1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,320 Going to go ahead and continue our sermon series looking at spiritual 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:04,640 growth. 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:10,240 And let's turn to First Corinthians, chapter three, 1 Corinthians, 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:10,960 chapter three. 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,920 We're going to look tonight at a few different aspects of spiritual 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:19,640 growth that I think all of us can grow in our understanding of 7 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,280 with within our Christian walk. 8 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:28,330 Obviously, we sometimes think that growth just means that I'm where 9 00:00:28,330 --> 00:00:29,130 I need to be. 10 00:00:29,210 --> 00:00:32,090 Like, well, I'm in church, so I obviously have to be growing. 11 00:00:32,810 --> 00:00:34,650 I'm serving, so I have to be growing. 12 00:00:35,130 --> 00:00:37,730 But what we're going to see here in First Corinthians, chapter 13 00:00:37,730 --> 00:00:40,090 three is that there were people within the church at Corinth, 14 00:00:40,090 --> 00:00:44,250 but they were not growing at the pace that was expected to be 15 00:00:44,250 --> 00:00:45,610 seen within their church. 16 00:00:45,610 --> 00:00:48,970 And actually what we see is that they're stunted in their growth. 17 00:00:49,610 --> 00:00:52,330 And we know what it means to have our growth stunted physically. 18 00:00:52,330 --> 00:00:56,670 Maybe there's a specific, a physical problem in our life that 19 00:00:56,670 --> 00:00:59,990 causes us not to grow at the proper rate, and we have to go get 20 00:00:59,990 --> 00:01:01,750 that addressed with the doctor. 21 00:01:01,830 --> 00:01:05,030 But here, the spiritual condition of the church at Corinth 22 00:01:05,030 --> 00:01:09,230 was that they should have been growing and maturing and able to 23 00:01:09,230 --> 00:01:12,230 do things that God had called them to do, but they were not ready 24 00:01:12,230 --> 00:01:12,790 for that. 25 00:01:13,110 --> 00:01:17,510 And in so doing, Paul basically gives them a challenge 26 00:01:17,670 --> 00:01:20,390 to take the next step in their Christian walk. 27 00:01:20,390 --> 00:01:23,230 And really what it boiled down to was where was their focus? 28 00:01:23,630 --> 00:01:25,310 Their focus was on the wrong thing. 29 00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:29,150 And I want you to understand that here this evening as we're walking 30 00:01:29,150 --> 00:01:32,110 in our Christian walk, there must be the right focus, because 31 00:01:32,270 --> 00:01:36,070 if we're focused on the wrong things in our Christian walk, we 32 00:01:36,070 --> 00:01:38,950 are going to be limited in our growth, and we're going to be stunted 33 00:01:38,950 --> 00:01:39,390 in our growth. 34 00:01:39,390 --> 00:01:40,670 So First Corinthians, chapter three. 35 00:01:40,670 --> 00:01:44,350 Paul is speaking to the church of Corinth, and he says, and I brethren, 36 00:01:44,670 --> 00:01:45,510 now I'm going to stop there. 37 00:01:45,510 --> 00:01:48,550 I want you to see that he's talking to believers when he uses 38 00:01:48,550 --> 00:01:49,470 that term, brethren. 39 00:01:49,870 --> 00:01:52,830 He's speaking to people that were considered to be Christians. 40 00:01:52,830 --> 00:01:55,350 He was talking to what he would consider to be his brothers 41 00:01:55,350 --> 00:01:56,350 and sisters in Christ. 42 00:01:56,670 --> 00:02:00,830 He says, I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual. 43 00:02:00,830 --> 00:02:04,030 He says, I can't even speak to you about these spiritual things, 44 00:02:04,590 --> 00:02:08,390 the things that are really to matter in your life. 45 00:02:08,390 --> 00:02:08,670 Why? 46 00:02:08,670 --> 00:02:11,630 But he says, I have to speak to you as a carnal person. 47 00:02:11,790 --> 00:02:14,990 He says, but as unto carnal, that word, carnal means fleshly. 48 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:17,760 You go to, you know, you go get. 49 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:22,480 It means meat, flesh, like you go to A restaurant, a Mexican restaurant. 50 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,560 And the carne means meat, right? 51 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:25,000 Flesh. 52 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,920 And then the idea is, is that he says, I can't speak to you in 53 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:32,680 the spiritual sense because you're so caught up in the fleshly 54 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:33,080 sense. 55 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,240 You're so focused on the material. 56 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:39,000 You're not past that stage in your spiritual walk. 57 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,680 So he says, I can't even address you in the way that you should 58 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,820 be addressed because you have a limitation, you have a barrier. 59 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:46,140 You have the blinders up. 60 00:02:46,140 --> 00:02:51,060 He says, because of this, because of this fleshly focus, you 61 00:02:51,060 --> 00:02:52,180 are as babes in Christ. 62 00:02:52,180 --> 00:02:54,540 He says, I'm speaking to you as babes in Christ. 63 00:02:54,540 --> 00:02:57,060 Babies in Christ stunted in their growth. 64 00:02:57,380 --> 00:02:59,900 What we're going to see here in the next few verses is that they 65 00:02:59,900 --> 00:03:01,860 were supposed to be on the meat. 66 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:04,700 They were supposed to be at the next step of their Christian 67 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:07,100 life, where they could grow, where they could serve, where they 68 00:03:07,100 --> 00:03:08,620 could flourish in their faith. 69 00:03:08,620 --> 00:03:10,580 But he says, I can't even get to that place. 70 00:03:11,130 --> 00:03:13,250 Because you're limited because of your focus. 71 00:03:13,250 --> 00:03:14,810 He says, you're babies in Christ. 72 00:03:15,690 --> 00:03:18,330 Now, there's nothing wrong with having babies in Christ. 73 00:03:18,890 --> 00:03:22,530 I believe a church should have babies in Christ because then there's 74 00:03:22,530 --> 00:03:24,730 not really any sense of growth within the church. 75 00:03:25,130 --> 00:03:27,690 If you show me a church and there's no babes in Christ, there's 76 00:03:27,690 --> 00:03:28,090 a problem. 77 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:30,610 You say, well, I thought we're all supposed to mature. 78 00:03:30,610 --> 00:03:33,530 Well, we are supposed to mature, but if we didn't have any 79 00:03:33,530 --> 00:03:35,690 physical babies in the church, guess what? 80 00:03:36,010 --> 00:03:38,090 We're not seeing a physical reproduction. 81 00:03:38,390 --> 00:03:40,670 And it's the same thing within the spiritual sense. 82 00:03:40,670 --> 00:03:42,750 If we don't see any babes in Christ within the church, it means 83 00:03:42,750 --> 00:03:45,190 that we're not having any spiritual multiplication. 84 00:03:45,590 --> 00:03:48,230 So there is a proper time to have a babe in Christ. 85 00:03:48,230 --> 00:03:51,910 But it's not supposed to be that they stay babies in Christ forever, 86 00:03:52,470 --> 00:03:55,830 let's say, you know, obviously now pretty much is pretty clear that 87 00:03:55,910 --> 00:03:57,150 Alicia is expecting. 88 00:03:57,150 --> 00:04:01,070 And everyone has, at least for the most part, heard that she's expecting. 89 00:04:01,070 --> 00:04:04,070 And am I allowed to say the other thing? 90 00:04:04,470 --> 00:04:05,350 Okay, so we. 91 00:04:05,350 --> 00:04:08,750 We got news this week that it's a girl, so we're excited about 92 00:04:08,750 --> 00:04:09,110 that. 93 00:04:09,350 --> 00:04:11,270 So we'll have a second girl on the way. 94 00:04:11,270 --> 00:04:14,710 So two boys and two girls, and we're excited about that. 95 00:04:14,710 --> 00:04:17,150 And that'll be a timeless celebration right when the baby's 96 00:04:17,150 --> 00:04:18,070 born, we're excited. 97 00:04:18,870 --> 00:04:23,190 But if it became five, six, seven, eight, nine years, and that 98 00:04:23,190 --> 00:04:28,710 baby was the same size and it was at the same level of maturity, 99 00:04:28,870 --> 00:04:31,640 there would be people in the church there thinking, right, that 100 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,520 baby, it's not a baby anymore. 101 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,040 That child is nine years old. 102 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,200 But there's obviously something wrong. 103 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:38,560 And sometimes that is the case. 104 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,080 And unfortunately, because of the marring of sin in this world, 105 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,120 there are instances where individuals aren't properly able 106 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:45,560 to grow. 107 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:47,920 And it's what he's talking about here. 108 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,320 He says, some of you were babies at one point, and that was 109 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:51,920 a good thing. 110 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:53,920 But at some point you're supposed to grow. 111 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:57,600 If there's a healthy Christian, he or she is going to 112 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:58,160 be growing. 113 00:04:58,540 --> 00:05:01,340 And he says in verse two, I have fed you with milk. 114 00:05:01,820 --> 00:05:04,500 And again, there's a proper time and a place in the spiritual 115 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:06,700 growth process to be feeding on the milk. 116 00:05:07,020 --> 00:05:08,620 I use this analogy all the time. 117 00:05:08,620 --> 00:05:12,020 But if one of our children was born and they were a baby, and I 118 00:05:12,020 --> 00:05:12,620 said, you know what? 119 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:13,420 I really love them. 120 00:05:13,420 --> 00:05:14,860 I want to feed them a great meal. 121 00:05:14,940 --> 00:05:19,580 I'm going to cook up a ribeye steak on the grill here, medium rare, 122 00:05:19,580 --> 00:05:20,540 the way I like it. 123 00:05:20,540 --> 00:05:22,940 I'm going to put some salt and pepper and garlic on it, and I'm 124 00:05:22,940 --> 00:05:26,740 going to throw it in front of them with a steak knife and a fork. 125 00:05:26,980 --> 00:05:28,380 That's not going to be much help to them. 126 00:05:28,380 --> 00:05:30,180 That's actually probably going to harm them in a great way. 127 00:05:30,180 --> 00:05:32,620 Even if I cut it up for them, it's still going to be a problem. 128 00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:36,140 So there is a proper place to give a baby milk. 129 00:05:36,140 --> 00:05:39,980 And he says, here there was a proper time for an immature Christian 130 00:05:39,980 --> 00:05:40,980 to receive the milk. 131 00:05:40,980 --> 00:05:43,780 But he says, and not with meat. 132 00:05:44,020 --> 00:05:48,940 For hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye 133 00:05:48,940 --> 00:05:49,140 able. 134 00:05:49,140 --> 00:05:51,860 He said there was a time and a place when the milk was appropriate. 