“Letting The Seed Work” – 1 Peter 1:10-25

In Mark’s gospel narrative, Jesus is about to begin the “parable” teaching phase of His ministry and the beauty of the kingdom (the church) will begin to unfold. The true beauty is found in the realization that Jesus died to establish a kingdom without borders; a church without walls. The word of God, Jesus says, is like a seed that germinates in the hearts and minds of people and, if it takes roots and is nourished, will produce fruitful growth.

Peter spends much of his effort in his two letters addressing the power of God’s word to change lives. This comes not only from inspiration, but from experience. Peter is a man evolved. He walked with the Master and he submitted to Him. He walked with the Teacher and he learned from His words. He walked with the redeemer and received His grace.

As we read the words Peter writes to us let’s look for the footsteps he left behind. We will not only see Peter’s steps, but the steps of the One he followed. Then we can pause to hear what the Holy Spirit says through Peter about the result of people fostering seed growth in their lives.

The angels and the prophets were curious about the plans that God had for His covenant people (1 Peter 1:10-12). Before all things unfolded through Jesus, the world was divided between the Jew and the Gentile, but prophesy foretold a day when the word of God would go out and bring the Gentiles in. There was testimony about the suffering and death of the Messiah (1:11) and then of subsequent glory.

It just did not add up … at least not to anyone except God.

The sacrifice of Jesus – God in human form – had always been the plan (1:20) to redeem the jewel of creation that had fallen from the crown. Covenant relationship would not be by birthright (Jew vs. Gentile), it would be by faith (1:21). Salvation would not be by man’s sacrifice of animals or payment of ransom (1:18-19), it would be by the grace of God’s self-sacrifice. In these amazing truths we find the power of God in “seed form” waiting to germinate in good and honest hearts (1:23-25) and open, submissive minds (1:13a).

The seed cannot germinate in a person who simply will not change from following their desires to following the way of Christ (1:14). Faith and grace require obedience that produces personal holiness (1:15-16). The parables of Jesus and the gospel narratives combine with the epistles to teach the way of holiness. Only in holiness, a lifestyle transformed by Christ through a repentant mind and heart (1:13a), can the seed produce a plant that bears fruit. The submissive, repentant mind looks to the One who called (1:15) through His own sacrifice (1:19) and sees the futility of this world and its ways (1:17). The former desires tug (1:14) and Jesus calls. Faith and hope in God (1:21) are the only power that can offset the lure of sin. Continual cleansing is found in the blood of Christ (1:19) and the purification of holiness in Christ through obedience to the word of God (1:22).

In this we are not alone. Not only do we have the Father, His Spirit and His Christ, we have others born of the same seed. Seed produces after its kind. Truth produces Christians. All fruit-bearing plants born again of the word of God and purified in obeying the truth are God’s bountiful covenant garden – the kingdom … the church … the saved. Fostering seed growth and fruit production will inevitably produce brotherly love (1:22b) in this lush garden. It was love that created the seed and love is the life force imbedded in that seed.

The new life is born of love and must live in love.

Anything else is either born of a different seed, or being born of the same seed will soon wither and die.