in connection with our study of 1 Corinthians, as he encourages believers to be of one mind, one accord, and to strive together for the furtherance of the faith. Ephesians 4, chapter 1. No, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1. Yeah, starting off with a bang. All right. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, speaking to believers, that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called, in one hope of your calling. one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us, believers, is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he may fill all things. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, that the saints would do the work of the ministry. for the edification of the body of Christ, the building up of the body, as we would have reach out to the lost and men get saved and become part of the body, and as we would grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ as members of the local church. And he did this till we all, or does this, the reason, rationale, till we all come in the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. He's the head, we are the body. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of man and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ. from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, speaking of people, us being part of that, and the spirit of God working, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you as believers, Walk not as other Gentiles walk, or as the unbelievers walk, who are walking in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkness, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, If so be that you have learned him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful loss. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, For we are members one of another. Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, building up others, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye, become ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. And be ye therefore followers, imitators of God, by the grace of God, as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savor. Let's pause for prayer. Dear Father in heaven, we thank you again for the great God that you are. We thank you for creating us and when we had gone astray, providing your son to be our savior and to provide a way that would give you a just basis for you to forgive us our sins. So the wage of our sin demands death and his death paid that so that you could offer salvation. freely to us through his work. We thank you for his death, burial, and resurrection as the means for our salvation, and that having placed our faith, as we think of believers, we've been given eternal life, become sons of God. We thank you for that glorious position, the glorious future, and for the privilege we have now as believers to enjoy a personal relationship with the Lord, and to be able to have new purpose in our lives, be ministers of God to each the other and ministered by each the other in the body of Christ to the glory of God and to reach souls. And so we just pray that we'd have our focus right. Pray you direct with the message this morning to that end and that as we see problems that arose and current that we would be willing to examine ourselves, that we don't follow after that, and that we would be encouraged and directed to live in a right mindset unto you. So may Christ be glorified. We pray for the Sunday school program, our desire to reach kids with the gospel. You might get saved at an early age and they too might grow in grace and knowledge of you being established in your word. Pray for each area of ministry and what's done whether it be in the office or nursery or wherever it be done is unto you. Pray for the choir as they practice this afternoon. And that it'd be a good time of fellowship, and that it'd be done as unto you, and that it would be used as we think of promoting the gospel through a program coming up here later on in the month. So I pray even the invitations and the ads in the paper would be, you'd give attention to those in the community that they might have a desire to come. that souls could be saved. So we commit that to you and pray for the meeting with the Sunday school teachers and their efforts to minister to the kids. Be of one mind, one accord. Thank you for the freedoms we have in this country and pray for our leadership that they might get saved and that they might legislate in such a way under your direction that we might that we will live freely, and that we might live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness while we serve you in time. Thank you for that freedom that we enjoy now. So thank you for your kindness, and this time together, may what's done be done for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. ♪ That can die as a thief ♪ ♪ He died to help a man ♪ ♪ Jesus as a gentleman, amen ♪ ♪ O P-Q-R-S-T-U ♪ ♪ I believe that prayer is true ♪ ♪ P-N-W-E-R-L-E ♪ ♪ And splashing in the holy turtleneck ♪ ♪ Good news, good news ♪ ♪ First time for me ♪ ♪ Good news, good news ♪ ♪ First time for me ♪ ♪ Good news, good news ♪ ♪ First time for me ♪ Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. I bring salvation so rich and free. Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me. I bring salvation so rich That should put a smile on your face. Special music, indeed special. All right, if you would open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. We'll start with a word of prayer. Dear Father in heaven, we thank and praise you again for great God that you are. We thank you we can gather with those of like precious faith and we can have in our hand the record, the word of God recorded for our learning. We pray that we'd have our sins confessed, our desire would be to get to know you. and that we would be willing to be challenged and corrected in areas of our thinking that are inconsistent with you, and that we might learn what your will is and how we ought to think and how we ought to act towards each other. and that this is made possible through your word teaching and through the Holy Spirit directing and enabling us to have victory over our old sin nature and to be filled and manifest the very character of Christ. So, pray our desire would be right, direct with all that's said, and may it be edifying to each of us and glorifying to Jesus. In his name we pray, amen. All right, so we're looking at 1 Corinthians for those that are just joining us or haven't been here for a while. This letter is written to believers, and so just to clarify what a believer is, when Paul went to Corinth, he presented the gospel or the good news of God's plan of salvation. That declares the problem that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God all men are sinners and the wage of sin is death according to or declared by a righteous the righteous and just God. Romans 6 23 the wage of sin is death. Now the good news the gospel which he brought is with this declaration of guilt or explanation was that God had provided a way of salvation for men from the penalty of death and with view to eternal death and separation from God. Now that was made possible by God sending his son to be our Savior. Man could not save himself, and so we are, we're all born in Adam, dead in sins. But he sent his son to be our Savior and to Be our Savior, he had to satisfy the just demand of death for sins. God could not just pretend that