135 00:05:52,350 --> 00:05:55,630 But you should be at that next step where the milk is not enough 136 00:05:55,870 --> 00:05:57,150 and you need the meat. 137 00:05:57,150 --> 00:05:57,910 Now, what's the meat? 138 00:05:57,910 --> 00:05:59,470 Those are the deeper things of our faith. 139 00:05:59,470 --> 00:06:01,550 That's the application of our faith. 140 00:06:01,550 --> 00:06:01,990 That's. 141 00:06:01,990 --> 00:06:04,910 That's taking it a step further than just knowing the basics. 142 00:06:05,230 --> 00:06:09,070 So he says, I gave you the milk at the proper time, and then 143 00:06:09,070 --> 00:06:11,310 I was not able to give you any meat. 144 00:06:11,310 --> 00:06:13,030 And then we see the end of verse two. 145 00:06:13,030 --> 00:06:15,390 He says, neither yet now are ye able. 146 00:06:15,630 --> 00:06:18,550 That's where we see that there's a problem in their spiritual 147 00:06:18,550 --> 00:06:18,790 growth. 148 00:06:18,790 --> 00:06:21,440 They're not able to now receive the meat even though they 149 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:23,200 should be receiving the meat. 150 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,520 And there's a difference, obviously, in this case, we know 151 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:28,760 that as a. 152 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,680 As a church, not everyone is able to receive all of the different 153 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:32,640 elements of teaching. 154 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,360 If we had a new person come into the church and they got saved. 155 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:37,960 Today, we're not necessarily going to pull them aside and talk 156 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,560 to them about every nuance of prophecy. 157 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,960 And Romans chapter 14 and Romans chapter 13, and some of these 158 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,160 deep elements, there are going to be times and places for that to 159 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:48,960 be inserted into their learning process. 160 00:06:49,430 --> 00:06:51,990 But we have to give people the right thing at the right time. 161 00:06:52,150 --> 00:06:54,710 But now Paul is saying, you're not able to receive this. 162 00:06:54,710 --> 00:06:56,230 Why are you not able to receive this? 163 00:06:56,230 --> 00:06:57,470 He says, verse three. 164 00:06:57,470 --> 00:07:00,910 The reason why they were not able to receive the next step of 165 00:07:00,910 --> 00:07:05,350 their spiritual growth process, for ye are yet carnal, fleshly 166 00:07:05,990 --> 00:07:11,110 says there's not the proper spiritual growth because the focus 167 00:07:11,190 --> 00:07:16,280 is still on the material, the fleshly, the earthly things. 168 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:18,600 For whereas there is among you. 169 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,480 And then he's going to give them the test. 170 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,600 He's going to say, this is how I know that you are carnal. 171 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,040 This is how I know that you're acting fleshly, because this is what's 172 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:28,480 going to be manifested in our life. 173 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:32,560 And he's essentially going to describe what an immature Christian 174 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,480 looks like and even what one might say is a carnal Christian, 175 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:37,080 a fleshly Christian would look like. 176 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:39,320 He says, among you, there's envy. 177 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:40,560 So. 178 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,400 So between the believers, there's. 179 00:07:42,470 --> 00:07:42,710 They. 180 00:07:42,710 --> 00:07:43,990 There was envy between them. 181 00:07:43,990 --> 00:07:46,270 They were looking at what other people had and they wanted 182 00:07:46,270 --> 00:07:46,790 what they had. 183 00:07:46,790 --> 00:07:49,510 There was this understanding of greed and selfishness. 184 00:07:49,510 --> 00:07:51,830 He says, there's envying and strife. 185 00:07:52,150 --> 00:07:53,670 The word strife means fighting. 186 00:07:53,990 --> 00:07:55,510 They were fighting amongst themselves. 187 00:07:55,510 --> 00:07:57,830 It's not even that they were fighting against the world, because 188 00:07:57,830 --> 00:08:00,470 as a believer, we're supposed to, to some degree fight against 189 00:08:00,550 --> 00:08:01,910 the things of evil. 190 00:08:02,310 --> 00:08:04,790 Even in the book of Judah says, to contend for the faith, to 191 00:08:04,790 --> 00:08:05,590 fight for the faith. 192 00:08:05,590 --> 00:08:07,790 So he's not talking about them fighting amongst the people there 193 00:08:07,790 --> 00:08:08,350 in Corinth. 194 00:08:08,350 --> 00:08:11,230 He says, you guys are fighting amongst yourselves through envying 195 00:08:11,390 --> 00:08:13,870 and strife and divisions. 196 00:08:14,670 --> 00:08:17,790 The understanding here is that he's saying, you guys aren't even 197 00:08:17,790 --> 00:08:20,990 living as you're called to live within the body of believers. 198 00:08:21,070 --> 00:08:23,950 He says, are ye not carnal and walk as men? 199 00:08:24,829 --> 00:08:26,510 He's really calling them out on their focus. 200 00:08:26,510 --> 00:08:29,190 And essentially what he's saying is, is he goes, I can't even 201 00:08:29,190 --> 00:08:30,190 give you the solid food. 202 00:08:30,190 --> 00:08:33,630 I can't even give you any more depth where you can grow, because 203 00:08:33,790 --> 00:08:36,590 you're so focused on these carnal things that are leading you 204 00:08:36,590 --> 00:08:39,420 to fighting and envying and division. 205 00:08:39,420 --> 00:08:42,140 You are walking as carnal Christians. 206 00:08:42,140 --> 00:08:44,860 And what I would say here in America, we see this so much. 207 00:08:44,860 --> 00:08:48,660 We see people that go to church, we see people that understand 208 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:51,780 that we're supposed to be different, but at the same time, 209 00:08:51,780 --> 00:08:54,340 we act very similar to what the world acts like. 210 00:08:54,340 --> 00:08:56,820 And there's that carnality in our lives. 211 00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:00,020 And if we're not focused on spiritual growth, what's going to 212 00:09:00,020 --> 00:09:02,300 happen is that we're going to grow, but we're not going to be growing 213 00:09:02,300 --> 00:09:05,860 in the right direction because everyone's going a certain direction. 214 00:09:06,260 --> 00:09:09,620 Whether it's the fleshly direction or the selfish direction 215 00:09:09,700 --> 00:09:11,220 or the Christlike direction. 216 00:09:11,220 --> 00:09:13,460 All of us are going to be on a direction in our life. 217 00:09:13,540 --> 00:09:16,340 The question is, where is our focus and which way are we going? 218 00:09:16,580 --> 00:09:18,700 And he's telling them, you guys are going in the wrong way and 219 00:09:18,700 --> 00:09:20,180 you're stunted in your growth. 220 00:09:20,500 --> 00:09:23,140 The Corinthian Christians thought of themselves as spiritual, 221 00:09:23,140 --> 00:09:26,580 but what we saw is that they're not being defined as spiritual 222 00:09:26,580 --> 00:09:29,700 because their lifestyle is full of envy, strife and division. 223 00:09:31,140 --> 00:09:35,300 And envy, strife and division amongst Christians is a sign of fleshliness. 224 00:09:36,740 --> 00:09:39,140 This, again, is not a matter of opinion. 225 00:09:39,380 --> 00:09:44,820 If there is a church that is full of envying strife and division, 226 00:09:45,460 --> 00:09:48,740 we can safely say that it's not being driven by the Spirit. 227 00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:50,180 They're not being. 228 00:09:50,180 --> 00:09:51,500 They're not following the Spirit. 229 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:52,980 They're not being guided by the Spirit. 230 00:09:52,980 --> 00:09:55,940 They're being guided by some level of fleshliness within their 231 00:09:55,940 --> 00:09:56,340 midst. 232 00:09:57,500 --> 00:09:59,340 And let me show you what I mean by that. 233 00:09:59,340 --> 00:10:03,660 If we have two Christians who say that they're walking in the Spirit, 234 00:10:03,660 --> 00:10:05,020 the Spirit is within them. 235 00:10:05,420 --> 00:10:08,820 And one Christian says, okay, I'm being guided by the Spirit, but 236 00:10:08,820 --> 00:10:10,980 I'm going to have the vision with this person that's being guided 237 00:10:10,980 --> 00:10:13,580 by the Spirit, and we're going to have a conflict between us. 238 00:10:13,980 --> 00:10:15,580 Do you see the disconnect there? 239 00:10:15,580 --> 00:10:17,340 Do you see the problem there? 240 00:10:17,340 --> 00:10:19,660 Because the Spirit is not going to fight against the Spirit. 241 00:10:20,140 --> 00:10:23,820 So one or both of those individuals is being guided by something 242 00:10:23,820 --> 00:10:25,100 other than the Spirit. 243 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,200 Now, that doesn't mean we're going to be agreeing about everything, 244 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:28,560 right? 245 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:32,160 Jesus didn't always agree with the disciples, and probably the disciples 246 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,280 didn't always agree with Jesus and certain things that he did. 247 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,520 It doesn't necessarily mean that we're always going to agree, 248 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:38,880 but it means that we always can come together with a sense of 249 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,120 unity and understanding that there's a bigger picture in mind. 250 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,480 And he says that you are being described as someone who's being 251 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,200 separate and fighting, and that cannot be the case. 252 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:53,070 And then he goes a little bit further here and he speaks to some 253 00:10:53,070 --> 00:10:55,630 of the reasons behind their Fleshliness and their carnality. 254 00:10:56,110 --> 00:10:57,470 He says, Verse 4. 255 00:10:57,470 --> 00:11:02,510 For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, 256 00:11:03,150 --> 00:11:04,350 are you not carnal? 257 00:11:04,830 --> 00:11:07,990 He says, some of you are saying, hey, you know what? 258 00:11:07,990 --> 00:11:09,550 I'm a follower of Paul. 259 00:11:09,950 --> 00:11:12,030 I mean, I'm Paul's guy. 260 00:11:12,190 --> 00:11:13,630 Everything about Paul I'm following. 261 00:11:13,630 --> 00:11:16,590 And then another might say, well, yeah, I'm not about Paul. 262 00:11:16,590 --> 00:11:19,530 I don't like his preaching, I don't like his style, but I really 263 00:11:19,530 --> 00:11:20,850 like the way Apollos teaches. 264 00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:23,410 And by the way, the Bible tells us that Apollos was a very 265 00:11:23,490 --> 00:11:24,090 good teacher. 266 00:11:24,090 --> 00:11:24,650 He was a. 267 00:11:24,650 --> 00:11:25,850 He was a compelling teacher. 268 00:11:25,850 --> 00:11:26,250 He was. 269 00:11:26,250 --> 00:11:29,410 He was very gifted in that gift of teaching. 270 00:11:29,490 --> 00:11:31,770 And so there were people that were saying, well, I like Paul, I 271 00:11:31,770 --> 00:11:32,370 like Paulus. 