January 25th, 2004
Let us pray
Welcome...
Our theme this year is, Glorifying God, and the word glory means to give glory, honor or high praise to, exalt. To give glory especially through worship. Our key verse for the year is taken from Matthew 5 verse 16.....Let’s say it together, "Let your light so shine before men....." Each week we have a verse of the week to memorize, and our verse this week
is taken from Psalm 34 verse 19 - Let’s say it
together...."Many are the afflictions............."As a child of God there is deliverance for you.. ...............elaborate....
Our objective for this year is to improve our spiritual growth and personal growth
and development. In keeping with our objective, I will be speaking on the topic, It is time to grow up. Please turn with me in your bibles to 1
Corinthians 3 verses 1 through 9. Let’s all stand and read together. Please tell someone, Growing Up Is Hard To Do. There are people today who just like to remain young or just like to be babies, and just do not want to grow up. They like to be babies all the time, just to eat, play and sleep, and have nothing to worry about, but I want someone to know
today, it is time to grow up.........elaborate...
By the way, how many of you ladies here today like to play with baby dolls?.....How many of you men like to play with toy cars?......How many of you adults like to go outside and jump or skip rope?.......
Just supposed all the ladies came in the sanctuary this morning with a baby doll in their hand, and came and sat in the front........
Just supposed all the men walked in with a GI Joe in their hand..........Just supposed as the choir marched in they had a ABC book in their hand, and a pacifier in their mouth, and marched up to the choir stand..............
Just supposed as one of the ministers were asked to pray, the prayer was, "now I lay me down to sleep...."
Just supposed in our praise and worship, we started to sing, "Mary had a little lamb, and London Bridge is falling down...."
What do you think people would say as they see the ladies with their baby dolls, the men
with their GI Joes, and the choir with their ABC book and pacifier in their mouth? I am sure people would say those folks are crazy, they are acting like babies, they are immature, and it is time for them to grow up................elaborate....
The apostle Paul in our text is writing to the church in Corinth, and these saints were spiritually immature. In the previous chapter, Paul has just been talking about the difference between the spiritual mature who can understand spiritual truths, and the natural man whose interests and aims and ideas do not go beyond earthly and physical life,
and who is unable to grasp spiritual truth. In our text for today he accuses the Corinthians
of still being at the earthly and physical stage. This church in Corinth was filled with all
sorts of problems. The problems existed not because the church was in Corinth, but because of the maturity level of the believers who make up the local church. These believers were acting like babies, and they needed to grow up........elaborate...
Let’s look at verses 1 through 4 of our text (read) Paul was saying that these saints in
Corinth were still babes in Christ, they had not grown up, they were still carnal, still
controlled by the flesh. Babies are supposed to act like babies, but they should not be babies all the time. As time goes on they begin to feed themselves, they begin to walk,they begin to talk, they will fall and rise, they will get cuts and bruises, but they will keep on going because they are growing up. Sad to say, there are many Christians who do not want to grow up, they want to remain babies............ elaborate...
Babies cannot eat solid food, they must have milk. If they try eating solid food they will choke. Spiritual babies can only handle the milk of the word, but as time goes by, they should know more than John 3: 16 and the Lord’s prayer.......elaborate...spiritual
babies should be growing up.....
What do babies do? Babies fight for their way. Take away their toys and see what happen? When a baby is hungry, or wet, or bored or tired, what will the baby do? That baby will cry, that baby will fight and fuss, that baby want to have it their way. My granddaughter McKale is not very fussy, but if I took her toy away, I am sure she would
cry and fuss............elaborate.....quite likely she would be calling out for grandpa......
Baby Christians, if they don’t get their way, just like little babies they will fight and fuss,
because they want to have it their way. There are many Christians today who have been saved for a long time, who are still spiritually immature, who always want to have it their way, but it is time to grow up. New babies in Christ are teachable, but those babies who have been around for a long time still drinking milk, it seems they like to have milk instead
of having solid food. If you went to a steak house for dinner, there is nothing wrong with you physically, you are hungry, you have money, and instead of having steak, you had a glass of milk, people would think it strange, ............elaborate.... no normal healthy
person is going to drink milk, when they can have a steak, or some solid food to eat.........
These saints in Corinth, these saints in the church were allowing the flesh to take over. They were engaged in church activities, but they were carnal. They were busy doing church stuff, but they were carnal. Paul had to rebuke the saints in Corinth. If you try to rebuke saints today, if the flesh is in control, you would be surprise of what the saints
would do. There are times when saints can really act ugly; when the flesh is in control strange things will take place..........elaborate...
In verse 3 of our text, Paul said in the church there was envying and strife and divisions. In the church there were quarrels, and fighting. In the church there was a demonstration of carnality. When these things are happening in the church, when the flesh is in control, it is time to go to God and cry out for help, and then start to grow up. It is said that, "If a man is at variance with his fellow men, if he is quarrelsome, competitive, argumentative, troublemaking creature, he may be a diligent church attender, he may even be a church-office bearer, but he is not a man of God." On the other hand it is said that, "if a man is at one with his fellowmen, if his relations with his fellowmen are marked by love and unity and concord then that man is on the way to being a man of God."
