Welcome to Day 2364 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2364 – OUR LIVING HOPE – STAYING CLEAN IN A CORRUPT SOCIETY 1 PETER 1:22-2:3 – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 04/21/2024 Our Living Hope – Reasons for Pulling Together 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 Last week, we asked, and hopefully answered, “How can I stay clean in a corrupt society?” This is crucial to have a Biblical impact on society as ambassadors for God's Kingdom. This week, we will investigate the Reasons for Pulling Together as Christians within a church setting and throughout our lives. Let me start today with a short story. Before Andrew Jackson became the seventh president of the United States, he served as commander of the Tennessee militia. During the War of 1812, his troops reached an all-time low in their morale. A critical spirit spread among them. They argued, bickered, and fought amongst themselves. Reportedly, Jackson called them all together on one occasion when tensions reached a breaking point and said, “Gentlemen! Let's remember, the enemy is not here; it is over there!" Our politicians today would do well to remember these words. What a sobering reminder for the church today! As we explore the next section in 1 Peter, we will learn “Reasons for Pulling Together.”  In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  This verse is the basis for our closing hymn. To our shame, the world sometimes looks on Bible-believing Christians as self-seeking and factious, even unloving and argumentative. We aren't always known for our love and support for one another. Instead of being loyal and fiercely committed to each other, in some churches, they tend to look for ways to pick at each other, to put down rather than build up. How strange! Fortunately, this is not the spirit that we have here at Putnam. The frequent occurrences of brother bashing and sister smashing indicate that we need to remind ourselves of the reasons for pulling together. Let’s begin our study by reading 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3 on page 1887 in your Pew Bibles. ²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.^[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, ²⁵     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”^[c] And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies,| crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. Peter offers some vital thoughts on unity within the body—a unity that can be weakened and even shattered amid suffering and loss of hope. As we can see, Peter's readers go through various trials, as we sometimes do. Some were tempted to conform, compromise, or give up altogether. They were getting nervous—and getting on each other's nerves! But that wise old apostle, likely having reflected on Jesus' message of unity during his ministry, prescribed an easily overlooked antidote for the disease of defeat—unity. -1:22- Scattered, distressed, tested, and tempted—Peter's original readers experienced all the ingredients of a loss of hope and a fragmenting of community. In this context, Peter began what we might call his motivational message, taking on the role of a coach or personal trainer, encouraging his team to pull together. Because they were part of the same family, they needed to go in the same direction and pursue the same goal. What is it that makes this possible? How do believers support one another? How do we develop unity and community so we don't live lonely and hopeless lives? Peter gives us three answers to this question in the first part of verse 22. First, unity requires “obeying the truth.'' We don't follow inner urges,| the example of others, |or our cultural norms.| We obey the truth —God's standard of what it means to be Christians. Second, it requires “purity of soul." This excludes all pride, prejudices, grudges, and bitterness. It means getting rid of—cleansing—those things that stand between brothers and sisters in Christ. Third, it requires a “sincere love." Because of our obedience to the truth and cleansing of our soul allows us to love without hypocrisy. We are given extra measures of grace to overlook the faults of others. Verse 22 then moves from the conditions that make loving unity possible |to the command that makes it real: Love each other deeply with all your heart. On the surface, it may look like Peter is repeating himself—show sincere love; they are to Love each other deeply with all your heart. Peter uses two different words for “love" in this single verse. The New Testament primarily uses two Greek words to describe love. One is philos, which refers to a brotherly love or the love of a friend. The other is agapè, a higher expression of unconditional love (see 1 Cor. 13:4-7). Both types of love are used in 1 Peter 1:22. When Peter spoke of “sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters,” he used the word Philadelphia - brotherly love. Then, in his exhortation, Peter called his readers to "Love each other deeply,” using the higher form of love, agapaõ. However, this final expression of love is modified by the adverb ektenõs, which means “with all your heart.” In practical terms, Peter's exhortation means we must support each other. Some people we know are suffering from the devastation of divorce. They need help from others in God’s family who have been through this and know how to get through the feelings of rejection, shame, and loneliness. Some have recently lost loved ones and need someone to walk with them through the dark valley of grief. Others are wrestling with an addiction, and they need somebody to come alongside them and say, "I've been there. I know what it’s like to be one decision away from falling back into the mire. Let me help.” In short, we all need—and we can all provide|—that refuge of care and encouragement Peter describes as fervently loving one another from the heart.   -1:23-2:3- This kind of selfless love doesn't come naturally. Our old selfish nature kicks against it with all sorts of excuses—

• “Those aren't my gifts.”
