Stewards and Judges
Practical Church (1 Corinthians) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Good morning. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us today.
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See bulletin for Calendar Updates
If you are a guest with us, know that this is our weekly Family Worship service. Our children will remain with us for the entire service. We do have a nursery available for children under 4 just down the hall if you would like to use it.
Please stand as I read our Call to Worship.
Call To Worship
Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
For the Lord builds up Zion;
he appears in his glory;
he regards the prayer of the destitute
and does not despise their prayer.
Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Pastor Atreju 1 John 5:1-5
Song #1
Offering & Prayer
Song #2 (Behold Our God)
Lord’s Supper
Please be seated.
(beat)
We worship Yahweh, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Most High God. He is high and lifted up, transcendent—far above all of creation. He is mighty and awesome to behold. And yet, He is also here with us—imminent within creation. He came as a man, the incarnate God—Immanuel, God with us. And while most did not recognize Him as He walked the earth, there were some who had been enabled by the Holy Spirit to discern who He was.
We’re going to continue our reading about Jesus from the book of John. Today we will finish chapter 1:
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Like John the Baptist, we have been given eyes to see the King. The Spirit of God now fills us and we come together in this time of fellowship to lift up Jesus, who died in our place. May we be brought together by that same Spirit as a united people—a body of believers who is being built up for the mission of building His church.
At this time, I am going to have our ushers come forward. If you are a follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment, we invite you to participate with us. In just a moment, we will pass the plates. Please take a piece of bread and a cup and hold it until we take together.
Pass
Instruction from Jesus: Read Matthew 26:26-29
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
Song #3
Pastoral Prayer
World -
Country- Winter Storm
State- Dying churches in NW Iowa
City-
SHBC-
Introduction
If you have your Bible with you this morning, please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 4.
Last week, we wrapped up Paul’s introduction to his letter to the Corinthians. In it, he called this immature church at Corinth to submit to orthodoxy and orthopraxy—that is, the proper belief and the proper practice of Christ’s church.
In the first 3 chapters, Paul tried to get them to understand human leaders in a healthy way—not in the way that the world sees them, but in the way that God had designed them to be. That—from the beginning—God created His human imagers to assist Him in caring for—and ruling over—the rest of physical creation.
But the church members in Corinth were having trouble breaking away from their sinful impulses to idolize these men who embodied human wisdom. They had even categorized Paul and Apollos and Peter in this way, elevating them as competing teachers of theological philosophy.
Instead of putting to death their desire for human wisdom, they had simply sought to take it to the next level by adding a dash of theology.
Last week, we discussed Paul’s emphasis in correcting their view of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not simply an improving overlay on the kingdom of man. Instead, the kingdom of God is wholly other than the world that we know. It is the opposite of this world—holy and perfect in every way. It is the right side up kingdom. We live in an inverted and corrupted version of creation—this sin-cursed world is the upside down.
We closed his introduction last week with Paul debunking Stoicism. Humans can’t gain “all things” by chasing human knowledge—and thus activating the divine spark known as the logos. But those humans who have bowed the knee to Jesus can rest in the living logos—the Word of God. He has been crowned as king and—in Him—we have access to “all things.”
For the Christian, then, there is no need to chase human wisdom because it has no eternal worth. Instead, through the Spirit of Christ, we have full access to the wisdom of God.
[TITLE SLIDE]
This week, Paul is going to start building on the foundational theology that he has laid out in his introduction—the proper understanding of the kingdom and the church. And he is going to start this new section by focusing on good and Godly church leadership. Remember what he said at the beginning of chapter 3–that he and Apollos are merely servants of the Lord. Now, look with me at what he has to say at the beginning of chapter 4:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x2]
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 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.
Paul clarifies for the Corinthians how to think of servant-leaders like Paul and Apollos. They should not be put on a pedestal and venerated like the Greek philosophers who display human wisdom. Instead, these servants—the ones who work God’s fields planting and watering—should be seen as stewards of His kingdom and His wisdom.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Stewards (vv 1-2)
We still use the word “steward” today, although it is typically used as a job title for someone who supervises something specific. Instead, in our culture, we tend to use the word “manager” more often to mean the same thing.
