Transcript

A Fool For Christ

1 Corinthians 4:6-13
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Pastor Randy Smith

---

Now I saw in my dream that, just as they had ended their conversation, they approached a miry Slough (a muddy swamp) in the plain. Neither of them paid attention to it, and both suddenly fell into the bog. The Slough's name was Despond. Covered with mud, they wallowed in it for some time. And Christian, because of the Burden on his back, began to sink in the mire.

"Oh, Christian, my neighbor!" Pliable cried out. "Where are you now?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Christian answered.

Hearing this, Pliable became offended and angrily scolded his companion. "Is this the happiness you have told me about all this time? If we have such terrible misfortune here at the beginning, what are we to expect between here and the end of our journey? If I can possibly get out of here with my life, you can possess that wonderful Country for you and me both!"

With that, Pliable gave a desperate struggle or two and was able to get out of the mire on the side of the Slough that faced his home. So away he went, and Christian never saw him again.

- John Bunyan, Pilgrims Progress

For those of us who have walked with the Lord, we know the difficulties of the Christian life all too well. But there is a sect gaining tremendous popularity in the circles of Christendom. Commonly known as Word Faith Movement or by the slang jargon, "Name It and Claim It" or "Believe It and Receive It," they stake their faith on the primary belief that God wants all of His children to healthy, wealthy and prosperous. God is reduced to nothing more that a genie in the bottle, awaiting the beck and call of humanity. Instead of God using the believer to accomplish His purposes (as we have been learning), the believer is put in the position of using God. Their theology therefore permits a god who can be coerced, controlled and exploited for the human's own ends. They believe God's whole purpose for existence is to fulfill one's fleshly desires to a greater degree than one could have them fulfilled before. Therefore, one's status regarding health, wealth and prosperity indicates the strength of one's relationship with the Lord.

Now is this belief according to the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God?

Countless have been deceived. As you heard in the allegory I read earlier, many enter the Christian life expecting it to satisfy their worldly appetite. "Once I become a Christian all my problems will disappear. I'll have perfect health. I'll have enough money to satisfy my greedy lusts. I will be well liked and esteemed by all people."

Is it any surprise that so many are flocking to the prosperity movement that boldly claims to meet this mindset? The system caters to worldly ambition. The system is glorified secularism wrapped in a thin veneer of religion. And the system is contrary to the ways of God.

The King of creation will not allow Himself to be manipulated by His creatures. Furthermore, He knows the satisfaction we seek is not found in having more of what the world craves. God saved us to deliver us from worldly desires and meet the deepest needs of our soul.

We find joy not when God makes a big deal about us, but rather when He allows us to make a big deal about Him. We find peace not when we have better health or a faster car, but rather when our heart is right with its Creator. We find love not when we have everything we want in the world, but rather when the deepest desires of our heart are met in Christ. We find success not when we are popular, but rather when we are pleasing in God's sight. And we find meaning not when we become more like the world, but rather when we become more like Jesus Christ.

Far from our problems ceasing, committed discipleship calls us to walk the narrow path often lined with sorrow, self-denial and trials. Satan, our former father, is forever seeking to bring us down. The flesh is working in overdrive. And the watching world thinks we are out of our mind since our actions and attitudes are completely contrary to their beliefs. Is it any wonder Paul could say in verse 10 of chapter 4, "We are fools for Christ's sake." Are you a fool for Christ?

The worldly gospel screams health, wealth and prosperity. Though this gospel is currently sweeping our world, such beliefs are nothing new. Satan may be repackaging his deception according to different terminology, but his tactics have been consistent. We must not be ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). Two thousand years ago the Corinthian church fell for the prosperity gospel hook, line and sinker.

For the past few weeks we have been contrasting the ways of the world with the ways of God. This morning we'll see the contrast between the prosperity gospel and the true gospel of Jesus Christ. One is accepted by the world and one is rejected by the world as foolish. In the eyes of the world, are you like the Apostle Paul, a fool for Christ? Let's find out!

