26-0510a Transcript

(1:50) Good morning everybody it’s so nice to see (1:54) our friends come in and say hi happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers God bless you. (2:05) Mothers have a special place in our life and in most of our cases I have a feeling (2:11) had a special place in our life mine has gone on but mothers do most of the rearing (2:19) most of the correcting most of the loving the coddling good memories.

But my sermon’s not about (2:28) mothers this morning nor am I going to top Scott and try and pull the podium down on top of me (2:34) and I do have a story to share similar to Kevin’s but it’s the antithesis of that

(2:42) when I was a young Christian on fire for the Lord as young Christians often are (2:49) I remember working I was a copier repairman. So I was downtown loaded up with tools and vacuum (2:58) cleaner and parts and I’m walking down a city street heading to a place where I was gonna fix (3:05) a copier. And in front of me was a woman who was walking bent over and she must have had the (3:14) burden of the world on her shoulders. She was wringing her hands and talking out loud (3:20) and the spirit kicked me in the pants and said go share the word with that woman. (3:30) And I’m debating on with myself, oh you know what am I going to say. And pretty soon there’s the (3:36) doorway where I turn in to go to the account and I never did that. And I felt bad that I couldn’t (3:42) share the Lord with you know somebody who just seemed really down and perhaps needed cheering up. (3:50) So I go fix the copier I get back to my car and I got a flat tire! (3:58) So I have a feeling that might, you know, confirm the idea that yeah you should have done it Jim, (4:06) remember that next time. (4:11) Anyhow with that…​ (4:12) um

(4:16) Today I want to talk about Paul being a father. I know it’s mother’s day. (4:24) I didn’t even think about the uh the contrast there. But you know, Paul, he was a tireless (4:34) worker for the Lord. (4:39) He was the greatest missionary, you know, to walk this earth. And it’s easily observable (4:49) that by reading through the new testament you can see that it was (4:52) Paul who planted most of the churches, the gentile world. And so, he successfully (5:02) discharged his duty to the Lord, "I have run the race, I have fought the good fight." And (5:11) he spread the gospel.

So Paul (5:17) is a man to be looked up to and emulated and spoken well about. And I want to share with you (5:27) uh his love for the Corinthian church. And we can see by his writings how he personally felt for (5:36) those in the churches. And he literally felt like a father to them because he gave them the word (5:47) which created a new birth in them. And as they become children he took care of them (5:56) as a mother or father would, kind of work in mom in there. But um he he took on the role of (6:04) father to them.

And so, that’s instructing. That’s correcting, you know. That’s loving, that’s guiding, (6:12) that’s showing example. So that is the frame of mind he had. He considered Timothy his young (6:24) protégé his son his spiritual son. And um you know that’s just the kind of relationship that he had (6:34) with the congregations.

And so we’re going to be looking at that relationship (6:45) with the Corinthians. So after the Corinthian church had been planted and spent a year and (6:52) a half with them, Paul moved on to the next city to spread the gospel. And it was later reported (7:00) to Paul that the Corinthian church was having behavioral issues or growing pains, if you will. (7:08) So he wrote them a letter addressing some of those issues and before addressing those he encourages (7:16) them, a positive reinforcement.

Now some of the things that were going on in Corinth, (7:23) some were petty matters, some were matters that were causing division, (7:28) and there were some individuals whose sin was in really affecting the church. (7:37) And um and the people in general had the wrong attitude about that individual.

(7:45) But in first Corinthians one, four through nine, it says, I always thank God for you because of (7:52) his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way (7:59) and all your speaking and all your knowledge because our testimony about Christ was confirmed (8:06) in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await for our Lord Jesus (8:14) Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day (8:22) of our Lord Jesus Christ. God who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord (8:31) is faithful.

Upon hearing that his children were having behavioral issues, Paul wasn’t about to (8:41) angrily show disapproval and judge them harshly. The loving father wouldn’t do that. (8:49) He constructs a letter to them that sort of follows this four-step formula: affirm and accept, (8:59) address and admonish, rebuke and correct, and then exhort and encourage.

(9:09) Paul first affirms and accepts them. This validates they are valued and belong to God. (9:18) God’s grace was given to them and it was evident by their spiritual growth (9:22) in the Lord. So it’s inferred that they have both God and Paul’s approval and acceptance. (9:29) A positive reinforcement will give them strength and courage to accept what would be coming next, (9:38) the address and admonishment.

So Paul addresses and admonishes them. To address the matters, to (9:47) bring up the issues or the issue at hand. And Paul had several issues that Paul dealt with (9:55) in this letter. And in the address he admonishes them. And to admonish is to warn or notify (10:04) of a fault or a sin and to expose their guilt with mildness so as to not crush them.

