Stop Playing Christian
1 Corinthian 4:6-13
HFBC November 17, 2013
Rev. Rich Stratton
This morning we are continuing our series called Chaos and Correction. Several weeks ago we began studying through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in which he addresses a multitude of issues that are causing a great amount of ungodly chaos in the church.
You will remember that Paul began this letter in his usual way by greeting the believers in Corinth and by letting them know that he is thankful for them and that he is thankful for their salvation.
But he quickly gets to the point of his letter and that he is writing to give them correction concerning sinful, chaotic, and divisive behavior within their fellowship. He then lays the foundation for his upcoming rebuke and correction by reminding them several times of the differences between earthly wisdom which they are displaying and heavenly wisdom which they seem to be lacking.
So for the first two chapters Paul is very loving, very patient, and very pastoral in his approach, as he lays biblical foundations for Christian living.
Then, in chapter three, he begins to very directly address the problems in the Corinthian church. In chapter 3 verse one he calls the Corinthian believers “carnal or worldly people” and if that isn’t enough he also calls them “spiritual light-weights or spiritual babies that should have already grown up”.
And now here in chapter 4 we are about to see Paul really get in their faces with what I think can be called righteous anger as he prepares to spend the bulk of the letter pointing out and correcting a rather long list of sinful actions and attitudes in the Corinthian church.
So this morning we pick up in chapter 4 with verses 6-13 and what we basically find Paul saying to the Corinthian Church is “Stop Playing Christian.”
We all probably remember playing make believe games when we were children. Some of you ladies may remember playing house. Some of the men may remember playing cowboys and indians or cops and robbers.
When my kids were younger I remember them playing pet shop. They would gather all of their stuffed animals and turn the living room into a “pet shop”. Honestly it looked more like a toy store had exploded, but to them it was a pet shop. One of them would then pretend to be the shop owner and the other would be a customer that apparently had a compulsion to buy way more pets than any sane person should ever have. It was very sweet to watch.
And I even remember playing make believe myself as a kid in the late seventies and early eighties. My brother and I would pretend to be two tough guys from whatever our favorite TV show was at the time. We would be Hannibal and Murdock from the A-Team, Rick and AJ from Simon and Simon, and yes even to my great shame we would be Bo and Luke from the Dukes of Hazard.
As silly and as sometimes misguided and embarrassing as these games might be to us to reflect on today they were harmless. They were harmless because we didn’t believe we were fooling anyone. As a matter of fact we weren’t trying to fool anyone. And most importantly we weren’t trying to fool ourselves. In fact we were often times longing for the day when our pretend game would be a reality.
But in our passage today we find Paul warning the Corinthian believers and us of the dangers involved in “playing Christian”. The dangers involved in trying to fool others and ourselves into believing something is real when it may not be.
So now I want us to read through the passage keeping our Bibles open after we have done so in order to examine exactly what the Scripture has to say.
Please stand with me as we read 1 Corinthians 4:6-13.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Pray
Now as we look at these verses more closely we are going to see Paul give us some really good instruction that will help protect us from the dangers of “playing Christian”. And that instruction can be summarized under three headings.
First of all, if you are going to avoid the trap of playing at your Christianity you must…
Be Careful How You See Others (v. 6)
Look with me again at verse 6.
It says, Now these things. What things? Well you’re all good Bible students and you know that when you see a phrase like that it means you should stop and consider what has already been said.
Here Paul is referring back to what he has just said and what we looked at in verses 1-5 last week. In those verses you will remember Paul refers to himself and Apollos as “faithful servants and stewards of the mysteries of Christ.” In other words he says they are faithfully doing the work God has set before them to do. He is saying that they are indeed a pretty good picture of what it means to live for Christ.
But, he then goes on to point out in verses 3-5 that even though they are doing everything they can to be faithful, it really is of no concern to him how others see him.
Now that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about what kind of witness he has. It doesn’t mean that he feels like he can just do anything he wants because it doesn’t matter how his actions might affect someone else. As a matter of fact he will address that kind of wrong attitude a little later in the letter.
But what he is saying, is that even though they are pretty good Christians they are not what others need to hang their hat on, they are still sinners and as such they cannot add anything to anyone else’s salvation.
So in verse 6 he is saying “I am using Apollos and myself, whom you all have been arguing about as if knowing us makes you a better Christian, as examples of imperfect sinners who just like you can only be completed by the Lord.” So that by this example, verse 6…
you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up (or arrogant) on behalf of one against the other.
He is saying stop trying to rewrite Scripture. He is saying I have already pointed out to you that salvation is through Christ alone and that the person you hear the Gospel from has nothing to do with its power. Look at chapter 2 verses 1 and 2.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Paul is saying he can add nothing, Apollos can add nothing, Peter can add nothing. Which is why he quoted Jeremiah in chapter 1 verse 31, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.
Folks the take away for us here is the same as the one Paul was trying to give the Corinthian believers. Who you know will get you nowhere in the kingdom of heaven.
It doesn’t matter if your mama was a Christian, it doesn’t matter if you were born into a Christian home, it doesn’t matter that Todd Linn is your pastor. Now it does make a difference in your spiritual growth to have a pastor that faithfully teaches the Bible, but the fact that Todd is your pastor, or I am your family minister, or that you heard the Gospel from Dr. Judy, or Bro. Bratcher, or Bro. Bill or whomever you may have had as a pastor in the past adds absolutely nothing, ZERO, to your salvation.
In the Kingdom of Heaven it is not what you know and it is not even who you know. It is who knows you. Only Jesus Christ makes a difference in our salvation.
So in order to avoid “playing Christian” we must be careful how we see others, making sure not to fool ourselves concerning our own salvation or Christian walk based on our association with someone else.
Secondly, if you are going to avoid playing Christian you must…
II. Be Careful How You See Yourself (vv.7-8)
Look at verses 7 and 8.
7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!
Here Paul’s delivery style changes. He loses that kind pastoral attitude and becomes very blunt and even sarcastic. But he doesn’t do so in order to be mean or unkind. He does so, because he wants to be sure they get the message. He is getting ready in the next chapter to begin pointing out a long list of problems in this church and he wants to make sure that he is not approaching a bunch of prideful believers who are unwilling to see their own faults.
In verse 7 Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions aimed at bringing a little humility to these people who are suffering from pride and self-importance.
He asks them, Who makes you different from one another? The obvious answer based on what he has just said in verse 6 is NO ONE. They are all the same in Christ.
He then asks, What do you have that you didn’t receive? Again, the answer to this question would be NOTHING. Every believer at Corinth and in this room must answer this question knowing that we have nothing that we have not received from God. All material and spiritual blessings are a direct gift from God.
So Paul has nailed their pride with a who question, and a what question, and now he hits them with the why.
If you have received everything from God and you had nothing to do with it, why do you glory as if you had not received it? Here Paul is letting them come to the realization on their own that their pride is the very height of ingratitude. He is allowing them to see for themselves that they are snubbing God by their prideful bickering.
Paul wants these believers and us to understand that when all of our focus in on ourselves we become so filled with pride that there is no longer any room in our hearts or lives for Christ to work. And when this happens we begin to live like we have already arrived spiritually.
We begin to live like we are in control. We begin to loose sight of the fact that we are God’s children. And that as children we are called to follow Him, to serve Him, to please Him, and to love Him. But when we live like we are in control we begin to call the shots and make the decisions, forgetting about God, His plan, and His leadership.
And that is what Paul is getting at in verse 8. He tells them they are living dangerously outside the will and leadership of God. Through biting sarcasm Paul challenges them to stand back and consider how they are viewing themselves. He challenges them to see their own pride. He says…
You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us
These people felt they already had everything they needed. They considered themselves successful. They had a large church that included in its membership leaders who were trained by the big three, Paul, Peter and Apollos. There were even a few there that had met Jesus themselves! They were well received by the community around them. They were outwardly successful in every way. They were proud.
In fact they were so proud that they were fooling themselves. Paul says they are acting as if they are already in heaven reigning as kings. He says that they’re so filled with pride that they see themselves as kings rather than subjects of the heavenly King.
Paul then hits them with a truth that is very practical and one that they cannot avoid. It is truth that brings humility to their prideful minds.
Paul says I wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you. Paul points out to them that he and Apollos, the very ones the Corinthian believers have been staking their own greatness on are not reigning as kings, that they have not arrived spiritually. So very practically Paul says to them that they are living a prideful lie.
We need to be careful how we see ourselves. We have to avoid the temptation to look at the world around us and elevate ourselves by comparison. We have to avoid patting ourselves on the back while looking at our success. We have to be sure not to think we are more important than we are.
