Okay guys, so 1 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning in verse 1, let a man sow account of us as
of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. So Paul is continuing
from the previous chapter referring to himself of Polys and Cephas here. Here the phrase
to account of means to hold in esteem or to value. So he's saying let a man sow hold us
in esteem or value us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of
God. So he's saying that if people want to value them, then it should be as the ministers
of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. So this is a difference between hero
worshipping a man or valuing them as a servant of Christ, so comparing what they say to scripture.
So there is a difference, isn't there, like we've talked about and obviously I don't want
to rehash everything for the last few weeks, but when we're listening to men of God, when
we're putting them up there on a pedestal, it should be as servants of Christ, as stewards,
as ministers of Christ and not just putting it up there because they're a great character,
they're a great personality, they make me laugh, whatever it is. Praise God there's
some people that are funny and have some other great attributes and obviously are great stewards
of the mysteries of God. But we've got to compare it by scripture, don't we? Now Paul,
as we saw before, people were arguing and they were becoming these disagreements in
the church over one was of Apollos, one was of Paul, one was of Cephas. Now he's saying
to them, account us as the ministers of Christ, the stewards of the mysteries of God. Now
he says in verse 2, moreover it is required his stewards that a man be found faithful.
What does faithful mean? Well there's a few meanings of it. Number one, firm in adherence
to the truth and to the duties of religion. Number two is firmly adhering to duty of true
fidelity, loyal, true to allegiance as a faithful subject. And number three, constant in the
performance of duties or services, exact in attending to commands as a faithful servant.
So to look after, as a steward this is, to manage the things of God, you need to be faithful.
And it sounds pretty obvious, doesn't it? It sounds pretty simple. But only people
desire, for example, the office of the bishop, or desire roles in churches, or even just
want to be a great soul winner or whatever it is. But they're not, you couldn't describe
them as faithful. You couldn't describe them as faithful. Look again at faithful, so firm
in adherence to the truth and the duties of religion. And that's not for the last few
weeks, for the last couple of months. There should be a track record of it. The bottom
one there, exact in attending to commands as a faithful servant. If you can't follow
what the word of God tells you to do, yes and I know there's none righteous, none of
us are perfect, but you should be trying your utmost. You should be, at least from the outside,
people should be looking at you saying, look that guy is clearly faithful. That's a faithful
servant of God. And that's what Paul's saying here, to require his students that a man be
found faithful. In the same way, of a steward of anything, if you run a company and you
want someone to manage your business for you, manage your company, you're going to make
sure they're faithful, aren't you? I'm going to be someone that, well I'm a bit unsure
about, not sure if I really trust that person, not sure if they seem to be a little bit too
obsessed with money, or a little bit too obsessed with something else, or don't know if I really
quite have their loyalty. No, they need to be faithful. And same here, if we want God,
and I would say here as well, when he says here, he says, as the ministers of Christ,
the students are the mysteries of God, and there are more mysteries of God. We talked
about the Gospel, the Gospel is a mystery of God, but there are other mysteries, aren't
there? We saw that in chapter 2 verse 7 about the Gospel being a mystery, but there are
other mysteries. For example, we said before, just off the top of the head, because I was
quoting it today, is 1 Timothy 3.16, Rachel is a mystery of goodness, God was manifest
in the flesh, is a mystery of God. But there are many other mysteries, and if we want to
understand scripture and we want to grow, we need to be faithful. Don't expect to understand
those things if you can't be faithful. OK, verse 3, but with me, it is a very small thing
that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment, yeah, I judge not my known self,
for I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judges me is
the Lord. OK, so we've got that word that a lot of non-believing so-called Christians
love to use, the old judge word, don't they? Judge not, judge not, you know, I'm not going
to judge anyone, judge, you know, don't judge this, don't judge that. But what Paul's talking
about here, he's saying it's no big deal to him how they or anyone else
esteems him or compares him to others. This is a context he's talking about here, he's
not saying, oh, we don't judge anyone, judge not, judge not, all that sort of thing, no,
he's saying that it's no big deal to him how they or anyone else esteems him, he's saying
it's a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment. Remember the
context was about comparing them, was arguing about who was the greatest, Cephas, which
is obviously Simon Peter, Paul, Apollos, so he's saying it's no big deal to them, he's
no big deal to him how they or anyone else esteems him or compares him to others. In
fact, he doesn't compare himself, so he's not comparing himself. And again, is it that
obvious? Shouldn't we not not be comparing ourselves to others and trying to, in our
minds, oh, I'm a better Christian than that one, I'm a better woman of God, maybe, than
that person, I'm a better mum, I'm a better Christian role model, or whatever it is, I'm
a better soul winner, we shouldn't be doing that. Paul's saying he doesn't do that, we
should be doing that, we should be comparing ourselves like that. What are we comparing
ourselves to, description? That's what we should be comparing ourselves to, he says
here, because what do we really know? So he says here, but I know nothing by myself, what
do we really know? Yet am I not hereby justified that he that judges me is the Lord? So it's
how God sees us, that's what's important, how God sees us. And again, it sounds obvious,
but I think we can all say at times, you're going to go away from that, aren't you? You're
going to start comparing yourself to other people, looking at others, and probably across,
I think men and women alike, but men, there's that rivalry stuff, and I don't know, it's
probably just in the flesh, there's things in life that make men more like that, but
they're comparing stuff, the rivalry, they're trying to be the best and everything else,
and it's wicked, that's got nothing to do with it. How does God see you? How are you
working for God? That's what we should be focusing on. Verse 5 says, Therefore judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things
of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have
praise of God. So we talked about this last week, and it's at the judgment seat of Christ,
when we will really see who are the great men and great women of God. That's when it's
really going to become manifest, what really people have done, and God's the only one
that can really, really value it properly, and knows exactly what our motivations are
for doing things, because people can put on a good hat, can't they? People can look like
the holiest person, and what a great man or woman of God they are, but God knows where
the heart is. Is that person really just trying to look like the best man? He's just really
competitive, trying to be the best person in the church. Maybe that lady just really
just wants to try and prove her godliness to everyone else. Maybe that's the reason
people are reading the Bibles, is really they study their Bible and they're on it a lot,
but really it's just to show her how knowledgeable they are, to be the best person, to be the
most knowledge. And it shouldn't be like that, and you're not getting rewards for that.
At the judgment seat of Christ, I was reading the Bible five hours a day. Yeah, five hours
a day, so that you can lord it over other people and constantly try and show them your
knowledge. That's not what God wants. God wants a pure heart. God wants us to do it
for the right reasons. So here Paul is saying that as well as bringing to light the hidden
things of darkness, notice that he says who both will bring to light the hidden things
of darkness. I'm a bit unsure if you know, I think there you could look at that, that
as well, Jesus, what we bring to light, the evil, the wicked things, but this is talking
about the believers, he says both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and
will manifest the counsel of the hearts, and then shall only man have praise of God. Or
maybe it's just talking about those things that people don't know about, the hidden things
of darkness. I think from scripture that's talking about evil things, but not with us.
At the judgment seat of Christ, Christ is not going to be going through everything,
through everything bad that we've done, because if he did, the end of this verse wouldn't
make sense. And then shall every man have praise of God. Because I'll tell you what,
I know I'm not getting praise of God for all the wickedness, and for all the sin and
everything else. So that's, them hidden things of darkness, they're not about us
there, or if they are, it's just about quiet things. And when you compare it with
everywhere else in scripture, we know for sure, which we know we're not having our
sin brought in remembrance to Christ, otherwise that time in heaven is not going to be that
great, is it? I know it's going to be a great time if you're up there going through
every sin you've ever done and everything you've ever thought.
Okay, verse six. Verse six.
And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to
Apollos for your sakes, that you might learn in us not to think of men above that
which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
So what does he mean here when he says in a figure transferred? So he's using himself
in Apollos as a representative or example for their own good.
So he's saying he's showing you by them, because this truth applies to them too,
doesn't it? It applies to the Corinthians. So, because he says here that you might
learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be
puffed up for one against another. Because it does apply to them, because they're all
stewards of the mysteries of God as well. Now, they might not reach the kind of
greatness in other people's eyes of himself and Apollos, but it's an example
for all of us, and he hopes that they will, and he prays that they will, but we shouldn't,
we shouldn't at whatever level. And so the same as I, you know, I said this
as a comparison to some of the pictures we listen to, where we shouldn't be comparing them
with each other and sort of comparing them and saying, well, I'm of this one and that one's
better than this one and everything else. I mean, God ultimately is going to judge him,
judge him by the word of God, sure, in the same way we should be doing it with ourselves.
And that's what he's saying, he's saying he's in a figure transferred to myself, to Apollos
for your sakes, these things. Okay.
We shouldn't be lifting men above what the word of God says, and it sounds obvious,
but I would say, I would say probably quite a few people here, and again, not that I'm thinking of anyone
off the top of my head, have, have, and probably still do, will put men on a much higher
penalty than I should. And it's easy, we've heard some
terrible, if anyone's heard any preaching in this country, it's pretty terrible and possible, isn't it?
So then when you hear good preaching, it's easy to just make these people, these sort of
idols in your mind, these great, and again, like I said, if it's by the word of God, great.
And this happens as well with pastors' wives.
And I've seen this amongst where you have women who are literally almost hero-worshipping pastors' wives.
And they, you know, this is actually, I heard a little bit on this
recently as well, but where is it, where is it in the Bible that a pastor's
wife should be teaching other people? I don't really
see that. I don't see that. And you get that. And I'm
not sure about that. And you get, and because we want, it's hard because we're in a
country where there's hardly anyone that we can look up to as a role model. You go to
churches and you're looking at these people thinking, wow. And so it's really hard.
So you want someone that you can look up to. But it should be, it should be in the word of God.
It should be, we should be looking, we should be reflecting ourselves by the word of God and not
looking at whatever a pastor's wife, well, she does this, but she says that, so I'm going to do that. That's not how we should, because
when you do that, you're going to have a problem because they are, they're sinful. They're people.
Now, like I said, judging by the word of God, but what does the word of God say about people?
Well, let's have a look at Romans 3.
Romans chapter 3 verse 9.
What then? Are we better than they? No, in no ways. For we have before proved both
Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous,
no, not one. There is none that understand it. There is none that see felt good. They're all gone out of the way.
They are together become unfathomable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is
an open sepulcher, with their tongues ever used to see. The poison of asps is under their
lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood,
destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God
before their eyes. Now, I'm not talking about people now, but that's what's in people,
isn't it? That's what's in sinful people. So do you want to put people up on a pedestal
or should we be comparing ourselves to Jesus Christ and to the word of God? And people do it as well with prophets, don't they?
And again, there's clear times where the Bible is giving you commands and it's the
narrator talking about it. A lot of the time people will take something that a character in the Bible has done
and use that as an example of how they should live and it's wrong. And we shouldn't be doing that, but we shouldn't be doing that with
Christians in that we know one, listen to her or anything else. It has to be by the word of God.
