The Enduring Word 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 (ESV)

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

POINT #1: The Word of the Lord is permanent and endures forever 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

POINT #1: The Word of the Lord is permanent and endures forever God’s Word: Remains forever Steadfast Permanent Everlasting Enduring Our lives: Like grass Withers Fickle and fleeting Momentary Fragile

POINT #2: The Word of the Lord is GOOD NEWS! 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

APPLICATION #1: Love Earnestly 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

Personal Assessment: What would make you feel loved now? Is there a way you can do this for someone else in your life? Has God placed someone in your life you need to love? What has God given you that you can offer someone else? How can you love with your words, gifts or actions?

Loving earnestly means: Being humble in our hearts Being generous (time, money, energy, resources) Showing compassion Expressing thanks and appreciation (our words)

APPLICATION #2: Number our days 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom 12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

APPLICATION #3: Believe and share 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)

APPLICATION #4: Renounce and replace So (therefore) put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. (1 Pet 2:1)

Malice goodness & love Deceit honesty & integrity Hypocrisy sincerity, authenticity, vulnerability Envy contentment & thanksgiving Slander encouragement & speaking well of others

APPLICATION #5: Crave the Word 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

APPLICATIONS: Love earnestly Number our days Believe and share Renounce and replace Crave the Word

CONCLUSION if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:3)

Taste and see the Lord is good! CONCLUSION Taste and see the Lord is good! Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:8)