1ST CORINTHIANS 4 PART 2
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LAST WEEK
LAST WEEK
We looked at the topic of faithfulness
We looked at the one thing that is uncompramiseable for the Christian Leader
The one thing we should be known for at work
The one thing that represents one of Christ’s greatest characteristics.
What was it?
FAITHFULNESS
Paul said, “It is required of a steward that he would be found faithful”
Why would Paul bring so much attention to this?
If we haven’t noticed, Paul has been confronting “Divisions” in the church
Things that were dividing the Corinthian Church and hindering the leading of the Holy Spirit
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK
We are going to continue in Chapter 4 in a little bit of a difficult text.
A text that needs a bit of unpacking
But a text that is so needed today.
In a culture where people are valued for the crowds they draw.
In a culture where people exalt one leader above another.
Paul wants to challenge our thinking a bit.
He wants to bring us back to reality a bit.
My question to you is:
“Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom?”
“Who is to blame for the celebrity mentality that has changed the course of the church?”
Is it the Christian Celebrity?
Is it the most powerful Evangelist?
Is it the Senior Pastor of the largest Church on the Planet?
YES, LET ME EXPLAIN.
TURN TO
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
5-21
PRAY
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
1 Cor 4:5-
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
1 Cor 4:6
PAUL IS BIDDING FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH
DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
I AM USING THE EXAMPLE OF APOLLOS AND MYSELF AS AN ILLUSTRATION
APOLLOS AND MYSELF ARE JUST FAITHFUL SERVANTS
NOT TO BE EXALTED BY ANYONE
THERE IS NO NEED TO EXALT ONE OVER THE OTHER
It is not about who baptised you
There is no need to be prideful about whose leadership you are under
For in doing so, we place a higher value on one over another when it is God who is speaking through them to us.
Church, when we receive a word from God, on a Sunday, on your drive to work, during a devotional time, our response should be synonymous
“PRAISE THE LORD”
For everything that is spoken to us, is spoken to us through His Spirit.
As pastors, we are mere messengers of the Chief Messenger
We are just communicating what God has spoken to us
Like I said last week, we are not the protagonist, we are not the hero,
We are just messengers trying to lead you to the hero.
SO WHAT IS MY JOB AS THE SENIOR PASTOR OF THIS COMMUNITY?
My job is to show you that Jesus is enough.
My job is to show you what it looks like to follow Jesus.
My job is to show you what it’s like to trust Jesus.
My job is to show you what faithfulness looks like.
My job is to show you what following Christ in the workplace, at home, at the coffee shop, wherever I go.
My job is to point you to Jesus.
WHY? HE IS MY SENIOR PASTOR.
WHEN WE
Realize that Jesus is our Senior Pastor, we will have the right perspective towards those who are in leadership in the church.
When Jesus is our main source of joy, the approval of Him alone will satisfy us.
When Jesus is seen as the GOAT, Greatest of All Time, He alone becomes our sustenance
Why would I settle for less than His Best?
THE WORST THING WE CAN DO, IS RELY ON SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE GODHEAD FOR OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF THIS NOT HAPPENING?
When reading the Bible becomes a foreign practice
When reading the Bible becomes a foreign practice
When the Word of God becomes a suggestion and not the source of life
When what we feel trumps what God’s word says.
When we forsake the gathering of the brethren
When we believe that we can graduate from Christianity and move on with our lives.
Worst of all, all of these things lead to one belief
When we believe we have arrived and have no need of sanctification.
That you have arrived and this was plaguing the Corinthian Church.
WHAT DO I MEAN?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
:8
PAUL BEGINS TO SPEAK FECICIOUSLY
HE BEGINS TO DRAW A CHASM BETWEEN THE ATTITUDES OF THE CORINTHIANS AND THE BIBLICAL PRECEPTS HE WAS TRYING TO INSTILL
HE SAYS:
“YOU CORINTHIANS BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE ALREADY FULL”
“YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE RICH”
“YOU ARE SO COOL, HANGING OUT WITH KINGS, AND REIGNING WITH THEM”
IT’S JUST SO CRAZY TO ME, THAT I’M NOT AS HOLY AS YOU
I WISH WE WERE ABLE TO REIGN WITH YOU.
Think about it,
BUT I THINK GOD HAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR US APOSTLES
JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT:
Men condemned to death
Men who are being made a spectacle for the Gospel.
Made a public display for both the heavenly and the earthly to observe.
Fools for Christ
Making sense to no one.
Very different than you who are wise
We are weak in the Lord
While you, are just so strong
You sit in high places, distinguished among men
But we are dishonored
Even now, we hunger and thirst, poorly clothed, beaten, and even homeless
Laboring with our own hands
Being reviled by many
Yet we still bless others
Being persecuted
We continue to endure
Being defamed
We continue to encourage everyone
We have been considered the filth of this world
The refuse of all people
Right up to this very moment
While you dwell in palaces and are blessed beyond belief.
