We’re going to be in 1 Peter 1:22-2:3

Let’s pray.

Heavenly father, when the 72 returned to you, casting out demons, and healing the sick, and bringing good news to people in towns and villages throughout Israel, your son told them to rejoice not in the spirits that were overcome, or the power and miracles that was experienced, but in the very fact that our names are written in heaven. God, you knew that it is human of us to live by sight, but you call us to live by faith, in things still unseen and unexperienced. So God, help us rejoice in the eternity that we know we should long for. Let us rejoice because our names are written in heaven today. I ask that you grant us a faith and the resolve to live as you called us to live so you can be exalted in us and through us. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

1 Peter 1:22 through chapter 2:3.

Scripture

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

                           “All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

                           The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

            ²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

^2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 1:22-2:3 ESV)

Introduction

Ashbury University president, Kevin Brown recently did an interview regarding his observations about up-and-coming Gen Z.

Ashbury University is the college in Wilmore, Kentucky, where in 2023 a 16-day revival broke out where Christians from around the world joined the students of the school, repenting, confessing, and worshipping God.

And there are two parts of the interview that really struck me because it speaks to the urgency of our individual and collective witness as disciples of Jesus in a post-Christian United States.

First is this, Kevin Brown says:

This is the most marketed-to generation in history, so opinions and propositions are often just dead on arrival. Gen Z elevates and prioritizes authenticity. One thing became clear during the outpouring: When they’re in, they’re really bought in. They’re willing to be challenged, and they desire to make a difference.

Secondly, he notes that:

Young people aren’t looking for the bumper sticker or the six reasons why the resurrection happened. They want an embodiment of the countercultural claim that Jesus is Lord, lives lived in a way that would be unusual unless this is true.

There’s an expression by Henry David Thoreau that the value of something relates to how much life it cost you. I’ve just wondered if we’ve displayed a low-cost—and therefore low-value—Christian faith. Gen Z just has no interest in that. If that’s what’s presented, of course it’s been rejected.

Therefore, the biggest challenge for the church in reaching this generation is to embody our faith in all of its radical forms.

Here at Cedarbrook we talk a lot about becoming radical disciples of Jesus. This is why. Because if we don’t care enough about our faith to actually live it out, then the faith we profess is actually worthless. It’s worthless to you and to the people who look at your life and wonder if there is actually hope for them.

I know what I said right now kind of messes up some people’s sensibilities. Because here’s what you’re thinking. All that really matters is that I practice my faith in private, between me and God. If you’re right with God, you’re good. But here’s the thing, your public action is a reflection of your private practice and if you are not taking any public action, then you really don’t have any private practice. Unless you’re Allen Iverson. Half of you don’t know who Allen Iverson is. That’s okay.

In light of these observations about Gen Z, two questions come to my mind:

1. Is my faith authentic or is it just a show?
   1. Like, am I a Christian who obeys God just when I’m up here on Sundays or am I a Christian at Harris Teeter, at the gym, at the restaurant, at my house also?
2. Am I attributing the right value for my faith?
   1. Is my practice of faith costing me something? Is it occupying my time? When I give toward my faith, does it actually pinch and put my budget at a deficit? Is it causing me to sacrifice myself in service to my faith?

Family, hear me: if our faith is just a show, people will be turned off by the fakeness and people will know that it’s fake. It’s like professional, WWE wrestling. It’s entertainment.

But if your faith is authentic and genuine, your practice of faith will have cost you: time, money, effort. People will see that genuineness and say that your faith actually matters.  

In this passage, Peter is explaining to the early church why and how we can live out our faith authentically in a non-Christian society.

1 Peter 1:22.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart… (1 Peter 1:22 ESV)

Here’s the simplified New Jonathan translation of what Peter said: If you accepted Jesus’ love for you and accepted him as your king, then go love people like he does because living authentically in faith requires you to follow the lead of your king. The only reason, Peter says you wouldn’t live out your faith by loving people as your king commanded, is if Jesus wasn’t actually your king.

