A Great Christian
Speaker: Adam Johnson
Date: 23rd November 2025
Passage: 1 Corinthians 4:1-21
00:00:00 --> 00:00:09 Thank you for having me here this morning as I interrupt your sermon series on the book of Esther and speak to you from 1 Corinthians chapter 4.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:13 ! Again, a pleasure. Let me pray and then we'll get on the way.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:13 !
00:00:30 --> 00:00:50 Well, when the movie Quantum of Solace came out in 2008, I was 21 years old and I saw it with my friends in the city because I am a huge 007 fan.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 I thought, particularly Daniel Craig, was a really good James Bond.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:00 I loved the way he acted, how he talked, his walk, how sort of confident he was.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:11 And you may be familiar, if you are somewhat a fan of James Bond, that there's this phrase that people often use, that men want to be him, women want to be with him.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:16 I can certainly attest to the beginning of that phrase, I wanted to be James Bond.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:24 And so after seeing the movie, I walked out of the theatre a little bit straighter, a little bit more confident in my stride.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 I could hear the theme song in the back of my head.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 I was trying to even talk like him.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 And that's what we do, right?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 Humans, we're impressionable.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 We're social.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:37 We find people that we admire.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 We try to act like them.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:49 That's why people like celebrities get paid thousands of dollars to wear certain clothes so that their fans will wear what they're wearing.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:58 That's why athletes have companies pay top dollar to put KFC on the back of their jerseys as if the athletes ever eat KFC to begin with.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:10 That's why companies pay top dollar, because we look up to the influential, to the rich, the powerful, and we seek to base our lives off them.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:16 The only thing that's changed over the years is what it is that we think makes somebody great.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:27 See, we think these days that it's fancy clothes, influence, or as the kids at Chatswood High School call it, aura is what makes people important.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:39 Now, in the first century, in Greco-Roman culture, of which the Church of Corinth was living in, it was rhetorical ability that made somebody popular.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:45 Rhetorical ability, or basically the ability to speak well, to make an argument.
00:02:45 --> 00:03:06 The modern version would be the tick-tock philosopher, who lands one-liners, who completely shuts down arguments, who makes people who don't agree with them look like morons as they own or destroy their opponents with their clever logic and argument.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:12 You see, that's what the first century Greco-Roman culture thought made someone great.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:17 And that's what the first century church in Corinth was trying to be like.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 That's what they were looking for.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 But here's the issue.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:30 Because that kind of greatness, it's not what greatness looks like in the kingdom of God.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:39 And so the Apostle Paul writes his letter to the church in Corinth, which has gone off track in many ways
00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 to remind them of what greatness in the kingdom of God looks like.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 He's reminding them of a lot of things, as you read throughout the letter.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 But in chapter 4, he's thinking about greatness.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:56 Paul wants the Corinthians to imitate Christian greatness.
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 Not worldly greatness.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 But Christian greatness.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:05 And so as we look at 1 Corinthians 4, we see Paul talk about this.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:15 He'll identify for us what a great Christian is, what a great Christian looks like, and what to do with a great Christian.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:23 But first, let's start with verse 1, where Paul talks about what a great Christian is.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:32 So verse 1, this then is how you ought to regard us, as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:37 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 So who is Paul talking about here?
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 Well, he's actually talking about himself and some of his co-workers.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 You see, Paul established the Corinthian church some time ago.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:55 And one of his co-workers, a gentleman by the name of Apollos, had worked with the Corinthians also.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 He'd helped them to grow in Jesus.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:06 But before Paul wrote this letter, the Corinthians had been dividing themselves into groups, into factions.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 See, they saw men like Paul and Apollos.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 They recognized greatness in them, or Christian greatness anyway.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 They wanted to be like them.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:21 But rather than doing it together, they were starting to follow one over the other and separating into groups.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 They were saying that one leader was better than the other.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:30 Now in the previous chapter, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul addresses this, saying,
00:05:31 --> 00:05:32 You are still worldly.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly?
