tonight we turn in the scriptures to the book of first corinthians if you're visiting tonight we're working through this book and tonight we're going to actually consider the entirety of the chapter i believe it's so important to see the whole flow of thought that it really does to close a section of what he's been developing in the first four chapters and he really does draw it to a conclusion tonight. So this is 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. If you're still turning there, that's found. Somebody's still looking. It's found on page 1212 in your pew Bible. This is the word of the Lord. This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it's required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, do not pronounce judgment before the time before the Lord comes who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. I've applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? Already you have all you want. Already you've become rich. Without us, you have become kings and would that you did reign so that we might share the rule with you. For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. For we are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour, we hunger and thirst. We are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. When slandered, we entreat. We become and are still like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you then be imitators of me. That is why I sent Timothy to you, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach them everywhere in every church. Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills. And I will find out, not the talk of these arrogant people, but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love in a spirit of gentleness? May the Lord bless the hearing of His Word. Sometimes I wonder in the ministry, since we've reacted so much at times to what has amounted to shallow kinds of approaches to ministry that only seem to focus on the fluff and never seem to give people the meat that we have reacted and said well everything that needs to be preaching of the gospel amen we need to preach the gospel but i sometimes wonder if we have set up a shield where we think that if we're challenged or we feel convicted about our sins or we feel warned that something's wrong i've often wondered if we can easily create our own kind of prosperity cover in shielding us from conviction of sin and people wondering if it's okay to feel convicted about sin and the answer is of course it is especially because tonight already in the first century the church had fallen into the trap of looking at the christian ministry with human eyes this was the problem in in corinth and they were looking at the the ministry with human wisdom this is how they assessed ministry and the consequences of this were so severe that what we essentially have tonight in chapter four is a frustrated angry apostle i don't know if he's angry their compromise was so bad in the life of the church they were wrecking everything they were undermining everything that they were to be doing as a church and the message they were to be advancing and in doing that they were offering nothing to lie for people by way of real life giving change and power to change their lives and bring them salvation they were forfeiting that and for the first time in the epistle as one pastor said the gloves just come off i mean the gloves come off he hits hard in this epistle he swings hard in chapter four and by the end of it did you notice the very end of chapter four how he ended that i'm coming back this is like a father coming back when mom says wait till your dad gets home I'm coming back how do you want me to come with the rod or gentle gently gently did you catch that how do you want me to come you decide you figure this out you pick a rod or a spirit of love and gentlemen there was nothing as I read that more frustrating and angering to the Apostle Paul. Nothing that caused more holy zeal and passion to come out than when the Gospel ministry was being tampered with. I mean, you have to say when you read this, we're all way too soft, you guys. Brothers and sisters, we're way too soft. We tolerate so much. We let everything go. We don't speak out. and I'm pretty sure I can say this confidently, that if you sat under the ministry directly of Jesus and the apostles, they would be so in your face, you would be really uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. So much so that it would drive a lot of people out of here. They went after it when it came to these things. And you have one of those moments tonight in 1 Corinthians. You have one of the moments where you have the Apostle Paul's blood pressure raised. if you will the apostle is having the church reassess their entire ministry as a church how they look about it how they think about it and and by the end of it he's saying listen you need to imitate me did you catch that too i want you to imitate me and be consistent with the message that we are called to bring as god's people into the culture as you reach out to the culture and i need to ask then as we've gone through these opening chapters of first corinthians the question that naturally follows from this kind of challenge that we have steadily looked at for a few weeks now in these first chapters of corinthians how are we submitting to the design that the lord jesus christ has put in place for his church are we happy with it or do we really share a deep frustration as the Corinthians did against the Lord that what God was doing could have been done so much better? And we're frustrated with that. Could have