I remember when we first began attending church in Portland, OR. They could tell I was originally from the northeastern part of the US. Something about an accent and an attitude. I still don’t know what they meant. It is true that people who are from that area of the country are considered to have a slight attitude problem. We tend to speak before we think.
President Obama referred to us this way, “You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania,…… it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” Well I guess folks from where I come from do cling to our guns and our religion. We consider ourselves a little rougher and tougher than some parts of the country.
I have a copy of a letter sent home from someone from this area who joined the military to give you all a good picture of what it means to be from an area like northeastern, PA
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are. Tell brother Walt and brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for the old man by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.
I was restless at first, because you get to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.
We all got to shave but ... it is not so bad, there's warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.
We go on "route marches," which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.
The sergeant is like a schoolteacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.
This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bull's-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ol' bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from the next town over. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter,
Alice
Now I don’t want anybody to judge this young lady on her rough and tough country roots. As a matter of fact, as Christians we ought not to be judging anybody. That’s not our job. This morning’s sermon topic deals with this very idea of judging others.
Let me preface what I am going to say today with stating up front that this is not a message I would choose to give. I don’t like to talk about my role as a pastor or how you should treat someone in this position. There is always the fear that I would appear to be self-serving or that I might have an agenda of some sort. I assure you this is not the case. I have enjoyed being your pastor for the past three years and I think you folks treat us right fine as a pastor and as a family.
My reason for preaching this message today is simple: It’s what comes next in the book of 1 Corinthians. Up until now Paul has been dealing with the problem of disunity in the church at Corinth. Last week’s sermon ended on the note that Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were given to the church to build and strengthen it. They in no way desired to have followers of the Lord Jesus Christ divided over who they preferred as a preacher, counselor, or friend.
Paul is now going to present the argument that it is not up to the people in the church at Corinth to decide who of the three is most worthy to be followed. In fact, Paul is going to argue that these men are ultimately to be judged by God alone and not God’s people. (I told you I wouldn’t have picked this passage on my own).
***** 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
What I am about to say should not come as a surprise to anyone here this morning. I am not a perfect pastor. A perfect pastor has been described this way:
The perfect pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes.
He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone’s feelings.
He works from 8am until midnight and is also the church janitor.
The perfect pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car,
buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the church.
He is 29 years old and has 40 years experience.
Above all, he is handsome.
The perfect pastor has a burning desire to work with teenagers,
and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens.
He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor
that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
He makes 15 home visits a day
and is always in his office to be handy when needed.
The perfect pastor always has time for church council and all of its committees.
He never misses the meeting of any church organization
and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.
The perfect pastor is always in the church down the street!
Even if a church has what they consider a perfect pastor, it is not up to them to decide that. It is God who judges the work of a pastor. We like to do that as church attenders. We all have done it at one point or another. We set benchmarks to determine if a pastor is effective in the ministry at the church. We are, after all, paying his salary so he is accountable to us.
Yet our benchmarks are almost always based on the external: Is the church growing? Does he preach long enough? Does he preach too long? Are things changing too fast? Does he lead people to Christ? Is he funny? Is he serious? etc… However in 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 we find the true nature and marks of God’s ministers. This passage deals with both the congregation’s attitude toward the minister and what his own view of himself ought to be. And believe me, God does not use the same standard that we normally use. His is not based upon popularity, education, or numbers.
There are two main attributes, given to us by God in this passage, that determine if a man is a faithful minister of the gospel. Paul is referring to himself, Apollos, and Cephas when he uses the term “us” in verse one. These are men who have held the position of pastor or an elder in the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 4:1 – “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (powerpoint)
What we have here are the two qualifications that God has given to a minister of the gospel. Nothing more; nothing less. There are other things we can think of that may fall under these two qualifications, but these two are a necessity. First of all he is to be a servant of Christ and secondly, a steward of God’s mysteries.
