1 Corinthians 16:1-11 - Participating in the Work of the Lord
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· 15 viewsMain Idea: The work of the Lord is not only our faithful perseverance, but also our encouragement and support for others according to our ability and opportunity.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the good news that God has graciously made the way for sinners like us to become His beloved children. Though we were born in sin (bearing the guilt of our ancient father, Adam), and though we have sinned against God every moment of our lives (never – not for 3 seconds – loving or honoring Him in the way we should), God the Father sent His Son into the world in order that He would live and die in the place (or on behalf) of guilty sinners.
This historic and miraculous reality is the climax of the gospel, and we must certainly believe it in order to be saved or redeemed. Friend, if you’re here this morning, and you’d like to know “What is the burning heart of Christianity?” this is it! We are sinners, and God will punish sin… but God has shown us His love in that while we were still sinners Christ has died for sinners like us, suffering God’s judgment on our behalf.
If you want to talk more about this good news, then let’s connect after the service… or you can ask any church member here, and they will be glad to discuss this with you… maybe even over lunch today.
For those who believe this good news, we must understand that this climactic moment of the gospel is part of an epic story that has been unfolding since the beginning of time. Jesus Christ came, not merely to justify guilty sinners, but to sanctify and to glorify them. And when Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He sent His Holy Spirit to convict sinners, to make dead hearts alive with love for Christ, and to enable believers to live in service and faithfulness to Him… all the way to through to the end.
And at the end, Christ has promised to resurrect and glorify all those who love and eagerly await Him… all those who repent (turn from their sin) and believe (trust and follow Him). This is the complete reversal of the God’s curse from Gen. 3, and Christ has already begun to reverse it. His own resurrection is the beginning of the end of God’s curse, and every time another sinner is born again by the power of God’s Spirit through the preaching of the gospel the kingdom of Christ (which is a kingdom of blessing and not cursing) advances in this world.
While Christians sometimes disagree about how optimistic we should be with regard to the practical features of Christ’s kingdom advancement before that final day, all Christians agree that we who love and believe and follow Christ now are participants in the overarching plan and mission of Christ’s kingdom to make disciples of all sorts of people in the world until Christ returns. This participation in a kingdom advancement that reaches well beyond our own lives and well beyond our own church is the focus of our passage today.
The “work of the Lord” includes personal investments and far-reaching participation in the well-being and increase of Christians everywhere.
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 16:1–11 (ESV)
1 Corinthians 16:1–11 (ESV)
16 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
Main Idea:
Main Idea:
The work of the Lord is not only our faithful perseverance, but also our encouragement and support for others according to our ability and opportunity.
Sermon
Sermon
1. The Work of the Lord
1. The Work of the Lord
Our passage last week concluded with the main imperative/command from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Christians at the end of this letter.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
We see this imperative repeated (or at least echoed) in 1 Cor. 16:13.
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:13).
But one of the ways the Corinthian Christians will be able to “stand firm in the faith” is by being “subject to” those who have “devoted themselves to the service of the saints” (1 Cor. 16:15-16).
Primarily the “work” of pastoring or shepherding among the local church.
In our text:
“When Timothy comes, see that you put him at east among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am” (v10).
Throughout the letter:
“He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:8-9).
“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it… [and] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (1 Cor. 3:10-13).
Also, the “work” of faithful perseverance – both privately and publicly.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
Privately (or personally)
“Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18).
“Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband… so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Cor. 7:2, 5).
“a wife should not separate from her husband… and a husband should not divorce his wife” (1 Cor. 7:10-11).
“Take care that [your Christian freedom, regarding eating and drinking, with a host of implications] does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Cor. 8: 9).
“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Cor. 10:24).
“whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).
Publicly (or communally or congregationally)
Everyday Christians may not be pastors, but they have significant responsibility in the life of the local church.
“be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10).
“Do you [plural] not know that you [plural] are God’s temple… [and] God’s temple is holy…” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
“When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus… with the power of our Lord Jesus…” you are to make judgments about who is in and who is out of the kingdom of Christ (1 Cor. 5:4-13).
“when you come together to eat [the Lord’s Supper], wait for one another…” discerning or taking note that you and those believers around you are all members of one body (1 Cor. 11:33, 27-29).
“When you come together… let all things be done for building up… all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:26, 40).
