Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Key to Spiritual Growth*

* *

*Text:  1 Peter 1:22-2:3*

* *

*I.

The Bible and Spiritual Birth*

*1.

Not by perishable seed - 1:23 but imperishable*

*Examples: *

*Perishable = Grass and flowers*

*Imperishable = Word of God - Ps 119:89, 160*

(Psa 119:89 NIV)  Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

* *

(Psa 119:160 NIV)  All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

* *

*II.

The Bible and Spiritual Growth*

*A.

Negative - 2:1*

*“Rid yourselves” = Gr.

“apothesthai/” = /*word used for stripping off soiled clothing.

*1.

Malice* = Gr.

/“kakia” (// Noun: feminine, singular, accusative )/ This is the most general word for evil and wickedness.

The rest of the list are manifestations of malice.

These are all sins of character which will hurt the great characteristic proof of a believer -- love.

Their can be no brotherly love, no unity of the body of Christ as long as any of this list is present in the lives of the individuals in the body.

*2.

Deceit *(KJV guile) = Gr.

/“dolos” (// Noun: masculine, singular, accusative )/ trickery or craftiness using devious words and actions to get what you want.

This is the vice of the man who’s motives are not pure.

If we are guilty of malice and deceit we will try to hide it which produces hypocrisy..

*3.

Hypocrisy*  = Gr. /“hupokrisis” (// Noun:, feminine, plural, accusative )/ William Barclay describes this word as follows:  “It is the noun from the verb “/hupokrinesthai//”/ which means to answer; a /hupokrites// /began by being an answerer.

The next move that the word makes is that it comes to mean an actor, the man who takes part in the question and answer of the stage.

It then comes to mean a hypocrite in the bad sense of the word, a man who all the time is acting a part, a man who all the time is concealing his real motives, a man who meets you with a face which is very different from his heart, and with words which are very different from his real feelings.

The hypocrite is the man who may well enter the Church from the wrong motives, and whose alleged Christian profession is for his own profit and prestige, and not for the service and for the glory of Christ.”

(/The Letters of James and Peter/, p. 225).

*4.

Envy* = Gr.

/“phthonos” (// Noun: masculine, plural, accusative).

/ This is one of the hardest sins to get rid of.

It plagued the apostles.

At the Last Supper the disciples were disputing about who should occupy the seats of greatest honor (Luke 22:24).

The other ten were envious of James and John, when they requested to sit on Jesus’ right and left in His glory.

Envy can only die when self dies.

So long as self remains in one’s heart their will be envy in one’s life.

Jesus gave the antidote for envy to the disciples when they were envious of James and John.

Jesus said:

 

(Mark 10:42-45 NIV)  ... "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them./

{43} /Not so with you.

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,/ {44} /and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all./

{45} /For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

* *

*5.

Slander *(KJV evil speakings) = Gr.

/“katalalia” (// Noun: feminine, plural, accusative )/ Slander, gossip or any evil speaking is almost always the fruit of envy in the heart, and it usually takes place when the victim is not there to defend himself.

We all have an insatiable appetite for gossip.

Everyone deplores disparaging gossip.

Everyone hates it when someone has slandered them.

Everyone admits that it is wrong.

Yet at the same time almost everyone enjoys hearing disparaging gossip or slander about someone else, especially people in authority (i.e.

president, governor, mayor, pastor, teacher, etc.).

* *

*All of these sins stem from one = selfishness:*

Illustration:

            Larry Crabb writes:  "None of us is immune to putting self first.

I don't think I've learned anything about myself that has more surprised and appalled me than how reflexively I put my own needs first.

"Within days of my brother's death, I spoke at his memorial service.

As I prepared my few comments on behalf of our family, I prayed that God would use my stumbling tongue in this difficult situation to encourage others to trust in the goodness of God no matter what might happen in their lives.

I wanted to give.

"At one point during my talk, I noticed that a phrase I had just used was especially rich.

As any experienced public speaker might do, I paused to let that phrase sink in.

During that three- second pause, I heard these words run through my mind, 'I'm doing a pretty good job.

That was a good pause.'

Immediately, I felt slapped in the face by the realization that at that moment I cared more about how I was performing than about how meaningfully I was ministering.

"That night I wept bitterly.

I grieved that even at my brother's funeral I couldn't escape the wretched power of pride.

I had come to an audience filled with friends wanting to share our grief, and I wanted them to applaud my speaking ability."

[Finding God by Larry Crabb.

Zondervan, 1993.

Pages 112-113.]

* *

*B.

Positive*

*1.

Craving - 2:2*

God’s Word has life and gives life.

We should crave it just like newborn babies crave milk  We should crave the Word because this alone will help us grow.

It is sad when believer’s have no appetite for the Word.

How do you think God feels when you spend more time reading novels, magazines, newspapers, watching TV, surfing the net, bowling, golfing, fishing, or some other form of entertainment than you do reading the Word?

 

*As we grow the Word of God becomes...*

*Milk - 1 Cor.

3:2; 1 Thess.

2:7; Heb.

5:12; 6:2*

(1 Cor 3:2 NIV)  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.

Indeed, you are still not ready.

(1 Th 2:7 NIV)  but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.

(Heb 5:12 NIV)  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.

You need milk, not solid food!

 

(Heb 6:2 NIV)  instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

* *

*Application:  Milk Christians* Nothing wrong with being a milk Christian as long as you are new in the faith.

One of the saddest states is to grow old spiritually but not grow up spiritually.

* *

*Solid food (meat) - 1 Cor.

3:1-4; Heb.

5:11-14*

(1 Cor 3:1-4 NIV)  Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ./

{2} /I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.

Indeed, you are still not ready./

{3} /You are still worldly.

For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?

Are you not acting like mere men?/ {4} /For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

 

(Heb 5:11-14 NIV)  We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn./

{12} /In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.

You need milk, not solid food!/ {13} /Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness./