1. Corinthians Chapter 4:8-21 Fools for Christ? (Who’s fool, are You?)

1. Corinthians Chapter 4:8-21 Fools for Christ? (Who’s fool, are You?)

Intro: Lee’s story – Who’s fool are you?

We ended last week where Paul was asking:” If all you have is a gift that you received, why they do you boast if as if you did not receive it? A very good question, that should help the Corinthians and us to choose humility in serving instead of arrogance and pride, that divide. Instead, they and we should thank God for his gift of grace, for revealing Jesus by his Holy Spirt, in Paul’s preaching and seeing the Corinthians respond in faith.    

Verse 8 - Paul’s continued to rebuke the Corinthians attitude and pride (Many believe Paul is using irony to get his point across)., Paul writing: you think you are compleate and mature because you think you are important in the church and in the eyes of the world, like kings that rein – then we might share in the rule with you. (But you are not kings).

9 Paul will now explain that ruling on the earth and pride and worldly praise is not what is to be the goal of a follower of Christ. They, Paul and S will continue to show the difference in wisdom and attitude.  Contrasting the Corinthians with the apostles. You are kings (your ambition is to rule) - We are last of all (We serve as Jesus served). God has showed that the apostles as last of all people, like people sentenced to death – Paul saying we have become a spectacle to the world and angles and men. Looked down upon by the world and People, the angles watching what is God doing with apostles? They very opposite a worldly king.  

Paul saying: We are fools for Christ’s sake, - weak, and in disrepute. - But you Corinthians are wise in Christ, strong, held in honor. (You want to be praised in the eyes of the world, you are wise in your own eyes, but are you really wise and strong?)

Paul continues we hunger and thirst, poorly dressed and beaten and homeless. And we work with our own hands. (Rich and philosophers would look down on people who worked with their hands) And when people reviled us, we bless. When prosecuted we endure, when slandered, plead with people to encourage rebuke invite them to turn to Christ. All Paul say we are hungry, thirsty, poorly dressed, - oh this would be all the things that the Corinthian’s and us would like to be free of, - we would like to have food, and drink and clothe, - and we would like to have a home and not to be beaten. The same with the Corinthians, and that might be why they look down up on Paul and his team, they don’t even have a home and what look at his clothe – he also often gets beaten. Why live like that? But look at how the team lives their lives out for Jesus Christ, enduring prosecution, - when people slander and speak evil about them, they bless - they plead that people will turn and know Jesus.

What about the Corinthians; how would they respond to prosecution, slander and being homeless and beaten? How will we? How do we respond to slander? When people speak evil about us? Do we endure? Do we bless? Call to repentance?  - I guess most often the response is to slander back, to justify ourself, point to what others are doing to us, instead of blessing the people hurting us, - but Jesus did say it – love your enemy and pray for them. Paul and the team are living this out. (The wisdom of God and not from the world, living like true wisdom Jesus Christ).   

Paul ending the description with another picture, writing we have become the scum dirt, of the world, the recuse if all things. (The very opposite of arrogance and striving for power and status, scum and dirt of the world).

In 14 we see the reason that Paul is writing, not to shame the Corinthians, but to admonishthem as his bellowed children. (The hope of Paul is to correct them in because He loved them.) You have 10.000 paidagogos – guides, teachers, leaders in Christ, but not many fathers. Paul saying, I became you father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. And that is why Paul calls them in 16 to imitate him. Paul send Timothy for that reason, his faithful and beloved Child in the Lord, - so that Timothy could remind them of how Paul lived his teaching and how he lived. A reminder of Paul’s life in Christ, the what he was teaching in all the churches everywhere.  

18 One of the main critics of the Corinthians is that they some of them are arrogant/puffed up, acting like Paul will not come and confront them and rebuke them. (Acting the opposite of Jesus).

19 Paul issues a waring, I will come if the Lord wills, and I will find out if the arrogant people are just full of world or the Holy Spirts power. (In other words, Paul is suspecting that the arrogant people are just full of words – and thinking but not much action living like Jesus by the Holy Spirts power).

20 Because Gods kingdom is not talk but in power. – Holy Spirt.  (Are they we all talk theory? Or are they a people of power and action in Christ?) (Are we? Is our faith only talk? Or is it seen I our walk – how we live is it visible to the world we are living for a different king?)

21 Paul asking the question: “How do you want be to come with a rod/staff? Or with love in a spirt of gentleness?”  (Who corrects you? Who loves you like Paul loves the Corinthians? Who will hurt your pride and point out your blindness that you might grow in Jesus Christ?)

Paul will in the next chapter sharply rebuke the Corinthians.   

(When we look at Jesus’ we don’t see pride and arrogance we see humility and obedience to God, Jesus knew who he was. We, see Paul and his team doing the same, what they have seen and heard Jesus do, be servants of God in Christ. And Paul asks them to imitate the way he lives as a servant of God.

What about us? Who’s fools, are we?

Well, what of the points were the ones that the Holy Spirt, pointed out?

What caused you fear, nervousness? I don’t what to be homeless, I don’t what to be a fool for Christ, I don’t what to bless my enemy, and share Jesus with them, I don’t what to be a fool in the world’s eyes.

Is our walk with Christ only words? Or is it in power? Who are we imitating? In this world is a Paul or someone what is powerful in the world?

Paul had shared the good news about Jesus Christ, - and the Corinthians had believed, but now it seemed they were still very influenced by the world around them, status, pride, money, philosophy and sexual relationships, and toleration of sin, as a good thing. Paul will correct that next week.   

As the Corinthians we live in a culture and media and social media culture – that does influence people, and family culture, for the follower of Christ Jesus we, should look to Jesus / in this case, does my life look more like Paul and Jesus life that the Corinthians or the people of the world.  

Paul writes to remind them about what is true wisdom (Jesus Christ), what matters in a fellowship, how to serve and not create division, but serve Jesus and one another.

Obedience to Jesus Christ is not to know the words and church culture and say the “right things” – it is to live the gospel out in the Holy Spirts power. (By grace, faith, to honor God by worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirt). As Paul wrote in the 1 chapter, by grace, you have all you need in Christ Jesus, Jesus will keep you make you stand whole in him at the end, - Paul writes to admonish not shame, because he loves them dearly – calls them beloved Children. Paul keeps pointing to Jesus Christ, that is where wisdom and truth and life is found.