God's Word Reshapes Our Desires | 1 Peter 2:1-3 Biblical Application

Have You Tasted The Lord’s Goodness

0:03 Have we truly tasted that the Lord is good? If we have, Peter says it should change the way we live. In 1 Peter 2, 1 to 3, the Apostle Peter reveals a powerful roadmap for spiritual growth. In this episode, we will examine the passage to the three imperatives that the scripture details. First, we must set aside evil. Second, we must desperately long for the word of God. Third, tasting of God's goodness is the reason we put away evil and crave God's word. Stay with me as we explore this powerful passage and discover how God uses His Word to transform His people for His glory.

1:00 Imagine being told that your ability to be the benefactor of a will is fully dependent on your meeting a particular requirement. Thankfully, the task is achievable.

Put Away Evil Like Dirty Clothes

1:15 In 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 22, the Apostle Peter calls on us to love one another deeply from the heart. Then in 1 Peter 2.1, he builds on this by urging us to rid ourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. The Greek word that is used here for rid or remove actually means to remove dirty clothes. Peter is basically stating that just as one would take off unclean clothes, you must put away all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

Defining Malice Deceit And Hypocrisy

2:02 Let's take an in-depth look at the meaning of these vices. Malice is a desire to cause pain, injury or distress to another person. Malice nourishes antagonism, holds grudges, and secretly hopes that revenge, harm or tragedy will happen to someone else. The Greek word dolos that is used for deceit literally refers to a fish hook, mousetrap or trick. Dolos is a deliberate attempt to mislead, trick, sneer or bait other people by telling lies. The word hypocrisy comes from Greek theater and refers to the practice of putting on a mask and playing a part on stage.

2:54 A hypocrite is a person who at all times is acting apart while concealing his or her true motives. Church going, Bible reading, careful financial giving, even timetabled prayer do not make a man a good man. The fundamental question is, how is a man's heart towards God and his fellow men? We must analyze our behavior on Sunday and compare it with our behavior Monday through Saturday. If there are inconsistencies between how we behave at church and how we behave at home, work, school, etc., we are guilty of hypocrisy.

3:43 Envy refers not just wanting what another person has, but also resenting that person for having it. Envy is jealousy at the success of others or happiness at another's misfortune. Dwight Helmudi once told a fable of an eagle who was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day the bird saw a sportsman with a bone arrow and said to him, I wish you'd bring down that eagle up there. The man said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled one out of his wing.

4:27 The arrow was shot, but it didn't quite reach the rival bird because he was flying too high. The first eagle pulled out another feather, then another, until he had lost so many that he himself couldn't fly. The archer took advantage of the situation, turned around and killed a helpless bird. If we are envious of others, the one who will hurt the most by our actions will likely be ourselves.

How Envy Grows Into Slander

5:00 Slander is usually the fruit of envy. Slander includes gossip, tail bearing, backbiting, spreading rumors, disparaging comments, and unkind words. The New Testament records that Jesus experienced slander while he walked this earth. In Luke 11, 14 to 23, Jesus delivered a man from a mute demon. When the man spoke, the crowd was amazed. However, some said that Jesus was driving out demons due to the power of the Prince of Dons, Belzebub. Jesus told them that their reasoning was flawed. If that were so, Satan would be going up against himself, assuring that his kingdom would fall.

5:54 What if Jesus is calling us to put aside all evil and follow him in Christian discipleship? History lets us know that many of those who were on mission for Christ often suffered slanderous attacks. In the early 1890s, Jonathan Goffort and his family were living in Chuang, deep inside Honan province in China. The Gofort family became the target of nasty rumors. One man told how he had seen boatloads of small drugged Chinese children being carried into the Gofort's home. He alleged that he had looked through a window and seen Jonathan kill the children and cut out their eyes and hearts.

6:45 As a result, very few people were willing to listen to the gospel message that Jonathan had brought with him to present to them. Are we willing to pay the costs of discipleship?

Craving God’s Word Like A Newborn

7:00 Imagine for the first time in your life having to look after a newborn baby for at least one day. To your amazement, you're completely at the beckon call of a demanding, crying, screaming baby who must be fed when hungry. In 1 Peter 2, 2-3, Peter states that we should crave pure spiritual milk, just as newborn babies hunger for nourishing milk. Newborn babies will cry loudly and incessantly until they receive the food that they need to survive. The Greek word that is used here for crave or desire is the strongest word that is used in the Bible to show that you really want something.

7:50 David uses this word in Psalms 42:1. He compares his soul's longing for God with the panting of a deer for streams of water. The deer that David is referring to here is a hunted animal. The dogs have the scent of the deer and are relentlessly chasing it. The deer is desperately running for its life and needs to drink water to sustain its running so that it may live. Are we reflecting this level of desperation in our study of God's word? Isaiah 61, 3 says that those who serve Jesus will be called oaks of righteousness.

8:36 In order for plants to grow, pruning must take place. The disease would need to be cut away. If Christians are to grow spiritually, we must likewise put away the evil habits of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Physical trees require proper nourishment in order to grow. Christians need the pure milk of God's word so as to grow spiritually. The old Scottish preacher used to say, sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin. Let us reflect on the truth that God is urgently calling us to take the necessary steps to grow in discipleship.