Now, I want to make a distinction here between what society says is the embodiment of love and what the Bible says is the embodiment of love. Society says love practiced is acceptance.

Acceptance is accepting somebody for who they are and not who you want them to be so they feel like they belong. Making them feel like they belong doesn’t actually mean that you love them. Acceptance is not Biblical love. It’s not even close.

In fact, the key difference between loving people and being accepting of people is this: Love demands engagement, forgiveness, and is activated by concern for their life.

• Accepting people requires nothing of you.
• Whereas love requires you to sacrifice your very life.
• 1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love, that [Jesus] laid down his life for us…”

Jesus didn’t just accept sinners. Jesus gives his life for sinners to show his love for them. If you’re a good parent you know this.

You don’t merely accept the existence of your kids, you sacrifice your life for them, and you know you sacrifice your life for them because for at least 18 years, they cost you something: money, time, effort. you feed them, cloth them, and drive them places, and you do things with them. And if you do these things, your kids, probably not now, but way later, they’ll know you love them because your sacrifices for them.

Jesus’ love doesn’t end there, he challenges those he loves to live like he did—in the truth of God. In 1 John 3:18, the disciples of Jesus are commanded, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

And unlike the relative idea of acceptance masquerading around as love in society, how our God loves and forgives does not change. Acceptance is relative because what is acceptable and who is acceptable changes in culture and society every few years. But the love of our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We are loved because God engages those who did not belong and lays his own life down so that he could forgive their sins and call them to his absolute truth.

Our resurrected King, Jesus, is the embodiment of the very love of God as the Word of God. And in Jesus is the very truth of God. Jesus is the truth in which our faith is anchored. He is also the only way and the only source of life. We love others in obedience in faith, the truth of God, Jesus Christ, because he is our king.

Verse 23.

²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

                           “All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

                           The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

            ²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:23-25 ESV)

Here’s what Peter is saying: Christians know that the Word of the Lord, the Bible, (verse 25) is true yesterday, today, and forever because the Word of the Lord, Jesus Christ, is resurrected and alive and continues to be abiding (verse 23). We have that truth, and our faith is anchored in that truth. Everything in life has a shelf-life. Everything else in life changes.

• Some people use the Word of God, because it’s the absolute truth, as mallet to bonk people over the head about how wretched their sins are toward God.
• They may even use it to bonk people over the head to champion their own personal viewpoints and opinions.
• But when you actually read the Bible as the fulfillment of the living and abiding word of God, Jesus Christ, what you actually see is the ultimate true love story between people who were at odds with God and how God lovingly pursues them so that they would fall in love with him, even though it would have been easier to bonk them over the head with the truth.
  • And how as these wretched people love him, their affections and their dispositions are changed by the unchanging truth of God.
• That’s the Word of the Lord, and the imperishable truth of Jesus Christ.

Point 1. Being born again changes our affections and goals

So, if we are pursued and loved by this unchanging God, and we truly love him, we must live like our faith matters and it must affect our actions and intentions.

What does that look like now and here?

Chapter 2, verse 1.

^2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. (1 Peter 2:1 ESV)

• Malice – doing things toward people with evil intentions, usually to kill or destroy
• Deceit – misrepresenting the truth
• Hypocrisy – claiming to be someone you’re not
• Envy – being resentful of other people
• Slander – making false statements about somebody

Can we agree that we are in the midst of yet another dysfunctional and malicious election season where it becomes more evident that we being a real Christian in America, makes us a minority? Like, I can’t even watch football with my kids anymore because there is more air time given to malicious, deceitful, hypocritical, envious, and slanderous ad campaigns from both sides of the political aisle that I have to explain to my 5 year old and 2 year old. When really, all I want to do is explain why the ref missed a holding call.

Two thoughts of admonishment to help you live in authentic Christ-like love and put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander that is being exuded in this dysfunctional political climate.

