As I mentioned, just a moment ago, the Apostle Paul had the
need to address, various topics, and various things that they
needed to correct things that come to mind deal with a one
that was guilty of incest in the fifth chapter, we talked about
the communion and the 11th chapter, and how they were
making a very mockery out of the Lord's supper and turning it
into a common meal, and he had to address things like that as
well. Well, but something else that
they had to change and something else that was of great
importance was the fact that they were acting in a carnal
way. You know, we can look at chapter
3 beginning in verse 1 before we do that though.
Go back to chapter one of First Corinthians and beginning there
in verse 10. This was the contention and this
was the problem that was going on.
Among them beginning in verse 10, Paul says, now I beseech you
Brethren by the name of our Jesus Christ that you all speak
the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that
ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment for it. Hath been declared unto me of
you my brethren by them, which are of the House of Chloe that.
There are contentions among you notice what the contention was?
Now this, I say that every one of you saith, I am of Paul.
And I have a policy, and I of cephas.
And I of Christ is Christ. Divided was Paul crucified for
you or were you baptized in the name of Paul there was factions
among them that were saying, we'll wait a minute instead of
looking to the Lord as the great one instead of looking to the
Lord as one to follow. They were having factions in the
Lord's Church saying. I am of Paul and another would
say and I am of Apollo's, you know, when the Apostle Paul
addressed that very thing he says, I'm so thankful that I
didn't baptize Is any of you because that you could be taken,
as you were of me or you were from me, factions in the body of
Christ are sinful and he pointed those things out.
Then in chapter 3 beginning in verse 1, he says, and I Brethren
could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal,
even as unto babes in Christ, I want to make this point though,
that this is Is used in a modified sense because we
understand that we are babes in Christ when we obey the gospel.
In fact, the very minute that we come from the Waters of baptism
We rise to walk in newness of life.
And when we do, we have become a babe in Christ.
Everyone that has ever obeyed. The gospel has a point in time
in their spiritual life. When they are considered as
babes, just like children, children are born into the
world. They're Adults, they can't
handle strong meat. They can't handle things that we
can handle as an adult. And neither can somebody
spiritually that come from the Waters of baptism and becomes a
babe in Christ. So that's a good thing.
It's a good thing in one sense. And Paul is you to using this
phrase, or this term in, a modified sense in a way.
That is not so good. Here's the good way First, Peter
chapter 2 and verse 2. What did what did Peter Or say
there he says as newborn babes desire, the sincere milk of the
word that ye may grow thereby. But you know, there comes a time
when we need to be past the milk.
There comes a time when our infancy needs to be over.
There comes a time when we need to start taking in spiritual
food of Greater substance. There comes a time when we need
to not be needing others but needing but put in a position
where we are helping others you know, little babies when they're
little. We carry them around, we pick
them up. There are babies in this
audience right now. They are carried around.
That is a wonderful thing. Let me just ask you this what
happens when they get to be about 16?
How would it look if you start packing them around and you're
carrying them around like they're an infant, you know
really, that sounds kind of funny but if you think about it
that's exactly what happens to Somebody That is supposed to be
passed. That Lea speaking, they have
grown past that. So they need to start behaving
and acting like that. What did Paul say regarding
these Brethren? Why were their factions among
them? Why were they not growing
spiritually? Why was Jesus Christ?
Not first in their life, why were they looking to the wisdom
of man and not the wisdom of the scriptures?
Why were they rejecting? What Paul, the Apostle had
taught them all the way back from the very beginning when he
planted the seed of the Gospel right there in Corinth, what
were they doing wrong? Well, Paul says back when, when
I planted the seed of the Gospel, I had to speak to you
concerning the milk of the word, the first principles, the basic
things, and not the strong meat. And why does he say that?
He says, because if I would have given you the strong meat of the
word back, then you were not able to Bear it.
You would have choked to death. And here's the whole Clincher,
neither yet now are ye able You still can't handle the meat.
You still have not grown they look to men and not to Christ
and because of that there was envying and strife and divisions
he says, are you not carnal and walk as men?
