Introduction:
It’s Time to Grow Up… (1 Corinthians 3:1–9)
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Because your childish THINKING holds you back. (1 Cor 3:1–2)
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped gfor every good work.
Hebrews 5:12-13 – For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
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Because your childish BEHAVIOR hurts others. (1 Cor 3:3)
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Because your childish FAVORITISM highlights man and not God. (1 Cor 3:4–8)
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Because your childish SELFISHNESS hides your identity. (1 Cor 3:9)
God, help me to grow up. Today, I need to stop _______________________________________ and start _______________________________________.
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:45-00:49
Turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 3, verses 1-9.
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1 Corinthians 3, verses 1-9.
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It's time to grow up.
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Have you ever thought that about someone else?
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You ever thought that about a neighbor, a co-worker?
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Have you ever said that to someone else?
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to a friend to a family member and whenever you think or say that sentence it always comes the sense of Frustration a sense of disbelief that someone could be so immature that someone could be so childish. I Can distinctly remember a time where I thought and said that exact sentence. It's time to grow up It was years ago as I was sick on the couch watching my favorite sick day show Dr. Phil.
01:45-01:48
And don't judge me for my favorite sick time show.
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You probably don't have one that's much better.
01:50-01:52
Maybe it's helped me with counseling over the years.
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I don't really know.
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But I'll never forget this one particular episode as Dr. Phil interviewed a 24 year old man who considered himself 18 months old.
02:06-02:09
He was an adult baby.
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He slept in a massive custom crib.
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He had customized onesies in his closet.
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He wore diapers and he ate baby food.
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And Dr. Phil asked him, "Do you think you'll ever grow past this age?" Is that decent?
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I've been working on that all week.
02:29-02:29
Is that okay?
02:30-02:33
My wife doesn't think it's really good, so I guess it's not.
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Pastor Jeff is encouraging me, though.
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And then Brett said, "I don't think so.
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"I've done a lot of research, And this is the age that I feel, 18 months.
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I was so disturbed by Brett's delusions.
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I was so bothered by his contentment with never growing up and the unwillingness of his loved ones to call him out.
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As I was sick on that couch, I wanted to climb through the TV and join Dr. Phil in saying, "It's time to grow up." You know what's even sadder to me than Brett's childish behavior?
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The childish lifestyle of many Christians.
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Adult babies are in every church.
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Adult babies are men and women who are content to never grow up.
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Content to never mature.
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They are committed to staying right where they are and never making any progress.
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So many churches are content with pampering these adult babies, catering to their desires, and baby-proofing the Bible to avoid any sharp edges or offensive truths.
03:47-03:54
So many pastors are committed to playing along with people's delusions, rather than lovingly calling them out.
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Thankfully, the Apostle Paul did not have that commitment.
03:59-04:05
He had a much different commitment to the Corinthian Church who also had an adult baby problem.
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Paul was 100% committed to this church's unity and purity.
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He had no interest in playing along with their delusions.
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He was unwilling to clean up their toys, snap on their onesies, and tuck them into their adult cribs.
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He was unafraid to burst their bubble and to lovingly call them out.
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Because their behavior was unacceptable to God was damaging to the entire church.
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Paul was bold in calling out the Corinthians and saying, okay, it's time to get your big boy pants on.
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It's time to grow up.
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And this message from Paul wasn't just for the Corinthians almost 2,000 years ago.
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This message from Paul is for Harvest Bible Chapel today.
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And I really don't want you to think, oh man, I wish so and so was here.
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He or she really needs to grow up.
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Listen, that person isn't here, but you are.
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You really need to hear this word from the Lord.
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In some ways or in many ways, you need to grow up.
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I need to grow up.
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So before we continue any further, let's go to the Lord and ask for his help.
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pray for me that will faithfully proclaim God's word, and I will pray for you that you will faithfully receive it.
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Father, we just celebrated children in our church.
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Children are a gift.
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Children are a blessing.
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But Lord, when we as adults act like children, there's a huge problem.
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Lord, I admit to you that I can be an adult baby.
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I can be childish.
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And I know the same is true for every single person in this room.
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Help us to stop thinking that this is for somebody else.
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This is a word for each and every one of us.
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I pray we'd walk out of this room as different people, that we'd be put on the path to maturity.
