What Do You Think of You?
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
Welcome
To begin today, I would like to ask you all a question. I want your opinion on something.
What do you think… of you?
I’ll give you a minute to think about it. What do you think of you?
Odd question, right? Not really.
We live in a world today where your idea of yourself is supreme.
You can think you are anything or anyone you want to think you are, and the world says: that’s what you are.
We live in a world obsessed with self-esteem, self-image, self-reliance and 90 other words that begins with “self.”
We live in a world that tells you all the power you need is within, you can go as far as you want to, do anything you put your mind to, and that the greatest love there is, is loving yourself.
The secular world may disavow any belief in the God of the Bible, but the world has a god of its own.
It’s the self.
We have been talking the last couple of weeks about how we view others - what we think of them. We have talked about judging others. We have talked about exalting others, which we do by judging people other than those we exalt.
This is what the Corinthian church was doing to each other.
And we should all be familiar with judgment.
Because for all the world’s insistence that you being you is the highest virtue, there is a whole lot of judgment about others going on in the world. Especially if you aren’t the you they want you to be.
But that’s not surprising. Because let’s be honest - judgment comes naturally, doesn’t it? It isn’t like we make a conscious decision - “okay, it’s time to judge other people.” We just do it. Some do it a lot.
It’s natural.
But when it comes down to it, that is really about how we view ourselves.
We saw, in exalting Paul or Apollos, the Corinthian believers were really exalting themselves. If Paul is the man and Apollos isn’t, and you’re and Apollos guy and I’m a Paul guy, then that says something about me.
And we saw, in exalting one teacher over the other, they were really judging the “other.” And that says something about those doing the judging, doesn’t it?
I mean, if I am in a position to judge someone, that says something about me.
How subtly this all comes down to how we think about ourselves.
So I ask you again: what do you think of you?
And before we go any further, please know that I am a bit of an authority in this subject. I spent 29 years as a leader in the field of human pride.
If you knew me before I knew Christ, you would know how I used to think about myself. Ask Jenine, Amber, or Jeff after service and I bet they have a story or two for you.
And I know, some of you are thinking: “wait, Lee used to have a high opinion of himself?” Yeah. Relatively speaking, compared to before, I ooze modesty now.
This is humble Lee. Scary thought, I know.
Before we move on, let’s remember what we’ve seen so far in the letter (very general - Christ supreme, wisdom, using our gifts, judgment and exaltation of others
And now, we are going to see Paul talk about how the Corinthian’s viewed themselves. This follows naturally from all he has said about their exalting and judging others. It came down to what they thought about themselves.
Let’s pick up in verse 6:
I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
This is where we ended last week. Paul wanted to make sure the Corinthians knew all he said before, applied to him and Apollos as stewards of God’s Word.
And he did this for two reasons. First, he wanted to make sure that they knew he was not exalting himself above them. Exalting anyone but Christ is exactly what he wanted them to stop doing. He was in this with them and wanted them to know it.
Second, as he says here, he applied this to himself and Apollos - teachers of God’s church - because he wanted to make sure the Corinthians did not go beyond what is written.
He didn’t want them adding to the Word of God with their worldly wisdom.
But of course, that is exactly what they were, and had been, doing.
And Paul here says that he wants them to not do this, “that” - or “in order that” - they would not be puffed up in favor of one against another.
Paul constructs this “that none of you may be puffed up” in a particular way in the Greek to show that he believes this is their purpose or desired end. This is why they were doing what they were doing.
Paul says: “you are causing these divisions and going beyond the Word of God because you want to inflate your own egos.”
This is the purpose of their heart, as he talked about a few verses back, which will be revealed when Christ returns.
And the purpose of their hearts - why they did what they did - was in order to puff themselves up.
And what did they do? Paul is still referring to their factions - the “Paul people” against the “Apollos people.” In exalting one teacher of God’s Word above another, they were turned against each other. And they did it so they could be puffed up against one another.
And it is that “puffed up” part of this that Paul is now about to address in more detail.
This all came down to what some of the Corinthians thought of themselves.
This came down to pride.
Understand, pride is not just a feeling. It isn’t just a thought. Pride doesn’t stop in our minds and our hearts. It isn’t just something we have inwardly. You cannot keep pride a secret, at least not for very long.
Lust or sinful anger - we can hide those things for a time. But pride… not so much.
As I always say, the inward is always revealed in the outward.
And pride is such an ugly fact of fallen human nature - and it is such a powerful reality - that it is impossible to have and not live.