272 00:11:32,370 --> 00:11:35,850 And basically Paul calls them out and says, that's a carnal way 273 00:11:35,850 --> 00:11:41,130 of thinking, that, that you're focused on a person to give you spiritual 274 00:11:41,130 --> 00:11:41,330 growth. 275 00:11:41,330 --> 00:11:43,010 He goes a little bit further and says this. 276 00:11:43,170 --> 00:11:45,650 Who then is Paul and who is Apollos? 277 00:11:46,650 --> 00:11:48,650 He's asking them legitimate questions. 278 00:11:48,650 --> 00:11:49,570 Who do you think Paul is? 279 00:11:49,570 --> 00:11:50,650 Who do you think Apollos is? 280 00:11:50,650 --> 00:11:51,570 But ministers. 281 00:11:51,570 --> 00:11:53,130 And that word minister means servant. 282 00:11:54,010 --> 00:11:58,050 They're just servants by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave 283 00:11:58,050 --> 00:11:58,770 to every man. 284 00:11:58,770 --> 00:12:01,570 So he says, really, Paul and Apollos are just ministers of the 285 00:12:01,570 --> 00:12:02,810 one who you're trusting in. 286 00:12:02,810 --> 00:12:03,930 You're trusting in Jesus. 287 00:12:03,930 --> 00:12:07,210 You're not trusting in the Gospel of Paul or the gospel of Apollos. 288 00:12:07,210 --> 00:12:09,210 You're trusting in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 289 00:12:09,530 --> 00:12:13,970 Paul and Apollos are just ministers, deliverers of that gospel. 290 00:12:13,970 --> 00:12:16,640 So keep your eyes off of man and put it on the Lord. 291 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,440 Then he goes on to say a little bit more. 292 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,160 He says, Verse 6, I have planted. 293 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:24,160 We know in this case this is Paul speaking. 294 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:25,880 He says, I have planted. 295 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,680 Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 296 00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,560 And really, verse six is where I want us to focus on here this evening. 297 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:35,680 When it comes to spiritual growth, where does the growth come 298 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:36,000 from? 299 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,000 Well, what we're seeing in this passage is it's not coming from 300 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:40,400 Paul. 301 00:12:40,750 --> 00:12:43,430 That that would be contrary to what most people at that time would 302 00:12:43,430 --> 00:12:44,110 have understood. 303 00:12:44,110 --> 00:12:46,310 And it's contrary to what many people today understand. 304 00:12:46,310 --> 00:12:49,510 They think, well, you have to have a Paul to see the growth. 305 00:12:49,510 --> 00:12:53,150 Well, certainly God uses people like Paul and like apollos. 306 00:12:53,150 --> 00:12:55,950 But verse 6 tells us where the fruit comes from. 307 00:12:56,030 --> 00:12:58,270 Verse 6 tells us where the growth comes from. 308 00:12:58,510 --> 00:13:01,230 Verse 6 tells us where the multiplication comes from. 309 00:13:01,230 --> 00:13:02,830 It's God who gives the increase. 310 00:13:03,710 --> 00:13:08,000 I can take the seeds that I buy from the store and I can plant 311 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:13,000 them in the dirt and I can water them, I can, you know, get 312 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,840 all the things out of the way where the sunlight can come in and 313 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:16,640 shine on that. 314 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:20,400 But I cannot get into that seed and make that seed grow. 315 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,080 That's not something that I can do. 316 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:23,720 That is a work of God. 317 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:25,000 That's beyond us. 318 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,920 All we can do is be the ones like Paul and Apollos, plant, water 319 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,080 and allow God to give the increase. 320 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:32,280 That's spiritual growth. 321 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,430 So if I'm discipling somebody, I cannot force them to grow. 322 00:13:36,910 --> 00:13:39,390 All I can do is plant the seed in their life. 323 00:13:40,430 --> 00:13:44,470 I can water that seed, I can encourage that person, I can pray 324 00:13:44,470 --> 00:13:47,470 with that person, I can strengthen that person, I can weep 325 00:13:47,470 --> 00:13:48,110 with that person. 326 00:13:48,110 --> 00:13:51,590 I can do all the things that God has called us to do, but I cannot 327 00:13:51,590 --> 00:13:52,470 make that person grow. 328 00:13:52,470 --> 00:13:56,350 I must trust that the Lord is going to do his work in their life 329 00:13:56,350 --> 00:13:57,950 and he will give the increase. 330 00:13:58,270 --> 00:14:01,640 We talked about it this morning in John chapter 15, John 331 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:02,840 chapter 15, verse 5. 332 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:07,520 Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches. 333 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:09,360 Without me, you can do nothing. 334 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,200 And the understanding here is that spiritual growth and everything 335 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,959 about it essentially boils down to trusting in the work of the 336 00:14:16,959 --> 00:14:17,359 Lord. 337 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:20,560 It's not a work of man, it's not a work of Paul, it's not a work 338 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:21,240 of Apollos. 339 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,280 And what the problem was at that time is that their eyes were 340 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,080 on man and not on God. 341 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,800 Their eyes were on the physical and not the spiritual. 342 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:31,560 Verse 7, he goes on to say more. 343 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:36,080 So then, neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that 344 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:36,600 watereth. 345 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,800 But again he says, but God that giveth the increase. 346 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:41,640 He reiterates the same truth. 347 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,880 Though Paul and Apollos can be faithful and they get the blessings 348 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:50,120 of being part of that process of seeing people grow, it's ultimately 349 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:51,160 God who gives the increase. 350 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,160 And so when we see the church, and we see ministries within the 351 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:56,910 church, and when we see discipleship happening and Sunday 352 00:14:56,910 --> 00:14:59,910 school classes happening and Bible studies happening, folks, I. 353 00:14:59,910 --> 00:15:03,350 I do believe that we are called to be Paul's and Apollises 354 00:15:03,350 --> 00:15:04,470 and plants and water. 355 00:15:04,470 --> 00:15:08,190 But it's also a point of faith to trust that it is God who is going 356 00:15:08,190 --> 00:15:09,670 to give the increase in our lives. 357 00:15:10,310 --> 00:15:12,870 And then he goes on to say in verse eight, now, he that planteth 358 00:15:12,870 --> 00:15:14,350 and he that watereth are one. 359 00:15:14,350 --> 00:15:15,750 We're all part of the same team. 360 00:15:15,750 --> 00:15:20,150 This speaks to the insanity of division within the church. 361 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:21,440 It would. 362 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,480 It would be like saying the guy who comes and plants the seed 363 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,880 is more important than the guy who comes and waters the seed. 364 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,440 And what we would say, is this. 365 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,760 How silly would it be that if the guy plants the seed and then 366 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,119 the other guy, that's the waterer, goes, well, I don't want 367 00:15:37,119 --> 00:15:39,240 the guy who plants the seed to get the credit, so I'm going to dig 368 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:40,000 up that seed. 369 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:41,200 It's silly, right? 370 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,440 And that's what sometimes happens within the church. 371 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:44,240 We are. 372 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:46,480 Some of us are planters, some of us are waterers. 373 00:15:46,890 --> 00:15:49,890 But then we fight against ourselves in division because there's 374 00:15:49,890 --> 00:15:52,490 competition, there's envying strife and divisions. 375 00:15:52,570 --> 00:15:56,130 And that's that focus that we are not supposed to have within the 376 00:15:56,130 --> 00:15:58,170 Christian life because it's not going to bring fruit. 377 00:15:58,250 --> 00:15:58,570 Why? 378 00:15:58,570 --> 00:16:00,090 Because we're not trusting in ourselves. 379 00:16:00,090 --> 00:16:03,010 We're trusting in the Lord, and instead of trusting in ourselves, 380 00:16:03,010 --> 00:16:04,730 and when we trust in ourselves, there's always going to 381 00:16:04,730 --> 00:16:07,570 be that type of infighting that we don't want within the church. 382 00:16:07,570 --> 00:16:09,970 So he says, he that planted and he that watereth are one, and 383 00:16:09,970 --> 00:16:13,210 every man shall receive his own reward according to his labor. 384 00:16:13,430 --> 00:16:16,710 So there is a responsibility for us as Christians to do certain 385 00:16:16,710 --> 00:16:19,830 things within the spiritual growth process for ourselves and 386 00:16:19,830 --> 00:16:20,310 for others. 387 00:16:20,870 --> 00:16:22,990 It's not just a matter of, well, I'm just going to sit at home 388 00:16:22,990 --> 00:16:25,670 and God's going to send something through my house and I'm 389 00:16:25,670 --> 00:16:27,910 going to have the spiritual growth force that just comes in. 390 00:16:27,910 --> 00:16:31,510 No, obviously there's cooperation with the individual, 391 00:16:31,510 --> 00:16:35,390 but God is using certain people for this work, and there is 392 00:16:35,390 --> 00:16:36,150 a reward for that. 393 00:16:36,150 --> 00:16:39,910 In verses 9 through 11, talk about this reward. 394 00:16:39,910 --> 00:16:43,260 It's this idea of our motivation. 395 00:16:43,260 --> 00:16:45,620 What's our motivation behind the spiritual growth process? 396 00:16:46,100 --> 00:16:50,260 If, if my motivation is to receive praise from man, I'm missing 397 00:16:50,260 --> 00:16:50,580 the point. 398 00:16:50,580 --> 00:16:52,460 And he's going to talk a little bit about that later on. 399 00:16:52,460 --> 00:16:56,180 But he says in verse nine, for we are laborers together with God, 400 00:16:56,419 --> 00:16:59,700 for you are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 401 00:16:59,780 --> 00:17:03,140 Now, we see Paul use many different analogies here. 402 00:17:03,220 --> 00:17:07,700 The first analogy he used was the baby and adult analogy, right? 403 00:17:07,909 --> 00:17:11,069 He talks about how someone can be a spiritual baby and they should 404 00:17:11,069 --> 00:17:14,069 be a spiritual adult, but they're not there yet because of 405 00:17:14,069 --> 00:17:15,429 the wrong intake. 406 00:17:15,429 --> 00:17:17,029 And so he uses that analogy. 407 00:17:17,189 --> 00:17:20,629 And then he goes to that analogy of planting the seed, watering 408 00:17:20,629 --> 00:17:22,469 the seed, God gives the increase. 409 00:17:22,469 --> 00:17:26,589 And then he transitions there in verse number nine to a new analogy 410 00:17:26,589 --> 00:17:27,509 of building a building. 411 00:17:28,309 --> 00:17:31,589 So Paul was a master of these examples. 412 00:17:31,589 --> 00:17:33,229 And he gives that example of baby. 413 00:17:33,229 --> 00:17:35,270 He gives the example of the planter. 414 00:17:35,270 --> 00:17:38,110 Now he's going to give example of a builder, and he says, in verse 415 00:17:38,110 --> 00:17:41,430 10, according to the grace of God which is given unto me. 416 00:17:41,750 --> 00:17:44,910 So the only thing that Paul says here is that anything that we 417 00:17:44,910 --> 00:17:47,270 do within building this spiritual house is done through the 418 00:17:47,270 --> 00:17:47,990 grace of God. 419 00:17:47,990 --> 00:17:52,550 As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another 420 00:17:52,550 --> 00:17:53,590 buildeth thereon. 421 00:17:54,070 --> 00:17:56,990 So he says we have to lay the foundation somewhere for people to 422 00:17:56,990 --> 00:17:58,950 build upon within the spiritual growth process. 423 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:03,560 We have to lay a foundation to create a culture where spiritual 424 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:04,400 growth can happen. 425 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:06,400 And he says, how do we do that? 426 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,920 He says, but let every man take heed how he built thereupon. 427 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,600 He says there is a right way to build and there's a wrong way 428 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:13,040 to build. 429 00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:15,480 There's a right way to build and there's the right foundation 430 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,480 that's going to be a sure foundation that can sustain. 431 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:20,000 And there's a wrong way to build. 432 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:24,440 So he says, let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 433 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,160 How am I going to build this spiritual house? 434 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,640 In the book of First Peter, our Christian life is likened to 435 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:34,040 a spiritual house. 436 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,560 We're the living stones built upon a sure foundation. 437 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:38,440 What's that? 438 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:39,480 Foundation, verse 11. 439 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:44,960 For other foundation can no man lay that is laid which is Jesus 440 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:45,240 Christ. 441 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,320 The foundation is Jesus Christ. 442 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,000 That's what Paul is saying throughout this whole passage, is 443 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,540 that if we build on Jesus Christ with the right focus, with 444 00:18:53,540 --> 00:18:57,140 the right motivation, with the right understanding, we are able 445 00:18:57,140 --> 00:18:59,180 to see spiritual growth happen. 446 00:18:59,340 --> 00:19:02,020 But if we're not building on the foundation of Jesus Christ, if 447 00:19:02,020 --> 00:19:05,140 our focus is on the wrong things, whatever that wrong thing 448 00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:07,420 might be outside of Jesus Christ, it's going to stunt our growth 449 00:19:07,420 --> 00:19:11,100 and we're not going to be able to build ourselves up in Jesus Christ. 450 00:19:11,260 --> 00:19:14,340 Then he goes on to talk about the Reward in verse 12 he says, for 451 00:19:14,340 --> 00:19:16,980 if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious 452 00:19:16,980 --> 00:19:20,350 stones, wood, hay and stubble, and every man's work shall be made 453 00:19:20,350 --> 00:19:23,830 manifest for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed 454 00:19:23,830 --> 00:19:24,230 by fire. 455 00:19:24,230 --> 00:19:26,710 And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 456 00:19:26,950 --> 00:19:29,350 I believe this is talking about the good works that we do in 457 00:19:29,350 --> 00:19:29,750 our life. 458 00:19:30,070 --> 00:19:33,310 What is our motivation if our motivation was for the Lord and the 459 00:19:33,310 --> 00:19:34,870 foundation was built upon the Lord? 460 00:19:35,030 --> 00:19:37,630 Well, it's gold, silver and precious stones and that's going 461 00:19:37,630 --> 00:19:39,430 to last and there's going to be reward there. 462 00:19:39,510 --> 00:19:42,550 But if what we do for God is motivated out of anything else in 463 00:19:42,550 --> 00:19:45,550 the material sense, it'll be wood, hand stubble and it'll be caught 464 00:19:45,550 --> 00:19:46,070 up in the fire. 465 00:19:46,070 --> 00:19:47,830 Now that doesn't mean that we lose our Salvation. 466 00:19:48,730 --> 00:19:52,010 We see that there in verse 15, he says, if any man's work shall 467 00:19:52,010 --> 00:19:55,010 be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved. 468 00:19:55,010 --> 00:19:56,090 Yet so as by fire. 469 00:19:56,570 --> 00:19:59,650 So it's not that we lose our salvation if we have the wrong motivations, 470 00:19:59,650 --> 00:20:03,250 but what it is doing is, it's removing the opportunity for us to 471 00:20:03,250 --> 00:20:03,490 see. 472 00:20:03,490 --> 00:20:07,130 See blessings in our life and ultimately gain rewards in heaven. 473 00:20:07,450 --> 00:20:10,650 So what can we learn about here in these just first 15 verses 474 00:20:10,730 --> 00:20:12,170 of First Corinthians, chapter three. 475 00:20:12,170 --> 00:20:16,100 Well, we see that many people, including the church at Corinth and 476 00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:19,460 churches today, are stunted in their growth and they're sustaining 477 00:20:19,460 --> 00:20:22,020 with just being satisfied with that milk. 478 00:20:22,660 --> 00:20:24,740 Now, there's nothing wrong with the milk. 479 00:20:25,060 --> 00:20:28,180 I think that we should teach the milk to children, to, to new 480 00:20:28,180 --> 00:20:28,740 Christians. 481 00:20:28,820 --> 00:20:31,020 And sometimes we need to be reminded of the milk. 482 00:20:31,020 --> 00:20:34,700 Sometimes as Christians, we get so engrossed in things in our 483 00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:37,940 life that we lose sight of the importance of those basic things 484 00:20:38,260 --> 00:20:41,790 that enamored us before as, as young Christians. 485 00:20:41,950 --> 00:20:44,470 So there is an important time to talk about the milk. 486 00:20:44,470 --> 00:20:49,270 But as other places in time, the Bible teaches us that we're supposed 487 00:20:49,270 --> 00:20:51,350 to move on to the next step in our Christian faith. 488 00:20:51,350 --> 00:20:51,830 So what's. 489 00:20:51,830 --> 00:20:53,470 What's the next step for you? 490 00:20:54,110 --> 00:20:55,349 What's the next step for me? 491 00:20:55,349 --> 00:20:58,030 Well, the next step for you might be the different from the next 492 00:20:58,030 --> 00:21:01,270 step for me, but all of us are called to take the next step in our 493 00:21:01,270 --> 00:21:01,950 Christian walk. 494 00:21:03,070 --> 00:21:05,950 For some, the next step is simply just getting involved. 495 00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:08,860 For some people, the next step is the first step of just getting 496 00:21:08,860 --> 00:21:09,300 saved. 497 00:21:09,300 --> 00:21:12,420 For some people, the next step is taking someone else under their 498 00:21:12,420 --> 00:21:16,620 wing and allowing them to see what it means to understand the truths 499 00:21:16,620 --> 00:21:17,740 of God and grow in the Lord. 500 00:21:17,740 --> 00:21:20,540 But I think that one of the many things that churches are lacking 501 00:21:20,540 --> 00:21:23,820 today, and I think if we're honest, in many situations in our 502 00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:27,020 life, we're lacking is that proper focus on understanding that 503 00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:30,700 it's not about me, it's not about the fleshly desires, it's not 504 00:21:30,700 --> 00:21:33,100 about the division, it's not about the strife, it's not about 505 00:21:33,100 --> 00:21:33,620 the envy. 506 00:21:33,620 --> 00:21:38,100 Ultimately, it's pointing to the focus of God and what he calls 507 00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:38,940 us to be focused on. 508 00:21:38,940 --> 00:21:42,500 And that is, as you saw there in verse 11, that's Jesus Christ. 509 00:21:43,140 --> 00:21:46,820 That's the foundation that no one else can lay better. 510 00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:50,500 I want to take you to another passage of Scripture that speaks 511 00:21:50,900 --> 00:21:51,900 in a similar sense. 512 00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:52,820 It's First Peter. 513 00:21:52,980 --> 00:21:56,340 If you go with me to First Peter, and we'll look at First Peter, 514 00:21:57,140 --> 00:21:58,020 chapter two. 515 00:21:59,380 --> 00:22:02,820 And I think that this is among many passages of scripture, one that, 516 00:22:04,100 --> 00:22:07,140 that we could look to in this sense of building this foundation. 517 00:22:07,940 --> 00:22:11,140 And, and I've struggled with this even in my own life because 518 00:22:11,460 --> 00:22:14,300 sometimes for me, I want, I want both. 519 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:18,060 I want the things that make me feel good and I also want the things 520 00:22:18,060 --> 00:22:19,339 that God wants for my life. 521 00:22:19,339 --> 00:22:22,820 And the book of James says that's a characteristic of a double 522 00:22:22,820 --> 00:22:23,500 minded man. 523 00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:26,260 A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. 524 00:22:26,660 --> 00:22:29,820 We can't expect to grow in our walk if we're wanting to have one 525 00:22:29,820 --> 00:22:32,380 foot in the world, one foot in things of God. 526 00:22:32,620 --> 00:22:35,860 So here in First Peter, chapter two, we see that we're to 527 00:22:35,860 --> 00:22:37,500 lay aside all of these things. 528 00:22:37,980 --> 00:22:41,740 We're to lay aside all of those things in our life that are 529 00:22:41,740 --> 00:22:44,700 causing us to be hindered in our spiritual growth process. 530 00:22:45,020 --> 00:22:46,100 First Peter, chapter two. 531 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:50,660 He says, wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and 532 00:22:50,660 --> 00:22:52,940 hypocrisies and envies and evil speaking. 533 00:22:53,020 --> 00:22:55,780 And then we see the analogy of the baby, but in a little bit different 534 00:22:55,780 --> 00:22:56,100 sense. 