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We ask and pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen.
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It's time to grow up.
06:24-06:28
Reason number one, because your childish thinking holds you back.
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Your childish thinking holds you back.
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In last week's passage, the apostle Paul reminded us that everyone who is in Christ has been given the mind of Christ.
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That sounds really awesome, doesn't it?
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But what in the world does that mean?
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What is the mind of Christ?
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God's word.
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You have been given God's word.
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You don't have to wonder what God thinks about anything.
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You don't have to wonder what God thinks about himself, salvation, or how you should live your life.
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He tells you in his word.
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He not only gives you his word, he gives you the Holy Spirit to help you understand this word and help you to understand how you apply it to your life.
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God doesn't tell you all that you could know, but he does tell you all that you need to know.
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Those who are spiritual are able to understand spiritual truths.
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Well, great, thanks Paul, I appreciate that.
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Whoa, whoa, there is a but coming in chapter three, verse one.
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Listen to what Paul says.
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But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
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At first glance, it seems like Paul is saying that there are no Christians in Corinth.
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This church is only made up of unsaved people who have no true life and no true relationship with God.
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But that's not what Paul is saying at all.
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There are true believers in Corinth, and there are two context clues in this verse that show us that Paul is talking to Corinthian Christians.
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First of all, Paul calls them brothers.
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Paul isn't Hulk Hogan, he doesn't call everybody brother.
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That was just for Pastor Jeff.
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Paul only calls his spiritual siblings brothers and sisters.
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This is a term of affection.
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Paul isn't coming in hot saying, "Okay, idiots, time to shut up and grow up." That's not what he's doing.
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He's not putting them in a headlock and giving them noogies until they do what he tells them to do.
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Now he's coming in with an arm around their shoulder.
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Brothers, sisters, I love you.
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You're my family.
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Jesus Christ loves you, but you're not acting like you love Jesus.
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You're not acting like Christians.
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You're not acting like you have the Holy Spirit within you.
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You are letting your sinful desires, you are letting your flesh control you.
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And secondly, Paul calls them by another name.
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He calls them infants in Christ.
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So they are in Christ.
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They are saved.
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Their sins have been forgiven, but they are stuck in their immaturity.
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They are standing still.
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And Paul is saying to them, I want to have an adult conversation with you, but all you can do is goo goo gaga and spit up all over yourself.
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What is the proof of their babiness?
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Verse chapter two tells us it's their spiritual diet.
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Let's read verse two.
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I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it, and even now you are not yet ready.
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When my kids were born, I didn't throw them a pizza party in the delivery room.
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I didn't try to serve them a hot slice of pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni.
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Why not?
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Because they were not ready for it.
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Their systems couldn't handle that kind of meal.
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When we brought Sam and then years later, Emmy home from the hospital, I didn't try to force feed them ribeye steak and corn on the cob.
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Again, why not?
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Because they could not handle it.
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They were not ready for it.
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Newborns cannot eat corn on the cob, pizza, and steak.
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Newborns cannot eat solid food.
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Babies can only be nourished by milk.
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But that was years ago, let's talk about now.
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Sam is six years old and Emmy is almost four.
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Should my kids be able to handle pizza, corn on the cob, and steak now?
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Why is that?
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Because they're older.
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They should be ready for solid food but they're not, there is something seriously wrong within them that Kate and I should not ignore.
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The Corinthian church should be ready for the solid food of God's word, but they're not.
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There is something seriously wrong within them that Paul cannot ignore.
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After years and years of being Christians, the Corinthians are still only drinking from the milk of the Bible basics.
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Their diet is way off because they have no desire to move forward.
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And to be clear, new believers do need the milk of the Bible basics.
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They do need the spiritual ABCs.
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God is holy, man is sinful, Jesus Christ came to die on the cross and everyone who trusts in him will be forgiven.
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Jesus loves me, this I know for the?
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Yes and amen to all these truths.
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We do touch on these essentials every single week, don't we?
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These are the foundation of our faith.
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But do you agree there's way more to the story?
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There's way more to know.
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There's way more to learn.
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At the beginning of your spiritual life, you must be fed like a spiritual newborn.
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But as time goes on, your diet should progress so that you can progress, that you can grow in your faith and make improvements.
