1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-242005 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Corinthians 16:1-24

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2004.

First Corinthians and some of the things that Paul talked about, you might remember as we began the study, you might not because it was quite some time ago, but we talked about that there's two divisions within the book of Corinthians. The first division is chapters one through six, where Paul is dealing with some issues, giving some instruction, some encouragement to the church that they needed to hear. He dealt with the area of division, where there were people who were

surrounding a particular leader and causing division and breaking up and dividing the body of Christ over who they thought was the better teacher or the better leader or who they should follow.

He also dealt with the area of church discipline and dealing with sin within the church and getting rid of it and allowing the church to go on and to grow forward. He dealt with the area of faithful stewardship, of taking brothers and sisters in the Lord to court. He dealt with the simplicity of the gospel. He gave...

And then in the last chapter, chapters 7 through 16, that we've been studying for some time now, he's been answering their questions. They had written to him with questions that they had about the Christian faith and how to handle certain situations. And he's been answering their questions.

He dealt with things and answered questions about marriage. Should believers get married? Should single people stay single? Should they get married? Should married people get divorced? How does all that work? What is all allowed within the Christian life and marriage? He talked about Christian liberty and how to use your liberty without causing other people to stumble and not allowing yourself to be stumbled by the things that you participate in. He talked about areas like communion, answered their questions about spiritual gifts in chapters 12, 13, and 14.

And we spent the last few weeks looking at chapter 15, where he answered their questions about the resurrection, about that Jesus Christ is arisen, that he is alive, that he is well, and his resurrection guarantees our own life.

As we conclude this book, as we look at chapter 16, Paul ends with some various thoughts, some miscellaneous ideas and things that are upon his heart. He ends with some practical notes. And as we look at chapter 16 today, there's five things really that we can pull out, that we can understand, things that are practical, things that you and I understand.

Amen.

Jesus Christ is real. He is alive. And therefore, the things that we study are real. They're true. And we need to put them into practice and not just read them, not just hear them, but live them out. Jesus Christ is real. And so in this portion of Scripture, chapter 16, Paul gets practical. And we look at these things and we can understand, like I said, five things that we can pull out of here. Well, let's look at chapter 16. Read it together. Starting in verse 1, it says this.

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also. On the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me. Verse 5.

Verse 1.

But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. Therefore, let no one despise him, but send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me, for I am waiting for him with the brethren."

Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time. However, he will come when he has a convenient time. Verse 13. Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanas,

that it is the firstfruits of Achaia and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints, that you also submit to such and to everyone who works and labors with us,

I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking with your part they supplied. For they refreshed my spirit and yours, therefore acknowledge such men. The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartfully in the Lord with the church that is in their house.

All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The salutation with my own hand, Paul's. If anyone does not have the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning and this portion of scripture that we'll be looking at today. God, we ask that you would help us. Open our eyes that we might see the wonderful things that you want to say to us today. Jesus, we do believe that you are real. And so we invite you to come and to be a part of this service. We ask you, Lord, to speak to us, to move in us, to change us. Lord, draw us close to you this morning. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

1 Corinthians chapter 16, Paul begins by dealing with one last question that they had. In 16 verse 1, he says, Now concerning the collection for the saints. Now that word or that phrase, now concerning, Paul used often in introducing or responding to questions that they had. Excuse me.

You can check that out for yourself. Chapter 7, verse 1, as he started dealing with the area of marriage, he used the same word. Chapter 8, verse 1, chapter 12, verse 1, as he began responding to their questions, he used this word, now concerning this question that you had about this area that you wanted to know about. He says, now concerning the collection for the saints.

Now, by the saints here, from the context as we look here, we understand that he's referring to the believers that were in Jerusalem. Believers that were there in Jerusalem who were in some type of need. There was some situation that arose, something had happened, and it prompted Paul to talk to the Corinthian church, to talk to the Galatian church, as well as other surrounding churches, and to talk to the Galatians.

to give to the people there, the believers in Jerusalem. Now, it also indicates to us that this was a separate from the normal giving, from a normal offering, but it was a special collection, maybe like our Wednesday evening offerings. And for those who don't know or aren't familiar with this fellowship, on Sunday mornings we do receive an offering and that goes to pay for the things that the church has to pay for, like the light bill and like the

you know, the water and all the stuff that we have to pay for around here to pay the bills and keep this place open. But Wednesday evenings, we have a special time. We call it our missionary offering. And the reason is, is because what's collected on Wednesday is a special offering. It doesn't go towards...

It doesn't go towards paying any salaries or anything like that or pay towards any bills. What it goes completely for is for the work of missions. It goes to those who have been sent out from here by the Lord, like Rosie, like Tim, like Pastor Tom, like Pastor Dylan, and those who have been sent out and are doing the work of the Lord around the world.