First, don’t be malicious, deceitful, hypocritical, envious or slanderous toward people over differing political viewpoints or politician endorsements or election thoughts on social media or in person. Instead, love the people who have differing political viewpoints or electoral thoughts, and even ideologies than you as Jesus loves you.

Sacrifice something in your life for them!

Listen carefully, I’m not saying sacrifice your own viewpoint or opinion. I’m saying sacrificially love them like Jesus loves you. You know what the biggest sacrifice of love could be in this day and age of outrage would be, to actually spend time with them, love them over a meal. Hear out how they got to whatever position you disagree with.

Here’s why I say that. Because as Peter said earlier, life is like grass. Politicians come and go. Policies come and go. But for the person of faith, the one who lives in obedience to the Word of God, we have an eternal truth. Be known for that truth and love. Show the world that you are different because when people look at you, they’d know you are born again by an imperishable seed.

So instead of living no differently than the rest of the world, let your actions speak the love Christ. His very blood for us carries a value far more greater than the ideological odds we are with others in society  And when we love people where they are, and challenge them in truth to live as we do, they will also become purified by faith in Jesus Christ.

But more than being a witness of our faith in Jesus toward others, I think we’re challenged to love people who are at odds with us because loving them will cause us to become holy by doing what God had to do when he sent his one and only son to die for us, when we were at odds with him.

You see, when we have to love the way God loved us, it causes us to love people we are trying to love the way they need to be loved and not the way we want to love.

When Kate started Kindergarten a few weeks ago, Michelle was an emotional wreck. Like joyful crying and sorrowful pride. So, I did what any good husband would do for his beloved wife. I took her to Costco to get groceries for the house.

Anyways, there was this salesman at Costco peddling these futuristic non-stick pans. And I got this genius idea: To mark the new season in life, I’ll get these non-stick pans for Michelle as a “I love you, job well done with Kate” type of gift. What a great way to make sure my wife knew that her baby girl still needed her by looking at the pan her husband bought her everytime she cooks.

Long story short, Michelle was like, “why are you peddling these pans on me harder than the sales person? We don’t actually need pans.” And I said to her, “but having a brand new set of pans would make you feel loved and less of an emotional wreck, right?

Brand new pans wouldn’t have made her feel loved. But the conversation we had, as I was trying to pitch the pans made her feel loved. Michelle’s love language is words of affirmation and quality time. When I loved her the way she needed to be loved, it changed Michelle’s disposition.

Be known for your love. Let your affections be for the people God created in his image. Let your goal be to love people as God commands, especially, those who are ideologically at odds with you. That is a witness and testimony of faith that cannot be ignored because it shouts louder than malicious, deceitful, hypocritical, envious or slanderousness that oozes out of society and culture.

The second thing I want to shepherd you on regarding this dysfunctional and malicious election season:

You are all very smart people. Investigate the laws that are being proposed yourself, personally. We have the opportunity to decide the laws that govern us. Do not allow malicious commentary, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander your own investigation into the laws being proposed because everybody is marketing an angle to you.

One of the laws that is being proposed that I want you to go investigate yourself that will appear in this year’s ballot is Maryland Question 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment.

If you’ve been around Cedarbrook, you probably already know, we are pro-life and pro-women’s rights. Despite what people say, they are not mutually exclusive.

• We are pro-life because our God is pro-life.
  • Jesus Christ died for us so that we can have a life and not be condemned to death.
  • Because we believe God is the creator of all life, we believe all life, from the moment of conception is a gift from God and should be protected because every person is created in the image and likeness of God.
• Because every person is created in the image and likeness of God, we believe that women have inalienable rights as human beings given to them by God in whom they have their image and likeness.

I’m going to lay my cards out for you. I spent a previous career in backrooms making deals and writing policies and amendments like this, where I would write loosey goosey language so I can justify an enactment of something that I wanted or bend to my will within the bounds of the language.

