WEBVTT 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:04.839 because it covered the issues that we as a church 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:07.960 need to think about. And by talking about them 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:10.380 through this last year, we've established ourselves 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:13.339 regarding a number of these relevant issues. 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:16.879 As we come today to our text, beginning in verse 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:22.120 5, we cover some personal requests that the Apostle 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:26.260 makes, as well as some commands that he gives 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:32.119 to them that are very practical. After I go through 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:35.259 Macedonia, I will come to you, for I will be 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:38.520 going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay 00:00:38.520 --> 00:00:41.500 with you a while or even spend the winter so 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:44.020 that you can help me on my journey wherever I 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:48.100 go. I do not want to see you now and make only 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:51.780 a passing visit. I hope to spend some time with 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:55.299 you if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:59.740 Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door... 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.600 for effective work has opened to me, and there 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.680 are many who oppose me. If Timothy comes, see 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:08.879 to it that he has nothing to fear while he is 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:11.840 with you, for he is carrying on the work of the 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:15.560 Lord just as I am. No one then should refuse 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.980 to accept him. Send him on his way in peace, 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:21.939 so that he may return to me. I am expecting him 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:25.120 along with the brothers. Now about our brother 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:28.500 Apollos, I strongly urge him to go with you. 00:01:29.930 --> 00:01:34.150 Rather, to go to you with the brothers. He was 00:01:34.150 --> 00:01:37.049 quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when 00:01:37.049 --> 00:01:41.709 he has the opportunity. Be on your guard. Stand 00:01:41.709 --> 00:01:45.870 firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. 00:01:46.489 --> 00:01:50.849 Do everything in love. You know that the household 00:01:50.849 --> 00:01:54.629 of Stephanus were the first converts in Achaia, 00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:57.430 and they have devoted themselves to the service 00:01:57.430 --> 00:02:00.510 of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit 00:02:00.510 --> 00:02:03.730 to such as these, and to everyone who joins in 00:02:03.730 --> 00:02:07.750 the work and labors at it. I was glad when Stephanus, 00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:10.849 Fortunatus, and Achaicus arrived, because they 00:02:10.849 --> 00:02:13.770 have supplied what was lacking from you. For 00:02:13.770 --> 00:02:16.650 they refreshed my spirit, and yours also. Such 00:02:16.650 --> 00:02:20.550 men deserve recognition. The churches in the 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:24.110 province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and 00:02:24.110 --> 00:02:27.310 Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord. and so 00:02:27.310 --> 00:02:30.750 does the church that meets at their house. All 00:02:30.750 --> 00:02:33.949 the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one 00:02:33.949 --> 00:02:37.330 another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this 00:02:37.330 --> 00:02:40.870 greeting in my own hand. If anyone does not love 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:46.210 the Lord, a curse be on him. Come, O Lord, the 00:02:46.210 --> 00:02:49.389 grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love 00:02:49.389 --> 00:02:54.909 to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let's pray 00:02:54.909 --> 00:02:58.039 together. Father, as we come to the conclusion 00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:00.840 of this marvelous book that we've studied, I 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:02.740 pray that yet again the Holy Spirit would be 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:06.840 our teacher, quicken our ears and minds to understand 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:10.400 and our hearts to respond as they should to the 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:12.419 things that we'll look at today. In Jesus' name 00:03:12.419 --> 00:03:20.340 I pray this. Amen. In the text that we have before 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:23.860 us, it seems to me that there are three subjects. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:28.759 They fit together under this title of personal 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:32.780 requests and practical commands of the apostle. 00:03:33.699 --> 00:03:37.879 Beginning in verse 5 on through verse 12, the 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:41.159 apostle reviews with the Corinthians how he looked 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:44.520 at his ministry to which God had called him. 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:48.280 Then, beginning in verse 13 on through verse 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:52.560 18, he speaks about how the believers there in 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:56.550 Corinth were to behave themselves. And then he 00:03:56.550 --> 00:04:00.590 concludes, verses 19 to 24, by talking about 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:03.030 the churches and how they were to conduct themselves 00:04:03.030 --> 00:04:07.169 as well, as bodies. Let's talk about each of 00:04:07.169 --> 00:04:09.370 these three divisions of our text today and see 00:04:09.370 --> 00:04:11.569 how the Spirit of God will lead us in application 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:14.569 to our lives. I want you to notice first that 00:04:14.569 --> 00:04:18.370 Paul explains to them how he looked at the ministry 00:04:18.370 --> 00:04:22.329 that he had. He says a couple of things here 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:25.449 that are of note for us. One is that he looks 00:04:25.449 --> 00:04:29.410 at his ministry as directed by open doors. He 00:04:29.410 --> 00:04:33.389 speaks about a great door for an effective work 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:36.470 that had been opened to him in Ephesus, the city 00:04:36.470 --> 00:04:40.449 from where he writes this epistle. Secondly, 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:44.170 he sees his ministry as assisted by fellow workers. 00:04:45.910 --> 00:04:48.410 Let's talk first about this matter of open doors. 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:54.100 Frequently you hear people speak about God opened 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:58.779 this door for me or God shut that door. And I 00:04:58.779 --> 00:05:00.699 think that there are some misconceptions about 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:04.819 this matter of God using doors to direct our 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:07.860 lives. Certainly Paul looked at his ministry 00:05:07.860 --> 00:05:11.839 that way and he frequently used this phrase of 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:16.139 an open door to speak about his work. For example, 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:20.579 back in Acts chapter 14. the apostle returns 00:05:20.579 --> 00:05:25.980 to his home church, the church in Antioch, and 00:05:25.980 --> 00:05:28.480 there he recounts with them what God had been 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:32.399 doing through him and Barnabas in their travels. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:38.300 And he says in Acts 14, verse 27, Luke records 00:05:38.300 --> 00:05:42.139 these words, On arriving there, they gathered 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:45.139 the church together and reported all that God 00:05:45.139 --> 00:05:48.509 had done through them. and how he had opened 00:05:48.509 --> 00:05:52.610 the door of faith to the Gentiles. The Apostle 00:05:52.610 --> 00:05:56.589 Paul was primarily an apostle to the Gentile 00:05:56.589 --> 00:06:00.649 world, and God used him to open the door of faith 00:06:00.649 --> 00:06:04.910 to the Roman Empire. Up until his ministry, the 00:06:04.910 --> 00:06:09.569 gospel had spread throughout Judea and Samaria 00:06:09.569 --> 00:06:12.949 and up the coast as far as Antioch, but it had 00:06:12.949 --> 00:06:15.970 made no major inroads into the Gentile world. 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:20.579 But through his ministry, the gospel went forward 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:24.259 with great power and was magnified, so much so 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:27.620 that there were those opposers of his ministry 00:06:27.620 --> 00:06:30.959 who said, he has turned the world upside down. 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.319 That's the kind of an impact that Paul and his 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:38.620 preaching made upon the Roman world. Paul here 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:41.500 describes it as God opening the door of faith 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:46.540 to the Gentiles. Now turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:49.860 2, as we see him using this same metaphor of 00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:55.459 an open door to talk about his work. Obviously, 00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:57.459 this letter was written a little while after 00:06:57.459 --> 00:07:00.720 the text that we've read today. But in 2 Corinthians 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:04.579 chapter 2, verse 12, we have Paul writing these 00:07:04.579 --> 00:07:08.040 words, again to the Corinthians, Now when I went 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:11.860 to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, and 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:14.600 found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:18.100 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:21.920 find my brother Titus there. So here he says 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:26.399 that the Lord had opened a door for him at Troas. 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:30.879 Now with that in mind, turn to Colossians 4, 00:07:31.139 --> 00:07:34.939 verse 3, where we find another time that he uses 00:07:34.939 --> 00:07:37.339 this picture of an open door in talking about 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:42.779 his work. In Colossians 4, Verse 3, he says, 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:47.279 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:51.199 for our message, so that we may proclaim the 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:55.759 mystery of Christ for which I am in chains. And 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:58.120 so he says there that the open door is an opportunity 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:01.259 for him to preach the gospel of Christ, even 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:05.399 though he was in chains as a prisoner. What do 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.600 we learn from open doors, by open doors, from 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:11.300 the Apostle Paul? Let me suggest that there are 00:08:11.300 --> 00:08:13.860 four things that we can learn about open doors. 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:16.259 Perhaps some of these will be practical to your 00:08:16.259 --> 00:08:20.120 life. In the first place, an open door is simply 00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:24.579 an opportunity which God gives to serve him. 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:28.959 It is an opportunity which the Lord gives in 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:32.399 which to serve him. In the case of Corinth, in 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:35.519 chapter 16 of 1 Corinthians, in our text, he 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:39.480 says it was a great door. In other words, this 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:43.120 was more than just the usual opportunity. There 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:45.559 was something very significant about his ministry 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:48.179 in Ephesus. In other words, many people were 00:08:48.179 --> 00:08:51.639 listening to the Word. And he also says it is 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:55.179 an effective work, a great door for an effective 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:57.059 work. In other words, many people were being 00:08:57.059 --> 00:09:00.779 saved as a result of his preaching in Ephesus. 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:06.580 So a door opening up for you or for me simply 00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:09.980 means that God has given us an opportunity to 00:09:09.980 --> 00:09:13.019 share the gospel or to serve him in some way. 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:16.960 Now the Bible says a great deal about open doors, 00:09:17.059 --> 00:09:19.220 but it doesn't say very much about closed doors. 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:23.279 Often we hear more about closed doors than open 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:25.259 doors. The thing we need to zero in on are the 00:09:25.259 --> 00:09:28.360 open doors, the opportunities that God does give 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:31.799 for us to serve him. The second thing that we 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.000 learn here about open doors is that open doors, 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:39.240 rather doors open as we lay plans according to 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.419 the wisdom that God gives us. Do you notice what 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:45.080 Paul does in our text? He says to them, well, 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:47.879 I'm going to go through Macedonia. And perhaps 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:50.379 I'll stay with you, maybe even spend the winter 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:54.220 with you. I'm not going to come now because I 00:09:54.220 --> 00:09:56.940 want to make this a lengthy visit, not just a 00:09:56.940 --> 00:10:00.059 passing one. I'm going to stay in Ephesus until 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:02.259 Pentecost, which would have been late spring, 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:05.919 because there is a great opportunity for me here. 