Supernatural Love

We will take your Bibles and turn to one Peter, and we are going to finish up the first chapter this morning, one Peter chapter one, and we're going to be looking at verses 22 through 25, verse Peter chapter one, verse 22, Peter, write since you have an obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren. Fervently love one another from the heart. For you have been born again not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable. That is through the living and enduring word of God for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass, the grass withers and the flower falls off. But the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which was preached to you. Father, we are going to have this very same word that Peter was referring to preach to us today.

And I pray that we would be mindful of this dynamic, that when a man gets up and simply reads the scriptures and explains the scriptures, that is actually your voice that we're hearing speaking to us through your eternal word. And we know that your word never fails to accomplish the purpose for which you send it forth. And so you have many purposes for everyone's life here this morning that you want to accomplish something in each of our hearts. You want to affect changes by your spirit through your word. And so would we all be sensitive to your spirit's work as we hear you speak to us today from these verses. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, our son Jacob, experienced a major milestone in his life this past week. He watched It's a wonderful Life for the very first time he beat me to it. I think I was late into my twenties before I ever disciplined myself to actually sit down and hang with it through the whole thing. And so he watched. It's a Wonderful Life and this is just one of a number of classic holiday specials that are aired during the month of December. And probably like you, I have fond memories as a kid watching shows like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, and the Little Drummer Boy and a Charlie Brown Christmas and my all time favorite, how the Grinch Stole Christmas. I'm sure you're all familiar with that Dr. Seuss story. But let me remind you of the climactic scene which marked the turning point in the grinch's life, the bitter, hateful, irritable, antisocial Grinch who lives with his dog Max and a cave atop Mount Crumpet disguises himself as Santa and dresses up max like a reindeer and successfully raids the village of Whoville of all their Christmas stuff on Christmas Eve.

And so he is sure that Christmas will be ruined for all the people in Whoville. But as the Grinch reached the summit of Mount Crumpet ready to dump the bags off the cliff, something stops him in his snowy tracks. He hears all the who's, despite having no gifts or decorations or food joyfully singing as Christmas Day Dawns. And to his chagrin, he hadn't kept Christmas from coming and he realizes that Christmas must mean something more than what you can buy in a store, right? Dr. Seuss fans out there, anybody. And at that very same moment, the sled that was loaded with all the whose presence and decorations begins to slide over the cliff and the Grinch and Max struggled to secure it. And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say the grins small heart what grew three sizes that day and he found the strength of 10 Grinches times two.

Well, he saves a sled and rides back down the mountain and returns all the who's belonging joins in their Christmas celebration by celebration, by carving the roast beast. My question for us this morning is what was it that made the Grinch different? Where did the change take place in his life? He had a change of what heart and this grumpy, stingy, unloving, recluse was transformed into a happy, generous, loving guy who craved community. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not implying that the Grinch got saved. That would be some strange theology, right? But the transformation that took place in his heart is I think a good analogy of the transformation that takes place in our hearts when we get saved before we're saved. Like the song says about the Grinch, we are mean, we're mean ones, we're vile, we're foul, we're cuddly as a cactus and charming as an eel. And we have the sweet tenderness of a seasick crocodile. Why? Because our hearts are empty holes filled with unwashed socks and our souls are full of gunk.

And to be even more specific, and I quote from your a mean one, Mr. Grinch, our soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable, rubbish imaginable, mangled up, entangled up knots that perhaps is one of the best definitions of total depravity I've ever read. Dr. Seuss got the depravity thing down and this is what we glean from the scriptures from the very beginning. In Genesis chapter six verse five, it says, in the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Psalm 14 verse one, the fool has said in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt. They've committed abominable deeds. There is no one who is good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there's any who understand, who seek after God. They've all turned aside together, they become corrupt. There is no one who does good. Not even one. Proverbs six 18 says that we have hearts that devise wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil. Jeremiah said that our heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. No one can understand it.

