March 1 2015 Spiritual Maturity Under Pressure
/SPIRITUAL MATURITY UNDER PRESSURE
1 Peter 2:1-10
Three Things That Help Us Mature
1. Seek after God’s Word.
Verse 1 – Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind.
GET RID OF:
- Malice
- Envy
- Deceit
- Slander
- Hypocrisy
Verse 2 – Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it, you may grow up in your salvation.
Verse 3 – Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
2. Stand on the firm foundation.
Verse 4 – As you come to Him, the Living Stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him.
Verses 5 -6 – You also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in the scripture it says, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.
Moses said Jehovah is the rock of our salvation.
David said He is my rock and fortress, my God in whom I take refuge.
Isaiah said for in the Lord we have an everlasting rock.
Verse 8 – A stone that causes men to stumble and rock that makes them fall.
3. Speaking out a message of hope.
Verse 9-10 – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belong to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into this wonderful light, once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.
SIX LESSONS:
- We are a family.
- We have direct access to God.
- We are also different from the world.
- We are a people belonging to God.
- We’re not what we used to be.
- We’re blessed to be a blessing.
