Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. We've been looking at these verses
and statements, kind of taking them one at a time, so let's
just concentrate on verse 10 this morning. Now, I beseech
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you
all speak the same thing. that there be no divisions among
you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind
and in the same judgment. There were problems at the church
at Corinth. There always is. There always
is. There were disagreements on certain
issues. There always is. There were debates over which
men were called and which were significant to be listened to
and which ones were not. Been that way since the day of
Cain. Been that way. Problems and schisms are to be
expected. just as there's problems and
schisms in our own families. Those of you who've been around
a while know that. There's always divisions, always
problems, always misunderstandings. And this doesn't justify our
disagreements. And it doesn't mean that these
things are good for the church where they're found. Paul's going to deal with these
problems. Problems must be dealt with.
But it's how we deal with them. And that's what I want to get
into this morning, how to deal with these problems. And I want
you to notice here first that Paul does not invoke. He was
an apostle. And he had every right to invoke
his apostolic authority. and say, you, you, and you, you're
not preachers. You go sit down. You, you, and
you, you can preach. He had the authority to do that,
but he didn't do that. He didn't invoke his apostolic
powers, but rather he appeals to their own experience of grace. Lots of times we have schisms
and problems here. And I don't just jump on it right
away and run over to your house and say, now you stand over here
and you stand on your... No, I just, I wait on the Lord. And most of the time, that experience
of grace will take care of that problem all by itself. And you
don't have to bring it up before the church and it don't become
this big matter of controversy. Nobody even knows about it except
the two that had the quarrel. And sometimes it's best just
to wait. Just to wait on the Lord. But
there was problems here that Paul had to deal with. And so
he begins this way. He said, I beseech you. I beseech
you. What does that word mean? I beseech
you. Well, it's a call with an earnest
desire. That's what it means. It's a
call with an earnest desire. It's a call to produce an effect. He wasn't saying this not to
be heard or ignored. He meant to be heard. And he
told a little bit later on, he told those same people, he said,
you're saying that I won't come. But he said, I will. I will come. And I will stand you to the face.
But we're not going to begin there. We're going to begin here.
This is a call to produce an effect, and it's a call with
an urgent need. This is urgent. Paul recognizes
a problem in the church there, which if left unattended, will
eat away. He tells us a little bit later
on, these things eat like a cancer. They just eat away and eat away. And they cause division and they
cause hurt. And so he makes a strong appeal
to them to see the problem and correct it as soon as possible. Most of these things happen because
we don't see them as problems. We don't see what we're saying
as actual sin or hurt to the church. We just, on the spur
of the moment, get angry and say something and then we get
over it and go on home. Well, the other guy didn't get
over it. You know, he didn't get over it like you did. It
hurt him. It hurt him. He has to think
about it a while. He has to be talked about it
for a little bit. And so he makes a strong appeal
to them to see the problem and correct it as soon as possible.
And then secondly, Paul appeals to their union in Christ. He
said, I beseech you, brethren, brethren, believers all have
a common union in Christ Jesus. We've all been called into the
fellowship of the common union of the Lord Jesus Christ. We've
got nothing of our own which has not been given to us. Not
one thing. Well, I've got an understanding.
Where'd you get it? Where'd you get it? Did you get
in the closet and figure it out, or did God give it to you? What
have you gotten that you haven't received? And if you received
it, why do you glory like you didn't? You see what he's saying
here? We have a union in Christ. And
as part of that union, everything that we have, we have from the
same source. We all got these things through
the free grace of God. It's been given to us. We're
partakers of the heavenly calling by the free and sovereign grace
of God. There's nothing in you that calls
God to call you. You know, over in 1 Timothy,
he wrote Timothy this letter, and he told young Timothy this.
He said, God has saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. That's 2 Timothy 1.9. We're partakers
of the heavenly calling by the free and sovereign grace of God,
loved and blessed by the same Heavenly Father, redeemed and
justified by the same Savior, called and regenerated by the
same Spirit. And we're commanded to walk worthy
of the vocation wherein we've been called, and to do so with
all lowliness and meekness with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love. endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Why? Why? Well, he tells us so in Ephesians
chapter 4. He said, because there's just
one body. There's just one body. Now, I don't know about you,
but if I get a splinter in this hand, I hurt all over. My whole body's affected. I can't
grip things. I can't do right. And so my mouth
suffers. My stomach suffers. Everything
suffers. My mind suffers. I can't think.
I can't concentrate. This thing's throbbing and hurting
and beating. And I don't care what it is. It can be your big toe. You can
wear a two-type shoe one day and rub a blister on your foot
and your whole body suffers because of it. And the same thing when
it comes to these differences and these schisms and these problems
in the church. Everybody in the church suffers
because of it. They may overlook it. They may
not even mention it to you. But the whole church suffers
because of it. They are just one body. And then
he says this, just one spirit. Just one spirit. One glorious,
life-giving, light-giving Spirit. One all-effectual Spirit. One
divine Comforter. God working in us both to will
and to do of His good pleasure. There's just one Spirit. Just
one Spirit. And then thirdly, because we've
been called in one hope of our calling. There's just one hope
out there. There's no hope outside of Christ,
is there? Nothing that I'm aware of. There is no hope outside
of Christ. And Christ, as He set forth in
the Word of God, we are called in one hope of our calling. The
one who does the calling, the Holy Spirit of God who accomplishes
this effectual calling, we are just called to this one hope.
This one hope. And that hope is Christ in you.
Christ, our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption.
Christ, our justifier. Christ, our sin-atoning substitute. Christ, the propitiation for
our sins. Christ, our covenant surety.
Christ, our high priest. Christ, our mediator. Christ,
the way, the truth, and the life. Christ is all. Christ is all. And then He tells us this, we're
to do these things that He commands us to do, to walk worthy of this
vocation wherein you've been called. Because there's one body,
and there's one Spirit, and you're just called in one hope if you're
calling, and then listen to this, the next thing He tells us is,
just one Lord. Just one Lord. One sovereign,
one king, one all-superior potentate working all things after the
counsel of His own will. One Lord. He who appeared in my flesh and
bore my sin and shame and died in my room instead reigns on
the throne of glory as my guarantor. There's one Lord. Paul said,
Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey? Don't you know that? They
are just one Lord. One Lord. And I tell you, God's
people love to have it just that way. I want His rule in my life. I don't want mine. I know where
mine leads. I want His rule. And I want His
rule to overrule my rule. Don't you? Because I'm already
aware of the effects of my rule. I want His rule. God's children have all willingly
and lovingly surrendered to Christ. That's the first work. We surrender. We put up our hands. They know Him, and they trust
Him, and they follow Him, and they want His rule over them.
They fear not having His rule over them. They fear that. Don't you have times when the
Lord seems to disappear, and His presence don't seem to be
there? And your mind begins to wander,
and your heart begins to wander, and go after this, and go after
that, and don't you question? Don't you question that rule?
Don't you fear when you look and you don't see that rule in
there, His presence in there? There's one Lord. And then he
tells us in verse 5 of Ephesians chapter 4, there is just one
faith. Just one faith. Every act of
religious men is not an act of faith. Faith is the work of God
in the heart that enables a person to believe God and to embrace
His promises in Christ and to fear His name and to justify
all that He does. Faith justifies God in His election
of grace. Faith is not upset and angry
at God for election. That man of faith doesn't run
around in opposition to the election of God. God elected a people
and He told us that. And He made us to see the glory
of it. He made us to see the reason
for it. And we rejoice in it. Faith justifies
God in His election of grace. Faith justifies God in His eternal
purpose of grace. And faith justifies God in His
appointed means. Don't kick and fight against
God. God has means whereby He will recover His banished. And
faith justifies God in His calling of grace. And it justifies God
in His reprobations. God's just. Somebody bows up,
leaves the church, leaves the faith, leaves everything, goes
off somewhere, like Demas. Demas. Demas hath forsaken us,
having loved this present world. We justify God in His reprobation. There's only one faith which
is able to save our souls, and this faith is the gift of God.
