Alright brethren, 1 Corinthians
4. Paul said there in verse 10,
we are fools for Christ's sake. Paul was so devoted to the gospel,
he was so committed to preaching the gospel and spreading the
gospel, and trusting Christ to bless the Gospel, that the world
said this of Him. He's a fool for Christ's sake. Wouldn't it be a great honor
if we were so committed that our life, everything about our
life, was to promote God's Gospel, that we were speaking of Christ
to sinners, at work and in our community and to our neighbors
and wherever we are, we're a witness to Christ. In this church and
far and wide. Wouldn't it be a great honor
to be so devoted to Christ in that way that everybody that
knew you said, he's a fool for Christ's sake. I had a man one
time that accused me and some friends of mine Because we just
wanted to hear Christ preach, and he said, you've made an idol
out of Christ. I don't know that that can be
done. But that was a compliment to
me. Now if we ever think we've already
attained all the blessings of redemption, so that we can just
take our ease now, so that this world looks at us and accepts
us, then let it be a sure sign that
we're living opposite to God's faithful servants. First of all,
we see here how wrongly the church can perceive ourselves. This
is how wrong we can perceive ourselves. Now what Paul says
here, he says to the church at Corinth, and he's saying now,
this is how you perceive yourselves, and this is how the world perceives
you. Now look at verse 8. Now ye are full, now ye are rich,
you have reigned as kings without us, and I would to God ye did
reign. we also might reign with you."
Paul came there and he preached at Corinth. And he preached the
gospel, declaring to these men and women, these sinners, that
Christ has thoroughly, fully, completely accomplished the redemption
of every elect child of God. That's the gospel. That's what
he came preaching. All our sins have been purged
by Christ. He said, when He had by Himself
purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. He
cried out and said, it is finished. And that means all the law is
fulfilled for His people. Righteousness is brought in for
His people. There is no work to be done to
make His people accepted to God. Christ has done that work. And
Paul was so dogmatic. When you read his writings and
he's so emphatic that our life is in Christ at God's right hand. We are dead. Our body of sin
is dead. And we are alive under God. And
he was so dogmatic preaching that. And we preach, we must
preach that with dogmatism. It's never as if it is. It's
so, brethren. God doesn't know time. We know
time. With God, this thing's done.
It's finished. We're together with Him. But they began to think, when
they heard this, and they began to be blessed by God and born
again and given gifts, Paul said, you don't come behind in any
gifts. And they began to think that they had already attained
the full blessings of redemption. Every blessing of redemption,
that they had already attained those, that they were perfect. And they began to think that
they were full. Paul said, now you're full. They
thought they were rich. He said, you're acting like you're
just so rich you don't have any need of anything. And you're
walking around like you're kings. And they thought now they didn't
need the Apostle Paul anymore. He said, you've done this without
us. They had some false preachers come in there and I know what
false preachers teach. And Paul deals with it later,
but they had turned these men to mind earthly things so much,
these believers were turned to look at themselves and they began
to believe what these men were saying and think, well, I am
holy now. I have grown to a point where
I'm just, I'm holy, I'm perfect. I don't have any need of anything.
Paul said, I would to God that you did reign, that we also might
reign with you. Turn over to Revelation chapter
3. If we ever have those kinds of thoughts that we're full and
rich and we're reigning as kings now, we don't have any need of
the gospel anymore, we're just already, we've just made ourselves
ripe for heaven. Listen to what Christ told the
church at Laodicea. If we ever think that, here's
the problem we have right here. The Lord Jesus spoke to them,
and He said this in Revelation 3, verse 15, I know thy works, that
thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich,
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing? And knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked? The Lord said, For this cause
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed.
and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine
eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see. And he said, As many
as I love, I rebuke, and I chasten. Be zealous therefore, be zealous
therefore, and repent. Now brethren, that's the shape
that they were in. Now Christ has made His people
complete, and we're righteous in Him, and our life is in Christ
at God's right hand. But brethren, the believer's
flesh, my flesh and your flesh, our old nature, is what it always
was. It's sinful and it's corrupt.