And to make matters worse, Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 1323, can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? In other words, can a black person make themselves white or a white person makes themselves black or can a leopard become a tiger and a tiger a cheetah? No, that's impossible because that's who they are. He says, then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil. In other words, you can't help yourself. That is just who you are. Matthew 1519, for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, slanders, and then of course the crowning description of man's sinfulness. In Romans chapter three, verse 13, Paul says, their throat is an open grave with their tongues. They keep deceiving the poison of as is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood destruction and mercy are in their paths and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

And so when we considered the description of our depravity, the gunness of our heart, if you will, it would be natural to assume that a holy God wouldn't want to touch us with a 39 and a half foot pole, if you remember that line from the song. But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loves us caused wretched sinners like you and like me to be born again and cleansed from all of our gunness. And on top of all that he adopted us as his children. And so consequently a transformation has taken place in our hearts. In fact, that's how the prophet Ezekiel described the salvation to come, which we are the recipients of Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 25. He said, I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I'll remove the heart of stone from your flesh and I'll give you a heart of flesh.

In other words, our hearts have been changed by the gospel, the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, his death, his resurrection. And one of the changes that the gospel accomplishes in our hearts when we're born again is how we interact with others, particularly fellow believers. When we become a new creature in Christ, our life takes on an entirely new direction. And also we are given entirely new affections. And one of the clearest indications that a person is a Christian is that they love other Christians. If you remember on that night in the upper room, Jesus began his time with the disciples by washing their feet, which was a mortifying experience for them, but an exemplary opportunity for him. And this is what he said in John 13, verse 13, if I then the Lord and the teacher washed your feet, you also ought to wash my feet. Is that what it says? No. He says that you ought to wash one another's feet for I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. And then he followed it up with this. He said, A new commandment I give to you that you love one another even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all men will know that you're my disciples if you have love for one another.

So how do you know somebody's a Christian? They love other Christians. The beloved disciple John was there that night. He experienced that Jesus had washed his feet and he later reiterated those famous words several times about loving one another in his letter that he wrote to Christians who were doubting their salvation and were there in the neighborhood. In fact, it's the next book after second Peter is First John, turn over there with me. Just turn to the right a few pages and you'll find one. John, listen to what John says in one John chapter three, verse 10, one John chapter three, verse 10. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Okay, so he says it's pretty clear. No mistake, who's the child of God and who's the child of the devil? Anyone who does not practice righteousness and not of God, nor the one who does not what love his brother for this is the message which you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another and he's repeating the words of Christ not as Cain who was of the evil one and slew his brother, and for what reason did he slam him because his deeds were evil and his brothers were righteous.

Do not be the surprise brethren. If the world hates you, we know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death, everyone who hates his B brother is a murderer. And you know that no murder has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children let us not love with word or with tongue, but indeed in truth, we will know by this that we are of the truth and will assure our heart before him. And then look at chapter four verse seven. This is the classic passage about God is love.

Beloved, let us love one another. For love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love, does not know God. For God is love. By this, the love of God was manifested in us that God sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him in this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. And then that chapter closes with these two verses, verses 20 and 21. If someone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a what?

A liar for the one who does not love his brother, whom he is seen cannot love God whom he is not seen. And this commandment we have from him that the one who loves God should love his brother also. So very simply, God is love as his children who have been loved by God. We are to love each other like he loves us. That's what Paul said in Ephesians chapter five verse one, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for you. So as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to reflect the love of our father and how we relate to one another rather than being grumpy and stingy and selfish and critical grinches, if you will, we should be happy and generous and unselfish and gracious.

But the only way that can happen is if we're born again. You see, when we get saved, God pours his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That's Romans five, five and he teaches us how to love by his own example. That's one Thessalonians four nine. And we know Galatians 5 22 that love is one of the premier fruits of the spirit. In fact, it's the leading fruit of the spirit that the Holy Spirit produces in the hearts of believers. So when we get saved, it's as if God enlarges our sin, shrunken, shrunk in hearts and enables us to do what we couldn't do before.

And that's essentially what Peter is getting at in these verses that he answered two questions about the love that we should have for one another, which is the supernatural result of having been born again. And so if you're following along with the notes in front of you, you're taking notes, there's going to be two questions that we're going to be asking from this text. Number one, how we should love each other and secondly why we can love each other. Peter answers the question how we should love each other in verse 22, and he answers the question why we can love each other in verses 23 through 25. And so let's look first of all at how we should love each other. Verse 22, therefore excuse me, I jumped down to chapter two verse one, verse 22, since you have an obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren.