00:05:38 --> 00:05:39 Are you not acting like mere humans?
00:05:39 --> 00:05:46 For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not mere human beings?
00:05:48 --> 00:05:54 And so to set the record straight, Paul identifies what he and Apollos actually are.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:55 Servants.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 Servants of Christ.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 And this, Paul says, is what a great Christian is.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 A servant of Christ.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 But Paul doesn't mean slave.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:15 In other parts of the Bible, Paul will talk about being a slave for Christ.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 But here he has more in mind a steward.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 Think the executor of a will.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:22 A butler.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 A house manager.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 Something along those lines.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:33 Which is why he says that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:41 You see, in the ancient world, this likely meant sealed contracts or owes, and it certainly meant proven service.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:49 For example, a servant who looks after the master's coin purse and at the end of the day returns it with not a single coin missing.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 You know, they're not skimming any off the top.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:57 But this is what Paul wants the Corinthians to think a great Christian looks like.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:04 Not a great orator, but a humble servant who can be trusted.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 It's not glamorous.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 It's not exciting.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 But it is steady.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:12 And reliable.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 And faithful especially to Jesus.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:23 A great Christian is a servant of Christ.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:32 And what the Corinthians and we should look for is somebody who lives their life according to the Bible's teaching.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Who submits their life to the Bible's teaching.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:42 But Paul expands on what a great Christian is by using himself as an example.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:48 Saying that a great Christian is primarily concerned with getting praise from God.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 And no one else.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 Not from men.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 This is what he starts talking about in verse 3.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:58 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 Indeed, I do not even judge myself.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 My conscience is clear.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 But that does not make me innocent.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 It is the Lord who judges me.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 Now, it may look arrogant at first.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 You know, Paul saying, I care very little if I am judged by you.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 But Paul's not being arrogant.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 He's actually being quite humble.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 Because he knows that he serves Christ.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 He's proud of serving Christ.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 But he serves Christ with humility.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:32 He's saying that his primary audience in how he lives his life is God.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:37 The only person he really cares about getting praise from is God.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 And this is the mark of a truly good servant.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:45 A servant who is concerned with praise from the master.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:49 Paul knows his master.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:49 His master.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 His master is Jesus.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 And he knows that Jesus is the Lord.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:04 And Paul is concerned completely and confident completely in serving Jesus.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:08 Because he knows that to do so means that he truly serves God.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 And that's what a great Christian does.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:16 They don't chase after greatness the way the Corinthians are.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:21 Looking for those who can destroy their opponents in arguments or who look flashy or anything like that.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:29 No, instead, the Christian gives up any notion of greatness for themselves.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:35 And instead, seeks to serve Jesus.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:45 And while sometimes it might be hard for us to figure out what somebody's true motives are as they are serving Christ,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 for Jesus himself, it is clear as day.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 It is obvious.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 Have a look at verse 5.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 Wait until the Lord comes.
00:09:56 --> 00:10:01 He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:05 And so make no mistake, brothers and sisters and friends.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 Our hearts are an open book to God.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 They are completely clear as day.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:19 See, what we work so hard to conceal is evidently obvious to him.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:26 This ought to both make us nervous, but also encourage us.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 It ought to be deeply encouraging.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:32 You see, if we are seeking the admiration of others, he can tell.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:39 If we are seeking to just be nice people, to be basically good, he can tell.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:49 But if we are seeking true greatness, to serve him and him only, he can tell.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 And that is a good thing.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:58 You see, the Lord Jesus said to his disciples when he was on earth with them,
00:10:59 --> 00:11:03 as his disciples were arguing amongst each other, which one of them is the greatest,
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 the Lord Jesus said to them that,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 it is the one who is the least among you all who is the greatest.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:14 And as our passage says, our praise comes from God.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 He rewards service.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 And so what has Paul pointed out to us?
00:11:23 --> 00:11:28 A great Christian is not flashy, necessarily, or even necessarily a great speaker.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 Somebody that the world would call influential.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 A great Christian is a servant.