So we must be careful how we see others, we must be careful how we see ourselves and if you are going to avoid playing at being a Christian you must…
Care Only How Jesus Sees You (vv. 9-13)
In verses 9-13 Paul brings into contrast the perspective of the world and that of Christ. He points out that the life of a Christian will look very different when viewed by man than it looks to God.
Listen again as I read verses 9-13
9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Paul again uses his own circumstances as an illustration. He uses his life and that of the other apostles to show what the world will see when it looks at Christians.
He says that a Christian who is truly following the Lord will be last among men and a spectacle, in other words, do not count on being loved by the world. The world is not going to welcome us with open arms. In fact many will reject us because many will reject Christ and the Gospel.
They will see us as fools because they see the Gospel as foolish. It doesn’t fit into the world’s nice little human-centered and politically correct box so it and those who believe it are branded as narrow-minded and simple.
Paul says the world will view Christians as weak and dishonored. He says we will be reviled, persecuted, defamed, and seen as the lowest filth of the world.
He does not paint a very rosy picture, but remember that is what the world sees. That is not what Jesus sees.
Instead when we endure the difficulty of being a Christian in this fallen and sinful world Jesus sees a faithful servant. He sees a laborer doing the work that He has set before them. He sees a child who is obediently and gratefully showing love to the Father who has given life and every blessing. He sees one who understands that the greatest treasure is not fame, money, power, or success in this world but the pleasure of being pleasing to God in the next.
Folks, if we are going to avoid playing at being a Christian we must not care what the world thinks. Now again, that doesn’t mean we can act any way we want and not care about whether or not people are seeing Christ in us. As a matter of fact Paul addresses this in verses 12 and 13.
12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat.
So we must be loving and kind to those who hate us. We must endure persecution when it comes, not for the sake of being persecuted but for the sake of making sure the Gospel is shared and understood. And when we are accused we must present our defense in love and with understanding. So while we care only what Christ sees, the actions this will produce should be recognizable to others.
But we must not desire what the world desires. We must not be satisfied with the things around us. We must not ever think we have arrived spiritually or that we have grown all that we need to grow. We must never begin to believe that we are godly but instead be always pursuing godliness. We must care above all else how Jesus sees our lives.
So let me close with a couple of observations that will be helpful in reminding us to keep our focus off ourselves, others, and the world. And will help us in remembering to always strive to be pleasing in the sight of Christ.
First, remember that…
Worldly vision is blind and dangerous.
It is blind and dangerous because it is incomplete. It only sees what is on the surface. Viewing things from a worldly perspective will lead us to be like the Corinthians.
We will be tempted to rely on our own accomplishments. As long as things look pretty good on the outside, as long as we put on a good Christian show, as long as others view us in a positive light then surely God also is pleased. We will be tempted to compare ourselves with others. Maybe I am not some super Christian that is living all out for the Lord but I am doing better than alot of other people and that must count for something.
Being content to look only at the surface is a dangerous way to live. Let me show you a couple of pictures that might help illustrate the point.
(Display two pictures. One is a beautiful landscape of a European church. The other is an abstract piece that looks like a bunch of different colors running down the canvas with impressions of human figures at the bottom.)
(Ask the congregation which picture they would prefer to have hanging in their home.)
Most of you said you would prefer the picture of the church. If I told you that the church picture was painted by Adolf Hitler and that the other one was painted by a Christian and is called intercessory prayers would it make a difference? The trouble was you were only able to see the surface. Your vision was limited. You were not aware of what was behind each of these paintings. You could not see what was underneath. That is exactly what is dangerous about seeing with a worldly vision. But the good new is…
Heavenly vision is clear and rewarding.
Heavenly vision is complete. We may not be able to see the entire picture, but when we place our trust in Christ and His vision we are depending upon on who does see everything clearly. We are depending on the one who loves us an has a plan for us. We can relax in knowing that everything will work out for our eventual good and for God’s glory when we rely upon the clarity and completeness of heavenly vision.
When our greatest concern is what Jesus sees when he looks at us it brings safety. It causes us to examine our hearts and our lives. It causes us to identify sin and confess it. It causes us to remain humble and resist pride. It causes us to be real in our relationship with God. It causes us to recognize when we are trying to fool ourselves. It prevents superficial Christianity. It causes us to stop playing Christian and instead begin living a life where we truly desire to follow Christ regardless of the costs.
Stand for prayer.
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