Author: Jinson Thomas

Good morning church! Hope you’re well this morning. A warm welcome to you all in the name of Jesus Christ. If you’ve been tracking with us, you would’ve noticed that we’ve been going through a series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1st Corinthians. 

And the recurring theme that we’ve seen week after week is this that the church isn’t a building but a People – God’s redeemed people among whom He dwells! Today we arrive at 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul directly addresses the “controversial” topics on the gifts of prophecy and tongues in the life of the church. But before I proceed, I would love for all of us to pray and ask God for help with this text.

As we tackle this difficult and controversial topic of prophecy and tongues in the church, I just want to be honest to say that we’ve not spoken a lot about this in the last nine years that we’ve been gathering as a church.

We’ve preached a sermon once on “prophecy” few years back. Usually if someone asks me or Saju on what is our church’s position, we’ll tell it to them but overall we’ve not spoken on this a lot.

So in some ways I see this as God’s providence in bringing this text because it gives us an opportunity to teach and disciple biblically on this topic. So what’s our position on this?

We believe that all of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the bible including the miraculous gifts like healing, prophecy and tongues still exist in the church today and are equally valuable and beneficial to the church.

Even as I say this, we’re aware that there could be some among us who believe that these miraculous gifts don’t exist in the church anymore. We respect that and we know of many well meaning, godly believers through the years have held to that conviction.

What we would say is that this isn’t a major doctrine of the bible like salvation through faith over which we need to break our fellowship or be divided over. In fact we welcome conversations where we can sit across the table and biblically work through passages like these so that we land on a position which is not based on our personal preference or our past experiences but based on the word of God.

You may say “brother Jinson, all this great but what’s the biblical basis for your position?” And my response would be that there’s actually no clear, direct passage in the Bible which tells us that these miraculous gifts ceased to exist after the establishment of the early church and after the NT was written down. In fact it’s quite the contrary, where there are more passages which encourage us to desire and use these gifts.

In this chapter alone, Paul tells us to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy not once but twice. In 1 Thess 5:20, Paul instructs to not despise prophecies but test them.

Even some of the passages which are used to support the position of miraculous gifts ceasing to exist after the early church don’t actually say that. Usually 1 Cor 13:8-12 is used as a supporting passage.

1 Corinthians 13:8-12 ESV [8] Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. [9] For we know in part and we prophesy in part, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. [12] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Now as we heard in last week’s sermon, these verses are not referring to the ceasing of miraculous gifts after the establishment of church or after the NT was written. It’s instead referring to the second coming of Jesus Christ when at that point there will be no longer any need for spiritual gifts because at that time we will know Christ fully.

But until that time, we will need spiritual gifts including the miraculous ones. So in a sense, these verses support the opposite view which is that these giftings will continue to exist until the second coming of Jesus.

Having said that, the biblical definition and practice of these gifts are quite different from what we see in churches around us. Though we believe that these miraculous gifts exist today, we believe that there’s a biblical guideline on what is the nature of this gift and how it is used in the context of the church. It’s not spooky, it’s not awkward, it’s not chaotic and that’s precisely why Paul wrote this passage.

And that’s what I want to invite you all into – if we could lay aside our judgments and preconceived notions about these miraculous gifts and embrace whatever God’s Word is telling us on this topic.

Now with that, let’s get into chapter 14. Today for a change we will look through the text verse by verse instead of 3 points.

[1] Pursue love , and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Pursue love – Don’t you find it interesting that Paul spent one whole chapter – chapter 13 teaching the church about love before getting to the “how to” of spiritual gifts? He knew that they were eager to talk about miraculous gifts, so he wanted them to pause and think. He basically set the foundation by telling them that if they didn’t have love for each other, then no matter what gift they had, it was all going to be useless. I think it’s a helpful place for us to start as well.

Earnestly desire spiritual gifts – One thing this tells me that although we need to be content with the spiritual gift that God has given us, it’s not a bad thing to earnestly desire and ask God for more gifts so that we can serve the church.

especially that you may prophesy – Now it seems like he’s singling out this gift but it’s not the case. There is a context to this. The Corinthian church were big on speaking in tongues and they saw that as a gift that would make them appear to be more spiritual and superior than the others. And what Paul’s going to do over the next whole chapter is build a case as to why prophecy is a more helpful gift in the setting of public corporate worship.

Prophesy – One quick disclaimer on the NT gift of prophecy. It is not to be equated with the Bible. It is not authoratative like the Bible. It’s not infallible and inerrant. People who have the gift of prophecy can go wrong, which is why their prophecies need to be weighed by others (v29).

Look with me at verses 2-6:

[2] For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. [3] On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. [4] The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. [5] Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

So Paul is in no way degrading or downplaying the gift of tongues. He’s basically saying that tongues are meant for private worship but prophecy on the other hand is meant to build up other believers in a public worship setting.

The only exception to using the gift of tongues in public worship is as long as there is an interpreter of tongues. So if there is someone to interpret, then tongues can be expressed during public worship. If there is no one with the gift of interpretation, then it should not be exercised in that public corporate setting.

Just a side note – look at the way prophecy is described in v3 – upbuilding, encouragement and consolation. One of the main goals of prophecy is to encourage and comfort God’s people. There’s a shepherding and a caring that is taking place. It’s not fortune telling or future prediction.

I hope you can already see here – the definition and practice of these gifts that we see in churches in the world are quite different from the guidelines mentioned in the Bible.

In the next few verses, Paul will use different examples and analogies to drive home the point of how prophecy is a more helpful gifting in the context of public corporate worship.

[6] Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

(Paul uses his own example to say that if he came to their church only to speak in tongues which they didn’t understand, how would they benefit from it?)

[7] If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? [8] And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? [9] So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. [10] There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, [11] but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.

The point Paul is trying to make here is that being able to understand and help each other takes priority over simply exercising our spiritual gifts.

Imagine if our sermons were loaded with alot of heavy theological terms and sophisticated language but no one understands what we are trying to say, it’s useless.

[12] So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

The Corinthians were very eager in displaying and showing off their spiritual gifts, and Paul was trying to tell them that they were getting it wrong. Their focus needed to be on building up each other. Their focus needed to be on serving each other. Their focus needed to be on helping each other. Their focus needed to shift from themselves to the others in their church.

One of the hardest things to do is to avoid the tendency to make our spiritual gifts all about ourselves. Our sinful heart craves for validation, affirmation and glory and so often times we view our spiritual gifts as something to get us that validation, affirmation and glory that our hearts craves for.

[13] Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.

The Bible’s instruction to all who have the gift of tongues is that they pray so that they may also have the gift of interpretation because then they can be of better help to the local church.

[14] For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. [15] What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

When someone has the gift of tongues, his spirit communicates with God but his mind is unengaged. So the desire of every believer should be that he’s also able to engage his mind along with his spirit and that’s why the gift of interpretation will also benefit the believer himself. V14-15 also gives us hints on what is the content of this speaking in tongues – it’s prayers and praises to God. That’s what we see in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost – they were uttering praises to God in strange tongues.

[16] Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? [17] For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

[18] I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. [19] Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Is Paul looking down on the gift of tongues? Absolutely not. He himself had the gift of tongues but he chose to use the gift of teaching and prophecy in public corporate settings because that would be more beneficial for others in the church.

It should make us stop and think – when was the last time we intentionally thought about how to encourage and serve someone else at the church before arriving at a Sunday gathering or GC? When is the last time we decided to willingly give up on something because we felt it would be unhelpful to the others in the church?

I remember as a new believer in my previous church, I would view the communion time as a window to demonstrate my best keyboard solos. People noticed me and some others came and congratulated me after the service but in reality I was a distraction to others in them experiencing God. I’m using my failed example to illustrate how there will be times when we will need to willingly give up on certain things (even using certain spiritual gifts) if it’s not being helpful to others in that context.

[20] Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

The Corinthians were being childish and immature by using their spiritual gifts as a way to make them seem more superior than others.

[21] In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” [22] Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

V21 is a quotation from Isa 28:11-12 where it spoke about God speaking to the Israelites in a foreign language as a sign of His judgment. Through this they would sense God’s judgment and their great distance from God.

Paul is applying this quotation in this context to say that tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers because if an unbeliever hears a believer speaking in strange tongues, they would sense God’s judgment and their great distance from God.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for the unbeliever who comes to a church gathering. We are after all a people of hope…

[23] If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? [24] But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, [25] the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

In this context, Paul is going from the lesser to the greater. Even if you look from the perspective of your gospel witness to a lost world, if all your church did was speak in tongues it would only remind the lost of their judgment and their great distance from God. But if you prophesy in a language that they understand, then it will actually bring them to conviction, repentance and worship – which is what we desire right?

Paul is nailing down the point – desire prophecy over tongues because it will not only benefit believers but also make the gospel message real and accessible to a lost and dying world around you.

As you can see again, this gift of prophecy is quite different from the versions of prophecy we see in churches around us. It’s not giving us a dreamy future aspiration, it’s not revealing what kind of job we will have next, it’s not telling us about our future financial success, it’s not telling us about the kind of person we will marry, it’s not telling us of who will be the next political power in India.

Real biblical gift of prophecy will convict us of sin and point us to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. So it obviously means that the person with this gift should have a good, solid gospel understanding to be able to communicate that clearly. If the person doesn’t know the Gospel, how will he be able to convict and call someone to repentance?

There is quite some more that we will like to share on these gifts especially on the time & setting for using these gifts. So I’d ask all of you to join us next week as we conclude this topic & also provide some helpful next steps.

As I close, I just want to acknowledge that this isn’t an easy topic for some of us to process and embrace especially if you’ve witnessed the abuse of these particular spiritual gifts. If I’ve to share my story, growing up we had a lot of evangelists and pastors who would drop into our home who claimed to have the gift of prophecy. We were in a very vulnerable position relationally and financially and sad to say they took advantage of us.

So when I became a believer, it became easy for me to swing to the other side and label all of them as fake but it took me some time to study Scripture and also have conversations with other mature believers who have helped me deal with my past baggage.

So if you’re there today, I just want you to know that God doesn’t want you to be skeptical and cynical. He wants to help you deal with this baggage & embrace the purpose that He has through these valuable giftings in the local church.

Good morning church! A warm welcome to all of you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you all are well. But even if some of us don’t feel too well either physically or spiritually, I just want you to know that God intends to personally meet with you & encourage you through the Word today. 

I want you to know that He is the Good and Great Shepherd who is looking out for you & wants to care for you through His Word. I hope that all of us are eagerly and expectantly waiting to receive God’s encouragement and care today. 

If you’ve been tracking with us at the Gathering, you would’ve noticed that we’ve been going through a series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from 1st Corinthians. And the recurring theme that we’ve seen week after week is this: that God’s chosen residence isn’t in a building but in His People – those whom He has redeemed through Jesus Christ. 

But here’s the thing, this church – this Dwelling Place isn’t perfect right now. Why? Because the church consists of people who are imperfect. We still struggle with sin & & are being continuously worked on by the grace of God. The church is a work in progress, not a finished product. 

The letter of 1st Corinthians is proof to this fact. Every kind of sin & division is witnessed in this church (some of us would probably think twice before going to that church) and yet God joyfully calls it His Dwelling Place. And that’s what I believe God has been trying to tell us through this series that though we’re a mess in so many ways now, He still delights to call us His Dwelling Place. And He’s not finished with us yet! 

Today we move forward in chapter 12 where the focus seems to be on Diversity of Spiritual Gifts in the church. 

And it’s a tricky topic because even among us – we can have very different responses to a passage like this based on our previous church experiences. Some of us are probably relieved saying “Finally, it’s high time the church spoke about spiritual gifts”. Some others are probably evasive “I wish that the church avoids this topic” fearful that a topic like this would end up opening the floodgates of a misuse of spiritual gifts in the church. 

