The Spiritual House (Part A)

The sinful nature that we are born with. It is not eradicated from the heart when new life enters into our life. The old man remains there to harass and to challenge and to try to overthrow the spirit any often succeeds. Unfortunately, even though we have a Christlike nature. We are still stuck following nature. At the same time in this life we leave this life, that old man died be gone.

Never again be heard from this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick in first Peter chapter 1 as he begins a new message called the spiritual house first Peter chapter 2. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking as newborn babes, desire pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Spiritual house that's the title that I have given this consideration this morning because we are to be spiritual houses, each individual the house of house of God saved to function as those who bring sinners to the light of Jesus Christ. There are many metaphor, we could attach to our role as a body is a local assembly lighthouse. For example, comes to mind, to let people know that there is a danger in that warned in advance to take steps to avoid ship wreck.

Jesus said God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth in this, again, the house of God does is a spiritual house, but so are the individuals who make up the house of God and the dwelling place.

The presence of God is to dwell with his people. Personal Shekinah the Holy Spirit that is with those who are born again and so Peter here in verse one.

He says therefore, lying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, well he's joining what he is saying now with what he has already said in chapter 1. Remember when this letter was written no verse divisions were given no chapter divisions. It was a letter Peter dictated the letter so Venice wrote it down and then it was carried to throughout the church is copied and carried to different churches to be read in their assemblies and that his joining what he is now saying therefore lay aside all malice connects with first Peter chapter 1. If you look with me in your Bibles. Verse 23 all estate, verse 22. Also, since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren love one another fervently with a pure heart. Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the word of God which lives and abides forever. That is what that therefore is connecting to. We are born again, Peter urges us to put away those things that are contrary to agape love to Christian love, that is those things that are unlike Christ malice will come to a moment, but that old nature that old man that that sinful nature that we are born with. It is not eradicated from the heart when new life enters into our life. The old man remains there to harass and to challenge and to try to overthrow the spirit any often succeeds.

Unfortunately, even though we have a Christlike nature.

We are still stuck following nature.

At the same time in this life we leave this life, that old man died be gone. Never again be heard from so we must continually make deliberate choices as to which nature we will submit to the flesh of the spirit and God looking at us struggle takes our intention to obey him very seriously when you are weak and you fail God does not say you miserable no good weakling. He sees that we were fighting and that goes a long way with the Lord and it should go a long way with you.

Also, because the alternative is to give up, to surrender to no longer struggling to resist the flesh.

The devil in the world. So part of this process of resistance laying aside all malice of vice list.

He has he or five of them in the short list of loveless actions, malice, being first, we come to Christ were supposed to let go of these things that we are you know our New Testament.

It is designed by the Holy Spirit to convict to rebuke and to exhort and that really narrows it down or boils down to everything is to convict the lost soul that they are guilty that the sentences passed on them and they need a Savior that cover salvation. It also convicts the guilty. Even if you are saved, you do something wrong. You don't want to admit how hard it is you husbands know you wives know sometimes really hard to tell the other person.

Okay, it was my fault but once you are convicted. Once the evidence is there is no getting away from it and to convict to rebuke so much of the New Testament is about correcting Christians. Unfortunately, but where would be worse off without. And then of course to exhort to encourage, be strong, be joyful, keep going.

There's a heaven waiting for us at the end of this that is the New Testament and it doesn't. It does not hide any of this is right out and I'm going to take one section that beautiful section in Ephesians 4.

One of my many thousands of beautiful favorite sections of the Bible.

The list is still growing that you put off is the same Greek word he uses here laying aside, first Peter chapter 2 verse one is the same Greek word that Paul use when he says that you put off that you lay aside concerning your former conduct. The old man, which grows corrupt. According to the deceitful lusts that old nature get stronger and when you become a Christian teacher trying to get stronger continues and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth to his neighbor. We are members of one another and then he goes on no give place to the devil that is saying what Peter is saying all is independent of Peter is not mindful of one another. I don't think when the wind Peter wrote this on again. Ephesians 4 in my the Holy Spirit did the author and finisher of our faith did self assertion that brings malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy it as the launchpad for these vices and every other vice self-assertion is an exaggerated opinion of one's own self-importance. That's what self-assertion is in the context of the sins cancels out the groundcover, we gain by being born again someone use this as a backslider goes backwards because the old nature's got the upper hand. We strike back. Making efforts to not sin again. You may strike back 100 times and fail, but the fact that you're striking back. God does not dismiss as trivial. He told David. David you cannot build me a house but because it was in your heart to build me a house and then God proceeded to tell him how he was going to bless David God again very much watching but not not watching as though you waiting for us to mess up so he can pounce watching so that he can participate with us in the struggle Romans chapter 13 verse 12 let us castoff is the same idea the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light.

