Do Not Go Beyond What Is Written
Notes
Transcript
Claim: Christians leaders must be faithful to the word of God in order to exult Christ so the church understands it great wealth is in Him, not in present worldliness or circumstance.
Focus: keep your bible open when you’re taught by others knowing you await the joy of eternity even though now will be hard
Function: to glorify God as they enjoy their riches in Christ as revealed in the bible
Pray
We’ve talked a good deal over the last few weeks in 1 Corinthians about the dangerous and and ungodly way the Corinthian Christians have been elevating Christian leaders.
I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas.
It’s been causing disunity, arguments, and most of all it’s a worldly way not a Spirit led way to live as a CHristian.
They are judging these leaders in the same way the world judges it’s own leaders.
If they sound wise, persuasive, eloquent - then they are impressed.
And more worryingly - the reason they are elevating certain leaders,
is that they hope to also look the most impressive by association.
So it’s causing disunity and factions within the church.
Todays passage gets practical to overcome this prideful and worldy desire,
as Paul lays out how they should move forward, so that,
1 cor 4 6b Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
So let’s get going..
1 - Christian Workers: Do not go beyond what is written
1 - Christian Workers: Do not go beyond what is written
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.
Think of Christian leaders Paul says as, servant of Christ - entrusted with God’s mysteries revealed.
We spent last week thinking about how Christian workers are servants of God,
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.
And He’s not really saying anythgin different.
Christian workers are assigned by God, in His grace to share God’s wisdom.
Even Paul, an apostle, makes it clear, he has been ‘given’ something to share - he is not worthy of special elevation - or praise.
He is simply responsible for passing on!
And even the motives or the secret lives or sins of the messenger is not to bear influence on the message...
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
In other words - Paul’s point is not that he’s perfectly sinless in his ministry,
or that we should listen unquestionably, or unjudgemnetally to Christian leaders.
No his point is that Christian leaders have one responsibility - and that is to pass on the mysteries of God as entrusted to them.
Their motivation for that, might be good, as Paul hopes his is before God - or it might be bad.
Either way, as a listener, we don’t judge the leader by his secret motives or sins.
but by the message. - we’ll think about that shortly.
I suspect that this judgement of leaders is partly what was leading to the divisions in Corinth.
Oh - I follow Apollos, not Paul -Paul is so weak and soft - he’s got to be hiding something - perhaps he doesn’t really believe what he says.
You can’t judge what a Christian leader says by their personal secret sins and motives.
For a start - you don’t know their real motives if they are secret.
It is God who will judge them for their sin and motives when Christ returns.
It’s worth saying that of course if a Christain leaders sin and motives come to light as being harmful, or wholey ungodly,
- absolutely we ask them to stop teaching and leading,
and we pray they come to repentance.
But - if we only listened to those who were perfect - well then we’d never listen to anyone, would we?
So, says Paul.
Instead of argueing over who is the best, purest, holiest, most impressive, least weak, leader - don’t judge on those things -
assess whether what they say is the wisdom of God or not.
Are they faithfully passing on the truth and wisdom of God?
If they are - then you their motive is actually near irrelevent, and their influence over you ought ot be insignificant, becasue it is actually the Lord Jesu they are pointing you towards anyway.
It’s the other side of the coin from chapters 1-3
Don’t elevate leaders because of their worldly impressive wisdom and eloquence.
And now equally,
don’t disregard them through assumptions and rumours about their sinful motives.
Instead - and here is the great reassurance for us all as we listen to Christian leaders - what ever we ‘think’ of them.
Instead - we see if they are doing the truly important thing - passing on the mysteries of God now revealed in JEsus Christ.
And how do we do that?
WIth an open Bible.
We don’t ask you to keep your bibles open during sermons for fun.
You need to be checking everythgin you hear against God’s word.
Paul - even Paul the great apostle - ordained by Jesus himself to bring about the writings of much of the NT
- even he undertsood his role not to be one or miraculaous and fresh revelation from God.
But rather - to simply be explaining what God has already shown in His word.
Paul only had the OT, and yet, he spends all his time demonstrating how everything he teaches is still from God’s word the OT bible.
If we reflect back through 1 Cor so far,
Paul has actually been very careful - to draw all his teaching out of the OT.
For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Isaiah 29v14
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
jer 9v24
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
Isa 64v4
for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
Isa 40v13
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”;
Job 5v13
and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
Psa 94v11
IF even the apostles were careful to explain the scriptures and not pass on human wisdom - but therefore God’s alone,
How much more ought Christian leaders today do the same.
They even had a ‘saying at the time’ to make this very important point:
1 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.”
Don’t judge a Christian leader by his impressiveness or weakness - judge what he says by whether it is faithful to the bible.
Do not go beyond what is written.
Now - you might understandably have some questions now -
Well hang on - I haven’t been to Bible College - You have - how am I supposed to know if you got stuff right or not!
Well, this is precisely why we as a church, practice what we call ‘expositional preaching’.
It means to comprehensively explain and demonstrate what a passage of the bible is saying.
