1 Peter 2:2 – Changing My Desires – Bible study

1Peter 2:2 Changing My Desires Based on message of Dr. S.M. Davis, "5 Things that Will Keep You From Growing" Click here to see the first part of this message. I want to draw your attention to the word "desire" in this text. Peter was writing to young Christians, babies in the faith, and wanted to encourage them to grow up into strong Christians. Essentially, he said feed your godly desires and used as an illustration a babys desire to eat. When a baby wants to eat, you are going to have to feed him or you will have no peace and quiet until you do. If we want to be strong Christians, we must have the right kind of desires and we must give into them. Let me give you some very simple but practical truths about Christian desires. Warning: I am going to give you a lot of Bible verses. You might want to write down the references instead of trying to keep up with me. I. We can desire anything, good or bad. A. The word desire means "intensely crave. long after, lust for." B. Most everyone is passionate about something. 1. What are you passion about? a. football, politics, work (money), family, cars, shopping, dating, drinking, having fun b. Someone said that desire is the engine that drives the Christian life. 2. This morning I made the statement about Christians. a. Christ has delivered the Christian from the bondage of sin. b. That means if you are saved and sinning, it is because you want to, you desire that sin. c. Dont think that to be unusual. (1) Most people, even Christians, have things that they love above Jesus. Re 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (2) It is not right but it is true. (3) Many Christians miss church. Something serious can happen to keep you out of church on a given Sunday, but when you are missing church regular, it is because there is some place you would rather be. (4) Many Christians miss reading their Bible, praying, witnessing, and other activities of God. Why? Because there is something else you desire to be doing! 3. Someone has said, "We do what we want to." a. The meaning behind that statement is simple. b. We find time and a way to do what we want to do. c. That is the reason that we need to be careful what we allow our hearts to desire. 4. I have never seen a person who desired to grow for Jesus who did not grow! C. The word desire is used around 181 times. Sometimes it is used of desiring good things, but often it used of desiring bad things. De 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbours wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbours house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbours. 1. Almost every wrong action starts with a wrong thought and a wrong desire. De 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be SNARED therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 2. Having the wrong desire is like the fish baiting the bait and not realizing there was a hook in it. 3. Even good men, godly men are snared by wrong desires. Jud 8:24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 26 – weight of gold was 1700 shekels 27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. 1Sam 23:20 – King Saul desired to kill David. 1King 2:20 – Solomons mother desired something wrong and Solomon had to refuse her. 4. It is not just your desire you to have watch out for. Those in your family can have a wrong desire which in turn can influence and direct you. Ps 78:29 – The Jews desired flesh in the wilderness which God granted but sent leaness to their souls \#Ps 106:15\. 5. That means the Jews got what their flesh wanted but it hurt their soul, the real them inside. a. In this case, God sent a deadly judgment which killed many, leaving their bodies filled with the meat they had craved but their hearts broken. b. Many have had the fun and pleasure that sin can give to their flesh only to realize later the price they had to pay for it was too high. c. Charles Stanley – Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. Pro 24:1 – Command is given not to desire to be with evil men. 6. How many of you were warned by your parents not to hang around with someone because they felt they were a bad influence. a. I wonder if parents still do that? b. Some say, "Dont judge people by their appearances." c. That is all well and good, but dont throw you children to the wolves either. Mark 9:35 – Jesus warned about desiring to be first. Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 7. Here is the exact thing that I am speaking about. a. Christians are granted deliverance from the wages of sin, the bondages of sin, and the guilt of sin; but many, desiring the sin, return to the bondage all over again! b. They have the wrong desires! They love the sin more than the Savior. c. Christian, you can overcome any sin, but you must love Jesus more than you love your sins! II. God commands the Christians to change his desires. A. God has done, is doing, and will do some things for us. Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 1. God has quickened us (made us spiritually alive), raised us out of sin, saved us and made us to sit in the heavens. 2. In addition, whenever we are tempted to do wrong, God has promised to make a way out for us. 1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. B. However, God expects US to control our own thought processes, Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. C. And that includes controlling our own desires. Heb 12:1 let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Ro 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 1Pe 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, D. Someone says, "Preacher, I have tried, but I cannot control my desires. 1. God answers. Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 2. That is not your blood, but Jesus blood. 3. There is enough power in the blood of Jesus Christ to give you victory over every sin! III. How can I change my desires. A. You have to love Jesus more and your sin less. 1. How do I do that? The same way you develop love for people. a. Spend time with Jesus. b. Talk to Jesus. c. Think on Jesus. d. Listen to good, clean, godly Christian music. e. Listen to good sermons about the Bible. (Here you dont have to settle for the best your pastor can do. There are thousands of preachers on radio, TV, and especially the internet. Together, they have millions of hours of sermons, both audio and video, that you can listen to and watch. Find a sound preacher that you like and burn up the airwaves! 2. Any two people can develop a loving relationship if they spend time working together. a. God is a Person. He is a holy Person but He is a Person. b. He will make Himself as real in your life as you will let Him. B. Condemn your wrong desires. 1. Find out what God said about whatever desire it is that you have and memorize it. 2. Whenever that old desire starts to crop up, condemn it, quote the Bible at it, turn from it with force and vigor until you honestly feel about it the way God does. C. Dont think about fulfilling your wrong desires. Ro 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 1. Pray 2. Read the Bible 3. Go tell someone about Jesus, help someone, go get a cat out of a tree and if you have to run a cat up the tree so you can get him down. D. Seek godly desires. Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. E. Hold yourself accountable to someone else. Ec 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.