SEXUAL IMMORALITY MESSES THINGS UP

                                               SEXUAL IMMORALITY MESSES THINGS UP!

            A team of journalists at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram spent nearly nine months investigating a pattern of sexual abuse in a loose network of independent fundamentalist Baptist churches, recently unveiled their findings in a series of articles entitled "Spirit of Fear." In their investigation, the Star-Telegram journalists spoke to over 200 people concerning at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187 independent fundamental Baptist churches.

            "Despite their use of the word independent," their reporting said, "many of the churches were connected with other independent fundamental Baptist churches through colleges and pastoral friendships. And those connections, as well as the church culture, allowed abuse to flourish and abusers to move around the country without consequence."

            Stacey Shiflett, an independent fundamental Baptist pastor in Maryland, confirmed specific cultural markers where abuse tends to occur. "The philosophy—and it's flawed—is you don't air your dirty laundry in front of everyone. Pastors think if they keep it on the down-low, it won't impact anyone. And then the other philosophy is, it's wrong to say anything bad about another preacher." According to Tammy Schultz and Sally Schwer Canning, professors at Wheaton College, church leaders need to be prepared to deal with these issues by cultivating a culture of respect, safety, and accountability.

             Effective leaders model accountability, humility, and biblical repentance. Those who excuse or cover-up evil sow seeds of destruction and ruin lives."[1] Sexual Immorality among Christians and in churches is a much bigger problem than we realize. Is it only a problem of our times? In I Corinthians chapter five, the Apostle Paul takes on this problem of Sexual Immorality. The BIG Idea is: Sexual Immorality Messes Things Up. I Corinthians 5:1-13

 

I. SEXUAL IMMORALITY

            Vs. 1-2, "I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don't do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship."

            Chapter five shows Paul addressing persistent sexual immorality and its devastating effects on the Church and how Christians should deal with it. He approaches this embarrassing issue graciously yet firmly by passing a clear judgment on the person involved.

             To preach about Sexual Immorality in a Sunday morning worship service is not an easy thing, so many pastors avoid it. But remember, we are committed to working through complicated and not-so-easy subject matters. Let us be aware of our vulnerabilities and approach this subject as Paul not to shame people but to warn people. Let us maintain an attitude that if it is not for the grace of God, we too might fall and sin. What is Sexual Immorality?

            In the New Testament, the word most often translated as "sexual immorality" is porneia. This word is also translated as "whoredom," "fornication," and "idolatry." It means "a surrendering of sexual purity," which primarily uses premarital sexual relations.

            From this Greek word, we get the English word pornography. stemming from the concept (Matt19:4–5).[2] Paul could hardly believe his ears when a report came to Paul stating that a believer in the Corinthian Church was involved in Sexual Immorality.

            Paul was disturbed by the cover-up. To address Sexual Immorality, Paul specifically includes incest here in these verses. What is incest? "Having sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other."

            It was strictly forbidden in the OT.  Lev 18:8, "Do not have sexual relations with any of your father's wives, for this would violate your father." Dt 27:20, "Cursed is anyone who has sexual intercourse with one of his father's wives,"

            Instead of grieving over a brother involved in incest, the Corinthians covered it up and even boasted about it. When it was brought to Paul, he took it very seriously and dealt with it firmly. Is sexual Immorality the problem of the Corinthian Church only? Unfortunately, sexual Immorality seems to be a massive problem in our Churches today. How do we respond to it?

 

II. DON'T COVER IT UP 

            Vs. 4-5, "Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns."

            Is Paul contradicting himself when he said I have already passed judgment on the man? What did Paul mean by saying, "you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day of the Lord returns"?

            Unlike the Corinthian believers, Paul did not cover up sexual Immorality; instead, he exposed it. He did not condemn this man to hell; that kind of judgment is left to God. However, he took a firm position in saying, "you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan."        This is equaling to excommunicating that believer. It amounts to putting that person out of the blessing of Christian worship and fellowship with other brothers and sisters by thrusting him into the world, which is the realm of Satan. What would be the outcome of such action?

