Strip Off Some Things and Crave the Word of God,

1 Peter 2:1-3

Pastor Calvin Tan

May 7 2006

I. The things to strip off (v.1)

a. Malice¡Xguile¡Xhypocrisy (v.1a)

b. Envy¡Xevil speaking (v.1b)

II. The one thing to crave: The Word (v.2-3)

a. The charge: Desire (v.2a)

b. The purpose: To grow (v.2b)

c. The result: You taste the Lord¡¦s grace (v.3)

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I. The things to strip off (v.1)

The Greek word for ¡§laying aside¡¨ means to put off one¡¦s clothing; to cleanse oneself of those things that defile. Both meanings are applicable in this verse (A.T. Robertson. Word Pictures In The N T, p.94). There are some things that defile the believer. He is to take these things and strip them off just as he would strip off his clothes; he is to cleanse himself from all that defiles him. Five things in particular are mentioned, and note: all five have to do with what has just been said in the former passage. We are to love one another with a pure heart fervently. The very things that we are to strip off are the things that dirty and soil our love. They have to do with how we treat one another, with our behavior toward our Christian brothers and sisters.

1.Believers must strip off ¡§malice¡¨. The word means two things.

a. In a general sense it means wickedness, all kinds and forms of evil. It is a word that strikes at all the vices of men.

b. In a narrow sense it means malice, deep-seated feelings against a person; hatred that lasts on and on; intense and long-lasting bitterness against a person. It means ill will, actually wishing that something bad would happen to a person. It means to be vicious, spiteful, and to hold a grudge. It means that a person has turned his heart over to evil:„±

He no longer has any good feelings toward the other person¡Xnone whatsoever.

He could care less if something bad happened to the person.

The charge is strong: believers are to strip off malice¡Xall of their evil and wickedness and all of their ill feelings against others. Believers are to be pure and clean, and they are to live pure and clean lives before their brothers and sisters in the Lord.

2. Believers must strip off ¡§guile¡¨ (all deceit).

The word means to deceive and mislead people; to set bait so as to catch them; to bait or deceive in order to achieve one¡¦s own end. It means to be two-faced. Note that guile or deception has to do primarily with words. When a person wants something, he tries to get it...

¡P by flattery

¡P by false promises

¡P by false tales

¡P by suggestive talk

¡P by off-colored suggestions

¡P by enticing words

¡P by outright lying

When a person wants something, he looks at the other person¡¦s weakness or ignorance, and he tries to appeal to it. He appeals to it by deceiving and beguiling the person. The exhortation is strong: believers must strip off guile. We must not deceive and mislead people.

3. Believers must strip off ¡§hypocrisies¡¨.

The word means one who pretends, puts on a show, acts out something he is not. At first the word simply meant one who replied or answered another person. Then it came to mean acting, as actors play-acted the lines of a scene. Finally, the word was used in the worst sense: play-acting, pretending; one who wore a mask to hide his real self; one who acted one way, but who was really another way; one who put on an outward show.Note that the plural hypocrisies is used. All kinds of hypocrisies are meant. A person is a hypocrite...

¡P when he acts as though he loves and believes God, but he does not live like God tells him to live.

¡P when he pretends to be following God, but he is living like he wants to live.

¡P when he shows a concern for the things of God, but his real concern is for the things of the world.

¡P when he professes to believe God¡¦s Word, but he questions it and adds and takes away from it.

¡P when he acts as though he cares for people, but he is really full of selfishness, self-seeking, possessiveness, hoarding, envy, and pride.

¡P when he courts friends, but he is after something.

¡P when he acts friendly, but he could care less.

¡P when he promises, but he never intends to keep his promise.

Jesus warns hypocrites, severely warns them. Believers must, therefore, strip off any semblance of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is one of the sins that God hates above all others.

¡P „±Hypocrites shall receive the greater damnation (Matt 23:14).

¡P „±Hypocrites are children of hell (Matthew 23:15).

¡P „±Hypocrites are fools and blind (Matthew 23:17, 19).

¡P „±Hypocrites are blind guides (Matthew 23:24).

¡P „±Hypocrites are full of extortion and excess (Matthew 23:25).

¡P „±Hypocrites are full of all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27).

¡P „±Hypocrites are serpents, a generation of vipers (Matt 23:33).

¡P „±Hypocrites shall not escape the damnation of hell (Matt 23:33).

¡§In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.¡¨Matthew 23:28;

4. Believers must strip off ¡§envies¡¨: a person without God lives in envy.

The word means that a person covets what someone else has, covets it so much that he wants it even if it has to be taken away from the other person. He may even wish that the other person did not have it or had not received it. We may look at people and envy their... money position looks social status recognition possessions popularity clothes authority. Note that the plural envies is used. This means all kinds of envies and jealousies; it means that we are not to look at a person and envy to be like them nor to have what they possess. The results of envy are terrible; envy takes a terrible toll upon the life and body of a person.

„±A person who envies does not have peace or happiness. He is dissatisfied with what he is and has and is always wanting more and more of what others have.„±In addition to this, envy often drives a person into crime and lawlessness in order to get what he craves.„±On top of this, envy often leads to physical problems such as migraine headaches, high blood pressure, ulcers, and other illnesses.„±Envy also causes emotional problems ranging from mild neurosis or depression to psychotic behavior.But thanks be to God our Savior. He saves and delivers us from envy. Through Christ He gives us real life, and He satisfies our hearts and lives with pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Therefore, we must strip off all envies. We must love one another and joy in the persons and possessions of others. We must love them, support and build them up, not envy and wish to see them torn down.

5. Believers must strip off ¡§evil speakings¡¨ (slander of every kind).

This means to criticize, judge, backbite, gossip, censor, condemn, and grumble against another person. It means to talk about and to tear down another person; to spread tales about another person that cut and hurt him and that lower his image and reputation in the eyes of others. The word usually means to talk about a person behind his back when he is not present. Note that the brother has sinned. He has broken the law of God. He has failed and his failure is known. It is public knowledge, and he is being judged and criticized for his failure. He is being talked about. What he has done is being buzzed and gossiped about, and it is hurting and cutting him and damaging him more and more in the eyes of the world. Now, if we are forbidden to speak evil of a person who is really guilty of sin, how much more are we forbidden to speak against a person just because we dislike or
disagree with him?

Note what the Scripture says: this is evil speaking. Talking about a person is evil. It is just as much an evil as the failure of the other person. Therefore, the person who judges is as guilty as the sinner.The exhortation is strong: Christian believers are not to judge and speak evil of one another. The reason is clear: we are brothers, brothers of Christ and of one another. All of us are of the family of God. Therefore...

we are to be loving, caring, and looking after each other, not destroying each other. we are to be supporting, encouraging, and building up one another, not tearing down one another. when one of us falls and gets into trouble, we are to be reaching out and helping him up, not pushing him farther down. When we criticize a brother or sister in Christ, we are slandering one of God¡¦s own children. Just think: we are actually slandering a son or daughter of God. This alone should keep us from speaking evil of our brothers in Christ. Think about something else as well: there is never a spirit of evil speaking in the humble and loving person. There is only a loving compassion for others, especially for those who have come short and fallen. Therefore, when we speak evil of another person it means that we are neither humble nor loving, but the very opposite: prideful and hateful. We are an evil speaker.

There are several reasons why people tend to judge and criticize.

1) Criticism boosts our own self-image. Pointing out someone else¡¦s failure and tearing him down makes us seem a little bit better, at least in our own eyes. It adds to our own pride, ego, and self-image.

2) Criticism is simply enjoyed. There is a tendency in human nature to take pleasure in hearing and sharing bad news and shortcomings about others.

3) Criticism makes us feel that our own lives (morality and behavior) are better than the person who failed.

4) Criticism helps us justify the bad decisions we have made and the bad things we have done throughout our lives. We rationalize our decisions and acts by pointing out the failure of others.

5) Criticism points out to our friends how strong we are. Criticism gives good feelings because our rigid beliefs and strong lives are proven again. Proven how? By our brother¡¦s failure.