This is why the Bible talks about the sin of pride so often. It is such a dangerous sin. Because it is so natural to fallen man.
And because it hides itself behind itself. Pride deceives us, even into thinking we aren’t prideful.
And it leads us into a whole host of other sins.
It is what makes it so easy to rationalize so many sins.
Pride is dangerous.
Which is why Paul now admonishes the Corinthians in the way he does.
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Paul says “who sees anything different in you?” Other translations say “who considers you as superior?” “who makes you different from anyone else?” “what gives you the right to make such a judgment?” and of course the classic: “who maketh thee to differ from another?”
We spoke about this last week - we need to judge ourselves and no one else. Paul will refer back to this later when he tells the Corinthians “if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.”
So Paul says “don’t be prideful,” for, or because, and then makes reference to a judgment or differentiation between the factions in the Corinthians church.
What is Paul saying here? Well, this is sarcasm on Paul’s part. Paul uses sarcasm often and quite effectively. He’s very good at it - like he’s a Gen-xer who grew up in North Jersey.
And we miss in our English translations what’s really going on here. Because Paul uses different variations of the same word to mean slightly different things in this section.
Let’s back up a little.
1 Corinthians 4:3–7 (ESV)
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you?
The first three instances of “judge” mean to evaluate. We talked about how the Corinthians, in exalting one teacher, were judging or negatively evaluating the other, and that meant they were evaluating those who followed the other, and ultimately pridefully evaluating themselves.
The “pronounce judgment” is the simple verb form which means to pronounce a binding judgment or decision.
Then, this “sees anything different” is just another variation of the word for “judge.” It has the same root verb as the other two. This is again talking about judging. And this word for judge means to determine or choose a side. To make a judgment as to who is right, and who is wrong. It was a word used often in Greek to describe opposing combatants in a war.
Paul is asking: “hey judgey Corinthians - who has chosen sides for you? Who has pitted you against each other?”
So taken all together, Paul is saying:
1 Corinthians 4:6–7 (LeeSV)
… learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may become proud in favor of one against another. For who has pitted you against each other?
Who has pitted them against each other?
Pride!
Paul is asking: “hey Corinthians, what do you think of you?”
And, of course, the answer is obvious in all Paul has already said. He is telling them that their pride - how they think about themselves - that’s what’s dividing them. It is dividing the church.
Their desire to puff themselves up - to show everyone else that they are, in fact, to be judged better than others - it is turning them against each other.
That is what pride does. It turns me on everyone, and after I live it out enough, it turns them on me.
And here’s the thing. The fact of the matter is that no human has any reason to be proud.
And I am not saying we can’t take pride in what we do, be proud of an accomplishment, or be proud of someone else for what they do. That is not the sin of pride the Bible talks about.
Paul himself says in his letter to the Romans:
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
This isn’t sinful pride.
The sinful pride the Bible talks about is thinking about yourself wrongly. It is imagining - and that’s what it is, imagining - that you are better or more deserving or more important than anyone else.
It is self-exaltation. It is self-glorification. It is 90 other things that begin with the word “self.”
And it can be overt - like the person that can’t stop talking himself up.
Or, more often, it can be subtle.
Because anytime we try to steal glory from God by exalting ourselves, we are living out the pride that lives in our heart. And this can be as subtle as exhibiting a false humility when the purpose of your heart is to get someone to insist “no, you are so good at that.”
It can be as subtle as what we say - or even what we think - about someone else.
It can be as subtle as caring more about what others think of me than I do what Christ thinks of me. We spoke about this last week. We do what we do for Christ’s sake. At least we do when pride doesn’t get involved.
But we have no right to that kind of pride.
Which is why Paul says to the Corinthians that pride has divided them, and then asks:
1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Ouch. That’s a reality check of the highest order, isn’t it?
Brothers and sisters, what do we have that we did not receive?
Remember, Paul told the Corinthians to stop exalting anyone but Christ, because it is Christ that has given them all things. All things are theirs in Christ!
All things that truly matter.
Everything they have - their salvation, their gifts, everything they could ever want or truly need - they have it in Christ.
And why did Paul need to tell them this?
Because of their pride. They had forgotten Who it is that has provided all they had.
Because pride makes us believe the lie that what we have, is ours. We got it. We earned it.
But pride never stops there. It always goes further. Pride makes us confuse needs with wants, and so we believe we need things we don’t need. That I need more than I have. That is just another subtle form of self-exaltation.
We may grow up and not do what we did when we were three and stomp our feet and yell “but I want it!” No, we’re mature now. We just convince ourselves we need it.
