WEBVTT 00:00:06.030 --> 00:00:08.830 We are the Lord's people and the sheep of His 00:00:08.830 --> 00:00:13.570 pasture. Let's open together to the book of 1 00:00:13.570 --> 00:00:15.949 Corinthians. So today we come to the concluding 00:00:15.949 --> 00:00:23.289 message in a series of 1 Corinthians. Today thinking 00:00:23.289 --> 00:00:28.030 about how to's for brewing Christians. Paul began 00:00:28.030 --> 00:00:30.449 his letter to the Corinthians by thanking God 00:00:30.449 --> 00:00:35.049 always for them. Now as we are studying through 00:00:35.049 --> 00:00:37.609 the book, He looked back and said, well, Paul, 00:00:37.689 --> 00:00:41.030 what was it you were so thankful for? Somebody 00:00:41.030 --> 00:00:44.090 has said if you pause to think, you'll have cause 00:00:44.090 --> 00:00:49.689 to think. Paul paused to think about the Corinthians, 00:00:49.829 --> 00:00:54.289 and he did thank God for them. But as we have 00:00:54.289 --> 00:00:57.369 seen, the letter is largely containing warning 00:00:57.369 --> 00:01:01.630 and rebuke, correction, and instruction because 00:01:01.630 --> 00:01:06.250 the church was in a difficult place. We want 00:01:06.250 --> 00:01:08.510 these to communicate difficult things, as Paul 00:01:08.510 --> 00:01:11.750 did in this letter. It is strategic to have a 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:14.430 warm closing to the letter, and I think Paul 00:01:14.430 --> 00:01:17.469 knows that. That is his intent in chapter 16. 00:01:18.750 --> 00:01:22.010 As he writes about his ministry and some of the 00:01:22.010 --> 00:01:25.909 customs of the early church, we can see beyond 00:01:25.909 --> 00:01:28.689 the first century circumstances and cultures 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:33.329 of important lessons for us. Paul wanted his 00:01:34.030 --> 00:01:38.650 his readers to grow. He had told them earlier, 00:01:38.849 --> 00:01:44.590 your babes, your carnal, and he wanted them to 00:01:44.590 --> 00:01:47.409 grow up, and so as he concludes this book, it 00:01:47.409 --> 00:01:51.650 seems to me, that he is exhorting them to grow. 00:01:52.530 --> 00:01:56.109 You see, a healthy Christian is on a growth curve. 00:01:56.950 --> 00:02:02.379 The Clintons were not. The Clintons flat or best, 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:06.780 if not on a declining curve. But a healthy Christian 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:09.419 is on a growth curve, and that's where Paul wanted 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:13.840 these folks to get. Growth is a process, we need 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:16.819 to remember that. Paul remembered that. He was 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:19.960 not being impatient with these folks. He didn't 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:22.259 expect perfection of them, but he did expect 00:02:22.259 --> 00:02:25.439 them to grow and get where they were in their 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:30.819 spiritual experience. That is true that growth 00:02:30.819 --> 00:02:33.620 comes by the Holy Spirit changing us into the 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:37.479 image of Jesus Christ. And in one sense that 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:39.860 is passive. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:43.620 On the other hand, we do not grow spiritually 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:50.159 by being passive. Spiritual growth requires hard 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:54.580 work on our part. It doesn't happen automatically. 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:58.939 to be involved in the process of looking through 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:03.520 this chapter. But that lens in view, and in front 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:05.680 of us, and viewing this chapter through that 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.740 lens, it seems to me that we observe here several 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:13.240 how -to's for growing Christians. When you're 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:16.439 trying to become a Christian, you simply receive 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.659 the gift of God, which is eternal life, through 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:25.300 Jesus Christ, our Lord, by praying. We have to 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:28.099 lay aside our own efforts and our own works to 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:31.280 receive the gift of salvation. But to grow as 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:35.639 a Christian, we must exercise discipline. And 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:40.460 we must make serious life changes. And that's 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:44.139 what Paul is in a roundabout way addressing in 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:47.400 this chapter. In order to grow as a Christian, 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:50.240 I think that we must become givers and servants. 00:03:51.310 --> 00:03:54.530 We must order our lives, pleasing to God, and 00:03:54.530 --> 00:03:58.990 change our priorities. That's our part, so that 00:03:58.990 --> 00:04:03.889 God can do His part. For verses 1 -4, it seems 00:04:03.889 --> 00:04:06.610 to me that the Apostle is talking to them and 00:04:06.610 --> 00:04:10.629 to us about how to give. Growing Christians must 00:04:10.629 --> 00:04:15.330 be givers. How to define giving to God with these 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:19.550 words? Giving to God is when I make the resources. 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:25.259 that he has given me available for his purposes. 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:29.319 Giving you guys what I make the resources he's 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:33.220 given to me available for his purposes and that's 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:35.420 what Paul is saying in verses one through four. 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:38.360 Concerning the collection of the saints as I 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:41.480 directed the other churches of Galatia, so do 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:45.399 you also. On the first day of every week let 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.759 each one of you put aside and save as he may 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.860 prosper. Now, no collections be made when I come, 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:55.939 and when I arrive, whomever you may approve, 00:04:56.180 --> 00:04:59.019 I shall send them with letters to carry your 00:04:59.019 --> 00:05:02.579 gift. To Jerusalem, if it is fitting for me to 00:05:02.579 --> 00:05:07.639 go also, they will go with me." Paul is here 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.620 instructing the Corinthians regarding a special 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:16.420 offering he wanted them to receive. Now, in the 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:19.189 instructions that Paul gives, seems to be, he 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:23.730 is also laying before all of us general practices 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:27.610 for giving. And he is telling the Corinthians 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:30.089 that the churches in Galatia are doing this. 00:05:30.129 --> 00:05:34.430 This is not an isolated set of instructions for 00:05:34.430 --> 00:05:37.930 the Corinthian church. These instructions apply 00:05:37.930 --> 00:05:40.910 to the churches in Galatia and to churches in 00:05:40.910 --> 00:05:45.279 the United States 2 ,000 years later. Paul says 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:47.259 that our getting ought to be described, first 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:50.759 of all, as habitual. He calls it here the first 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:54.139 day of the week, the time when they're assembling 00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:57.360 together. Of course, they couldn't meet on the 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.399 Sabbath any longer. They met on the first day 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.360 of the week. What Paul says here corresponds 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:06.500 to the way that people were paid in those days. 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:09.779 So they expected him on the first day of the 00:06:09.779 --> 00:06:12.149 week as they gathered together together. from 00:06:12.149 --> 00:06:16.250 the increase of that last week. Up to date, some 00:06:16.250 --> 00:06:18.930 people have paid a month in that way, and others 00:06:18.930 --> 00:06:21.649 of us have paid twice a month or once a month. 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:25.449 Some who are on sales earn commissions whenever 00:06:25.449 --> 00:06:29.649 they come in. And so the point is that as we 00:06:29.649 --> 00:06:32.810 are increased, we are to give. It's to be a habitual 00:06:32.810 --> 00:06:37.430 act on our part. But when God blesses us with 00:06:37.430 --> 00:06:40.870 increase, we habitually respond by giving back. 00:06:40.889 --> 00:06:45.589 to the Lord from that increase. Secondly, he 00:06:45.589 --> 00:06:48.870 says, our giving is to be universal. He said, 00:06:48.970 --> 00:06:52.209 but every one of you did this. And in the Corinthian 00:06:52.209 --> 00:06:54.410 church, like churches today, there were those 00:06:54.410 --> 00:06:57.209 who perhaps hadn't meant much, and there were 00:06:57.209 --> 00:07:00.930 those who had very little. Also, there's no difference. 00:07:01.670 --> 00:07:04.290 He says, every one of you ought to be involved 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:07.529 in giving. Why is that? Because it's absolutely 00:07:07.529 --> 00:07:11.370 essential for both. They will not grow until 00:07:11.370 --> 00:07:14.430 they become givers. It makes no difference what 00:07:14.430 --> 00:07:17.769 one's economic status is or what one's debt is 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:20.610 or what one's income is. The point is that we 00:07:20.610 --> 00:07:23.689 are the givers. It has to be habitual and it 00:07:23.689 --> 00:07:26.689 has to be universally practiced by all believers 00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:30.829 so that all of us may grow. Murphy says it's 00:07:30.829 --> 00:07:36.209 to be a comparable gift. It has to be proportionate 00:07:36.209 --> 00:07:40.829 as God has prospered. It has to be equitable. 00:07:41.790 --> 00:07:48.209 It has to be a gift that represents the proportion 00:07:48.209 --> 00:07:50.769 of what God has given to us. And the point is 00:07:50.769 --> 00:07:53.550 that if God has increased us with much, then 00:07:53.550 --> 00:07:56.889 we are to give much. If God has given us little, 00:07:57.050 --> 00:07:59.329 then we are out of that little nonetheless to 00:07:59.329 --> 00:08:03.670 give to Him proportionately as God has prospered. 00:08:04.110 --> 00:08:06.689 It's one of the remarkable things about the principle 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:09.930 of tithing, that that happens naturally. The 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:13.689 tithing, giving 10 % of our income is no legalistic 00:08:13.689 --> 00:08:16.670 rule, but it's a principle that God lays down 00:08:16.670 --> 00:08:19.470 in His Word, in which He has promised to bless 00:08:19.470 --> 00:08:22.790 and He does bless. It doesn't mean to limit our 00:08:22.790 --> 00:08:26.930 giving, but it's a standard. It is a goal for 00:08:26.930 --> 00:08:29.509 giving for many people. For others, it's simply 00:08:29.509 --> 00:08:32.970 a foundation and beyond that they give. But the 00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:36.710 idea is that we give as God has given to us, 00:08:36.710 --> 00:08:40.570 proportionately. Giving then is to be responsible, 00:08:40.889 --> 00:08:45.669 verse 3. Stewardship, of course, involves being 00:08:45.669 --> 00:08:49.889 careful that the gift is wisely given, and then 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:53.230 that it will be managed in an appropriate way. 00:08:54.269 --> 00:08:57.710 And so as we give what the Lord has given to 00:08:57.710 --> 00:09:02.100 us, we are not to give foolishly. We ought not 00:09:02.100 --> 00:09:05.100 to get thoughtlessly, we need to give in a responsible 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:07.559 way and know that that money that we're giving 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:11.379 to the work of the Lord is being used in a way 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:14.659 that it says is going to be used and in a way 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:19.000 that honors the Lord. Paul is concerned that 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:21.840 they appoint men who would take the gift responsibly 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.980 to Jerusalem and that he himself as well might 00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:28.820 go with their gift to Jerusalem, the word gift. 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:32.899 there comes from the word grace. It means that 00:09:32.899 --> 00:09:35.419 gracious gift. In fact, the King James Version 00:09:35.419 --> 00:09:40.220 translates it as this liberality of yours. It's 00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:42.960 the same word that Paul uses in 2 Corinthians, 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:48.440 a letter that he later writes to God and he encourages 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:53.720 them to give out of liberality to the Lord. They 00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:58.220 get a gracious gift to God, we are to give liberally. 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:02.590 Paul tells them about giving because giving is 00:10:02.590 --> 00:10:05.870 so important to Christian growth. He wants these 00:10:05.870 --> 00:10:08.750 people who are carnal, who are self -centered, 00:10:09.250 --> 00:10:12.710 and who are babes in Christ to grow, and giving 00:10:12.710 --> 00:10:15.970 is essential for them to do that. It's essential 00:10:15.970 --> 00:10:21.370 for us today too. We cannot be non -givers and 00:10:21.370 --> 00:10:25.029 grow as Christians. It's impossible. Because 00:10:25.029 --> 00:10:27.750 giving is a part of the process that God uses 00:10:27.750 --> 00:10:31.809 to change us. into the image of Jesus Christ. 00:10:33.049 --> 00:10:35.129 Well, then there's a second how -to. It all gets 00:10:35.129 --> 00:10:39.809 to verses 5 to 12. It's how to serve. It's how 00:10:39.809 --> 00:10:43.710 to serve God. It says, I shall come to you after 00:10:43.710 --> 00:10:46.149 I go through Macedonia. For I'm going through 00:10:46.149 --> 00:10:49.450 Macedonia. Perhaps I shall stay with you and 00:10:49.450 --> 00:10:52.490 even spend the winter that you may send me on 00:10:52.490 --> 00:10:56.750 my way wherever I may go. For I do not wish to 00:10:56.750 --> 00:11:00.899 see you Now, just in passing, for I hope to remain 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:04.580 with you for some time if the Lord permits. For 00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:07.179 I shall remain in emphasis until Pentecost, for 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:10.419 a wide door for effective service has opened 00:11:10.419 --> 00:11:15.120 to me, and there are many adversaries," he says. 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:18.080 But Paul here, talking about his own heart's 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:21.720 desire, is helping the Corinthians to understand, 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:25.899 and us to understand, how we can serve the Lord. 00:11:26.509 --> 00:11:30.610 The first idea is this. We must watch for open 00:11:30.610 --> 00:11:35.269 doors. If we are not going to serve the Lord, 00:11:35.389 --> 00:11:38.549 we must look for those doors that the Lord opens 00:11:38.549 --> 00:11:42.350 for us. Doors refer to opportunities. Paul uses 00:11:42.350 --> 00:11:45.049 that phrase a number of times in the sense of 00:11:45.049 --> 00:11:49.190 opportunities. Open doors help us to understand 00:11:49.190 --> 00:11:54.250 the will of God. When God presents an opportunity 00:11:54.250 --> 00:11:58.649 to us that is an open door for us, then we ought 00:11:58.649 --> 00:12:02.549 to understand that as a way to serve Him and 00:12:02.549 --> 00:12:07.190 walk through that door. Obviously when a door 00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:10.570 closes, we ought not to keep knocking on that 00:12:10.570 --> 00:12:13.370 door saying, please open up, please open up. 00:12:14.429 --> 00:12:18.389 Because God directs us in our service to the 00:12:18.389 --> 00:12:22.960 doors that He opens. Now, James tells us that 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:27.299 we may well lay plans, and we do good if we lay 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:30.179 plans for tomorrow and the rest of our lives. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:34.379 But he says that we ought also to say, if the 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:39.539 Lord wills, I will live and do this with that. 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.159 So the idea of open doors doesn't mean that we're 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:46.919 totally cast in. We just sit back and say, but 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:51.909 whatever God brings, More delay plans, more to 00:12:51.909 --> 00:12:55.730 set direction, but at the same time, that direction 00:12:55.730 --> 00:12:58.669 needs to be very pliable and we need to be watching 00:12:58.669 --> 00:13:02.350 for God's open doors. That's just not true in 00:13:02.350 --> 00:13:05.990 terms of locational decisions or in terms of 00:13:05.990 --> 00:13:09.090 marriage or those major decisions of life, but 00:13:09.090 --> 00:13:14.299 it's true just in every day things too. That 00:13:14.299 --> 00:13:16.600 conversation yesterday with Dave Woodworth is 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:18.600 in the hospital, by the way, waiting for open 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:21.600 heart surgery this week. Remember him in prayer. 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:27.179 Dave was telling me how there in the hospital 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:31.980 he looks for God to open doors for witness and 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:35.879 shared a couple of instances in which God has 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:38.639 brought people into his room or in one case he 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:42.940 was in the visitors area. and saw somebody there 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:45.700 a number of times, and just asked a question 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:48.840 which opened the door of witness, and he was 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:51.279 able to tell these folks about his faith in the 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:54.740 Lord Jesus Christ. So we just gave him an opening 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:56.500 for both the doors every day, and said, God, 00:13:56.539 --> 00:13:59.159 help me to spy you, or help me to know how you 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:03.039 want me to serve you today. It was the second 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:04.940 principle when it comes to serving the Lord, 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:09.360 that is, we're to work with others. There is 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:12.299 no Lone Ranger syndrome that we ought to have 00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:17.700 as believers. We ought to be team kinds of people. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.100 In Paul's case, he had a team. In verses 10 through 00:14:21.100 --> 00:14:26.200 12, he talks about Timothy. And he talks about 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:30.220 Apollos. And he reminds them that they're all 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:34.980 on the same team. Paul had poured his life into 00:14:34.980 --> 00:14:37.960 Timothy in particular in order to reproduce himself. 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:42.940 What a great example that is for us. We need 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:47.259 ourselves to engender attitudes that will show 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:50.179 that we're a part of the team, that we are cooperating 00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:54.419 with others, that we're not standing off by ourselves 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:58.179 and I'll just do my own thing my own way, that 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:00.580 we're holding hands with others, that we're a 00:15:00.580 --> 00:15:03.480 part of the team together. serving the Lord. 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:06.940 It's the Lord's work and you and I are on the 00:15:06.940 --> 00:15:12.379 same team. So how do we serve the Lord? Watch 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:18.320 for open doors. Work with others. Third, withstand 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.379 opposition. It's interesting to me that in the 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:25.120 midst of the blessing Paul was having in Ephesus 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:28.200 from where he wrote this letter, he says, and 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:33.909 there are many adversaries. You see, in the midst 00:15:33.909 --> 00:15:36.750 of the blessing he had, the success he had in 00:15:36.750 --> 00:15:39.789 serving God, there were those who stood against 00:15:39.789 --> 00:15:44.230 him. You and I need to understand that when we 00:15:44.230 --> 00:15:47.029 are serving the Lord, there will be opposition. 00:15:48.269 --> 00:15:51.289 There will be those who will oppose what we're 00:15:51.289 --> 00:15:54.490 doing. Now we can understand that more easily 00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:57.330 when the opposition comes from the world than 00:15:57.330 --> 00:16:00.269 when it comes from other believers. Paul had 00:16:00.269 --> 00:16:05.100 both. And we need to expect both as well. That 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:07.759 as we're serving Jesus Christ, watching for open 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.600 doors, holding hands with others, working together 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:14.500 with the spirit of oneness for the single, that 00:16:14.500 --> 00:16:17.700 there are going to be those who will oppose us. 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:20.559 And we are about to get discouraged by that. 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:24.159 Nor are we to be turned aside and diverted in 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:26.519 our service to the Lord just because somebody 00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:30.789 may not like what we're doing. We ought to withstand 00:16:30.789 --> 00:16:35.490 those who oppose us. So serving God within His 00:16:35.490 --> 00:16:37.929 plan, as we've described it here, is essential 00:16:37.929 --> 00:16:40.730 for Christian growth. Paul is wanting the Corinthians 00:16:40.730 --> 00:16:44.629 to get a glimpse of this keen idea. He wants 00:16:44.629 --> 00:16:48.009 them to begin working together rather than striving 00:16:48.009 --> 00:16:51.230 together against each other to make their destiny. 00:16:52.070 --> 00:16:54.950 And so he's telling them about himself, I'm convinced, 00:16:55.090 --> 00:16:58.740 because he wants them to see both Here's how 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:03.360 you serve the Lord. Here's how you do it. And 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:06.660 He wants them to do that because He wants them 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:10.220 to grow. If we're not serving the Lord, we're 00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:13.279 not going to grow. That's why it's so essential 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:18.940 that we learn how to serve Him. In verses 13 00:17:18.940 --> 00:17:21.480 through 18 Paul goes another step and explains 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:25.519 to them how to behave. Now we have to confess 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:28.259 that the Corinthians had some behavioral problems. 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:35.299 This family of God was not a very mature family, 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:38.460 and as a result of that they needed to be disciplined, 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:41.240 and Paul takes them to the woodshed a few times 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:45.019 in this letter. He wants to go on and explain 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:49.500 to them now how to behave. This, in some respects, 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:52.380 summarizes what he's been trying to say to them 00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:56.259 in the letter. In verse 13, he explains how they're 00:17:56.259 --> 00:17:59.799 to behave in relation to themselves. He says, 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:03.339 be of the alert, stand firm in the faith, act 00:18:03.339 --> 00:18:09.480 like men, be strong. Four quick commands. Expressing 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:12.980 to them how they're to behave in relation to 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:15.980 themselves. Be of the alert, that is, be vigilant 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:20.599 spiritually, be discerning. Don't be naive and 00:18:20.599 --> 00:18:25.339 caught up guard during kids. Stand firm in your 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:30.640 faith. Be patient. Be stable against the clever 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:33.539 strategies of the enemy to weaken and destroy 00:18:33.539 --> 00:18:38.339 you. Act like men. I guess he means be courageous 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:44.099 and grow up. Don't be wimps. Play the man. And 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:47.319 finally he says be strong. That is, be powerful 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:51.500 in your spirit through the resources of Jesus 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:57.769 Christ. Let your moral muscles be well developed. 00:18:59.230 --> 00:19:03.730 Be determined. Be strong. You and I need this 00:19:03.730 --> 00:19:07.269 reminder today. This is the kind of people we 00:19:07.269 --> 00:19:09.950 need to be in life. We need to behave this way 00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:13.210 in relation to ourselves. Secondly, explain to 00:19:13.210 --> 00:19:15.589 us a bit of how to behave in relation to others. 00:19:16.250 --> 00:19:20.150 Verse 14. Let all that you do be done in love. 00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:24.470 In relation to others, the word love is the key. 00:19:24.089 --> 00:19:29.509 key word. Love is the key grace of the Christian's 00:19:29.509 --> 00:19:32.509 life. Love is the evidence of the fullness of 00:19:32.509 --> 00:19:36.950 the Holy Spirit. In the light of love, Paul is 00:19:36.950 --> 00:19:41.509 saying, you examine your deeds. In the light 00:19:41.509 --> 00:19:44.710 of love, and he's used the whole chapter in this 00:19:44.710 --> 00:19:48.109 book to talk to us about what love means, chapter 00:19:48.109 --> 00:19:52.609 13, he applies it in a whole other chapter, chapter 00:19:52.609 --> 00:19:56.519 8. So Paul is reminding them of a lot of what 00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:01.259 I've said about love. Examine your words. Look 00:20:01.259 --> 00:20:07.160 at your motives. In verse 24, he reminds them 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:10.900 of his own love for them when he says, My love 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:14.059 be with you all in Christ Jesus. Paul needed 00:20:14.059 --> 00:20:17.599 to remind them he loved them because he said 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:21.039 some tricky hard things to them in this life. 00:20:21.619 --> 00:20:26.289 You see, love. is what ought to govern our relationship 00:20:26.289 --> 00:20:31.329 to others. And then in relation to their leaders, 00:20:31.970 --> 00:20:35.509 verses 15 through 18, he tells them that they 00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:38.730 ought to be in subjection to their leaders and 00:20:38.730 --> 00:20:41.890 acknowledge them, that is, recognize them and 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:45.890 respect them. Notice he says, I urge you brethren, 00:20:46.950 --> 00:20:51.210 verse 16, that you also be in subjection to such 00:20:51.210 --> 00:20:56.190 men. and to everyone who helps in the work and 00:20:56.190 --> 00:20:59.750 labors. And who's he talking about? He's talking 00:20:59.750 --> 00:21:04.009 about the household of Stephanos, the first converts 00:21:04.009 --> 00:21:08.589 that he had in that area of Achaia. He says they've 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:12.869 devoted themselves for ministry to the saints, 00:21:13.150 --> 00:21:16.910 what the word devote means. It means they've 00:21:16.910 --> 00:21:25.559 addicted themselves. We have addiction, and it's 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:30.339 addiction to serving other people. But Paul says 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:32.500 that they're apparently leaders, and he says 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:36.059 he has objection to these people. And he says 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:38.779 of ourselves, now rejoice over the coming of 00:21:38.779 --> 00:21:42.019 Stephanus, who fortunate is the campus. Those 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:45.380 were apparently the ones who brought this litter 00:21:45.380 --> 00:21:49.750 of questions to Paul from the Corinthians. He 00:21:49.750 --> 00:21:52.150 says, They have supplied what was lacking on 00:21:52.150 --> 00:21:56.170 your part. They have refreshed my spirit and 00:21:56.170 --> 00:22:02.630 yours. Therefore acknowledge such men. His people, 00:22:02.630 --> 00:22:06.289 the Polavians here, in the Word of God, are people 00:22:06.289 --> 00:22:11.670 who were known for service and loving care. They 00:22:11.670 --> 00:22:15.049 were addicted to serving. They were people who 00:22:15.049 --> 00:22:18.740 refreshed others. You know there are some people 00:22:18.740 --> 00:22:21.980 that you hear around and you just are refreshed 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:25.940 by them. You come away from that time of conversation 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:29.880 or time of fellowship and you feel uplifted by 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:34.079 it. There are others who are like a January night 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:38.099 draining the energy from the battery of your 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:41.640 car. You know the kind of people I mean. And 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:44.539 you come away from this, I just feel so dead 00:22:44.539 --> 00:22:50.079 on some drain. We run into different kinds, and 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:52.539 we even minister to people where they are, okay? 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:57.299 And there are some that are just in need of draining 00:22:57.299 --> 00:23:01.799 you for a while. But the point is that God wants 00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:04.220 us to be the kind that people have refreshed 00:23:04.220 --> 00:23:08.220 others, that encourage and lift up others, charge 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:13.259 them up. And it says, be it's objection to people 00:23:13.259 --> 00:23:16.940 like that, acknowledge and recognize them. Growing 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:20.220 Christians have learned how to order their lives 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:23.519 according to the relationships that Paul describes 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:29.160 here. They know how to behave themselves in relation 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:32.460 to others, in relation to leaders that God puts 00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:35.640 into their lives. And because they have learned 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:39.099 how to order their lives to rank themselves in 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:42.299 this way, they're just growing. You can't keep 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:45.759 people like that from not growing. It just happens. 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:50.119 God blesses this kind of a spirit. And then in 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:53.720 verses 19 to 24 he talks about how to do church. 