Fill Up


[PDF]Fill Up - Rackcdn.com30129974ed55220b51b8-e2d199e7575b6d364b8a7f301d3e18e6.r78.cf2.rackcdn.co...

4 downloads 129 Views 125KB Size

Judgment Calls – 1 Cor 4:1-5 1 Cor 4:1-5; Let’s start with that last sentence I don’t know about you, but commendation is not what I expected him to say I expected him to say condemnation – that when the Lord comes each one will receive his punishment or consequences; But instead, he says commendation Which clues us in to the fact that he’s talking about all kinds of judgment calls, both unfavorable and favorable  An that’s the issue here – judgment calls (JC’s); That’s the concern he’s addressing JC’s as in, decisions/determinations/evaluations that we make re people and situations And if you think about it, we make them every single day of every single week They’re a fact of life From a mom refereeing her kid’s dispute – making a JC as to who’s guilty and who’s not Or a businessman choosing a new employee; To a citizen voting for a politician . . . Or a Service Team leader here at church, making a JC re the fitness of one of his/her team members, to serve in a particular capacity The list is endless Formally and informally, we make JC’s all the time, with all kinds of people, in all kinds of positions and roles – many of which are necessary, even in the church And that’s the sphere Paul focuses on here at the beginning of ch4 w.r.t. himself and the other apostles – he’s instructing the Corinthian church in how to rightly make JC’s All of which serves as a template for how we should do the same  And he starts out w/ some Important Terms, saying, this is how one should regard us – this is how you should think about us Paul says, as . . . Servants of Christ – not “diakonoi" servants like we saw in 3:5, but “hyperetas” servants; referring to someone who administers the affairs of another Which goes hand in hand with a steward, the next descriptor Who in Paul’s day, was someone who managed the affairs of a household entrusted to his charge So as stewards of the mysteries of God, which in Christ, all of us are – we have been entrusted with the mysteries about God and his ways Mysteries, in that they can’t be understood unless God graciously reveals them to us – which he has in his Word, and does, by his Spirit And it’s our responsibility to apply them, proclaim them, and guard them appropriately That’s what a good servant-steward, follower of Christ does And they must be found trustworthy in doing so (v2) – i.e. dependable, reliable, responsible, faithful . . . B/c there’s going to come a day when we are judged for it (v3-5) That’s the last term that’s important to understand in this passage – judged The Greek word is “anakrino,” a variation of which is used 4 times in these verses Meaning – to examine for the purpose of determining failure/success, guilt/ innocence Those are the kind of JC’s to which Paul is referring here; JC’s that are unavoidable

And the first point of application for us, is that . . . When faced with them, use the right criteria (v1-2) This is how one should regard us Paul says . . . And then lays out 4 criteria by which we can and should judge people re their fitness for ministry, or suitability for a role, or success in fulfilling it It could be a ST leader, a CM helper, a table group leader in a Bible study . . . Whatever the case, Paul gives us 4 criteria by which to do so, the first of which is . . . 1. Are they saved? Are they are servant of Christ? Do they profess Jesus as Lord and Savior? That’s the first criteria by which to judge someone’s fitness for ministry B/c if they’re not saved, they’re not a servant of Christ And if they’re not a servant of Christ, they’re serving for the wrong reasons Something that could give them false assurance or hope, and even quench the HS So the first criteria to consider when faced with a judgment call, is – Are they saved? 2. Are they willing to work? I mean work; B/c that’s what a servant does – they work; tirelessly Spending and being spent week in and week out, day in / day out, for the cause of Christ We weren’t saved to sit, we were saved to work Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10) Are they willing to work, and do so in the name of Jesus? Unashamed to name his name in everything they do To name his name as the reason for which they’re serving in the first place That’s the kind of person you’re looking for when faced with a JC Their mindset shouldn’t be humanitarian work for the sake of humanitarian work Just b/c it helps people, or makes them feel good, or is the right thing to do Those are all true, but there’s no credit in that for the master of the house And steward that we are, everything we do s/b for his glory – explicitly For the fame of Christ’s name; For the salvation of souls . . . And for the building of God’s kingdom, the church  About 5 years ago, I was with Kent Shaw, the Executive Director of HBF And we were driving back from dinner in downtown Davenport, when we came upon a family who had run out of gas on River Road, and were obviously destitute So we took one of them with us to the nearest gas station, bought a gas can, filled it up, and returned to their car And as we were leaving, they were trying to figure out a way they could pay us back And I’ll never forget what Kent said to them He said, “We don’t want your money, we just want you to know that we’ve done this for you in the name of Jesus; It’s his love that compels us” I don’t know if that made an impression on them or not, but it sure did on me He was willing to work, and do so explicitly in the name of Jesus And that’s the kind of quality you’re looking for, the criteria you should consider, when faced with a JC re someone’s fitness for service in the church

3. Are they committed to the Kingdom? That is, are they committed to knowing, advancing, and protecting God’s plans and God’s purposes in this world? B/c that’s what a good steward does remember . . . He knows the affairs of his master, he advances them, and he protects his interests

What’s not important, are the JC of others re our success or failure in ministry, or our faithfulness before God in carrying it out . . . Especially when those JC are based on speculations about the motives of our heart, apart from any outward evidence When that’s the case, put them in the right perspective, because they matter very little

 About 15 years ago I met a man at a wedding, who I found out in the course of conversation, was a butler And I was like, “They still have those?” (I was thinking Gone With The Wind) And he said, “Oh ya, but not th way you’re thinking” (and I thought, “little do u know”) “I manage the assets and property of a wealthy family, while living in a home right next to theirs”

Which I’m well aware, is easier said than done when someone is taking pot shots at your ministry or service Or criticizing what they seem convinced are the ill-motives of your heart

And after making a quick recovery, b/c I’d never run into that before, I said, “Oh, you’re a steward of sorts” And he said, “What do you mean” And I said, “In the Bible, a steward is someone who is free to come and go, but serves their master out of love, while reaping the blessings of doing so” And he started nodding and said, “That’s it exactly; I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years now, and wouldn’t trade it for anything” Which is exactly the attitude and practice that we should exhibit as believers – stewards of God’s mysteries that we are Constrained by our love for him, we s/b good stewards of his love for us Committed to his purposes, his interests, and his kingdom . . . That’s the 3rd criteria by which to measure someone, when faced with a JC 4. Are they trustworthy in all they say and do? Do they shoot straight? And do they keep their word, even when it hurts? Can you trust them to do a job, do it well, and do it to the finish? And do you resonate with their heart? Those are some of the criteria to consider when faced with a JC about someone’s fitness for ministry, or suitability for a role, or success in fulfilling it (Summary) It’s not their looks, or charisma, or wealth – but their servanthood, and stewardship, and trustworthiness; Second . . . When receiving them, put them in the right perspective (v3-4) Having laid out the right criteria when faced with a JC, Paul says in v3 – But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. IOW judgment calls by other people, believers or unbelievers, matter very little Why? Why does he say that? B/c he’s arrogant? No He says it b/c it’s God’s judgment that matters, and everything else pales in comparison That’s the implication of his statement at the end of v4 where he says – It is the Lord who judges me. JC by other people matter very little – in comparison to God’s JC  That’s not to say that we shouldn’t listen to the feedback of others for the purpose of improvement in all we do – we should and that’s important

When that happens, it’s very difficult to find the nuggets of truth, if they exist at all And very difficult to keep their JC in the right perspective But do it you must, b/c in the grand scheme of things it’s a small thing There’s no sense making a mountain out of a mole hill, and wasting precious kingdom time on lesser things  Coming fr others JC matter very little, and coming from yourself, they matter none at all Having said it’s a very small thing to be judged by others, he says in v3b – In fact, I do not even judge myself That is, I don’t even make an evaluation of my own guilt or innocence before God – b/c it doesn’t matter That’s v4 where he says – I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Just b/c I don’t perceive any wrong in my heart or life, doesn’t mean I’m good before God Just b/c my conscience is clear, doesn’t mean I stand justified Just b/c I pronounce my own innocence, doesn’t mean I’m forgiven It’s the Lord who has the sole right to do that, not me Which means my judgment is a moot point  All of which debunks the false notion of “forgiving yourself” Have you ever heard that? It often times comes from someone who is struggling with their sin, and they’ll say – “I just can’t seem to forgive myself” And while they should be commended for their sensitivity to spiritual things . . . The correct response to them, is that it doesn’t matter It doesn’t matter whether you can forgive yourself or not – that’s a moot point If you’re like Paul, and know of nothing against yourself – that still doesn’t mean you’re good, and forgiven, and acquitted in God’s eyes Not only are you the least objective about the sinfulness of your heart, but you can’t do anything about it anyway And the converse is true as well – just b/c you can’t shake the thought of your sin, doesn’t mean you’re un-forgiven That’s one of the implications and applications of this text Which makes forgiving yourself a great big theoretical exercise, with absolutely no practical impact for your life

If God promises in his Word to forgive you upon confession and repentance of your sin – believe it; trust it; and move on free in Christ, new creation that you are To do otherwise, removes him as the judge, and puts yourself on the bench And that’s idolatry When receiving judgment calls, whether good or bad, from yourself or others – keep them in the right perspective B/c in comparisons to God’s JC, they mean very little When making them, make sure it’s the right time (v5) (Read v5); Now, if you took this out of context, and put it together with Mt 7:1, taken out of its context, which says – Judge not, that you be not judged . . . You know, the favorite memory verse of those who don’t like the feedback they just received? If you put those verses together, taken out of context, you might conclude that we should never make JC’s And nothing could be further from the truth, from God’s intent 1 Cor 5:12 says that believers are commanded to judge others in the church And 6:3 says that we are expected to judge disputes between one another So v5 here in ch4 can’t mean that we should never make JC’s What it does mean, when taking the whole Scripture into account, is that we must cease from judgments that are premature, hypocritical, unnecessary, or speculative  If the evidence isn’t clear, if it’s speculative on your part – withhold judgment Like the motives of someone’s heart, or things hidden from your sight or perception They’re not clear And when that’s the case, withhold judgment and wait for Christ . . . Who will bring to light the things now hidden in the darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart upon his return If the evidence isn’t clear, either way, withhold judgment Or, if it’s hypocritical of you – withhold judgment That is, if you’ve succumbed to the very thing you’re judging in others That’s the idea of Mt 7:1; If that’s the case, withhold judgment And don’t make a JC if it’s unnecessary Church-world is filled with pin-headed, knee-jerk, legalistic JC that are totally unnecessary If the things you think and say fulfill no other purpose than to vent or gossip, don’t say them If your JC are meant to tear down rather than build up, don’t make them – they’re unnecessary And by all means, don’t make premature JC Don’t make speculative JC, hypocritical JC, unnecessary JC, and premature JC Jumping to conclusions that are shaky at best, and wrong at worst

Once again, wait for the Lord Wait for his return, and the revealing of the facts, as well as the motives And let him do what only he can do – which is judge perfectly/rightly, at the right time That’s the only way in the absence of evidence – to ensure that commendations are correct, and the condemnations are deserved  JC are not off limits – we have to make them, and do, every single day But make sure that when you’re faced with them, you use the right criteria And when you receive them, you put them in the right perspective And when you have to make them, make sure it’s the right time Worship – Filled With Your Glory

Close Next week – 4:6-13