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I'm not a dietician by any stretch of the imagination, but to grow big and strong physically, you need a certain calorie intake.
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You need to eat from a wide variety of food groups.
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To grow big and strong spiritually, you need to consume a significant amount of God's word.
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You need to have a balanced understanding of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
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You shouldn't say, "You know what, "that book isn't really for me." No, they're all for you.
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All 66 books of the Bible are essential for your growth.
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You should make the attempt to have a balanced understanding of the major topics of Scripture, the character and attributes of God, the person and work of Jesus Christ, sanctification, the church, end times, and on and on the list goes.
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As Paul says in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 through 17, all scripture, not just some, not just most, all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training and righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
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It takes the whole Bible to make you a whole person.
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you should have an appetite for the solid food of Scripture.
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Your knowledge of and your love for God's word should increase day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, and again, if it's not, there's a problem.
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Your desire to obey God's word should increase over time.
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If you truly have the mind of Christ, you should love the thoughts of Christ.
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And the author of Hebrews explains the long-term side effects of only drinking milk.
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He says this, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.
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You need milk, not solid food.
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For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child." I'm gonna be very blunt for the next few minutes and I've been praying for this section of the sermon all week long because I want you to receive what I'm about to offer with the intention I give it.
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This comes from love and concern.
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Some of you have only been drinking milk for years and it shows.
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Some of you are still spiritual newborns and not spiritual adults, even though you've followed Christ for years, maybe even decades.
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Some of you should be ready for the solid food of Scripture, but you're not.
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Some of you should be ready to teach the Bible back in Harvest Academy, but you're not.
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Some of you should be able to pray in front of other believers, lead prayer groups to prayer services, but you're not.
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Some of you men should be elder qualified by now and ready to help shepherd this flock and shoulder the responsibility, but you're not.
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If I have described you on any level, please understand I'm not trying to scold you.
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I'm not trying to push you down.
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Like the Apostle Paul, I only have the desire to encourage you and to pull you up.
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Like the Apostle Paul, I wanna put a shoulder around you.
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Brother, sister, God has so much more for you in store if you'll just take a step forward and make progress by his grace.
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Don't stay where you are.
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Don't be content to always drink milk.
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Feast on this book.
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Do not be content to always swim in the shallow end of the gospel with your floaties on.
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Dive in, explore, challenge yourself.
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Do not be content with riding with spiritual training wheels your entire life.
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Ask God to give you a sense of confidence so that you can ride with confidence and help other people to ride with confidence.
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Repent of your laziness.
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Turn from your apathy to the things of God.
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Ask the Lord to give you a greater hunger for his word, a greater motivation to run after holiness, a greater commitment to the strength of this church.
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After service, ask a pastor or elder to pray for you.
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Ask a mature member of this congregation or a godly friend to help you and to keep you accountable.
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It's time to grow up because your childish thinking holds you back from being who God has created you to be and doing what God has called you to do.
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It's time to grow up.
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Reason number two, because your childish behavior hurts others.
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Your childish behavior hurts others.
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Paul goes on to give another example of the Corinthian sinful immaturity in verse three.
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For you are still of the flesh.
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For while there is jealousy and strife among you, "Are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?" Childish thinking always leads to childish behavior.
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And the childishness of the Corinthians can be summed up in two words, jealousy and strife.
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Jealousy is a serious case of dissatisfaction with what God has given to you.
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You deserve more.
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You deserve better.
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You deserve whatever you want.
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When you are jealous of what someone else has, you cannot be content with what you have.
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If you are jealous of someone else's success, you cannot celebrate that person's success.
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Strife is needless conflict.
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Strife leads to dumb division that can and should be avoided.
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Jealousy is an attitude and strife is the aftermath.
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Jealousy is the root and strife is the result.
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No one needs to teach you how to be jealous.
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No one needs to show you how to create strife.
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These sins are inherent within each and every one of us.
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If you don't believe me, just go back to Harvest Academy for a few minutes.
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You will see jealousy and strife sooner rather than later.
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Why does Susie have that toy and I don't?
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Oh, I hate Tommy and Joey because they never let me play with them.
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Oh, I'm not inviting Ruthie to my birthday party because she didn't invite Betty to hers.
