935. Savoring Christ

Welcome to The Daily Platform, our program features sermons from chapel services at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Every day students are blessed by the preaching and teaching of the Bible from the University Chapel platform today on The Daily Platform. Dr. Ellen Benson, VP for student development and discipleship at Bob Jones University will preach a message titled savoring Christ.

The Scripture is from first Peter chapter 1 well, good morning. It is my pleasure to be here and open the word of God for us today. What a great song for us.

The passage of Scripture were to consider today. Jesus is all the world to me.

I'd like us to focus our attention today on the thought of savoring Christ developing our spiritual taste buds were to look together at first Peter chapter 1 verse 13 and will go all the way down through chapter 2 and verse three were going to go back to chapter 1, kind of as a means of of commentary.

I just want to read together, first Peter chapter 2 verses one through three and so go to the word of God in whatever form you have it digitally or in your Bible follow along as I read Peter writes wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speaking's as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that he may grow thereby. If so, be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious to remember as a kid when you're eating something close to suppertime and your mom would say something like you're going out on your supper endeavor. Ask yourself what that meant, like what did what you were snacking on have to do with your supper there. Two completely different things that it's possible that your mother meant that what you were eating was going to fill you up so that you wouldn't have room for supper. However, I think that there's something else to play. I think that what our mothers were saying was that if we eat something that we typically snack on something super sweet candy something like that our supper wouldn't taste good to us. The way that it should taste what exactly is taste is taste. What I like. That's not my taste. Is it does an expression of personal preference that I don't have a taste for that door that taste to somehow reflect my personal style. Well, a great source for getting a definitions Merriam-Webster hears what Webster says taste is the power or practice of discerning or enjoying what ever constitutes excellence that is taste and that definition leads us to the thought that taste is something that has to be developed to develop a taste for something my mother would always joke with me that eventually will develop a taste for vegetables and I would respond to that by saying no event shall get so old that my taste buds don't work and that I don't care and that's what I would like vegetables but we do develop a taste for things is something that Matt can grow taste that is something that we discern that we enjoy that we acquire a taste for because it's excellent and so draws us to this thought that we are to grow in ways that we delight and take pleasure in the things that matter most and today I want us to think about developing a taste acquiring a taste.

Learning to savor Christ. These are interesting days are they. I know you've been busy while you been online, doing all of your work.

In particular, this last week trying to finish up and be concerned about grades, but it's been different than being here at the University where there were programs and ballgames and there were committees that you were on in society was happening and there were University organizations that you are a part of life is missing those things for you right now other than the ways you're connecting virtually and digitally, and yet somehow it feels like it's just not normal there's there's almost in the midst of the busyness we have now almost a sense of lethargy that that can set in because were not doing what we normally do, or not living at the pace we normally live at and it's easy in times like that to begin filling ourselves with the snacks before supper.

And if that's what's filling our lives are taste for Christ is not what it should be and I believe in this passage of Scripture. Peter addresses that in so really I want to talk was very practically very directly and very simply today about this idea of savoring Christ. I want us to think about just really two things in order to rightly savor God the way we should have a taste, a thirst, hunger for Christ. The way that were supposed to. The first thing we have to do the Peter addresses here is we have to get the bad taste out of our mouth. Look what he says in chapter 2, verse one. Wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speaking's something that we are commanded here uses that the Greek word to for me to put aside to to lay aside and it's a powerful picture is of flinging aside, literally throwing away from us that which is is in fact it's the taking off the wrappings or the garments that would cover the wound and knowing that they could infect us because they're carrying the infection are now carrying the virus. Where to get them away from us because of the contamination and so a figurative sense here of of something that that has to come off of our pallet if you will taste that we have to get out of our mouth. Have you ever gotten up first thing in the morning and brushed your teeth and then went right to the kitchen and the first thing you did was pick up a big glass of orange juice and take a big drink. I don't know about you but mint toothpaste and orange juice just don't go together in my mouth. One has to be out before I can enjoy the other night.

I actually don't mind mint toothpaste and I love orange juice but when I put the two together.

They just don't work.

