Sermon Tone Analysis

If I had 2-3 hours on a Sunday morning to preach, I probably would’ve preached 1 Corinthians 1-4 together in a really long sermon, 4 weeks ago.

You can be very thankful I don’t have that kind of time, because I honestly think it’s a great idea; I would do it in a heartbeat if I could because these chapters go together.

The chapter and verse designations are not original to the Bible; they were added more than 1,000 years after these words were penned (the chapters in 1227 A.D., the verses of the Old Testament in 1448 A.D. and the verses of the New Testament in 1555 A.D.).

These chapters go together.

Chapters 1-4 are, basically, one long, winding argument.

There are a handful of different topics, but Paul’s making one essential argument: the Corinthian church is divided over things that should never divide them.

They are divided:

over leaders—Paul, Apollos, Cephas, etc.

by human wisdom and power, and

by worldly behavior

They are divided by that which should never divide a church.

It’s crazy, and yet it happens.

So here, in 1 Corinthians 4, Paul is pulling together all the parts of his argument.

He concludes this section by reminding them who he is and who they are.

As for himself and Apollos, Paul will say that they are servants and stewards.

As for the Corinthians, they are recipients of grace and Paul’s dear children.

This is what they are, and nothing more.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do) please turn with me to 1 Corinthians 4 (page #1773 in the red pew Bible in front of you).

Do yourself (and me) a favor and keep your Bible open in front of you as we study God’s Holy Word together.

Servants & Stewards

This is what Paul and Apollos are.

“This, then, is how you ought to regard us,” says Paul.

Servants of Christ and stewards (those entrusted) of the mysteries God has revealed.

Some of your Bibles use the word steward and then there are some of you who are asking, “Where did he come up with the word steward.”

Well, here we go.

Paul uses two words for how they ought to be regarded by the Corinthians—huperetas and oikonomous.

The first—huperetas, servant—is the equivalent of a domestic servant.

Lowly, bottom of the food chain servant.

The second—oikonomous, steward/the one entrusted—is a high-ranking servant (a la “Mr.

Carson” on Downton Abbey; the one in charge of the other servants or entrusted with more responsibility than the others).

Paul says, “We’re servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries God has revealed.”

The order is intentional, I’m certain.

Paul wants the Corinthians to regard him and Apollos (and whoever else they might be tempted to side with)—as lowly, bottom-of-the-food-chain servants.

First and foremost, Paul and Apollos are servants of Christ.

Servants of Christ.

Servants of Christ—just like anyone, everyone who has been saved by God the Father.

Servants of Christ.

Servants and stewards—“This, then, is how you ought to regard us.”

They are stewards/those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.

They are servants, yes (and that, first and foremost), but they also have some authority—authority as apostles and authority as God’s ordained leaders of His church there in Corinth.

They are servants, but servants who help lead and teach and guide and discipline the other servants.

They have been entrusted with the mysteries of God.

They must also prove faithful.

They must be trustworthy as ones given the mysteries of God.

When he uses the word mysteries Paul’s not talking about how the coffee filter sometimes folds over as the coffee is brewing, spilling grounds into the coffee pot even though you’ve put 1,000 filters into the basket and you don’t do anything different from one time to the next; he’s not talking about how that one sock goes missing in the washer or dryer, never to be seen again, ever.

A mystery in Paul’s letters is something that people, in their human weakness, could not understand unless God graciously revealed it to them.

Paul, Apollos, and other stewards have been entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed—namely, the redemptive grace of God kept secret for ages, but now finally revealed in Christ.

Church leaders have been commissioned to bring this mystery to the church; it’s the stewards’ job to preach and teach the message of the cross—the foolish, upside-down, wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus.

We, church leaders, must be faithful in this work—we must be committed to this work, day-in and day-out.

We must never falter.

We who preach and teach must preach and teach the Word of God, not the trendy or the political or that which is worldly.

What matters is faithfulness to the Lord.

Not eloquence or human wisdom, but faithfulness; fidelity to Christ, trustworthiness in handling the mysteries of God.

What matters is faithfulness to the Lord.

Paul doesn’t care if the Corinthians judge him (they will and they have judged him).

Paul doesn’t care if any human court judges him; his judgment about himself doesn’t even matter.

What matters is the Lord’s judgment—It is the Lord who judges me.

Paul says his conscience is clear, but that’s not the reassurance he needs.

He knows better that.

Have you ever been told, “Let your conscience be your guide”?

It’s horrible advice.

Your conscience, like your heart, will lead you all kinds of astray.

Your conscience, sinful as it is, wants what it wants, it will justify and approve of whatever makes you feel good.

Don’t, don’t, don’t let your conscience guide you.

You need a better guide, a more reliable guide, a perfect guide.

And I know just the One: Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God.

The conscience, Paul knows, is not a reliable judge.

Only God is judge, and in time, He will judge the quick and the dead.

Paul doesn’t care if he’s judged by men, only what God’s judgment is.

This, the world likes to reverse.

“Who cares,” they say, “what God’s judgment is?

I only care what my friends think, what the culture approves of; I don’t want my peers to judge me harshly, but God? Eh, whatever.”

Reverse the order—care more about what the world thinks than what God thinks—and you will be sorely disappointed on the Day the Lord comes when He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and expose the motives of people’s hearts.

It’s faithfulness to the Lord that matters, you understand?

Praise of men is fleeing, temporary.

Praise from God—that’s what I want.

That’s what Paul wants.

That’s what the Corinthians should be striving for.

Paul and Apollos are servants and stewards, that, and nothing more.

Once again, Paul addresses the Corinthian church as brothers and sisters and begins verse 6 by explaining to them why he has referred to himself and Apollos as servants and stewards.

Both Paul and Apollos were being idolized by members within the Corinthian church.

You remember their slogans: “I follow Paul.”

“I follow Apollos.”

Paul wants to correct this thinking.

He wants them to live according to the teaching of Scripture and not fall into the habits of the world around them.

“Don’t go beyond what is written.”

They need to learn what this saying means.

What is written refers, at this point in time, to the Old Testament.

If the Corinthians would live under the authority of the Scriptures, they would not take pride in one man over the other, causing unnecessary divisions in the gathering.

Submit to, live under the authority of the Scriptures.

Sounds like a pretty good idea.

Do this, Paul says, and then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.

Live under the authority of the Scriptures.

Live and believe and worship according to the Word of God.

The Bible is our only rule for faith and practice.

We do not follow worldly thoughts and teachings; we are to follow God’s teaching— “Do not go beyond what is written.”

Very, very good advice.

And then Paul asks some hypothetical questions—they don’t require and answer, but I love to answer hypothetical questions.

“Can you believe how cold it is?”

“I can; it’s fall.