THIS IS NOT DIFFERENT;
THIS IS THE SAME!
I Corinthians 1:10-17
S: Unity
Th: Live the Difference
Pr: WE ARE TO BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF OUR ONENESS.
?: What? What causes us to lose our oneness?
KW: Failures
TS: We will find in our study of I Corinthians 1:10-17 three areas of failure that cause us to lose our oneness.
The _____ failure is that we lose our…
I. COMPOSURE
II. COMPREHENSION
III. COMMISSION
Version: ESV
RMBC 11 January 04 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Do you know how to end an argument?
ILL Notebook: Argument (Dumas missed)
The French novelist and playwright, Alexander Dumas, once had a heated quarrel with a rising young politician. The argument became so intense that a duel was inevitable. Since both men were very fast and superb shots they decided to draw lots, the loser agreeing to shoot himself. Dumas lost. Pistol in hand, he withdrew in silent dignity to another room, closing the door behind him. The rest of the company waited in gloomy suspense for the shot that would end his career. It rang out at last. His friends ran to the door, opened it, and found Dumas, with the smoking pistol in hand. “Gentlemen, a most regrettable thing has happened,” he announced, “I missed.”
Today in the Word, MBI, Jan. 92, p.33
Well, that was a creative way to end that argument.
It seems, though, that most arguments don’t end happily.
Instead, regret, bitterness and unfinished business seem to be the heartbreaking results.
To avoid these same kinds of result was the challenge that was before the church in Corinth.
The church needed a way to end the argument.
And it was so important to do so.
TRANSITION:
For…
1. As believers of the Lord Jesus, we are to “live the difference” He makes in our lives.
You may remember in our study last week, we noted that Paul referred to the church in Corinth as saints.
This means that the very nature of the church, whether the church is located in Corinth or Williamsville, is to be holy.
The church is to live distinctly different than the rest of the world.
The way one lives now is to be noticeably different than the way one lived before they became a Christian.
And here is the problem that Paul brings up…
2. The church in Corinth looked rather the same as its worldly counterparts (10).
Again, as we noted last week, we are to be different.
But this was not different.
This was the same.
This was not a united church, but rather a church that was full of individuals that competed against one another.
So many were trying to “one up” other members of the church.
And here is how Paul begins the challenge to them…
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
There was a lot of arguing and fussing going on.
They were a church divided.
The word that is used to describe the word “division” is “schismata,” from which we derive the word “schism.”
It literally means “to tear or rip.”
The idea here is that the church’s unity was being torn and ripped to shreds.
And this was unnatural.
For the church’s natural status is oneness.
The Lord Jesus has designed the church to be a functional unity that works together.
You see, we are united together by what Christ has done for us on the cross.
Therefore, Paul appeals to the church.
He encourages them, persuasively, that something must be done about these divisions.
For Paul is already recognizing that these disagreements were not over faith and doctrine.
They were about conflicting desires.
For most disputes are about personalities that are in conflict.
So Paul’s encouragement is that they all would agree.
Literally, he wants them “to all speak the same thing.”
For when they would all speak the same thing, it would be then that they would be perfectly united and made complete.
They would be restored to the unity that they were designed for.
So Paul is already teaching us that…
3. WE ARE TO BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF OUR ONENESS.
We are to be one when it comes to doctrine.
We are to be one when it comes to our concern and care for one another.
We are to be one when it comes to our attitudes.
Now to be fair here, I don’t think that oneness is necessarily about ideas.
We are allowed and encouraged to think.
You see, there are areas that there is no room for compromise.
And then there are other areas that the revelation is not as complete and there is room for discussion.
I also think that oneness is not about everyone doing the same thing.
Paul will later argue in this letter about how we are all designed differently and have different strengths.
So oneness is not uniformity.
For when we have uniformity, it comes either hypocritically or grudgingly.
Then we have anything but genuine oneness.
Now personally, I think it would be great if you all thought like me.
But frankly, some of you are stubborn, so I try to be understanding!
Okay, let’s be serious now, for I was being facetious…really!
The question we must ask today is…
What causes us to lose our oneness?
I think that we must recognize that as believers we still carry around the old nature.
We still have the ability to do what is wrong.
We still sin (we dislike that word, don’t we?).
And the Corinthians, these saints that are called to be holy, prove that to us.
So…
4. We will find in our study of I Corinthians 1:11-17 three areas of failure that cause us to lose our oneness.
Let’s listen now to the rest of this text…
(11) For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. (12) What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” (13) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (14) I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, (15) so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (16) [I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.] (17) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first failure is that we lose our COMPOSURE (11-12)
You know…
1. Too easily, we are ready for a good fight.
Unfortunately, quarrels are a part of life.
We have all experienced them in our family.
Perhaps, we have had friends or coworkers we have also argued with.
But what is so important is how we handle the disagreement and what we do to solve it.
Paul received the information about the church by a woman named Chloe.
We do not know if she was a member of the church, or whether she was a businesswoman that traveled between Corinth and Ephesus.