I want to acknowledge that this is a tough topic but here’s what I want to ask each of us to do today and over the next few weeks as we tackle the subject of spiritual gifts. I ask all of us to approach this with an open mind ready to submit to whatever the Bible tells us, not our past church experiences. Our church experiences shouldn’t be used to interpret the Bible. We need the Bible to help us interpret our church experiences. 

That’s why we really need God’s help this morning to help us keep our biases and church baggage aside so that we can freely submit to God’s Word. Would you join me in prayer asking God for help? 

Pray

Why is there a diversity of spiritual gifts in the church? 

1. To teach us about interdependence (v8-10) 

[8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 

In these verses, one thing that stands out clearly is the fact that different gifts are distributed among different members in the church. What we don’t see is a situation where all members have the same spiritual gift. Neither do we see some members who have all the spiritual gifts. 

Different members have different gifts – and there seems to be a purpose attached to it – and the purpose is to teach us about interdependence – depending on one another. 

Let’s unpack each of these nine spiritual gifts listed here. Before we look into these, let me add a disclaimer that this list isn’t exhaustive. There are other spiritual gifts which aren’t mentioned in this list but are mentioned in other passages. 

For example if you jump to v28 at the end of chapter 12, it mentions the gifts of apostles, teachers, helping and administration. So as we’re reading this list of 9, let’s bear that in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list but some examples of spiritual gifts that Paul uses here. Now let’s get to unpacking each of these 9 gifts. 

• Utterance of wisdom & utterance of knowledge: These obviously refer to some kind of speaking gift where God has given certain people the gift & ability to read specific situations in other people’s lives and give timely & appropriate wise and knowledgeable counsel for those situations. 

• Faith: God has given these people the gift and ability to believe God for impossible things, whether be it physical healing, provision, breakthrough in mission. 

• Healing: God has given these people the ability to heal others from physical ailments supernaturally. 

• Miracles: This could be connected with healing but could also be more visible ways to validate the Gospel message or demonstrate God’s judgment on people. We saw this during our study of Acts that when the apostles went from city to city, these miracles served as a way to validate that they were sent by the Lord Jesus. But also as was in the case of Ananias and Sapphira – the miracle sometimes serves to also display God’s judgment. 

• Prophecy: God has given the gift and ability to certain people to describe things that they couldn’t have known outside of God’s spontaneous revelation. But this gift of prophecy is different from the OT understanding of prophecy which basically said “thus says the Lord” – it was God’s authoritative word. But in the NT church, as we will also see in chapters 14 – prophecies need to evaluated by others in the church – which means that it’s not infallible and inerrant. It is subject to evaluation. 

• Ability to distinguish between spirits: God has given this gift and ability to certain people to be able to tell if another person is representing God or a false and demonic spirit. 

• Speaking in tongues: God has given the gift and ability to certain people to be able to say praises and prayers in a language that was not known to them earlier. This language could actually be a real language like the day of Pentecost. Or it could be a spiritual language which no one understands (Acts 14). But there is control in place for its use : Acts 14 tells us that it’s only to be used in a public gathering as long as there is an interpreter. 

• Interpretation of tongues: God has given the gift and ability to interpret someone else who is speaking in tongues. And again this interpreter doesn’t know the language of the tongues. He’s hearing it for the first time but God has given him or her the ability to translate it so that others in the gathering can also be edified. 

You can already see here how each of these gifts are unique in their own way and they are given to different members in church so that we could be interdependent on each other. If I had all the spiritual gifts, then I wouldn’t know what it means to be dependent on my brother or sister in Christ. 

But the way God has distributed gifts in the church is to force us to be interdependent on each other. It is to force us to lean on each other’s giftings for our spiritual maturity & journey of faith. How humbling it is for us to realize that we can’t grow in maturity & can’t move forward in our journey of faith apart from depending on my brother or sister’s help in the Lord? Let’s take a minute to just allow that truth to sink in. 

But not only does the diversity of spiritual gifts teach us about interdependence, it also

2. To teach us about unity (v11a)

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, 

Although we all have different gifts, let’s remember that it’s the same Spirit which empowers (activates) us with these gifts. Look at the way the Spirit is described in v8-10: same Spirit, same Spirit, one Spirit. Different gifts but same source. Same person of origin. 

And if it’s the same person of origin, then that should tell us one thing: spiritual gifts are meant to unify, not divide. Spiritual gifts are meant to enable us as a cohesive unit and not elevate us on a pedestal. Spiritual gifts are meant to gather and not scatter. 

Unfortunately as was in the church in Corinth, and as it is in churches today, spiritual gifts aren’t being used to unify the church but a platform to celebrity status. So and so healing and deliverance ministry. Apostle so and so. Anointed man of God so and so. 

And this is not just a problem in the big mega churches but also in smaller churches. Why? Because that same DNA of selfishness and pride is in all of us. Our sinful hearts crave for prominence & unfortunately spiritual gifts are seen as tools to get us there! 

And in all of this we are missing the main point about spiritual gifts. Your spiritual gift is not meant for you, it’s meant for to bless and edify others in the church. That’s exactly what we read last week in v7: 

[7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

It’s almost like we will have to train our minds to realize that our gifts do not belong to us at all. We’ve to train ourselves to realize that our spiritual gifts is actually the church’s property and we’re just simply being called to steward and utilize it to serve others.

Imagine your spiritual gift to be like one of the instruments or sound equipment in this hall. When we use it, we fully know that we don’t own it – it belongs to the church, we’re simply using it serve others in the church. 

Whatever your gift is irrespective if it’s right up there near the pulpit or not, whatever your gift is – it belongs to your church. That’s what God had in mind when He gave you that gift. It was meant to serve and unify the church. 

But not only does the diversity of spiritual gifts teach us about interdependence & unity, it also

3. To teach us about grace (v11b) 

[11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 

I think this is one of the most beautiful, comforting verses in the Bible for two reasons:

• It tells us that every believer in Christ has a unique purpose in God’s grand scheme of things. This verse tells us that the Holy Spirit apportions or distributes the gifts individually. There’s a personal touch to it. The Spirit doesn’t just randomly fling gifts in the air but personally and individually gives them to us which means that there is some prior thought and purpose to it. 

The role that He wants us to fulfill, no one else can. That’s why no believer should say that their life is meaningless. Because God has a unique purpose for their lives symbolized by the individual gift given them. How encouraging it is to know that? 

• Secondly, it should free us from the burden of feeling bad for not having spiritual gifts that others have. The verse tells us “these gifts were distributed as He wills”. 

Not having certain spiritual gifts isn’t an indication of us being less loved by God. God is not a partial Father. He is a loving, just and wise Father and in His mind He knows precisely why He’s given you this gift so that you can be in the best place to glorify God and also love your church. 

Unfortunately there are churches today which try to equate the number of spiritual gifts with a person’s spiritual maturity. They’ll look at this list of 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit and they’ll say that this is the top-level of Christianity. This is the HNI in God’s family. 

If you pray harder, have more faith and be more obedient, and then God will reward you with more and more spiritual gifts as though these spiritual gifts were a badge of accomplishments that they’ve earned. 

And that’s simply not compatible with the Bible especially this passage which tells us that this is just grace – Spirit apportions it to us individually as He wills. Spiritual Gifts are exactly what they are: Simply gifts of grace that we receive! Just like salvation. 

As people who have turned away from God in our sin and rebellion, the only thing we deserve in return is His wrath and judgment. Rom 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death”. That’s our salary, that’s what we’ve earned, that’s what we have to our credit. 

But God being rich in grace and mercy didn’t want to leave us there. Instead all along, before the foundation of the world was set, God planned to rescue us through His Son Jesus Christ. That rescue plan was put into effect when Jesus came down to the earth. He lived the life that we should have lived and then collected the punishment that we deserved. 

On the cross, our massive sin payment was being paid off. Jesus hung and died on the cross because of you and I not because of politics and some other bad religious people. We are the culprits. He was buried in the grave and then three days later rose from the dead to give us what we didn’t deserve – full forgiveness from sin & the right to be called children of God. 

John 1:12 ESV

[12] But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 

Wrath and judgment redirected, payment paid, new status and identity as children received! This is a gift of grace just like our spiritual gift is. 

One of the things that I really love and enjoy at the Gathering is the potluck where each person or family brings their own dish & sets it on the table to serve others. This was also true of the time when I was a bachelor, when all I could contribute was with chips or juices. 

It didn’t matter that it wasn’t as elaborate as a biryani or as tasty as a gravy. Because it was part of an ensemble cast which was serving the people that I love. And I too got the benefit of being served with what someone else prepared & brought to the table. I wondered if that was a good illustration for how we need to view the diversity of spiritual gift in our church. 

Every time we gather, it’s bringing our gifts and placing it on the table for others to enjoy and be served because our spiritual gifts 

1. Teach us about interdependence
2. Teach us about unity
3. Teach us about grace

Do you know what your spiritual gift is? If you don’t know, pray and ask God to help you identify the gift & then slowly start using that gift to encourage others. If it’s a gift, it will

Good morning church! Hope you’re well. A warm welcome to all who have joined us at the hall and our friends who have joined us online today.

As a church we’ve been going through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1st Corinthians. And what we’ve seen so far is that the church is not a physical building but a People – the redeemed People of God in whom God dwells.

The church is God’s chosen residence! But what’s interesting is that this chosen residence – the church is not perfect. In fact it’s far from being perfect. In fact there’s a lot of maintenance and repair work that needs to take place in the lives of God’s people. The church is like a broken down home which needs a full scale major renovation.

So even as we approach today’s passage, let’s approach it with the same perspective. We are far from perfect. We need a full scale major renovation and we call out to God to perform that repair work in us as we listen and respond to God’s Word this morning. So let’s pray and ask God to that right now.

As we’ve gone through this letter, Paul has been addressing different sin issues that the Corinthian church were struggling with. They were fighting over leaders, there were issues of sexual misconduct, they were taking legal action against each other over trivial issues and they were using their Christian liberty as an excuse to be a stumbling block to weaker believers.

But the last thing that you would expect is for Paul to call them out in the way in which they were approaching the Lord’s Table or the Lord’s Supper.

How is it possible that something that is so integral to their worship gathering, something that they do together week after week turn out to be a big issue? Is Paul just trying to be difficult for the sake of it? Or is there actually a heart issue which is being addressed? What is it that we can learn from this especially when it comes to us approaching the Lord’s Table?

1. Lord’s Table is not a place for selfishness (v17-22)

[17] But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. [18] For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, [19] for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. [20] When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. [21] For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. [22] What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

In v17, we can see Paul not holding anything back. He is making his displeasure known. He’s basically telling them that their church gatherings are doing more damage than good.

And then he goes on to explain the reason for saying that in V18. There is some kind of division and discrimination that is taking place during their church gatherings.

And then in V19, it seems like a contradictory verse because we can easily misinterpret it as promoting divisions and disunity. But that’s not what he’s saying. Paul isn’t contradicting his earlier passages where he said:

1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV

[10] I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

Paul is saying that divisions reveal those who are really genuine. In fact the Greek translates genuine as those who have God’s approval. Those who are truly in Christ. But how can divisions in the church possibly do that? Because it reveals those who desire love and humility and those who desire pride and self centredness. It reveals those who demonstrate repentance and those who demonstrate an unwillingness to change.

Now it’s not to say that we will never have a moment of pride or selfishness or unwillingness to change in this life. As long as sin dwells in us it will show itself in some form or the other.

As believers we reckon with that truth but at the same time we always need to question ourselves if we’re being characterized by pride, selfishness and an unwillingness to change. Is that the only fruit that we see in our lives? Because if that is the only fruit, then it reveals a heart that doesn’t know the Lord. It reveals a heart that is not genuinely transformed.

And then in v20-22, we understand a little bit more of what’s going on in Corinth. In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was part of a “love feast” that was served to the church.

As most of us are aware, the early church met in homes. Generally the homes of wealthier believers were used because they were bigger, so they could accommodate more people. All the congregants would be spread across many rooms of the house.

