WEBVTT 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:31.500 Well, good morning, Valley View. 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:32.566 Great to be with you. 00:00:32.566 --> 00:00:40.365 While we continue in our study of the Book of First Peter, we wrapped up chapter one last week and we're entering into chapter two. 00:00:40.365 --> 00:00:44.332 So if you have a Bible, go ahead and turn to First Peter chapter two. 00:00:44.332 --> 00:00:49.066 If you have a church Bible, that page number will be up on the screen here in just a moment. 00:00:49.066 --> 00:00:50.265 That'll let you know where to turn. 00:00:50.265 --> 00:00:55.033 And if you don't have a Bible, we really want to put a copy of God's Word in your hand. 00:00:55.033 --> 00:00:56.932 Those are out in the connection corner. 00:00:56.932 --> 00:01:02.365 You can slip out at any time, or you can nudge someone next to you and ask them to go grab one. 00:01:02.365 --> 00:01:06.900 The page numbers that are on the screen are tied into that Bible in particular. 00:01:06.900 --> 00:01:12.165 So turn there and I'll start by reading the whole section that we're going to cover today. 00:01:12.165 --> 00:01:16.433 First Peter chapter two, and we're reading verses one through three today. 00:01:18.700 --> 00:01:29.365 So put away all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 00:01:29.365 --> 00:01:39.865 Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. 00:01:40.066 --> 00:01:46.599 If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 00:01:47.632 --> 00:01:56.632 When we lived in Arkansas, lived there for a number of years, there was a state forest probably an hour away from home. 00:01:56.632 --> 00:02:06.766 It was a great place to go, full of old fire roads where you could just drive down a random dirt road and pull off the side of the road and camp park. 00:02:06.766 --> 00:02:20.900 It was open to everyone and my son one time my oldest son and my youngest son went camping, just the two of them, and they're going down one of these roads and you can get deep in the woods away, even imagine this. 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:26.332 Even further away from people in Arkansas than you can get just by going to Arkansas deep in the woods. 00:02:27.932 --> 00:02:29.366 And they're going down this one road. 00:02:29.366 --> 00:02:30.599 And it had rained recently. 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:34.932 So a lot of water staining right in the middle of this country road. 00:02:35.265 --> 00:02:37.032 And he had a lifted truck. 00:02:37.032 --> 00:02:38.500 So you know feeling pretty brave. 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:39.332 It goes right into it. 00:02:39.332 --> 00:02:43.932 And the front end just drops all the way down into it. 00:02:43.932 --> 00:02:47.432 And he couldn't get out, couldn't go forward, couldn't go backward. 00:02:47.432 --> 00:02:50.432 There was no going anywhere. 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:55.332 Now there's different things you can do in that moment. 00:02:55.332 --> 00:03:00.900 But what it made me think of is how in life, at times you'll be going along. 00:03:00.900 --> 00:03:02.099 Everything seems great. 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:04.733 In fact, I'm out on a camping trip. 00:03:04.733 --> 00:03:07.733 I'm excited about what's ahead of me. 00:03:07.733 --> 00:03:10.733 And out of nowhere you drop into a rut. 00:03:11.366 --> 00:03:13.165 Have you had that happen? 00:03:13.165 --> 00:03:18.000 You drop into and specifically here, a spiritual rut. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:23.032 I thought things were great and now I just can't seem to get going. 00:03:23.133 --> 00:03:26.165 Last week when we looked at First Peter, the theme was love. 00:03:27.832 --> 00:03:29.466 We are to be all about love. 00:03:29.466 --> 00:03:31.099 We are commanded to love. 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:36.332 Love with brotherly love, love with a sincere love, love earnestly. 00:03:36.332 --> 00:03:40.300 And yet there are seasons where you go, I don't got it in me. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:41.432 I've hit a rut. 00:03:41.432 --> 00:03:45.699 And I need others to come love me I can't seem to get going again. 00:03:45.699 --> 00:03:46.832 What do you do? 00:03:46.832 --> 00:03:49.832 How do you get out of a spiritual rut? 00:03:50.366 --> 00:03:54.699 We're going to look at three ways in this passage today in particular. 00:03:54.699 --> 00:03:58.699 Or Peter tells us, here's how you get out of a spiritual rut. 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:00.532 So let's look back at verse one. 00:04:00.532 --> 00:04:04.699 And that's going to give us the first step here in getting out of that spiritual rut. 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:10.000 And don't worry, I'll share what happened with my children and whether they made it out or not. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:11.332 Eventually we'll get to it. 00:04:12.566 --> 00:04:14.066 First, look back at verse one. 00:04:14.066 --> 00:04:19.399 So put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander. 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:22.665 The first way is to change your clothes. 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:27.899 Now bear with me what I mean by that first, and you may have heard this at times. 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:33.600 If you're in a rut, if you're in a funk, people oftentimes just practically will say, do something to change. 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:42.800 Take a shower, shave, go for a walk, put on fresh clothes, get something to eat, change your physical environment somehow to just kind of get things going. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:48.199 So I'm using that theme in each of these ideas, but pulling them from what the text says. 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:51.665 The first one says, put away, change your clothes is the first step. 00:04:51.665 --> 00:04:52.233 And here's what I mean. 00:04:52.233 --> 00:04:59.333 Put away all malice and deceit that word put away is often used in context of put off. 00:04:59.632 --> 00:05:01.733 It's used in the context of clothing. 00:05:01.733 --> 00:05:03.833 Take off something and set it aside. 00:05:03.833 --> 00:05:09.500 It's used of clothing, but it's also used of character qualities, of moral attributes. 00:05:10.533 --> 00:05:16.132 And actually the imagery was used of baptism in early baptism rituals in the church. 00:05:16.132 --> 00:05:29.033 People would literally they, as they're coming down to be baptized or moving towards the water, they would have on an old dirty outer garment and they would take it off, lay it aside. 00:05:29.033 --> 00:05:31.199 They had clothes underneath, don't worry. 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.399 And then they would go down in the water, be baptized. 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:40.233 And when they came out, they'd put on a new clean, fresh garment. 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:44.533 I’m putting aside the old ways, I'm taking them off, I'm laying them aside. 00:05:44.533 --> 00:05:50.300 And I'm putting on new habits, new ways of life, new new living, new ideas in Christ. 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:55.632 And so here we're told, if you want to move towards love, one of the steps is change your clothes. 00:05:55.632 --> 00:06:04.665 Put away those old things where we went to in our flesh was envy, deceit, malice, hypocrisy, slander. 00:06:04.665 --> 00:06:10.165 That's where we went naturally, we got to put those away. 00:06:10.165 --> 00:06:13.399 Now this isn't fun, but we need to take a minute and talk about each of those words. 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:17.033 I like to skip right past these and not dwell on those personally. 00:06:17.033 --> 00:06:18.733 It's gross. They're dirty. 00:06:18.733 --> 00:06:19.865 I don't like them. 00:06:19.865 --> 00:06:23.533 They remind me of many ways I've acted in my life. 00:06:24.466 --> 00:06:27.466 But look at each of these words-- malice. 00:06:28.466 --> 00:06:33.833 First, also, I need to say, why do you think he listed these here? 00:06:33.966 --> 00:06:38.500 Why do you think his audience in particular needed to hear these? 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:41.500 They were likely struggling in this area. 00:06:42.432 --> 00:06:44.266 Put these aside. 00:06:44.266 --> 00:06:49.632 Malice. That word malice is also translated as evil or wickedness. 00:06:49.632 --> 00:06:58.899 In fact, just a few verses later, if you look at chapter two, verse 16, it says live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil. 00:07:01.432 --> 00:07:04.100 Malice, evil, evil intent. 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:12.533 But here's the thing about malice with evil, it's not just evil for evil’s sake, it's evil directed at towards someone else. 00:07:13.766 --> 00:07:22.800 I am being evil with the intent of hurting someone else, not just evil for my own fun, but I actually also want to hurt someone else. 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:23.899 We got to put that aside. 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:24.800 We got to be done with that. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:27.432 The next word here-- deceit. 00:07:27.432 --> 00:07:33.399 That word is also used to speak of the Sanhedrin council when they were working behind the scenes. 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.065 That word is translated as stealth. 00:07:36.065 --> 00:07:37.333 They were working in stealth. 00:07:37.333 --> 00:07:42.565 They were working in secret with the intent of putting Jesus to death. 00:07:42.565 --> 00:07:43.966 They had to do it in secret. 00:07:43.966 --> 00:07:50.065 They had to do it in stealth because they knew if they did it openly, it wouldn't be seen as something acceptable. 00:07:51.865 --> 00:08:05.033 That should be a clue, by the way, if you're navigating behind the scenes trying to accomplish something and you know no one else will approve of it, let that be just a slight red flag that maybe I should pump the brakes just a little. 00:08:05.033 --> 00:08:14.766 Again, the deceit with the Sanhedrin in particular, it wasn't just I'm being deceptive for my own gain, but I'm also intending to hurt someone else. 00:08:15.665 --> 00:08:17.033 Like I said, these words aren't fun. 00:08:17.033 --> 00:08:18.833 The next word hypocrisy. 00:08:18.833 --> 00:08:21.733 We talked about that a little bit last week. 00:08:21.733 --> 00:08:27.266 We talked about that some that the contrast of hypocrisy and sincere. 00:08:27.266 --> 00:08:37.133 The thing we didn't talk about with hypocrisy, though, here's the really-- Hmhmm. 00:08:37.265 --> 00:08:40.600 I'm trying to think of the right word, insidious part of hypocrisy. 