Saintly Singles: One Holy Family (1 Cor 16 Manuscript)

1 Cor 16

**Ask Migdalia/Rob to lay out Bibles on all the tables; bringing some from the worship center.

Summary of the year and theme...

Our Journey in the book of 1 Corinthians...

discovering what it means that we are SAINTS,

and HOW, as saints, we can BE WHO WE ARE.

Holy ones—set apart from the world by God’s calling, through our faith in Christ

We have seen how God sets apart sinners for Himself, calling them saints, and calling them to LIVE OUT their new identity

The Foolish, the Weak, the Insignificant

God’s unexpected picks...

2. How to be IN, but not OF the world

Grow up in maturity of faith, leaving behind spiritual babyhood (local church!)

Don’t Exalt Leaders

Build with things that last

Know who you are

4. Judging rightly

not judging as a hypocrite

but judging rightly as one discerning and weighing what is right,

especially as it pertains to church discipline

5. We considered the reality of death in our world

How Death Stings because of sin

Sin dominates because of the law

But how we-saints--conquer because Jesus rose again, and so will we

6. We covered the pervasiveness of Christian identity amnesia

and were reminded that we are:

1) ONe spirit with the Lord jesus

2) Temples of the Holy Spirit

3) Heirs of the Father’s Kingdom

7. Last month,

we discussed the PRIVILEGES of your singleness:

How you are

1) Free from various worldly anxieties bound up in married life

2) Free FOR heavenly priorities

personal devotion

personal ministry

Whew… this has been an AMAZING journey and marathon through God’s Word with you all.

and I have SO loved my meaningful conversations with so many of you,

times of prayer and vulnerability

times of sorrow and of great joy and testimony!

I will MISS you all, very much!

I would love to have your contact info, moving forward, perhaps to stay in touch one way or another!

If you are willing to do, I will pass around this paper, and would love you to fill out your name, email, and number for my records?

My MANY thanks to you all.

This evening, to close our Orchard Singles ministry year,

I would like to speak on the final chapter of 1 Corinthians,

chapter 16.

Read Text - whole chapter…

Pray

Banish ungodliness from us

Work holiness in us

Banish loneliness from among us, pride and arrogance from among us,

a harboring of sin or evil within our hearts

Let the SPOTLIGHT of you Word shine into the deepest crevices of our hearts, exposing all in the shadows, and BRING us to whole surrender, daily repentance, and loving submission to all your holy will.

Through Christ our Lord...

But I want to posit today, that this unique difficulty,

can actually become the unique opportunity for you as a single saint.

Particularly...

Saintliness in the sphere of the family of God.

Together—as Christians, as saints by calling—we are ONE holy family.

2 main descriptors, identity markers in this letter—indeed in the whole NT

Saints

Brothers and sisters

16:1, 15//1:2-3 -

SAINTS,

a gathering of SAINTS is called a church

a local CHURCH, biblically speaking

is a collection of Christian people—made holy by their living faith in Jesus

who share in life, worship, and mission together

as one spiritual family

THE Church—the universal or catholic Church

the whole, global body of Christ across all time and space

together is ONE holy family

SAINTS,

who are brothers and sisters,

sharing the same heavenly Father

and the same Savior and elder brother, the eternal Son of God

In our text this evening we will see 3 ways that saintly brothers and sisters behave:

They:

Prioritize Friendship.

intentional..

Submit to Leaders and Each Another. [to pastors and to one another] (or just submit to one another)

Love Sacrificially

Intentional Prioritization

vv.5-9 Paul’s NUMBER one priority is serving and obeying God “if the Lord permits” v.7, “a wide open door for effective work”

Paul’s number TWO priority is fellowship with the family of God

Paul has an intentional plan

v.5 “I will visit you...” “for I intend to pass through Macedonia”

“perhaps I will stay with you or even spend winter”

the plan is not a slipshod, quick chekc-off-the-box of friendship/ministry requirements:

He is prayerfully, intentionally planning QUALITY time with the Corinthians: “perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter”

He also “strongly urges” Apollos to visit the Corinthians with the other brothers...

