Born Again Through the Word of God

Opening:

It is a wonderful privilege to be able to open the living and abiding Word of God on the Lords day.

Introduction of the Passage:

We are going to be continuing our study of Peter’s first epistle. This morning we will be in 1 Peter 1:22-25. Just in reminder, Peter wrote this letter to the persecuted church scattered across the Roman empire. He wrote this to remind them of the beauty of their salvation and to call them into holiness in their lives. And in this letter so far, Peter has written about how we are born again, not of our own strength but of God’s power. He wrote how the angels even long to look into the wonder of the gospel and how the prophets of the Old Testament longed to see it. Peter called us into holy living because our God is holy. And then again showed the beautiful nature of our salvation. In this passage, Peter gives us the charge to love one another, and shows us the nature of Scripture’s role in salvation.

Reading of the Passage:

With this in mind, would you stand with me, if you are able, for the reading of God’s Word.

1 Peter 1:22–25 “22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

Behold, the Word of God which endures for all time. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning. We thank you for the gift of salvation. We thank you for your holy church made of all Christians. Lord, we thank you for the love that we share in for each other. Lord, we ask that you would build the bond of love and unity that we have with one another. And Lord, we thank you for your Word. Your Word never fades or falters. It endures forever, and it is through your Word that we find salvation. We thank you, and we praise you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Need:

This life is hard. It is filled with pain and misery. To quote one of my favorite movies, “Life is pain, anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.” But one of the most comforting truths of this life filled with trial and pain is the community of the church.

Text Idea:

Peter is telling the early church that the outcome of their salvation through the living and eternal Word of God and sanctification through obedience to the truth is a deep and genuine brotherly love for each other.

Sermon Idea:

The outcome of being sanctified by obedience to the truth and born again through the living and imperishable Word of God is a genuine and sincere love for one another.

Interrogative:

So how does salvation and sanctification lead us to love for one another?

Transition:

Well, let’s dive into the text and see. First, Peter says we are purified by obedience to the truth.

Point 1: We Are Purified by Obedience to the Truth.

1 Peter 1:22 “22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,”

Explanation:

So what does this phrase mean? “Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth...” Some have said Peter is talking about our salvation. They would say that Peter is here saying, “Your obedience to Christ saved your soul.” That cannot be the meaning of this. Scripture again and again teaches us that our obedience cannot save us. It has to be the work of God to save us. As Paul says in Galatians 2:16 “16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Well then, what is Peter saying? He is not saying that we saved ourselves through obedience to God. He is speaking of something in theology called “sanctification.”

Sanctification is the continued growth in holiness that happens in the Christian life. We are saved by being born again in Christ all through the work of Christ. But once we are saved, we don’t just stop. All of us who are saved can look back on our lives and see how God has grown us. It’s like the old song, “I’m not who I ought to be, but thank God I am not who I used to be.” There is a constant growth in the Christian life. And this is Peter’s argument.

Argumentation:

What is it that has purified our souls? It is obedience to the truth. As we obey God, He changes our hearts more and more. We become more and more holy. That command Peter gave in the previous verses to be holy because God is holy is not an instant process. It is not a snap of the fingers and poof, you’re holy. No, it is a lifelong process of obedience. It is a life long process of confessing your sin, repenting of it, and obeying God’s commands. But we do not do this alone.

One Commentator summed this up really well saying, “You cannot make yourself born again. You cannot choose to be born again. You can do nothing to affect your regeneration, but from the instant of your regeneration, for the rest of your Christian life, that process is synergistic. It is a joint venture between you and God.”

The big theological term for the work of salvation is that it is “monergistic.” That means there is one (mono) party active. God is the only active party in salvation. But that growth in holiness after salvation is synergistic. It is that joint effort between the Christian and the Spirit of God within them that conforms them into the image of Christ. And this is the promise, as we obey God, He continues to purify us. That is what Peter is saying. Sins are put to death and righteousness grows as we obey God. It is a beautiful and sometimes hard process.