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:44.033 It's when I say to someone, you need to live this way. 00:08:44.033 --> 00:08:47.399 I'm telling you, you should live this way. 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:54.799 But then I want I have this standard for you that I'm not willing to live up to. 00:08:54.865 --> 00:08:56.732 You know, Barna, you've probably heard of George Bonner. 00:08:56.732 --> 00:09:08.765 He's done a number of surveys, especially among in the Christian community, and he actually went around, wrote a whole book on it, partnered with another guy, wrote a whole book on what do non-Christians think of Christians? 00:09:08.765 --> 00:09:11.033 I'm going to survey non-Christians, not Christians. 00:09:11.033 --> 00:09:14.666 I'm going to ask them, what do you think of Christians? 00:09:14.932 --> 00:09:20.332 Take a wild guess at what was the number one word they used to describe Christians. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:23.100 Man, y'all jumped right all over that. 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:26.033 Hypocrite. 00:09:26.033 --> 00:09:28.166 Yeah, hypocrite. 00:09:28.166 --> 00:09:31.000 Who wants to be called a hypocrite? 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.932 That's the last word I want to be used of me. 00:09:33.932 --> 00:09:37.232 That that feels terrible. 00:09:37.232 --> 00:09:42.666 And here you have a whole swath of society labeling a whole another swath of society that way. 00:09:45.232 --> 00:09:46.200 Now, is that fair? 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:48.299 I don't know, maybe it's not. 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:49.765 Maybe it's a misperception. 00:09:49.765 --> 00:09:52.765 There's probably some truth to that. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:55.600 Here's the positive side of that, though. 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.600 There's actually a positive side to that. 00:09:58.832 --> 00:10:06.200 The only way that you have the ability to call anyone a hypocrite is if they are public about their beliefs. 00:10:06.332 --> 00:10:08.600 I can't call you a hypocrite. 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:14.432 I can't say you're not living up to that standard unless I know what the standard is that you've stated. 00:10:14.432 --> 00:10:19.932 So the only reason anyone can call a Christian a hypocrite is because we're open in public about our beliefs. 00:10:19.932 --> 00:10:21.899 We're not hiding anything here. 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:25.566 Our statements of faith and beliefs are on the website. 00:10:25.566 --> 00:10:26.365 It's not in secret. 00:10:26.365 --> 00:10:28.365 I taught it in our pastor's class last week. 00:10:28.365 --> 00:10:30.100 I want you to know what we believe. 00:10:30.100 --> 00:10:31.432 I want to be very clear. 00:10:31.432 --> 00:10:37.432 There's no secret knowledge that you attain to after multiple levels of giving enough or being around long enough. 00:10:37.432 --> 00:10:40.332 No, no, it's it's all there out in the open. 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:47.466 And so it's actually probably pretty good that the culture is going. We'll see it. 00:10:47.466 --> 00:10:49.865 You say you believe that. 00:10:49.865 --> 00:10:51.700 Yeah we'll see. 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:54.700 And they're there to call us on it when we're not. 00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:56.399 That's not fun. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:57.932 I don't like it. 00:10:57.932 --> 00:11:00.932 And yet part of it is really healthy. 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:06.533 But the pressure is for us to live up to what we see in Scripture. 00:11:06.533 --> 00:11:08.466 None of us are going to do it perfectly. 00:11:08.466 --> 00:11:10.500 We're all hypocrites at some level. 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:12.100 We're none of us are going to do it perfectly. 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:15.100 And that's why we lean on Christ. 00:11:15.133 --> 00:11:15.899 Hypocrite. 00:11:15.899 --> 00:11:18.899 Next word envy. 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:26.432 There was a whole series of books written on the seven Deadly Sins, and that's just kind of a, you know, that's not necessarily a biblical list. 00:11:26.432 --> 00:11:27.033 That's a list. 00:11:27.033 --> 00:11:31.832 The Catholic Church in particular put together these are the sins you really want to avoid, by the way, avoid all sin. 00:11:31.832 --> 00:11:35.332 There's not seven that are more deadly than the others per se. 00:11:37.365 --> 00:11:43.432 But one in particular was envy on that list, and one of the guys who wrote a book completely about envy, he said. 00:11:43.432 --> 00:11:48.365 Of all the seven deadly sins, envy is the only one that is no fun. 00:11:48.832 --> 00:11:51.066 I thought, that's an interesting perspective. 00:11:51.066 --> 00:11:55.166 There's plenty of sins that are fun, otherwise people wouldn't do them. 00:11:55.166 --> 00:11:57.265 But envy is one. 00:11:57.265 --> 00:11:59.765 There is no fun to it at all. 00:11:59.765 --> 00:12:01.066 Tim Keller defined it this way. 00:12:01.066 --> 00:12:02.899 This will be up on the screen. 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:07.500 Envy is not just wanting what someone else wants. 