And are in need and do struggle financially and do have to make ends meet. And God provides for them supernaturally. But we want to be a part of that. We want to bless them with that. And so it's a special offering that Paul is referring to. He says, now about this collection that I've asked you about, about this collection for the saints.

He goes on in verse 2 to share with us three things that I take note of, three things that are important to you and I as we understand what Paul is saying. He says, number one, well, starting in verse 2, on the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there may be no collections when I come. The first thing I noticed is he says, on the first day of the week, let each one of you.

Let each one of you... This is something that Paul is not writing to a select few. He's not writing to certain people who have certain situations in their life. He's saying, let each one of you, everyone as a believer, has a responsibility or has the privilege of taking part in God's work by giving. Now...

Whenever you talk about giving from the pulpit, it's always very interesting because you understand and you have to know that there's people and you might be here this morning and say, see, churches are all about getting money. They just want my money and I'm not going to give it and it doesn't matter.

But that's not what we're talking about. What we're doing is we're going through the scriptures verse by verse, looking at the word of God and understanding these principles because we want to grow as disciples of Christ. We want to do the things that God has asked us to do and we want to be faithful to his word to live it out. And so as we look at this, understand, please, this is not a cry for money that, hey, give us more money. This is a cry to, hey, do the things that God is calling you to do, that God puts upon your heart.

He says, let each one of you. Giving is a natural result. It's a natural result of a life that is touched by Jesus. It's a natural result of a life that has invited Jesus Christ in. It's a natural result of the work of God in your heart and my heart. Why? Well, because Jesus taught us

that we should deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Which goes against our normal lifestyle. It goes against our nature. We typically would love to take care of ourselves. We want to provide for ourselves. And that's not a bad thing. But it is to a point. That we need to understand, as we come in contact with Jesus Christ, He asks us not to be focused on ourselves, but to be focused on...

on others. Christianity is all about others, not how I can bless myself, not how I can serve myself, not how I can take care of myself or tend to myself, but how I can give my life, sacrifice my life to serve others. You say, I thought just pastors were supposed to do that. No, but each one of you, this is something we are all called to do. Jesus said that we must forsake all

to be his disciples we cannot come and approach him having more love for something else than for him and that includes riches that includes the money that we earn now please don't misunderstand what the apostle paul is saying he's not saying that what you have to do is sell all your things and give everything away and just live in a tent in your you know yard or on the street somewhere and just barely survive and make ends meet and you beg for money or anything like that

He's not saying that. What he's saying is, don't be attached to the things of this life. Don't be rooted and grounded here. Don't sink in your teeth here, your roots here, and say, look, I'm just going to enjoy life, I'm going to spend all my money on me, and I'm just going to please me, me, me, me, me. As believers, we should have a totally different perspective on life than the rest of the world. I am not here to please me. I

I'm not here to satisfy me. I'm here to bless others. That's why God has me here, and that's why he has you here. As believers, we should have a different perspective on giving. When Jesus Christ comes into our life, he changes us so that we will want to give.

Kind of a scary thought, huh? We'll want to give. Why? Because of the love that he pours out into us. Love for a believer is what pushes us forward. It's what enthralls us. We get passionate about it because of the love that God gives. Love for the lost. Love for those who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. Love for those who need Jesus in their lives. Compels us to give.

It compels us to give that they may know Jesus, that they may have the opportunity to hear his name, that they may have the opportunity to get to know that there's a Savior who loves them, who can forgive them, who wants to wash them clean and have a relationship with them. Love for the lost compels you, compels me as believers to give unto the Lord that they might know that he is alive, that they might know that he is real.

Not only that, but love for the missionaries. As we have sent many missionaries out from this place. Love for them because we've known them. They've grown up with us. We've sent them out in the Lord. They're out in Jerusalem. They're out in Okinawa. Out in different parts of the United States. Love for the missionaries. Love for those who have been sent out from here. Compels us to give. That they might be blessed.

that they might be able to continue on in the work of the Lord, that they might be able to reach the lost and to share with the lost, that they might be able to provide for their family as they're doing the work of the Lord. So love for the lost compels us to give. Love for those who have been sent out compels us to give. Love for, let's say, tsunami victims compels us to give. Natural disasters and hard times and tough situations compels us to give, that they might be comforted, that they might be blessed, that they might know Jesus.

Love is the principal effect on a life when Jesus enters in. That's what Jesus said in John 13, 35. Hey, the way that everybody's going to know that you're a Christian, that you're my follower, is by your love for one another. Your love, my love, is the result of the Spirit working in our lives. And that's found in Galatians 5, 22. It's the fruit of the Spirit. And so love is the motive for giving. Love as Christians should be the motive for all that we do.

