Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I’d like you to go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 this morning.

The church, is no stranger to divisions.

Whether it is for doctrinal reasons, such as what took place with John Wesley and George Whitefield in the 1700’s, and with Martin Luther and Zwingli in the 1500’s; or it was based on personalities, as is true in many cases throughout the centuries of the church, the church is no stranger to factionalism and division.

In fact, it can be found as early as the first century.

It was in the very beginning decades of the church, as we are seeing here in Corinth.

As we’ve noted in our study already, sometimes division is necessary, as Galatians, Jude, and 1 John clearly teach us (as well as other places in the NT).

But the Corinthians’ factionalism, was not due to doctrine per se....but ministry personalities, or ministry styles.

Paul mentioned this problem in chapter 1, and at first glance seemingly left the topic, only to return to it here in our passage before us.

But what we’ll see, is that he has been laying the groundwork to be able to call the Corinthians to live in accordance with their true standing before God.

Paul reveals, that divisions, are not from the Spirit....divisions of this type are ANTI-CHRISTIAN.....

Let’s read this passage....

Here, Paul is teaching the Corinthians, WHY this is a problem.

He had reminded the Corinthians in the first part of chapter 2, of the time when he came there to preach originally.

We can tell from his language here, he still has that time in mind.

He tells them:

He could not address them as spiritual people.

WHY is this significant?

Well, because of what Paul has just laid out, in the text we considered last week.

Who are the “mature?”

We pointed out last week, that these are not mature Christians, as opposed to immature Christians.

Meaning, there’s not a group of Christians that have risen in maturity to the degree that they can receive God’s wisdom, but there’s a group who hasn’t been initiated into this level, therefore God’s wisdom is kept back from them.

As we said last week, there ARE mature and immature Christians…but that’s not what Paul is dealing with here.

He is pointing out what he has been pointing out consistently up to this point.

That the division worth noting, is between the church and the world.

Notice the consistent fleshing out of this division.....and notice also, that....

Repeatedly, Paul has pointed out, that he preaches ONE message....

But that one message is received by some as God’s wisdom, and it is rejected by others as foolishness.

Some receive, as we said last week, a CONVINCING COMPREHENSION, of the validity and power of the message of the cross....others, without this comprehension, reject it as foolish.

In the passage we looked at last week, Paul not only called them mature, but as we just read, he called them “spiritual.”

Those who receive the message of the cross as the wisdom of God it is, do so because they are spiritual.

What does it mean to be spiritual in Paul’s teaching?

Paul showed that the Holy Spirit searches everything, including the deep things of God, so that, if we are going to comprehend in a manner that is convincing, causing us to trust and embrace this message of the cross, we need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for it to be a reality.

So when says, “....I couldn’t address you as spiritual....” we immediately feel the stinging rebuke from his words....

The basic message of what Paul is saying in this passage is that the Corinthians were unable to comprehend the full message of the cross, because they were still acting and thinking like unregenerate people.

Which of course, is a warning to you and I as well.

We should realize this truth, if nothing else....and it’s a shocking, rebuking truth: being divided over leaders, is to align with the Christ-hating world.

Divisions from true Christians, based solely upon the people we follow, is evidence of our wicked flesh, and not the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To see this clearly from the text, I think we can divide this text up into three points....each point building off the previous point.

1)Paul’s inability; 2)Corinthians’ inability; 3)Corinthians’ evidence of the flesh

1. Paul’s inability

Paul....COULD NOT....address them as spiritual people.

We understand immediately what he is meaning, based on what he’s just said.

Spiritual people are those, he has just said, who have received the Holy Spirit (2:12).

They are those who love God (2:10).

They are those who Paul refers to as the “mature,” who are supposed to be able, by the work of the Holy Spirit, to understand the “wisdom of God,” which Paul said was concealed in a mystery but now revealed by the Spirit.

The wisdom of God being that which Paul has repeatedly called the wisdom of God…the message of the cross of Christ.

So, Paul said he was not able to feed them with solid food, but only milk.

Paul was unable to feed them with what he desired to feed them.

Of course, Paul is not saying that he had one diet, one message, for one group of Christians and another message for another group of Christians.

It is the “wisdom of God,” he gives to the mature, and it is the “wisdom of God,” he offers to the non-Christian (; ).

