Well, as I said, tonight, after some time, we conclude our study in 1 Corinthians. We're going to look tonight at the entirety of chapter 16. So I invite you to turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. If you're still looking for that, that's 1224 in your pew Bible. This is 1 Corinthians chapter 13. This is God's Word. Let's give our attention to it. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you are also, are to do. On the first day of the week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as you may prosper. So there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those who you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. I will visit you after passing through Macedonia for I intend to pass through Macedonia and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter so that you may help me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits. But I will say in Ephesus until Pentecost for a wide door for effective work has opened to me and there are many adversaries when timothy comes see that you put him at ease among you for he is doing the work of the lord as i am 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 now concerning our brother apollos i strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now I urge you, brothers, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Be subject to such as these and to every fellow worker and labor. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, or Tenatus, Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men. The churches of Asia send you greetings, Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house. Send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss i paul with this greeting write this greeting with my own hand if anyone has no love for the lord let him be accursed our lord come the grace of the lord jesus be with you my love be with you all in christ jesus amen and amen well after some time of study in first Corinthians now, we come to the last chapter, and I would say tonight probably the most unappreciated chapter in the book. When you read it, one pastor said, it seems like we're reading a bunch of personal emails, doesn't it? In fact, it really is treated by many expositors as just some kind of final instructions by Paul on things with little to no structure and little to no reasoning. I want to challenge that tonight. I think there's a lot going on here. In fact, this is one great closure to this book. We have spent so much time looking at all of these accumulation of problems in Corinth. All the problems that have plagued this church. There have been so many, I don't need to rehearse them all again. But I think you felt throughout the whole thing this thing could have been for today's church everything in the first century all the problems that they had we have every single problem and more today and this book spoke to us this book helped us as a church paul had confronted this church with so many things hopefully we're able to go back at some point and think about these things and remember what was the great issue if you were to sum it up that this church really struggled with. Or a lot. But what would you say was the greatest issue they really struggled with? Well, I believe you could capture it by saying they were all caught up in using the world's wisdom to do ministry. Remember all that? To do the Lord's ministry. and everything was being either neglected or lost it was just a mess and this book was a call to return it was a call to return to the lord as the body of christ to think of themselves as the body of christ to understand what the church is how it functions what it should be the design of church the mission of the church it was designed to teach christians they're not independence you're not independence you belong to the body of christ you're fit into that body you are doing his work well i believe that helps us tonight if you keep the the big problem that was the major problem in this book if that's set in front of us it helps us to understand a little bit of the last chapter at the end of chapter 15 he gave a summary statement a great charge in that summary statement in fact i believe it was not just a summary to first corinthians 15 it was a summary to the whole book notice everything he had addressed in verse 58 he gives a sort of conclusion the giant therefore in the book look at it again in verse 58 of chapter 15 therefore my beloved brothers Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. What a great verse. What a great verse. Be firm. Don't be tossed everywhere. Don't be tossed back and forth by all these worldly ideas. Be immovable. Keep your feet firmly planted. in the gospel but here it is here's what i believe drives the end of this book always abounding in the work of the lord it was a reminder you're involved in the lord's work emphasis it's not your work you're abounding in his work that's so important because this church didn't understand that everything that they were doing were their own ideas imposing their own agendas and everything was lost everything was was pushed to the side it's not something says paul you ever designed you didn't design the lord's work you didn't design his church you didn't put together the body of christ it's not something you're even holding together it's his work and you see how he motivated them the last great subject the subject of the resurrection in chapter 15 was designed to explain for them what christ had secured for them in the resurrection the future hope the future glory what is held out for them what they can expect what's going to happen when he returns what's going to happen to their bodies when he returns the future's all mapped out for you it's done christ is raised you're going to be raised he's going to come get you he's going to take you home when he returns you're going to be raised incorruptible and we're going to always be with the lord that was first corinthians 15 as soon as he explained that he then now takes us back to the present to close out the book and it's no surprise that he concludes this great book by explaining for them as a church what it means that they are to be about His work. His work. As a church. His great commission. His project. He's been explaining the whole time that that's going to require not worldly wisdom, but God's wisdom. He's been telling us the whole time that's going to require you guys to do discipline. That's going to require His ways and not your ways. It's going to require honoring His commands and not yours. Well, the last chapter functions to leave them with the question that we're always asking. People have written numerous books on this. How then shall we live? What shall we do? What should our service look like as we are abounding in the Lord's work? How do we keep busy until He comes? What is he after until he comes? He's already said, to keep in mind, just briefly to remind you, way back in chapter 3, that people can build with the wrong materials. Remember that? He had a whole chapter on ministry and building. And he said there are a lot of people who are out there doing the Lord's work who in actuality aren't doing much of His work whatsoever. They're doing their own. And that day is going to test that. That day is going to expose that they said they were doing all this work for Jesus and actually it's going to be burnt up. It didn't accomplish anything. Isn't that something? You could be doing everything in the name of Jesus and doing nothing. What does this work look like? Voila, chapter 16. That's what this is. You'll notice in verse 10, he references the work of the Lord again. And you'll notice again in verse 16, he references those who are doing the work of the Lord. Chapter 16 is helping us understand the Lord's work. And you'll see that in three ways. Paul's instructing them in how to give to that work. Paul's instructing them in how to receive that work. And then finally, how they can share in that work personally themselves. How to give, how to receive, how to share. Let's start with giving. You'll notice it seems to come out of nowhere, But it follows right, and that's why, again, I'm not sure the chapter break was so helpful. Verse 58 would have been the great start to 16.1. In verse 16, we read, Now concerning the collection for the saints. So be abounding in his work. Now concerning collections, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, you must also do. on the first day of the week you'll notice there as it said on the first day of each week each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may proper prosper so that there will be no collecting when i come what a fascinating section because we really do get as we look at this final chapter a real indication of what first century worship looked like and the encouraging thing that many of the same practices they were doing you're going to find you're still doing and notice here that he gives instructions that were handed to them by the apostles the inference there for us that what the early church did here you'll notice was gather i have to say this it's not it's a side point but i need to say it they gathered for worship on the first day of the week. That little phrase is repeated over and over in the New Testament. That's Sunday. That was the day of resurrection. It's interesting because it reads in the original on the first of the Sabbath. As far as I know, and the scholars can correct me, but there's no Greek word for week. So every time you read on the first of the week, it's the first of the sabbaths mary magdalene went to the tomb on the first of the sabbaths that word was preserved first of the sabbaths and notice here on the first of the sabbaths which tells us that christians early christians understood sunday to be the sabbath sunday the sabbath how much how far we want to take that because of translations and that is a question but it is fascinating to me from the pattern of the new testament i can just say it this way seventh day adventists are wrong how about that that argument has so much come at us that we should be worshiping on the old sabbath here we see first day of the week this is when they're gathering as they're gathering to worship I want you to notice what Paul instructs them to do. As they're gathering, I want you, he says, to lay aside something on the first day of the week as the Lord has prospered you. One of the supreme acts of worship, one of the great acts of worship, One of the things that the Lord always commanded His church so that they would understand that they're sharing in something else. That's the goal here. That they're sharing in a greater project was giving. Was giving. One of the great ways that people involve themselves in the Lord's work is by giving. Giving, it's commonly said, creates a bond of sharing in the work. It creates a bond between those whom we support, those whom we help. You know this. When you invest time in something, when you invest your energy in something, when your heart is in the project, you're a part of it. You're sharing in it. You're involved in it. And it does something else. Notice what Paul's saying. It's helping the whole project. He specifically mentions who he wanted them to give to. The Christians in Jerusalem. Their gift of financial support would go to the Christians in Jerusalem. There were many new Christians in Jerusalem. Jews who had converted to Christ and they were under heavy persecution for the faith. Paul was so concerned about this. Paul had his eye there. And what does Paul want them to understand? He wanted them to understand. He is concerned that this church would understand how