            By depriving the Christian fellowship, the person involved in sexual Immorality might repent of his wickedness and seek God's forgiveness. In the end, though his body may be destroyed physically due to sin, his soul might be saved. After passing the judgment, Paul clarified a misunderstanding among the believers when dealing with unbelievers.

            They wrongly read Paul's words, "not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sins." They thought that Paul was saying to them not to relate with anyone in the world who indulged in sexual sin, is greedy, cheats people, or worships idols.

             If that is the case, we cannot live in this world, can we? Paul meant not to associate with a brother or sister who claims to be a Christian, belongs to the family of God, yet involves in such activities. He went one step further and said, "don't even eat with such people."

            Paul qualified his stand, saying, "It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning." The LGBTQ community often uses the same logic and criticizes the Church. Because we Christians become hypercritical and judgmental over the sins of the LGBTQ while ignoring or even covering up the people who commit sexual sins inside the Church, let us take care of our mess first before we advise others. What happens when sexual Immorality is not addressed in our churches? 

 

 III. SEXUAL IMMORALITY MESSES THINGS UP

 

            Among the Churches that Paul planted during his missionary journeys, sexual Immorality seems to be a massive problem. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he extensively dealt with it. While writing to Galatians 5:19-22, Ephesians 5:3-5, and Colossians 3:5, he admonishes the believers in those churches to stay away from sexual Immorality because it messes things up.

            Also, it breaks down trust among married people destroys the fabric of the family, defiles the Church, and, more so, disqualifies people from entering the Kingdom of God.

             Think of the devastating effects of sexual Immorality upon our country. Are we any better since the sexual revolution in the 1960s, which challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality? How many millions of people in our country are affected by sexually transmitted diseases every year?  We live in a free country. Let's not misuse our freedoms.

            What is the outcome of unprotected and unbridled sexual encounters between people outside marriage?  How many families have been broken down due to a divorce based on infidelity? How many Christians have been hurt in Churches due to sexual scandals?

            In our world today, people justify sexual Immorality by passing legislation to support and even encourage it. For example, sex between two consenting adults is legal but is it moral before God? Homosexuality has been legalized in our country but is it acceptable by God?

            There is more to talk about this subject which we will keep for next week. I realize that today's message focused on the negatives of what is meant to be a wonderful gift for couples to enjoy in marriage. Bear with me as we work through this complex subject as a Church. 

            God loves us and has made us holy through the blood of His Son. As a loving father, he wants us to get this right.  He doesn't want his people to get hurt and damaged by messing up each other's lives with sexual sins. Amen!

 

---

[1] Sarah Smith, “These ‘men of God’ sexually abused children. Then they found refuge at other churches,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram (12-09-18)

[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/sexual-immorality.html

The Imitation of Paul

                                                                   THE IMITATION OF PAUL

            As a teenager, I became an impersonator. I used to imitate some of my favorite movie actors. I would dance like them, deliver dialogues as they did. My friends and family used to enjoy my impersonation. After I got saved in the 1980’, I was inspired by observing two people.             One was the Evangelist who led me to Christ, and the other was who mentored me in my mission’s life. I used to imitate their mannerism, style of preaching, including the tone of their voice. Above all, I tried to imitate their faith, holy living, and passion for the Lord and the lost.

            We have an innate need to imitate; Alva Noë, a philosopher at the University of California, notes, “For the last 30 years, or so, this innateness hypothesis has been widely accepted. On the strength of experimental evidence supposedly showing that neonates reliably mimic facial gestures (such as sticking out the tongue).”[1]

            Imitation is not necessarily a bad thing. What matters is what or who we imitate. From all over the world, teenagers imitate certain clothing styles, for example, “Ripped Jeans.” The desire to wear such clothing often stems from a more profound need to be loved, accepted, and belong.  