done this better. You could have thought this out better. And Paul says, enough. It's time we move on to maturity. And he's been calling them to maturity. Maturity to start asking the right questions. Maturity to start thinking about where true power lies. It'll never be in what you think is the power. The power will never be in what you assess and think will work. It's not there. It won't work. You'll create false conversions. We've looked at this. And he's been saying this the whole time. It's not in the man. In fact, if somebody ends up building with the wrong materials, if somebody ends up building with all the wrong materials, apart from the foolishness of the gospel, as he says, well, guess what's going to happen to that man's ministry on Judgment Day? It will have shown that even though everyone thought it was doing great things, it did nothing. And it's all going to be burned up. And then he says, actually, there are those who are tearing down the structure, who are attacking God's project. And he says, those ministries, those persons who are tearing it down, who are destroying the body, God will destroy. So chapter 3 was a sobering warning about gospel ministry. And Paul then transitioned and said, We need to start looking at Christian ministry as God has defined it. It's very similar to tonight with the doctrine of the Trinity. You have to look and listen to how he's revealed it. You've got to listen to what God has said about ministry. Not everything is okay that's going on. Not everything that says Christian is Christian. We've got to be discerning. And as we come to chapter 4, Paul is stating very plainly how the Apostle, the Corinthians are then to think about those who do service in the kingdom. And that's really important because you'll remember in the first chapter, everyone was picking their favorite pastors. I'm of Paul. I'm of Apollos. I'm of Cephas. I'm of Christ. So Paul now is bringing it home. And notice in verse 1, this is how one should regard us. let me say it plainly for you this is how you need to think of servants this is how you need to think of us apostles we are servants of christ and stewards of the mysteries of god moreover it's required of stewards that they be found faithful so in other words you need to think of us as farmhands you need to think of us one pastor said of a guy on a boat the oarsmen who are you know oaring is that which how you say it i don't know okay you can correct me later on that one servants are called and are to please their master aren't they we're not to be in this for us We're not doing this to gain a name. So this now leads Paul to the rebuke. He starts the rebuke. And it's strong, I have to say. I think what makes this passage so complex tonight is he breaks into sarcasm at one point in it. And it's kind of hard to follow the flow of thought here. But if you stay with it, you'll see what he's doing by the end of it. Notice verse 3. But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I don't even judge myself. I'm not aware of anything against myself. But I'm not thereby acquitted. It's the Lord who judges me. If I could say that as plainly as possible, here's what the Apostle Paul just said. I don't care what you think of my ministry. And you say, really? Why is he saying that? Well, Paul was being criticized. Paul was being criticized for being weak. You remember I rehearsed a few weeks ago, there was nothing outwardly interesting about the Apostle Paul. In other words, according to the world standards. Remember the description I read? Short, chubby, bald, and had a unibrow. That's the only description we have of Paul from the early centuries. Paul was being criticized for being weak. And this is so important tonight. Paul's saying, I don't care what you think. And he said, that's not true. Everyone cares what people think of us. And everyone cares about what people think about the ministry. What Paul is saying here is this. Your assessment of my ministry doesn't determine a thing. In the whole scheme, in the whole picture here, your assessment of my ministry really doesn't matter. In fact, he follows up. At the end of the day, I can say in good conscience that I'm not aware that I'm doing anything wrong in my ministry. I can say that. I can say that I have a good, clean conscience that I'm clean with regard to my ministry. That what I'm doing, I'm being honest and I'm doing it and I'm not aware of I'm doing anything wrong. But even in my own assessment, it doesn't really matter. That doesn't determine it either. I'm not justified in my own assessment of my ministry. Did you see what he's saying there? I'm not acquitted by my own assessment. I'm not acquitted by your assessment. I'm not acquitted by my assessment. What's he reacting to? Well, the ministry was being measured by results. This was the problem. They were looking at the ministry and they were looking at it with purely human eyes. They were looking at it with human wisdom and human power. And Paul fits none of that. Paul fits nothing of the oratory speaking skills of the day. We rehearsed all this. everything about paul everything about the apostle paul was wrong according to first century corinthian standards he had no wow factor none and what he purposely chose to do he says is foolish to the world and i chose it that way because god ordained it to be that way the foolishness of the gospel preached and you stop for a minute and you hear this and you say well why that just challenges us today doesn't it what if the church started emptying out let me propose a couple scenarios to you for a minute what if the church started emptying out all the young people left and all that remained were just a handful of older people what would you start to say wouldn't you say something's gone wrong, maybe, maybe. Where are the numbers? Where are the results? I mean, come on, we measure ministry by results, don't we? We're Americans, you know, you supersize everything. Reverse that. What if the church started to pack out? What if all the young people from all over San Diego started piling in? what if it got so big we had to build the next crystal cathedral no we don't want to do that how would you look at that wouldn't you say ah there it is there's a ministry being blessed in both cases emptying out piling in what are your eyes fixed on the success of it the results and paul is saying here that they were measuring ministry this way and because of that what then happened here's the problem when you measure ministry by results you then start giving the glory to who is getting the results the men and paul was opposite of that if you looked at him and you measured things that way he was a massive failure which led to everyone questioning his authority i mean he was dealing with this constantly everyone was questioning his authority and paul is saying here i really have no interest in your worldly assessment of my ministry i don't even consider your assessment or my assessment the final answer because your judgment of my ministry is based on things that are all wrong your judgment of my ministry is based on things that are worldly this is so hard i was just talking with a pastor who for years in his ministry early on went door to door labored to preach the gospel faithfully purposely um didn't do anything outside of the design in conviction, out of the design to try to win people, but steadily and faithfully and consistently preached the gospel and was a good influence and handed out tracts and did these sort of things. But when it came to church life, steadily preached the gospel. And he said, yeah, I would drive down the street and there would be those doing the big church growth movement stuff and they'd be packed out on Sundays. And he would say, why, Lord? I'm just trying to preach your gospel faithfully. Why not send people this way? And after all of that work and after all of that labor, he said, I had from all of that in the church, we had one visitor come in and stay for a while, and then the marriage ended up tumbling. Failure? Failure? Do you hear what Paul's saying here? I refuse to look at ministry that way with that kind of assessment. I want everyone to look down at verse 6 tonight. I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, and this is really powerful. Brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written. Now, I had to really think about that verse. In other words, your assessment of the ministry should never be beyond the Scriptures. I take that and others have taken that as speaking of the authority of the Word of God. When you evaluate the ministry, there's one standard to evaluate the ministry. How committed is the man to preach and make known what is revealed? That's the question. And do you see how important a point that is? every pastor wants to be liked every pastor wants to be liked and what i could do with the ministry if i really wanted to be to really focus on and care about only if i were liked is i would just preach to you what i think you want to hear i would just do the felt needs thing i would preach what you like and i could do it in such a way tonight that everyone's happy in other words earthly happy i i think you know we could do things that way that might even really pack it out it's a choice and if you learn to evaluate the ministry that way you know did the pastor speak to me today or did he give me enough to encourage me or or was it practical enough for me and all of that would be evaluating the ministry on what we think works and here's what i believe the apostle paul is driving home tonight we don't want you to think of any man who ministers to you beyond what's written he's talking about the authority of scripture we want you to evaluate the ministry as god evaluates the ministry how does god evaluate the ministry which which says we have to evaluate the ministry but how does god evaluate the ministry is the man committed to what is written does he give himself to preach in season and out of season does he preach christ and him crucified is he committed to the revelation that god handed to him and any other assessment beyond that using worldly eyes paul says means nothing to me and the reason he's saying that to them is because he's saying he's providing them an example for how they are to think before the world they were so worried now listen to this this is corinthian culture they were so worried about being offensive they were so worried about offending people they were so afraid of being viewed as as thinking they were better than everyone else they were so afraid of not being popular they were so afraid that they were not going to make inroads they wanted their group to fit in into the social context of Corinth and Paul's saying do you think I value that kind of worldly assessment do you think I value that kind of worldly assessment that kind of judgment on my ministry you can't you don't have a right to judge the ministry that way here's where judging's really wrong you don't have the right to judge ministry that way because the lord is the judge of the ministry i love verse 5 so don't run around judging ministries before the time with that worldly standard of judgment that's where real judging is going on because god's judgment is based on