For those not familiar with an Anglican Service, there are four readings prior to the Message. Today's lessons are Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 and Matthew 5:21-37.
Paul begins the 3rd chapter of his letter by telling the Corinthians that there are two levels of Christian living.
Some believers are living in the flesh... in the carnal, ..... and some are living in the spiritual.
Through the discernment of the Holy Spirit, ....it was made clear to Paul ..... that the Corinthians were living in the flesh. (Pause)
You will find the word flesh or in many other translations the word carnal ..... three times in our text today.
Paul was convinced that it would be useless to speak of spiritual things..... to those in the church ..... who were walking in the flesh.
The Corinthians were Believers, ... Christians,....... babes in Christ; ....... But there was one deadly fault......they were carnal .... they were still living in the flesh.
He seems to be saying: "I cannot teach you spiritual truths .... about the spiritual life ..... for you have chosen ..... to live as the world....in a fleshly state.
It was not because they were an ignorant or stupid people.
They were a people full of knowledge, ....yet a people who were unwilling to yield from their fleshly .... their carnal ways.
We each must make a decision .....as to which level of Christian life we desire....... Do you seek the carnal .... or do you seek the spiritual.
To fully take to heart ..... the meaning of these Scriptures .....we need to begin ..... by addressing the attributes of this carnal state.
I am convinced that this carnal.... this fleshly state ..... is one..... of prolong infancy. (Pause)
Paul had started his ministry in Corinth ....around 50 AD.
And He wrote this letter to the Corinthian Church ...from Ephesus in 56 AD ..... about 6 years later.
Paul states...... that by this time .....you should have reached early adulthood, ..... but you are still babes ... you have not matured in Christ. (Long Pause)
Is there anything more delightful ..... than a six-month-old child?
But suppose you saw this same child again ....when they had turned one ..... and the child had not grown.
The parents would probably say and you would probably think, "There must be something wrong; ..... the child isn't growing."
If after three years you saw that this same little boy or girl .....and they still had not grown you would not be surprised to hear:...... "The doctor says the child has a terrible disease and cannot grow."
You return six years later there is still no growth.
The doctor goes on: "It is a wonder ....that this Child is alive."
Babyhood is a most beautiful thing,.... but babyhood continued too long ....is a burden..... a sorrow, .....a sign of a disease .....or a disorder.
And when Paul wrote this letter .....that was the exact state ..... of many of the Corinthian believers. (Long Pause)
Now, what are some of the attributes .... of a baby?
Well...a baby cannot help itself,..... and a baby cannot help others.
And that was the life of many in the Corinthian Church ....and sadly that is the state of many.... in the Western Churches .... Today. They are like ....small babes.
They do not know how to feed on the Spiritual Word.... they do not know how feed themselves.... They choose to be spoon-fed...if they choose to be fed at all.
The fleshly .... The carnal Christian..... has become stagnant in their relationship..... with God.
They have stopped growing .....or in some cases spiritually reverted back .....to infancy.
They may desire to be spiritual. Yet....they do not even set aside time ..... to be with their Lord.
They reject or ignore Christ's instructions,
They seldom pray... and they rarely pick up Gods word and read on their own.
They have lost their first Love.
They reject or ignore Christ's instructions to be faithful...... "If you love me, (Slow) keep my commandments"
Often The carnal Christian has lost the spiritual joy ....that permeates a mature relationship with God.
For a little child, .... For a spiritual babe of three months, ...... to be carnal ..... to not understand ..... is natural.
But when a follower of Christ continues year after year ....to not grow or mature .....something ....something is radically wrong.
Nothing can keep a child in prolonged infancy except ...... some disease or some disorder.
So (1 Finger) this carnal.... This fleshly state is one of prolong infancy. And (2 Fingers) In this state sin and failure become the master.
What proof does Paul give that these men and women are fleshly?
He first charges them..... that they are not a spiritual people..... and then he asks them a question (vv. 3-4).
Paul in effect asks this rhetorical question, ...."You are walking in the Flesh .... Isn't it obvious?
You act like those in the world; ..... you are not acting like one spiritually renewed ..... You do not act as one who is filled with the Holy Spirit....You are carnal" (Long Pause)
Now....The word carnal is a form of the Latin word describing the flesh, ..... and un-lovingness is an attribute of the flesh .... it is a fruit of ..... the canal flesh.
(Slow) .....Every aspect of un-lovingness comes from the flesh.... from the carnal.
The flesh is selfish .... The flesh is proud ..... and the flesh is .....unloving....... therefore, every sin against love ...... is in effect a sin ..... against God..... for as we know... (Slow) God is love.