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:10.419 What is he saying? Well, he's saying this. As 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:16.539 he plans, as he moves, as he progresses in the 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:19.299 work God has called him to do, God then opens 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:22.519 the doors. Some people have the idea that they 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:24.720 just need to sit down in a chair and pray and 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:27.320 say, all right, God. Now you open and shut the 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:30.019 doors and show me what you want me to do. It 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:33.980 doesn't work that way. God opens doors when we 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:40.639 are moving. According to his own wisdom, the 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:43.500 Apostle Paul was laying out his itinerary for 00:10:43.500 --> 00:10:46.799 them. And he says that in the midst of that, 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:51.419 God opens doors. So remember that. If you are 00:10:51.419 --> 00:10:55.080 praying, God, open and shut doors for me. Then 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:57.659 don't be sitting in a chair doing nothing spiritually. 00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:05.919 Be moving. Be planning. Be working. Looking ahead, 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:09.419 because that is the sphere in which God does 00:11:09.419 --> 00:11:12.919 open doors to direct our lives. The third thing 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:16.120 that we learn is that doors open when we practice 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:20.360 the spirit of surrender to the will of God. Some 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:22.440 people say, now, Lord, you show me what you want 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:24.419 me to do, and then I'll decide if I'm going to 00:11:24.419 --> 00:11:29.919 do it. Again, that doesn't work. God first looks 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:32.919 for the attitude of surrender to his will, a 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:36.580 yieldedness to whatever he wants. When he sees 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:40.799 that, then he opens doors. The apostle says here, 00:11:40.860 --> 00:11:44.440 I'm going to do this and that if the Lord permits. 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:49.049 In other words, has he laid out his plans? They 00:11:49.049 --> 00:11:52.429 were subject to the will of God. And if God chose 00:11:52.429 --> 00:11:56.710 to change them, that was fine with him. It's 00:11:56.710 --> 00:11:59.070 that kind of a spirit that God is pleased with. 00:11:59.669 --> 00:12:02.590 And when you and I possess and practice that 00:12:02.590 --> 00:12:06.230 yieldedness to the will of God, then we can expect 00:12:06.230 --> 00:12:09.850 that God will open doors for us and give us direction. 00:12:11.549 --> 00:12:13.629 Then there's a fourth lesson that we see here 00:12:13.629 --> 00:12:15.470 regarding open doors, and that is that doors 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:20.159 opened by God... may be accompanied by problems 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:24.740 and adversaries. Paul speaks here about a great 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:27.779 door that opened to him in Ephesus. But then 00:12:27.779 --> 00:12:30.039 he goes on to say, there are many who oppose 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:34.759 me. Sometimes we have the idea that if God is 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:37.539 in it, there won't be any problems. Now forget 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:42.559 that concept. Sometimes God opens a door that 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:45.720 is marvelous. It's a great opportunity. And as 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:48.580 we're carrying out that opportunity, there are 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:52.279 many problems and adversaries. Just because you've 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:54.259 got problems doesn't mean that God is shutting 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:58.620 the door or that the opportunity is over. Paul 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:00.600 was going to stick to it right there in Ephesus 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:04.679 because God had opened the door, even though 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:07.299 there were many people who opposed him. Primarily, 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:11.179 they were the silversmiths of the city. They 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.039 belonged to a union, and they were quite upset 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.600 that Paul was turning. The worship of many people 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:20.500 from the goddess Artemis to the true and living 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:23.320 God. Because they were involved in making little 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:27.139 shrines and idols that people bought for their 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:30.480 homes to worship Artemis. And they were quite 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:32.539 upset that Paul was taking away their customers. 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:35.220 And so he had many opposers, some for spiritual 00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:38.659 reasons, others for economic reasons. The apostle 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:41.820 looked at his ministry as being directed by open 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:45.019 doors. And I'm glad he talks about open doors 00:13:45.019 --> 00:13:48.440 here because it helps us to know how to use open 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:50.720 doors in determining what God wants us to do 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:54.700 too. And then he says that his ministry is also 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:57.399 assisted by fellow workers. One of the things 00:13:57.399 --> 00:14:00.399 I like about Paul is that he was a team player. 00:14:03.220 --> 00:14:05.600 He was the kind of man who looked upon his co 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:10.700 -workers not as servants to him, but as team 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:15.059 members. He calls them fellow workers. He calls 00:14:15.059 --> 00:14:20.559 them yoke fellows, Y -O -K -E fellows. In other 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:22.899 words, they pulled the same load as though they 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:27.559 were in a yoke, like a team of oxen. Paul did 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:30.240 not see himself as the leaders and others his 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.600 subservience. He speaks about Timothy, for example, 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:39.139 in verse 10. Timothy was a man who was discipled 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:43.990 by Paul. Paul had reproduced himself in this 00:14:43.990 --> 00:14:46.389 young man. And he says, now when Timothy comes, 00:14:46.509 --> 00:14:48.850 I want you to receive him just like you receive 00:14:48.850 --> 00:14:54.389 me. We're on the same team. Personally, I believe 00:14:54.389 --> 00:14:56.710 that's the way a pastoral staff has to be in 00:14:56.710 --> 00:15:00.509 a local church. Any man who thinks he can do 00:15:00.509 --> 00:15:05.210 it all is deceived. There is no pastor who can 00:15:05.210 --> 00:15:10.000 do everything well. And that's why... We believe 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:13.779 in building a team of people to work together 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:17.220 to accomplish the ministry, of equipping God's 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:19.700 people so that they in turn can go out and serve 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:23.240 the Lord. I believe strongly in the team concept. 00:15:24.500 --> 00:15:29.279 Not all pastors agree with that. And there are 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:32.220 some who have very strong opinions that they 00:15:32.220 --> 00:15:36.580 are like kings who serve and those who are in 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:40.879 his kingdom serve him. I know of one pastor who 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:43.559 went through nine associate pastors in seven 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:47.139 years. It tells you something about his attitude 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:50.279 toward his co -workers. They were on the staff 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.120 a week before the church knew they were there, 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:53.879 and they were gone a week before the church knew 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:57.200 they were gone. Nine of them in seven years. 00:15:57.899 --> 00:16:03.639 You can't imagine the scarred lives, even among 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:06.460 the members of the church, in a place like that. 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:11.740 Paul did not see himself as an overlord because 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:15.580 he was an apostle. He really saw himself as a 00:16:15.580 --> 00:16:20.059 coach player. Yes, he was responsible for his 00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:22.980 team, but he was out there working with them. 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:27.299 And I like that emphasis in Paul. He also speaks 00:16:27.299 --> 00:16:32.360 about Apollos. Apollos was not really on Paul's 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:36.019 team. Apollos had his own team. He was an apostle 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:40.080 himself. in a different category than Paul, but 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:42.179 nonetheless one of the apostles who laid the 00:16:42.179 --> 00:16:45.960 foundation of the early church, a mighty orator, 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:51.340 a powerful preacher. And Paul mentions Apollos, 00:16:51.340 --> 00:16:54.340 and I think in a very diplomatic, tactful way. 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:56.659 Do you recall, those of you who have been here 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:59.759 a while, back in chapter 1 and chapter 2, the 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:03.470 apostle mentions, Paul mentions, that there was 00:17:03.470 --> 00:17:06.569 division in the church in Corinth around personalities. 00:17:06.569 --> 00:17:09.529 And two of the personalities were Paul and Apollos. 00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:15.329 There was a group of carnal, fleshly people there 00:17:15.329 --> 00:17:18.730 who said, oh, we're in Paul's party. And there 00:17:18.730 --> 00:17:20.670 were others who said, oh, we follow Apollos. 00:17:21.069 --> 00:17:23.269 There were still others who said, we're in Peter's 00:17:23.269 --> 00:17:26.170 group. And then there was the super sanctimonious 00:17:26.170 --> 00:17:29.640 crowd who said, we just worship Jesus. And Paul 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:31.599 doesn't commend them, by the way, because their 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:33.779 attitude wasn't right when they said that. They 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:37.359 were being egocentric in saying it. But they 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.380 were divided around personalities. Now here Paul 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:42.660 picks up one of those personalities, Apollos, 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:47.000 and he says, I strongly urged him to go with 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:50.599 the brothers. But he was quite unwilling to go 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:53.000 now. He's willing to go when he has opportunity. 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:56.660 Now the people in Corinth wanted to see Apollos. 00:17:57.640 --> 00:17:59.519 Paul says to them, I'm not trying to keep him 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:02.279 away from you. I urged him to come. Notice he 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:06.319 didn't say, I ordered him to come. I urged him 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.539 to come. It wasn't his desire to do so now, and 00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:10.180 that's fine with me. He's going to come when 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:12.980 he can. So you see what Paul is doing here. He 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:16.000 is showing these Corinthians that he and Apollos 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:19.640 have a good team spirit. And he's saying, you 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:23.180 need to have one too in your church. And instead 00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:25.539 of one group pulling one way and another group 00:18:25.539 --> 00:18:28.299 pulling another way after somebody else, you 00:18:28.299 --> 00:18:30.380 need to follow the example that Apollos and I 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:33.900 have and realize you're all on one team and get 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:36.140 moving in the same direction. Isn't that great? 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:39.200 So the apostle just opens his heart here in a 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:41.960 personal way, and he talks about his own ministry. 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:46.440 He sees it as being directed by open doors of 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:50.099 opportunities that God brings. And then he sees 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:53.819 it as being assisted by his co -workers. He works 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:56.880 together with them as a team. And that's the 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.339 way I think it's got to be done. That's the spirit 00:18:59.339 --> 00:19:03.740 that we work at here on our church staff, and 00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:06.759 we want to exemplify that to you in every way, 00:19:06.859 --> 00:19:10.640 that we work together on the same team. Occasionally 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:13.000 we may have differences of opinion. That's normal. 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:18.130 We may have different ideas about things. But 00:19:18.130 --> 00:19:20.369 when it all comes down to the bottom line and 00:19:20.369 --> 00:19:23.730 it's drawn, we are on one team. We're together 00:19:23.730 --> 00:19:28.930 in this service for Christ. The apostle goes 00:19:28.930 --> 00:19:31.009 on to speak about how the believers there were 00:19:31.009 --> 00:19:37.390 to behave themselves. Verses 13 through 18. He 00:19:37.390 --> 00:19:39.630 seems to divide his thinking here into three 00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:41.589 aspects. First, he talks about how they were 00:19:41.589 --> 00:19:44.609 to behave themselves personally in verse 13. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.859 In verse 14, how they were to behave themselves 00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:51.420 toward one another. And then in verses 15 to 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:54.559 18, how they were to behave themselves toward 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:58.660 their leaders. In verse 13, there are three very 00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:02.880 crisp commands. He says, be on your guard, stand 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:05.559 firm in the faith, be men of courage, be strong. 