1. FOOLS PURSUE HUMILITY

First, Christ's fools pursue humility. Look with me at verses 6-10. "Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor."

The patience that Paul had with this church is absolutely remarkable! He risked his life more than once to get them the gospel. He labored with them in intensive ministry. And nothing would have brought him more joy than to see the church grow in their walk with the Lord. Instead, he painfully needed to call them "infants in Christ" (3:1). Contrary to holiness, they had problems with disunity, sexual immorality, divorce, lawsuits and a host of doctrinal error. And then to top it off, they boasted in their spiritual elitism and even had the audacity to believe they were further along than Paul.

It is time once again for the patient pastor to correct his flock. You can see in the beginning of verse 6 that he addresses them as "brethren." That is a tender word. Paul wants them to know that his upcoming exhortations spring from a loving and concerned heart. He also wants them to know as he says in verse 6 that he has applied to himself, as a good shepherd always does, the expectations that he has for the church. He ultimately wants them to know that the pathway of discipleship is one of humility - possibly the greatest indication of a Christian.

If all the sins of the Corinthian church could be boiled into one, it would be the opposite of humility - it would be pride! Therefore, Paul goes right for the jugular. You can see at the end of verse 6 he identifies the root of their problem (if you are using a NIV version) as "pride." NAS uses the word "arrogant." And the KJV goes with the literal translation, "puffed up." The Corinthian church acted no different than the world. They had an inflated view of themselves. They had a "what's in it for me attitude." Is it any wonder that this church was in shambles?

Our Lord hates pride because it turns the Greatest Commandments to love Him and others above ourselves, upside-down. Pride always puts self above others. So in a rhetorical fashion Paul asks in verse 7, "For who regards you as superior?" How's that for a humbling slap in the face? Based on that comment, they could conclude that neither God nor the Apostles thought they were superior. Therefore if they thought they were so great, it's a delusion they created in their own misguided imagination.

Lest they disagree with Paul, the Apostle continues. "What do you have that you did not receive" (4:7)? I can imagine Paul saying, "Who gave you the sunshine to grow your crops or the brain to make decisions or the mouth to make such outlandish boasts? Furthermore, who created you and chose you and redeemed you and blessed you with spiritual gifts and appointed you to service in the church? Corinthians, everything you have is a gift from God" (Jas. 1:17)!

Therefore (the end of verse 7), "If you did receive (everything you have as a gift), why do you boast as if you had not received it?" In other words, "If everything you have has been ultimately given to you as a gift from God, what room do you have for boasting in yourselves? Should not all boasting (as it says in 1:31) be directed to God? How can any of us be prideful? Does not God's providential and redemptive care logically teach us that we should be humble people?"

Paul gives the church little time for thought before he sarcastically jabs them in verse 8. "You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you."

Can you see already how much the Corinthian church had bought into the prosperity gospel? Or if I can put it another way, can you see how the Corinthian church was dishonoring God and acting just like the world? Should we not expect a radical difference between the Christian and the world? In verse 9 Paul presents the way of the Apostles or we could say the way of a Christian. Notice the contrast between the prosperity gospel and the true gospel. Let's remember they were "filled" and "rich" and reigning like "kings."

"For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men" (1 Cor. 4:9).

Though verse 9 is not a pleasant picture to our minds, there are some key words and phrases in this verse that would have painted an even more graphic picture in the minds of Paul's original audience. The NIV translation captures the terminology well - "on display at the end of the procession" and "men condemned to die in the arena" and "a spectacle to the whole universe." Keep those words in mind.

At the time of the New Testament, Rome was the military powerhouse. Wars between rival nations were common. Quite often Rome would win and quite often they would celebrate their victories in traditional fashion.

