1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 4:9-21,
“The Power Of A Godly Example”
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.1. In our last study we saw how
Paul explained to the Corinthians that they needed to have a proper perspective
on what Christian leadership consists of:
1.1.1.1.Being a servant
1.1.1.1.1.We are not called to be
served, not to have the ministry in our lives because it gives us things that
we want for ourselves, whatever they may be
1.1.1.1.2.Rather, we are called to
serve others
1.1.1.1.3.But, really in all that we
are doing we are to be ‘servants of Christ’
1.1.1.2.Being a steward of the
mysteries of God
1.1.1.2.1.A steward looks over his
master’s goods
1.1.1.2.2.The most important thing
that a steward does is take good care of his master’s stuff while he is serving
as a steward
1.1.1.2.3.As a steward of the
mysteries of God there must be the highest sense of responsibility for being
faithful to the Lord
1.1.2. In our study today we are
going to look at the power of being a godly example
1.1.2.1.In this section, Paul begins
to point to himself, Peter, Apollos, and the other apostles as being godly
examples for the church to follow in all of their conduct
1.1.2.2.Paul tells the people here
that if they would be pleasing to the Lord and greatly used by Him all they
needed to do was to do as he did, or follow his own example
1.1.2.3.There is tremendous power in
a consistent Christian testimony and example, for the principle ‘like produces
like’ is always in effect in this world.
Children grow up tending to do the very things that their parents do,
churches tend to follow the example of their leadership, etc.
1.1.2.4.As we study the godly
examples of Paul and the apostles and the great amount of suffering and
sacrifice which they experienced and displayed, I have to wonder just how much
we who live in this cushy microwave generation in twenty-first century America
can even appreciate what the apostle’s went through
1.1.2.4.1.Our life here in America at
this point in time is one of one convenience after another, and we can’t really
relate to how the rest of the world lives, much less how they must have lived a
couple of thousand years ago
1.1.2.5.Another thing that I want
you to keep in mind is that throughout this chapter that Paul makes the point
to the Corinthians that in all that he was exhorting them that he was not
trying to shame them but rather to admonish them as a loving father admonishes
his children
2.
VS 4:9 - “4:9
For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned
to death; because we have become a
spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.”
- Paul tells the Corinthians that the
apostles are men condemned to death
2.1.
In
this verse Paul is saying that in these last days God has exhibited or put the
apostles on display before the world as well as angels, as men who are to
suffer persecution and ultimately martyrdom.
2.2.
In
2 Cor. 6:3-10, Paul reveals even more about the difficulties in his life
as an apostle, “3 We put no
stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
4 Rather, as servants of God we
commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and
distresses; 5 in beatings,
imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and
kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of
righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report;
genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known,
yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;
10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything”.
2.3.
In
this world it is hard to find good examples to follow, and yet when we find
them they are such a blessing in our lives.
By the price paid of the apostle’s very blood, all of us Christians of
all ages stand where we do in Christ.
For if they had not gone before and left us their example we would not
even be able to know the ways in which we should go as Christians. We ought therefore to take heed to every
word which the apostles wrote in their epistles and gospels since their
sincerity and faith was demonstrated in the sacrifice of their very lives for
our faith.
2.3.1. We Christians need to
realize that if we will follow the apostles’ example and be people of radical
commitment to Christ, then just as happened to the apostles, we shall see ourselves
radically used by God!!!
2.3.2. When we look at what Paul
and the other apostles suffered for their faith, we ought to be motivated by
their good examples to commit our way to Christ no matter what the cost.