• “Other people have more experience in that.”
• “I have my own problems.”
• “I wish I had time!”

But Peter preempts all our excuses when he dives into four essential reminders of why we are to care for and support each other in the family of God. Bulletinß First, we are all children of the same heavenly Father. Note the logical connection between verses 22 and 23. We “Love each other deeply with all your heart.” (1:22). But why, Peter? “For you have been born again” (1:23). The implication is that we all have the same Father. While the specific circumstances that led up to our conversions to Christ are unique, we believers were all reborn spiritually the same way: “not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1:23). We are all members of a permanent family—brothers and sisters in Christ. Peter's point? Because you’re all born into the same family of God, live like it! The second reason we need to pull together as a family is because we take our instruction from the same source. The living and abiding “Word of God” endures forever. Peter's reference to the Word of God as “the seed” by which we are reborn may reach back to Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13:1-23. For that seed to take root and bear fruit, it must be well-planted and watered in our lives. It always amazes me when the same Scripture—read, taught, or preached to the same group—leads to radically different results with different people. That’s because the Word needs to be understood, embraced, and applied, not merely heard. Note how Peter quotes Isaiah 50:6-8, intentionally contrasting the frailty of the human flesh with the power of the Word of God. Peter might even have had Jesus's rebuke in his mind when He asked Peter, James, and John to pray with Him on the Mount of Olives. As they kept dozing off instead of supporting Christ in prayer, Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41). How true this is! Even though the Word of God is powerful, effective, and imperishable, we are quite the opposite: weak, defective, and perishable. So, to pull together as God's family, we need to receive the instruction from God's Word and diligently implant it in our minds, hearts, and lives. SINS THAT PUSH US APART The specific sins in 1 Peter 2:1 are the most frequent barriers to mutual support, so they deserve a closer look.

• The Greek word kakia is a general word for evil. It could also be translated as “wickedness” or “depravity.” In this passage, it characterizes those who are entrenched in the world system and exhibit the malicious spirit of the world.
• The Greek word dolos means “cunning" or “treachery." It involves more than just lying to a person's face. It includes acting in ways that are disingenuous or two-faced.
• The Greek word hypokrisis refers to one who acts a part, “being one thing inside and another thing outside."
• The Greek word phthanos refers to “envy" or inappropriate “jealousy.” Commenting on Peter's use of this word, Edward Selwyn describes envy as “a constant plague of all voluntary organizations, not least religious organizations, and to which even the Twelve themselves were subject at the very crises of our Lord's ministry.” Envy remains one of the “favorite indoor sports" among fellow believers.
• The Greek word katalalia means “evil speech." It refers to speaking ill of another, slander, and defamation, which is especially prevalent when a rumor is passed around. This disparaging gossip destroys our confidence in an individual and can weaken that person’s reputation.

