1 Corinthians 3:1-4_SERMON NOTES

TITLE: “Spiritual People”

INTRODUCTION
The War of 1812 is often overlooked but some interesting events took place during this conflict between the United States and Great Britain. For example, the White House was burned and ransacked by British troops – leading to the heroics of the First Lady, Dolly Madison, running into the flames to save as many paintings as she could. This is also when Francis Scott Key composed The Star Spangled Banner and when the coalition put together by the influential Shawnee chief named Tecumseh was defeated by William Henry Harrison. This was also the last military skirmish between these two nations which went on to become the closest of allies.
           
Postwar fighting
One particularly key battle during this war was called The Battle of New Orleans. It was hailed as a great victory for the U.S., making Andrew Jackson a national hero and eventually propelling him to the presidency. Here’s what happened - British forces under Edward Pakenham assaulted New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815, and were soundly defeated by Andrew Jackson's ragtag army, an event that contributed to the notion of a U.S. triumph.

The British appeared off Mobile on February 8, confirming Jackson's fear that they planned an attack in that quarter. They overwhelmed Fort Bowyer, a garrison manned by 360 Regulars at the entrance to Mobile Harbor. Before they could attack the city itself, word arrived that a treaty had been signed at Ghent on Christmas Eve, two weeks before the Battle of New Orleans.

The Battle of New Orleans was a smashing American victory, as the British suffered 2,000 casualties: 291 dead (including Pakenham and his second and third in command); 1262 wounded, and 484 captured or missing. The Americans had 71 casualties: 13 dead, 39 wounded, and 19 missing. The commissioners signed a treaty on Dec. 24, 1814 - the Treaty of Ghent. 2 weeks before!

>SEE PICTURE ILLUSTRATIONS HERE… I use these to illustrate that even though the war is over, sanctification is still a process of spiritual mop-up battles

MAIN OUT LINE: THE SIX NAMES PAUL CALLS THE CORINTHIANS …

1.      Brothers (v.1a)

2.      Spiritual People (v.1b)

3.      People of the flesh (v.1c)

4.      Infants in Christ (v.1d)

5.      Of the Flesh (v.3)

6.      Merely human (v.4)

THE TEXT - 1 Corinthians 3:1–4

VERSE 1 (4 names!)

1^ST Name - Brothers (v.1a)

2^ND Name - Spiritual People (v.1b)

Spiritual men (pneumatikos) – the mature who are God-centered as opposed to being self-centered
πνευματικοι [pneumatikoi]. Spiritual persons are those Christians in whom the Spirit has really become the fundamental power of life Galatians 6:1 and they are the opposite of persons directed by the spirit of the world Ephesians 2:2. They show true maturity by the readiness to respond to the implications of the word of the Cross for life together.

Read Romans 8:4–9; 12-17 

3^RD Name - People of the flesh (v.1c)

v. 1 (made) of flesh (sarkinoi) - σαρκινοι [sarkinoi]. flesh equals human nature apart from God

4^TH Name - Infants in Christ (v.1d)

Babes (nepiois) - babes (νηπιοι [nēpioi]), not adults (τελειοι [teleioi])

“Instead of mature behavior characterized by humility and concern for others—obedience to God—the Corinthians were infantile, self-centered, and therefore divisive (v. 4; cf. 1:12). They wanted lives of exaltation (4:8) without lives of humiliation (4:9-13) because they did not understand that “Christ … crucified” was a message concerned not only with justification but also with sanctification (cf. Phil. 2:1-8).” ^- The Bible Knowledge Commentary .

milk is ‘missionary preaching’ - not ‘crossless’ preaching 2.2

See 1 Corinthians 13:11 and 1 Corinthians 14:20

VERSE 2 (NO NAMES)

“For Paul the gospel of the crucified one is both “milk” and “solid food”. As milk it is the good news of salvation; as solid food it is understanding that the entire Christian life is predicated on the same reality … thus the Corinthians do not need a change in diet but a change in perspective.”

Read Hebrews 5:11–14; 6:1-2
                                        *Not even infantile Christianity is  non-doctrinal!

Flesh = unredeemed human nature. 1 ½ year stay, Apollos came, the first letter – 3 years later.

VERSE 3 (1 NAME)

5^TH Name - Of the Flesh (v.3)

Rom. 7:14 Paul says, “I am fleshen (σαρκινος [sarkinos]) sold under sin,” as if σαρκινος [sarkinos] represented the extreme power of the σαρξ [sarx]. v.3 ruled dominated by the flesh (sarkikoi) - σαρκικοι [sarkikoi] (carnal)

VERSE 4 (1 NAME)

6^TH Name - Merely human (v.4)

Ordinary men, Merely men - *but not psychikoi (natural) ψυχικοι [psuchikoi] (unregenerate).” Are you not living from the old point of view – where the cross is folly and  life is self-centered…

“It is not true  [that there are unspiritual Christians] in the sense that the Spirit is the crucial factor in whether one is or is not a believer; one cannot be a Christian and be devoid of the Spirit (Romans 8.8, Galatians 3.2-3, Titus 3.5-7). On the other hand, the Corinthians are involved in a lot of unchristian behavior; in that sense they are “unspiritual”, not because they lack the Spirit but because they are thinking and living just like those who do.”

Read James 3:13–18

Read Galatians 5:13–26                            NOTE *15 items, 6  w/divisions!

CONCLUSION - “nothing hinders great preaching like the dulness caused by sin on the part of auditors who are impatient with the high demands of the gospel” ^- A.T. Robertson, W P N T