It's not of works. lest any man should boast." And
then he tells us there's just one baptism. Just one baptism. God gave to His church this holy
ordinance whereby we confess our faith in Christ. It's baptism. And baptism is immersion. Baptism
means immersion. And it pictures and speaks of
our union with Him in His death, His burial, and His resurrection.
And you can sprinkle from now until time comes back, it doesn't
picture anything. Immersion pictures our union
with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. And then He
tells us this, there's one baptism and there's just one God. Just
one God. And Father of all who is above
all and through all and in you all. He is the source of all
things. He is the reason for things and
the creator of all things. And my God is your God, if we
are believers. And if He be our God, the one
true and living God, and we know Him and have eternal life, then
of all men we ought to be examples of His grace and mercy. Peace
ought to reign in our hearts, and we ought to be able to walk
with all lowliness and meekness. Because we're brethren, we're
children, and we're heirs of God. And then Paul takes another
step here, back in our text in verse 10. He said, I beseech
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. His name
is the glorious character of God manifested in Him by way
of His person and work of redemption. His name is necessary to true
saving faith. Why? I just believe Jesus. Which
one? Which one? My soul, all you have
to do is turn on the radio or the TV and listen to them talk.
They can't be describing the same person. Turn with me over to Acts chapter
4. There are going to be some at the judgment. These are my
Lord's words. He said, Some will say unto me
in that day, We preached in your name. We preached in your name. We did many wonderful works in
Your name. We cast out demons in Your name. And He said, depart from Me,
you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. They didn't
know His name, but they thought they did. Watch this here in
Acts chapter 4 verse 10. Be it known unto you all and
to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you crucified." Oh, listen to me now. It was
in Christ where God manifested His name. And He's telling these
people who kept the Sabbath, who read the Scriptures, who
stood up and preached, who assembled themselves together in the synagogues,
who followed after the Old Testament prophets, who kept the ceremony,
He told these men and women, He said, you crucified You crucified
this very one, be it known unto you and to all the people of
Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him does this
man stand before you whole. This is the stone which was set
at naught of you builders, which has become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other." Are you listening?
For there is none other name under heaven given among men
whereby we must be saved." Turn a few pages over to Romans chapter
10. The name here is not talking about
his earthly name, Jesus, although this name was given in light
of his name. It means Savior. Emmanuel is another name that
was given to us. It means God with us. But here
in Romans 10, verse 13, listen to this. Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they
call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? What in the world is he talking
about? What are they going to hear? They are going to hear
His name. Somebody whom God has opened
His eyes is going to stand up and tell them His name. And that's
when the fight begins. And that's when the true work
of the Holy Spirit begins with this name. You can't call on
this unrevealed Christ. He has to be revealed. What's
revealed in Him? The very name of God. The very
name of God. The hearing of faith is the hearing
of how God can save sinners in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Listen to this, Acts 13, verse 38. Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins. Through this man. Not apart from
him. Not some other way. But through
this man. And by him. All that believe
are justified from all things from which it could not be justified
by the law of Moses. And then Romans 3, verses 24
through 26 says, God declares through the person and work of
Christ His righteousness for the remission of sins, both past
and present, that He might be just and justifier of all them
that believe. This is the name. He is talking
about here. He is talking about this glorious
name. And then in Romans 9.16 it said,
It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy. And when God saves a sinner in
Christ, He declares His mercy and grace. By grace are you saved
through faith, and that not of yourself. God declares His name
in the person and work of Christ, and this is the revelation which
comes to believers. And when they recognize it and
call on that name, and God gives them faith and causes them to
trust Him and rest in Him and rejoice in Him, and then they
get along with one another. They get along with one another.
Why? Because they all know His name. And they know it in here,
not just here. They know it in their hearts.
