October 01, 2023 | Dave McGinley
Passage: 1 Peter 1:22-2:3
"Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." 1 Peter 2:17
"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love (Philadelphia),
love (agape) one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God;" Peter 1:22-23
“'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 remains forever.' And this word is the good news that was preached to you.'" 1 Peter 1:24-25
“The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.” Martin Luther, Thesis 62
Truths for Caring: 1. God is great, so we do not have to be in control.
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11
Truths for Caring: 2. God is glorious, we do not need to look elsewhere.
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
Truths for Caring: 3. God is gracious, so we do not need to prove ourselves.
"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." Colossians 3:16
The church cares for each other by speaking God’s enduring Word to each other.