Transition:

And Peter clarifies this point in the next verses. He says we are sanctified by obedience, but we are born again through the Word of God.

Point 2: We Are Born Again Through the Word of God.

1 Peter 1:23 “23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”

Explanation:

All through this letter so far, Peter has been telling the church about their salvation. If we track Peter’s argument, he has been slowly unveiling the mystery of How God saves our souls. Peter has revealed that salvation is the Work of God. All three members of the Trinity are involved in our salvation. It is all according to the will of the Father, it is the blood of the Son that redeems us, it the Spirit that applies this redemption to us. And Peter has emphasized that it is not our Work. He does this really clearly by using the illustration of being born again. 1 Peter 1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Just as I said in my first message in this letter, this is a wonderful image. Jesus used this in John 3. But think of the image here. Who does the work in birth, the baby or the mother? The mother. The baby is not involved in the work. In the same way, God gives us new birth. Peter is calling back this image. But he changed it slightly. He says we were not born of perishable seed, but of imperishable. The first birth, the natural birth of a man is of perishable seed. That means someday, all men die. The life your mother and father gave you will someday end. It will perish. And we see this with all seed. This is farm country. You plant seeds. They take root and grow. Then they dry up and die and you harvest them. Seeds are temporary. But not so with the seed of the life God gives. It never fades. It never dies. This second birth never dies. It cannot be taken away, it cannot end. It is undying. What a beautiful promise. If you are saved, the seed of your earthly life will end, but this new life in Christ will never end. Our salvation cannot be removed! We are saved eternally. The seed of this new life is imperishable.

Argumentation:

But Peter is now expounding on the doctrine of salvation. It is God that saves us. He does the work. Peter has gone into excruciating detail on God’s role in salvation. But now Peter switches gears and now talks about Scripture’s role in salvation. He says we are born again through the Word of God. What does this mean? When God saves someone, He does not just zap them with a salvation ray. He uses means. He uses something to accomplish this work. Well, what does He use? He uses His Word. And this is the consistent testimony of Scripture.

James 1:18 “18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” It is God’s own will that brings us forth. But what does God use to accomplish His will? It is by the Word of Truth. God uses the Scriptures to accomplish His will of salvation. And this makes perfect sense. Hebrews 4:12 says “12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Word of God is alive. It is active. It pierces our hearts and souls. It is what God uses in salvation.

I cannot say it better than one author who said, “The Word of God is alive. It pulsates with life. It is the very power of God, because that Word is energized by God Himself... …The gospel is the power of God to salvation (Rom. 1: 16).”

Romans 1:16–17 “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””

Transition:

We are born again by the power of God through the Word of God. And this is because the Word of God is living, abiding, and eternal.

Point 3: The Word of God is Living, Abiding, and Eternal.

1 Peter 1:23–25 “23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

Explanation:

Peter here quotes from Isaiah 40:6–8 “6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” What a promise. All flesh, just like natural seed fades and dies. All flesh passes away. All things grow old and pass. Even the greatest glory fades and dies. Human life is like that of the grass, here today and gone tomorrow. This is why Scripture says life is like a vapor. The slightest breeze puffs it away. And even the glory of men is like a flower. It is pretty. But it passes soon. But the Word of God stands for all time. It stands for the ages. The Word of God never fades. The greatest kings and all their glory passes away like sand in an hourglass. It falls and turns to dust. Where is the empire of Babylon? Where are the Roman emperors? Where is Alexander the Great?

Illustration:

This reminds me of the ending of the fantastic poem Ozymandias by Bysshe Shelley. The narrator is traveling in a dessert and saw a worn sculpture. This is what it says.

“… And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

The works of great kings all turn to dust. But the written Word of the true King of kings and God of gods will never pass and never fade. The words of men turn always to dust, but the Word of God turns always to life.