And pride still doesn’t stop there, because once I convince myself I need it, that is a half a step from convincing myself I deserve it.
Ahhh - there is the other battle cry of our age. “Deserve.” The world says we should all get what we deserve. And we apparently deserve so much according to worldly wisdom. And if I should get what I deserve, pride and worldly wisdom will always tell me I deserve more than I have.
And this is why we are so good at rationalizing sin. Because if I deserve it, I ought to have it - it becomes almost a moral imperative that I should have it. So by whatever means necessary, I ought to go get it. Because that’s right.
That is supposed to be mine.
Whether three or 50, we never really outgrow the “mine” phase. We just find new ways to believe it.
But the reality is - whether we know it or not, whether we believe it or not - it is in Christ that we find all we need, and if we think with spiritual wisdom - He is all we could ever want.
Everything is ours in Christ. He has given us everything - and I mean everything. Because He gave it all by giving up everything.
His rights as God Almighty.
His rightful separation from sinful man.
His life.
Paul is telling the Corinthians that their pride has made them forget that. They have forgotten that the Lord of all has given them everything.
They have all they need, because they can look to Christ and say “mine!” Because what He gave them was Himself.
I have all I need when I look to Christ and say “mine.” I am ashamed to admit it, but I forget that sometimes. I think we all do, at times.
But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.
Me, you, Paul, the Corinthians - no one has a right to claim anything else as “mine.” And we need nothing else.
Because: what do we have that we did not receive? Nothing.
If then we received it, why do we ever boast as if we didn’t?
Paul has already talked about this boasting. He is going back to what he said earlier. Paul contrasted spiritual wisdom with worldly wisdom. Worldly wisdom says “I deserve.” Spiritual wisdom says “I have all I need in Christ.”
Paul told them this back in chapter 1:
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Christ literally became all we need when He came for us. Why would we boast in anything else? We need nothing else.
And it is worth refreshing our memories on this. Paul is quoting Scripture - which he told the Corinthians not to go beyond! And this comes from the prophet Jeremiah:
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
And we’re back to understanding. Understanding given by the Spirit. The understanding Jesus spoke about in the parable of the sower. The understanding Jesus referenced when He said to whoever has more will be given.
This is about knowing Christ.
Here, Paul says what we need to know is that all has been given to us by Christ:
1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
He is echoing what he said at the end of chapter 3:
1 Corinthians 3:21 (ESV)
So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours
Just stop for a second and think about that. Christ has given us all we need, and more. He has given us spiritual wisdom, understanding, and power.
And then He gives even more.
This is all encompassing:
1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Everything we have - from our salvation down to every last material thing we imagine is ours - all of that has been provided to us. We didn’t gain it. Because if we have a job whereby we can buy what we want - that was provided by God.
If we have the gifts - the skills or intelligence we need to do that job - those are provided by God.
Everything we have is a gift from God.
Because He has provided everything in Christ. And if He has given us His own Son - what will He not give us?
This is what the Corinthians needed to remember.
They have all in Christ because Christ gave them all - by giving it all!
So what is their boast? Spiritual gifts? Standing in the church? That they are a Paul guy instead of one of those lowly Apollos guys?
Or is it Christ?
Well, as we have seen, they weren’t living like it was Christ.
So Paul continues with his rebuke, continuing with that classic Paul sarcasm:
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
Paul says they already had all they wanted. Well, he just told them, they actually did have everything they should want. But they wanted more. And the fact of the matter is, because they wanted more, they were doing what they were doing because they didn’t have all they want.
He says that they have become rich. And, of course, since they were believers, they had! They had the greatest treasure they could have in Christ. They had all they needed, and more.
Paul said this at the outset of the letter:
1 Corinthians 1:5–8 (ESV)
in every way you were enriched (made rich) in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember, they were already made rich in Christ.
And yet, they sought to be rich in other ways. Their pride turned them against each other so they could pass judgment on Paul or Apollos, all so they could inflate their own egos. They sought to have what they considered “higher” spiritual gifts so they could feel good about themselves compared to others.
That is pride. That is forgetting that all they had, they received.
That’s the irony - they really were rich in Christ. They really did have all they should want.
But they sought other riches. This is the result of letting worldly wisdom sneak into the church. The wisdom of the world that has always worshiped the self.
Paul continues and says:
1 Corinthians 4:8 (ESV)
Without us you have become kings!
And Paul doesn’t mean that the Corinthians have done this without his ministry or Apollos’ or Peter’s. Remember, the Corinthians were exalting the teacher they believed got them to where they were.