Something has got to go before the new comes and that's the idea. In this passage of Scripture, and he identifies things that we are put off malice that which is really the opposite of good moral evil that we have to lay aside, it carries the idea of this evil that wants to inflict injury and particulars injury upon our solar injury upon others, souls, and so that has to be cleansed out of our life in order for us to rightly savor Christ were put aside deceit and guile. This idea of of of a selfish driven desire for my own gain by taking from someone else. I'm going to gain by not giving you all the truth or I'm going to gain by getting something from you in a deceitful way has to be laid aside before I can rightly savor Christ hypocrisy someone that never intends to be what they pretend to be. I'm not authentic.

I'm not genuine I I'm saying things that are that are motivated out of a heart of pride. Because I want to be better thought of and so I'm not being me.

I'm putting on a show. I'm wearing a mask envies the strong feeling of displeasure. Because of the good or gain of others. I look enviously at others who are doing well. Or maybe are having an easier time they're not struggling with the classes. The way I am. They're not struggling at home. The way I am than slander, evil speaking, that which comes out of the mouth, but is a reflection of that which is in the heart heart to Hertz heart to harm and primarily again motivated because by bringing you down.

It leaves me in an elevated position. So you see in all of these things. There's a selfish motivation in a sense, Peter starts here by saying that we have to cleanse our pallet of self and self motivation and self gain and self focus in order to savor Christ. It's one thing to know that the question is how do we do it and I think that's the commentary that chapter 1 particular versus 13 on down to the end. Verse 25 provides for us so I want to lay aside those things, but I struggle with them. How do I do that.

Where do I put my energies. Where do I turn my focus, and I think Peter directs us in that he tells us first to rightly value your redemption. Look at chapter 1 verse 13 wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober hope to the end for the grace that is brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former loss in your ignorance, but is he which is called you is holy, so be holy in all manner conversation because it's written be holy, for I am holy.

If you call on the father, who without respect of persons judges according to every man's work past the time of your sojourning here in fear for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers bought with the precious blood of Christ. How do I cleanse my palate. I want you to see that the cleansing agent is the gospel. Verse 25 says is with the word of the Lord endures forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you the word of God is proclaimed into our hearts through the gospel know the gospel know your position in the gospel and desire to live your position. Prize your redemption rightly value what God has done for you.

I want to challenge you in these days when you do find yourself with time to make sure that you make it a priority to go and further explore the riches of the gospel and the depths of the redemptive love of Christ for you when he paid for you by dying on Calvary's cross. Oh how he loves you and me. Oh how he loves you and me think of what he did for us. Think of how he said his eye on us and what you that cause us to do what is it mean to rightly value my redemption while I think he points out a few things. Verse 13 he tells us that to do that we must set our affection, or if you will. We must attach our heart to God. Notice that he says that we are to prepare our mind for action, gird up the loins of your mind. And then he says this idea be sober or to be self-controlled to take yourself in hand.

This is an intentional process that we must say I am going to do something. There's a decision to be made. There's a place to focus, so I focus in the notice what he says. After that, he says, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you literally set your hope fully on the grace of God. In other words, make this your affection. Set your heart on Christ prize what God has done for you by it up and sell it not cling to it hold to it. Don't let anything devalue what Christ has done for you.

Take time.

Set your affection. Make it a point of of of of mental occupation to think about every day what God has done for you to be thankful for the redemptive work of Christ.

Make it personal. Yes he died for the sins of the whole world, but he died for you he died on Calvary's cross in your place. He paid the penalty for your sins and prize it set your affections on God by focusing their but then pursue holiness in light of that, realize what it is that he did for you. Notice what what Paul reminds us of when he talks about the work of Christ in our behalf.