Now what was happening in Corinth was that the rich and the honored believers would be seated in the same room as the host. They would be given the best food in terms of quality and quantity. The poorer believers would be seated in a separate room and would often receive the leftovers of the meal (if there was anything remaining).

And that’s what Paul was calling out and saying that the Lord’s Table which was supposed to unify the church – join together people from different backgrounds and social statuses was now being used as a tool to discriminate and divide! They were using the Lord’s Table as a way to put themselves above others. They were using the Lord’s Table as a platform for their selfishness. How sad and unfortunate is that?

Although we live in a slightly different context where the Lord’s Supper each week is not a part of an overall meal. But I think the principle still remains. Could it be possible that we approach our Sunday gatherings with a heart of selfishness? I’m hoping to preach this sermon well so that people in the church can pat my back and say how well I’ve done today. And in our opportunities to serve on Sunday – I hope I’m perceived as a good, mature believer because of how I’ve served people with my giftings and responsibilities today. I hope people come and compliment me about the way I dressed up today. I hope I can exit the hall as soon as the service without engaging in any meaningful conversations with the people.

And there can be many more ways in which we often put ourselves above others as we approach our gatherings and the Lord’s Table with selfishness. And we’re being humbled and told that the Lord’s Table is not a place for selfishness.

2. The Lord’s Table is a place of remembrance (v23-26)

[23] For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, [24] and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [25] In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

In these verses, selfishness is being constrasted to the self-sacrifice of Christ and that’s symbolized through the elements of the Lord’s Table.

In V23, we see where the Lord’s Table or supper originated from. It’s not a man made ritual – it came from the direction of the Lord Jesus Himself on the night when he was betrayed.

V24 – the breaking of the bread symbolized Jesus offering Himself on the cross for us. Those two words “for us” are so precious because it tells us that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not because of anything that He did but because of everything that we did in rebellion and defiance to God. Jesus offered Himself as our substitute. He became a scapegoat for us. He bore the punishment instead of us. Every time the bread is broken and handed over to us, it’s a reminder telling us that Jesus offered Himself for us. We were supposed to face the punishment but He took it for us.

V25 – the cup symbolizes Jesus creating a new covenant in His blood. What’s that? For that we first need to get what the old covenant was about. The Old covenant was God’s promises with His people on the basis of their commitment to the law. In other words, it was conditional. If God’s people remained committed, then they would receive God’s blessing but if not, they would bear the consequences of punishment and curse. It was based on their performance to the law.

Now contrast that with the new covenant in Jesus’ blood. In this God establishes permanent promises with His people no longer on the basis of their commitment but on the basis of Jesus’ blood. It’s no longer based on their performance but Jesus Christ’s perfect performance for them. It’s no longer conditional. And so every time we pick up the cup, it’s a reminder to our hearts that God doesn’t relate with me on the basis of my level of commitment or performance, He relates with me on the basis of Christ’s perfect performance and pure blood. How freeing is that for us this morning? To know that despite our many sins and failures, God is not asking us to perform and prove ourselves to be in His presence (that’s not even possible) but He invites us to Him because He sees us through the lens of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood.

V26 summarizes it by saying that every time we partake of the elements, the church is preaching and proclaiming a message. It’s preaching that it desperately needed Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and also Christ’s performance on their behalf to establish a permanent unbreakable relationship. Week after week we regularly preach this message until the Day when our Lord returns.

But not only is the Lord’s Table not a place for selfishness, not is it a place to remember Jesus’ sacrifice, but

3. The Lord’s Table is a place of repentance (v27-34)

[27]  Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. [30] That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. [31] But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. [32] But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. [33] So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— [34] if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

When we read warning passages like these, it almost seems unreal. Is God actually going to judge me on how I partake in the Lord’s Table? Yes, it’s actually true. In fact v27 tells us if we take it in an unworthy manner, we will be held guilty of the way we’ve treated the body and blood of the Lord.

And so as v28 reminds us that there needs to be a self-examination which takes place before we partake of the elements. We are self-examining not just our actions but also our motivations before the Lord. But it shouldn’t just make us stop there but also lead us to humble repentance. And the assurance is that humble repentance will be met with a welcome embrace.

Hannah and I were reading the story of the lost son a few days back. It was such an assuring, comforting truth to know that while the son was still a long way off, the father saw him (which meant that he was watching and waiting for his son to return from the time his son left him), felt compassion, and ran and embraced and kissed him.

And even as the son began to say the sorry script that he prepared saying “Father I have sinned against heaven and before you. I’m not worthy to be called your son”…He couldn’t even finish his script, because the father immediately called his servants to put the best robe, shoes and ring on his hand and have a celebration that night because his lost son came back. And that’s not only true on the day when you and I believed first, it’s even true today when as a believer in Christ we have messed up miserably and fall short of what God has called us to do.

And that’s precisely what the Lord’s Table is supposed to tell us this morning. It’s not telling us to perform, reform ourselves on our own strength and make ourselves worthy of God. In fact it tells us that like the lost son we have messed up badly, but on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice and performance, God is pursuing and running toward us like the father of the lost son.

Good morning church. Just wanted to welcome all who have joined us at the hall today and our friends who have joined us online. Every time we come together as a church family especially as God’s Word is being opened up, let’s remember that it’s no ordinary event but God is intending to do something deep in our hearts. And that’s what we get to do together as a family each week. 

If you’ve been tracking with us at the Gathering, we’ve been going through a series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1st Corinthians. What we’ve seen so far is that the church is not a building, it’s not an organization, it’s not a formal event that you sign up for a few hours each week. The church is a People whom God has redeemed through His Son Jesus Christ. 

In these passages that we’ve read over the last three or four weeks, Paul has been consistently addressing the topic of christian liberty or christian freedom – what does it mean for us to be free in Christ. 

In chapter 8, he tells us that Christian freedom can’t be an excuse to become a stumbling block for a weaker fellow believer. In chapter 9, he uses his own life as an illustration to demonstrate how he himself surrendered his rights for the good of the Corinthian church (He’s asking the church to look at his life’s example). In chapter 10, he tells us how our Christian freedom can’t be an excuse to participate in sin (idolatry and immorality). 

And as he brings this topic of Christian freedom to a close this week, he’s challenging the church to look inwards and ask themselves if their “Christian freedom” has become a hindrance to their Gospel witness. 

As their spiritual father in Christ, Paul is lovingly telling them “You think you’re mature, you think you’ve got some superior knowledge which allows you do whatever you want under the umbrella of being free in a Christ, I want you to take a hard look at yourselves and see if “Christian freedom” is becoming to your own Gospel witness. 

And even as we’re listening to this, we realize that this isn’t an irrelevant topic for us today. We all understand the tension between our Christian freedom and our Gospel witness. As we are living out our identity as children of God in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and in places of leisure, we’re all trying to figure the balance between our freedom in Christ and ensuring that it doesn’t compromise our Gospel witness. 

If you’re there today, wrestling with this tension of Christian freedom and your Gospel witness, let me encourage you to know there’s hope and help available in today’s passage. It’s not coming from a place of legalism which asks “If you call yourself a good Christian, is this what you do?” Rather it gives three quality checks to help us deal with this tension.

1. Does it edify?

 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 [23]  “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. [24] Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 

As we’ve read 1st Corinthians, one thing that we’ve grown accustomed to is seeing Paul cite a quotation and then respond to it. Most likely these quotes were questions that Corinthian church had written to Paul asking for biblical counsel on it. This was the Ask Pastor Paul podcast of that time. 

The question they asked Paul in V23 was “All things are lawful”. In other words, “I have the right and power to do anything and everything because I’m free in Christ, right?” And Paul’s response is, “Alright, but anything and everything is not helpful”. That word helpful is translated as “profitable”. Is it actually profiting you? Is it actually benefiting you in some way? Is it actually productive for you? Is it actually good for you? 

And then he quotes them once more by saying “alright you’re saying you can do anything and everything” but is that actually going to build up faith? Not just your faith but the faith of your brothers and sisters in Christ. 

In fact in the original Greek, the word is translated as house builder. The picture of a construction worker who is laying one brick upon another to build a house. And that’s the imagery that’s being used for our faith. Are we building up our faith by doing this? Are we building up our brother and sister’s faith by this? 

And what Paul is doing by this is challenging their assumption that their freedom in Christ allows them to do whatever they want. And he’s challenging them to ask themselves if it’s profitable to them? And if it’s helping build up their faith and their neighbors faith through it? In other words, by doing this or not doing this is it helping to edify yourself and your fellow believer’s faith? 

And then in V24, he tells them to not seek their own good but the good of their neighbor. If you’ve been around a church, you’ve probably heard this a few times. 

But I want us to take a minute to think how antithetical it is to the culture around us? We live in a culture that tells you that if you seek your own good, if you seek your own interests then you’ll be happy. Then you’ll progress in life. And it’s not just the culture around us, our own sinful hearts tell us the same thing – Put yourself above others, seek your own good and then later on care about your neighbors. 

And it’s to that culture and sinful heart that this verse tells us “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor”. I’m saying this so that we can acknowledge that this doesn’t come naturally to us. We are simply not wired that way. We are not able to do this by our own strength. We desperately need God’s grace to help us live with this perspective of seeking not our good, but the good of another. 

And when Paul is saying “seek the good of another”, he’s not just preaching some broad moral science lecture. There is a specific context to what he’s saying. The context was on eating food offered to idols. There were some so-called mature believers in Corinth who were saying “I can eat because I’m free in Christ”. What Paul has been discipling them through is to consider a younger believer among them who won’t see it that way and instead it will hurt their conscience. He’s telling them how they need to lay down their rights to eat that food for the good of their younger brother and sister. 

In my previous church, once our youth group had the chance to go to an orphanage outside the city to conduct a VBS for the children out there. During the orientation we were told to not wear jeans and tight fitting clothes while we’re on the premises. I remember being not so comfortable with that instruction. Felt it was very restrictive and old fashioned but later on I realized why we were told that. It was a context where wearing jeans and fitting clothes were perceived very differently. And we were going to spend the good part of the next 2 days sharing the Gospel in skits, songs and through teaching and the people out there who understood the context better than us didn’t want our Gospel witness to be hindered in the process. 

Was there something sinful in wearing jeans? No but in that context it would have been perceived in a way where it would be an obstacle to them receiving the Gospel. And so it meant that we had to let down our pride, let down our rights for the good of those children. 

It’s a good place for us to pause and ask ourselves what are some places in our lives where we need to lay down our rights for the good of our brother and sister? What are some choices that we need to make with the intention to edify our faith and the faith of our brothers and sisters? 

First quality check – Does it edify? Second one. 

2. Does it glorify? 

1 Corinthians 10:31 [31] So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

But before we come to v31, I want to ensure that we don’t skip the verses in between. So a quick summary of the verses in between. In verses 25-30, Paul is dealing with the question of eating food offered to idols but in a slightly different situation – at the marketplace and at somebody’s home. Till now Paul has been saying “No” to the question of eating in the temple, but now it seems like he’s making an allowance in these situations. Why is that so? 

Again, let’s understand the Corinthian context. In those days everything in that city revolved around the temple and their worship of their many idols. And so inevitably even the meat that was sold at the local market probably had a touch point at the temple. So the Corinthian church was asking “can we eat this meat if it was purchased from a local market”? 

And Paul’s response is that if you’re buying from the local market without anyone giving a disclaimer saying that this was previously sacrificed to an idol, just take it. Don’t be paranoid, don’t do a background check, don’t do a criminal investigation. Just buy it and take it home. 

And then another question “what if it’s served at the home of an unbeliever?” Paul’s response is again the same. If there’s no disclaimer given stating that this was offered to an idol, just eat it. No need to do a background check, don’t do a criminal investigation. Just eat it. 

However, if someone at the table mentions that this was offered to an idol, then you need to avoid it for the sake of the other person’s conscience. Not your conscience – because you’re eating it with a clear conscience after giving thanks to God for that meat. But it is for the sake of the other person’s conscience that you need to avoid it. 

