The Local Church: A Place of Spiritual Stimulation NOT Spiritual Stagnation!

Our Blueprint for a New Testament Church  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Introduction

The local church at Corinth was spiritually stagnated. They were not growing spiritually as God intended. In fact, all spiritual growth, as it would seem, had come to a halt. They were spiritually idle. There was no movement to know and understand the things of God. All of which was the complete opposite of what God expected. As we noted last week, the local church is to be the hub of all things spiritual. It is a spiritual entity established by Christ Himself. It is an entity that is comprised of born-again believer as known as the spiritual man. In fact, chapter 2 ends with...
1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV 1900
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
The only people who have the mind of Christ and know the mind of God are those who possess God’s Spirit. And, as we noted in last week’s message, only those who have personally accepted Christ as Savior are the ones who receive His Spirit. Thus, the local church is spiritual in that every member is saved and has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. It is then the Holy Spirit in conjunction with His Word (Scripture) that creates this wonderful atmosphere of spiritual growth within each New Testament local church. I am using the term New Testament in the sense that the local church is striving to be obedient to God’s Word. If they are, then we find a church that is spiritually filled with spiritual people who are growing spiritually together in their fellowship, worship, and service to the Lord. Such a church is a great church doing great things for God!
Unfortunately, not many churches are doing just that! In fact, the whole reason the Holy Spirit gave us this wonderful book of 1 Corinthians is due to the Corinthian church not doing what God intended as we already noted. And, as such, the Holy Spirit is writing to them (and to us today) setting them straight about their relationship with God and God’s expectations. And when we come to chapter 3, we find the Holy Spirit being very pointed about who they had become. They were not spiritually growing. Instead, they were spiritually stagnated.
It here that we learn a term that God uses to describe spiritually stagnated believers. You may remember that last week we learned the terms “natural man” and “spiritual man
The term “natural man” is one the Holy Spirit uses to describe unbelievers. People who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior are still living according to their “natural” birth. In other words, they were born physically already spiritually dead. Every person born into this world is born already separated from God. They are born already condemned. Thus, they are in need of a spiritual birth. A spiritual birth can only come through Jesus Christ.
The second term was “spiritual man.” We learned last week that the spiritual man is the person who has accepted Christ as their personal Savior. They have confessed and repented of their sinful and lost condition. They have realized that their only way into Heave and eternal life is through Jesus Christ. They have with their heart believed Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection paid sin’s price. They have verbally asked His forgiveness and completely put their trust in Him for their salvation from eternal damnation. In doing so, at the moment they open their heart’s door to Him, God gives them His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. They become a new creation. They become spiritual in the sense that they are no longer under the bondage of sin. They are now able to understand and obey the spiritual things of God.
However, in our text today, the Holy Spirit gives us the term “carnal” or as we often term the “carnal man.” And, as we will see, carnality was the reason the believers at Corinth were spiritually stagnated.
Let’s read our text and then we will see two major characteristics about “carnal believers” the Holy Spirit teaches us.
1 Corinthians 3:1–4 KJV 1900
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 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. 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?

CARNAL BELIEVERS ARE SPIRITUALLY STUNTED!

UNDERSTAND CARNAL VERSUS SPIRITUAL

1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV 1900
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Note that right from the beginning the Holy Spirit indicates that is a difference between “spiritual” and “carnal” believers. How do we know that He is speaking to believers? He uses the word “brethren.” That word is word used of sibling. Sibling as those who belong to the same family. Thus, the Holy Spirit is addressing those who belong as siblings to the family of God. Again, you can only be a part of God’s family when you have accepted Christ as your person Savior. Thus, the Holy Spirit is not speaking to the unsaved man or woman, He is speaking all of us who are saved and part of God’s wonderful family.
The word “spiritual” means a person who is characterized by the Holy Spirit. It is often used in reference to living a mature, Christian life in obedience to God’s Word empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The word “carnal” means wordly or fleshly. It is a word used often by the Holy Spirit when describing a person who lives according the this world, its attributes, and its concerns. A “carnal” individual is one still allowing sin to reign over them. This will become more evident as we study our text today.
Another thing the Holy Spirit teaches us about CARNAL BELIEVERS is this!