(10:14) For example, the first issue Paul tackled was the church was divided they were reduced to being in (10:23) cliques. One clique being made up of people who were baptized by Peter. Another clique who maybe (10:31) thought they were better than them was baptized by Apollos. And so on and so forth. And so, (10:40) they had a lack of unity in that church. And at first Corinthians 1, 10 and 11, it says, "I appeal (10:52) to you brothers in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together so that (10:58) there may be no divisions among you, and that you may be united in mind and conviction. My brothers, (11:05) some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you."

Now a quarrel (11:14) is more than just an argument it implies a brawl or a fight. So these cliques were at each other’s (11:24) throats. Can you imagine that kind of behavior in a congregation? And for those of us who’ve (11:34) been around for a while, we’ve seen some that pretty, come pretty close to quarreling. (11:42) So it can happen. And it’s all because of improper thinking. And in the letter he revealed how he felt (11:51) towards them. He told them, "I am not writing this to make you feel ashamed but to admonish you (11:59) as my beloved children. For though you might have 10 000 guardians in Christ, you do not have many (12:07) fathers. Indeed in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the gospel."

So he’s appealing (12:17) to their familial sense that he’s the one of authority over them. Not just because he’s an (12:25) apostle, but because he helped give them birth through the word he planted the word in their (12:33) hearts. And they believed and they become born again. And so, as a father, he feels he’s got the (12:42) right to guide, direct, and correct them.

So the rebuke and the correct is the command to stop an (12:54) action or behavior. Such as, the Lord rebuked the raging wind and said peace be still. That is a (13:06) rebuke. And, of course, to correct is to give directions on how to make things right. And (13:15) Paul addressed the Corinthians on matters of morality in the fifth chapter. And we can see (13:22) the steps that Paul took with those. And we won’t get into the dynamics of the fifth chapter. I’m (13:32) sure you’re all aware of that.

But Paul felt responsible for them and they’re growing up (13:37) in the gospel in Christ. And as a father feels responsible for his children, pruning out good (13:45) it was up to him. He had heard him, to know that they were in sin, his desire for them was that (13:55) they would be presentable to the Lord on the great day.

In his second letter to them he wrote (14:03) in Second Corinthians 11, 2 "For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. for I married you to (14:12) one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ." So (14:20) Paul is really taking this to heart. and he wants to be able to make sure the Corinthians (14:29) are spotless for the Lord and so he’s going to do and say what’s necessary in order to make (14:38) that congregation at Corinth a beautiful bride for the Lord.

So division was the primary issue (14:49) Paul confronted them on. He addressed it in chapter one. And division was a recurring (14:55) theme throughout Paul’s letter. And division is a major fiery arrow that Satan shoots (15:04) at the Lord’s churches and at us individually. And he causes division in our families as well. (15:13) Divide and conquer is his main mode of operation. Don’t we even see that in our society today? (15:22) In our politics we are so polarized as a people in this country that we are actually in (15:30) an ideological civil war, whether you realize it or not.

(15:37) But Paul encouraged them to be of the same mind and opinion and how is that accomplished (15:45) by becoming familiar with the word of God and putting it into practice and loving one another. (15:56) excuse me (16:03) allergy season when you’re on antihistamines they just really make the mouth dry

(16:11) That is the only way to become a mature Christian is knowing the word and putting it in practice (16:20) and going out and living the Christian life being challenged and meeting those challenges through (16:28) your Christian worldview. In chapter two and three, Paul tells them, and us by the way, that only the (16:39) mature can understand the wisdom from God. And that those who are stuck in their infancy in the Lord, (16:46) those who only feed on milk, can’t understand God’s wisdom neither. So spiritual growth is (16:54) encouraged by Paul. It is generally those who don’t apply themselves to know God’s word (17:01) that still have worldly tendencies for the flesh. As Steve pointed out this morning, (17:09) living in the flesh that are the traits of people that cause divisions within a church.

(17:18) In chapter four, Paul encourages the Corinthians to know God’s word and not to go beyond what is (17:26) written. Paul wants us to imitate him the way a child imitates their father. And chapters five (17:35) and six, Paul addresses sexual sin within the church and legal judgments among believers. (17:43) And sexual sin that can defile the whole church and is an issue that he commands must be judged (17:52) right away, because of the negative effect it can have on the flock. And though we (17:58) um are not to judge outsiders we are to judge each other. (18:08) God judges the outsiders. We’re told to judge one another.

Paul lists several sins along with sexual (18:17) sin that an unrepentant believer is uh is guilty of. And we should not have anything to do with them (18:28) if they’re unrepentant. It’s to make them feel the sting of rejection. (18:37) So that they feel that that sin is what’s keeping them separated not just from the congregation (18:44) but from God. It’s, it’s done to get them to repent. And so, we’re to shun impurity. (18:58) Look at the damage that is done in the past with our very own congregation (19:04) it caused division.

