Let's pray again. Father, we thank You for the hope that we have that one day we will cross over Jordan and We'll be home. Lord, we thank You for the sure promise we have that one day Jesus himself the prince of peace will come and he will bring with him The completion of all your covenant promises
Father still our troubled hearts Quiet our anxious balls may the glimpse of Jesus that we have seen Be enough Lord sometimes we think if we could just Aldively hear your voice if we could Smell you We could feel your touch if if we could just hug you or thank you for your spirit Who himself comes near and draws us close and says just a little while and all those long Will be fulfilled Father, thank you for the hope that we have because we have a living relationship With you Through your son Jesus Christ Lord, this isn't about dry orthodoxy or dead theology. It's about the living Christ
We are in a unique and wonderful relationship with you Because you cared enough to come and die for us
Father, thank you as your people that we can come Lord Lord we can come and give you thanks and praise we praise you for the beautiful ministry of music Lord we thank you for Christian Her work with the children in linda as she plays and helps Trisha with the our kids my child How good to hear them sing of Shining for you Lord Thank you for the many who teach The many who encourage the many who pray
Lord, we would be found faithful in the task to which you've called us Lord, we give you praise this morning when we think of Vince Vince Strawbridge the young man who was here this summer Who worked for us worked especially with our young people we thank you that this week he has accepted a call Lord, we thank you that you've opened the door for him to work in San Francisco with a sister church there Know how we pray that you would use him in a mighty way The touch of the lives of young people What is he seeks to equip them equip them to be real Christians in a real world grounded on the word of God secure in our confessional truths Or we thank you that you hear us we thank you that you care we think of those That I'm aware of who will be having surgery this week Or we pray for azalee rich as she has this hip replacement tomorrow Pray for Eloise Gilry that she has a pacemaker implanted Tuesday Lord, we pray that you would just be gracious Lord you have been so good to us as a people Lord, we would pray for those who mourn in grieve We would pray for those who are afraid we would pray for those who struggle with addictions We would pray for those who are in difficult relationships We would pray for those who do not know you We would pray for those who become so hard We would pray for those who are so gullible But Lord most of all we would pray for ourselves For it's me O Lord who stands in the need of prayer Lord we would ask now that you would direct our thoughts to your word That we would as it were sit at the feet of Jesus And hear through his undershap word his words That we would be challenged that we would be encouraged that we would be strengthened that we would be changed Lord we didn't come to hear the word of man we came to hear the word of God Holy spirit of God you must be our teacher You must be the one who touches our hearts and makes us alive to your word
Oh God we would hear you and we would obey and we make our prayer We offer our love in Jesus name Amen At this time we'll dismiss the children to children's church And while the children are leaving if you'll open your bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 1 Corinthians chapter 16 We are concluding this morning our study and Paul's first first epistle to the Corinthian church
We begin reading this morning at verse 1 first Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 1 Now about the collection for God's people Do what I told the Galatian churches to do on the first day of every week Each one of you should set aside some of money and keeping with his income Saving it up so that when I come no collections will have to be made Then when I arrive I will give letters of introduction to the man you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem If it seems advisable for me to go also they will accompany me After I go through Macedonia I will come to you for I will be going through Macedonia Perhaps I will stay with you a while Or even spend the winter so that you can help me on my journey wherever I go I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost because a great door for effective work has opened to me And there are many who oppose me If Timothy comes see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you For he is carrying on the work of the Lord just as I am No one then should refuse to accept him Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me I'm expecting him along with the brothers Now about our brother Paulus I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers But he was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity Be on your guard Stand firm in the face Be men of courage be strong do everything in love You know that the household of Stefanus were the first converts in a chaos They have devoted themselves to the service of the saints I urge you brothers to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it I was glad when Stefanus Fortunatus and the Kayaka survived because they have supplied what was lacking from you For they refreshed my spirit and yours also such men deserve recognition The churches and the province of Asia send you greetings Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord and so does the church that meets at their house All the brothers here send you greetings greet one another with a holy kiss I Paul write this greeting in my own hand if anyone does not love the Lord a curse beyond him Come oh Lord The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you My love to all of you in Christ Jesus Amen And may the Lord bless the reading and the preaching of his word to our hearts this morning One of the truths that we have seen again and again as we have studied this epistle is that this church had problems When we think of the church at Corinth we usually think in the negative and say man I don't want to be part of that church Boy do they have problems what they did They did Paul addresses those problems and we have seen their struggles. We've seen Paul's instruction and his correction But in this concluding chapter what we see are the bonds of love and humanity that knit them together They were a real people with real problems a real love for Jesus So was Paul You see we have a tendency to say well that church at Corinth is two thousand years ago and Paul he's so much on the pedestal These people are not really relevant. Oh, yes, they are we are them
Why do you think God Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit preserved this particular book Because it is so typical of the church We all struggle. We're not home yet as we work together. We struggle Is there hope? How in the world do we live as Christians in the real world?
It's hard. Sometimes we get it wrong
Does that mean God abandons us and throws us away? Absolutely not because Paul writes to them to offer correction and instruction and love to say no no Don't do it that way Because we want to do it in the way that pleases God we want to live in the way That exalts him and brings in glory in the midst of the struggle in the midst of dealing with real issues and real people We have a real Christ who makes the difference And that's what we see as we study this epistle Chapter 16 begins with Paul addressing another concern of the Corinthian churches the offering to the Christians in Jerusalem He then discusses a few personal matters and finally concludes the letter with his own personal greetings and an affirmation of his love So all I want to do this morning is walk through the chapter the way he wrote it So first of all and verses one through four we see the collection for God's people Paul is referring to a collection about which they were very familiar and which questions had a reason about how They are to give this offering and make their funds available and Paul gives them this brief instruction and reminder Why are they taking up money for the Christians in Jerusalem? Well if you remember your church history and you go back to Acts chapter 11 There was a famine that it brought hardship in Jerusalem that was common during this whole period There were severe hardships Especially as the Christian suffered persecution did they feel the same of these natural disasters Because often they were ostracized often they were reduced to the manial tasks And so the church suffered financially and the Gentile churches were collecting offerings to sin to their Jewish Christian brothers and sisters To care for them Was an incredible act of gospel power that Gentiles would sin to Jews and that Jewish Christians would receive it But you see God was breaking down that wall So there would be one church where there's neither Jew nor Greek Mail nor female slave nor free, but we all stand Before Christ In the power of his grace Not because of who we are or who we're not But because of who Christ is The Corinthians had inquired of Paul as the how they should collect this offering in Paul It's a very practical advice. It's the best advice. I can give to you as you seek to be a cheerful and faithful steward Of that which God has entrusted to you Paul says put aside something each Sunday But he's saying he's saying systematically lay aside Don't do crisis giving You know what crisis giving is? Oh, I forgot
You may be why I haven't said much people to scribble a check and I want to say Boy, I hope they follow that little angel on their shoulder that says give this amount and still the little devil that says nah You don't want to give that You see Paul says no no no no no You before God determined What you should give Now I grew up a Baptist so I know all about time And those of you who come from Baptist backgrounds you know all about time But I'm gonna tell you something to tie is the minimal Okay Because the New Testament principle which Paul teaches is that we're to give as we are prospered And I believe you're tied in this culture where we are so fabulously wealthy Is the minimum So when you pat yourself on the back you say I have given a 10 Remember what Jesus said? The Pharisees do that they can't out each individual seed and they say God look at how good we are He said they should have been concerned about getting it right They should also been concerned about mercy and grace and being generous and free Are you a hilarious giver a generous giver? Or do you say God here it is? Who is like I used to get paid $22 and 50 cents a week when I worked at the church as a janitor I have moved up a little bit The pressures were different though I have to tell you I tied $2 5 cents Why because God's gonna get it anyway Boy don't you know he was glad when I gave Now remember God owns it all you are just a steward. It's not yours. It's he is You say well my name's on the deed where you just hadn't run that deed back far now
You see nothing you have belongs to you it all belongs to him and you are a steward and more over brethren It's required of stewards that one be found faithful So Paul says be faithful be systematic be diligent You see for some people to give a lot is to give 10% And an occasional gift for others to give 50% is not to give very much I know I done quit preaching and gone to meddling But many of God's people are poor spiritually because they haven't learned to trust God with what God has entrusted to them You see he owns the hundred percent he simply says here I want you to give back to me A portion Paul says give it as you've been prospered Don't scrape up an all frame when I come that's what he say Don't we're all around and say oh man we gotta get this money together cause Paul's coming and we'll be embarrassed and What a shame You ever give because you don't want to be embarrassed
It's funny to watch a general assembly they pass these big things around take up offerings Let me tell you there's a lot of dollar bills that these president's putting those plates And I watch they want them up and do it this way so you can't see See there's a trick to it. I saw me you done it too. That's why you know God sees And if a dollar is all you inspire okay You see it's a matter of the heart, but you know I wonder if God has trouble when we just go the movie and it costs what seven eight bucks to get in the movie Cost another seven or eight deep popcorn and you know You got to have all that to go to the movie and then you come to church and squeeze that dollar So the president screams and you drop it in there and hope nobody sees that your dollar among the other Just what Paul's talking about he says you want to be sure That you think through you're giving But you think through you're giving And he says then when I come you pick out the menu trust I'll be glad to write letters of introduction and they can carry the gift to Jerusalem And if it's good for me to go I'll go with them, but that may not be good. I haven't worked through that yet I don't want to give any hint of impropriety
Good counsel When I first started in ministry when I was 18 years old O pastor I worked under said let me just tell you something right up front He said there are two things that are ruling a man in ministry money and women And he said they're both equivalent they will destroy you equally So he says you be wise about your relationships with women and you be wise about how you handle Money he gave me some good counsel
Real good counsel Paul writing to this church Says I want you to be blessed and you're giving I don't want it to be a chore for you. I want to be a joy. So here's some here's some guidelines Some helpful ends for how you can be a faithful steward And then we'll take care of getting it to them in a way that will honor Christ And maintain the integrity of the church Did notice in verses 5 through 18 Paul turns to some personal matters Versus 5 through 9 he talks about his travel plans. That sound familiar I mean, I think Steve you and legato are going on a great pilgrimage aren't you? For long they just got new granddaughter. So I'm just Ribbon a little bit They're going to go to that great country of the west california They're going to see that new grandbaby I think tell the way they smile they're just tickle they can't wait to see that new baby. I don't blame them Paul had travel plans He's informing the church what his plans are The nuts and bolts of life
What do we see we see that God is involved and interested in the nuts and bolts of life?
You see we do not understand the christian faith if we think that it's only about this hour This hour is when we gather before the throne of God when we worship him when he speaks to us and then we go out
Go out energized refreshed enthused instructed encouraged that we might Walk with him moment by moment in every area of life. See you don't leave him at home when you go to work You don't leave him at home when you go to the ballgame or the hockey match or the piano recital You don't leave him at home when you go to the movie Amazing to me how we are so good to turn on the radio and turn off our brain
There you know me. I'm not going to tell you what to listen to I think some of you would do well to listen to what some of the people are saying who aren't just like you But don't turn your brain off. Think. What are they saying? Where are they coming from? What are they trying to teach me where they trying to sell me
You see in the nuts and bolts of life Christ is there We see that as Paul addresses these issues. He says look. I have some opportunities in emphasis that I just can't pass up But oh you know, it's not without opposition
Inheriting in that is a plea to prayer I mean when we talk with each other and say man I'm having trouble at work in that an inherent plea for me to pray for you if it isn't I've been misinterpreting because I've been praying for it You know when you say I've been doing this doing that and I'm you know working through this Yes, that's part of it It's Christ in the everyday life if we pray for each other in the nuts and the bolts So was Paul he's just telling them what's going on in his life so they can know Then he talks about Timothy because apparently Timothy was one carrying this letter And Timothy was young and Timothy was In one way I think like your pastor. He was a little bit sensitive maybe too sensitive Paul had to kind of jack him up every now and then say look your man of God too Be be courageous be strong you be faithful don't be intimidated by those folks And was Paul telling these people look. I'm sending Timothy to you He's going to be coming I don't know exactly when he's going to get there, but you receive him as a minister of the gospel In fact, Dr. Kistomaker and his commentary says the Corinthian should understand that meeting with Timothy is the same as meeting with Paul himself That's what Paul said you receive him like you'd receive me
Nuts and bolts. I start saying You mean Paul was worried about how this church would receive Timothy. Yeah
You mean they had those kind of problems too So Paul writes to these people as a group of believers Who are to be different He says I know there's division we've talked about all the things, but I want you to understand this Timothy's a godly man and you receive him as a godly man That's your responsibility and they did Then notice verse 12 talks about a palace Paul had encouraged him to go obviously the word had come Paul we'd really like for a policy to come And Paul says I spoke to a palace about come. Does this sound like a secretary to an executive? Yeah Well now there's mr. Timothy and And now mr. Apollis, you know, and we discuss that's exactly what's going on. He's taken care of business The business of the kingdom And he says I spoke with a palace, but he's unwilling to come now When he has opportunity he will come my tendencies to read between the lines. I don't know the dynamic I can only speculate it maybe that a palace figured it would be better since there was a group there in court that followed him It might have been better if he didn't go That maybe they needed some time without these powerful personalities to just
Whatever the reason he chose not to go then and Paul was conveying that message to them Then you come to verses 13 through 18 and Paul gives them these exhortations and it's so Pauline Bam bam bam bam. He gives them these exhortations quickly as he wraps this thing together He says in verses 13 and 14 stand firm Why does he tell them to stand firm because if you go back To chapter 15 in verse one you read that a problem standing firm You go to 1558 and he closes that chapter with an exhortation to stand firm And was he say again another reminder stand firm Don't be blown about by personalities and powers Don't you be Moving back and forth and back and forth You stand firm on the word of God Stand firm on what you know is true Stand firm It's his exhortation to them one of the final exhortations and then he says in verses 17 and 18 You need to acknowledge you need to honor those who have done the work of the kingdom and been faithful to Christ and then he concludes He has a final greeting I don't know what your impression of the apostle Paul is Mine is that he's incredibly intelligent He's incredibly driven That Here's a man with little to tie him down and so he's very in tune with the spirit of God and almost a larger than life figure here It's kind of like the veil is lifted and we can see his heart just a little bit He becomes vulnerable in a personal way and notice the greetings
In this day and age we don't write letters much, but I used to write letters home once a week Because I couldn't afford to call So you remember those college days But I say be sure and tell my sister and her husband hello, you know tail grinding grandad hello And I did it. That's what Paul's doing
You know then as I learned in college that you just go everything fast. I say tell everybody at home. Hello Well, man, they're gonna tell the whole community. Yeah probably Paul says The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings of Quillen for still a greet you warmly in the Lord Don't you know as people heard these names they smiled you ever do that when you get a letter as a church you read the missionary letters You ever smile Yeah When that good We as a family have supported a couple in Australia with Wicklett for years For any of you getting nervous it's over and above our eyes But we do that You know what I love getting their letters They have a letter they send out one supporter and we've seen their little girls grow up now. They're about grown And they always include pictures And Paul is a native Australian And Ann met him as she went over there's a single missionary and it's you know They're just the neatest people Work with some of the ugliest people on the planet and yet they have such a love for these people And she always pins a line at the bottom To make it personal Because it is personal I Devour that newsletter Because I want to know what's going on in their lives And she says Paul the girls and I just when you know we thank you When they were in the states last time they came and took me to lunch So we could visit I felt like a game Relationships people You say well, this isn't some great theological truth. He's writing no But it is great people true When you love people and you bond with them in the Lord Jesus those bonds are strong Priscilla and Aquila greet you and so does the church that meets at their house You see maybe the Corinthian church had helped support at least had prayed for the church that they were starting or that had begun to meet And they felt the part a friend of mine who can cross you know can who's been here before they're getting ready to build a new building They're going to move out the store front It's exciting It's exciting when he writes me the letter and says over 180 people came to know Christ through the ministry of this church last year It's exciting when he says we trusted God and we burned the note on the property and we're trusting God to pay this thing off And everybody says we're crazy and he just laughs. He says sure we are And you know what God's probably going to take care of them there too I love getting letters from you and I've preached to that church several times And he always says so and so said to be sure and tell you hello
So and so says where are you coming back
See it's about people People knit together by Jesus Christ. Oh the brothers here see you greetings greet one another with a holy kiss I can't be there. You know why I used to uh, well I tell Rachel when I'm gone when I was a Princeton here recently I said Rachel you give your mama hug for me
That's what Paul said Greet one another with a holy kiss. This is from Paul Isn't that cool? They're real people with real emotions and real feelings and real ties And this is the church with all the problems And Paul loves them deeply I call right this greeting in my own hand. It wasn't this secretary as he dictated he took the quilt and signed his greeting And then I just want to focus a fact that he says the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you The benediction and what does he add as a post script my love To all of you my love to all of you This is the man who says if you guys don't deal with the sin I'm gonna clean house. This is the man about whom they said oh he's bold when he writes those letters But when he comes he's not that big tough or mean
This is the man Who had people come into the church that God used him to establish and build up To say why that Paul yeah, he's in it for the money. He's in it for the ego
It's this man who tenderly lovingly says my love for you I don't know that they realize just how much Paul love them. I know if you realize how much your pastor loves you
You see this is not written in a vacuum To deal with theological problems This is written in real time Real space to real people who had experienced a real gospel And we're struggling with how to be real Christians and what knit them together The real love of the living Christ What knits us together if it's that we're white Anglo-Saxon Protestants of a certain economic strata that won't do it Believe me that won't do it If it said a lot of us are good old boys and girls that won't do it It has to be the love of Christ That knits us together And causes us to love So that we can work together To build his kingdom In this place In this hour Father, we thank you that Paul was a real man writing to real people And he had a real heart because of Jesus
Now Lord we pray that we would be a church That is known by this characteristic That we love each other Jesus said this is how they'll know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another And Lord, I pray that when people in this town talk about this church They may not know our name. They may not know our staff It's not important. May it just be that they would say that that That stone church, you know right off of Main Street. Well, I don't know the name But well, I know this they love each other. Why do they love each other Because they love Jesus and Lord we know there may be some who are here this morning who have not experienced the love of Christ My prayer is that in what they have heard their souls would be stirred They would say, I want to know this Jesus. And if so May they turn from them sales and they're saying Say Lord Jesus, you're right. I am a sinner Justly deserving your wrath and displeasure And I turn from myself and I cast myself upon you I cling to your cross, your death in my place, your life in my place Save me, forgive me, and make me a new creature Feel me with the love the preacher is talking about. Lord, there may be some sitting here who need to come home
But they know all this and they have experienced your love and goodness, but they've wandered Some may have grown hard Lord, I pray that you by your spirit would just simply grow all them once again to your cross Some of us may have grown weak, some of us may be discouraged Some of us may be exhilarated, may we all return to Christ. I knew Say Lord Jesus, here we are, we offer you again ourselves Lord, we love you We love you because you first loved us taught us what love really is
Glass us now we pray in Jesus name There you be in