And then he says for won't for one saith, I am of Paul and
other of a Polish and are you not carnal who then is Paul, and
who is Apollo's, but notice what they are, who are we What
distinction should we have? Who is Paul, who is Apollo's,
but we are ministers by whom he believed even as the lord gave
to every man. I have planted Apollo's watered
but God gave the increase. You know, verse 7 of chapter 3
is a verse that I think every preacher Ought to wake up in the
morning and read. I really do.
There'd be no. Arrogant people in the world.
There'd be no. Arrogant preachers in the world.
If they would pick up this, but this book and read verse 7.
Because this tells the tale, this tells exactly what we are.
Verse 7. Paul says this.
So then neither, is he that planteth?
Anything? Neither he that watereth, but
God giveth the increase, you know what he's saying, don't
have factions in the body of Christ and don't follow me and
don't follow Paula's. Now, listen, Paul was an
apostle. Paul was above you and I there
are no modern day apostles. This was a man that was a chosen
vessel of the Lord and he says and your you have a group that's
following saying there after Paul another one after a policy
and so on and so forth, who are we?
I'll tell you what. We are, we're ministers and
that's it. And he says don't Elevate the
man, because who are we? He says what I do is nothing
makes me nothing. What a Polish does makes him
nothing, but God gives the increase.
If this doesn't tell us that preachers in the eyes in that
way, in that respect our nothing.
I don't know what it is, but let me just say this though, I'm not
saying that we don't have an important role in taking the
gospel, to the Lost, not saying that at all, in fact, it is
imperative that we do that. We have a responsibility of
taking the gospel to the Lost, we do that.
That is our job. That is our responsibility, not
only preachers, but every member of the body of Christ, every
child of God, has a responsibility to do what they
can within the parameters of their talents and abilities and
roles that God has given them in the Lord's church.
So, we have a responsibility but one is not greater than the
other. In fact, Paul goes on In the
very next verse and says, just that he says one is not greater
than the other. He says this the one that plants
and the one that Waters R1 R1 You know, what's wonderful to me
is the fact that we can go to places like the Philippines and
preach the gospel and preach the same gospel that the Filipino
preachers have been preaching all along.
And sometimes when they hear it from an American, all the way
across the other side of the world, sometimes it it lends, a
little greater weight to them. Sometimes when they are around,
these Filipino Brethren all the time, maybe that maybe they
don't listen to them as much as they ought to.
I don't know. I do know of specific cases
where we ended up baptizing with the last couple years.
Somebody that had heard the same gospel story and then found out
later they obeyed the gospel because what we said was
consistent with the word of God consistent with what they had
heard all along. But, you know, the greatest
thing is, it doesn't matter, who does the final converting
because they're converted by the word of God and God gets the
increase. God gets the glory, you know
what? We are were equal, neither one
that plaintiff is not greater than the other.
He, that watereth is not greater than the one that plants God
gives the increase. He gets the glory, he gets the
praise. If we would look to pass.
Passages like verse 7, and we would see that and apply that in
our life, it would change. Every arrogant heart in the
entire world, I believe realizing what our
responsibilities are and how great God is and not ourselves.
I will like to say this though, that of all the baptisms that we
had, while we were gone, there's nothing that warmed our hearts,
any greater than when Christina obey the gospel here at home.
There's nothing greater than that.
It doesn't matter where the souls are save anywhere in the
world. We Rejoice together and there
was brethren in the Philippines that didn't know her that were
rejoicing and rejoicing with the people of God right here at
plans road because somebody was saved, I know for a fact that
you don't care where they're saved in supporting me as a
gospel preacher. I know that I know that you are
just as elated to have somebody obey the gospel boss gospel
8,000 miles away. As if it was right here, the
bottom line is we are in the business of saving Souls.
Souls wherever they are and we all Rejoice together.
Did you know I love that passage.
You've heard me quote from it, but when Paul was writing the
Philippian letter in Philippians chapter 4, And he praised them
for their financial support, he praised them for that.
You know, there were times when Paul was not chargeable to a
congregation here, he Praises them in the book of Philippians
chapter 4, he Praises them for helping him monetarily for the
work. And you know what he says, he
Praises them for it, and then he says not that.
