Opening Illustration

Many of you know that the NHL playoffs are going on right now.

Some of you did not have the joy of being able to root for your team because they didn’t make the playoffs…

Some of you are living in the disappointment of your team already being eliminated… and

Some of you still have a team in it,

and are holding on to the hope that your team will win it all this year!

In the Penner home, we are Colorado Avalanche fans!

They are still in the playoffs,

and we think they have a real chance to win it all!

It has been a lot of fun to root for a team together as a family,

and we enjoy watching the highlights, or some of the games,

so long as they don’t start after my bedtime.

The best player on the Avalanche is without a doubt Nathan MacKinnon.

He is fast…

scores lots of goals… and

is a lot of fun to watch!

One day our kids asked a really interesting question:

“Dad, if Nathan MacKinnon got traded to a different team, would you still be a fan of Colorado Avalanche, or the team he got traded to?”

I have been an Avs fan since I was a kid,

and have seen many players come and go,

so my allegiance is to the team.

But my kids have only been fans of the team for a short time,

and so they really struggled with this question.

Who did they love more?

Colorado Avalanche as a team… OR

Nathan MacKinnon as a player?

If you’re a sports fan,

you’ve probably thought about some scenario like this before as well.

A really famous example of this was Tom Brady…

He was the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots for 18 seasons.

He was the face of the franchise,

so when he left to another team,

there were fans that loved him so much they followed him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Transition

The question is…

who is a fan more loyal/committed to…

the team… OR

a player on the team?

We need to ask the same question when it comes to a church…

Are we more loyal/committed to the Jesus and His church… OR

A pastor/leader/other person within the church?

Do we ultimately identify with Christ as our Lord… OR

Do we more easily identify with a certain leader within the body of Christ?

Are we more concerned about what Christ wants for His church… OR

are we more concerned about a certain leader/pastor’s vision for the church?

Transition to Sermon

This is exactly what the church in Corinth was struggling with.

They had been saved by God, through their faith in Christ.

They started gathering together, and formed a church.

Paul stayed with them for a year and a half,

helping them grow in Christlikeness,

But soon after he left they began to divide.

They began with Christ as their centre,

but slowly started placing men at the centre,

which led to quarrelling and division.

This morning, we are going to see…

The Wisdom of a Christ-Centred Church

In God’s wisdom,

the way for His Church to remain healthy and strong,

is by keeping Christ at the centre.

TRANSITION TO SCRIPTURE

We recently began a new series through 1 Corinthians,

which is a letter that Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth.

Last week Pastor Jake opened up with Paul’s introduction.

Even though he is going to address a lot of things going wrong in the church of Corinth,

Paul gives them a positive view of God’s Church.

Christians will

still struggle with sin...

we will not always get it right… and

there will always be room for improvement so long as we are on this side of heaven…

But because of the grace of God in our lives, we are:

the church of God…

sanctified in Jesus…

called to be saints by God…

All of these blessings were theirs because of the grace of God!

This morning we are picking up in…

SCRIPTURE ANNOUNCEMENT

1 Corinthians 1:10—17.

But before we do that,

let’s bow for a word of prayer.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

God…

RE-ANNOUNCE SCRIPTURE

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 ESV

10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION

In this section,

Paul addresses his first issue with the Church of Corinth,

and show us…

THE WISDOM OF A CHRIST-CENTRED CHURCH

As we go through this passage we will see…

BILLBOARD

The Outcome of a Christ-Centred Church

The Outcome of a Man-Centred Church

The Outcome of a Christ-Centred Man

First…

1. The Outcome of a Christ-Centred Church

After his introduction,

Paul calls on the Corinthians to make Christ the centre of their church.

In verse 10 he says…

1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV

10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

EXPLAIN

Paul has already affirmed that they are one because of their faith in Christ.

Here again he affirms that by calling them, “brothers”.

They are one in Christ, and therefore make up the church of God. (v. 2)

Paul then urges them to agree...

“by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Based on the fact that we are one in Christ,

we should have no divisions!

We should be unified and agree

because we have the same Lord, Jesus Christ.

Transition to sub-points

The outcome of a Christ-Centred Church is…

a. A Christ-Centred Church is unified in thinking

Paul calls them to have the “same mind”.

This refers to:

how they think…

what they believe…

their standards/convictions.

The reason they are able to have the same mind,

is because they are one in Christ,

and have His Spirit in them.

But the fact that Paul encourages them to agree,

tells us that even though we have the same Spirit,

we can disagree, and cause disunity in the church.

Agreement and unity is something that needs to be worked for.

It is only possible when each member is centred on Christ.

That is, their desire is to accomplish and fulfill what Christ wants,

not their individual desires.

When each member’s focus is on Christ,

they are able to share the same mind, and agree.

Another outcome of a Christ-Centred Church is…

b. A Christ-Centred Church is unified in action

Paul tells them to have the “same judgement”,

This refers to the decisions that need to be made by the church.

Churches have many decisions that need to be made,

sometimes very difficult ones!

This was true in the early church as well.

When a church is centred on Christ,

they have the same mind in Christ,

and therefore good actions follow.

They have good and wise judgements,

and make good decisions.

because they have the same mind

to make those decisions on behalf of Christ.

Their desire is to honour Christ,

and not satisfy their own desires/cravings.

They are truly seeking Christ’s will,

and not their own.

Summary

When a church is centred on Christ,

the outcome is that they will be unified in their thinking, and their actions.

ILLUSTRATE

Miracle on Ice

They succeeded by sticking together, having the same goal/vision though they weren’t the most skilled/experienced.

Coach quote…

The 1980 Winter Olympics took place at the height of the Cold War.

The Soviets had a dominant team and were expected to win.

They had won gold in 6 of the previous 7 olympics.

The Soviets had an impressive team of professional players who had a lot of experience.

The US team on the other hand,

was a team of amateur and college players.

They were underdogs, and not expected to do very well.

Incredibly, the US team made it to the semi-finals against the Soviets.

Before the game, US coach Herb Brooks gave one of the most iconic pregame speeches in all of sports.

"Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world.” — Herb Brooks (1980 US Hockey Coach)

With only seconds to go in the game,

the US would score the go ahead goal,

and win the game.

They would go on to win the gold medal against Finland.

Summary

The key to their success was playing as a team.

They did not have star power,

but with hard work and determination,

they played as a team…

they had one mind…

they were unified with one purpose…

to put the team at the centre,

and all personal goals to the side.

APPLY

This is the key to the success of the church as well.

There is only room for one superstar in the church…

and it’s Jesus!

The only way we can succeed is by keeping Christ at the centre…

working together as a team,

putting His honour and glory before our own.

We need to strive for unity…

striving to have the same thinking,

and therefore the same actions.

We need to set aside our personal preferences,

seek and submit to God’s will,

and be interested in nothing else.

As a church grows, how is this unity and agreement possible?

John MacArthur gives the answer…

“The only source of such unity is God’s Word, which establishes the standard of truth on which true unity rests.” — John MacArthur

The only way we can have unity in our thinking and actions,

is by each and every one of us making God’s Word a priority in our lives.

This is one of the reasons that churches fight and argue,

because personal preferences get in the way of God’s purposes.

James 4:1 ESV

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Are your personal preferences the most important thing when it comes to your church involvement?

I want my church to sing the songs I like…

I want my church to plan the events I like…

I want my church to be at the times I like…

Or is your greatest concern that we put Christ at the centre?

Bringing glory and honour to His name…

Spreading the gospel in our community where we work, live, and play…

Making disciples who follow Jesus’ commands…

Summary

Only when Christ is at the centre of LEMC,

will we be able to be unified in our thinking and actions.

What happens when Christ is not at the centre?

Next, we will see…

2. The Outcome of a Man-Centred Church

A church that is centred on Christ is able to have agreement and unity.

They share the same mind, and the same judgement,

because at the heart and core of each individual is a desire to honour Christ.

But that is not how things looked at the Church in Corinth.

Paul goes on to talk about what he has been hearing about them…

1 Corinthians 1:11–13 ESV

11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

EXPLAIN

Rather than putting Christ at the centre,

they have been putting certain men at the centre.

The outcome of a Man-Centred Church is…

a. A Man-Centred Church Will Fight

Paul had heard that the Church in Corinth was quarreling…

they were fighting.

Paul had received this report from Chloe’s people.

We don’t know much about Chloe,

But this person must have been a member of the church.

The fact that Paul mentions Chloe by name,

means he assumes everyone in the church knows who it is.

Concerned about the fighting going on in the church,

Chloe sent people to tell Paul what’s going on.

When Christ is at the centre,

and every individual is seeking to follow His Word,

and be faithful to Him,

there is unity.

But when a man is at the centre,

there is fighting caused by pride and selfish ambition.

Rather than putting Christ at the centre,

they are putting men at the centre.

which led to fighting and disagreement.