No, this “without us” means you have become kings and we have not. They have risen above the Apostles. Paul is about to compare the Corinthians self-exaltation with their judgment of these teachers.
But first, Paul pulls everything together with this:
1 Corinthians 4:8 (ESV)
Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
Here is the irony.
Who reigns?
In their pride, what were the Corinthians seeking?
You see, Paul is telling them they misunderstand their salvation and what Christ has given them.
They are being foolish because they misunderstand their calling and role as the church.
In this life, the church is called to follow Christ - the One Who gave us everything. We are to take up our cross and follow the One Who gave everything.
Brothers and sisters, we are to serve Christ and His church, shine His light into the world, and suffer for doing it.
And why can we do that, and do it joyfully?
Because as we saw last week, we seek the commendation of One: Christ alone. We care about the judgment of One: Christ alone.
We believe He is coming again. We believe that when He comes we will receive our reward - eternity with Him.
And we believe we will reign over the creation with Him.
This is what Paul is talking about here. The Corinthians were seeking their reward now. They were seeking commendation now. They were seeking high standing now.
All because of pride.
They were trying to get for themselves what only Christ can give.
Look again at what Paul says:
1 Corinthians 4:8 (ESV)
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
Notice the “alreadys.” One day, when the King comes back, they would have all they want. Literally.
One day, when Christ comes back for us, they will become rich - they will have everything. Literally.
But they sought these things in this world, the world’s way.
Because their pride made them want it, and made them believe they deserved it.
This kind of Christianity is reflected in Jesus’ letter to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation three. This is part of what He says to them:
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
The parallels between this and our passage today are quite astounding.
Here, we have a church that believes they are rich and have what they need in the world. But spiritually, they are poor.
And what does Jesus tell them to do? Buy from Him gold refined by fire. Sound familiar? Paul told the Corinthians that they should be building on the foundation of Christ with gold, because what they did would be judged by fire. To do that, they needed to seek Christ.
And if they did, they would truly be rich. Christ would provide what they really need. That includes righteousness - those are the white garments. And what did Paul tell the Corinthians Christ became for them?
Righteousness. And that’s exactly why he said they shouldn’t boast in anyone but Christ.
Here, Jesus tells this church that they need to see. This is talking about understanding. This is talking about knowing Christ and what He has done - and what that means for His church.
Again, sound familiar? Paul has spent the bulk of the letter so far talking about this spiritual understanding.
You see, this isn’t just a Corinth problem. It isn’t just a Philadelphia problem.
Is it a Montclair problem?
And now, Paul moves from the Corinthians self-exaltation to their judgment of himself, Apollos, and Peter. The Corinthians, like the Philadelphians, thought they were rich, but were really wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
And they didn’t know it.
But what did they think of Paul and his fellow teachers?
For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
Do you see what pride does? It makes us blind. It makes us judge ourselves and others wrongly.
The Corinthians sought earthly rewards and accolades. They thought of themselves far too highly.
And that’s why they judged Paul and the other teachers. They thought of them as lowly.
And there is more irony here, because they truly were lowly. According to worldly wisdom. They were the scum of the earth.
Look at what Paul says here:
For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
This “exhibited…last of all” is actually sport’s talk. It’s like we talking about the Hail Mary at the end of the football game.
Only here, it refers to the last portion of the gladiator fights. After all the gladiators fought and it was about time to go home, criminals sentenced to death for the more heinous crimes would be exhibited last of all. And they would be thrown into the arena with the lions so people could watch them die.
Paul says - that is what the Apostles are.
And while most of the Apostles were martyred, this is not what Paul is talking about. He is speaking about them being the final act, but in a cosmic arena.
He says they are a spectacle to the world - to the whole creation - to men and to angels.
And Paul will return to the idea of angels a few times in the letter. But Paul’s theology is a very supernatural one. The spiritual realm plays a huge role in how he thinks.
Here, he presents the Apostles as the last act in a cosmic story with all creation watching. Because they were. They were the stewards of God’s final revelation to the world.
But note that they are men sentenced to death. What death is Paul talking about? Death to the world. To its wisdom. To its desires. To its ways.
Unlike the Corinthians who sought to live according to the world and had inflated egos because of it; here were the Apostles. Dead to the world - men who died daily - and who the Corinthians were judging.
The Corinthians though of themselves as kings, but without the Apostles.
What made the Corinthians think this way? Worldly wisdom.
Why did they want to think this way?
Pride.
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
More sarcasm.
Because the Corinthians sought the wrong things - and forgot from Whom they received everything - they thought they were wise.