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:09.100 That would be maybe more like jealousy. 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:09.633 They have that. 00:12:09.633 --> 00:12:10.566 I'd like that too. 00:12:10.566 --> 00:12:18.865 It's not just that, it's also wanting that other person to suffer harm and loss because they have what we don't. 00:12:19.066 --> 00:12:20.799 Who are you to think? 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:22.932 How come they have that and I don't? 00:12:22.932 --> 00:12:23.600 Who are they? 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:26.666 That's not fair. 00:12:26.666 --> 00:12:31.432 There's never a happier day when they face a challenge. 00:12:31.432 --> 00:12:34.432 That's a picture of envy. 00:12:34.432 --> 00:12:46.966 He goes on to say that the the really challenging part of envy is it often stays hidden beneath the scene, kind of in the background, not necessarily out in the front. 00:12:46.966 --> 00:12:49.966 It reminds me of the Corvette Museum. 00:12:50.033 --> 00:12:56.166 Many are envious of those who owned corvettes, but I mean, the museum in particular, you may remember. 00:12:56.166 --> 00:13:02.932 Yeah, they built that museum and they thought it was on solid ground, but what was deep underneath? 00:13:03.432 --> 00:13:08.432 Mammoth cave, let's build it close to Mammoth Cave and see what happens. 00:13:08.432 --> 00:13:11.100 All along there was a cave hidden. 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:14.100 And over time, it's eroding. 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:15.100 It's chipping away. 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:21.566 And like envy and bitterness and malice in the heart, it's it's chipping away until all of a sudden the floor falls out. 00:13:21.566 --> 00:13:22.832 Out of nowhere, seemingly. 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:26.299 Envy works like that. 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:27.533 It's working in the background. 00:13:27.533 --> 00:13:29.133 It's there. 00:13:29.133 --> 00:13:34.399 It seems hidden, but it's chipping away at the heart. 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:35.633 Put that aside. 00:13:35.633 --> 00:13:37.033 We've got to put envy aside. 00:13:37.033 --> 00:13:42.000 If we're going to love others well, envy has got to go. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:45.533 We're almost done with all this last list here on the list. 00:13:45.765 --> 00:13:48.765 Envy and then slander. 00:13:49.033 --> 00:13:52.566 You know, slander is when we speak ill of someone. 00:13:52.566 --> 00:13:56.332 And by the way, it could actually be the truth. 00:13:57.232 --> 00:13:57.533 Yeah. 00:13:57.533 --> 00:13:59.265 Sometimes we call it a prayer request. 00:13:59.265 --> 00:14:00.365 Right? 00:14:00.365 --> 00:14:01.265 Do you hear about so-and-so? 00:14:01.265 --> 00:14:04.000 They need prayer. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:04.966 It could be the truth. 00:14:04.966 --> 00:14:06.765 But here's here's what makes it slander. 00:14:06.765 --> 00:14:09.765 It's with the intent to harm. 00:14:09.832 --> 00:14:14.100 I want this to hurt them when I share this little morsel with you. 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:14.966 I want it to hurt. 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:19.500 Challenging list. 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:21.200 We've got to put these aside. 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.799 What do these have in common? 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:25.299 You know, there's a lot of lists of sins in the Bible. 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:29.566 You can find lists in various places where they'll say, don't do this, don't do that. 00:14:29.566 --> 00:14:33.865 What do these have in common in particular, here in first Peter? 00:14:35.466 --> 00:14:41.932 The thing they have in common here, all of these are meant to hurt others. 00:14:43.633 --> 00:14:49.200 There's plenty of sins that I might do that are just only for me. 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:50.533 Gluttony might be one. 00:14:50.533 --> 00:14:52.432 I'm not trying to hurt anybody else. 00:14:52.432 --> 00:14:57.066 I just want another slice or 2 or 3 or whatever of that pie. 00:14:58.299 --> 00:15:01.832 That's just between me and the Lord at that point. 00:15:01.832 --> 00:15:08.732 And of course, maybe it hurts others down the road, but these are done with the intent to harm others. 00:15:08.732 --> 00:15:09.033 No. 00:15:09.033 --> 00:15:12.033 When I do this, I hope it hurts them. 00:15:13.566 --> 00:15:19.200 We’ve got to put those aside if we hope to love others, we've got to put on new clothes. 00:15:19.832 --> 00:15:23.865 To put on love, we've got to put on Christ, put on new clothes. 00:15:23.865 --> 00:15:28.000 That's the first way we move towards love. That's number one. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:31.765 Now look here at verse two for the second way we move towards love. 00:15:31.765 --> 00:15:32.865 We get out of a rut. 00:15:32.865 --> 00:15:44.899 Number two, like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation. 00:15:45.033 --> 00:15:51.700 So second way that we get out of a spiritual rut is get hungry. 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:53.500 Number two, get hungry. 00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:55.799 Sorry to do this to Baptists. 