New wine, covenant, treasures, commands, life, way, man, attitudes . . . Self, order, and living way, heaven and earth, names, Jerusalem, song . . . Of all these the most important is the new birth.

1 Peter 1:3-2:3
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

New birth is mentioned over and over in the Scriptures. Newness is a big deal to God. There are several keys to newness.

1. Crave pure spiritual milk

We need to crave the milk of God's Word. The Prophets were intent . . . it was all for us. It wasn't about them at all. Even angels are interested! The Bible is an acquired taste. In fact, the best foods in life are acquired tastes. We must teach our young Christians to love the Bible. Crave it. (That's strong!) We need to lead by our example. Not everybody reads every day. What helps Chennai to grow? The Word is preached. Read and teach.

2. Love being discipled

Discipline is a necessary fact of the Christian life. God allows events to burn the dross from our lives. Being discipled by others purifies our hearts as well. We need to keep teaching the new Christians-it's like exercise. If I disciple my people occasionally, they'll never get used to it.

3. Love being disciplined

The average person has a full life before baptism. We must learn to discipline ourselves and to gird up our minds at all times.

4. Never lose the fear of God

Don't lose your fear of God. Everybody has it at baptism, but familiarity can cause you to lose your fear of God.

5. Genuine, loving relationships

Sincerely, deeply loving from the heart. It's from Latin for "without wax". In the last days, love grows cold. Love is absolutely key to salvation. Make sure my love doesn't grow cold. Also make sure it's visible.

6. Repent of all relational sins especially

Watch out for bad attitudes, deceit and lying. Lying is a huge thing. Young Christians will be tempted to lie. We must deal with it. Also watch out for envy, slander and gossip. Teach speaking the truth in love.