People who know Jesus, who have been touched by his love and are learning to love like him, they will be giving people, not self-focused, but others-focused. And so as Christians, as believers, we need to give. We need to bless others. And that's not just through a Wednesday night offering, but that's as you're on the street or with your neighbors or with your coworkers or with your family, in contact with people in need. We need to be generous with the money that God has given us, generous with the things that he's given us.

that we could share the love of Christ with those around us. As believers, we need to be givers. Why? Because Jesus is real. Because this isn't just a school lesson and we're just, okay, putting this in our minds. This is something God has said, He's commanded, He's real. And so, as believers, we should be givers. Well, that's the first thing. Now, He says, let each one...

Each one, every person, every believer is called to be a giver. But he goes on in verse 2, and he also says, let each one of you lay something aside, notice, as he may prosper.

Storing up, he says, as he may prosper. Now, again, Paul's not saying, here's what you need to do. Cut off an arm and a leg and sell it and get rid of everything you can and give this one-time huge special donation and then that'll be it. You'll be okay. No, he says, as you prosper. It's a continual thing. Continue to give. Continue to give as you prosper. Which means, I'll

of the increase, the increase. As the Lord blesses you, as you get a bonus, as you get a raise, as you prosper, as you grow or God blesses you financially, give, give, give of that. God has given it to you, not just so that you could be consumed with yourself with it, but so that you can bless others and that you can be a witness and you can share with others the love of Jesus Christ. Now,

He says, "...as he may prosper." Now, you and I, we sit here this morning and we probably think, I'm not very prosperous. I barely make ends meet. But the reality is Americans are very prosperous. And we may not think so, but we are. Compared to the rest of the world, we are very prosperous. We are very wealthy.

I was listening to a study yesterday by K.P. Yohannan, who is a pastor in Asia, and he founded a work called Gospel for Asia. It's been very solid work for much, much time. But he is a phenomenal speaker, and he was sharing as he's out there, he's doing the work in Asia, doing the work of ministry, and God had called him out of a very successful business, out of very much success and great wealthy things here in the States, to be a pastor.

to this land of Asia. And he explains how God had changed his heart and realized, made him realize, helped him realize how much he was focused on himself, how much he was so consumed with himself and the cars that he drove and the things that he did and the clothes that he wore and everything that he did was so focused and consumed on himself. And he realized, or he was sharing with, as God revealed to him and showed him the rest of the world and how God

The worst life here in America, he said, is a life of luxury in many of the places that they're ministering over there. And so we need to understand we're very prosperous compared to the rest of the world. And so what we need to do, again, is not, oh, we'll punish ourselves and sell everything and just live in tents. No, no, no. But learn to be good stewards and to not live on credit, not to live beyond our means, to be good stewards with the money that God has given us

Not just thinking about ourselves, but learning to give, learning to give as the Lord prospers us, as the Lord blesses us. The third thing I notice in this verse is in verse two, he says that there be no collections when I come. Paul says, okay, first let each one of you, everyone's included. This is something all believers are called to do.

Number two, as you prosper. Not a big one-time chunk thing or anything like that, but just give as you prosper, as the Lord blesses you, give that there may be no collections when I come.

Paul here is emphasizing, he's reminding us, look, this is not to be a big burden. This is not to be a pressured thing. Paul says, look, I'm not going to come like a fundraiser and come and hype you up and get you to chant, give, give, give. He's not doing that. He's not trying to work out anything or hype anybody up. What he's saying is, look, just give it. And then when I come, I'll send whoever you want to send. If it's right, if it's fitting, I'll go with them. We'll take it to Jerusalem. We'll bless them over there. This isn't for me. It's not something I want to do.

But I just want to encourage you to do this now. I don't want to come there, Paul is saying, and now look, you announced it in front of the church. Well, Paul is here, so everybody make sure you give your money and it's this big burden and big push. He says, no, no, no, just lay aside. As you prosper, as the Lord lays it upon your heart, put aside those things.

so that it'll be ready when I come, that there won't be a burden, that there won't be a pressure, it won't be hyped up, it won't be some kind of fundraiser or anything like that, but it'll just be of the Lord. As you give unto the Lord, then it will be given, and the Lord will do His work, what He wants to do there in Jerusalem. And Paul says, look, whoever you want to send, I'm not collecting this for myself, we'll send them to Jerusalem. If you want me to go, I'll go with them, but we're sending it to Jerusalem. This is something that we can bless those believers there in Jerusalem.

So Paul shares these three things. Number one, responsibility for giving is found in every believer. Number two, do it as you prosper. As he blesses you, give unto the Lord. Bless the Lord back and give unto him. And then number three, it's not a one-time, big-time thing or anything like that, but just continue to give faithfully as the Lord blesses you.

Giving is a natural result of a life that's touched by Jesus. And so as believers, we need to give because Jesus is real. He is real. He has touched our life. He has changed us. He has done a work and he has blessed us. And so we give back to him in gratitude and in worship of all that he's done for us. Well, the second section found in verses five through nine goes on to say this.

Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia, for I am passing through Macedonia, and it may be that I will remain or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way, but I hope to stay a while with you if the Lord permits. But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."

Paul goes on now in this next section, and he explains to them some plans that he has. And the lesson we learn from this section, we can find it at the end, but I'll tell you now up front. Number two is to follow God's will.

Follow God's will because Jesus is real. Follow God's will. Paul has his plans made. He says, look, I'm here right now. I'm going to be going through Macedonia. I'm here in Ephesus. There's great work going on. These huge doors have opened. There's lots of ministry. And I want to do this and I want to do that. And I want to spend the winter with you so I'm not going to see you on the way but I'll see you on the way back. And he's got all this laid out of how he's going to get to where he wants to go and do the things that he wants to do. But the key is...

As he's made these plans, he leaves them in the hands of God. Because we see in verse 7, he says, For I do not wish to see you now on the way, but I hope to stay a while with you. And he adds on this little clause, If the Lord permits. If the Lord permits. Paul's basically saying, look, my plans are set. My plans are set, but Jesus is real.

And if Jesus is real or since Jesus is real, hey, he might want to and definitely has the right to change my plans.

And so he adds on the, if the Lord permits. Since Jesus is real, he might want to direct me in a different way. Even though I've got my map out and it's already highlighted the route I want to take and the things I want to do. Hey, I leave it open. God can do whatever he wants to do. He's real. He's alive. He will direct me. He will change directions. He will do things in my life that I don't expect. And I can plan all I want, but I can't.

Plan everything that God wants me to do until he shows it to me, until he reveals to me the things that he wants me to do. Like in giving, we're often focused on ourselves and our plans. This is what I want to do. This is the plans that I've made. This is something that I want to accomplish so that I can be happy. And it's me, me, me, me, me. This is what I'm planning. This is what I'm thinking. This is what I want to do. But Paul says, look,

Again, a life touched by Jesus is not focused like that. Even though, yes, I make my plans. Even though, yes, I have this. I have this. Okay, this is what I want to do. This is where I want to go. Hey, Lord, if you want to do something else, if you want me to do something else or change direction or shift a little bit or even make a U-turn and go the opposite way, hey, my life is yours.

Paul would say to the Lord. My life is yours, God. Do with me as you please. It's not my will, Paul would say, like Jesus, but your will that I want to be done. And so I make these plans, but I leave it in the Lord's hands. And so we need to do the same, to follow God's will, to do what God wants us to do rather than the things that we plan, that we desire to do.

Proverbs chapter 16 verse 9 tells us, A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. A man's heart plans his way, just like Paul. Planned his way, here's the route I'm going to take, here's how I'm going to get there, this is what I'm going to do. But he says, it's the Lord who directs his steps. If you allow the Lord to, He will direct your steps.

And that means that there will be changes. And you know, you might have your career all mapped out. This is what I want to do and I'm going to retire at this age and I'm going to get this taken care of here and there and my 401k is going to kick in here and I've got all this set in place and set in motion. It's set if the Lord permits.

See, we need to realize that our lives are not our own. That as believers, as Christians, we don't want to have our own way because our way is not what's best. But God's way is what's best. And so we need to allow him to direct us.

He is real. He will direct us. He will lead us. He will guide us. He will use us for his glory if we allow him to. And so the Apostle Paul, taking this bold step, saying, hey, look, if the Lord permits, this is what I want to do. But, Lord, whatever you want me to do, I submit my life, my will, my plans into your hands and you direct me. You do what you want to do.

Well, see, I have school all planned out. I'm going to go to school for this many years. I'm going to get this job. I'm going to do this. I'm going to get this job while I go to this other school so I can get this final job. And I got it all mapped out and figured out this is the school I'm supposed to go to. This is the job I'm supposed to have. This is the family I'm supposed to have with the 2.5 kids I'm supposed to have, the white picket fence I'm supposed to have. Hey, you can plan all you want.

But realize, ultimately, we want to follow God's will. And he might want to change things. And what he wants is best for us. So follow God's will because Jesus is real. Because he loves you and he wants what's best for you. And he will lead you, guide you, and direct you. Just kind of a side note, Paul said that there's a great and effective door where he was in Ephesus that God had opened. But he also said that there's many adversaries. And these two always go together.

When there's a great door as God is working and doing many things, there's going to be adversaries. There's going to be those who oppose. There's going to be the enemy there to distract and to seek to destroy. And so make sure you're praying for our missionaries, those who have been sent out like the Apostle Paul, because there's great works going on in Okinawa. There's great works going on in Hagerman and in Idaho and Watsonville. There's great works going on.