Either way, she was known to the church, and was apparently respected.
She was also believed by Paul as she probably gave him an earful about what was going on.
Her description was of a church that was spiraling out of control because of the factionalism that was so active.
ILL Notebook: Conflict (Detroit church)
There is a story of a church in Detroit, where two pastors believed that they were the rightful pastor of the church. The competition and agitation between the two came to a head one particular Sunday morning. When it came to the time for the message, both pastors got up to speak, and they delivered their sermons simultaneously. The factionalism was so bad in the church, that each had very dedicated followers in the church that cheered each one on as the message was given.
Well, as we can see…
2. We can agitate ourselves into factions without much difficulty.
Folks, never think that this is beyond us.
Never forget that this is not beyond us.
The factionalism that is described centers around four characters…Paul, Apollos, Peter and Christ.
Some had an affection for Paul.
After all, he started the church three years earlier.
He lived with these people for 18 months, longer than any other church he started.
He was truly there spiritual father.
So for these “loyalists,” he would always be the leader.
Others had an affection for Apollos.
He had followed Paul at Corinth with his blessing.
He was known as an eloquent speaker and a wonderful teacher.
So for the “stylists” in the church, his oratorical skills earned him the right to be exclusively followed.
There were some that had an affection for Peter.
After all, when it came down to it, he was the primary spokesman of the early church.
He was the first of the apostles.
For these “traditionalists,” he was the one that must be listened to and followed.
The last group sounds like it might be the one that had it together.
They followed Christ.
But thought they had the right name, it is apparent (since Paul mentions them here) they have the wrong spirit.
The “religionists,” filled with a self-righteous smugness, were not going to listen to any of these other leaders.
Each one of these groups lived an exclusiveness that promoted themselves over the others.
ILL Notebook: Conflict (Whitfield and Wesley)
George Whitfield was a great open-air evangelist in England and the American colonies in the 1700s. He remained a member of the Church of England throughout his life, yet he counted many Presbyterians, Congregationalists and, yes, even Baptists, as his close friends. He was also a strong Calvinist, and one day someone asked, “Mr. Whitefield, do you think we will see John Wesley in heaven?” Wesley, of course, was the founder of the Methodist church, and an Arminian that was a vocal opponent to the theology of Whitefield. He responded, “No, I doubt that we will see Mr. Wesley in heaven. He will be so close to the throne of God that we will be fortunate to even catch a glimpse of his back.”
Whitefield understood that the differences that divide Christians down here on earth will not divide us in heaven.
John Wesley understood that too. Someone asked him, “Rev. Wesley, will there be any Presbyterians in heaven?” Wesley replied, “No, there won’t be. There won’t be any Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, or Episcopalians in heaven either. In fact, there won’t be any Methodists. There will only be Christians in heaven.”
From a message by Dan Erickson on same passage
Here is what we must recognize…
3. When we get angry, it is because we are not getting our way.
Pride and selfishness never brings people together.
It only drives them apart.
Self-will, self-interest, and self-centeredness always get in the way of the Lord’s priority for the church, which is unity.
I don’t know if you ever experienced this, but I have noticed that when a church fight occurs, it is amazing how spiritual everyone becomes.
Everyone is now speaking for the Lord.
And if the person is not on the same side as you, they are either spiritually or doctrinally deficient.
So often, what really needs to happen is that everyone needs to repent and be reconciled.
Factionalism does not have a place in the church.
Christ did not design His body to work in a divided manner.
This bring us now to the second failure…
II. The second failure is that we lose our COMPREHENSION (13-16).
When we lose our unity, it is so often because we have lost sight of the big picture.
And if there is a doctrinal failures, it is usually our own.
So let us remember this…
1. Being the body of Christ, it is essential that we be one.
Paul asks the question, “Is Christ divided?”
Again, a moment ago, I said that Christ did not design His body to work in a divided manner.
Since we are all the body of Christ, it is our responsibility to act out this essential oneness.
We are to be characterized by unity.
Why?
Because…
2. We are never to forget the sacrifice of Jesus.
Again, Paul asks the question, “Was Paul crucified for you?”
In so stating, Paul states that this loyalty to him as their spiritual father totally misses the point.
Their allegiance belongs to only One – the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the One that has made the true sacrifice on their behalf.
Paul is such a great example to us here, for…
3. We are to desperately avoid making a name for ourselves.
Paul asks another question, “Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Now baptism is very important.
As the initiatory rite into the Christian community, it signifies the repentance from sin.
Paul recognizes that the authority had been delegated to him.
So it is his responsibility that a cult of belief that centers on himself is not encouraged.
When we lose our focus on the big picture, we forget that the church is not about us.
When we comprehend the big picture, we remember that it is about Jesus.
Now we come to the third failure…
III. The third failure is that we lose our COMMISSION (17).
1. We need to know our mission.
I like how this verse (17) is translated in “The Message”:
God didn’t send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn’t send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center — Christ on the Cross — be trivialized into mere words.
Paul lets us know that as important as baptism is, it takes a back seat to the proclamation of the gospel.
