Final Instructions

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!” (Psalm 47:1–9, ESV)

Let’s aim today to sing a little bit louder as we are faithful to remember all of God’s provision and mercy.

Prayer this Tuesday evening @ 7pm

†CALL TO WORSHIP Isaiah 64:1; Psalm 145:18

Pastor Austin Prince

Minister: Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence –

Congregation: We gather because you have called us and you alone are worthy of our worship. Now, we call upon you, for the Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth.

†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION

O Lord our God, who art worthy to be praised and to be had in reverence of all those who are before you; Grant unto us, as we come to you in worship, the gift of thy Holy Spirit, that being cleansed and sanctified we may serve you with gladness, and find our joy in worshipping thy glory.

†OPENING PSALM OF PRAISE #23A

“The Lord’s My Shepherd”

† CONFESSION OF SIN & ASSURANCE OF PARDON

The confession of sin today is based on Exodus 20

Minister: “God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make idolatrous images; to have or to worship.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness.

You shall not covet.

Congregation: Almighty God, we confess that we have sinned against your holy law in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We have not loved our neighbor as we love ourselves. By grace through faith, you made us righteous in Christ. Yet we have not lived with the perfect purity of our savior.

Forgive us, for his sake. Purify us, by his blood. Wrap us in his love and righteousness, that we might stand before you on the day of judgment, and find favor. We thank you that the promises of forgiveness we find in your word are true. Give us the Holy Spirit, that we might live before you more faithfully. Make us glad for our salvation, and eager to serve your holy will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, ESV)

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Exodus 17:1-16

Steven Hoffer, Elder

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†HYMN OF PREPARATION #446

“Be Thou My Vision”

SERMON 1 Corinthians 16:1-24 // Final Instructions

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Merciful Lord, the comforter and teacher of your faithful people, increase in your church the desires which you have given, and confirm the hearts of those who hope in you by enabling them to understand the depth of your promises, that all of your adopted sons may even now behold, with the eyes of faith, and patiently wait for, the light which as yet you do not openly manifest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. —Ambrose

TEXT 1 Corinthians 16:1-24

1 Corinthians 16:1–24 ESV

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. 5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love. 15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people. 19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

INTRO

How does Paul wrap up this letter to the Corinthians? Between First and Second Corinthians, this church has more ink spilled trying to help them navigate life under grace than any other pastoral epistle — a total of 29 chapters! And in the first fifteen chapters of this book, Paul’s primary concern has been all of the things that they have gotten wrong. He has been articulate and descriptive of their many interpersonal troubles and their waywardness from the first principles of the gospel, but he hasn’t been very prescriptive of things that they should do. As this letter ends, Paul spends the last chapter not in doctrinal discourse but into a hodgepodge of very interesting housekeeping comments and travel affairs that mark the end of most of his other letters. In these postscripts, we are left with an impression of how Paul really feels about the Corinthians as a pastor and what he would like to say to them that would leave his final impression (a parting shot, if you will). And you need to remember that this letter would have been read to the congregation in one sitting. It has taken us thirty three weeks, but they would have taken all of this information in at one time. And it’s here in the last chapter where Paul takes the opportunity to finally give some very brief but imperative commands, a prescription, that leaps of the page for us, but would land on their ears as Paul’s final encouragement for their struggling congregation. All of this description of what is wrong, and finally a prescription for what to do about it.

This morning I want to look at both sections of this chapter — the postscripts and the prescriptions. Although these postscript, housekeeping accounts aren’t theological arguments and aren’t really linear but scattered through the last chapter, they tell us a great deal about life in the church, it’s leadership, and how to love one another well. And I’d like to take a moment to focus on these rare imperatives—these five prescriptions that Paul gives for the Corinthians to help them life this life under grace.

First, some postscripts

Generosity

“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.” (1 Corinthians 16:1–4, ESV)

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are to be intentionally and habitually generous. Just like he directed the churches in Galatia, the church in Corinth is to look at how they can serve the needs of others. Interestingly, here the need is at Jerusalem. The gentiles who had recieved the gospel are now able to serve the Jewish Christians who were in need. The gospel turns our natural ambitions for accumulation and hoarding and greed into hearts of gratitude, and charity, and benevolence. Life under grace has been given so much that it gives with praise and not through gritted teeth.

And Paul says that this should be done regularly and in advance, not when he comes into town. He isn’t coming to put pressure on them to give. He doesn’t have to come to them with Sarah McLachlan music and black and white pictures of hungry Jewish children. When he comes, they give a gift that they had anticipated.

This is why we give regularly and this is why we have a specific time in our service to give. Some churches simply put a box in the back of the room or you can give online. The intention behind that is fine, but Paul says here that it is an act of corporate worship. They were to practice generosity and anticipate the needs of others. There are times when special collections are fitting as needs arise, but it also needs to be steady, regular, and intentional, which is why we put it in our annual budget. The gospel frees us from the desperate desire for bigger barns and trinkets that rust or become moth-eaten and it motivates us to love as we have been loved.

