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Straitway Baptist Church
  • 5/31/2025
https://straitwaybaptist.org/

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00:001 Corinthians chapter 4
00:02Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
00:11Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
00:15So any steward, any person, what is a steward?
00:19It's somebody who's in charge of money, resources, whatever, for the good of that place.
00:25If you're being a steward of God's money you're trying to do the right thing, the best thing for the group or for the place and not just for yourself.
00:37And that's what he's saying is that they're being stewards of the mysteries of God.
00:43They've been given the mysteries of God.
00:45And he's saying look, as apostles, and when you think about it, in the realm of just learning about Jesus dying and being crucified and rising again, they are stewards.
00:58It means they could just keep it to themselves and not tell anybody and people would die and go to hell.
01:04So they're stewards in the mysteries of God and God is relying on them to be faithful to reveal those mysteries by the apostles and the church at Corinth.
01:17But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment.
01:25Yea, I judge not my own self.
01:28For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified.
01:33But he that judges me is the Lord.
01:36Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God.
01:52So verse 3 is very important for us to think about this.
01:57When you judge yourself, and you look at yourself honestly and ask God to reveal the things that are not pleasing to Him, and you do that on a regular basis, you don't really have to worry about somebody else judging you.
02:13Now, we do have parents and pastors and teachers and people and grandparents that do tell us when we're doing wrong.
02:23But as we get older, we should learn to judge ourselves and constantly take an evaluation and say, am I doing what's right?
02:33Is there something in my life I can improve on?
02:36But people take this about judging yourself and they twist it.
02:40Go to Matthew 7.
02:44Turn to Matthew 7.
02:49Now I will tell you, this is Satan's favorite verse.
02:54And it's been twisted and people try to twist it into something else.
02:58But when you take this in 1 Corinthians 4, 3 through 5 and you add them together, you'll get an idea.
03:07Now look at verse 1 of Matthew 7.
03:09Judge not that ye be not judged.
03:12Now, anytime you ask somebody to quote this, you know how they quote it?
03:16Judge not lest ye be not judged.
03:18There's no left in there.
03:19Where did it come from?
03:20There's no version of any Bible whatsoever out there that has lest in there.
03:26I don't know where it came from.
03:27I just showed you that people just, they're just repeating instead of actually reading.
03:32Judge not that ye be not judged.
03:35For with what judgment ye judge shall ye be judged.
03:40And with what measure ye meet it shall be measured to you again.
03:44So pretty simple.
03:45The Bible is telling us that not to judge people wrongfully, but however you judge people is the same way that you'll be judged.
03:55So, the idea is not, what it does not say is don't ever judge anybody.
04:02That's what Satan wants you to say.
04:04People say, hey, only God can judge me.
04:06That is true.
04:08But you know what?
04:09But God's not walking around on this earth judging people.
04:13He's got the word of God.
04:15And hopefully you understand that when I get up here and preach or you listen to somebody else or whatever, parents or whatever, you're not thinking, oh, well, you're perfect.
04:25Oh, you think you're perfect up there?
04:26No, I do not.
04:27But hopefully you understand that what I'm preaching and teaching is the word of God as if Jesus Christ was up here.
04:36So the worst thing people can do, and you hear it all the time, hey, you go to church anywhere?
04:41No, that preacher up there is a hypocrite.
04:44Okay, well, if you're talking about when he gets up there and says not to sin, yeah, we're all hypocrites.
04:52Now, honestly, there should be things that preachers should not do.
04:56They shouldn't commit adultery and get up here and preach on adultery.
05:00They shouldn't drink and talk about not drinking.
05:02That is true.
05:04But as far as sinning as a broad spectrum, and that's what this guy said, well, that guy, he says not to sin and he does it too.
05:11Well, okay, well, then you'll, if that's your justification for not coming to church, you'll never go.
05:18But the verse is talking about a hypocrite.
05:20What is a hypocrite?
05:21Look at verse three in chapter seven.
05:23And why beholdest thou the moat in thy brother's eye, but considereth not the beam that is in thine own eye?
