1 Corinthians 4:1-5

The Steward

Open your Bible to…

1Cor. 4:6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.

Or, as the NLT translates the last part of vs. 6…

“If you pay attention to the Scriptures, you won’t brag about one of your leaders at the expense of another.”

Pray

Intro

√ Intro

In chapter 3 Paul used three illustrations to help his friends at Corinth understand how God builds the local church through the ministry of His workers.

His motive in writing was to get the eyes of the Corinthians off of the human vessels through whom God worked…

…and onto God, the One who called, equipped, and empowered the workers to do the work.

The next step toward accomplishing that purpose is to turn his attention to another area of dispute within the church and that was how they esteemed and measured God’s workers, as Paul shares in vs. 6…

“If you pay attention to the Scriptures, you won’t brag about one of your leaders at the expense of another.”

The point is that here in chapter 4 Paul gives the Corinthian believers God’s standard for evaluating His workers, you’ll note that once more Paul uses three illustrations to describe his work at Corinth…

A Steward

A Spectacle

A Father

It’s another great section of scripture because we discover the character traits and attitude that define a true minister of God.

Ap. God’s standard

The truths we’ll discover as we work through chapter 4 are very important for us to apprehend and practice!

That’s because today many church organizations and Christians judge pastors and leaders by different criteria than God does.

That leads to dissatisfaction among the people and frustration in the life of the pastor, or minister.

Ex. Unbiblical criteria

People today (Deacon boards, PSC, etc.,) oven look at…

Education

Communication skills

Psychological training

Numerical growth

Financial growth

None of which are Biblical criteria for evaluating a minister!

The sad result is that many gifted and called men are either driven from their pulpits by dissatisfied congregations…

…or those who are serving feel like they are constantly failing because they’re not meeting the expectations of the people who are all too happy to tell them so!

Hopefully as we study chapter 4 we’ll come to understand the criteria that is important to God so that we can look at others, and ourselves through God’s perspective and learn to appreciate the unique vessels through which God works.

Serving the Master (vs. 1-2)

1Cor. 4:1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1Cor. 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

√ Serving the Master

Two words stand out here and need to be defined so that we can begin on the right foundation to understanding God’s criteria for successful ministry, those word are…

Servants

Stewards

1) Servants

The word “servants” (or “ministers”) in vs. 1 that Paul uses to describe himself and the other apostles is the Greek word “huperetes” (hoop-ay-ret´-ace).

That might not sound like a bad thing in English, but what it describes is the lowest class of the slaves in the Empire.

Literally the word means…

“under-rowers”

Now think of a gi-normous Roman Galley with three levels of rowers, the guys on the bottom row are the “huperetes” (hoop-ay-ret´-ace)…

…the under-rowers!

So you’re on the bottom deck chained to your oar with two levels of rowers above you who are also chained to their oars.

Anything, and everything that they did came down on top of you.

Not a pleasant place to be!

Here’s Paul’s point…

He’s communicating that he and Apollos are not the captains of the ship…

…they’re just servants doing the Captain’s will.

Therefore the only objective criteria by which they could be judged was their obedience to do the will of God.

Ex. Saul & David

As you read the account of Saul and David’s life you’ll find that measured by the 10 Commandments that David was a greater sinner than Saul!

David was a murderer and adulterer.

Yet God exalted David over Saul because Saul consistently disobeyed God’s direct commands while David was quick to obey the Lord when he spoke.

Saul was quick to forget that God was in charge and that he was only a servant.

While David’s lifelong desire was to do the will of God as His servant.

To Saul God said…

“Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,

He also has rejected you from being king.”

1 Sam. 15:22

And to David He said…

“And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.” ~ Ez. 34:24

The pattern throughout the Bible is that a servant’s heart as demonstrated by obedience leads to glory and David, Paul and Apollos understood that principle and promise.

√ Called to be servants

So, Paul’s first point to his friends at Corinth was that rather than measuring he and the other apostles by their…

Sophisticated communication skills

High social standing

Depth of theological understanding

They ought to judge them on how well they obeyed Jesus as demonstrated by their service to the Corinthians.

Ap. You and I are called to be servants

Authentic Christianity is found in a life that imitates Jesus who called us to be a…

“servant of all” ~ Mark 9:35

Remember, you and I will be judged by how well we obeyed the directions of our Master…

That is, it’s not necessarily how well we taught the Bible, but whether or not we served others with our gift to teach.

It’s not how great a musician we are, but how we used our gifting to serve others.

It’s not how many we brought to faith in Christ, but whether we were willing to preach to those He sent us.

A servant is judged by his/her obedience to the Master.

2) Steward

Note the end of vs. 1 where we find Paul identifies himself and the other apostles as the…

“…stewards of the mysteries of God.”

A steward was a household servant who was in charge of all his master’s goods…

…but owned nothing of his own!

Ex. Joseph in Potipher’s house (ref. Genesis 39)

Paul likens that work to his calling as an apostle overseeing the “mysteries of God.”

That is, God had given to Paul and the other apostles the sacred duty of overseeing and dispensing the riches of heaven through the proclamation of the Gospel.

They didn’t own the Gospel message, nor did they invent it.

Nor did their spiritual gifts belong to them.

Rather, all these spiritual riches were given to them by God to freely give to any who would listen and receive it.

Therefore, the only objective measure of their success was their faithfulness as stewards to oversee and disperse their Master’s wealth, which is what Paul writes in vs. 2…

“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”

The point is that regardless of whether the people at Corinth saw Paul’s ministry as successful or not really didn’t matter because their criteria wasn’t valid.

Ex. Jesus

From a purely secular perspective one might have judged Jesus’ ministry a failure!

At His death the number of followers He had had dwindled to less than a few hundred, most of whom were poor and insignificant peasants.

His work had little if any impact on local, regional or world politics.

In fact, the historian Josephus who wrote thousands of pages of history about 1^st Century Israel includes only a few paragraphs about Jesus!

But, we now know that He was successful because He was faithful to do His Father’s will and two millennia later we see the fruit of His ministry in that hundreds of millions now call Him Lord.

Ap. You’ll be judged for your faithfulness

Many people today, like the Corinthians of old, want to judge you and your ministry by the same standards the world uses…

How many people made a confession of faith?

How many people did you baptize this year?

How many people attend your church or Sunday school?

How much money did the church bring in under your leadership?

None of which God is interested in. Rather, His criteria for success in life and ministry is…

Were you obedient to do as He asked?

Were you faithful to do the work He gave you?

Like the sower who sowed good seed we’re not responsible to make it grow…

…a servant and a steward is simply required to do his Master’s bidding and leave the results of obedience and faithfulness in His hands.

Judged by His Master (vs. 3-5a)

1Cor. 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

1Cor. 4:4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

1Cor. 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

√ Judged by his master

Many of the people at the church in Corinth were highly opinionated about the different men that God had sent to minister to them.

Each had their own favorite preacher or teacher and were all to happy to share their preference and prejudice with any who would listen.

Well, though Paul had been both obedient and faithful to fulfill God’s plan for him at Corinth many in the church now judged him as a poor minister of Christ because they were comparing him to the eloquent and captivating Apollos.

The reason was that Apollos better fit their Greek expectations of what a “good” communicator ought to be.

Schooled in Alexandria, polished in his presentation, and thoroughly Greek in his logic, Apollos stood head and shoulders above Paul in their opinion.

While that may have hurt Paul’s feelings because he really loved the people at Corinth he didn’t get defensive or upset with his critics at the church…

…rather he simply points out that their judgment of him missed the mark because it wasn’t based on Godly wisdom.

√ You’re judging at the wrong time ~ vs. 5

Paul writes…

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”

Just as we cannot judge a crop until it is harvested so we cannot judge a servant’s work until the Lord of the Harvest returns!

Paul reminds his critics that their judgment of him and his work was pointless because they were judging at the wrong time!

It will only be at the Lord’s return that the true value of a man’s work and ministry can be rightly judged.

That’s because the seeds sown may not produce fruit immediately, or the fruit may not be discerned by human eyes!

It will only be at Jesus’ return and only with His perfect discernment that a person’s work can be rightly judged.

Ex. Mr. Kimball

A Sunday school teacher who was burdened for the soul of one of his students a 17 year-old boot salesman by the name of Dwight Moody.

D.L. Moody, the London pastor F.B. Meyer, J. Wilbur Chapman, Billy Sunday, Mordecai Ham, and then Billy Graham.

Obviously it would have been very shallow to have judged the effectiveness of Edward Kimball’s ministry while he was still living!

Ap. Wait for the Harvest!

I confess that it’s very easy to fall into the trap of judging the effectiveness of others and ourselves as we each seek to serve the Lord rather than trust that faithfulness and obedience will bring a great harvest.

It’s easy to be distracted by our personal preferences and prejudice.

To overlook someone because they don’t fit my criteria of what I think a good minister ought to be.

To be critical of their style because they’re too smooth and sophisticated on the one hand, or too simple on the other.

Paul’s words here remind me that it’s not my job to judge the effectiveness of someone else’s ministry, or even the effectiveness of my own!

Leave judgment to the Master and at the Harvest at the end of the Age we’ll see the results as God sees them.

Until then we’ll find greater peace and joy if we learn to appreciate the unique way in which God ministers through different people.

Ex. Mike vs. Damian

Each unique in their gifting, one speaks from the heart of God while the other speaks from the mind of God…

…both necessary!

Rewarded by His Master (vs. 5b)

1Cor. 4:5b Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

√ Rewarded by his master

Ultimately the only reward a servant or a steward is concerned with is the praise of his master.

It really doesn’t matter what the other under-rowers think of you.

It doesn’t matter if the other servants in the master’s home like you or think you’re doing a good job.

What matters most is what the Master thinks of your service!

Thus Paul writes that each of us will be judged by our Master Jesus when He returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth, and how is His praise measured?!

By our obedience to do His will and by our faithfulness to fulfill the duty that He’s given us.

In fact Jesus often told His disciples this same thing as in the Parable of the Talents, and the Parable of the Faithful Servant, and in His last words to Mankind recorded in the Revelation…

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” Rev. 22:12

Ap. Rewarded for your works, saved by your faith!

I never like to end a study like this without clarify this important point…

…that as a believer you are rewarded for your works, but your saved by faith!

Please don’t confuse the two and leave here under a heavy burden.

You are saved by simple faith in Christ.

You are rewarded for your obedience and faithfulness to God.

As we read in our last study of Corinthians…

1Cor. 3:14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

1Cor. 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Having said that may I encourage you to use the time, talents and treasure that God has given you wisely so that you will receive a rich reward in eternity.

Close

√ The steward

We’re all servants and stewards of Jesus let’s be obedient to His will and faithful to His call for that is the criteria by which our Master will judge us.