The Valley of Division

CHURCH 911

SERMON 3

THE VALLEY OF DIVISION

INTRODUCTION:

CAREY NIEUWHOF, IN A RECENT PODCAST, MADE A STATEMENT THAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU.

I’M PARAPHRASING IT, SO IT’S NOT A DIRECT QUOTE, BUT HERE’S WHAT HE SAID ABOUT THE FUNCTION OF THE LOCAL CHURCH.

HE SAID, TOXICITY WILL DRIVE OUT HEALTH, OR HEALTH WILL DRIVE OUT TOXICITY.

IT’S TRUE OF THE HUMAN BODY, AND IT IS TRUE OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.

IT WAS THE SITUATION PAUL WAS FACING AS HE WROTE HIS LETTER TO THE BELIEVERS IN CORINTH.

AND IT WAS NOT OPINION, IT WAS BASED ON A FACTUAL REPORT FROM “CHLOE’S PEOPLE.”

1. PAUL’S APPEAL FOR UNITY.

a. – 10 I APPEAL TO YOU, BROTHERS, BY THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT ALL OF YOU AGREE, AND THAT THERE BE NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU, BUT THAT YOU BE UNITED IN THE SAME MIND AND THE SAME JUDGMENT.

b. PAUL APPEALED TO THESE BELIEVERS FOR THREE THINGS:

i. THAT THEY SPEAK THE SAME THING.

ii. THAT THEY THINK THE SAME WAY.

iii. THAT THEY JUDGE THE SAME WAY.

iv. WELL, HOW DO WE DO THAT?

1. HOW DOES A LOCAL CHURCH GET TO THE PLACE WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THAT LOCAL BODY ARE SPEAKING, THINKING, AND JUDGING THE SAME WAY?

v. WELL, IN ORDER FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, THERE HAS TO BE A COMMON FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH ALL THESE THINGS DERIVE.

1. WHAT IS THAT FRAMEWORK FOR THE CHURCH?

a. IT HAS TO BE THE WORD OF GOD.

b. SO WE HAVE TO BE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK.

vi. WE HAVE TO BE COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLES THAT ARE REVEALED IN THE BIBLE.

1. AND COMMITMENT TO ANYTHING WILL MANIFEST ITSELF NOTICEABLY.

vii. SO BEING PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE FUNCTIONING WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF SCRIPTURE SHOULD BE NOTICEABLE.

viii. SPEAK, THINK AND JUDGE THE SAME WAY.

c. HE POINTS OUT ALSO HIS DESIRE THAT THERE BE NO DIVISIONS AMONG THESE BELIEVERS.

i. THAT WORD “DIVISIONS” IS A WORD THAT WOULD HAVE BROUGHT TO MIND FOR THESE BELIEVERS THE IDEA OF RIPPING A GARMENT IN TWO.

1. THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT.

a. WHAT HAPPENS IF MY SHIRT IS RIPPED IN TWO?

b. WELL, IT IS NO LONGER USEFUL IN ITS INTENDED PURPOSE.

2. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR A CHURCH.

a. IF IT IS DEFINED BY DIVISION, THERE IS NO WAY IT CAN CARRY OUT ITS INTENDED PURPOSE, BECAUSE ALL THE SEVERED FACTIONS ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR OWN WAY, WHICH MEANS THAT LITTLE IS ACCOMPLISHED.

d. SO PAUL’S FIRST VOLLEY IS AN APPEAL TO UNITY.

i. AND IT WON’T BE THE LAST TIME HE MAKES SUCH AN APPEAL.