didn't exist. He wouldn't be a righteous or just God. And so he sent his son to be our Savior. He was delivered to the cross of Calvary. This sinless man, not born of the seed of Adam, a unique birth, and the Son of God being the Son of God, and he was delivered to the cross of Calvary where God executed the just demand of death for our sins on his own son. He laid our sins on his son. His son bore our sins in his own body and experienced death. He died for our sins to pay our debt, to satisfy the just demand of death for sins which was against us. And when he did this, God was satisfied. The value of his sacrifice, his suffering, his willingness to do this satisfied God's the legal courts of heaven, just a man for death, for sin, which was against man. Jesus declared it was finished, meaning paid in full. And he died for our sins, and proof was he was buried. Third day he rose again, a living Savior, having completed the work needed for our salvation, having victory over death, grave, sin, and hell, a living Savior. He is seen walking among men and then ascended into heaven. God then had a just basis, the payment made by Jesus Christ to forgive us our sins. And so he offered that salvation to all men. And when Paul went to Corinth, he presented this good news, this gospel. And all that a man has to do then or now is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior. The second half of Romans 6.23, the wage of our sin is death, that's what we deserve, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's the only way it's through, it's not through a church or any religious rituals or any effort on our part. We were guilty sinners, condemned, we couldn't do anything that was worthy of God, couldn't save ourselves, but God made a way and provided it through the Lord Jesus Christ. It being finished by Christ, God could now offer it as a gift to us, and all we had to do, and he respects us in terms of our free volition, he's not gonna force anybody, but all we needed to do was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. So he presented this message to those in Corinth, and they believed. And as a result, the work of Christ was applied to them. Their sins were forgiven, judicially before God. They were declared righteous. They were given the gift of eternal life, so they became born again children of God. They had a glorious eternal future with God, presented with this new life. And so, with being born again, they became citizens of heaven in terms of their position. And that's where he would ultimately deliver them. But with new life and them living on earth came a new purpose. And we like them, we that believe like them are given a holy calling as were they, as was Paul. And in that holy calling, we're able to abide in Christ or enjoy fellowship with him, partake of his divine nature so that we can experience the godly character and virtues of Christ and enjoy him while we're on earth. And flowing from there, we are given the holy calling or the mission, divine mission, to be ambassadors of Christ, to present the gospel to the lost and dying, because it's the will of God, all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, and so he wants to use us as believers. And we are to minister to each the other as members of the body of Christ. We are part of the universal church, and we that gather here are part of the local church. We are the gathering together of the believers, the saints that are in this area with view to the purpose of God, as he would use the church to edify each of us, this functioning here, encourage each other, and we would strive together for the furtherance of the gospel. And so he had gone to Corinth. He'd been there a year and a half. A church had been established. Sometime after he left, some of the believers, not all, but some lost sight of their holy calling, which is something we should be conscious of as a possibility. They began to be critical and judgmental of each the other instead of having the mindset that they were one in Christ and they had this common mission. They begin to look at things from a world's perspective, or the human perspective, the sin nature perspective, where it is driven by ego lust. And they begin to judge and criticize and complain about others. And as such, they weren't focused on the mission, they weren't focused on the Lord, on their fellowship, nor on working together. And this is the problem. They became focused, believers became focused on themselves and self-serving purposes. Now this letter addresses that, and it's a big problem in Corinth. It's one of the first churches established, and so it gives example of a problem that could exist in any church, and it does reoccur. We're to be aware of that. This is a danger that can happen in any church anytime, it's happened throughout churches throughout the ages, where a believer becomes occupied with himself and begins to complain and criticize others in the church, and in this case it was directed towards Paul as well. And so the problem that we see, just to get the background, or the appeal that he makes, excuse me, the appeal he makes is that, and this would be to all of us, members that are members of the body of Christ, that are believers. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. We're to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace, and we're to work together. God's designed the local church for the edifying of the saints. He's given gifts to some for the perfecting of the saints that we would do the work of the ministry. That's the concept. Christ said, I will build my church, and he is desiring to use us. And we should have a sense of the common cause and As we would yield to the Lord, there would be the sense of our unity and working together. Positionally, we became one in Christ. Now practically, experientially, we should be having as one in Christ, working together. The problem, as I mentioned, is that there were contentions among them. They weren't focused in on the Lord. They weren't focused in on souls getting saved or the believers being edified, built up, encouraged, striving together. They became focused on themselves. And under the lust of the flesh, some sought power. They wanted to lead, take that posture. Some wanted the approbation, people to approve of them, and so in the course of that, as they sought self-serving purposes, they became critical, judgmental, complaining about other believers, and it was divisive. In chapter 3, and we looked at this, but it's probably worth going over frequently or as we go through the book because this is a problem that can occur. It's a warning for us as we see it happening in Corinth and gives instructions, correction, teaching as to how we ought to think. So turning to 1 Corinthians 3, He continues to expose the wrong thinking, explaining. He says, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual as those who were thinking on things above and spiritually minded, operating in connection with or operating under the will of God for them at this time. But as undue carnal, those who were operating as if they were walking in the flesh, we should no longer walk as Gentiles without infusions, but that's kind of what they were doing. in that sense, and they were babes in Christ in terms they were infantile in spiritual understanding and application, because their eyes were not on the Lord. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you are not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able, and we get the concept of an infantile mentality as we think of only being capable to take in milk and digest that. And we read then in verse 3, for you are yet carnal, earthly-minded, worldly-minded, self-centered. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal? It doesn't that clearly indicate and show, and it does, that you are carnal-minded and walk as men. For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos. Now these are both apostles sent by God. And we see a demonstration of a non-unity, of comparing and judging and exalting one and critical-minded of another. Now these two work together, hand in hand. but the carnal mind was to be competitive and to seek to exalt oneself by connection with one or in some other way, but to do it, they would discredit another, not looking at it as equal members of the body of Christ with specific roles given by God. So the attitude was wrong. Verse five, who then is Paul and who is Apollos? He says, but ministers by whom you believed. even as the Lord gave to every man. And so we have the principle we should understand. We that have placed our faith in Christ have become one in Christ and we are each made ministers of God. We have this common ministry. And so we're to function within that or respond and operate with that in mind. Each of us is a ministry. Every believer is a minister of God. Whether they perform that ministry well or whether they don't, that's their position. By design, we're to work together. And I think we could go over this. Yeah. Be reminded of this. As believers, we're to work together. We're to work together for the Further into the gospel, we as individuals and collectively are to work together for the spreading of the gospel, reaching the lost with the gospel, which would be part reason for the Christmas program and other ministries. We should work together so that each one who has believed could grow in grace and the knowledge of God, could minister to each the other and be ministered by each other, that we would grow in grace and the knowledge of God and in love to the glory of God. And verse 7, he says, so then when you, verse 6, I have planted all Apollos' water, but God gave the increase so we work together. Instead of arguing about which apostle's better or worse or promoting yourself, we ought to be looking at it from divine perspective. Verse seven, so then neither is he that planteth anything, neither that he that watereth, but God gives the increase, and so instead of being focused as some were and trying to exalt themselves or jockey for position so that people would think highly of them or they'd have power, then they should recognize, we should all recognize that any increase that has redeeming value, that's consistent with the word of God, comes by the grace of God as he works in and through us. We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything is of ourselves. Our sufficiency is of God, which comes about as we walk by faith and yield to him. And in so doing, we would not be competing with each other. We would be working with each other in the sense of a team or body or family. Verse eight, now he that planteth and he that watereth are one and every one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. And so we are each individually accountable to God for ourselves. They were sitting there judging and evaluating others and making some judgment of their spiritual worth, their ministries, and the issue that they should be thinking about was their own. But in so doing, if you can criticize someone else, you get the sense that you can use it to promote yourself as I'm better than them. But every one of us as believers will give an account for our own selves. We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and he will evaluate what we did with this opportunity to serve him by the grace of God, this holy calling. And when you're standing there, Conversation will not be about me or about someone next to you, about your wife. Your conversation and what he talks to you about will be about you. And that becomes a very important factor, something to challenge their thinking as to where their focus is, what they were doing. We will all give an account. And he sets forth in this doctrine of rewards. When we're standing there as believers before the judgment seat of Christ, he is going to evaluate what we did and reward those who have yielded to him to serve him in keeping with their holy calling by grace through faith. You respond by faith to the grace of God, and this is your walking by faith. He rewards you. If we don't, If we are contrary or we are divisive as we have here, carnal minded, then obviously he wouldn't reward that. And so there would be a loss of reward. And so he's teaching us that the importance of this service, and it has eternal ramifications, not only present, but eternal. And he warns us in that we all have this holy calling. We're to work together to take heed how we build upon the church. Christ called us to be part of that building process. Verse nine, he says, we're laborers together with God. So they are to each examine themselves. Now, he tells them, well, we'll just jump into, let's go to the end of the chapter. And so he reminds them, as he challenges them and tries to get their thinking right, be good for all of us to examine and think ours are thinking right. The conditions of problems that we see in Corinth, I don't see happening here in terms of the magnitude. There will always be some issues, but it's not a problem like we see here. But learning of it and understanding and being conscious of the danger and focusing right will certainly help that it doesn't occur in any major manner. So in verse 21 he says, therefore let no man glory in men, instead of glorying in self or in connection with another man as you promote him and so he's spiritually better than another or you like whatever, let no man glory in men or in yourself. For all things are yours, we are one together as believers in Christ. Whether it be Paul, Apollos, or Peter, or the world, or life, or death, or things present or things to come, they're all ours by the grace of God. And we are Christ, we are members of the body of Christ by position. And Christ is God's, and so we're of the family of God, the household of God, citizens of heaven. And so keep that in our thinking. Think about what our position is, And what that then would, what the Lord reveals, how that should have a reflection in terms of what we behave in time. So in verse, chapter four, he goes on, and this is where we were looking, so we're continuing. I'll just put this up as I think about some of the comparisons. Now some of the comparisons were between believers and believers there, maybe one had a place of authority within the local church in Corinth, and another jockeyed for it, or whatever, and we have a competition, and so some of this was directed on that level, some of it was directed towards the elders, pastor if there was, and then some to Paul. And after he had visited Corinth later on, he wrote this, and he warned the church leaders at Ephesus, elders, to take heed to yourselves and they were to carry out their work in the ministry. And then he talked about, verse 29, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in. Typically I think that's taken as unbelievers coming in and kind of corrupting or seeking to corrupt, undermine the truth. But there were also, and this