So that means that there's also many adversaries. So pray for Pastor Tom. Pray for Pastor Rick and Pastor Dylan and Pastor Dion and all those who have been sent out, Rosie and Tim. We need to be praying for them. Because yes, there's great work going on, but there's many adversaries. The third section says,

Verses 10 through 12. Now, the first two were, number one, as believers, we need to be givers because Jesus is real. Number two, as believers, we need to follow God's will and allow him to direct our paths because he is real. He is alive and he wants to direct us. The third section here, verses 10 through 12, we need to learn to do the work of the Lord.

Because Jesus is real. Let's read together verses 10 through 12. It says, And if Timothy comes, see that he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. I'm sorry. I skipped a line. Let's try that again. Verse 10. And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. Therefore, let no one despise him, but send him on his journey in peace.

that he may come to me, for I am waiting for him with the brethren. Verse 12. Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urge him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time. However, he will come when he has a convenient time.

So in verse 10 and 11, he's talking about this guy named Timothy. Now, Timothy was Paul's friend. He was a young man who had been converted by Paul's ministry. He called him his son in the faith. And so first and second Timothy that we have here in the scriptures are written to this young man named Timothy by the apostle Paul.

And he was with Paul on many of his missionary journeys. You can find that in the book of Acts. You see him alongside of Paul for much of the time. And he's trained up really by Paul. And then he's sent to Ephesus or left in Ephesus to pastor the church there, to lead the church, to set up certain things and to teach the church and all doctrine and all that God's word has to say. Now,

Being that he was written to by Paul, we understand a little bit about this guy, Timothy. And so it's interesting when he says in verse 10, if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear. And we learned from Paul's letters to Timothy in 1st and 2nd Timothy that he was a little timid. In 2nd Timothy 1.7, Paul reminds him, look, we haven't been given a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love.

and have self-control. And so he reminds them, hey, don't be so timid. He encourages many times to fan into flame the gift that God has given to him. He encourages them in 1 Timothy 4.12, hey, don't let anyone despise your youth. Don't be freaked out about how young you are or anything like that.

But just realize that God has a work that he wants to do in you. So Paul encourages the Corinthian church now, hey, make sure he's a little timid, but God's really working in this guy. God's really doing a work. So make sure he's blessed by you and sent out in peace. But he puts a side note on this young man, Timothy, and he says, he does the work of the Lord as I also do. He does the work. Timothy, this young man, he says, does the work of the Lord just like me, Paul says.

Now, this is what we've been talking about for the past couple weeks and the idea of investing in eternity. And that is that we need to do the things that last forever. And the things that last forever are the work of the Lord. The things on this life and in this world that we can accomplish, yeah, they might be great and they might be successful. Like Donald Trump, you might have a beautiful, huge, gigantic wedding that's on every news station for three days, right? But

in this life, that's worthless, it's meaningless. If it doesn't last forever, it's temporary, it's perishing, it's not worth it.

And so Paul says, look, Timothy, he's not focused on this life. What he's doing is the work of the Lord. He's investing in eternity. He's doing the Lord's work. Why? Well, because Jesus is real. Because Jesus is real. He wasn't fanatical about some foolishness. He wasn't fanatical about some philosophy or some idea or great morals or anything like that. He knows Jesus. He wants other people to know Jesus as well because Jesus.

He's real because he's alive. Because Jesus really does love people. Because Jesus really does save people from hell. Because Jesus really does bring peace into a life. Because Jesus really does offer forgiveness and grace and mercy to all those who come to him. Jesus is real. Timothy knows this and he says he does the work of the Lord. Because...

He's had an encounter with this person, with this man, Jesus Christ. And so you and I as believers, like Timothy, we need to do the work of the Lord. We're all called to be involved in ministry. That is sharing with others the good news, the great news that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, that we could be forgiven and have a relationship with him. That's your calling. That's my calling to go into all the world. That's what we need to do.

So the third thing as we look at this portion of Scripture is that we need to do the work of the Lord because Jesus is real. The fourth thing, fourth section, verses 13 through 18. Let's read together. Watch.

Stand fast in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints, that you also submit to such and to everyone who works and labors with us. I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus.

Now Paul's talking to them. He gives them a little bit of exhortation, and then he begins talking about this household of Stephanas.

Now, this household of Stephanas, he says, is the first fruits or the first to become believers in this region, in the area of Achaia. And he goes on to explain that ever since then, they've been also doing the work of the Lord and working in ministry. And so he says in verse 16, hey, submit to people like that. Submit to those who are in spiritual authority over you. Submit to those who are doing the work of the Lord and do the things that they're asking you to do. Do the things that they're prompting you to do because they're looking out for your best interest.

And he goes on to say that they've been very refreshing, both to Paul and also to the church of Corinth. But let's take a look for a moment at this exhortation he gives them in verses 13 and 14. He says some very interesting things, but they're short, short exhortations. The first one he says is watch.

Watch what? Well, he's saying to watch the news because you want to be caught up on current events and know what's going on. No, he's not saying watch TV or watch a movie or anything like that.

He says, watch. Now, this word throughout the New Testament is used oftentimes for us as believers to watch for the coming of Jesus Christ. The word means to be alert, to wake up, or more literally, to force yourself to stay awake. It's the idea if you're a soldier, when you need to stand, watch.

Your unit there is camped out. You're getting some rest. But there's someone who needs to stand watch to make sure the enemy doesn't approach, the enemy doesn't sneak up and try to destroy. And so that person, whoever needs to stand watch, needs to enforce themselves. It's very important that they stay awake, that they stay alert, so that they can...

Be always ready for whatever may happen, whatever may come. And then they can alert the others. He says, watch. Be on your guard. Be alert. And stay awake. Understand that there's situations going on you need to be paying attention to. The enemy could come through the bush at any moment, is what Paul is saying to him. Watch. Now, three examples of this word I'd like to share with you. The first one is Philippians 3, verse 20, where Paul says, For our citizenship is in heaven.

from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, look, our citizenship, like we've been talking about, storing up our treasures, is in heaven. So he says, from there, we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that word, eagerly wait, guess what? It's the same word that's used here for watch. He's

He's basically saying, look, our citizenship is in heaven, so from there, we're watching. We're looking up. We're not looking down and around and distracted at other things. Look, we're watching. We're waiting. We know that Jesus Christ is going to come back at any moment, so our eyes are fixed. We're waiting, paying attention, forcing ourselves to stay awake, knowing, hey, at any moment. Is it now? Is it now? Jesus Christ is coming back at any moment. So he says, watch. Be alert. Force yourself to stay awake so that you can be ready for the coming of Jesus Christ.

In Mark chapter 14, verse 38, Jesus told Peter these words, He says to Peter, look, something we're very familiar with.

Your spirit's very willing. Yes, you say you'll die for me and all that, but the flesh is very weak. And so, Peter, you need to watch and you need to pray. You need to watch. You need to be alert. You need to watch out. Why? Well, because there's temptation that's coming. There's hard times or trials or things that are going to cause you to be tested in your faith, in your commitment to me.

So Jesus tells him, watch, be alert, force yourself to stay awake so that you're ready for that temptation when it comes, that you've been prayed up, that you've been spending time with the Lord, you've been strengthened so that you're able to face, to walk through and to stand in the midst of temptation and to stand in the midst of trials and the things that come your way. Watch, stay awake, force it if you have to, pay attention, be alert, watch.

1 Peter 5.8 gives us another reason to watch and to be alert. He says, Another reason to watch, to be alert, to keep our eyes peeled open, is because there's an enemy.

That wants to destroy us. He's seeking whom he may devour, who may be deceived. As he looks around this room, he says, look, who's the one that's not very well in the scriptures, that doesn't know very much, or is pretty new in the scriptures? Who's the one who I could deceive, who I could rip off, who I could tear away from the relationship with the Lord? Which one can I devour?

The enemy's out there. And so we need to watch, to be alert, to pay attention to his schemes, to pay attention when those knocks on the door happen. Hey, if it's not of the word, it's not true, this is what we believe. This is the standard right here. So don't be deceived. Don't be led astray. Watch out. Pay attention. Be on the alert. Be on your guard. Watch what's coming at you and test it by the word of God.

So, these three examples we see, we need to watch for the Lord's coming. Keep our eyes fixed in heaven because He could come back at any moment. We need to be ready. He also says, watch. Force yourself to stay awake. Pay attention. Be alert. Because temptation is all around you and you don't want to be involved in things that are not of God. And thirdly, watch. Because the enemy is out there to destroy you, to devour your life. So watch. Be alert. Pay attention. Now the problem is,

There's a lot, there's a lot of Christians who are asleep. In fact, there's one right there. No, I'm just kidding. There's a lot of Christians, Christians, it's very easy for us to fall asleep. We're like, temptation? Oh, I didn't notice any. Oh man, the Lord's coming? Yeah, I know. I just need to finish this movie first. It's really good. We're focused on and caught up in our own selves and the things of this world and we fall asleep. We forget to watch.

for the Lord's coming. Have you looked up today to see if the Lord's coming? Was it you, Lord? No, that was just a flash of light. Okay. We need to be watching, to be ready, to be waiting. Hey, any moment we can be caught up with Him. Have you watched today? Ooh, that was a temptation. Oh man, the enemy's trying to lure me in. There's things going on within my own heart. I need to deal with those things. I need to deal with those desires and those passions, those struggles within my heart. I need to watch and pay attention. Take Him to the Lord and allow Him to deal with them.

Oh man, look at that. That's deceiving. My heart is lured to things that will lead me astray, lead me away from Jesus Christ. So I need to be alert to pay attention. Jesus is real. Excuse me. Jesus is real. So we need to watch. We need to pay attention. We need to be on our guard and to stay alert.

