Not at all.  Other's way means that you're a doormat.  You let other people walk over you and whatever they want is what happens.  That doesn't work.  But neither does it work for you to become a tank and run over everybody else.  It's something in between called submission.  A word we use today is unselfishness.  Learning to be unselfish in our relationships.

Peter talks about two very basic things about unselfishness:  Why we should be unselfish, and How can we be unselfish.  Why and How.

I.  WHY SHOULD I BE UNSELFISH

For some, selfishness may be working out just fine.  "I'm getting my way and things are going OK.  Why should I be unselfish?"  For others of us we're not so sure about being unselfish, especially us being unselfish first.  Let somebody else take the first turn in this.  (That would be the unselfish thing to do, wouldn't it?) 

A mother wanted to teach her two boys something about unselfishness.  There was one piece of cake left and both boys wanted it.  Figuring that the older boy would catch on better she asked him “What do you think Jesus would do with the piece of cake?  The older boy said, “He would let the other person have it.”  Then he said to his younger brother, “I will let you be Jesus.”

Peter gives three powerful reasons for us being unselfish in our lives:

1.  Be unselfish because selfishness is the source of conflict. 

James writes:  "Do you know where your fights and arguments come from?  They come from the selfish desires that war within you."  It's the source of conflict in most homes.  You take the arguments, the conflicts, and boil them all down, and at the root of any of them, you'll find that someone, somewhere, somehow is being selfish.  Of course in your arguments it's always the other person being selfish, but somewhere someone is being selfish.  In order to bring a new sense of peace to your home, your relationships, this key to unselfishness can make a difference.  It can help you find some common ground in the battle ground that your home may have become. 

2.  Because unselfishness is the secret to change.  

Peter writes to wives and encourages them, "Be unselfish so that if your husbands don't believe the word they may be won over, they may be changed, without words by the behavior of their wives."  Change is important in any relationship.  It's natural, it's healthy to want to change in our relationships.  That's what growth is all about.  Even if you've got a great relationship, you should want it to change and develop.  If you're really struggling in your relationship, of course you're desperate for change to begin to happen. 

HOW do we make change happen?  How many of you have tried to push or argue somebody into making a change?  How many of you have found that that does not work?  What does work to help people to change?

Unselfishness.  It is the most powerful tool that we have at our disposal to encourage other people to grow and to change.  Jesus Christ was the most unselfish person who ever walked the face of this earth.  He gave His life unselfishly for others.  Look at how many people He's changed. 

In your own life, who's had the most impact on you when it comes to change in your life? Selfish people?  Of course not.  It's been people who have acted unselfishly towards you, people who have helped you to grow and to change.  Unselfishness is the secret to change.

Peter sort of assumes something that is important.  He assumes that these two people are going to stay together and work towards change.  Even though one has become a believer and the other isn't.  They are sort of incompatible in some ways.  This comes to a question I'm often asked about change and relationships and making a relationship work especially for one who has become a believer a little bit later in life.  There's a feeling that "When I got married I really wasn't seeking God's will so I'm really wondering now if the person I'm married to is really the person who is God's will for my life.  Maybe somehow I missed God's will for my life." 

There's this feeling that I made a wrong turn somewhere in my life and I missed that person who was God's will for my life.  The answer to that question is that the person that you're married to now is God's will for your life.  The Bible says that when we become married we become one flesh and God takes that very, very seriously.  God's will is that we work to change, develop and grow where we are.  The bible gives some exceptions, but in most cases, this is God’s will.

3.  A third reason why we should be unselfish is that selfishness short circuits prayer.  

I Peter 3:7 "Do this so that nothing will stop your prayers."  The way that I act towards others affects my relationship to God.  You can do it your way, using your selfish energy or you can do it God's way, depending upon His boundless energy.  Selfishness at its very core says "I'm depending on myself."  That's what selfishness is all about.  Prayer at its very core is saying, "I'm depending on God."  Obviously selfishness short-circuits the power of prayer in our life.  It's a matter of who we're depending on.  It's one thing to say that unselfishness is a good idea, we teach our kids that.  But it's another thing to be unselfishness.  It's a struggle.  If I'm going to be unselfishness or you're going to be unselfishness there's this tug-of-war that's going on inside.  Like the two little boys—am I going to be Jesus in this situation or are you going to be Jesus?

