Majoring on the Minors - A Church Divided

The Commendation — (Vs. 1-9)

In my opinion, Paul was wonderful with words. I often wonder if he wasn’t a better writer than an speaker but the way he approaches his readers when he writes to them is somewhat masterful.

He begins with commendation but within his commendation, he directs the attention of the reader and the listener alike where he wants their mindset to be.

The first thing he says here to the Church at Corinth is, “to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.”

What he’s doing here is trying to get their minds focused on who they really are!

You see, let me draw your attention to something that stood out to me when studying this…Paul uses the words...

Sanctified — Hagiazo — vb. To consecrate, to make holy, sanctify, hallow, treat as holy. Describes the divine act of setting aside as sacred.

Saints — Hagios — adj. holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints.

These words basically mean the same thing so why would you put something back to back unless you were trying to get an underlying point across, right?

What Paul is attempting to do here is to get the Church at Corinth to understand that although they live in this world, they aren’t of this world anymore, Amen!

They have been sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ, set apart for His use and holy in the eyes of an almighty God!

He’s trying to get them to understand that this world is not their home and therefore, they need to make sure their attention is focused on where they’re headed and not where they are at!

For those of us who are saved and born again this morning, as the old song says, “this world is not our home, we’re just a passing through, our treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon us, from heaven’s open door, and we can’t feel at home in this world anymore”, Amen!

Now, the reason Paul was needing to redirect the attention of this Corinthian Church was because they were focusing on the minors and not the majors as we will see here in just a moment, which is where the title of our message comes from today.

But the way in which Paul redirects his audience is done with the utmost care as not to discourage but to encourage because look how he follows up helping them to remember that they are to be set apart.

He says, “with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Without straight out saying it Paul is saying, “look, the Corinthian Church isn’t the only one supposed to be set apart, every believer that names the name of Christ ought to be set apart from this world!”

Then, he continues on with his commendation of the Church by saying “Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Again, he’s directing their attention where he wants it. He says, “grace and peace”, right?

He is trying to get the members of the Corinthian Church to understand that salvation is something that’s not earned but given freely through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He’s once again directing their attention to the thought that what they have they did nothing to receive!

Grace is the act of getting something you didn’t deserve, right?

Ok Corinthians, remember why you are able to bask in the presence of the Lord to begin with…because of His grace, right?

And then he says, “peace”.

From the record that Paul has received from the house of Chloe, which caused the writing of this letter in the first place, peace was anything but what was going on in the Corinthian Church!

There was a division going on in the Church at Corinth that was potentially threatening the integrity of the message they were called to proclaim!

And if not dealt with properly, there was a good possibility that this division would separate the Church and hurt the testimony wherewith they were called to lead others to Christ!

There was dissension in the Church of Corinth and it needed to be dealt with swiftly and precisely before it festered into a boiling point!

So, subtly with words of affirmation, Paul begins to redirect the Corinthian Churches mindsets off of the minors that are causing division and back onto the majors that will bring unity!

He continues on in Verse 4 with the theme of grace once again and who that grace comes from and then he ties that grace into their gifts in Verses 5-7.

The Corinthian Church was a very gifted Church but with many gifts and strong wills often comes contentious situations which was exactly what was causing the division in this Church.

He finishes out his commendation by keeping their minds focused on the reason for their gifts in the first place which was the Lord Jesus Christ and then says, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called.”

I love this…God is faithful… aren’t you glad God is faithful even when we aren’t this morning Church?

Paul is saying without saying, “God is faithful. God called each of you for a reason. God gifted each of you for a reason. God will perform His part in your salvation unto the uttermost but are you being faithful to God with what He’s given you?”

These first nine verses were all about redirecting the minds of the Corinthian Church back onto what was important which is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

All these other things are great, but without the gospel as the centerpiece to which everything else orbits around, then those gifts and knowledge and utterances that were given about the Church were commendations without merit flying around into oblivion!

Just as the sun in our universe keeps the planets in our solar system in orbit around it, the Son of God should be the centerpiece to our spiritual universe wherewith everything in our lives orbits around!

When our mindset gets off kilter and stops orbiting around the only begotten Son, then there’s sure to be chaos and calamity to follow!

We must determine in our Church and in our daily lives to continue to focus on the majors and not the minors!

Now that Paul has commended them and began the process of redirecting their minds, he begins the process of rebuke, reproof and admonition.

Let me say something before moving on…Paul’s letters often speak of things that a Church needs to work on and some might think that’s complaining or that he’s never satisfied with the progress but what I want you to know is this…every letter that Paul wrote was out of love and a deep desire to see that Church succeed.

The Bible says in...

Hebrews 12:6 — For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Paul’s admonition was only to help the Church reach it’s full potential for the Kingdom of God.

Never did Paul condemn without reason or chasten out of anger.

His letters were meant to unify and strengthen not discourage and divide.

Paul knew that Affirmation without Admonition will only lead to Arrogance and in the Kingdom of God there is no room for arrogance, Amen!

We see the commendation, now let’s move on to the condemnation.

The Condemnation — (Vs. 10-16)

Vs. 10

Psalm 133:1 — Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

Matthew 12:25 — “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:”

One writer said that this phrase, “perfectly joined together” is a medical term that describes the unity of the human body knit together. — Wiersbe

Read Vs. 11-16

Paul continues his rebuke and reproof over in...

1 Corinthians 3:3–9

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

He’s telling the Church in Corinth here, “you’re majoring on the minors and missing the majors!”

And then goes on to explain, “who am I or who is Apollos? We’re just men in the ministry of God doing what God has called us to do! Therefore, there’s no reason for anyone to glory in us! We are simply laborers together in the field of harvest that God has given us! It’s God that’s given the increase!

Get your mind off the things of the world, and get focused on the one who this whole thing is about!”

He told the Colossians in...

Colossians 3:1–3

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Paul’s condemnation is so that they will concentrate on what’s most important which is our next point.

The Concentration — (Vs.17-29)

Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 11:33 — O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

2 Timothy 3:7 — Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Commemoration — (Vs. 30-31)