UNDERSTAND THAT CARNAL BELIEVERS ARE EASILY MISLED

1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV 1900
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
The Holy Spirit uses the term “babes in Christ.” They are saved. They have accepted Christ. However, there is has been no spiritual growth. They remain babes. Scripture is quite clear that God expects us as believers to be growing in our relationship to Him and in our likeness to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:14 KJV 1900
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
God wants to us to grow up. We are not to be babes or children. We all know how gullible children can be.
ILLUSTRATION: As a child, I literally believed just about everything adults or even older children would tell me. For instance, my uncle James often would tells us as kids all kinds of scary stories. I remember one night he was busy filling all of our young minds with all kinds of crazy stuff about haunted houses, graveyards, and boogie men at night. On my granddad’s property which was land that had been in the family for some time, there is a family graveyard. In fact, my brother is buried there now along with my grandfather and grandmother. However, when we were kids, that graveyard was a scary place. It was even scarier after my uncle was finished telling us all kinds of stuff. Well, to make a long story short, one of my cousins the next day claimed he was over in the graveyard looking at the tombstones. Now remember I am only about 6 or 7 years old at the time. He comes running over to us. He is all out of breath and has this wild look on his face. He then excitedly tells us, “The headless horseman is buried in our graveyard!” By his claim, he was looking at each tombstone and one of them read “The Tomb of the Headless Horseman!” Now, remember we are young kids and had just spent the whole evening the night before listening to the wild stories from the our uncle and, now, it had been discovered that the headless horseman is buried in our graveyard. Now, we all know sitting here today how totally ridiculous this notion was. However, at that age, we believed it. We were dumped into believing that he was indeed buried there. And, it took me a long time before I came to grips with the fact that graveyard was not haunted and the headless horseman was not buried there. Even today, I think about it as I go by it.
You see it is easy for children to follow wild tales and stories even those that are not true. Thus, it is the same with “carnal” believers who are not growing in the Lord. They will be easily led by all kinds ofChristianteaching. Why are they so easily misled? It is due to the fact they are not growing. They are still just “babes” or “children.” There is not enough spiritual maturity for them to know and understand the misleading teachings of false teachers. They are not spending time reading God’s Word seeking to understand the things of God.
Here is another thing the Holy Spirit teaches about carnal believers!

UNDERSTAND THAT CARNAL BELIEVERS CAN ONLY HANDLE MILK!