As you look through this passage and other passages in the Bible about relationships and what makes them work, here are three real simple areas of advice about beginning to develop this thing of unselfishness from a fellow struggler.

II.  HOW CAN I BE UNSELFISH?  1.  Understanding.  2.  Respect.  3.  Sacrifice. 

1.  Understanding:  Consider other's needs. 

I Peter 3:7  "In the same way, you husbands should live with your wives in an understanding way..."  The word "understanding" doesn't just mean be kind.  It literally means, "to live together according to knowledge."  To get to know the other person. Unselfishness begins when you and I ask "What do they need?"  This is to be a part of all our relationships, this attitude of considering the other person’s needs.

Phil. 4:5 "Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all that you do."  "Everyone", "unselfish" and "considerate" -- those are attitudes that are supposed to be a part of every relationship in our lives. 

How?  How do you start to care more about the needs of other people?  In order to do this you have to develop a very important skill.  The skill is called listening.  When you and I begin to learn to listen we develop this skill of caring for other people's needs.

Three bits of advice about developing the skill of listening:

1. You have to be willing to work at it.  Listening doesn't come naturally for anybody.  There's nobody who's naturally a good listener.  We all naturally care more about what we're thinking and what we want to say than what they're saying.  If you're going to be a good listener you have to work at it.  I've found that often the times when it's most important for me to listen are when I least feel like listening. 

2. Let them tell it their way.  If you're going to be a good listener you have to let them tell it their way.  Sometimes the other person wants to tell the story and we are thinking "What's the point?"  But as soon as we hear the point we stop listening to the story.  We need to learn to let them tell it their way.  That's the way that makes most sense to them and that's the way we can hear their feelings and what's important to them and what they need.  Let them tell it their way.  It's important with children too.  If you're a person who always finishes another person's sentences, this is something you need to work on.

3. Make eye contact when you listen.  This says "I am listening to you.  You are important to me."  Make eye contact.

Developing the skill of listening will make you into the kind of person that will begin to care more about the needs of others.  If you can really hear what they're saying then you can hear their needs and you can begin to consider them.

2.  Respect means Honoring Other People's Value. 

I Peter 3:7, Peter writes to husbands and says, "Show them [your wives] respect because God gives them the same blessing that He gives to you."  In Ephesians 5, a parallel passage, to wives "Show your husbands respect." Respect is a reciprocal thing -- the ability to see and honor the value of somebody else.  If I know somebody's needs I'm not going to begin to meet their needs unless I value that individual as a person. 

Phil. 2:3 "When you do these things don't let selfishness or pride be your guide.  Instead be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves.”  This does not say not to honor yourself.  It doesn't say to pretend that you aren't valuable or that you don't have needs.  It just says to give more honor to others.  It's not talking about thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less and begin to appreciate other people more.  We use the word appreciate when it comes to financial things to mean something that goes up in value.  We need to do that with people, appreciate them, to raise their value in our eyes.  Take time to appreciate people.  Give more honor to them than to yourself.  Recognize that their needs are as important as yours and honor that value.

3.  Sacrifice:  The Willingness to Act on Another's Behalf. 

There's a huge difference between unselfish words and unselfish actions.  It's easy to talk, to plan unselfish things, but unselfish action involves sacrifice.

I John 3:18 "Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions."  This is where most of us struggle.  It's easy to say "I want to meet your needs."  It's easy to say "I value you and I love you deeply with all my heart."  That makes us feel good.  Sacrificial talk makes us feel good.  It's sacrificial actions that scare us to death. 

We're sort of like this when it comes to sacrifice.  We say "I love you enough to die for you, just don't make me give up my golf game."  But that's where sacrifice really works -- the little things.  In relationships that work there are hundreds of little sacrifices, a few major ones maybe, but hundreds of little ones daily.

I Cor. 13:5 says "Love does not demand its own way."  It makes sacrifices.  The challenge is not to be ready for the one big sacrifice you may have to be ready to make someday in a relationship.  The challenge is to constantly make the little ones.

