What Are Pastors For?
Messy Church - 1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsPastors are servants of Christ that are given to the church for their benefit by preaching the gospel and living a life that models Christ.
Notes
Transcript
If you have your Bibles, please turn to 1 Cor 4
Tonight, we are continuing in our series through 1 Corinthians called ‘Messy Church’. In this letter by Paul, we read about the many sins that marked the Corinthian church.
Now, even though the Corinthians were very sinful people, they were still God’s people who had been saved by grace. None the less it was not okay for them to live in their sins, so throughout this letter, Paul applies the gospel to every part of their life so they might see the error in their ways.
While this letter was written to the Corinthians, I pray that we see our similarities to them, for we too are sinners who need the gospel applied to our lives so that we might not sin against God. This is one of the main things I want us to get out from our time in this series.
I also hope that your love for the local church will grow, despite the mess that can often come with being a part of the church that is full of sinners.
As we go through this letter, we will see four major problems that were taking place in the Corinthian church. The first of those problems that Paul addressed was division and tonight’s text we conclude the section of 1 Corinthians that addresses their divisiveness.
So hopefully by now, you’ve found your way to 1 Cor 4, but even if you haven’t lets all stand together for the reading of God’s word.
1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 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. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 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.
Let’s pray.
Intro
Intro
As we get started, I want you all to break up into groups of three or four for a brief discussion… what I want you to discuss is this question: ‘What are pastors for?’, and by the end of your discussion I want to hear from each group to hear what you came up with.
There is a lot of confusion today around what pastors are for. You can ask pastors this question, and each one mighty have his own answer.
One Pastor I worked with back in Montana saw himself as a motivational speaker. His goal, was to make people feel happy and encouraged by the end of a Sunday gathering… but let me tell you, this is not the job of a pastor.
Another pastor I worked with saw it as his job to help people… now on the surface this seemed okay, until you looked a bit closer at how he did ministry. For one, he never preached the gospel, and for another, after I got to know him better it became clear that what he was only wanting people’s approval and a paycheck.
But in this day and age, you don’t even need to ask a pastor this, because we have the internet at our fingertips… and everything on the internet is always true right?
No in fact that is very wrong…
I googled this question, i searched ‘what are pastors for’, and the results were just as I expected:
The google search said, “A pastor, is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation.”
This is a very poor definition of a pastor… for it is hardly any different from a high school guidance counselor…
In that same google search, there were a number of podcasts that showed up as recommendations… ranging all the way from John Piper, to Joel Osteen.
While both of these men give advice and counsel, they are neither one or the same
And for those who do not know, John Piper is a wonderful pastor, while Joel Osteen is just a heretic.
But it is no wonder as to why there is confusion even among many pastors, as to what pastors are for… But this confusion is not unique to us today, for this was what was causing division among the Corinthians as well.
Remember:
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.”
Why were the Corinthians so divided over which preacher was the one worth following?
Well Paul explains it a bit more.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
You see, the Corinthians were treating the preachers of their day, as if they were celebrities… and they were divided over who they thought was the best of them all.
So in the last three chapters, Paul has been addressing the Corinthians’ sins that were embedded into their divisiveness.
Namely, Paul has called out their theological pride and their spiritual immaturity, and here in chapter four, Paul corrects them by telling them the proper way to consider himself and the other preachers.
Listen to Paul:
1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Paul here is applying this to himself and Apollos and Cephas… We can know this by just looking past the chapter break and looking at 1 Cor 3:22.
But for the sake of us today, I am applying this to every pastor as this entire chapter is very good pastoral advice even for me today
1. The pastor is a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God.
1. The pastor is a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God.
There are two parts to this, Pastors are servants, and stewards…
Let’s take these two parts one at a time
First off, pastors are servants of Christ… meaning Jesus is the one that every pastor works for… not man. For Paul is not a servant of man, rather is is a servant of Christ. We’ll discuss why this distinction is so important on this in just a moment, but for now, let’s look at the second part of this point.
Paul says he and the other preachers are a servants of God and that they are stewards of the mysteries of God...
Now a stewards is what we might call a manager… in fact, this same word in greek here for steward is also translated to manager in other parts of the ESV translation.
Hear it from Luke 12
42 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?
The pastor/steward is to be faithful and wise, not only for the sake of the other servants, but for the sake of the maser who has appointed him to his duty… and that master is Jesus Christ
And while the steward is still a servant, he is put in a unique position over the the rest of the master’s property including the other servants who belong to the master…
And in particular, here, Paul says he is a steward of the mysteries of God, meaning, he is to guard, and distribute these mysteries as God has appointed him to… and what do you suppose those mysteries are?
It’s the gospel…
it’s the message that Paul preached, of Jesus Christ and him crucified....
It’s the hidden wisdom that Paul imparted to those who were mature
Paul continues,
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
While the Corinthians were concerned with who was the wisest, or the most powerful preacher was, Paul here says there is something that is far more important than wisdom or power… what’s more important than these is that we are found to be faithful..
This means that it is crucial that Paul remains faithful to the Lord as his one and only master, by not getting entangled in the business of pleasing people. And he is to remain faithful in the work that the Lord has appointed him to.
To this end Paul continues,
3 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. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 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.
While the Corinthians are busy judging Pauls worth, he tells them… such judgment only belongs to the Lord. Because Paul isn’t working for the Corinthians approval. Rather he is working for the Lord who enlisted him to his work
While there is so much that could be said here, let me leave you with just one more thing… this passage does not mean that we are not to make sound judgment regarding pastors and even other Christians… for in just one chapter Paul will exercise judgment:
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
So Paul isn’t saying that we are to not judge at all… so then what is Paul saying?
Well let’s go back to 1 Cor 4:5 and let’s get a better idea what he means
5 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.
What Paul is saying is this:
While the Corinthians are judging the worth of Pauls work… humans cannot make the judgment over who’s work is done in faithfulness and who’s work isn’t
Paul even said in v 4 that though he had a clear conscious, he couldn’t even judge himself regarding his faithfulness.
We need not fear the judgment of man, for no man can judge our faithfulness to God… even though man loves to play the judge. But we ought to fear God, for he will judge every work that we do… even the works that we think are hidden
Listen students, as I preach… I am dreadfully afraid
but I am not afraid of man’s passing judgments,
rather I fear God who will judge me for every word that I say and every thing that I teach and every work that I do even the things that I do in secret
And I fear God like this, because I am his servant and his steward… and I will answer to him for everything that I do
So this is what you should expect from me and every other pastor who the Lord might put over you…
Expect them not to serve you simply to make you happy… but instead expect them to serve the Lord by being faithful to preach the mystery of the gospel of God.
Paul continues in v 6
6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
Why is Paul saying that he is a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God?
Well one, because they are divided over which preacher is best…
so Paul says these things so that they may not be puffed up in favor of one against another
But Paul also says, he has applied these things to himself, for the Corinthian’s benefit
2. The pastor serves Christ for the benefit of the church.
2. The pastor serves Christ for the benefit of the church.
Remember, pastors don’t serve the church with the objective of making the people in the church happy… make no mistake about it, pastors serve Christ and not man. But when pastors serve Christ, make no mistake of it God’s people do receive every benefit.
When I preach, I do so hoping and praying that your joy in Christ would be made complete…
When I preach, I pray that the Lord would deliver you from your sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ
When I preach, I do it so you will know God…
all of these things are to your benefit!
While I work for Christ, I am also striving for your sanctification as you grow in the knowledge of Christ.
When I make Christ known to you, it is for your benefit, and when you know Christ, he is glorified, and when Christ is glorified through my preaching, I do that which Christ has appointed me to do.
But the Corinthians have lost sight of this.
7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Paul is saying, all that the Corinthians have recieved, every benefit that that Paul has given to them through the gospel, has been given to them by grace… Paul delivered the message of the gospel to the Corinthians, not because they were worthy of it, but because God sent Paul as an apostle to the gentiles! Therefore, they have no reason to boast Paul says...