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:10.819 Those are all personal words, and they apply 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:15.259 to each of us today. He says, Be on your guard. 00:20:16.220 --> 00:20:20.279 Watch out. In other words, keep spiritually alert. 00:20:20.980 --> 00:20:26.079 Be awake and discerning. Be aware of what's going 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:30.119 on around you. You know, it is so easy for us 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.960 as Christians to be lulled into the twilight 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:38.680 zone of half -sleep and half -wake. And things 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:40.880 go on around us, and we don't really perceive 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:44.970 what's taking place. What the apostle says to 00:20:44.970 --> 00:20:49.430 us is that we need to stay awake. For example, 00:20:49.609 --> 00:20:51.970 you sit in a classroom and you hear a professor 00:20:51.970 --> 00:20:55.009 teach a certain subject. God expects you to be 00:20:55.009 --> 00:20:57.950 awake in that classroom to be sure that that 00:20:57.950 --> 00:21:02.250 professor is saying what's true. You go to a 00:21:02.250 --> 00:21:05.289 church, you need to be awake as the pastor speaks 00:21:05.289 --> 00:21:08.349 or as your Sunday school teacher or small church 00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:12.509 pastor teacher teaches. Stay alert and awake. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:15.619 Listen to what's being said to make sure that 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:18.700 it passes the test. Peter puts it this way, be 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:23.319 vigilant. Stay on the cutting edge of things. 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:28.180 Stay on the front lines. Don't be shipped back 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:31.740 to the rear lines where you don't have responsibility. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:35.460 Because you do have responsibility, stay alert. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:41.059 And then he says, stand fast in the faith. Stand 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:45.539 firm in the faith. There are enemies to oppose 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:50.180 us. And our master enemy, Satan, cleverly disguises 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:52.759 strategies so that he can undermine and weaken 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:56.299 our faith. And what we are told here is that 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:59.339 we need to stand fast in the faith against the 00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:05.779 enemy. Be stable. Be mature. Endure. Coupled 00:22:05.779 --> 00:22:08.920 with that, he says, be men of courage. I think 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:12.750 the King James... puts that, quit you like men. 00:22:12.990 --> 00:22:15.170 Some have taken that very literally regarding 00:22:15.170 --> 00:22:18.849 their responsibilities. They quit. But that isn't 00:22:18.849 --> 00:22:21.809 the idea. That's one of those old King James 00:22:21.809 --> 00:22:25.630 English words that really means be men of courage 00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:30.829 literally. Paul says, play the man. In other 00:22:30.829 --> 00:22:34.930 words, be courageous. Put away your childish 00:22:34.930 --> 00:22:42.980 fears and grow up. Then he says, be strong. Be 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:46.440 powerful in the inner man, is the thought. Have 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:50.859 moral muscle about you. Have a determination 00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:55.480 for purity and righteousness that will make you 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:58.079 personally the kind of person that God wants 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:01.819 you to be. You see, these are our personal standards 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:06.220 for behavior that he's talking about. How do 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:10.450 you measure up here? Are you on your guard spiritually? 00:23:10.670 --> 00:23:13.109 Are you alert to what's going on around you spiritually 00:23:13.109 --> 00:23:17.390 and taking action? Are you discerning? Are you 00:23:17.390 --> 00:23:20.509 standing fast or are you wavering back and forth? 00:23:22.150 --> 00:23:27.589 Be firm. Be courageous. Even if it means standing 00:23:27.589 --> 00:23:31.529 alone in some situation, at work, in that office, 00:23:31.730 --> 00:23:35.880 or in your classroom. Even if it means being 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:38.279 the only one who will take the stand for what's 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:44.519 right, do it. Play the man. And then he says, 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:49.420 be strong in the inner man. Strengthened by the 00:23:49.420 --> 00:23:54.039 Lord in the inside. Some people who are very 00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:57.980 frail outwardly are some of the most dynamic 00:23:57.980 --> 00:24:02.240 spiritually and inwardly. And that's where Paul 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:05.980 is emphasizing here. That's their responsibility 00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:08.000 personally. Now let's look at their responsibility 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:12.579 toward one another. Verse 14, he says, Do everything 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:21.059 in love. Love is one of the key marks of a Christian. 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:24.640 Jesus himself said, By this shall all men know 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:28.680 you are my disciples, if you have what? Love 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:33.250 for one another. Love is evidence that the Holy 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:37.210 Spirit is in control. The fruit of the Spirit 00:24:37.210 --> 00:24:42.170 is what? Love, and then from that love flows 00:24:42.170 --> 00:24:47.089 out joy and peace and so on. The fruit of the 00:24:47.089 --> 00:24:52.490 Spirit is love. I pray that God will be so in 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:55.769 control in our church that love will always be 00:24:55.769 --> 00:24:59.329 evident. Two or three people have said in the 00:24:59.329 --> 00:25:02.410 last couple of weeks, I sense such a love in 00:25:02.410 --> 00:25:05.930 Grace Church. I praise God for that. That's not 00:25:05.930 --> 00:25:08.890 something we can produce in ourselves. It is 00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:11.549 produced through us as the Holy Spirit's in control. 00:25:12.809 --> 00:25:15.869 Sometimes love means I'm going to have to rebuke 00:25:15.869 --> 00:25:21.210 somebody or correct them. Sometimes it means 00:25:21.210 --> 00:25:25.609 I'm going to have to expose or reveal. Other 00:25:25.609 --> 00:25:28.049 times it means putting a clamp over something 00:25:28.049 --> 00:25:31.900 and covering it. Sometimes it means a word of 00:25:31.900 --> 00:25:36.700 encouragement. Whatever it means, in a given 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:39.359 circumstance, I am to do everything, it says, 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:45.799 in love. I see love as the fluid that lubricates 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:51.660 the church. Within any church, there are places 00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:59.799 where friction can begin. I see love as that 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:04.359 marvelous lubricating fluid produced by the Holy 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:08.839 Spirit that keeps friction from heating up. Though 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:12.500 there may be differences, love does not allow 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:17.240 that to become a problem. I pray that that fluid 00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:19.700 will always be a part of our fellowship, folks. 