2010-07-25
1 Peter - Soul Food to grow us up into spiritual maturity
Steve Lane

A. Review
The Love of God is the key to everything!
Passionate Worship
Obedience to the Word
Love of the brethren
Love for the lost
God's love is not based on performance

B. Learning from a Master Disciplemaker

He sets the bar high but with great empathy and awareness of his own weakness he draws all of us up into the rarified heights of knowing Jesus and overflowing Him
Peter's challenge (2 Peter 1: 3 - 4) Here we go... the barriers are brief but brutal.

C. Barriers to experiencing and overflowing the love of God

1 Peter 1: 1 Therefore, because of all of this rid yourself of all ALL
Similar list for comparison:
Ephesians 4: 22 - 5:5
Col 3:8 - 10
Rom 13:12 - 14
Heb 12: 14 - 15

Put off the old and put on the new - identify and repent and be alert to
Examine yourself to see if you need some repentance ... removal of barriers!
Malice - Opposite of excellence, badness in quality of a desire or attitude toward another.
Deceit - Decoy, bait, trick or snare, subtlety. Trick someone into believing... your motive
Hypocrisy - From the Greek theater.. Pretending to be something more than or different than you are.
Envy - Ill will, jealousy, spite. To painfully see another's advantage in life and desire to possess it
Slander - Literally, to speak against, back biting... focusing on and verbalizing another's weakness

Not only as sin but real inhibitors of growth and walking in the Spirit.
Inherent in this teaching from Peter is dealing with the flesh, the old nature
Rom 5:5 1Pet 1:8 - 9

D. Longing for soul food
And with a glass of sweet tea to top it off, it satisfies
1Peter 2:2 - 3 If we want to grow we need some soul food, spiritual nourishment

Similar context in Eph 4:12 - 16 growth, unity and love in the body
1 Peter 2:4 - 5 All of these things work together for your growth; ...we develop a hunger
A step further: Psalm 63: 3 - 9 Why does praise satisfy the hunger of David's soul?
David saw the love of God and responded. With out his response his hunger was not satisfied.
It is not merely the Word that satisfies our desire but it is God Himself pouring out His love
We are made to praise and worship... Another soul food verse Ps 36: 7 - 10 Matt 5:6

The trial pushes us to crave the milk of the word which sends us to the love of God Ps 119:71
And don't run away from the body in your next trial
Don't be fooled... Run to the milk of the word this week and... meet God there... grow and encourage your hunger and run to the brethren and meet God there. Nourish your soul