1 Corinthians 3:2 KJV 1900
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.
We all know about milk. Milk is that white, nutritious liquid taken from cows and/or goats. It is the most basic form of food used by human beings. New born babies start right away receiving a mother’s milk. In fact, it is very important they get their mother’s milk immediately because it helps them with their immune systems as well as necessary nutrients for growth. Milk is a liquid and thus it is easily digested. Babies have no teeth when they are born and are unable to chew meat. Therefore, it is necessary to give them milk. Without milk, they will not grow.
In much the same way, newborn believers need the milk of God’s Word. This is clearly states in 1 Peter 2:2 which says...
1 Peter 2:2 KJV 1900
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
There is not a mother here today who gave birth to their child and then immediately tried to feed them prime rib. Such a mother is mentally insane to even think or try such a thing. Newborns cannot physically handle anything more than milk. The comparison for a newborn believers is the same. They cannot handle the deeper things of God until they have time to grow and mature. Milk is necessary. The milk of God’s Word is necessary. Each newborn child of God needs to know the basics of Scripture. They need to understand their new found life in Christ. They need to understand the importance of God’s Word and how they need a daily intake of its spiritual life nutrients. They need to understand the importance of prayer and how they are able to directly to Him seeking His face. There is a lot of basic Bible principles they need to learn and being to obey.
However, it is also clear from Scripture that God expects newborn believers to grow. We already read Ephesians 4:14 which says...
Ephesians 4:14 KJV 1900
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
There is also...
Hebrews 5:12–13 KJV 1900
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Even in our text, the Holy Spirit indicates that He expected them to be growing so they could handle the meatier things of God. Yet, the Holy Spirit said “for hitherto ye were not able to bear it.” In other words, even then they had not matured enough. They were still as babes drinking only milk. And, yet, God wanted them to grow and learn more.
One of the things that the Holy Spirit desires is to teach us the things of Christ. Over in John 16:12-14 we read...
John 16:12–14 KJV 1900
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
We see this desire in His letter to believers in Corinth. He wanted more than anything to teach them greater truths and principles.
Folks, the Holy Spirit still desires to teach believers. He wants to teach you. He wants to help you know more about the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the Holy Spirit wants you to reach higher levels of spiritual maturity so that you in turn can teach others the things that you have learned. Remember the words of Hebrews 5:12...
Hebrews 5:12 KJV 1900
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For this reason, God has established the local church. Again, as I said last week, the local church is the hub of all things spiritual. As a result, each local church should THE PLACE where spiritual growth is encourage and where it happens. Every single member of this church must be growing and maturing as they feed upon God’s Word. It is why we are constantly putting before you the importance of reading and studying it for yourself. It is why we continually teach and preach from God’s Word praying that you will hear and grow spiritually. My desire as pastor is the same desire as the Holy Spirit. I want to see each of you growing from the milk of God’s Word to the meat of God’s Word. I want to see each of you not just learning, but also becoming teachers teaching your family and your children as well as others the things of God. However, the warning is this! Carnality can enter a believer’s life as well as a local church bringing all spiritual growth to a halt!
This was the case with the local church of Corinth.
Thus, the issue is that carnal believers are spiritually stunted. They remain as babes or children. They are not growing because all they drink in is the milk of God’s Word and never learn to eat the meat of God’s Word. Essentially, they have decided that they want the best of both worlds. They want to live after the things of this world while trying to hold on to the things of God. Something that is impossible to do. Christ himself noted that...
Matthew 6:24 KJV 1900
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
In fact, this is the next point in our text. The Holy Spirit now points to the fact that...

CARNAL BELIEVERS HAVE A HIGH REGARD FOR MAN’S WAY!

1 Corinthians 3:3–4 KJV 1900
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?
Again we note the reason why there was no spiritual growth and why the local church was full of division is carnality. The Holy Spirit frankly says “ye are yet carnal.” Amazingly, they had not grown. They were spiritually stagnate. And, then, the Holy Spirit characterizes carnal believers. Don’t forget that the word “carnal” means “fleshly.” A carnal believer is one who living according to their fleshly desires. He names three specific things that depicted their fleshliness.

Carnal Believers Are Full of Envy!

1 Corinthians 3:3 KJV 1900
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Galatians 5:19-21 gives us a description of how the flesh manifest itself outwardly to others. Look at the list...
Galatians 5:19–21 KJV 1900
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
This is long list. However, in that list, is envyings. Envy or jealousy, whichever term you prefer to use, is a greedy or prideful longing for something that belongs to another or even for something more intangible such as a skill or attribute. Envy is never compatible with a life of devotion to God. In fact, envy is not compatible with a life controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is just the opposite. Envy and jealousy are characteristics of a life that is separated from God.
Titus 3:3 KJV 1900
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
A person who is driven by envy and jealousy is a person who is completely focused on themselves. They are self centered only seeking what they want or desire. Thus, a carnal believers follows the flesh. Instead seeking the desire of God and seeking to meet the needs of other, they are focused on getting what they think they deserve any way they can.
As such, the Holy Spirit indicates...

Carnal Believers Enjoy Conflict!