And that's what you're saying here. OK, and praise God. It's the grace of God, isn't it, that we're not,
that we actually have an ability to rise above that, really, because we are wicked
and we are. It's easy to forget. It's easy to puff ourselves up. It's easy to compare ourselves with all these useless churches
and most of them are just full of unsaved people. It's easy to compare ourselves to the world
and think that we're somehow these great people, but we're not. It's thanks to the grace of God
and yeah, I'm not going to go the other way. We're literally all discussing. No, God does value us.
He does value us. And the more you live for God, the more you try and follow his commandments. That's a great thing to do.
But don't forget who we really are and say when you're looking at people, when you're following people,
it's got to be, you've got to judge it by the word of God. Don't put them on this sort of where they can't say anything wrong
just because they preach well, they preach good sermons and, you know, they're the wife of someone that
preaches well or something else, OK? OK, verse seven.
For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what has thou that thou didst not receive?
Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory? As if thou hadst not received it.
OK, there's some great truths in these questions, aren't there? So who maketh thee to differ?
Well, that's God, isn't it? God makes us to differ. Have a look at Jeremiah chapter one.
And verse five.
Jeremiah chapter one, verse five. Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee,
and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Now talk to Jeremiah here. He said he formed him in the belly. He formed him.
God knows us, God forms us. He knows us before we're formed.
And it's God that makes us to differ from each other. Have a look at Isaiah 44.
Just back a little bit in your Bibles. Isaiah chapter 44 and verse 24.
Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb,
I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alike,
that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.
Now God's formed us, God's made us. It all comes from God, doesn't it?
He makes us unique too. How boring would it be if all the same? We're all unique, we're all individuals.
And yes, some of that goes in line with certain characteristics, traits of our mothers and fathers as well.
But the reason that we're different is because of God.
Now it goes on to say, and what has thou that thou didst not receive?
So it all comes from God. By the way, sometimes, and it's something I thought about a while back as well,
if it all comes from God, how do you get these wicked, wicked people?
And why do all the, and not just unsaved, but there's some pretty evil people that end up with children, don't they?
I think Matthew 5 answers that. If you go to Matthew chapter 5, in verse 44.
But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which is likely to use you and persecute you.
You may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, but he maketh his Son to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
So God allows them, he allows them to still live life, and he allows them to have some of the blessings of life
and some of the not so good things of life. But ultimately it does all come back to God,
and he has formed us, he has allowed us, he's made us, he's known us before we do.
So why then? Because if, again he said, and what has thou that thou didst not receive?
Why then do we get so puffed up and so full of ourselves in certain things where we feel we're better than others?
And what have you got that, it says here, and what has thou that thou didst not receive?
You received it, and now whether or not, if you want to believe, well actually most of it came from my parents, my upbringing, whatever else, that's not you, you received it.
You received it, none of it's you.
So why do we get so full of ourselves about certain things we have, certain ways we are and everything else?
Well, have a look at John 3 and 27, the Gospel of John, chapter 3 and verse 27.
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except to be given him from heaven.
So God's given us what we have, God's given us what we have.
It comes from heaven, it comes really ultimately from God.
Yet we do, we can all do it, we can all get prideful about ways we are, prideful about our families or money or intelligence or whatever it is, beauty, looks, you name it.
And it's wicked really, because the Bible says, well God makes you different from another, you don't have anything that you did not receive.
Now if thou didst receive it, why does thou glory as if thou didst not receive it?
Doing glory, when someone gives you a present, he's like, I'm so great because I've got this great present, I've got this great Christmas present, look at me everyone.
Well if you do, that's pretty sad, but you should have, should you?
Look at Romans 9.
Romans 9 and verse 20.
Neighbor, O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing form say to him that formed it? Why is thou naming us?
Have not the potter power over the clay, or of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
So God, God is the one isn't he? God forms you, who are we to question that as well?
He's made us the way we are, we should try and take that glory, why does thou glory as if thou didst not receive it?
And it is quite a bizarre trend really isn't it? It is a bizarre trend and you see it, and there is again, I don't want to keep just blaming everything on society, you see it a lot in the world, you probably always have.
Or this I'm the greatest, I'm the best, you see it in sports, you see it in popular, you know, whatever it is.
People are, there's just this kind of massive arrogance, this pridefulness, and most of the time they're just that, you know, they're just children of the devil anyway aren't they these people?
But you see it a lot in this kind of prideful way, and we've got to really make sure that we don't come across like, that we don't be like that, we don't have that in our heart, let alone have it come across.
And chapter, just back to 1 Corinthians, but chapter 131, as it says, an according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
And that's what we should be glorying in, glorying in the fact that you know the Lord, you know him and understand him, that should be what we glory in.
And not glorying is so great because of that, just praise God, you know, God is the one we should be glorying about, not ourselves.
Right, verse 8 in 1 Corinthians, now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us, and I would to God ye degrade, that we also might reign with you.
So the Corinthians seem to be having a good time with it, don't they, at this point?
And Paul now, in the next few verses, he highlights how it's the opposite for him, doesn't he?
So verse 9, he says, For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last, as it were, appointed to death, for we have made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ, we are weak, but ye are strong, ye are honourable, but we are despised.
Even unto this present hour we might hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place, and labour, working with our own hands,
being reviled we bless, being persecuted we suffer it, being defamed we entreat, we are made as a filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
Being an apostle, definitely a tough job, eh? That sounded like too much fun.
