Who Gets the Glory?

A Journey Through 1 Corinthians

Cape cod bible alliance church | Brewster, MA | Sunday September 6, 2026

Call to Worship

Psalm 61:1–4

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

[SLIDE 1: TITLE SLIDE — WHO GETS THE GLORY? | 1 CORINTHIANS 11]

Good morning, church.

[SLIDE 2: A PASSAGE ABOUT HEAD COVERINGS… WHILE I AM WEARING A HAT.]

So… I realize that I am about to preach from a passage about head coverings while wearing a hat. Which means either this is going to be a very short sermon…

[PAUSE]

…or we need to slow down and figure out what Paul is actually saying. I have read a lot about this passage this week. The good news is that I have learned quite a bit. The bad news is that people who have studied this passage for their entire lives still disagree about parts of it. So… that is encouraging. But maybe that is actually good for us. Sometimes we come to Scripture looking for a quick answer. But sometimes a difficult passage forces us to slow down, ask better questions, listen more carefully, and hopefully depend a little more upon the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. So before I tell you anything about this passage, I want us to hear it.

[SLIDES 3–12: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:1–16]

1 CORINTHIANS 11:1–16 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 

I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled shames her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair, but if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection of God, but woman is the reflection of man. Indeed, man was not made from woman but woman from man. Neither was man created for the sake of woman but woman for the sake of man. For this reason a woman ought to have authority over her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, but all things come from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? Does not nature itself teach you that, if a man wears long hair, it is dishonoring to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

[SLIDE 13: IF PAUL WERE IN THIS ROOM, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK HIM?]

Okay. Let that sit there for a moment. If Paul were standing in this room right now, what would you ask him? Because I have a few questions. Paul, what exactly do you mean by “head”? What did hair and coverings communicate in Corinth? What do you mean by glory? What do you mean by authority? Because of the angels??…Why are they suddenly involved? What in the world do you mean when you say nature teaches us something about hair? What are you making sure we understand with the sudden: “Nevertheless, in the Lord…”? And, one more question, Paul, because you just told us, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ,”: How does what you are saying here fit with the way Jesus treated women?

[PAUSE]

We do not have to pretend this is an easy passage. But we also should not walk away from it. In fact, maybe difficult passages are good for us because they force us to slow down. Because all of us come to Scripture carrying assumptions. We have traditions. We have experiences. We have things good teachers taught us. And we have cultural assumptions that feel so normal to us that we may not even recognize them as cultural. —This includes assumptions we have inherited from church. So faithful reading means being willing to bring those assumptions back under Scripture. The question is not: “Can I find a verse that supports what I already believe?” The question is: “What is Paul actually saying?” What did these words communicate to the Corinthians? What problem is Paul addressing? Why does Paul argue this way? Where does Paul place the emphasis? Because our goal is not to make Paul answer the question we walked into the room asking. Our goal is to hear the question Paul is actually answering.

[SLIDE 14: CONTEXT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT.]

And what does this mean?—It means that context is vitially important. So what do we know about Corinth in the time this letter was written? We know that Corinth was deeply concerned with honor and shame. Clothing, hair, gender, wealth, family, and social position all communicated something publicly about where you belonged and how much honor you carried. Paul also knew this church. He had lived among these people. He had taught them. He loved them. So these are not abstract theological statements dropped out of the sky. They are words written by a pastor and apostle to real people in a real culture dealing with real problems. Which means we cannot simply take our twenty-first-century assumptions about gender, authority, hair, or coverings and drop them into first-century Corinth. And that includes assumptions we have inherited from church. Because sometimes we have heard an interpretation so often that we begin to confuse familiarity with certainty. —

[SLIDE 15: FAMILIARITY IS NOT CERTAINTY.] 

There is a difference. Christians who take Scripture seriously have understood these verses differently. Some understand Paul to be establishing an ongoing pattern of male headship, expressed in Corinth through head coverings. Others understand the coverings primarily in relation to Corinthian expectations about honor, shame, gender, and public propriety, and see Paul's argument moving toward the mutual dependence of men and women “in the Lord.” There are variations within both. I am not going to settle that debate for you this morning. In fact, I do not want you simply taking my word for it. Go home and study this passage. Read Christians who understand it differently than you do. Ask hard questions. Bring those questions to me. —Not because I am arrogant enough to believe that I can answer all of them but because I would rather pastor a church that wrestles honestly with Scripture than one that simply repeats what somebody—including me—has told them to think.

