JUSTIFIED FOOLS For CHRIST-VIII—1Corinthians 4:1-21
Attention:
True Love
The bride was escorted down the aisle & when she reached the altar, the groom was standing there with his golf bag & clubs at his side.
She whispers: "What are your golf clubs doing here?"
He looked her right in the eye & said, "This isn't going to take all day, is it?”
The groom was a ‘Fool for the Game’!
Likewise, ‘Fools for Christ’ are such because they know from experience with certainty, that there really is nothing worthwhile outside of Christ!
Paul admonished the Corinthian Church regarding his apostolic ministry.
The church must regard apostolic authority rightly...as those who are fools for Christ!
How/When are Fools for Christ Justified?
11 justifiers regarding Fools for Christ.
We discovered last time that
Fools for Christ are justified thru their...
1. STEWARDSHIP(:1)
2. FAITHFULNESS(:2)
3. DISCERNMENT(:3-5)
4. GROUNDING(:6)
5. RECEPTION(:7-8) “Without us”
6. FOOLISHNESS(:9-13)
7. WARNING(:14)
8. PARENTHOOD(:15-16)Birth
9. REMINDINGs(:17)
10—Fools for Christ are justified thru their...
REINING IN(:18)
Explanation:(:18)
:18—“Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.”
‘Rein in’—To pull all the worldly stuff in line with reality(in Christ).
The Israelites did the same thing after Moses ascended the mountain for many days. He’s not going to come back. We’ll do something else(of our own choosing!).
Ex. 19:1-7; 32:1—“In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, & camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, & the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, & tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, & how I bore you on eagles’ wings & brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice & keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests & a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” So Moses came & called for the elders of the people, & laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him.”.....“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, & said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
*In the absence of truth speculation & falsehood flourish!
We witness newspeople(paid to talk & carry a ‘show’) who talk incessantly to ad nauseam about things which have no need of being given such speculative attention. ‘Truthful’ reporting is useful & informative. But to form theories & elevate opinions regarding circumstances about which the details are pending, is a breach of faithful journalism.
“Some”—among the Corinthian church.
Some became arrogant. It is not that these had not previously been arrogant, but that they had not openly vaunted their arrogance.
The arrogant “are” so because they suppose themselves to be teachers who can supercede Paul. The arrogant do not become apparent until they can safely assume that there is no competition of ideas/belief. that Paul would not return.
Mat. 7:15-20—“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
This is why we must know one-another(fellowship) & simultaneously, the exact reason why some never really get settled into our church...they are afraid they will be discovered! they set themselves above God’s word!
2Pet. 1:17--2:2—“For He received from God the Father honor & glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, & bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.”
The arrogant sought to down-play & undermine Paul’s authority(as an apostle), in his absence, simply because they could not stand up to the truth of God found in his presence(:19-20). Its always easier to discuss policy & polity when the opposition cannot defend or represent themselves. Why would these do such? They have an innate lust for worldly power, worldly recognition, worldly acceptance, & worldly control. Which power is built upon their own preconceived(fleshly) ideas of truth(to the exclusion of God’s truth in Christ!). Such ideas bolster their lust for acceptance as their ideas are given ear.
Acts 18:24-28—“Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria[Egypt], an eloquent man & mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; & being fervent in spirit, he spoke & taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila & Priscilla heard him, they took him aside & explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; & when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”
“Some”—tiv—Pronoun—1) A certain, a certain one; 2) Some, some time, a while. Strong—an enclitic indefinite pronoun; Some or any person or object.
“Puffed up/Arrogant”(See :6, 19)—fusiow—
“Coming”(See :5, 19, 21)—ercomai—
Argumentation:
Prov. 29:18—“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”
2Tim. 3:12-17—“Yes, & all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men & impostors will grow worse & worse, deceiving & being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned & been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, & that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Acts 20:22-31—“And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains & tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, & the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves & to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, & remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night & day with tears.”
Illustration:
Blueprints are a 1st step toward getting all the contractors ‘on the same page’/Yet some contractors & subcontractors hold the reigns so loosely—& solid workers are so few & far between—that those who do not care about top-tier quality are trusted with their work, resulting in a building that is ‘sub-standard’/REINING IN
National news reporting/Speculation is king...Not reporting but speculation—They will literally talk for days about what MIGHT happen!/REINING IN
IF...We really don’t believe Christ is coming back in your lifetime, Then its ‘anything goes!’...Whatever we feel is right(regardless of the reality of its wrongness)/REINING IN
‘Gator Boys’ Evidently, once you wear out or tire an alligator, its mouth can be held shut...An alligator is very weakly equipped to open its mouth & can be held shut fairly easily by pressure upon the extreme end of its snout(the muscles that open it are at the opposite end). HOWEVER they can clamp down very powerfully with up to 3,700 pounds per square inch, or 16,460 newtons, of bite pressure at a time!—comparatively a human bite is only ~265 lbs.-sq.-in. or ~700 N!/If it’s mouth opens, there will be pressure from the inside to destroy!/REINING IN
Application:
?Are You a Justified Fool for Christ thru your REINING IN?...
...OR...Are You just a Fool?
?Are You a Fool for Christ?
11—Fools for Christ are justified thru their...
DEMONSTRATION Of POWER(:19-21)
Explanation:(:19-21)
:19—“But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, & I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.”
Paul’s desire was to be with the Corinthians in person. He promised that if God would allow it that he would see them soon.
Paul did not know with any degree of certainty whether he would ever get to return to Corinth. There are some aspects of God’s will of which we are ignorant. Regardless, we must be faithful to the obvious task(s) God has placed in our hands.
He was expecting to return. When he did return, he would discover for himself the “power” of those who were inflated/arrogant. Their false teaching was of secondary importance compared to the “power” behind the teaching. We must always test the spirits(1Jn. 4:1-3).
1Jn. 4:1-3—“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, & every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, & is now already in the world.”
As part of God’s will, if Paul were not to return, the(an) apostle’s spirit should still remain, coupled with the Holy Spirit’s direction, to guide the individual & corporate body in the expression of God’s power.
It is imperative that we hear & heed truth!
“Come”(See :6, 18, 21)—ercomai—
“Shortly/Soon”—tacewv—Adverb—1) Quickly, shortly. Strong—Briefly, i.e. (in time)--Speedily, or (in manner)--Rapidly. Used 10X.
English=‘Tachometer’ or ‘Tachycardia’
“Wills”(See :21)—yelew—1) To will, have in mind, intend. Strong—To determine (as an active option from subjective impulse; whereas boulomai properly denotes rather a passive acquiescence in objective considerations), i.e. Choose or prefer (literally or figuratively); by implication--To wish, i.e. Be inclined to(sometimes adverbially--Gladly); impersonally for the future tense--To be about to; by Hebraism--To delight in.
“Know/Find out”—ginwskw—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel—1a) To become known; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. Ginwskw denotes a knowledge grounded on personal experience. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb; To “know”(absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
“Word/Speech”(See :20)—logov—
“Puffed up/Arrogant”(See :6, 18)—fusiow—1) To make natural, to cause a thing to pass into nature; 2) To inflate, blow up, to cause to swell up—2a) To puff up, make proud, 2b) To be puffed up, to bear one's self loftily, be proud. Strong—in the primary sense of blowing; To inflate, i.e. figuratively--Make proud(haughty). Used 7X.
“Power”(See :20)—dunamiv—1) Strength power, ability. Dunamiv denotes power, natural ability, general & inherent. Strong—Force (literally or figuratively); specially--Miraculous power (usually by implication--A miracle itself).
:20—“For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.”
The kingdom of God is not mouthing mere “words” but consists of a particular “power” to produce those words. Simultaneously “words” of God’s “power” will always present & offer the reality(rather than the imagined) regarding human nature, lostness, & redemption.
Humanism is powerless. Spiritualism is powerless. Yet both yield large audiences!
“...the powerful influence of divine truth on the minds & manners of men.”.....“That[power] is most likely to come from God which in its own nature is most fit, & in event is found to produce most likeness to God, to spread piety & virtue, to change men's hearts & mend their manners.”—M. Henry
There is Power to save!
“Kingdom”—basileia—1) Royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; 2) A kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king; 3) used in the N.T.--To refer to the reign of the Messiah. Strong—properly, Royalty, i.e. abstractly--Rule, or concretely--A realm(literally or figuratively).
“Is/Consist”—Added for elucidation—
“Word”(See :19)—logov—
“Power”(See :19)—dunamiv—1) Strength power, ability. Dunamiv denotes power, natural ability, general & inherent. Strong—Force (literally or figuratively); specially--Miraculous power (usually by implication--A miracle itself).
:21—“What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love & a spirit of gentleness?”
A group decision must be made by the Corinthian church in regard to Paul’s approach toward them.
Paul obviously had the power of which he spoke in regard to things concerning the kingdom of God, for he had the ability to wield “a rod” in regard to improper conduct of the church body.
Paul(& all apostles) also had the God-ordained authority & ability to praise & commend the church for her conduct. As well Paul has the authority & ability to severely chastise & make examples of.
Mat. 16:19—"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; & whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, & whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
2Cor. 10:1-11—“Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness & gentleness of Christ--who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification & not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed-- lest I seem to terrify you by letters. “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty & powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, & his speech contemptible.” Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present.”
