Be Mature

I don’t want to grow up!

If you were a kid in the 1980’s, you will remember the line ‘I don’t want to grow up, I’m a toy’s-r-us kid…there’s a million toys at Toys r us that I can play with…from bikes to trains to video games…it’s the biggest toy store there is…i don’t want to grow up because if I did…I wouldn’t be a Toys r us kid.”

However, we do grow up, mature, and progress through life. This is a good thing. As parents, we treasure each stage of our children’s lives but care and nurture them so that they enter into adulthood. We give them the love, discipline, wisdom, and experiences needed to grow and advance. Sometimes maturity is delayed…sometimes things can hinder their growth! That is not a good thing. We are meant to mature and grow.

A Church filled with Division...

Here’s a church that has been given care and wisdom through the preaching of the cross. The Gospel has come to them in power and clarity. This should be a church full of faith, hope and peace - a church flourishing with love, unity, and good works toward one another produced by the Spirit. Instead, they are filled with strife, fighting, and division. In fact, both their attitudes and actions are infantile and immature. They are characteristic of the world and are sinful. It is definitely messy.

Beloved, as we are separated from each other and think about coming back together in the near future, this is a timely message.

BIG IDEA - Spiritual immaturity causes division and can only be corrected by a right view of God.

Some of us might think that to be a tall order but it requires us to examine spiritual immaturity...

1. The assessment of spiritual immaturity - vv. 1-2

They could not be addressed as spiritual people.

Paul does not say that they are unbelievers or unsaved. That is very important. It is clear that the word ‘spiritual’ (2: 15) and the word ‘mature’ (2: 6). This is demonstrated by the fact that he calls them brothers and sisters who, are ‘in Christ.’

In 2: 14-15, Paul compares the ‘natural person’ with the ‘spiritual person’. The natural person has not received the Holy Spirit, does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. To the natural person, the wisdom of the cross is foolishness (1: 18). However, the spiritual person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and accepts the wisdom of the cross. The preaching has come to them…the Spirit called them…and they have been saved.

See: Romans 8: 6, Galatians 3: 1-3, Ephesians 1: 13-14.

With that in mind, the Corinthians are ‘spiritual’ and so is every true believer - ‘positionally’. However, Paul is saying he could not address them as such. This shows us that we can be ‘spiritual’ positionally but not practically.

Note secondly...

They are addressed as people of flesh and infants in Christ.

Paul presents his assessment by addressing them in two ways or with two terms.

People of flesh - He has to address them like unbelievers. It’s simple - they are not acting spiritual. They are living like unbelievers. Of course, they are being fleshly - which Paul states issues here that Paul states. But let’s make a biblical observation.

We can act fleshly. This would mean that we are not being led by the Spirit in our attitudes and actions. Instead, we are being directed by fleshly impulses - looking lustfully, reacting angrily, treating others unkindly, holding bitterness, and being impatient and judgmental. I could go on. Brothers and sisters - we are not to be controlled by our fleshly, natural emotions or desires that work against the Spirit and the Word.

We can act worldly. Our general way of thinking is controlled by the values and philosophy of Christ-less culture and Christ-less people. The governing ideals of education, politics, and entertainment are worldly - unbiblical - and can pollute our minds and our churches. The message and the mission of the church does not come to us from science...psychology…political parties…business & marketing…popular opinion…or entertainment culture.

As a Christian - and as a pastor - I do not look to the world or people of the world for standards, attitudes, meaning, hope or salvation. We must be led by the Spirit and guided by the Word.

1 John 2: 16-17 and Romans 12: 1-2 clearly comes to mind!

Infants in Christ

The Corinthians took pride in their knowledge and their cultural trendiness. They had an inflated view of themselves. Paul calls them babies - toddlers! Ouch!

We recently watched the movie BIG - no one else knows that he is a 12 year old who made a wish to become an adult and over night it happened. So it is hilarious watching this grown man, played by Tom Hanks, fill his apartment with toys and games…a trampoline. He was in a grown-up body but had a ten year old mindset.

Have you every looked at your teenager and said - Why are you acting like that? Ladies - have you ever looked at your husband and said that? I have heard Kristy say ‘Grow up!’ ‘Stop acting immature’ plenty of times… As a high school teacher, I often will have to speak to my students as though they were immature little kids. It’s not that they are ACTUALLY kindergartners but they are behaving that way.

New Christians are baby Christians - they are infants. That is to be expected. But this illustrates the problem: Christians need to mature and that is not happening to them…hear me, specifically AS A CHURCH! They are acting, behaving like children.

1 Corinthians 13: 11 - When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

1 Cor. 14: 20 - Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

They are not ready for solid food. (2)

Let me be clear that the forgiveness of sin purchased through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not mere milk. However, I can understand that we might go to 1 Peter 2: 2 or Hebrews 5: 12-14 and say that the simple Gospel is basic Christianity.