What must stay central for him was the message.
It was not about flowery oratory.
It was not about the cleverness of words.
It was not about human persuasiveness.
All this was just noise.
Christ is the message!
What I find amazing about this priority of Paul’s is that this was a man of great intellect.
This was a man of great learning.
He knew all the big words.
But he clearly doesn’t want to get in the way.
It is the truth about Jesus that counts.
This was his mission.
ILL Notebook: Purpose (camel)
A mother and baby camel are talking one day when the baby camel asks, "Mom why have I got these huge three toed feet?"
The mother replies, “Well son, when we trek across the desert your toes will help you to stay on top of the soft sand".
"OK," said the son. A few minutes later the son asks, "Mom, why have I got these great long eyelashes?"
"They are there to keep the sand out of your eyes on the trips through the desert"
"Thanks Mom" replies the son. After a short while, the son returns and asks, "Mom, why have I got these great big humps on my back??"
The mother, now a little impatient with the boy replies, "They are there to help us store water for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without drinking for long periods."
"That’s great mom, so we have huge feet to stop us sinking, and long eyelashes to keep the sand from our eyes and these humps to store water, but... Mom?"
“Yes son?"
“Why the are we in the San Diego zoo?"
Well, we not only need to know our purpose and mission, we need to be in a position to do it.
So…
2. We need to recognize the distractions that keep us from fulfilling God’s calling on our lives.
For the camels, living in the zoo kept them from fulfilling their design.
For Paul, he recognized that baptism was good, and necessary for the Christian, but being a baptizer was not his primary responsibility.
It was a distraction to him.
And he reminds the Corinthian church what he has been all about.
He has been about the cross of Christ.
You know, we must remember this too in the church.
Our mission is not to make ourselves comfortable.
We are not to meet every little need that we think we have.
We are not here to massage the saints.
We are not here to make you feel better (no offense intended).
We are here because God has given us a mission.
It is the high calling of proclaiming Christ.
We must never forget this.
APPLICATION:
We’re different.
Christians are different.
And do you know how we are different?
It is our unity, our oneness.
So when we fail in our unity, we are no different than the world.
Just look at the world.
It is full of division – nationalism, racism, sexism, classism…
But it is the cross that takes us across all these barriers.
It makes us one.
So here is what we must remember and practice…
Unity is a decision of the will.
Determined acts of cooperation…
A demonstration of mutual concern…
A resolve for peaceful coexistence…
Consistent acts of love…
These are all positive antidotes to divisiveness.
And these are all matters that reflect the pursuit and practice of holiness.
1. Unity is important because it brings God glory.
When we work toward unity, we demonstrate that the interests of the Lord rise above all other interests, including our own.
For this we can be sure of, when we do not have unity, when we are at odds with each other, it grieves the Lord, and we fail to bring him glory.
Achieving harmony in the church, though, is no small accomplishment.
And there are some things that I want to remind us about, because it is hard, but honorable work to keep peace in the church.
If you truly want to stay the same as a church, do not let anyone new come into the church.
For every time someone new comes into the church, they bring change.
Thankfully, God continues to bless Randall with new people, with both new Christians and with those that are seasoned.
Please hear me clearly on this next point…
We should never be caught saying, “This is not Randall” or “We don’t do that here.”
Whether we realize it or not, such statements communicate and reflect stagnation.
They convey an unwillingness to change.
But this is not to say that we should avail ourselves to every change that comes our way.
Sometimes the answer has to be “no” or “not now.”
Changes, though, should never be out rightly dismissed.
Instead, potential changes should always be prayerfully considered.
For our priority should always be to be what God wants us to be now.
And alongside of that, our priority should be to become what God wants us to become.
Tomorrow, we should not be the same church we are today.
By the way, this is not to say that we have handled change badly.
Rather the reverse is true.
Already during my tenure here, changes in worship, music and ministry have all taken place.
Many of you have graciously handled and embraced the changes.
And whether you realize it or not, it speaks of unity.
And this brings glory to God!
So let us remember that…
2. Unity is important because we represent God to the world.
We are being watched.
When we become angry and divisive, we are not only robbed of our joy, we are robbed of our effectiveness.
When we lack unity, our credibility is shot.
And this becomes a barrier between unbelievers and the gospel.
You see, when we fight, it hardly seems like good news.
Again, this is why we must talk about oneness.
This is why we must be determined to achieve it.
For this is the way of the cross.
This is what Jesus died for.
3. Unity is important because it is testimony of the power of the cross.
It is the difference!
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Don’t lose your composure…don’t let pride stand in your way; don’t let your own self-importance get in the way of the Lord’s priority for the church – oneness.
Don’t lose your comprehension…keep the big picture…we are about Jesus, for our essence is Jesus, not Randall; our essential task is to bring God’s glory, and not to make a name for ourselves.
Don’t lose your commission…we each have a tremendous and glorious task…to proclaim Christ…to live Christ…to be the new creatures He has created us to be and to be one for His glory.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Amen.