00:11:33 --> 00:12:03 A great Christian is a servant.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 A great Christian is a servant.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:10 In the 2024 Paris Olympics, apologies here, I'm probably going to mispronounce his name,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:17 but Pan Zhang Lei from China set the record for the 100-meter freestyle swimming.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 And it is an incredible time that he achieved.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:26 It's stunning what he managed to do.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:31 He managed to do the 100-meter freestyle in 46.40 seconds.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 That is very fast.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Truly incredible.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:43 He is, at the moment, the man with the fastest swimming record in the world for the 100-meter freestyle.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:52 But there is another record holder in the 100-meter freestyle, which I think is marvellous.
00:12:52 --> 00:13:01 In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Eric Musumbini also set a record for the 100-meter freestyle.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:09 He became the fastest Equatorial Guinean to a country in Africa to complete the 100-meter freestyle in,
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 get this, one minute, 52 seconds, 72.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:18 Just to put that in perspective, Pan Zhang Lei, 46 seconds.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 Eric, one minute, 52 seconds.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:28 A time which did not permit Eric to advance into the next round.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 But here's the thing.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:36 When he did that, Eric became the fastest Equatorial Guinean to finish the 100-meter race
00:13:36 --> 00:13:42 because he became the only Equatorial Guinean to finish the 100-meter freestyle.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:47 His country didn't even have a 100-meter pool for him to practice in.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:54 He had to practice every morning between the hours, I think, of 7 and 8 in a hotel 12-meter pool
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 to get ready for the race.
00:13:56 --> 00:14:00 And he only started eight months before the Olympics even began.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:09 But when his race started, his competitors were all immediately disqualified for starting too early,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 which meant that he was the only competitor in his race.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:20 And he won in that wonderfully slow time.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 You can YouTube this race as well.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 I did it in preparation for this sermon, and it is a bizarre race.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 In fact, I remember seeing it when it happened live.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:33 It is truly bizarre because he's in the pool by himself, floundering.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 He's barely making it.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 So much so that the commentators start wondering, you know,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 is he actually going to manage to finish this race?
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 But he perseveres.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:49 Which is what Paul says a great Christian can look like.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:56 And so while the Corinthians are looking for greatness, Paul offers a lesson in humility.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 Second half of verse 6.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:21 You see, by arguing amongst themselves which teacher is the greatest and who is the greatest person to follow,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:25 the Corinthians are not treating each other in a loving way at all.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 They're not caring about each other.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 They're trying to be better than each other.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:33 They're trying to be puffed up, as Paul says.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 They're acting in a way that's puffed up.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:44 Now, Paul is going to argue later throughout 1 Corinthians that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 And so to help the Corinthians remember to love each other,
00:15:47 --> 00:15:53 he reminds them quite forcefully, actually, of who they are.
00:15:53 --> 00:16:02 He reminds them of who they are and how they came to become Christians in the first place.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 And he does this through rhetorical questions.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:10 He asks them, what do you have that you did not receive?
00:16:11 --> 00:16:15 Why do you boast as though you did not receive it?
00:16:15 --> 00:16:22 And here we ought to pause and remember how it is that we became Christians as well.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:27 See, Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 22.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:55 You see, we became Christians by believing in a crucified and risen Jesus,
00:16:55 --> 00:17:04 a truly ridiculous notion, both in the ancient world and in our world today.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:08 The very idea that God would take on human form,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:14 that he would come to earth, go to the cross and die,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:20 a most shameful and humiliating death, is ridiculous.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:24 It's ridiculous, especially when you note that he does it in the place of his people,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 the very people who offended him.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 It's a ridiculous notion when you think about it.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:37 It is so antithetical to everything that our world considers to be great,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 a God shamefully displayed on a cross,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:45 as opposed to mightily reigning and sweeping his enemies aside,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 you know, the people who have offended him.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:54 That the only way we could ever truly believe this
00:17:54 --> 00:17:59 is, as Paul argues in his letter,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 if we were given God's help to believe it,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 by the Holy Spirit.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:12 You see, by his Spirit, God ensures that when we hear this good news
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 of a crucified and risen Jesus,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:20 that we, his people, will respond in faith.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:27 We can only ever truly come to faith in Jesus if God helps us.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 No amount of clever arguments,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 no amount of owning your opponent in arguments,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 or miracles even,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 will ever truly convince us.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 Only a supernatural work of God,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 performed by his Spirit,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:48 will open our ears and our hearts to his message.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 You see, to the world, Jesus looks foolish.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:55 To those who have God's Spirit,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 he is the power of God.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 God's Spirit,
00:18:57 --> 00:19:02 which is why Paul calls out the Corinthians,
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 saying,
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 you were not clever enough to work this out,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 to work out this truth.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 God gave it to you,
00:19:11 --> 00:19:14 as he has given it to us.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 But of course,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 the Corinthians are falling away from that idea,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:25 believing that greatness looks like worldly influence and power.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 That's where they're going.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 They think that they are ruling,
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 that they have everything,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 that they are being wise.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:43 Which is why Paul then brings up his lived experience as an apostle.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 Verse 9.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 at the end of the procession,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 like those condemned to die in the arena.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:57 We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 to angels as well as to human beings.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 A spectacle in a bad way,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 like a car crash,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 you know,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:07 where everybody slows down to have a look at the carnage.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 The Corinthians are looking for worldly greatness.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:20 Paul says he feels more like a slave in a gladiatorial arena,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 being let out in chains,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:29 with the whole world watching him about to die.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 That's his lived experience.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 In terms of athletics,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39 he's saying he looks and feels more like Eric,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 struggling to complete the 100-meter freestyle race.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:48 True Christianity looks to this world pathetic.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:53 As Paul points out in verses 12 and 13,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 when we are cursed, we bless.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 When we are persecuted, we endure.
00:20:58 --> 00:21:01 When we are slandered, we answer kindly.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05 We do not seek fame or fortune,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 what the world values, status and wealth,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:11 and so we must look so foolish.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 But it is not shameful.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 It is glorious.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:22 Because to live the Christian life like this,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 believing in the gospel,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:28 even when the world hurls every insult that it has at us,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 is to live like Jesus.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:37 We are shamed for believing what others might call a fairy tale,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:41 just as how our own Lord was shamed
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 when he was displayed on a criminal's cross,
00:21:44 --> 00:21:48 as he suffered death and died.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:52 But God did not abandon Jesus to death.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 Three days later, he rose again.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 His tomb is empty.
00:21:58 --> 00:22:04 And now, even if it looks foolish,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:08 the only possible answer that we have,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 the only possible thing that we can do,
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 the only course of action we have,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 is to believe in him,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 to trust him,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 to cling to Christ.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:21 And that's what great Christianity looks like,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 clinging to Christ.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:27 Someone who clings to him to the very end,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 even in the face of ridicule,
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 suffering, persecution.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:35 See, our hope is not to win this world's admiration.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 When Eric swam in the 2000 Olympics,
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 he was clearly struggling,
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 clearly struggling at the end there,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 but he pushed through,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 and he climbed out of that pool to a standing ovation.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:54 Our hope is to reach the end,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 to hear Jesus say,
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 well done,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 good and faithful servant.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 So if that's what great Christianity looks like,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 a great Christian looks like,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10 Paul is now going to tell us what we can do with one.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 Have a look at verse 14.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 I'm writing this not to shame you,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 but to warn you as my dear children.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:20 Even if you had 10 guardians in Christ,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 you do not have many fathers.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 For in Christ Jesus,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 I became your father through the gospel.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 And so,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 Paul now returns to
00:23:28 --> 00:23:31 very tender language with the Corinthians,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 very tender.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 It may seem strange for us to
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 hear Paul refer to himself
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 as the father of the Corinthians,
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 but what he means is that
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 the Corinthian church
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 first came into being
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 because he preached the gospel to them.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:49 He preached as a witness to Jesus to them.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 See, he's not claiming a divine right over them
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 or some sort of spiritual headship
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 or something like that.
