"10 Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect."
I Corinthians 1:10-17
Today, we'll examine verses 10 through 17. This is a very practical passage, because just about all of us can relate to it. If I were to ask all of you who ever been in a church, where there was a disagreement or some sort of disunity, I would guess that probably 75 percent of you'd raise your hands.
That's just part of what tragically occurs in the church. And it occurred from the very beginning in the church, and sadly, it's really not that much different today. It just seems to be magnified because of the abundance of different local assemblies that exist, but it's a common problem and it's one that needs to be dealt with.
Today's Message: A House Divided
First, let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Lord, we come to You humbly and graciously, to offer our thanks to You, thanks for our time together today. Thanks for this powerful truth in Your Word. Thank You Lord, for this time to reflect on this important and very practical teaching in Your Word. Father, I want to thank You first of all for the wisdom of Godly men that You have raised up to lead the early church, thank You for the joy of just being able to follow their lead. To see Your Holy Spirit at work within the body, so effortlessly, so beautifully. Father, thank You for a sweet congregation You've given me to shepherd. And, I am thankful for this portion of Your Word, which has been sent to remind us of that which we should do for Your sake, for Christs' sake who loved us, bought us with His own blood. Lord, give us Your sweet Spirit of humility and love, that we may truly love one another. That we may be one, as You and the Father are one, so that the world may know that the Father sent His Son. We pray in the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Open your Bibles with me to the wonderfully written epistle from the apostle Paul, I Corinthians chapter 1. I Corinthians 1:10-17. Follow along with me as I read.
"Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you. What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect."
In our text today, the Apostle Paul talks about how the congregation in Corinth was also divided. Corinth was an important and wealthy city on the isthmus, a narrow strip of land, separating Northern and Southern Greece. Paul appeals to them "through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ." Now, I'd like to point out, that in that day and culture, people considered a person’s name to be more than just a simple label to identify that person. They believed that something of the person’s identity was tied up in the name, that the name expressed something of the person’s essential character. They also assumed that a name possessed something of the power of the one who wore that name.
The Apostle Paul spent 18 months there on his Second Missionary Journey and established a church there. Acts 18, gives us considerable detail about Paul’s work in Corinth during that time. Some of the members valued Paul as their pastor. Others thought Peter was the better. Still others favored a gifted preacher named Apollos. While another group simply claimed to follow Christ. Divided loyalties in a nation like the U.S. are not surprising, but such a thing should never happen in a Christian congregation. Today Paul will explain how the Corinthians and we are a church that is fully equipped to be truly unified.
Paul begins this paragraph with the little Greek word de, which is most often translated "but." That little word connects this paragraph with the last one, in which Paul gave thanks for the grace of God that was given to the Corinthian Christians—and that they are not lacking any spiritual gift. BUT there are serious problems in the Corinthian church. Having gotten the pleasantries out of the way, Paul gets down to the business at hand—divisions in the church.
Paul learned about the divisions in the Corinthian church from some members who visited him in Ephesus. These members may been part of the "Paul" faction. If so, they probably expected Paul to be happy to learn that he was their favorite. But the apostle wrote: "Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?" I Corinthians 1:13. Just whom had Paul gone to Corinth to promote? Himself? No. He had gone to promote Jesus, the one and only savior. It hurt Paul that the congregation was bickering over who their favorite leader was. There should have been no question: Jesus was their leader!
If I'm being honest, a text like this prompts me, as your pastor, to sincerely ask myself: Whose reputation am I working to promote within this congregation? My own or Christ’s? Why do I work so hard, is it because I want to share Jesus with all of you, or because I want you to say that I’m a good and faithful pastor? The answer for me, is more than obvious, I do it for Jesus Christ! But, have you ever found yourself facing a similar struggle, a battle going on inside of you?
Why is it that you are so active in the work of the congregation? Why do you attempt to do your best at school? Why is it that you take parenting seriously? Why do you work harder than everyone else at the office? Do you do these things because you are so filled with the love of Jesus that you want to serve others to the best of your ability? Or it is because you just want others to think more highly of you? Perhaps, it’s a little of both, isn’t it? And that’s not surprising because Christians are simul justus et pectaor. That is a theological Latin phrase worth knowing. It means "at the same time saint and sinner." As a saint, you want to do your best in everything to say thank you Jesus and to show love to others. But as a sinner you are naturally geared with a desire to promote yourself.
And it doesn’t help when well-meaning people say things like, "You’re the smartest person we’ve ever had," or "I love working with you best of all," or "I wish all the members of the congregation would act more like you." How should you react when being compared like that to others?
The apostle Paul was dismayed. He did not give his sinful nature a foothold lest he be filled with pride and look down upon others. Oh, let me be clear, it’s not sinful to humbly and graciously thank someone for a sincere compliment, but is there also a way you can deflect that praise to Jesus?
For example someone thanks you for helping them, you could perhaps say, "Don’t thank me, thank Jesus, the one who sent me!" Yet, another way to deflect praise is by not drawing attention to your acts of service. Don’t broadcast the fact that you were the one to do those chores around the house. And more importantly, do not become bitter or resentful when no one takes notice. Because, Jesus noticed, and, after all, isn’t that why you did the good deed in the first place, to faithfully serve Him?