integral they are to the whole project. How connected they are to that project. They were involved in that project by doing the Lord's work that way. In this place, we want to see the gospel advance. We use what we can to provide the best place to let that happen. And we give to see that gospel advance to the ends of the earth. paul was encouraging them that's why it should never be a bitter spirit of giving he's encouraging them because he wanted them to know you're part of a great building project don't underestimate you're giving to being a part of the lord's work that's what he's saying don't underestimate make your giving as actually doing the work of the lord you ever think i've said this before but i it's so important because we live in an environment here in this church where we see so many young men pass through here pass through here pass through here for gospel ministry and i always like to have us think about what one faithful gospel minister out in the field preaching faithfully week in and week out, doing his job, preaching and preaching and preaching, do you realize the benefit that is to the life of the whole project? Just one. How many children converted under that ministry? How many people born again under that ministry? How many souls pulled out of the fire under that ministry? How many people were rescued from that ministry? What's our attitude about that? this is why i've said and i'm not propping it i'm saying we have a seminary in our backyard doing this it's a great work how much do we need to help to set apart missionaries for the gospel ordained pastors we're a part of this that's what he's telling you the lord's work Paul wrote the Roman Christians in the church of Rome to explain this. At present, I'm going to Jerusalem to bring aid to the saints. See, it was his concern. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it. And indeed, they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought to be of service to them in material blessings. These Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia took up offerings for the poor in Jerusalem. And Paul says, I'm going there. I'm going to minister that to them because of the generosity of the Gentiles. Paul was excited to encourage the Roman church in this. He needed this from them. He knew it was a sign of a healthy church and their giving was proof of their thankfulness for what they had received. Paul even said it pleased them to give and their debtors for if the gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things talking about the jews then their duty gentiles is to minister to them in material things corinth had a struggle with this he didn't come in corinth and they're giving and here they may have had a very sour spirit in it sometimes the ministry of mercy can become the ministry of scrutiny with the very sour spirit we don't ever want a ministry of scrutiny we want a ministry of mercy so dear corinthians as as paul prospers you each of you should set something aside. He doesn't say, it's just 10%. In fact, I don't find the tithe in the New Testament. I don't find it. In fact, the Old Testament tithe, in my conviction, was more of a tax, probably up to 23% at some points. I want a free will offering. You set something aside. As the Lord's prospered you, I want it to come from your hearts. You can really share in my work that way, says the Lord. Give that way. Don't drop in out of burden. As the Lord's prospered you. See the simplicity in that? People say all the time, I want to do something great for God. I hear this incessantly. Let's start with this. It's where Paul started. The great chapter on abounding in the work of the Lord started right here amazing what a blessing what a what a privilege so this is investment in his work Paul says then the evidence of that investment Paul says send responsible men with a letter sometimes in churches they have what even the Canadian reformed churches have a letter of attestation where they would carry around a letter that stated, we know this person. We can testify to the honesty and integrity of this person. We would be just devastated if we had letters go around with us today. But that's what they did in the early church. They had letters of attestation. And honorable men would carry these monies. And Paul says, send the letter and we'll go together. It's just a beautiful section. You can be a part of the Lord's work by giving to that Lord. Second, Paul then turns around and says, your giving has the result of God sending. Look at this. There's sort of the principle of he who reaps and sows sparingly, reaps sparingly. I want you to notice here what the next section's emphasizing in verses 5 through 12. Many say this is just abstract ministry plans. Not at all. What is this and why is Paul revealing it? He wants them to understand what God is doing and how they are to receive it. But he gives them a window into the heart of the ministry. Here's what God's work is looking like out on the field. What did he promise to do in the Great Commission? Send you preachers. And they would go out and that they would preach and baptized he gave the great commission to his apostles go and baptize that not everyone goes and not everyone's baptizing universally that was understood as ordained servants doing it i want you to look at verse five now i will visit you after passing through macedonia for i intend to pass through macedonia and perhaps i will stay with you or even spend the winter so that you may Help me on my journey wherever I go, for I do not want to see you just now in passing. I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits, but I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost for a wide door for effective work. There it is again. Has been opened to me. Effective work. There's the work. And there are many adversaries. God was opening up all these doors everywhere. And notice here, God was opening up doors for the ordained servants to be going to places. and he puts these in uh in these servants hearts what did you notice it what are they determined to do what do they care about doing what is on their heart they're calculated they're praying they're thinking best where doors are being opened and how to be effective paul wants to come to them but this big door is open in ephesus for the moment and he goes there are so many adversaries here it's hard work but i've got to stay because i'm seeing people coming in whose work is this in the midst of it paul says if the lord permits the lord is working the lord is sending the lord is opening the lord is filling hearts with wisdom to minister the gospel not only are they to support this splendid work but what paul's goal is saying i can't be with you now but guess what somebody else is going to come look at verse 10 who's mentioned lo and behold it's timothy paul wants to send timothy when timothy comes see that he see that you put him at ease among you i think a better way to translate that which a lot of other translations have captured. See that when he comes, that he can come to you without fear. He does the work of the Lord as I do. Why is Paul having to say that? Therefore, let no one despise him. Why would Paul have to say that? This church had a reputation in Corinth, let me tell you. Timothy wanted to go to Corinth, but can you imagine the discussion between Paul and Timothy, Paul, that church is going to devour me. Do you know what they're going to do to me? He had a lot of apprehension about going there, but he wanted to go. You know how many churches pastors won't touch because of hard, complaining people in them? That discussion does go on, by the way. It's a bad thing to say, I know, but it does go on. What was Corinth's responsibility? Two bookends. What was the first problem Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1? Everyone had their favorite pastor. I'm of Paul. I'm of Apollos. I'm of Cephas. I'm of Jesus, you see. Timothy didn't get mentioned, unfortunately. They were picking who they would support. Their favorite pastors. And who was the big one in the first century? Who was the big pastor in the first century? Who was the big-name pastor? Apollos, the preacher. Paul says in verse 12, I wanted Apollos to come. I strongly asked him to come. He said no way, by the way. He was unwilling at this time. He'll come when he has a convenient time. God had not put it in Apollos' heart to come. But he had put it in Timothy's heart to come. The church had the potential of spitting up and how does that phrase go? I'm going to mess it up. Yes, thank you. You hear, Paul? Young Timothy is going to come. Don't make his life hard. Don't make him fearful. How many pastors in the ministry I've seen that go through this? Don't make life hard on him. You may not think he does things like Apollos. you may not think he does things like paul but you need to know he's doing the work of the lord did you see that there it is again now put this in context always abound in the work of the lord timothy does that work here's how you abound support that ministry support the ministry in your giving and support those whom god sends to you with encouragement up building prayer with help he has put it in their hearts to come to you he god himself has sent them to you he fills pastor's hearts with desires for where we go and who we serve that's his work don't rip them up that's what he's essentially saying to corinth you abound in the lord's work when you receive his servants understand that you abound in the lord's work when you receive his servants and you pray for them and you encourage them and you don't rip them to shreds do you see what this chapter is it's a corrective about ministry i have to this point part of the reason that ministry is not appreciated as it should be is because we have lost all understanding of the sent ministry the ordained ministry we live in a day where we think everyone's called and everyone is to go out and and this is not undermining us doing projects to help people at all but it is saying that there is a loss today of a sense of the ordained ministry because of this and i was just looking at lauren cunningham's book he's the founder of YWAM and his title of his book is is that really you God and he says this I could now imagine hundreds of thousands going out until every continent was covered by people bringing the twin nature message of the gospel guess what he said the twin nature message of the gospel is love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself I thought that was the law consequence all of these non-called young people went out to do all these radical things for jesus they did all of these crazy things for jesus helping very disconnected people and messed up people they weren't trained they didn't understand much of anything then pressured to go out and do something great for god pressured to be a workhorse for god transition the transition from storm trooper back into ordinary life of raising children and being a good member in the church was gone This has been the fruit of YWAM. It's gone. They can't integrate back into church life after this. And they're dealing with this. My good friend Pastor Mark Stromberg is dealing with this right now. The problem, because this outfit has now stationed itself in Linden. We have to appreciate what Paul's saying here. We are to abound in the Lord's work and you're doing something really special in that work when you support and receive those who minister and you give and you help that ministry because he gave some to be prophets, some to be apostles, some to be pastors. That's not everyone. You say, come on, there's got to be more to abounding in the Lord's work than that. Yep, there is. One more thing. He closes the book by telling you how and what station you are called, here's how you can abound in whatever station and place you've been called here's how you can abound in the lord's work here's how you can personally abound in that work this will be enough to occupy the rest of your life if you do this okay verse 13 five imperatives watch well that's this morning watch stand fast in the faith be brave be strong let all that's done that be done in love anyone who says well now what do i do i've got it all mapped out right here under the inspiration of the spirit the lord has given it to you five things you can do to abound in the lord's work here it is keep a close watch watch your life for apathy and indifference to the ministry. Stay awake. Discern the times. Know, as we looked at this morning, judgment's coming. Know Christ is coming. Watch. Watch your life. Watch. Be alert, first thing. Second, stand firm in the faith. So many people, dear Corinthians, are being tossed everywhere. tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. This is the deposit when he says the faith, the deposit of the faith. Jude, the deposit that's been handed to you, the baton that's been handed to you. Be firm in the truth. Be firm in the gospel. It's the characteristic of weak and unstable people that they're never grounded in the truth and they're grabbing for everything. Be firm in what you believe. People come and go. New ideas come and go. It was your former pastor, Reverend Camming, who told me, Chris, you're going to see all sorts of fads come. And they have come. And he says, they'll come and go. But you can see that the truth when it's preached and when worship's done in reverence and all, the patterns that have been set in history that we have followed have stood the test of time. Stand firm. Be a rock in the truth. Third, I love this one. This one is really encouraging. Act like men. I could park on that one for a while. In a day that we are in, isn't it something Paul would say and choose a word that means man up, that has the sense of the qualities befitting a man, meaning courage. possessing qualities that fit a man. He'd already dealt, I guess, with gender blurring back in chapter 11. Probably he's not directly on his mind, but I think this is on his mind. Have some backbone, men. Lead. Have some backbone. Stop being wimps. We're tired of passive-aggressive men who don't have any conviction on anything, aren't leading in the homes, aren't leading in the church, aren't leading in their families. Courage, backbone, stand for something. We need men badly of conviction today. Stop with weak, effeminate men in our society. I'm tired of it. Mature men. Act like men. Fourth, be strong. Inwardly, continue to grow and strengthen in what you believe and why you believe it. Don't be inwardly weak. One pastor says, Spiritual strength comes from self-sacrifice, self-denial, and self-discipline. And the capstone, let all that you do be done with love. 1 Corinthians 13, like he showed us. God taught you how to love. You know what love is. He taught it to you in the cross. A new commandment I gave you, love one another's I've loved you. He taught you love. He showed you love. Love sacrificially. And he says, look around. Dear church, you've got people doing this. Stephanas is doing it. Fortunatus is doing it. Give these people honor. God put them in front of you and they're great examples for you. You've got great examples, young people here. You always want to run away to something else. Look, it's a baton handed you, 1 Corinthians 15, from your grandparents and your parents. Hold it. Give them honor. Learn from them. Talk to them. Love them. Follow the example. Paul closes with a greeting from Prisca. Aquila, you'll notice there. Aquila and Prisca, wonderful couple. Notice there, he says they greet you. The churches of Asia greet you. You're part of a great body. And they send you hearty greetings in the Lord. They worship in their house. and then he says i wrote this one with my own hand i want you all to know that i wrote this one with my own hand usually it was through uh as he spoke someone would dictate and write it down this one came from my hand that's how much i love you and in a startling ending he says if anyone does not love jesus christ let him be accursed wow and then he says marinette then he says come quickly Lord which probably means if there's people not loving you Lord come now let's be done with this the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you my love be with you all in Christ Jesus Amen what a book for our times what a book for our times I hope that we've learned much of Christ and love him all the more you are members of his body hopefully you have some better understanding of what that means as the body of Christ, the church. And as Calvin used to say, if we have love, we have everything else. In that love, may the Escondido United Reformed Church abound in his work. As we give, as we receive his ministry, and as we share by watching, stand fast, being strong, being men. Glorifying our God all together in our love for one another. Amen. Let's pray. Father, thank You for this book. It confronted us and hit us hard in many places. It showed us how worldly we are and how much needs to be confronted. And thank You that You care to instruct us in the truth. Thank You for Your ministry. This is how we're saved. May we have a high view of it and share in it and abound in Your work all of our days. Give us hearts that are thankful, that love You, that love Christ, And may all love Him. We pray this tonight as we go out into another week. May our love for you and for one another abound in everything that we say and do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.