I think this is a helpful principle especially when our unbelieving neighbors or colleagues or sometime family members offers prasad to us. Sometimes we just know what to say or do in that moment. If they come to you offering prasad, then the reason you need to decline and avoid eating it is for the sake of the conscience of the others that are there. In fact it’s an opportunity for us to witness to them by saying “I’m so sorry, but I won’t be able to take this because of my faith in Jesus alone”. 

But is there something inherently wrong in eating the prasad? No. If you’re eating it giving praise to Jesus, you can do it with a clear conscience. However, it’s for the sake of the other person who will probably perceive it as us being okay with worshiping an idol. 

And that’s how we arrive in v31. Because it’s telling us whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, everything needs to be done to the glory of God! 

Couple of observations from this verse. 

• There is nothing insignificant in our lives for God. There’s nothing too small or mundane or random in our lives which don’t deserve to be lived to the glory of God. Even things as mundane as eating and drinking need to be to the glory of God. Waking up, Brushing your teeth, Taking a shower, Putting on your clothes, Taking a bus or train or rickshaw to work or school, while you’re filling a redundant excel sheet at work, while you’re taking your lunch break and chai break, scrolling through your phone – all of these mundane things are significant to God and needs to be done in a way that brings honor to Him. 

• There is nothing out of bounds in our lives for God. Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. There is nothing out of scope, there is nothing out of bounds even the areas of our life that we think are private and personal. Our relationships, the content that we individually consume on TV and social media, private conversations we have on chat, how we spend our money, (sometimes we get embarrassed to say this) but even something as private as our sex life all of it needs to be for the glory of God. Whatever we do on a Sunday morning or whatever we do from a Monday to Saturday, that need to be for the glory of God. 

And so it’s a helpful practice for ourselves and with each other to ask – can we honestly say that we’re thinking this, or saying this or doing this to the honor and praise of God?

3. Does it unify? 

1 Corinthians 10:32-33 [32] Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, [33] just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

If we read verses 32 & 33 out of context, we can very easily misunderstand it as though Paul is promoting people pleasing. A couple of reasons why we shouldn’t misunderstand is because that phrase “Give no offense” doesn’t mean being politically correct or overly sensitive but it actually is translated as “don’t lead anyone to sin” or as the NIV translates as “Don’t be a stumbling block”.

Secondly, we understand the goal that he’s trying to accomplish in doing all this. It’s not so that people can love and accept him more. The goal in trying to please people is for their salvation. (V33) Now that doesn’t mean being a doormat, it doesn’t mean compromising on our gospel witness, it doesn’t mean being dishonest just so that they get saved. Without compromising on our gospel witness, we are called to accommodate ourselves for the best interests of the other. 

It’s not trying to ask others to come to where we are at, but rather to meet people where they are at without compromising our witness. It reminds us that each and every believer is called to be a missionary (even though it’s not a formal title or vocation). We’re always on mission whether inside the hall of the church or outside it. We are called to think like missionaries who are always exegeting and understanding their context to ensure that the gospel is made accessible to their context without compromising their witness. 

It tells us can’t be living our Christian life in oblivion without understanding or caring about our current context. The most loving thing we can do to understand where others are at and then strive to meet them where their at without compromising our witness so that they would be able to receive Jesus. 

After all isn’t that what happened when God reached out to us. God didn’t wait for us to come to him but rather came to us without compromising his holiness. God had undertaken the greatest and most significant mission trip by sending his Son Jesus Christ to the earth to take on the form of man and then live the life that we needed to live and die the death we deserved to die for us. He was buried and three days later on that Resurrection Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the grave so that whoever would believe in Jesus would be saved and converted to His children forever. Our salvation is hinged on the fact of Jesus Christ laying down his freedom and his rights for our best interests. 

As people who have experienced the benefit of Christ’s work first hand, we are called to similarly lay down our freedoms for the best interests of others. We do that by asking ourselves these quality check questions:

• Does it edify? 
• Does it glorify God? 
• Does it unify?

Good morning church! Hope you all are doing well. Just wanted to welcome all who have joined us today in-person and also friends who have joined us online. 

We are doubly excited today as we get to dedicate baby Levi and encourage Pradeep and Olayinka to steward this wonderful calling to raise Levi in the ways of the Lord. That will happen a little later but just wanted to say that it’s our joy to journey with them as a church family. 

But before we get there, it’s important that we spend the next few moments anchoring ourselves in God’s Word. After all, everything that we do is a response to God’s Word. Most of you know that our usual pattern is to preach through books of the Bible – chapter by chapter like our current series from 1st Corinthians. 

But every now and then we do standalone sermons especially if it coincides with an occasion like a dedication service which we have today. It gives us an opportunity to care for church biblically through some of those subjects like the subject of parenting that we will cover today. 

And I’m aware that among us we’ve got a mixed audience. There are some who are parents right now, and there are some who aren’t parents but I still believe that this passage will be encouraging and helpful for all because even if you’re not a parent, you definitely know someone who is and you’ll be able to encourage them with what you’ve learnt today. 

What is the goal of parenting? What would you say is the main purpose for parenting? 

Most would say that the goal is to make their children independent, well educated, well behaved people of society who will one day be in a position to repeat the whole cycle again with their children. That’s what most people would agree is their purpose for parenting. And so they spend all of their energies trying to fulfill this purpose for their children. 

But what if we were to ask God what was his purpose in making us parents, what would he say? His answer from Deuteronomy 6 would be quite different from what we normally expect. In fact all of those goals don’t feature anywhere in the passage. Now it’s not to say that those things are bad in itself, but that’s not God’s primary purpose. That’s not why God calls us to be parents to our children. God’s calling for us is far higher than we even think or imagine. 

What is God’s high calling for parents? 

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 

[1] “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, [2] that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 

The high calling is to fear God and to teach that to your kids. And this “fear” is not dreading God but one of reverence out of great honor and esteem for Him. Because we know of God’s supreme authority and because we know that He’s Holy, we approach Him with honor and esteem. 

Well how do we go about fearing God and calling our children to do the same? Deut 6 gives us 3 steps. 

1. Trust (v4-6) 

[4] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [5] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 

The first step tells us to personally trust God ourselves before we get to teaching our kids. We are challenged to look inside our own hearts before we get to looking at the hearts of our children. 

Look with me at v4. This verse is often known as the Shema which in Hebrew means “hear”. For a Jew, this is one of the most important verses which says “The Lord our God, the Lord is one”. 

He is not to be treated as one among many gods. He is the One True God. He is making a claim for exclusivity. It’s not Yahweh + other gods. God is telling us “You either chose me as Lord or you don’t.”

And that’s the same sentiment in v5 – the familiar verse which tells us to love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our might. Notice it doesn’t say love your God with a part of your heart, with a part of your soul and with a part of your might. He’s demanding all of our devotion or none of it. He’s demanding all of our surrender or none of it. He’s demanding all of our love or none of it. He’s demanding all of our trust or none of it. 

For many of us who have been around church and heard this verse time and time again, we sometimes miss out on its impact because we assume that we know what it means for us. But I want us all to ask ourselves these questions to evaluate our love for God:

Can I honestly say that I love God more than any relationship in my life? Can I honestly say that I love God more than my spouse and kids? Can I say that I love God more than my friends? Can I say that I love God more than making more money? Can I say that I love God more than my job? Can I say that I love God more than my comfort? Can I truly say that I love God more than receiving approval from my peers? Can I truly say that I love God more than the pleasures that I enjoy when no one’s watching? 

And all of these questions get to heart of it. When the Bible says “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your might”, it means that our affections for God should be unparalleled. We should not be making room in our hearts for competing affections. And this is challenging and convicting for all of us because we’re coming face to face with the competing gods in our hearts. 

And that’s why personal trust needs to be accompanied with daily repentance. If we need to daily exhibit trust in the God of the Bible, it needs to be accompanied by daily repentance where we confess all the people and the things which are competing for that place in our hearts which is only reserved for God. 

First step in fearing God and parenting our kids is to demonstrate how we personally Trust God first. It’s humbling to realize that kids are likely to do what they see us do rather than what they hear us tell them to do. We can’t jump this first step. 

Second step is to

2. Teach (v7-9) 

[7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

V7 tells us to diligently teach our children God’s Word and His commands. What’s interesting is that the word which is used in the Hebrew for diligent actually is translated as “pierce”. As parents we’re called to pierce the hearts of children with the truths of God’s Word. It’s not just doing it for the sake of doing it but with the intention of getting God’s Word into the hearts of our children. Have we ever thought about teaching our kids in this way? 

And then it goes on to say how spiritual conversations need to be the focus and the norm for everyday conversations with your children. It’s not a one-time activity. In fact in v7 it almost seems like an obsession where the parents are intentional in bringing up these conversations during every point of the day. Everything seems to circle back to God’s Word. 

V8 and 9 talk about how there’s not only regular daily spiritual conversations but there are visual reminders placed all around the house to point people back to the God of the Bible. God’s Word is not put up for decorative purposes in the home, but to spur the family back to God time and time again. 

So what we can see here is that spiritual conversations with your kids can’t be limited to Sunday School only. Although we greatly value all that the Sunday School teachers do to bring the Gospel to the children in a way that makes it accessible to them each week, yet spiritual conversations with our children can’t be outsourced to Sunday School. As parents we are called to own that responsibility for our children. 

I think it’s a good pause point to ask ourselves – what’s taking center stage in our conversation with our family and children? Is it studies? Is it politics? Is it sports? Or is it movies? Where do spiritual conversations feature in our everyday family conversations? 

And so we Trust God ourselves, we Teach and then the third step is to

3. Testify (v20-25) 

When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ [21] then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. [22] And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. [23] And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. [24] And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. [25] And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.

These verses give us a very different perspective to parenting right? When our children ask us “Dad / Mom – why do we have so many spiritual conversations at home? Why do we have these verses put up everywhere? Why do we not join our neighbors when they participate in idol worship?” Our response shouldn’t be a short one liner saying “Because we’re Christian”. 

That’s a God given opportunity to testify to God’s grace and rescue in your lives. Those are precious discipling moments which God has ordained not to put you in a spot, not to make you think of the smartest theological answer but to simply testify to your own grace story. 

V21 – Talk about how you were a slave to sin & Satan and what life was like as a slave apart from God. 

V22 – Talk about how God had mercy on you and how He sent His one and only Son Jesus to rescue you through His amazing work on the cross. 

V23 – Talk about His resurrection and your trust in Him which totally changed your life forever. As someone who experienced freedom from your slavery to sin, Satan and death – now we owe our lives to our Savior forever. All of our life choices need to reflect obedience to our Savior and that’s why we do what we do. It’s not blind rule keeping. It’s not keeping traditions. It’s obedience as a response to amazing grace! 

Just an encouragement to some of us who might read this passage and think “I missed the whole point of parenting. I wish I knew this earlier but I know I can’t turn back time” – God is sovereign and gracious. You should know that it’s not too late even now. Ask God for grace to help you Trust, Teach and Testify to your children. 

Some others might think – this 3 step process seems overwhelming looking at the high calling for parents. Just want you to know that God wouldn’t have called you to the role, without giving you the grace to fulfill it. Grace is available in plenty at Jesus’ feet. Run to Him and you’ll find all the help you need to be able to fulfill this high Gospel calling. 

Oftentimes when we talk about people being called to ministry, we automatically associate it with pastoral, mercy or evangelistic ministry and these are wonderful callings for sure. But in the light of what we’ve read and heard in Deut 6, parenting is a high gospel call to ministry. It’s not ordinary or insignificant in God’s eyes. God has called and equipped parents to fulfill a purpose of modeling what it means to fear God and they do it by 3 steps:

Trust, Teach and Testify. 

Good morning church! Hope you’re all doing well today. As a church we’ve been going through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from 1st Corinthians. And a theme that we’ve repeatedly seen in this letter so far is this – that God’s dwelling place or His residence isn’t in a building or a temple or a religious place. God’s dwelling place is among His Redeemed People – His church! 

Which means that God’s presence is no longer confined to a building or even limited to Sunday mornings between 10.30am to 1pm. If God’s people are present in the workplace or at school or in a home, then you can be sure that God’s presence is with them. That’s a huge paradigm shift! 

And this understanding of “God’s dwelling place among His people” brings with it some key questions. If God dwells in us 24/7, then how do I relate with the world and the culture around me? How do I live in the midst of this culture? Do I accept everything or reject everything from the culture around me? Where do I draw the line between my Christian life and the culture around me? And these are some tough questions that every believer wrestles with daily. 

But I want you to know that God hasn’t left us alone to figure this out and He’s graciously given us His Word to help us navigate through this. You’d be encouraged to know that the Corinthian church although in a different context also wrestled with these very same questions – hope and help is available in God’s Word! And so today we arrive at an important section of this letter which focuses on Christian liberty. But before we proceed, I’d love to pray for us.

If you look up the meaning of liberty in the dictionary, you’d see that it’s described as “independence, freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice”. (Freedom to do or say as we want) 

Now the question is – can we describe Christian liberty in the same manner? Can we describe our freedom in Christ in the same vein? Now that I’m a believer in Christ, am I free to do or say as I want? Am I free to do whatever I want to do without any consequences? I’m sure all of us from a biblical viewpoint would say no. Our liberty is under Christ’s rule. Christ’s rule gives us the framework of our liberty. What’s that framework? This passage tells us it is love! Christian liberty is all about love – loving God and loving people! 

In last week’s passage, it spoke about loving God. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (v3) Loving God is on one side of the liberty framework & on the other side is Loving people which we will cover in today’s passage. They are two sides of the same coin. They go hand in hand. Christian liberty is all about love. Our Christian liberty needs to be filtered through the lens of love – loving God and loving people. How does this passage break it down for us, in three ways:

1. Our Christian liberty involves understanding others (v7-8)

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

I think it’s important for us to recap the context of this passage. The context is the issue of eating food offered to idols. Just to give you a picture of the city of Corinth – everything about the city revolved around its idols and temples. Its temples were not only a place of worship, but also functioned as butcher shops and dining halls. 

Important trade conferences, weddings, funerals and private dinner parties were held there. This was the center of Corinth culture and life. And people who went to the temple for worship or to dine there were served portions of food offered to idols. And that was the main contentious issue for the church where they were asking Paul, “Is it okay for us to consume the food offered to idols?” 

And there were some people in the church who thought of themselves as “mature Christians” who possessed “special knowledge” or “superior knowledge”. And they were saying “we know that these idols are not real. Hence the food offered to them is inconsequential. There should be no problem in consuming it”. And they were hoping that Paul would agree with them. 

In fact Paul begins by agreeing with them saying “Yes, it’s true we worship the One True God & the Lord Jesus Christ – others gods are not real gods”… “But”, “However”, “Having said that”… “not all possess the same knowledge”. 

Paul is saying “Everyone doesn’t have the same level of understanding as you do.” Everyone is not on the same page when it comes to food offered to idols. Especially those who might have a weak conscience because of their past baggage associated with idol worship. 

They are probably newer Christians who’ve just come out of a lifestyle of idol worship or they may be Christians who have not yet attained the understanding that you have – and for them this food that you’re consuming is still considered as food offered to idols. 

And Paul is telling that by doing this, those who consider themselves as “mature” are “defiling” or “soiling” the weak conscience of these other brothers or sisters.

And even as Paul is saying this, he’s making it clear that the food by itself isn’t inherently wrong or sinful. V8 which says “Food doesn’t commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” We don’t win any extra brownie points by consuming or choosing not to consume this food. What we eat has no bearing on our standing with God. God doesn’t accept us or reject us simply on the basis of food. 

So although food by itself isn’t inherently wrong, we still need to bear in mind that everyone doesn’t view it in the same way. Past associations of food with idols can hurt the weak conscience of our brothers and sisters. We can’t be blind to it. We need to understand that. We need to be mindful of that. Our Christian liberty involves understanding others.  

But not only does our Christian liberty involve understanding others, it also 

2. Our Christian liberty can’t be at the expense of others (v9-12)

9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating[c] in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,[d] if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers[e] and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 

V9 gets to the heart of the matter. But take care (make sure, pay careful attention, see to it) that this right of yours (this freedom, this liberty) does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. That word “stumbling block” means “stubbing our foot”. It’s a word to describe stubbing your foot against an obstacle while walking. 

In the context of this passage, this word is basically telling us that our christian liberty / freedom should not end up being an obstacle to another person’s faith. And the impact is far more than stubbing your foot, it could result in hurting and turning someone away from his faith! Our Christian liberty can’t be at the expense of others!

And then in V10, Paul goes on to elaborate. He says that if a weaker brother or sister sees you “who have knowledge” – “mature, knowledgeable and understanding” Christian go to a pagan temple and eat food offered to idols, would he not think that it’s okay to eat food offered to idols something he associates as sinful? 

Even worse, wouldn’t he think that since eating food offered to idols is okay, it’s probably alright for him to also now go back to worshiping those idols alongside the Lord Jesus Christ? And you can see how Paul’s building the argument – that christian liberty can end up negatively influencing and hurting the faith of those around us. Have we ever considered this thought? That our actions and choices influence the people around us especially those in our family and in our church family. Take a minute to allow that to sink in.

The next couple of verses explain the gravity of the situation. V11 – When we use our Christian liberty / freedom in a way that isn’t understanding and loving toward those around us, then our so-called “freedom” or “maturity” can actually destroy another person’s faith. It can hurt and harm another brother or sister’s faith – a person for whom Christ died! For those in Christ, they are no longer so and so from this family, so and so from this state or city; they are people for whom Christ died for. They were purchased at the highest cost – at the cost of His own precious blood. They are now His. They belong to Him. And it’s that person’s faith you are hurting!  

V12 is even more weightier and more convincing. Thus, by sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience (pummelling with repeated blows), you against Christ! That’s the weight and gravity of the situation. When we become stumbling blocks to each other, we are not only offending our brother or sister, we are offending Christ himself. 

My mind was blown when I read this. Since we belong to Jesus, now any offense to us is a direct offense to Jesus Christ himself. Which is why when Jesus met with Saul on the road to Damascus as he was enroute to persecute the people of God, Jesus didn’t ask him “Why are you doing this to my people?” Jesus asked him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Being a stumbling block to another person is not only sinning against that person but sinning against Jesus Christ. Our Christian liberty can’t be at the expense of others. 

But not just that

3. Our Christian liberty needs to be used to sacrificially serve others (v13)

13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

V13 starts with “Therefore”. On account of the reasons given in the previous verses, Paul says that if by me eating food offered to idols, it will make my brother stumble and turn from the Lord, then I will resolve to never eat it. NIV puts it in this way “I will never eat meat again”. 

In other words, Paul is saying that he will never eat food offered to idols again for the rest of his life if that is what is required to keep his brother from stumbling. 

And for some of us that might seem like a stretch. Why is Paul doing this? It’s because loving His brother takes precedence over his liberties. Love over freedom. He’s saying “I’ll willingly give up my rights for the sake of another”. “I’d rather use my liberty to sacrificially serve others”. 

Does that sound familiar? If there was one person in the whole universe who had every right to do what he wanted to do – that was Jesus because He is the Son of God. 

And yet we see God’s Jesus Christ relinquish His glory and majesty and choose to step into our shoes in the form of man. I know the whole of India has been mesmerized by the Anant Ambani wedding. I’m sure all the things that Anant wanted to do for his wedding happened – and off-course he can do that because he’s the son of Mukesh Ambani. He is the heir! 

But what wouldn’t have happened is Anant entering his home as a servant and that’s the willing choice that Jesus made when He chose to take on the form of man. As He walked on the earth, He lived the perfect, obedient life that we were all supposed to live. And then He died the death that we were supposed to die as our substitute. The wrath of God which was directed toward us because of our infinite sins (too many to count) was absorbed by God’s Son Jesus Christ. 

He died and was buried and three days later he rose from the dead so that whoever may turn from their sins and their efforts to win God’s acceptance by themselves and solely put their faith in Jesus Christ and His work would be saved not just for this age but for ages to come. It’s a humbling thing to realize that our salvation was the result of our Savior choosing to use His liberty to sacrificially serve us! 

What’s the take home for us? 

1. We need to start by taking out the time to understand the people in our church. Unless we understand each other’s stories, each other’s cultural and religious baggage, we will never be able to move toward them with sensitivity and compassion. It’s not going to happen overnight either, it’s going to take time for us to really begin understanding each other. 

2. I know that we can get touchy about subjects like alcohol, fashion, how we spend our money, movies we watch etc. but we need to be open to having honest conversations on what we believe, why we do certain things a certain way and also allow people to share their reservations about certain liberties which can be perceived as sinful or immoral by them because of their background. 

3. Once those reservations or issues are brought to us, our response matters. It could involve discipling them biblically through that issue but also we need to prayerfully ask God to help us discern how to use our liberty to be loving to one another. Pray and ask God to strengthen you to willingly give up your liberty if that helps in preserving your weaker brother’s faith.

4. We need to show patience and grace to each other. Knowing that we’re all in different stages of maturity, we need to be patient and gracious to each other, trusting that the Spirit will ultimately help us gain maturity in due time. And this is not a one-time activity. This is a life-long activity. 

The reason we are saying all this is not because the bible is trying to restrain our liberty and freedom. Christian liberty is all about love! 

1. It involves understanding others
2. It can’t be at the expense of others
3. It needs to be used to sacrificially serve others

Good morning church! Hope you’re well this morning. We’ve missed being with you over the last couple of weeks as we recovered from a viral infection. While we were recovering at home, we were so encouraged and blessed by your concern and prayers – and we’re excited to be back with all of you this week!

It’s Father’s Day as well – so Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father figures at the Gathering. We acknowledge God’s calling over your lives to lead and shape your family in the ways of the Lord.  

As we turn to God’s Word this morning, I’m sure most of us are aware that we’re going through a series titled The Church : God’s Dwelling Place from 1st Corinthians. And the recurring theme that we’ve been hearing week after week is this – that God’s chosen dwelling place or His chosen residence is not a building (not in a cathedral or a temple) but in His People – His redeemed people in Christ.

Think with me on how apt this theme was for the church in Corinth which was still coming to terms with the fact that they were called to live a radically different lifestyle from the culture around them. The worldly culture around them was having a greater say on their lifestyle than what Scripture was calling them to.  

That’s why we saw issues of infighting in the church, sexual immorality in the church & even confusion on how they approached marriage and singleness. So Paul wrote this letter to address all these issues from a Gospel perspective.

And these issues aren’t unique to the Corinthian church, these are very relevant for the Gathering as well which is located in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai. The sub-culture of the city & also what we consume on social media sometimes has a greater say on our lifestyle than what Scripture says.

So it’s apt for us and that’s why I’d urge us all to approach each and every passage with open minds and open hearts, so that we can allow the truth of God’s Word to teach us how to live a radically different life from the culture around us. But before we begin I’d love to pray for us.

(Pray)

Some years back I attended a marriage seminar where it started off well with worship songs and then it proceeded to the main session.

The speaker, probably to lighten the mood, decided to let out a bunch of marriage jokes. As I listened to the jokes, I realized that most of these jokes were always from the husband’s perspective due to which the husbands laughed the hardest on every joke.

But on a deeper level, I wondered if at some level the couples (mostly believers) shared a similar low view of marriage. Maybe the culture around them influenced their perspective or maybe their own personal experiences seeing the brokenness in their parent’s marriage or their own marriage colored their perspective and that’s why today’s topic on permanence of marriage needs to be handled biblically and sensitively.

