Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on DISTRACTED: From Hype to Hope, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Sin and Salvation
we are in first corinthians chapter 3 for our time in the word as you're turning there let me give you a quick moment. of context as to what we're studying we're looking at this letter to the church in corinth written by the apostle paul in a. themed series we're calling distracted because this letter given to us in the word is written to a church that had really taken their. eyes off the main focus of the lord and they've because they've lost focus of who God is in their church and in their. lives they've detoured towards disputing and divisions and arguing and they're not in a place of unified joy but divided argument in arguments so. what we're doing is we're looking at this and we're saying okay Lord we want our focus to be on you because like this. church 2,000 years ago and pretty much every Church and believing community ever since that initial wave of excitement for the Lord can easily. get turned into a distracted focus onto something else and that will not work for a church or for a believer a community of. believers the focus has to be on the power of God and anything else will turn into a detour that will allow divisions and. arguments to become something that defines that particular season so we're gonna look at a continuation of this from last week wait last week. we identified one of those major distractions of this church in Corinth and I think it was very good timing for our church culture. both our church and the world that we live in as part of the 21st century Church because the distraction we identified last week. was hype so easily this church was has taken their eyes off the power of God and they started looking for power excitement joy. satisfaction sustenance not from the power of God but from as the word said the wisdom and the philosophy and the persuasiveness of man. we looked at that we said that's hype and they bought it in the in the first century Church and if you have been. around the church scene long enough you're gonna know that part of the challenge of the modern church is to take our eyes off. the power and the goodness of God revealed through the cross and look at some hype whether it be the hype of the message. that sounds cool or the messenger that looks cool not this.
Sin and Salvation
one or the method that comes across so elegant and persuasive all of that is put into the category of hype today's message we're. gonna go part two on that and say how do we go from human hype back to the hope of God so this message. is called from hype to hope and I hope that some of you are ready to hear this because based off the response that. I got to have with the church just from last sermon to this one I know that I hit a nerve in some of. your guys's experience with church and with your pursuit of God that sometimes it does feel like a lot of hype with Auto without. a lot of substance so today we're gonna look at God's Word because Paul so brilliantly takes this trip to our church to identify. the hype and then bring them back to the hope don't worry Church it's gonna be okay so this is the scripture that we're. going to read is going to take us from hype to hope and we're gonna look at the very end of chapter 3 starting. in verse 18 let no one deceive himself if anyone among you seems to be wise in this age let him become a fool. that him he may become wise for the wisdom of this world the hype of this world is foolishness with God it won't work. it won't substitute the power of God in a way that will bring fruit to your life for it is written he catches the. wise in their own craftiness and again the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they're actually futile therefore let no one boast. in men for all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo's or Cephas these are the teachers they were disputing about which one each. person belonged to he said never mind the teachers or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all. are yours the audience of the believers how reassuring is it that if you have the indwelling of the power of the Spirit the. revelation of who God is as your personal Lord and Savior we now come to a passage of scripture that says he will provide. all things because you are Christ's and Christ is God's that's reassuring for those of us who believe it's reassuring for me when I. think about the reality of hype in the church culture that.
Faith and Obedience
were a part of and when I belong for the hope that God is not done with his church and his power isn't powerful. enough to revive the church because this says that we belong to God what we're going to do this morning as we take our. journey from last week the message of human hype to this week the message of the hope in God we're gonna look at the. entirety of chapter three so buckle up because we're gonna move fairly quickly because what Paul is going to do this church he's going. to offer them three basic steps to go from hype to hope and he does this in a very pastoral way and in the. pastoral way it also works for parents it will also work for mentors coaches people who are in a position to lead people from. a distracted season of their life back to the focus and he does this three-step process in these three ways in verses 1 through. 8 this morning we're gonna look at his gentle rebuke this is the Bible's word or terminology for offering correction identifying what's wrong and. then saying don't do that's not going to work so verses 1 through 8 in the outline this morning are the rebuke that Paul. will offer this church then in verses 9 through 17 he's going to offer them to refocus and this is where the parental guidance. comes in because as we find our children doing something they shouldn't it's important that we don't just condemn them but we also redirect. them that's going to happen in the word this morning from rebuke to refocus and then we're going to end in what we just. read already in verses 18 through 23 from rebuke to refocus to reassurance and where there is rebuke divine rebuke in Scripture by the. power of the Spirit that comes to convict rebuke is always followed by the reassurance that God is a good father where he disciplines. it is for our benefit it is for our good that he chastens those he loves and points them in the way that they. should go so there is no rebuke of the word that isn't followed with the reassurance that God loves us and he wants us. to grow up and rebuke so that we can go towards the awesome stuff that he has for us as believers and for us. as a church so parents pastors mentors coaches this morning.