And this flesh must return to the dust. And our flesh Like
every other aspect of salvation, our flesh being changed, being
created anew, is all the work of our Redeemer. We didn't give
ourselves life in the inward man. We didn't put that new spirit
within us. We didn't create that new man
after His image. And we're not going to create
this new body after His image. That's Christ's work. Paul said,
he'll change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body, according to his working, whereby he's
able to subdue all things to himself. Look at Romans 8. We've not attained, brethren.
There's a lot more to come. We're not going to become perfect
in this life. We're not going to make ourselves
perfect in this life. Christ must do that work. And
this is what we're hoping for. We're looking forward to this.
You take this away, we don't have any hope. You take away
Christ's return and this glorious work He's going to do when He
returns, and we don't have any hope to look forward to. Look
here, Romans 8.23. He says, We ourselves grown, We ourselves groan, waiting for the adoption to wit,
the redemption of our body. For we're saved by hope, but
hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patience wait for it. Aren't you looking
forward? Aren't you hoping for that great
day when Christ returns and perfects this work? Look down at, I'm
sorry, look over at 1 Corinthians 15. This hadn't happened yet,
brethren. When the end comes, Christ shall
return. That's what the Scripture says.
And when He shall have delivered up the kingdom, Scripture says. And have put down all rule and
authority. And that hasn't happened yet.
You know how I know it hasn't happened yet? Because the last
enemy that He's going to destroy is death. And death still reigns
right now. But when He returns, there won't
be any more death. That's when the end will be.
Look here, 1 Corinthians 15. I'm sorry. Wait, let me see. I don't know where I'm at here.
1 Corinthians 15. Yeah, 1 Corinthians 15. I'm sorry. 1 Corinthians 15. Let me read
this to you. Verse 23. He said there, In Christ all
shall be made alive, all His people. He said, But every man
in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that
are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end, when he
shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when
he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death." Now has death been destroyed yet? Why? The end hasn't come yet. Christ
hasn't returned yet. That's why. Now look here, 1
Corinthians 15, verse 49. Look at verse 49. And as we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God. Neither does corruption inherit
incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep. We're not going to all die before
this happens. There'll be some believers alive.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. The
dead are going to be raised first, and they'll be raised incorruptible.
And then we shall be changed, we who are yet alive. Why? For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So,
when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. You
see, that's when you'll know the end's come, when there is
no more death. That's when Christ will have
returned. We won't be perfect until He returns. We have a lot
to look forward to. We haven't attained yet. We won't
be perfect until we see Him. We won't be perfect until we're
changed, perfectly conformed into His image. Look at 1 Corinthians
13.10. Paul says, But when that which
is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done
away. Look here, verse 12. Now we see
through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part,
but then shall I know even as also I am known. The Apostle
John said, Now we are the sons of God. You see, the Corinthians
heard that and they thought, well, I've attained. I'm there. It's done. I can just sit back and drink
and be merry and relax. Everything's accomplished. Well,
the work's accomplished. You are the sons of God. But,
he said, it does not yet appear what we shall be. There's something
to come. And He says, But we know that
when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see
Him as He is. That's some sight, isn't it?
When you get a sight of Him now by faith, doesn't it have a changing
effect on your heart? Just imagine when you see Him
face to face. I mean, some saw Him face to
face, but He didn't He didn't give them the power to see Him.
When He's given us this power to see Him face to face, we'll
be like Him. We'll be like Him. Now, you see
here, you see how wrong a believer can be about ourselves and what
the Corinthians were esteeming, how they were regarding themselves?
It was just flat out wrong. We can think vain things about
ourselves. Only Christ can make us perfect,
and He'll do so in His day. This is why we need the Gospel.
This is why we have to constantly hear the Gospel faithfully preached.
Not by charlatans, but faithfully preached. Because we have to
be reminded of these things constantly. Alright, here's the second thing.
Until then, until Christ returns, we see the regard that this world
has for faithful believers. We see here the regard this world
has toward faithful believers, faithful witnesses of Christ.
And it's contrasted with how the Corinthians saw themselves. Look at verse 9 in our text.
1 Corinthians 4, 9. He said, I think that God has
set forth us, the apostles, last. And here's what he means by that.