He says this of Jesus that he who knew no sin was made at the cross to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him all divine transaction that Christ who is the sinless son of God on Calvary became our sin bearer so that it might be taken from us both in and in its presence and in its penalty and he bore that penalty and died in our place so that imputed our account might be his righteousness. That is what Christ did for us. I value my redemption. I will set my heart I will fix my passions to pursue what Christ was after for me. Righteousness right standing with God's holiness being separated from that which is evil. I want to challenge you during these days where there isn't at least a different kind of time schedule value your redemption by purpose and to focus with a thankful heart, Christ is done for you, and then consider why he did it and pursue heart. After the holiness that he made possible for you as you look at temptation in your life don't linger there look at it and say Christ purchased me from that and Ron Ms. Joseph did. When you find yourself having fallen into sin. Don't stay in the slop like hogs realize that you are sons and return of the prodigal did to his father said you will find him ready with open arms to embrace you and restore you as a son. When you find yourself there in sin, repent and get right with God. Value your redemption and run to your father. Oh, I challenge you to rightly value your redemption rightly value what Christ has done for you notice in verse 17 he says an interesting thing. He says if you call on the father, who without respect of persons judges according to every man's work past the time of your sojourning here in fear paralyzes talking about all of life and that eternity is next. What interesting word. This word to sojourn is it's almost as idea of traveling while you wait to any of you feel like that during this time of COBIT 19 coronavirus that somehow I'm doing this I got things to do and I need to be busy and have Scott finish the semester, but there's a sense of soldiering. I'm doing this while I wait at some point, I go back to what I was doing research sojourning can be an interesting time. At the time that can draw us away from the things that we should be rightly tasting have a taste for. It's a time where appetites can be adjusted because were just sojourning. This wasn't the real thing. It's not. That's the real time and we can be impacted by that, I think you point some of that out here. I think he challenges us to avoid. The substitutes were thinking about our redemption. What we should value. He talks about corruptible things, as silver and gold substitutes or cheaper substitutes see those we describe here is fearing God having a right relationship with God's forsake the world's value system and stop living for the world's values and ever people's approval, that which he captures your bikes silver and gold. The pinnacle of you if you will, of what the world values sojourning can be at times when our our value system actually begins to adjust. We give our hearts to other things. We give our time to ask other things and we say in our head all yes I value my redemption I value my walk with God, but somehow in my time and somehow in my practice isn't somehow in my habits. I'm giving myself the cheap substitutes I'm watching things that normally I wouldn't watch it doesn't mean that they're not moral order there. Emily could be that you run from them but could just be that their distraction and you still fill all your time with distractions that you lose your taste for Christ and somehow someone begins to challenge about your spiritual walk is like orange juice on your toothpaste just doesn't it just doesn't taste right. And you know it. There's not a problem with the orange juice you need to cleanse your palate for some of you will be tempted the summer develop really bad habits. No time with God and adjusted schedule.

Maybe you find a job and you go to work early, but maybe you won't. And so you find yourself staying up late into the night, you'll find yourself because the length of time that you been off and away from accountability and and now home and in different relationships you have relationships there that you could prize but but maybe you develop other ones.

Or maybe you go in isolation. Spent a lot of time by yourself. Be careful in the sojourning because it's easy for us to turn to substitutes avoid the substitutes but purposely attach to the Savior by having a right opinion of God and finding your soul satisfaction in him and in his word sort of rightly value our redemption and then secondly were rightly value others knows what he says in verse 22 seeing you purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. He's talking here.

This is Peter's favorite expression for justification about being saved is obeying obedience as a theme uses a lot to talk about salvation, he says through the truth in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.

He directs us to a purpose that that that there is an outflow that ought to happen and it's interesting that he says this and he says it almost as contrary to the Celtics expressions that are going to come at the beginning of chapter 2 that the gospel as it redeems me as the gospel as it changes me. The gospel equips me to love people the way I ought to. There's an outflow of ministry and so if you will get the bad taste out of my my mouth. I need to turn from this selfish taste.

It's in my palate and I need to rightly value the gospel my redemption and through it. I need to now rightly value others. I need to see other people in light of the gospel instead of viewing them in light of myself. I ought to see them as the object of Christ's love of of the redemption that I've received. It's a redemption that they have an opportunity to receive or have received and I need to view them through gospel glasses and need to value others the way I should. Some of you are at home and you're struggling you're struggling again with the relationship with your mom and your dad and and just the sense of accountability that you have there talking about things like schedule and you feel somehow threatened and that there authoritarian and there may be just trying to figure out the schedule so they know when to have supper so everybody can eat your struggling with relationships with siblings that may be more to college with you and your gone back home and you just don't remember.

Somehow that they were so annoying. Maybe you got back home, someone else is living in your bedroom and you're not even in the room that you are before you left. And somehow, your turf has been invaded.

