Standing at the Judgment Seat of Others

Divisions will Kill a Church!

Chapter 4 concludes Paul’s word on a divided church...

The reason for such lengths on the subject is due to how dangerous divisions are to a church

The last two Wednesdays we have looked at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Tonight we’re going to look at what I’m calling:

“The Judgement Seat of Others”

Word Choices

Verse one is rich:

“Us”,“Ministers”, “Stewards”, “Mysteries”

“Us”

Keeping with the context: Paul is referring to the influential teachers mentioned in chapter one:

Himself

Apollos

Peter

He refers to himself and the others by two words:

Minister and Steward

We will come back to the word “Us” later...

“Ministers of Christ”

Minister = “Under Oarsman or Under Rower”

Referring to a slave on a Roman ship, chained to other slaves, chained to an oar

These slaves had one job....obey their masters!

They were to row the ship in accordance to the drummer and to obey without question these orders

To the Corinthians Paul was saying:

“You have it all wrong! I am not above Apollos, nor he me. We are both slaves, under rowers of Jesus, obeying His command.”

Remember the Theme!

“Standing at the Judgment Seat of others”

The Corinthians were judging each other by their preferred teacher

Paul was reminding them that we’re all mere slaves to Jesus, going where He sends, doing what He wishes

Not only were these men ministers of Christ, but also...

“Stewards of the Mysteries of God”

A steward (house law), was over the affairs of his master’s house

A steward wold be a trusted slave who, serving under his master’s orders, would be over his Master’s business affairs

In this case, Paul was explaining he and the other teachers in question were stewards over the “mysteries of God”

Mystery = what God was doing in the world

To the unsaved, everything is a mystery - they lack spiritual discerning

A good steward would explain to the unsaved how to be saved, and to the saved, how to live!

Back to “Us”

Context: “Us” in verse one refers to Paul, Apollos, and Peter (Ch. 1)

Application: the “us” in verse 1 refers to...

“Us”, as in you and me

J Vernon McGee puts it this way:

“Everyone is a preacher…what message are you proclaiming?”

We are the under under rowers, slaves, following the orders of our heavenly Master

We are to be “Stewards of the mysteries of God” - pointing people to salvation in Jesus!

Since “Us” Means Us, Then...

Verse 2 also applies to us! 1 Cor. 4:2

1 Corinthians 4:2 (KJV 1900)

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Required = expected of.

It has the idea of “Searching”. In other words, God is searching to see if you are faithful!

Faithfulness = doing what is expected of the Master!

Robert Gromacki puts it this way:

“Faithfulness involves doing all that the Master has commanded, doing it according to the Master’s method, and doing it in the assigned time.”

While the stewardship may vary, the requirements never do!

Three Judgment Seats

The closing verses deal with three types or “places” of judgment

Hint: One doesn’t matter at all, one matters only a little, but One is the end all be all.

1 Corinthians 4:3–5 KJV 1900

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

The Judgment of Others

Other people, Christian and non-Christians, are judging you!

Paul acknowledged this in verse 3...

The Corinthians were nitpicking his every move

Some loved and adored him, while others did not approve of him.

Here is what Paul knew:

“It matters very little what another man thinks of me”

The Corinthians did not commission Paul, God did! Their opinion mattered very little.

The Judgment of Self

If we humans have a blind spot, it is in spotting our own failures

We tend to go hard on others and easy on ourselves.

Take the example of David and Nathan...

David was furious when he heard someone had taken and killed the lamb from the poor shepherd

He was heartbroken, finally, when he realized he was the man!

Paul understood this, and that is why he would not trust his own judgment on his ministry...

Verse 4, Paul tells us he had no outright knowledge of any sin in his life, but he knew the truth of Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21:2 KJV 1900

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: But the Lord pondereth the hearts.

The Judgment of Jesus

Jonathan Edwards had a similar thought when he preached “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” - the sermon which sparked the Great Awakening

Paul understood that God is his judge!

How we need to hold this truth to hear today!

God is going to judge our:

Works , Motives, Thoughts, and Words

God is the examiner of all we do!

Remember...

1 Corinthians 4:5 KJV 1900

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

God will accomplish several things at His judgment:

Bring to light the hidden things of darkness

It is one thing to appear faithful when others are watching

But what about when its no one around but you and God?

Make manifest the counsels of the heart

What are your motives for serving God?

God knows.

Praise of God

How we long to hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

There is coming a day when you will stand before God…what will He say about you?