              Who or what should we Imitate as Christians? The writer of “The Imitation Of Christ,” Thomas A Kemps, has this to say, “Consider the glowing examples of the holy Fathers, in whom shone true religion and perfection; compared with them we do little or nothing.

            Alas, how can our life be compared with theirs! The Saints and friends of Christ served Our Lord in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in toil and weariness: in watching and fasting, in prayer and meditation in persecutions and insults without number.”[2] In the passage from today’s reading, we will meet a saint who boldly challenged the first century Christians to imitate him. The BIG idea of this passage is: “The Imitation of Paul.” I Cor 4:14-21

            Vs. 14-16, “I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.” Paul asserted himself as a spiritual father to the Corinthians.

            What gave him that right to become a spiritual father? Because He preached the Good News to the Corinthians. The intention of writing was not to shame but to warn them. He urged his spiritual children to imitate him by sending his beloved spiritual son Timothy to remind them.

            For weeks we have been learning about what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth. It would be helpful to know a bit about the author. What kind of a man was Paul, his family background, where he went to school as a teenager, who changed his course of direction in life, what struggles he endured during his ministry, etc. I will be sharing a few insights into Paul’s life from the Book “Paul, A Biography” written by N.T. Wright.

 

I. ZEAL AND CONVERSION

            We don’t know much about Saul’s family and his early childhood by reading the Bible. He enters the scene in Acts seven as a zealous young witness of the murder of Stephen. Later we read that he came from Tarsus. What do we know about the city of Tarsus?

            It was a noble city in Cilicia, ten miles inland on the river Cydnus in the southeast corner of modern Turkey, was on the major east-west trade routes. It could trace its history back two thousand years. It was a city of culture, politics, philosophy, and industry.

            Among those industries was a thriving textile business producing material made from goat hair to make shelters. This may well have been the basis of the family business, tentmaking in which Saul had been apprenticed and continued to practice.[3]

            Saul grew up in a family who saw Judaism as the active propagation of the traditional way of life, defending it against external attacks and internal corruption, and urging the traditions of the Torah upon other Jews, especially when they seemed to be compromising.[4]

            Saul may have been a little younger than Jesus of Nazareth. As for family, we find later that he has a sister and a nephew living in Jerusalem. Most likely, in his teen years went to Jerusalem and studied under the guidance of Gamaliel, one of the greatest Rabbis of that time.

            There were two prominent schools of thought among the Jews at that time. One was Hillel’s, which advocated the policy of “Live and let live.” Gamaliel was the grandson of Hillel[5] the elder hence subscribed to such a view as we see his position in Acts 5:27-42.   

            Another way was Shammai’s thought, which advocated, “God was going to establish his reign on earth as in heaven, then those who were zealous for God and Torah would have to say their prayers, sharpen their swords, and get ready for action.  Action against the wicked pagans, renegade or compromising Jews.” Saul subscribed to Shammai’s way of thinking, hence the zeal.

            Saul was on his way to Damascus with Torah in his head, zeal in his heart, and official documents from the chief priests in his bag to arrest and imprison the followers of the way (followers of Christ). He wanted to bring both men and women followers back to Jerusalem in chains. Little did he realize that he was going to be captivated by the love of Jesus.

            On the Road of Damascus, everything was changed. “A light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?  Who are you, Lord Saul asked? And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” After that divine encounter, Saul became a passionate follower of Christ himself.

 

II. PAUL’S HARDSHIPS IN MINISTRY

            Saul was blind for three days. God sent Ananias to Saul, saying, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16

            Ananias prayed for him. Saul was healed, was Baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit. He immediately began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God.” Jesus, as promised, put Paul through much suffering for His name’s sake.

            During his lifetime, Paul went on four missionary journeys and wrote 13 letters. Here is a Map that gives you the timeline, where to find it in the book of Acts, and the books he wrote on his journey.  While imprisoned in Ephesus for three years, Paul wrote First and Second Letters to Corinthians and Romans during his third missionary journey.

            In his second letter to the Corinthians, while taking on the false prophets, Paul lays out the hardships he endured during his missionary travels. 2 Cor 11:24-28, “Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.

            I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas.

            And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.” 2 Cor 11:24-28

None of us endured hardships like Paul, so he had the authority to challenge us to Imitate him.

 

III. THE IMITATION OF PAUL

            Vs. 16, “So I urge you to imitate me.” The question we are to ask is what did Paul mean when he said, Imitate me? How can we possibly imitate Paul?  The phrase to imitate someone means to take or follow them as a model. Paul was urging his spiritual children to take and follow him as a model as a spiritual father. This call was to follow his faith, zeal, and obedience.

            We should follow in Paul’s footsteps as he followed in the footsteps of Jesus. How? As the way, Paul focused on Jesus, the crucified Messiah. As he depended on God and endured hardship for the sake of Christ, we Christians are to follow him as he followed Christ. I Cor 11:1

             What does following Christ and Paul mean for us today? It means to give up our pride, empty ourselves, and love people as God has loved us. It means to humble ourselves and serve the hurting and the broken. It means not to accumulate wealth and riches. It means being content.

            Jesus summed up what it means for us to follow Him. Matthew 14:24-26, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” Are we ready to follow Christ that way?

            In more intense terms, the Apostle Paul explained what it means for him to follow Christ while writing to Philippians 3:8, “Yes, everything else is worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” When we want to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ, we are called for a self-denial lifestyle, giving up everything, including our very lives. Amen!

 

---

[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/05/20/478734530/do-we-learn-at-first-by-imitation

[2] Thomas A Kemps, “The Imitation of Christ.” Page 46

[3] N.T. Wright, “Paul A Biography.” Page 11

[4] Ibd., Page34

[5] John MacArthur, “One Faithful Life.” Page xiii

THE POTENT POISON OF PRIDE

                                                 THE POTENT POISON OF PRIDE

            According to the National Geographic website (their kids' version), the Pufferfish can inflate into a ball shape to evade predators. Also known as blowfish, these clumsy swimmers fill their elastic stomachs with massive amounts of water (and sometimes air) and blow themselves up to several times their standard size. But these blow-up fishes aren't just cute.

            Most Pufferfish contain a toxic substance that makes them foul tasting and potentially deadly to other fish. The toxin is harmful to humans—1,200 times more deadly than cyanide. There is enough poison in one Pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.

            Like Pufferfish, human beings can blow themselves up with pride and arrogance to make themselves look bigger than they are. And this pride can become the potent poison to a marriage, a family, a church, or a friendship. No wonder the late Bible scholar John Stott once said, "Pride is your greatest enemy; humility is your greatest friend."[1]

            Last week we saw how Paul and Apollos lived out exemplary lives as God's stewards, the importance of believing only God's evaluation of us and not making judgments about anyone ahead of time. Not making judgments does not mean lacking discernment in making personal judgments on day-to-day concerns of life. We have to evaluate and make a sound judgment on certain delipidating sinful habits. We may have to give up on toxic relationships. 

            In the passage from I Corinthians 4:6-13, Paul returns to addressing a reoccurring toxic problem of pride and arrogance in the Corinthian Church. He shows the importance of humility and how God made them a public spectacle for the world to see. Paul uses sarcasm, irony, and contrast to make his points of hard work and enduring mistreatment for the gospel's sake. The BIG idea is "The Potent Poison of Pride." Let me unpack some minor themes first.  

 

I. IRONY, SARCASM, AND CONTRAST

            Vs. 8, 10, "You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God's kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you…Vs.10 "Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed."

            In verse eight, the Corinthians thought they have all they need; they were rich, reigned like kings, and had reached full maturity even without any help from Paul, rather than walking in humility. Paul uses subtle Irony and Sarcasm, and Contrast to get them to see how poor and miserable they were because of their spiritual immaturity compared to the Apostles.