Relationships reveal what's going on in our hearts and maybe right now your life is filled with strife and turmoil and anger and hostility and I want you to stop for a moment's I just want you to quickly take up taste in your mouth and what are you tasting relationships may actually be tasting the malice and the NV and hypocrisies and the guy all the evil speaking and you need to cleanse your palate today may be a time or you stop and you say you know what because of the gospel of Christ and the work that is done in my life. God I want you to help me to savor you the way I should. And I'm going to pursue it by setting value on others. I'm going to ask how can I while I am here sojourning serve others for you. How can I because I'm home when I wouldn't normally have been home make my parents life better. How can I serve mom and dad got siblings and their trying somehow to finish school, some way, how can I serve them good. I find out of its math instructor was that you know I was things on the to do is I would take some time and I'll help you with that. Maybe there struggling with technology which you have it all figured out. Knowing my life is with ice coolers. There probably ones got it figured out you need help, but maybe it's something you can help them find a way to serve rather than struggling over no one ever asked me to do dishes at college as you put them on a conveyor belt. Maybe you need a service and you know it. While I'm here. Can I clear the table. Can I free your schedule are things that I can use rightly value others.

Why, because the value that God set on them to get the bad taste out of your mouth, but then secondly I want us to see that we need to acquire a taste for Christ.

Know what you think. I think he makes is really practical.

How do I do that. What will I do to develop my taste for Christ, how I sample him ever gotta something really tasty for me. That's a piece of chocolate and you want the last you want to taste it. So don't shoot up and just swallowed you to savor it because you want to taste it as long as you can and you want to taste the linger how I savor Christ well I believe he directs us here to the word of God.

Have a steady diet of the word of God.

Notice he uses this picture as newborn babes, and that's an insult.

Not saying your baby is actually giving us a picture who wants to eat the most is her sense of desperation over getting the nourishment I need. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the words that you may grow thereby with a puppy at our house right now and for some reason it'll pick at its own puppy food that I have a larger dog that is my own dog had very some of you know him and camera gets different food, we have to be really careful because for some reason the puppy desperately wants Cadbury's foods, so the other day I put it up on a chair where the puppy couldn't reach it. And if you had watched this puppy trying to get up on that chair to get that food in the way it was going on and howling and it wanted the food so desperately.

It gives you an idea of the picture here that a baby when it's hungry can do nothing but cry out in its need and it's desperation.

There's this picture here of my hunger for the word of God and so notice the food he gives us the characteristics of the word.

At the end of chapter 2.

Notice that he says that this word is not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. Verse 23 by the word of God, which liveth and Abydos forever any kind. In a sense that's not in contrast to the corruptible things of the world silver and gold and he says here's where you should set your values.

Here's where your preoccupation should life. Here's where you should spend your time dismisses where your focus should be.

You need to get a steady diet of the word of God. I want to challenge you as we end the semester you head into the summer to passionately pursue a steady diet of the word of God's make a plan for this summer. Where will I be in the work. How much time I spend in the word and I want you to go beyond that start cataloging the lessons God teaches you from the words as you read, what does he say to you, what is he teaching you what is he pointing out to you are their promises are there challenges Are there blessings on their encouragements as you read the word catalog them and make it a steady diet of the word and you will find that not what you don't have a taste of the temporary substitutes have a steady diet of the word of God because it is steadfast and is sure and it's profitable and it's abiding and it matters. Everything else is like grass.

He says any no personal time, it might look so good and so glorious it fades away, but the word of God won't, its value lasts forever, and that's why we have to have hunger for building appetite that you find a longing in your soul when you're not rightly nourished from the word and that lead you to than this.notice what he says. If so, be have tasted that the Lord is gracious and it speaks here of God's goodness. I want to challenge you today at the end of this message to pray to God, help me to develop a taste for you. Cleanse my palate of the things that make make my spiritual walk not taste the way they should, and fill my heart with thankfulness for you and what you've done for me and help me to live it out by serving others, acquiring a taste for God. God bless you.

Let's pray father, help us to love you as we ought fill our hearts with understanding of how you have loved us and help us to live that out as we pursue hard after you. In Jesus name, amen. Thanks for listening and join us again next week as we hear more chapel messages from the Bob Jones University Chapel platform