I Peter 2:1-3

1. our condition as God’s little ones - 2 [new born babes]
1. this world is the nursery in which the heirs of God are spending their first years of existence
1. this life prepares us for the life of full maturity in heaven
2. the most advanced among us are only babes in comparison to what we shall be
2. these words should teach us humility
1. our best pace in the walk of obedience is as the steps of a child
2. in glory land we shall walk in perfect obedience, as we follow Christ wherever He goes
3. all our knowledge here is as the ignorance of babes
1. our intellect is only in its beginning
2. our powers undeveloped
3. our mental grasp is limited
4. all our expressions of praise to God are as the first stammerings of a child
1. our language is that of infancy, whereby we cry "Abba Father"
2. one day we shall be taught the "new song"
5. there is no place within us for a haughty heart, a proud look, or self-satisfaction
3. these words should teach us hope
1. there is nothing so helpless as a babe
2. a baby is for a long time dependent on its parents’ care
3. God has put within parents the love and patience to care for their children
4. will God so carefully provide for us in the first birth, and then provide nothing in the second birth
1. is not the love of human parents a type of the Divine love?
2. God has the love of a parent to a babe for us
3. what parent would get angry with a child for being weak, sick, or dull of brain
4. do not these things give us reason for greater tenderness
5. God will supply our every need
6. God will make us to know things that are hidden from the wise, because He chooses to reveal it to babes
4. these words should teach us the right attitude towards God
1. throw ourselves on Him with the abandonment of a babe
2. give to Him the responsibility of choosing for us (directing, protecting and delivering us)
3. no matter how strong we think we are, we are just babes
2. our food - 2 [sincere milk of the word]
1. God’s Word has life, gives life, and nourishes life
1. it is through the Word that a believer grows
2. it is a sad thing when Christians have no appetite for God’s Word
3. here is the reason why so many Christians are puny and stunted in their growth
2. this picture does not mean that the readers of this letter were recent converts
1. Peter is simply saying that as a baby desires milk, the believer should desire the Word of God
2. only milk can satisfy the hunger of an infant
3. the spiritual hunger of a believer can only be satisfied by the "milk of the Word"
4. spiritual maturity is directly related to the amount of study we invest in the Word
3. sometimes children have no appetite because they have been eating the wrong things
1. an unsuitable food, no matter how abundant, will soon result in a sickly Christian
2. Peter warns his readers to "lay aside" certain wrong attitudes of the heart - 1
3. these things will only ruin our appetite for what is good and beneficial for us (God’s Word)
4. when Christians are growing in the Word, they will be peacemakers, not troublemakers
3. how to create an appetite for the Word
1. put away every form of antisocial behavior - 1
1. malice
1. anger cooled down
2. rejoicing in the misfortunes that come to others
2. guile: scheming with the purpose of destroying
3. hypocrisy
1. one who says he loves Jesus, but refuses to be involved in serving him
2. the Judas-act of concealing treachery beneath the cloak of friendship
4. envy
1. the deadliest of all sin
2. it brought about the death of Christ
3. it destroys happiness and peace of mind
4. it destroys families and our relationship with God
5. evil speaking: gossip, backbiting, slander
6. how is it that Christians have to be urged to surrender such obvious evils
2. desire - 2
1. one of the most dangerous symptoms is the lost of appetite
2. this danger-signal warns that evil lurks within
3. there is not a more sure sign of spiritual ill health than the lack of desire for God’s Word
3. remember that growth depends on our feeding on the Word
1. is there any among us that does not want to grow?
2. do not read the Bible just in those times that we like to do so
3. read the Bible even when we don’t feel like it, because it is the right thing to do
4. remember the first taste of God’s grace - 3
1. Peter is not questioning the salvation of his readers
2. "if so be" means assuming this to be true
3. salvation is only the first taste of God’s grace and goodness
4. the more we feed on the Word, the more we will learn about God