Reestablishing the New
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
INTRODUCTION
Husband & wife driving - notice a new shop - mention to wife, Look there’s a new shop. I didn’t know they were putting that shop there. - The wife replies, It’s been there 2 months. We talked about this 2 months ago when we passed it the first time.
Paul has be teaching the church of Corinth the contrast between:
God’s wisdom - Faith
Man’s wisdom - Works
He’s tried to show them the difference between what is of God and what is of the world.
Here in Ch. 3 we see Paul beginning to practically apply the principles he’s taught to address the areas of concern.
And I, brethen...
ILL - Football team - Worked as a team - Our coach wanted us to work together and play well - If one of us wasn’t adapting or playing up to our potential, he would make adjustments or try to get us to focus on the match.
Paul knew the team with Christ was being hindered and the name of Christ was being hurt by the testimony of the church of Corinth, and so he lovingly brought some correction so the team with Christ could go forward as God desires.
Reestablishing the Spiritual Condition
Reestablishing the Spiritual Condition
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Paul states the church’s condition - carnal
But what does it mean to state that one is carnal?
Spiritual Man
Spiritual Man
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Paul uses a marriage as in illustration of what takes root into a spiritual man
Woman marries - her husband dies - she is free from the law of her first marriage - she may re-marry
She marries again, and she has done no wrong, because her first husband has passed away
She is free from the law of the first marriage
Such is the case with the salvation:
Before Christ - bound to the law - dead in sins
When we receive Christ the law has become dead - we are no longer under the bondage of the law
SONG - Free from the law—oh, happy condition!
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.
The spiritual man then, without the weight of the penalty of the law, begins to enjoy fruit in his Christian life
The spiritual man sees what God instructs him, and allows God to make him what God intends.
Doesn’t approach the Bible like a buffet - He doesn’t pick and choose what he thinks is best in his life, but rather allows God to mold, change, and make him
Grandma’s grapevine - tie & anchor the vines, so the vines did not get so heavy with fruit that they break or the fruit isn’t as fruitful as it could be if the vine lays on the ground exposing the fruit to the insects and rodents
Natural Man
Natural Man
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
The natural man is the man that is unsaved
Doesn’t know Christ as Saviour - Sin has him in bondage by the law.
Carnal Man
Carnal Man
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Notice in Vs. 22 that Paul said he delights in the law of the inward man - this is referring to salvation
Paul states that even he warred/battled with the flesh
His flesh wanted to please itself, and Paul warred to bring his flesh, his body, under subjection of the desire of Christ
Babes are:
attractive enough so long as they grow up, but a babe who remains a babe for 20 years is a tragedy
Self-centred
Dependent on other for all their needs
Short attention spans
Go for things that glitter, and they have no sense of values
Illiterate and ignorant of much they need to know
Own wants are predominant
Unable to feed themselves, protect themselves, or to defend themselves
Cannot see beyond their own little world
Enjoy being the centre of attention and soon learn how to get their share of it
No thought for the needs and concerns of others
Demanding
Get themselves in the most frightful messes and seem blissfully unaware of it
Demand a great deal of care
The Corinthian church did not grow up - they were fed, but they never took the step into becoming spiritual men and women
Reestablishing the Spiritual Food
Reestablishing the Spiritual Food
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
Paul states what they needed to be fed - milk
What is milk?
Salvation
Baptism
Lord’s Supper
Resurrection
Giving
Personal accountability
Paul desired to teach them truths about the Holy Spirit, the spiritual battle we are engaged in, how to teach others, how to effectively serve Christ, and an inexhaustible wealth of truths that support a child of God serving and molding their lives to reflect Jesus Christ
Reestablishing the Need for Growth
Reestablishing the Need for Growth
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
The Dead Sea - Nothing survives
Paul shows the death of a church, but with God there is life!
Envying - jealousy
W. E. Vine says that the distinction between envy and jealousy lies in this - that envy wants to deprive another of what he has, jealousy desires the same sort of thing for itself.
The church saw others with spiritual gifts or talents and they began to be jealous over who has the better gift
Strife - contention as an expression, indeed, of enmity
The children of Israel in the wilderness
They weren’t happy with this food, that place, that leadership, etc
Divisions
The church was separated into groups over who they followed:
Paul the missionary
Apollos the orator
The church was a spiritual place of death for a new Christian
New people would come in, and they were confused about what was happening in this church that proclaimed to have the truth in Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
God has made ALL THINGS NEW in every child of God’s life
We don’t have to live a carnal Christian life
We mentioned the Dead Sea a few moments ago, however God will make the Dead Sea, a picture of death, alive -
We don’t have to live a life as babes in Christ. We may see God reestablish the new in our lives.
If you are saved, these verses ought to remind us of how easy it is to hinder growth or stay a babe in Christ
DON’T SETTLE FOR STAYING A BABE
Grow!