Maturity Matters

CHURCH 911

SERMON 8

MATURITY MATTERS

INTRODUCTION:

IN THE THIRD CHAPTER OF 1 CORINTHIANS, PAUL USES SEVERAL ANALOGIES TO ADDRESS THE APPARENT DIVISION THAT EXISTED IN THE CHURCH AT CORINTH.

AND THESE ANALOGIES HELP US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS OF MOST IMPORTANCE AS WE MAKE OUR WAY THROUGH THIS WORLD...

PAUL POINTS OUT AN ISSUE THAT CONTINUES TO HAVE A PROFOUND EFFECT ON THE CHURCH TO THIS DAY...

- A LACK OF MATURITY ON THE PART OF BELIEVERS.

- INFANTS IN CHRIST...

o PAUL SAYS THAT HE IS UNABLE TO GIVE THEM DEEPER SPIRITUAL TRUTH (SOLID FOOD), BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL INFANTS IN CHRIST...

o THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THEY HAD PROGRESSED VERY FAR AT ALL IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST...

o VERSE 2 – PAUL SAYS I STARTED YOU OUT ON MILK…

§ WHICH IS WHERE EVERYONE SHOULD START…

§ BUT YOU HAVE NEVER MOVED BEYOND MILK TO THE MEATIER TRUTHS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE...

o HOW DID PAUL KNOW THIS?

§ BECAUSE THEY WERE ACTING LIKE INFANTS!!!

§ HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT BABIES THINK THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND THEM?

§ AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THEY HAVE SOMEWHAT OF A RIGHT TO DO SO...

· I MEAN THEY DO RELY ON OTHERS TO PROVIDE EVERY NECESSITY...

§ BUT THERE COMES A POINT THAT A BABY MOVES INTO THE NEXT STAGE OF GROWTH...

§ THEY LEARN TO FEED THEMSELVES, AND THEY START TO DISCOVER SOME OF THEIR CAPABILITIES, LIKE CRAWLING, THEN WALKING, THEN CLIMBING...

§ AND THIS MATURITY PROCESS CONTINUES, FOR MOST PEOPLE, UNTIL THEY BECOME PROFICIENT IN CARING FOR THEMSELVES, AND THEY STRIKE OUT INTO THE WORLD TO DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY DO...

§ BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE IN CORINTH...

§ THEY WERE STUCK IN THE INFANCY STAGE...

§ HOW DO WE KNOW?

o WELL, PAUL POINTS OUT SEVERAL INDICATORS THAT DISPLAY THIS INFANCY...

§ THERE IS JEALOUSY AND STRIFE AMONG YOU...

§ JEALOUSY AND STRIFE...

· VERSE 3...

· JEALOUSY IS AN INCREDIBLY JUVENILE TRAIT...

o IT’S SOMETHING WE SEE IN CHILDREN ALL THE TIME...

o ONE CHILD BELIEVES THAT ANOTHER CHILD IS GETTING MORE ATTENTION THAN THEY ARE GETTING, SO THEY BEGIN TO ACT OUT BECAUSE OF THEIR JEALOUSY...

· STRIFE

o STRIFE (DISAGREEMENT) N. — A BITTER DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN CONFLICTING FACTS OR CLAIMS OR OPINIONS.

o

§ HE ALSO ACCUSES THEM OF FOLLOWING MAN RATHER THAN GOD...

§ APPARENTLY THERE WAS SOME MEASURE OF A CULT OF PERSONALITY IN THE CHURCH AT CORINTH.

· VERSE 4 – READ IT...

· THIS IS ALWAYS A DANGER IN A CHURCH...

· AND IT IS AN INDICATOR OF SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY...

· NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS THERE IN VERSE 5...

· WHAT IS APOLLOS? WHAT IS PAUL?

o SERVANTS...

o WHOM YOU BELIEVED...

o AS THE LORD ASSIGNED TO EACH...

o THIS DOESN’T MEAN THAT THE LORD ASSIGNED SOME PEOPLE TO APOLLOS AND SOME PEOPLE TO PAUL...

o BUT THE LORD ASSIGNED THEM THE ABILITY TO TEACH TRUTH, AND IT WAS THAT TRUTH WHICH WAS BELIEVED BY THE PEOPLE IN CORINTH...

- SO THESE CHURCH MEMBERS HAD SOME IMMATURITY PROBLEMS...

- AND THESE IMMATURITY PROBLEMS WERE EVIDENCED BY THEIR JEALOUSY, THE CONTENTION THAT WAS APPERENT IN THE CHURCH, AND THEIR ATTACHMENT TO MAN RATHER THAN TO CHRIST...

SO HOW DO WE COUNTERACT THESE ISSUES IN THE CHURCH?

WELL A GOOD PLACE TO START IS BY LOOKING AT THE POINTS PAUL MAKES IN THIS PASSAGE...

1. UNDERSTAND THAT GOD ALONE IS THE GROWTH-GIVER.

a. PAUL MAKES THE POINT THAT THOUGH HE AND APOLLOS BOTH HAD VERY IMPORTANT ROLES IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND NURTURE OF THE CHURCH, GROWTH CAM FROM GOD ALONE.

b. PAUL SAYS, “I PLANTED.”

i. PAUL PLANTED THE CHURCH IN CORINTH AND APOLLOS CAME ALONG AFTER PAUL AND MINISTERED THERE FOR AN UNSPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME...

ii. - (ESV) – 19 AND IT HAPPENED THAT WHILE APOLLOS WAS AT CORINTH, PAUL PASSED THROUGH THE INLAND COUNTRY AND CAME TO EPHESUS. THERE HE FOUND SOME DISCIPLES.

iii. CLEARLY ESTABLISHES THE FACT THAT APOLLOS SERVED THE CHURCH AT CORINTH...

iv. APOLLOS WATERED...

1. APOLLOS FILLED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE CHURCH AFTER PAUL PLANTED IT, BUT IT WAS A COMPLEMENTARY ROLE...

2. IN OTHER WORDS, PAUL HAD A SPECIFIC ROLE, AND THAT WORK WAS COMPLEMENTED BY THE WORK OF APOLLOS...

3. BUT GOD GAVE THE INCREASE...

4. THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN RECEIVE ANY OF THE CREDIT FOR THE INCREASED EFFECTIVENESS OF ANY CHURCH IS GOD...

c. BECAUSE GOD ALONE IS THE GROWTH-GIVER...

d. SO TO WORK THROUGH IMMATURITY, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THIS TRUTH...

e. BUT HERE’S ANOTHER TRUTH WE MUST RECOGNIZE...

2. JESUS ALONE IS THE FOUNDATION. (VERSES 10-15)

a. VERSE 10 – ACCORDING TO THE GRACE OF GOD GIVEN TO ME, LIKE A SKILLED MASTER BUILDER I LAID A FOUNDATION, AND SOMEONE ELSE IS BUILDING ON IT. LET EACH ONE TAKE CARE HOW HE BUILDS ON IT.

b. THIS VERSE IS PACKED WITH TRUTH...

i. FIRST, WE SEE THE SPIRITUAL LINEAGE OF EVERY CHURCH AND EVERY BELIEVER IN THIS SECTION...

ii. PAUL SAYS, “I LAID A FOUNDATION, AND SOMEONE ELSE IS BUILDING ON IT.”

1. EVERY CHURCH AND EVERY BELIEVER HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE, AN EVERY CHURCH AND EVERY BELIEVER WILL MAKE AN IMPACT – EITHER GOOD OR BAD – ON OTHER CHURCHES AND OTHER BELIEVERS WHO WILL FOLLOW THEM...

iii. THE QUESTION IS WHAT WILL THAT IMPACT BE?

1. PAUL MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS CONSIDERATION...

a. VERSE 10 – LET EACH ONE TAKE CARE HOW HE BUILDS UPON IT...

2. WE MUST BE VERY CAREFUL THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH IN VERSE 11 AND BUILD UPON THAT FOUNDATION...

3. READ VERSE 11

iv. BECAUSE ANY MINISTRY BUILT ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS IS TEMPORARY AND WILL PASS AWAY...

c. SO TO WORK THROUGH IMMATURITY, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE JESUS AS THE FOUNDATION...

d. WE MUST ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT. . .

3. GOD ALONE IS THE TEMPLE-OWNER.

a. YOU ARE GOD’S TEMPLE...

b. GOD’S SPIRIT DWELLS IN YOU...

c. GOD’S TEMPLE IS TO BE HOLY...

d. YOU ARE THAT TEMPLE...

e. ENOUGH SAID...

4. SO WE MUST FOCUS ON THE ETERNAL. (VERSES 18-19)

a. FOCUSING ON THE ETERNAL CERTAINLY HAS A TEMPORAL ASPECT.

b. WE CANNOT BE GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD’S GRACE IF WE DON’T TRY TO IMPACT THE WORLD IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

i. AND THIS DESIRE TO IMPACT THE WORLD IN A POSITIVE MANNER IS A DIRECT RESULT OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.

c. BUT WE MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO RELY ON OUR WISDOM, BUT TO TRUST IN THE WISDOM OF GOD...

d. IF WE TURN OUR FOCUS TO THE ETERNAL, OUR FOCUS IS SHIFTED AWAY FROM THE PROBLEMS RELATED TO IMMATURITY...