2.3.2.1.Spurgeon once preached about the
importance of being a godly example to this world saying, “I thought I would not utter my own ideas this morning,
but to fortify myself, would go back to the Master’s own language; so I must
refer you again to this fifth chapter of Matthew, and you will see in looking
from the thirteenth to the sixteenth verses, that our Lord expects his people
to set more of a godly example than others do. Observe, they are to be the salt
of the earth, they are to be the light of the world, they are to be as a city
set on a hill, and therefore seen of all. If you were not a professor, my
friend, you would certainly have some influence, and be under responsibilities
for it; but as a Christian, your place in this world is peculiarly that of
influence. You are not like a stone, affected by the atmosphere, or overgrown
by moss, a merely passive thing; no, you are active, and are to affect others,
as the salt which operates and seasons. You are not a candle unlit, which can
exist without affecting others; you are a lighted candle, and you cannot be so
lit without scattering light around. You are made on purpose to exert
influence, and your Master warns you that if your influence be not salutary and
good you are a hopelessly useless person
for when the salt has lost its savor it is good for nothing but to be
trampled under foot. You are expected, therefore, to influence others for good.”
2.3.3. We ought to try to be
examples in our sacrifice and serving as the apostles were in theirs. We should imitate their faith and dedication
as much as is practical!
2.3.4. God will be strong on our
behalf as He was on their’s if we will follow their example:
2.3.4.1.If God sustained the
apostles through all of their spiritual warfare of trials and tribulations,
will He not also sustain us through all of the ones we go through?
2.3.4.2.If the apostles were
victorious through all of the things that they suffered as His messengers,
cannot we also have victory over all of the things that we must suffer?
2.3.4.3.Will not God give us the
grace that we need to meet each and every trial?
3.
VS 4:10 - “4:10
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without
honor.” - Paul shames the Corinthians by the example of the apostles
3.1.
The
apostles risked bodily harm at every place in the road in their lives. Therefore, to the world they appeared to be
‘fools’ because of their reckless abandon in serving Christ.
3.2.
As
a result of living by faith as itinerant preachers, the apostles were often
‘weak’ as they often went hungry and lived amongst the elements in their
travels.
3.2.1. However, the Corinthians
were ‘strong’ since they didn’t sacrifice all of the comforts of life like the
apostles.
3.3.
Where
the apostles went and preached they suffered the ridicule and persecution of
men and therefore were without ‘honor’.
3.3.1. However, the Corinthians
were very proud of their factions and they therefore tried to act as if they
were ‘distinguished’.
3.4.
As
Paul testifies, there is a price to be paid for being used in ministry by
God. If we are to be used greatly by
God, we must give of ourselves in a great way.
3.4.1. We should ask ourselves the
following question, “What are you willing to sacrifice in your life in order to
be used greatly by God?”
3.4.2. We Christians need to sit
down and count the cost of following God and being used greatly by Him.
4.
VS 4:11-13 - “4:11 To this present hour we are both hungry and
thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are
homeless; and we toil, working with our
own hands; when we are reviled, we
bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to
conciliate; we have become as the scum
of the world, the dregs of all things, even
until now.” - Paul describes the impoverished condition as well as the difficulties
the apostles experienced at that time
4.1.
Paul
describes in these verses more of the conditions with which he, Apollos, Peter,
and the apostles met each day of their life.
Being for the most part itinerant preachers, they constantly suffered in
many different types of afflictions.
4.1.1. However, as Paul says, they
handled persecutions with a Christ-like attitude. When they were reviled they blessed those who reviled them.
4.1.2. When they were slandered
they tried to conciliate with the men who slandered them.
4.1.3. Also, they had no formal
income for their ministries, so they not only preached the gospel, but they
also provided for their own support ‘working with their own hands’.
4.2.
Paul
says that they were the ‘scum of the world’, which is a phrase which means they
were the world’s ‘refuse’ or ‘garbage’.
He then says that they were the ‘dregs of all things’ which is a phrase
which means that they were like ‘what you sweep up off of your floors’.
4.3.
Godly
examples always help Christians to do the things that God wants them to do.
4.3.1. Besides the testimonies of
godly people from the scriptures, I love to read the biographies of great men
of God, especially missionaries and martyrs of the faith. Their great courage, boldness, and faith in
the midst great trials inspires me to follow their example.
4.4.
The
godly example of Jesus and the apostles ought to inspire us.
4.4.1. As a result of their godly
examples which we have been blessed to know, cannot we follow Christ’s as well
as the apostles’ example who suffered the ultimate in persecution and yet when
they were ‘slandered’ by others try to ‘conciliate’ with them?
4.4.2. When we are ‘reviled’ can’t
we also ‘bless’ those who are reviling us?
And when others ‘persecute’ us, can’t we also ‘endure’ and persevere in
walking obediently with Christ?
4.4.3. We Christians must follow
the apostles’ examples and not deal with conflicts in the flesh. Our tendency is to dish out to people
whatever they dish out to us, however this was not Christ’s example nor that of
the apostles.
4.4.4. In following the apostles’
examples, we Christians ought to be willing to be considered ‘scum’ or even
‘refuse’ if it means that we have a better testimony and people be won to
Christ.
5.
VS 4:14-15 - “4:14
I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my
beloved children. For if you were to
have countless tutors in Christ, yet you
would not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father
through the gospel.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that he is not scolding them but
speaking to them as his own beloved children
5.1.
Paul
wrote very many exhortations to the Corinthians in chapter 3 and 4, and yet he
tells them that though they should be ‘shamed’ by their actions which he reveals
for what they are, his intent is to be as a loving father and ‘admonish’ or
‘encourage’ them as to how they should act and what their motives should be.
5.1.1. Many times we Christians can
become discouraged because of the ways in which we fail our Lord and fall short
of the mark in obedience unto Him.
However, we ought to accept the rebuke and exhortation of the Lord as
well as our pastors and teachers as being ‘fatherly’ ‘admonishment’ or
encouragement so that we might learn how to walk with Christ and be pleasing in
His sight.
5.1.2. If we receive any rebuke or
exhortation from a brothers or sister in Christ, we should receive it as an act
of love. If they didn’t love us they
wouldn’t rebuke and exhort us.
5.1.3. We therefore ought to take
heed to their counsel if we know that it is counsel that is from the Lord.
5.2.
Paul
loved the Corinthians as his very own children, and since he had originally led
them to Christ, they were in fact his spiritual children in Christ.
5.3.
He
tells them that they may have countless ‘tutors’ in Christ, but he alone would
always be their true spiritual
‘father’.
5.3.1. A ‘tutor’ in those days was
usually a slave who lived with a family and was responsible for taking care,
protecting and educating the children while the parents were away.
5.4.
Paul
and the apostles gave a sacrifice of themselves for the faith of the churches
just as a good father sacrifices for his children.
6.
VS 4:16 - “4:16
I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me.”
- Paul tells the Corinthians to imitate
his godly example
6.1.
Paul
was not proud and puffed up about his own walk and maturity in Christ, yet he
could honestly say to the Corinthians that they ought to imitate his example in
all things, because if they did so they would be imitating Christ and walk as
pleasing the Lord in all things.
6.2.
We
Christians ought to live our life in such obedience and dedication to the Lord
that we could say to others that they ought to ‘do as I say’, and ‘do as I do’.
6.3.
We
ought to follow the apostles in their dedication and service as well as in
their godly character in Christ.
6.4.
Again,
if we follow the example of the apostles in their dedication and service, will
we not see pretty much the same kind of fruit in our lives as they had in
theirs?
7.
VS 4:17 - “4:17
For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and
faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in
Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.”
- Paul tells the Corinthians that he is
going to send Timothy to them
7.1.
The
church in Corinth needed a strong Christian leader to pastor them at this point
in time. Paul had complete confidence
in Timothy, and thus he knew that if he sent Timothy to the Corinthians that he
would be ‘faithful’ to ‘remind’ them of the things that Paul taught the
churches everywhere he went.
7.2.
Timothy
was ‘beloved’ to Paul and he served Paul faithfully just the way a son may
serve his father faithfully in a business.
7.2.1. Timothy showed by the way in
which he served Paul that he was a man of radical commitment to the Lord!
7.2.2. We Christians ought to
imitate Timothy’s example in supporting our pastors in Christ and being
faithful to conduct ourselves in the way that they would have us to do. We need to be faithful to do our ministries
and jobs so that they can be freed up to do theirs.