The second postscript is a word on effective ministry work

Effective Work, Many Adversaries

“I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.” (1 Corinthians 16:5–11, ESV)

Even the Apostles hold their itinerary loosely, trusting the Lord to guide their travel and its timing. But Paul gives a quick and insightful comment about Ephesus. He says that he’d like to travel back to Corinth, but while he is writing this letter to them in Ephesus there has been a wide door for effective work that has been opened to him there. But what else is there? There are many adversaries. For most of us, when we see many adversaries we think that we are failing. As a missionary, we might be tempted to move on. For Paul, the perspective was exactly backwards. The enemy has you surrounded, great! Now it’s impossible to miss when you shoot. When you are catching flack, you know that you are over the target. For us, we would do well to consider this dynamic. The gospel comes with blinding light to those who are in darkness, and John 3:19 reminds us that man prefers the darkness over the light. But when Christ is proclaimed honestly and the culture around us begins to squirm or scream, the Christian is so trained to stand down and back away at the first sign of personal difficulty. Paul says “embrace it”. In the world you will have trouble, but Christ has overcome the world. Know that if they hated me, says Jesus, they will hate you and persecute you as well. Opposition is not failure, it is opportunity.

There’s also a word from Paul that when Timothy comes they were to treat this Pastor well and don’t give him any trouble, not looking down on him because of his youth. If you have a young Pastor, don’t give him any trouble. Apply that how you will.

[skip] Sensitive To

“Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.” (1 Corinthians 16:12, ESV)

It’s here that Paul gives his five imperative commands as encouragement to the corinthians. What we might call five prescriptions for faithful living.

Five Prescriptions For Faithful Living

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14, ESV)

These five commands seem like clear counterpoints to the Corinthian struggles that we have studied for so long. They need to watch because they were wayward. They need to stand firm because they had drifted, etc.

Be Watchful

The Corinthians needed to be alert and aware of the dangers that confronted them. The leaders were acting like hired hands and the wolves were leaping the fences. They hadn’t watched out for their congregation as sexual immorality, and lawsuits, and hierarchy, and division had spread among them. Paul came in and saw it at once and was sick, but they didn’t see it. It’s a problem that we share with them. We can be so easily distracted and aloof that our church begins to drift, our children grow up with struggles that we should have seen years ago, and our marriages and other relationships can find themselves cold and unrecognizable after years of drift. Paul says, “wake up” and “stand watch”. We should embrace and rejoice in this sort of guard keeping. As the session here is charged with the leadership of this congregation, pray that we would be watchful. If someone comes to the session here and raises an alarm about a threat they they see, may we be men of humility and integrity to pay attention. Husbands and wives, we thankful when your spouse comes to you and sounds the alarm. Children, be thankful that your parents are keeping watch over you. Men in fire-team, be thankful and give yourself to a group of men who will keep watch over you. Let’s rejoice for the sentinels in our lives and in this congregation - Paul is demonstrating this quality through this whole book!

Stand firm

rom 1:16 - don’t fall for a more societally palatable and winsome gospel

Be courageous

The testing point of the virtues

Be strong

growing in strength (each repetition of love grows strength so that we are watchful and we do stand firm — each repetition is an act of faith and a reward of grace - we push in love and in hope, and we find that God is faithful, that his promises are true, and this strengthens us and builds courage)

Do all with love

patient, kind, not irritable (this is courageous strength)

Paul ends with two more postscripts. Those whose lives are worth imitating and following and his final words of parting.

Leaders To Follow

“Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.” (1 Corinthians 16:15–18, ESV)

Stephanas and his household were the first converts and they had devoted (addicted) themselves to serving others. These are the types of people who are worthy of recognition and these are those who

Maranatha!

“The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Corinthians 16:19–24, ESV)

Life under grace is able to look at the overwhelming riches of God’s grace (flesh out? God overlooking their sin, stubbornness, pride, and thick-headedness — such were some of you!), empowerment to live with sacrificial love in the present, and a face death with hope, even able say with Maranatha (Lord, come!).

†HYMN OF RESPONSE #226

“O the Deep, Unbound Riches”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Leader: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

CONFESSION OF FAITH

The Nicene Creed p. 852

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

Minister: Here is the table of the Lord, we are gathered to his supper for a foretaste of things eternal. All who have faith in the risen lord and are united with his church in baptism are invited to come. Come, you who are fearful, to find peace in him. Come, you who are weak, to be made strong in faith. Come, you who are broken, and be made whole. It is not I who invite you, but the Lord. You who trust in him, come.

Congregation: What shall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward us? We will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are they who trust in him.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

SHARING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

CLOSING PRAYER

†OUR RESPONSE #567

“Doxology”

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE

The Lord of peace Himself gives you peace; at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Grace Notes Reflection

As we conclude our study of 1 Corinthians, let us take a moment to reflect on the final chapter of this powerful epistle. In 1 Corinthians 16, the Apostle Paul provides us with a series of postscripts and prescriptions for faithful living that serve as a fitting conclusion to his letter.

Summary: In this chapter, Paul addresses various topics, including generosity, effective work amidst adversity, and the importance of following godly leaders. He also leaves the Corinthians with five key prescriptions for perseverance: be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and do everything in love.

Takeaways:

Cultivate a heart of generosity and intentional giving as an act of worship.Recognize that effective work for the gospel often comes with adversaries, but remain steadfast.Be receptive to the watchful eyes and loving correction of fellow believers.Embrace the courageous, faithful, and loving qualities that Paul prescribes for perseverance.Follow and recognize those who have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.

As we meditate on these postscripts and prescriptions, may we be encouraged to live lives characterized by generosity, courage, faith, strength, and love. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Christ and His grace, which empowers us to persevere through all of life's challenges.

In Christ,

Austin Prince