The next thing he says is stand fast in the faith. Not only watch, not only pay attention, but stand face. Now these are like commands that a commander would give to a soldier. Look, watch, stay alert, be on your guard, pay attention, but also stand fast. When you're in the midst of the battle, don't give any ground. Don't be pushed back. To us it's saying do not compromise. Don't give up territory when the enemy comes knocking.

John Corson, I love what he has to say about this idea. He says, an oak tree is just a nut that refused to give up ground. And that's what we need to be as believers. Nuts that refuse to give up ground. Hey, if you've got to be a fanatic nut about Jesus Christ, be a fanatic nut and refuse to give up ground. What does that mean? That means you need to get established in your faith. That you need to stand up

on the solid rock, which is Jesus Christ. To build your house upon the rock, in the words that he put it. That our lives are established, are rooted, are founded, are grounded in him. And you know what? You can't push me to do anything that would displease my Lord. Hey, my work wants me to lie, wants me to cheat, wants me to do... Hey, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to compromise and do the things...

that I know are wrong? He says, stand fast in the faith. Stand fast. Cling to Jesus Christ and hold on to Him and hold on to what you believe and what you know to be true. Don't compromise. Don't give in. It doesn't matter who's pushing you or how hard. Stand fast upon the rock of Jesus Christ. He is real. You can stand fast on Him. He'll hold you up as you live according to His Word.

So he says, watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave. I like this word, be brave, because literally it means to act like men. Act like men. Paul is saying, look, quit your crying. Stop whining about everything and just do the things that you know you need to do.

As Christians, many times we come back with, oh, I don't know if I could do that. What if this happens? Or what if that happens? Or what if they say this? Or what if they say that? Hey, so what? Quit your crying and serve Jesus Christ. Do the things. Take a stand for Him. Stand fast in the faith if you need to. Act like a man. There's like a bumper sticker that you see around on different cars that says, real men love Jesus. And that's true. Hey,

It takes strength to stand up for Jesus Christ. It takes strength to do the things that he's calling us to do. And so we need to be brave. It's like what God told Joshua, to be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous on what the Bible says. Be strong and courageous in your life as you do the things that God asks you to do. Why? Because he's real. He's right there with you. You can be brave. You can be strong. You can be courageous.

Because you know he's right there with you. He doesn't say, go off there all by yourself. He says, look, I'm right here with you. Be brave. Be strong. I'm holding you up. I've got your back. I've got your front. I've got your sides. I'm all around you. I'm taking care of it. Do the things I want you to do. Do the things I put on your heart. Be brave. He also says, be strong or be strengthened. Now, these are war terms, right? Hey, this is preparing for battle, right?

to watch, to stand fast, to be brave, to act like men. They're war terms that he's using here to make us realize, to help us realize, hey, this is for real. Jesus is real. This battle that's going on in this life, it's for real. There is an enemy. There is a Jesus. There is a heaven. There is a hell. We need to understand this is for real. Jesus Christ is real. So be strong. Be strengthened in him.

This life is a battle. There's a battle that goes on for my soul. There's a battle that goes on for your soul. There's a battle that goes on for the souls of all the people around us. There's a battle that's going on and many are losing. And so we need to be strong. We need to be strengthened. We need to be established in the faith, established in the Lord. How do you do that? Well, we know how to do that.

By spending time in the Word of God, by spending time in fellowship, by spending time in prayer, encouraging one another, studying the Word of God, knowing what He has to say to us, developing our relationship with Him, we strengthen ourselves in the Lord. Every Christian is called to be a strong Christian.

There's nobody here who can say, hey, no, I've been called to be a weak Christian. Jesus just wants me to be real shallow. And, you know, no. There's no Christian that's called to be a weak Christian. If you're here and you're a weak Christian, you need to understand God says, hey, I love you. I understand you.

You're a Christian good, you're a weak Christian. Hey, move forward. Let's go deeper. Strengthen yourself. Spend time in the Word of God. Make opportunity to hear from Him out of His Word. Make opportunity to fellowship and to open yourself up to people around you who can love you and encourage you in the things that are going on in your life.

Make opportunity to spend time in prayer. Strengthen yourself. Be strong in the Lord. So he says, watch. Stand fast in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. And then he says in verse 14, let all that you do

Be done with love. Let all that you do be done with love. It's kind of funny because, like I said, these are war terms, right? You've got to watch and you've got to stand fast and be brave and be strong. And do it in love. Make sure you do it in love. You've got to do it in love. Now, what is he saying here? What does that mean, to watch, stand fast, be brave and be strong in love? Well, he's saying, let love be your motive.

