Pleasantly Different
1 Peter 1:22-25
1. We are Forever Changed!
a. Purified by THE Truth. (Vs. 22a, Micah 7:19, Psa 103:12)
i. Micah 7:19, “He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
ii. Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
b. Born Again by the Word of God. (Vs. 23-25, John 3:16-17, Heb 4:12)
i. John 3:16-17, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
ii. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
2. Therefore, We Sincerely Love. (Vs. 22b, 1 John 4:16)
i. 1 John 4:16, “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.”
3. And are Challenged to Continually Love One Another From a Pure Heart. (Vs. 22c; 1 John 1:6-7, 3:10, 4:7)
i. 1 John 1:6-7, “If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
ii. 1 John 3:10, “Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.”
iii. 1 John 4:7, “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”