Loving and Longing

In one paragraph

Pastor Mark opened 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 with two commands he said run through the whole passage: fervently love one another, and crave the pure milk of God's word. He connected both commands to the fact that believers have already been born again through an imperishable word, and he closed the service with communion as a moment to act on what the passage demanded. Peter is writing to Christians, not...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 1:22 the opening verse of the main passage, on purifying souls through obedience to truth for sincere love of the brethren
2. 1 Peter 1:23 born again not of perishable seed but through the living and enduring word of God
3. 1 Peter 1:24-25 quoting the Isaiah passage about all flesh being like grass that withers, but the word of the Lord enduring forever
4. 1 Peter 2:1-3 the command to put aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander, and to long for the pure milk of the word
5. Isaiah 40:6-8 quoted by Peter and also read directly from Isaiah about the grass withering and the flower fading but the word of God standing forever
6. John 1:1-5 the divine logos, in the beginning was the Word, used to explain the living and enduring word of God in Peter
7. John 3:16 referenced briefly as the verse everyone knows, in the context of whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life
8. John 3:1-7 Jesus telling Nicodemus he must be born again, used to illustrate that no one can earn salvation
9. 1 John 4:19 we can love because God first loved us, used to explain that love is derived from God
10. 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness
11. Acts 4:12 there is no other name under heaven given whereby we must be saved
12. Romans 15:5-6 the closing benediction about the God of endurance and encouragement granting harmony to glorify God with one voice
13. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 the verse Pascal learned in preschool, encourage one another and build each other up

Talk about it

1. The pastor said that loving others fervently is impossible outside of a relationship with God, because our love is a derived righteousness. What does that mean in your daily experience, and where do you find it hardest to live out?
2. Peter lists malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander as things to put aside before craving God's word. Which of those do you think is most quietly tolerated inside a church community, and why?
3. The pastor pointed to Jesus saying 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' while the nails were going in, as the clearest example of putting aside malice. Is there a situation in your own life where that kind of response feels impossible right now?
4. The pastor described hypocrisy as wearing a mask that everything is fine when you are actually struggling, and said that honest transparency helps others who are also struggling. What would it take for this group to be a place where people feel safe taking the mask off?
5. The second imperative in the passage is to crave the pure milk of God's word the way a newborn craves milk. What does that kind of craving actually look like as a habit, and what most gets in the way of it for you personally?