God's People Must Be United and Growing in Holiness
1 Corinthians 4[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, February 5th, 2012
Here is the message for this week. We are to regard God's apostles as faithful messengers of the gospel, and ourselves as those greatly blessed to have heard this good news of the cross!
Let's pray, then walk through this chapter bit by bit.
1-8 How You Should Regard Us: Faithful Stewards of Mysteries
1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
Servants literally (huperetes) means under rowers, and it referred to the lowest galley slaves; this term eventually came to refer to subordinates of some authority.
Stewards were house managers who, like Joseph did for Potiphar in Egypt, manage whatever their master puts them over (vineyards, household, finances, servants, etc) and will give an account to the master.[2]
Mysteries refers to that which is/was hidden and can only be known by divine revelation. Paul desired for the Corinthians to view them only as faithful stewards of the mysteries of God (the gospel), and servants of God. In other words, any exalting was of Christ, not men. Any respect due to apostles was certainly to be paid, but not in a worshipful manner. Judging their skills in order to compare them to others was not the point – the gospel was. The judgment these people were applying was a false, unnecessary judgment; it was a rating system of sorts. Some denominations list their pastors by rank of how big their churches are, how much they are paid, and how many they led to Christ that year. Many Christians fall into this unbiblical pragmatism while thinking they are doing right. That is far from accurate, far from necessary, far from helpful.
Human judgment didn't frighten Paul; he knew He would give an account to God for His gospel preaching and labors. In other words, the judging the Corinthians did was to set a pecking order so they might associate with which was best in their eyes. That judgment was disdainful to Paul; he wasn't against evaluation and examination, but was rather working in light of the one who offered the final and meaningful evaluation.
Beyond what is written. Paul had quoted from the OT at least five times by this point in the letter; he did so to rebuke them for their divisions, their boasting, their love of human wisdom and their disdain for God's wisdom and power. Beyond what is written by God in His word. As for the apostles, what was written wasn't too much by that point; but what Jesus had said was that the apostles were to be obedient, and to persevere in that obedience. This man-exalting evaluation is offensive to God. He will evaluate faithfulness, perseverance, and fruit at that last day!
Here Paul employs sarcasm with his questions and his statements. "For who sees anything different in you?" "What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" "Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! " In other words, you were all given the same gospel – how did you become different? What did you earn or purchase? You are blessed and rich – why do these silly divisions? So Paul ends teaches the church how they should regard the apostles. He wanted this church to consider how blessed they were to have even heard of Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection, His atonement – full atonement! – for sin! Now…
9-13 How the world regards us: Spectacles and Scum
9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless,
12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
When Paul writes 'spectacles', he may have had in mind the conquered heroes of a foreign army who were marched in chains behind the victorious general returning to Rome. These men would then provide the climactic moment to the 'games', when they were thrown into the arena to fight wild animals: the spectacle. The world disdained them to cheap death.
When Paul writes 'scum' he meant the most abject and despicable of men. The Greeks used to apply the term "katharmata" to victims sacrificed to make expiation for the people, and even to criminals who were maintained at the public expense, that on the outbreak of a pestilence or other calamity they might be offered as sacrifices to make expiation for the state.[3] The foundation of our Christian religion wasn't too noble, was it! Think about this…
The Master had it rough; He told the apostles to expect the same. John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
So let's think this through; the Savior was persecuted; the apostles were persecuted. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and the apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22:30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. So this terrible way the world treated the apostles was endured because they knew they would be with Christ in His glory forever. Have any of us been mistreated for our faith? Most pastors expect to be treated with a mild deferential respect in their community; and some are – I'm certainly treated too well in this town! I see that fading, and this type of treatment on its way in, though. How to think of the apostles, how the world thinks of the apostles, then discipleship's beauty…
14-21 Mentoring the Church
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
Be imitators of me. Paul uses this phrase often. Later in chapter 10, in Philippians 3:17 (Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.), 2 Thess 3:7-9, (You yourselves know how you ought to imitate us … but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.), and in 2 Tim 3:10-11 (10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra--which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.). This isn't arrogance, but rather a necessary element of discipleship – modeling obedience to and worship of God. Barry St. Clair defined discipleship this way years ago…
I do it.
I do it and my students are with me.
My students do it and I am with them.
My students do it.
Then of course the cycle has begun again, right? This was obviously something Paul counted on with Timothy as well, because he sent him to remind them of Paul's ways in Christ. Not just his words and doctrine; but his ways.
Humility and the Power of the Lord. This sounds like a parent who is away from home talking on the phone to the oldest child who is arguing that he isn't responsible for what the house looks like when they walk in. Let me throw this out for your consideration; the power of God isn't associated with the arrogance of men – ever.
We have a hard time reconciling power and humility together, but think of our Lord before the false tribunal; not a word uttered on His own behalf. Yet He did mention to Pilate that he only had authority he had been given. He made himself weak for us! Powerful, but humble.
Paul was this way; the power of God was in his ministry, but for God's glory, not his – and well he knew it. He was, "The chief of sinners", the "least of the apostles", the spectacle and scum. But he wasn't afraid of arrogant church members. Humility and the power of the Lord work together in a man; arrogance and God's power do not.
Though the church should regard these men as servants and faithful stewards of God's message, and though the world regarded these men as spectacles and scum, these men had the power of God to spread the message of God. Paul was one who believed God, and had seen God's power through the gospel work He had already done. He knew that these people should not mess with God's church, or challenge God's apostle. The church should have…
Humility, not arrogance.
A servant attitude, not a haughty attitude.
A gospel unity, united spirit, not a man-exalting division that divided the church!
We are to regard God's apostles as faithful messengers of the gospel, and ourselves as those greatly blessed to have heard this good news of the cross!
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
[2] Word definitions found in The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Corinthians, written by John MacArthur, © 1984 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago
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