535 00:22:56,100 --> 00:23:00,590 Here he says, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word 536 00:23:00,590 --> 00:23:02,230 that ye may grow thereby. 537 00:23:02,310 --> 00:23:05,310 So he uses another analogy, but in this sense the milk is the 538 00:23:05,310 --> 00:23:06,150 milk of the Word. 539 00:23:06,150 --> 00:23:11,030 And he says we're supposed to desire the word of God as much as 540 00:23:11,110 --> 00:23:13,110 a baby desires milk. 541 00:23:13,590 --> 00:23:17,430 And many of you that have been around babies understand that nothing 542 00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:20,870 can satisfy a baby if they're hungry, okay, I, I'm holding the 543 00:23:20,870 --> 00:23:24,430 baby, you know, trying to rock the baby, trying to sing to the baby. 544 00:23:24,430 --> 00:23:28,750 If they're hungry, they want that milk, they want that sustenance. 545 00:23:28,750 --> 00:23:30,630 And so here he says, you know what? 546 00:23:30,630 --> 00:23:33,990 We need to lay aside all these things and desire the things of God 547 00:23:33,990 --> 00:23:36,070 so much that it's all we can focus on. 548 00:23:36,310 --> 00:23:39,150 He says, if so, be that you have tasted, the Lord is gracious. 549 00:23:39,150 --> 00:23:41,950 If you tasted that the Lord is gracious, you should want more of 550 00:23:41,950 --> 00:23:42,150 him. 551 00:23:42,150 --> 00:23:45,790 You should desire to be more aligned with his Word. 552 00:23:45,790 --> 00:23:49,910 And he goes on to say, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed 553 00:23:49,910 --> 00:23:53,350 indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also are living 554 00:23:53,350 --> 00:23:53,830 stones. 555 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,040 Another analogy to this building being built. 556 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,200 He says, you are lively stones built up a spiritual house and holy 557 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,840 priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to 558 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:06,120 God by Christ Jesus. 559 00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:07,960 I hope that you're seeing a theme. 560 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,960 Romans, chapter 12 spiritual sacrifice first Corinthians, chapter 561 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:13,480 3 building up a house. 562 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,040 First Peter, chapter 2. 563 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,760 He talks about a spiritual sacrifice and building up the spiritual 564 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:18,040 house. 565 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:19,880 All here in this one passage. 566 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,110 I love how the Bible is so intertwined and connected. 567 00:24:23,190 --> 00:24:26,110 You have different people writing with different styles and 568 00:24:26,110 --> 00:24:27,750 different times and different places. 569 00:24:27,830 --> 00:24:30,950 But the same theme is here, and it's all about building on the 570 00:24:30,950 --> 00:24:32,990 sure foundation of Jesus Christ. 571 00:24:32,990 --> 00:24:36,670 And he goes on to talk in verse number six of who that foundation 572 00:24:36,670 --> 00:24:36,990 is. 573 00:24:36,990 --> 00:24:40,150 Behold, I lay in sion a chief cornerstone, elect and precious, 574 00:24:40,310 --> 00:24:43,110 and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 575 00:24:43,270 --> 00:24:44,670 What an amazing thing that is. 576 00:24:44,670 --> 00:24:48,470 When we lay our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, There 577 00:24:48,820 --> 00:24:51,860 be a lot of things that go on in our life, but nothing can separate 578 00:24:51,860 --> 00:24:52,580 us from his love. 579 00:24:52,580 --> 00:24:54,340 Nothing can leave us confounded. 580 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:57,780 And he talks about how that stone is a stumbling block for those 581 00:24:57,780 --> 00:24:59,140 who are in disobedience. 582 00:24:59,380 --> 00:25:02,540 But those in verse nine are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 583 00:25:02,540 --> 00:25:06,060 a holy nation, a peculiar people, different people, that you 584 00:25:06,060 --> 00:25:09,060 should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of 585 00:25:09,140 --> 00:25:11,780 darkness into his marvelous light. 586 00:25:12,660 --> 00:25:15,580 And so essentially what we're seeing is that God has called us 587 00:25:15,580 --> 00:25:16,180 to be different. 588 00:25:17,050 --> 00:25:23,090 And I love the fact, and I know that many of us, maybe to some 589 00:25:23,090 --> 00:25:26,330 degree, struggle with the understanding of what is God asking 590 00:25:26,330 --> 00:25:26,690 from me. 591 00:25:26,690 --> 00:25:27,530 I'm trying my best. 592 00:25:27,530 --> 00:25:28,410 I'm doing my best. 593 00:25:28,410 --> 00:25:28,930 I'm in church. 594 00:25:28,930 --> 00:25:30,090 I'm in church on Sunday night. 595 00:25:30,090 --> 00:25:30,970 Look, look, look. 596 00:25:30,970 --> 00:25:32,010 I'm doing everything I can. 597 00:25:32,010 --> 00:25:34,010 I completely understand what you mean by that. 598 00:25:34,250 --> 00:25:35,370 I understand that. 599 00:25:35,930 --> 00:25:38,410 But at the same time, we have to have the right focus. 600 00:25:38,970 --> 00:25:43,910 What if I said to you, you know, I'm really fit, I go to the 601 00:25:43,910 --> 00:25:44,270 gym. 602 00:25:44,590 --> 00:25:44,950 Wait. 603 00:25:44,950 --> 00:25:47,790 Well, going to the gym is one thing, but I could go to the gym 604 00:25:47,790 --> 00:25:50,710 and sit down and just watch everyone walk into the gym and not 605 00:25:50,710 --> 00:25:51,510 really exercise. 606 00:25:51,510 --> 00:25:52,310 And that means nothing. 607 00:25:52,310 --> 00:25:54,910 I could sit at the gym and actually sit on one of the machines 608 00:25:54,910 --> 00:25:56,030 and pretend like I'm working. 609 00:25:56,270 --> 00:25:57,950 And actually, I feel like there's some people who actually 610 00:25:57,950 --> 00:25:59,150 do that and they sit on the. 611 00:25:59,150 --> 00:26:01,750 The machine that I want to go to, and I'm like, how long are you 612 00:26:01,750 --> 00:26:03,230 going to sit there and just talk with people? 613 00:26:03,230 --> 00:26:08,430 But anyway, the gym is only going to be as good as if I exercise 614 00:26:08,430 --> 00:26:10,430 and use the things that are there. 615 00:26:11,430 --> 00:26:13,070 The same thing within the church setting. 616 00:26:13,070 --> 00:26:17,390 I can be in church, I can be in a ministry, I can sit in a Bible 617 00:26:17,390 --> 00:26:20,670 study, but that's only as good as if it's something that's real 618 00:26:20,670 --> 00:26:24,190 to me, that it's speaking to me if I'm just in the church setting, 619 00:26:24,190 --> 00:26:25,990 because I know it's just the place I need to be. 620 00:26:26,070 --> 00:26:28,910 Now, folks, I'm going to tell you, it's better to be in church 621 00:26:28,910 --> 00:26:29,630 than not in church. 622 00:26:29,630 --> 00:26:32,550 But what I also am saying is that there are many people who sit 623 00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:34,790 in church and think that it's enough, like, I'm here. 624 00:26:35,350 --> 00:26:36,910 What else does God want from me? 625 00:26:36,910 --> 00:26:37,790 But God wants more. 626 00:26:37,790 --> 00:26:38,630 He wants your heart. 627 00:26:38,980 --> 00:26:39,780 He wants everything. 628 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:43,740 And really, at the end of the day here in First Peter and in First 629 00:26:43,740 --> 00:26:44,780 Corinthians, there's. 630 00:26:44,780 --> 00:26:47,220 There's this message that God wants more from us. 631 00:26:47,220 --> 00:26:51,420 He wants us to focus on the right things and we should be on 632 00:26:51,420 --> 00:26:53,420 the meat instead of the. 633 00:26:53,420 --> 00:26:54,100 The milk. 634 00:26:54,420 --> 00:26:56,340 And, you know, I'm raising children. 635 00:26:56,340 --> 00:26:59,260 I want my children to understand the truths of God. 636 00:26:59,260 --> 00:27:01,180 I want them to fall in love with God. 637 00:27:01,180 --> 00:27:03,980 But there is a point in time where I want my children to mature 638 00:27:03,980 --> 00:27:04,820 in their understanding. 639 00:27:04,820 --> 00:27:06,620 It's more than just hearing Bible stories. 640 00:27:06,620 --> 00:27:09,110 You know, even though Bible stories are a great thing, we should 641 00:27:09,110 --> 00:27:10,230 know the Bible stories. 642 00:27:10,550 --> 00:27:12,990 But then also at the same time, we should understand what the 643 00:27:12,990 --> 00:27:16,350 Bible stories mean for me, what's the spiritual connection to 644 00:27:16,350 --> 00:27:17,030 Jesus Christ? 645 00:27:17,430 --> 00:27:19,990 One of the challenges that I've always had in my life when I'm 646 00:27:19,990 --> 00:27:22,710 preaching is I always want to point back every story to the message 647 00:27:22,710 --> 00:27:23,510 of Jesus Christ. 648 00:27:23,750 --> 00:27:26,510 I mean, if we're talking about Abraham, eventually it should get 649 00:27:26,510 --> 00:27:27,070 back to Jesus. 650 00:27:27,070 --> 00:27:29,710 If we're talking about Joseph, it should eventually get back to 651 00:27:29,710 --> 00:27:30,030 Jesus. 652 00:27:30,030 --> 00:27:30,390 Why? 653 00:27:30,470 --> 00:27:35,010 Because ultimately, as a Christian, we are called to be so 654 00:27:35,010 --> 00:27:37,890 focused on Jesus that nothing else matters when it comes to the 655 00:27:37,890 --> 00:27:39,050 things of this world. 656 00:27:39,370 --> 00:27:43,650 I want you to understand here tonight that I'm thankful for a church 657 00:27:43,650 --> 00:27:44,690 who loves the Word of God. 658 00:27:44,690 --> 00:27:48,570 And 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 2, says we should look to the Word 659 00:27:48,570 --> 00:27:53,450 as the areas in our life where we can grow, where we can be strengthened. 660 00:27:53,530 --> 00:27:55,850 But at the same time, there's a lot of things that we can do within 661 00:27:55,850 --> 00:27:56,090 the. 662 00:27:56,090 --> 00:27:59,490 I've been here, A pastor's preached or someone has taught, and 663 00:27:59,490 --> 00:28:00,210 I've agreed with it. 664 00:28:00,210 --> 00:28:01,050 I've said amen. 665 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:02,160 That's good. 666 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:02,760 That's good. 667 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:03,800 I love the Bible. 668 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:04,680 I love the Word. 669 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,360 If we love the Word, we should allow that Word to change us. 670 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,040 It should change the way that we think. 671 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:11,600 It should change the way that we walk. 672 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:15,080 It should change the way that we do everything in our life. 673 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:16,920 And that's what Paul is talking about. 674 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:20,520 So I want us to go back to First Corinthians, chapter three, 675 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:25,000 and I want to just highlight a few last things that we see in this 676 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,320 passage, then we'll conclude. 677 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:29,510 I do believe that this. 678 00:28:29,510 --> 00:28:33,230 This season of studying spiritual growth within the church 679 00:28:33,230 --> 00:28:35,950 has been beneficial at least for me, because I think sometimes 680 00:28:35,950 --> 00:28:36,270 we. 681 00:28:36,270 --> 00:28:38,510 I was talking about this in our Bible study this morning. 