Here’s why I say that, because in the state of Maryland, abortion is already legal at all phases of pregnancy. So I want to encourage you, go look into what’s being proposed and vote in love and truth.  

• You have received an imperishable seed in the truth and love of Jesus.
• Use that truth to guide you toward loving people whom God created, is calling, and saving by voting in truth and love.
• That is the holy, loving, and pure action you can take. 

When we put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and live out love and act in holiness by living in the truth of God, we’re

Big Idea: Trusting God is good and living different than the world

1 Peter 2:2.

² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3 ESV)

If you aren’t sure what happens to newborns if they are not fed milk or if they’re fed something other than milk, I want to make it clear what happens: they end up starving to a slow death because they’re hungry and nobody is appropriately feeding them or they end up malnourished because they can’t process the stuff they are getting because they’re bodies weren’t meant to handle anything other than milk.

Here’s our application to Peter’s point:

Point 2. Being born again causes us to crave God’s goodness

If you’re not craving God’s goodness, then the question really is: have you accepted the love of God for you? If you live your faith like it doesn’t matter, or if it costs you nothing in your life, then have you accepted the love of God?

And if you have accepted the love of God for you, are you being spiritually fed or are you starving yourself?

Family, don’t starve yourself spiritually. Don’t starve your kids or grand kids spiritually. We’re not talking about being hungry for missing a meal. We’re talking about dying for eternity.

So how do we consume God’s goodness so we can grow up into the salvation we are given in Jesus?

• First, make worshipping with your church family a priority on Sundays.
  • You see, every Sunday, when we sing together, and study the word together, whether or not the music suits you, or the preaching is your cup of tea, the truth of God’s love is brought front and center so you can be spiritually nourished.
• Second, in between Sunday services, go and participate in Life Groups, or Bible Studies, Men’s Events, Women’s Events.
  • We announced it earlier. There’s a men’s retreat. A women’s conference, Life Groups, Alpha, all in the next few weeks.
  • Life is hard go get loved on and love others so you can be nourished with God’s love.
  • These exist so you can be fed to go and live in the world loving others.
• For your kids, prioritize Promiseland, and Student Ministry before you prioritize their other activities.
  • Let me challenge you parents out here. Give us one year.
  • Give Julia, Andrew, and our volunteers one year with your kids and teens.
    • And I mean a consistent one year, 3 or 4 Sundays a month, they show up to weekend services, events, activities, retreats, like have your kids participate in it,
  • I can tell you right now, doing so will change your relationship with them.
  • It will change their view of faith.
    • It will show your kids that what you believe, who you believe in matters.
• Third, read the Bible. Read it as a family. One verse a day, one chapter a day, several verses, several chapters, it doesn’t matter. Soak in God’s true life love story for you.
• Fourth, pray. Pray as a family. God wants to have a relationship with you. Not only you talking to him, but him talking to you. Spend time with the one whose love for you never ends.

When you prioritize these things every week or three weeks out of the four a month. Not just you, but your entire family. Your spouse, your kids, your teenagers, will be fed a nourishment that the world cannot take away from you. You will be emboldened to live out in the love of God in private and in public.

Church, it’s time to live trusting God’s love is good for us. It’s time to live different than the world and embody the love of Jesus that makes our faith matter, not only to us, but the people around us and the society at large.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, thank you for loving us when we least deserved it. Thank you for giving us new life, for birthing in us a righteousness, and boldness to follow your commands and to obey your Word. I pray as we live out love in this age of outrage and in a politically difficult time, that we would be united by faith in your love and that our love would shine brighter than the hate, malice, and envy and strife that the society wants us to embody. If there is persecution or a tolerance that we are allowing to penetrate our thoughts, and actions, I ask that we can repent and turn to you and be renewed by your power. Thank you for rescuing us and loving us more than we know and deserve. In Jesus name. Amen.