The word that Paul uses in our passage is oikonomos. It is also a job title. This is the manager of the oikos—or the Greek household. An oikos is a family unit, typically living in one location. For a Hebrew household, that might include extended family like grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, as well as any servants. The steward, then, is the chief household servant.
A steward manages the tangible possessions of another individual. That is to say that a steward oversees—in an official capacity—something that doesn’t belong to him or her.
Let’s go back to verses 1 and 2 and see what Paul has to say about this:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
Here, Paul conflates the role of him, Apollos, and Peter as both servants of Christ and stewards of God. To Paul, in the capacity of ministry, both of those roles are synonymous. One who bows the knee to Christ as a servant is also a steward of all that God possesses.
But, in identifying this role with himself and these other itinerant church leaders, Paul seems to be speaking of the role of Elder or Overseer—what we would call a Pastor today. Here he says that a steward must “be found faithful.” Look at the similar qualifications that Paul gives to Titus for this role of Elder:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE x3]
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. (/) For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (/) He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
An Elder, or Pastor, of the church functions as an Overseer of Jesus’ local church—a steward of God’s creation and His Word. He is an official representative of Christ—an Ambassador of the Kingdom of God. And because He stands in that role—as a mediator or a priest to other human imagers—he must be above reproach.
So, what does it mean to be above reproach?
To be above reproach, according to the translation of the Greek word anen’kletos, is to be publicly blameless. That, if the public were to put him on trial for sin, that they would not be able to find enough evidence to convict. That this is a case that the District Attorney would never take. It is having a reputation within the community that is free of any legitimate accusation.
In relation to the church, it means that Elders must live in such a way that they will not bring any shame to God’s holy church. This is not to say that they are perfectly holy humans, without sin in their lives. But it means that their moral integrity within the church and within the community is seemingly unimpeachable—that their actions will not inhibit the church’s pursuit of holiness or its mission to make disciples.
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
Elders must be found faithful and the church body has both the authority of Christ and the responsibility to hold them accountable to their faithfulness.
Church, if you ever meet an Elder who is not willing to allow members of the body to hold them accountable to the Word of God, you have found an unfaithful servant of Christ. This man does will not steward the church well because he refuses to submit fully to Christ and the discernment of His body.
Unfortunately, many of us know full well how many church leaders are failing in this call to faithfulness—and in their desire for holiness. For most of us, we have encountered this type of unfaithful steward in our time in the church. And it seems like we see new church scandals on the news every day.
Elders all across our country are failing in their fidelity to the Word of God.
(Beat)
And we could rabbit trail and dig in here to discuss the many abuses and moral lapses and the reasons and excuses. But the simple fact is that Elders are failing, false teachers are multiplying, and the church body is not holding them accountable because they do not know the Word of God like they should and they do not understand the serious need to keep the church holy.
(beat)
We should mourn this failing as the big “C” Church. But we must also correct the issue. This isn’t a new thing. Paul, here, warned the Corinthians about this very problem almost 2000 years ago.
Fidelity is not suggested as a characteristic of an Elder. “It is REQUIRED of stewards that they be found faithful.”
Faithful Elders above reproach are not a luxury for the church. Faithful Elders above reproach are the minimum requirement for a healthy and faithful church.
If there is an Elder in any local church who is not both faithful and above reproach, he should be put under church discipline and taken out of leadership immediately.
A faithful local church would be better served with no leader than it would to have an unfaithful leader.
And this is part of our problem in the West. We are starved for godly Elders who are both faithful to the Word of God and above reproach. We, as the church, have failed to disciple our people. We, as the church, have failed to drink deeply from the Word of God and to engage with the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification. And we, as Elders, have failed to call men into greater commitment and raise them up to be faithful Elders above reproach.
As Elders, our Pastors are both caretakers and messengers of God’s wisdom. Paul says that they are “stewards of the mystery of God.” They are responsible for understanding and laying bare the whole counsel of God before God’s holy assembly. They are the chief disciple-makers in every local church and they steward the gospel and model righteousness for the body.