something completely different he's going to reveal true motivation of servants hearts on that day it's all going to be brought out into the open and god is going to expose what people were really after if they did their ministry just to please men if they're doing everything just to please men if that's their goal they have their reward but judgment day is going to reveal something else the true test will be judgment day and at this point i believe he hits them hard with the consequences of what they're doing so in verse five the first five verses he said this this was the first point god's assessment is the one you need to be concerned about it's god's assessment that matters but now it's as if he says that means your assessment's all wrong and that's what he does in the second part of this section. If you look at verse 6, he says, I've applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit. What's he talking about? The major division that was going on in this church we came across in chapter 1 where everyone was running around saying, I'm of Paul, I'm of Paulus, I'm of Cephas, I'm of Christ. You see what Paul just said? we applied those things to us for your benefit. What he just said was, we're not really the cause of the division. I don't even know that Peter was in Corinth. Paul mentioned certain leaders among them who were puffed up. And what happened was, is that these leaders in Corinth who were dividing the body and dividing out in loyalties, and instead of Paul purposely naming these guys, now Paul does name names. It's all over the New Testament. Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, put names, and he called out by name often. In this case, he doesn't. He doesn't call out by name because he knows if he does it by name, it will rip apart that whole church. So he interjects their names into it to make the point. He inserts the names of the apostles here. He interjects their names knowing what was going on in Corinth. And he's basically saying this. Do you think we're after that kind of approbation from men? What do you think we're after? We want you to see, when you look at our lives, that what you're praising in Corinth is not what our lives demonstrate. We've acted contrary to that. You can understand why he did this. I mean, if he started plastering by name and calling out in this particular case, that church would have been ravished. So he uses real wisdom. And he says, I inserted my name in Apollos' name. I want you, by doing that, to consider what leaders should look like. He says that in verse 3 that what happened is everyone began to line around their favorite pastor. And then they became puffed up against one another. Well, I really like so-and-so. And I really like to listen to so-and-so. And they're such and such a better communicator. And I like the way that he presents it. and I don't like the way that he does. And this one's way more sensitive to the culture, and this one isn't. And they were evaluating the ministry beyond what was written. And Paul throws in a bunch of questions. Well, what do you have that you didn't receive? He is frustrated at this point, right here. I love what one pastor said. Who in the world do you think you guys are? To take credit for a gift from God, is the height of worldliness and foolish when viewed from the perspective of the cross. That's what one pastor said. God raises up. God sends men. God equips men. God gives gifts to men. It's all by grace, and he sends them. And I think he breaks into, at this point, a real kind of sarcasm. If you view the ministry that way, what's lost? Well, your need, your need, your assessment of why you come to church becomes all wrong. It becomes about them. And you've made it about your own glory. You've made it about your own pleasure. You've made it about how you feel. You've made it about you. and that wrecks what we're doing as a church so paul says sarcastically already you have all you want already you become rich without us you become kings and would that you did reign so that we might share with you the rule with you I never understood that before, but now I do. You know what he just said? The same thing that was said to the church in Laodicea, Christ said. You say, I'm rich, I've prospered, I need nothing, not realizing that you're wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. You guys are so sufficient in yourselves. You're all puffed up about having the greatest orators. You're all received in your society. you're all you've all done that and everyone loves you guys guess what you've lost sight of what this is all about put it this way when everything becomes about your felt needs you'll never feel your true need when everything becomes about those who have uh becomes about who's best with worldly standards you'll never look at god's best with a heavenly standard and with this immense problem it's at this point is if he says have you can really considered us apostles nothing of what you're after nothing of what you're valuing nothing of your alert of this world nothing that that is nothing that we have received i mean just compare our lives for a minute paul says and these are apostles set apart for something here paul says have you pondered what the gospels brought to us paul sacrificed a lot they had given their lives for this and i think his heart's aching right now why do you think we're doing this you guys paul says to them do you know what we go through god set us apart to be apostles but do you know what we really go through do you think we're recognized by the world as God's apostles? Do you think we're put on king's thrones as