Introduction: Let us know what we need to learn, in order to grow.

We will learn of several truths that will help us grow in verse 1 through 3.

Notice the key words in verse 2b “that ye may grow thereby.” This will be the emphasis of this sermon.

However, there are some hindrances to growth but we want to look at some helps for growth.

Some Truths that will help us to grow, if apply to our lives:

I – LOVING ATTITUDE BECAUSE OF THE DISCARDING

I Peter 1:22-23 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

We learned from I Peter 1:23 that the word of God gave life, that is why a man were born again. Then in I Peter 1:22, we also learned from that new life, there was a new love.

With regards to our contextual passage, there is the wrong kind of attitude mentioned in I Peter 2:1 "Wherefore laying aside (discarding) all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking." But the wrong attitude mentioned here will not be present in our lives when we have a loving attitude from being born again who had a new life.

Notice in verse 1 the word “lay aside” it was a term means discarding. It is a shedding of clothes like when you lay aside your coat or take your coat off. We should never wear again the garments that we already take off.

Before we can grow, we have to get rid of some attitudes toward people that Peter mentioned. These are carnal attitudes. These wrong attitudes have to do with our relationship with other people who done something wrong with us.

Even though we are born again Christians, we still have our old nature. When we become born again into the family of God, by repenting of our sins and believe the Gospel of Christ, we still have these wrong attitudes, but these attitudes are not the attitudes that the children of God are suppose to have.

Let us remove some wrong attitudes and then replace them with the right attitude toward people.

A. Remove the attitude of Malice and replace it with Goodness – v.1a

I Peter 2:1a “Wherefore laying aside all malice,”

The word “malice” means ill will toward some one that has wronged you. It is an attitude that leads to acts of ill will and getting even.

Romans 12: 19-21 “Dearly beloved, avenge not your selves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay. 20 –Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in do doing thou shalt heap coals on his head. 21- Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

B. Remove the attitude of Guile & Hypocrisies and replace It with Sincerity – v.1b

I Peter 2:1b "Wherefore laying aside (discarding) all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies,"

The words guile and hypocrisies speak of deception.

A good example of deception is Jacob. Jacob deliberately deceived his father and later his father-in law. Jacob even tried to deceive the Lord God, but all in vain.

Illustration: Fisherman deceives with lures and plugs, and others.

A true born-again child of God should never try to deceive anyone.

A true child of God should always be sincere with people. Paul said in I Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

Be what you are and be the same with everybody.

B. Remove the attitude of Envy and replace it with the attitude of Praise – v.1c

I Peter 2:1c “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,”

The word “envy” speaks of jealousy, or envy in the sense of wanting what someone else has. Some define envy as wanting what somebody else has, and the one you envy may lose those temporal things they possessed in this earthly life.

In the spiritual realm of life, one can be envious of others.

In the secular realm of life, one can be envious of what others have. (Example: Job’s Promotion)

D. Remove the attitude of hurting someone with words and replace it with the attitude of helping someone. – v.1d

I Peter 2:1d “Wherefore laying aside (discarding) all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking.”

All evil speaking can grow out of envy. Evil speaking is a desire to put someone down, that we might be built up.

All evil speaking involves a form of slander. How do we know? If the words that a person will hurt them, or harm them, we can be sure that it is evil speaking.

We should use words that will help and build a person up instead of hurting and made a person down. If what we say doesn’t express kindness, it is not helpful.

II – LINGERING APPETITE BECAUSE OF THE DESIRE

I Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

If you have a lingering attitude for the Word of God, it will help you spiritually grow.

A. Description

I Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

Notice the new converts are described as newborn babes. All newly believers in Christ as God’s children start out as babes in Christ.

We were not born again into the kingdom of God full grown. Compare physical birth with spiritual birth: There is the growing process. A natural body that does not grow is a sad sight, so is a person that doesn’t develop spiritually.

B. Desire

1. The Proof

I Peter 2:2b “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

There is the proof from the desire. It is just natural for a baby to have the desire or a craving for milk?

ILLUSTRATION: In a nursery room, we never seen a nurse take a chalk and then write down some instruction what the baby suppose to do in order for the baby to understand. There is no need to that, the baby knows what to do when that bottle touches their lips the first time.

2. The Purpose

I Peter 2:2c “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

There is the purpose from the desire.

If you do not eat, you would not grow. When you stopped eating because of fatigued this would not make you grow, that is applicable both in physical and spiritual.

The Word of God is described as bread in Matthew 4:4

Matthew 4:4 – “It is written, man shall not eat bread alone, but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

The Word of God is described as honey in Matthew 119:103

Matthew 119:103 “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Based on American medical association findings: An individual will consume in a lifetime: 150 head of cattle, 2,400 chickens, 310 pigs, 26 acres of grain, 50 acres of vegetables. How about you in your lifetime, how much spiritual food will you consume? It would depend on you.

There are some who said that some birds can go 9 days without eating, some dogs can go 20 days without eating, some turtles can go 500 days without eating, some snakes can go 800 days without eating, some Fish can go 1000 days without eating. Did you know there are some Christians that can go day in, and day out, day in day out, they just continually go without eating spiritual food and they wonder why they feel so puny spiritually. There is no spiritual life in them, and they act like they are dead. Brethren, the word of God will put life in you! Amen

Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 – “It is written, man shall not eat bread alone, but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Job said in Job 23:12 “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

Note: I would do without my breakfast before I would do without my Bible study.

If someone doesn’t have a desire for the word of God, there are only 2 possibilities: It is either they are not saved or they are spiritually sick.

III – LORD’S ATTRIBUTES BECAUSE OF THE DISCERNMENT

If we learn something about the Lord would surely give us a desire to grow and please the Lord.

I Peter 2:3 “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

The verse telling us that if so be ye have discernment that the Lord is good and kind.

Psalms 34: 8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Question: How can one taste the Lord?

First, a person is to allow food to enter their mouth, a person has to eat, then the spiritual food will enter the mind.

When someone eats the word and digest the word, they will learn about the Lord’s goodness which will stimulate someone to grow and please the Lord.

Hebrews 6: 5 “And have tasted that the good word of God.”

II Peter 3: 18 “But grown in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Two primary things about the Lord’s goodness when we get into the word.

A. The Lord’s Goodness in the past

Before we got saved, God had MERCY toward us. God spared our life long enough to get saved.

What about those unbelievers. The lost people didn’t take advantage of God’s mercy. They boast of tomorrow, but they don’t know what tomorrow will bring. The unsaved people kept a going until it was too late. They wasted their precious time and opportunity to be saved.

God loved all in the world enough to send and give His beloved Son Jesus Christ to take our place, and some reject His Son as their Saviour, and walk on God’s mercy.

B. The Lord’s Goodness in the present

When we get into the word and learn about the Lord, we learn that the Lord is still being good to us after we get saved.

James 1:7 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights.”

Let us always learn to Praise the Lord for God is good, for He provides for us. There should not be a word that comes out from our mouth saying that we don’t have something and having nothing that seems God is unfaithful to us. We say some negative words that seems God is not concern with our needs. We lack to God but God never lacks in us.

Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Let us always learn to Praise the Lord for God protects us. God protects our souls. God protects us from Satan. God control everything in our lives. We will not be hurt unless God allows with the purpose for our good and for His glory.

Let us always learn to Praise the Lord for God will one day come again and get us. Amen!