As it were, appointed to death. For we're made a spectacle unto
the world, and to angels, and to men. God made the apostles
to be last, regarded as lowest by the world. You know, he said
he chose foolish things. He chose weak things. That's
what he chose. Christ didn't come in riding
on a white stallion. He rode into Jerusalem on an
ass's coat. Not even a strong grown ass. He rode in on an ass's coat. Nothing about Christ appealed
to men. And God's not going to use men
that appeal to men either. He's going to use weak things,
base things. before the world, before angels,
before men, Paul and the rest of the apostles were daily exposed
to death. But this word appointed as it
were unto death, it's even worse than that. Everybody that they
came in contact with, that they preached the gospel to, treated
them like they were death row convicts. Disdained and hated
them and wouldn't even give them the common the common courtesies
and just the common decent things that you'd give somebody in life.
They hated them and despised them that much. All because of
one reason. They preached Christ and Him
crucified. They preached Christ. Carnal man, unregenerate man
hates the gospel that takes all the work out of his hand and
declares Christ has accomplished it all. Man hates that gospel. That's why they suffered this.
So now watch, Paul contrasts some of these sufferings with
the vain opinions that the Corinthians had of themselves. He's going
to show how He was treated, and He's going to say, now, but this
is how you regard yourself, and this is how the world's regarding
you. He's saying, this is how the world regards me, and this
is how the world regards you. This is how you regard yourself. Look here, verse 10. We're fools
for Christ's sake, but you're wise in Christ. You see, He's
not telling them they are really wise. He's being sarcastic here,
being ironic here. He's saying, we're fools for
Christ's sake, but you're wise in Christ. We're weak, but you're
strong. You're honorable, but we're despised. When Christ came into this world,
He was counted a fool. He was counted weak. He was counted
as despised by men. And that's exactly how his witnesses
will be counted. Now, that automatically ought
to tell us something. This world doesn't really treat
religious folks that way, do they? They like religion. They
don't like God's religion. They don't like true religion,
but they like that Jesus that can't do anything. They like
that Jesus that men have in a headlock and won't let Him do anything
but what they permit Him to do. They like that Jesus. That ain't
the Jesus of this Bible. No, sir. The Jesus of this Bible
is God Almighty in human flesh. Look here. He said, verse 11,
Even into this present hour we both hunger and thirst. That's
literally. He's not using any kind of exaggeration
here. He's saying we really do. We can't even eat where people
eat. We can't even go buy food in the market where people buy.
We're hungry and thirsty. And are naked and are buffeted,
persecuted by men. And we don't even have a certain
dwelling place. Isn't that something how committed
Paul was to the gospel? You know what our idols are?
Our families, our houses, our stuff. Those are our idols. Paul
was so committed to Christ, so committed to going everywhere
he could go to preach the gospel, he didn't put down any roots
anywhere. He didn't even rent an apartment. The only time he
had a dwelling place was when they threw him in jail and put
him on a chain. He had a roof over his head then.
Look at this, he said, and I labor working with my own hands. This
is so sad, brethren. Do you know how wealthy Corinth
was? This was the wealthiest church there was, Corinth. It's
the one place Paul worked and wasn't supported by the people.
People, you know, start the church, try to get a pastor to come,
but now we want you to work. And they'll say, but you know,
Paul worked. There's a problem right there. The only church
that did that to Paul was Corinth. I don't want this church to be
like Corinth. Do you? That's not a compliment. And
they were wealthy, and so Paul worked because he didn't want
anybody there being able to say he was in it for the money. Look at this now. Being reviled,
we bless. Being persecuted, we suffer it.
Being defamed, we entreat. Doesn't this sound like Christ?
Our Lord came into this world and He was despised and rejected
of men. The Lord Jesus Christ, Prince
of Life, God who's never done anything but good to men, the
one who had provided men with the breath they had, and the
food they had, and all the things they have in this world, He upholds
everything by the word of His power. That's who Christ is.
And men despised Him and rejected Him. Christ made the world. He made everything in it. He
owns everything in it. The Scripture says everything
was made by Him. And He didn't have a place to lay His head. He went through this world hated
and despised. And He said why. He said, if
I had not come and told them the truth, they hadn't cloaked
for their sin then. They could disguise their sin
then. But He said, now I've come and I've spoken the truth. And
they don't have a disguise for it anymore. They can't hide it
now. It's been brought out in the
light now. That's why men hate the gospel, because the gospel
declares men are sinners. And men don't like that. The
gospel declares men can't give themselves life. They can't give
themselves faith. They can't give themselves repentance.
