Sermon Tone Analysis

! All things are yours

 

*1 Corinthians 3: 21b,22*

 

All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

NIV

 

*all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.

23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.*

NKJV

 

παντα γαρ υμων εστιν 22 ειτε παυλος ειτε απολλως ειτε κηφας ειτε κοσμος ειτε ζωη ειτε θανατος ειτε ενεστωτα ειτε μελλοντα παντα υμων εστιν 23 υμεις δε χριστου χριστος δε θεου

 

 

I have a difficult task this evening.

I want to mix in equal proportions a message of encouragement and criticism.

I do not doubt that some seeing the printed reading might have concluded that we are to study the divisions and difficulties that dogged the church at Corinth – and that may well dog the church at Bristol Road.

Most of you will know of my deep love for this place and its people – and some of you will know how I will always try to go out of my way to make it possible for me to share the word with you whenever there is an opportunity.

But this weekend has been hard for me.

I do not know all the things that have been happening here – and I do not regard it as my duty to meddle in the affairs of the local church – but, as I have said before – this is a kind of spiritual home for me – it was here I was married and ordained to the ministry.

Such news of recent events as has reached me has troubled me – and I prayed much that the Lord would give me the right word for you.

Tonight I have to share the sharp side of the Word and the soft side of the Word – and both together.

The sharp side lies in the *CONTEXT* – the problems that Paul recognised at Corinth in the opening verses of this chapter.

The soft side lies in the *AMAZING PROMISE of verses 21b – 23*.

All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

If we are to appropriate the promise we must absorb the criticism too – so that God may bring us all alike to a place of obedience and blessing.

Paul has been addressing the problems of the Corinthian Church.

It must have grieved him greatly that they had become so preoccupied with new leaders and with different allegiances.

This was the problem first referred to in 1:11,12 – divisions and strife, and Paul returns to it again after a discourse on the Wisdom of God.

The verse we are taking as our text is really the climax of Paul’s criticism of their division – but it is striking because it contains so much more beside – and not a little encouragement and strength.

Paul sees the Corinthian need in FIVE ways:

 

(a)    *They are spiritually immature*         v1

 

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ.

How sad that must have made him.

Having devoted so much time to their growth and development.

The partisan spirit that was at work in the folk at Corinth was evidence of their INFANCY.

Their growth has been stunted.

(b)    *They are wordly – not spiritual*               v3

 

You are still worldly.

For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly?

Are you not acting like mere men?

These two criticisms go together.

Paul condemns them because of the strong currents of envy and jealousy, strife and dissension that mark them out.

It’s a feature of immature behaviour isn’t it?

Clearly they had not grown up in Christ as they should.

(c)    *They have forgotten that it is GOD at work in His church*  vv 5-9

 

5 What, after all, is Apollos?

And what is Paul?

Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour.

9 For we are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Paul who could have majored on his own part in establishing the Corinthian church emphasises that aspect of spiritual life which they seem to have missed – the DIVERSITY of ministries that must be at work within the fellowship.

These things are most clearly seen when we understand that the *work of God* is at stake at Corinth – and here – not our work, or Paul’s or Apollos’ or Peter’s.

That misses the point which concentrates on the servant and fails to recognise what the MASTER is saying and doing.

What does God do?

 

*“assigns to each his task”   v5*

* *

*“made it grow”  v6*

* *

*“ONLY God made it grow”  v7*

* *

*Provides the “one purpose” of verse 8*

* *

*God works WITH us – we are HIS FIELD    HIS BUILDING  v9*

 

 

(d)    *They have misunderstood the PROCESS BY WHICH THE CHURCH GROWS* vv10-15

 

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.

But each one should be careful how he builds.

11 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Paul invokes DIVINE PLANNING LAWS and DIVINE BUILDING REGULATIONS – he reminds them that all that we do as workers for God is SUBJECT TO EXAMINATION – in fact a test to destruction.

He does not explain the merits of the widely differing BUILDING MATERIALS used

 

/gold/

/silver/

/costly stones/

/wood/

/hay/

/straw/

 

in stead he reminds them that these will be tested – and WHAT SURVIVES THE TEST will produce a reward.

It is not SALVATION that is at risk – but lasting work done for Christ Himself.

(15)

 

 

And, lastly:

 

(e)    *They have forgotten that the church is made up of INDIVIDUALS who are God’s temple*     3:16,17

 

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Paul sets out a reminder that the Church is made of INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS who are themselves THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

He warns against the judgement that awaits those who HARM or DESTROY GOD’S TEMPLE.

We have a *responsibility for our own spiritual worship –*

* *

And we have a *responsibility for how we treat other individuals in the church.*

* *

I have never forgotten the stern words of Jesus to His disciples when talking about the way that young people may be offended:

 

/ /

42 “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

MARK 9 v 42

 

That is a solemn responsibility to those who lead or exercise ministry.

But - against that background of CRITICISM Paul sets out the PROMISE:

 

*all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.

23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.*

* *

What a glorious, triumphant statement!

He offers us       The greater View

                        The grander perspective

                        The glorious inheritance

 

ALL THINGS ARE YOURS …

 

In     a variety of Ministries

        a variety of circumstances

        a variety of surroundings

 

 

              A Variety of Working

              A Single Allegiance

              A Wonderful Security

!

1.

A VARIETY OF WORKING

 

*/whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come/*