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You may laugh at that, but the adults in the church are not much better than the kids, are they?
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Listen, you can be jealous.
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You.
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Maybe you're envious of someone else in this room.
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That person who has the marriage that you want.
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That parent who has more under control kids than you do.
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That person who seems to be more talented than you.
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You should be celebrating and rejoicing in God's good gifts to that brother or sister, but instead you resent them.
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And you want them to be knocked down a few pegs to feel how you feel.
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You can be jealous.
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You can cause strife and factions in the church.
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You have a serious bone to pick with the leadership at Harvest.
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Instead of coming to the elders directly, you start whispering.
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You start spreading misinformation.
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You start spreading rumors.
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You are offended by someone else.
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Instead of going to that person directly, you go to other people to recruit them to your side.
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And you may say, oh, I'm just doing this to warn people.
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No, you're not.
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You're doing this so that other people will like you more than that person.
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Just be honest about it.
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Maybe you enjoy getting into fights.
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You enjoy making a big deal out of nothing.
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You lace up your boxing gloves and get into worthless, pointless battles with people.
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Are you jealous right now?
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Are you causing strife right now?
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If you are jealous, if you are stirring up trouble, you're just acting like an adult baby and not a mature son or daughter of God.
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If you are stirring up trouble, If you have sinned against someone else, it's time to swallow your pride and admit what you've done.
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Kids sweep things under the rug and ignore it.
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Adults expose sin and confess it.
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It's time to grow up because your childish behavior hurts others, especially the people you love.
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It's time to grow up, reason number three, because your childish favoritism highlights man and not God.
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Because your childish favoritism highlights man and not God.
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Jealousy and strife at Corinth played out in a specific way and it led to people playing favorites with specific leaders.
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Let's see what Paul has to say about this in verse four.
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For when one says, I follow Paul, And another, I follow Apollos, are you not being merely human?
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Pastor Jeff preached on this favoritism controversy a few weeks ago, but Paul talks about it again, so what are we gonna do?
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We're gonna talk about it again.
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Paul was the one who planted the Corinthian church during his second missionary journey.
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And he was there for about a year and a half ministering, preaching, pastoring.
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And some people had a soft spot for Paul.
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They were nostalgic for him because he was the one who led them to Christ.
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After Paul left, Apollos comes to town, and he's a much better speaker, a much more dynamic preacher.
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So many people prefer Apollos.
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And this history of favoritism led to both men having their own personal fan clubs, even though both men do not want their own personal fan clubs.
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In modern day terms, there is a Paul fan page on Facebook, and there's an opposing Apollos fan page on Facebook.
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There are trading cards with these men's faces and pastoral stats.
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There are YouTube channels that highlight and spell out their sermons and why they're so great.
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But Paul says this kind of favoritism is childish.
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It is not the way of heaven.
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It is the way of this world.
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He's saying, if you say I follow Paul or I follow Apollos, grow up.
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You're acting like a child.
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You need to cut it out.
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And Paul gives a reason why he and Apollos are not worthy of these cult followings in verse five.
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What then is Apollos?
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What is Paul?
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Servants through whom you believed as the Lord assigned to each.
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Paul and Apollos are not celebrities.
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They're not superstars.
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They're not mega church pastors.
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Who are they according to this verse?
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Servants.
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This word can also be translated as table waiters.
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Waiters do not cook the food.
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They simply deliver the food.
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Busboys simply clean up.
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Paul and Apollos are just lowly busboys in God's restaurant.
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Last time I checked, there are no busboy enthusiasts.
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There are no busboy trading cards.
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There are no busboy YouTube channels.
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When was the last time you're at a restaurant and thought to yourself, man, this table is spotless.
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I don't even need a plate, I can just eat right off of it.
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I'm gonna go find the busboy and congratulate him.
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Has that ever happened to you?
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And Paul's saying, I'm just a busboy.
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I'm not worthy of anything that you want to give me.
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He's knocking himself off the pedestal that the Corinthians have put him on.
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He's demystifying Apollos and putting him in his place too.
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They are just servants of the Lord.
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They are servants of the Corinthian church.
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But Paul isn't done lowering himself yet.
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He and Apollos are not just busboys.
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They're also farmhands according to verses six and seven.
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I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
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So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God gives the growth.