They can't work out a righteousness. They can't make themselves holy.
They can't make themselves accepted with God. And men hate that.
The gospel declares Christ is the life and He's the one that
gives it. The gospel declares Christ is
the faithful one and He's the one that gives faith. The gospel
declares Christ is the prince of life who grants repentance
unto His people. Christ is the righteousness of
God. Christ is the sanctification
of His people. You know when Christ enters in,
that whole temple is going to be sanctified. When Christ enters
in, that whole temple is going to be full of His glory. When
Christ enters in, He's going to take control and be the master.
That's what being holy is. It's being made holy by Christ.
And you don't get more holy. You might grow in that state
and grow in grace and knowledge of Him, but you will die being
as holy as you were the moment you were made holy. That thief
on the cross was made holy, and he died holy. That's why he was
accepted of God. You're going to die a human being,
and you won't be any more of a human being than you were the
day you was born. Will you? Nope. You've grown in that state,
but you're not more of a human. And holiness is of God. And when
He makes you holy, you don't get more holy. You're as holy
as you're going to get. You've got that holiness without
which no man will see the Lord. That's so. And Christ, when He
suffered, He didn't threaten back. He didn't turn around and
revile men back. You know what He did? He committed
it unto him that judgeth righteously. We've been seeing about judgment
in this chapter, and that's what the problem was there, you know.
First, they started saying, I like that preacher, and I don't like
that preacher. Next thing you know, they're judging those who
like that preacher that they don't like. Next thing you know,
they begin to think, well, we've attained. We're holy. You see
this progression? We haven't got to the end of
it yet. It's fixing to get real bad when
we hit chapter 5. But Christ is pictured here.
