Lesson 8 – 1 Corinthians Chapter 3:18-23 & Chapter 4:1-2

Last week we learned that we have the ability to become “master builders” for God, and every one of us should make the effort to be like Paul and the apostles. Let’s not make the mistake of thinking that only pastors, teachers, and church leaders are the ones who lay the foundations of Christ’s church.

Remember, laying the foundation of Christ is really just the gospel message, we’re telling others about Jesus, that Jesus is the only rock to build on, and He is our firm foundation.

We also talked about our service to God, that any work we do we do it for Jesus. Meaning, we don’t have any kind of personal agenda. We should never do things in such a way that it lifts us up rather than glorifying Christ. When we do things with a servant’s heart, our works will be seen as gold, silver, and precious stones. There is a judgment coming for us, but it has nothing to do with our sins. For those have been forgiven, it will be to see how many rewards Christ will give us.

Lastly, Paul declared that the church body is the temple of God, that before Christ’s victory at the cross, God’s presence was in the Holy of Holies, and now His presence is in each believer through the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of God.

1 Cor 3:18:
“Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.”

Let no man deceive himself… Today we might say to someone, “Don’t kid yourself.”

Jesus said that in the last days, be careful that you’re not deceived; that deception would be the outside evil forces trying to mislead you.

When Paul says, Let no man deceive himself… we can take this to mean that we need to be honest with ourselves. This is especially true when the Holy Spirit convicts us of something; by not listening to God, we are deceiving ourselves. In the context of this verse, deception will come if a person is foolish enough to listen to the wisdom of the world rather than the wisdom of God.

If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age…

John MacArthur says, “Much division in the church would be eliminated if individuals were not so impressed with their own wisdom.”

I would agree with this, it’s always our stinking thinking that gets us into trouble.

Thinks that he is wise in this age… In other words, if you’re thinking you are wise by the world’s standards.

Many people think our country should be run by a businessman, and then there are those who think the church should be run like a business. The former might be true, but not the ladder. Yes, a church can use some business principles, but the church depends on prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit, humility, sacrifice, love and service… not the world’s wisdom.

I knew a pastor who only used worldly techniques to raise money for his church, and he wasn’t very successful.

I imagine there are some liberal seminaries out there teaching nothing but worldly principles, then when these young pastors find a church, they bring in these worldly ideas and doctrines with them.

In this one town there was a huge wind storm. The wind was so bad that it blew off the first three letters of the church sign which read, “Jesus Only.” This church was a denomination which, among other things, held to the erroneous belief that baptism is “not” to be in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but in the name of Jesus only… its true nature came to light when the sign now read, “us Only.” This church had obviously taken on some worldly wisdom somewhere along the way.

He must become foolish…

The ones who think they have it all figured out, meaning they’re fine with contemporary human wisdom, deceive themselves. With that, anyone who is so self-deceived ought to, as Paul says, become foolish.

Foolish: (mor-ross’) it’s the root word for moron… meaning dull or stupid… a blockhead. You get the picture. If you hang out with these people (who firmly hold on to worldly wisdom), you’re seen as foolish.

When we carefully study the Bible and then follow it by applying God’s truth to our lives, we will find His wisdom. Thus the Bible will become the holy authority for us.

1 Cor. 3:19:
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;

The wisdom of the world… Paul has covered this in our previous verses, and we found that man’s wisdom is fallen, and it is dying. All the greatest scholars this world has ever produced… people like; Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Isaac Newton, Mozart… it’s a very long list to be sure, but the world’s greatest minds can never hold a candle to God’s wisdom and thoughts.

In verse 19, Paul reveals to us that God sees the world’s wisdom as nothing more than foolishness. God sees human wisdom as moronic (foolishness). The point being made is that when it comes to the church, pastors and church leaders need to always seek out the mind of God and His wisdom and not the world.

So, how do these church leaders go about finding God’s wisdom for their ministry? They go to God with prayer, fasting, and meditation. A pastor couldn’t possibly do this unless he has a strong and vibrant relationship with God, while being fueled by faith.

James 1:5:
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

This promise is to all God’s people, not just pastors and leaders.

He is “the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”…

Paul is quoting Job 5:13:
“He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, and the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.”

If we look in the book of Esther, we can see an example of this…

Haman had been scheming against Mordecai with evil intent, trying to make things look very bad for Mordecai, so bad that the king would execute him. But the tables got turned for Haman, he was caught in his craftiness.

Ester 7:8-10 (NLT):
(Haman) “In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden. The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?” And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom. Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.” “Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.”

Haman’s craftiness backfired on him, and just as we saw with Haman, God knows what every human is up to, there is no hiding from God. A price will be paid for every wrong that has been done, and in the end, man will find out that he has only set a trap for himself.

1 Cor. 3:20:
And again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.”

Psalm 94:11:
“The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath.”

When Christians say God is omniscient, they mean that God knows everything; He knows the past, present, and the future. God is the source of all knowledge, and He knows every person’s thoughts even before they know their own thoughts.

Then, when we look at the wisdom of man, we come to realize that human wisdom will never lead anyone to God. Why? Because, as we have learned, human wisdom is flawed, whereas God’s wisdom is perfect and unequalled.

Psalm 14:1-3:
“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

When David says there is no one who does good, not even one, this proves to us that man’s wisdom is absolutely useless when compared to God.

1 Cor. 3:21-22a:
“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas”

So then let no one boast in men…

Yes, our boasting should only be in the Lord, and here Paul is still focused on the premise that believers should never be a flock of “groupies” enamored with their church leadership. For the Corinthians, it was Paul, Apollos, and Cephas (Peter).

Now, this is not to say that the church leadership doesn’t deserve your respect and loyalty, they do, but there simply needs to be a balance. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were sent by God, and they had a job to do. Each one of them was an anointed teacher for God and certainly deserved to be listened to, as well as respected.

For all things belong to you…

This is speaking of the riches of Christ!

Eph. 1:3:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Eph. 3:8:
“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”

The Greek for “unsearchable riches” or “unfathomable riches” is translated “boundless riches” in the NIV. I think we get the picture. When it comes to the riches we have in Christ, there is no limit, they’re boundless, and they are past finding out… take a moment to think about that truth.

And the truth is… all that Jesus has done, He did for us and for God’s glory… not necessarily in that order.

1 Cor. 3:21b-22:
“For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,”

These words of Scripture written to us are so amazing. The apostles and all of God’s teachers belong to us, and let me clarify, when I say “us,” I’m referring to all believers.

The world belongs to us…

The Greek for world is kosmos, a word I’m sure you’re familiar with.

John MacArthur says, “Paul’s main point is that, in the millennial kingdom and throughout eternity in the new heavens and new earth, we will possess the earth in a richer way.”

Matthew 5:5:
“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Revelation 21 goes into greater detail about what Jesus said.

Psalm 115:16:
“The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.”

Genesis 1:26 (ESV):
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

The sad reality is, after sin entered the world, we no longer have dominion, satan does. But one day it will return to us.

Pastor Joseph Parker makes an interesting observation into this, he says…

“I began my ministry in Banbury, and my upper window looked over the vast estate of a wealthy man. It was I, really, who inherited that estate. Oh, I did not own a foot of it, but it was all mine. The owner came down to see it once a year, but I walked its miles day after day.”

Our future is bright! The day is coming when Jesus will be on His throne in Jerusalem, and we will be with Him in our glorified bodies… we will rule and reign with Him for a thousand years. The world will be ours, restored even more glorious than before.

Romans 8:16-18 (NLT):
“For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

Come soon Lord Jesus!

Life belongs to us…

We have new life in Christ, and when Paul says life belongs to us, he’s talking about our spiritual and eternal life.

Peter spoke to us about this…

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT):
By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Again, we’re seeing the riches in Christ.

Death belongs to us…

On the surface this might sound like a very strange statement… and you would be right. But who defeated death? Jesus… He defeated death, sin, and satan all at the same time. Who do believers belong to? Jesus! And with that, Jesus’ victory is our victory!

1 Cor. 15:57:
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Unless Jesus raptures us, we will have to pass through the threshold of death when our day finally comes. But when we do die, we won’t be doing it as slaves to sin, but as free men and women because we have conquered death through Jesus. As believers, we own death, it no longer has a grip on us.

The things present belong to us…

This is our life on earth, and we own it. What is this life? It’s everything that comes our way, whether it’s good or bad, painful or wonderful… this is the things present, and it’s ours.

Romans 8:28:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

When God says “all things,” we can translate this to mean the things present.

From 1952 to 1961 there was a TV show called “This Is Your Life.” The TV host surprised guests and then took them through a nostalgic view of their lives in front of an audience, including appearances by their colleagues, friends, and family.

For the believer… This is your life, it’s the here and now… the things present. The question then becomes, how are you going to live this “new life” that Jesus gave you?

Phil. 1:21:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Paul could say this because in Christ, he owned death and he owned the things present. And we have the very same thing as Paul.

The things to come, they belong to you…

The things to come can mean our future here on earth, in that the choices we make now can have an impact on our future. Such as, if you follow the laws of the land, you probably won’t go to jail (probably). But here, Paul is talking about the spiritual things to come…

The Rapture, the resurrection of the dead, seeing Jesus face to face, Jesus marries His bride, the wedding feast, the millennial kingdom, a new heaven and earth… and living with God. These are all things to come, and as believers, it all belongs to you… all these things belong to you.

1 Cor. 3:23:
“And you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”

The fact that all things belong to you is because you belong to Christ. Isn’t it nice how that works out?

We can’t forget that Paul is still addressing the disunity in the church, and what better way of explaining it, he is bringing the Corinthian believers back to the basics… remember Paul is still feeding them milk.

Football season has just started (I’m a happy camper). If you watch football for any length of time, you might see a team start to fall apart, the plays the coach has put together aren’t working like they should. A good coach will pull the team together, and start practicing the basics… passing, catching, and tackling.

Paul is a great coach; he says to the Corinthians…

You belong to Christ! Paul is bringing in the WOW factor.

Romans 8:1 [Here’s another WOW factor]:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Paul’s not saying “if” you belong to Christ, he’s saying, you belong to Christ!

2 Cor. 5:17:
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

You belong to Christ… you are brand new, your old life is passed away.

Ephesians 2:1 (ESV) [before Christ]:
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.”

Now, You belong to Christ… you’re not the same anymore, you were dead because of your sins, but now you’re alive.

Romans 6:4 (NLT):
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

You belong to Christ… now you can live a new life in Christ.

Romans 12:5:
“So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.”

You belong to Christ… and you are part of the body of Christ, you are also still an individual, but you belong to His church.

In Christ we are loved, forgiven, and secure. In Christ we are adopted, justified, redeemed, reconciled, and chosen. In Christ we are victorious, filled with joy and peace, and granted true meaning in life. What a wonderful Savior is Christ! We belong to Christ.

And Christ belongs to God…

We see early in the book of Genisis 1:26a “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

Here we have a profound picture of the Trinity. There has always been the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… and Christ has always belonged to God.

John 1:1-2:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

John 17:4-5:
“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

The fact that we belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God, should give us a real sense of eternal unity and security. The believers in Corinth needed to take their eyes off other men, and rely solely on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Chapter 4

1 Cor. 4:1:
“Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

We have an interesting phrase here, as servants of Christ. The King James uses the word ministers instead of servants, and they are both the same Greek word (hoop-pay-ray t’ace) and it actually means an under-rower, a subordinate rower, and the preacher of the gospel.

In 1959, there was the “block buster” movie “Ben-Hur” staring Charlton Heston. Here’s a brief synopsis of the movie: “While seeking revenge, a rebellious Israelite prince crosses paths with Jesus Christ.” At one point, Charlton Heston finds himself as an under-oarsman, a subordinate rower on the lowest part of the ship. Each man was chained to an oar, and his job was to row to the beat of a drum. The under-rower didn’t direct the ship, he just rowed. It was a pretty grueling scene in the movie.

Paul is placing himself in the same category as a subordinate rower of Christ. Just as a captain of the ship determined the direction of the ship and the subordinate rower would row, Jesus directs His church, and His rowing pastors keep following His commands, moving Christ’s church forward.

Paul says, let a man regard us in this manner…

Paul wants believers and unbelievers alike to see them as the subordinate rowers of Christ. Paul uses the word “us” once again indicating himself, Apollos, Peter, and really, all the servants of Christ.

There’s a specific image Paul is putting forth for all the world to see, by describing himself as a servant. In today’s church, there are far too many pastor/leaders that have personal agendas going on. It’s like there’s a popularity contest taking place for who has the biggest church in size and in numbers. Sadly, I think the top motivator for this is money… money corrupts so easily.

Everyone who wants to serve the Lord must take on the mindset of a servant (the under-oarsman), to where you can be described as a slave of Christ. A slave is a bond-servant, one who chooses to stay with his master.

Romans 1:1:
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

James 1:1a:
“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,”

2 Peter 1:1a:
“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,”

Jude 1:1a:
“Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,”

So, in verse 1, Paul is painting a godly picture for us, showing us the right way to go by having the right attitude before our heavenly Father. Compare this to doing things in a worldly way, which would be to have a whole bunch of fanfare, attention grabbing, and money-making schemes, which would bring glory to self rather than to God.

And stewards of the mysteries of God…

To be a steward means, to be entrusted to manage something, also to have the responsibilities as an overseer. We are to be good stewards with all that God has given us. A steward is a servant who manages everything for his master, but who himself owns nothing.

Paul and the others were stewards of the mysteries of God… This is speaking of the wisdom of God, and the message of the Cross, known only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. When you heard and responded to Jesus’ message of salvation, it was the Holy Spirit who revealed it to your heart.

As I stand in front of you every week, I am being a steward of God’s Word, dispensing it to you as the Holy Spirit leads me. By doing this, I am held to a higher accountability before God. When I first started in ministry, I was very nervous about teaching the Word, and it’s good to be nervous, because it shows the importance of doing things right for God. Even though I will be held to a higher standard, I am willing to be accountable to God, if it helps you grow in Christ.

I found this quote from an interview of a well-known pastor, I don’t know his name;

“I decided that the pulpit was no longer to be a teaching platform but an instrument of spiritual therapy. I no longer preach sermons; I create experiences. I don’t have time to write systematic theology to give a solid theological basis for what I intuitively know what I intuitively believe is right. Every sermon has to begin with the heart. If you ever hear me preaching a sermon against adultery, you’ll know what my problem is. If you ever hear me preaching a sermon about the coming of Jesus Christ, you’ll know that’s where I am heart-wise. It so happens I’m not hung up on either of those areas so I’ve never preached a sermon on either one. I could not in print or in public deny the virgin birth of Christ or the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ or the return of Christ. But when I have something I can’t comprehend, I just don’t deal with it.”

Remember when we studied false teachers in Second Peter… this is a perfect picture of a false teacher.

You have my word, that I will never use this pulpit as an instrument of spiritual therapy. When I don’t understand something, I’ll dig in deep so we both can understand.

1 Cor. 4:2:
“In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

There are two characteristics that come to mind when it comes to being a good steward; faithfulness and trustworthiness. We see a great steward in Joseph…

Gen. 39:2-4:
“The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge.”

In the same way, Paul was a trustworthy steward, and he was an overseer over God’s house. God desires that His spiritual ministers be consistently obedient to His Word, and unwavering in their commitment to be trustworthy and faithful. God’s Word says that it is required.

Paul is directing this to teachers and pastors, but I want to challenge each of you to be good stewards whenever reading, studying, or sharing God’s Word with those around you. You are to be trustworthy and faithful servants/stewards with everything God’s brings into your life. Remember, Jesus is coming, and He’s coming with His rewards.

Let’s not be deceived by worldly wisdom, don’t let it creep into the church. A life in Christ belongs to you, and with it are countless blessings. You belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. Finally, let your life be defined by being a humble servant, be the ultimate under-oarsman.