I desire a gift but that I desire fruit, that is credited
to your account. I'm going to tell you something,
every one of those Souls that just obeyed, the gospel across
the other side of the world are credited to your account.
There's going to be people in heaven because you backed a
preacher and sent a preacher to preach the word of God and I am
not greater than you at all. We're together we are equal.
We equally had a part in that if you talk to somebody about the
gospel for the very first time and they don't obey it.
But there was a seed there, there was a seed that was
planted. It didn't produce fruit yet and
five years down the road, Buddy else, preaches a sermon and it
Pricks their heart. You had something to do with
that. And you know what the greatest
thing is? We all Rejoice together.
We all rejoice. Together.
We need to realize we are all equal and whatever power
produced the fruit it was not of man, it was of God.
And then in chapter 4, Paul says, let a man so account of us
as of Ministers of Christ Paul here, returns to the question
and what a steam, The Inspired teachers of the Gospel should be
held or should have this word. He says we are ministers.
You know, that's a very interesting.
Sting word ministers. It's also the comes from the
same root word that we get the word Deacon.
But what was Paul referring to? There's also a form of this word
that is translated under workers or under rowers.
Interesting, isn't it? Does that sound like a boss?
Does that sound like a preacher? Being a boss?
Know an under rower. We are ministers today.
We're not Apostles but if Paul can be an under rower and not a
boss, that sure should shed a lot of light to you.
And I and our attitude about ourself to he says we are under
rowers interesting term. You know what under roller was
an under roller were those that were on the ship that were
lower, they were down lower in the ship and they were the ones
that actually rode the ship. They were the ones that kept it
moving but they were not the captain and they didn't dictate
where the ship was going. Going to go, they didn't come up
with the policy. They didn't come up with the
maps. They didn't come up with a plan.
All they did was they kept, they under Road and they kept the
ship moving in the direction that the ship's Captain had said
they were going. That's what a minister is.
A minister is an under over keeping the as one preacher
said, one time keeping the ship of Zion.
Moving through the waters toward Heaven.
God is the boss. Not man.
Jesus Christ is the king not man.
We are. But under workers or under
rowers. You know.
He also says that we are stewards or he was stewards of
the mysteries of God, the word Steward comes from a word which
we get the term superintendent or Foreman.
Let me put it to you this way. If a man and that's really his
point, they were, they were judging whether Paul was
faithful that Paul was really credible.
And so what he's saying is this, when he says we are stewards,
he's saying we are Superintendents, or we are
foreman. If you owned a company and you
hired a man, don't you think you'd have a man that was
faithful and honest and just and a good Steward.
You know, Jesus dealt with a man that was an evil Steward.
He was a wicked man. He was not good with what his
boss or his master had entrusted him with as we find in the Book
of Luke and The Gospel. According to Luke, we've studied
that here at this place. So being stewards are being
superintendents. Now, what do we know about a
foreman or a superintendent? These are things that we know
number one, they don't own the company.
Number two, they are not the boss.
Number three, they do not determine the policy.
And number four, they're hired to make sure that the company
follows the boss That's what an apostle was.
Not the boss. Under rowers, and good stewards.
You know, it's true that we are stewards of all manner of
things. There has been things that are
ours because we've been entrusted with it, that we have
to do something good with it. There's a lot of that, a lot of
those things in our life. Our kids are tremendous example
in that way. They are, we are in, they are
entrusted to us how we going to rear them and raise them.
What about our money? What about the things that we
have? We have a responsibility of
being a good Steward. What about the Lord's money?
The Lord's. Money is to be given to the Lord
on the first day of the week. And then we must be good.
Stewards of the monetary get gain that the Lord gets.
It is all the Lord's we are stewards in almost every walk of
our life. We've been entrusted with many
things. And Paul is basically saying as
I paraphrase, the boss is not going to have a man that's not
faithful. Well, let me just give it to you
like this. When you talk about the gospel
and you talk about the word of God being entrusted to us as
being a good Steward. That tells me and Paul says I
have preached It All, We Have to preach every bit of this word in
order to be a good Steward of it.
It, regardless of the opposition that comes our way.
You remember, when Paul was writing to that young evangelist
Timothy, when Paul would say these words, he says the things
that I have entrusted to you, the things that I have spoken to
you, the things that I have taught, you commit, thou to
Faithful Men that they may be able to teach others also a
steward. Must be faithful.
We must be faithful man. But interesting, I got to
talking to somebody about leaders the other day.
You know, the world needs leaders.
Don't we need leaders? Our country looks to somebody
that stands up. It's going to lead us in the
proper way. Companies need good leadership
and a lot of times companies fail because they didn't have
proper leadership. Same within the body of Christ,
but somebody said one time and I'm going to share this with
you, I'm going to use this. He said leaders are not chosen.
They emerge that's powerful to me.
Because isn't it true that when you're younger you want people
to follow you you want people to listen to your voice.
There comes a time when being a child, no longer is acceptable
and you want people to look at you in a different way.
You want people to follow you in a different way now.
So you're looking at me to come on now follow me, I'm a leader.
It's kind of like this. You can take a rookie
quarterback and you can put him in the Huddle.
And the coach can tell that team.
This is the leader follow him, but they're not going to follow
him until he demonstrates the leadership qualities that he can
lead the team leaders emerge, and sometimes in the midst of
Crisis, a leader will emerge. And sometimes it's a person that
you least expect isn't that true?
Sometimes it's the quiet fell over him.
Corner that never says a word and then a crisis, comes up and
what happens? A leader emerges.
And you know why people follow them, they follow them because
their life is consistent with their leadership and that's what
we have to do. Our life has to be consistent
with the things that we say, the things that we say, we practice
and all the things that we do in First Peter chapter 4 and verse
10. Beginning there in verse 10,
notice the attitude also about God getting the credit and the
glory as we are ministers and as we are stewards, beginning there
in verse 10 it says that every man hath received the gift even
so Minister the same one to another as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God. If any man speak let him speak
as the Oracles of God. If any man Minister let him do
it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things.
Things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praised
and Dominion forever and ever again, God gets the praise and
God gets the glory even an elder.
Paul said that a bishop must be blameless as God's Steward.
We must be blameless in all that we do.
Why would Paul bring these things up, though?
Well, as I mentioned before some doubted, Paul, but God is not
going. Choose a steward that was
unfaithful in any way. God is going to choose somebody,
that is faithful and then Paul says that there's going to come
a time first he says being judged of you Brethren is a very
small thing to me now. Why is that That's not an
attitude of arrogance. He's trying to establish in
their minds who the judge is going to be.
And he says, being judged of you is a very small thing to me.
It is insignificant. Why he says, first of all, I
know that I'm following the book, I know that I'm following
that which is right. I know that I know that I'm
going along with that and then he says, but God is going to be
the ultimate judge. God is going to reveal the
hidden things and darkness, the hidden things in the heart in
his due time. He ever considered the hidden
things. Sometimes we think we get away
with things, but we don't. Because one day, the hidden
things, the things that are in darkness now will be revealed
one day. Sometimes we think that we can
go outside the building, go outside the assembly and live
our life in a certain way, and nobody's going to know.
The hidden things. Remember that sermon on the Good
Samaritan that I preached from time to time I preached at once
here but I used the idea that those people that were on that
Rogue on that 15-mile Rocky Road or however long it was.
In that, there was two people, a priest in a levite that probably
would not have behaved. Like, they behaved had, they
been back in Jerusalem, but all, but because they were out in the
middle of nowhere. They thought maybe nobody could
see them. So they disregarded this poor
soul that was laying over there and left for dead.
Here's the point that I like to use, what we really are is
better determined and defined in the way that we behave in.
Places where we are not known. The way we dress when we're away
from the body of Christ is what we are.
The way we talk. In the things that we say,
that's really what we are. These are the things that we
consider to be the hidden things, the things in secret,
the things in darkness, these things are going to be revealed
one day, and what we are is better determined not about how
we behave at the assembly or around Christians.
But how we behave in the workplace?
How we behave at school? Cool.