Faithfulness is the most important calling for Elders. It’s not how charismatic they are or how well they preach. It’s not their natural leadership ability or their organizational skills. It’s not how well they communicate or their business acumen. The primary criteria Is this:
Do they administer the Word faithfully?
Do they live it out?
Does the world see them model faithfulness to Jesus and His Word?
Do they care for creation and share the wisdom of God?
(Beat)
But I want you to see that the pattern that Paul has given us here isn’t just for Elders. If you look at 1 Timothy 3, you will see that the church office of Deacon carries the same distinction of being above reproach. There, Paul calls them to be “dignified,” “blameless,” and “faithful in all things.”
All church leaders are called to be “stewards of the mysteries of God.” They have the same duty as Paul and Apollos. And here, in our passage, Paul wants these Corinthian believers to see that—that there is no distinction in calling between Paul who plants and Apollos who waters and the Elders and Deacons of the church in Corinth…
These church members should expect the same stewardship of the gospel from their own leaders as they are getting from Paul.
(Beat)
And if we pull back from Paul and these church leaders even further and see the full picture of the story of God—if we are going to see the forest through the trees—we will see that God has given all of his loyal human imagers this mandate from the very beginning of creation.
Look with me back to Genesis chapter 1:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
From the beginning, God created His human imagers to have dominion over creation—that is, to steward it well—to care for it in the way that He would care for it. In principle, these Corinthian church members bear the same call to stewardship as do the leaders in the church. They are each called to be caretakers of creation, and thus are responsible to also proclaim the mystery of God to the unfaithful.
Remember how Paul closed out his introduction, “For all things are yours.”
These men and women in the church are co-heirs with Christ to the right-side-up kingdom. As royal children and ambassadors for that kingdom, they must also steward both creation and the wisdom of God in a manner worthy of their king.
Look at how Jesus speaks of stewardship in Luke chapter 12:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE x4]
And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. (/) But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. (/) And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. (/) But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
God has entrusted all of His loyal sons and daughters with stewarding creation. And Jesus has entrusted His church, not just Elders, with stewarding the gospel—the wisdom of God.
Will we be found faithful?
I submit to you that there will be many Elders and Deacons and church members throughout the West who will be like the Manager who received a severe beating.
As Jesus has said in Matthew 7:
Matthew 7:21–23 ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Faithful church leaders and church members have been called to carry the news of the king—that Jesus has rightful dominion over all things. That is the good news that we call the gospel.
A faithful steward will not use this truth to dominate or abuse God’s creation—not their spouse, children, workers, strangers, or even enemies—but always sharing the truth in love, we seek to guard ourselves in holiness and speak the name of Christ the King.
Sinclair Ferguson and JI Packer speak of stewardship in this way:
“The principle of stewardship is closely linked to the concept of grace: everything comes from God as a gift and is to be administered faithfully on his behalf. There is thus both stewardship of the earth and stewardship of the gospel; stewardship of personal resources of time, money and talents, and stewardship of the resources of church and society.”
Ultimately, stewards are loving caretakers of all that belongs to God. They are Apostles. They are Elders. They are Deacons. They are church members…
In the context of the church—as an oikos—or church family, each member is a functioning steward over God’s possessions. As servants of His household, we equally share the responsibility to steward it well. It is not just church leaders that are responsible for stewarding all things well, but everyone who belongs to Christ.
And while Elders will be judged by Christ more strictly for their role in the church, the responsibility of stewardship is shared equally among the sons and daughters of God.
In doing so—in solemnly taking on the task of stewardship—we must learn to seek and utilize God’s wisdom and the discernment that comes by His Spirit. As part of the body, we must hold ourselves and each other accountable to the call to holiness and mission. But, we must also beware making improper judgments.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Judges (vv 3-5a)
Paul has reminded the Corinthian leaders of their calling as stewards of God’s wisdom—encouraging them to do away with human wisdom and to, instead, access and dispense the wisdom that God has given to them through His Spirit. But, now he offers them a warning. Look at verse 3:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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.
Paul starts by saying that he doesn’t care that the Corinthians have laid a judgment on him. His concern is not that some of these cliques within the church didn’t “choose him,” but in their division in choosing human leaders to follow at all.
