1 Corinthians 4:1-7, “The Servant-Steward”

[hmp_player playlist=’1Cor4:1-7′]

Sermon Notes Below:

Note: A technical malfunction cut off the first 5 minutes of the sermon. A fix has been implemented for the following weeks.

January 26, 2014,

“The Servant-Steward”

Last week I told you that I am responsible to God to seek to provide what you
need, not necessarily what you want or even what you may be comfortable with, but what you need. Most importantly, whatever I share with you must align completely with the teaching of the Word of God which has once for all been delivered to us in the Bible, and has been revealed to us through Christ.

In 1Corinthians 4:1-7, Paul speaks to what a true servant-teacher of Christ is, the Corinthians thought these teachers to be big shots, traveling preachers who had followers in every church, known for their knowledge and speaking ability, for people were saying, “I follow Paul; I follow Apollos; I follow Cephas.”

Verses 1-2… Paul now speaks concerning the calling he and the other apostles/ teachers have received:
1) They are servants of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God.
2) They are to be faithful to God’s Word.

A minister of Christ in the New Testament churches was one who, by virtue of a gift of the Spirit, was a preacher and teacher of the Word of God.

There is a sense in which all believers are ministers of Christ, for we are all here to serve God; but what Paul is speaking of here is the giftedness of those who teach and preach (“prophesy,” proclaiming God’s Word), and their function within the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:7-13).

The word the apostle uses here for servant is the Greek word huperetes [hoop- ay-ret’-ace] “under-rower.”

Paul says, we are not big shots, we are not among you as domineering leaders, we are servants of Christ, under-rowers with our eyes fixed on Him (Galatians 1:10), “If I am just pleasing men, I am not a servant of Christ.”

The word for steward is oikonomos [oy-kon-om’-os] “housekeeper” or “house- manager.” On an airplane, ship or train, you find stewardesses and stewards who serve the passengers, for they have been entrusted with the comfort, care, and needs of the passengers, and they have responsibility for commodities they are responsible to dispense. This is a picture of a New Testament steward.

A minister of Christ, is a steward who is entrusted with “the mysteries of God,” the secret wisdom of God that is found in the revelation of the Word of God and nowhere else — truth about life & death, marriage & families, the past, present, and future, about God, and ourselves. These truths are undiscoverable by natural reason or observation; for it is the Spirit who reveals this to us.

The greatest secret? God imparts life eternal to us and lives in us by His Spirit through His Son, Jesus, the Christ (John 1:1-4, 12-13; 3:16; 14:6; 15-17).

Those who are called to teach and preach the “mysteries of God” to the Church are serving God, and they will be judged in reference to how faithful they are. Verses 3-5… Paul now turns to a common problem, and that is the evaluation of the servant-steward.

Paul says, it is the Lord who judges me, not human judgments from you or even from myself (2Corinthians 13:5), ”Test yourselves to see whether or not you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?”

We are often blind to our own faults and failures, and sometimes even to our own successes. We must be careful that the standard we use to judge ourselves and others, is the standard of God’s Word, by letter and Spirit.
Paul says (v. 4) he is “not aware of any unconfessed sin” in his life, but also that he is not innocent because of that, for the only evaluation that counts is the Lord’s, i.e., “The Lord is judging me,” [continual present tense], and it is going on all the time in Paul’s heart and conscience.

Then (v. 5) Paul extends God’s judgment to the future, when all man’s inner thoughts and motives, along with his deeds, will be judged and each will be rewarded for what he has done in his heart, as well as with his ears, mouth, eyes, feet, and hands.
We are not to judge by human standards, personal biases, pet peeves, or likes and dislikes; but we must judge accordingly by the standard of God’s eternal Word.

The great thing here is that God’s intent is to give commendation not condemnation; for whatever we do not do for God, we loose the opportunity to be commended and rewarded for that word or deed by God. The lack of commendation received is equal to condemnation.

Listen! 1) Paul is not saying that we aren’t to judge the actions of men when they do wrong, as we’ll see in the next chapter when he rebukes the church for not judging the actions of a man who is sinning in their midst, without any discipline given to him. 2) Paul is saying that we cannot judge a person’s motive or know what has made somebody act the way they have. 3) God alone will judge the intent and motives of the heart, but we must judge the words and deeds of those in the church, by God’s Word; again, the standard for judgment is Christ.

Verses 6-7… Paul uses figurative language, analogies, to describe the ministry of himself and Apollos: farmers (3:6-9), builders (3:10-15), servant-stewards (4:1-5). These are humble, not exalted examples of service.

These men are apostles and teachers, i.e., under-rowers and housekeepers, accountable to God. Paul uses these illustrations to emphasize that the believers are to learn from them (v. 6) and to live according to scripture, so they will not become arrogant [puffed up] in favor of one teacher against another, or one brother over another.

Many churches have been split right down the center by a rivalry developing between teachers or pastors or groups of believers who were puffed up!

We are bound by God’s Word to judge a man’s ministry by God’s standard rather than by worldly understanding and human evaluation (Matthew 7:13-23).

Paul asks some piercing questions here (v. 7): “What do you have that you did not receive?” “And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”

The gifts of teaching and preaching (proclaiming God’s Word) are imparted by the Holy Spirit, as are all the spiritual gifts. God chose who would be given the responsibility to equip and exhort believers and oversee God’s Church. It is the Lord Himself who has done this, and so, to quarrel or argue about following a certain teacher or preacher or leader, is foolish.
1Corinthians 1:12-13, What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas,” still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?

1Corinthians 3:4, For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not [acting like] mere men?

An arrogant self-made preacher once asked his wife, “I wonder how many other great preachers there are in the world?” His wife replied, “One less than you think!”

How foolish for anyone to evaluate a God-given gift as if they were responsible for obtaining it. True and faithful servants of God will refuse to take credit for ministry opportunities that God provides, for the gift of serving and the ability to minister, comes from God. He alone is to be praised and honored, for we are commanded to follow Christ, not men. That is Paul’s message to us here!

pastor mike