For many of you this could be a real turning point in your relationship with somebody you've been struggling with for a long time.  For some of you this is going to be a turning point eternally in your relationship with Jesus Christ, the One who loves you the most. 

But if that's to happen, there is something you're going to have to learn to let go of.  To be unselfish you must let go of your fear.  It's scary to be unselfish.  The fear is "If I'm unselfish, they might take advantage of me.  If I'm unselfish, it's not just that I'm giving myself, I might lose myself."  How do you find the strength to get past that fear of being unselfish, that barrier?

I John 4:18 "We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; His perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what He might do to us."  In order to overcome fear of selfishness and unselfishness in your relationships all you have to do is find somebody who will love you perfectly. 

And you know what?  Someone already does love you perfectly.  His name is Jesus Christ.  I've found that His perfect love for me builds a foundation of strength and security in my life that enables me to begin to love other people unselfishly. 

Let us Pray:  You might pray this prayer in your heart--Jesus, I pray that your attitude of unselfishness would be expressed in my relationship with ____________________.  Thank you for your unselfish love for me! I accept Your love for me and pray that You would help me to learn to live Your way in my relationships. 

I Pet. 1:22 "Now you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love one another warmly, with all your hearts." 

God has given us a new strength and power to love people in a new way we never could have before.  Let's look to His strength and power.

5-6-12 Sermon

To listen to the sermon from May 6, 2012, click here.

I'm sorry the manuscript is not available.

April 22 Sermon

I'm sorry but the recording did not work this morning. There were a number of "technical errors" and apparently in the midst of trying to solve them, I inadvertently stopped recording on Garageband. BUT, here is the transcript for your reading!

CHOOSING TO BE DIFFERENT

Living God's Way -- Part 2

I Peter 1:13-2:2  04-22-12 Sermon

           

Last week I started a series called "Living God's Way".  What we're going to do over the next several weeks is to look at the book of I Peter and see what he has to say about how to live God's way in an ungodly world.

Before we dig in I want to set the stage a little by reminding you of the two worlds that the Bible refers to oftentimes using different terms.  Not the two earths, the two worlds, the evil side and the godly side.  The Bible also calls this the flesh versus the spirit, darkness versus the light, the old versus the new.  The Bible refers to this all through Scriptures that there's something very real happening with these two entities, these two realities.  If you are a believer, a Christian, if you've trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have been freed from the old side.  I love the image the Bible gives of being a slave in jail to sin and Jesus is the only one with the key and He comes along, opens the jail and you are delivered from being a prisoner to sin if you accept His gift of salvation and you live in the new. 

There was a little boy visiting is grandparents on their farm. And he was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.  He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target and, getting a little discouraged, he headed back to dinner.  As he was walking back he saw his Grandmother’s pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.  He was shocked and grieved.  In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his older sister, Sally, watching.  She had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”  But Sally said, Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.  Then Sally whispered to him, ‘Remember the duck?’  So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help me make supper.  But Sally just smiled and said, Well, that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.  She whispered to Johnny again, ‘Remember the duck?’  So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s he finally couldn’t stand it any longer.  He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.  Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, Sweetheart, I know all about the duck.  You see, I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing.  But because I love you, I forgave you, I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you!”

Whatever is in our past, the devil keeps throwing it up in our faces.  We need to know that Jesus was standing at the window and saw the whole thing.  He wants us to know that we are forgiven and wonders how long we will continue to allow the devil to make a slave of us. When the devil reminds you of your past, you just remind him of his future!

Wouldn't it be great when we come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, if He would just take us to Heaven right away?  If that were to happen we wouldn't live in this tension between the old and the new.  But for some reason God has decided to keep us here.  He's left us on earth to figure out how to live for Him in what Phil. 2 calls, "an evil and perverse generation."  To live in a time that is opposing God's will, to live in a time that is anti-God, how is it that we can live God's way in this evil and perverse generation?

The world system lies in the lap of the evil one who nurtures and drives this way of thinking, cultivates evil, motivates it, and gives it nourishment.  The evilness is designed to appeal to us, to appeal to our fleshly desires, to make life easy and comfortable, and tempt us to go the way of the old.  Basically, to seduce us away from God. 

