Time to Grow Up! - 1 Cor. 3:1-9

Introduction The medical diagnosis Failure to Thrive describes a child that it is not growing according to the pace that it expected of him/her. There are at least two causes for failure to thrive. One is insufficient caloric intake for the child to develop. The other is inability of the child's body to process the caloric intake in a way that will cause him/her to grow. This medical diagnosis could be applied to the spiritual condition of several in the church at Corinth. They were failing to thrive as Christians. They were stuck in childhood when it was no longer appropriate for them to believe, think, and act as a child. In other words, they were being childish in their faith. I. The Fruits of Childishness, 1-4. A. There are two pieces of evidence in the life of the Corinthian Christians. 1. They refused to move deeper into the knowledge of the Gospel, 2. 2. They behave childishly, specifically, they were envious of one another and were fighting with each other, 3-4. 3. To all these behaviors, Paul says, " It is time to grow up!" B. Those who do not grow in Jesus Christ are spiritual babies, 1. C. Paul exhorts them that they need to move from milk to meat, 1-2a. II. Maturity Looks to Christ, not His Instruments, 5-9. A. Paul points out the absurdity of their position, 5. B. They are simply servants through whom they believed. C. So maturity in Christ looks through and past all the good things God has done, and sees the Savior himself in those things. D. When we see the Savior in all things, jealousy and strife will be gone and they will be replaced with joy and thankfulness. Conclusion & Application We called to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are called to work out our salvation for God is at work in us. We cannot refuse to grow or else we will fail to thrive and will end up missing the grace of God so powerfully displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Action points: · Hebrews 4:12-13 says that the Word of God reveals what is in our hearts better than any other thing, so with your Bible open, search you heart and life and see where you have grown in Jesus Christ; · In the same posture (before God, in the light of his Word), figure out where you have been a baby and resolve, by God's grace, to no longer be a baby in that area; · If envy and strife are present in your life, ask yourself in light of what Paul says here if that envy, that strife is due to your not walking in the Spirit. · Think about all the godly leadership that has been present in your life, thank God for them, but above all see God through them.

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