Are You Spiritual, Natural, or Carnal? 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; 3:1-4 I. INTRODUCTION-

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1 Are You Spiritual, Natural, or Carnal? 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; 3:1-4 I. INTRODUCTION- a. Tonight we continue our study of 1 Corinthians I love studying the Bible don t you? b. You know the devil doesn't like a Bible-carrying Christian and he especially doesn't like a Bible-believing Christian. c. There are several places that are good places for the Bible the home is a good place for the Bible the hand is a better place for the Bible the head is a better place than that for the Bible and the best place for the Bible is our heart. d. Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! e. It is a good thing to study the Bible and plant its truth in our hearts so that we can learn more about God learn more about the Christian life and how to live a life that pleases God. f. In this passage the Apostle Paul describes three kinds of people. g. The natural man or person the spiritual man or person and the carnal man or person. h. All of us here tonight fits into one of these categories we are either a natural person a spiritual person or a carnal person. i. A pastor once preached a very strong sermon against sin after the service a lady met him at the door and she was obviously very unhappy about the sermon she told the pastor Pastor, I want you to know, that I did not appreciate that sermon one little bit without missing a beat the pastor replied Well ma am the devil did not like it either, so classify yourself.

2 j. Tonight we are going to look at what Paul said about these three types of people and it is important that we classify ourselves and see where we are spiritually. k. It is important that we know what kind of person we are are we natural spiritual or carnal. II. THE NATURAL PERSON- a. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. b. Who is the natural person?...the natural person is the unsaved person. c. The natural person has been born physically but they have not been born again. d. The natural person has a human nature but they have no spiritual nature they have no connection with God they have no personal relationship with God. e. The life of the natural person their words, thoughts, actions, decisions and desires... are all controlled by their unredeemed, unsaved human nature the natural person...does what comes naturally. f. Natural people come in all varieties some are good, some are bad some are smart, some are dumb some are famous, some are unknown some are educated, some are ignorant some are powerful, some are not some are important, some are not some are sophisticated, some are not. g. In 1 Corinthians 2:14 Paul said because the natural person has no connection with God and no relationship with God because the natural person has not been born again.

3 h. They have no capacity to receive to understand to comprehend or appreciate the truths of God and the things of God and they have no interest in the things of God. i. The natural person is spiritually blind to their lostness they are blind to their spiritual condition they are blind to their desperate need of Christ they are blind to the truths of God and the things of God. j. When it comes to spiritual things the natural person just doesn t get it and they just don t get Christians. k. I am not a math guy you could talk to me all day long about trigonometry geometry or any other kind of ometry you want to and I will never get it I don t have the capacity nor do I have the desire to understand it. l. You can talk to a natural man all you want to about the things of God but they just won t get it. m. The natural person has neither the capacity nor the desire to understand spiritual truth spiritual truth rolls off them like water off a ducks back. n. Spiritual truth does not make sense to the natural person...they cannot comprehend it they cannot understand it and they don t want to and very often the hostile person is hostile to spiritual truth and to those who believe. o. The interest of the natural person is all wrapped up in the things of this world. p. The natural person lives at eye-level as the pig does not have the capacity to look up the natural person does not have the capacity nor the desire to look up to God their life is all wrapped up in the interests, activities, values and possessions of this world.

4 q. If this is true is it possible for a natural person ever to be saved?... the answer is yes because before we were saved we were natural people. r. The Bible says left on their own no one would have ever seek for God and come to Christ but out of His mercy and grace by the Holy Spirit God reaches out to the lost it is God who opens the minds of the unsaved to their lostness and their need of Him. s. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (NKJV) But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. t. When we were lost and living in our natural state it was God who opened our minds to spiritual truth and it was God who granted us repentance and faith to be saved. u. We all have family members friends co-workers who are lost and maybe we have witnessed to them many times and they have shown no interest in coming to Christ. v. Keep witnessing to them when God gives you the opportunity but also pray that God would penetrate the spiritual blindness that covers their minds that they might repent, believe and be saved. III. THE SPIRITUAL PERSON- a. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. b. The spiritual person is a person who has been saved they have been born-again.