6) Criticism is an outlet for hurt and revenge. We feel he deserves it. Subconsciously, if not consciously, we think, ¡§He hurt me so he deserves to hurt too.¡¨ Therefore, we criticize the person who failed. ¡§Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.¡¨ James 4:11

II The one thing to crave: The Word (v.2-3)

a.The charge: Desire (v.2a)

The charge is an imperative, a command: ¡§You desire, crave, and yearn the sincere milk of the Word. And the craving and yearning are to be constant.¡¨

1). The word ¡§desire¡¨ means to crave, yearn, and long for the Word of God. It is a strong word, very strong. It paints the picture of being an absolute essential, of hungering and thirsting after the Word. If a believer is to grow, it is absolutely essential that he hunger and thirst after the milk of the Word.Too many believers crave the Word here and there, sporadically. Growth can come only as we live in the Word day by day.

2). The word ¡§sincere¡¨ means unadulterated, unmixed with anything else. Men may seek the milk of other things; they may seek to be fed and satisfied by such things as... religion philosophy education possessions pleasure power fortune psychology counseling health science fame comfort. But none of these are pure. There are specks and dust and particles within every pursuit on earth¡Xparticles that make everything on earth weak and infirmed and to some degree harmful. In addition and most tragic of all, every pursuit of man is doomed to pass away when man passes away. But there is one thing that is unadulterated; one thing that is completely and perfectly pure with no mixture whatsoever, and that is the Word of God. The Word of God lives and abides forever; therefore, we must crave and yearn for the Word of God. It is our only hope of enduring forever.

3). The word ¡§milk¡¨ usually refers to the food needed by immature believers. That is, it is usually used to make a distinction between the milk and the meat or mature teachings of the Word. But this is not the case with the present passage. A distinction is not being made between believers. All believers are seen as needing to grow and to learn more about the Lord. All believers are to desire the milk (food) of the Word.

b.The purpose: To grow (v.2b)

The purpose for craving and yearning after the Word is that we may grow. The most ancient Greek manuscripts have the words ¡§unto salvation¡¨¡X¡§that we may grow unto salvation.¡¨ The idea is that we may grow up to full salvation, until we reach full maturity.The Greek word that is translated ¡§the word¡¨ is translated by some commentators as spiritual or reasonable. That is, the verse is made to read ¡§desire pure spiritual milk¡¨ or ¡§desire the reasonable and intelligent milk.¡¨ However, the correct translation seems to be ¡§desire the sincere milk of the Word.¡¨ This has clearly been the emphasis of Peter throughout this whole passage. His subject and thrust has been the Word of God (cp. 1 Peter 1:23-25).

William Barclay states it as well as it can be stated:  means belonging to thesokigo¡§Logos is the Greek for word, and word. This is the sense in which the Authorized Version takes the word, and we think that it is entirely correct. Peter has just been talking about the word of God which lives and abides for ever (1 Peter 1:23-25). It is the word of God which is in his mind; and we think that what Peter means here is that the Christian must desire with his whole heart the nourishment which comes from the word of God, for by that nourishment he can thrive and grow up until he reaches salvation itself. In face of all the evil of the heathen world the Christian must strengthen his soul and his life with the pure food of the word of God¡¨ (The Letters of James and Peter. ¡§The Daily Study Bible.¡¨ p.227).

c.The result: You taste the Lord¡¦s grace (v.3)

The result of craving the Word of God is a most wonderful promise: we taste that the Lord is gracious. God feeds us, nourishes and nurtures us. He reveals and feeds our souls, teaching us all about His grace, His wonderful salvation and promises to us.

He teaches us how to live pure and clean lives; how to conquer the temptations of life; how to walk through the trials of life.He teaches us all about the great salvation and promises He has made.He teaches us all about Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ and the glorious hope we have of living with the Lord forever and ever.He teaches us how to worship, praise, and honor Him as we walk in this corruptible world.God just takes His Word and feeds us, nourishes and nurtures us in His marvelous grace. As we crave and yearn for His Word, He grows us more and more into His image.

¡§All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.¡¨ 2 Tim. 3:16-17