Hey, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions, jump on the computer over here, make sure everybody is able to join us live. So we're gonna jump on over here. Make sure that everybody is able to join us live this morning. Alright, looks like we're going live over there. And we're going live. They're wonderful. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions is for every day. You and I get together we have a little bit of coffee. We get into God's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together in this year 2022 We'll make it all the way from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. I'm so glad to be with you this morning. We are at first Corinthians chapter four, the first 13 verses. Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee we'll pray and we'll get into Lord's word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. Father, we thank You for Your Word. And we thank you for the rich blessing it is to get to sit at your feet you are a teacher. So we pray that you might send your Holy Spirit this morning that you would teach us maybe walk in your path following your ways. In Jesus's name, Amen. All right, let's go ahead and open up our Bibles. We're at first Corinthians chapter four. First Corinthians chapter four and we'll be reading the first 13 verses together this morning. Now these things oh, sorry, that's verse six. Let's try that again. Let a man console consider us as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that won't be found faithful. But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself, for I know have nothing against myself. yet. I am not justified by this. But he who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes. Who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the heart? Then each one's praise will come from God. Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollo's for your seeks. That you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other, for who makes you differ from another and what do you have, that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already for you are already rich. You have reigned as kings without us. And indeed, I could wish you did rain that we might also rain with you. For I think that God has displayed us the apostles last as men condemned to death, for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both angels and Demesne. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak but you are strong. We are distinguished but are you are distinguished but we are Dishonored to the present our we both hunger and thirst and we are poorly clothed, and beaten and homeless. And we labor working with our own hands being reviled We bless being persecuted. We endure being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the off scourging of all things until now. Well, we need to ask ourselves a What's this about? Be what's the best verse to summarize this passage and see what are we called to do in response to these words, so So let's ask ourselves, what's this about? Paul is first in verses let's see verse one through five is one section and then verses six through 13 is the second section. It'll it all ties together, he's still getting this theme of sectarianism and what's going on here? And in this first part, it's not about Paul, it's not about policy on both surface it's about Christ.
And it's not Paul's house. It's not a pollicis house. It's Christ house. And so he says, Here, let no let a man so consider us as servants of Christ. This is this idea that there is a master there's one in authority, there's one in charge, and they're the ones assisting, they're the ones coming alongside. They're the ones who are the lesser. And they're not the master of the house. It's not about them. It's about the master. It's about the Lord. It's about Christ. And so Paul is driving home here, the Holy Spirit is showing us that it's not about the apostles, even though God uses them. They're important men and in the church. But the only reason why they're important is because the Holy Spirit has given them His word. Because the Holy Spirit is sending them because the message of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed by them, but it's not dealt with about Christ. And so he says, we're just stewards. We're just stewards. That's what he says in verse two. And stewards of the mysteries. of God. Moreover, it is required Institute stewards, that one be found faithful, right, that it's somebody else's household. And they're like Joseph and part of his household. They're meant to be faithful and how they administer the household how they do things. He says it's going to come to light, how we're administering the household. Right? He pointed this out in the previous chapter. We looked at that before how if anybody builds with gold or silver or costly stones that's going to be shown in the last day. But if you built with hay or stubble and and straw, you know, that's going to be shown on the last day as well because the Lord is going to reveal it all. So it's required of an apostle, who has a assistant, who is a steward, who is a servant in God's household, that they do so to His glory. It's about God's glory, not about there's so this is the first part that he's getting out here is he's saying they're just stewards. They're servants of God's household. And so he says he's not going to be judged by them. Right? What he's saying is, you can say all you want about me, you could defame me. You could say all these reviling things against me. You can be all sectarian stuff like that. You can say, oh, Paul doesn't really know how to govern the Lord's house, but the reality is, they're not the judge. Paul needs to have a clean heart and pure conscience in God's sight. So he says, I'm not I'm not even judging myself, right. I'm just doing what God has called me to do. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna just go serve the Lord. And then we get into this sense where we realize that the Holy Spirit has a sense of irony here. I could be some people could take this as biting. And maybe it's meant to be taken that way. Right? We in our day and age we recoil from authority and irony and stuff like that. But here there's a tone about it. He's saying he's figuratively he has figuratively transferred to himself and upon us these things. He says that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against another. He says you're not to go beyond the scriptures. You're not beyond to go beyond the things that are written right, Paul, by this point, the Holy Spirit has inspired him. To quote the Old Testament by the fourth chapter. He's already quoted the Old Testament five different times. It's not Paul's ideas. It's not this is what don't go beyond what the Holy Spirit has given. See, it's not about Paul's genius. It's not about a Paulus's rhetoric. It's not about humans, and their fame. It's not about sea fists and his powerful speeches.