05:29Or how would thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the moat out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
05:36Now, most, a lot of people know this story or this situation, even non-Christians, just regular people.
05:46They understand, hey, let me get it, you know, people will talk about it on TV and stuff like that.
05:51Hey, let me get this out of your eye.
05:53But that's what it's talking about a hypocrite.
05:55Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the moat of thy brother's eye.
06:04So, God's using a physical aspect of something.
06:09So, if you've ever had something put in your eye, or, you know, you had a splinter, or maybe eyelash, or whatever, it's very painful.
06:18And he's given an example of a physical situation that if you're telling somebody else they have something in their eye,
06:25first, you've got to get out what's in your eye so you can see it clearly.
06:29And that's what he's trying to give an example.
06:31A hypocrite is somebody who tells you, you're doing this wrong, and they do the same thing.
06:40And that's what he's telling them.
06:42But, and nowhere at all does the Bible ever say not to judge anybody.
06:48In fact, there's an old book called Judges.
06:50In fact, the whole, the way God wanted it to be was the system of the judges.
06:55If you remember, after the system of the judges, in 1 Samuel, the people said, no, we want a king, just like all other nations.
07:03Well, that's not the way God had intended.
07:05He wanted the system of the judges, and then he allowed the king to come in.
07:10Why?
07:10Because that's what he does.
07:12He did that, I guess, to bring Jesus Christ in.
07:16You know, he knows the beginning from the end.
07:17Well, that was not his intention.
07:19He wanted the system of the judges.
07:21That was what his idea was.
07:23Was that you had a judge of the nation of Judah, nation of Israel, and he judged based off of what was right and wrong, not off of who they were.
07:31So, the word, when people tell you, hey, the Bible says not to judge, just ask them, where?
07:39Because that's just not true.
07:40That's what Paul's trying to tell them.
07:42Look, if you judge yourself as the Corinthians, and you realize what you're doing is wrong, I don't have to come over here and help you.
07:50Because that's what he's fixing to do.
07:53The last verse, 6.
07:54Give not thine which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again, and rend you.
08:04What is it saying?
08:06It's saying, look, if you know somebody's not going to take your correction, don't give it to them.
08:12There's people out there, they will not listen to liquor, anything you say.
08:17And what the Bible teaches here at the end is you're wasting your time.
08:20And eventually, they may turn on you, and rend means rip you a new one, I guess.
08:27That's what rend means, is to tear.
08:30So, what the Bible's saying is that if you think you're doing right, there's people out there that you just can't show them the truth with a two by four.
08:41They're not going to get it.
08:42So, don't waste your time.
08:44What about the first Corinthians?
08:45Again, Paul is setting up the Corinthians because he's fixing to hit them next chapter.
08:51I know I've been saying that for weeks now.
08:54But in chapter 5, he's going to hit them hard.
08:57And that's what he's saying.
08:58Look, when you judge yourself, keep this in mind and rest your life.
09:03If you judge yourself, the only person you have to worry about is the Lord.
09:07And if you're constantly asking the Lord, what am I doing wrong?
09:10Is there something I can fix in my life?
09:12Then you're good to go.
09:13So, you won't have to worry about somebody else judging you until the Lord comes, what it says.
09:20Verse 6,
09:21And these sayings, brethren, I have in figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sake,
09:28that you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written,
09:33that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
09:37So, what does puffed up mean?
09:39Well, think about cartoons.
09:40You ever seen a cartoon where somebody would take their thumb and they'd blow it and their body would puff up like that?
09:47Well, that's what it is.
09:49You know, puffing up is somebody who's trying to be all goody-goody and they think they're better than other people.
09:56That's what it's saying.
09:56And he's saying, look, y'all think you're puffed up against one another and you're doing wrong.
10:03You're sinning.
10:04For who maketh thee differ from another?
10:06So, again, he's talking about people that said, I'm from Apollos.
10:09I'm from Paul.
10:11He's saying, if you think you're better than somebody else, how do you differ from another?
10:16Because Christ is the Savior.
10:19We're all saved by Christ.
10:21It doesn't matter who saved you, is what he's saying.
10:26What is thou that thou didst not receive?
10:30Now, if thou didst receive it, what is thou glory?
10:35As if thou hast not received it.
10:36He's saying, what did you receive differently than the other guy?
10:40You've got the Holy Spirit.
10:42It's like the other guy.
10:43It doesn't matter who saved you.
10:44You've still got the same thing.
10:46You've still got the same salvation.
10:48That's what he's saying.
10:49Now you are full.
10:52Now you are rich.
10:54You have reigned as kings without us.
10:57And I would to God you did reign.
11:00That we also might reign with you.
11:04For I think that God has sent forth us the apostle last.
11:09As it were appointed to death.
11:11For we are made a spectacle unto the world and the angels and the men.
11:16So it's kind of giving them a foreshadowing saying, look.
11:20You know, us as apostles.
11:22We are being set last.
11:25You know, disciples were first.
11:26And now the apostles are last.
11:28And he's telling them that they're being appointed to death.
11:33For we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men.
11:38For we are fools for Christ's sake.
11:42But ye are wise in Christ.
11:45We are weak.
11:46But ye are strong.
11:48Ye are honorable.
11:49But we are despised.
11:51So he's saying, look.
11:53You're being lifted up as a Corinthians.
11:56But he's talking about him and Apollos.
11:59The other apostles are being knocked down.
12:03Being despised.
12:06Being made weak.
12:08Even unto the present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted.
12:14And have no dwelling place.
12:16Talking about, look.
12:17We're hungry.
12:18We're thirsty.
12:19They don't have any clothes.
12:21And they're being beaten.
12:22And they have no place to live.
12:25That's what the dwelling place means.
12:26They're being persecuted for following Christ is what he's telling them.
12:31And labor, working with our own hands, being reviled, we bless.
12:37Being persecuted, we suffer it.
12:39He's saying, look.
12:39We're allowing.
12:41The word suffer just means allow it.
12:43He's saying, we're allowing to be persecuted.
12:47Being defamed, we entreat.
12:49We're made as the filth of the world and are the off-scurring of all things in this day.
12:56He's saying, look.
12:57We're the filthiest things in man's eyes.
13:01And we're being made that way.
13:02But he's trying to tell them that, look.
13:05Even though that's the case.
13:08He's fixing to judge them.
13:10And tell them, you're doing wrong.
13:11Look at verse 14.
13:14Now, right now, these things ashamed you.
13:16He's saying, look.
13:17I'm not telling you to beat you up.
13:19I'm trying to help you.
13:21But as my beloved sons, I warn you.
13:24For though we have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have you not many fathers?
13:32For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel.
13:37Wherefore, I beseech you, be ye followers.
13:40So what is he saying?
13:42He's saying, look.
13:43You may have plenty of preachers and teachers in Christ that are showing you the Bible.
13:49But he's saying you've got one person that's begotten you through the gospel.
13:54What does that mean?
13:55Let's keep reading.
13:56For this cause, I have sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord,
14:03who shall bring you in remembrance of my ways, which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
14:10Keep your finger there and go to 1 Timothy 1.
14:27So he said that Timothy, or Timotheus, same thing as Timothy, is his son.
14:33Well, the strange thing is Paul's not even married.
14:37So does that mean he has an illegitimate son?
14:39No.
14:40Look at verse 1.
14:41Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ,
14:47which is our oath, unto Timothy, my son, in the faith.
14:55Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
14:59Go to 1 Timothy 2, verse 1.
15:02Verse 1.
15:03I exhort you, therefore, that first of all supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
15:14for kings and to all that are in authority may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty.
15:20So he's telling them that he's his son.
15:22Now again, he's not saying that he's his son, as in he had him as a son, as a child.
15:32But what he's telling them is what?
15:34That he got him saved.
15:36That he was the one that gave him the gospel and got him saved.
15:41That's what he's telling us.