We are a Family with Needs - 1 PETER 1:22 In my earliest years growing up in the Chamberlain family with ten kids, on an apple orchard, certainly not wealthy, living in an old farmhouse with three bedrooms and one bathroom, my mom and dad reminded us about the need to stick together as a family. “We may have a few differences inside these walls, but kids, remember, if your brother or sister needs you, you take care of them. You love them. You pull for them." This is the same pep talk we, brothers and sisters in Christ, should use today. The third reason for pulling together is because we have our struggles in the same realm. Peter begins chapter 2 with “Therefore," continuing to build on the implications of our relationship as brothers and sisters in the family of God and our common tutelage under the Word. In light of this, we should put aside five things we all struggle with. (Remove Soiled Shirt) Just as we remove a soiled shirt, we are to strip off malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Notice that all of these have potentially disastrous effects on our relationships with others, and each one flies in the face of Peter's call for brotherly love (Philadelphia) and unconditional love (agapê). Peter narrows in on areas where every believer will continue to struggle for the rest of their life. The fourth reason we ought to pull together as the family of God is because we focus our attention on the same objective (2:2-3). For over three years, Peter had followed Jesus closely, listening to His words, tracking His actions, and witnessing His mighty deeds. He had personally tasted the kindness of the Lord as Jesus showed him patience beyond measure and forgiveness beyond what he deserved. And because of his growth in Christlike spiritual maturity, Peter could encourage his disciples to follow the same path. As newborn babies, believers must feed on the milk of the Word and grow in their understanding and application of their salvation. If the goal of the Christian life is spiritual maturity, then the nourishment comes from God's Word, and the model is God's Son. Jesus Christ is the sure hope in hurtful times, but tragically—in some circles —the family of God is the source of the hurt! We must all strive to set aside our petty differences, embrace our common salvation, and live as reflections of hope for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ. That sounds simple and easy, but it is a full-time task, as with all solid relationships! APPLICATION: 1 PETER 1:22-2:3ß Bulletin Four Reminders of the Need for Unity Strangely, in some churches where biblical teaching and theological knowledge are strong points, love and unity are weak. These are legalistic churches with many rules but little compassion. Similar to the Pharisees of Jesus’s day. Christians must strive for both maturity in knowledge and unity in love. We should keep the important objective of Christian growth at the forefront, treat each other with humility and respect, and help each other along the path as we seek to become like Christ. Jesus set the example, then His disciples showed that it could be done. Only the remnants of our old natures keep us from doing the same. We need to put off the old and pull together around the new! While I do not sense disunity within Putnam, let's take a few minutes to probe our hearts and habits in light of Peter's lesson, which mainly consists of the four reminders of the need for unity. Let us ask ourselves these questions: First, are we treating our fellow believers as children of the same heavenly Father (1:23)? Disunity in churches is often indicated by practices such as gossiping about other believers, complaining about leadership, grumbling about decisions, criticizing others' shortcomings, and developing cliques. Take a few moments to examine your own family and social life and note any of these or other indications of disunity that you might be exhibiting. Especially consider specific people toward whom you have exhibited unloving attitudes or actions. Second, are you actively seeking to implant the seed of God's Word in your heart (1:23-25)? When it comes to relationships with others, it's easy to become merely a hearer of the Word rather than a doer. Take time now to set out specific actions you'll take to submit yourself more intentionally to the instruction of God’s Word. Do you faithfully hear it and regularly read it and study it? Do you ponder its meaning and significance for you personally? Do you plan specific actions to respond to the Word of God? Applying God's truth isn't automatic. It calls for the discipline of personal follow-through. Third, what everyday struggles affect you the most in your relationships with others (2:1)? Do you struggle the most with malice (evil thoughts, intentions, or actions)? Deceit (lies, half-truths)? Hypocrisy (putting on a show, hiding real intentions, covering motives)? Envy (spite, jealous feelings, ambitious actions that harm others)? Slander (gossip, unrestrained criticism, cynical comments, exaggerated sarcasm)? Be painfully honest, now. How have these things specifically hurt others? Fourth, is Christlike spiritual maturity your primary ambition (2:2-3)? Stop and think before you answer. What is your top priority in life? What are you directing most of your time, energy, and money? If a video crew were to follow you around for a week, or if an accountant were to flip through your checkbook, would anyone conclude that your growth as a Christian is the most essential thing in your life? Defend your answer with some real examples. These questions can help you get to the root of the issues, but until you decide to do what's necessary to come together and provide love and hope for your fellow believers, absolutely nothing will change. Take time in prayer to ask God to conform you to the image of Christ. Ask for help in “putting aside" old habits that produce disharmony and hurt, and putting on the new habits that promote harmony and hope. Next week, we will continue to explore the letter of 1 Peter in a message titled “Becoming Living Stones.” Invest some time reading 1 Peter 2:4-12 for next week’s message.