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 Rather, he's simply saying
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 that he's their dad
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 because they came to believe in Jesus
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 after he told them about Jesus.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 That's why he's using the father language.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 Now, I'm a dad as well.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 As I mentioned before,
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 I've got two young sons,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 Mark and Paul.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 Neither of them are school-aged yet.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 And so, the other day,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:17 Mark had to stay home from daycare,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 had a doctor's appointment.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 But anyway,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 I took him shopping at Coles
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 after the appointment.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 I was really, really tired that day.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 And so,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 as I'm walking through,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 just picking up items
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 and listening to the music
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 as it's playing,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 the song Shake, Shake, Shake
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 by Casey and the Sunshine Band
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 came on.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 It's the one,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 if you've never heard it before,
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 it mentions,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 Shake your booty,
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 Shake your booty.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 Anyway,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 because I'm tired,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 I just start singing it
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 without thinking.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 And wouldn't you know it,
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 little Mark starts singing it
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 next to me as well
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 in the middle of the aisles.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 And so,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:57 as he started mimicking me,
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 I was reminded then and there
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 that, hang on a minute,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 my sons are learning to be men
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 by watching me.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 So I had to think,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 well,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 I need to be very careful
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 with my behaviour,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 but I also then found myself
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 in the unenviable position
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 of having to explain
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 to young Mark
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 exactly what a booty is.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 He found it hilarious,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 by the way.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 Anyway,
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 that's what Paul means
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 when he uses
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 the father language
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 with the Corinthians.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 He wants to remind them
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 that as a good son
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 learns their way of life
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 from their dad,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 they are to learn
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 their way of life
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 in Christ
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 with him.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 That's why he says
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 in verse 16,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 therefore I urge you
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 to imitate me.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 See,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 as their father,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 Paul wants the Corinthians
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 to imitate him
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 because he has
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 their best interest
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 in mind.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 He truly does.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 He's not trying
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 to win them over
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 as like some sort
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 of status symbol
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 for himself,
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 like a notch in the belt
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 saying,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 ah, look at this,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 I've got the Corinthians
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 to add to my collection.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 No,
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 to him,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 the Corinthians
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 are precious.
00:25:58 --> 00:26:01 He loves them dearly.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 They are a church
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 of people
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 that Jesus bled
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 and died for.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 They are precious
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 to him.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09 He desperately wants
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 them to follow Jesus.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 And so he says to them,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 follow me
00:26:12 --> 00:26:15 as I follow Jesus.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 I base my life
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 on him
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 and that's the key
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 for us.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 That's what we are
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 to do with the great Christian.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 We are to follow
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 the Christian
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 who follows Jesus.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 The one who says,
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 follow me
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 as I follow
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 him
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 who points us
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 to Jesus.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 If we do that,
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 in turn,
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 then we all grow together
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 to be more like Jesus
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 as we encourage
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 and serve
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 and love one another.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 You see,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 the Corinthians
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 had chosen poorly.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 They had chosen
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 to follow
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 worldly ideas
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 of greatness,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 the person
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 who can win
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 the arguments,
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 who can destroy
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 their opponent
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 with facts
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 and logic.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 and as a challenge
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 to them,
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 Paul himself
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 was now coming.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 In verse 19,
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 Paul announces
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 that he plans
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 to visit,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 not just
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 to see how fine
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 their arguments are,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 but also
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 what power
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 they have.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 As Paul says,
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 for the kingdom
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 of God
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 is not a matter
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 of talk,
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 but of power.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 The power
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 to change lives,
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 to turn people
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 back to God,
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 to have people
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 know,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 love,
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 and follow Jesus.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 On the one hand,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 we can choose,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 like the Corinthians,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 to follow
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 worldly ways
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 of thinking,
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 chasing worldly
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 influence,
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 or we can choose
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 to follow Jesus
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 the way
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 a great Christian
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 does,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 to see God's
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 power to change
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 lives in action,
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 to help people
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 believe in Jesus
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 to move
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 from death
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 to life.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 In our world
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 today,
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 messages
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 from Christianity
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 or about Christianity,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 I should say,
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 are more prolific
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 than ever.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 Anyone
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 with a phone
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 can put up
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 a ten-second
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 clip
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 of their argument
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 swaying
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 thousands,
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 if not millions,
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 of people
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 as they destroy
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 their opponents
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 in their arguments.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 they can sway
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 millions of people
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 to a certain
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 way of thinking.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 So who do you
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 listen to
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 to ensure
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 that you are
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 actually following
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 somebody
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 who says,
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 follow me
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 as I follow Jesus?