A triumphal procession was formed as the victorious army returned to their motherland. First would come the heroic general on his chariot pulled by white horses. Following him were his leading officers and the remaining men in his army. Then would often come the treasures they plundered from their defeated enemy. Finally bringing up the rear were the prisoners of war, bonded together by chains and subjected to humility for all to mock and ridicule. These prisoners were under the sentence of death because soon the grand finale came as these prisoners were marched into the arena to be torn apart by wild beasts.

Paul used this imagery to refer to Christians. Paul says we are the ones "on display at the end of the procession," the ones "condemned to die in the arena" and the ones made "a spectacle to the whole universe" (NIV). If there is a prosperity gospel as the Corinthians believed and so many believe today, something went terribly wrong for the Apostle Paul and every other Apostle that was martyred and even the Lord Jesus Himself.

And if this picture does not make the difference between the world's gospel and the true gospel clear enough, Paul spells out the contrast in verse 10. "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor."

Until I learned to trust,

I did not learn to pray,

And I did not learn to fully trust

Till sorrows came my way.

Until I felt my weakness,

His strength I never knew,

Nor dreamed till I was stricken

That He would see me through.

Who deepest drinks of sorrow

Drinks deepest too of grace,

He sends the storm so He himself,

Can be our hiding place.

His heart that seeks our highest good

Knows well when things annoy,

We would not long for heaven

If earth held only joy.

- Author unknown

The Christian life is not a fast track to glory, but a slow path that takes one through suffering. It is a life that is forever weaning us of pride, breaking us of self-reliance and self-sufficiency and self-love and producing within us a humble, sold out, dependence on God to meet our deepest needs. In his other Corinthian epistle Paul said, "Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead" (2 Cor. 1:9). Humility - foolishness in the eyes of the world, but precious in the sight of God.

2. FOOLS MAKE SACRIFICES

As we move to the second point, we have seen how the world looks down on our humility, and now we will see how the world looks down on our sacrifices. Beginning in verse 11, "To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands" (stop right there) (1 Cor. 4:11-12a; Rom. 8:35; 2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27; Phil. 4:12).

Both the Corinthian culture of yesteryear and the prosperity gospel of today say "steak and lobster" and Paul says, "hungry and thirsty." They say "Expensive suits" and Paul says, "Poorly clothed." They say, "Handled like kings" and Paul says, "Roughly treated." They say, "Living like royalty" and Paul says, "Homeless." They say, "Having servants do your work" and Paul says, "Working with our own hands."

Proponents of the prosperity gospel insist those who are most spiritual will be those most blessed with material possessions. Therefore it is not surprising that pastors of these churches will be seen living in the upper economic status of the church. Even last Sunday a new couple Julie and I had over after church told us that one of the primary reasons they left their old church was because they got tired of hearing the pastor bragging every Sunday about his new Armani suit. They call it prosperity theology. I call it fleecing the flock. They call it being blessed by God. Paul was a godly man, where were his blessings in verse 11?

Now we need to be careful at this point. While we do wish to condemn the prosperity theology, we do not wish to commend the poverty theology. With the exception of the rich young ruler whose money was his god, Jesus never commanded people to sell or give away all they have. While money should not be viewed as a right or a primary pursuit, it should also not be viewed as a curse or an insignificant commodity. We do not esteem the family who drives the most expensive car as the most godly (as prosperity theology does), any more than we esteem the family who drives the biggest beater as the most godly (as poverty theology does). So what do we believe in? We believe what the Scriptures teach - stewardship theology.

As we have learned the past few weeks, God entrusts all of us with His money to be used for His kingdom. The more sacrifices we make, the more we will enjoy greater rewards at the Bema Seat Judgment (1 Cor. 3:14) and treasures in heaven (Mt. 6:20). I intentionally use the word "sacrifice" and not "amount." For some, giving 10% to the Lord's work is spare change. While others like the widow who dropped in "two small copper coins, which amount(ed) to a cent" (Mk. 12:42)" receive great praise from our Lord. Jesus said, "This poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury" (Mk. 12:43). Since so much of giving is unknown to others and so much of giving involves personal motive, we are called leave all judgment to the Lord (1 Cor. 4:5a). And judge each of us He will. We are all His stewards and He will call us one day to account as to how we used what belongs to Him. Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."