In summary, the “work of the Lord” is…
For pastors/elders like Timothy and Paul, the faithful work of equipping, edifying, building up, teaching, admonishing, and helping preserve those Christians under their care.
This is the work of pastoring or shepherding.
For most Christians (male and female), the faithful work of persevering in the faith, increasingly conforming to the image of Christ (repenting and obeying), and helping others do the same (local and universal).
This is the work of Christian discipleship.
The emphasis in chapter 15 was on the church of Corinth persevering and even “abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
But the emphasis in our passage this morning is on that church’s connection with other churches and “works” beyond their own – the church in Jerusalem, the church in Ephesus, and various churches in Galatia and Macedonia.
2. Relieving the Poor (v1-4)
2. Relieving the Poor (v1-4)
The first church of interest is Jerusalem, and their need is financial relief.
Note: Paul begins his final section of this letter with yet another section-break – “Now concerning…” (v1).
He’s done this several times since ch. 7… “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote…” (1 Cor. 7:1).
Here, the subject is, “Now concerning the collection for the saints” (v1).
This is a collection:
From several churches
“as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do” (v1).
We’re told in the book of Romans that Paul collected from several churches elsewhere.
“At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it… For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you” (Rom. 15:25-28).
The implication is that Paul would even collect more from Rome and bring that to Jerusalem later on.
To a particular church
“when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem” (v3).
Not a general “gift” to “the people” of Jerusalem, but a specific “gift” to or for “the saints” (v1) or literally “the holy ones” in Jerusalem.
The situation in Jerusalem:
The church in Jerusalem was growing rapidly.
“the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (Acts 6:7).
Then Stephen was arrested and killed…
And we’re told at the beginning of Acts 8 that “Saul/Paul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles… But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:1-3).
The method and purpose of their giving:
Paul directed “each of you is to put something aside” on “the first day of the week” (v2).
The phrase “the first day of the week” is the same (even in the Greek) in John 20:1 and Acts 20:7.
This is the day on which Christ arose from the dead.
This is the day on which the Christians in Troas were gathered with the Apostle Paul for the “breaking of bread” and the preaching/teaching ministry.
It is likely that “the first day of the week” is what John calls “the Lord’s day” in Revelation 1:10.
One implication of this (“the first day of the week” being the established day when Christians gathered in the name of Christ [1 Cor. 5:4]) is that this financial contribution was to be part of their weekly church gathering.
Friends, there is no divide between our singing of songs, our praying together, our sitting under the preached word, and our financial contributions for the work of the Lord… All are acts of worship, trust, and obedience.
Paul directed “each of you is to put something aside… as he may prosper” (v2) or “a sum of money in keeping with his income” (NIV) or “as God hath prospered him” (KJV).
The idea here is that all would give according to their ability.
Paul gives a lot more detail in 2 Corinthians 8.
“if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need…” (2 Cor. 8:12-14).
Friends, it should be noted here that the sort of offering our passage is talking about is a special gift for the relief of the poor. There are other passages that speak to the responsibility we have to contribute to the ongoing ministry of the church (such as vocational pastors, a place to meet and all the expenses that may arise there, and benevolence among our own congregation).
But the two principles of giving we see here can (I think should) be applied to all sorts of giving in the context of the church.
Two principles of giving in the context of the local church.
One, giving should be systematic and thoughtful.
It’s never a good idea to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach… it’s not good to just walk around any store looking for something to buy… and it’s also a bad idea to lean heavily upon emotions or impulses when it comes to charitable giving.
I think we ought to look at our church giving like we would investments… not like charity or benevolence.
When we give as charity, we are giving to a need. We see someone or some organization in need, and so we contribute from our surplus to help them cover their expenses.
But this is not how we ought to view our giving to the church.
We ought not create a budget and then hope that church members will give enough to meet it.
When we invest, we are putting our resources behind an idea, a plan, and an expectation that what we’re contributing now will pay off in the future.
Now, I grant that when we give to the church, we ought not expect a financial return someday.
But we are expecting a return!
We are investing our material wealth into an institution (the only one on earth) that is specifically designed to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ!
We are investing in efforts that are especially tailored to help us all grow in Christ and persevere until the last day.
