©Living Hope Church 13 Mar 2005

The 7 Habits of Highly Immature Believers

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Introduction

A. While life is difficult and filled with many trials, there are also numerous blessings that come our way.
One such blessing is babies. Living Hope is expecting several.

1. Beth and I were blessed with 3 children and we adopted a 4th child. They have each brought us
a tremendous amount of joy. More children would have been a blessing.

2. Grandchildren are even more precious. To watch your kids, whom you managed by the grace of
God to not mess up too badly, parent wisely is serious joy.

3. A 6-month old baby is cuddly, cute and sweet. A 16, or 18, or 21 year old baby is not. We
parent by faith. Hoping, praying and teaching our children to grow up. It is expected.

B. When a person comes to Jesus Christ, they are infants in Christ. God expects new believers in Jesus
Christ to grow up to maturity.

1. A mature Christian (holy) is a fierce weapon in God’s hands. An immature Christian is not.

C. In this chapter, Paul shines his spotlight on the Corinthians. They probably didn’t ask, because they
thought they were mature, but Paul sees them differently.

1. The title of this sermon is The 7 Habits of Highly Immature Believers. A tip of my hat to
Stephen Covey and his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

2. It is always good to remember that Scripture is God-breathed. Paul writes this to the church in
Corinth, but we are in view as well.

D. We should be serious as we evaluate our lives for immaturity. The Corinthians thought they were wise,
yet Paul rebukes them. Reality rules.

I. Here is the situation.

A. Corinth has divisions in the church. They are following various leaders.

1. Paul is explaining, in an argument that runs from 1 Corinthians 1:18-4:21, the priority of the
gospel message. Jesus Christ and Him crucified vs. the wisdom of the world.

2. Last week, in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, we saw that Paul is distinguishing between the Christian and
the unbeliever (the natural person). Mature folks come to Christ.

B. Now, Paul turns a corner. To get the correct interpretation we must track Paul’s use of the word
wisdom and when he is speaking about believers or unbelievers.

1. In chapter 3, Paul writes to believers. They are brothers. But they have a flaw. They are of the
flesh, only given milk, not solid food.

Ex: Babies begin with milk and grow towards solid food naturally. So does the Christian.
From the simple gospel to a mature gospel (propitiation, justification, etc.).

2. They are behaving in a natural way, that is, doing what human beings do. Sin.

Ex: They excelled in spiritual gifts, they lacked love, which is greater (2 commands).
 C. So, Paul here confronts them about their lack of spiritual maturity. Here are the 7 ways they are
immature and of the flesh.

II. The 7 Habits of Highly Immature Believers. I’m not encouraging immaturity. Immaturity is not a good
thing. If any one of these habits are present, spiritual maturity cannot be.

A. One (see 1 Corinthians 3:3), highly immature believers have jealousy and strife in their midst.

1. Jealousy and strife speak of competition with one another. We envy, we are jealous of what
another is or has.

Ex: The toaster wants to be a microwave. It isn’t.

B. Two (see 1 Corinthians 3:4-9a), highly immature believers have an incorrect view of leaders. This
happens in two contrasting ways.

1. One, leaders are over-emphasized. They only plant and water, God gives growth, so it is God
that matters most, not which leader.

2. Two, leaders are disregarded. I have no need of pastoral ministry, I have arrived.

Ex: Paul will explain in 1 Corinthians 4 how leaders should be viewed.

C. Three (see 1 Corinthians 3:9b), highly immature believers forget their owner. They think of themselves
as their own rather than belonging to God.

1. You are God’s field, God’s building. It is never a leader’s domain, the leader works for and with
God. We are not our own, we were bought for a price.

D. Four (see 1 Corinthians 3:11), highly immature believers ignore the only sure foundation in their lives,
Jesus Christ. How do is this accomplished? Two ways.

1. They do not pay attention to the Word of God.

2. They neglect the gospel.

E. Five (see 1 Corinthians 3:12-15), highly immature believers do not pay attention to eternity. They only
see this world and this life.

1. A joy that you think about eternity (the cards you gave me).

2. The context here is certainly speaking to leaders who build a church. But in the end, we all build
together. We all can exert influence.

F. Six (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17), highly immature believers lack a sense of the priority and importance of
the local church.

1. Jesus Christ has promised to build His church. The church has to do with all of us, the plural is
used here. Not individuals.

2. People are God’s temple. We are set apart for Him, we are holy. To do damage here is a most
painful experience.

G. Seven (see 1 Corinthians 3:18-20), highly immature believers are deceived because they believe they
are wise in this age.

1. It is no mark of maturity that we should get along well with the world. If the world loves us, we
may resemble the world too much.
III. When you see the greatness of God in salvation it becomes impossible to boast in men or anything
else in this life.

A. The blackness of your sin and rebellion against God over against the love of God displayed at Calvary
on that tree.

B. When you get it you respond biblically. You become, over time, a spiritually mature Christian for the
glory of God.

1. You are able to say with Paul: All things are mine.

2. The words at the end of chapter 3 are among the most sublime in all the Scriptures. Here we are
on holy ground, and commentary almost seems to distract.

C. What do you lack? Nothing. All things are yours in Christ. Paul lists two distinct categories for their
consideration.

1. All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas.

Ex: Preachers I watch or listen to (Creflo Dollar and now faith). Guys that perhaps aren’t on
someone’s approved list. Bones to pick out (wisdom to narrow).

Ex: A friend reading D.L. Moody (but he’s not reformed).

· All things are ours in Christ.

2. All things are yours, whether the world, or life or death, or the present or the future - all are yours.

D. These five words represent the fundamental tyrannies of human life.

1. The world attempts to squeeze us into its mold. It attempts to demand our allegiance and
attention and distracts us from the age to come.

2. Life begs to be treated with ultimate respect. We cling to it.

3. Because, we can be uncertain about death, which comes to each one of us. Death is a tyranny
no one escapes (the last enemy).

4. The present is surely a distraction. How would our passions and goals change if we spent our
time now preparing for eternity?

5. The future holds trials, difficulties (blessings too).

E. In Christ, all these things are ours. They are redeemed.

1. The world is not our home. It is a temporary stopover on the way to the next world. It no longer
gets our allegiance. It is ours, because it belongs to God.

2. Life is now lived in freedom.

3. Death no longer has a sting and is now anticipated.

4. The present is where we love God and serve Him with joy (enjoy His sovereignty).

5. Because all things are under the feet of Jesus Christ, the future is no longer filled with worry and
fear. All things work for good for those who love God.
Close

A. What does the text mean for us today? It means that in Christ, we have all things.

1. The spiritually mature will pursue different priorities than the spiritually immature. We who are
believers fall into one category or the other. We aim for maturity.

2. It doesn’t mean that everything called Christian is in fact Christian.

3. It doesn’t mean every Christian leader has the same value or significance.

4. It does mean factions have no place in the church because they have no place in eternity. We
can learn from a number of styles and groups. We are one in Christ.

B. We live life for the glory of God and the rewards that are ours in eternity. That is what matters.
Everything else is trivial.

1. All things are yours in Christ, you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. What a glorious inheritance
we have in Christ!