I want you to hear and see and recognize this tension as we dig in to what Peter says in this first chapter where he challenges Christians to be different.

1)  You have been made new. 

I Peter 1:14 "Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing.  You didn't know any better then; you do now.  As obedient children, let yourself be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness." 

He says don't slip into the old grooves of evil.  You know better.  Peter says, "As obedient children let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, energetic and blazing with holiness."  Also II Cor. 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation.  The old has passed away, behold the new has come."  You have been made new.  If you have a relationship with Christ, you've been made new. 

Obedience is at the very foundation of Christian living.  If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow him.  Jesus said that the person who really loves him is the one who obeys him. 

Peter takes it a step further and uses the word "holy".  Being made new is one thing...  I understood this when my first child, Luke, was born.  He came out new -- looked a little bit like E.T. -- but new, undefiled, pure, but born into a world of wickedness.  Peter adds that not only are we made new, but now we live God's way blazing with holiness.  In his second letter, Peter writes ‘You ought to live holy and godly lives’.

Holiness is a scary word.  It is a subject often avoided by even Christian people.  For some reason, it is very uncomfortable for us to talk about being holy. We seem to have little trouble talking about God being holy.  We sing the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God Almighty.  And yet when we want to talk about holiness in our own lives, we often think of what none of us wants to be—a person who is holier than thou. 

But holiness has a simpler definition-- "To be set apart."  Holiness is to be set apart from the ways of the world, from the ways of the flesh, from the ways of the wicked, from the ways of darkness.  That's what Peter is saying, "You've been made new, now be holy, be set apart."

Every kid knows that you don’t eat hot dogs and potato chips on good china. Mom’s china is reserved for special company or special occasions.  Hot dogs are for paper plates and every day dishes, china is for special events.  When God is calling us to be holy, he’s calling us to be china—something special just for him, and as Peter emphasizes, just like him.

God says, "You've got two paths.  You can run in your own direction or you can run in the direction I've given you."  Typically, we chose our direction because it seems easier.  It's more comfortable.  But the effects of not running God’s way, of not living God’s way, have a lot more consequences.  It's more painful.  We don't get as far.  Our relationships aren't as good.  God says "You're made new.  Here's the way.  Run this way.  Be set apart from the old."  He's saying choose to be different.

Choosing to be different is a discipline.  It's tough.  Living God's way and following His plan is not easy.  We have this tendency to be tempted to go back to the old. 

Two extremes:  Discipline and drifter.  A drifter is the opposite of discipline.  This is someone who loafs, who coasts, who does just enough with their faith to get by.  Doing just enough to get "in" at the end -- like eternal fire insurance. 

Where are you on this continuum?  Are you disciplined with your faith or are you a drifter?  Discipline is tough. 

Being disciplined is tough.  It's easy to drift.  To drift into the temptation of the old, always being tempted by the old.  Someone has said, "Opportunity may only knock once but temptation leans on the doorbell."  We're always being tempted to be brought into the old, to live in the wicked, to live by the flesh, and Peter knows this. 

He tells us 2)  Prepare yourself for a different life.  This is why he gives us such strong words in v. 13.  "So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives."

Peter is saying, this isn't the time to take it easy, to kick back.  He bears down on his pen, and says; roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear.  You are a new creation and as a new creation prepare for battle.  Get ready.  Don't lazily slip back into your old ways.  Prepare for battle.

You know that if a team goes in unprepared they're going to get wiped out.  Peter's saying prepare, get ready, roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear.

Do you know what the evil one is doing to those who are not prepared, to those who are falling by the wayside, those who haven't prepared for a new life?  He's circling around with no grace, no mercy, no kindness, and he's laughing as we fall away, as we give in to the temptation of the old.  We've been made new.  Now prepare yourself for a different life. 

         WHY?

3)  We need to prepare for a new life because God paid a price for you. 

When you're new, you're dealing with a new enemy.  If you wonder why you should prepare yourself.  v. 18-19 "God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver, as you very well know.  But He paid for you with the precious life-blood of Jesus, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." 