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:23.079 And every one of us has a responsibility to see 00:26:23.079 --> 00:26:29.529 that it is. How do we do that? By loving others 00:26:29.529 --> 00:26:33.450 personally. He's doing everything in love. And 00:26:33.450 --> 00:26:35.609 if I do that, and you do that, and that person 00:26:35.609 --> 00:26:38.349 does it, and the person over here, as all of 00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:42.849 us do that, then love flows beautifully to produce 00:26:42.849 --> 00:26:47.130 a harmony within the body of Christ. That's how 00:26:47.130 --> 00:26:50.769 we're to behave toward one another. And then 00:26:50.769 --> 00:26:54.710 he says, toward our leaders, we are to do some 00:26:54.710 --> 00:26:58.119 things. In verse 15, He mentions the household 00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:02.059 of Stephanas. He calls them his first converts 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:06.279 in Achaia. He says about them, they have devoted 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:08.740 themselves, or they have addicted themselves, 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:13.200 literally, to the service of the saints. I urge 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:15.839 you, brothers, to submit to such as these and 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:19.039 to everyone who joins in the work and labors 00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:22.720 at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus, 00:27:22.819 --> 00:27:25.859 and Achaicus arrived. because they have supplied 00:27:25.859 --> 00:27:29.420 what was lacking from you. They have refreshed 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:33.680 my spirit in yours also. Such men deserve recognition. 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:36.819 What is he saying here? Well, he's telling them 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:41.380 how they are to respond to their leaders. And 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:43.839 he mentions three of them, Stephanus, Fortunatus, 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:48.460 and Achaicus. There are two key words. He says 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:52.089 first that they are to recognize them. He says 00:27:52.089 --> 00:27:56.549 they deserve recognition. Acknowledge them. In 00:27:56.549 --> 00:28:00.009 other words, respect them for their position. 00:28:00.829 --> 00:28:06.390 And follow them is the implication. Within our 00:28:06.390 --> 00:28:13.470 church, we are governed by elders. I grew up 00:28:13.470 --> 00:28:17.450 in a typical Baptist setting with a pastor and 00:28:17.450 --> 00:28:21.279 deacons and congregation. It was called congregation 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:24.960 rule. Probably it should have been congregational 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:28.180 disunity, because that was usually the result 00:28:28.180 --> 00:28:33.319 on any vote that was taken. Through the years, 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:34.980 I have, through the study of the Scriptures, 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:38.359 come to understand that that is not God's method 00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:42.259 of church polity or government. God's method 00:28:42.259 --> 00:28:46.819 is through the rising up of godly men to lead 00:28:46.819 --> 00:28:55.420 the church. I see that... here in our text. God's 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:58.920 idea of church government is for the body to 00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:01.599 begin praying that from their midst God would 00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:07.160 call out qualified men to serve as leaders. When 00:29:07.160 --> 00:29:09.839 those men become apparent, the congregation officially 00:29:09.839 --> 00:29:14.140 appoints them as elders and then submits to their 00:29:14.140 --> 00:29:18.670 leadership. That's God's plan. It doesn't mean 00:29:18.670 --> 00:29:21.769 that those elders are overlords. I want you to 00:29:21.769 --> 00:29:24.190 notice that he emphasizes here that these leaders 00:29:24.190 --> 00:29:29.630 are involved in service to the saints. Leadership 00:29:29.630 --> 00:29:32.509 is not dictatorship, and that is a distinction 00:29:32.509 --> 00:29:36.529 that we have to continually draw. Leadership 00:29:36.529 --> 00:29:39.410 is service. Now, it does mean making decisions. 00:29:40.609 --> 00:29:43.950 It does mean taking responsibility, but always 00:29:43.950 --> 00:29:49.210 with the spirit of being a servant. And I suppose 00:29:49.210 --> 00:29:54.269 that many of us have been exposed to other spirits 00:29:54.269 --> 00:30:00.009 regarding leadership, other ideas. I thank God 00:30:00.009 --> 00:30:03.470 for the men who are called to be the leaders 00:30:03.470 --> 00:30:09.369 of our church. After a year or more now of working 00:30:09.369 --> 00:30:13.349 with them, I can say before you without any reservation 00:30:13.349 --> 00:30:17.009 that to the man, not the majority, but to the 00:30:17.009 --> 00:30:20.180 man, The men that are elders in our church are 00:30:20.180 --> 00:30:23.460 men of God. It doesn't mean they're perfect. 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:25.619 They're not any more than I am or than you are. 00:30:26.740 --> 00:30:29.240 But they are men who are spiritually qualified, 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:32.240 and they are men who are genuinely and deeply 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:36.440 concerned for our church. And it's a joy for 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:39.839 me to submit to their rule, to their leadership. 00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:45.380 That's what is being said here. We are to recognize 00:30:45.380 --> 00:30:48.480 those that God has called out. Let me just go 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:51.059 on a bit further and explain how this happens 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:53.180 in our church, because some of you may not know. 00:30:54.339 --> 00:30:58.460 We do not form a nominating committee that looks 00:30:58.460 --> 00:31:00.640 around to see who's absent at that service and 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:02.259 says, now they're the ones that should be nominated 00:31:02.259 --> 00:31:03.759 for the job. You know, that's how it usually 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:07.740 works. Within our fellowship, how it works is 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:11.380 that all of us pray that God will bring forth 00:31:11.380 --> 00:31:16.140 to the surface men who are gifted and qualified 00:31:16.140 --> 00:31:21.940 to lead. And as we individually evaluate ourselves, 00:31:22.059 --> 00:31:24.819 if we sense God's calling to do this, we present 00:31:24.819 --> 00:31:28.559 ourselves to the elders and say to them, I believe 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:32.740 that God has called me to this office. That's 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:35.559 how it happens here. We don't consider that to 00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:40.940 be arrogant or proud. It's just simply the way 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:44.700 that we believe God calls out leadership. Now, 00:31:44.700 --> 00:31:46.720 there are three of us that have already presented 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:51.259 ourselves as elders from this church, and we 00:31:51.259 --> 00:31:53.799 expect that before very long that's going to 00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:58.359 come to fruition. And yet we are praying that 00:31:58.359 --> 00:32:01.440 God will call out from amongst us others who 00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:04.299 will take the responsibility of service and leadership 00:32:04.299 --> 00:32:08.779 in our church as officially becoming elders. 