Counsel For The Church
Text: 1 Cor.15: 58
Intro: In the 15th chapter of First Corinthians, Paul is seeking to prove the resurrection of the saints, using the resurrection of Christ as the foundation of proof. He points out that just as Christ arose from the grave with a glorified body, even so, every child of God, who experiences death before the return of Christ, will one day come forth from the grave with an eternal, glorified body.
But Paul did not leave his readers in the by and by. As we come to the last verse of this resurrection chapter, he encourages them to live in the here and now. He exhorts the Corinthian Christians to stand firm in the faith and keep serving the Lord. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that to simply sit and wait for the Rapture, or the resurrection of the dead is useless. One must be busy serving the Lord until that time.
The same thing is true of us today. As members of this church, we cannot and must not simply live for what God is going to do in the future. We must be living for the Lord in the very real present. We must do as Paul said: “…Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…” (1 Cor.15: 58b).
As I view the condition of our church, I feel compelled to offer some words of caution. My purpose in doing so is that we might be encouraged to keep standing firm in the faith, that we might not be moved from our trust in God, and so that we might continue to serve the Lord Jesus until the day He returns to take us home. We must be faithfully serving the Lord; for Paul said, “…forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (v. 58c).
Theme: By way of offering caution, I want to say that:
I. WE MUST NOT ALLOW DISCOURAGEMENT TO DEFEAT US
A. Obstacles Sometimes Incite Discouragement.
1. The Israelites became discouraged about their provisions.
Ex.15: 23 “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?”
Ex.16: 2 “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3b …for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
NOTE: [1] Folks, just because you find yourself in need doesn’t mean that God has forsaken you. God knew that His people were going to need water, food, and other necessities in the wilderness. But He permitted those things to become scarce for a time to teach the Israelites to trust God for their needs. God wanted His people to learn not to panic and fret over their needs, but to put their faith in God, and rest in His love and power to provide.
[2] Keep in mind that though the children of Israel had already witnessed God’s great power in delivering them from Egypt, and again when they walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, they still balked in unbelief every time a new problem arose. That sounds a lot like some Baptists. God engineered every situation the Israelites endured in the wilderness to teach them to rely upon His faithfulness. He actually permitted problems, so that He could reveal His power and provision. Moses related this idea to Israel, shortly before his death:
Deut.8: 2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered (allowed or permitted) thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.”
[3] George Mueller was a great man of faith. 2000 hungry orphans, in England, during the 1800’s, looked to him for all their needs. Though he was not a man of wealth, he was a man of prayer, as the following story reveals:
Always when needs were pressing, Mr. Mueller would call the staff together for prayer. And often, when getting off their knees, they would see dray wagons [drawn carts] backing up to the kitchen door, loaded with buns, bread, apples, cakes, potatoes, boxes of soap, sacks of peas, haunches [sides] of venison, rabbits and pheasants, and every other conceivable edible article.
Anna Talbott McPherson, They Dared To Be Different, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; pg. 173.
2. The Israelites became discouraged about their path.
Num.21: 4 “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Rea sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.”
3. The Israelites became discouraged about the Promised Land’s perils.
Num.13: 31 “But the men that went up with him (Caleb) said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
14: 1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.”
NOTE: [1] When the Israelites saw the potential resistance and danger in the Promised Land, they became discouraged. They became obsessed with the obstacles. They saw the giants and the walled cities and became so focused on the obstacles that they forgot the omnipotence of God (Num.13: 28-33). They became so discouraged that the Bible says, “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night” (Num.14: 1).
[2] However, it must be noted that circumstances cannot make one discouraged, since discouragement is the result of a person’s reasoning about a particular situation. They see their situation as bigger than life—as insurmountable, with no way out. Discouragement is the outgrowth of an ailing faith, which is the basic conclusion of the writer of Hebrews, who said that Israel “…entered not in because of unbelief” (Heb.4: 6b). After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, due to unbelief, Moses, just prior to their assault on Jericho, reminds Israel of their earlier failure produced by faithlessness.
Deut.1: 29 “Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30 The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God.
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34 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,”
B. Others Sometimes Inspire Discouragement.
Deut.1: 28 “Whither shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.”
NOTE: [1] We must choose what and whom we will believe. We can believe those who are constantly pointing out all the negatives, or we can choose to believe God’s truth. The choice is our’s to make.
[2] Faith, as well as faithlessness, has a language all their own. While those living by faith are saying, “We can,” the faithless are saying, “We can’t,” (Compare Num.13: 30 with Num.13: 31). I’m not talking about the power of positive thinking here. But when God has made clear His will and direction in a matter, we can approach that situation with confidence and faith. Someone once aptly noted: “Nothing will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome” (Source Unknown).
C. Opportunities Are Sometimes Ignored Due To Discouragement.
Deut.1: 34 “And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,
36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.
37 Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
42 And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
45 And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.”
NOTE: It’s sad to think that Israel could have begun enjoying the Promised Land 40 years earlier, had they not given in to faithless discouragement. The time to obey is when God gives clear insight and instructions concerning His will, not when we feel like it, or when it makes sense to us. The time of obedience is not left to our discretion. “Delayed obedience is disobedience” (Thomas a’ Kempis).