All this to say, our thinking toward material possessions should be different than the world. Money is not our god, on the contrary we give it away to prove to ourselves that it is not our god. Our happiness does not come in accumulating more things. That is how the world thinks. Our happiness comes in using our money to make others happy in Christ. That is why we are so committed to missions. Our pursuits should be different than the world as Jesus spilled His blood to deliver us from greed, coveting, selfishness, worldliness and possibly the number one American sin - Materialism.

Here is the big question: If the world caught wind of the sacrifices you are making for Christ would they deem you foolish? What have you gone without so that others might have? Do you believe your lifestyle needs to be reflective of your income? Jesus didn't. The Scriptures say, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).

And it is more than just money. What sacrifices are you making that would be deemed foolish in the eyes of the world? Who are you having over to your house? Who are you associating with? Who are you not ashamed to call your friend? Jesus was called a "friend of sinners" (Mt. 11:19). How are you serving others? The world has no problem coming to church on Sunday mornings. What would they say about those who faithfully come out to pray on Wednesday evenings or the teens that raked stones for three hours in the church parking lot on a beautiful afternoon or the 25 men who attended Saturday mornings to learn how to be godly? Would the world consider the sacrifices you make for Christ, foolish?

3. FOOLS ENDURE PERSECUTION

The world looks down on our humility. The world looks down on our sacrifices. Finally, and this one goes without saying, the world looks down on our persecution. Beginning half way through verse 12, "When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now" (1 Cor. 1:12-13).

The thrust of this sermon is a call to live contrary to the ways of the world. In doing so the world will think us foolish. And in doing so we must expect to be persecuted by the world. Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you" (Jn. 15:19).

We should not be surprised when we are persecuted as Christians. In 2 Timothy Paul said, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12). We will be persecuted for acting contrary to the world, but when we are persecuted, we must not act like the world.

As it says beginning in verse 12, when "we are reviled," we don't retaliate, "we bless." Jesus said, "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Lk. 6:28). When "we are persecuted" we don't give up, "we endure." Jesus said, "You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved" (Mk. 13:13). And when "we are slandered" we don't separate, "we try to conciliate." Jesus said, "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Mt. 5:39).

Based upon this sermon, I think we would all agree that Paul's conclusion in verse 13 is fitting. "We have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now" (1 Cor. 4:13b). If I remember correctly, it seems that this is also how the world viewed Jesus. Someone once said, "In an upside-down world the truly first or wise are treated like the last or like fools" (Witherington, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 143). Jesus was foolish in the eyes of the world. Would we call Jesus foolish? Jesus said we should follow His example.

How does our lifestyle match up? Do you feel a little uncomfortable? I did when I finished this message. While making every attempt to expose the errors of prosperity theology, I painfully saw much of their beliefs fused into my life. Has possibly a little too much worldliness crept into your Christian life under the radar? Are we more like the world or are we more like Jesus?

Jesus, I my cross have taken,

All to leave, and follow Thee;

Destitute, despised, forsaken,

Thou from hence my all shalt be;

Perish every fond ambition,

All I've sought or hoped or known;

Yet how rich is my condition:

God and heaven are still my own.

- Henry F. Lyte

Gut check - are we following Christ or are we following the world? In this message Paul is basically saying, "Be like Jesus!" And when we do so, we will be considered fools in the eyes of the world based up our humility, our sacrifices and the way we endure persecution.

The martyred missionary, Jim Elliot, once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." The prosperity gospel promises glorified worldliness. The Corinthians fell for it as do countless today. However, Jesus promises true satisfaction and eternal life for those who live the crucified life - For those who rejoice in being "Fools for Christ's sake" (1 Cor. 4:10a).