Introduction
(Have pictures of former pastors at front of church)
1. 1999 - the year of jubilee. This year we celebrate our jubilee anniversary as a church. And so the challenge I place before you this morning is to really make this a year of jubilee. In the Old Testament, every 50 years, all debts were to be cancelled and all land was returned to those who had held possession of the land but had lost it. This was a way of remembering that all the land really belonged to God.
2. We can make this the year of jubilee for FRC by forgiving others for all the past debts that we have incurred. By forgiving others for the sins they have committed against us. By confessing our own sins and asking forgiveness from those we have hurt. Then we will be freed from the sins of the past and free to thank God for the good things of the past. And free to remember that this is His church, not ours.
3. When we celebrate our anniversary we will have former pastor’s, these men, or representatives of their families, with us. In the history of our church, one of the most important relationships that we have is that between the spiritual leader, the pastor and the congregation. How was your relationship with these men whose pictures we see before us? Is their still unforgiveness, pain, or bitterness?
4. Today we look at the relationship the people of a church have with their spiritual leaders. And we know that these relationships have not always been good at FRC.
Teaching
1. Well, they also were not always very good at Corinth as well. In our passage, Paul addresses this problem of the relationship between him and the church, the causes of it, and how they are to deal with it. And as we listen to him, we each, need to ask ourselves, "Is Paul talking about me?"
2. Paul had ministered in Corinth at least eighteen months. He had started the church. During Paul's ministry in Ephesus a series of disturbing events took place relative to Corinth
a. A party spirit arose in Corinth - factions. Different groups in the church who followed different teachers or leader.
b. A series of reports came to Paul, some by those of Chloe. These reports included attacks upon Paul (1 Cor. 2:1-10).
3. To deal with the problems, Paul sent Timothy. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus, expecting them to receive the letter before the arrival of Timothy.
4. He wrote 1 Corinthians to give instruction and admonition that he hoped would lead to the solving of the many problems in the congregation. All of the problems in chapters 1-14 were grounded in egocentric or self-centered attitudes in contrast to self-denying, Christ-centered attitudes.
5. Let us look at our passage. Paul first talks to them about ministers or their spiritual leaders. As we said there were factions in the church. Some followed Paul, some Apollos, some Cephas or Peter. At the end of chapter 3 he says that these men belonged to them - all are yours, but together they all belong to Christ.
6. The people had judged Paul quite strongly. Just as we can do with ministers. They said that he did not speak with eloquence or show enough authority.
7. Have we judged any of these men in a similar manner?
8. Paul reminds them what the role of an apostle or minister is.
a. First, we are servants of God. We have been given the duties of administering the affairs of God in churches he has placed us in. This is a humble position.
b. But we are also entrusted with the secret things of God. The mystery of salvation. And we must be faithful to the gospel. The criteria for what is preached and how a minister carries out his task is to be based on faithfulness to the word of God .
9. It would be interesting if we listed all the criticisms of your pastors over the years. Would they be based on this criteria (that is how faithful they were to the truth of God’s word) or would it be based on how well they spoke or other less important things.
10. Paul tells us, and this is something I as a minister need to hear, that my main concern must not be how you judge me. Or how any man judges me. Sure, I can learn from suggestions and am accountable to the elders. I am not above you or above guidance. But my main concern is not man’s judgement or measurement of my ministry, but how God will judge me when I stand before Him.
11. Paul says that his conscience is clear. He believes he has carried out his work faithfully. But even that does not make him innocent. For our consciences are not perfect.
12. As a church we are not to sit in judgement on each other. The meaning of judging here is not just discerning but to actually reach a verdict on others. To condemn them. We do not know what was in the heart of those we judged, only God does. And at the end time, He will bring all these things to light.
13. Have you been the judge, jury and executioner of any of these men? Do you find it easy to be critical of them and do you share that criticism with others? Do you need to ask them or their families to forgive you for how you have judged them? eg. S.D.- family confesses and asks church and former pastors to forgive.
14. To understand what kind of judging we are talking about, Paul next talks about the cause of their judging. The cause was pride.
15. We often judge others because of pride. And pride means that we do not really did not understand God’s grace. They went beyond was written in God’s word. God’s word makes us humble and realize how great His grace is.
16. Vs. 7 tells us that they thought they were different from others. They were presumptious about themselves. They thought that they were better than others. It is normal, sinful human nature to think higher of ourselves and lower of others. Do you know what I mean?
17. That is why the sins of others seem so big and our own sins seem so insignificant. That is why we see the splinter in another’s eye and not the log in our own. That is why we judge others, including our ministers.
18. The people at Corinth, at least some of them, were gifted. Some could speak well, some were well off. But they thought that what they had obtained by their own efforts rather than as a gift from God.
1 Cor 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
19. They were ungrateful. If we look at most churches, it is often those people who are filled with their own self-importance who create a crisis over the most unimportant things, while those who live with a sense of gratitude for God’s grace in their lives, can deal peacefully with even the most divisive issues.
20. If you tend to be judgmental, I ask you, "Do you take pride in yourself and what you have achieved?" "Do you give thanks to God continuously because you realize that all you have is really a gift from Him?"
21. The problem is that we can believe we have arrived. Paul’s theology on attaining spiritual maturity and glory is based on "already and not yet." We are in process. We are already becoming more holy but we have not yet arrived - there is much growth to occur.
22. The Corinthians thought they had arrived. Paul makes a number of short, rhetorical statements
1 Cor 4:8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings--and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!
1 Cor 4:10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!
23. "You act as if you have it all together. That you already fully rule with Christ. That you have it all figured out - that you are so wise. That you should be honoured and held in high esteeem by others."
24. In contrast, Paul describes himself and other apostles. We receive no honour. We do not reign fully yet. We are weak, not strong. We are made a spectacle before the world.
25.1 Cor 4:9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.
This is a picture of a victory parade after a Roman conquest. The Corinthians would ride with the victors. But Paul says he would be at the end of the parade, as captives who will soon meet their death in the arena.
26. 1 Cor 4:12-13 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
Paul knows that to follow Christ is not to exalt ourselves or seek praise. But he is willing to suffer for Christ. Willing to endure shame. To be looked down upon.
27. I have to admit, that for me and most of us that is hard to do. We are quick to defend ourselves when attacked and quick to put others down. W- we seek comfort rather than to give our lives completely in service to Christ. We want people to think that we are wise rather than to be fools for Christ. How often do we not use human wisdom in our churches?
28. The point, though, is that we need to seen how weak and sinful we really are. And how this humbles us and makes us willing to receive ridicule for Christ. Then and only then will we stop judging our pastors and those around us. We will be grateful for God’s grace which he so freely has bestowed upon us.
29. Paul says that he is writing not to shame then but to warn them. They have ten thousand guardians in Christ. A guardian was a trusted slave a father would turn his children over to so he could oversee then, take them to school and things like that. But Paul reminded them that he alone was their earthly spiritual father. And so he tells them to follow his example.
30. As a pastor this reminds me of how important my example is to you and your children.
31. Paul then says they need to do more than talk. They need to show power, the power of Christ in them. Power to live as God calls us to. Power that enables us to be humble.
32. Paul hopes he can deal with them gently, but he will take stronger steps, with a whip, if he must.
33. Friends, the people had judged Paul and he was strongly affect by their judgement of him. He let them know they had no reason to boast but they were to humbly submit themselves to his authority. To rid themselves of arrogance and pride.
34. If any of these men were to write you a letter, would they have reason to write a similar message. May we be humbled to realize we are in no position to judge and indict those who are over us. If we have, may we repent and may we seek forgiveness from those whom we have judged and from God Himself.
