Lessons From 1 Corinthians – Lesson 3
There are many things in Christianity that are not which is it as in either or. Is it this that is true, or is it that.
Man’s wisdom can often think that if you have two truths that seem contrary that only one must be true and the other false.
Calvinists think that way when it comes to man’s free will and the sovereignty of God. They say which is it, both can’t be true and then they chose Sovereignty and throw away free will.
With God it does not work that way. With God both are actually true. Nothing is too hard for God. Man has a free will, and God is Sovereign. God manages that just fine. He does not even break a sweat. We saw another truth where both is true last week.
1 Cor 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1 Cor 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
1 Cor 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1 Cor 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye 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.
Man is nothing. The preacher does not actually do the work. It is God that gives the increase. We are simply laborers together with God.
Both of these are true. The preacher is nothing and the preacher is of critical importance.
He is a co-laborer with God and yes God does all the work, however, for God to do that work, He has decreed that some man must also labor. Some man must get the word of God out.
The preacher is an absolute critical nothing. Nothing and critical. Both are true.
After laying out a large amount of information about preaching and preachers, Paul is going to tell them of the hardness of being an Apostle, then ask them to follow his teaching. Then he is going to send help, and give a warning.
1 Cor 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
1 Cor 4:10 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.
1 Cor 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
1 Cor 4:12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
1 Cor 4:13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
Verse 9 again. It is the key verse of what we just read.
1 Cor 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
And we know this from history. You had 12, Judas died, they chose a replacement and then later Paul. And they were all martyred and died a brutal death except John.
They were appointed to death as Paul says. They were made a spectacle. One reason might be that men do not die for a made up story. The fact that they would all chose death over rejecting Jesus and the fact that He arose, shows forth that they 100 percent knew that it was true.
It also showed forth the power of God’s grace to give them what they needed when that time came. Some call it dying grace.
Being an Apostle was not easy. It was a much harder life than what the Corinthians had. A point that this makes is that Paul is not in this for fame, or money, or for any other reason. Being an Apostle was not something that anyone in their right mind would want.
Then Paul asks them to follow him.
1 Cor 4:14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
1 Cor 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
1 Cor 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Then comes the help.
1 Cor 4:17 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 ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
Ok. Shall bring you into remembrance of my ways. The same ways as he teaches everywhere in every church.
That would then mean that they were not in remembrance of Paul’s ways, and therefore Apollos’s ways and the other leaders ways were also not of Paul’s ways. They were all out of the way. Off course.
They needed corrected. And I see Paul’s heart for them here. He did not write a hard letter and then write them off. He wrote a hard letter but he cared enough to send help.
Paul wants to go himself, but can’t so he sends Timothy. We know Paul never makes it back to them, but he had the heart to. Paul genuinely cared about them.
1 Cor 4:18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
1 Cor 4:19 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.
1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
And now the warning.
1 Cor 4:21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
Get back on course before I come and our meeting will be in the spirit of love and in the spirit of meekness.
Or ignore the teaching in this letter and ignore the help and teaching of Timothy and I will come unto you with a rod. I am sure you have heard the saying tough love. Sometimes the most loving thing that can be done for someone is some tough love.