We are investing in the sort of ministry or service or activity that will build us up, that will reach beyond us, and that will continue standing long into the future… after we are gone.
So, our church giving (like investing) should be systematic and thoughtful.
Make it part of your family budget.
Think about what you can give and how you might arrange your finances to give more… there will always be trade-offs.
And plan to give according to what you have.
That’s the second principle: Give what you have, not what you don’t.
Whatever your giving plan or method is, you should give according to your means.
Some of us can give more, and some can hardly give at all… and we will go through seasons where our giving will go up or down.
There is no percentage requirement for Christian giving, so we ought not feel guilty for falling short of some self-imposed number or percentage… but so too, we should ask God to help us spend less on frivolous things in life and invest more in those things that are involved in the “work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58, 16:10)… both corporately and individually.
Corporately
What unnecessary thing might you stop spending money on in order to contribute more to the ongoing ministry and future efforts of FBC Diana?
Individually
What might you give up in order to make room in your budget for inviting fellow church members to dinner at your home?
…to make room in your budget for inviting your non-Christian friends or family to frequent gospel-conversations over meals or during your normal activities?
…to make room in your budget for being a help to fellow church members who have some sort of financial need?
…to make room for investing in good ministry efforts (outside of FBC Diana) that particularly appeal to your interests?
The work of the Lord is not only our individual perseverance as Christians, it’s not just our faithfulness as a local church, but it is also our concern or care for the well-being of other Christians (of course, their spiritual well-being, but also their material well-being). And we ought to encourage and support – cheer on and be a help to – other Christians… according to our ability and when the opportunity arises.
3. Investing in Churches (v5-11)
3. Investing in Churches (v5-11)
This second section of our passage speaks of a church in Ephesus and of various churches in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea), and their need is faithful pastors or church leaders who are able and willing to do the hard work of (1) teaching the gospel and (2) setting things in order.
Paul says he’s going to “stay in Ephesus” for a while, because “a wide door for effective work has opened” to him there (v8-9).
And he plans to visit the Corinthians after his journey from Ephesus “through Macedonia” (v5), “so that” the Corinthians “may help [him] on [his] journey” (v6).
So too, “when Timothy comes” to the Corinthian church, they are to “put him at ease” (v10) and “help him on his way” (v11).
But the Corinthian church is not only to be a contributing church in all of this “work of the Lord” (v10). Paul says that when he gets to Corinth, “I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits” (v7).
Let’s note at least a few things here…
First, Paul and Timothy are pastors who are “doing the work of the Lord” (v10).
Timothy was sent on ahead of Paul through Macedonia to arrive in Corinth. And Timothy’s charge was to do “the work of the Lord” just as Paul was doing it (v10).
Timothy was Paul’s apprentice, and he served as Paul’s representative… not in a formal or official way (like a sub-Apostle), but in a practical way (leading, preaching, and applying the same gospel and the same ministry philosophy as Paul [see 1 Cor. 4:14-17]).
I argued way back at the beginning of this sermon that the “work of the Lord” is primarily the labor of pastoring or shepherding among the local church.
It is the “labor” of “God’s… workers” who are “building upon” the “foundation” that has already been laid by Christ and the Apostles (1 Cor. 3:8-13; cf. Eph. 2:18-22, 4:11-16).
In other words, it is preaching and teaching the Scriptures for the conversion of sinners, the edification of saints, and the ordering of the congregation… and the personal and public example of faithful Christian living.
That’s not the exciting job description that will make anyone’s heart beat faster, but it is the worthwhile and eternally rewarding work of pastoral ministry.
That’s what Timothy had done with Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-21), that’s what Timothy had been sent ahead to do with the churches in the region of Macedonia (Acts 19:22), and that’s what Timothy was headed to Corinth to do in advance of Paul’s arrival… So that Paul could stay in Ephesus to do the same.
A brief aside: Note that Paul’s work in Ephesus was both “effective” and opposed by “many adversaries” (v9).
So often, we (especially pastors) are tempted to think that “effective work” is the sort that has few if any “adversaries.”
But this is the opposite of the biblical pattern and the pattern of Christian experience.