            Paul heaps on false praise in a severe rebuke, sarcastically suggesting that the Corinthians who were self-satisfied had already achieved spiritual greatness. In a way, they were no different than the Laodiceans in Rev 3:17, "You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' And you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." On the contrary, the Apostle Paul had a sober judgment on his spiritual status.

            Philippians 3:12, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." When we think we have reached spiritual perfection, we don't need God, Church, or anyone else to teach us; we are walking on slippery ground. Be careful; lest we fall.

           

            In verse 10, Paul makes a series of contrasts between the proud Corinthians and the "dishonored" apostles. The apostles were mistreated, looked foolish, weak, and were dishonored for the sake of Christ, whereas; the Corinthians thought they were wise, strong, and honored in their own eyes. Let us look at how Paul perceived their standing as the apostles in the world.

 

II. THE PUBLIC DISPLAY

            Vs.9, "Instead, I sometimes think God has put us, apostles, on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor's parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world to people and angels alike." The imagery the Apostle Paul uses here was nothing glorious.

             Imagine the Gladiator scene, where Maximus (Russell Crow) and his fellow gladiators enter the arena to fight in the Gladiator games. The condemned prisoners/slaves brought into a Roman arena to fight and die; the last ones brought out for slaughter were the grand finale.

            In His sovereign wisdom and for His ultimate glory, God chose to display the apostles figuratively before men and angels during the present age as just such worthless and condemned spectacles. Like doomed gladiators, they were ridiculed, spit on, imprisoned, and beaten; yet, God glorified His name through them as He used them to build His kingdom.

            What does this mean for us today? God has placed his people worldwide, in all walks of life, on public display. When people see that we are different and have different values, they may mock, ridicule, threaten to kill, and even kill us because of our faith in Christ.

            Is that any surprise? Jesus predicted that would happen to his followers. Matthew 5:11-13, "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it!

            Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way." In verses 11-13, we see the hardships Paul encountered for the sake of Christ. He worked hard as a tentmaker to support his ministry.

            The Greeks considered such labor below their dignity. Paul described himself as "the world's garbage, like everybody's trash."  What a rebuke it was to the proud Corinthians who saw themselves at the top, while the humble Apostle considered himself at the bottom.

 

III. THE POTENT POISON OF PRIDE

            Vs. 6, "Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I've been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won't be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another." Let me unpack the word pride.

            I am not talking about the phrase we often use, saying, "I am proud of you." I am talking about the Potent Poison Of Pride. Pride in its various forms appears several times in the two letters to the Corinthians.  Paul addressed this toxic problem of pride in the Corinthian Church, which is affecting many relationships. Is this problem only limited to the Corinthians?

            The origin of pride goes back to way before the creation of the world. It became the downfall of a holy angel. Ezekiel 28:12-14 describes Satan as a created cherub, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He was the highest-created angel. He became arrogant and decided to sit on a throne above God. How did God handle one of his proud and arrogant angels?

            Ezekiel 28:17, "Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So, I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings." Because of his sin, God permanently removed Satan from his exalted position. Since that time, Satan has used pride to turn people away from God and one another. How easy it is for us to become attached to a spiritual leader or a political leader.

            Paul warns against having pride in our favorite leaders that could cause divisions in the Church. We see it play out in our country. Depending on your political party, we tend to lift our party leader to god status and reduce the other party's leader to a devil status.

            What does the Bible say about this potent poison of pride? How can we shield ourselves, our families, our churches, and our country from the deadly effect of pride? Consider these scriptures: Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall."

            Pro 11:2, "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Pro 13:10, "Pride leads to conflict." Pride cuts us off from God and others, Lk 18:9-14. How can we recognize pride in ourselves and others? Pride manifests through our boastful words and arrogant acts.

            It reflects through our eyes when we are haughty because of our beauty or success. It puffs up through our knowledge. It lifts its ugly head through narcissism. Pride makes us think of ourselves as invincible, all-powerful, and not needing anyone's help.

