Who's in charge?
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Claim of the passage: Christian leaders are servants of God and His people, who’s work will be held to account.
Focus of the sermon: By grace we belong to Christ, we do not boast in Christian leaders who are also by grace mere servants of God.
Function for the listener: to give up worldly allegiances and enjoy the Spirit-filled life of having all in Christ
Don’t pray yet
How do you view me as your pastor?
It’s a rhetorical question - don’t answer it -
How do you think God views me as a pastor?
How should you encourage your children to view Anna as their Children's or youth worker?
or any of their Sunday School teachers?
Those in Ignite and Roots - how should you view Adam, and now Anna?
Does God measure or evaluate christian workers?
How should I view all of you? - don’t worry - that’s also rhetorical - for now...
This could be a fun passage - so let’s pray as we begin!
Pray
Before we get into thinking about the relationship between you, church workers and God, let’s set the scene:
1 - Live by the Spirit v1-4
1 - Live by the Spirit v1-4
We ended last weeks chapter thinking about how to know God - we must be first given the HS.
We are, as was very relevant to the Corinthian Christian church who this letter was written to, able to distinguish between the wisdom of the world
- which turns out to be folly, and the wisdom of God, which may look like folly to this world.
Becasue the HS enables us to do so.
And so these first 4 verses could equally well belong to last weeks section,
but it also serves as an introduction to this weeks,
So last week,
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
and Paul ends chapter 2 by pointing out that if we have the Spirit of God,
we, end of v15,
have the ‘mind of Christ’.
In other words -
to know God you must have the Spirit, given to you by God, to understand His wisdom,
which is the good news - or the gospel -
of Jesus Christ crucified.
It is pretty shocking then,
that as Paul addresses the Christians in Corinth
he adresses them as this:
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.
You may have the Spirit - but you really don’t look like it!
You don’t live by the Spirit!
And He goes on to define what he means,
and it’s not probably what we think he means by ‘live by the Spirit’.
I’ve spent many years, at Bible college and overseas in Missions,
with people with a mixture of theological beliefs about the Holy Spirit’s work today,
And I often also get asked by some here, why as a church, we don’t live by the spirit?
And my answer has become more and more convinced - ‘we do, very much so live by the Spirit.’
but our definitions of what that means is very different.
Here, Paul is about to accuse the Corinthians of that same failure -
Why don’t you live by the Spirit,
but it’s nothing to do with their lack of miraculous spiritual gifts,
or living in a way that is ‘open to the Spirit’s prompting’,
Those aspects he’ll talk about later in Corinithians,
where he’ll correct their understanding and use of Spiritual gifts as well.
but here,
Paul’s definition of someone who doesn’t ‘live by the Spirit’,
is someone who quarrels and argues, who is jealous in a pursuit to ‘look’ the best or ‘follow’ the best christian leaders.
A church that is disunited - is not living by the Spirit.
You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
He compares this type of jealous pursuit of elevating leaders,
and looking like the best Christian becasue we follow the best christian leader,
as being in need of ‘milk like a baby’.
You may still be a Christian (you may have the Spirit - but you are babies - (not living by the Spirit) still suckling milk,
barely any different from your pre-birth state in the womb!
Paul’s been going on about this worldly desire to look good and follow the best leaders since chapter 1.
And as we said then,
this is not an issue of false teaching,
but an issue of being worldly, rather than Spirit-led,
becasue they are preoccupied with worldly wisdoms and ways, over and above the message.
They are elevating the messenger above the message.
Living by the Spirit - is to reject the pride and wisdom and desires we once lived by - and instead, as we saw in chapter 1 and 2, and we’ll see again today
put Jesus First instead.
That’s were he’s going through this whole chapter - it’s the one important thing to remember today!
and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Jesus First!
You belong to Him - he saved you - He gave you the Spirit to believe - and He belongs to God!
So God alone is to be glorified!
If you like - living by the world glorifies self and humanity!
Living by the Spirit glorifies God alone!
With that in mind - and given their immaturity to still seek and be impressed by worldly ways,
how should they - and therefore we, actually relate to christian leaders.
The Relationship between Christians, Christian Workers and God v5-23
The Relationship between Christians, Christian Workers and God v5-23
Well Paul gives us 3 pictures to help them and us understand:
a field v5-9
a field v5-9
a building v10-15
a building v10-15
the temple v16-17
the temple v16-17
Each picture makes the same points about the 3 way relationship between God, Christian workers and Christians, or the Church.
And each finds it’s conclusions in v18-23 - as Paul closes his argument.
Firstly,
1 - Christian workers are servants by the grace of God.
1 - Christian workers are servants by the grace of God.
Look at the field illustration
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
Servants of God - who can only do that which is assigned by God to them.
If God had not assigned Paul to proclaim Christ crucified in Corinth - it would not have happened.
Paul would not have taken it upon himself to go to Corinth and preach.
They would still be destined to judgement and hell for their ignorance of God,
they would not have known of the love of Jesus - God’s own son
who lived the righteous life they never could,
was crucified on the cross - where the wrath and justice of God could be satisfied,
and then they would not know that he rose again to call to himself a people who would believe,
through the work of the Spirit,
to inherit eternal life in paradise!
God not only is the author and executor of salvation,
he is also the author of spreading that good news through his workers such as Paul - and still Christian workers today.
I’m not preaching this sermon today because I’m a wonderful or special person.
No - by God’s grace to you and me, he’s assigned me todo it.
I can only give credit to God that I do what I do, and you can only give credit to God because you have heard me speak of him.
With that right perspective - the Corinthians could hardly start arguing over whether Paul is the best Christian leader, or Appolos who came later to water the seed Paul planted,
for both of them are mere servants of God, assigned and enabled by God to do such a work.
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
Consider the building picture in v10
1 cor 3 10 “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it.
By God’s grace - his servants build.
Or the temple picture,
1 cor 3 17 “If anyone destroys God’s temple, (IE - if a Christian worker does not do as God has assigned) God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”
God is in control, he is master over Christian workers - good ones, bad ones and even false ones!
If God did not assign Richard Coekin to establish Co-Mission - of which we are part of - as a church planting network- now with over 20 established churches and 10 plants in progress - then it wouldn’t have happened!
God alone is worthy of praise and glory.
If you were converted under the ministry of Steve Smith, the first Pastor of GC,
then God assigned Steve to speak to you and plant this church, so God alone is worthy of following, and praising and gloryifying.
If, in the highly unlikely scenario you have benefitted from my ministry - it is very clearly only by the grace of God - that I have watered a little,
or Tim has sown some seed - so God is to be praised and glorified.
1 - Christian workers are servants by the grace of God.
1 - Christian workers are servants by the grace of God.
We are thankful to God alone both for our salvation and for those who sow and water that message!
We thank God for Christian workers, don’t worship or elevate them.
we worship and elevate the one who gives the power of growth,
who instructed the farmers, who provided the sure foundation of Christ for the builders to build on!
For church workers should know they
do nothing,
and are nothing,
and offer you nothing from within themselves,
we simply offer Jesus,
who both sent us to you and empowers you to respond to the very message as well!
How sad that when we elevate or boast about our christian leaders we actually dishonours Jesus,
and even sadder it is when Christian workers elevate themselves rather than Jesus.
There is much to pray for yourselves here,
but much to pray for the staff and elders here at GC as well.
2- Christian workers are accountable to God for their work
2- Christian workers are accountable to God for their work
This is a rather sobering point for those in Christian ministry. And i think it serves 2 purposes in this passage.
1 - as Christian workers, we don’t need, and shouldn’t seek reward for our work now on earth - God will be the judge of our labours.
2 - It keeps us very humble - or at-least it should.
It should keep us trusting solely in the work of the HS.
For we are not seeking reward from our congregations,
(who may well value - dynamic, worldly impressive leaders - although you shouldn’t)
but we seek God’s reward - which is not based on our worldly impressiveness
- but on our faithfulness to carrying out the duties he assigns.
we share the milk of the Gospel and the meat of discipleship.
For in doing that - and only that - are we then relying on the HS to change and grow hearts.
In the farming picture we see this reminder of rewards:
The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
In the temple picture we get the warning of judgement for the false worker:
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
And in the building picture we get quite an explanation of this accountability, or reward structure for Christian workers:
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Paul does not have the final judgement of ‘salvation or not’ in view here.
For no person is saved by their works, but by faith in Christ crucified. By grace.
But there are warning both here and in other passages that we all,
but particularly Christian workers, will have our labours tested - in what Paul compares to a refiners fire.
Anything Built with gold and silver, costly stones - will survive such fire.
Anything Built with wood, hay or straw - will be show for what it was. Nothing of lasting value.
The context of this passage helps us know what is going to be rewarded and what is not.
It is all about wisdom or folly!
Anytime I impress you with worldly wisdom,
pursausive techniques or eloquent speech
that attracts people to elevate, or follow, or be impressed by me
- that will be burned up, and I will suffer loss - perhaps shame at letting my saviour down on that final day when he returns.
Such workers will still be saved by grace alone - but our worldly work will cause us to somehow know we have been saved as if through fire.
It may well be a painful day for many,
but I can only believe that it will leave Christian workers who have not served well, knowing that they can only now know and praise the Lord Jesus
- for nothing we have done in our own strength will be left.
But anytime I build solely on the foundation of Jesus Christ, v11.
When I teach only what appears to be the foolishness of Christ Crucified,
well then that is quality Gold - for it is nothing of me - but all of Jesus.
Ironically, when that is tested by fire it survives well, but it is not to the credit of the worker, but to the credit of Jesus already!
The worker benefits from knowing he has passed on the wisdom of God,
and he or she rejoices in the glory of God all the more.
Remember this great reversal of wisdoms and folly says Paul! Both as a listener and as a worker.
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
2- Christian workers are accountable to God for their work
2- Christian workers are accountable to God for their work
So please pray for them, and do not elevate them or tempt them with pride.
The final aspect I’d breifly like to draw out of these 3 pictures is very encouraging.
3 - All things are yours in Christ under God
3 - All things are yours in Christ under God
The point Paul really wants to drive home at the end of this chapter is how foolish it is to elevate Christian leaders - for it is the opposite of God’s wisdom.
You - the church - Christians - are the field.
You are the building.
You are the temple where the HS lives
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
The farm labourers, the builders should not to be the objects of your interest,
they exist for you - you don’t exist for them.
God’s interest is in you the field which he makes grow.
His interest is in his church - the building built upon the foundation of Christ.
He has planned salvation not for Christian workers - although they are obviously included,
but for His people - the temple of God, so He may dwell in us by His HS.
So what’s the big point here..
Slow
Everything has been set by God to exist for His people, His dwelling place.
So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,
Look around at this world, your Christian workers, death and life itself -
it is all for God’s church. For you.
Life is all about the faith and salvation we have in Christ - nothing else.
give up your human ways,
All else is foolish to pursue - true wisdom and life and ‘all‘ is in Christ alone,
and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
And so we come full circle - and can only do one thing,
Glorify God by putting Jesus first.
For he has given us everything.
Pray