would apply to the Corinthian church, of your own selves, which I take as believers, shall men arise speaking perverse things, and so there were those who were promoting themselves. And he makes mention of this to the Ephesus elders after he'd visited Corinth, that this was the nature of the problem. And so with that in mind, some had been seeking to promote themselves or take on this posture and have disciples after them as a jockey for position. They were criticizing and slandering Paul and Apollos, others that had authority. And so in chapter four, he shows the foolishness of this and begins the chapter by teaching how they should look at Paul, how they should look at Apollos. Not as opposing people, but as working together. And how they should look at him and what his ministry is and how he looked at his ministry. And then, ultimately, that it would be God that becomes the judge. And we're not to be judging each other in terms of these things or as to the spiritual value, worth, or whatever. Not talking about overt sin, we're talking about as we minister to one another. He says, let a man so account of us, and we looked at this before, so we're to, look at them, recognize them, reckon them, reckon these two as apostles, Paul and Apollos. We read that Ephesians, he gave some apostles. And so to recognize them as ministers of God, which he says here as ministers of God, and we mentioned this last time, and just reinforce the idea, this word ministers is not diakonous as to a deacon or one having authority, Surely Apollos and Paul had authority in service to God as apostles. But this word is from the word that's used for one who sits in the bottom of a ship in those rows and rows the boat. And so the perspective of Paul towards his ministry is that it was service unto God. And he was laboring to advance the cause of Christ, advance the ship if you would, and to keep it on course. And that's what they ought to be thinking about him in terms of. One who was sent by God to do this. And he says in verse 10 that he is given as a master builder to build on the foundation as we think of the church being established. And so they were to have the right attitude to how God has designed this, how he's given gifts to men, and how these men serve. and work together, not work to undermine that, nor to promote themselves. As if attaining to this position would exalt them and they would be in a glorified position and everyone would be, oh my, how great you are. This was a service unto God. That's how Paul saw it, and it was a labor of love. a work of faith. And he says that they were stewards of the mysteries of God. And there's a uniqueness here because in the beginning of the church, God made revelation of the church and the doctrines of this church age to the apostles as they went about to reach souls and establish the local church and teach believers the principles that are associated with this dispensation, which had just started, which we have recorded here. Now that wasn't given to everybody. He gave some apostles. And he gave, by revelation, the mysteries of the grace of God to Paul. Now they weren't all equipped with this, and so they were to recognize the uniqueness of this, and appreciate it, and not take in the idea that you would, minimize this, be critical or judgmental, especially by one who wasn't qualified, wasn't gifted in this realm to take over. And so he says, moreover, verse two, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. So what's really important for Paul, and should be for us, is that we be found faithful. Now, who is it faithful to? Well, it's faithful to God. Ultimately, that's the decision, or that's the direction. He says that he is not a man pleaser, but he is here to please God. In his ministry to please God, he would minister to people. He would have a concern for the people and their perception of him, but ultimately, what he was doing, he was doing is unto the Lord, which we all ought to be doing, and that ought to be the focus of our thinking, not some how to promote ourselves. Verse three, and so he goes on, he says, but with me it's a very small thing that you should judge, that I should be judged of you. Now again, he was conscious of how they perceived him, he wanted them to respond, and so he was not just oblivious or didn't care what people thought, but what he cared most about is being consistent with his holy calling and serving God. And man had free volition to respond or not. So this is a very small thing for me to be judged of you or of man's judgment or of any man. And he goes on, he says, yeah, I judge not my own self. We talked about that before. We have sin nature and new nature, and so there is a constant conflict can be, or the sin nature seeks to give its opinions or direct our thinking a certain way, and that'll always be. So he was of good conscience. But he says, I don't judge my own self, for I know nothing by myself, yet am I hereby, yet am I not hereby justified. I don't know anything against me. I have a good conscience, but that doesn't mean that all that I've done is right. It's God that's going to judge, judge me, just like he'd judge you. You're not qualified to judge me. I'm not qualified to judge you in terms of your spiritual motivation. But God is. Verse five, 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 hearts. Going back to the idea of the bimasit, or the bimasit is a Greek word which describes the judgment seat of Christ. It is not a judgment of condemnation, It is a judgment for reward. And so when you think of the Olympics and you have first, second, third, that concept, that's really what he's trying to communicate. We're not being judged of sin, we're being judged of what we have done serving God. And so the uniqueness of that Greek word gives us a sense of that as opposed to some difference of the great white throne of judgment or whatever. It's judgment for rewards. And so he says, then every man, that'll be revealed by God, and he will be the one who judges, he will be the one who rewards. Then shall every man have praise of God. That's what we should desire, to hear, well done, thou good and faithful servant from God. Now verse six then. He continues, and let's see, we have this written here to start with. And these things, brethren, I have a figure transferred to myself and to Paulus for your sakes. Now, he was using himself and Apollos as this, as we think of this realm where there was this view to this by some of a competitive nature and comparison. And that wasn't the case between them. They were working together. But Gramacchi writes this as we kind of get the sense of what's going on and what Paul is doing here. And he writes that Paul uses the names of Apollos and himself instead of the names of the schismatic or the divisive leaders in Corinth in order to deal with the problem on the basis of principle, not of personality. The word transferred means to change the outward appearance or identity. He chose this method for their sakes. If he mentioned the leaders by name, the church might have been further divided. Now, the objective, as we think of this, is that you might learn of us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against the other. Transferring this figure as an illustration to Paul himself, or Paulus himself, was for their benefit. He could have named names. Some people say, well, you should get up and name names. He could have named names of anybody that was divisive and