The reason the sermon is titled as permanence of marriage instead of divorce is because the overall theme of the passage seems to be discouraging divorce rather than advocating it.     

And this passage gives us 3 ways in which we pursue Permanence in Marriage:

1.We pursue permanence in marriage through reconciliation (v10-11)

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

In verses 10, Paul specifically instructs married couples in the Corinthian church and makes it abundantly clear that it’s a direct command from the Lord Jesus.

What’s the command? That wives should not separate or divorce their husbands and likewise husbands shouldn’t divorce their wives. And if for some reason divorce is inevitable, then they need to remain unmarried or try to reconcile and get back together. It’s clear that God’s intention for married couples is that they stick it out together.

And this instruction might sound strange or too old fashioned to our modern ears where people sign prenuptial agreements planning the possibility of a divorce even before they get married.

And yet when we see a passage like this, it seems like the opposite where divorce isn’t an option. Divorce is out of scope. Divorce is off the table. The married couple mutually agree to stick it out together no matter what.   

And why is that the case? Why is God being so restrictive? Does God want me to be unhappy for the rest of my life? And when we ask these questions, the assumption is that marriage is about us and our happiness. That’s where we get it wrong. Our baseline itself is wrong.

Marriage isn’t about us or our happiness. Marriage is about God and His glorious purposes. So let’s first define what marriage is and then we will be able to understand why divorce is a big deal for God. Turn with me to Ephesians 5:22-32:

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

We can see here that God’s glorious purpose in marriage is to tell a story – His Gospel story to you, your spouse and the people around you. Our earthly marriages in some way are supposed to picture the loving, self-sacrificial and committed relationship that Jesus Christ shares with His bride which is the church.

So that’s the baseline. Marriage is not primarily about romantic love or companionship or compatibility or social obligation. As imperfect as we are and our marriages are, we get to learn and proclaim something about Jesus’ love, Jesus’ self-sacrifice and commitment for His bride through our marriage. Isn’t that amazing?

Which is the reason why believers in Christ should only marry believers because only those who have tasted and seen Jesus’ love for them would be able to display that to each other and the people around them.

And if marriage is all about that, then what is divorce? It’s a breaking up and a distortion of this purpose. Despite all our multiple failures and weaknesses, does Jesus divorce us? Does Jesus desert us? Does Jesus walk away from us?

No, and that’s why divorce is heartbreaking because it involves emotional pain and sorrow for the couple and the children but also because proclaiming something totally different about Jesus’ marriage with His church. It’s giving out distorted picture which is why when Jesus was asked if it’s okay for a person to divorce his spouse, this is how he responds in Matt 19:5-6

 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Jesus harkens back to the creation story to reveal God’s heart and intention for marriage. God’s heart and intention is for married couples to stick it out together because they are telling a story – His Gospel story through their marriage. And we’re called to stick together despite all the issues and ups and downs of marriage.

And I know it can be a hard thing for some of us to digest because most of us would probably agree with the idea of not divorcing for trivial reasons but what if a wife is being physically abused by her husband, does it mean that she continues to remain in that marriage though it risks her physical safety?

These are some really hard questions I know. And there are some real, serious situations where couples will need to be separated for a time, while at the same time getting your church involved, your own families involved and sometimes even the local authorities involved to help you navigate through this and possibly work toward reconciliation in the long run.

Our marriages are supposed to proclaim the Gospel story which is why we pursue permanence in marriage through reconciliation, but not just that

2.We pursue permanence in marriage through promise keeping (v12-13)

12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.

It’s very important to understand the context of these verses to interpret this correctly. The Corinthian church was birthed in the midst of a pagan, immoral culture. And so there were church members who got married while they were unbelievers, and then later heard the Gospel and became believers.

However, their spouses still didn’t come to faith and so the believing spouses were probably wondering if their marriages were still valid. They were wondering and maybe contemplating if they had to divorce their unbelieving spouses and Paul makes it crystal clear that their marriage still is valid and has a standing in God’s eyes.

What Paul is telling them is that if the unbelieving spouse agrees to continue in marriage despite being aware of the spouse’s newfound faith, then the believing spouse shouldn’t divorce but continue to maintain the promises in marriage. Their covenant promises aren’t thrown out of the window. God is still expecting them to be faithful in their marriage.

And Paul is not airing his own opinion on this – though the start of v12 seems like that. All that Paul is saying is that this isn’t a direct quotation from the Lord Jesus like v10, however all of Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, rebuke, correction and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16) – hence even this instruction which is in this passage is no less inspired by God. This is indeed God’s Word.

And I think passages like this should encourage us to know that if we’re in a similar place where we’re the only believers in our marriage or family, God is still expecting us to keep our covenant promises with our spouse. God’s not overlooking or ignoring our marriage.

The way we love, serve and honor our unbelieving spouse is precious and honorable in God’s eyes. God is glorified in the way in which we pursue

promise keeping in marriage. We are still called to proclaim the Gospel story in the way in which we approach our marriage.

But not only do we pursue permanence in marriage through reconciliation and promise keeping, we also

3.We pursue permanence in marriage through stewardship (v14-16)

14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

I’m sure this is confusing because it almost seems like Paul is trying to promote missionary dating or missionary marriage where the thought is “let me marry this person who is an unbeliever and I’ll convert them”. First of all it’s assuming that we have the ability to convert someone, we can’t. It’s ultimately a God thing.

Secondly let’s quickly look at the end of the chapter in 1 Cor 7:39 where Paul gives these instructions:

39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

Paul is permitting remarriage after the spouse has passed away but with a clear criteria as to who needs to be considered for marriage – “only in the Lord”. And if that’s the case, how can that not be the prerequisite for first time marriage believer couples as well?

It’s impossible for Paul to say that “It doesn’t matter who you marry the first time. Only when you remarry, then you need to ensure he / she is a believer”. That simply doesn’t make sense.

So it’s not referring to missionary dating or marriage. Again, context is important here – it’s referring to the situation of people who were unbelievers when they got married and then later on believed but their spouses hadn’t yet come to faith – the passage is not advocating missionary dating or marriage.

So then what does making the unbelieving husband holy or making the unbelieving wife holy mean in v14? It means that God has a special purpose for you in your marriage. It means that God has a purpose to proclaim the Gospel story to your spouse and your children.

God has still called you to tell your spouse something about Jesus’ love, self-sacrifice and commitment through the way in which you speak and live out the Gospel through your life.

I hope it can encourage some of us here today because being the only believers at home, experiencing the friction with a spouse who doesn’t see eye to eye with our faith can be draining and difficult but to know that God still has a purpose for us in the way we steward the Gospel in our marriages and families is encouraging I’m sure.

V16 in fact puts it in this way “For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” Not that we can be our spouse’s Savior. We can’t replace or substitute Christ but what we can do is be a faithful steward of the Gospel in our homes and constantly bring them before God’s throne of grace asking God to save them. And in doing so, we become tools in God’s hand in our own homes and it’s precious in God’s sight.

Application:

• For those who are married right now or looking to get married – embrace this glorious purpose of marriage. If you’ve been approaching a different purpose, then today’s the time to repent from that and receive this biblical glorious purpose
• For those who have gone through the experience of divorce – God is able to redeem that. The intention of this passage wasn’t to rub guilt or condemn you but to draw you to repentance (as divorce is a distortion of God’s design) and call you to remain faithful in whichever stage you are in right now.

Good morning church! A warm welcome to everyone who has joined us at the hall in-person and on Zoom. Over the last few months, we’ve been going through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1^st Corinthians. And what we’ve learnt so far is that God’s residence is not in a building or a religious location but among His people – His redeemed people who have been rescued by Jesus Christ.

And if we are indeed God’s dwelling place, then what’s one of the key trademarks that should identify us? Our Pursuit of Purity! Our longing and growth in purity so that we can look more and more like our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Today we arrive in a passage that is connected to the passage we studied a couple of weeks back. In case some of us missed it that week, I’d encourage us to go back and listen in because we covered quite a bit on the topic of purity which flows into our passage today.

We will recap a few things today as well, but I’d highly recommend that we go back and listen in to that sermon to help us draw clearer connections.

At the end of every Gathering service, we usually share announcements and one of the last announcement slides is the slide on “Clean Up”. We’re requested to keep the hall clean since this is an office space that is being used from Monday through Friday. It’s a request and a call to “Clean up”.

Now the question that the passage today is asking us is this – if the church is no longer a building but the redeemed people of God, then what does “Cleaning up the church” look like? We are not talking about picking up physical trash and litter anymore, we’re talking about cleaning up our lives. The process of cleaning up is called Repentance which means turning away from sin & turning toward God. So we’ll be using the word “Cleaning” & “Repentance” interchangeably today. What does cleaning up the church actually look like?

1. It’s not superficial cleaning (v8)

8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Let’s recap the context of this passage. At the time, there was some serious sexual misconduct reported in the Corinthian church. There was an active church member who had physical relations with his stepmother and this was in public knowledge within the church.

Not only was the Corinthian church aware of this, they were okay with it perhaps even defending the sin. And we get indications of this in v2 where Paul calls out their arrogance and in v6 where he calls out their boasting. So we can see here that Paul is not only holding the man who committed sexual immorality responsible, but he’s also holding the church accountable for the way in which they are responding to the sin.

He’s basically telling them “You can’t simply be okay with this. You can’t be tolerating and defending this sin. You need to address and renounce this sin”.

And so in v5, Paul instructs the church to discipline this man by putting him out of the protection and safety of the church. So you can imagine that it’s a very painful situation for the Corinthian church because they’ve gotten to know this man relationally but now because of his persistent unrepentance, they will have to remove him from the church. That’s how we arrive at V8 where we’re told that this “Cleaning & cleansing” can’t be superficial. It can’t be surface level cleaning. How did we arrive at that conclusion? It’s because of the reference to the “festival” – the festival of Unleavened bread.

During the festival of unleavened bread, the people of Israel were commanded to remove every single ounce of leaven from their homes and consume only unleavened bread for a week. This was to help them remember the haste in which God rescued his people from the hands of the Egyptians. And this activity to remove leaven from their homes was not a trivial or optional thing because if there was anyone who ate bread with leaven in during that week, he or she would cut off from the people of Israel. This was a serious command. Anyone with a Jewish background would read V8 & would immediately understand the seriousness of it. This is not superficial cleaning of the house. This is thorough deep cleaning of the house which is required.

And what is the leaven which needs to be removed as believers? Not yeast or baking soda or baking powder. The leaven is “malice and evil” – referring to the intent of our hearts wanting to do what is sinful, conspiring to do what is sinful. Have you and I ever thought of our own

hearts in this way? One filled with malice and evil? The problem is not just the sinful things that we say and do, the problem stems from a heart that is terribly sinful.

The heart is deceitful above all things,

    and desperately sick;

    who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)

The humbling part is to realize that even my 7-month-old daughter has the same heart condition. She’s too small to talk or make sense of the world, but she already has a heart which is wired with malice and evil. Which is why she needs the grace of God in Jesus as so do we – for the thorough deep cleaning activity of our hearts. And so we need grace to help us repent not only of our actions and words, but we need grace to help us repent of what’s there in our hearts as well.

But not only is not superficial cleansing,

2. It’s not external cleaning (v9-10)

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

When Paul starts this verse, he’s referring to an earlier letter written to the Corinthian church which is not part of the Bible. (Paul wrote other letters as well but not all of them were included as part of Scripture). In that letter, Paul told the Corinthians to not associate with the sexually immoral.

In this letter, he felt the need to clarify what he meant by that instruction. Paul is clarifying that the command to not associate with the sexually immoral was in the context of the local church and not with respect to unbelievers in the world because then we would need to go out of this world. In other words, Paul is telling them that they don’t “clean themselves” up by escaping or running away from the world! 

That’s an interesting principle because it means that we are not called to abandon all our interactions with unbelievers. We are not called to unfriend or unfollow our unbeliever friends and family. We are not called to become a monk and isolate ourselves from the world.