As Christ’s Church, they were to strive for unity and agreement.

They failed because they were putting men at the centre rather than Christ.

Another outcome of a Man-Centred Church is…

b. A Man-Centred Church Will Divide

The fighting in the Corinthian church led to dividing/splitting into different factions.

“I follow Paul”

“I follow Apollos”

“I follow Cephas”

“I follow Christ”

The ironic thing about that,

is that none of those men wanted to be in this position in their church.

Their goal in ministry was to point people to Jesus,

not themselves!

But as the church grew, and disagreements arose,

they began to centre on men,

rather than on Jesus,

which led them to split up into different groups.

Paul goes on to show the foolishness of centre-ing on men…

“Is Christ divided?”

Of course not!

In His High Priestly prayer Jesus prayed for the unity of His church…

John 17:21 ESV

21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Paul goes on…

“Was Paul crucified for you?”

“Were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

Of course not!

Jesus is the only sacrifice that brings us to God.

We are baptized based on our faith in Jesus.

Well if your faith is so clearly in Christ…

He being the author and finisher of your faith,

then why are you putting men at the centre?

The foolishness of putting men at the centre of the church

can be seen in the results it yields…

fighting and division.

Summary

When you put Christ at the centre,

there is unity and agreement.

But when you put men at the centre,

there is fighting and division.

ILLUSTRATE

Early in Jesus’ ministry,

his fame began to spread because of his:

preaching; and

healing ministry.

Large crowds followed him everywhere,

and the Jewish leaders were not happy about it.

In an attempt to discredit him they accused him saying…

Mark 3:22 (ESV)

22 “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”

The truth was that Jesus was the Son of God,

and stronger that Satan,

which is why He was able to cast demons out of people.

But Jesus responded to them by saying…

Mark 3:23–25 (ESV)

23 “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

A kingdom and house that is divided,

is sure to fall.

APPLY

This is true of any church as well…

If it there is division and fighting,

it will surely fall!

We need to be careful not to centre our faith on any man.

Christ needs to be the centre, or else we will fight and split.

Brothers and sisters,

this is so easy to do.

Oftentimes there is fighting and division within the body of Christ,

because we are siding with different teachers.

There are times when a disagreement can become so serious,

that the best thing is for a church to split,

or for someone to leave a church…

But sin happens when that is because we are placing a man above Christ.

Christ is to be at the centre of HIS Church!

As a church, we must all strive to put Christ at the centre.

Not Jacob Enns…

Not Joseph Penner…

Not Jonah Chitty…

None of us can save you…

None of us died for you…

We are sinful, fallen men, just like you…

Who have been saved by the grace and mercy of Christ.

We have been called to serve you as pastors,

and our desire is to do that the best we can,

but we will make mistakes.

Do not put any of us at the centre of your faith!

The only one who deserves your worship, praise, and esteem,

is Jesus Christ, both your Lord, and ours!

Transition

So we’ve seen that a church can only have unity when it centres on Christ.

If it tries to centre on men, it will inevitably lead to division.

So what are we to do?

If God has given men to lead the church,

are we supposed to follow them or not?

Yes!

God does not want men to be the centre of His church,

that role is reserved for Christ.

But he does use men to lead the church,

and we must follow them.

But we must follow the right kind of men.

So Paul shows us…

3. The Outcome of a Christ-Centred Man

Paul has heard that some people in the church in Corinth are quarrelling and division,

and they are using him as a reason for their division!

Paul does not like this,

so his desire is to show them that his goal was not to win people to himself,

but to point people to Christ!

1 Corinthians 1:14–17 ESV

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

EXPLAIN

Here Paul is showing that he was never trying to start a movement of people dedicated to Paul...

Paul was a Christ-centred man…

calling on others to centre their lives on Christ!

Paul wanted the Corinthians to know his heart, because

People were elevating him to a place he didn’t even want!

This is because…

a. A Christ-Centred Man Seeks to Win People TO Jesus

Paul says,

“I’m glad that I didn’t baptize you,

so that you don’t have a reason to use me as some sort of status symbol.”

We get the idea here that maybe this was a part of the reason for division…

the Corinthians were boasting about who baptized them.

“You were baptized by Apollos?

Well I was baptized by Paul… I follow him!”

Paul goes on to say,

“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel”

Paul has just named people he baptized,

so he’s not saying he didn’t baptize at all.

His point is that is not his primary purpose was not to baptize,

nor was he seeking to win people to himself.

Paul knew that Jesus is the only one worthy of our allegiance,

since Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life.