HOW CRUCIAL it is that we gather regularly, far more than once a month, more than once a week — gathering regularly God-glorifying, Word-centered, Christ-honoring fellowship and friendship...

If you do not prioritize Christian friendship and fellowship, it will most likely NOT happen,

and the consequence will be

1) Dryness/Unfruitfulness/idleness (10:24)

2) Discouragement (10:24)

2) Deception/Hardness of heart/”Deliberate Sin” 10:26

3) Destruction - both 10:26-31 and Heb 3 unbelief leading to perishing...

Heb 3:12-19, 10:24-25

Practical application:

Local church - regular worship

small groups

ministries/serving

stepping out before/after service to introduce yourself to folks; get to know them..

story of Sam Allberry being given the keys to this families house and regualr chores with their kids!

Who in your life is a Christian friend who helps you run the Christian race better?

What can you do to plan—to set apart time each week to create space to be with them?

initiating conversations.

making plans to go such and such a plcae

going on special trips together

a little planning can go a REALLY long way!!!

BE the friend you would like to have,

and before you know it, you WILL have quality friends.

2. Proper Submission

How do saintly brothers and sisters behave?

How does the family of God flourish?

Through TWO types of submission:

submission to your spiritual leaders

submission to one another

Submission to leaders/elders v16

“Be subject” v.16

Not slavish or uncritical obedience

but humble honor, respect, and obedience according to the Word of God under the lordship of Christ

Submission to every fellow worker and laborer

We know from 1 Cor 3, that Paul uses this language of workers/laborers in the vineyard or in God’s field as a term for ordained or vocational ministers—your pastors, teachers, elders, missionaries, evangelists

But in another sense, 1 Cor 15 — we are ALL laborers

all given gifts to use, to build up others

WORK to do in the name of Christ,

for the glory of Christ

labor “in the Lord” that will not be in vain

And here Paul commands—and Jesus through him,

that we ought to be SUBJECT, to SUBMIT to every fellow worker and laborer...

What does this mean?

—> Eph 5: 21

Ephesians 5:21 ESV

submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Mutual submission is putting others first

Its regarding not only my own interests, but that of others,

Its being satisfied in Christ myself and in His love, that I’m not needy and leeching off others to give me what only Jesus can

Saitsfied and full in Him, so that I can humbly serve others

as Jesus said, be the SLAVE of all,

the lifestyle of TRUE greatness in the eyes of God

Submission DOES look like Christian wives following the lead of their husbands

Husbands LOVING their wives in self-sacrificial care and compassion

Encourgaing one another in worship;

stewarding our time in the manner MOST edifying to our brothers and sisters; MOST advancing to the kingdom of God; and MOST glorifiying to the name of God

God’s holy family members

intentionally prioritize their lives

properly submit to one another

and thirdly and lastly,

3. Selfless Love

Saintly brothers and sisters love each other selflessly, sacrificially.

This is most obviously stated in v.14 1 Cor 16:14

1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV

Let all that you do be done in love.

EVERYTHING the Christian does--

should be done lovingly.

Loving words and deeds

from loving hearts and motives

Our text gives us some examples of HOW God’s family ought to selflessly love one another:

vv.1-3 financial sacrifice/help

v.6, 10-11 hospitality, welcome, support, time - holisitc help “so that you may HELP me on my journey”

“Hearty greetings” v.19-20

“Help [Timothy] on his way in peace”

v.15 discipleship and “service” ministry - Word, prayer etc.

v.18 being a source of refreshment—rather than sucking of life—to those you visit and spend time with!

v.18 honor/recognition to those worthy

v.20 intimate familial love

“holy kiss”

“write this greeting with my own hand”

“my love be with you all in Christ Jesus”

In this life, we will not reach the fullness or perfection of our saintly family status—we will fall short and struggle,

but Jesus Christ, our elder brother

perfectly prioritized his life on earth

perfectly submitted to the Father’s will, even when it looked like submitting himself to WICKED men...

perfectly loved us to the end with a selfless love that is utterly incomparable, the love of the cross

Only in continually LOOKING to this Christ

this HOLY HOLY HOLY one,

will we ever BE who we are...