But it was really, I mean, they were blessed, they were, you know, like I said, they were stewards of the mysteries of God, and you know what, I bet not one of them would have changed it for the world.
And verse 9, just have a look at verse 9 now.
For I think that God has set forth us, the apostles last, as it were, appointed to death, for we have made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
So Paul specifically definitely went through it. Just have a quick look at 2 Corinthians 11.
And verse 23.
So this is Paul talking here, and he's talking about these people that are glorying after themselves, and he says, look, I'm going to show you a bit about myself.
He said, are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool.
He's speaking in their way of boasting.
In perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Wow. So he definitely, definitely went through a lot, didn't he, Paul? He went through some great tribulation there.
And beside those things, he says at the end there, beside all those things that we just read about, that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
And I think that's probably the greatest thing at the end there, isn't it? And you see Paul getting emotional. He's warning them with tears about false brethren coming in.
I think at the end of Acts he's talking about that. And that probably is the worst thing he has to deal with, is knowing he's part of his church and knowing just what's going to happen and what is happening, with all these just wicked people coming in.
And listen, you know, just quickly on that, you know, on one hand it's not that we all want to be sitting here all like, you know, really suspicious of each other, but on the other, just be sure that there are going to be, there are, if this, you know, if we can keep going and I think that we, you know, as long as we do things out, God wants, his church is going to keep going, isn't it?
We are going to have, we're going to have people coming in, we're going to have people whispering, we're going to have people trying to lead people away, trying to lead their own little faction, trying to do things for themselves, trying to start to whisper false teachings here and it's going to come.
Now I'm not saying anyone here is doing that, I know they're not, because otherwise I'd be putting them to one side and talking to them, but, and I'm not saying anyone will do that, and the people here, but it will happen. For sure, if it doesn't happen, then we're doing something wrong as a church. So it is definitely going to happen.
And we, you know, and that's, that for us, that's something that we have to be aware of. Yeah, we're not going to, it's not that we're going to catch everyone, it's not that you're just going to get, like we've heard many times, Judas did three and a half years with no one cocking him, didn't he?
Even at the end, the one that I bit the sock into, you know, they're still like, what is it? Just can't work it out, he's giving it to him as well. And, you know, they had no idea.
And, and I'm not saying, oh, we were just, you're going to have to work it out, oh, we're lucky we're all devil hunters, you know, we're going to get them. No, but what I am saying is it is going to, and you just need to be aware that there will be people at some point in this church trying to teach you false things, trying to lead you away, trying to discredit the leadership, trying to discredit the people,
trying to cause problems, trying to whisper, trying to make it alright, but you know, they've got this wrong and, you know, whatever it is, it's going to come, it's going to come.
And by all means, you know, myself preaching, I should be judged by scripture and I've got no problem with someone coming up to me and talking to me about, oh, I'm not so sure about that, can you show me why you thought that or that, that's fine, I'm up here, that's why I'm here, you know, that should happen.
But if people are whispering to you about me, or whispering to you about our pastor, Pastor Thompson, or any of that, then you should mark that person, because that's wicked, because we don't need that, because it's a hard enough job anyway, being the one biblical church in this country.
But anyway, so that was a concern of Paul's. Now, in verse 10, he says, we are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ. We are weak, but ye are strong. Ye are honourable, but we are despised.
Now why are the Corinthians here seemingly popular compared with the apostles? Now, maybe, maybe it's no coincidence that this is a carnal church, isn't it?
This is a carnal church, and at this point when he's writing to them, he's rebuking them a lot in this letter to the Corinthians. They're nowhere near, nowhere near how God wants them, therefore no persecution.
Like these churches, these are the few churches left in this country that receive absolutely no persecution, because, oh, they're nice people, oh, they're pretty knowledgeable people, oh, he's a nice pastor, that one, and yeah, they're a good bunch and everything else.
For me, from the Bible, that sounds like they're a failing church, when people are looking at you like that. And I think that's the deal with the Corinthians there.
What does it say in the Bible? Well, in 2 Corinthians 3 verse 12, 2 Timothy, sorry, 2 Timothy 3 verse 12,
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. They shall suffer persecution. If you're living godly in Christ Jesus, you will suffer it.
Now, I'm not saying you're going to suffer it every minute of the day, it might be in seasons, and it might be that the devil will flee for a while, and it might be that maybe you're not suffering, you're thinking,
well, I'm trying to live godly, but it's going to happen, it's going to come, but it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing, and we will grow, we will get strong from it.
Have a look at Matthew 5, Matthew chapter 5, and from verse 10, Matthew 5, 10,
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revive you and persecute you, and shall save all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets, which were before you.
I think we looked at that last week as well. But blessed, blessed happy, you're being blessed. Persecution is a good thing.
You know the closer you are in the storm you are with God, the more we should be, we're told to rejoice in it, aren't we? We should be rejoicing, being happy. Praise God.
And that's the frame of mind we need to get into, because as a church going out soul-winning, as a church preaching the truth, preaching the Bible, it's going to happen, and we need to get our heads around that, and be like, look, I'm looking forward to that.
Bring on the persecution, and bring on the rewards in heaven for it, and that's how we want to be.
And it's during persecution that we grow. Have a look at Romans 5.
We want to grow, don't we? We want to grow. Romans 5, verse 3.
Romans 5, verse 3.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
So we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience. It does, doesn't it?
The more you're going through tough times, the more you go through tribulation, persecution, it teaches you to be patient, because God does eventually, he answers, he answers in a, sometimes it can take a little while, but he will answer, and it does end in the end,
and the more you go through things, the more your patience improves, because we're an impatient bunch, aren't we? We are.
There's people just in general. We're impatient, and it's something that the Word of God, it's something that the Christian life teaches you is patience,
and the more you go through things, the more you can start to remind yourself, yeah, last time he did answer, it does get better, it will end.
It will end, so it works out patience. Then with that patience, you're getting the experience, aren't you? You're being able to look back on past things and go, no, things will get better.
You're looking back on times when it's been hard, times when you're going through tribulation, yet in fact it does improve an experience, once you have that experience, you can have that hope during it, can't you?
You can have that hope in life, and that hope really, it strengthens your faith, because you keep seeing God answering prayers,
you keep seeing God just, you know, somehow he finds ways to just end the persecution, or the tribulation, in a way that you didn't even see kind of happening.
How on earth is this going to work out? And then it does, and it just, all that does is increase patience, increase experience, and increase hope.
And hope maketh not ashamed. See, the stronger your faith becomes, the more hope you have in the Lord, then the less ashamed you are of talking to God,
because you're like, how on earth, God, I'm not talking about God, he's just solved that problem, he's just dealt with that problem, he's just done that,
and the stronger you get, and the less ashamed you'll be, because everyone goes through it at times when they're just a little bit quieter, and it's not saying, I'm so ashamed of him,
but it's not about those times when you maybe just don't say what you should, maybe you don't give the gospel to that person, because you're just thinking, that person's just going to,
they're just going to be fine, they're definitely going to reject it, it's just going to be embarrassing, I'm going to come across as one of those weirdos, or whatever else.
But the more you grow, the more you're like, who cares, how can I not talk about him? And that's what happens, isn't it?
Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God, because then you just start to love him more and more, the more you go through stuff,
the more you love your God, is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Back to 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 11.
Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place.
So he's saying, he's talking about we both, as in two people, he's saying we both hunger and thirst as two things, and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place.
Right, naked is, I think, defenseless here, he's not saying they're literally walking around in the nude,
there the meaning of naked in that context is defenseless, they're defenseless, buffeted is being struck or beaten,
and like he said, he's received beatings regularly, hasn't he, thrice I think he said.
And they have no certain dwelling place, they have no home, and that's actually pretty tough.
I can only really imagine that because, I mean, we find it hard enough just going camping, that's enough.
I believe for a little time you just want to get back home, my wife especially.
But yeah, you know, you like having your home, don't you?
Having your stuff, having your home, having your place that you're used to, your bed and everything else.
I don't know, homes, he's just going from one place to another, being a guest in other people.
Some people are happy being guests, some people not so much, obviously they had to deal with it, but it's not always easy is it?
It's not really your space, you can't really do your own thing.
They have no homes, and that's a tough way, that's another tough part of the apostles' lives.
Look at verse 12 here.
And labour, working with our own hands, being reviled, we bless, being persecuted, we suffer it.
So as well as church planting, soul winning, teaching, Paul is working.
In Acts 18 we see that he works as a tent maker.
And he's grafting on, and I can imagine that's got to be pretty hard work, this is before all the mechanical stuff that we have now.
He's making tents.
And it kind of goes with my sermon this morning, doesn't it, as well.
And when he talks about doing that, he says, because we have the power, they can not.
And obviously he preached a lot about the servant of God and not muzzling the ox that treadeth out the corn.
But he was doing it as an example as well, wasn't he? He didn't want to have any criticism of himself.
Although it would have been unjust criticism.
But he's working, he's grafting away and showing an example of grafting and providing for others.
And when he says here, being reviled, reviled is reproach, basically treated with contemptuous language.
OK, and we get that a bit, we get that a bit on the doors, not so much today.
That was nice today, wasn't it?
Everyone just seemed happy to have their door knocked on today, that was a nice area.
Yeah, so reproach.
Yet they bless, and how hard is that? That's a tough one, isn't it?
When you're being reproach, treated with contemptuous language, to still bless people, to still want good for them,
to still be happy, you know, try and make them happy, to still pray for them.
Being persecuted, they suffer it or bear it.
And again, like we just saw, when you suffer it or bear it and just be patient during it, God does answer in the end.
And this is the example that Paul's giving here.
Now, verse 13, being defamed, we intrigued.
We are made as the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things unto this day.
But defamed is slandered, being slandered.
So basically lies being told about you.
They intrigued, so they make an earnest request or petition.
And I think probably talking about maybe the Gospel here, I'm not sure.
Maybe he's saying we make an earnest request or petition when being defamed.
But I don't know, I think whilst being defamed, they're entreating, they're out just trying to get people saved.
We saw that language before, didn't we?
I think when I was in our bastards for Christ in 2 Corinthians 5 and 6, I think, he's talking about, you know, basically they're pleading with people, aren't you?
Just really want to get them saved.
He says here, we're made as a filth of the world and of the offscouring of all things unto this day.
Now, in this country, we're probably not quite there yet as a filth of the world.
And what's offscouring, by the way?
Offscouring is basically disgusting rubbish.
It's like the filth of the scourer after, you know, I don't know.
I hate, like, food waste, yeah, just one of them.
I just find it vile, yeah.
I hate it when it's kind of all over my kids' faces and stuff, when they're young and they're in.
Hopefully when they're young, when they're older, it's even worse.
But I just hate that.
I hate, like, kind of regurgitated food and stuff like that.
It's just disgusting.
Offscouring is just, like, the most filthy, disgusting rubbish.
And I don't think, we're not there yet.
But if you think, like, about different places around the world, there are places where Christians,
where Bible-believing Christians are the offscouring of the world.
I would say we're kind of getting there, aren't we?
We're getting there at quite a fast speed here.
And especially, like we said, Christians that are going out and door-knocking, giving the Gospel right now,
for some people that we're knocking on doors, we are discussing the way they talk to you.
I mean, in their mind, you are disgusting rubbish, aren't you, to dare to be trying to preach the Gospel to them.
And, you know, we are getting there, and the apostles were getting that as well.
Now, verse 14.
Jesus, I have begotten you through the Gospel.
Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Okay, so Paul is warning them that they are worldly and they need to follow him.
He says, I write not these things of shame, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
Now, here's some interesting terminology here.
So, he's calling them his beloved sons, and in verse 15, he says,
For though ye have ten thousand stocks in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers?
For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel.
So he's describing them as sons, and him as their father, having saved them.
And again, he uses terminology, by the way, in 2 Corinthians, and in many other places in the Bible as well, in the New Testament.
Begotten means like procreated or generated, so he's saying, I have begotten you, I have generated you.
In John 3.3, remember, Jesus said very, very essentially, except man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
We're regenerated, we're reborn when we're saved.
And, I don't know, in general, we don't really use a born-again Christian terminology as much, I suppose, as Baptist Christians,
just because there's a lot of born-again Christians that aren't born-again Christians that use it a lot.
How many people do you talk to that are like, yeah, I'm born again, I'm a born-again Christian.
Oh, okay, are you 100% sure you're going to heaven? Well, I don't know.
I'm not born-again Christian.
So I think we like to make a point that we're Bible-believing Baptists.
We're independent, fundamental Baptists.
But yeah, we were born again, weren't we?
And that terminology, it made me think about it quite a bit, actually.
I've been thinking about this a bit recently.
If there's one person you can trust is saved, it's the person who got you saved, isn't it?
There's one person you know 100% sure that's saved, it's the person that got you saved.
Now, for some of us, some people might not really necessarily exactly remember exactly who it was, when it was, where it was,
and that doesn't mean that you're not saved, that doesn't mean that you're any lesser person.
Some people do.
And that's one person you can at least trust is saved.
And I would say as well that that person, not only are they saved,
you can at least trust that they're at least trying to follow God,
they're at least giving the Gospel to people because a lot of people don't.
So at least that person is out giving the Gospel and getting people saved.
So with that in mind, when we're out giving the Gospel,
when we're out preaching the Gospel to people and you get someone saved,
maybe there's a way you can handle that.
I've been trying to do that a bit recently.
I've had a bit of a dry couple of weeks, but before that I've been trying to say to people,
because they go to their lame church, don't they?
And I had it recently, I got someone saved, I think it was two weeks ago, I think I was with Brother Max,
and started talking to the lady about her church, trying to encourage her to come to a proper church,
and then they get all defensive.
Oh, well, no, I mean they do some good stuff.
They're like, you've been going there a year, you've been going there a year and having given you the Gospel.
Oh, well, they do things in other ways, and it's hard because they get this allegiance to everything else,
but trying to angle, look, if there's one person really that you know is at least 100%,
that you know they're saved, it's hard for a new believer,
because they don't understand all the warnings of false prophets.
Most of them haven't read the Bible to know that, at least read the proper Bible,
and they haven't had the Holy Spirit to understand it anyway, so it's wasted on them.
So you get these people that come from a church background, you try to explain to them,
look, there are false prophets everywhere, there are false churches everywhere.
Trust me, I've just got you saved, and maybe there's a way you can word that,
try and encourage people, look, if there's one person you know, because you know you're saved now,
and then secondly, you can trust me at least to the point that I'm going out and giving the Gospel,
and like everyone else here is doing that, and that does put you above all these other people that aren't,
and maybe there's a way we can anger that with people.
But here he's saying, he's saying, look,
yet have ye not many fathers, in verse 15, for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel,
and I can't stop thinking, because it's been a real bugbear of mine,
is these pastors, and I know some of them are unsaved or false prophets,
some of them are, who love that, hmm, God does the saving, not you, got nothing to do with you,
such nonsense, the Bible's full of examples like this, Paul's calling himself a father, he's begotten then,
through the Gospel, yes, Jesus Christ did the hard work, yes, Jesus Christ died on a cross, spent three days in hell,
rose again, I'm really trying to make this point, yes he did,
but, but, you know, we still have to do a part in this, there is, there is,
you know, in that, in that creation, in that, that, that begotten, begetting, begetting,
in that begetting, it takes Jesus Christ down to the cross, and it takes a preacher of the Gospel,
doesn't it, and it takes the Word of God, and, and it just really annoys me,
because it's just an excuse for lame Christians, isn't it, it's just an excuse not to go out, not to preach the Gospel,
oh yeah, and it's just, it's all, Calvinists love that junk as well, don't they?