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:58.480 How to do church. I know that doesn't sound very 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:01.119 pulpit -like, but I didn't know how else to put 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:04.119 it. We talk about how to do lunch, you know you 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:06.559 want to do lunch, we're going to talk about how 00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:10.160 to do church. Paul says in the first place with 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:12.980 regard to how to do church, we're to go with 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:17.680 loving respect for other fellowships. Four times 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:21.299 in these verses, he uses the word greet. The 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:24.640 churches of Asia greet you. Poland, Prussia greet 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:27.579 you, hardly in the Lord. But the church that 00:24:27.579 --> 00:24:30.440 is in their house, all the brethren greet you, 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:34.900 greet one another with a holy kiss. That's that 00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:37.680 kiss that we still see today practiced in only 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:41.079 a few countries. It's a greeting of love and 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:44.839 respect. Paul is saying here that we are too. 00:24:44.990 --> 00:24:49.650 have a loving respect for other fellowships. 00:24:50.089 --> 00:24:52.529 These churches in Asia, the Church of the Golden 00:24:52.529 --> 00:24:57.289 facade, the other church that he mentions, are 00:24:57.289 --> 00:25:00.630 to greet one another, and do greet one another. 00:25:01.250 --> 00:25:05.230 And here's the point. You and I live in a community 00:25:05.230 --> 00:25:10.359 of many churches. There are some churches that 00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:13.700 do not love our Lord Jesus Christ and do not 00:25:13.700 --> 00:25:16.299 preach the Word of God. I am not talking about 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:20.680 them dating these things, even if they have Christian 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:24.960 beyond them. But I am talking about those churches 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:28.599 who love our Lord Jesus Christ and who do love 00:25:28.599 --> 00:25:32.779 His Word. And we may differ with them in some 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:36.619 of God's essentials. It may be over the mode 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:40.079 of baptism. or it may be regarding some of the 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:43.480 gifts of the Spirit, there may be other non -essential 00:25:43.480 --> 00:25:46.140 things about which we have differences, but here's 00:25:46.140 --> 00:25:49.500 the point. If we're going to grow as Christians, 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:54.700 we have to lovingly respect other believers in 00:25:54.700 --> 00:25:58.519 other churches, who may see things a little differently 00:25:58.519 --> 00:26:02.259 than we do. I'm a little embarrassed to say this, 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.359 but folks, I cast her to church one time, for 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:14.839 a brief time. And the folks of that church had 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:19.640 been taught by my predecessors that only they 00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:22.380 and one other church and the whole mental flex 00:26:22.380 --> 00:26:27.019 of Dallas -Port Worth were their churches. Now 00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:29.220 it's too bad they believed that, but they didn't 00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:32.980 believe that. And so when I went there... I can't 00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:34.980 debate it. I asked them, are there any other 00:26:34.980 --> 00:26:37.799 good churches in this area? There is not a good 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:42.880 church for miles. And they were lying to me. 00:26:43.819 --> 00:26:46.359 And I wasn't smart enough to press the subject. 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:50.400 They told me what they thought was the truth. 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:53.700 There were good churches all over the place. 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:57.319 Within a mile of where they were, they didn't 00:26:57.319 --> 00:27:05.440 even know they existed. and respect those churches 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:10.460 around us who love the Lord Jesus. God bless, 00:27:10.859 --> 00:27:16.380 praise Him. Secondly, there too, do church with 00:27:16.380 --> 00:27:20.640 loyal affection for Christ. In verse 22, he says, 00:27:20.799 --> 00:27:24.119 if anyone does not love the Lord, let him be 00:27:24.119 --> 00:27:28.619 accursed. That is strong language. Let him be 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:34.369 damned, is what Paul says. There to have a loyal 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:37.269 affection for Christ, if anyone does not love 00:27:37.269 --> 00:27:40.750 our Lord, the word love here is a very low word 00:27:40.750 --> 00:27:45.089 for love, it's not the word of God, God we kind 00:27:45.089 --> 00:27:48.349 of love, it's the word for kissing, or the word 00:27:48.349 --> 00:27:53.109 for brotherly love, that kiss on the cheek. Paul 00:27:53.109 --> 00:27:55.789 says if someone does not have a loyal affection 00:27:55.789 --> 00:27:58.829 to our Lord Jesus Christ, then let him be accursed. 