•I Corinthians 16:13-18
•The Strong to Esteem
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
(I Corinthians 16:13-14, ESV)
15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.
(I Corinthians 16:15-18, ESV)
•Main Point
• Paul continues to encourage the Corinthians to be mature rather than immature in their ways
• Maturity = being watchful, standing firm, acting like men, being strong, and doing everything in love
• He encourages the Corinthians to be subject to, and emulate, the Stephanus household
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem
• Paul has given specific applications to the Corinthians
• A final application is to be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, all they do be done in love
• He gives examples of what it means to do this
• They are among the first to believe and have continued to believe
• It reminds us that it is not so much about who is the loudest, most skilled, most accomplished, but the one who is most faithful
• Those who are watching to make sure we do not fall into fallacy
• Who examine the culture and respond to it
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem (2)
• Those standing firm regarding the faith of Christ
• Recognizing we are only saved through faith in Christ, but that this entails a responsible people
• Those who act like men, whoa re mature, who do not reason as a child
• We are to grow up, act as we are supposed to act
• Those who are strong
• Who are willing to say what needs to be said concerning evil and sinfulness
• Who persevere despite the world around them
• Those who would do all things in love
• Not in acceptance of evil, nor in weakness or powerlessness, but in love…
4Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
(I Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV)
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem (3)
• He describes the type of people they are to be
• He then gives them examples from their congregation on what he means
• Oftentimes we focus greatly on those who come from the Scriptures as our examples
• “Ah how I wish I could have met them and learned from them and been like them.”
• What we need to also remember is that there are those around us who have accomplished the same in their own right
• Paul does not point out the apostles, but those who they can see and experience first hand
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem (4)
• How often do we look around at the faithful here and think, “You know, Paul would have said something good about them.”
• How often are we being watchful for the faithfulness that is in our midst seeking to emulate the strong among us?
• I could write on and on about the joy I have experienced in personal faithfulness, personal growth and maturity
• Everyone here has shined brighter than the sun at times when it comes to faithfulness
• I know many among us who are strong
• I see the faithfulness and in this I look to them as the examples and leaders within the congregation as a whole
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem (5)
• We can look at each other to see what faithfulness looks like in the present
• We can see faithful husbands, faithful wives, faithful fathers, faithful mothers, faithful daughters, faithful sons, faithful preachers, faithful teachers, faithful prayer warriors, faithful individuals who show hospitality and love toward one another
• Seeking to grow in maturity, strength, and being ever watchful
• Does everyone do it perfectly all the time?
• Everyone here has been an example in something and in such things we rejoice
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem (6)
• The leaders in the congregation are not the most eloquent, or most knowledgeable, or even the ones who do the most things
• They are the ones who are faithful to what God has called them to do
• It is no different for the leadership of the Church in the modern age
• Unfortunately we can become star obsessed
• One of the most difficult things to happen to us is when someone we admire and respect falls
• Ravi Zacharius was one such individual for me personally
Application Points
• The Strong to Esteem (7)
• Our sorrow turned to horror as we learned he had abused his station
• It reminds us that it is not the most traveled, the most intellectual, the one who accomplished the most things, but simply the most faithful among us
• Let us not do either of the following
• Let us not become too star struck
• Let us also not become content with our own faithfulness
• Let us look around us to see the faithfulness of others so that we might be able to better serve our Lord
• To see the shining glory found in the obedient faithfulness of each other
• Each of us is called to be strong in this world, to stand firm on the truth, to be mature
• As we do let us shine brightly for God’s glory, knowing we can light this dark world
Application Points
• The Gospel of Christ
• Origins
• Fall
• Redemption
• Glorification