Paul was centred on Christ,

and was seeking to win people TO Christ!

A Christ-Centred Man also…

b. A Christ-Centred Man Seeks to Win People THROUGH Jesus

Paul knew that HE couldn’t save anyone.

No matter how convincing his argument,

or how big his vocabulary…

The power of salvation comes from Jesus, and His cross.

Look with me at the last half of verse 17…

1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV)

17 and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

The Corinthians lived in a culture that prized great teachers.

They would boast and be loyal to the teacher they thought was best,

who used the best words, and articulated his thoughts best.

Paul is pushing back against that tendency to rely on human leaders.

Paul’s purpose was to preach the gospel,

knowing that it wasn’t his words that were going to save anyone…

but the power of the cross of Christ.

Earlier Paul said…

1 Corinthians 1:4 ESV

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Paul praised God, because the power of salvation belongs to Him.

Paul knew he couldn’t save anyone with his fancy words…

Only God can save, through the message of the gospel of Jesus.

Since Paul was a Christ-centred man,

he was seeking to win people through Jesus.

Summary

A man who puts himself at the centre will seek to win people to himself,

through his own strength and wisdom.

But a Christ-Centred man will seek to win people:

TO Jesus; and

THROUGH Jesus

because he knows Jesus is the One our faith is built on.

ILLUSTRATE

The book of Acts records the incredible work of God through men,

as the church of Jesus Christ began,

and the good news of Jesus began to spread.

In Acts chapter 14 there is an incredible display of God’s power through Paul,

as he heals a man who had been crippled in his feet from birth,

and had never been able to walk.

After being healed,

The man jumped up and began walking around!

When the crowds saw this,

they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods,

and they tried to worship them by offering a sacrifice in their name.

But when Paul and Barnabas found out,

they tore their garments and rushed out to stop them!

Acts 14:15 ESV

15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Summary

If Paul and Barnabas had any desire for personal gain or glory,

this was their opportunity to get it!

They could have gotten whatever they wanted from those people.

But rather than winning people to themself,

their desire was to win people to Jesus, the only true God…

Paul and Barnabas were Christ-centred men!

APPLY

These are the sort of men we want leading our church!

Christ-centred men who desire to:

win people to Jesus; and

win people through Jesus.

They are not trying to gain a crowd to themselves,

but point people to the true Shepherd!

They are not relying on their own wisdom and intelligence,

but know that God alone has the power to save!

Brothers and sisters,

as pastors of this church,

our desire is to point you to Jesus!

We know that we are men, of like nature with you,

and we want to help you the best we can,

but we have a Saviour who alone is worthy of worship…

our goal is for you to look to Him for hope and strength.

But each and every one of us has a tendency to win people to ourselves.

Our culture is consumed with drawing people to ourselves…

“Look how many followers they have…”

As men and women who follow Christ,

our ultimate desire should be to win people to Jesus,

not to build our own following!

Our greatest desire should not be for our names to be lifted high and praised,

but for Christ’s name to be lifted high!

Summary

When our church is filled with these kind of Christ-Centred people,

we will be unified in our thinking and actions…

and God will work powerfully through us,

producing fruit for the glory of His name!

CONCLUSION

I was reading a story of a church in Salt Lake City Utah this week.

The pastor of that church had been there for forty years,

and decided it was time for him to move on.

He had been grooming his replacement for the past 7 years,

and now it was time for him to take over.

A short time after the new pastor took over,

the members of the church decided they didn’t like him.

He hadn’t done anything wrong or sinful,

they just didn’t like the way he was leading.

So they began to stir up others, and sought the support of the old pastor,

and unfortunately, he gave it to them.

While the new pastor was away, they held a secret meeting,

and organized a church split,

causing much pain and heartache to everyone involved.

Summary

The story is much more detailed than that,

but this is exactly the sort of fighting and division that can happen when we put men at the centre,

and not Christ!

Transition

I realize this story is close to home for us as a church.

Pastor Jake is our lead pastor,

but we are in the process of a transition,

where next year he will be stepping back a bit.

He will still be here, but in a lesser role,

and I will be taking the lead role.

This can be a scary thing for everyone,

including me!

But we have the hope that when we:

put Christ at the centre of our lives; and

the centre of this church,

He will be faithful to lead us by the power of His Spirit!

This is the wisdom of a Christ-Centred Church!

There is only one Saviour for mankind,

Jesus Christ, our Lord!

May it be our desire to give Him the glory; and

make His name known…

for His incredible grace and mercy in our lives!