So first of all, we are to love each other sincerely. Now we'll get to that. We have to look first of all at that phrase leading up to that since you have an obedience to the truth purified your souls. This is another way of saying now that you've been saved and are pursuing a holy life, if you remember from our previous studies back in verse 15, we are called by the holy one to be holy ourselves. Why? Because you shall be holy. For I am holy. That's what the word of God says when it says since you have in obedience to the truth purified your soul. This is in the Greek language is called a perfect partisan, which the only reason why I bring that up is because it was used to describe an act that took place in the past that has results which continue into the presence. So Peter is talking about something that happened in the past when we obeyed the truth and our souls were purified. In other words, the moment that we get saved we're cleansed of all our sins we're considered holy in God's eyes. But from that moment on, we are commanded to be holy as God is holy.

And by the way, this is the second time in this opening chapter that Peter describes salvation as obedience to the truth. Look back at verse two. You remember, he says that we were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father by the sanctifying work of the spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. Look at chapter four verse 17. He says that again, for it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not what obey the gospel of God. When Peter was giving a defense of their ministry in the Book of Acts, when the Pharisees were trying to shut the disciples down after Pentecost because they were making such a stir in Jerusalem, this is what Peter said in Acts chapter five, verse 32, we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.

I think this is just interesting the way Peter used essentially the word obedience as a synonym for faith or belief. He wasn't denying the necessary role that faith plays in us getting saved. He was simply defining true, saving faith and he was simply echoing the words of his fellow apostles who made it clear throughout the New Testament that the gospel is something to be obeyed and is often referred to conversion as obedience. For example, John and his gospel use faith and obedience interchangeably. John 3 36, Hugh believes in the son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the son will not see life with the wrath of God abides on him. So believing is obeying, obeying is believing, to believe is to obey.

They're like two sides of the same coin. He may remember from our study of the book of Romans how Paul referred to salvation in terms of obedience. In Romans one five, he says that he received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles. And he talks about those who obey the truth and those who don't obey the truth. He talks about Christians in Romans six, verse 17. He says, though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were committed. He's talking about obeying the gospel. He actually says that in specific Romans 10 16, but they have not all obeyed the gospel.

And then maybe most notably in two Thessalonians chapter seven, when Paul was talking about the return of Christ when he's revealed from heaven with his mighty angels inflaming fire dealing out retribution to those that do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Again, what's the point? Well, being saved requires more than just believing or accepting Jesus into your hearts as it's so often communicated. It is believing so strongly in those facts of the gospel, the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, that you turn from your sin, you repent and you commit your life to follow and obey Jesus. That again, salvation is not merely intellectual. It doesn't just happen up here in our heads, it's volitional. It requires an entire life commitment.

And so he says, since you have made that commitment, since you have an obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren. That word love there is the Greek word Philadelphia, which comes from the word the root word phileo, which we know is one of the main words in the New Testament to describe love. It's a love for a friend or it's a love for a brother. We all are familiar with the city of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love you were thinking, shove, but it's actually love, but that's what it means. Philadelphia, look at chapter two, verse 17. He strings this theme along throughout this letter, honor all people love the brotherhood. Chapter three verse eight, to sum up all of you, be harmonious, sympathetic. And then he just says brotherly, be brotherly towards one. And then in chapter five, verse 14, he says, greet one another with a kiss of love.

We'll talk about that when we get there. So be careful how you apply that in the meantime. But I think the point is it's natural for siblings to love one another and even to express their love for each other physically, right? When you see your brother or sister, what do you do? You kind of hug on 'em and you kiss 'em and they come sit on your lap or you cuddle on the couch. There's a physical expression of your love. Well, guess what? Every Christian is a member of God's family and therefore we should view one another as spiritual siblings, brothers and sisters who are related to one another through our common commitment to Christ.

Paul instructed Timothy who was pastoring the church in Ephesus when he wrote one Timothy and he said this in chapter five verse one, do not sharply rebuke an older man but rather repeal to him as a father to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the young woman as sisters in all purity. So he was not just instructing Timothy how to treat and converse with other members in the body of Christ, but how to view them. It starts with how you view them. You view the older men as your dad. You view the older women as your mom. You view the younger men as your brothers and the younger women as the sisters, your sisters with all purity.

