Dealing with Division
The Letters to the Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.
2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,
23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
INTRODUCTION:
I- RECOGNIZE THAT DIVISION IS AN INDICATION OF SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY. (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)
I- RECOGNIZE THAT DIVISION IS AN INDICATION OF SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY. (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.
2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
A- Immaturity limits the ability of the believer to hear and respond to God’s word. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
A- Immaturity limits the ability of the believer to hear and respond to God’s word. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.
2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
1- Immaturity hampers communication in the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:1)
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.
Κἀγώ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἠδυνήθην λαλῆσαι ὑμῖν ὡς πνευματικοῖς ἀλλʼ ὡς σαρκίνοις, ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ.
a-
2- Immaturity limits the spiritual intake of the believer. (1 Corinthians 3:2)
2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
2 γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα, οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνασθε. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε,
a-
B- Immaturity limits the believer to operating under the control of the fleshly nature. (1 Corinthians 3:3-4)
B- Immaturity limits the believer to operating under the control of the fleshly nature. (1 Corinthians 3:3-4)
3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
3 ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε. ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;
4 ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τις· Ἐγὼ μέν εἰμι Παύλου, ἕτερος δέ· Ἐγὼ Ἀπολλῶ, οὐκ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε;
1- The accusation: “You are still controlled by your sinful nature.” (ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε.)
2- The evidence:
You are jealous (ζῆλος) of one another. (v. 3)
You quarrel (ἔρις) with each other. (v. 3)
division over human leaders is done in a way that is just like the lost world. (1 Corinthians 3:4)
4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
C- Division over human leaders is irrational and ignores the normal functioning of the Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
C- Division over human leaders is irrational and ignores the normal functioning of the Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
1- Human leaders fulfill the task given to them by God. There is no competition. (1 Corinthians 3:5)
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
5 Τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς; τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος; διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν.
2- Human leaders labor, but God is the one who empowers the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
6 ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν, ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς ηὔξανεν·
7 ὥστε οὔτε ὁ φυτεύων ἐστίν τι οὔτε ὁ ποτίζων, ἀλλʼ ὁ αὐξάνων θεός.
3- Human leaders have ministries that differ in nature. (1 Corinthians 3:8)
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
8 ὁ φυτεύων δὲ καὶ ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσιν, ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήμψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον,
4- Human leaders work for the same purpose. (1 Corinthians 3:8-9)
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
8 ὁ φυτεύων δὲ καὶ ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσιν, ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήμψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον,
9 θεοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν συνεργοί· θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε.
II- REMEMBER THAT THE FOCUS OF OUR WORK IS THE BUILDING OF GOD’S TEMPLE. (1 Corinthians 3:10-17)
II- REMEMBER THAT THE FOCUS OF OUR WORK IS THE BUILDING OF GOD’S TEMPLE. (1 Corinthians 3:10-17)
A- The building of God’s temple must begin with the right foundation. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)
A- The building of God’s temple must begin with the right foundation. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
10 Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα, ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ. ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ·
11 θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός·
1- The right foundation is important.
a- The right foundation was laid by Paul in the lives of the Corinthian believers. (1 Corinthians 3:10)
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
b- The only foundation that can be laid is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11)
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
(1) Any other foundation will not withstand the tests of life and judgment.
(Luke 6:46-49)
46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?
47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it.
48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.
49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
B- The building of God’s temple must utilize quality materials. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
B- The building of God’s temple must utilize quality materials. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
1- Care must be taken by those who build. (1 Corinthians 3:10b)
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
10 Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα, ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ. ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ·
a- By each of us as we build our lives.
b- By Christian leaders as we build the temple of God (the church).
2- There is a great accountability for the work we do. (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
12 εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην,
13 ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται, ἡ γὰρ ἡμέρα δηλώσει· ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται, καὶ ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστιν τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ δοκιμάσει.
a- individually
b- As leaders
3- We will be rewarded for our labor. (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
14 εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖ ὃ ἐποικοδόμησεν, μισθὸν λήμψεται·
15 εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζημιωθήσεται, αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός.
C- The building of God’s temple must be done with a recognition of accountability to God. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
C- The building of God’s temple must be done with a recognition of accountability to God. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1- The Holy Spirit inhabits the lives of believers individually and collectively as the church. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
16 Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν;
2- God will judge those who destroy God’s church. (1 Corinthians 3:17)
17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
17 εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς.
III- RECOMMIT TO HUMBLY SUBMITTING TO GOD AND HIS WISDOM. (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
III- RECOMMIT TO HUMBLY SUBMITTING TO GOD AND HIS WISDOM. (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,
23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
A- Humility is necessary in carrying out God’s work. (1 Corinthians 3:18-20)
A- Humility is necessary in carrying out God’s work. (1 Corinthians 3:18-20)
18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
1- Avoid self-deception that leads to an inflated self-view. (1 Corinthians 3:18)
18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
2- Choose the path of humility and Godly wisdom, not worldly wisdom. (1 Corinthians 3:19-20)
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
B- Submit to God because He is the one to whom we are accountable. (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)
B- Submit to God because He is the one to whom we are accountable. (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)
21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,
23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
1- Avoid boasting about following a human leader.
2- The wealth of the Christian includes all things, all leaders, past, present, future, Christ, and God. There is no room for partisan wrangling here.
CONCLUSION:
CONCLUSION: