Faithfulness

Introduction

I had extremely wise parents as I was growing up. My dad frequently told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. My mom would temper that with these words “no one is better than you and you aren’t better than anyone.” They were a good tag team. More than once my mother told me I was getting too big for my britches and it had nothing to do with outgrowing my clothes. They tried hard to infuse confidence while trying to ensure that humility was a part of my personality as well. I know there were times and still are times when I fail in the humility and confidence part but one the major lessons they taught me was to stand on my own two feet. Don’t let someone else dictate how you see yourself but learn how to stand on your own two feet. Don’t be afraid to go against the crowd when the crowd is wrong and don’t be afraid to take a stand for right when it costs you. All of this was tempered with reflections from the Bible and reminders that God was the one to follow.

As I approached my college years, dad, who was a man of few words, took me aside and told me that college was a special privilege. He was quick to point out that while he finished high school, he wasn’t the shiniest apple in the basket. And he added that while he wanted me to succeed academically and financially in this world, to do better than he had done, if I ever got the big head I had not succeeded at all. Do you notice the pattern? Always talking about humility. I obviously struggled with it. You can probably remember similar stories from your own experience. Maybe some of those memories are not as good as you would like but you have them.

Today we are going to look at Paul’s fatherly advice to the Corinthians. Paul claims to be their spiritual father and encourages them to listen to him. Even more than listen, he encourages them to imitate him. To follow his example and his attitude. His words still ring true today.

Godly Wisdom

True Wisdom.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Still water runs deep.

By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are — Deitrich Bonhoeffer.

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love — Billy Graham.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye — Jesus, Our Lord.

The Corinthian brethren were having a difficult time not judging each other and comparing themselves against others. As a result their divisions were not so much about preachers but about perceptions about who was more spiritually mature. The preacher divisions were about perceived spiritual insights. Paul may have planted but without Apollos the message would not have grown. Paul erases that thought by identifying both he and Apollos as field hands. Different jobs but no credit needed for doing the work. God is the one who gets the credit. Paul says in our text that he has used the relationship between he and Apollos to make his point — we all received from God what we needed to be his disciples. There is no room for boasting.

Paul’s point in 4:1-5 is that the only judgment anyone should be concerned about is the judgment that comes from God. What others think; what they think about him, is immaterial to Paul. God’s view is the only view that matters. Why do we worry so much about what others think of us? Why do we place ourselves in the position of allowing others to determine not only our level of confidence but to determine how we define ourselves in this world? Peer pressure isn’t only for teens. None of us want to look foolish in this world. We are afraid of ostracism and ridicule. Paul is clear in verse 5. What we look forward to is praise from God not praise from imperfect and fallible human beings.

And yet in verses 8-13 Paul’s observations are biting. While he along with all the other apostles are in the place of the captive in the procession of defeat being led to slaughter in the arena, the Corinthians have divorced themselves from such an image. Paul says the apostles have allowed themselves to suffer but the Corinthians are using the world’s thinking to exclude themselves from suffering. They act like they are kings. They are following the wisdom of this world while the apostles follow the wisdom of the cross. Look at the list of things in verses 11-13 that Paul and the other apostles are going through. And what about the Corinthians? They are above the battle. They are filled with pride and privilege and they have forgotten their faithful father.

In verses 14-21, Paul says that he is not trying to shame them but he is calling for a change in their attitudes and focus. He is sending Timothy to help with their recovery and he will himself come to them later when the opportunity arises. He wants to come with a gentle spirit but that will be entirely left up to the Corinthians’ response to this letter and to Timothy.

So What?

Faithfulness. God calls us to be faithful. He wants to see in us our desire to follow him even if it costs us; even if others think we are a brick shy of a full load. The only judgment that means anything is what God thinks. This is so difficult when we are constantly having to live out our lives surrounded by the influence of others who deride or laugh at us. October 23, 1983 is a sad day in the history of our military. On that day in Beirut, Lebanon, 220 marines, 18 navy men, and 3 army soldiers were killed in a well planned attack against military personnel both American and French soldiers. Over 120 service men were wounded. Among them was Jeffery Lee Nashton. A lance corporal at the time, Nashton along with other wounded were transported to a hospital in Germany to have their injuries tended to. Marine Corps Commandant Paul X Kelly, visited some of the wounded survivors then in a Frankfurt, Germany, hospital. Among them was Corporal Jeffrey Lee Nashton, severely wounded in the incident. Nashton had so many tubes running in and out of his body that a witness said he looked more like a machine than a man; yet he survived. As Kelly neared him, Nashton, struggling to move and racked with pain, motioned for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the Commandant. On the slip of paper were but two words — “Semper Fi” the Latin motto of the Marines meaning “always faithful.”

That’s it. This world can laugh but we are going to be faithful. Peers may push us away but we are going to be faithful. Our family may not understand why we do what we do, but we are going to be faithful. We are not going to be afraid of suffering if suffering will allow us to help one person see Jesus. We are not going to look down on others but instead join them and look upward because that is where God is.

Second, Paul confirms that we need others to help us keep our humility and focus. Paul writes a letter to make the point. He will send Timothy to help them refocus. Instead of competing, he is looking for those who will share in the journey. We are often too afraid to admit the truth — every person has problems and every person needs at least one other person to help them in this life. Norman Geisler may not be a name you are familiar with. He began to attend an Evangelical Church in the Detroit area at age 9. But he did not become a Christian until age 17. There was a man who took an interest in Geisler and took him to worship each Sunday. Do you think he got discouraged not seeing Geisler give his life to God? Do you think he thought about giving up on him? We all need someone to encourage us to live for Jesus but we are too proud to admit it and that pride keeps us from reaping the benefit of accountability and love.

Invitation.

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