5 c. The spiritual person has a relationship with God because the spiritual person is someone who has repented of their sins and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. d. Christianity is not a creed it is not a code it is not a cause it is not a church. e. Christianity is having a real and personal relationship with God it is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior living with us and living in us through the Holy Spirit. f. The spiritual person is someone who is serious about the Christian life and the things of God. g. The spiritual person is serious about loving God and living for God they are serious about prayer, worship, serving the Lord and holy living. h. The spiritual person is serious about growing in their knowledge and understanding of God s Word. i. The spiritual person understands that growing in the knowledge and understanding of God s Word will help him or her to grow in their understanding of God and sharpen their discernment of what is right and wrong and how to live for God in this world. j. The spiritual person is serious about living a faithful, committed and obedient life for Christ. k. The spiritual person is serious about the church the spiritual person loves and supports the church for the spiritual person being active and involved in the life of the church is a priority. l. The spiritual person understands the importance of daily yielding control of their life to the indwelling Holy Spirit.

6 m. They know that living the growing and effective Christian life depends on relying on the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit who lives within them. n. It should be the goal of every Christian to be a spiritual person this is the normal Christian life. IV. THE CARNAL PERSON- a. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NKJV) And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes 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; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? b. The carnal person is a person who is saved but they are not a very good Christian. c. The carnal person is saved but the fire of salvation that once burned brightly in their soul and in their life has turned to a flicker. d. The carnal person prays very little they rarely read their Bible they may give a little to the church but rarely does a carnal person tithe and give as they should and witnessing to someone about their need for Christ is something that never crosses their mind. e. If a carnal Christians attends church their attendance is usually sporadic and they are usually Sunday morning only Christians. f. Carnal Christians may serve in the church in some way they may even have a title or position in the church but they are not really interested in being too active and involved in the church. g. In many ways carnal Christians are just as much at home in the world as they are in the church.

7 h. The language, lifestyle and habits of the carnal Christian are often more worldly than they are Christian. i. Carnal Christians are easy targets for Satan s traps and temptations. j. There is nothing in this world more dishonoring to God that being a carnal Christian. k. Carnal, casual, passionless, lukewarm, backslidden, non-committed Christianity has done more to hinder people from coming to faith in Christ than anything else in this world. l. Carnal Christianity is a deformed Christianity instead of growing in Christ and maturing into productive and effective Christians carnal Christians never grow in the Lord they remain spiritual babes in Christ. m. It is a sad thing when a baby or a child for some reason stops growing and maturing either mentally or physically. n. It is even a greater tragedy when a born again Christian who has been saved by God s grace indwelt by the Holy Spirit blessed with a Bible blessed with all the privileges of the Christian life blessed with being a part of a caring church family never grows and matures in the Lord. o. There is always a reason and a cause when a child does not grow and develop. p. But there is no excuse for a born again Christian not to grow and mature as Christian. q. The only reason Christians fail to mature in the Lord is spiritual sorryness. r. Nothing in this world dishonors the Lord more than a sorry unconcerned and uncommitted Christian who stays a babe in Christ.

8 s. And I can tell you as a Pastor there is nothing more frustrating that having to pastor and try to take care of and teach and motivate a bunch of immature, whining, spiritual babes. t. Carnal Christianity does nothing to help edify and build up a local church. u. In fact whenever a church suffers from unnecessary conflict and division in the church family whenever people in the church fight over things that Christians have no business fighting over whenever people in the church are willing to sacrifice the unity of the church just to get their way carnal, immature Christians will always be involved. v. 1 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV) For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere (unsaved) men? V. CONCLUSION- a. Classify yourself are you a natural, spiritual, or carnal person? b. If you are a natural person get saved. c. If you are a spiritual person keep the fire and passion for Christ growing in your life. d. If you have settled into carnal Christianity repent and ask Christ to set your soul afire again for Him.