682 00:28:39,710 --> 00:28:42,510 What if I came to you and you're a new business person and 683 00:28:42,510 --> 00:28:44,270 I would say, hey, what's your goal in life? 684 00:28:44,510 --> 00:28:44,870 What. 685 00:28:44,870 --> 00:28:45,790 What's your purpose? 686 00:28:46,350 --> 00:28:46,830 And the. 687 00:28:46,830 --> 00:28:50,630 And the person that's starting their own business says, well, I'm 688 00:28:50,630 --> 00:28:51,390 to make money. 689 00:28:51,870 --> 00:28:54,750 I would say, okay, that's a good purpose to have a business. 690 00:28:55,460 --> 00:28:56,420 But how are you going to do that? 691 00:28:56,420 --> 00:28:57,020 Well, I don't know. 692 00:28:57,020 --> 00:28:58,020 I'm just going to make money. 693 00:28:58,660 --> 00:29:03,500 Well, you probably need to have a plan or a purpose to get to 694 00:29:03,500 --> 00:29:05,220 your ultimate goal of making money. 695 00:29:05,220 --> 00:29:06,420 It's the same thing as a Christian. 696 00:29:06,420 --> 00:29:07,900 Okay, I'm going to walk up to a Christian. 697 00:29:07,900 --> 00:29:10,660 I'm going to say to you, okay, don't answer me out loud right now, 698 00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:11,940 but what's your purpose in life? 699 00:29:11,940 --> 00:29:13,300 Well, to glorify God. 700 00:29:13,780 --> 00:29:14,180 Great. 701 00:29:14,500 --> 00:29:15,860 That is a good goal. 702 00:29:15,860 --> 00:29:17,020 Now, how are you going to do that? 703 00:29:17,020 --> 00:29:17,860 I have no idea. 704 00:29:19,140 --> 00:29:22,820 Okay, well, that's a problem because we know what the end's supposed 705 00:29:22,820 --> 00:29:23,060 to be. 706 00:29:23,060 --> 00:29:24,660 We know that we want to grow. 707 00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:25,060 We. 708 00:29:25,210 --> 00:29:27,130 We know that we want to glorify God. 709 00:29:27,130 --> 00:29:29,050 We know that we want to serve God. 710 00:29:29,130 --> 00:29:32,410 But oftentimes there's people that are walking around saying, I 711 00:29:32,410 --> 00:29:35,290 know that I should be growing, but I have no idea how to get there. 712 00:29:35,450 --> 00:29:37,130 I have no idea what it looks like. 713 00:29:37,130 --> 00:29:39,490 I just know that it's this thing that I'm supposed to be striving 714 00:29:39,490 --> 00:29:39,850 for. 715 00:29:40,170 --> 00:29:43,490 So one of the goals that I have for our church across the board 716 00:29:43,490 --> 00:29:47,810 is I want all of us to understand what our purpose is within 717 00:29:47,810 --> 00:29:50,570 our Christian life and then what we are going to do to live out 718 00:29:50,570 --> 00:29:51,210 that purpose. 719 00:29:52,470 --> 00:29:55,510 If you say, well, I. I know it's my goal to glorify God, well, 720 00:29:55,510 --> 00:29:56,590 that's a good place to start. 721 00:29:56,590 --> 00:29:57,670 Now, how are you going to do that? 722 00:29:57,670 --> 00:30:00,470 Well, I'm going to glorify God by coming to church. 723 00:30:00,470 --> 00:30:01,430 That's a great start. 724 00:30:01,990 --> 00:30:04,350 But then secondarily, where you how are you going to glorify 725 00:30:04,350 --> 00:30:05,430 God on a Monday morning? 726 00:30:05,430 --> 00:30:07,429 How are you going to glorify God on a Friday night? 727 00:30:07,429 --> 00:30:09,670 How are you going to glorify God in your workplace? 728 00:30:09,670 --> 00:30:11,190 How are you going to glorify God in your home? 729 00:30:11,190 --> 00:30:14,630 Well, these are some questions that we need to ask ourselves. 730 00:30:14,710 --> 00:30:16,670 And I think that that's what this study is all about. 731 00:30:16,670 --> 00:30:18,820 Because if we understand what. 732 00:30:18,970 --> 00:30:22,770 What spiritual growth is, and if we understand how we go about 733 00:30:22,770 --> 00:30:25,970 that spiritual growth process, and if we understand how to teach 734 00:30:25,970 --> 00:30:27,690 other people about that spiritual growth process. 735 00:30:27,850 --> 00:30:31,250 We're going to be a lot more effective in the goals that we have 736 00:30:31,250 --> 00:30:32,570 within our Christian life. 737 00:30:33,130 --> 00:30:35,450 And, and I encourage you to think about that. 738 00:30:35,450 --> 00:30:38,330 I'm not going to have the answer for you here this evening 739 00:30:38,490 --> 00:30:42,610 because I don't know what everyone's purpose is ultimately. 740 00:30:42,610 --> 00:30:45,370 I do know it's our purpose to grow in the Lord, to make disciples 741 00:30:45,370 --> 00:30:46,090 for Jesus Christ. 742 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,840 But for you, that might be in a ministry in the church. 743 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,040 For you, that might be a ministry behind the scenes. 744 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,080 For you, that might be ministering to your family, whatever 745 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:55,920 that might be. 746 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,200 That is the focus that we all are supposed to have. 747 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,880 Keep your finger in First Corinthians Chapter three, because 748 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,000 I just thought of another passage that I think is important, 749 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,960 and that is in Hebrews chapter five, we're talking about the milk 750 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:08,960 and meat analogy. 751 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:15,210 And I think that we need to look at Hebrews chapter five to give 752 00:31:15,210 --> 00:31:16,690 us another perspective on this. 753 00:31:17,890 --> 00:31:18,930 Hebrews chapter five. 754 00:31:18,930 --> 00:31:24,290 The writer of Hebrews is speaking to the the folks here, and 755 00:31:25,170 --> 00:31:30,010 he says In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 13, actually, we could, we 756 00:31:30,010 --> 00:31:33,250 could go back to verse 11, because I think it's probably better 757 00:31:33,250 --> 00:31:35,570 for us to see it here in this context. 758 00:31:35,650 --> 00:31:39,990 He says in, in Hebrews 5:11, of whom we have many things to say 759 00:31:41,030 --> 00:31:43,830 and hard to be uttered there, there's some hard things to teach 760 00:31:43,830 --> 00:31:44,950 within the Christian life. 761 00:31:45,990 --> 00:31:49,190 It's not always easy to hear, it's not always easy to receive. 762 00:31:49,510 --> 00:31:53,190 But he says it's hard for you to hear, seeing you are dull of hearing. 763 00:31:53,830 --> 00:31:55,950 Now, he's not talking about them being literally deaf. 764 00:31:55,950 --> 00:31:58,990 He's talking about them not listening to the things of God, verse 765 00:31:58,990 --> 00:31:59,190 12. 766 00:31:59,190 --> 00:32:01,910 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers. 767 00:32:02,630 --> 00:32:05,550 So he's speaking to a group similar to 1 Corinthians chapter 768 00:32:05,550 --> 00:32:05,830 3. 769 00:32:06,050 --> 00:32:08,690 He's speaking to a group of people who should be teaching others. 770 00:32:09,490 --> 00:32:11,330 He says, for ye ought to be teachers. 771 00:32:11,330 --> 00:32:15,050 Ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles 772 00:32:15,050 --> 00:32:16,210 of the oracles of God. 773 00:32:17,010 --> 00:32:21,290 So his concern and challenge for the people is that you're supposed 774 00:32:21,290 --> 00:32:23,250 to be the ones passing it on to other people. 775 00:32:23,410 --> 00:32:26,050 But you need to have someone come back and reteach you because 776 00:32:26,290 --> 00:32:27,490 of your lack of growth. 777 00:32:27,490 --> 00:32:31,730 And he says, you have become such as of need of milk and not of 778 00:32:31,730 --> 00:32:32,450 strong meat. 779 00:32:32,910 --> 00:32:36,350 For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, 780 00:32:36,670 --> 00:32:37,870 for he is obeyed. 781 00:32:37,870 --> 00:32:41,590 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those 782 00:32:41,590 --> 00:32:45,670 who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern 783 00:32:45,670 --> 00:32:47,630 both evil and good. 784 00:32:47,710 --> 00:32:48,670 Good and evil. 785 00:32:48,670 --> 00:32:52,710 So verse 14 tells us that that strong meat comes with that maturity 786 00:32:52,710 --> 00:32:55,110 to identify what is good and evil. 787 00:32:55,110 --> 00:32:58,630 And we're not able to be deceived as much as those that might 788 00:32:58,630 --> 00:32:59,550 be babes in Christ. 789 00:33:00,010 --> 00:33:01,770 It was easy for me to deceive my. 790 00:33:01,850 --> 00:33:03,770 Not that I was trying to deceive my children when they were 791 00:33:03,770 --> 00:33:05,010 younger, but I could have. 792 00:33:05,010 --> 00:33:05,290 My. 793 00:33:05,290 --> 00:33:06,410 My children were very gullible. 794 00:33:06,410 --> 00:33:08,890 It was like, you know, there's a dinosaur in the backyard. 795 00:33:08,890 --> 00:33:09,570 They believe me. 796 00:33:09,570 --> 00:33:10,490 Oh, where is it? 797 00:33:10,490 --> 00:33:11,130 Where is it? 798 00:33:11,130 --> 00:33:11,570 You know? 799 00:33:11,570 --> 00:33:14,490 And then as my kids get older, they're like, dad, stop messing with 800 00:33:14,490 --> 00:33:14,650 us. 801 00:33:14,650 --> 00:33:16,130 And they're more discerning, right? 802 00:33:16,130 --> 00:33:17,450 That's how Christians should be. 803 00:33:17,450 --> 00:33:20,330 Obviously, a babe in Christ is going to be very gullible. 804 00:33:20,570 --> 00:33:20,930 And. 805 00:33:20,930 --> 00:33:24,170 And that's where a lot of people within churches over the years 806 00:33:24,250 --> 00:33:27,800 have attacked and been predators upon those young, immature 807 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:29,200 Christians, and they've deceived them. 808 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:33,320 But as mature Christians, we should be growing so much that when 809 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,960 someone comes in with deception, we should be able to identify 810 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:37,680 that deception. 811 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:37,960 Why? 812 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,920 Because we know it doesn't match up with the truth. 813 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,040 If I was to teach you about counterfeit money, I wouldn't tell 814 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:44,920 you all the different ways that people are going to counterfeit 815 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:46,800 money, because there's a new way every single day. 816 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,160 What we do is we would teach you what it means to be the truth, 817 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,120 what's the true sense of the real thing. 818 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:54,720 And that's the same thing with scripture. 819 00:33:55,140 --> 00:33:55,580 If someone. 820 00:33:55,580 --> 00:33:58,180 I can't tell you how people are going to teach you false teachings 821 00:33:58,180 --> 00:34:00,580 in the world today, there's probably a thousand different ways 822 00:34:00,580 --> 00:34:01,540 that someone would do that. 823 00:34:01,540 --> 00:34:04,620 But ultimately, what we do is we understand the truth of God. 824 00:34:04,620 --> 00:34:07,540 And anytime something comes in, in a sense that is not that same 825 00:34:07,540 --> 00:34:10,020 thing, we can discern that that's evil. 826 00:34:10,020 --> 00:34:11,700 We can discern that that's heresy. 