Okay, where was I, right, right, Paul's beseeching them, he's pleading with them,
so he's saying, beseech you be, he follows in me, because the flesh, because the false teachers,
because the carnality, they, they just, it just pulls people away, and they do,
and they just want to go on a start, and they start, you know, getting their ears tickled elsewhere,
look at verse 17, for this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son,
and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my weight,
which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
Now, have a little look at this, look at the difference between the description of the Corinthians in verse 14,
where he says, I write not these things to tell you, but as my beloved sons I warn you,
and Timotheus in verse 17, for this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son,
and faithful in the Lord, okay, he's faithful in the Lord,
and that's why he's sending Timotheus to knock these guys into shape,
because he's faithful in the Lord, and they're not, they're both beloved sons,
sure, he begat, I'm getting all the different versions of this here,
he begat Timothy through the Gospel, but the difference is that Timothy,
as well as the Corinthians, sorry, as opposed to Corinthians, is faithful in the Lord,
so you could have been saved by the best soul winner, taught by him,
or the great Apollos, like the Corinthians here, maybe Cephas as well too,
you know, they've had a great start, haven't they?
But if you're not, maybe with us as well, maybe you've been listening to the best preaching,
maybe you got saved by a great Bible way to heaven on the end of a good documentary,
maybe you've been watching that stuff, you've been listening to the good preaching and everything else,
and by the way, when I'm talking about not putting these people behind a pedestal,
there are some great men of God, great preachers, praise God, that we've all learnt so much from,
so I'm not trying to put that down, I'm just saying you've still got to put them in their place as the Bible puts them,
but anyway, you could have done all of that, done all of that, but are you faithful in the Lord?
Because if you're not, you're like the Corinthians here, you need someone to be sent who is faithful in the Lord,
to whip them into shape, and it's no good in just writing letters or preaching from how many thousand miles away it is,
you need to get faithful, you need someone to get you faithful in the Lord,
because we've had it too easy for too long at rubbish churches, haven't we?
No accountability to anywhere, we just feel great because at least we go out and give the Gospel,
but that ain't no, that's only one part of the armour of God, isn't it? And there's so much more.
Okay, look, remember the definition of faithful, firmly adhering to the truth and to the duties of religion,
firmly adhering to duty of true fidelity, loyal, true to allegiance as a faithful subject,
constant in the performance of duties or services, exact in attending to commands, as a faithful servant.
Okay, so that's Timothy, that's Timothy.
So Timothy said to them, now what does he say he said to do?
He said, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
So Timothy is going to remind them of what he's already taught them.
So bear in mind, he spent a long time there, I think it's 18 months, maybe more, I can't remember now,
but it's a long time, Paul's been there, and Apollos as well, it seems a good man of God,
they're all getting taught good stuff, and he needs to send Timothy back there to remind them what they've already been taught.
And we need that as well, and it's a good reminder for me with preaching as well,
sometimes I think there can be a temptation, I want to preach something that I don't think they probably haven't heard for a while,
and really we need reminding, we need reminding of the old truths a lot of the time, don't we?
We need reminding of the basic doctrines, we need reminding because the word of God,
it's like any doctrine in it, we're always going to learn from it, any verse,
you can read a verse you've read a hundred times and still learn something new from it,
the next time you hear it, the next time you hear it, preach with the power, with the spirit with it as well.
And it's a good reminder I think that, that people do need reminding of the good strong teachings,
and they need a reminding. Now notice he said as well, as I teach everywhere in every church,
so he teaches everywhere, in every church, the ways which be in Christ that he wants to remind them of,
it doesn't differ depending on the country, I heard this at a church, well the thing is that people are trying to make an American church in England,
no, we're trying to make a biblical church, we're trying to make a church which follows the word of God,
it's not oh well we change it because it's England, oh well we'll just make it a little bit more reformist here,
a little bit more sort of chanty and you know, let's do the Lord's prayer all together a few times,
just to be a little bit more English or something, no like, we're trying to make a biblical church here,
and this was actually a criticism of another church, this person was saying this,
this was a pastor talking about another church, just a little bit, trying to make an American, what are you talking about?
Or people are well, what's your target audience? Oh well we're trying to get in people that don't know this stuff,
oh well they don't really know much about the Bible so we just preach the gospel every week.
Well how are they going to learn, how are they going to grow? Now I heard that the first church that I was involved with properly,
I think I mentioned this before, I said don't judge me for this, this is what I was newly saying,
and the pastor was basically saying, in fact this was just before I left actually, because this was the final straw,
it was one of their new, because it was one of their big churches that had some sort of assistant youth pastor,
or families, families and kids pastors there, he was saying to me well, so pastor, pastor Edwards,
he likes the NIV 1980 whatever, but pastor Pease, he likes the newest edition because it's more feminist friendly,
and because, so I'm sitting here, and actually I got out, because now I'm like right, I actually got out,
and started showing this pastor loads of different verses, and then I left after that anyway,
I was showing him all the differences in the King James, which he had no idea about, but anyway, probably unsafe.
So he's going to be, because his feeling is that if someone comes in who's maybe more of a feminist,
and the language is too much men and talking as it's masculine language in the Bible,
that might put them off, and then they might not come back to church, so he prefers something which is good.
But this is the extremes people go to, and like I say, it's not about changing it for your target audience,
I know that's extreme, and like I said that was a wicked place anyway, but people do,
they start to try and change the message, try and change which parts of the Bible they preach,
depending on who's there, no sure we're preaching, you shouldn't be preaching what the Spirit guides you,
and as more men start preaching, as we preach and do your 10 minute sermons and everything else,
you shouldn't be preaching a message because you feel the Holy Spirit is guiding you to edify people with it.
For sure, but you shouldn't be sitting there going well I'm going to change this, or not do this bit or that bit,
again, I don't think anyone needs your money there, but interesting point that he's saying,
Esi teaches everywhere in every church, and that's across many nations, isn't it, with Paul?
He travelled a lot.
Verse 18, now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you.
So some of the Corinthians are getting full of themselves, despite everything he's just been saying about them,
in the first few chapters we're going to see even more so in the next chapter, chapter 5,
so despite all that, despite their failing, they're getting puffed up.
You see this, don't you? You see this, you witness this with people who just seem so prideful, so full of themselves,
yet they're not wearing their sins on their sleeve, and you're just like, how did you get like that?
It's amazing, and obviously in the world you see that a lot, but you see that amongst Christians as well.
Verse 19, but I will come to you shortly if the Lord will, and will know not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
So these puffed up, prideful times, they have all the fine words, don't they?
The fair speeches, they talk a really good game, and this isn't something that's just in the Corinthian church here,
you'll get this across all churches, and we won't get this in our church, and hopefully we haven't had that yet,
but we're going to get people who are going to try and, they're going to be puffed up, and try and sound like they've got all this knowledge,
and try and be like they're just this kind of holier than everyone else person, and the fair speeches,
and they say the right things at the right times, people are clever like that, people are clever,
some people are very manipulative as well, and safe people can be like that as well,
and just to say the right thing at the right time, mention the right story, the right little bit of soul winning they did,
or whatever it is, you know, little things just to give disappearance all the time, but really they're puffed up,
and like I said before, the arrogance, the pride, that puffed up has a weird correlation with insecurity.
It really does, doesn't it?
The people that are the worst with that are the ones who are just so blatantly insecure as well,
and they just kind of go from insecurity to kind of trying to build themselves up back to insecurity,
and it can be hard to deal with, but even though it's a problem they're dealing with, it's still wicked,
it's still sinful, and people do that, and he's saying here, I will come to you shortly if the Lord will,
and will know, not the speech and language are puffed up, because puffed up people, they have a good speech,
they have good words, they talk a good game, but the power, and the power, I think he's talking here about the power of the Holy Spirit,
the power, you know, when someone's talking to you and they say, well good, but there's nothing there,
there's not that power of the Holy Spirit, it's not the Holy Spirit there, they're not walking in the Spirit.
Verse 20 says, for the kingdom of God is not in words but in power.
Okay, and I think this is referring to the empty words of the prideful, the worldly wisdom,
you know, the kind of, the fair speeches, the lots of talk but no action, and it's not, it's in power,
it's in the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Gospel.
Verse 21, what will ye, shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
He's giving him a chance here, isn't he? And I think he's giving the analogy of physical beatings,
I don't know, I kind of like the idea that Paul was thinking about this coming down there, armed up with a big stick,
he was just going to start beating the Corinthians and, you know, fair enough, that's what he was going to do,
I don't know, I think he's probably giving an analogy of it, in chapter 5 verse 5, that we're going to be doing next week,
he talks about delivering such a one-armed Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus,
so I think that he's talking about kicking them out of the church for that physical destruction,
but again, maybe not, maybe there's a rod of correction coming, or it's going to come with Paul as well.
Okay, but the choice here is punishment, or sort yourselves out, and it will be love and meekness,
and I think we get that choice often, don't we? We get that choice when you hear preaching,
we get that choice when you read your Bible, when you study your Bible,
when a word of God convicts us of specific sins, and it does, doesn't it?
Now we have that choice, God convicts you, God shows you a lot of the time, and praise God,
it's like, well I just don't know, I'm not sure if I'm getting paid, no, if you're convicted of a sin then you've got a chance now,
Paul's given them the chance, and you have the chance, when you're convicted by preaching, convicted by the word of God,
do you continue, do you continue in that sin to eventual chastisement?
It never ceases to amaze me how many people, you know, I think a lot of the time,
and I don't want to just constantly be looking at people, I don't want to look at people at this church necessarily,
but who, you know, it's like they can't figure out, they don't even, it doesn't cost their mind, maybe they're being chastised?
And I'm not saying, like we said, persecution, tribulation comes as well when you're living right as well,
and I think the more you grow, the more you start to know when you are being chastised when you're not,
but do we continue to eventual chastisement, or do we fix things and continue in the love and meekness of the Lord Jesus?
And we all have that choice, and I think that's an easy choice to make, personally, I do,
but I know that sin can have a grip and certain things in life can be hard to get rid of than others,
but pray and ask for help from God to help you with that, and we can, we can get sin out of our life,
but listen to it, when you're being convicted, when you're being warned, like Paul's warning then here,
we should do the same, we should take heed of those warnings, take heed of that warning,
when the Word of God convinces you, when a preacher's preaching on something, and you're thinking,
man, he's preaching at me, and you know what, I'm not, and I'm sure any other preacher you're listening to,
they're not thinking of you, but the Word of God does that, doesn't it?
And it strikes deep into your heart, and then you sit there thinking, man, how do you know about that?
Wow, like, it must have told someone, or someone's been told, you know, you must be thinking about me,
and they're not, but the Word of God does that, and when you feel like that, when you hear that,
sort yourselves out, get it right, and you don't have to deal with the chastisement,
you continue in that love of the Lord Jesus.
Okay, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word, thank you for the many truths in so many books, books of the Bible,
and we pray that you just help us not to be puffed up like so many, like the Corinthian church,
help us to get rid of sin, get rid of the sin out of our lives, and to just be more like you want us to be,
to live according to your Word, live according to your commandments.
We pray that you just help us to have a good week now, we pray that you help us to think on these things,
not just to listen to the Word and then just go on with everything back to normal,
but actually try and change, try and make differences, try and get the positives that come from hearing your Word preached,
and we ask all these things in Jesus' name, Amen.