[PAUSE]

Maybe after studying it carefully you will conclude exactly what you have always believed. That is great. But do not believe it merely because it is familiar. And do not change your mind merely because somebody tells you that you should. Let Scripture do the work. Sometimes Scripture confirms us. Sometimes Scripture corrects us. And sometimes Scripture makes us admit that something is more complicated than we thought. But Scripture gets to do the talking. And whatever interpretation we adopt here has to account for all of Paul's words. We do not get to emphasize “head” and “authority” and hurry past: “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man independent of woman.” And we do not get to emphasize mutuality and pretend Paul did not say the difficult things that came before it.

[SLIDE 16: THE WHOLE TEXT GETS A VOTE.]

The whole text gets a vote. So listen again to verses 11 and 12: “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man independent of woman…” And then Paul takes both man and woman back to the same ultimate source: “All things are from God.”

[SLIDE 17: ALL THINGS ARE FROM GOD.]

Whatever else we conclude about this passage, Paul will not allow either man or woman to imagine Christian life in terms of independence or self-sufficiency. “In the Lord,” we need one another. Man cannot say to woman, “I do not need you.” Woman cannot say to man, “I do not need you.” All of us finally receive what we have from God. All things are from God. And that should make us very careful about what we do with our interpretation. Christian authority can never become an excuse for self-importance. Whatever interpretation we hold—traditional, mutual, or otherwise—it has to be lived under Jesus. So here is a question worth asking: Does the way I understand Scripture make me grasp for importance and power—or does it make me more like the One who gave Himself away? Because that raises a question that is going to follow us through the rest of this chapter:

[SLIDE 18: WHO GETS THE GLORY?]

Who gets the glory? Corinthian culture asks: “How do I establish my honor?” The Kingdom of God asks: “How do I give God glory and use what I have received for others?” And that concern for honor, glory, and how we treat one another does not disappear when Paul changes subjects. Watch what happens when he turns to the Lord's Supper.

[SLIDES 19–23: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:17–22]

1 CORINTHIANS 11:17–22

Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you proceeds to eat your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. What! Do you not have households to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

Now we are not arguing about hair anymore.

[PAUSE]

We are at dinner. And what is happening at the table is ugly. Some are eating their fill. Some are drinking enough that Paul says they are getting drunk. And others have nothing. They are hungry. And they are being humiliated by their own brothers and sisters in Christ. They have brought the Corinthian system of status right into the Lord's Supper. Do you see it? The outward issue has changed. The heart problem has not. Who has more? Who gets the better portion? Who matters? Who gets noticed? Who gets the glory? They are using what they have received to establish themselves rather than to love one another. And Paul says something shocking: When you gather like this… it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. They had the food. They had the gathering. They may even have been saying the right religious words. But their life together contradicted the gospel their meal was supposed to proclaim. They were celebrating the cross while living according to Corinth. So what does Paul do? He brings them back to Jesus.

[SLIDES 24–26: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23–26]

1 CORINTHIANS 11:23–26

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, 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.

And now Paul places two completely different ways of living beside one another. The Corinthians were taking.

[PAUSE]

Jesus gave. They were guarding their portion. Jesus took bread, broke it, and said: “This is my body, which is for you.” They used abundance without love. Jesus gave Himself. They humiliated the weak. Jesus willingly bore shame to reconcile sinners. They used the table to display division. Jesus uses the table to proclaim a new covenant in His blood. Corinth says: “What is mine?” Jesus says: “This is my body, which is for you.”

[PAUSE]

And notice who is saying it. The One who actually is Lord. The One who actually possesses authority. The One before whom every one of us will bow. And what does He do with His power?

[PAUSE]

He gives Himself. Jesus does not cease to be Lord when He serves. He shows us what His lordship is like. The One who possesses all authority gives. The One who deserves the highest place takes the lowest place. “This is my body, which is for you.” And this is why becoming like Jesus is not simply about trying harder to be less selfish. We behold the One who gave Himself for us. His goodness changes what we value. His goodness makes surrender possible.

[SLIDE 27: AT CHRIST'S TABLE, WE BELONG TO ONE ANOTHER.]

At Christ's table, wealth cannot buy you a better place. Poverty does not make you an embarrassment. Status does not move you closer to Jesus. Your reputation does not get you better bread. Whatever we brought into this room—wealth or poverty, strength or weakness, reputation or obscurity—none of it purchases our place here. We receive Christ as gift.

Gospel Invitation

Maybe you are here today and you have never received this gift. Christianity does not begin with making yourself worthy. It begins with receiving the One who gave Himself for you. Jesus died for our sin, rose again, and offers forgiveness and new life—not because we have earned it, but because He is good. So if you have spent your life trying to prove yourself, save yourself, or make yourself worthy, Jesus invites you to stop grasping and receive. Trust Him. And if you want to talk with someone about what it means to follow Jesus, please come find me or one of our prayer team after the service. We would be honored to pray with you.