The Price Of Real Discipleship

9:25 In the New Testament, Jesus lets us know the extravagant lengths that someone will go to in order to gain the knowledge of his word. In Matthew 13, 45 to 46, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like a merchant who was looking for fine pearls. When he found a pearl of extravagant value, he sold everything he had so that he could purchase it. What if God is calling us to be willing to relinquish everything that we have so that we can grow in Christian discipleship? Christian history tells us of Wilfred Grenfell, who worked among those who lived on the Newfoundland coast in the early 1900s.

10:13 Many of these people suffered from berry berry, a disease caused by lack of a B vitamin found in vegetables. No vegetables were grown on the coast. Everyone argued that the growing season was too short. Wilfred convinced American garden clubs to donate prefabricated greenhouses, plants, and seed to the mission in St. Anthony. The greenhouses allowed the plants to get a three-month head start on spring. By the time the weather was warm enough to set the plants outside, they were strong, healthy, and half-grown.

10:55 The project was an instant success as 18-pound cabbages and handfuls of plump carrots were proudly displayed in the community rooms. In 1932, 15,000 hothouse plants were sold to local people up and down the coast. The tide of poor nutrition was beginning to turn at last. Let us reflect on the truth that as we grow in Christian discipleship, we're enabled to impact others positively. Have you ever had the opportunity to taste fresh honey that has just been removed from the beast's nest? It must be one of the most enjoyable experiences that a human being can ever have.

11:44 In 1 Peter 2.3, Peter quotes from Psalms 34.8, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. The Apostle Peter is explaining here that Christians will put away evil and desperately crave God's word because they have truly tasted that God is good. When this occurs, Christians will grow in Christian discipleship.

Tasting God’s Goodness Through Suffering

12:09 However, growing in Christ is not an overnight process. A student asks a president of his school whether he could not take a shorter course than the one prescribed. Oh yes, replied the president, but then it depends upon what you want to be. When God wants to make an oak, he takes a hundred years, but when he wants to make a squash, he takes six months. Let us reflect on the truth that it takes time and effort to grow in Christian discipleship. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul is an outstanding example of what it means to have truly tasted of the goodness of God.

12:53 In 2 Corinthians 11, 22 to 29, the Apostle Paul stated that five times he received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times he was shipwrecked and spent a night and a day in the open sea. He had been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from his fellow Jews, and in danger from Gentiles. He had known hunger and thirst. He had been cold and naked. Despite these sufferings, in Philippians 3, 7 to 8, the Apostle Paul affirms that he considers everything he lost to be garbage compared to what he gained in Christ.

13:40 Having tasted of the goodness of God, the Apostle Paul was willing to endure anything for the sake of Jesus Christ. Are we willing to suffer like Paul in order to preach like Paul? Christian history tells of Samuel Zemmer, who in his lifetime was one of the most impactful missionaries to Arabia. In 1883, Samuel started Hope College as a precursor to going into full-time missionary work. Each summer, Samuel had to work to earn the next year's tuition. The first summer, Samuel found work with a threshing gang.

14:22 The gang would go from farm to farm, cutting wheat and feeding it into a threshing machine. It was the hardest work Samuel had ever done. However, Samuel was able to save his earnings to pay the entire tuition for the upcoming school year. Samuel had tasted of the goodness of God and was committed to paying the price to do God's will. What if God is asking us to fully commit ourselves to pursuing Christian discipleship?

Closing Challenge Prayer And Blessing

14:58 We began by asking whether we have truly tasted that the Lord is good. Peter's answer is that those who have tasted God's goodness will be changed by it. They will put away evil, they will hunger for God's word, and they will continue growing in Christian discipleship. The question each of us must answer is this have we truly tasted that the Lord is good? Before you go, if this message spoke to you, like this podcast and subscribe so you don't miss what God is doing here at Catch on Fire Podcasts.

15:38 If you're ready for real change, take a moment right now to pray with me. Jesus, I give you my life. Lead me, forgive me, and make me new. If you pray that, welcome to the family. Follow along, stay connected, and let's walk this walk together. Demystify the Bible using the covenant story that's available at Amazon.com or the online course that can be found at Biblical Discipleship Academy.uscreen.io. Many people know the stories of the Bible, but few see the one story that connects them all. From creation to promise, from kingdom to Christ, scripture reveals one unified narrative of divine redemption.

16:35 Discover covenant story through a 10-volume series on Amazon or go deeper with the online course at the Biblical Discipleship Academy.uscreen.io. Start your journey today. Please join me as we confess words of life over all of our lives. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand. We are still in God's holy plan. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as God requires. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so we are ministering to Jesus.

17:39 We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed. From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled.

18:14 Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and is being spoken over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came.

18:57 We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed. Our enemies have not and never will triumph over us. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God, that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress, and our well-being is immediately destroyed. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such we are lenders and not borrowers.

19:32 As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reaped a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to.

20:08 We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living under an open heaven in every area of our lives. Blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones. These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical. Let's repeat the 23rd Psalm together. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

20:47 Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

21:32 Amen.