It is not as if Paul gives the “milk” of message of the cross to the unconverted and young....but then when they mature, he discloses God’s wisdom.

No, in one sense, both the solid food and the milk....is Christ.

Illustrate

Let me explain by using another passage....

In the book of Hebrews, the 5th chapter, the writer is describing the work of Christ Jesus as our Perfect High Priest.

In verse 10, he says this

The writer is pointing out that Christ is not a High Priest because he was born to the tribe of Levi.

Under the Law, that’s who was to serve in the Temple…so if Jesus would have been born into that tribe, he could have been a priest after the order of Levi.

But instead, He was designated a High Priest BY GOD....in the same manner of the mysterious figure Melchizedek from the book of Genesis, who was serving as a priest, seemingly out of nowhere.

That’s the type of High Priest Jesus is.

Then the writer says this:

Here we see what is often taught by spiritual maturity and immaturity....but we’ll see in a moment, it’s slightly different than what Paul is teaching Corinth.

But what is the same, and what I want you to notice, is that the content doesn’t change.

Paul is not saying, “I’ve told you about Jesus and His role in the crucifixion, now I wish I could move on from that but you’re dull of hearing.”

No, it’s “I’ve told you of His role on the cross, and how that He is our High Priest, who is a Perfect High Priest offering THE perfect sacrifice…Himself.

And I want to tell you MORE about HOW He is our High Priest, buy you are dull of hearing.”

In Corinth, it’s very similar.

I preached this wisdom, and you received as the mature do, as the wisdom of God.

But to expound further upon the implications of receiving the message of the cross, I could not, because of how you were acting and thinking.

Paul’s inability, was seen in the reality that he could not take the implications and application of the message of the cross to the full degree, in the lives of these Corinthians.

He was not hoping to move on from the the message of the cross, to the solid food of some other message......he was desirous to get them to see the depth of the message of the cross....to see that that simple message, IS solid food.

Apply

Of course, this tells us much doesn’t it.

Paul went on his mission to preach the gospel, recognizing to some degree the condition of the people to whom he spoke.

Well, Jesus told His disciples, including you and I, to, “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…baptizing them....teaching them to observe.”

If you will look at Jesus’ approach with His disciples, and the Christians’ in the book of Acts approach in the different cities they took the gospel....we will learn a great deal about how to preach this ONE message…but patiently.

Working with the people on their level.

The message doesn’t change.

The method doesn’t necessarily change.

But the level of implication and application will by necessity change, depending upon to whom one is speaking.

So when you’re evangelizing the lost, it might not be the best course of action to deal first off with supralapsarianism…which is the attempt to understand the ordering of God’s decrees.

Nor is it probably wise to start with the term, “hypostatic union,” when teaching them on the two nature of Christ.

But as they remain “mature,” in the sense that Paul deals with here.....and are therefore able to digest spiritual truths, the time will come when those terms are helpful.

So…for you that have been in the church for decades....a good question for you would be this, “Could you break down and explain Christ’s two natures to a new Christian without drifting into the heresy of Arianism or Gnosticism or any of the rest....or do you need that explained to you?”

Paul’s inability, was not because Paul COULDN’T give solid food…and it was not because he SHOULDN’T give solid food....but his inability was entirely because of the Corinthians’ inability.... (end of verse 2, “YOU were not ready for it”) which is our 2nd point.

2. Corinthians’ Inability

Paul said, he couldn’t speak to them as spiritual people…but notice how he had to speak to them.

As people of the flesh: sarkinos; meaning fleshly or merely human.

This term stands in contrast to those who are “spiritual,” who Paul said had received the Spirit of God.

We must be careful not to miss Paul’s opening description however.... “brothers,”

Whatever position these people are in, they are Paul’s “brothers.”

Meaning, they are a part of the family of God alongside of the apostle Paul.

In fact, he calls them here, “infants in Christ.”

It is also worthy to note the particular words Paul uses to describe them, and which he does not.

That which is translated as, “natural person,” is the greek word: psychikos; and it refers to a person who is in their completely natural, completely human state.

Meaning as they are born....devoid of the Spirit.

They do not have the Holy Spirit.

But Paul has already said that “we,” have received the Holy Spirit.

He has already described the Corinthians as being part of those among whom the Holy Spirit demonstrated His transforming power, causing them to trust the message of the gospel.