Series: Time to Grow Up Step 4: Crave Jesus
Sermon Text: 1 Peter 2:1-10, John 14:1-14
Psalm Reading: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Pastor Josh Kleinfeld
1 Peter 2:1-10
2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Step 1: Have Faith in Jesus
Step 2: Obey the word
Step 3: Endure Like Jesus
Step 4: Crave Jesus
Jesus’ first question in John: What do you want?
Disordered desire and misdirected motivation lead to disobedience and destruction, while redeemed desire and redirected motivation lead to obedience and life.
Each vice in 1 Peter 2:1 is from a disordered desire, so in order to “get rid of them” and grow in virtue, the believer must commit to craving Christ first and submitting all their desires to him.
What does God desire?
To build you all up on the cornerstone of Christ. (1 Peter 2:5-8)
To rescue you all from the darkness. (1 Peter 2:9)
To make you all his people. (1 Peter 2:10)
To show mercy to you all. (1 Peter 2:10)
The path to craving Christ first is through childlike honesty and helplessness.
Use Psalm 31:5 as a breath prayer to express childlike honesty and helplessness.
Into your hands I commit my spirit, (breath in God’s care)
Deliver me, Lord, my faith God. (breath out your old habits and desires)
Memory Verse:
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
Message Reflection Questions
Read Psalm 31:5. Take two minutes to silently repeat this verse in prayer.
What is your deepest desire or your motivation for life? When you’re stuck in a trial, what motivates you to get through?
Read 1 Peter 2:1-10. What would you say that God desires the church to understand about Himself and themselves through this?
Why are the five vices in 1 Peter 2:1 destructive to community? List some “evil desires” that might be behind the vices?
Which of those five vices do you struggle with more than others? Why do you think that is?
How does being honest and helpless like a baby and craving the basic teachings of Christ help someone grow in Christian maturity?
How does knowing the truths about Christ and Christians in 2:4-10 encourage and equip you for growing in Christ?
Read Hebrews 12:1-2 and Matthew 6:33-34. What can you do this week to get rid of the sins that hinder you and seek Jesus and his kingdom first?
As you close in prayer, pray for grace to grow, honesty to admit where you need help, courage to take the next step.
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