15:42Go to 1 Corinthians 7.
15:56Because look at verse 1 Corinthians 7.
15:58We'll get there in a couple weeks.
16:00Verse 6.
16:011 Corinthians 7, 6.
16:02For I would that all men were even as I myself, but every man has his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
16:15I say, therefore, to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I.
16:22So he's telling them he's unmarried.
16:25But if they cannot contain, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.
16:29So he's telling you, I'm unmarried.
16:31So he's not married.
16:33He does not have any children.
16:35What he's trying to tell us is that Timothy and some of these other guys are his son in the faith.
16:43Go about to 1 Corinthians 4.
16:54Verse 18.
16:57Now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you.
17:02He's saying, look, some of y'all are puffed up.
17:04That I can't even come to you because you're so puffed up.
17:07But I will come to you shortly if the Lord will and will know not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
17:20Keep your finger there and go to Acts 9.
17:22Acts chapter 9.
17:40So you've got to understand, Paul in chapter 8 and before that, I mean, I don't even know if it happened with Jesus before he was on the cross.
17:58But Paul was an outcast of the Jews.
18:02And then once he defied the Jews, guess what?
18:06He was an outcast of the Christians.
18:08So he's kind of in between.
18:09Well, he brought it on himself.
18:11Jesus said that this was going to happen to him.
18:13But look at Acts 9 verse 10.
18:17And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias.
18:21And to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.
18:24And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
18:26And the Lord said to him, Arise and go into the street, which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus.
18:34For behold, he prayeth, and hath seen a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
18:45And Ananias answered, Lord, have heard many things of this man, how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem.
18:52And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all they call on thy name.
18:58But the Lord said to him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel.
19:09If I would show him how great things, and he must suffer for my name's sake.
19:14And Ananias went his way and entered into the house, and putting his hands on him, said,
19:19Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, then appeared unto thee, the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
19:30And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it had been scales, and he received sight forthwith, and rose, and was baptized.
19:40So, I've heard people talk about this, and say, because he saw Jesus, Jesus was the one that saved him personally.
19:50Wrong.
19:52Go to Acts 22.
19:54Because Acts 22 is the same situation, but it's Paul's account.
19:59This is Ananias' account.
20:01We want to hear what Paul's account, because he's going to tell you exactly what happens in the same situation.
20:07A lot of people use Acts 9.
20:10They don't go to Acts 22.
20:12Look at Acts 22, verse 6.
20:16And see, Paul, who was called Saul, I think he changed his name to Paul, because he didn't want people to think he was a Jew, because Saul was a Jewish name.
20:25He was the first king of Israel.
20:27So, I don't think anybody changed his name other than Paul.
20:30He just felt like he could get a better situation with the Gentiles not having a Jewish name.
20:37And maybe he was rejecting the Jewish religion by changing the name.
20:42I don't know.
20:43The Bible doesn't share that with us.
20:44We just know his name was Saul, and he calls himself Paul.
20:48And people call him Paul.
20:50First thing that came to pass, as I made my journey.
20:53So, this is Paul, Saul, telling somebody the situation while he's incarcerated.
21:01Unto Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
21:08And I fell into the ground and heard a voice saying,
21:11Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
21:14And I answered, who art thou, Lord?
21:17And he said, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
21:22And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
21:31So, they see the light.
21:33They see all the situation.
21:34They don't hear the voice of Jesus.
21:36Only Paul does, or Saul does.
21:37And they that were, and I said, what shall I do, Lord?
21:43And the Lord said unto me, arise and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
21:53When I could not see, for the glory of that light being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
21:59So, he's blind.
22:01He can't see.
22:02And these other men are leading him by hand.
22:05And one Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
22:19came unto me and stood and said unto me, brother Saul, receive thy sight, and the same hour looked upon him.
22:25So, so far it's about the same as Acts 9.
22:27Let's keep reading.
22:28And he said, the God of our fathers has chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will and see thee that just one.
22:35And shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
22:38So far, not much different.