In chapter seven Paul gives institutional instructions on marriage (19:13) and encourages the believers to be content wherever they are in life. (19:20) And the Corinthians having been polytheistic pagans, having many gods, Paul instructs the (19:28) Corinthians in chapter eight, about food to offer the idols and how to treat the weaker brother. (19:34) And by weaker Paul means those who have not yet come to an understanding of the truth in the (19:39) scripture and the liberty we have in Christ, so as not to offend or make the less spiritually mature (19:47) brothers stumble.

In chapter nine, Paul speaks to them about his rights as an apostle. And in chapter (19:56) 10, he teaches them from Israel’s history, the importance of fleeing from idolatry which (20:03) segued into another area the Corinthians needed correction on. And that was how they observed the (20:09) Lord’s supper. Again they were reduced to cliques during the Lord’s supper. So in chapter 11, Paul (20:23) gives some very important insight on the Lord’s supper that we can benefit from because he covers (20:31) things that none of the other gospel writers mentioned in their Gospels about the Lord’s (20:38) supper. Paul speaks about the mechanics of it and the attitude we should have as we approach the (20:45) Lord’s supper. Paul discusses spiritual gifts and what our roles are in the body of Christ.

(20:53) Paul in chapter 13, gives us the biblical definition of what agape love is and the importance (21:04) of doing everything with love is the motivation. In chapter 14, he discusses spiritual gifts (21:13) and the orderly use of them during worship. Paul gives the most exhaustive explanation (21:19) of the resurrection that there is in scripture. Chapter 15 is devoted entirely to the subject of (21:28) the resurrection. Only God could have revealed such detailed information on it because it’s (21:36) beyond man’s understanding to speak so authoritatively on the subject but Paul does. (21:44) and I’m going to be in future lessons speaking on the resurrection of chapter 15 here.

But chapter (21:52) 16 begins with instructions for the church’s collection of money and then he starts to tie (21:59) up loose ends and explains to them what he will shortly be doing in the future. (22:06) And after all the issues that Paul addressed in the letter to the Corinthians, treating the (22:13) church of Corinth like his own children, lovingly but firmly with tough love at times, (22:19) by expelling the immoral brother (22:24) guiding his spiritual children in the right way, he gives final instructions for the church of (22:30) Corinth.

So having affirmed and accepted, addressed and admonished, rebuked and corrected, all that (22:39) was left to do was, step four in the formula, to keep them on the right track, he would exhort (22:45) and encourage the Corinthians. This not only helps them but through their examples it helps us as (22:54) well too, especially since we share in some of the same problems they had in their congregation. (23:02) Plus the times in which they lived with all the various perils they faced, our times too (23:09) are changing for the worse and we will face some of the very same perils. (23:16) Recently in Canada and in Great Britain, countries that normally enjoy freedom of speech (23:26) and pretty much freedom of religion, their governments are now arresting people (23:35) for preaching the word of God and for praying to God publicly. If you’re outside (23:42) caught praying you can be arrested in those countries and be taken to jail.

So, what is it (23:51) to exhort? Well, to exhort is to encourage by words or advice, to stimulate or urge to do good deeds (24:02) and conduct. His exhortation to the Corinthians are found in chapter 16, verses 13 and 14, that (24:11) John read for us, where he says, "Be on your guard stand firm in the faith be men of courage (24:19) be strong do everything in love." And there are five points to this exhortation and we’re going (24:30) to examine them this evening in our P.M. service at six o’clock. So I encourage you to come back (24:38) and we’ll go over Paul’s exhorting the Corinthians and finish the lesson then.

(24:47) So at this time I would like to exhort you to put your faith into Jesus, the Son of God. (24:55) And if you haven’t yet, I ask you why not? Jesus is the Son of God (25:06) and salvation is only through the name of Jesus Christ. There is going to be a great day of (25:15) reckoning. And when you look around the world and you see persecutions starting back up (25:24) against what is good and right and evil running rampant. Doesn’t that sound like (25:30) the days of Noah, where everybody did what was right in their own eyes. (25:40) Where what’s good is called evil and what’s evil is called good. It can only mean that Christ (25:50) is closer to returning and when that day comes it’s too late for all sinners.

We all need Christ (26:04) in our life. We need that atoning sacrifice that he made on the cross, and that is a precious gift (26:13) that God holds out to all of mankind. God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son that (26:23) whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God holds out the gift of grace to (26:32) you which you must accept it. And if you haven’t accepted it why not? The future is in your own hands. (26:47) I hope that you’ll choose life. So at this time if you need to put on Christ in baptism. (26:56) I hear our babbling brook there, bubbling away. We’ll be glad to baptize you for the remission (27:03) of your sins and put you into Christ. That’s how you put on Christ. Clothe yourself then with (27:10) Jesus Christ. So come as we sing the song of invitation and we’ll conclude this.