Argumentation:

We are birthed to new life by the power of God through the Word of God. The Scriptures are what God uses to save people. And this is important.

The gospel message is found nowhere else. The message of salvation is only found in the Word of God. It is not found in Hinduism, or Buddhism, or humanism, or Islam. Salvation is not found in great works of science and study. It is not found in the philosophers. There is one message of salvation, and that message is the Word of God. In our day we are all about inclusivity. We are all about open mindedness. But the gospel is not inclusive. Not all paths lead to God. There is one road. This is why it is called the road narrow. There is one path. There is one door. There is one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one Word. Your sincerity does not matter if you are on the wrong road. Countless sincere people are in hell. They were sincere in their beliefs all the way to the flames. There is one gospel. There is one Word of God. And salvation is found nowhere else. The gospel is by nature exclusive.

But there is a way in which the gospel is inclusive. It is exclusive in the sense that there is one way, one God, one Word. But it is truly inclusive because this one message goes out to all nations. The call to repent is to be issued to everyone everywhere. All peoples must repent and trust in this one way. And the promise of Scripture is that someday this will happen. Someday the river of living water will cover the whole earth. Someday the knowledge and fear of the Lord will cover the earth and the waters cover the sea. Until that day, we openly proclaim this open call to all people knowing that through His Word, the call will be answered. Christ will have all that is His.

Transition:

We are sanctified by our obedience to the truth of God’s Word. We are saved by Christ through the Word of God. But now we must see why. We are saved. We are being sanctified. But unto what? Well, if you have been following the text, I’ve been leaving something out. You see, because of our salvation, because of our sanctification, we deeply and genuinely love one another.

Point 4: Because of This, We Deeply and Genuinely Love One Another.

1 Peter 1:22–25 “22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

Explanation:

Our salvation has a nuclear reaction. It brings us from death to life. It brings us to new life in Christ. It brings a whole new life. This new life takes root more and more as we are sanctified. And this new life changes everything. It transforms how we live. it transforms how we are husbands, wives, parents, children, workers, and more. But one of the things this new life does is that it changes how we interact. It changes our relationship with one another. Through salvation, there is a love that is built for each other. And we see this in the very language used. It is called “brotherly love.” The Greek Word is “Philadelphia.” We have a city named after that word. But that word is a deep familial love. It is bond of unity that is unbreakable. In Christ we are united as family. We are no longer just neighbors, coworkers or friends. We are family. We are family in Christ. All over the New Testament letters we see commands to love one another. My favorite is Romans 12:10 “10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

I love that verse. It has a sense of competition. We ought to attempt to outdo one another in showing each other love and honor. The love for one another is a defining trait of a Christian. So much so, that Jesus says it is the mark of a true Christian and a witness to the lost. John 13:35 “35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” Our love for one another is to be so strong that it is a witness to the lost. In a sense, the World ought to look at the church and say, “Why are those people love each other so much? Oh yeah, they’re Christians.” And that is what Peter is saying. We are sanctified by obedience to the truth FOR a sincere brotherly love. We are to love one another earnestly BECAUSE we are born again. This new birth causes us to love one another.

And what kind of love is this? It is sincere. It is not a show that is put on. It is a true and deep love. It is a love that is there in the joys and pains of life. It is a love that is there at weddings and funerals. It is a love that laughs and weeps. It is a love from a pure heart. It is not motivated by greed. It not a love that says, “What can this person do for me?” It does not just love those who can help you out. It is a love that is motivated by pure motives. It is also an earnest love. The wording of this speaks to passion and fervency. It is a deep hearted love.

And this is different than our love for the world. We are called to love our neighbors. This means we are to long for the good of all mankind. We are to be kind and loving to all men. We are to always long for their good and blessing. Specifically we are to desire their salvation. We are to be loving people. But love for fellow believers is even deeper than this. Christian love for other Christians is the purest expression of love for family. Family frustrates and challenges us. But there is a deep bond of unity. And what is this bond of unity?