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I've never farmed before.
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I've never even kept a garden before in my entire life.
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The last time I can remember planting a seed was in first grade with that cup on the windowsill, that cup of dirt.
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I'm not a farmer, but I do know a farmer in our congregation.
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I spoke to Jesse Hogan last week and I asked him, "How much credit can you take for a good harvester crop?" Do you wanna know what farmer Jesse said?
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None.
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All I can do is plant, pray for good weather, and trust that God will bring the growth.
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Trust the results to God.
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Jesse is a successful farmer because he understands his place in the process.
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He entrusts the results to God.
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He knows his limitations.
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Paul is successful as a pastor, as an evangelist, as a church planner, because he knows his place in the process.
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He trusts the results to God.
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Paul knows his limitations.
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Paul is saying, I planted the church in Corinth.
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Apollos watered it with his faithful preaching, but who alone gets the credit?
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Who alone gets the glory for the growth?
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God, and God alone.
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Once again, Paul and Apollos are nothing special.
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They are just farmhands who plant and water the seeds of the gospel.
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That's it.
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Paul goes on to give yet another reason why he and Apollos shouldn't be pitted against each other in verse eight.
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He who plants and he who waters are one and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
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There is no reason for Paul and Apollos to compete because they are on the same team.
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They are one.
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I've already admitted that I'm not a farmer, but I may be a better farmer than I am an athlete.
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Some of you were laughing too hard at that.
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But I did play basketball from sixth to 12th grade, and I can remember distinct games where every man on our team was out for himself.
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Every man was trying to show off.
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Every man was trying to show everyone how great he was.
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And that never led to victory because we forgot that we were one.
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We forgot that we were on the same team.
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Like I also remember other games when we did come together as a cohesive whole.
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Everyone wasn't trying to win for himself, trying to win for the entire team.
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In those moments, we were one, we were on the same team, which often led to victory.
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We are on the same team at Harvest Bible Chapel.
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We should be pulling together to be one in the Lord rather than pulling apart to try and be special on our own.
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On my own, I am a zero.
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On your own, you are a zero, but together we are one.
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Our strength comes from our unity.
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Recently a member of our church paid the highest compliment to this church that made my entire year.
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She said, "To be honest, I don't really care "who preaches on a Sunday morning, "because I know, I trust that everyone who preaches "at harvest will be faithful to God's word." That is the goal.
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That woman gets it.
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That is what Paul is talking about in this verse.
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It's not about the servant, it's about the one we serve.
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It's not about the busboy, it's about the one who owns all things.
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It is not about the farmhand, it's about the only one who gives the growth.
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Playing favorites in the church is stupid.
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It is immature.
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It is childish foolishness.
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They try to figure out who's the best and who's the most important.
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We all have a role to play.
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No one's gifting or role is more important than another.
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And according to Paul, each worker will be paid by God himself, and God never stiffs his employees.
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He always gives infinitely satisfying rewards.
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So please, don't try to reward yourself by seeking after the affirmation and praise of others.
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Wait diligently for the rewards of God, 'cause they are coming.
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Adult babies live for the moment, but godly servants live for the long haul.
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It's time to grow up and start highlighting God and not man.
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It's time to grow up, final reason, because your childish selfishness hides your identity.
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Because your childish selfishness hides your identity.
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I'm gonna step up with verse nine.
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For we are God's fellow workers.
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You are God's field, God's building.
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I truly enjoy partnering with all of my coworkers.
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Missy, Jillian, Ashley, Pastor Rich, Pastor Jeff.
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I love all my coworkers.
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But do you know which coworker I enjoy working with the most?
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God.
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Pastor Jeff is a great boss, but do you know who's an even greater boss?
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The Lord.
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So many pastors fall into sin and disqualify themselves from ministry because their childish selfishness hides their identity.
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They think they're the ones making things happen.
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They think that the church growth is happening because of them.
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They're in charge, they're running the show.
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They end up becoming bullies.
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They end up becoming tyrants.
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They forget they work with and for the God of the universe.
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Those pastors did not shed their own blood on the cross for the members of their church.
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Their churches do not belong to them.
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Their churches belong to Christ.
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You do not belong to me.
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You do not belong to Justin Cady, Brian Behe, Pastor Rich, or even Pastor Jeff.
