Embracing Spiritual Growth Through God's Kindness

What we are about to do is one of the very special moments in the life of a church. In fact, on a weekly basis, it might be the most important part of a church's life. We are going to be opening the scriptures and hearing what God has to say to us. [00:33:52]

And so we're going to hear Peter preaching and teaching us. We're going to hear what Peter has to say. But because we have trusted Christ as our Savior, because the Spirit of God is in us, we're not only going to hear what Peter is saying, but we're going to hear what God is saying. [00:34:54]

It's a moment when God will correct us, but also a very encouraging moment, where he'll encourage our hearts with his faithfulness and with his goodness to us. So it is the time for us to submit ourselves to God and be ready to hear what he is saying to us. [00:35:30]

So Lord Jesus we come and sit at your feet we anticipate that you are going to teach us oh God let us be ready to receive your correction but also God let us be ready to receive your encouragement all of this through our Lord Jesus amen it's something that we all do we grow up physically we don't have a choice it happens. [00:38:53]

But spiritually we need to grow up and last week Chris took us to a passage that talked about we need to be loving each other because we have been loved by God and we need to work at that we need to grow in that loving of each other because when we trusted Christ as Savior we were forgiven we were brought into God's family. [00:39:53]

Now there's another part of growing up that we do have a choice in and that's the area of maturity how do you know when you're really grown up there were different people have got some different views on it here's what some people have said you know you've grown up when you own your first home or maybe you own your home and a mortgage to it. [00:39:23]

Now, I'm not sure how it happened. I don't know maybe if I had some kind of traumatic experience when I was about three years old with onions or something like that. I don't know what happened. But for some reason, that fresh bite of a fresh onion, a raw onion, it just, I just can't handle it. I don't know what happens in my mind or my brain or whatever. [00:42:26]

Now, we in the South have a phrase that is very deceitful very often. We'll just bless their heart. We don't mean that at all. We mean that is so stupid. Well, that's deceitful. We need to truly say, Lord, please help that person. They really need it. No. Same thing. But it's that pretending something so you can get something. [00:47:47]

And envy. Envy is not just wanting something that someone else has, but it's wanting what someone else has and resenting them for it. Ah, I wanted that job and I'm mad at them because they got it. When I started teaching at the seminary a few years ago, Lord, thank you for this job. This is wonderful. [00:50:33]

And when we are tempted to say things about somebody else like that, no, that's wrong. Stop it, Calvin. Don't think that. So he's saying here in these words, set all this harmful speech aside. Be rid of it. Spew it out of your mouth kind of thing. It's distasteful to you. [00:55:24]

Like newborn babies, thank you for the illustration, newborn baby over there. Like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the word. Now, we need to explain that long for the pure milk of the word. The longing for it, we kind of understand that. We understand a baby wanting to eat. We understand wanting nourishment, okay? [01:01:25]

Crave listening to the word. Crave coming to worship together where you can be nourished spiritually. Crave a small group where you can truly talk with each other and pray together and nourish each other spiritually. Crave serving the Lord through some kind of helping with the kids, helping with other Bible studies, helping set up chairs or whatever it may be. [01:02:34]