Your Role in Unity-Pt. 2

Your Role in Unity-Pt. 2

“Your Role in Unity, Part 2”

(1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

Series: Chaos & Correction (1 Corinthians)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

 

  • Take your Bibles and join me in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1 (page 767; YouVersion).

 

Three weeks ago we began a series of expository messages, verse-by-verse, through the book of 1 Corinthians. The church at Corinth was a church fraught with division, disorder, and difficulty. And the Apostle Paul writes this letter to bring correction to the chaos at Corinth. Verses 10-17 are all about unity in the church.

 

  • Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

 

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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.

11 For it has been declared to me concerning `you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” `

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

 

  • Pray.

Introduction:

 

For years I’ve been fascinated by mechanical watches. Unlike a quartz watch that runs on a tiny battery, a mechanical watch uses a mechanical mechanism to measure time. The watch is driven by a spring, called the mainspring, which creates force that travels through a series of gears to power the balance wheel, a tiny weighted wheel that swings back and forth at a constant rate. The mainspring must be wound every other day or so to keep the watch running.

 

There are additional functions of a mechanical watch and these added functions are traditionally called complications. They may include a calendar, or chronograph, or moon phase dial. Also considered a complication is a self-winding feature of a watch. I’m wearing one such watch right now. This watch’s mainspring winds automatically based on the natural movements of the wrist using a rotating-weight mechanism. Of course, you have to wear it every few days to keep it wound or you may store it in a watch winder.

 

Do you know the total number of parts that make up the average mechanical watch? About 130 parts. That’s a lot of parts! Now I wear cheap, inexpensive watches but the Swiss luxury watchmaker Patek Philippe made a watch in 1989 valued at six million dollars. So if you have six million dollars you want to blow on a watch, get the Calibre 89. It is known as the “most complicated watch in the world,” a watch containing 1,728 parts.

 

Picture nearly 2,000 tiny pieces spread out all over your kitchen table. Does it not seem miraculous that somebody can put those 2,000 parts together to create a timepiece that marks off seconds, split-seconds, hours, days, months, years, leap years, moon phases, the times of sunrise and sunset, and countless other complications with perfect precision? And yet it happens–all those parts working together in perfect unity.

 

And here is God’s church, a local body made up of hundreds of individual “parts,” each member an integral part, working together to keep the power running to the balance wheel of God’s church, working together through a variety of complications, working together so that the church moves forward in time, ticking together in perfect precision, uniting together to the praise and Glory of God.

 

When the church works together this way, the she fulfills the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who said, “Upon this rock I shall build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).” But when the church fails to work together in unity, she becomes weak, powerless, and ineffective.

 

So we pick up our discussion here about our role in unity, the role each of us plays in working together in united fashion. Last week we looked at the first action each of us is to take:

 

  1. Be a Person Who’s Known for Harmony (10)

 

Look again at verse 10:

 

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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.

 

We said last time that all these phrases in verse 10 have to do with our being persons who are known for harmony, “having the same mind and the same judgment” so that “there be no divisions among you.” It’s a call for harmony.

 

So we talked about doing this in very practical terms. Never speak in disharmonious ways but in harmonious ways. Never gossip. Never talk about another person behind that person’s back. In our church covenant that’s called, “Backbiting.” Never do that. If you have something against another brother or sister go directly to that person with your complaint. That’s the biblical thing to do according to Matthew 18 or Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:23-24:

 

“If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

 

So don’t hold a grudge against someone and complain to someone else about it. Always go directly to the person. Be a person who’s known not for griping, carping, and complaining, but be a person who’s known for harmony.

 

Someone said, “If you would measure your love for the Father, you must measure your love for your brother.” And you show you love your brother by not engaging in “backbiting.”

 

And when our brothers or sisters speak in unedifying ways of others, we tell them immediately that we will not listen to gossip and we instruct them to do that which is biblical, “Go and talk directly to your brother or sister.” Doing so honors that person and it honors our Lord and His church, like so many parts of a watch working together, keeping perfect time. Be a person who’s known for harmony.

 

Now with all this talk about unity among Christians it’s important to pause for a moment in order to clarify a common misunderstanding. Paul is writing to a local church, a local fellowship, or local assembly of believers. When we read of the church in the New Testament this is the word’s primary meaning: a local fellowship. Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, a local body of believers gathering together for worship.

 

This is important because sometimes someone will look at all the churches in a city such as Henderson and say, “Well, if we’re all supposed to be united, then why are there so many churches?” And a thoughtful response is to explain that the existence of “so many churches” does not necessarily mean division.