How we behave in the world. Now, that is what we really are
and leaders come from those that live Christian lives, consistent
with the word of God, and they emerge, and they rise up and
people follow them because they respect them.
I think that's a powerful thing. I think it's something to work
for. In our life.
Paul says, I'm not the standard but then Paul says this he says,
in examining one of the reasons why he felt some confidence, not
arrogance, but confidence, he felt some confidence because he
and examining his life. Couldn't think of one thing that
he was doing, that was not correct.
Now, that didn't mean, he was perfect in any way, shape, or
form. For only one was perfect.
And that's Jesus, but he was saying this, in fact, Studying
on Wednesday night, the Epistles of John, we talked about that.
What do we do? If we examine our heart and we
look to the word of God and we test our self against the word
of God. When we do that, then we can
know if we're saved or not, we can know and have the Assurance
of whether we are living as we should You know what Paul says
though? God is the ultimate judge to
this point to. I don't know of anything in my
life. That is not right?
But just because I'm not aware of it doesn't, excuse me if I'm
wrong and God if he found something and he may just
because I think I'm okay. And it God find something later
on. I'm going to be condemned and he
I'm going to be judged for that whether I know it now or whether
I don't know what now. Because God is the standard and
not Paul. Verse 7 for who make it be to
differ one from the other. And what hast thou?
That thou didst not receive. Now if thou dis receive it.
Why Dost thou Glory as if thou hats not received it.
There's a really not really sure whether Paul is speaking
specifically here to spiritual gifts or if he's speaking about
other gifts or talents or abilities or whatever it is,
really the application is still the same.
What were they doing? They were glorying in
themselves. They were glorying in the flesh.
They were elevating man, higher than man ought to be.
And he says everything. You receive everything.
You have, you got it from somebody else and if that's the
case why are you glorying like you're some great one because
the reason that you are, what you are even even because you're
saved is because of somebody else.
And why is it that you glory? When somebody else had something
to do with that. But finally, In verse 8.
He says, now you are full. Now you are rich, you have
reigned as kings without us and I would to God that you did
rain. That we also might reign with
you instead of being persecuted. I added that last part instead
of being persecuted. There's sarcasm noun in the tone
of Paul. And he was saying I would that
you did do all that because if you did do all that, you'd be
with us and I would that you would do all that.
So we wouldn't be persecuted but you're not with us.
You're not among us. And then he says this for I
think that God has set forth us Apostles, last as it were
appointed to death for. We are made a spectacle unto the
world and to angels and to men look at this word here,
spectacle You know what a spectacle is?
It's a climax. He says you because of your
worldly wisdom, because you're still carnal, you've elevated
Man, Too High. You've put yourself in, asserted
yourself, even above the apostles themself.
But I'm here to tell you. He says, I know that we the
apostles are set in last. In fact, we are a spectacle.
We are the climax. Historically, speaking in
ancient times, they were great big, a theaters and sometimes
these a theaters would hold 20 to 25 thousand people.
What they would do is that men would come together and they
would start the day off early, and as the day would start off,
they begin with athletic games games of skill games of speed
and so on. In the middle of this great
Amphitheatre that housed all these people, there would be a
field for battle and it would begin early that day.
I don't know what time, just early enough in the day to get
all the things in that they had to get in.
So here comes all the athletic games, here they go and it's
kind of Of wedding, the appetites of those that are in
attendance. But pretty soon they become
bored with that. They wanted to see some blood.
So they bring into animals animals, that were imported all
over the world. I'm told and they let him fight
to the death right in the eye. Sight of these people that were
sitting in the Amphitheatre, Fanning them self, having,
whatever it was, that shaded them and all the refreshments
that they could stand as they were in the heat refreshing
themselves. While they increase their thirst
for blood But pretty soon. They got tired of that too.
So the next thing would happen, a gladiator would be brought in
and a gladiator would fight against an animal.
And almost every time, the Gladiator would stand Victorious
as as the, as the Gladiator killed the animal shedding his
blood. But pretty soon that would grow
old too so they bring in another Gladiator.