And notice he says here, Peter says back in verse 22, he says that you would purify your souls for a sincere love of the brethren. Literally the word that he uses there is retos, which is the word for what does it sound like anything in our language today? How about hypocrite? So we are to love each other sincerely or without hypocrisy. And that word retos was used back in Peter's day of ancient actors who wore a mask to play a role and they would put on a mask and they'd come out on stage and they'd pretend to be somebody that they weren't.

And so what Peter was saying is that we shouldn't just pretend to love one another. Our love must be genuine. It must be real, not fake. We've been using a term as staff over the last few years, a term that Kyle brought into our vocabulary called peace faking. Peace faking, right? We do a lot of that. We fake that we're really okay with one another when we're really not well. There's also there love faking. We do a lot of that too. We pretend. We act like we love each other when we really don't. Romans chapter 12 verse nine, Paul said, let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, clinging to what is good, be devoted to one another and brotherly love give preference to one another in honor.

And so our love must be sincere. It must be without hypocrisy, it must be purely motivated. In other words, we should love each other for what we can give rather than what we can get in return. How do you know if your love is sincere or not? Well, perhaps what Jesus said in Luke chapter six could help us. Luke chapter six, verse 27, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. And then he says this, if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount, but love your enemies and do good and lend expecting nothing in return and your reward will be great and you'll be sons of the most high for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. So again, compare your love to God's love, which is done without any expectations for anything in return.

So we're to love sincerely or genuinely or purely. But secondly, we're also to love fervently notice he says there in verse 22, since you have an obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. Now I need to point out that that word love there after fervently is a different word than the word love. After sincere, sincere love is phileo, fervently love is. Guess what? Agape, which is the unconditional, sacrificial, selfless love that God demonstrates towards us in Christ. For God's so love the world that he gave his only begotten son, Romans five, eight, God demonstrates his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Ephesians chapter five, verse 25, husbands love agape your wives in the same way that Christ loved you and gave himself up for you. So this is the kind of love that Peter is transitioning from philo to agape.

And so in the same way that God seeks our greatest good, even at great cost to himself, we should seek one another's greatest good even if it requires great cost to ourselves. Christ suffered and sacrificed much in order to love you and to love me. And so when we love others like Jesus loved us, it will require us to suffer and to sacrifice as well that is, unless our love is merely cordial or superficial, but that's not the kind of love that Peter is exhorting us towards. He wants our love to be fervent. Look at chapter four verse eight. He repeats this same command, one Peter chapter four, verse eight. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. So we are to fervently love one another, and that's not just a one-time thing. Well, I did it. I loved them. Now I can move on. I don't even have to deal with it anymore. No, you need to keep fervent, remain fervent. This is an ongoing fervency and this word fervent, it's an interesting word. It's an athletic term that was used to describe a muscle being stretched or strained to its limit or a running a runner just going all out in the race, just running as fast as you can.

Luke used the same word fervent to describe the earnestness or the fervency with which Jesus prayed in the garden of gaze. You remember? And it says that he sweat what drops of blood. Luke chapter 22, verse 44. I mean, that's fervent prayer. You are praying so intensely. There's such an intensity in your prayers that your capillaries in your faith bursts and the sweat mixes with the blood and drips off your face. I mean, that's a serious prayer meeting. So Peter is saying, we must love one another earnestly and intensely with all of our hearts. Notice he says there fervently love one another from the heart.

So it needs to be with all of our hearts and it needs to be from the bottom of our hearts. In other words, we should not be loving halfheartedly. We need to be all in and we need to go all out in our love for one another. We need to be willing to exert ourselves and expend a huge amount of energy as we strive to love each other. I mean, let's be honest, loving others is hard work. It can be exhausting mentally and physically and emotionally. And if we're being honest, right? Some people are just more difficult to love than others because of their personalities, because of their attitudes, because of their quirks or idiosyncrasies. And so it may be that we need to ask God for an extra measure of grace to love someone who may be hard to love. But as you pray, keep in mind that someone is probably also praying that God would help them love you.

So simply applied. We show love to others, this kind of love, this sincere fervent love. When we treat other people the same way God treats us, God forgives us so we forgive others. God is kind to us. So we're kind to others. God is patient with us. So we are patient with others. God is gracious with us, so we're gracious with others. And what makes it possible for us to love others like God loves us is because he's regenerated us through his work. And hopefully as we were working through that first verse, you're we're getting increasingly uncomfortable in the sense that what Peter is advocating is impossible for you to do in and of yourself. What he's describing is not natural. This doesn't come naturally to any of us. This is supernatural.

And so he goes on to remind us here why we can love each other. Notice verse 23 4, here's the reason you are to love one another sincerely and fervently. For you have been born again, not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable, which by the way, this is the third time that in this first chapter, Peter mentions the terms perishable and imperishable. Remember in verse four, he talks about the inheritance that we obtained through Christ is imperishable. Verse 18, we just looked at this last week knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your feudal way of life, inherited from your forefathers. And now he talks about being born again, not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable.

It's an interesting concept, this idea of a seed. Everything that has life, whether it's human life or animal life or plant life starts with a seed of some sort. And every living thing from the moment it is created begins to what decay and eventually dies. But while that is true of natural birth and physical growth, it doesn't apply to supernatural birth and spiritual growth. Natural birth and physical growth produces temporary life, whereas supernatural birth and spiritual growth produces everlasting life. And again, this is the concept being born again. We're familiar with John probably more than any other gospel highlights, this idea of being born again. John chapter one, verse 12. But as many has received him Christ to them, he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

So talking about being born of God. And then Nicodemus came in the middle of the night to converse with Jesus. And Jesus said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, this is John three, three unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Verse seven, do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. And then again, we know John three 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only be God and Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have what kind of life, temporary life, short-lived life. No eternal life, everlasting life.

Why? Because the seed that creates spiritual life in us and causes spiritual growth in us is the word of God, which is what eternal. And that's what Peter went on to say here, for you have been born again, not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable. Well, what are you talking about this seed? Well, let me be specific. That is through the living and enduring word of God. And Peter May have picked this up, this whole analogy of the seed through sitting there listening to Jesus tell parables, and in many of his parables, he likened the word of God to seed. Probably the most familiar would be the parable of the soils, right? Matthew chapter 13, that there was a sower and he cast the seed and the seed landed on different types of ground and it had different effects. And it is a picture of the way the word of God falls. And even in its falling right now, it's like the seed is being thrown out this morning and it's landing on all sorts of different kinds of hearts. And time will tell whether you have a heart that could be likened to bad soil that produces no fruit from this message or good soil because it produces fruit. Fruit comes from sitting under the teaching of God's word.

So Peter is just drawing that same analogy that Jesus did, likening the word of God to seed. And I think it's important that we just take a step back here quickly and remember the role of the Holy Spirit when it comes to our regeneration. He doesn't mention it here. He mentioned it back in verse one, or excuse me, verse two. He talks about the three members of the Trinity and the role they play in our salvation. God foreknows us or chooses us according to his for knowledge. We are sanctified or set apart by the work of the Spirit. We talked about the regenerating work of the spirit back in that text and then to obey Jesus Christ. But the Holy Spirit is the one who regenerates us, who causes us to be born again.

Again, John three, five, truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Second Thessalonians two 13, God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit. And then Titus three, five, it says, he saved us God, excuse me, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. And so the Holy Spirit is the one that breathes life into us when we were dead in our trespasses and sins and regenerates us and brings us back to life and grants us repentance and faith. It's the Holy Spirit who does that. And the tool that the Holy Spirit uses to do that is the Bible, the word of God. You remember in the description of the armor of God, in Ephesians chapter six, verse 17, Paul makes it very clear about our weapon. We have one offensive weapon in our arsenal, if you will, and he says the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

And so it's the spirit who the sword of God's word. And so listen to some of these verses. I'll just read 'em to you at how the spirit wields the sword of the word for salvation and also sanctification. Let's look at how the spirit uses the word to save people. One Corinthians chapter one, verse 21, for since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God. God was well pleased through the foolishness of a message. Preach to save those who believe. In other words, God ordained this thing that's going on right now to save people the preaching of his word. Romans 10 17, faith comes by hearing and hearing. What do you got to hear in order to have faith? The word of Christ. The Word of God. James, you're right there. You could turn back a few pages if you want. James chapter one, verse 18. In the exercise of his will, he brought us forth. In other words, he brought us back to life. He's talking about our regeneration here by the word of truth.