00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:12.480 Maybe you're one of those. And if that's the 00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:14.960 case, I encourage you to come to myself or to 00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:18.940 Dave Sulak and to tell us that you, as far as 00:32:18.940 --> 00:32:21.779 you know before God, you sense that you are spiritually 00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:26.839 qualified according to 1 Timothy and Titus. And 00:32:26.839 --> 00:32:29.059 you sense God's call and you would like to talk 00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:30.960 to us about what it means to be an elder and 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:33.180 so on. We'd be glad to sit down with you and 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:36.180 talk to you about it. That's so important. Folks, 00:32:36.220 --> 00:32:40.690 as God raises up leadership. It is our responsibility 00:32:40.690 --> 00:32:44.109 as a congregation then to respect them and to 00:32:44.109 --> 00:32:46.289 submit to them. That's the second word that I 00:32:46.289 --> 00:32:49.829 see there in verse 16, to submit to our leaders. 00:32:50.849 --> 00:32:53.130 It doesn't mean that everything they do is going 00:32:53.130 --> 00:32:56.329 to be perfect, but it does mean that they are 00:32:56.329 --> 00:32:58.470 responsible to God for the decisions that they 00:32:58.470 --> 00:33:04.089 make for us in their leading. Submit to those 00:33:04.089 --> 00:33:08.079 who are in leadership. to everyone who joins 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:10.119 in the work and labors at it. And once again, 00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:13.839 he emphasizes that being a leader is working. 00:33:15.299 --> 00:33:20.400 It's working. That's so important. I have seen 00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:22.619 churches torn apart, and maybe you have too, 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:26.039 because of disunity within. As we fulfill our 00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:28.559 responsibilities of behavior toward our leaders, 00:33:28.759 --> 00:33:32.160 it also produces a marvelous unity within the 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:36.529 body. I'd like for us to go on now to the last 00:33:36.529 --> 00:33:40.950 section of our epistle, verses 19 to 24, in which 00:33:40.950 --> 00:33:42.829 he talks about how the churches were to conduct 00:33:42.829 --> 00:33:53.009 themselves. He says, Of course, they knew that 00:33:53.009 --> 00:34:02.190 delightful couple. He says, What is he saying 00:34:02.190 --> 00:34:06.140 here? Well, he's saying that, As churches, we 00:34:06.140 --> 00:34:09.920 have a responsibility to lovingly respect one 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:15.280 another. He speaks about the churches in the 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:18.480 province of Asia, respecting, sending greetings 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:22.239 to the churches in Achaia, in Corinth, and other 00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:27.079 places. That's a marvelous thing, a respect among 00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:30.119 the churches. You know, that's what we need to 00:34:30.119 --> 00:34:33.619 have in our spirit toward other churches, too. 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:39.820 that preach the gospel. It grieves me when I 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:43.780 hear anybody criticize and tear down another 00:34:43.780 --> 00:34:47.940 church that's doing the work of the Lord. Now, 00:34:47.960 --> 00:34:50.400 if another church is liberal, they do not believe 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:53.539 the Bible, they don't preach Jesus Christ, then 00:34:53.539 --> 00:34:56.000 in a true sense, they are not a church, they're 00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:00.440 a mission field. But if another church preaches 00:35:00.440 --> 00:35:02.300 the Word of God, and they love the Lord Jesus 00:35:02.300 --> 00:35:04.780 Christ, and they're serving Him. Even though 00:35:04.780 --> 00:35:07.159 we may have some minor differences with them 00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:10.639 in secondary doctrine, we can fellowship with 00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:13.380 them, and we are responsible to greet them with 00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:16.440 love and with respect. Do you understand what 00:35:16.440 --> 00:35:19.800 I'm saying? I would hope that we don't have the 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:22.400 attitude that we're the only ones in Roseville 00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:26.860 or in St. Paul doing a job. That's arrogant, 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:32.480 and it's sin. And it's not true besides. There 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:34.340 are other churches that are doing a work for 00:35:34.340 --> 00:35:37.179 God. We may do it a little bit differently than 00:35:37.179 --> 00:35:39.059 they. That doesn't mean that one of us is better 00:35:39.059 --> 00:35:42.960 than the other. We need to respect and to love 00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:49.280 others who also love our Lord Jesus Christ. A 00:35:49.280 --> 00:35:52.139 fellowship needs to be based on doctrine. There 00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:56.289 is abroad today the idea that... We need to throw 00:35:56.289 --> 00:35:58.590 doctrine out the window and just fellowship. 00:35:59.230 --> 00:36:03.650 That belongs in the theological garbage dump, 00:36:03.750 --> 00:36:07.030 as far as I'm concerned, because the Bible emphasizes 00:36:07.030 --> 00:36:10.789 that true fellowship can only take place when 00:36:10.789 --> 00:36:15.010 there is a right doctrinal basis for that. But 00:36:15.010 --> 00:36:17.090 let's remember that there are some doctrines 00:36:17.090 --> 00:36:20.730 that are vital and fundamental and primary to 00:36:20.730 --> 00:36:24.750 our faith. And then there are other doctrines. 00:36:25.239 --> 00:36:30.179 that are non -essential. For example, the mode 00:36:30.179 --> 00:36:33.539 of baptism. Now, we are strongly convicted about 00:36:33.539 --> 00:36:36.639 what we say the Bible teaches, but that doesn't 00:36:36.639 --> 00:36:38.420 mean that we call those who practice another 00:36:38.420 --> 00:36:42.639 mode of baptism heretics. If they love our Lord 00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:44.659 Jesus Christ and they're preaching the Word of 00:36:44.659 --> 00:36:49.519 God, we respect them as brothers in Christ. That's 00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:52.380 our responsibility as a church to other churches. 00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:56.219 Now, he tells us something else that we're responsible 00:36:56.219 --> 00:36:59.500 for as a church in our conduct. In verse 22, 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:03.179 if anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be 00:37:03.179 --> 00:37:06.420 on him. That wasn't written by Dale Carnegie, 00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:09.639 obviously. It was written by an apostle of our 00:37:09.639 --> 00:37:12.380 Lord. And what he's saying here is that as a 00:37:12.380 --> 00:37:15.239 church, we should be jealous for Jesus Christ, 00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:19.699 just as a bride is jealous for her bridegroom. 