827 00:34:12,100 --> 00:34:13,580 So my goal for you is not to come. 828 00:34:13,580 --> 00:34:16,380 I. I'm open in every sense. 829 00:34:16,380 --> 00:34:19,300 If you want to come to me and say, pastor Josh, I've been listening 830 00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:20,260 to this preacher. 831 00:34:20,569 --> 00:34:22,089 Can you give me your opinion on this person? 832 00:34:22,569 --> 00:34:23,689 Hey, I've been reading this book. 833 00:34:23,689 --> 00:34:24,569 What do you think about that? 834 00:34:24,569 --> 00:34:25,409 I'm open to that. 835 00:34:25,409 --> 00:34:26,729 I would love to help you out with that. 836 00:34:26,809 --> 00:34:30,169 But at the same time, my prayer for you is that you're so 837 00:34:30,169 --> 00:34:33,049 in tune with the word of God that you don't even need to come 838 00:34:33,049 --> 00:34:33,489 ask me. 839 00:34:33,489 --> 00:34:34,289 Because you see that. 840 00:34:34,289 --> 00:34:35,289 No, that's a red flag. 841 00:34:35,289 --> 00:34:36,809 That's not what the Bible says. 842 00:34:36,809 --> 00:34:38,569 That's not the gospel of Jesus Christ. 843 00:34:38,969 --> 00:34:42,969 I want to train you in the place of the church so that we all 844 00:34:42,969 --> 00:34:45,769 can be prepared and be discerning people and mature people 845 00:34:45,769 --> 00:34:47,289 as we go out into this world. 846 00:34:48,049 --> 00:34:51,169 It's not that there's not a willingness to help, but at the same 847 00:34:51,169 --> 00:34:53,169 time, we understand this with our children. 848 00:34:53,409 --> 00:34:54,689 Our children get to a certain age. 849 00:34:54,689 --> 00:34:56,929 We don't want to have to do everything for them. 850 00:34:56,929 --> 00:34:58,809 We want them to understand things for themselves. 851 00:34:58,809 --> 00:35:01,209 We want them to be able to discern what's right and wrong for 852 00:35:01,209 --> 00:35:01,569 themselves. 853 00:35:01,569 --> 00:35:04,409 And that's the understanding that the writer of Hebrews has here. 854 00:35:04,409 --> 00:35:06,649 He says, some of you should be teaching people, and you're still 855 00:35:06,649 --> 00:35:07,729 not getting these lessons. 856 00:35:08,209 --> 00:35:10,369 That's not to say that our church isn't growing. 857 00:35:10,369 --> 00:35:11,689 I know that our church is growing. 858 00:35:11,689 --> 00:35:14,870 But at the same time, we have to understand that it is upon us 859 00:35:14,870 --> 00:35:18,470 in the spiritual growth process to take responsibility to 860 00:35:18,470 --> 00:35:21,030 go to that next step from milk to meat. 861 00:35:21,430 --> 00:35:24,270 The milk is not bad, but the meat is definitely something that 862 00:35:24,270 --> 00:35:26,150 we're all called to be growing into. 863 00:35:26,230 --> 00:35:26,670 So what? 864 00:35:26,670 --> 00:35:27,670 What does that mean for me? 865 00:35:27,670 --> 00:35:28,710 What does that mean for you? 866 00:35:28,710 --> 00:35:29,430 It means this. 867 00:35:29,430 --> 00:35:31,670 God wants you to take the next step. 868 00:35:31,670 --> 00:35:33,030 God wants you to mature. 869 00:35:33,030 --> 00:35:34,990 God does not want us to stay stagnant. 870 00:35:34,990 --> 00:35:37,510 He does not want us to stay stunted in our growth. 871 00:35:37,510 --> 00:35:39,430 He does not want us to stay on the milk. 872 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:42,480 He doesn't want us to be living that fleshly life as we saw 873 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:43,680 here in First Corinthians. 874 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,600 And I want us to go back to 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, and I want 875 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:50,760 us to look at verse 3, because this is really the test. 876 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,360 Are we living carnally or are we living spiritually? 877 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:57,160 Well, he says here in verse three of first Corinthians, chapter 878 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:01,280 three, the test of whether or not we're living carnally or spiritually. 879 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:04,480 He says, is there envying and strife and divisions among you? 880 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:06,160 Well, if so, we're living fleshly. 881 00:36:06,900 --> 00:36:08,180 It's time to inspect our life. 882 00:36:08,340 --> 00:36:10,100 It doesn't mean that we're going to agree with everyone. 883 00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:12,180 It doesn't mean that I'm going to like everything that everyone 884 00:36:12,180 --> 00:36:12,580 does. 885 00:36:12,740 --> 00:36:16,660 But what it does mean is that I'm not going to allow disagreements 886 00:36:16,660 --> 00:36:20,260 and different understandings and different opinions cause envy, 887 00:36:20,260 --> 00:36:21,340 strife and divisions. 888 00:36:21,340 --> 00:36:25,300 He says, that's a fleshly, carnal response to the church. 889 00:36:25,300 --> 00:36:27,300 And he says, no, there needs to be unity. 890 00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:28,740 There needs to be understanding. 891 00:36:28,740 --> 00:36:30,540 There needs to not have eyes on men. 892 00:36:30,540 --> 00:36:33,180 That's the other thing he's warning here not to have our eyes 893 00:36:33,180 --> 00:36:33,780 fixed on man. 894 00:36:33,780 --> 00:36:34,540 This is Paul talking. 895 00:36:34,540 --> 00:36:36,210 He says, don't Keep your eyes on me. 896 00:36:36,210 --> 00:36:37,690 Don't keep your eyes on Apollos. 897 00:36:37,690 --> 00:36:39,890 Keep your eyes on the Lord who gives the increase. 898 00:36:40,850 --> 00:36:43,730 You know, I. I think a lot of times there's pressure in. 899 00:36:44,210 --> 00:36:46,730 In the ministry and in the church about failure. 900 00:36:46,730 --> 00:36:49,650 What if my ministry doesn't have anybody show up to it? 901 00:36:50,370 --> 00:36:51,010 Guess what? 902 00:36:51,330 --> 00:36:52,250 No one shows up. 903 00:36:52,250 --> 00:36:52,930 It's okay. 904 00:36:53,090 --> 00:36:54,090 It's not a failure. 905 00:36:54,090 --> 00:36:54,290 Why? 906 00:36:54,290 --> 00:36:56,290 Because if we're doing the right things for the right reasons, 907 00:36:56,290 --> 00:36:57,010 it doesn't matter. 908 00:36:57,010 --> 00:36:59,530 I can tell you there's been times in my life where I've looked 909 00:36:59,530 --> 00:37:04,770 at the amount of people in the church and gauged or judged my success 910 00:37:05,010 --> 00:37:07,890 in the ministry by saying, how many people are here today? 911 00:37:07,970 --> 00:37:10,730 I'm going to tell you that that's a dangerous place to be because 912 00:37:10,730 --> 00:37:12,090 it's not always about the numbers. 913 00:37:12,090 --> 00:37:13,890 It's not always about praise. 914 00:37:13,890 --> 00:37:16,050 It's not always about acclamation. 915 00:37:16,050 --> 00:37:19,530 What it's all about is about honoring God and seeing God give 916 00:37:19,530 --> 00:37:19,970 the increase. 917 00:37:19,970 --> 00:37:22,970 If there's one person that hears the word, if there's one person 918 00:37:22,970 --> 00:37:24,130 that's growing, it's enough. 919 00:37:24,450 --> 00:37:27,250 And what we have to see here in First Corinthians, chapter three 920 00:37:27,610 --> 00:37:30,730 is that it's not about keeping our eyes on the conflict. 921 00:37:30,730 --> 00:37:32,570 It's not about keeping our eyes on our flesh. 922 00:37:32,650 --> 00:37:34,570 It's not about keeping our eyes on a person. 923 00:37:34,730 --> 00:37:38,130 It's about keeping our eyes on the foundation of Jesus Christ. 924 00:37:38,130 --> 00:37:39,770 And when we do that, we can't fail. 925 00:37:40,330 --> 00:37:43,050 There's no stress, there's no worry. 926 00:37:43,450 --> 00:37:45,170 There's no concern of failure. 927 00:37:45,170 --> 00:37:48,770 When we're walking in Jesus Christ, people can say what they 928 00:37:48,770 --> 00:37:50,170 want to say about us in the world. 929 00:37:50,490 --> 00:37:53,250 People can judge the church because of what programs we have 930 00:37:53,250 --> 00:37:54,570 and what programs we don't have. 931 00:37:54,910 --> 00:37:58,350 But at the end of the day, if we're preaching and elevating Jesus 932 00:37:58,350 --> 00:38:01,390 Christ above all else, there's never a failure there. 933 00:38:01,470 --> 00:38:03,910 And I'm going to tell you that that's the goal that we have for 934 00:38:03,910 --> 00:38:04,830 Middletown Baptist Church. 935 00:38:04,830 --> 00:38:07,830 If we're known for anything, I don't necessarily want to be known 936 00:38:07,830 --> 00:38:09,030 for anything outside of that. 937 00:38:09,030 --> 00:38:12,030 We preach the word of Jesus Christ and that we're proud of that. 938 00:38:12,190 --> 00:38:14,950 Not proud in the sense of pride, but the Bible says there's 939 00:38:14,950 --> 00:38:16,350 one thing that we can boast in. 940 00:38:16,590 --> 00:38:19,070 Did you know that there's one thing that you can have that pride 941 00:38:19,070 --> 00:38:19,270 in. 942 00:38:19,270 --> 00:38:21,150 The Bible says you can boast in Jesus Christ. 943 00:38:21,610 --> 00:38:22,530 And that's what we want to do. 944 00:38:22,530 --> 00:38:25,730 We want to boast in Jesus Christ, not in how good of a ministry 945 00:38:25,730 --> 00:38:29,810 we have or not in how much we have within the bank account or how 946 00:38:29,810 --> 00:38:30,730 many buildings we have. 947 00:38:30,970 --> 00:38:31,970 Those are all good things. 948 00:38:31,970 --> 00:38:33,850 It's not about that being bad. 949 00:38:33,850 --> 00:38:36,290 What it's saying here is that if we keep our eyes on any of that 950 00:38:36,290 --> 00:38:39,170 material stuff, we're missing the greater purpose of spiritual 951 00:38:39,170 --> 00:38:39,450 growth. 952 00:38:39,450 --> 00:38:41,770 So I want to ask a few questions for you, then I'm done. 953 00:38:41,770 --> 00:38:45,290 Number one, what is your purpose as a Christian? 954 00:38:45,370 --> 00:38:46,330 What is your purpose? 955 00:38:47,140 --> 00:38:49,940 And then number two, how are you going to live out that purpose 956 00:38:49,940 --> 00:38:53,140 in your life if you cannot answer those two questions? 957 00:38:53,140 --> 00:38:54,260 It's time for evaluation. 958 00:38:54,980 --> 00:38:57,300 Well, my purpose is to glorify God. 959 00:38:57,540 --> 00:38:58,580 That's a great start. 960 00:38:58,980 --> 00:39:00,580 My purpose is to spiritually grow. 961 00:39:00,580 --> 00:39:01,700 That's a wonderful start. 962 00:39:01,860 --> 00:39:03,780 Now, what steps am I going to take to grow? 963 00:39:03,780 --> 00:39:04,380 Well, one. 964 00:39:04,380 --> 00:39:05,540 I have to die to my flesh. 965 00:39:05,940 --> 00:39:07,380 That's what it's talking about here. 966 00:39:07,620 --> 00:39:08,820 Not to live carnally. 967 00:39:09,060 --> 00:39:10,380 I have to die to my flesh. 968 00:39:10,380 --> 00:39:11,660 I have to die to what I want. 969 00:39:11,660 --> 00:39:15,110 There's a lot of things that I want in my life, but is it what God 970 00:39:15,110 --> 00:39:15,830 wants for me? 971 00:39:15,990 --> 00:39:17,590 And that's a question that we have to ask. 972 00:39:18,790 --> 00:39:23,310 I can tell you that when we were deciding where to move back 973 00:39:23,310 --> 00:39:28,070 in 2017, my first choice, I wish I could tell you my first choice 974 00:39:28,070 --> 00:39:29,110 was Middletown, Delaware. 975 00:39:29,110 --> 00:39:30,350 It wasn't my first choice. 976 00:39:30,350 --> 00:39:30,790 Okay. 977 00:39:31,350 --> 00:39:33,750 Frankly, you know, and there's nothing negative about it, I just 978 00:39:33,750 --> 00:39:35,110 didn't know where Middletown, Delaware was. 979 00:39:36,790 --> 00:39:37,950 I. I had served. 