And then right there in the same context, verse 21, therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness and humility, receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. So we see the word of God is the tool that the Spirit uses to save us, but also to sanctify us in John 1717, in that great high priestly prayer, you remember what Jesus prayed, John 17, verse 17, he said, sanctify them in the truth. Your what word is truth. Ephesians chapter five verse 26, back in that section about marriage and husbands loving their wives like Christ loves them in Ephesians chapter five, verse 26, so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word that he might present to himself the church and all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blame us.

So God uses the Holy Spirit, uses his word to sanctify us. He's doing that at this very moment, purifying us and making us more like Jesus so that we're ready for his return. One Thessalonians two 13, Paul was so grateful for the way that the believers in Thessalonica responded to his ministry of the word. He said, for this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you receive the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. So the word is always working in our lives. And then of course, two Timothy chapter three verses 15 through 17 really combines both the saving work and the sanctifying work of the word Paul writing to Timothy in verse 15 of chapter three, he says, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings talking about the scriptures which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All scriptures inspired by God and profitable for not just saving someone but teaching them, reproving them, correcting them, training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work. So the word God uses the word to evangelize us, and he also uses it to equip us.

You say, how does that all work? Well, it's very simple. A person is saved and sanctified when God's spirit enlightens our minds so that we understand God's word and enables us or empowers us to apply it to our lives. That's how the Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together. Warren Weby said it well, he said, just as there are two parents in physical birth, so there are two parents in spiritual birth, the spirit of God and the word of God. And so Peter is highlighting the word of God and the role that it plays in our salvation. Notice he says that is through the living and enduring word of God. In other words, when he says the word is living that God's word is alive, it has the power to regenerate and to bring dead people back to life, it's able to penetrate our hearts and affect changes in our lives. It's a powerful thing. Hebrews chapter four, verse 12, for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Isaiah 55 says that God's word goes forth and it does not return to me empty. It doesn't return void without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. So the word of God is living, but it's also enduring. In other words, it's not subject to decay or change. It's never obsolete or irrelevant. Some people will come across a passage in the Bible and say, well, that was really just for Paul's day, or that was just back in the Old Testament. That's not really relevant for us today. Times have changed. We need to get with the times, right? This is obsolete. And so we come up with a new plan, a new philosophy of whatever. It's no God's word is permanent, and to prove his point about the enduring nature of God's word. Peter quoted from Isaiah chapter 40 verses six through eight there in verse 24, all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass, the grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Hopefully that verse has a familiar ring to it. If you've been coming to our church any length of time and walk in the other door, the other entrance, it's the first thing you see when you walk in the door is this verse, Isaiah, chapter 40, verse eight, the grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of our God stands forever. And that's what this church is founded upon is this book right here, the Eternal Everlasting Enduring Word of God.

What Isaiah was doing, and what Peter is doing here by quoting Isaiah is he was simply contrasting the brevity of man's life with the eternality of God's word. We know that life is short for us, right? Psalm 39 verse four, Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days? Let me know how transient I am. Every man is at best a mere breath. Psalm 90 verse five in the morning. They are like grass, which sprouts a new in the morning, it flourishes and sprouts new toward evening. It fades and withers away James four 14. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You're just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

If you were to come into our house at any given time and walk into our kitchen, you'll probably see a vase sitting on our island with fresh flowers, not because I'm such a great guy and always provide my wife fresh flowers, but she loves fresh. Kelly loves fresh flowers, and so either she's getting them or I'm getting them. We're always getting them because she loves them, and we're always getting the discount ones at Kroger, the ones, the old ones or whatever, the ones about the cheap discounted ones. But anyway, we bring those flowers home and they're beautiful when we get 'em home. But within a week, what's happening to those things? They're starting to droop. The petals are starting to fall off. They start to get brown. They actually start to stink after a while. And so what do we do? Well, we take that, we throw 'em in the trash and go buy some new ones. Why? Because that's the picture that Peter is painting here for us and that the prophet Isaiah paints for us. But that's not true of God's word. Why? Because God is eternal, and that means his word is eternal. And because his word is eternal and it's the seed that regenerates. That's why we have eternal life, because when we get saved, we're hitching our wagon with the eternal God and his eternal through his eternal word.

And Jesus said in Matthew 24 35, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. And so in a time when everything is constantly changing and seems so unstable, you kind of feeling that way right now, God's unchanging word provides us with stable ground on which to stand. Amen. This is the only trustworthy standard of what we should believe and how we should live our lives. And notice how he ends this first chapter and this word that is living and enduring and imperishable. This is the word which was preached to you. This is the word that is being preached to you this morning.

Remember verse 12, he was talking about the prophets and how it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you and these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things which angels long to look. He's referring back to that. In fact, the word he uses there for preached here in verse 25 is you on gion. It's the verse. We get the gospel from the good news of the gospel. In other words, and those of you that have an ESV, the way they translate it, this word was the good news that was preached to you.

So from Genesis one, one to Revelation chapter 22, verse 21, we have the glorious plan of salvation laid out for us, and the people to whom Peter was writing heard the good news of salvation through the preaching of the word, and they responded to it with obedient faith. The question is, have you your hearing, the good news of salvation preached through the word of God? Have you responded to it in obedient faith? So in this text, God calls us. He enables us, doesn't just call us. He enables us to do something that doesn't come naturally to any one of us that is to love one another like he loves us. That's why I titled this supernatural love and all these things that we've just studied about, read about, talked about, are only possible as we abide in Christ and just turn quickly as we close to John 15, and this is a familiar passage.

We all know and love this passage about abiding with Christ. Jesus said in John 15, four, abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. So neither can unless you abide in me. I'm the vine, you're the branches. He who abides in me and I in him. He bears much fruit for apart from me. You can do what? Nothing. You can't do this that we just talked about Peter just told us to do. You can't do it apart from Christ. But then jump down to verse nine, interesting. In the same context of abiding with Christ, he gets very specific about love. Just as the Father has loved me, I also loved you abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. This is my commandment that you love one another just as I have loved you.

In other words, as one commentator said so well, the love that binds the redeemed flows through the love of the redeemer. Did you hear that? Did you get that? The love that binds, the redeem that's us flows from the love of the redeemer. He has not called us to do anything that he doesn't also enable us to do through the love. An example that he set for us, the loving example he set for us in giving us his son, Jesus Christ. As I was studying yesterday, I got a text from one of my pastor friends up in Dallas. Some of you guys know Roddy, Roddy Brown, Metro Bible Church, and he was telling me about a new believer in their church, and this was his text. He said, I never personally counseled this woman the body loved on her and discipled her recent convert. I believe she was on seven psychotropics a day. And then he gave me, he attached the Facebook post, and this is what she said in preparation for this Sunday, join us at Metro Bible Church this week so you can experience the kind of love I receive every Sunday. Oh, and it's potluck week two.

That's a transformed heart. That's what God does in a person's life. When they get saved, he changes their heart, and it's the love that they receive from the body of Christ. May our church continue to excel still more in loving one another, sincerely and fervently, so that when anyone visits our church or starts attending our church, they will be blown away by the Christlike way that we love one another. Amen. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word and how it's just so just hits home every Sunday, no matter where we're at in your word, there's something for every one of us, no matter where we're at in our lives, no matter what we're experiencing. Lord, would you make this pass as a reality in each one of our hearts? Lord, if there's someone here that needs to be saved, Lord, help them to understand by your spirit through your word that they're a sinner who desperately needs salvation and forgiveness of their sin, and it's only through Jesus Christ and his life and death in their place. And Lord, for the rest of us who have the hope of heaven, that we are fully confident that we have eternal life because the eternal word has regenerated us, Lord, that we would put this text into practice and that we would love one another from the bottom of our heart. We'd be all in and go all out in the way we love and serve one another. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.