critical of him or critical of others. And said no fellowship with them, kicked them out of the church. But what is the objective? Is that you, plural, all might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you, none of you, including the one who had, and ones who had moved in the wrong direction. His objective was not that they be excommunicated or be done away with. His objective is that they would learn as well as others, and by not naming names, he could deal with this problem in the realm that everyone could identify or understand without having any individual placed head on the chopping block. And his objective was for the well-being of those who had moved in the wrong direction as being children of God, as well as for the whole congregation. His objective was not to judge and condemn, but to teach and instruct for the well-being of those that were off base, as well as for all the saints in the church. The objective is that they, every one of them, including those who were puffed up, would learn not to think of men, yourself or others, more highly than you ought. The objective was to correct, not judge, condemn, kick out, but seek to unite, not divide. He's calling for unity, and he's seeking to do it, and how does he do it? He doesn't get there and say, you know, Joe Schmo is the one, he's a problem, get him out of there, have no fellowship. He's addressing Joe Schmo and everyone else, to reconsider, to stop and think, and so it's for teaching. All of us should examine ourselves, because this is kind of a tendency of the sin nature as we think of the ego. In Galatians 6.3, it says, for if any man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. They were deceiving themselves. And they were looking at it from this earthly, sensual, devilish mentality world thinking as to how they came to that conclusion. And they weren't thinking it from divine perspective. And so self-examination is always important as we go through this. This is written to expose a problem and deal with it then at that time, but to reveal a potential problem. so that we would, if we were moving in that direction, we would be corrected and to warn us so that we don't, and not to get sucked up in this. And so we could ask ourselves as individuals, what is your attitude towards each other in the church? What is your attitude towards each other in the church? What does your conversations sound like? Are you critical of others? Do you complain? Slander? Are you pointing out what you think is other people's faults, judging their attitudes, their actions? Are you measuring yourselves against each other by a scale that you established, by standards you established? Do you accuse others while you excuse yourself? Those are the natural tendencies, and those are problems. That is thinking more highly of yourselves than you ought. Delusions. Delusions of grandeur as if you're something special. Now obviously some of these Corinthians were puffed up. That's the issue. He didn't name them. He is challenging them and challenging anybody else that might be being drawn into this baloney so that they wouldn't follow after. And so he's transfigured this, that you might learn, this is positive purpose, every one of them, every one of us. And then he goes on, and since some were puffed up, he sets forth some three questions for them to consider, for us to consider. And the first one is, verse 7, for who maketh thee to differ from another? Now, the New American Standard translates this this way, for who regards you as superior? Now, God made us, and so there is a difference in that sense, but we are one in Christ, and so there is a oneness, but that's not what he's talking about. He's talking about in the mindset of these believers, who is it that regards you as superior? Where did you come to this conclusion? You didn't come to this conclusion by what you learn of God. All sinners, all saved by grace. given gifts by God to minister. The only way we're able to serve and live under God is by the grace of God. So where do you get the idea that you're superior? And another way to put it, who thinks you are better than others? Is that what God thinks of you? He thinks that you're better than others? Are we not equal in Christ and every service that is rendered of equal value? Being an apostle didn't make him greater than being a wife ministering to the family, if this is what God has established for her, or a Sunday school teacher, or whatever, or the ones who clean And Ma, and I should say this, when it's Wednesday night, we're going to clean it Thursday. It says, and it was mentioned, they will wash and wax the floors. We need they. So if you could help, talk to Mr. Lehman, because without people helping, we won't have a they to do it. So anyway, so see Mr. Lehman about that. But who thinks you're better? Does God? Is that God's evaluation of you? Is that the perception? That's not what it says. We're equal in Christ. Given different roles, but different roles doesn't make us less equal in Christ or of less value. Just different services, which we do as unto the Lord. Do other men think that you're better? Is that where you get this idea that people walk around and say, you are really a spiritual giant. Do all other men think that? Now we got some problems, or is it just you that thinks you are better? I looked at a lesson that I did some time ago and I asked, I says, you know, you wanna know? Ask your wife or your husband, am I really the spiritual giant that I think I am? Nah, don't ask, because you know, they just have more problems. I'll tell you what you're like, no. No. And this is all meant to teach us that we might learn from them to think of men, to not think of men more highly than we ought, and that none of us would be puffed up. The second question that he asks is, and what has thou that thou hast not received? Now, Psalms, I think I have that up there and we don't need to read through it all, but the psalmist writes how he is God that created us, God made us. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid for thee and he made us. So what are you that you have not received? And God gave us free volition, he made us, and because of Adam's fall, we were all sinners and we all continued to sin, and so we contributed to our own worthiness of condemnation, if you wanna put it that way. And which one of us got saved because of something we did? None of us. So I got saved because of the grace of God. My salvation, the glory of that What he has accomplished belongs to him. And anything that is accomplished in me that has any redeeming value is by the grace of God. So what is it that you have that you have not received whereby you would think that you are something special because of who and what you're doing or have done? Does not the glory belong to God? Is that not what he was telling us in 1 Corinthians? Let's just turn back to 1 Corinthians. We read that, but verse, well maybe we didn't, verse 29. 