            What is God's attitude towards pride? He hates it! In Proverbs 6:16-19, pride is the number one on the list of seven deadly sins. No wonder St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote, "Pride is the commencement of all sin." How can we overcome pride?

            The Apostle Paul gave two remedies to the Corinthians in how to deal with pride. Firstly, in verse 6b, by paying attention to what is written in the scripture or learning not go beyond what is written." Remaining within the boundaries of God's truth keeps us from becoming proud.

            The second remedy is in Vs. 7, "For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? One of the problems that modern men face is "self-reliance."

            We think all we have in life is what we have earned and achieved by our wit and wisdom. But did we? Do we ever realize how we got to the place of success or accomplishment? Who gave us knowledge, strength, skills even life to achieve all we did?  That was what the Apostle was trying to make the puffed-up Corinthian believers understand. Don't we need the same understanding today as well? One of the ways to deal with pride is when we realize nothing we have is our own; everything, including our very life, belongs to God. Amen. 

 

             

 

---

[1] Source: "Pufferfish," National Geographic Kids https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2017/september/7090417.html

Don't Make Judgments

 

DON'T MAKE JUDGMENTS!

            In his book "The Grace Awakening," Charles Swindoll recounts an experience he once had while ministering at a Bible conference. On the first night, he briefly met a couple who seemed friendly and quite glad to be at the meetings. However, as the week went by, Swindoll noticed that roughly ten minutes after he would start speaking, the husband would be fast asleep!

            This experience irritated Charles so much, by the time of the final meeting, he was convinced that the man was there only to please his wife and was "probably a carnal Christian." After the last session, however, the wife requested to speak to Charles for a few minutes. He figured she wanted to talk to him about her husband's lack of interest in spiritual matters.

            Imagine how greatly embarrassed he was when the wife mentioned that her husband had terminal cancer and that they had attended the conference mainly at his request. His "final wish" was to be at the conference even though the pain medication he was taking made him tired.

            She then said, "He loves the Lord and you are his favorite Bible teacher. He wanted to be here to meet you and to hear you, no matter what." Charles Swindoll wrote, "I stood there, all alone, as deeply rebuked as I have ever been." What a dangerous thing it is to judge others?[1]

            We have been going through the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian believers during 55AD, while he was on his 3^rd missionary Journey. The primary purpose of this letter was to address specific problems that the Corinthian Church was facing and to layout scriptural instructions for them on how to conduct their lives as Christians in a broken world.

            In the passage from I Corinthians 4:1-5, we will see how Paul and Apollos lived out exemplary lives for us to emulate, their evaluation of themselves and others, and finally, an appeal to the Corinthian believers not to make judgments about anyone ahead of time. 

 

I. THE GOSPEL STEWARDS

            Vs. 1-2, "So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God's mysteries. Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful." Paul here humbly draws the attention of the Corinthian believers once again to his and Apollos's calling as mere servants of Christ. This repeated saying of Paul that "we are only servants of God" emphasizes that they were fully responsible to God and not to the Corinthians.

            The phrase "who have been put in charge," "those entrusted with," in NIV means "house stewards" and refers to a position often held by a slave entrusted with managing the affairs of a household (example Joseph, Ge 39:2-19). In this case, they were to explain God's mysteries.

            God's mysteries are the divine revelations that God had previously revealed regarding His redemptive plan for humanity. Paul explains the mystery of the Gospel to the Ephesians. "As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.

            God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit, he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus." Eph 3:4-6

            Until Paul's generation; the Gospel truth remained a mystery. Paul’s generation and we have been fortunate because the Gospel is no longer a mystery but revealed in Jesus Christ. As Paul and the Apollos let us be faithful and careful in how we share it with others.