In verse 4 of our text, some were saying, we like Paul, while others were saying, we like Apollos. Some were saying, we like Paul style of preaching, while others were saying we prefer Apollos style. Some were saying Paul is my kind of preacher, while others were saying Apollos is our kind of preacher. Paul ask the question, by doing this, are ye not
carnal? Saints of God it is time to grow up. It is time to take our eyes off man and see Jesus. Man will fail, but thank God Jesus will not fail. Our prayer should be let me see Jesus only for only he can satisfy. It is God’s purpose for all of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ to become more and more like Christ each day, and to glorify him in every-
thing that we do....elaborate...
Let’s look at verses 5 through 9 of our text. Babies are very particular in whom they want to hold them. They will stay with their mother, or father, grandpa or grandma, aunt or uncle, but when a stranger comes around they might stay for awhile, and then start to cry.Baby Christians are the same way. They become attracted to certain people, it might be
the Pastor, a Sunday School Teacher, an Elder, and so on, and if you are not careful you could end up with "a bunch of clubs with a bunch of leaders," and so Paul is saying to the church in Corinth "to stop letting this happen."
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos? They are ministers of God. It is God who puts the
people and leaders that you need before you. God is the one who will guide those leaders in a way they will help you grow, and you need to worship God and not man. It is sad to say there are many leaders who are failing; there are many leaders who are getting caught up with self, so it is very important that we see Jesus and not man......elaborate...
Paul is saying to the church in Corinth, you need to worship God and not man. God is saying to us today, we need to see Je-sus at all times. Leaders are like farmers; they can plant and water, but only God gives the increase. In a garden one man may plant a seed
and another may water it; but neither can claim to have made the seed grow. People might say look how many souls I have won for Christ, but all we can do is plant and water, plant and water, and the rest is left up to God. No matter how skilled we are, no matter how gifted we are, no matter how liked we are by others, we cannot save a soul, all we can do
is to plant and water, and the rest is left up to God........elaborate...
In God’s sight the one who plants, and the one who waters are on one level; neither can claim they are better than the other, they are just servants working together for the same Master. It is true that God uses human instruments to bring to men the message of his truth and love, but only God can transform a life, from a drunkard to a saint; from a
gambler to a saint; from a drug pusher to a saint, from what-ever condition you were in to
a saint, only God can do that. We all know who we were, what we were involved in and
how God has changed our lives...........elaborate...
Let’s look at verse 9 of our text (read) Whose name is listed here. It is not Doctor So and So. It is not Bishop So and So but it is God. We are God’s fellow workers; we are laborers together with God. We are God’s field. We are God’s building.
Are you still drinking milk? Are you still a babe in Christ? Do you want to grow up? It is time to grow up. If you really want to grow up, it wont be easy, but growing up will change your life. If we intend to be that Christian that will make a difference in this world we must grow up. Growing up will take time, it will not happen over night. It is God’s desire for us to grow, mature, and become more like Christ. We are equipped through His Word, through the local church, and through other believers. As you grow and mature,
you are called upon to help younger Christians as they grow. There is no excuse for spiritual immaturity, we all can grow spiritually.
In the book that I use in our new converts, new members class there is a section which states, I can know I am growing as a spiritual person. Maybe you would like to check yourself. Read......I know I am growing......
There are many things that can hinder us from growing and becoming more like Christ. Here are a few examples - The society in which we live, whatever we want we want it now. We live in an instant society, we want instant food, and instant money with these get
rich schemes such as the lottery. Some want instant spiritual results even though they are not living according to the Word of God. There are ungodly influences. There are improper Christian influences. In some churches there is a lack of biblical instruction.
Quite often there is a decrease in the preaching of the Word and an increase in "feel-good services." We are not here just to feel good, but we should be here to glorify God......elaborate...
God’s church has been established for the purpose of bringing his children to spiritual maturity. God is glorified when we bear fruit, but we cannot bear fruit until we begin to mature. If as God’s children we are not growing, and becoming more like Christ each day,then we are not fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. If we are spiritually mature, but we
are not helping those who are immature, then we are not fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. There are people all around that are in need of spiritual help, and we are called upon to help them. It might be your mother, or your father. It might be your husband or your wife. If might be your son or your daughter. It might be your neighbor or your co worker.
This is a life long task that we all are called upon to do, will you answer the call?
Are you still a baby? then it is time to grow up. Are you spiritually mature? then you are called upon to help others. Are you still in your sins? then you are called upon to give it all to Jesus. Whatever needs you might have, Jesus is here to help you in your time of need.
Let us stand
Call to discipleship
Closing song/prayer