God's apostles? Do you think we're sitting in palaces? Do you think we're held in high esteem? We're men condemned to death. We're a theater to the world. We're like the old coliseums. They put us in there and everyone laughs at us. We're like the beasts thrown in there before men and angels. It's really touching. So, while the Corinthians wanted to be like the world, and while they wouldn't stand for anything, and while they're all about worried about not offending anyone and being liked and not being viewed as being better than everyone else, wanting all this honor and wealth from men, while they had their comfortable, prosperous life that way, standing for nothing, sacrificing nothing, wanting to be liked, Paul says, consider our lives. To this hour, we're hungry. You know? We're thirsty. We don't get enough to eat and drink. We're poorly dressed. We're beaten. We don't have homes. We're working hard with our hands. And every time we get reviled, we just have to keep on blessing. When we're persecuted, we just got to keep pressing forward. When we're slandered, we just entreat. We've become, notice this last line, and still are like the scum of the world. Dung, refuse is what we are. You feel how frustrated he is? All because the church wanted to be received by the world. Because the church was avoiding the message of the cross. Sacrificing it for worldly glory. And Paul's saying, why do you think we're going through all of this, brothers and sisters? Why do you think we're going through all of this? The old theologians used to call this the theology of the cross. Where Corinth wanted the theology of glory now. And Paul says the Christian life is a long, hard road. It's very similar to this morning of pain and toil and suffering for what's right. I mean, if you're going to stand for Christ, you've got to say things that are exclusive. You understand that? You've got to have a message that Jesus is the only way. It's a cross-crucified life. It's not a life for us. You have to accept that when you became a Christian, you are and are promising that one day you might lay down your life. He may call you to that. And Paul, at this point in closing, says, I don't want you to think that I'm saying all these things just to vindicate me. I'm not doing that. But I want you to appreciate what you're a part of. And after the rebuke, he breaks into a very tender mode. And then he goes back to the rebuke. Verse 14, I don't write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. I'm frustrated, I'm angry, but my goal is not to shame you. I am a father to you. You came to Christ through me. So here's the heart of it. Imitate me. Join me in this kind of life. You're not going to be liked. And what is the cost here in the United States? What is the cost in the United States? The glory that is coming is going to far outweigh anything here. You suffer for a little while. But for now, take up your cross and follow. And he ends by saying, there were some in Corinth who were standing back saying, don't listen to that. Paul's not going to come here. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. He goes, oh yes I am. I'm coming back. And how do you want me to come? With a rod? Or a spirit of gentleness and love? Paul didn't want to have to come down on them with discipline. But in the next chapter, he's going to talk a lot about excommunication. In the face of very serious worldly compromise. But he wants to come gently and in love. This ends tonight a challenging first section in Corinthians. I told you this book is challenging. It ends tonight a challenging first section about how we evaluate ministry, how we should look at it, and how it should be implemented. But I hope if you shared in what I have experienced going through these first four chapters that you are convicted with me, with me, that we all need to remember what we are a part of. and what we promise, who we promise to follow, and who we are representing. Remember Luther's quote this morning? It's not fit that your head, Jesus, should wear a crown of thorns while we ride on into the kingdom in cushions. May God give us grace to lead lives and our ministries as those who understand, who know, who live, and believe in the power of a crucified Messiah, a message that always will be foolishness to this world, I promise you. It will always be. But it is God's chosen power to save those who believe. And that's why we preach it in season, out of season. Amen. Heavenly Father, I'll be the first to lead here and ask for forgiveness. We're often measuring the ministry by worldly standards. And wanting pomp and glory now. What we're asking from You, Lord, is genuine salvation. Wanting every last one who hears the message to be saved. But we also know that You told us how You love to bring that about. And what we do will never be attractive to the world. And so give us a confidence in the preaching of the Gospel. And let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us not be ashamed of You, Lord Jesus. Let us be willing to count the cost and remember what we are a part of. For this night, brothers and sisters all around the world are dying for their faith. Pray for those Christians who this past week were ran out of their homes and all their belongings were taken in Nineveh for being called a follower of Jesus. And may we always remember who we belong to, but always confess that we don't have the power and strength to do any of this apart from the grace that You give us. And that we gladly confess tonight too. Uphold us by Your gracious, omnipotent hand. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Thank you.