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:59.633 I know it's just been like 37 minutes since you last ate. 00:15:59.633 --> 00:16:02.166 You're already looking forward to lunch, though. 00:16:02.166 --> 00:16:03.432 You're already thinking about it. 00:16:04.466 --> 00:16:08.533 But look, we've got to get hungry, it says here, for pure spiritual milk. 00:16:08.533 --> 00:16:11.000 We gotta get hungry for the right things. 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:19.732 The way you replace a bad intent is with a good intent, with moving, with hunger toward the right thing. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:23.232 And as I looked at this verse in particular about how do we get hungry? 00:16:23.232 --> 00:16:29.066 I think there are three layers here in particular, maybe kind of like a three layer cake, you know what I mean? 00:16:29.066 --> 00:16:30.466 Tres leches. 00:16:30.466 --> 00:16:31.700 Wait, that's not three layers. 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:33.533 That's three milks. 00:16:33.533 --> 00:16:34.932 Even better. 00:16:34.932 --> 00:16:36.500 What other desserts can we talk about? 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:38.332 Let's just take a second. 00:16:38.332 --> 00:16:40.299 Talk about desserts for a minute. 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:41.200 Increase your hunger. 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:42.566 Get hungry for the right things. 00:16:42.566 --> 00:16:44.200 There's three layers here in this passage. 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:51.600 First, look at the word like newborn infants long for pure spiritual milk. 00:16:52.066 --> 00:16:53.633 Long for it. 00:16:54.932 --> 00:16:57.633 That word long is the main command of the whole passage. 00:16:57.633 --> 00:16:59.533 Last week it was love. 00:16:59.533 --> 00:17:04.165 This week it's long, long for it. 00:17:04.165 --> 00:17:10.532 Now, that word longing connected with a newborn infant has a powerful thrust. 00:17:12.232 --> 00:17:17.066 If you've had an infant, you know what I'm talking about, man. 00:17:17.066 --> 00:17:21.766 You can almost time it to the minute when they're going to start crying, needing to eat. 00:17:21.766 --> 00:17:28.299 And when you go from every 2.5 hours to every 2.75 hours, it's like a whole new day. 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:33.833 And when they go three hours without eating, you're like, you've remembered your name again. 00:17:33.833 --> 00:17:41.900 They don't wait for you to feel good about feeding them when they're hungry, they demand it in the moment. They scream, they yell. 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:43.732 They do whatever it takes to get your attention. 00:17:45.566 --> 00:17:47.099 They long. 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:50.000 They desire it so deeply. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.299 And by the way, it's not just it's not just the babies. 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:58.365 Sometimes it's it's the mothers too, you know what I'm saying? 00:17:58.365 --> 00:18:07.099 I remember the first time when Julie was nursing, and normally we would go maybe like to Chipotle and split a burrito. 00:18:07.099 --> 00:18:09.900 And the first time we go when she's nursing, she orders the burrito. 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:10.599 And I was like, you know what? 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:11.965 Actually, I'd like salsa on that. 00:18:11.965 --> 00:18:12.532 On my half. 00:18:12.532 --> 00:18:15.532 She's like, get your own. 00:18:15.566 --> 00:18:17.932 What do you mean, your half? 00:18:17.932 --> 00:18:23.665 I'm eating this whole thing and I'm going to be looking at yours the whole time too. 00:18:23.665 --> 00:18:26.665 Hungry, longing. 00:18:27.532 --> 00:18:30.200 How are we building that longing in our hearts? 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:32.633 So that's the first layer here is the longing. 00:18:32.633 --> 00:18:36.200 Second, always keep growing. 00:18:37.232 --> 00:18:38.633 Always keep growing. 00:18:38.633 --> 00:18:45.599 If you look back at the verse long for pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. 00:18:46.732 --> 00:18:49.133 We want to keep growing. 00:18:49.133 --> 00:18:53.232 There's never a moment you arrive at, as a Christian where you got it all figured out. 00:18:53.232 --> 00:18:55.165 I don't have to grow anymore. I'm good. 00:18:55.165 --> 00:19:00.700 That's why our theme for the year, you know, we we presented this Friday night to the whole church. 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:04.365 We want to be growing into oaks of righteousness. 00:19:05.566 --> 00:19:06.465 Yes. 00:19:06.465 --> 00:19:09.532 Of course, any church wants to grow numerically. 00:19:09.532 --> 00:19:19.000 But what is as important, if not more important, is that we are growing strong, deep in the Lord, deep roots, able to withstand the storms. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:19.432 We won't. 00:19:19.432 --> 00:19:24.900 We don't want to be like the little shoots that came up in Matthew 13 that fell among the rocky soil. 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:28.833 And then when the wind and rain came, they withered away. 00:19:28.833 --> 00:19:32.599 They couldn't withstand because they had no root. 