And Paul, he's just wanting to be like Christ, you see? Look
here again at this last thing. He said, we're made as the filth
of the world. and are the off scouring of all
things unto this day. You know what the filth and off
scouring is? If you had a, say you had an
old pot, an old cast iron pot, and it's covered in filth, covered
in moldy food, just filth. And you went and you washed that
thing, and you scrubbed it real good, and you scoured that thing
real good, and you got all of that off of it, and all that
junk's in your sink right there. Just nasty. What do you do with
that stuff? You try to get rid of it, don't
you? Throw it in the trash, or put it down in the compactor,
or something. Get rid of it. Paul said, that's
what we are to men in this world. That's what we are. He's talking
about me and you, brethren, too. That's what we are to men in
this world. Brethren, which one of these
most resembles us in our day? When I read this and looked at
this, I just stopped and thought, which one do I resemble? Do I
resemble Paul, who's just given himself to the point that men
hate me for the gospel I preach? Or am I more like the Corinthians,
living in ease? In proportion to how zealously
we give ourselves to Christ and the furtherance of his gospel,
so the world will persecute us and regard us the way they regarded
Paul. But in direct proportion to how
lukewarm we are, the more this world will regard us like they
did the Corinthians. And I ask you, and I ask myself,
which of these two do we most resemble in our day? Paul desired
to suffer the cross of persecution for Christ's sake. He desired
it. Now, nobody wants to suffer. Paul wouldn't say, I hope somebody
buffets me. But when he was buffeted, he
rejoiced in it. I want to know Him and the power
of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings and be made
conformable unto His death." Now first, that means I want
to partake of what Christ's sufferings accomplished for me. I want to
partake of righteousness that He accomplished by His suffering
and His death. But Paul also meant that he wanted
to suffer and be acquainted with that rejection that Christ was
acquainted with. Look over at 2 Corinthians 12,
9. Why on earth would anybody want to be acquainted with that?
Look at 2 Corinthians 12, 9. Here's why. 2 Corinthians 12, 9. He said unto
me, My grace is sufficient for thee. For my strength, Christ's
strength, is made perfect It's perfectly manifest in weakness. Not in strength, in weakness,
in our weakness. Most gladly therefore, Paul says,
will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. Now look at verse 10. I'm not
going to read all of these things he takes pleasure in, but I'm
going to read this last one. Look here. Therefore I take pleasure
in persecutions. And that's what we're talking
about in our text. I take pleasure in persecutions and in distresses
for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak, then am I
strong. Now notice something else in
our text. Back in 1 Corinthians 4.9. God set forth us, He said,
as it were appointed to death. God appointed this. He said in
1 Thessalonians 3, 3, that no man should be moved by these
afflictions. He said, when you see these things happening to
me, and you see me thrown in prison, and you see the world
rejecting me, most of the time when that happens, you know what,
if there was somebody following Paul for Paul, you know, maybe
they were hearing a little bit with their head, but they weren't
really entering into the Gospel. The Lord hadn't given them a
heart to follow Christ. And they saw those afflictions
take place on Paul. You know what they'd do? They'd
say, well, something's wrong with him. I don't have anything
to do with him. Look how they treat him. You
know, that many people can't be wrong. Paul said, don't be
moved by these afflictions. And he said this, for yourselves
know we are appointed thereunto. Did you know that God has not
only given you and me faith to believe Christ, but He's given
it to us to suffer for Christ? Look at Philippians 1.29 and
hold your place in Philippians. I'm going to come back there
in a moment. Philippians 1.29. Unto you it
is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but
also to suffer for His sake. Now what does he mean there?
Look at the next verse. Having the same conflict which
you saw in me and now hear to be in me. Do you know what? Paul is telling us here what
his conflict is. In our text, buffeted, no place,
hungry, thirsty, naked, persecuted, despised, rejected. That same
conflict. He was eventually thrown in prison
and killed. having that same conflict. Now,
why is it given to believers to suffer in this world? Why
does God appoint believers to suffer in this world for Christ's
sake? Well, Christ said, the servant's not greater than his
Lord. And he said, if they persecute me, they'll persecute you. And
Paul told Timothy this, yea, and all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Now, should Christ
suffer the rejection of men when He was coming to lay down His
life for me? And shall I not suffer rejection
from men for Him? He said, take up your cross and
follow Me. And He's not talking about all
these things men talk. He's talking about prepare to be rejected for the
same reason men rejected Him. The truth, the gospel, the truth. If you're not suffering rejection
of men, if you declare the sovereign free grace of God who elected
a people not based on anything good or evil in the people, solely
because God will be gracious to whom He'll be gracious, you'll
find out what it is to be persecuted by men. If you preach that Christ
came and he redeemed a particular number of people, all the elect
that God gave to him and only the elect, you will find out
what it's like to suffer persecution. If you preach that the necessity
of the Holy Spirit coming and regenerating us and giving us
life and faith, because we will not bow to God. We can't understand,
we won't understand, we don't even want to understand the truth
until God gives us life. You preach that, take the power
out of man's will and man's works, and you'll find out what persecution
is. But make sure it's for Christ's sake and not because We're being
a horse's rear. Make sure it's for Christ's sake.
Another reason we're appointed to suffer is because it teaches
us and it teaches this world and it declares it to this world.
It doesn't teach the world. It declares to the world, declares
to angels and to men that we don't have any power but Christ.
None. Look at 2 Corinthians 13. And Paul says, though he was crucified through
weakness, speaking of Christ, yet he liveth by the power of
God. We also are weak in him, but
we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. That's
how we live, is by the power of God. Look at 2 Corinthians
4 and look at verse 10. He gives that long list of Trouble
there. Trouble and distress and perplexed
and persecuted and all those things. In verse 10 he says,
always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.
And he's saying there what he's saying in our text. We're always
bearing in our body these deaths. These men treating us and condemning
us and, you know, just stopping short of killing us. but all
these persecutions we endure, why? That the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. You see, there
is no way, brethren, that we can preach or we can be zealous
for Christ or we can bear persecution from the enemies of Christ unless
Christ is our strength to do it. You and I don't have the
strength to do it. You know what we are in our flesh?
Cowards. You're by yourself and you're
thinking about it and, you know, I'm going to tell them so and
so and so and so. And you get with them and they say something
to you and you just don't even say it. That little woman standing there
warming her fire said, aren't you one of Christ, Peter? No. Big old bull Peter that was before
saying, I'll die for you. This little woman said, aren't
you one of his? I don't know him. We need Christ
to strengthen us. It's the only way. And that's
what we manifest. When you suffer, when men suffer
the things that they've suffered, been martyred for Christ's sake.