7.3.
Christian
pastors and teachers need to be faithful to continually ‘remind’ our flocks of
the things that they already know that they should be doing. For we all need reminding to do the things
we should be doing.
8.
VS 4:18-20 - “4:18
Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord
wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their
power. For the kingdom of God does not
consist in words, but in power.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that in spite of what some were
saying, he was planning to come and visit them again
8.1.
Some
of the Corinthians thought that they could get away with their sinful ways
since Paul would never come to visit them again.
8.1.1. They would not repent just
because that was what the Lord wanted them to do.
8.1.2. Because they thought that
Paul was never going to come to them they had become arrogant and haughty about
their sinful activities.
8.1.3. However, Paul tells them
that indeed he is coming their way if the Lord wills that it be done. He could not guarantee anything that he
might do since God could override any decision he made.
8.1.4. Paul did not want to say
that he would do anything and then not do it, so he says that he will come to
them if God wills.
8.2.
Paul
tells them that when he comes he will discover the depth of the walk of those
who were boasting of their spiritual walk.
Then he tells them i.e. that ‘talk is cheap’, but their life and actions
will tell the truth about their spiritual walk and power. We Christians should not boast about our
maturity and spirituality, but rather we ought to let our actions speak for
themselves.
8.2.1. Edward A Guest wrote the following poem which summarizes
how that what we do in our actions communicates so much more than any words we
may use, “ I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day, I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show
the way. The
eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear; Fine counsel is confusing, but example
always clear; And
the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds, For to see the good in action is
what everybody needs. I can soon learn how to do it if
you’ll let me see it done, I
can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. And
the lectures you deliver may be wise and true; But
I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do. For I may misunderstand you and
the high advice you give, But there’s no misunderstanding
how you act and how you live.”
8.2.2. Coach Chuck Knox of the Seattle Seahawks
used to say to those who were talkers on his team that they needed to talk with
their actions, and one of my favorite sayings of his was, “Your actions
are screaming so loud that I can’t hear your words”. We need to walk the walk, and then our walk
will match our talk.
9.
VS 4:21 - “4:21
What do you desire? Shall I come
to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentleness?” - Paul asks
the Corinthians if they would rather that when he comes to them that it will be
with a rod or with love and gentleness?
9.1.
Paul
leaves the Corinthians with a decision.
9.1.1. Do they want to repent of
the sins that he is pointing out all throughout this letter?
9.1.1.1.If they do this then when he
comes he will come among them with gentleness and love.
9.1.2. Do they want to refuse to
repent of their actions?
9.1.2.1.If they do this, he promises
that he will come with a rod of disciple and rebuke and throw out of the church
those who were walking in blatant unconfessed sin.
9.2.
We
know from reading the book of 2 Corinthians that the people in Corinth did heed
Paul’s exhortation in this letter. In
fact, their hearts were rent in two by it, and they actually went overboard in
carrying out his instructions. The
letter of 2 Corinthians was written to help them to get back into balance because
of their going overboard in carrying out his exhortation. In the next chapter of this letter we read
that there was an issue of a brother living in sin, and Paul exhorts the church
to discipline this brother. The brother
was then disfellowshipped, as Paul had requested. However, we read in 2 Corinthians Paul writes to them to accept the
man back into the fellowship since he had now repented of his sin, and the requested
discipline was not meant to be permanent but to allow for the man’s restoration
if he repented of the sin he was involved in.
9.3.
There
is a big difference between us Christians sinning and having unconfessed sin in
our life (sin which we have not confessed and repented of).
9.3.1. We all sin, however whenever
we sin we ought to apply 1 John 1:9 and confess and repent of that sin so that
we can experience the cleansing of the blood of Christ for our sins.
9.3.2. However, if we sin and then
do not repent of that sin but keep on living in sin, then our walk with Christ
gets squashed and we end up not being in good fellowship with our heavenly
Father. It is not that when this
happens we are no longer His children, but rather it is that there becomes a
barrier to the fellowship which we have with Him.