Text: 1 Cor 1:10, Title: Perfectly Joined Together, Date/Place: NRBC, 7/4/10, AM
A. Opening illustration: An African proverb says, "When elephants fight, grass gets trampled." The church at Corinth had been nurtured by two of the world’s greatest evangelists: Paul and Apollos. Their individual followers were displeased with each other, disrespected each other, and distant from each other. This strained the fellowship in the church, neglected the work of the gospel, hurt the name of the church in the community, and destroyed any hope of possible reconciliation. On the sheet that listed the PROBLEMS, such things were listed as: • Should not serve coffee in church • Should serve more coffee in church • Should have shorter sermons • Should have longer sermons • The music we have is terrible • It’s terrible we don’t have more music like what we have On the sheet with the heading of WHAT IS NEEDED, things were listed like: • Need to spend money on more chairs • We don’t need to spend any more money • Pitch all the songs and start over • We need a new preacher We can see the humor in that illustration, but there is something else we can see, too. We can see the unhappiness of those in the church. We can see the lack of unity as a body of Christians, and there is one more thing … we can see a church that has dropped the ball in its teachings, because nobody mentioned Jesus Christ. I would say the biggest problem that church had was that everybody was focused on what they wanted, and nobody was focused on what Jesus wanted
B. Background to passage: Here in the text this morning Paul begins to deal with the first item up for bid: division in the body. In fact he continues this thought for about four chapters, giving different angles and solutions. It is one of the lengthiest subjects in the book, and a constant theme even after chapter four. Notice as we begin that Paul is pleading with them, rather than using his apostolic authority; probably because he wants them to want to be right with God and each other rather than having a less than genuine veneer of unity. And he pleads with them in the name of Christ, which is the ground of their unity as well as the means for their unity. And Christ is also the authority that commands and desires that believers be one. And in the remainder of the text…
C. Main thought: he defines the problem of division and lack of unity in this church, both positively and negatively, coming back time and again in the next several chapters to deal with it
A. No Divisions and Fights (v. 10-11)
1. It can’t be determined with certainty whether the fights caused the divisions, or the divisions caused the fights; probably the latter. But it seems that groups of people in the church were impressed with the wisdom, teaching styles, personalities, agendas, or popularity of particular leaders in the church. And therefore were having more than just debates about who they “followed.” These are not matters of theology, but of personal interest. This caused great division (word here is schisms, it means a rent or tear) in the fellowship of the church. These fights where quarrels of a political nature, jockeying for position and prominence. Both of these things are completely contrary to the Christian faith.
2. 1 Cor 11:18, 12:25, Pro 6:19, John 17:20-23, James 3:14-16, 4:1-2, Gal 5:15, 20, 24-25,
3. Illustration: tell of Mike Flower’s church and the divisions there. 100 years of Christian fellowship, unity, and community outreach ended last Tuesday in an act of congregational discord. Holy Creek Baptist Church was split into multiple factions. The source of dissension is a piano bench which still sits behind the 1923 Steinway piano to the left of the pulpit. Members and friends at Holy Creek Baptist say that the old bench was always a source of hostility. People should have seen this coming. At present, Holy Creek Congregation will be having four services each Sunday. There has been an agreement mediated by an outside pastor so that each faction will have its own separate service with its own separate pastor. Since the head pastor is not speaking to the associate pastors, each will have their own service, which will be attended by factioned members. The services are far enough apart that neither group will come into contact with the other. An outside party will be moving the piano bench to different locations and appropriate positions, between services, so as to please both sides, and avoid any further conflict that could result in violence, "There is in the human race some dark spirit of recalcitrance, always pulling us in the direction contrary to that in which we are reasonably expected to go."
4. Division in the church is sinful. Factions and cliques are sinful. And we are to reject both with persistent mortification. This may be the one thing that hurts our witness the most in the eyes of the world, and maybe in the eyes of Jesus, since this was one of the main thrusts of his prayer in the garden for us. Therefore, as individuals we must search our hearts as to where our allegiances lie—with Christ or with men or with personal agendas. A man cannot serve two masters. Ask yourself if you are doing things that are creating division in the body. Are you spreading your disapproval of people through private conversations? Are you lobbying for more people to come to your position and understanding? Are you using manipulative tactics, such as your influence or your money, to attempt to control the body to your direction? Are you harboring hard feelings toward another member of the body? All of these things weaken our church, and the ministry of it, because so much time is wasted on self-focus and self-interest.
B. Same Speech, Mind, Discernment (v. 10-11)
1. Paul pleads with them to mend the tear and be made complete or whole. Paul uses three different phrases to communicate the same thing—a weaving together of hearts, minds, and lives, so that and unnatural unity of faith is achieved. He says to speak the same things, which means that we should have external agreement on matters of faith. Open discord promotes further strife. He says to think the same things concerning the church, its leadership, its ministry. He also says to have the same purpose. If the purpose in our hearts is right, we can work out the differences. The purpose of the church is to display the perfections of Christ, glorify him, and take that gospel to the ends of the earth. And if a body has real unity in these areas, then personal agendas and factions among the believers will be put to death.
2. 2 Cor 13:11, Eph 4:1-3, 13, Philip 1:27, Acts 4:32-35, 2:42-47
3. Illustration: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all turned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship” –Tozer, About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There wasn’t a fence there at all. The carpenter had fashioned a bridge... a bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other, handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, hand outstretched, meeting them in the middle, "You are quite a fellow, you know; to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done." Then hoisting his toolbox onto his shoulder, the carpenter departed. "I’d love to stay, but I have many more bridges to build.”
4. God is pleading with us on the ground of His Son and our common salvation, to mend the tears and be complete together in Him. This unity of which he speaks is not an absolute unity of thought in everything, but more of a thoughts and purpose concerning the faith, the church, and its direction. God desires a genuine unity, and not simply an outward or surface compliance with the majority. Business meetings, how people vote or don’t vote their minds, but are not concerned about the lack of unity with their hearts and the body. Speak of a “necessary” disunity because of false profession and unbelief. But in light of that, the rest of those that are following Christ, can lay aside our personal agendas for the good of the body and the kingdom. When that happens, we can speak, think, purpose the same things. And we can achieve monumental things with close fellowship and unity around the things of the faith.
A. Closing illustration: At Calvary, the Roman soldiers divided the earthly belongings of Jesus, but they gambled for His seamless robe rather than tear it. These were hardened men, but they saw the beauty of that robe and refused to tear it. I have heard that the early church used this seamless garment as an illustration of the unity of the church. To divide the church was to “tear” or destroy something of great value and beauty that belongs to Christ.
B. “the greater threat here is the threat to the gospel, the nature of the church, and its apostolic ministry” –Fee, Ambedkar rejected Christianity, because he observed: ’Indian Christians, like all other Indians, are divided by race, by language, and by caste. Their religion has not been a sufficiently strong unifying force to make difference of language, race and caste mere distinctions
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