He says that their judgment of him, or even that of a human court, makes no difference to him. It doesn’t change who he is in Christ or his calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
The word that he uses here, translated as “human court,” means “human day” in Greek. By this, he means that he is not worried about being judged by his fellow human imagers on any day of this age. His only focus is on being prepared for judgment by Jesus on the final Day of the Lord.
And so, in preparing himself for that day, his only worry is on being obedient to his calling at all times. He is not worried about how they see him, but that he is being faithful to his King.
He goes on to say that he doesn’t even bring a judgment on himself. “For I am not aware of anything against myself.” Paul’s conscience is clear. He is not aware of any stain in his conduct or any willful disobedience in his action, but that doesn’t mean that he is sinless. He is “not thereby acquitted” because he appears to himself to be living a holy and obedient life. Paul isn’t qualified to rightly judge himself. It is only the Lord who will judge him.
On to the beginning of verse 5:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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.
Here is Paul’s warning: don’t issue a judgment before Jesus returns, for He will reveal the truth. It is only He who can see into the hearts of men who can bring God’s true justice to His human imagers.
Now, I want to take a moment to dig into what Paul is saying to the Corinthians and what he is not saying.
He is saying that they shouldn’t issue a final judgment of others because they do not know their hearts and they may be wrong. But he is not saying that they shouldn’t evaluate and discern the fruit in both their own lives as well as the lives of others.
Paul is constantly looking at his own heart motives and his fruit. He is intentionally looking for any lingering sin so that he can put it to death. He just said in verse 4 that he is “not aware” of contamination in his life.
Another thing to note is the use of the Greek word anakrino for judge. This is a variant of the word for judgment and is only used by Paul and Luke in the NT. The word anakrino means to examine or to assess. Paul has used this 3 times in our passage before verse 5.
He is using the word in the sense of “accusation”—that the Corinthian believers shouldn’t be accusatory of leaders like he and Apollos so that they can bolster their division. Instead, they should evaluate the fruit of the leader and be thankful when their leaders live out faithfulness to God.
Paul then goes on the use the word krino in verse 5, the typical word for judgment. It is only Jesus, as the final judge, who can pronounce righteous judgment.
So, how do we then apply this to church life?
First, we must remember that human judges are not all-seeing and all-knowing. In the end, our accusations of each other will not matter, for we have an omniscient God who sees into the hearts of His human imagers. When we judge each other in this way, both inside and outside the church, it causes harm and division and it reveals a lack of Godly wisdom in our lives.
However, secondly, we must constantly evaluate our own lives and the lives of our fellow church members. Paul is going to make this clear in a few weeks when we get to chapter 5:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Here, in chapter 5, Paul is calling the church to church discipline. This is the judgment that he speaks of. That, we—as the church body of Christ—have a responsibility to evaluate the fruit and lives of those inside the church community and to vigorously defend its holiness.
And this is the job of not only the leaders of the church, but the church body. The Elders are to lead the church and teach it faithfully from the word, but the body also has a responsibility to know the Word of God so that it can evaluate the truth-telling of its Elders and the lives of its people.
So, we should not be hasty in accusing, but we should be constantly evaluating the faithfulness of our church leaders and our church members to the Word of God.
Are they faithful to the King? For that is what matters most.
And this is probably the best criteria for knowing when to join or leave a local church. Are the Elders faithful to the Word of God? Do they live it out? What does the fruit of their life look like? Do they care for and steward the body? Have they shown a willingness to submit to the body of Christ?
For if they are not faithful to Christ, the church will stray. The Elders must lead the church faithfully in truth and the church body must hold the Elders accountable in that task. But to do so, the church members need to know the Word and be loyal to Christ.
In our culture, we have colossal failures on both ends. Who will stand up to teach the truth in love? Who will hold our churches accountable as we watch thousands of local church bodies die year after year. Ultimately, it starts with us. We build a strong healthy church that can go and rescue dying churches by proclaiming that Jesus is King and leading people faithfully.
And as we—at Southern Hills—strengthen our ministry to those outside these walls, the mission of the church will begin to rescue dying churches and plant new churches where there is need. God will begin shaping our hearts for the future of His kingdom in NW Iowa and around the world.