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If you have trusted in Christ, you belong to him.
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He's the one who shed his blood for you.
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He is the one who died for you.
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You are God's field.
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You are God's building.
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That is who you are.
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Do not let your childish selfishness hide your identity any longer.
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Do not try to find your identity in what the world says to find it in.
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The world will tell you that you are the maker of your own meaning.
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Your worth is found in what you achieve.
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But that is not what Paul is saying in this verse.
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You are not a precious snowflake whose every one preference should be met.
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Your story is not the main event of this world.
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You are not the point of anything.
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You are just a small part of the field that God is cultivating.
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You are just a single brick in the beautiful structure that God is building.
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You are a part of the church of Jesus Christ, which will never, ever pass away.
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It's time to grow up and stop believing that life is all about you, because it's not.
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It's about the Lord, who will do great things in and through you.
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It's time to grow up and start remembering who you are and whose you are.
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Some of you in this room do not belong to Christ.
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You are not even an infant in Christ because you have not been born again.
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You are not a part of God's field.
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You are not a part of God's building.
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You are just a lonely seed.
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You are just a discarded brick.
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But your identity will change in an instant if you give your life to Jesus.
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If you trust in him as your savior who died on the cross for your sins.
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If you trust in him as the Lord of your life who has every right to tell you what to do.
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If you place your faith and trust in Christ, you will be adopted into his family.
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You will be planted into God's field.
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You will be slid into the perfect spot in this church that is reserved just for you.
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You will be placed on the path to mature adulthood in Christ.
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The biggest temptation for a sermon like this is to feel the sting of conviction in the moment and then do nothing with that conviction once you get home.
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But do you know what's the most childish thing of all?
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Knowing that something needs to change and then doing nothing about it.
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Please do not fall into that childish temptation.
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Choose to put away your childish thinking.
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Choose to put away your childish behavior.
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Choose to put away your childish favoritism.
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Choose to put away your childish selfishness.
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Brothers and sisters, it's time to mature.
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It's time to grow up.
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But you can't grow up on your own, can you?
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You need God's help, because he is the expert on growth, not you.
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There are still two blanks left on your sheet that you need to fill in.
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These are a prayer to the Lord.
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God, help me to grow up.
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Today I need to stop blank and start blank.
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I have no idea what you need to fill in those blanks with, but you do.
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And so does God.
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Maybe it's God, help me to grow up.
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Today I need to stop making excuses and start reading my Bible every morning at 7 a.m.
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Maybe it's God, help me to grow up.
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Today I need to stop being jealous of so and so at small group and start being content with what you have given me.
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It could be, God, help me to grow up today and I need to stop sitting on the church sidelines and start serving at harvest today.
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Don't be vague, because vague goals lead to disappointing results.
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Be practical, be specific, 'cause that will lead to encouraging results.
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Take a few minutes to fill in those blanks.
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Take a few moments to go to the Lord, to confess sin, to ask for his help.
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Ask him to empower you to change.
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Ask for his help so that you can be empowered to take steps to grow up.
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Fill in those blanks and spend some time in the Lord with prayer.
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Father, I thank you for your immense patience with us.
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I know as a father I can be so impatient with my children at times, but Lord, you are so long-suffering.
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But all of us in this room can be childish.
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All of us in this room can be immature.
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Lord, may today be a brand new day of transformation.
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May today be a day where a first step is taken, where growth happens by your grace and by the power of your spirit.
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Lord, may we not just be convicted in this moment, be convicted the rest of today, the rest of this week and the rest of our lives to seek after you and your word, to pursue after the unity of the church, and to fit into our exact spot in the church.
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Lord, I thank you for what your Holy Spirit has done this morning, and I thank you in advance for what he will do.
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I ask all these things in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
Why do so many Christians act like adult babies and why do so many churches pamper these adult babies? What is the solution to this problem?
Define jealousy and strife. How do you see yourself being jealous or stirring up strife right now?
According to Paul, why shouldn’t there be any competition in the church?
What identity does Paul assign to Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:9? How should this identity affect how you act and serve the church?
Breakout
Share how you filled in the following blanks at the end of your outline: God, help me to grow up. Today, I need to stop _______________________________________ and start _______________________________________. Encourage and pray for one another.