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1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ESV
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

I. INNOCENCE OF INFANCY & EXPECTATION OF GROWTH (1-2)
A. Being immature when you’re an infant in Christ is not a sin.
B. Remaining immature into spiritual adulthood is.
II. FLESH EATERS VS FEASTING ON THE FLESH (2-4)
A. The Corinthians were fleshly instead of mature.
B. Carnality is real and is more about immaturity than immorality.
C. Carnality feasts on drama, dissension, and division.
III. IT TAKES WATER AND A HOE, BUT GOD MAKES US GROW (5-9)
A. Paul and Apollos were waiters. God is the chef.
B. Faithfulness is important but it is all useless unless God causes fruit to grow.
C. We all have our parts to play and varied rewards from God to come…
D. But at best we are all equally insignificant compared to the work that God does in growing and building the church.
NEXT STEPS
1. Maturity in Christ means killing carnality and choosing your cross instead.
2. Do your part in other’s lives…but check yourself before you wreck yourself!
NEXT WEEK:
1 Cor 3:10-20 The Supremacy of the Cross in Building the Church