We are called to be present in the middle of a broken world but not conformed by it. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Isn’t it interesting that in Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:15, He doesn’t pray for us to be removed from the world:

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

Jesus’ prayer echoed the same thing – not to abandon or avoid the world but to be in the world and yet protected from the influence of Satan and the world. Isn’t it encouraging to know that’s the prayer Jesus prayed for you and me?

The other reason why we need to be in the world is to provide them with an opportunity to hear the Gospel and visually see what a changed life in Jesus looks like.

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[a] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:14

An unbelieving world would be denied an opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel if all believers everywhere decided to isolate themselves.

But just a word of caution – although we’re called to not abandon our interactions with unbelievers in the world, we need to be discerning to not put ourselves in positions where we may be tempted to go away from the Lord.

If we’re aware of situations and conversations with unbelievers which can put us in positions where we’ve have struggled in the past and are vulnerable, it would be wiser & better to avoid those situations for the sake of our faith.

We’re not being unloving to our friends by avoiding those gatherings but rather it’s the right thing to do out of our reverence and love to God (and that takes precedence over everything else).

In fact, what it might require us is to have an honest conversation with our unbelieving friends letting them know that we really value the friendship with them but as a result of our relationship with Jesus, we wouldn’t be able to participate in certain settings and situations as we once did. And who knows – God might use that as an opportunity to

witness to our unbelieving friends because they’ll be interested to know what brought about such a radical change in our lives so much so that we’re willing to give up on the things that we once enjoyed.

So it’s not superficial cleaning, neither is it external cleaning,

3. It is internal cleaning (v11-13)

11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church[b] whom you are to judge? 13 God judges[c] those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

It’s a call to perform internal cleaning within the church. In V11, Paul clarifies that the instruction to not associate with someone is in the context of the local church. He’s saying that “anyone who bears the name of the brother” – in other words he professes to be a believer, he claims to be a believer or has labelled himself as a follower of Christ AND if that person “is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler” – then we should disassociate ourselves from him and at the end of V11 “not even eat with him”.  

I know this seems quite harsh or extreme but let’s understand the context to this instruction. This instruction is concerning the person who committed sexual misconduct in the church and is continuing in persistent unrepentance.

It isn’t as though the man was ignorant or unaware of the gravity of his sin, he was quite aware and was still continuing in blatant defiance. And it’s only after exhausting all attempts of calling & persuading the man to repentance is when they arrived at the unfortunate extreme decision to excommunicate him.

Because what was at stake was what it was going to do to the rest of the church and also the church’s witness to a lost world. If the church continued tolerating and turning a blind eye to the sin, it would have caused other believers to wrongly assume that God doesn’t really have a high standard for purity and it’s okay for them to remain in sin and unrepentance. Purity is an occasional good to have, but blatant sinning is the norm.

Think about what they would have been communicating to the outside world? They would be communicating a message that they were just like the rest of the world with no motivation or desire to grow in purity. So excommunicating the man who did this wasn’t a random decision taken in the spur of the moment, it was something that was long drawn, painful and arrived after many attempts to persuade.

So there was a specific case in the church which was being addressed here but just before we pat ourselves in the back thinking that we’re not guilty of extreme sins like the one that is described in this chapter, I want us to take a look at the sins mentioned in V11, we can find a lot of culturally acceptable sins.

• Sexually immoral – God’s boundaries are too restrictive, all I want is to find a way to satisfy my desire right now
• Greed – I just have an insatiable desire for more gain and to accumulate more
• Idolater – I find my security and blessing in someone or something else apart from God
• Reviler – Since these people don’t meet my expectations and don’t do as I say, I’m going to tear them down
• Drunkard – I just want to let loose and lose control of myself over alcohol
• Swindler / extortioner – I’ll use force or threats to get what I want from them

What we realize is that this list is not talking about some extreme perverse individual on the other side of the globe, this is actually hitting quite close to home. If we’re being brutally honest, all of us would admit to struggling with some of these sins even right now in this season.

Does that mean that church needs to disassociate themselves from us? Am I going to be an outcast? I’m not even saying this to say add guilt and shame upon us, but to actually point us to the cross of Christ where we see how Jesus faced the weight of abandonment when our sins were placed upon Him.

‭2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV‬

[21] For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And because Jesus faced that for us, we don’t have to ever face that from the Father. We only have to face the acceptance and delight of the Father. And because that’s God’s inclination toward us, we know we can repent and turn back and that’s what we are called to do today.

Good morning church! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in our church.

And as we come before God’s Word this morning, let’s remember that our God wants to speak to us, He wants to meet us in the middle of our struggle & bring us comfort and hope.

As a church we’ve beengoing through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1^st Corinthians. A common theme that we’ve been seeing right through this letter is that the place in which God has chosen to dwell in – His choice residence is not in a building or religious place but it is actually among His redeemed people.

What we’ll be seeing today and over the next few Sundays is that if God has chosen us as His residence (dwelling place), then our pursuit of purity individually and together as a church needs to be of primary importance. Our pursuit of purity is not a secondary issue, but a core issue of who we are as a church. The topic will be specifically on sexual purity.

And I know even as this topic is introduced, I’m sure some of us are surprised to hear being spoken about in church. It’s like that awkward topic which parents don’t want to talk with their kids and kids don’t want to talk with their parents. Maybe some of us are even thinking, I should have probably stayed back at home this Sunday.

But here’s the thing, if the church doesn’t give us a biblical view of sex and what God intended from it, then all that we’re going to know about sex is what is thrown at us from the world – in the form of movies, books, social media which is often a broken view of sex and that’s why it’s going to be all the more important as a church to have this conversation keeping the Bible at the centre.

When we look at the issue that the church in Corinth had, it was that the lines were blurring between the world and the church. Unlike the other NT churches which were suffering for their faith, the Corinthian church had the opposite problem. Their problem was how to prevent themselves from being influenced by their  culture around them.

I believe that churches in big cities like Mumbai have a similar struggle – more than suffering for faith, it’s about how we prevent ourselves from being influenced by our culture. And so we’re glad that we have a passage like that from today to help us.

And what does our pursuit of purity look like in this culture?

1.We confront sin (v1-2)

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

In the Greek – the word used for “sexual immorality” is “porneia” – the same word from which we get the word “pornography”.

Porneia is a word used to describe a wide range of sexual activity outside the boundaries of marriage between a husband and wife. Every kind of sexual activity outside the boundaries of marriage between a husband and a wife is porneia or sexual immorality.

It includes:

1. Pre-marital sex – sex before marriage
2. Adultery – sex with someone else apart from your spouse
3. Pornography – watching material which arouses your lust
4. Homosexuality – sex with someone of the same gender
5. Beastiality – sex between humans and animals
6. Incest – sex between members of the same family

Any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage between a husband and a wife is considered as porneia or sexual immorality.

And for some of us might wonder – why is Paul making it so restrictive? Is he just imposing his traditional, conservative views on the Corinthians?

Paul is not imposing his own personal view, he’s actually lifting up God’s view and His original design for sex. Let’s remember that sex wasn’t a result of the fall. Sex was a wonderful gift given to Adam and Eve as a married couple. Look with me at Genesis 2:24

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

That phrase “one flesh” isn’t only referring to their spiritual oneness. It’s referring to their physical oneness as well. Marriage is consummated through the act of sex. Marriage is completed through the act of sex.

So Paul is lifting up God’s wonderful gift and design for sex given to a husband and wife in marriage. And on the other side – a distortion, a breaking down and a messing up of that gift and design is sexual immorality.

And that’s the result of the fall – all the events of Genesis 3 has now resulted in sex being distorted, damaged and covered in shame. But that’s not the way God intended it to be.

Coming to the issue in the Corinthian church in v1, Paul received an oral report of sexual immorality – of incest that was taking place in the church.

There was a man who was having a physical relationship with stepmother! And this was in public knowledge – everyone in the church was aware of this and they were okay with it.

And so, Paul is not only correcting the man who did it, he’s also correcting the church who were tolerating sexual immorality within. They were approving of it, they were okay with it.

Not only were they approving of it, in v2 we are told that they were arrogant about it. It was a badge of pride for them. They were probably defending and justifying the sin rather than mourning and grieving over it.

You can see how far away the church has gone from the truth, that they would not only approve the sin but also defend and justify it. Paul is actually calling out and confronting their sin – it’s not because he loves them any less – he’s doing this because he truly loves them.

How does that speak to our church context today? Even though the church needs be a people that is non-threatening, non-judgmental but still they are called to confront sin. Because the goal is not to create a sweet, all-inclusive community.The goal is pursuing purity because we are God’s dwelling place.

Now there’s a way in which that needs to be done – it needs to be done lovingly where you’re wanting the best for the person but you’re still confronting them.

2. We address sin (v3-5)

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.[a]

In v3-5, Paul is actually instructing the church to discipline the man who is in sexual immorality. And he’s basically asking the entire church to assemble together to discipline this man.

When we read this, it almost seems like a disconnected, distant CEO who is terminating an employee for breaching the office policy. But that’s not the case here because Paul wasn’t their CEO, he was their spiritual father in Christ. They came into the faith because he shared the Gospel with them. In all likelihood, Paul would have personally known this man as well. So even as Paul is instructing them to discipline him, Paul is deeply affected as well.

The other to notice is that the decision to discipline (although initiated by Paul) is one that is taken by the whole church. The whole church is responsible for taking this decision.

But what is this decision that they need to take? V5 – deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

I know as we are seeing this verse, it probably unsettles because we wonder what that verse means – handing over to Satan. But what this actually means is that this man should be put outside the safety and protection of the church.

What it’s telling us is that the church is actually a safety net that God has provided for our souls. But do we see the church as that? We think that we are better off by being less connected and committed.

But what does this Scripture say? The church is a safety net that God has given to help us fight the darts of Satan. Day in and day out as Satan keeps throwing those flaming darts of condemnation, guilt, confusion – God uses your local church to act as a safety net to protect your hearts from that. As we remind each other of the Gospel and who we are because of the Gospel, we are God’s safety net protecting each other from Satan.

So the instruction is to put this man out of the church. But look at the end of v5 – so that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord. This seems like a contradiction. I thought Paul just spoke about removing him, why is talking about saving him now on the last day?

It’s because church discipline isn’t the end goal. Restoration is. Restoring the brother back to the Lord. That’s why church discipline isn’t like terminating an employee in the corporate world. Out here, the goal is not to just remove people. The goal is actually to restore back people and excommunication is not the first resort but the absolute last resort.

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matt 18:15-18)

And I know as some of us are hearing this right now, we’re probably discouraged thinking “I know I struggle with sexual sin, does that warrant church discipline where I’ll be eventually removed from the church?”

This passage is specifically referring to unrepentant, defiant, rebellious sin. There are some habitual sins that we all struggle with which will probably take some time to overcome because of how deep rooted it is, but if you are aware of that sin, if you’re repentant of it and looking to turn away from it, then be assured that God is at work in your heart even though you might not see the immediate victory from it.

And what about those who have been put out of the church? Are they beyond repair? No, if fact in the very next letter we see how another man who was disciplined by the Corinthian church has shown true repentance and is incorporated back into the fellowship of the church.  

The goal is restoration. So we confront sin, we address sin and we finally

3.We renounce sin (v6-7)

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Suddenly we come to v6 and Paul is talking about a cooking analogy. He’s talking about how a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Some of us here who have done a little bit of baking probably get what Paul is saying. When we use leaven – either in the form of yeast or baking powder – all we need to do is add a small portion of it and that’s enough to make the flour rise.

And Paul is using this analogy of leaven to help us understand the influence of tolerating sin within the church. And what Paul is saying is that by tolerating and approving sin within the church, it can seriously contaminate and damage the church.

And then in v7, he tells the church to renounce sin – he tells them to cleanse themselves from the contamination of sin. He tells them “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump” – what does that mean? People from a Jewish background would have immediately understood it because the Jewish Passover was a very important festival for the Jews. And an important part of the Passover meal was eating unleavened bread. So what Jews would do is they’d go through a very thorough exercise of cleansing their homes from any form of leaven. Even if a hint was found, they would put it out of the house because they didn’t want it to contaminate the unleavened bread. So Paul is using this analogy to tell the church – “You need to cleanse yourselves, you need to set apart yourselves”.

And then he says something strange “as you really are unleavened”! He’s telling the Corinthian church that they are already the unleavened bread. They are already purified. They are already clean. They are not trying to become unleavened bread by renouncing the sin from within, they are already unleavened bread. Their renouncing of sin is a proof of them being unleavened. Of them being purified, set apart and cleansed. But how is that possible that they are already considered as pure?

….For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Jews understood what this meant because on the first Passover when the angel of death went all through Egypt killing the first born, it passed over those homes whose doorposts were painted with the blood of the lamb.

And that to prep us for the perfect lamb of God Jesus Christ who was to come. He lived the life you and I needed to live but couldn’t live and died the death we deserved. On account of His shed blood on the cross, God’s wrath passes over us and spares us and so for whoever trusts in Jesus, God looks at them and says “No payment pending, you are free and you are my child”.

And because that is who God has declared us to be in Christ, we are already unleavened bread. We are already pure. We are already set apart. So Paul is calling us to renounce our sin in line with the identity we’ve been gifted in Christ.

Even as I talk about sexual purity, I just want to acknowledge that this is not an easy topic to listen to specifically because of the guilt and shame that we experience regarding it. And adding to it the whole subject of church discipline sometimes can seem like a crushing weight.

But what I want to encourage you all to know is that the greatest crushing weight for our sin was already placed on the Lord Jesus to save us. He paid the price for you and me so that we don’t have to bear the weight ourselves.

After he died, he rose from the grave and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. He is right now interceding for you and me praying prayers so that we may be strengthened to pursue purity. And one day He will return back to take us home and on that day we will struggle with sexual sin no more.

So do not be discouraged my brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus is with you to help you pursue purity. He’s not left you to yourself and He’s granted you loving brothers and sisters to help you confront sin, address sin and also renounce sin!

Good morning everyone! A warm welcome to all who have joined us this morning at the hall and online as well. As we sit under the preaching of God’s Word this morning, I want to remind us of this verse from Hebrews 4:12 which tells us about the significance of what’s taking place as we open up God’s Word:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It’s not a pep talk. It’s not best practices on how to live your life. This is the living and active word of God whose purpose is to reveal the intentions of our hearts.

So with that in mind, we will continue in our series from 1^st Corinthians titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place. And we’ve already seen this theme play out – God’s chosen residence is not a building or a temple or a religious place.

God’s chosen residence is among those He redeemed in Christ – the church. God takes great pleasure in declaring that His residence is in His people and not in a building.

And today we’ve arrived at Chapter 4. But before we move ahead, let’s pray and ask God to prepare our hearts to receive His word.

I’d like to start our time today by asking an open-ended question. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. The question is this “If Instagram was the only window available for the world into the church, how would the world describe the job of a pastor? If your non-church going friends were to only look at Instagram (think about all the top church handles), how would they describe the role of a pastor to you?”

They’d probably say strong communicator, motivational speaker, magnetic personality, good looking, well dressed, phenomenal leader & even influencer. I remember someone from one of my previous churches telling me that the main job of the pastor was of administration.

So it’s not just people on the outside, but sometimes even the people within the church are not particularly clear on what the role of a pastor is.

And that’s why passages like the one we’re studying today is apt because it clarifies for us on what is a biblical view of ministry. It’s not adapted from culture. It’s not coming out of human experience. It’s God’s view and expectation from Christian ministry.  

But some of us may wonder “why is it important for me to have a biblical view of ministry because I’m not called to be a pastor?”

Well, firstly it’s important to have a biblical view of ministry because it’ll help us discern and speak up when leaders stray from their pastoral calling.

Secondly, it’s important to have a biblical view of ministry so that we can offer the right kind of support needed for pastors and ministers to be able to do what God has called them to. That’s why it’s so critical for the whole church to have a biblical view of ministry.

So how does this passage break this down for us. 3 things:

1. Humble Role of ministry (v1-2)

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 

Just a little bit of context to help us understand this passage – The Corinthian church was a divided church at that time. Members in their church had formed certain fan clubs based on the leaders that they associated themselves with (be it with Paul, Apollos or Peter).

And these fan clubs ended up warring against each other – they engaged in a bitter fight over a long period of time. It became evident that they were more concerned about their loyalty to their leaders than their loyalty to Jesus Christ.

And Paul is basically telling them that they are getting it all wrong. They were merely servants who were assigned to help the Corinthian church be loyal to Christ. They were not meant to distract them from their loyalty to Jesus Christ. That’s the background to this passage and then in chapter 4 v1 & 2 he describes what is their actual role in ministry – what is their job description which was handed to them.

Look at the words used to describe his role and position. Firstly “servants” – this is an interesting word because it’s translated as “under-rower on a ship”. In those days, large ships would have a bunch of under-rowers whose job was to keep rowing to keep the ship moving.

This wasn’t an honourable job and involved hard physical labour. On top of that, the word “under-rower” obviously indicates that they are not the ones in command. Somebody else is – the captain on the ship.

And so when Paul uses this word to describe himself, he’s referring to hard labour, no honour and someone under the authority of Jesus Christ.

But not only does he use servants of Christ, he also refers to himself as a “steward(s) of the mysteries of God”.  Again, an interesting but intentional choice of words.

He’s saying that he’s a steward not an owner. The owner owns everything but the steward has a specific job to manage the owner’s resources in such a way that it profits the owner.

He’s a manager on behalf of the owner – he’s a steward on behalf owner. But what is he stewarding?

Mysteries of God! When we usually use the term “mystery”, we refer to things that can’t be understood or explained but that’s not what it means in the Bible.

Whenever the Bible uses the term “mystery”, it’s referring to hidden truths of God which are now being revealed to the church. Paul is saying that he’s been called by God to steward the preaching of the Gospel & other spiritual truths which were hidden in the past but is now being revealed to the church.

V2 adds some more flavour to this job description. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. The word faithful means someone who is reliable & trustworthy.

Paul is saying that the owner (Lord Jesus Christ) has entrusted His possessions (the precious Gospel and other spiritual truths) to him so that he can manage it on Christ’s behalf. So that involves a great amount of trust, wouldn’t you agree? There is a weight of responsibility because you’re looking after something that belongs to someone else.

And it’s telling us that not only does the steward need to be competent and skilled in managing, but also he needs to be trustworthy and reliable. In some ways, you could say that trustworthiness and reliability of the steward’s character is more important than how skilled or competent he is as a manager.

So it’s clear that Paul saw his ministry as one which was entrusted to him by Jesus Christ but also one where he longs to be found and seen as a trustworthy and reliable steward. And he’s telling the Corinthian church that this is how they need to regard him and Apollos as – simply “servants” and “stewards”.

And when we read this and compare it with the church culture today, it seems like something that’s worlds apart.

The definition of a pastor is no longer a role fulfilled by certain people in the church, it’s a fully-fledged title! The number of pre-fixes that are attached to pastor just keep increasing. I understand that in bigger churches, having these pre-fixes helps them explain their structure to people but I think it’s helpful for all churches (including ours) to frequently examine ourselves if we view “pastor” as a role or has now been converted into a title – a symbol of prestige?

Biblically speaking, it’s the role of a servant and steward – hard labour, no honour, under the authority of Jesus who have been entrusted with the Gospel and spiritual truths. There is a weight of responsibility when we realize that Jesus is entrusting us with something so important.

It’s a humble role of ministry but not just that, there’s

2. Great Accountability in ministry (v3-5a)

³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. 

When we look at the previous chapters, it seems that there was a certain section among the Corinthian church (probably part of the other fan clubs) who were passing snap judgments on Paul’s ministry specifically his oratory and speaking skills – They probably felt like he lacked eloquence compared to the other leaders.

And also they looked down on the way he went about his ministry – which was in weakness and trembling. They were expecting a charismatic, dominating leader and felt like he wasn’t right up there.

And in response, Paul is trying to say that he’s not looking to any church, human court or even himself to validate his faithfulness in ministry. People’s opinions or judgments of his ministry is not the benchmark that he uses.

But at the same time he’s not using it as an excuse to avoid accountability. Because if that were the case, he wouldn’t be saying these things to Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:16 ESV‬

 [16] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

And then later on in 1 Tim 5, he talks about disciplining wayward church pastors:

 ¹⁹ Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁰ As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

So there’s clearly accountability for all ministers and pastors. So then what was Paul meaning here? V4 answers that for us.

⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me

He’s not absolving himself from accountability but actually pointing to a greater level accountability because the one who is going to take stock of his faithfulness is not mere man but God Himself. It is the Lord who will ultimately judge his ministry and that’s what matters in the end.

So interesting that Paul uses court language throughout this passage. He uses that to indicate that God is the ultimate Judge. Unlike human judgments which are tainted by sin and superficial, God’s judgments are accurate and go as deep as the intentions of our hearts. Look at v5:

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. 

At the second coming of Jesus Christ, He will not only judge our public ministry, but also reveal the acts or deeds done in private. Not just private deeds but as the ultimate Judge, God will also reveal the hidden intentions of the heart. So it’s going to be a thorough, comprehensive diagnostic report of our ministry not just a quick scan of ministry

And when we read it in this way, it is a sobering truth to realize that the God who is the ultimate Righteous Judge will actually judge the quality of our Christian ministry.

It’s not the number of Instagram followers, it’s not the number of likes and engagements on our handles, it’s not the number of people who turn up at our services, it’s not the applauses and praises we receive from people.

It’s God who is the ultimate Judge. He will examine and judge the faithfulness and quality of our ministry. And look who is saying all this. This is Paul after all – despite all of his credentials and accomplishments as a church planter, Paul was humbled in the way he saw his ministry because he knew who He was accountable to and who was going to judge his ministry in the end.

It’s like the steward of a house who is being told how great a job he is doing by the people on the outside the house and he’ll simply say “yeah, that’s all okay but what matters is what my owner thinks about the quality of work”.

It’s not just the humble role of ministry and great accountability in ministry but also there is an

3. Eventual Reward for faithful ministry (v5b)

Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Paul makes it clear that it’s not just doom and gloom for people in ministry. For those who have been faithful in ministry, they have a reward to look forward to. And that reward is the commendation from God – praise from God!

This is convicting and encouraging for me – because I know my heart and how I gravitate towards seeking approval and praises from people when it comes to ministry. And this passage encourages me to not settle for the cheap momentary thrills from the approval of man. Rather it tells of the most glorious appreciation and reward for faithful ministry which will come from God Himself and that’s what I need to long and look forward to.

The fact is that most pastors or people in Christian ministry won’t be recognized in their lifetime. It’s just a fraction who will end up being influential church planters, pastors and authors. In all likelihood, most of them will end up having an insignificant ministry in the eyes of the world and this passage says that’s okay.

Because what awaits them after a lifetime of faithfully serving and stewarding their calling is the greatest ever recognition and reward – praise from God Himself.

Finally, what are take always for us as a church today:

• Firstly – what we shouldn’t do? We shouldn’t make celebrities or heroes out of pastors or people in ministry. In reality it puts a burden on them which they aren’t able to carry. Pastors can’t be your Savior. Pastors can’t replace Jesus. It makes them susceptible to thinking more of themselves than they need to and on the other hand, it isolates them to pretend and live up to the identity that has been created for them.
• What we truly need and ask you to do? Pray for your pastors.
  • Pray that we would understanding our calling and faithfully minister.
  • Pray that the motivations of our hearts are guarded and protected.
  • Pray that we’re strengthened in times of discouragement knowing that one day we will receive the appreciation and commendation from God.