Holy Cravings

Why is on contaminated goods on this guy did it.

It doesn't sour so long for this book. This is the key imperative long for a long long for. So you end up with a wonderful prayer request written by Puritan a long time ago praying God gives me a long way to long for your word. How long can you go that you pursue with your energy would you say that your cravings tend to be holy or would you be embarrassed if others knew what you really long for.

There are plenty of gray areas when it comes to Christian living. But in first Peter 21 and two Peter reminds us that some things are black-and-white, were called to crave that which is holy. Welcome to wisdom for the heart. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey today. Stephen returns to first Peter with this lesson called holy cravings.

Let's join Stephen right now. Take your copy of the apostle Peter's first letter studying his family together were now in chapter 2 begins.

Of course, the first word of this new chapter with the word therefore that is an appetizer back to the previous paragraph. It is the light of the fact that you have you been born again into a new family. That's verse 23 of chapter 1 in light of the fact that you are now under a new authority. That's the remaining part of chapter 1. Therefore, in light of all that now, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and Auslander like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the words of the diet. You may grow in respect to salvation. If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord once again.

These verses constitute one original sentence one long sentence. Evidently, the ability to write long sentences was an apostolic gift because ball is in Peter doesn't do and one important thing for me to point out for you. Grammatically, though, is that this entire sentence centers around one verb one command. And it sits there in verse two will notice if you might want to circle it is the verb to long for you get rhetoric to crave to crave after the pursuit in the larger context, the pursuit of holy living happens to involve developing holy craving before Peter gets to the specifics of that holy craving is going to mention five attitudes that in this context immediately or spoil your appetite and I was in order to really crave what you want to crave their five attitudes are going to need to give up and I want you to notice the first attitude to give up, to cast aside verse one is malice.

Peter writes casting or putting aside casting off all malice. If your pencil still had to circle the little word which repeats itself three times in verse one. That's the word all in the pursuit of holiness. There is no allowance there is no sinful exception while pursuing a holiness in every area but this one over here.

I'll just keep that off to the side. All in this pursuit all means all and first of all put aside all malice. Good writer, maliciousness as the idea that a sinner welding's language malice is a Greek word that refers in general bad behaviors were the categorical term for up a hateful spirit desire to hurt someone else with your hateful spirit anything will surely Christians are to do that well. Evidently they did in the first century is Peter telling him to stop it and put it aside is writing to people been born again therein. A new family there under a new authority and is wanting that demonstrate the new status they have in in their royalty live up to it. Paul wrote, in fact, almost the same command of the believers in Ephesus with these words. Let all bitterness and all wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice.

Ephesians 431.

This is in a little escape clause okay Stephen just get you to thousand euro problem.

I guess we get a free pass. Now that's not the point. Fact for 2000 years I believers been struggling with this willingness to cast malice aside is going to be that which distinguishes the believer who is in pursuit of holiness in craving the right thing with those who aren't believers who are growing up in their faith rather than just going over the big difference between the two see that emphasizing about two Peter is referring here to the believer making continual deliberate decisions without the smallest sliver of their lives sort of let off the hook is referring to continual deliberate choices of behavior. Putting aside all malice, that just has continual implications in the life of the believer, literally throwing malice away could even understand that word in the sense of taking off old or dirty soiled clothing like this the same word is used in that context. After Peter, the early deacon of the first century church in Jerusalem he preached is only always is only public sermon that we know of, and then they stoned and afterword to death and it says Luke records that these individuals were throwing rocks at Stephen. They first laid aside the rope same word exit 58 they took off the ropes of the they could throw those rocks even harder. This is the same word used by Paul as he exhorted the believers to put aside to to lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Romans 13 verse 12.

The Christian in pursuit of holiness that is daily, sometimes moment by moment deliberately choosing to take off soiled robes of that old flesh wants to cling to you like a magnet to your refrigerator and instead put on the robes that reflect your royalty so that the crown will win Christian.

He was growing in holiness comes to hate all the more than old clothing. Can you imagine for a moment, Lazarus being raised from the dead at the command of Jesus Christ coming out of that tomb reason for four days saying I'd really like to hang onto these grave clothes.

I just like this keep casting aside and then craving is will see putting off, and then putting on his part of the daily conflict between the old you and the new you throw away malice.

Don't be malicious.

You might have reason to think that you can respond in kind. Don't do it. Be gracious not malicious appear as another attitude putting aside all malice.

Notice all deceit, so it really asked the question how committed honesty early.