Man can't do that without Christ giving him strength. You read
Fox's book of martyrs and see the things men endured. They
can't do that without Christ. No way. Look at this last thing. I'm going to hurry here. Verse 14. He said, I write not
these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. Paul wrote this with the love
of a father. writing this to shame him. He was writing this
because he loved him as a father loves his children. He said,
as my beloved sons I warn you. He wasn't whipping them and he
wasn't trying to shame them. No sinner can be shamed into
repentance. No sinner can be shamed into
serving God. That's not what he was trying
to do at all. Only God can grant you repentance
and you just think about it. You imagine if we received a
letter. This was written. This was a
letter. This is an epistle. A letter written to the church
at Corinth. You say they get it. Oh, this
is from Paul. Oh, I can't wait to read this. And they open it
up and they read this. What if we got a letter from
a faithful pastor? And I opened it up here and read
it to you. And this is what it said of us. Wouldn't it take
the grace of God to grant us repentance? If we didn't have
the grace of God granting us repentance, you know what we
do? We just get angry. It takes the grace of God. And he says
here, I'm not trying to shame you. I'm saying this to you as
a father, like a father would instruct his child. You know, look here now. He said,
there's a whole bunch of instructors. Look, for though you have 10,000
instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers. For in
Christ Jesus, I've begotten you through the gospel. Now these
instructors may include true preachers. They probably do. But there were many false teachers
too. And there's a whole lot of good picture here in this
word instructor. This word means schoolmaster.
It was a pedagogue. And what a pedagogue did was
he was, his duty was the parents or the father would have this
man go around with the young boys. And he would scrutinize
those young boys. He would watch their every move.
And he would criticize them. He would be critical of them.
And he would rule over them to try to make them be moral. And
if they stepped out of line just the least little bit, he'd pop
them. That was his job, to pop them
and put them back in line for anything and everything. And
Paul used that schoolmaster to tell us that's what the law was
to us. Remember that? He said the law
was our schoolmaster. It was our pedagogue. It was
there, there. It wasn't there to give us life.
It wasn't there to help us. It wasn't there to comfort us.
It was there to pop us when we stepped out of line. And to show
you, you're a sinner. That's all you are. But it was
only until Christ came. And he said, but after that faith
has come, we're no longer under a schoolmaster anymore. We're
under grace now. We're under the rule of Christ
now. So, there are preachers everywhere who think that they
can shame men and women into serving Christ. They can shame
them into an outward obedience to Christ. Using the law and
whipping them by it. Paul said, there's 10,000 instructors. But he said, you don't have many
fathers. Not many that love you like a
father. And concern for you like they
would be their own children. That's what he's saying. He says,
For in Christ Jesus I have forgotten you through the gospel. So what
has Paul used here all through this letter so far? What's he
used to instruct them and admonish them? The gospel. That's what
he's preached the whole time. You're gifted, he said, in everything
by Christ. And he said, all this division.
Christ is not divided. He said, you're the husband. You're the planting of the Lord.
He's the husbandman. You're the building of the Lord.
He's the builder. He's the foundation. He went through preaching Christ.
And he's waiting on the Spirit of God to move them and turn
them. He's going to say later to them, would you rather me
come to you with a rod or come to you in meekness, in spirit
of love? And that's what he's telling
them here. Notice his spirit down here. He says, as my beloved
sons, I warn you. Then later he says, I beseech
you. And he says, when I send Timothy, he's going to bring
you into remembrance. You see that? That's the spirit
of grace. That's not the spirit of law. That's not the spirit
of whipping folks. It's because those that are born
again through a preacher's preaching. They have a special, particular
relationship in the heart of that preacher. Listen to this. Do you know that those born again
of God? Paul didn't do it. He just preached
to them. And God gave them life. They
were begotten again through his gospel. But Paul said, for that
reason, you're like sons to me. And that's true of a true preacher. Listen to what Paul said later.
This is how he talked about this in different places. Down there
in verse 17, he said, I've sent unto you Timotheus, who's my
beloved son. You see that? He said, in Timothy,
he said, Timothy, my own son in the faith. He said to the
Galatians, my little children, whom I travail in birth again
until Christ be formed in you. Remember what he said of Onesimus?