1. Servants Of Christ
The first term, servant, has an interesting definition. We think of this person being one who is at the beck and call of another. This is true, but Paul had a deeper reason for using this term. The Greek word, huperetes (hoop-ay-ret'-ace) literally means “under rowers”. This is a designation for the lowest galley slaves. They were the ones who rowed on the lowest tier of a ship when it went out to sea. These were the most menial, unenvied, and despised of slaves. It eventually became a term used for any who were to be subordinate to another.
A pastor, or minister, is first and foremost a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. In everything they are to be subordinate and subject to Him. A pastor is called to serve men and women, but will not be able to efficiently and effectively accomplish this task if he is not subject ultimately to the Lord.
If I, as your pastor, seek to make your desires for me more important than God’s desires for me, then I will never be able to fulfill God’s call for me in the church. If I look to you first instead of the Lord I will fail both you and our Savior.
Paul considered himself a galley slave and wanted others to consider him and all God’s ministers in the same way and this is the reason why: There was no status when it came to being a galley slave. There was no distinction within that rank of servant. If Paul just wanted the readers to consider him a general servant he would have used the term he used in
1 Corinthians 3:5, “Diakonoi”, which is the term we commonly use as deacon. This we know also means servant, but in a general sense.
A minister of the gospel is only useful based upon the power given to him by his Master, Jesus Christ. Remember what we read in 3:5-7? (Read verses) Who, in Paul’s time, would put a galley slave upon a pedestal and follow him? Not us! That’s the point Paul is trying to make. Honor, respect, and follow a pastor as long as he follows Christ, but never put that individual before the Lord. He is, after all, only a galley slave.
Luke 1:1-2 – “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us” (powerpoint)
Here we also find the Greek term huperetes for minister. A pastor is also to be a galley slave to the Word of God. He is to be completely obedient to what the Bible says. Yet Paul says that even in this he cannot boast. He is only following his Master’s orders.
1 Corinthians 9:16 – “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (powerpoint)
We, in our country, have the ugly scar of slavery. We forced individuals, based solely upon their skin color, to be treated as animals. We acted superior when, in fact, our actions showed less civility and humanity than can be fathomed by a civilized culture.
Even in those days, if you were a slave, you would not pledge your allegiance to another slave. “Look at Pete, he’s the best cotton-picker. Let’s follow him.” “Look at Ed, nobody can pick tobacco like him. He’s our master now.” Such things would be complete and utter foolishness. Yet there are those who do those things today. They will follow a pastor even when he teaches things that are obviously contrary to the word of God.
The Bible says that each believer is to be a servant, or slave of God.
John 12:26 – “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (powerpoint)
What kind of slave follows another slave instead of his/her master? Especially a galley slave? A foolish slave does that.
2. Stewards of God’s Mysteries
In the original Greek the word for steward, oikonomos (oy-kon-om'-os), literally means “house manager”. This is the person who was placed in total control of what went on in a household. This person was in control of the house’s finances, fields, foods, and the other servants on behalf of his master. The Bible says that all Christians are stewards of God’s grace.
1 Peter 4:10- “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (powerpoint)
Yet an added stipulation is made for the one who calls himself pastor
Titus 1:7 – “For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God” (powerpoint)
This is critical because a pastor is the one entrusted with proclaiming the mysteries of God. When we say mysteries we are not referring to those things that God reveals only to a pastor. This will only lead to problems in a church and is unbiblical. A “mystery”, as defined elsewhere in scripture, is those things which are hidden by God and can only be known by divine revelation.
As a steward of God’s mysteries, a pastor is to take God’s revealed word and dispense it to God’s household. But it must be the entire word. Not just the easy things or the things that would profit him. A preacher of the gospel is called to declare all the word of God.
Paul stated in Acts 20:20-21 – “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (powerpoint)
And in Acts 20:27 – “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”
(powerpoint)
This is why it is critical that a pastor spends time studying the word of God. A minister of the gospel who does not study the word of God cannot properly teach the word of God, and thus, cannot fulfill God’s calling on his life to the extent that God desires.
Paul has described a pastor as servant and a steward. However, he has yet to say what is required of a man in this position. The requirement list is short and quite simple.
