Faithfulness - 1 Corinthians 4:2

This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

And then we read our verse.

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found faithful.

I think the idea here then is that Paul and Apollos and Peter are all faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. Their eloquence varies, but they all hold fast to the gospel. However, if there is something to judge leaders by, it is by their faithfulness to the gospel. Are they stewarding the mysteries of God faithfully? Now I want to consider faithfulness first as it relates to our leaders, and second as it relates to us, since the message of the gospel and the work of ministry belongs to all of us also, and not only to the leaders that God has put over us. The thrust of our text relates actually a little bit more closely to the first point, and so we will spend most of our time on that. So first as it relates to our leaders. Here we should be thinking about our own elders as well as any online pastors that we choose to glean from, not forgetting that there is a categorical difference between the two and how they relate to us. But nevertheless, regarding the faithfulness of our leaders, we have to consider the message that they preach. Are they preaching Christ and him crucified? That's what Paul chooses as his central theme in chapter two of this epistle. You see, God's power and his wisdom are displayed in what the world sees as utter folly, a man condemned to die on the cross. If our leaders have the spirit of God dwelling in them, teaching them the deep things of God, as Paul articulates it in chapter two, then they should be able to see the foolishness of the cross and proclaim it as God's wisdom. Why? Because in the cross, God has forgiven us of all our trespasses,

having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that it was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Put simply, our sins are forgiven at the cross, and the devil cannot truthfully accuse us anymore. This is the wisdom and the power of God, and we will find this sweet if we have the spirit of God. Do our leaders find this to be sweet? Furthermore, in the cross we see that God's power is displayed in suffering as Paul experienced, not in ease as the Corinthians idealized. Do our leaders see this too? And will they preach it to us for our own benefit? So what's the application? First, the emphasis that Paul has in 1 Corinthians 1 through 4 is that the congregation should stop dividing. Not that they should be equipped with yet another reason to divide. If you are hearing this right now and it is fueling reasons to side with the elder that reads the book you read and perhaps articulates your hobby horse doctrines a little more robustly than do the other elders, then the emphasis from First Corinthians is not hitting you right. Elders should find the gospel sweet because of the spirit of God teaching it to them. And then they should also be able to faithfully articulate that to us. So don't emphasize division from this text, but emphasize unity. Second, steer clear of choosing one or two online preachers and elevating them over the rest of the preachers in the world, as if they, and of course you, are the only ones who really get it. Do not fall into the trap of idolizing the most fiery or the most eloquent preachers, such that your understanding of the Christian life is informed almost entirely by the preaching, exegesis, theology, and life of one individual. From our text, we are on the word, from our text, we are on the word stewards. These preachers are stewards. And there are others who are faithful too. Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God gives the increase. They are all on the same team. Now, I want to slow down here and name some names. It's not very fun, but I think naming some names can be helpful. It has been disconcerting that I have known Christians who zero in, especially on Paul Washer or sometimes John MacArthur, and there are definitely others. Paul Washer is fiery. Praise God for his ministry. He is a faithful steward of the mysteries of God. But I think that the error that people fall into is brought to light because of the fruit that it produces. These Christians that I have known, and this is a little bit simplified, but essentially they zero in on Paul Washer and drink in everything he has to say. And there are a couple of other preachers that sometimes get tacked on. And then anyone, especially preachers who are not Paul Washer or don't sound a whole lot like him, are somehow categorized as unfaithful or unspiritual in their minds. This is the first seed. But when planted and watered, the fruit is division in the church, contrary to God's glory. I do know of some people who specifically believe that there were only about three faithful churches in the state of Virginia, and they didn't live near any of them, so they weren't going to church. Of course, they had to leave a church before they got to the point where they were churchless. Now for us here, if any of us have the seeds of this now, recognize it for what it is. Yes, continue to enjoy Paul Washer if that is the preacher you like to listen to, but stop evaluating preachers based on the fireness or the eloquence, whatever it may be, of their preaching. evaluate them based on their faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and you will find that there are some who are fiery and some who are not, some who are eloquent and some who are not, but all faithful fellow stewards of the mysteries of God. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, Despite all that Andrew has shown from 1 Corinthians 1-4, and despite my own desire for unity, I still feel divisive because I hold tightly to doctrine or practice X, Y, or Z, and there are so few who do. I am the only one who has thought as deeply as I have about union with Christ, or who has read the book Paul and the Gift, and yet these are the things that define the gospel for me. How can I not be divisive? Well, brothers and sisters, in Acts 18, Apollos himself, quote,

spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he only knew the baptism of John.

So Aquila and Priscilla

took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

I think it is right to say that a person may speak and teach accurately penal substitution, which is to say that Jesus took the punishment for our sins in our place. but may not be aware of the spiritual doctrine of union with Christ, which is to say that because we are in Christ, united to him, our identity becomes wrapped up in his identity, and he represents us to the Father. While the person who only knows penal substitution speaks and teaches accurately, it may be a good idea to take him aside and explain to him the way of God more accurately. The emphasis from our passage is on unity and unifying around faithful teachers. We should prize that highly. If we are faced with a teacher or a leader who is potentially unfaithful, work hard to maintain the unity of the faith and so do not jump to conclusions and do not cause a stir. It may take time, conversations, prayer, and counsel before their unfaithfulness becomes clear, and we find ourselves needing, unfortunately, to divide from them. Now, we also, who are not necessarily teachers or leaders or elders, still have the privilege and also responsibility to open our mouths and remind each other of the gospel. We should be hearing one another's confessions and responding with the gospel. When someone in the church bears a burden and needs to hear a comforting word of truth, we should be ready to provide it. If someone in the church falls into sin and is in need of rebuke and restoration, we should be ready to give it. If someone that we know is lost and needs to hear the gospel, we should be ready to proclaim it. Brothers and sisters, we too are stewards of the mysteries of God. We don't have the spiritual authority that elders have, but we have, but we've all tasted and seen that the Lord is good and are called to speak and apply this gospel in the relationships that we have. So let me ask you this. When you see your brother or sister wandering from the fold, do you go after him and seek him out? Or do you withdraw from responsibility in the body? Or when a brother or sister sins against you and then repents and seeks forgiveness, do you forgive freely from the heart? Or do you withhold forgiveness? Whether active or passive, our interactions with one another speak volumes about what we say the gospel is. Are we faithful stewards of the gospel message in how we interact with one another? I want to close by considering again the phrase woes unite foes. If individuals in the world can be united around a common cause despite animosity on every other front, what does that say about the grandness of the cause that supposedly unites us if we are divided among ourselves? Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is our cause. He is grand, he is precious. What he has done for us is glorious. Have you tasted, have we tasted and seen that the Lord is good? If so, let us share our joy together in unity that God may be glorified. Let us pray. Dear Father, we give you thanks for the leaders that you have graciously given to us who are faithful and preach the gospel to us that we may be built up. Lord, we pray that you would help us all to rejoice most specifically in Jesus Christ, and not in outward appearances, eloquence, or other things, but that Jesus Christ would be what unites us all. We pray that you would help us knowing that we are weak and that we are prone to grumbling and division because of our old man. We pray that you would help us to put on Christ and walk in the spirit. In your name we pray, amen.