 

To be sure, some churches don’t consider the Scriptures to be divinely inspired as do we and so we are going to be at odds. Or to differ on a major doctrine such as the theology of salvation by grace alone will mean we are going to be at odds with those who disagree.

 

But in many cases churches differ over secondary matters, theological nuances, or even preferences, a style of worship, a kind of preaching, music, dress, and so forth. So it may be better to credit the providence of God in providing so many different churches for so many different people.

 

Did you hear about the two guys who met each other on a plane? The one guy sees the other reading from his Bible. He asks, “Hey, are you a Christian?”

The guy says, “Yes, I am.”

“Wonderful,” says the other, “Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox?”
The guy says, “Protestant.”

The other says, “Outstanding! I’m a Protestant, too!” He asks, “Are you Reformed in your theology or are you Arminian?”

The guy answers, “Reformed.”

“Fantastic,” says the other, “So am I.” He asks, “If you don’t mind my asking, are you a Reformed Baptist, or Reformed Presbyterian…”

The guy replies, “I’m a Reformed Baptist.”
“What a coincidence,” the other says, “So am I!” He then asks, “Are you a Northern Reformed Baptist or a Southern Reformed Baptist?”

The guy says, “By heritage and choice I am a Northern Reformed Baptist.”
The other guy says, “Me, too!” Then he asks, “Are you a Northern Regular Reformed Baptist or a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist?”

The guy says, “I’m a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist.”

The other guy says, “This is truly astounding. There are only 200 of us in the entire world—and two of us happened to meet on this plane! Tell me, he asks, “Would you happen to be a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist Convention of 1844 or a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist Convention of 1868?”

The guy says, “I am a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist Convention of 1844.”

The other guy says, “This is a miracle!” He ask, “Are you a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist Convention of 1844 King James Version or a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist Convention of 1844 New International Version?”

The guy answers, “I am a Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist of 1844 New International Version.”

And with that the other guy turns away in a huff and says to himself, “I’m not talking any longer to this heretic!”

 

Well, we’ll talk more about this Wednesday, those of you in the Bible Doctrine class, as we’re reading this very week about how we can recognize a true church. But again, Paul is addressing a local church, he is calling for unity of the membership in a local congregation. The application, then, is that all of Henderson’s First Baptist Church is to be united. Each of us is to be a person who’s known for harmony. That’s number one. The second thing we’re to do is:

 

  1. Seek to Grow in Christian Maturity (11-16)

 

Look at verse 11:

 

11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

 

Paul had either received a letter or a visit–or both–from some people identified as “those of Chloe’s household.” These are folks who were from the family of Chloe. That they were members of the church at Corinth is almost certain because of the way Paul refers to them as though everyone knew who they were. And so these folks get word to Paul: “Paul, there are contentions among the church you started there in Corinth! You’ve got to do something, come visit us right now or, at the very least, write a letter.” And so Paul is writing this letter in response to the chaos at Corinth.

 

Now verse 11 mentions “contentions” among the congregation. What exactly are these contentions or divisions? Verse 12:

 

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

 

The church had become cliquish. They had divided up into groups. They were splitting into groups based upon the teacher with whom they most identified. Some said, “Well, I’m a follower of Paul. In fact, he baptized me!” Others said, “I identify most with Apollos, the great orator mighty in the Scriptures!” Some said, “I am of Cephas,” which is the Aramaic equivalent of the Greek name Peter. And still others were like, “Oh Yeah? Well I am of Christ!”

 

Like children arguing over who’s got the most of something. One kid says, “I’ve got a hundred of those.” The other says, “I’ve got a thousand.” The other, “I’ve got a million.” Then the other kid says, “Well, I’ve got infinity!” It’s like the trump card. And so some say, “Well I am of Christ!!”

 

So Paul asks these three rhetorical questions in verse 13:

 

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

 

Has Jesus Christ been apportioned out, broken up into pieces and distributed among you the people? Answer: No. Was Paul crucified for you? Answer: No. Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Answer: No.

 

The point is: No single group has a monopoly on Christ. Our unity is in Jesus. He is the object of our focus. And when we move our eyes off Christ it leads to factions and divisions.

 

Maybe you heard about the small country church where the congregation met to discuss the merits of buying a brand new chandelier. There was some discussion back and forth and then an old farmer stood up and said, “I don’t think we need to buy a chandelier. First, a chandelier is too expensive, and secondly no one here knows how to play one.” Well, that church had other problems!

 

Adrian Rogers once said, “Get everybody to love Jesus and you’ve got a wonderful church. They don’t have to agree on anything else.”

 

Paul has just asked, “Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Did I baptize you?” Verse 14 and following:

 

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

 

And then, verse 16, Paul says:

 

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

 

We can just picture Paul, can’t we? Remember from verse 1 that Sosthenes is probably the one who is transcribing this letter for Paul. Paul is pacing back and forth. He’s like, “Were any of you baptized in my name?! I thank God that I baptized none of–except Crispus and Gaius, lest any of you should say I went around baptizing in my own name,” and then Sosthenes interrupts Paul: “Paul, what about the family of Stephanas?” And Paul says, “Ah, yes. I also baptized the household of Stephanas,” and Sosthenes nods and writes that down.

 

When we opened last Sunday evening’s service with the ordinance of baptism we noted that being baptized in the name of another is equivalent to signing over the rights of our lives to that person. So to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is to turn over our rights to God.

 

We’re not to identify with the one baptizing us. We don’t turn over our rights to the pastor or some other preacher. And yet some people boast about the one who baptized them as though it made their baptism more significant than another’s. You know, “I was baptized by Billy Graham!” That’s why Paul concludes chapter 1 by writing, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31).”

 

We sang it earlier:

 

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most

I sacrifice them to his blood.

 

Christ is the focus. To boast in man who is in need of a Savior as much as any other man is to forget why Christ was crucified–to take care of the penalty we deserve for boasting! And to take care of the penalty we deserve for all other sin, too.

 

We identify with Christ when we are baptized. Jesus Christ is Lord over every aspect of our lives. That’s why we worship, that’s why we tithe, that’s why we seek Him in all things because He owns us now. He rules us. We have completely yielded our rights to our Sovereign King: “Dying to the old way of life, and raised to walk in a new way of life, following King Jesus.”

 

Incidentally Paul assumes church members at Corinth have been baptized and that’s why he refers to it. He assumes every church member is baptized. The idea of being a Christian without being baptized is not taught in the New Testament.

 

Now, we’re talking about growing in Christian maturity. Paul is accusing the church of being spiritually immature with all their talk about following this person or that person. We know that because of what we read in Chapter 3. You may just turn a page over and read Chapter 3:1-4:

 

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;

3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

 

The word, “Carnal,” there is a derogatory term that means to behave like people of the world, people without Christ, people who are spiritually immature.

 

Paul is like, “You guys are behaving as if you don’t have the Holy Spirit within you. You are behaving like children. Your full of envy, strife, and division. You cry out like babies in the church. Grow up!” Seek to grow in Christian maturity. And the way to grow in Christian maturity is to keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Anytime we engage in divisive talk or backbiting or slander and gossip, we have taken our eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ. The moment we engage in unhealthy conversation we have stopped loving the Lord Jesus and we’ve lost our focus. Our unity is in Christ. He is the object of our focus. When we take our eyes off Christ it leads to factions and divisions.

 

Our role in unity: 1) Be a Person Who’s Known for Harmony, 2) Seek to Grow in Christian Maturity. Number 3:

 

  1. Give the Cross its Rightful Priority (17)

 

Paul says in verse 17:

 

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

 

Paul says, “My priority is not to baptize. My priority is to preach the Gospel!” The Gospel is not one of many things. It is THE thing!

 

I said last week that verse 17 is a transitional verse, like a hinge swinging in two directions: pointing both backward and forward. It points back to sum up Paul’s discussion about keeping the focus on Christ and it points forward by introducing a section that reminds us that power in preaching and teaching is not found in a man, but in the Lord; not found in the messenger, but in the message–the message of the Gospel. We’ll talk more about that next time.

 

Your role in unity, my role in unity: 1) Be a Person Who’s Known for Harmony. 2) Seek to Grow in Christian Maturity, and 3) Give the Cross its Rightful Priority.

 

Conclusion:

 

A great way to conclude our time together this morning is by reading our Church Covenant. Every Christian who joins this church family covenants together with brothers and sisters, covenanting together to live for Christ. This covenant is taught in our new member class and it helps members understand their role in the church.

 

The church covenant is a loving expression of unity in the church. Remember: “Growing churches love, and loving churches grow.” So let’s review this covenant. I’ll read it aloud and ask you to follow along and them we’ll conclude our time together in prayer.

 

Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

 

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and peace; to promote its spirituality and fruitfulness; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, and the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior throughout the world.

 

We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from all drugs, food, drink, and practices which bring harm to the body or jeopardize our own or another’s faith.

 

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

 

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church of like faith and doctrine where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

 

  • Stand for prayer.

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