Since the Corinthian congregation was filled with saint-sinners, it shouldn’t have shocked Paul that there were divisions within the congregation, however, neither could he turn a blind eye to the issues. Paul was quite adamant when he wrote: "Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction." I Corinthians 1:10. It wasn’t just Paul who wanted the Corinthians to be united; this was God’s will for them in Jesus.
The first step in Christian unity comes when we are all on the same page in regard to the teachings of the Bible. We cannot be truly unified if we suggest that there are many ways to understand the Bible. No, as Paul would make clear in a letter to his friend Timothy, there is a pattern for sound doctrine
II Timothy 1:13-14, "Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you," and Paul insisted that all of his listeners follow that established pattern. Those who would break from the pattern, are a grave danger, not only to themselves and others just as someone who breaks from the established traffic pattern of driving on the wrong side of the road, here in North America is a real danger.
But even if congregations, are united in one doctrine, the church might not still be truly unified. because when members second guess the leaders, when spiritual leaders abuse their position of power and make decisions without consulting their fellow members. Hurtful comments and remarks will also destroy church unity. Every congregation is in danger of experiencing such disunity because we’re all…what? Simul justus et pecator. Saints-Sinners!
So how do we guard against such disunity? First, we need to understand that Paul isn’t suggesting that we must all become clones of one another, liking the same hymns and embracing the same potluck luncheon favorites. The Greek word Paul used for "united" is what happens when a seamstress sews together two pieces of fabric. The two pieces don’t have to be the same shape, color or pattern to make something useful and beautiful when interwoven together to become a quilt work for the Lord. In fact, contrast only adds to the beauty.
Likewise God did not make us all to be night owls, nor did he make us all good with our hands or a great singing voice. He’s scattered among us, various gifts throughout the congregation and has now sewn us together with the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ, and calls us to act as one.
He wants us to remain unified, even when, not if, because sooner or later, is inevitable, a fellow member hurts us with their words or actions. It seems that Paul himself had experienced this firsthand. When he first came to Corinth, he met stiff opposition from the Jewish synagogue. Their leaders even hauled Paul into court for preaching about Jesus. But when the judge realized that this was a religious matter and not a civil one, he threw the charges out.
The rabble watching the proceedings beat up the lead prosecutor, a man named Sosthenes, for wasting the court’s time, in Acts 18. How satisfying that must have been for Paul to see his adversary receive the harm he had hoped to inflict upon him! But, that is not how Paul reacted! Instead of throwing a few punches of his own, Paul may have helped Sosthenes. We think this because Paul addressed the letter to the Corinthians like this, I Corinthians 1:1: "Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother:" The point being, that if this was the same Sosthenes, then he had obviously become a believer and trusted helper! Had he come to faith because Paul had been the only one to show compassion after he had been beaten up by the mob? How could Paul not show such compassion and forgiveness? For he too had once been an enemy of Jesus Christ and his people, and he, himself had received forgiveness. How then, could Paul now not also extend the hand of friendship and forgiveness to Sosthenes?
Beloved, I know that fellow Christians can say and do things that are extremely hurtful, after all they are still sinners! But I doubt anyone has treated you with the malice that Sosthenes had in mind for the apostle Paul. And yet, Paul didn’t see that as reason enough as to why he and Sosthenes could not become unified. After all, isn't that why Jesus died—to not only forgive Paul of his sins, but to also forgive the sins of Sosthenes?
Likewise Jesus didn’t just die to take away your sins, he died to pay for the sins of those who have hurt you, who have offended you. Jesus died for "us," and "them!" And, now, God calls you to extend that forgiveness, which you have yourself received to everyone, in order that there may true be unity in Christs' church.
Paul leaves us no wiggle room regarding this issue. I encourage you to carefully listen to these words of I Corinthians 1:10: "Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction."
Beloved, we are not just to tolerate each other as we tip-toe around each other on various issues; but we are to be truly united. And since that’s what will happen perfectly in heaven anyway, what are we waiting for? Why wait until then to extend that hand of forgiveness and reconciliation? Oh, merciful Lord, wouldn’t we be all embarrassed if we find that our living quarters in the heavenly mansion ends up being right next to the individual, we once held contempt for here on earth? Don’t wait to show love and unity to all through the forgiveness that you yourself have received from Jesus.
Now I wouldn’t want you to think that I feel that this is a divided church. I have been witness to the evidence of your love and unity. There are many a memory, that I will forever cherish, because for me, it was a picture of real Christian love and unity. I am grateful for those memories.
That said, I also believe, that we can become even more unified in Christ. I believe that we can do better sharing our friendship with not only the church, but everyone—even those we don’t hang out with during the rest of the week. So, I'd like to suggested that we adopt the 3-minute rule. The way this works, is that for the first 3 minutes after worship, you cannot speak with anyone you are related to, have church business with or would regularly speak to after service.
You must find someone new, someone that you don’t know well, greet them and ask about themselves. Now, you don’t have to talk to the same person for entire three minutes. Nor do you have to do this alone. You and a friend, a spouse, a child or sibling can together make new a friend.
And this rule isn’t just for the adults, it’s for our children too! So, allow me to remind you of the 3-minute rule after worship. May God anoint it, according to His purposes and plans, may it help foster even greater unity in our congregation, for this is God’s will for us through faith in Christ Jesus!
Amen and Amen
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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