He wrote to Philemon, he said, I beseech thee for my son Onesimus
whom I have forgotten in my bonds. And even the Apostle John said
this, I have no greater joy than that my children walk in truth.
You see, he's not saying he wanted people to go around calling him
father. We don't want that. But he said, but this is my heart
toward you. It's like children, my children,
my own children. And he said later this, 1 Thessalonians
2.19, he said this, What is our hope? What is our
joy? What is our crown of rejoicing?
Now listen to this. Are not even you in the presence
of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming? For you are our glory
and our joy. What do we say about our children?
They're our glory and our joy. That's better to say that they're
our pride and joy. They're our glory and our joy.
That's what Paul said. You that have been begotten again
by the Father through my people, you're my glory and my joy. You're
my crown of rejoicing when Christ comes. Now that's somebody that
loves his people. Wouldn't you rather have somebody
come to you in love, with their heart set on you, knowing the
truth, and preach the gospel to you than have somebody come
that just is there to draw a paycheck and to whip the fire out of you
with the law? So Paul gives his children this
exhortation in verse 16. He says, I beseech you, be ye
followers of me. What does he mean by that? Isn't
Paul a sinner? Yeah. And does he mean follow
him in sin? No, he doesn't mean that. He
means what he said over in chapter 11. He said, be ye followers
of me even as I also am of Christ. He's saying follow my example
as I follow Christ. So he loved them so much he sent
Timothy away from him to them to remind them of this and teach
them. Look at verse 17. For this cause I have sent unto
you Timotheus who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord
who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ
as I teach everywhere in every church. Now go to Philippians
3 and we'll end with this. I want you to see what Paul taught
everywhere in every church. And this will help you. We see
it here in our text. Paul, he showed men by his example
that he was so committed to Christ, so committed to preaching his
gospel and furthering that gospel, and his life was wrapped up in
Christ and his gospel. So much so, men said, you're
a fool for Christ. That's taking it too far now.
We don't mind being religious, but now come on. Paul said, that's
my way. That's my way. And he told Timothy, he said,
you know my doctrine, you know my manner of life, you know my
purpose, my faith, my long suffering, my charity, my patience, my persecutions,
my afflictions. And he said, but out of them
all the Lord delivered me. Out of every one of them. Now
look, here's what Paul taught, Philippians 3.8. This is going
to be lengthy, but I want you to read this with me. Yea, doubtless,
I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but dung, that I might win Christ,
and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God." Do you see that? The righteousness
which is of God. by faith, that I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being made conformable unto His death." Do you know how Christ
died? He died solely trusting the Father. He died completely trusting the
Father. Even when the Father separated
Himself from Him that justice might be satisfied, He said,
I'll look to Him. Paul said, I want to be made
conformable to His death. Look at this. He said, if by
any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead,
not as though I had already attained. That was the Corinthians problem.
Either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I
may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ
Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind. Forget the things that are behind.
What happened yesterday? Does it really matter? Forget the things that are behind
and reach forth unto those things which are before. I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. Let us therefore as many as be
perfect. Well, I thought you said we weren't
perfect yet. Oh, we are in Christ. And as
many as be perfect, be thus minded. And if anything you be otherwise
minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. I don't have to
come and try to smack you around. God's going to make you know
it in His time. Nevertheless, whereto we have
already attained, wherever God's brought you already in faith,
walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing. Faith
which works by love. That's the rule we're under,
brethren. Look at this. Brethren, be followers together
of me, and mark them which walk, so as you have us for an example.
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell
you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ,
whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose
glory is in their shame." You see that shame? That's what Paul
said. I didn't come to shame you. But
there are some whose shame is that they go to shame. They try
to make people obedient by shaming them. And that's their shame.
He says, they mind earthly things. Why don't we do that? For our
conversation, our citizenship is in heaven. From whence also
we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change
our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious
body according to the working whereby He is able to do all
things unto Himself. That's where we're looking to,
brethren. That's what we're hoping for. That's what we're pressing
toward. Forget the things that are behind. Give yourself to
serve Christ and further this gospel, wherever you can, wherever
God's put you. Do it for Christ's sake. And
if you suffer persecution, He'll comfort you, He'll protect you,
He'll give you strength. Try Him out. See if He will.
Amen.