Feeding the Lambs - Drink Milk Daily

As Newborn Babes

"So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech; like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment], if in fact you have [already] tasted the goodness and gracious kindness of the Lord."
1 Peter 2:1-3

[9th message of the New Believer Series]

This message will really start off this series. This one will define what this whole series will be about. New believers (being reborn) will all need to start as that, newborns. And in this series, we will assume that we are all newborn babes. We shall start with baby food, yes regardless of where we are currently at in our Christian walk.

Milk

The Apostle Peter told us that like newborns (and as newborn believers) we should long for milk, or the milk (the basics) of God's teaching.

And he premised this phase by having "put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech". 

Third Time's A Charm

Let us say this a third time -- so as newborn believers we should stay away from all (all, meaning all) traces of:
 1. Malice
 2. Deceit
 3. Hypocrisy
 4. Envy
 5. Slander
 6. Hateful Speech

So wow, such a huge assumption. And all this means is that everything about Jesus will have nothing to do with these things. And the corollary is also true. When all these are present, then Jesus ain't there.

Now does this mean that newborn believers do not engage in these things? Yes, the moment we got born-again everything in us that used to be associated with all these have all died and got buried.

But then of course, we went home or we went about our daily business and all these things that we used to do came back and flooded our inner thoughts once again -- tempting us to do these same desires of the flesh and many other unsavory things that we used to engage in.

Old Habits

So lying, backbiting, manipulating, gossiping, getting jealous, lusting about something and hating on someone will all come back. And more.

And this is the very reason Peter is telling us that we should stay away from these.

From Experience

And he knows because he himself is guilty of these things and even while he was still with Jesus during His earthly mission.

Peter used to be impulsive and stubborn (like most of us), and he denied Jesus three times. He lied, cursed and sworn he didn't even knew Jesus just so that he can save himself.

A big mouth, full of hot air and a hypocrite much, as he just proudly told Jesus right to His face moments earlier that he would not do so. Yet he did, just after having been away from Him for a little while.

Warning: Graphic Content

Personal

So he knew fully well, the moment he went away from the Lord, the temptations to do these very things will come and come quickly enough to over power even the ones closest to Jesus. So those among us who think we are strong enough, pious enough or righteous enough to resist, should really pay close attention.

No, it will not be easy to resist, otherwise Peter wouldn't have done what he did. Although Jesus wouldn't have allowed Peter to get his foot stuck to his mouth again. He would not have allowed Peter to fall flat in his face once again, embarrassing him completely, without a reason.

Lesson

Peter had to learn his lesson, although the hard way. But this helped him a lot. Now, as new believers we do not have to go through this, but because like Peter we are stubborn, often times we have to.

Now as we "long for the pure milk of the word" then this will come a long way to nurturing and growing us through our awkward stages of spiritual infancy, childhood and spiritual maturity.

Peter knows that after we have "already tasted the goodness and  gracious kindness of the Lord", like they did; and after having failed to do the right thing, then we would learn our lesson, like little children learning the hard way, nurtured by loving parents and siblings.

We can do the same thing (yet avoid the mistakes of previous believers who came before us). But not because we are more educated or better than them and not because we are good or strong enough. But only by God's Word, by God's grace and by God's Spirit.

New Believer