           

            Preachers, teachers, and anyone else who talks about Jesus Christ must recognize that we stand in the presence of God and are fully accountable to Him. Our job is to share the good news of the Gospel without compromising it. As faithful stewards, let's be bold in proclaiming all the truth without distorting or conveniently avoiding certain parts of the Gospel message.

 

II. WHOSE REPORT WILL YOU BELIEVE?

            Vs-3-4, "As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don't even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn't prove I'm right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide."

            The keyword in these verses is evaluation. No one particularly enjoys evaluation, yet it is essential in life. To evaluate is to judge the value or worth of someone or something. It looks like these verses indicate that the Apostle Paul was going through a self-evaluation process. He had a sober judgment about himself and his ministry to the Corinthians and to everyone else.

            Let me bring this into our context.  Self-evaluation has become popular since Abraham Tesser created the self-evaluation maintenance theory in 1988. It is the way people view themselves. It is the continuous process of determining personal growth and progress, which can be raised or lowered by the behavior of a close other (a psychologically close person).[2]

            Self-evaluation can be good and at times is dangerous. For example, I have a good friend named Benny Prasad from my time in YWAM. He is a gospel musician and instrumental guitarist from India. He designed the Bentar, which is the world's first bongo guitar. He also holds the world record for being the fastest man ever to visit all 257countries around the globe.

            When I view myself in the light of Benny, I could either be overjoyed because of my connection with him as a friend or become depressed because I could not achieve what he succeeded at in life at such a young age. Therefore, Self-evaluation is not accurate and reliable.

            In the eighties, we used to sing a praise song by Ron Kenoly, titled, "Whose report will you believe? Let me ask you the same, whose report will you believe today? Will you believe your own report of yourself, the popular opinion of others, the devil's or God's report? Jer 29:11

            The crowd would respond and sing to Ron's question, "we shall believe the report of the Lord." When we evaluate ourselves, we can either overestimate ourselves and want to overachieve in the process we may burn out. Or we underestimate ourselves and underachieve. But if we see ourselves in the way God sees us, we will have a realistic picture of who we are.

            The Apostle Paul understood this reality when he said, "it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don't even trust my own judgment on this point." Paul was neither arrogant nor saying that he is above fellow ministers, other Christians, or even unbelievers. He is saying that he couldn't trust anyone else's evaluation, including his own except God’s. Paul was only God's steward; hence, the Lord "judges" him and his service.

            Jesus Christ is the Lord of everything, including our conscience, and He is the one who evaluates our lives accurately. Therefore, we would rather pay attention to what the Lord says of who we are, how well we do than what others say about who we are, or our self-evaluation. After subjecting himself to God's judgment, Paul urges the believers not to make judgments of others.

 

III. DON'T MAKE JUDGMENTS 

            Vs. 5, "So don't make judgments about anyone ahead of time before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due." If we care to admit it, we are quick to judge people often.

            For instance, we look at someone who might have tattoos all over their body or face piercings; by looking at their outward appearance, we might quickly pass a value-based judgment, saying they are so lost and dammed to hell. But how does God look at and Judge people? I Sam 16:7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” What does he see in the hearts of humanity?

            While people judge you based on what they see on the outside, God judges by what he sees in your heart. His judgment of our hearts is always accurate and reliable. When God looks at you, me, and the world, what is His assessment, and how is He motivated?

            John 3:16-17, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

            If Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it, then what business do we have to condemn people? God loves people unconditionally, no matter who they are. It doesn’t mean that He would never judge them. That was what the Apostle Paul was saying to the Corinthians.      God has set a future date for judging the world; it is called “The Day of The Lord, The Last Judgment. On that day, he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

            Therefore, until such time let us hold our judgments and proclaim God’s love and forgiveness to undeserving people just as we once were. Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Our job is not to judge others before the time but to love them as Christ loved us. Leave the final judgment to God, the righteous judge who is full of love and mercy. Amen!

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

---

[1] Source: Charles R Swindoll, The Grace Awakening (Word Publishing, 1990), pgs. 165-166

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-evaluation_maintenance_theory