1 Corinthians 29. He's teaching us that we shouldn't be puffed up, that no flesh, 1 Corinthians 1 29, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But think about it, but of God. But of God, 1 Corinthians 1 30. But of God are you in Christ. This is his work. He saved us. Who? Christ, of God, by God's design. Christ is made unto us all manner the source, all manner means of wisdom. Anything understanding of God comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ is All manner means is a source of righteousness for us. We have none of ourselves. We are, righteousness is imputed to us and we're able to live righteously by the grace of God. In all manner of sanctification, source and means is Jesus Christ. He's the one who set us apart unto God through his work on the cross. He is the one who sets us apart practically speaking so that we're not serving sin and able to serve God, set apart unto God in service, and is all manner the source and means of redemption. To what end then? Well, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, and that's not what's going on in Corinth. And that's what ought to be taking place. So what is it that you have that you didn't receive that causes you to glory in yourself? And on what standard are you using? You gotta go back to the earthly, sensual, devilish mentality, the world mindset. Because it's certainly not a spiritual thing. And the third thing he says as we look on, and he says, now if thou, in the middle of verse seven, now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as thou hast not received it? And again, the same mentality there is. What makes you think that you are special or you are better than anyone else? You aren't looking at it from a divine perspective and you aren't giving the glory of God for all that you have. I am what I am by the grace of God. It's his glory. And they continued to look at each other and we have the pride of life. That's what dictates or rules over the earth, the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life, pride of life. God gives you life. He gives you volition, he gives you mentality, and now we're able to live with a certain amount of autonomy, and all of a sudden we think that we are, as Eve bought into, as if we're God. We're better. God gave us everything. What do you have that you glory in? The problem is they looked at themselves, as I mentioned, they glorified themselves, they lost vision, they lost sight of the reality of what they were by nature and their need to be filled and led by the Spirit and what that would produce and then how they were to live amongst each other. And they lost sight of the ministry. They lost sight of being ambassadors for Christ. Have you lost sight of that? We all can lose that, not completely lose it, but we can put it on the back row. They lost sight of being ministers together, ministering to the believers for the well-being of each other and for the glory of God and striving together. We can do that. So Paul points out or has three observations concerning them, particularly as we think of those that were carnally minded or puffed up. He says, now are you, and the first one is full. As he looked at them and their behavior, as an apostle, as one who is given to rebuke and correction by the instruction and will and enablement of God, he says, you're full. You're sitting there in Corinth, taking this posture and you are full. Now, in Acts 27, 38, it says when they had eaten enough. Now, mentally, he sees him as fully satisfied They think themselves as spiritually superior, better than others, with view to their own godly living. Pleased with themselves. So you're full. Full of it is what we might say. Now it's really hard to teach a man who is full of himself. It's hard for them to learn and be transformed because they think they know it all. And this is what he was up against. And that's the tendency of the sin nature. Pride of life, I'm special. My thoughts are right. And that one time, it often manifests, if you don't agree with my thoughts, you're an idiot. But that's the kind of framework that we have. It's just a manifestation of the flesh. He goes on and says, verse eight, now you are rich. So he points out rich. And this has an idea of self-sufficiency. There is an idea of their self-sufficiency as they lived in this crooked and perverse world based on their own perception of themselves as being spiritual superior. They aren't relying on the Lord. And when he writes to the church at Laodicea, he writes, because thou sayest I am rich and increased in goods. And we could say there's this aspect. There was a material prosperity in Corinth. And so coupled with this idea that I'm spiritually superior and that I'm, there's this fullness and richness that they were enjoying, which was of the world, world thinking. But in Revelations, because thou sayest, I am enriched and increased in goods and have need of nothing, well, that's kind of what the Corinthians were. They'd say, I'm top dog here. And knowest not that thou are wretched and miserable and poor. Carnal minded, that's really what we're, we're in that state, practical state of operating in the flesh, walking in darkness and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in fire that thou mayest be rich in white raiment and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see. It's the same kind of idea. He is challenging them and the objective is that they would learn. Now some are going to respond and some aren't. Some are gonna just cling to that. But his goal, objective, is that he could reach them. and not make a spectacle of any of them so that the problems would be escalated so that it would be not only they needing adjustment, but the whole congregation and all the people joining in on this problem and making it really insurmountable to fix. It's a danger. And so then he goes on, and the third things he said, he says is that, you're living like reigning kings. He says, you are living, really it'd be like this. As a Christian, you're living as if we're living in the kingdom age and God is ruling, because you're living like a king. when in reality we're living in a crooked and perverse world and you're to be serving in a spiritual battle for the souls of men. But you're sitting up there in your Lazy Boy thinking that you're special like a Monday night football criticizing those that are out on the field. And it's easy to get there. It's easy to retreat from the battle and then You're losing sight of why you're here, what's your purpose, and you become centered in yourself, and you sit and you criticize those that are actually doing the work of the ministry. Leonard used to say there are two kinds of people in the church. Speaking of believers, those that are willing to work, those that are willing to let them. And in Corinth, those that were willing to let them, they really weren't willing to let them, they were critical. Not only were they not working, doing the work of the ministry, making proof of their, doing the work of evangelism, making proof of the ministry, they were opposing it. And he warns him. He says, not good. Not good. So he pointed out how these believers were living and acting, as we'd say, in your mind, you're spiritual giants, you're sitting on your lazy boy, you're criticizing others, you think that by gaining some disciples after yourselves, all the more important. So he makes a comparison from what he likens the life of an apostle, his life, and minister of Christ to be compared to that. And so we read in verse nine, or verse eight, end of verse eight, he says, I would to God we did reign. You did reign because then I would be reigning and this battle would be over, essentially what he's saying, but that's not the case. Verse nine, he says, for I think that God has set us the apostles last. Well, that's just opposite thinking because these people wanted to have this position because they saw it as a position that they would be glorified in before men. But