It's about Christ. And so he says, You're not to be puffed up.
It's not about your pride. It's not about who you're following. It's about the one who has saved you. And then this is where the irony comes in. You've received it so don't boast about it. And that's in verse seven. And in verse eight, he's you already rich. You're ready for you're already raining as kings without us. And indeed, I wish that I could. I could reign as a king that we might also reign with you, right? He's saying you already acting like your royalty. You're already doing all these things. You're already acting like like it's you got all the hot stuff. Man. I was I wish I was in your shoes. I wish I was with you, man. It'd be a good old time. That's not the way it's going, is it? No, no, that's not how it is at all. Instead, I'm reviled. And when people rely on me, I bless them. When people persecute us, meaning the apostles and the teachers, the Prophet says, We bless them. Right? They've been made a spectacle and the Corinthians would have gotten what Paul is saying here. See? When he says that they've been made a spectacle that they're, they're the last ones who are being laughed at. In the amphitheaters when you would go to war with people, they would take all the losers and they would march them through the city and they would laugh at them and then the worst of the criminals the worst of of the derelicts, the worst of of the Renegades. They would lead them to last because of the worst of the worst would be brought into the arena, to be laughed at by everyone and then to be killed by the wild beasts, or to have to fight the gladiators. And he's saying that's what it's like to be an apostle. See the way in where it's the world is being turned on its head. They're acting like it's all about being the the top man it's all about being the most famous. Apostle, preacher, teacher order rhetorician. I say no, you know what it's like. The first must become last. You have to learn to be a servant. You have to learn to lay down your life for the sheep. You have to follow the road of Christ. And Paul says, that's good enough for me. Paul says that's the road of Christianity. That's the way in which we walk. We have been made as the filth of the world, the off scourging of all things until now
what's the best first to summarize this? Well in my Bible, I have verse four underlined, but thinking about I think I might underline verses one and two. What would you what would you underline in your Bible? Let me know down in the comments. I'm kind of torn about this one. What would you underline is the best verse that gets at the heart of this passage. Well last see calling what are we called to do in response to this? Is Christ pre eminent? Let me ask you are you going to a church because the pastor isn't going beyond what is written? And is exalting Christ? Are you going to a church because the pastor speaks well, because he's eloquent, because he's winsome? Because he's able to speak in a way in which people are are wowed by his eloquence Are you there because this church is faithful to Christ. Are you there because these elders live out Christ in front of people? Are they blessing people who persecute them? That they have a reputation for standing with Christ even in the midst of turmoil and shame? Is it about factions? Or is it about Christ Where are you going? And why are you there? In your own heart, have you been filled with pride? Many young Calvinists struggle with this. All the sudden coming and finding out that there are there's this whole world of Reformed theology and they start to latch themselves under certain thinkers, certain writers, and in so doing, they actually lose sight of Christ. love Christ. Go to Jesus. Never lose sight. Of your first love. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your Holy Spirit. And we pray, Lord, that you would please work in us a spirit that would rejoice and exult in Christ. Lord, we pray that you would teach us to follow after you. Forgive us for where we have been divisive. Forgive us where we have been carnal. Forgive us, where we have been full of pride rather than humility. Lord, we pray that we would fix our eyes on Jesus, and that you by the power of your Holy Spirit would conform us to Jesus. It's in his name we pray. Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you walk in the peace that could only come from Jesus Christ and I'll see you on Tuesday. Bye.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai