Closing Words,Important Truths1 Corinthians 16:1-24

Adapted from a David Owens sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=127100

“Overcoming Obstacles That Obstruct Obedience”

1 Corinthians 16:1 ESV Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the

churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he

may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send

those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.

4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. 5 I will visit you after

passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that

you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you,

if the Lord permits.

8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10

When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he

may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come

now. He will come when he has opportunity. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like

men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love. 15 Now I urge you, brothers—you

know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have

devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to

every fellow worker and laborer.

17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have

made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give

recognition to such people. 19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the

brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let

him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

If you were Paul, how would you close this letter you had written to the Corinthian church?

As we have seen, it was a troubled and struggling church.

There were doctrinal problems and glaring moral failures.

And even though it appears that this was Paul’s second attempt to address the

problems via letter, there had been precious little – if any- evidence of progress.

Might you be tempted to close the letter with scolding and ringing threats?

Would you set a time limit for correction of the problems?

Or would you simply close on a note of terse formality and allow them to draw the

conclusion that you were growing impatient with their worldly attitudes and ungodly

behavior?

Well, regardless of how you or I might close such a letter, here is how Paul closed:

He encouraged them in a good work he knew they were helping with.

He expressed his desire to see them soon. And he sent warm greetings from his beloved

brethren. As we spend a few minutes with the final

chapter of this letter, I want us to step back and take in some of the lessons in basic discipleship that surface in this chapter.

Having just concluded an extended discussion of the resurrection, Paul makes an immediate transition to the subject of a collection for the

needy saints in Jerusalem.

Paul again used the same formula he has employed as he has addressed each of the questions the Corinthians had asked him.

Discipleship and Giving

The previous questions have been about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual

gifts, and the resurrection of the body.

Now he addresses their last question which has to do with a collection of funds for some

unfortunate brethren in Judea.

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints:

The book of Acts mentions a famine which came over the Roman Empire during the reign

of Claudius, A.D. 41-54

Acts 11:28 ESV And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that

there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).

The full force of the famine hit around A.D. 45, but it is apparent that some were still suffering

from its effects almost a decade later.

The instructions about to be given to the Corinthians were the same Paul had already

given to the churches of Galatia.

Over the centuries, the guidelines for this contribution have been taken as the basic

pattern for the way Christians should give to the work of the church both in times of crisis and for the routine accomplishments of the

church’s ongoing mission.

Before we look specifically at the instructions, let’s note a few things…

Did you notice that Paul did not hesitate to talk about money?

In fact, the Bible, from its earliest chapters all the way through, is quite specific about the

danger of money and the importance of putting God first in our use of it.

Certainly, religion and money are a dangerous mixture.

Nothing can be more negative in the exploitation of people than certain forms of

religious fundraising.

But at the same time, nothing can be more positive for our personal lives and positive in doing the work of God than financial giving.

Many or most preachers are scared or worried about bringing up the subject of money.

They fear that people will think they are just trying to raise the church budget or raise their

salaries.

The truth of the matter is that the Bible talks so much about it that it is hard to avoid the

subject.

And so, here we are, cruising through 1 Corinthians, and what do we run into?

Instructions about giving.

The cover of Time magazine some years ago (9/18/06), showed the front end of a Rolls-

Royce with a cross as its hood emblem and the bold words,

“DOES GOD WANT YOU TO BE RICH?”

The article said that some megachurches say “Yes.”

While others call it heresy.

It is true that some preachers make false promises in their efforts to raise funds – they

appeal to human greed – “Give so that you will get even more!”

Those kinds of methods and messages are sickening.

But there are wonderful promises that God has given us related to giving and properly

handling our finances.

Malachi 3:10 ESV Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my

house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the

windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.Luke 6:38 ESV give, and it will be given to

you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

The point is not to give or to tithe in order to somehow hit the lottery jackpot.

The reason for our giving should not be focused on how much we can get from God.

The primary reasons for giving should include our love for God and our desire to support the growth of His kingdom, and we should couple those with our thankfulness for God’s blessing

and our desire to obey His commands.Surely those attitudes will result in all kinds of

blessings from God.

So, what principles can we learn from Paul’s instructions about this special collection in 1

Corinthians 16?

First, we learn that our giving should be regular and consistent.

Paul said, We are to do it “On the first day of every week.”

So it should be regular and thoughtfully planned.

Second, we learn that our giving should include every person.

Paul said, “each of you is to put something aside.”

Not just the wealthy, or the leaders, or just the adults.

Third, we learn that our giving should be proportionate.

Paul said that our giving should be “as he may prosper.”

My giving should not be in proportion to your income or giving, or based on some specific

amount, but in keeping with my income.

We should give in proportion to how much we have received.

That’s why giving a percentage is the best way to determine our giving.

I believe that the percentage of 10% is a good biblical model to start with.

Fourth, we learn that our contributions should be handled appropriately.

Paul took important measures to ensure that the money contributed was handled properly.

So we notice that he was going to allow the Corinthians to choose a suitable

representative from among them to accompany the money on its trip to Jerusalem.

This would allow each participating congregation to see that the money was used

properly and to avoid any suspicion of wrongdoing among those collecting and

handling the money.

Here at Lindley Christian Church whenever out of the ordinary expenses or mission giving

opportunities arise our Elder & Deacons put their heads together & often seek a

congregational consensus before using God’s money.

The stewardship of our money and our giving are very important aspects of our discipleship.

As we move on from Paul’s discussion of giving, we observe some more general

principles of discipleship.First, We notice that discipleship involves

making ministry goals and plans.In verses 5, and 8, Paul lets the Corinthians

know something of his plans. He wants to come and see them after he

passes through Macedonia, but for now he is planning on staying at Ephesus until

Pentecost.

Discipleship, Plans and People

But even though Paul was making plans, he knew that all his plans would only come to

fruition “if the Lord permits.” 7c

As disciples, we know that God always has the last say, and we put our lives in His hands.

But as we respond to God’s unfolding will, we should continue to make plans and adjust

them accordingly.

I would encourage each of us to be developing plans for personal growth – plans for what we should be reading and studying from God’s

Word and from Christian authors.We need to regularly be considering how to

best serve the Lord with our time and talents.We need to plan what ministry efforts should

we be involved in and what should be our goal in those ministries.

Second, We notice that discipleship involves getting personally involved with ministry and

people for an extended period of time.We might want instant success and instant progress, but most of the time these things

take time.Helping people change takes a lot of patience and a long time. We have to be ready to hang

in there for the long haul.

Most ministries take a long time to develop and so we have to be ready to endure.

We notice that Paul says he wanted to stay at Corinth for a while, perhaps the entire winter.

6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want

to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

I want to encourage each of us to ask God to show us whom we can personally get involved with evangelistically or as a mentor, and really

invest in those people for the long haul.When I think of that kind of ministry, I don’t

think of planting seeds of an annual flower that will sprout and grow to maturity in a matter of weeks, but I think of planting the seeds of a great oak tree that takes years to grow to

maturity and then can last for a hundred years or more.

Third, We notice that discipleship flourishes in the context of challenge and difficulty. We like to think that ministry grows best when there

are no difficulties or challenges, but the opposite is usually true.

8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened

to me, and there are many adversaries.

I think that Satan only causes trouble and opposition when God’s work is progressing

effectively.

So rather than bemoaning our challenges and difficulties, let’s learn from them, overcome them, and watch God use them for good.

Fourth, We notice that discipleship is strengthened through mutual support and

equal respect.Paul encouraged them to welcome Timothy

and help him along in his ministry. 10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of

the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he

may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

Paul encouraged them to recognize and appreciate the devoted service of others, and

to submit to those who are serving and leading well.

15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first

converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow

worker and laborer.Good disciples strive to cooperate.

Fifth, We notice that discipleship must allow room for disagreement and individualism.

12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

Notice how clearly Paul states what he wanted Apollos to do, and Apollos’ unwillingness to do

it.Why didn’t Apollos want to go to Corinth at that

time?We don’t know. Perhaps he was very busy

elsewhere in an effective work.Perhaps he wanted to avoid fueling the

personal loyalties some were promoting in Corinth – “I am of Apollos.”

What we learn is none of us is the boss – not even the apostle Paul.

He even allowed room for Apollos to disagree with him about what was best to do at Corinth,

so we have to give each other that kind of room as well.

I might think that a certain direction or approach would be best, but you might think otherwise – we both might be right in our own

way or time.

Sixth, We notice that discipleship takes constant effort.

In verses 13 and 14, Paul rattles off five staccato commands.

13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done

in love. The first is “Be watchful.” We are spiritually at war.

Our enemy is always attacking, so we have to stay alert.

The second quick command is “Stand Firm In The Faith” – We must take our position on the

truth of Jesus and not give up any ground.Third – “Act Like Men” – “men” here is not to

be emphasized as “male” but as “age or maturity.”

A disciple is to be noted for signs of maturity in Christ.

We must not act as children, but as adults.

Fourth – “Be Strong” – this has to do with internal strength – the Corinthians were being threatened by spiritual weakness and sickness

– that needed to change.Finally – “Let All That You Do Be Done In

Love” – Everything we do must be filtered by and motivated by love. The Corinthians really struggled to understand that, let’s be sure we

don’t make the same mistake.

Seventh – We notice that discipleship is lived in community.

In this short chapter, Paul mentions at least 10 different individuals,

or churches.

He praises some up as good examples. He sends greetings to and from others.

All are to be greeted with a holy kiss – disciples are to be known for their affection for

one another in the body of Christ.If Paul were writing today with our customs, he

more likely would have said, “Greet one another with a hearty handshake or a holy

hug.”Let’s show each other that we love each other, not just with a polite greeting, but with an on-

going demonstration of practical love.

More certainly could be said about these verses, but let’s close by noticing Paul’s final

statements.Surprisingly, Paul declares a curse on anyone

who does not love the Lord. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him

be accursed. Our Lord, come!That may have been a subtle warning for any

at Corinth who would not accept the corrections of this letter.

Conclusion

It is a terribly serious thing to have it concluded of us that we do not love the Lord. That is not a judgment I want made about me!

How about you?

Immediately following the curse, Paul gives a watchword. “Our Lord, come!”

Depending on the way the word is divided it is something like a prayer or greeting which must

have been common among the earliest Christians.

It is an Aramaic word which has been transliterated into Greek – Maranatha.

Divided one way it means “Our Lord has come” which would be a greeting or statement

of faith.

Divided the other way it means “Our Lord, Come” which would be our prayer and hope.

Next Paul gives a blessing of God’s grace. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

Something both they and we continually need!Then, as you would expect, he says that he

loves them.24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.

Amen.In spite of all their problems – Paul still loved

them!

The church at Corinth was worth caring about, praying for, correcting and building up.

In reality, the Lord doesn’t have any perfect Christians or perfect churches, does He?

So let’s not be discouraged.

Let’s not give up on ourselves or each other.

God’s not finished with us yet!

We are imperfect people in imperfect churches who serve a perfect Savior and Lord.

Our hope lies not with ourselves – but in Him! Amen!