Milk or Steak

Spiritual Inventory

As we begin this morning I want us to stop for a minute and take an inventory of our spiritual life.

They were infants in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:

1 Corinthians 3:1–3 NIV84

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

When Paul first began working with the church at Corinth, many of them were spiritual infants. Thus, he had to give them the “milk.”

He began by talking about “Justification” which is having our spiritual relationship with God restored—Just as if I had never sinned—

The problem is according to verse 3 they are still worldly. In other words they were only focused on being justified, but Paul wants and needs them to be focused on the tougher things of God. He desires that they focus on “Sanctification” which is becoming like Christ through our obedience to His Word.

QUESTION—Which diet are you on?

Milk?

or Meat?

You see, the problem was not the fact that the church at Corinth once needed milk—we all once needed mil.

The problem was that they still needed milk—Look again at the last part of verse 2.

“Indeed, you are still not ready.”

QUESTION—Are you ready for solid food?

Or are you still worldly?

Worldly is marked by:

Jealousy

Quarreling

Acting like mere men

1 Corinthians 3:4 NIV84

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

1 Corinthians 3:

The Problem

The believers in Corinth were divided. They divided by who they followed. Some said they were Paul’s followers. Others were loyal to Apollos. While still others were loyal to Peter.

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 NIV84

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Only God, who makes things grow!

Paul & Apollos are God’s fellow workers!

We (people) are God’s field, or God’s building.

What are you building?

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3:10–15 NIV84

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Paul carefully laid the foundation.

Others built on that foundation.

Only what is done for God will last!

It’s not about building with:

Gold

Gold

Silver

Costly stones

Wood or hay

All of these will be destroyed!

We are God’s temple!

1 Corinthians 3:16-

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NIV84

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Like the Old Testament temple—God’s Spirit lives in us!

God temple—you—are sacred to God!

Focus on God’s wisdom not the world’s wisdom!

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

1 Corinthians 3:18–23 NIV84

Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

Key—Stop boasting about men!

We are “of Jesus”

We are “of Jesus!”

And Jesus is “of God!”

Jesus is “of God!”

The big question remains:

Are you worldly?

Or are you spiritual?