00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:23.670 So we are to be jealous for our Lord. The word 00:37:23.670 --> 00:37:27.489 love here is not the word agape, the deep kind 00:37:27.489 --> 00:37:31.190 of love. It's the word phileo, friendship love. 00:37:31.670 --> 00:37:35.409 I think Charles Swindoll gives an enlightening 00:37:35.409 --> 00:37:38.429 comment on this. He says, if any person does 00:37:38.429 --> 00:37:41.010 not have the lowest form of affection for the 00:37:41.010 --> 00:37:44.530 Lord, this is terribly serious. Not everyone 00:37:44.530 --> 00:37:48.969 is worth your time. Our job is to share the powerful 00:37:48.969 --> 00:37:52.309 message of hope through Christ. and in the process 00:37:52.309 --> 00:37:55.409 to be discerning as we encounter those who do 00:37:55.409 --> 00:37:58.989 not even have a friendly affection for him. Leave 00:37:58.989 --> 00:38:02.650 them with the Lord. Let him handle them. That's 00:38:02.650 --> 00:38:06.030 the thought there in verse 22. And then the final 00:38:06.030 --> 00:38:10.230 responsibility we're to have in our conduct is 00:38:10.230 --> 00:38:14.469 found in that marvelous word in verse 22, maranatha, 00:38:14.610 --> 00:38:19.230 as we say it. Literally, he says, our Lord is 00:38:19.230 --> 00:38:23.920 coming. Or it can be, as the NIV puts it, a prayer, 00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:28.539 come, O Lord. But the thought is that after going 00:38:28.539 --> 00:38:30.900 through all of these responsibilities and after 00:38:30.900 --> 00:38:33.719 all the correction in this epistle, Paul lifts 00:38:33.719 --> 00:38:36.659 their eyes to focus on the coming of Christ. 00:38:37.699 --> 00:38:40.460 And folks, that's where our focus needs to be 00:38:40.460 --> 00:38:45.260 too. Not on one another, but on Jesus and his 00:38:45.260 --> 00:38:49.099 soon return. Because Maranatha is our watchword. 00:38:50.380 --> 00:38:53.119 When you get discouraged and things seem futile 00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:55.780 and you wonder if it's worth going on, remember 00:38:55.780 --> 00:39:00.420 our watchword, Maranatha. It's an Aramaic word 00:39:00.420 --> 00:39:04.300 that combines two words, which means, as we've 00:39:04.300 --> 00:39:06.760 said, the Lord is coming. And apparently it was 00:39:06.760 --> 00:39:11.159 a word that was used as a farewell in the early 00:39:11.159 --> 00:39:14.679 church. The Hebrews, when they would meet, would 00:39:14.679 --> 00:39:19.079 often say shalom, which means what? Peace, right. 00:39:19.239 --> 00:39:22.179 It means peace. Shalom. You hear it today. Apparently 00:39:22.179 --> 00:39:24.800 the early Christians picked that up, but they 00:39:24.800 --> 00:39:28.239 also developed this word, Maranatha. So when 00:39:28.239 --> 00:39:30.719 they would part from one another, they would 00:39:30.719 --> 00:39:36.400 say in farewell, in benediction, Maranatha. Our 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:40.519 Lord is coming. That's our hope, our blessed 00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:45.320 hope. And as we live our lives day in and day 00:39:45.320 --> 00:39:48.139 out, Whether we are in circumstances that are 00:39:48.139 --> 00:39:50.519 enjoyable or we're in circumstances that are 00:39:50.519 --> 00:39:53.559 tough, let's keep our eyes focused on that truth 00:39:53.559 --> 00:39:58.699 of Maranatha. He tells us here in these verses 00:39:58.699 --> 00:40:02.019 how we're to conduct ourselves if we expect God's 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:04.840 blessing. You know, I believe the whole book 00:40:04.840 --> 00:40:08.079 of 1 Corinthians can be boiled down to one basic 00:40:08.079 --> 00:40:13.400 statement. It is this. Obedience brings blessing. 00:40:15.260 --> 00:40:25.739 Disobedience... As we obey the word of God, God 00:40:25.739 --> 00:40:29.539 is just delighted to pour blessing and joy and 00:40:29.539 --> 00:40:32.760 fruitfulness and fullness into our lives. There's 00:40:32.760 --> 00:40:36.900 nothing he wants to do more than that. When we 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:39.619 disobey God, he has no choice but to discipline 00:40:39.619 --> 00:40:44.119 us, to educate us, to do better. He does that. 00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:48.659 It's very easy. You're in a place of obedience. 00:40:49.840 --> 00:40:52.099 If you stand back and look at your life this 00:40:52.099 --> 00:40:57.119 morning, can you honestly say, say, my life is 00:40:57.119 --> 00:41:00.039 a life of obedience. Not that you're perfect. 00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:03.179 We all sin, and when we sin, we're to confess 00:41:03.179 --> 00:41:06.000 that that's a step of obedience, too. Confess 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:09.159 our sins. But is your life one of obedience today, 00:41:09.239 --> 00:41:11.360 or is it characterized generally by the other, 00:41:11.500 --> 00:41:15.340 by disobedience? Folks, it's important to discern 00:41:15.340 --> 00:41:20.400 that. It's important to discern that. There's 00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:25.510 a story told about an engineer who was driving 00:41:25.510 --> 00:41:29.369 his train out of New York City's depot a number 00:41:29.369 --> 00:41:33.050 of years ago. He was gaining speed, and as he 00:41:33.050 --> 00:41:37.210 was heading out, somehow there was a train coming 00:41:37.210 --> 00:41:41.690 down the track in his direction. The result was 00:41:41.690 --> 00:41:45.170 the inevitable, a head -on collision between 00:41:45.170 --> 00:41:47.610 those two powerful locomotives involving all 00:41:47.610 --> 00:41:51.050 the cars of the train. The result of the tragic 00:41:51.050 --> 00:41:57.070 accident was 50 people who were killed. The engineer 00:41:57.070 --> 00:42:01.269 who was on his way out was discovered lying mostly 00:42:01.269 --> 00:42:06.230 underneath that large locomotive that he had 00:42:06.230 --> 00:42:10.230 been driving. He was mortally injured and was 00:42:10.230 --> 00:42:15.800 dying. Tears were running down his cheeks. And 00:42:15.800 --> 00:42:18.440 as he was discovered there, he reached into his 00:42:18.440 --> 00:42:22.940 pocket and pulled out a yellow paper crushed 00:42:22.940 --> 00:42:25.880 in his hand, and he handed it to somebody, and 00:42:25.880 --> 00:42:30.099 he said, Take this. This will show you that someone 00:42:30.099 --> 00:42:38.519 gave me the wrong orders. What a tragedy. My 00:42:38.519 --> 00:42:40.900 friend, God has given us the right orders here 00:42:40.900 --> 00:42:45.900 in this book. Don't take the wrong orders that 00:42:45.900 --> 00:42:48.679 the devil has for you. That'll lead you to a 00:42:48.679 --> 00:42:55.280 life wreck and tragedy. Obey the orders God gives 00:42:55.280 --> 00:43:03.000 and know his blessing. Let's pray together. And 00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:07.460 toward you. And I pray today with all of my heart 00:43:07.460 --> 00:43:11.559 that I may understand your orders for my life. 00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:14.639 And that each of us will understand what you 00:43:14.639 --> 00:43:19.280 want us to do so that we can obey. And then give 00:43:19.280 --> 00:43:23.320 us hearts willing to obey. I pray for some brother 00:43:23.320 --> 00:43:26.679 or sister in Christ today whose life is messed 00:43:26.679 --> 00:43:28.380 up and they're in a wreck because they've been 00:43:28.380 --> 00:43:32.900 following the wrong orders. Today, may there 00:43:32.900 --> 00:43:36.659 be a change of mind and heart, a repentance that 00:43:36.659 --> 00:43:38.579 will bring them to the place they ought to be, 00:43:38.699 --> 00:43:41.840 the place of obedience. where they can know the 00:43:41.840 --> 00:43:45.619 blessing that you so long to pour into that life. 00:43:47.739 --> 00:43:52.980 I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. In just a moment, 00:43:53.039 --> 00:43:55.500 we're going to sing an invitation hymn.