The potential of ‘apostolic power’ as seen in Peter’s interaction with Ananias & Sapphira:
Acts 5:1-11—“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, & brought a certain part & laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit & keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down & breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose & wrapped him up, carried him out, & buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, & they will carry you out.” Then immediately she fell down at his feet & breathed her last. And the young men came in & found her dead, & carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church & upon all who heard these things.”
“Want/Desire/Prefer”(See :19)—yelew—
“Come”(See :5, 18, 19)—ercomai—
“Rod”—rabdov—1) A staff, a walking stick, a twig, rod, branch; 2) A rod with which one is beaten; 3) A staff—3a) As used on a journey, or to lean upon, or by shepherds, 3b) when applied to kings—3b1)With a rod of iron, indicates the severest, most rigorous rule, 3b2) A royal sceptre. Strong—from the base of rapizw[To slap]; A stick or wand(as a cudgel, a cane or a baton of royalty). Used 12X.
“Love”—agaph—1) Brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; 2) Love feasts. Strong—Love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially(plural)--A love-feast.
“Spirit”—pneuma—2) The spirit, i.e. The vital principal by which the body is animated—2a) The rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides, 2b) The soul; 4) The disposition or influence which fills & governs the soul of any one;. Strong—A current of air, i.e. Breath(blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively--A spirit, i.e. human--The rational soul, by implication--Vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or superhuman--An angel, demon, or divine--God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit.
“Gentleness/Meekness”—praothv—1) Gentleness, mildness, meekness. Strong—Gentleness, by implication--Humility.
Argumentation:
1Jn. 4:1—“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Mat. 19:23-26—“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them & said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Mat. 21:28-32—“But what do you think? A man had two sons, & he came to the first & said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ “He answered & said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it & went. “Then he came to the second & said likewise. And he answered & said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors & harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, & you did not believe him; but tax collectors & harlots believed him; & when you saw it, you did not afterward relent & believe him.”
Mat. 21:33-44—“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard & set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it & built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers & went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, & stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, & they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him & seize his inheritance.’ “So they took him & cast him out of the vineyard & killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, & lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you & given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
The nation bearing the fruits of the kingdom of God is one ‘nation’...the ‘nation’ of Christendom!
Rom. 1:16-17—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
2Cor. 10:4-5—“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
Lk. 4:37-44—“And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. Now He arose from the synagogue & entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, & they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her & rebuked the fever, & it left her. And immediately she arose & served them. When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; & He laid His hands on every one of them & healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out & saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. Now when it was day, He departed & went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him & came to Him, & tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.”
Illustration:
Christian Discipline—Without a person’s personal grasp on their relationship with God thru Christ, their discipline will always be lacking/These will not be able to do more than flounder about in their commitments to God, thruout their lives/DEMONSTRATION Of POWER
Turn over all of those things you protect & harbor...
Flush those cigarettes down—Now!
Dump the booze down your sink—Now!
Refuse to take what is not yours to take—Now!
Refuse illicit relationships you are involved in—Now!...
Adulterous—Accept your part in the destruction of another marriage & refuse to be a destroyer.
Homosexual—Accept God’s provision for you in Christ rather than personal ‘feeling’ & society’s questionable acceptance.
Fornicative—Teens & adults having sex outside of commitment of marriage.
Refuse to learn how to live together rather than learning how to be committed to one-another! Decide...Marry, Court or Leave your ‘live-in lover’—Now!
*These must find love God’s way!
Refuse to smoke, pop, snort, inject, or ingest any more mind-altering substances—Now!
Refuse to throw your trash in the road(for someone else to pick up)—Now!
Refuse to be selfish in regard to your neighbor “Love your neighbor as yourself!”—Now!
Find & exemplify true POWER, God’s POWER, by anchoring yourself in Christ Jesus—NOW!
Application:
?Are You a Justified Fool for Christ thru your DEMONSTRATION Of POWER?...
...OR...Are You just a Fool?
?Are You a Fool for Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Golfer Groom to his bride to be... “This isn't going to take all day, is it?”
Action:
Fools for Christ are justified thru their...
10. REINING IN(:18)
11. DEMONSTRATION Of POWER(:19-21)
1. STEWARDSHIP(:1)
2. FAITHFULNESS(:2)
3. DISCERNMENT(:3-5)
4. GROUNDING(:6)
5. RECEPTION(:7-8) “Without us”
6. FOOLISHNESS(:9-13)
7. WARNING(:14)
8. PARENTHOOD(:15-16)Birth
9. REMINDINGs(:17)
Pts. 10-11 Presented 10/11/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
209 A Ave SE(Storrs Ave)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