Illustration:

We are united in Christ. In a sense, when we see what Christ has done for us, we instantly feel a bond of unity for anyone else He has saved. We see that at the deepest level, we are bonded with an unbreakable bond. Think of the things that bind us in this life. We are bonded with those we work with. We are bonded with those we live near. These are real uniting things. We are unified in our lives with these people. This is why national bonds, at their best, are really wonderful things. It is a wonderful thing to love the nation we call home. We are citizens together of our home nation. This is right and a good love. We are to love our nation. We are to seek it’s best. We are to actively seek blessing our neighbors here. We are bonded as Americans. This is good and right. It is a deep bond. We even feel that for our states. I was born and raised in South Dakota. I lived there my entire life until this year. I have a genuine bond with South Dakota and it’s people. I meet someone from South Dakota and instantly I have a sense of something in common. They are from my home. But there are deeper bonds. I have a closer bond with my family. I was joking with Gladys Hansen last week that we must be long lost relatives because we have the same last name. I was joking about that bond of family. It is often called a blood bond. The bond of family is a strong bond for good or ill.

Argumentation:

The two strongest covenantal bonds that God made are that of family and family in Christ. But the deepest bond is the bond in Christ. It is deeper because it connects us at the deepest part of who we are. It is the connection of the new life in Christ. It is deeper than a nationalistic bond in love of homeland. It is deeper than a bond of a love a familiar home and state. It is deeper than even a family bond united in blood and covenant. It is deeper because it is eternal. Nations rise and fall. Homes are lost and change. Even family bonds that last generation pass and can turn to dust. But the bond in Christ is eternal and unfading. This is why Christian households are so amazing. They unite the two strongest bonds. The bond of family and family in Christ. Baptized households are one of the greatest things in God’s design. This is because the Christian love for one another lasts and remains for all eternity. One of the greatest comforts is found in the funeral of those who are saved. Their bodies have died, but they are not dead. They are eternally with the Lord. And one day, we will be united once again. It is not goodbye, it is see you later.

We are connected in Christ with a connection that cannot fade or break. This is a deep rooted love. It is love based on shared sin, shared savior, and shared salvation. We all are sinners. We all are saved by grace. And we all are awaiting the same hope. This is why we are commanded to confess sin to one another. “Brother, I sinned.” “Me too. But remember our savior.” We can be honest and open with one another. We can tell each other of our sin because we have the same hope. Christ paid for our sin. We can share our struggles because we have the same hope. We can share our discouragements because we have the same strength.

Salvation in Christ through the Word of God breeds a unity and love like no other. And I can tell you from personal experience that I have only felt true, genuine love from two places. One is from my physical family. The other is from my family in Christ. I am blessed that both of these families are in Christ. However, it is true, those two places have also caused me deep pain. But that is okay. They are sinners, just like me. But they are also saved from their sin, just like me. But from deep down, I can tell you this: in my darkest moments my brothers and sisters in Christ, blood related and not, were there weeping with me. In my greatest joys, my brothers and sisters in Christ were there laughing and feasting with me. In my hardest fights, my brothers and sisters in Christ were right there drawing up battle lines to slay dragons in the name of King Jesus with me. They have cried with me, they have laughed with me, they have gone to war with me, and I know one more thing. When I die and stand before the Lord, I will be standing there with my brothers and sisters I love crying out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty!”

Transition:

I dearly and deeply love the church of God. I love the church. No, not this building. This building is wonderful but someday it will decay. No, I love the eternal, unending church of God. I love the bond of the brotherhood in Christ.