1 Corinthians 4:2 – “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
(powerpoint)
A pastor is to be faithful, or trustworthy. Isn’t it amazing that the most important quality a minister of the gospel can have is faithfulness? Then why is it so many churches prioritize other things? It seems as if degrees are a priority, or charm, or humor, brilliance, or popularity.
When a slaveholder placed a person in charge of their household the most important thing they looked for was trustworthiness. Notice the verse does not say it is “good” if a steward of the word of God is trustworthy. It does not say it is “best” if a steward is faithful. It says it is “required”.
This is because if the steward of a household is not trustworthy and faithful to his master, it causes great harm to the house and great shame to the Master. Servanthood and stewardship are inseparable from faithfulness.
After all, God supplies His Word, His Spirit, His gifts, and His power. All that the minister can supply is his faithfulness.
So how do we evaluate this individual that God has called? Easy question with tough answers.
1 Corinthians 4:3-4 – “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.” (powerpoint)
Please don’t misread this verse. Paul is not stating that the church’s opinion of his work means very little to him. What he is stating is that his main concern is what the Lord thinks of him, and that he has been the faithful steward that God has called him to be.
The word “judged” literally means, “to investigate, question, evaluate”. It does not mean “to determine guilt or innocence”. There is no human court that is qualified to examine the heart of a minister of the gospel. As a matter of fact, none of us can truly evaluate the heart of any individual. That is God’s job and one only He has the power to accomplish.
A minister’s reputation within his flock and community are important. He cannot be insensitive to the needs of those he is called to minister to. This man is not perfect. God is still doing a work in his life as well as yours.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (powerpoint)
Paul states in these verses that he does not even examine himself. What he means is that not only are others evaluation not of the utmost importance to him, even his own evaluation is not that important. Who among us is not bias when we evaluate ourselves. There is not anyone here who doesn’t see ourselves a little bit better than others do.
Paul makes an interesting statement here in 1 Corinthians 4:4. He states that there is no glaring sin in his life that he is aware of. Yet he also states that he is not acquitted by this. Just because he doesn’t see the sin doesn’t mean it’s not there. I have sat with numerous individuals who have stated that what they are doing is not sin. Even when showed it in scripture they still blatantly deny the word of God or attempt to justify their actions.
The only examination that ultimately matters for every one of us is God’s. This is the one that ought to make the most difference in our lives.
1 Corinthians 4:5 – “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.” (powerpoint)
God sees the real you and I. Others only see the outside: Those things we choose to show them. But God will “bring to light the things hidden” and “disclose the motives of men’s hearts” as this verse states.
It is then that God will give praise. Keep in mind the context is still related to works that we looked at the past two weeks. The motives for all we do for God will one day be revealed by Him alone. Whatever we do as pastors, Sunday School teachers, or any other person who claims Jesus as their Savior, the motives will be revealed one day when we stand in glory.
So what about you? Are you a servant of Christ? Do you consider your Master’s desires before you make decisions? What you say, what you do, what or whom you are involved with?
Would you consider yourself a faithful steward of the mysteries of God? Do you study His word? Do you share His love and the gospel with others?
Lastly, do you evaluate yourself on how God would examine you or on your own standards? These are important questions for each of us to consider. Please do so carefully.
Matthew 24:45-46 – “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” (powerpoint)
Spiritual Self Examination (South Asian connection, Christian organization)
(10 powerpoints)
1. Am I walking in habitual fellowship with God and enjoying His favor upon my life?
2. Can I see this in my life - “but God intended it for good” in the grand scheme of things?
3. Am I strong and courageous in the face of life challenges, opportunities and complexities?
4. Has God placed you in a position of servant leadership and influence in your family, work, church, community or country for such a time as this?
5. Do I need any more things in my life? Have I learned the secret of being content whatever the circumstance?
6. Have I robbed God in my tithes and offering?
7. Is this true of me - seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness?
8. Holiness –Do I honor God by keeping my body holy in actions and attitudes?
9. Spirit of excellence in words or deeds - am I a man pleaser or God pleaser?
10. Am I faithful in the little things that God has placed in my life?
PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!