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:34.066 We want to grow strong. 00:19:34.066 --> 00:19:35.200 We want to grow deep. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:43.232 We want to be able to stand firm for the gospel in this community, to be a light, to bear fruit to the whole community. 00:19:43.732 --> 00:19:47.333 That's why I love this picture here of like, newborn infants. 00:19:47.333 --> 00:19:50.333 You want to talk about someone who grows? 00:19:50.465 --> 00:19:57.833 Man that little bag of skin folds you bring home, and you can't imagine they're tucked into the corner of a car seat. 00:19:57.833 --> 00:20:01.465 You can't imagine they'd ever fill up that car seat. 00:20:01.465 --> 00:20:04.200 In fact, Megan Sanchez was telling me, you know, they just had a baby. 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:07.032 Meagan-- Isaac's her husband, he was playing drums today. 00:20:07.032 --> 00:20:12.465 Little Caleb, you know, they brought him home, and he was born on the larger side. 00:20:12.465 --> 00:20:14.599 On the chunky side maybe. 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:19.833 You know, the sad part of that is you had all these cute clothes for this two month old, and they already don't fit him. 00:20:20.965 --> 00:20:24.700 And then you think, how could they ever fit into this gigantic six month old outfit? 00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:27.500 And before you know it, the buttons are just popping off. 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:30.799 They're just growing so rapidly. 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:32.965 Grow. 00:20:32.965 --> 00:20:35.900 Keep growing. 00:20:35.900 --> 00:20:37.099 Don't just coast. 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:39.000 Don't just think I got it all figured out. 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:40.500 The call is to keep growing. 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:43.500 And then the third layer here. 00:20:43.766 --> 00:20:46.766 Choose your food wisely. 00:20:46.965 --> 00:20:48.365 Choose your food wisely. 00:20:48.365 --> 00:20:50.633 Here's how that is portrayed in the passage. 00:20:50.633 --> 00:20:56.400 It says long for the pure spiritual milk. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:06.566 Long for pure spiritual milk, meaning long for the right things, long for the things that will actually help you grow. 00:21:06.566 --> 00:21:07.766 We want to. 00:21:07.766 --> 00:21:15.599 When you need nourishment, you want to eat food that actually helps you grow, not tears down your body. 00:21:15.633 --> 00:21:20.266 Milk in its purest form is one of the most amazing foods there is. 00:21:20.266 --> 00:21:23.400 It's like the perfect combination of fat, carbs, protein. 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:24.700 It's like perfectly balanced. 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:26.099 Surprise, surprise. 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:29.732 And they've done all these studies shockingly so. 00:21:29.732 --> 00:21:37.500 All of a sudden, the amazing ability of breast milk to bring nutrients to children, you know, amazing. 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:38.365 God had a plan. 00:21:38.365 --> 00:21:42.700 God had a design, and it has this incredible nourishment value. 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:47.333 We are to long for pure spiritual milk, that word spiritual. 00:21:48.133 --> 00:21:52.833 It's actually a challenging word in this passage because it only shows up one other place. 00:21:52.833 --> 00:22:04.066 Shows up in Romans chapter 12, where the context is present your bodies as a living sacrifice, as a spiritual act of worship. 00:22:04.066 --> 00:22:10.299 Some translations say a reasonable, a true, a pure act of worship. 00:22:13.133 --> 00:22:14.633 You know, what does that mean? 00:22:14.633 --> 00:22:20.232 In our longings, in our hungers, they should be true to the need. 00:22:20.232 --> 00:22:21.566 They should be pure. 00:22:21.566 --> 00:22:24.566 They should fit the need. 00:22:24.566 --> 00:22:26.732 I should long for things spiritually. 00:22:26.732 --> 00:22:28.799 And here's where this comes down to. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:32.400 I should long for things spiritually that actually nourish my soul. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:44.900 And of course, we all find ourselves at times longing for consuming things that don't, that don't nourish. 00:22:44.900 --> 00:22:50.833 In fact, they do the opposite, that erode our souls. 00:22:50.833 --> 00:22:59.400 In fact, sometimes our tastes get so deformed that we come to like that better than the truly nourishing spiritual things. 00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:02.299 Here's what we're called to do here in this passage in particular. 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:06.932 Long for pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. 00:23:06.932 --> 00:23:12.799 Part of what is happening here is he is calling us to be longing for community. 00:23:13.932 --> 00:23:20.066 There's so many different things that nourishes spiritually, but the context of this passage is community. 00:23:20.066 --> 00:23:23.465 I mean, all last week it was love, love one another. 00:23:23.465 --> 00:23:32.932 We need to be loving each other well, sincerely, earnestly, with brotherly love. This week it's don't do things that tear down one another. Avoid those. 