1 Corinthians 3:3 KJV 1900
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
The word used in our text is “strife.” In the original Greek, it has the idea of bitter conflict even to the point of violent dissension. In other words, we are talking more than just a simple disagreement. We are talking a full blown knock out, drag out conflict. If you stop and think about it, it makes perfect sense. When a person is consumed with getting what they want or what they think they deserve even if belongs to someone else, they will do anything or say anything to get it. There is no doubt that envy always leads to strife. Without a doubt, envying had led to strife in the church at Corinth. Even later, in the 2nd letter to this church, the Holy Spirit via Paul writes...
2 Corinthians 12:20–21 KJV 1900
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
Apparently, they still were having the same issues. Of course, when you have people filled with envy taking every opportunity to get what they want, there is going to be division as well.

Carnal Believers Encourage Division!

1 Corinthians 3:3 KJV 1900
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Already, we noted in chapter 1 that this church was divided.
1 Corinthians 1:11 KJV 1900
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now, the Holy Spirit notes that indeed there are divisions. Something that He repeats in chapter 11.
1 Corinthians 11:18 KJV 1900
For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
One thing that a local, New Testament church must never have as a reputation is division. It is something that God warns about over and over again in His Word.
1 Corinthians 1:10 KJV 1900
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Romans 16:17 KJV 1900
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
You see division within a local church hurts the cause of Christ. It causes the message of the gospel to be made of no effect.
1 Corinthians 1:17 KJV 1900
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
And anytime that a local church is full of carnal believers living according to the flesh and not the things of God, there will be envying, strife, and division.
The Holy Spirit summarizes it this way...
1 Corinthians 3:4 KJV 1900
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
“Are ye not carnal?” or “Ye are carnal.” The very fact that they were claiming to follow Paul, a man, and or Apollos, another man, both men of flesh, proved they were indeed carnal.
Carnal believers regard the things of men greater than the things of God.
They demonstrate through outward actions the true intent of their heart. Everything screams how much they love themselves and the world. There is very little evidence of their love for God.

Conclusion

In all of this, the Holy Spirit is teaching us what NOT TO BE or DO! It is His reproof to us. He is saying to us a believer as well as a local church to NOT BE CARNAL! We are NOT to regard the ways of man greater than the ways of God. Instead, we are to be growing spiritually. We have to move beyond the milk of God’s Word to the meat. Thus, when a believer aka a member of this church chooses to live for himself or for the things of this world they are carnal. Their spiritual growth is stunted. It is a very dangerous thing. It is dangerous because it leaves the door open for envy, strife, and division. All of which is a pathway that will destroy our testimony for the Lord. How then does this apply to us this morning?
First, if you are unsaved you are still living according to the “natural man” and cannot know the things of God. For that change, you must...
Confess that you are indeed a sinner.
Romans 3:23 KJV 1900
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 5:12 KJV 1900
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Acts 3:19 KJV 1900
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 8:22 KJV 1900
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Believe (have faith) that Christ with His death, burial, and resurrection paid for the penalty of man’s sin with His own blood and then was victorious over sin, death, and hell by raising Himself up from the grave.
Romans 5:8 KJV 1900
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 KJV 1900
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 10:9 KJV 1900
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Call out to Him with your mouth accepting all that He has done and determined to live for Him.
Romans 10:10 KJV 1900
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
1 John 5:11–12 KJV 1900
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Second, believer are you living a life that is growing spiritually. Here is what I mean?
Are you spending time reading God’s Word each day seeking to learn the things of God and live in obedience to Him?
Do you have a desire to please Him with your life?
Or are you more concerned with what you can gain in this world versus what you are laying up in Heaven?
If you are more concerned with obtaining wealth and happiness now than living a life pleasing God, you are living a carnal life. In doing so, you are bring great harm to the cause of Christ, the gospel message, and to our church. Let me encourage you to repent this morning! Determine instead to live for Him! The world has plenty of churches that already being a detriment to the cause of Christ. Let’s not be one of those churches. Instead, let’s band together determined to grow spiritually living lives pleasing unto God and to others so they might know Christ!
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