Church, when we know that our place with God is a gift of grace, it changes the way we see the person beside us. If my place at the table is a gift, I do not need to prove that I deserve a better seat than you do. And that does not stay at the communion table. It follows us home. It follows us to work. It follows us into our marriages, friendships, and disagreements. Maybe it means I do not always have to win the argument. Maybe it means noticing the person with less influence, less money, less confidence, or less visibility. Maybe it means asking whether something I call my “right” has become more important than loving the person in front of me. Maybe it means taking whatever God has given me—strength, resources, a voice, a position—and asking, “How can I use this for someone else?” Because everything is gift. People shaped by the cross stop grasping for glory and start giving themselves in love. And that brings us to another part of this passage that has sometimes frightened people.

[SLIDES 28–32: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:27–34]

1 CORINTHIANS 11:27–34

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 

So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.

Paul tells us to examine ourselves. And hear carefully what he is—and is not—saying. Paul does not say: “Make yourself worthy enough to come.” —Good luck with that. None of us can. He says not to come in an unworthy manner. There is a difference. Do not proclaim the self-giving Christ while bringing selfishness, contempt, division, and disregard for Christ's body into the meal. So examination is not an invitation to stare at yourself until you feel sufficiently guilty. It is an invitation to let God reveal what in us does not look like Jesus. And Paul's warning is serious. He speaks about judgment and discipline. But notice why God disciplines His people: “so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” God confronts us because He intends to rescue us from the things destroying us. So before we come to the Table, let us actually do what Paul says. Let us examine ourselves. Not the person beside you. Not your spouse. Not your kids. Not the person you wish were here to hear this sermon. Us. Where am I grasping for recognition? Whom have I failed to see or honor? Where have I used freedom without love? Where have I protected my portion rather than given myself in love? Where am I fighting for glory that belongs to God? Where have I needed to be seen, recognized, or proven right instead of being content for Jesus to receive the glory? And where have I been more interested in defending what I already believe than allowing Scripture to examine me? Let us do that now. 

Prayer

Holy Spirit, show us anything You want to heal. Anything You want to change. Anything You want us to surrender.

[60–90 SECONDS OF SILENCE]

[WOULD THE ELDERS PLEASE COME FORWARD.]

God loves us too much to leave Corinth inside us. He loves us too much to leave us grasping, competing, comparing, protecting our portion, and fighting for glory. Because He is forming the life of Jesus in us. And that brings us to this Table.

[DISTRIBUTE THE BREAD PLATES TO THE ELDERS.] [ELDERS DISTRIBUTE THE BREAD]

Prayer

Jesus, forgive us for bringing the world's competition into Your church. Forgive us for grasping after glory that belongs to You. Forgive us for using freedom without love. Forgive us when we have used even Your Word to defend ourselves rather than allowing Your Word to examine us. Holy Spirit, teach us to discern the body. Teach us to wait for one another. Teach us to receive everything as gift. Make us a people shaped by Your presence, Your goodness, and Your cross. Amen.

[TAKE BREAD]

Paul tells us: “The Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread…” And He said: “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Corinth asks: “What is mine?” Jesus says: “This is my body, which is for you.”

[PARTAKE TOGETHER]

[DISTRIBUTE THE CUPS TO THE ELDERS.]

[ELDERS DISTRIBUTE THE CUPS.]

[TAKE CUP]

“In the same way also He took the cup…” “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

[PARTAKE TOGETHER]

[PAUSE]

Church, the answer to Corinth is not less freedom. It is freedom surrendered to love. The answer to status is not pretending nobody matters. It is learning to honor one another without grasping for glory that belongs to God. And the answer to grasping is not shame. It is receiving. Because all things are from God. I do not have to fight for my place or establish my importance by diminishing yours. I am free to love you. Serve you. Forgive you. Make room for you. We belong to Christ. And because we belong to Christ… we belong to one another. And after all of this—headship and glory, creation and authority, freedom and status, the body and blood of Jesus—Paul gives the Corinthians an instruction so ordinary that we could almost miss it: “Wait for one another.”

[PAUSE]

See the person beside you. Make room for them. Stop needing to be first. Honor them.

[PAUSE]

Receive everything from God. Give yourself in love. And let Jesus get the glory. Because this…

[PAUSE]

…this is what the cross looks like when it reaches the table. Amen.

Final Song

Final Announcements

Now if you would all please take a posture of receiving for the benediction.

BENEDICTION

Ephesians 6:23 Peace be to you, my brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.