he says, no, that's not how I see it. I think, I believe that God has set forth the apostles last and could be least. as it were appointed unto, as it appointed to death, for we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to, and to men. Now, we stress this, if it is of any help, and he kind of translates the Greek, and then he puts it, and it's another translation of the Bible, but he works off, well, they all did, He says, however I wish indeed that you did reign as kings in order that as for us also we might reign as kings with you. For it seems to me that God exhibited us, the apostles, as those when the eyes of men are the most inferior in the scale of human existence from a world perspective. As men doomed to die because we are exhibited as a spectacle to be gazed at and made sport of by the universe both by angels and by men, and now it's taken place by other believers. And the imagery would be, here they are, sitting here, they think they're ruling, they're enjoying, they're eating, I mean, they're celebrating life on the earthly standard, they're critical and judgmental, and then we have Paul, he sees himself down and likened to a gladiator in the middle of the arena, who is sent there to fight to death. while others sit around and cheer and boo and whatever. And he is doing this in the cause for Christ. And so we can be sitting on the bandstand, or we can be actively involved. And we have a solid functioning church, but we can move in these directions at any time, positive or negative. This is for our learning as well, so that we're not puffed up, and that we're focused, that we work together for the cause of Christ. And so he makes a contrast as we go on, verse 10. This is how the valuation seems to come across. The Apostle Paul, Well, he is talked about and treated as fools for Christ's sake, not only by the world, but now by some of these believers. And these puffed up believers, they think they're wise in Christ. And they look at him as weak, and they're criticizing and complaining. And they see themselves as strong. They're full. They're reigning as kings. They're despised, apostles, Pauls, as we think of what the spiritual battle is like and how the world perceives them. And they're honorable. And so we have just the opposite as we think of the mindset. They saw this as of glory. In verses 12 through 13, 11 through 13, he goes on and he says this is what it's like. You're enjoying life in Corinth and you're enjoying your riches and you think you're spiritual and you're actually working counterproductive for the building of the church, but he says this is what it's really like on the battlefield for an apostle. Verse 11, even on to this present hour, we both hunger and thirst. You're full. You're reigning as king. We're seen as weak and despised. We're hungry and thirst. We're naked and buffeted. We have no search and dwelling place. You have your nice homes. And you think you're sitting there and you're enjoying the perception of you're spiritually minded, doing your own thing. We're laboring under roars, working with our own hands, support ourselves. We're being reviled. We bless while we're being persecuted. We suffer. We're defamed. We entreat. We are made as the filth of the world and are the offscoring of all things onto this day. He said, I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you. The objective is that we learn not to be puffed up or to think more highly of ourselves and to focus in on what really matters. For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. Now he's taken the posture as an apostle, but as a father figure in the faith. He'd been sent to preach the gospel. They had gotten saved through him. He had laid down, taught the doctrines of the dispensation, a steward to the mysteries of God. He had sought to help and establish the local church. And he was an apostle, a minister of God. And he is encouraging them to think back and respond to this truth and the truth that he established so that they would refocus, reunite, and work together. Verse 15, for though we have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers? There's all these that are trying to jock you for position. They didn't serve in the same capacity. This is a personal relationship as well. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. You got saved, taught, established. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Mimic, imitate. In what way? in service to God, in the building of the church, labors together with God, with the same mentality. 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 my ways, which be in Christ. What you're listening to, what you're buying into, and what you're telling yourselves is not. And it's the same thing that I teach everywhere in every church. So it's not unique. It's the same common purpose. We have one faith, one Lord, one hope, one holy calling. It's the same thing. Now, it would appear by chapter 16, verse 10, that Paul wrote the letter And then Timothy followed. Some say, well, Timothy delivered the letter, but it says, in the end of the letter, he says, if Timothy comes. And so, you can take it however you want, and it becomes kind of irrelevant. I would not want to have been Timothy going there at that point. And he sends this letter so that, and doesn't go there, and he explains this later. He says, I did this because I don't want a confrontation with you I want you to have a change of mind, but I want that change of mind to come about with your response to the word of God. He said, I don't want a Lord over you. I want to be a helper of your faith. And so I write this letter and I'm not going to come and I allow the word of God to work in your heart and for you to respond to the work of God, that the spirit of God could make the adjustments in keeping with the word of God. and not because I am an apostle's man, in that sense. And so he talks about his authority, but again, the purpose and objective in the ministry is to save the lead souls to Christ, and then as we think of ministering to believers, to encourage and teach that they all grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and if man be overtaken of fault, you spiritually restore him. The objective is to help. You're interested in the well-being of others. Verse 18, now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you, 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. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What is it you want? Should I come to you with a rod? Or in the spirit of love and meekness? Now again, Weiss writes this. Now in the supposition that I am not coming to you, certain ones have inflated eagles. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will take cognizance, not of the speech of those with an inflated ego, but of their power. For the kingdom of God is not in the sphere of speech, but in that of power. What are you desiring? With a stick shall I come to you, or in a love that has as its impelling motive the benefit of the one loved? the exercise of which love demands self-sacrifice and the spirit of meekness. And so he was willing to take it in the neck for the Lord's sake. He was willing to take it in the neck from the world for the Lord's sake. He endured all things for the elect's sake. He was willing to take it in the neck from the believers and minister to them for the believers' sake. And we have the appeal again, as it should appeal to all of us, or is an appeal to all of us. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing. that there be no divisions among you, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Are we not members together of the body of Christ? Are we not part of the local church, which is the visible, physical manifestation of that universal relationship, only it's in a specific area? Is it not instructed to us about how to live unto God, as children of God, and how to live with each other? And so the appeal is made. And we all have issues of ego. where we need to understand that it's there and take sides against the flesh. So Sundays, this is the first Sunday of the month, and so we have a celebration of the Lord's Table. And so we'll do that, and it seems fitting. Now, this celebration of the Lord's Table is a memorial or in remembrance to the fact that our salvation and the testimony that our salvation is made possible by the personal work of Jesus Christ. And I mentioned at the beginning, but I'll do this, kind of explain this again. There are two things that will be served at the Lord's table. We have the bread, which is going to picture the body of Christ, which is broken, as we think of the cross work of Christ. Our salvation needed to be brought to fulfillment by the work of the Savior, his sacrifice, and so his body was broken on the cross. And we have the cup, which symbolizes the blood of Christ, which was shed. Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins, and so he died for our sins. And we are here in remembrance, in memorial, in celebration of what he provided, and as we partake of that, as we eat that bread and drink that cup, we are symbolically showing our identification with his death for our sins as the means of our salvation. Now, no man can save himself, as I mentioned, and so if you're here and you've never placed your faith in Christ, you need to know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, which includes you. The wage of sin is death, and so you are in a world of hurt. You need to be saved. This church can't save you, I can't save you, no church can save you, you can't save yourself. The wage of sin demands death, and so that has to be satisfied. And so God, in his great love, sent his son. He took on the form of man, was delivered to the cross, and he died for our sins, a substitutionary sacrifice, so that the debt of our sins was paid by him. God was satisfied. He died, was buried, rose again a living Savior. Again, I said before, the wage of our sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, and we have this offer of salvation extended to all. We that are going to partake of the Lord's table are bearing witness to the fact that we have trusted in him, in the person and work of Jesus Christ as our Savior. And the offer is made to you if you're here and ever placed your faith in Christ. You need to be saved. It's a gift from God, and it is a work that is completed. And to receive the gift, you have to simply, as Paul told the Philippian jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. He wants to save you. He's done all the work. He's offering you a gift. And all you have to do is receive that gift by believing in him. You can reject that. And then not having that work applied to you and not having the gift of eternal life, you'll spend eternity in the lake of fire by your own choice. So believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and all shall be saved. John 3, 16-18, God so loved the world, He loved you, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever, if you would believe in Him, you would not perish, but you would have everlasting life. That's the plan of salvation. Send His Son to be our Savior. Believe in Him, receive it. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. That's the message we're proclaiming. That's the gospel message that He proclaimed to Corinthians. And some believed. Some didn't. And so it goes on to say he that believeth is not condemned. He's not condemned because he has received from God the application of the blood of Christ, the work of Christ to remove his sins and to declare him justified and he has received the gift of eternal life becoming a son of God. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. It's a gift from God when we believe. But he that believeth not is condemned already because he that he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the Son of God. A saved man is a sinner saved by grace, having trusted in Christ as a Savior and God saves him. A unsaved man is a sinner who has rejected Jesus Christ and therefore is dying in his sins. Choice is yours. Now we that are saved are invited to bear testimony of our faith in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we will do that shortly. But we gather together in this remembrance as being individuals that are saved. But we gather together in this sphere and the way it's designed is that we are members together of the body of Christ that have been saved. There is a unity that is there by way of our position that should be in our practice. In 1 Corinthians 10, 16 through 17, it says, the cup of the blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ, for we being many are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. And so as we looked at the problem in Corinth, we should be willing to examine ourselves that when we approach this communion table, We ought to be in communion, fellowship with the Lord, which would then mean fellowship with each the other. And so we're told to examine ourselves so that we approach it in a manner that's worthy. Corinthian believers, some of them were carnally minded and there were divisions. It can happen to them, it can happen to us. So before we join, each of us should examine ourselves. Are we enjoying fellowship, or have we been like they, where we are full, rich in our thinking, and reigning as king? 1 John 1 9 enables us to acknowledge our sin, our wrong attitudes, confess, say the same thing about him as God and he is righteous and just to forgive us our sins. And the third thing about the Lord's table is it sets forth the fact that the Lord is coming back again and he could come back any day. So we're to be looking for that blessed appearance of our great God and Savior and living in light of that. And having that in our thinking, we ought to be serving God because we would want that when he came, he would find us serving him in fellowship, that we wouldn't be ashamed of his coming. Now if you're here and never placed your faith in Christ, when the elders come, they're gonna pass the plate and they'll be passed down each aisle. And if you are not a believer, do not partake. There's nothing supernatural, spiritual involved in this. It is a testimony of one's faith. But if you don't have faith, you never place your faith in Christ, there's no remembrance, don't eat of the bread and your identification with him and his death for you or drink the cup, you'd be a hypocrite. But as you are here, and you have heard the word from God, the gospel, and you now will see a testimony of faith by believers, I would encourage you to respond to the offer of salvation and for you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, here and now. Because when you physically die, the opportunity is over. Now is the day of salvation. So with that, I'll ask the elders to come forward and we will have a moment to prepare our own hearts and we will join together celebrating Lord Sable.