3 Steps to Spiritual Growth
Sermon by Jack Nazary
Therefore,
putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may
grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. And
coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is
choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being
built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in
Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." This precious value,
then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE
WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone," and,
"A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE "; for they stumble
because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also
appointed. But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A
PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of
Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once
were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED
MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
- To Renounce Sin
- To Feed upon God's word
- To Understand and accept one's place in God's plan
In
1 Peter 2:5-10, there is good advice for all Christians. You need to consider each step to grow by
checking your own life.
The
first step is to Renounce Sin.
Therefore, putting aside all
malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander 1 Peter 2:1
The
5 sins addressed in this passage are: malice, guile, hypocrites, envies, and evil
speaking.
A
Christian should never be characterized in this way.
Malice
is often used as summary word for evil in general, but here it refers to a deep
seated hatred of others coming from basic selfishness animosity. Such hatred
seeks to hurt which is contrary to the principle of love for fellow men and
especially Christian brothers and sisters.
Malice by wishing others harm should be cast off as soon as one enters
God's family.
Guile is clever or tricky practices to deceive, to "catch with bait"
You are guilty when: you
misquote someone in order to hurt him, make statements to mislead about
another, and resort to other underhanded methods to bring him harm.
No believer should stoop to
this!!
Lord's example as told by 1 Peter
2:22 "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"
Hypocrisies
– A hypocrite can be anyone whose words and actions do not reflect his true
identity or feelings. A hypocrite is seen as a man greets you with a smile when
he actually hates you.
There is a sense of deprivation
when one is hypocritical. For example, men
appointed to answer legal questions or render judgments that stand behind a screen
or wore a mask to hide identity or an actor
actor playing a role, not true to
himself being called a hypocrite.
Country preacher on
target when he said to congregation "Be what you are and not what you
ain't; because if you ain't what you are, then you are what you think you
ain't".
Envy
is the feeling of discontent and jealousy because one has greater talents,
success, possessions, or receives more honors than we. It is so called "mental
cancer" because it gradually destroys spiritual health
Examples of the dangers of envy:
Cain moved with envy toward
brother Abel
Joseph's brothers moved with
envy, sold him
Root of Aaron and Marian's
rebellion against brother Moses
Pilate aware Jewish leaders
were calling for death of Jesus because of envy. Matthew 27:18
Envy has broken
friendships by thousands, destroyed effective witness of churches, caused blighted
lives. The dreaded – "green eyed
monster".
Proverbs 14:30 states
that envy is “Rottenness of the bones".
There is no place for envy in the
Christian's life.
The
second step to spiritual growth is to Feed
Upon God's word.
like newborn babies, long for the
pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 1
Peter 2:2
We need to hunger for
the Word. As the deer pants for the water
brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God Psalm
42:1
We should look at the
Word of God as pure milk that nourishes us and helps us grow. - Like a
mother nurses her children 1 Thess.
2:7; I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to
receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 1 Corinthians 3:2
We need to mature in
the Word.
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again
for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and
you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Hebrews 5:12;
"But when He, the Spirit of
truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on
His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose
to you what is to come. John 16:13
As for you, the anointing which
you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach
you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not
a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.1 John 2:27
The
third step to spiritual growth is to Accept
God's Plan.
you also, as living stones, are
being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is
contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS
CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." This
precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
"THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER
stone," and, "A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE "; for
they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they
were also appointed. 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY
NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies
of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you
once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED
MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. 1 Peter 2:5-10
We
are one in a great company of believers.
you also, as living stones,
are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
For through the grace given to me
I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought
to think ; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to
each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body
and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one
body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them
accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service,
in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his
exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he
who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:3-8
Now there are varieties of gifts,
but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all
persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the
common good. For to one is given the
word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge
according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to
another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of
miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of
spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation
of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to
each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has
many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one
body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink
of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says,
"Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for
this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "Because
I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason
any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the
hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But
now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many
members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need
of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be
weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less
honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable
members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have
no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to
that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but
that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers,
all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members
rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And
God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations,
various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets,
are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are
they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with
tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I
show you a still more excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:4-31
We
are to be a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus because we are
chosen race and a part of a Royal Priesthood.
you also, as living stones, are
being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.1 Peter 2:5,
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A
royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so
that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light 1 Peter 2:9
Therefore I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1
We
are to have a voice of praise to proclaim the excellencies of God.
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A
royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you
may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into
His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9
and if children, heirs also,
heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that
we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:17
Work,
Worship, Present Self
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