1 Peter Series The Word Was Preached

                                                     The Word was Preached

1 Peter 1:22-25

 In an earlier lesson, I talked about the voices of the grace of God from the Old Testament. Today, the Word of God has been preached to most of the world. In the parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-23), the seed is the word of God and it was broadcasted to all the various soils, but it was only understood and productive in the soil that was free of rocks, weeds, and tilled. This soil was purified, obedient to the Word of God, and produced an abundant life. Let’s look at the scripture text:

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

“All people are like grass,

    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

 but the word of the Lord endures forever.

And this is the word that was preached to you.”

First, Peter understood that obedience is not an option with God, especially obedience to the truth of God’s Word. 

Peter undoubtedly remembered His words to Jesus about salvation and obedience, “We have given up everything to follow.” and Jesus’ words “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” He remembered there is always a cost to obedience, either good or bad. The believers who were scattered over Asia Minor were beginning to understand the cost to following Jesus, they had to face trials, some extreme. They were to focus their eyes on Jesus, the perfecter of their faith. Through this new life of obedience to the Word of God, they became sanctified and holy, and they were purified by their reverence of God and the obedience to the Word of God preached to them.

Application - I often wondered after teaching or preaching the Word of God, how many would actually obey what God had spoken through the message? It was said that most people who had heard a sermon couldn’t tell you what it was the next week, or even what verse in the Bible was preached. Obedience is something God is going to judge the church for. “For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Pet.4:17

And  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like...” (Lk.6:46-47) And “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds (obedience)? Can such faith save them?... In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder... As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:14-26 Therefore it is evident from the Word of God the importance of the church to obey the teachings of the Word of God, from those behind the pulpit on down. As Peter said, You have purified yourselves by obeying the truth.

Second, Peter understood the deepness of the love God asks for in a believer. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Peter was asked by Jesus three times about love. And three times Peter said “You know that I do.” And in answering in the affirmative, Peter was told to obey God’s call upon his life. “Feed my lambs” “Take care for my sheep” “Feed my sheep”. (Jn.21:15-19) Peter later in the letter says “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet.4:8) The only love that can cover sin is the love of Jesus. The sojourners were commanded to love one another, just as Christ loved them. (Jn. 13:34) Peter’s words are magnified by the adverb, deeply. Deeply has the tone of untold depth. The believers knew if they walked in the ways of Christ that they too would be known as His disciples. The cost was to love deeply, even those who persecuted them. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matt. 5:43-48)

Application - A good friend shared this about love, “We confuse politeness with love in our world today.” To truly deeply love requires sacrifice, a sacrifice that costs everything in service to our fellow brothers and sisters, even more so to our Lord and his Word. Many times we cut love down to politeness, a short interim in our life’s journey because deep love takes up our self and time. And that is an inconvenience to our normal lives. I would have you ask yourselves, Do I truly love Jesus and others deeply as God’s Word says and has been preached? This is maybe a litmus to how deep our love is. (Eph. 3:14-19)  “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Third, Peter mentions to the believers the concept of the seed. “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.”

The Word of God birthed in the believers was imperishable. God’s Word in their lives was living and enduring, not like the words of men or cultural adages.  Peter remembered Isaiah’s teachings as the Holy Spirit reminded him of the frailty of people’s lives. “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”(40:6-8)

Peter understood the food he was to feed the sheep was the enduring Word of God. He knew that life was brief, and like grass or flowers they were only here for a short season. 

Application - As I get older, I can surely tell the frailty of this old flower, but it is also true of all plants, they are here for only a season (one life). It is the new birth in Jesus Christ that is eternal. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again...Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit... So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

Most understand that they are not going to live forever in their human bodies, but it is those who believe in Jesus Christ, who have been born again, of the imperishable seed of the Word of God and of the Holy Spirit, who have the hope of eternal life after the flower of life wilts away. Do you or someone you know need to be born again, of the Spirit? Today, pray for those who have heard the preaching of the Word of God, that the seed of His Word will fall on tilled ground that is ready to receive the seed of God’s Word and spring forth to eternal life.

Until next week, In His Service. Mike Davis