Conclusion:

The church is beautiful. She is the bride of Christ, and she is stunning. I love her. You cannot love Christ and hate His bride. I love the Bride of Christ. She stands like a shining city on a hill casting down hope to all who see her. The church of Christ stands as a monument to the love of God. It stands as a prophetic voice calling unto the nations to repent. “The King is returning for His Church. Repent and trust in Him. Abandon your tyrannical ways” is her cry to the kings of nations. The church stands as a beacon of hope for the hopeless. It stands as one who heals wounds, feeds the sick, fights the evil of tyranny, rebukes the slavers, challenges false gods and wicked kings, seeks for peace, and above all proclaims life in Christ. Hear the cry of the church. Hear the music of the army of God each Sunday. I love the church even though she is sinful. I love the church for she is redeemed.

Visualization:

I love the church sinful.

I love the church redeemed.

I love the church sanctified.

I love the church hopeful.

I love the church militant.

I love the church victorious.

The banner of Christ flies over the Church of Christ. He bought His people with His blood. To love Him is to love His church. True there are many false churches who blaspheme the name of Christ in word and deed. But have no fear. They will fall and be crushed under the feet of Christ and His true Church. There is only one church, those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and I love that church more than I can say. I pray it is said of me at my death, “there lies one who loved the church and spent every drop of his life for her.” I will be a church man until I die.

Reiteration:

Because you see, Peter is saying in this passage that salvation through the Word of God and sanctification through obedience to the Word of God result in love for the brothers. It leads to love for Christ’s church. This is why I love the church. Do you?

Application:

In complete honesty, I think you get this one. I really do. From just my limited here among you all, it is obvious that you genuinely care for one another. Good! Keep doing that. Keep loving one another.

Action 1: Keep loving the church!

I’m not trying to pad your egos or create pride. But I want to encourage you on in this. Have endurance. Keep supporting one another. Keep loving one another. Be sincere, love from pure motives, love earnestly. Continue on in this. Do not get tired of this. Be encouraged. God is using you to bless each other. Be in awe of the bond we share in Christ. A church that loves one another is a healthy church. Love one another. Try to outdo each other in love. This is a fun one. When someone shows you kindness in the church, show them double kindness. When they show you triple kindness next time, up the anti. Meet one another’s needs. Live life together. You are family. Remember that.

But don’t just love one another, love the Word of God that brings life.

Action 2: Love the Word of God!

Often we think there is some conflict between love and truth. That is hogwash. But I hear it all the time. Truth verses love. That person has truth but not love. That is ridiculous. Love and truth are inseparably linked. And we see it in this passage. Obedience to the truth breads love for one another. New birth through the Word of God produces love. So love the Word of God.

Let me get very practical. Are you struggling to love someone? Well, how much do you love the Word of God? I can almost guarantee you that your lack of love toward another person is directly tied to a lack of love for God and His Word. And I can guarantee you, that the more you love God’s Word, the more you will love others. The more you love the Word of God which brings life, the more you will love your wife, your kids, you church, your coworkers, the lost, and those who oppose and oppress us.

The Word of God is alive and it brings life. You cannot love this Word and not love others better. That is why these are linked.

Appeal:

So I appeal to you beloved, love God, love the church, and love His Word. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Oh Lord, we ask that you would unveil this truth to us. Help us to grasp it. Help us to love you more and more everyday. But Lord, we also ask that you would help us to love each other. Lord, you gave us new life in Christ, through your Word. And Lord, you have blessed us above all people. You have even given us each copies of your Word. We have the truth of your Word available to us every day. May we never take that for granted. Lord, may we through your Word love one another all the more. May you please build the bond of unity in this church. May we here at Ramsey be known as a people who love you and each other. May we see the price you paid for each one of us and rejoice in love for each other. May we go to battle together and build into a loving community in this fight we are in. We love you Lord, and we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Oh Lord, we thank you for all you have blessed us with. As we give back to you, would you bless this offering to your glory. May you use it for the glory of your name and the growth of your Kingdom. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

Benediction:

I leave you with the Word’s of Paul in Romans 12:10 “10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” May God bless you and Keep you until we meet again. Amen.