00:27:59.529 --> 00:28:02.509 The point is that if we're going to grow as believers, 00:28:03.490 --> 00:28:07.549 we need to do church with a loyal affection for 00:28:07.549 --> 00:28:13.430 Jesus. I'm reminded of what Jesus was seeking 00:28:13.430 --> 00:28:18.849 of the churches in Asia Minor, and the letter 00:28:18.849 --> 00:28:22.130 that he wrote to one church where he said, this 00:28:22.130 --> 00:28:25.230 I have against you. You have all these good things 00:28:25.230 --> 00:28:35.900 going on, but you have left your first. That 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:39.400 loyal affection for Jesus had evaporated somehow, 00:28:40.259 --> 00:28:42.400 in the midst of their first century of healing. 00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:45.380 And they were going through all the motions, 00:28:45.579 --> 00:28:48.059 doing all the right things, but they didn't love 00:28:48.059 --> 00:28:50.359 Jesus. And I tell you something, if there's anything 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:54.940 that we need to be afraid of in our day, in prosperous 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:59.380 America, it's this. That we should be going through 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:02.779 all the motions and doing the right things, but 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:07.329 do not have a loyal affection. Jesus Christ. 00:29:07.589 --> 00:29:09.470 And Paul's words here are very strong. It's just 00:29:09.470 --> 00:29:13.650 the Word of God ought to be damned if he doesn't 00:29:13.650 --> 00:29:18.390 have a loyal affection for Jesus. Another cause 00:29:18.390 --> 00:29:21.069 of all of us is to stop and examine our hearts 00:29:21.069 --> 00:29:27.430 and say, Lord, Lord, my love is out to me. Because 00:29:27.430 --> 00:29:31.349 you see how you and I love Jesus collectively. 00:29:32.250 --> 00:29:36.589 It's how our church loves Jesus. And then finally 00:29:36.589 --> 00:29:38.990 he says that we ought to do church with longing 00:29:38.990 --> 00:29:42.730 expectation for the return of Jesus. I see that 00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:46.990 in the simple word, paranatha, which is two Aramaic 00:29:46.990 --> 00:29:51.230 words that probably mean simply the Lord is coming. 00:29:52.490 --> 00:29:54.849 Paul wants the Corinthians to remember that the 00:29:54.849 --> 00:29:59.130 Lord is coming. How do you do church? Keeping 00:29:59.130 --> 00:30:03.109 your eyes upward. Because that one hymn that 00:30:03.109 --> 00:30:06.019 we sang this morning focused on the coming of 00:30:06.019 --> 00:30:09.960 our Lord and thanksgiving Him. We are to do a 00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:14.519 church looking for Jesus to return. Well, here's 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:17.359 a church that had attitude problems, that had 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:19.900 lifestyle problems, that had doctrinal errors 00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:24.519 in it. Paul says, I thank God for you. And just 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:27.359 before I close, I want to remind you, you need 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:31.859 to be growing. And if you're going to be growing, 00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:35.849 here are some how -tos. You need to be givers. 00:30:37.490 --> 00:30:39.430 You need to be servants. You need to know how 00:30:39.430 --> 00:30:43.930 to serve the Lord. You need to have your relationships 00:30:43.930 --> 00:30:47.710 and your attitudes right. You need to be getting 00:30:47.710 --> 00:30:51.930 together and doing church in the right way. And 00:30:51.930 --> 00:30:54.250 if you're doing those things, then the Lord is 00:30:54.250 --> 00:30:56.529 going to be free to be working powerfully in 00:30:56.529 --> 00:30:59.950 your life and bringing you out of your infancy 00:30:59.950 --> 00:31:07.240 into spiritual adulthood. Only that being our 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:11.220 hearts desire. Press on. Press on to serve the 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:14.700 Lord. Growing as a Christian is not an option. 00:31:15.579 --> 00:31:19.119 The only alternative to it is carnality and loss 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:22.839 of your true potential. It is the robbing of 00:31:22.839 --> 00:31:26.920 God of His glory and so press on to grow in your 00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:33.430 faith. Let's pray together. Oh God, I pray that 00:31:33.430 --> 00:31:35.890 every one of us will be motivated by what Paul 00:31:35.890 --> 00:31:40.430 says in this last chapter to grow, and not to 00:31:40.430 --> 00:31:43.690 allow ourselves to sink into the kind of mess 00:31:43.690 --> 00:31:47.609 that the Corinthians were in, but to press on 00:31:47.609 --> 00:31:51.329 in the upward way and gain new heights every 00:31:51.329 --> 00:31:55.869 day. Lord, lead us on, I pray, to higher ground, 00:31:57.670 --> 00:32:09.710 and may we grow and be like Jesus. and all the 00:32:09.710 --> 00:32:15.130 best people say. Amen. And so we close the book 00:32:15.130 --> 00:32:19.210 and we close this service of gratitude for you 00:32:19.210 --> 00:32:22.329 and we wish that your Thanksgiving will be a 00:32:22.329 --> 00:32:24.309 very happy one. God bless you.