Is there any exception like a final exam or expense report or taxes have committed early to honesty. Jalan Blair revealed an interesting occasional life of Abraham Lincoln and if you enjoy them as much as I do. You probably read several biographies and he pointed out this he said Lincoln would not accept a case if you didn't believe justice was on his side. If you didn't believe the person is really innocent, one of the reasons he was support as an attorney, but at any rate, he one occasion a man came to employ him as an attorney in an is the giving of the facts. Blair writes that Lincoln is sitting in his chair leaning things were looking up at the ceiling, listening intently as the man delivers the Lincoln all the reasons he believes these it is long for Lincoln knows is blowing smoke so to speak. He finally abruptly got a wheel chair around a looks of this man and he says to him you have a good case in terms of technicalities, but a bad case in light of equity and justice so you will have to get someone else to try or defend you in this case, the man protested.

Lincoln said, I will not do it and he said because all the time while pleading your case before the jury. I'll be thinking to myself Lincoln you're a liar and I might even forget where I am and say it out loud back to the text, Peter goes on, thirdly, is this a castoff or put aside hypocrisy that we discussed at length this last words day. Peter uses it shows up in the word sincerity, no hypocrisy, no mask yet. Next, putting aside envy when the is the resentment of somebody else's prosperity or in the church, giftedness or blessing. And he wants to have what somebody else has started a very young age that old flesh revealing itself at a very young age. One author by the name Joseph Epstein wrote a book. He simply entitled it envy, published by Oxford University press a few years ago and he admitted what we as parents of your parents or grandparents often overlooked and sort of title instead of dealing with Lincoln fast very openly that in his childhood as a little boy. His life was filled with envy.

He said this, I envied boys with wealthier parents. I envied kids who were smarter, more popular than me.

I envied boys more attractive to girls guys were better athletes. I envied those he seemed more at ease in their world. I was quick to detect those friends that have more freedom, more spending money cooler parents. He says as a child I live in a faint cloud of an I have news for you. According to the apostle Peter becoming a Christian doesn't automatically remove clear away the cloud of envy you have within you the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit, but you must according to these commands cooperate with the Holy Spirit to make deliberate and definitive and and daily choices to chase that cloud away about the time you think you chase it away Eric comes again.

Christmas is such an easy time to chase the cloud always. I noticed have you have any commercials during football games play on the envy of people for what their neighbors bring hey I got this while I got this. You get to see the fleet.

The face clouded.

See that drives Madison Avenue.

This cloud of envy. The world is wrapped up in these old garments never satisfy Peter saying cast them aside daily, make the decision. Why because you want the crown to win is another one.

He adds noticed the fifth attitude is to cast aside, putting aside all malice and deceit and envy and all slander word for slander is a really need any exposition is going on means gossiping rumor spreading attempt to destroy someone else's testimony or reputation or credibility. Does it.

Peter says hello that's that's what the world was saying about you.

That's how they treat you all these rumors we've explored together. Your cannibals are eating/drinking blood rumor spread the first century you're involved in secret orgies of immorality. You have these love feasts and then your giving each of the holy kiss. As we all know what that mean all those rumors as it appears, as that's how the world is treating you why you want to treat each other the same way. Give each other the benefit of the doubt think the best of one another. Be slow to repeat anything about anybody that you have all of the facts and then don't even repeated lesser part of the problem or part of the solution take off soiled garments.

The world loves to wear, put away slander peters mine isn't enough to be casting these things aside is something we need to be craving after at the same time as if to say these five attitudes and spoil your appetite for something you really ought to be feasting. I go to verse two like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation now in this second half of this very long sentence. Peter is going to give us a command and illustration goal and a reminder let's let's start with the command's is the key verb long for the pure milk of the word crave after the pure milk of spiritual truth, the word for pure here means without deceit used in Peter's day for farm products work things that you would purchase the Edens reference that we don't have a lot of chaps stuck in there to make you think getting more than you get to do a potato chip bag to be notices for Aaron open it up and he got that much of those that best week. This point the Bible is uncontaminated it's on mixed it isn't trying to pull your leg and try to trick you. There are no imperfections there are no flaws. It isn't diluted it is. It mixed with error.

The idea it it doesn't sour skewer clean milk so long for this book. This is the key imperative long for it long to long for it so you end up with that. That wonderful prayer request written by a Puritan a long time ago who pray God gives me a name to long for your word.

How long can you go with your appetite like for this. Go back to his illustration first to long for the pure milk of the word. How Peter like newborn babies and how did newborn babies long for milk quietly graciously diplomatically though unrelentingly unforgiving piercing and even a position you felt the knots in your ribs. It's 4 o'clock in the morning your wife give you that tragic message. It's your turn so you stagger out of bed near the kitchen and find and of the bottle and you put in the pot to boil some water unless she's gone back to sleep. You slip it in the microwave, but I'm not telling you to do that but at any rate you boil it and then anything is dark but you just follow the noise and you plug up the noise right and then you pray the go to sleep after they beat that's an appetite that is talking not.

Don't misunderstand Peter's not suggesting here that these believers are immature or new believers, and any thinking in your mind is you who are older that I think of meat know that somebody is doing here. He's he's not talking about that he's commending this to every believer. No matter where you are in the spectrum of Christian maturity is simply making the point that a believer should never outgrow his craving for the shore. Refreshing nourishing life-giving milk of God's word. This is the pure unmixed word from our heavenly father who pot the way. Never the grudges us no matter what our no matter when, how much he comes along and he knows just when and how and and where the plot out the noise from our unsatisfied souls fetus which you notice the goal for such longing after the word make sure we get this right exited by the may grow up in respect to salvation uses a passive verb which is important to understand you are not making yourself grow up in the faith, the word of God is bringing about the growth in your Christian experience, you grow up in your Christian walk anymore by yourself then you what is a fifth-grader standing in front of the mirrors I really want to be an inch taller man that I respray that I mean I could no more grow an inch by me deciding or even belonging or wanting something's going on internally, independently of my conscious thinking now is always a meeting of drinking and I have nourishment somewhere between the fifth grade and for me was the 10th grade when I finally drew the longer the shortest guy in the class said to hear Peter saying when you feel the word. The word of God causes you to grow their something internally taking place.

Obviously, under the direction of the Holy Spirit is your teacher of this truth. You can literally translate this phrase long for the pure milk of the words so that it may grow you up spiritual life is not demonstrated externally without the nursing milk of the word at work internally. Do you want the crown to win. Okay, well then the word has to be at work privately. If you ever hope to experience victory publicly were like sponges when you squeeze the spines what comes out is what is on the inside whatever is on the inside comes out under pressure go getting into the Bible as one man wrote, then so that the Bible can get into you just why Martin Luther would write 500 years ago the Bible is alive.

It speaks to me. It has hands. It lays hold.

It has succeeds. It runs after I long for the give me greater long and here's the reminders. Peter completes his sentence.

He writes if you've tasted the kindness of the Lord word if first-class, conditional participle, which simply means it is understood to mean if and since this is true. Peter's concluding you have this longing because you have indeed already tasted the kindness of God so get another taste sampled some more and maybe you're like me, this what you do in an ice cream store. My wife and I annually had up the screen like New York were invited to a Bible conference ragged to speak at word of life there and whenever we go, typically at least one evening out of the week will join another staff couple and they take us this little hole in the wall and scream like it never go there on your own but you go in there is the best homemade ice cream on the planet and you stand there like I do. I look at all the tubs behind the counter that counters a good 20 feet long names of ice cream like creamy fudge almond peanut butter puddles chocolate cherry cheesecake.

I look at them all and I can't decide if I asked the lady behind the counter to give me a sample letter 17 samples. I don't need to buy anything though.

I'm teasing you.

I know which one I will now I want to skip that one. After I've had a little sample. That's the idea behind the tasting. It is in the little sample is actually two scoops go for.

Peter reminds them and us. Remember these samples of God's kindness to us can remember how to play under your appetite.

Remember verse you saw applied in your life you remember God's answer to some specific prayer to remember something happening and you knew only God pull that off. Remember, and I think it's interesting that he does a little shifter because he's wanting us to see the kindness of the written word that the living God. So it isn't just the word were coming to the author of the ultimate aim of Bible study is not master the content, but to come to know the master and be master by your Lord, save Jesus Christ to Peter at you've already tasted this kind is he ready tasted his goodness isn't satisfying. Go back well thanks for listening today. This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey is currently working through a series from first Peter called in pursuit of holiness.

The archive of Stevens teaching is available free of charge and you can access it anytime@wisdomonline.org.

One of our newer and most popular resources is our magazine that includes articles written by Stephen to help you dive deep into various topics related to the Christian life. The magazine also has a daily devotional guide that you can use to remain grounded in God's word every day. We send heart-to-heart magazine to all of our wisdom partners but we be happy to send you the next three issues. If you'd like to see it for yourself. You can sign up for it on our website or you can call us today at 86 648 Bible. That's 866-482-4253. If you've a comment, question, or like some information you can send us an email if you address it to info@wisdomonline.org well.

Thanks again for joining us were so glad you were with us and I hope you'll be back next time. For more ways