Light it armor it's body armor. It means you going to take hits not only suggestive business is prophetic. You have Christian armor on because you gonna take hits. It's not a parade uniform. It's for contact with the flash with the world with the enemy and they have the advantage. All three of those have the advantage malice up to harming others. You know a person is up to no good at what malice is in a serious way. Its intention to hurt to cause harm. Now you there.

There's a you can a doctor intends to hurt when he is helping many times but not to harm malice is looking to harm us and doctors intention of really hurt. I hopeless it is like you, but the getting the cut hurt comes with it, but malice again. It is a vicious disposition that is in the heart of the one who is exercising it is not funny. Christians have to be told. Malice does not belong in your heart. It's a real hoot in hell. Satan loves that there Christians that have to be told. Don't be up to no good force of personal sin and for what, why, why, why would any Christian want to hurt someone. I mean there are exceptions. As a pastor I have a lot of brush. Of course, why, why would we want to hurt anyone.

We should not mean we have to defend ourselves from time to time is but were not out to harm. He says all deceit, guile one's true intentions when you're deceiving someone you're hiding what you really up to up to no truth. Malice was up to her upturned harming others. Deceit is up to no truth. Greek word that is used here for deceit speaks of a decoy or bait or to trick someone in a in a harmful way. The psalmist writes the words of his mouth were smoother than butter or was in his heart war. He wanted to do harm. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords the you know you ladies you young ladies you unmarried ones, especially, be careful when you go out there and some young man is trying to win your affection may be genuine, let him be tested, and he may just have smooth words so that he can take advantage of you. That's possible, with all but I think our younger sisters are more susceptible to deceit at their age that they've not yet handled life enough to be able to identify those slick talkers when faced with them, but of course it applies to all of us. John's gospel chapter 1 verse 47.

What a beautiful section of Scripture is when Jesus meets Nathaniel come and see said Philip to Nathaniel, the Messiah, we found him.

Yeah, he's Jesus of Nazareth. You can anything come out of that place. Nazareth and he says come and see it bait him.

He doesn't say let me give you five reasons why you should comes, it just says come see will Nathaniel.

He finally does see and and Jesus says this about him.

Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no deceit, no guile, no painting people. What a wonderful thing to say about someone here is someone that's honest you can trust and then he mentions Peter does hypocrisy.

We all know about that in the time you're very small you can identify hypocrisy. Unfortunately sometimes we find it in our parents don't hoard to do it except we remember and be careful. Their honor your mother and father hypocrisy, pretending to be what you have no intention of actually being wearing a mask and wanting others to believe that there is no mask at all that this is you. Webster's dictionary says this about hypocrisy. A person who puts on a false appearance of true virtue or religion to false appearance. No attention there. It's not someone who's weak and failing saying I love the Lord I'm going to serve him and obey him, and then they fail you don't all your hypocrite name a week might be the problem, someone may just have given it their best shot, and not met your standard doesn't give us grounds to say they are a hypocrite when they are fake through and through.

One becomes a hypocrite and Peter says they're in our churches well there more of them outside of our churches than they are inside so the next time someone to go to Georgia but you hypocrites. Were you kidding me you can't be that dumb. How old are you now there are more hypocrites outside the church than inside the church. Envy is the next one. That is another inward sin that leads to outward sin in the Greek it covers a pile of things, spite and jealousy, improper desires, covetousness, resenting the blessings another has because you wanted it. This is a mean one last session and Peter I mentioned to you that it's very easy or it's easier to applaud someone outside of your field as a values myself as an example will because imperfect yeah right.

Don't talk to my wife about that if you were to tell me that you you met someone that was one of the greatest pianists or artists store or writers. I would buy would be very impressed. Wow, that's nice. Tell me about it.

If you were to say I went to church I found one of the greatest pastors preaching.

Wait a minute. I didn't see you this morning when you talking about, see that's that's where I should shine brighter than the other guy envy. Be careful it is, it will grow like poison ivy will take over others like wire grass and if you have wire grass hate stuff anyway probably got it from you. Anyhow that's always fun to blame others.

No, it's not what I have to say no it's not.

Anyway, Matthew 12, verse 34 Jesus speaking because the Pharisees, the religious leaders. The pastors of the time brood of vipers just happily assist snakes that the poison how can you, being evil, speak good for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. They envied Christ and end it was there, but that was what was in their heart and that's what came out. Until finally brought about his crucifixion.

What helps us lay aside the things on this device list of Peter's going to tell us this next verse, verse two as newborn babes, desire pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby reading this, it doesn't read comfortably to me. I mean you look at verse one and he says, envy, and all evil ladies aside evil speaking and then he says as newborn babes, desire pure milk is it just doesn't blow to me. However I remember that Peter dictated this letter.

I think a lot of the commentators and theologians often lose sight of the human element when when these documents were put together so there's Peter and he's not writing this.

He is dictating it to select to two savannas, we find that at the end of the first Peter and so he's talking any sense like newborn babes and ends of justice captures it like that is uses a high level Greek or classical Greek savannas is writing in and is he so he's putting Peter's words on the parchment and so Peter's flowing and he says put away the lying, the envy as newborn babes, desire milk of the word.

He just sort of goes there.

Paul the apostle notorious for taking rabbit trails in his writings of the… Man you know those… Suspension points when you write will Paul as if some commentators are from long ago called him that if it is the… Apostle because he goes on these rabbit trails because he's writing and things burst into his mind by the spirit. That's where he goes and even though at times. It's an incomplete thought that incomplete thought in and of itself is complete and that is what allows pastors to take single verse and do a whole sermon on because the Holy Spirit says I'm not interested in anything short of communicating my will. I'm not restricted by the rules of grammar, or anything else.

But truth and when we understand that then it begins to move and then we understand the man writing this letter dictating it is a man that is suffered like me is someone who is face temptation and faces temptation is one that knows what fear is the Norwood snows with joy as he knows what disappointment is, you know, disappointment is a heavy weight sometimes you love someone and then for whatever he may they move away or get some whatever and they just no longer in your life since disappointment and attunement to death or anything like that. And as we grow we we go through these things that shape our character. We make adjustments and we keep moving forward. While these writers are men just like that. I point this out because before I was a Christian. I didn't think that my concept of the Bible. It was a man that just sat down were full of themselves writing about what they thought God was now there are other religions like II think Islam is like that.

For example, and are not the only one with Christianity is not like that.

These are men.

That said, I saw Jesus dead and I saw him alive you want, kill me for that, go right ahead, but I am not telling you that I did not see him alive. When I did is power in the word of God because it was power in the lives of the women in the men in Scripture, whom God records events from their lives and so he says as newborn babes now this is important you older Christians.

Be careful when you come in contact with new Christians don't expect a newborn Christian to behave as though they been a Christian for 20 years Hall know they're going to have to suffer a lot before they get to that spot. However, sometimes you meet one that is not a Christian 2130 is whatever and you just shake your head as we have learned thing. Where have you been self absorbed more than likely, so there is no joy in meeting professed Christians who for years have behaved as unbelievers and Peter wanting to intercept these things he says as newborn babes, desire pure milk of the word can't grow or develop without it you need nourishment, all of us do now in these days the cows milk is not the idea here there just one of the bottles and the convenience that is around today.

In those days. Of course it was the mother's milk or a wet nurse that the provided the child with with the milk and that's what's is the idea behind the pure milk direct from the source. And Peter says the word of God and nurses us and nourishes us. It is pure. It comes from the source.

That's where we need to be noticed any of the Bible always comes back to the Scripture always comes back to the work never lets the reader get away from the word we have sections where there is song in this poetry, but the word of God is always the larger shadow in the picture. So in order to lay these things aside, these this these things on these vices that he had mentioned the going to need not only the word but appetite for the word that you may grow thereby church does not grow by addition, it grows by nutrition, said one old St. I should to take credit for that. Have an opportunity there is what anyway that is something that seems to me missed by a lot of people come and see a small church think that the spirit is not there because of the number they look they're looking for addition nutrition that makes the church move. We are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tuned in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures right here on cross reference radio