And it is in the full light and experience of this glorious revelation
that Paul here beseeches this troubled church to see the evil
of their ways and return to the foundation of their faith. Go
back to the foundation. Go back to the root and cause
of your faith. Now what does Paul ask them to
do? Look back here in our text in
verse 10, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. He is beseeching them. He's appealing to our union with
Him in Christ. We're brethren. He calls them
brethren. There's no need to appeal to
a man who's not been born of God. It just goes in one ear
and out the other. But He appeals to those who are
true brethren, those who are true believers. And He appeals
to that name. That name, that revelation of
who God is that He knows has been accomplished in them by
the Holy Spirit of God. And here's what He tells them,
that they all might say the same thing. That you all might speak
the same thing. Some churches practice this in
their worship service literally. The pastor will read a sentence
and the church will repeat it. And then he'll say another sentence
and the church will repeat it. I don't know if you've ever been
in one of those, but I have. That's not what Paul's talking
about here. He's simply saying that there's just one name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. So let's all
get on the same page. Isn't that what he said? Let's
all speak the same. Y'all believe the same thing.
Y'all have the same experience of grace. We're all taught by
the same Spirit. We all recognize the one true
and living God. Now let's get on the same page.
Where's all these diversities? Where's all these divisions?
Where's all this stuff coming from? It's not coming from God. It's not coming from Him. I don't misunderstand what I'm
saying. I don't believe we ought to blot out every man's hope
who doesn't agree with us in everything that we teach. But
there's really no excuse for divisions. There's no excuse. There's just one gospel, just
one Bible, just one Holy Spirit. And God has, according to His
wisdom and grace, chosen certain men to preach and teach this
gospel. And the promise of Christ before He ascended is that when
He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you, now
listen, into what kind of truth? All truth. Isn't that what that
says? All truth. And the Scripture
tells us that we have an unction from the Holy One and we know
all things. We know the difference when we've
been lied to and when we've been told the truth. So why these disagreements? Why
these divisions and schisms in the churches? Because you and
I are still in the flesh. That's why. We're still in the
flesh. We're still influenced by pride
and jealousy and envy. And do you know the only thing
that can take away these problems? There's just one thing that's
going to take them away. Somebody said, we need to read a lot.
That ain't going to take them away. That's usually where they
come from. Man thinks he knows something
when he don't. That's where it comes from. You know the only thing that
will take away these problems? Love and humility. We're going to have to come down.
We're going to have to come down. Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
you've been called with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering."
Now listen, "...forbearing one another in love." Put yourself at the bottom, not
at the top. Say this in your prayer, Lord
teach me and I'll be taught. Teach me. Do you know The Lord
told His disciples one time, He said, there's divisions out
here and controversies out here, and this one's being persecuted,
and this one's doing it. He said, here's how you're going
to get the problem corrected. How would you do it if it happened
in this church? Who would you go to in here and say, I want
you to settle this thing? We're at odds with one another,
and we want this thing settled, and we want to know what's right.
Who would you pick in this whole church, the pastor? One of the
elders, who would you pick? You know what the Lord told him
to do? He said, you go get the lowest esteemed man in that church,
and he'll make the decision. The lowest esteemed in the church. Isn't that something? We're going to have to come down.
That's what he's telling us. Would you be taught by grace?
You know what Paul said, I'm not one whit behind the chiefest
of these apostles, but he said, I'm telling you this, I'm the
chief of sinners. He took his place at the bottom.
And that's what we're going to have to do if we're going to
be taught of God. And that's how you learn truth.
You come down. You come down to where we really
are. And then the Lord will begin
to teach you some truth. Humility, lowliness, and meekness
is the attitude of a hearing, learning believer. He said that
you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind
and in the same judgment. And we will when we're taught
by His Spirit. That's exactly what we'll do.
We'll find unity. Unity of the Spirit. We'll find
unity of knowledge, and we'll all get on the same page. But
these problems and controversies, let's don't fly up and cause
divisions over these things. Let's just come down a little
bit, be understanding, be forbearing, be loving, and be gentle, and
walk in that lowliness that your experience teaches you.