Paul Deflates Some Ego's Series

Corinthians Series (Part Six)

Text: 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

We are back in Corinthians today, and I’m glad, so that we can get back into these lessons for the Church. We’ve got this Sunday, and four in March, and then we’ll do a Palm Sunday service, and Resurrection Sunday service. And I want to encourage all of you to be praying that we’ll see more and more folks come as we build up to Resurrection Sunday – I don’t call it Easter… So be praying, and be intentional about inviting folks and sharing the Gospel.

But like I said, we’re back in First Corinthians today, and we’re in chapter four. And today we’re going to learn the difference between thinking yourself spiritual and actually being. So if you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, let’s go ahead and open them up to 1 Cor. 4:1-21 (READ).

Now in verse 1, Paul says, “This is how one should regard us…” Who’s the “US” he’s talking about there? Himself, Apollos, Peter, and other leaders and Apostles. Remember, there’s these factions that have developed at Corinth, where some people were saying, “I follow Paul”, and others were saying, “I follow Apollos”, and some were saying Cephas – which is Peter, and some were really trying to be spiritual and saying “Well I just follow Jesus.” And the same thing happens today… everybody has certain teachers that they enjoy more than others. Whether it’s their preaching and teaching style, or because they line up closer with our theological and doctrinal views. Or for any number of reasons. But human nature tends towards such things. We like to have our favorites, and then we like to be affirmed in our favorites. I’ll give you an example of this… a few years back, I was visiting with a couple of guys, and one of them was a die-hard OU Sooners fan. The other was a “Pokes” fan, and they were discussing the finer points of their teams and finally they looked at me and the Cowboys fan said, “Ken, you like the ‘Pokes’ right?” And I said, “Yeah, I like OSU.” He swelled up with pride and kind of looked at the OU fan like, “There ya’ go.” But then I said, “I also like OU.” The OSU fan kind of scowled and the OU fan then kind of puffed up… and then I really threw them and said, “But my favorite team is the Nebraska Cornhuskers.” And both them were like “What’s wrong with you?”

So it was an interesting social experiment… The OSU fan was initially affirmed and the OU fan was dejected, and then it changed to the OU fan being affirmed to the OSU fan feeling betrayed. Thankfully I was able to bring peace and unite them in their disdain for the Cornhuskers.

Blessed are the peacemakers right?

But here’s what Paul says, “Listen, it’s not about Paul, or Apollos, or Peter… we’re all just stewards of the mysteries of God.” We’re all just fellow workers. We’ve all been called by God to work for Christ and with Christ and further His kingdom as best we can, according to the grace we’ve been given.

And so the Church isn’t looking for unity behind a personality – the Church is to be unified in the truth. And if Paul, and Apollos, and Peter are all preaching and teaching the truth, the Church should be unified behind them. It’s when a personality gets into error, that’s when we start making distinctions. That’s when we start saying, “Uhm… nope… I’m not following that guy. I’m not following this movement.” So there has to be doctrinal boundaries. Now some folks don’t like that… they think that’s unloving. But Jesus, who I promise, was and is more loving than any of us, teaches that. He says, “There’s no other way to come to God except through me.” The Bible teaches this over and over again. You’re either on the ark or you’re not. You’re either a sheep or a goat. You’re either free from sin, or still bound by it, and what sets you free? THE TRUTH! “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free!” And so as Christians, we called, not to affirm people in their sin, but to lead them away from it. So we have to be unified in the truth.

Now look at verses 6 & 7 here, “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. 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?”