If so, it certainly would follow that solid food includes all other doctrines that build on the gospel - justification, regeneration, and so on.

However, I think the problem is they have become superficial…They are more interested in style, celebrity, performance, presentation, than they are substance. They don’t want to grow and see what the Gospel means in every area of life. We love the gospel right? But what about this...

…love your wife … lead your children … be holy … kill sin … be thankful in all circumstances … have joy … forgive others and uproot bitterness…walk by faith...love, serve, one another BECAUSE OF THE CROSS!

Why aren’t they ready for solid food?

3a - You are still of the flesh…or You are fleshly…You are self-centered. We can be focused on Christ but in practice prioritize the interests of self - right - ‘what’s in it for me…am I happy … am I fulfilled … do I like this!

Application - What would be the assessment of each of us? What would be the assessment of us as a church? Is this a dangerous place to be? Do we desire to grow TOGETHER?

With the assessment, Paul then gives the reason for his assessment...

The attitudes of spiritual immaturity - vv. 3-4

Here’s how Paul gives two specific attitudes of spiritual immaturity that cause division and hinder spiritual growth. Both of these attitudes are very common in infants and toddler.

The problems he presents:

There is jealousy and strife.

Galatians 5: 19-20 - Jealousy and strife are works of the flesh. They are pitting Christian leaders against each other - good leaders and faithful teachers.

They based their growth and spirituality on who they followed. That is wrong…no different than basing your spirituality on your giftedness, your position, your status, your clothing, your parenting strategy, your diet! It is FLESHLY and WORLDLY. This is a problem in all of our hearts and it is a problem in every church - it is filled with pride and self-righteousness.

There is division and favoritism

He connects the jealousy and the strife specifically to what is identified in 1: 11-12.

One says - “I follow Paul!” Another - “I follow Apollo!”

We need to see the spirit of division - ‘I do this…I follow this… Why can’t my kids be like their kids? Why can’t my pastor be like this Matt Chandler?’ Pastors do this too - I want the intellect of the ministry of MacArthur, the passion of Piper, the wit of Chandler!

We need to admit jYou can see the jealousy it produces and causes. The strife or division it creates is terrible in churches. .

The questions he poses:

“Are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”

“Are you not being merely human?”

Paul’s questions reveal attitudes of immaturity. He wants them to be aware of the problem and sin here. The wisdom of God would say these ministers are all important and they are all unimportant because God in Christ ultimately is who I follow! That is the atttiude of maturity!

The Answer to spiritual immaturity - vv. 5-9

Their perspective is all wrong. They are focused on self…they are focused on the servants of God…and they are not focused on God!

God assigned the servants. (5)

Paul and Apollos are servants of God. The Lord assigned them the task to bring the Gospel to the Corinthians. Yes, they preached and delivered the message. But faith did not result because of style, rhetoric, cleverness, or something in and of those men. It is the Lord working through those men. The Lord gave Paul the task and Apolos the task. It’s His assignment and they are His servants. They are important but they are unimportant.

God gave the growth. (6-7)

Paul uses an agricultural example. Paul had one ministry…Apollos had another ministry. But they both were involved in the Lord’s work when it came to the Corinthians.

The church is a field and Paul planted the field. Apollos watered and nurtured what was planting helping establish that field.

Paul is not diminishing the labor, effort, and work of God’s servants. Not at all. The point is simple - each servant of Christ does something. The labor is important! But the result - the gorwth - can only come from God. He causes it. All the results are the Lord’s. We all need to be busy but no one should be boasting. I think it is good for ministers and Christians to be busy about spreading the Gospel, discipling others, and serving the church. However, whenever we begin to tally numbers - and boast of success…there’s a dangerous line that exists.

God rewards His servants and receives the glory. (8-9)

Just because God causes the growth does not mean we are not responsible for ministry. Just because the Holy Spirit alone can impart spiritual life does not negate our responiblity to witness and preach the Gospel. Hyper-calvinism is a heresy that suggests the doctrine of election means that we do not witness to the lost and plead with unbelievers to believe the Gospel…or send missionaries and labor for the gospel!

This is a beautiful affirmation of the laborers in the field. They each receive their wages. God is so faithful. But this means that ministers are going to be assessed as to their work. God will evaluate and reward.

Yet, in the end, God receives all the glory. Paul says - We are all God’s fellow workers…You church are God’s field, God’s building…and God is the reason for it all!

The church - salvation is the result - the workers/ministers are the means - God Himself is the cause! WOrship God and glory in the GOspel!

When we understand this - we will begin to grow and mature…end division…and glorify God