2. THE CORINTHIAN REPUTATION.

a. – 11 FOR IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO ME BY CHLOE’S PEOPLE THAT THERE IS QUARRELING AMONG YOU, MY BROTHERS. 12 WHAT I MEAN IS THAT EACH ONE OF YOU SAYS, “I FOLLOW PAUL,” OR “I FOLLOW APOLLOS,” OR “I FOLLOW CEPHAS,” OR “I FOLLOW CHRIST.”

b. PAUL IS WRITING THIS LETTER FROM EPHESUS, WHICH MEANS THAT THE NEGATIVE REPUTATION OF THIS CHURCH HAD TRAVELED A GREAT DISTANCE.

i. NEGATIVITY ALWAYS OUTDISTANCES POSITIVITY…

c. WHAT THE CHURCH NEEDS TO LEARN TO DO IS REJECT NEGATIVITY – THAT IS, NEGATIVITY THAT EXISTS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BEING NEGATIVE.

i. WE NEED TO LEARN TO STOP GIVING AN AUDIENCE TO IT.

ii. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH CRITICISM, WHEN IT IS HANDLED PROPERLY, BUT NEGATIVITY THAT SEEKS TO BE HEARD JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BEING HEARD IS TOXIC.

iii. AND TOXICITY WILL DRIVE OUT HEALTH.

d. PAUL IS PLEADING WITH THESE BELIEVERS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR REPUTATION, BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT A CHURCH’S POOR REPUTATION REFLECTS POORLY ON THE LORD.

e. SO HE REBUKE’S THEM.

3. PAUL’S REBUKE OF A DIVIDED CHURCH.

a. – 13 IS CHRIST DIVIDED? WAS PAUL CRUCIFIED FOR YOU? OR WERE YOU BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF PAUL? 14 I THANK GOD THAT I BAPTIZED NONE OF YOU EXCEPT CRISPUS AND GAIUS, 15 SO THAT NO ONE MAY SAY THAT YOU WERE BAPTIZED IN MY NAME. 16 (I DID BAPTIZE ALSO THE HOUSEHOLD OF STEPHANAS. BEYOND THAT, I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER I BAPTIZED ANYONE ELSE.)

b. THINK ABOUT WHAT DIVISION PROJECTS.

i. IT PROJECTS A LACK OF UNITY.

1. IT IS A SURE SIGN OF A LACK OF UNITY.

2. AND BEING THAT SCRIPTURE IS INCREDIBLY CLEAR THAT UNITY IS ONE OF THE DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHRIST-FOLLOWER, DIVISION IS A SIGN THAT GOD’S PEOPLE ARE ACTING IN OPPOSITION TO THE TEACHING OF SCRIPTURE.

c. THINK ABOUT WHAT DIVISION FORCES.

i. IT FORCES PEOPLE TO CHOOSE SIDES.

ii. IT FORCES PREFERENCE RATHER THAN SACRIFICE.

iii. IT FORCES SEPARATION RATHER THAN FELLOWSHIP.

d. THINK ABOUT HOW DIVISION AFFECTS THE MISSION.

i. NO ORGANIZATION, RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR, WILL SURVIVE LONG IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF DIVISION.

ii. BECAUSE DIVISION NOT ONLY DIVIDES PEOPLE, IT FRACTURES THE MISSION.

e. AND WE ARE CALLED TO BE FOCUSED ON THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH, WHICH IS TO MAKE MATURE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.

f. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS MISSION WAS SO CENTRAL TO PAUL’S OWN WORK THAT HE REMINDED THESE BELIEVERS AGAIN WHAT THE MISSION WAS TO BE.

4. A REMINDER OF THE MISSION – THE CENTERPIECE OF THE FAITH.

a. – 17 FOR CHRIST DID NOT SEND ME TO BAPTIZE BUT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL, AND NOT WITH WORDS OF ELOQUENT WISDOM, LEST THE CROSS OF CHRIST BE EMPTIED OF ITS POWER.

b. IT WOULD SEEM FROM PAUL’S COMMENTS THAT HE VIEWED BAPTISM AS A SECONDARY FUNCTION.

i. IT WAS NOT HIS PRIMARY PURPOSE.

1. HIS PRIMARY PURPOSE WAS TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST.

a. TO MAKE DISCIPLES IN ALL THE PLACES HE VISITED.

c. WHAT WE SEE HERE IS A RESTATING OF THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH.

i. THE CHURCH IS TO BE GOSPEL-CENTRIC.

ii. THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.

1. THE GOSPEL SAVES US, AND THE GOSPEL GROWS US.

CONCLUSION: