I Corinthians 4:6-13
“Kings of the KING”
Sermon by
Mark A. Horne
Most anyone will consider the career of Arnold Palmer a success, even though Jack Niclaus took his crown, and Tiger Woods is the new king of Golf. Arnie is one of the all time great money winners in Golf. Since his truly competitive years he has built a financial empire and he has acquired a lot of subsidiary interest. Millions know his name. If you count the big tournaments he won, like the Masters, and both Opens, there still is one that has eluded him, the PGA championship. It has been asked of him how he has endured so long not clenching that title – he simply states “humility.”
This morning Paul continues with his lesson on humility to the Corinthian church. However, as we might expect, he takes a different angle for his lesson. There are four points that we should gain from this passage:
1. No one of us is greater than the other
2. Pride blurs the vision of who we really are
3. Even the greatest in the kingdom bears the cross on earth
4. We give back opposite of what the world gives
Not one of us is greater than the other. Verses 6 and 7 really make clear that Paul is hammering this concept into the church’s heart at Corinth. Yet, in these verses Paul’s attack is less abrupt as seen previously; but could be considered as potent. Here Paul uses both his name and reputation as well as that of Apollos’, his brother in Christ, so he can point out the faults of others. In other words, Paul preferred to point out in his own person the fault that existed in the leaders of the divisive circles. Instead of naming names and attacking them and tearing their reputations apart like his had been done, he used himself as an example. But at the same time he strikes a sever blow to the so-called party leaders. Paul holds the mirror up in front of them to show them who the true source is of the deadly divorce that took rise in that church. It is the people in the church. For if they had been satisfied with the good sound teachers of the faith of Jesus Christ, they might have been exempted from this evil which they have been allowed to struggle against and is rampant with them.
Paul’s intention is for them to learn from his example how to live and how to act. Apostles were not to be esteemed as anything great. They were only supposed to be looked upon as servants of Christ. Paul points out in verse 6 that we must be very careful not to transfer the honor and authority of our Master, Jesus Christ, to ourselves. We must not think of ourselves any better than Jesus. Yet, Paul goes farther. We also must not think of ourselves above each other.
Verse 7 makes clear that when we do this we have allowed pride to enter into our lives and rule over us. When we abuse names of people for the purpose of forming parties, the church becomes victimized by human idol worship. Pride and haughtiness is the cause of all fights and hurt feelings, especially when one is eager to have someone else in subjection to them. A church cannot grow when the people in it are focusing more on themselves than on getting the gospel message of Jesus Christ to others, when people are promoting some person than Christ.
Verse 7 asks this one question in several different ways, “who do you think you are?” If you think you are better than someone else is and you deserve more distinction than someone else does – step forward, fall out of rank and let’s see you for what you are in the light of Jesus. Because this whole reasoning depends on the order which the Lord has appointed in his church. This is it, the members of Christ’s body must be united together, and that every one of them should rest satisfied in their own place, in their own rank, in their own office, and in their own honor. It is the Lord who has placed us in the Church, and has assigned us our own station, that in being under one head we may be mutually helpful to each other. We all have been endowed with a diversity of gifts; but we must serve the Lord and him only with modesty and humility, promoting his glory, by that which has been conferred upon us. As Christians, we must remember that it is God alone who is glorified in all things.
No! What do we do? We do just like the Corinthians in verse 8 and make ourselves kings of the King. Look closely at what Paul is telling them in this verse. He is not paying them a compliment. He is ridiculing them with blatant irony. He tells them that they are full, which refers to the past. He tells them they are rich, which applies to the future. However, he tells them that they reign as kings which is much more than either of those two. This is what they were doing in their present time and I dare say what we do in our present time as well. If only people would have as much glory in the Christian church as they arrogate themselves to have. Isn’t it true that those who do not know themselves best are the ones who think best of themselves?
Paul continues to press the duty of humility. Paul tells them, “Look! You people have a sufficiency of spiritual gifts. In fact, you are elated with wisdom that most humans can only wish to have. Yet, you could not have gotten where you are without me and Apollos.” It was only by their instrumentality that the Lord conferred upon them what they had. And we all are indebted to God for the means by which we were saved. However, the Corinthians continued with glorying in themselves. They were making themselves into an imaginary kingdom with imaginary royalty. And this is a sure madness that lies with the proud. It is only by them to drawing everything to themselves that they strip themselves of every blessing.
Let’s say we do become humble and swallow our pride, what can we expect through our faith in Jesus as the Lord of our life, instead of putting faith in ourselves? Well, we can expect that even the greatest in the kingdom bears the cross on earth as verses 9 and 10 describe. It is in these verses that an enlightening contrast is projected through irony.
To be an apostle for the Lord was terror. As we derive our word “spectacle” from the Greek word for “theater,” Paul most assuredly felt the pressures of the life he was living. Never were men so hunted and worried than those Disciples of Christ in first century Rome. The allusion is here to the bloody spectacles that were performed in the Roman amphitheaters, where the victor did not escape with his life, but was reserved for another combat. His life was definitely devoted to death. Those who fought in the latter part of the day were even more exposed, because they had to fight naked.
Paul here is telling his church his condition as an apostle was exhibited to the world. His miseries were conveyed as one who has been condemned to fight wild beast or another gladiator. And this exhibition did not just occur for all in the earthly world to see, but also for the heavens to witness to as well. We have witnesses in both worlds when we suffer for Christ’s sake. However, God does not have to look with favor on those decrees that seem horrible. For Paul was not broken or dispirited by his life. He knew ALL lasted wholly to the providence of God. It is through Jesus’ mercy that we are able to withstand such sharp sufferings and are able to patiently outlast them.
Notice how the false teachers swayed the Corinthian church in verse 10. Paul and the other apostles are considered fools for the life they live. The Corinthians despise Paul for the way he gets himself in such circumstances that he does. How often do we do this? We think we deserve commendation for the having wisdom, for reading Calvin three times a day. We think those people who put their life on the lines for the gospel message to be spread are weak, when they can be like us and sit back on the “easy life pew” and watch circumstances flourish about us and become strong. We think we can glory in the riches and resources of the world, when we cannot bear the humiliation of the cross. O! How our minds become conceited when the order becomes reversed and we desire to follow the esteemed and honorable and noble, while our fathers and brothers and sisters in Christ are in obscurity. The Corinthians may have thought themselves esteemed compared to others, and we may be right there with them. If so, How gross a mistake is made! O how we need to be foolish for Christ!
To be truly like Christ, we have to give back the opposite of what the world gives as verses 11 through 13 describes. Though our lives are reviled and defamed as Christians; though our character is wounded with reproach like a sting; though we are harassed with all kinds of ludicrous obscenities: we should pray for those who abase our name in this manner. Paul had no house or home. He lived in poor circumstances. Yet the richer he was compared to those in his Corinthian church. Paul loved God. He suffered for his Master. Though the Corinthians held him in contempt, he was not held in contempt by Christ – for Christ suffered even more. And like Christ, Paul and those who were with him returned blessings for reproaches. They were patient under the sharpest persecutions.
As I was finishing this sermon I was reminded of a football story of the late Stanley Woodward, coach of the Army football team. It was reported that if his quarterback had just turned an eighth of an inch more when handing off the ball the score could have been reversed in the loss they had incurred on a particular Saturday. Stanley remarked, “blaming a 31-0 defeat on Cadet Zilch was like blaming the Johnstown flood on a leaky toilet in Altoona.”
You know the price of leadership costs dearly. There are always villains and the villains suffer and are made into a spectacle. Paul was and so was our Lord. A servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to go to martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. One must marvel at the Redemptive Reality of God, because the worst and the vilest can never get to the bottom of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but to “reveal his Son in me.”
But we must follow His example no matter how much we may not like it or think someone else’s plan is better. We must remember not to set ourselves up as any better than another. We must guard ourselves against pride that overflows from our selfishness and will blur our vision of who we really are. We must bear the cross that has been set before us for the sake of furthering the kingdom and not turn our backs on it so we can ride with ease. And finally, in our own suffering we must not cause suffering, but bless those who hurt us.
Let Us Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, how great is our sin but how much greater is your love. Lord I pray this morning that we will remember our place of contentment in your kingdom. Help us not to sacrifice our future riches for worldly esteem. Help us Lord to focus on the cross and bear all the pains this world has to offer. Help us to follow after Jesus Christ. In His name, Amen.