22:40For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
22:46And now, why tarry us thou?
22:49Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
22:56We didn't see that in Acts 9.
22:57Folks, I'm here to tell you, if Ananias had not told him this, he would not have been saved.
23:05It's not just a vision.
23:06People don't just see a vision of Jesus and believe.
23:10The fact that Ananias was a devout man, and he decided to do that.
23:15Can you imagine the rewards that Mr. Ananias is going to have in heaven?
23:18Because everything that Paul did, and everything that Timotheus did, and everything that the church of Corinth did, is compiled on his rewards in heaven.
23:29Because he was being faithful to Jesus and saying, hey, this man, you know, he's worried about him being killed by Paul or Saul.
23:38But he did it.
23:39Go back to 1 Corinthians 4.
23:48So he's telling them, look, I've got, he told Ananias, don't be scared.
23:55I've got something planned for this guy.
23:58Now he's trying to tell them, look, don't be puffed up.
24:02Because if anybody could be puffed up, it could be Paul.
24:06Because of where he came from.
24:08You've got to understand, Paul is an extremely, extremely intelligent man.
24:14You didn't hang out with the top Pharisees and not be pretty smart.
24:19But God used that situation of his knowledge in a situation where he's between the Pharisees,
24:26where he can slip back and forth between them and not get killed until later in Acts,
24:32where he is arrested by the Jews, not the Romans.
24:34But then when the Romans take over, he's able to tell them, hey, is it right for you to mess with me as a Roman?
24:43And the Romans get scared because it was not.
24:45Let's see, verse 20.
24:51For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
24:55So when I read this, this is what I think about.
24:58Keep your finger there and go to Romans 1.
25:01Romans 1.
25:02I've told you before, if you just explain in your own words about Jesus,
25:12and you say, Jesus, even if it's true, Jesus died on the cross.
25:17He was whipped.
25:18He was beaten.
25:19He had a crown of thorn on his head.
25:21They put him in the grave.
25:23He rose three days later.
25:24Folks, people will not get saved.
25:26I'm just here to tell you.
25:27Because it's not in word.
25:29If it was, it wouldn't matter.
25:32But it's in power.
25:33The word of God has power.
25:36That's what people forget.
25:37They think because they walk down an aisle, or they do this, or they do that,
25:41and the preacher explains something about Jesus.
25:43They're not getting saved.
25:45I'm here to tell you.
25:46Look at verse 16.
25:48It's the power of God.
26:14And Paul's telling us in Romans that he's not ashamed of the power.
26:20He's going to preach it boldly because he's not ashamed.
26:27He knows what the power is.
26:29That's what people don't get, is that the power of God, the power of the word,
26:33when you go and you show somebody Romans 3.23, Romans 6.23, Romans 5.8, John 3.16,
26:40that's the power.
26:41If you tell them in your own words that Jesus died on the cross,
26:46you are not saving their spirit, you're trying to save their flesh,
26:50and no flesh will ever be saved.
26:53Go back to 1 Corinthians 4.
26:58And at the end of this chapter, he says,
27:00What will you?
27:01Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, or in the spirit of meekness?
27:06He's saying, look, however you want it.
27:08I come in here all mean and busting stuff up.
27:11Or I can come in love, in the spirit of meekness.
27:14It's up to you.
27:14He's trying to tell them, because the next chapter, he's really going to hammer them.
27:19He's saying, look, I can tell you in meekness, but if you stay puffed up,
27:23just like anybody, anybody that's puffed up with pride,
27:26sometimes you've got to come with a rod.
27:28I'm not saying hit them physically,
27:29but you've got to come with a little bit of harshness,
27:34rebuke, instead of just calmly reproving somebody.
27:37What is repute?
27:38Reproved is to tell somebody, hey, you're wrong, that's why you're wrong.
27:42Rebuke is to tell somebody strongly and forcefully that they're wrong,
27:47and proving that.
27:48And that's what he's trying to tell them.
27:50And the next chapter, you're going to see,
27:52he's really coming at them.
27:53Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.