II. WE MUST NOT ALLOW DIFFERENCES TO DIVIDE US
A. Unity Is Good.
Ps.133: 1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
1. Unity is both pleasant and precious.
Ps.133: 2 “It (unity) is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;”
NOTE: [1] The anointing oil, as prescribed by God, was very precious and costly, since it was made with the “…finest spices for use in the priestly ordination ceremony (cf. Exod. 30: 22-32)” (Robert Davidson, The Vitality Of Worship, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan; pg. 432).
[2] This oil was considered to be holy (Ex.30: 25); therefore it was not for personal use or ownership (Ex.30: 31-33). These qualities tell us how unity among the brethren should be viewed. Just like the anointing oil, unity among the brethren should be viewed as valuable, priceless, and worthy of protection, and not taken for granted. However, unity does not mean that there must be total agreement on every minor issue. There should be an agreeable spirit, even though there may be differences of opinion on various details of the matter at hand. Disagreement with someone’s opinion should not be seen as a rejection of the individual.
[3] Due to the ingredients used in its making, it had a very pleasant fragrance. One might say that the anointing oil affected the atmosphere whenever it was present. By the same token, whenever the sweet fragrance of Christian unity is present, the atmosphere is one of loving cooperation.
2. Unity is also refreshing and productive.
Ps.133: 3 “As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.”
NOTE: [1] Unity is not only a pleasant and refreshing blessing among God’s people, but it also provides the foundation for greater productivity in the work of God. Little or nothing can be accomplished for God when the saints are pulling in different directions.
[2] Also involved in this simile is the idea of a life-giving attribute. One commentator adds this comment:
The heavy dew characteristic of the range seems to have become proverbial as a symbol of the life-giving moisture needed in an often arid landscape. It is as if this life-giving northern dew is falling upon the barren “mountains of Zion,” turning them into a source of life-giving unity which binds the people together. It is there, in Zion, that the people receive from the Lord the blessing which ensures “life forevermore,” a phrase which implies not personal immortality but the ever continuing vitality of the community.
Ibid, pgs. 432 & 433.
B. Unity Must Be Guarded.
Eph.4: 2 “With all lowliness (“humility”) and meekness, with longsuffering (“enduring without fighting back”), forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavoring to keep (“eager to maintain or guard”) the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
NOTE: Unity, under the truth of Jesus Christ, and for the furtherance of His kingdom is a force to be reckoned with, and that’s why the saints must guard it. Let me illustrate with a bit of humor:
In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t.
“What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus.
“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
“Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
Charles Schultz.
C. Unity Cannot Tolerate Grudges.
Matt.5: 23 “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
Matt.18: 15 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”
NOTE: There can be no unity in the church when its people are bickering, squabbling, and fighting one another. Some wise individual once noticed: “There can be union without unity: tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline” (Source Unknown).
III. WE MUST NOT ALLOW DEFILEMENT TO DESTROY US
A. Bitter Attitudes And Bad-Mouthing Can Destroy A Church.
Gal.5: 14 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”
Eph.4: 31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”
Col.3: 8 “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
James 4: 11a “Speak not evil one of another, brethren…”
NOTE: Bitterness can lead to other sins, especially if one gets bitter toward God. Bitterness is the result of a longstanding anger over some supposed or actual wounding, or victimization. That anger can motivate one to seek gratification and appeasement in an effort to punish one’s offender.
B. Bible-less Doctrines Can Destroy A Church.
Gal.1: 8 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Eph.5: 11 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Rev.2: 14 “But I have a few things against thee (the church of Pergamos), because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”
NOTE: Balaam basically believed that he could serve God and the devil at the same time. When Balaam couldn’t curse the children of Israel, and bring God’s judgment upon them for Balak, a heathen king, he convinced him that the way to accomplish the same effect, was to entice the men of Israel with the Moabite and Midianite women, and thereby involve them in idolatry and fornication, incurring the wrath of God. Balaam enticed Israel to compromise, by exchanging their relationship with God for a temporary relationship with the world.
C. Backing Away From God Can Destroy A Church.
Gal.6: 9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
1 Cor.15: 58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
NOTE: Often people become discouraged with the troubles of life, or perhaps troubles in the church, and begin to back away. They cease to be faithful in their church attendance. When they do come to church, they seem to be bored and disinterested. They begin to isolate themselves from other members, and any involvement with the ministry of the church. They have allowed discouragement to defeat them. So they back away. However, isolation isn’t the answer; it’s integration. They need to share their burden with trustworthy brethren, especially their pastor. Don’t quit, dear Christian! Let the church family give you support.
In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target.
But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter’s immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun. And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. “Perhaps most remarkable,” writes Jaroff, “those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth.”
The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.
So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.
Craig Brian Larson, Pastoral Grit: the Strength to Stand and to Stay, Bethany.
Theme: By way of offering caution, I want to say that:
I. WE MUST NOT ALLOW DISCOURAGEMENT TO DEFEAT US
II. WE MUST NOT ALLOW DIFFERENCES TO DIVIDE US
III. WE MUST NOT ALLOW DEFILEMENT TO DESTROY US