980 00:39:37,950 --> 00:39:39,190 I think I've told you guys this before. 981 00:39:39,410 --> 00:39:42,250 I've circled on the map areas of the country that I was like, yeah, 982 00:39:42,250 --> 00:39:43,970 Lord, just please don't call me there. 983 00:39:44,450 --> 00:39:45,970 Call me anywhere else, but don't call me there. 984 00:39:47,010 --> 00:39:50,210 And at that time, obviously, I was open for anywhere. 985 00:39:50,210 --> 00:39:51,810 We said, lord, wherever you want us to go. 986 00:39:52,370 --> 00:39:55,690 And as God opened that door, there were certain hesitancies that 987 00:39:55,690 --> 00:39:58,530 I had, you know, like, I don't know if that's a place that we could 988 00:39:58,610 --> 00:39:59,130 fit in. 989 00:39:59,130 --> 00:40:00,730 I don't know if I could handle that weather. 990 00:40:00,730 --> 00:40:01,210 I don't know. 991 00:40:01,210 --> 00:40:05,980 There was a lot of fleshly reasons why that we could not, you 992 00:40:05,980 --> 00:40:06,660 know, move here. 993 00:40:06,660 --> 00:40:09,580 But at the same time, looking back on it, I think all of us could 994 00:40:09,580 --> 00:40:10,540 have a testimony like this. 995 00:40:10,540 --> 00:40:12,780 Looking back on it was the greatest decision that God ever made 996 00:40:12,780 --> 00:40:16,380 in my life to take me to a place that we could find a family, 997 00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:18,940 that we could find a ministry. 998 00:40:18,940 --> 00:40:20,980 That's an amazing place to serve God. 999 00:40:21,140 --> 00:40:23,700 And I believe there's something special about this area. 1000 00:40:23,940 --> 00:40:25,380 God is working and God is. 1001 00:40:25,380 --> 00:40:27,300 God is doing amazing, amazing things. 1002 00:40:27,460 --> 00:40:30,500 But if it would have been in my decision making process and my 1003 00:40:30,500 --> 00:40:32,660 fleshly decisions, I would have missed out on that. 1004 00:40:32,660 --> 00:40:34,500 Think about all the things that we've missed out in our life 1005 00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:37,340 because of fleshly decisions that we made a justification and 1006 00:40:37,340 --> 00:40:38,660 said, no, I can never do that. 1007 00:40:38,820 --> 00:40:41,580 But I'm going to tell you the safest place to be, the most rewarding 1008 00:40:41,580 --> 00:40:44,820 place to be, the most exciting place to be, is in the will of God 1009 00:40:44,820 --> 00:40:45,500 as he's working. 1010 00:40:45,500 --> 00:40:47,899 And seeing him work in your life is an amazing thing. 1011 00:40:47,899 --> 00:40:51,580 So whatever your purpose is, find that purpose in the Lord and 1012 00:40:51,580 --> 00:40:54,860 then say, these are the tangible steps that I am going to 1013 00:40:54,860 --> 00:40:57,740 take to get to that place where I know that I'm doing what 1014 00:40:57,740 --> 00:40:58,900 God has called me to do. 1015 00:40:59,170 --> 00:41:01,330 And that might mean that you have to remove things from your life. 1016 00:41:01,330 --> 00:41:03,490 That might mean that you have to add things to your life. 1017 00:41:03,650 --> 00:41:04,570 It might need that. 1018 00:41:04,570 --> 00:41:07,050 There, there's going to be spiritual disciplines that I have 1019 00:41:07,050 --> 00:41:08,290 to infuse into my life. 1020 00:41:08,290 --> 00:41:10,490 And that's what First Corinthians, chapter three is all 1021 00:41:10,490 --> 00:41:12,370 about, building upon that foundation. 1022 00:41:12,370 --> 00:41:14,130 We're not supposed to just look at a foundation. 1023 00:41:14,450 --> 00:41:18,090 There was a house that burned down in our neighborhood like a while 1024 00:41:18,090 --> 00:41:22,090 ago and they have the, like the basement and all that, but it 1025 00:41:22,090 --> 00:41:22,850 just stayed that way. 1026 00:41:22,850 --> 00:41:23,730 Well, that's not a house. 1027 00:41:23,730 --> 00:41:25,970 There's a foundation there, but it needs to be built upon. 1028 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:27,880 And there's a foundation of Jesus Christ. 1029 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:28,520 And that's great. 1030 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:31,240 But a lot of times what people do is that they leave it right there. 1031 00:41:31,240 --> 00:41:31,680 I'm saved. 1032 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:32,440 That's all I need. 1033 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:32,880 That's good. 1034 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:33,920 I've got the foundation. 1035 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:36,240 But they're never building upon that foundation. 1036 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,040 And biblically speaking, the Bible calls us to build upon the 1037 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:41,440 foundation of Jesus Christ. 1038 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,680 So yes, Jesus is enough, but he's also called us to take the next 1039 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:45,440 step in our life. 1040 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:49,040 We're going to come back in this series just a couple more times 1041 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:50,720 and we're going to look at a few more steps. 1042 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:54,320 We're actually going to look at some very practical ways in which 1043 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:59,670 we can take steps in our life to, to allow the Lord to move through 1044 00:41:59,670 --> 00:42:02,950 the Holy Spirit to do certain elements of spiritual growth in our 1045 00:42:02,950 --> 00:42:03,230 life. 1046 00:42:03,630 --> 00:42:06,230 So we're going to talk about Bible study, we're going to talk 1047 00:42:06,230 --> 00:42:09,070 about prayer, we're going to talk about all the different elements 1048 00:42:09,070 --> 00:42:10,390 of the spiritual disciplines. 1049 00:42:10,390 --> 00:42:12,790 Because you can't talk about spiritual growth without the spiritual 1050 00:42:12,790 --> 00:42:13,470 disciplines. 1051 00:42:14,030 --> 00:42:16,390 So going back to the analogy of the gym, okay. 1052 00:42:16,390 --> 00:42:17,990 Going to the gym and there's machinery there. 1053 00:42:17,990 --> 00:42:18,590 Okay. 1054 00:42:18,990 --> 00:42:22,230 I can't just go to the gym and sit down and say, okay, I'm going 1055 00:42:22,230 --> 00:42:23,430 to automatically be fit. 1056 00:42:23,430 --> 00:42:25,310 I have to sit on the machines and do it. 1057 00:42:25,540 --> 00:42:27,940 Now even then I can sit on the machines and do them wrong. 1058 00:42:27,940 --> 00:42:28,820 I don't know if you've ever been. 1059 00:42:28,820 --> 00:42:31,700 There was this video I was watching about people going to the 1060 00:42:31,700 --> 00:42:34,980 gym and using the machines in the wrong way and it's pretty entertaining. 1061 00:42:34,980 --> 00:42:37,140 Like they're flipped all around and pushing out with their 1062 00:42:37,140 --> 00:42:39,060 leg and like that's not how that machine works. 1063 00:42:39,060 --> 00:42:39,580 Okay. 1064 00:42:39,580 --> 00:42:42,140 There is a way that you can even go to the gym and exercise, 1065 00:42:42,140 --> 00:42:43,780 but do it wrong and actually hurt yourself. 1066 00:42:44,420 --> 00:42:47,540 So just because we're at church and just because we're doing 1067 00:42:47,620 --> 00:42:50,260 the spiritual disciplines doesn't essentially mean that we're 1068 00:42:50,260 --> 00:42:50,980 going to be growing. 1069 00:42:51,420 --> 00:42:53,900 What we have to do is we have to understand the need for those 1070 00:42:53,900 --> 00:42:57,500 things and then the proper way to do those spiritual disciplines 1071 00:42:57,500 --> 00:43:00,340 and then allow the power of God to work through us and change 1072 00:43:00,340 --> 00:43:01,060 us in our lives. 1073 00:43:01,060 --> 00:43:04,060 And when we do that, we can see spiritual growth. 1074 00:43:04,060 --> 00:43:05,700 But I'm going to tell you, there's a lot of Christians that 1075 00:43:05,700 --> 00:43:08,940 are just walking blindly and in some places it's like the blind 1076 00:43:08,940 --> 00:43:09,740 leading the blind. 1077 00:43:09,820 --> 00:43:11,860 Well, hey, just do whatever you want to do. 1078 00:43:11,860 --> 00:43:13,180 There's no wrong way to do it. 1079 00:43:13,340 --> 00:43:16,860 That sounds really good, but that's really bad because the Bible 1080 00:43:16,860 --> 00:43:19,180 does tell us very clear ways that we're supposed to do things 1081 00:43:19,180 --> 00:43:20,140 within our Christian life. 1082 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,200 And I know that there are many well meaning people out there in 1083 00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:26,800 the world that are trying to be inclusive and bring everyone in 1084 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:31,360 and not feel like anyone's being, you know, idolized. 1085 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:34,520 But at the end of the day, there is a certain way to do things 1086 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:35,560 within our Christian life. 1087 00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:39,200 And I want to give you from the Bible some tangible, practical 1088 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:40,920 things that we can apply to our life. 1089 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:44,680 As like 1 Peter, chapter 2 said, Desire the sincere milk of 1090 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:46,480 the word and then apply it thereby. 1091 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:49,750 So I would encourage you to come back to this study as we continue 1092 00:43:49,750 --> 00:43:52,230 looking at spiritual growth. 1093 00:43:52,390 --> 00:43:54,510 Well, I'm going to go ahead and close in a word of prayer then 1094 00:43:54,510 --> 00:43:56,910 after that we'll have a few announcements and then we'll be dismissed 1095 00:43:56,910 --> 00:43:57,830 here this evening. 1096 00:43:57,990 --> 00:43:59,830 Lord, I just thank you for this time that you've given us. 1097 00:43:59,830 --> 00:44:01,790 Thank you for the opportunity to come together tonight to look 1098 00:44:01,790 --> 00:44:05,150 into your word and to study what it means to have you give us 1099 00:44:05,150 --> 00:44:05,670 the increase. 1100 00:44:05,670 --> 00:44:09,190 Lord, we know that we want to see growth in the spiritual sense 1101 00:44:09,190 --> 00:44:12,750 here in our church, but Lord, we know that we cannot manufacture 1102 00:44:12,750 --> 00:44:15,030 that growth without a complete reliance on you. 1103 00:44:15,030 --> 00:44:16,950 Lord, we know that without you we can do nothing. 1104 00:44:17,370 --> 00:44:22,090 I pray that we can all strive to understand our purpose in our 1105 00:44:22,090 --> 00:44:25,770 Christian life and also Lord, help us to know how we take steps 1106 00:44:25,850 --> 00:44:28,930 to go about living out that purpose and the time that we have. 1107 00:44:28,930 --> 00:44:31,570 We're thankful for the hope that we can find in salvation, and 1108 00:44:31,570 --> 00:44:37,770 we're also thankful for the fact that your love fuels our decision 1109 00:44:37,770 --> 00:44:40,450 making process and changes the way that we think changes the way 1110 00:44:40,450 --> 00:44:41,050 that we live. 1111 00:44:41,210 --> 00:44:43,890 And I pray that you can help us be the salt and light here this 1112 00:44:43,890 --> 00:44:45,730 week that you've called us to be. 1113 00:44:45,730 --> 00:44:47,970 So I just pray that you be with us as we go our separate ways 1114 00:44:47,970 --> 00:44:48,490 here this evening. 1115 00:44:48,490 --> 00:44:50,850 We ask all those things in Jesus name, Amen.