We must yield to the Holy Spirit .....in order to break ..... from this state.
We must yield to the Holy Spirit ......to fully experience ..... to fully share in God's love ... To share in His Joy.....To share in His agape love. (Pause)
Now most of us .... If not all of us ......have fallen back into this fleshly state sometime ..... in our Christian walk.
Maybe this is where your relationship with God is .....at this very moment.
Yet .....those who are mature in the faith .... repent and seek a right relationship with God.
Those that are mature .... yield to God .....for they seek .....to be in His presence.
They yield to his commands ....for they truly yearn .....to abide in His Love.
(Left Hand Right Hand) Jesus said "If you love Me, ....(Slow) keep My commandments"
Beloved .... We must keep his commandments....we must abide in his love. (Long Pause)
To help me ...... abide in his love .... In the morning when I shower.............I picture the water that sprays from the shower-head ....as His Love covering me ....as if God is showering me .... with his love.
And as that love flows ....I thank him .....for all the blessings that he has bestowed upon me .... and I seek his will ....for the coming day.
That is just one simple way for me .....to abide .....in God's love. To stop and to connect with Him.
And, assuming ....we all shower, ....(Slow) a way we all can!
Beloved.... May you abide in his love .... And may you seek his will ..... as you begin ..... each day.
So (1 Finger) this carnal .... this fleshly state ..... is one of prolong infancy.
(2 Fingers) In this state sin and failure prove to be the master.
And lastly (3 Fingers) God calls us to leave this carnal state and be transformed into the image of his Christ.
Hear God's word to us once more this day: BIBLE "I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you were not yet able to bear it : No, not even now are you able" END (I Cor. 3:2)
God wants us to grow! God wants us to mature!
He wants us to move beyond the elementary stage ... to move on from milk..... to move into maturity ..... and to receive the meat...the solid food of the Gospel.
Beloved.....It is essential to grow in Your relationship with God.
And .... It is essential to be transformed .... To be image bearers of God. (Pause)
However, ...... knowledge for the sake of knowledge ..... is not the intention ..... of God.
God expects growth ....he expects us to mature....to be Christ-like.
Now....There may have been some in the Corinth church .... that were ready .... for "meat."
Paul's audience was composed of the active leadership of the church.
However, like most Any church, .....those leaders had areas in their spiritual lives where they were mature ...
And they had areas where they still struggled ..... where they were still spiritual babes.
On any given Sunday, .....in any given church, ..... most messages from the pulpit .....will contain milk for some .....and meat for others.
A particular message or teaching ....may be meat for you.
If that is the case, .....listen carefully for God's insight, ...for God's encouragement and urging.
If within the message the Holy Spirit stirs your heart .....then yield to that stirring ....and apply it ......to your life.
On the other hand, .... it may be that what you hear .....is what you already know ....what you already practice.
For you... the message is "milk". ....So maybe .....in this spiritual area, you are..... "beyond" milk.
When that happens.....listen to what God may be saying to you....listen to The still small voice.
And pray that others too.....may move from milk to meat.
Silently ask God to open doors in your life ....where you may witness to this spiritual attribute of strength .....that you have received.
How Glorious! How Wonderful!
Every message .... Every teaching....contains milk for some, ..... meat for others, ....and always an opportunity .....for prayer and for direction.
We need to yield to Holy Spirit... We need to allow ourselves to be continually transformed.... To be Christ-like.
I need also..... to share this truth.
We should not expect God to supply additional wisdom ... if we have not applied the knowledge ..... that He has already ..... given us.
You and I have heard the "milk" of forgiveness..... We know God's requirement.
Why should we expect God's "meat" of peace in life ......until we deal with the milk of forgiveness ..... that we may be hiding?
You and I have heard the milk of repentance. We know God's requirement.
Why should we expect God's "meat" of spiritual discernment .....if we will not deal with the milk of repentance .... of living a pure life? (Hebrews 6:1-2)
The writer of Hebrews goes on to state this truth:, .....Solid food .... The meat .....is for the mature, .....It is for those who are trained to distinguish good ....from evil (Hebrews 5:14)
O' Beloved .......yield to the Holy Spirit .... Become mature men and women of the faith.
God has invited us to his table.
And at the table ....there will be some meat. And there will be some milk.
Sit down ........enjoy God's banquet.....Sit down ..... and eat....
(Slow Down) And if you do ..... If you do....
You may well find ....
That you have experienced a meal .....a meal that will change your life .... Forever!!
Amen and Amen!
The first portion of this message is based on a sermon by Ed Wood titled "Carnal or Spiritual" and I commend it to you.
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