Prayer and Dependence
this is our God to direct people that are out of focus and to bring them back to where we're trying to take them. through the rebuke the refocus and then the reassurance now we start with the rebuke and the rebuke is going to be an overlap. of what we looked at last week because he's gonna talk once again about this danger of hype the rebuke section you can almost. label the headaches of hype because he's going to point out what we looked at last week if we put too much emphasis on. the message making it cool and the meth and the messenger and the method it's actually going to be powerless because the power doesn't. exist in the delivery and the deliver the power exists in God and if the power from the church or the believer if you're. looking for the power from something else it will take you down a road where you will be a powerless person in a season. of your life and this is what happens to a church that is powerless starting in verse 1 he says and I brethren could. not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal as to babe's in Christ I fed you with milk and not. with solid food for until now you were not able to receive it and even now you are still not able why aren't they. going deeper with the truths of God here is the headache that is caused from the hype for you are still carnal for where. there is any Envy they're jealous of one another and the jealousy has turned into strife where they're actually fighting and arguing with one. another and divisions among you so their jealousy is turned into arguments and their arguments have turned into the splitting of the camps sound. familiar in the day and age we live in are you not acting carnal now that word carnal is essentially saying what he already. said in beginning you're not acting spiritual you're not you're not acting from the power of the Spirit but you're still doing things in. your natural ability and in your natural ability you will be naturally jealous that will turn into fighting and it will turn into divisions. and here's part of the problem for one says verse 4 I am of Paul another says I am of apollos are you not. carnal if you're starting to look for your hope and your guidance.
Prayer and Dependence
specifically in a in a certain person your plate you're expecting the power to come from a where the power doesn't exist and it. will turn you into someone who acts more carnal or more in your natural senses than in the power of God the spiritual power. that you have by the indwelling of the Spirit and then he'll go on to say and this is so important for the rebuke. this is why the rebuke needs to come in as he says this is happening because you're looking for the power to come from. the person and not from God and he gives the answer he says who then is Paul and who is Apollo's there nothing there. just ministers through whom you believed as the Lord gave to each one I planted saying Paul himself planted the church Apollo's watered but. it is God who gives increase I like what the ESV says here it says God gives growth the reason that this rebuke needs. to happen for the season of the church in Corinth is because they have altogether stopped growing it is so important for us to. be pursuing God's power the power of the Spirit in us because when we do that God naturally produces growth in our lives and. through that growth we continually mature into the perfect image of his son if he is not producing growth in us it is not. that we go in neutral it is that we go in the wrong direction and so I want to say a couple of things. to this because the rebuke is you're not growing Church here's how we get to it in verse one he says I came to. you and I spoke to you as babes in Christ now that is a good thing to do in fact underneath verse one in. my Bible I put a little smiley face because I want to be a church and part of a believing community that has all. sorts of testimonies of babes in Christ it's a beautiful thing to be so welcoming with the truth of God and to present it. in such a way that a non-believer a spiritually dead person could hear it and come alive and that is what happened in Corinth. Paul came with a message of the gospel that has the power to take a natural man and give him spiritual life and he. came with that power and people were born again and I hope.
Life in the Church
that we are a church that reaches people to become babes in Christ there's nothing more beautiful than a newborn child and you're gonna. hear a little bit about my particular season of life because I know that as a reminder firsthand for those of you who don't. know we just had a baby and babies are incredible here's the amazing thing about babies no matter what they do and they pretty. much do everything wrong it's awesome you just hold the baby and look and you're in all the miracle of life in your hands. and what's incredible is that no matter what this baby does and the baby does things all the time that I would never allow. any of my real friends to do crying some unexcused bedtime manners keeping me up at night if I don't give this baby the. proper attention it starts to cry but it's a baby it's expected and it's joyful but there's a challenge for this church and for. the growth of any baby he then says in verse 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid foods when I was. there you were babes for until now you were not able to receive it and even now you're still not able now we're into. the to the area where we need some rebuke from the word because when Paul was there he planted a church for babes in. Christ who come and receive the milk of God's Word to find nourishment for their souls that they should grow but now most commentators. believe this is about five and a half years later he retroactively Lee writes to them and he realizes they're still on a milk. diet and they're not growing at all now let me insert my season of life once again because not only do I have a. newborn baby that teaches me all about the excitement of new life which is awesome I also have a household of other kids that. I'm expecting to be maturing that sometimes don't in fact when you insert a new baby into a household what often happens is the. older kids start acting young again and this is kind of sad because they mostly do it for our attention parents but when a. five year old who should be maturing towards adulthood starts to act like a baby it's the opposite of awesome it's actually kind of. the worst and what we find in a church environment where there.
Grace and Justification
are new born babies representing the joy of heaven that one Center is repented and been born again into spiritual life if that life. does not progress and grow it is like five year olds asking for milk here's how it is said in another passage of Scripture. this is Hebrews many people think this is Paul writing the same theme in another letter this is what he says in Hebrews chapter. five for though by this time you ought to be teachers hebrews chapter five verse 12 but you need someone to teach you again. the first principles of the Oracles of God and you have come to need milk and not solid food for everyone who partakes and. only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness he's just a babe what Paul is saying now in Hebrews or whoever wrote. it you guys should be teachers by now it's not that you should be mature just so you stop making a mess it's so. that you mature to take part in the household and parents back me up if this is true but I have heard as your. household grows they're supposed to start helping out not my season but I've heard that as they get older in the household and you. teach them the way that they should go and they mature into young adults that they begin to contribute to the household and what. Paul is saying to this church is you guys are still a milk I need you to grow because there are hungry new believers. there are hungry babes in Christ who need teachers they need people to walk alongside them and to help them there is a need. for the church in Corinth to grow up and be mature so Paul from a distance doesn't have to run in and referee the. church there's an interesting study that just came out this week this is from the University of Heidelberg in Germany and it very interesting. for the purposes of our talk I do have to preface it by saying this is just a worldly study so take it with. a grain of salt it's sought to answer a lifelong question it's a question that I sometimes ask myself in my particular season. and that is this our parents of children happier because they have children a household there's a certain livelihood to a household with kids. in it or our adults of this similar age group.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.