00:23:32.932 --> 00:23:33.865 Put those aside. 00:23:33.865 --> 00:23:37.099 Next week it will be because you are part of a church. 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:39.799 You are his saints. 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:44.900 We are meant to build up the church together, not not tear down. 00:23:45.766 --> 00:24:00.432 And so a key part of gaining the true spiritual milk is how we move forward together in community, how we grow in community, and how we do that as we hunger for the true spiritual milk. Long for it. 00:24:01.465 --> 00:24:04.365 So that's the second way we continue to get out of a spiritual rut. 00:24:04.365 --> 00:24:08.900 And then the third way, look at verse three. 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:16.766 If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 00:24:16.766 --> 00:24:20.633 The third way here is remember the good taste. 00:24:20.633 --> 00:24:23.400 Remember the good taste. 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:26.400 Remember what truly tastes good. 00:24:27.266 --> 00:24:30.665 This verse in particular is a quote from Psalm 34. 00:24:30.665 --> 00:24:33.532 I mentioned that Peter loves to quote the Old Testament. 00:24:33.532 --> 00:24:34.732 He quotes it left and right. 00:24:34.732 --> 00:24:39.633 Sometimes it's a slight allusion, sometimes it's a direct quote, sometimes it's a partial quote. 00:24:39.633 --> 00:24:45.066 And we're not going to spend a ton of time in Psalm 34, but go ahead and turn there today. I just want to highlight one thing. 00:24:45.066 --> 00:24:49.032 We're not going to spend a ton of time there, because we're going to spend a lot of time there in chapter three. 00:24:49.032 --> 00:24:57.532 In fact, before you turn there, if you look at first Peter, you can just see blocks of quotes that are standing out, depending on how your Bible’s structured. 00:24:57.532 --> 00:24:58.900 You saw that in chapter one. 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:00.833 We looked at that last week from Isaiah. 00:25:00.833 --> 00:25:05.633 You'll see in chapter two there's a few other verses quoted that stand out we'll look at next week. 00:25:05.633 --> 00:25:11.232 But if you look at chapter three, there's this whole section verses ten through 12 that come from Psalm 34. 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:16.299 So we'll spend more time in Psalm 34 then, but turn there now, because I want to highlight one thing. 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:19.432 Why would he reference that verse in particular here? 00:25:19.432 --> 00:25:22.700 Taste and see that the Lord is good, or taste that the Lord is good. 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:23.500 Psalm 34. 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:34.000 If you have a church Bible that's on page 433, Psalm 34, all I want to do is highlight not any verse in there, but the introduction. 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.000 This was part of what was originally written. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:38.833 It's not considered a verse, but it's part of the original writing. 00:25:38.833 --> 00:25:40.232 It's not something we added on later. 00:25:40.232 --> 00:25:48.365 Some parts of the Bible, usually those little titles were just added to help us understand what's a chapter about, but look at what it writes here. 00:25:48.365 --> 00:25:49.032 Psalm 34. 00:25:49.032 --> 00:25:52.299 It says right here at the top of David, meaning it's a Psalm of David. 00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:56.232 It's a psalm that is attributed to have been written by David. 00:25:56.232 --> 00:25:58.333 And here's the circumstance he was in when he wrote it. 00:25:58.333 --> 00:26:04.133 When he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out and went away. 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:09.232 Now, if you remember the story, David, first of all, Saul was trying to kill David. 00:26:09.232 --> 00:26:13.232 David had been appointed as the new king by Samuel. 00:26:13.232 --> 00:26:14.232 Saul knows it. 00:26:14.232 --> 00:26:15.799 Saul wants him dead. 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:16.665 Understandably so. 00:26:16.665 --> 00:26:18.299 Saul not approving. 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:19.599 But that's what he's after. 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:21.133 He's trying to get rid of David. 00:26:21.133 --> 00:26:23.700 So David has to flee his hometown. 00:26:23.700 --> 00:26:25.266 He has to flee everything he's known. 00:26:26.333 --> 00:26:27.532 And he goes to a foreign land. 00:26:27.532 --> 00:26:29.232 He's an exile in a foreign land. 00:26:29.232 --> 00:26:31.165 And what happens there? 00:26:31.165 --> 00:26:34.133 They were like, you mean David, the guy who's been killing our people? 00:26:34.133 --> 00:26:36.266 We don't want him here either. 00:26:36.266 --> 00:26:39.500 And so Abimelech, they bring him before Abimelech. 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:44.365 But what he does to get get away is to act crazy, to act mad. 00:26:44.932 --> 00:26:46.965 And he gets set free. 00:26:46.965 --> 00:26:51.400 So here you have David. Here's why this is quoted in first Peter. 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:53.400 What is Peter about? 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:55.133 Finding joy in suffering? 