And He will call out and raise up Elders and Leaders and Missionaries from among us so that we can lift up those who are dying and equip them for even greater ministry and send missionaries to plant churches and reach the nations.
(Beat)
I don’t know why, but I woke up this morning with a speech inside my head. As I showered this morning, it played over and over. I’m assuming that most of you have seen the movie “Field of Dreams.” For those who have been locked in a closet for the last 37 years, Ray Kinsella is a farmer who listens to a unimbodied voice and levels some of his corn to build a baseball field. The voice then tells him to chase down a writer named Terrence Mann, played by James Earl Jones.
Toward the end of the movie, Ray is arguing with his brother-in-law about selling his farm when Terrence begins to speak. This is what he says:
Terrence:
“Ray, people will come, Ray.”
(Beat)
“They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at you door as innocent as children longing for the past.”
“Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say. “It’s only twenty dollars per person.” They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have and peace they lack.
“And they’ll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as if they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. They memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.”
“People will come, Ray.”
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.”
“America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.”
“This field, this game—it’s part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and could be good again.”
“Ohhhhh, people will come, Ray. People with most definitely come.”
(beat)
God, I love that.
I love that movie. I love baseball. I love our country. But I love Jesus and His church more.
I’m not going to stand here and say “if you build it, he will come.” We don’t build anything. Jesus is building His church by His Spirit right now. He is doing all the work. He only asks us to be faithful and obedient. And if we continue to focus on that, He will continue to use us to build his church. We don’t want their money. We don’t need it to save our farm. God will provide. But He desires the hearts of His human imagers. They can give Him that.
And if we are faithful, it won’t just be people coming to encounter the Living God and be a part of His church. Future Elders and leaders from all over will “come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom.” God will call them and bring them, yearning to share His peace with the people of Northwest Iowa. I never expected to be here in Iowa, but God has called me here to a task. For whatever reason, He has chosen to make Himself known through this church in Siouxland.
Jesus is the alpha and the omega—the beginning and the end. He—not baseball—is the One constant through all of the years. And by the power of His Holy Spirit and our faithfulness, the big “C” Church in the West can be good again.
“People will come.”
That should be our prayer each and every day. That—as we steward God’s wisdom and share the gospel, making disciples and teaching them—God would call people from all over to come, not knowing why, just burdened with an overwhelming need to be with God’s people and part of His local bodies. That they would step out into the Winter air, and get in their cold car, and drive to a building to hear the Word be preached faithfully and to be encouraged by faithful brothers and sisters who love each other well and hold each other accountable to the call to holiness.
But it all starts with each of us being faithful right now. Here. Today. Let us call each other to that accountability to faithfulness and holiness. And let us remember that one day, we will each stand before the King and give account of our lives and how we lived them. Let us be found faithful and receive the reward that awaits us in His new kingdom.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Reward (v 5b)
We are called to be faithful stewards of the wisdom of God. Employing that wisdom will lead us to evaluate faithfulness in each other and our leaders, rather than causing us to be divided by hasty judgments. And if we do that—if we stay faithful to our King and to our mission,
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
There will be judgment or commendation for church members. Paul will clarify this later in 2 Corinthians 5:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Jesus knows the hearts of men. Our deeds have been recorded, and one day we will answer for them. Were we obedient to the King? Did we surrender everything for Him? Did we engage with the Holy Spirit and seek after holiness? Did we take our part in the mission of the church?
John reminds us of what stands before us in his Revelation. We all want Jesus to return. But are we ready to stand before the King?
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Application
Follower of Christ, you are called to be a steward of God’s creation, His wisdom, and His Word. Will you care for them? Will you make His wisdom and His Word known by the way that you live your life? Will you make them known by your engagement of the mission? Will you share the gospel? Will you make disciples? Will you teach and baptize those who believe and repent?
This is your mission. It is not left to your Elders. Be faithful to the King and demand that your church leaders and fellow members are faithful to Him. He deserves no less. Build each other up through truth and love. Encourage and pray for one another. And pray for your leaders and they seek to further equip you for the mission of the church.
[PREVIEW SLIDE]
Invitation
Gospel presentation and call to belief
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