Pride will do that to you.
And they judged the Apostles as fools. As weak. As unworthy of the same honor as the Corinthians believed themselves to have.
And worldly wisdom would conclude that. Because the Apostles sought Christ and His reward. They sought the world to come over this world.
And what does that look like?
1 Corinthians 4:11–12 (ESV)
To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands.
The Corinthians looked at the Apostles according to worldly standards and using worldly wisdom, and they were held in disrepute. They didn’t have much - not even food and drink sometimes. They didn’t have fancy clothes.
They didn’t even have their own homes.
They were buffeted - they were often beaten.
And they labored - they toiled. They worked and yet had nothing to show for it.
So the Corinthians judged them.
And in their pride, the Corinthians thought like the world.
The world likes:
Nice clothes
Having a nice house - or any house at all
Food on the table
Safety from physical harm
A job by which they could provide all of this for themselves
In fact, the world considers all of these things needs. They even think they deserve these things.
Is the American church in the 21st century really any different than the Corinthian church of the 1st century?
How about Montclair Community Church?
Who can we identify with more? Paul? Or the Corinthians?
What do we see as our needs?
And please don’t get me wrong. I am certainly not saying that having a nice house, nice clothes, security, a good job, and food on the table are sinful. Not at all.
The question is about what we value.
What we seek.
Who we think provides what we need.
And we don’t need to renounce worldly riches to prove that we really value Christ and what He provides.
What do we need to do?
Well, Paul continues describing the Apostles:
1 Corinthians 4:12–13 (ESV)
When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.
Here is where pride can’t help but show itself. Here is where we see what we truly value.
What do we do when reviled? When hated?
Do we bless in return?
How do we react - both in what we do and how we think - when we are persecuted? When the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil buffet and buffet and buffet?
Do we endure? Do we press on in our calling?
What do we do when we are slandered? When attacked verbally? When accused wrongly? When we find out someone talked about us behind our back?
Do we entreat - which means to comfort and encourage?
You see, we don’t need to renounce our worldly possessions. We need to renounce our pride. Because it is pride that keeps us from loving our enemies and returning blessing for cursing.
It is pride that makes us believe we deserve anything better than to be persecuted. Christ wasn’t above it. Why do we think we deserve better?
It is pride that jumps to defend when we are slandered. It is pride that makes us care that much about what other people think when Christ knows the truth. I mean, whose judgment do we care about?
Do we care if, by worldly standards and according to worldly wisdom:
1 Corinthians 4:13 (ESV)
We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
According to worldly wisdom, not only are we fools for following Christ, but we are like the scum of the world.
Just look at how contemptuous the world is towards Christ and Christianity.
It always has been.
And the Corinthians - their pride made them think with worldly wisdom. And this is what they thought of Paul and Apollos.
Though they had received everything they needed in Christ - salvation, righteousness, the Spirit of wisdom - they chose to seek what the world sought.
And as we’ll see next week, Paul was calling the Corinthians to lay down their pride, and choose to live as those who have all they need in Christ.
Even if it meant disrepute in the world. Even if it meant going without the things the world values.
Even if it meant being treated like scum.
And to live as if they had all they needed, all they had to do was return blessing for cursing, encouragement for slander, and endure whatever persecution they would face for living contrary to the world.
Paul is laying down a challenge by asking them: “what do you think of you?”
And to answer that question ultimately, they had to answer the more important question: what do you think of Christ?
And that is the question everyone has to answer, now or in the world to come.
And if we answer now that He is our Lord, that He is our Savior, that He is the One Who has provided everything we need - then, like Paul, we have to let go of this world. We have to seek Him above the things of this world.
We have to value Him above all things.
And that means we lay down our pride, because we have no right to it.
We have to let go of all those things that we call “mine” and let Christ have His way with them.
Because we can call Him, “mine.”
So I ask you: what do you think of Christ?
Maybe you don’t think much of Him at all. Or maybe you do, but when you’re in the world, you don’t think about Him much.
But know this. He became a spectacle to the world - to men and angels - all for our sake.
He learned hunger and thirst. He was homeless. He was beaten.
All for our sake.
He labored. He toiled in His work - for us.
And then, when reviled, He blessed.
When persecuted, He endured and fulfilled His calling - for us.
When He was slandered, He entreated.
The God of the universe let go all He had and lowered Himself for us.
What do you think of Him?
What did Christ think of Himself?
He didn’t. He thought of you.
Look to Christ this morning and say “mine.” And realize you have all you need.
