Good Morning. Alan Jackson: Where were you when the
world stopped turning?
Story about unity from September 11th
1 Corinthians 1:10-17: Church Gone Wild: A Fractured
Family
Every family has problems.
What is the nature of the disunity Paul faces?
It is described in verses 11–12.
For
it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among
you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow
Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or
"I follow Christ."
So evidently what is happening in the church at
Corinth is that the people were beginning to polarize behind their favorite
teacher. They isolated particular qualifications or strengths of their favorite
teacher and began to brag about them. They elevated these characteristics to
the point where they derived some sense of superiority from claiming this
particular teacher as their own. We will see the evidence for this in just a
moment.
Paul: doctrine
Apollos: preach circles around anyone
Peter: down to earth
Christ: Jesus
How does Paul undermine the basis of that disunity and
attempt to build a foundation for unity?
He urges on the Corinthians three truths.
1.
Christ Is Not Divided; He Is One
Verse 13: "Is Christ divided?" The answer is
obviously NO! Now why is this relevant to the issue of quarreling and schisms
behind different leaders?
Two reasons:
One is that we are the body of Christ! Christ's
body is not dismembered. It is whole. If we try to puff ourselves up over the
other members of the body it would be a contradiction of Christ. The body is
one. The fingers on the right hand would be foolish to boast over the fingers
on the left hand because their leader is the right wrist and not the left.
The other reason it's relevant to say that Christ is
not divided is that when a believer has Christ, he has ALL of Christ. No one
needs to feel inferior or superior if Christ is really your great treasure.
Christ is not divided. If you have him, you have all of him. And to have all of
Christ is to have everything you need to be happy forever and ever. We all have
Christ. There is no one inferior or superior.
2.
Paul Wasn't Crucified for You; Christ Was
Now back to our text, verse 13. The third truth that
will undermine the basis of disunity at Corinth (and Stanleyville!) is this:
Paul was not crucified for you; Christ was. This what he means when he says,
"Was Paul crucified for you?"
This truth should have two effects on us.
One is that when it comes to boasting about someone,
let it be the Lord and not a mere man. Verse 31: "Let him who boasts boast
in the Lord." Compared to what Christ has done in dying for us, the
distinctives of our different teachers are as nothing. To elevate a human teacher to the point where the allegiance shatters
the body of Christ means that we have lost sight of the infinite and
overwhelming worth of a crucified Savior.
I wasn’t beaten for you. I didn’t die for you. I
wasn’t buried and three days later rose to life for you. NO! Christ was. Don’t
elevate me… look to Christ. IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS.
3. You
Were Baptized into Christ's Name
The third truth that Paul gives to undermine the
disunity of the believers is this: You were not baptized into my name; you were
baptized into Christ's name. Again verse 13: "Were you baptized into the
name of Paul?" Answer: NO! You were baptized into the name of Christ!
Evidently, one of the boasts of the Paul party was
that they had been among the first converts who had actually come to Christ
under Paul's preaching. Paul reminds them that he baptized only Crispus and
Gaius and the household of Stephanus and maybe a few others. But he says (v.
14) he is glad he did not baptize more.
In other words, it's no big deal who baptizes you. The
issue is what name was solemnly and prayerfully pronounced over you as you were
baptized. Did you identify with Christ at that moment or did you identify with
a preacher? You contradict the meaning of your baptism when you brag about the
man who put you under the water. He is nothing compared to Christ.
Not about a preacher it’s about Christ. I exist to
point you to Jesus. Eddie exists to point you to Jesus. I am just a big, loud,
fat talking sign saying look to Jesus. We need to lift up JESUS.
What
Unites Us:
Here at FBCS we exist to exalt the Lord, evangelize
the lost, equip the saints and encourage one another.
Exalt the Lord: Worshipful people. We desire white hot worshipers before the throne of God's grace
Evangelize the Lost: Talk more about it next week, but
go outside the camp gossiping the Gospel
Equip the Saints: SS
Encourage One Another: CARE, visiting, life together
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