Do you remember the pictures of where that ship hit the bridge in Kentucky and a whole section of the bridge dropped out?  You could drive up on that bridge but there comes a point where you've got to stop, you can't go any further.  You can't drive your car to the other side.  You can't jump, skateboard, rollerblade to the other side.  The same thing is true with our relationship with God.  You might be going in the right direction, on the right path, but there was a separation.  God was on the other side and we need to be reconciled to Him.  So God sent Jesus down to build a bridge.  And Jesus built a bridge from one side to the other.  The bridge was made out of His cross.  That cross, when Jesus died in our place, gave us access to a relationship with God.  You've been made new, prepared for a different life.  God paid a price.  It wasn't out of silver or gold.  It was His blood.  Jesus died for you.  That's the motivation.  If you take nothing else away from here remember that.  You prepare for a new life because Jesus paid a price.  He shed His blood so that we might live forever.  Peter is saying this:  God paid a price for you.  You are that valuable.  You are worth it.  You are not dirt.  You don’t wash dirt…you wash dirt off something valuable.  You are different, now begin acting like it. 

Once we are in God’s family we are supposed to take on the family resemblance.  We should begin to reflect Jesus.  Others should see Jesus in us.  We need to be different.

"BE DIFFERENT BY HAVING..."  1)  Discipline with your love. 

v. 22 "Now you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other warmly, with all your hearts."  Peter is saying that there is no better test than love.  You've been made new, prepare yourself, now he gives us an action step -- love one another. 

I would have preferred him to start off with something a little easier.  Instead he goes for the jugular.  Do you love other people warmly?  Is love a filter that your actions go through?  Do you hold other people up to high regard?  Do you consider them better than yourself?  Do you put them before you put yourself?  Peter is saying that love is what sets us apart.  Love is the display of holiness.  Love is the litmus test for Christians.  It's not the actions of others; it's the actions that we have as Christians.  Do you love others warmly and with all your heart? 

Love is at the very center of Christian living.  In fact, love is the very character, the very essence of God.  And Jesus contended that it would be by this love that everyone would recognize his disciples.  In John 13:35 He says, "Others will know that you're My followers by the love you have for one another."  Love one another and people will know that you're My followers.  Do you want to be different, set part, holy?  It starts with love.  Do you love one another?  Do you love one another warmly? 

A man who was a pagan went to report on the early church movement.  The pagan went into the compound where a bunch of Christians were living together, intending to write something bad about them.  Instead he wrote these 6 words that had an impact on church history, "Behold, how they love one another." 

I wonder if someone from the secular world came into the Christian community today would be able to say that or would they say "Behold, how they judge one another.  Behold, how they criticize one another.  Behold, how they fight with one another.  Behold, how they hurt one another."  Being set apart, being different, being holy is to love one another, warmly and with all of our heart.  Christianity is not only to be believed; it must also be lived. 

A pastor gave a children's sermon.  He gave the children an opportunity to accept Christ.  A brother and sister came forward and the sister raised her hand that she wanted to have Jesus live in her heart.  The next morning the boy and girl were playing and the girl got mad and smacked her brother good.  The brother said, "I thought Jesus was living in your heart?"  The girl said, "He is, but He's sleeping right now." 

When it comes to discipline, loving one another, I think sometimes we've allowed Jesus to fall asleep, or back out, or step off the throne, or we put Him in a closet -- our reactions don't display love.  Do you love one another warmly and deeply?

BE DIFFERENT BY HAVING..."  2)  Discipline with your mouth. 

"Be sure, then, you are never spiteful, or deceitful, or hypocritical, or envious and critical of each other."  I have generalized these five areas under "mouth" but I think they have a way of displaying themselves by the words we use and what we say to others and how we treat them.  If we take care of the discipline of love then the words that come out of our mouth tend to have a different tone, tend to have a different direction, tend to have a different meaning.  When we perform a little heart surgery our words are displayed in a different fashion. 

This isn't my opinion, this is what Jesus said: "You will know a person's heart by the words that come from his or her mouth."  How does your heart measure up to these?  Spiteful, deceitful, hypocritical, envious, critical of others?  I think if we're being real, reality says that we may think some of these things but maturity says that we keep them to ourselves.  Reality says that these thoughts, may come and go, maturity says we keep them to ourselves.  Greater maturity says that these thoughts come up less and less. 

Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “Most people are bothered by those passages in the Bible which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always notice that the passages in the Scripture which trouble me the most are those which I do understand.”  His statement is a commentary on this passage.  The question is: what are we going to do about it?

BE DIFFERENT BY HAVING..."  3)  Discipline with your desire for God's Word. 

I Peter 2:2 "Be like new born babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved."  I love that image that you're always thirsty for spiritual milk.  He's not saying that you're spiritual babies.  He’s saying be thirsty for God's Word.  The word that Peter uses means to long for or to crave that pure spiritual milk.

Some of you have been believers for a long time.  You may be filled with God's Word from sermons and bible studies over the years, but maybe you're not thirsty any more.  Do you want to know how to live a different life, how to be set apart, how to be holy?  Consult His guidebook.  Consult the Bible, His love letter.  Some of you, you come on Sunday morning and that's the only milk that you get all week.  Discipline your desires for God's Word.  God's Word is more than a good book, more than a best seller -- it's God's love letter that's available to all of us, it's a gift. 

In the middle ages the Bible was chained to the pulpit.  Later it was in Latin where only the educated or the priests could understand it.  But now, we all have access to God's Word and it shows us how to be different. 

Always thirsty.  Remember as a new believer how exciting it was to tear into it?  You read the Bible with the desire to learn.  You had been born again, you were new.  Always thirsty.  God's word directs us to be different.

God is concerned that we grow up spiritually.  Peter uses the same word in his second letter where he concludes ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’  Life begins with birth, but then birth must be followed by nurture and growth.  And just as a natural baby requires milk in order to be nourished and to grow, so must a spiritual baby have the milk of God’s Word in order to be nourished and to grow up in Christ. 

These action steps are not easy action steps.  Having discipline with our love, our mouth, our desires for God's Word -- these are not easy.  Peter, the man who wrote these words, was inspired by God.  But think about Peter in his earlier years when he walked with Jesus.  Peter was a big-mouthed, clumsy fisherman and Jesus came into his life and said "I'm going to call you Petros, the rock."  Then watch Peter's life.  He was instrumental in the book of Acts and the early church.  He was also very real and very human.  He denied Jesus three times.  This gives me hope.  Not only was Peter inspired by God when he wrote these words but he was also a fellow believer on the journey, somebody who has walked where we walk, somebody that knew what it was like to live in the tension between the old and the new.  That gives me hope.  He's saying "You've been born again, made new, begin to act like it."  You live by a different set of rules, a whole new game, when you live God's way.  Living God's way is playing a new game. 

(The military was doing a war-game exercise.  The people were split up into Side A and Side B.  They weren't using real guns or knives.  If you came up on somebody, caught them off guard, you said "Bang, bang" you shot them.  If you were in a battle and said "Stab, stab" you stabbed them.  If you saw them and they didn't see you, you could say "Lob, lob" and that would be a grenade and you blew them up.  Somebody from Side B sneaks up on somebody from Side A -- "Bang, bang", Person A turns around and starts walking right at him.  Person B, "Bang, bang,"  Still walking right at him, "Stab, stab."  Still walking right at him, "Lob, lob"  Person B, "You're not playing the game right!"  Person A, "Rumble, rumble, I'm a tank.")

When you're on God's team, when you're living a different life, when you're set apart, pursuing holiness, the evil one's game does not affect you.  Followers of God have changed the rules.  "If anyone is in Christ he or she is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come." 

That's good news!  There's hope for those of us left here to live God's way.  My prayer is that you, the people of God, will be challenged to be men and women that live God's way, live in pursuit of holiness, set apart in how they live their lives.  And they don't live life in the ways of the old but walk in the ways of the new.

Let us pray:  Would you pray in your own heart…

Holy Father, forgive me for my sin.  Not just my blatant sins, but my willingness to dabble in things that are not holy, to flirt with things that are spiritually dangerous, and to expose myself to things that leave a residue of Satan’s world on my life.  Give me strength to say no to the things that distract me from you and to embrace with passion those things that make me more like you.  Through Jesus, our Lord, I pray,  Amen.