In a sermon from 1880, Spurgeon said, “I would have you, beloved, count upon opposition, and regard it as a token of coming blessing. Dread not the black cloud; it only forecasts a shower. March may howl and bluster, and April may damp all things with its rains, but the May flowers and the autumn’s harvest of varied fruits will come… and come by this very means. Go on and serve your God in the serenity of holy confidence and you shall… see that the hand of the Lord is not to be turned back, though the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together [against Him and His people].”
Second, both Paul and Timothy are being supported (funded, accompanied, and encouraged) by Christians from various churches.
By reading through the book of Acts and various letters from Paul throughout the New Testament, we can see that Paul was constantly picking up resources, people, and practical help from the various churches he had started and those he had come along to help.
The New Testament is full of examples and has several commands regarding the shared support among various churches for the ministry of those who took responsibility for the shepherding care of them.
There are cultural, economic, and even good doctrinal reasons why local churches ought not pool all their resources together in one big checking account with one giant budget… but it is striking to think about the contrast between NT church relationships and what is common today.
NT churches seemed to operate as co-laborers with one another (not competitors) in the grand effort to make disciples everywhere.
At FBC Diana, we want to follow this pattern… and that’s why we contribute money from our general budget to Redemption Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, TX… this is why we pray regularly for other true churches (both near and far), some even within a short drive from where we’re meeting this morning.
We want to see FBC Diana continue as a faithful church long into the future, but more than that, we want to see the kingdom of Christ advance in and around Diana, TX… and if that means that another good church grows faster and bigger than our own, then we will rejoice in their growth.
What we want to see is true, healthy, and faithful churches, and that means we want to encourage, pray for, and even support (as we are able) faithful pastors and ministries beyond our own church.
In our passage, there is an explicit responsibility for the church of Corinth to “help” both Paul (v6) and Timothy (v11) on their way, even though their primary ministry was not among the church in Corinth.
Third, every church has an interest in the health and stability of other churches.
This is more of an implication than an explicit observation from the text today… but why else would Paul include the sort of information he does near the conclusion of this letter?
Paul talks about the “effective work” going on in Ephesus (v9).
He tells them about his plans to “pass through Macedonia” (v5).
He began this section with an appeal to “collect” money for the “saints” in “Jerusalem” (v1-3).
And Paul commands the Corinthians to “help” Timothy “on his way” so that Timothy “may return” to Paul in Ephesus (v11).
Paul sounds a lot like a military general who is arranging resources on the battlefield, and he’s making it a point to tell the troops about what’s going on elsewhere so that they will know they are part of something bigger than what’s going on in their own area.
Last week, we focused hard on Paul’s description of the finish-line as a motivation for Christian faithfulness and perseverance.
But today, it seems to me that we can see an emphasis on the universality of the kingdom of Christ, and this broader perspective can (and often does) serve as a motivation for the same things… faithfulness and perseverance.
Brothers and sisters, there’s a time for doing critical self-evaluation… and we ought always to be striving for personal improvement, progress in our families, and constant reformation and revitalization in our church… but if we focus only on those areas where we see faults and errors (failures and weakness) in ourselves, then there will be no end to our critique… There are always going to be faults and errors!
But in our passage today, we see that one of the ways Paul is calling the Corinthian Christians to participate in the work of the Lord is by recognizing that they are part of something far larger than their own individual lives and their own local church… They are (individually and corporately) part of the visible kingdom of Christ in the world… and there is a big and glorious mission to be accomplished… And the same is still true today.
There are Christians and churches who need financial help.
There are churches who need good pastors, and these pastors sometimes need training, practical help, and support from outside of their own congregation.
There are sinners who need to hear the gospel… there are young Christians who need to be discipled… there are older Christians who need to be encouraged.
And God will use imperfect and flawed… but able and willing Christians like us to accomplish His work in the world… if we will give ourselves to it.
The work of the Lord is not only our faithful perseverance, but also our encouragement and support for others according to our ability and opportunity.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
Chrysostom, John. Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians. Edited by Philip Schaff. Logos Research Edition. Vol. 12. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series. New York, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1889.
Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. The First Letter to the Corinthians. Logos Research Edition. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. Logos Research Edition. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Logos Research Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Logos Research Edition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.
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The Holy Bible: New International Version. Logos Research Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.
The NET Bible First Edition. Logos Research Edition. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.
Vaughan, Curtis, and Thomas D. Lea. 1 Corinthians. Logos Research Edition. Founders Study Commentary. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2002.