milk
The Believer’s Milk
1 Peter 2:1-3
Once upon a time a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves and the thorns grew up and choked that man and he went on and he didn't have no money and he met the Queen of Sheba, and she gave that man sir, a thousand talents of gold and silver and a hundred changes of raiment's. And when he was driving his chariot furiously under a big tree, his hair got caught in a limb and he hung there. And he hung there many days and many nights and the ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep, his wife, Delilah, come along and cut his hair off, and he dropped and fell on stony ground. And he hid himself in a cave. And the man went out into the highways and byways and compelled them to come in. And when the cave was full, He went on and come to Jerusalem and he seen Queen Jezebel sitting high up in the window and when she saw him she laughed and he said, "Chuck her down boys, chuck her down," and they said how many times shall we chuck her down—Seven times? And he said 70 times 7 times and they threw her down, seventy times seven times and the fragments they picked up were twelve baskets full. Now whose wife will she be in the resurrection? Although that is funny and somewhat disturbing, I fear that there are some believers who might not even know that much of their Bible. Of those that profess to be Christian, it is estimated that only 7% do any kind of Bible reading. You know that there isn’t really any other way for a believer to grow outside of the Word of God. We have several instances of the Bible being compared to some kind of food, whether it be milk, meat, bread, or honey. Just as we need physical food to grow, we need spiritual food for spiritual growth. Maybe one of the best advertising slogans out there that can be used in our churches is the one that says. “Milk; It does a body good.” Would you agree with this statement—Strong churches are those that focus on the Word of God? We want a strong church, but we need to have strong individual believers to achieve that goal.
Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
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I want you to look closely at the punctuation in verse 1-3. Do you see that we have one sentence? There are several verbs—laying, desire, and tasted, but really only one subject—you or ye. God wants all of His children to grow, but He understands that are hindrances to our growth. I like how the Bible compares us to newborn babes. I knew both of my children were Baptists when they were born because as soon as they were delivered, they wanted to eat. I know that all babies want to eat when they are born, and their natural desire is for milk. When they wake up in the middle of the night, they want milk. No they desire it. That means to have a strong craving. And they desire the sincere milk of the Word. Psalms 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Please don’t give it to me watered down. You do not need a gender neutral Bible, you do not need a book that removes all references to the blood. We have gotten so pampered, we even have to have our hymnals revised to remove all references of the blood, and worms, and wretches. I think it is a mark of an immature Christian when they cannot take the Word of God preached full strength.
Buy the truth and sell it not.
Preach the Word…
Do you know that there are people who cannot drink milk? I was allergic to milk as a ababy and had to have some special formula. There are those who have milk allergies into adulthood, some are lactose intolerant, and others just do not like milk.
I have to be honest with you, one of the last things I want when I am sick is a glass of milk. You just don’t have an appetite for it. There are appetite killers that prevent us from enjoying and learning the Word of God.
All malice—moral evil, willful intent to cause harm.
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
All guile—deceit. All Hypocrisies—being something you are not. All envies—resenting the success of others.
All evil speaking—gossip, backbiting, murmuring. Here is the question—how could you possibly digest the Word of God when these things are spoiling your appetite?
Okay, preacher, you have told us all about losing our appetite, how do we get it back? By remembering how good it tasted!
Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
I am not much of a milk drinker, but when I cannot sleep, or I have a little indigestion, I reach for the milk. It satisfies. Sometimes we need to remember how the Word has benefited us in the past in order to get an appetite for it again.
Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Don’t let some over zealous servant of God shame you into thinking you should be off of milk by now. You just drink your milk and see what God does. Too many people mean this when they say meat—well that word is a third declension verb in the aorist tense according the original—boring.
Maybe you are carnal and can only handle milk.
1 Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
The Word becomes meat when you are able to teach what you learned as milk.
Hebrews 5:12-142 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.