1. FRUITFUL – not in vain Vs. 1
a. 1 Corinthians 15:14-17
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins.
b. 1st vain =mty; 2nd fruitless, ineffective
c. mty preaching leads to fruitless faith
d. look back at 1:9
2. FEARLESS Vs. 2
a. suffered – Acts 16:19-24;
b. shamefully treated – 35-40
c. bold – frank & confident
d. ground was the fact that God was “our” God
e. contention - The Greek word here used is áãùí (agony,) a word referring usually to the Grecian games. It means the course, or place of contest; and then the contest itself, the strife, the combat, the effort for victory; and the apostle here means, that, owing to the opposition there, there was need of an effort on his part like the desperate struggles of those who contended for the mastery at the Grecian games.
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake" 2 Cor. 4:5
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2).
3. FACTUAL Vs. 3
A. Exhortation –
1. rouse the slothful or lazy
2. comfort the sorrowful
a. Paul denied three allegations:
i. message was not deceptive; it was truth, not error;
ii. his motivation was not impure, but was clean;
iii. his method was not to trick, mislead, or deceive them, but was straightforward.
b. Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible –
a. He did not tip-toe around or bypass controversial subjects because of opposition.
b. He did not attempt to tickle the ears of people by preaching only the subjects that they liked; he did not neglect the whole counsel of God’s Word.
c. He did not concentrate on pleasing subjects in order to win the approval of people; he did not neglect the subjects of sin and judgment.
d. He did not preach in order to secure personal acceptance and support nor to gain a personal following.
e. He did not preach to secure his livelihood nor to strengthen his position as pastor.
f. He did not preach his own ideas nor the novel ideas of others. He did not follow the latest theological fashion in order to appear up-to-date and well-read.
4. FORCEFUL
A. Calling – allowed of God
1. given the approval no mandate of God
B. Accounting
1. pleasing God
2. Acts 16:13-37
5. FORTHRIGHT Vs. 5
word "flattery" (kolakeias) always means the kind of flattery that is given in order to get something out of people (William Barclay.
Job 32:21 "Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person; neither let me give flattering titles unto man"
Psalm 12:3 "The lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things"
Proverbs 24:24 "He that says unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him"
Proverbs 26:28"A lying tongue hates those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth works ruin"
Prov 28:23 "He that rebukes a man, afterward shall find more favor than he that flatters with the tongue"
Proverbs 29:5 "A man that flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet".
6. FORWARDING Vs. 6
A. NO DESIRE FOR SELF GLORY
Proverbs 25:27
It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.
John 7:18
He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: but he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
John 12:42-43
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
B. NO DEMANDING SPECIAL TREATMENT
1. Go to a Conference Preachers eat
2. Some seldom mingle with the crowd
3. Charismatic Evangelist
a. picked up by driver 10 mins before spk
b. leave while invitation being given
c. one night raining – mtg under tent – mud
d. had driver carry him to tent so gold shoes would not get muddy!!!!
1 Timothy 6:4-5
He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw yourself.
1 Timothy 6:4-5 (AMP)
He is puffed up with pride and stupefied with conceit, [although he is] woefully ignorant. He has a morbid fondness for controversy and disputes and strife about words, which result in (produce) envy and jealousy, quarrels and dissension, abuse and insults and slander, and base suspicions, 5 And protracted wrangling and wearing discussion and perpetual friction among men who are corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, who imagine that godliness or righteousness is a source of profit [a moneymaking business, a means of livelihood]. From such withdraw.