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 Who do you
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 listen to?
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 Well, look for
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 what Paul has
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 described in our
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 passage.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 For me,
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 that Christian
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 is a man
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 from my home
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 church.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 I won't
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 mention his
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 name
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 only because
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 he would
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 hate it
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 if I were
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 to call
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 him a
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 great
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 Christian.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 But to me,
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 in my mind,
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 in a strange
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 way,
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 that actually
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 makes him
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 more of a
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 great Christian
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 because he's
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 humble.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 But he is
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 the person
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 that I look
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 to
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 when I
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 think of
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 somebody
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 who is
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 a steward,
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 servant,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 someone who
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 understood
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 that telling
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 other people
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 about Jesus
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 was the
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 most important
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 thing in the
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 world,
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 but who would
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 actually live
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 out Jesus'
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 teaching in
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 his life.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 And so at
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 church,
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 whenever things
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 needed to be
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 set up,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 chairs needed
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 to be set up
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 for a meeting,
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 there he was
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 setting up
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 chairs.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Whenever tables
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 needed to come
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 out,
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 there he was
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 setting up
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 the tables.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:27 Whenever I
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 recognized that
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 I had made a
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 mistake,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 or even before
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 I had recognized
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 I had made a
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 mistake,
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 when I had
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 done something
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 which was not
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 in line with
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 the Bible's
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 teaching,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 there he was
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 to pull me
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 aside and say,
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 you need to
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 repent.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:40 you need to
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 turn to
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 Jesus.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 But even
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 in himself,
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 when he
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 recognized his
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 own sin,
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 would do the
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 same.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 I need to
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 repent and
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 turn to
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 Jesus.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 He would
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 say sorry.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 He would
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 turn to
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 Jesus for
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 help,
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 no matter
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 what he
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 had done.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 And this
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 reminded me
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 constantly,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 taught me so
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 much about
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 following Jesus.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 Jesus.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 Because this
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 man lived
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 his life,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 lives his
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 life,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 he's still
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 alive,
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 lives his
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 life to
00:30:12 --> 00:30:12 tell others
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 about Jesus,
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 but also
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 lives his
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 life to
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 serve others
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 and turns
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 to him
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 constantly
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 for forgiveness.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 He is a
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 great Christian,
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 retired now,
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 but still
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 lives his
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 life every
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 day saying,
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 follow me as
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 I follow
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 Jesus.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 And I
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 would much
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 more rather
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 look like that
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 man than
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 007 any
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 day.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:35 See,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 it's so
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 easy to
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 be swayed
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 by clever
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 arguments and
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 fine sounding
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 words,
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 by people who
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 sound like
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 they know
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 so much,
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 who have
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 all the
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 answers,
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 but that's
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 not the
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 mark of
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 a great
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 Christian.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 A great
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 Christian is
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 a servant
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 whose life
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 does not
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 necessarily
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 look glamorous,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 but it is
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 faithful to
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 Jesus,
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 who follows
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 Christ.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 Follow
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 them as
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 they follow
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 Christ.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 And together
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 we will
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 grow.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 We will
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 grow well
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 as
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 Christians.