THE CORINTHIANS HAD BECOME PRIDEFUL IN THEIR THINKING, AND IT WAS EFFECTING THEIR LIFESTYLE
PAUL WASN’T HAVING IT
HE EXPOSES THEIR POOR PRACTICE BUT BEGINS TO UNVEIL HIS HEART BEHIND IT.
ARE YOU PICKING UP WHAT I AM PUTTING DOWN?
CHECK OUT WHAT HE SAYS:
YOU MAY SAY, “WOW PAUL, SO HARSH OF YOU”
1 Cor 4:
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
CHECK OUT WHAT HE SAYS:
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
PAUL WAS NOT TRYING TO SHAME THE CHRISTIANS IN CORINTH
:
BUT TRYING TO WARN THEM IN A WAY THAT WOULD CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIORS
IN A CULTURE WHERE THERE WAS MANY ORATORS
MANY PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO
A BUFFET OF SPIRITUAL LEADERS TO CHOSE FROM
ONE THING THAT IS LACKING IS PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU AND ARE WILLING TO SERVE YOU
FATHERS IN THE FAITH THAT YOU CAN COUNT ON TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE STORM
It is crazy to me, that Christians will disappear
Stop attending Church
Stop reading their Bible
Yet, when things go south, they always return to the pastor that was their shepherd.
It is these that are the faithful
I am privileged to pastor this congregation
But not just that, Paul invested in this church by sending Timothy there.
It is an honor to be appointed to this role by the Lord
The fact that you keep showing up, reassures what God spoke to me when we first started.
One thing that can bring fear to someone with this responsibility is this
17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
1 Corinthians 4:17
I WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR EQUIPPING
NOT YOUR GROWTH
BUT THE PLAN I PUT IN PLACE FOR YOUR GROWTH
One thing I am not, is your babysitter.
Why do I say that?
The word instructor in the greek, was just that
A slave that was in charge of getting the children to and from school
A guardian
A nanny
I am called to steward your growth
To present to you ways to trust Jesus
Put plans in place to enable you to grow in the Lord.
To this end I am fully invested.
Praying for every spiritual blessing on your life
Praying for continual growth and victory in Christ
This is what Carol and I signed up for
PAUL WAS FULLY INVESTED
Not only did he want to be there in Corinth
He invested in Timothy
He sent Timothy to Corinth to begin the work
But some people didn’t respect Timothy
They became ignorant of Paul because he wasn’t there.
CHECK IT OUT
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
PAUL GOES IN ON THE PRIDEFUL CORINTHIANS THAT HAD LOST THEIR WAY
HE SAYS:
LOOK, I AM COMING TO YOU SHORTLY
I DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR JIBBERISH
I WANT TO SEE THE POIWER OF GOD IN AND THROUGH YOU
THE KINGDOM OF GOD ISN’T IN MERE WORDS
BUT IT IS REALIZED IN THE POWER OF GOD IN AND THROUGH YOU
YOU CHOOSE,
YOU WANT ME TO COME AND DISCIPLINE YOU WITH A ROD
OR IN A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS
YOU PICK.
WHY IS PAUL SO HARSH?
BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT WHAT THEY WERE DOING WOULD BIRTH A DIFFERENT RESULT
THEY HAD SUPPLANTED THE WORLDS GREATEST EVANGELIST
THEY HD SUPPLANTED THE GREATEST SENIOR PASTOR
THEY HAD REPLACED THE PASTOR WITH THE BIGGEST CHURCH
JESUS!
THIS WAS NOT ONLY CAUSING DIVISION
IT WAS MIS REPRESENTING CHRIST
IT WAS CAUSING CONFUSION
FRIENDS, WE MUST STOP EXALTING PEOPLE OVER CHRIST
WE MUST STOP CREATING CELEBRITY CHRISTIANS
INSTEAD, GIVE GOD THE GLORY FOR THEM
WE SAY WE HATE THE CELEBRITY CULTURE, BUT WE FEED INTO IT
GIVE GOD THE GLORY
WE MAKE CELEBRITIES AND WE MUST OWN IT
THERE IS NONE GREATER THAN JESUS
JESUS HIMSELF MADE IT CLEAR.
YO, YOU WANT TO BE GREAT IN THE KINGDOM.
COME TO JESUS AS LITTLE CHILDREN.
HUMBLE YOURSELF.
STAY HUMBLE AND STAY WITH JESUS.
IT IS THEN YOU WILL BE GREAT.
BUT NOT GREATER THAN HE IS.
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
8:1-