In other words my job, a christina leaders job, in preaching is not to baffle you with theological words and impressiveness, or with personal insights they have had directly from God that you could never hope to emulate or experience.
my job is to walk you through the passage so that you can see for yourself, that that is what God is saying in His word.
It is why churches that don’t teach like this are in danger of teaching worldly wisdom,
and in danger of it’s people becoming weak in their faith - for they rely on the leader not on the Word of God.
And it’s agreat temptation for christian leaders to preach what is popular, rather than what is the wisdom of God.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul puts it like this:
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
It’s why we rarely do Thematic preaching - becasue we don’t want to impose our own agenda onto God’s ‘sufficient word’.
It’s why we endeavour to cover all genres and section of the bible - for we trust God’s wisdom not our own.
It’s why we say - keep your bibles open - it’s why we try at least - to take you on a journey through each passage - rather than just give you our conclusions.
For we are mere servants, entrusted to pass on the wisdom and truth of God in His word.
I’ve gone on a little about this - but so has Paul for 4 chapters - and this is the grande conclusion.
The Christain leaders is nothing - a mere servant of Christ.
Tasked with the role of passing on the message of Christ Crucified
- The mysteries of God now revealed - now understood in the NT.
A Christain leaders primary purpose - is to be faithful with that message
- and to pass it on with the help of the HS
- so that God’s people
- all of us may boast in God alone
- elevate Jesus alone and no earthly person.
So all glory goes to God alone.
1 - Christian Workers: Do not go beyond what is written
1 - Christian Workers: Do not go beyond what is written
This principle of ‘not going beyond what is written’
is not just one for those who teach the word.
Paul wants us all to live by what is written - if you like it is not only the rule for christian leaders in their teaching, it is the very way in which we all remain faithful to Jesus - rather than worldly wisdoms..
Christians: Live by the Word
Christians: Live by the Word
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
This temptation to be puffed up,
to be proud - is the most natural and invasive sin in the world.
It was a proud desire for Adam and Eve when they wanted to ‘be like God’ and so they ate the apple.
It’s the sin that causes the Corinthians to elevate leaders, or degrade other leaders
- so that they can be puffed up by ‘following the best one’
It is pride that thinks God owes us.
My life should be comfortable,
and safe,
I believe in God - why doesn’t he sort my life out so it’s all rosey.
It’s the sin that leads to or desires boasting in our own lives or abilities or associations;
But says Paul:
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
It’s all a bit of a reality check for the Corinthians - for us.
You’re nothing special says Paul - why or how are you any better than anyone else when it comes to faith?
Who are you to judge peoples secret motives,
and who are you to boast, when you only have any sort of faith simply becasue you too were given it my grace. from God.
So disappointed is Paul with their attitude of pride and wanting to look impressive
and have the great and comfortable life,
that he now employs biting irony against their attitudes,
and then makes the glaringly obvious comparison
to how he and the other apostles live - which is far from comfortable and grand.
1 Corinthians 4:8–10 (NIV)
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! (Well aren’t you impressive he points out ironically! - but here is now Paul’s reality check_) How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. (you’re so great and expect great lives from God, following the greatest, being the greatest - meanwhile us simple apostles are in the ROman arean, sentnaced to a brutal and embarrassing death) We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, (Pause) but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!
Friends - if you are expecting to look great in the world.
If you’re expecting to reign.
Expecting to be rich and wealthy - because God owes it to you,
or because you quietly expect him to make everything wonderful,
becasue you follow the best leader, go to the best church.
Don’t be ridiculous says Paul.
The very apostles received none of that.
They - as we are called to do -
follow the way of Jesus their saviour.
Who was crucified PUBLICALLY - made a spectacle of.
Jesus was made to look a fool - as they mocked him and put a crown of thorns on his head.
He was dishonoured,
Paul goes on
To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.
Jesus was cursed in this life - and yet he kept blessing,
he was persecuted and yet endured - even to death
he was slandered but answered kindly,
he became the scum of the earth?
And Jesus did it all that for us to find faith in Him.
He died in righteousness - so we could inherit his life with God forever.
Great riches, reigning, joy is all coming for those who follow Jesus,
but not yet says Paul.
To seek such things is worldly
- you’re applying worldy desires even to your pursuit of christian leaders - and your whole life,
When Jesus who gave you everything - sought and accepted the opposite.
1 Corinthians 4:14–17 (NIV)
I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
Such is Paul’s love for the Corinthians - he is prepared to warn them of their backwards thinking - he isn’t worried what they think of him, he worriesd about not going beyond what is written.
So he pleads - remember how I taught you and tried to show you how Jesus lived.
Friends - I know the world around us loves power, and wealth, and comfort, and impressive leaders and spiritualism, and morals based on personal opinions.
But do not forget the way the Lord Jesus lived for you.
Do not seek what he did not seek,
be very grateful for the life eternal - the forgiveness - the love and Grace, his Spirit has given you.
And we live also according to His word - not as babies still on milk,
but as cross carrying followers of the one true King - Jesus,
who has given us his written word - so that we don’t go beyond it.
Pary.