00:26:55.133 --> 00:26:56.900 What does he call us in the first chapter? 00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:58.932 Elect exiles. 00:26:58.932 --> 00:27:01.165 David in exile. 00:27:01.165 --> 00:27:03.232 David encountering suffering. 00:27:03.232 --> 00:27:05.732 David being attacked by his own king. 00:27:05.732 --> 00:27:09.066 Being attacked by people that he's fleeing to for rescue. 00:27:09.066 --> 00:27:12.799 David knows what it's like to suffer. 00:27:14.333 --> 00:27:17.299 And what does he say in Psalm 34? 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:20.266 Look at the verse that's quoted, verse eight. 00:27:20.266 --> 00:27:25.400 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:30.732 Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 00:27:31.165 --> 00:27:36.500 Listen, of all people who could complain about God, it would be David in this moment. 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:37.633 What are you doing, Lord? 00:27:37.633 --> 00:27:38.432 Why do you hate me? 00:27:38.432 --> 00:27:40.133 You've got Saul trying to kill me. 00:27:40.133 --> 00:27:42.099 And now you've got the people I go to for rescue. 00:27:42.099 --> 00:27:45.099 And they're trying to kill me. 00:27:46.833 --> 00:27:49.032 And what does he say? 00:27:49.032 --> 00:27:51.066 God is good. 00:27:51.066 --> 00:27:53.266 He has rescued me. 00:27:53.266 --> 00:27:54.465 He remembered. 00:27:54.465 --> 00:27:55.400 He tasted. 00:27:55.400 --> 00:28:00.333 He remembered the taste of how good the Lord is. 00:28:00.333 --> 00:28:07.700 And if you need to get out of a spiritual rut, you got to turn and taste the Lord again. 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:10.633 You've got to remember what he has done for you. 00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:14.099 And look, I know you've had hard times. 00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:22.032 You may be in the middle of a really hard time, and it's easy to forget how much he's done for you. 00:28:22.032 --> 00:28:24.465 But we got to turn back there, taste. 00:28:24.465 --> 00:28:25.833 What has the Lord done? 00:28:25.833 --> 00:28:27.965 Taste his goodness in the midst of that. 00:28:27.965 --> 00:28:29.266 Because you can't get. 00:28:29.266 --> 00:28:30.566 Here's the tricky part. 00:28:30.566 --> 00:28:34.232 You can't get out of a spiritual rut on your own. 00:28:34.232 --> 00:28:35.365 You can't. 00:28:35.365 --> 00:28:38.365 You got to have Christ to step in. 00:28:40.766 --> 00:28:43.766 Back to my two sons and their journey. 00:28:44.165 --> 00:28:51.099 They realized that too, sitting on the side of the road, hours from home. 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:54.400 You barely see anyone out in this wilderness area. 00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:55.732 No cell phone service. 00:28:55.732 --> 00:28:57.432 What do you do? 00:28:57.432 --> 00:28:59.932 They sat down and waited. 00:28:59.932 --> 00:29:02.465 Let's see if anyone comes along. 00:29:02.465 --> 00:29:03.266 Let's pray. 00:29:03.266 --> 00:29:05.599 See if God sends anyone our way. 00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:06.700 We can't. 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:08.833 We can't get out of this on our own. 00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:13.932 And they waited hour after hour. 00:29:13.932 --> 00:29:25.732 And finally here comes beat up old Rambler truck coming down the road, happens to have a strap, pulls them out and they're on their way. 00:29:26.266 --> 00:29:28.833 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:29:28.833 --> 00:29:31.732 Remember his goodness in the midst of the waiting. 00:29:31.732 --> 00:29:35.200 Depend on him to get you out of the rut. 00:29:35.566 --> 00:29:40.700 Put aside the things that we have gone to naturally. 00:29:41.333 --> 00:29:44.333 And turn to him, long for him. 00:29:44.465 --> 00:29:47.465 Let's pray. 00:29:49.133 --> 00:29:55.700 Jesus, we thank you that you're the one that changes our hearts. 00:29:55.932 --> 00:30:02.299 My heart naturally says, if someone wrongs me, I'm going to wrong them back. 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:09.232 My heart naturally says, if someone speaks ill of me, I'm going to do the same. 00:30:09.232 --> 00:30:13.365 My heart naturally says, I'll act however I want no matter what I say. 00:30:15.732 --> 00:30:27.299 You call us to put aside those old clothes, to put on new clothes, and it's the Holy Spirit working through us that accomplishes that. 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:46.000 Jesus, would you help us to just hear from you today to to be guided by you, to depend on you, help us to walk in the newness of life we know in you to walk in the joy of the remembrance of the things you've done in our lives. 00:30:48.133 --> 00:30:52.000 Thank you, Jesus, for all the ways you've worked in this church. 00:30:52.000 --> 00:31:15.165 Jesus, I pray that this year would be a year of growth unlike any other in the lives of every person here, that we would grow into mighty oaks of righteousness, that each person here would send down roots deeper than ever before, and they would see you build them up and strengthen them like never before. 00:31:15.165 --> 00:31:16.833 God, would you move in our lives? 00:31:16.833 --> 00:31:22.032 Would you grow us, grow us deep, grow us strong? 00:31:23.333 --> 00:31:25.000 We love you, Jesus. 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:25.465 Amen.