But the Corinthians are full of pride and boasting. Paul goes on to describe their pride:
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
Here Paul employs sarcasm towards the Corinthians
You see, every Christian will reign with Christ in the end when we are resurrected with him.
But the Corinthians are treating themselves as if they are reigning in this life here and now… as if they did not need to suffer for the name of Christ… The Corinthians are living like they are rich and reigning without Paul and the other apostles. But if they are reigning, without all the saints, then this is a sign that their wealth is a fraud…
You see, the apostles are far off from reigning and being kings…
Listen to how Paul describes him and the other servants of Christs
9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, 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 held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
This list of weakness, describes why Corinthians had rejected Paul as an apostle…
You see, Paul is being rejected, because he is quite unimpressive in the eyes of the world…
But listen to the language here:
like men sentenced to death
Spectacles to the world, to angels, and to men
Fools
weak
poor
and yet working hard…
They are despised by the world, and yet how do they respond?
They are reviled - which means to mock or insult… and in return they bless
They are persecuted - meaning they are treated poorly, and despite this they endure in the work that the Lord has appointed for them to do
They are slandered, meaning people speak ill of them, and in return they entreat - meaning they continue to preach and encourage and admonish the saints
Who does this sound like?
When we read about the apostles we should recognize how much they look like Jesus
Remember what Jesus said to his disciples towards the end of our last series
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
While the Corinthians are so busy exulting themself in pride and rejecting Paul and the other apostles because they were not strong or wise in their worldly estimation… we would do well to remember that those who did not recognize Jesus but instead rejected him did so for the very same reason… Those who rejected Jesus did recognized as the Christ, for he did not appear wise or powerful… and neither did Paul.
Listen to Paul’s pastoral heart for the Corinthians
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Admonish, means warn
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
3. The pastor is given to the church so they might imitate him as he follows Jesus.
3. The pastor is given to the church so they might imitate him as he follows Jesus.
Do you know what pastors are for?
They are servants who work for Jesus
They do so by preaching the gospel…
And when the gospel is preached, the church benefits…
Or to summarize all of this… my job is to help you follow Jesus. And one way we do this is by having you follow in my conduct of life.
This is a scary thing for me to ponder… because I am a sinner
And I want you to be watchful of me and every other pastor that the Lord gives to you to follow… because you only follow them so long as they are keeping in step with the Spirit of God.
But where I or any other pastor sins, you dare not follow them there.
But where I sin, might I repent, and as you see me repent, learn to repent of your own sins as well.
Pastors are given to you so that you might see their life and imitate their way of living.
Most of the time when we talk about maturing and growing up in Christ, we talk about the Scriptures and prayer… but Paul regularly gives himself as an example to follow so that other Christians might grow into maturity… and it’s not just here in this one verse that Paul says this.
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
This is what discipleship looks like…
A disciple is a follower of Jesus…
But to be discipled by another person means that you are following them as they follow Christ
Remember, the Corinthians were divided as to who they were following,
some saying they followed Paul, while others followed Apollos or Cepheus or Christ
Paul’s response… follow me, as I follow Christ.
And Paul certainly followed in Christ’s footsteps…
For he said
11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
This description of Paul mirrors what we read of Jesus as he hung on the cross.
So to aid the Corinthians in following Paul and therefore in following Jesus, Paul give the Corinthians another pastor who he trained by Paul that they could follow him as well.
17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
We can see that Paul is telling them to follow Timmothy, as he follows in Pauls footsteps, as Paul follows Jesus Christ.
But for those who thought Paul would never return to Corinth after sending Timmothy, Paul gives this stern warning:
18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
What Paul means when he talks about coming with a rod, is that when he comes he will do so to discipline them if they do not repent of their sins.
As we continue in our into chapter 5 next week, we will find out more about the need for discipline in the church, but that’s for next week. We will pick up in v 18 next week, but for tonight I want us to see what Pastors are for… they are given to us so that we would know Jesus, so that we can follow Jesus, and in follow him, we will then be saved by him.
So don’t be divided over who is the best preacher, but instead, follow your pastor, as he follows Christ. And in so doing, you will be unified.