You know, I'm told that in Rome every every boy wanted to grow
up and be a gladiator. These were the heroes kind of
like sports Heroes today. Football, players on TV little
kids that want to grow up. Be a football player.
I want to grow up to be this person or that person, that's
kind of what they said about these Gladiators.
The Gladiators now would fight them self, not animals, now they
would fight each other. And the crowd would decide
whether they lived or died with a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.
But it still wasn't over. After that event.
They take a person and strip them naked.
And they put him down on the blood-stained ground of the
floor of this Amphitheater. And they bring in a lion.
A lion that was starved for two or three days.
The lion would destroy the human being.
And shed his blood. To the Delight of the crowd.
I'm told they took what was left of that body and they would
hoist it up the side of the wall and light it on fire.
So they could see in the Amphitheatre.
Brethren. You won't know who the people
were who were those people? They were Christians.
They were members of the body of Christ.
That was called the spectacle. That was called the climax.
The end, the big finale. That's the big finale.
You know what? Paul said, you're elevating
yourself above, man. I'm going to tell you something.
We were set first in the in the Lord's church.
And we're going to be a spectacle.
We're going to be persecuted in the eyes of man.
And we're going to lose our life violently and all the apostles
did die. Just like that, except for the
Apostle, John. He says we are a spectacle.
I kind of makes me think that I can live this Christian Life.
Little easier than I thought. That kind of tells me that
regardless of what I think is tough.
It's nothing. It's nothing compared to being a
spectator. a spectacle Paul says, in the eyes of man and of
angels that they look at wonderment and what the apostles
would have to go through in the violence, that was brought on to
them but finally, In verse 10, he says, we are fools.
He says, we're fools. We are fools for the cause of
Christ. you know, in the introduction part of our lesson,
I said, That you're a fool to somebody.
We all are we are a fool to somebody.
The question is going to be, are we going to be wise in the
world? Because that's what the Brethren
at Corinth were doing. You know what they were doing?
They were taking their Christianity and trying to
benefit from them as being worldly wise He says your wives.
I'm a fool. How can you be a fool for
Christ? Today.
When the world says, you don't have to be baptized in order to
be saved, but you obey the gospel.
Anyway, you're a fool for Christ.
When you worship on the Lord's day and you assemble with those
of like Precious faith and you never miss, except when it's
beyond your control, you're sick, can't get there beyond
your control, but never is the decision that you choose
something else. When you do that yet the world
says come on. What's one time?
That's the wisdom of the world,
you know what the world says? When you say no, I'm going to
get up. And I'm going to go to church
this morning, and I'm going to worship God, they think, well,
that is a fool. when a sister in Christ, Has long uncut hair?
With the styles of today. The world says you're a fool.
When you do what's right, you are a fool for Christ.
When you stand for what's right? You are a fool for Christ.
When the world says, you can have a social drink here and
there. Go ahead.
You're not going to be convinced.
I had somebody tell me one time. I don't think that I'm going to
be condemned for that. It's foolish to think so.
When you abstain from that in every way.
You're a fool for Christ. I'd rather be a fool for Christ.
And be saved in heaven. One day.
As Paul said, this second Corinthians chapter 12 most
gladly therefore, will I rather glory in my weaknesses?
You want to talk about your strength.
He says, I'm going to glory in my weaknesses that the power of
Christ May rest upon me. Wherefore, I take pleasure in
weaknesses in injuries, in Necessities, in persecutions in
distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. In closing. if we've not made
provision for our soul, We're a fool in the eyes of the Lord
thou fool. This night thy Soul shall be
required of thee, but I want to tell you something, when the
world puts you down, use that as a guide, that you must be doing
something right? These people were glorying in
the fact that they were, they were calling the Nate, wearing
the name of Jesus wearing the name of Christ, as a Christian,
but the world thought, they were great.
The world elevated them and all that.
He said no, no, I glory. In my infirmities.
I'm a fool. You want to be wise?
You're wise in the eyes of, man. I am a fool.
Are you a fool for Christ? We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would, like any additional
information, or you would like to receive a free Bible
correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at her
Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.
Our service times are Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.
We would love for you to be our honored guest.