As Christians, like I said, it's the most prominent thing that should be in our lives is love. It should motivate us. It should guide us. It should lead us. It should be the root of everything that we do. Two areas of love. Number one, love for Jesus. And number two, love for others. Number one, love for Jesus. Because I love Jesus, I'm going to watch. I'm going to be waiting for him and his return because I love him and I cannot wait to see him.

And I want to be ready for His return. I'm going to stand fast because I love Him. Lord, I don't want to be moved from Your Word and from my relationship with You because I love You and I want to spend my life with You. Be brave. Lord, I'm going to be brave because I love You. And I know that You love me and You're here with me and so I'm going to do the things. I'm going to be bold and act like a man and do the things that You've called me to do because I love You, Lord.

And I'm going to be strong. I'm going to spend time with you. And I'm going to strengthen myself in you, Lord, because I love you. And I want to hear what you have to say from your word. I want to hear and to grow in the area of fellowship and in prayer. I want to be strengthened in you, Lord, because I love you. Not only that, but I watch.

Because I love others. I watch and I keep my eyes focused there so that I'm ready as people come alongside me, as others around me come, I can point them to Jesus Christ. I want to watch and be ready so that I can be aware of what's going on around me and I can share the love of Jesus Christ with them at the right time, at the opportunities that God gives me. I love others so I want to watch, not

Not only that, I love others, so I want to stand fast. I want to be an example of what it's like to walk with the Lord. I want to be an example of how you are supposed to walk with the Lord. I want to be an example and stand up and do what's right because that's what's best. Not for me only, but for all those around me. I want to do what's right because I love those around me.

I want to be brave and do the things that God puts on my heart boldly, knowing that he's with me because I love others. And I want them to know the things that God puts on my heart. And I want to serve them in the way that God gives me the ability. And then I want to be strengthened in the Lord because I love others. And I want to be a strong pillar for them to lean on, for them to look to, that they could come and hear the words of God and not my own words, not the words of Dr. Phil or any other philosopher or anything like that.

but that they could hear the words of God, what God has to say. I want to be a strong Christian for those around me, that I can lead them and show them what it's like to love the Lord and to walk with the Lord. Great Glory shares...

about when he was young and they did have a passion for the lost and he would share about these times when they would go out witnessing and they had a hard time confronting people, you know, just going up to the street and saying, hey, you know that Jesus loves you, he has a plan for your life and it's a little bit intimidating and so what him and his friends decided is what we'll do is we'll hand out tracts but in a way that we don't really have to talk to people or confront them because it's,

It's kind of hard or embarrassing or intimidating. And so what they would do is they would take a track and a rubber band and they would wrap the track and the rubber band around a rock. And then they would drive down the street, down the beach area and stuff, and they'd throw these tracks out the window at people as they're passing by and shout, Hey, Jesus loves you! And they'd chuck a rock with a track at them and hit them in the head or whatever and they'd go, Oh, okay, here's a track. And look at it that way. Hey, that's not love. That's not what he's saying.

We need to do all these things. We need to be on our guard. But we need to do it in love. To be loving people. To be sharing with them. To be giving our hearts, giving our lives, serving them in love. That's the motive. So Paul says in the fifth one, the fifth section, verses 19 through 24, he says,

Let's read together. Amen. As Paul closes out his letter,

He says, look, all these churches greet you. The churches in Asia and all these other areas, Priscilla and Quilla's church, they greet you. Not only that, though, but he says, greet all the brethren with their love and greet one another with a holy kiss. And that doesn't mean, you know, guys and girls, you have the right to kiss each other or anything like that. You youngsters, you stay away from each other. No, this is a cultural thing.

as a cultural thing and many cultures still do it today that you kiss one another on the cheek as you greet one another and so that's what Paul is saying a holy kiss a set apart kiss that's of the Lord but then at the end verses 21 through 24 Paul says the salutation with my own hand and because of the Apostle Paul he had some physical infirmities because of his persecution and things he went through that many times he would not write his own letters but

others would write it for him as he's dictating it to them, and then he would just sign the end. He would just write the end. And so, verses 21 through 24, he's saying, look, this is my own writing, this is what I'm writing, and this is what I have to say. And so, he gives the last thing, the last area, that we can look at and understand because Jesus is real. But first, the first four. Give, we need to be givers because Jesus is real. We need to follow God's will.

If he permits. We need to follow God's will because Jesus is real. We need to do the work of the Lord like Timothy because Jesus is real. We need to watch, to stand fast, to be brave and be strong and do all in love because Jesus is real. But Paul shares with us here the fifth thing that we need to love Jesus because Jesus is real. Verse 22. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be a curse. And then he says, O Lord, come.

If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Now, we can say, whoa, what happened? This is kind of harsh, Paul. What happened to all the love that you were talking about and love, love, love? And now you say, let him be accursed.

What does that mean? Well, the word of curse means to cut off or to be cut off or to be condemned. But we need to remember, as the Apostle Paul is sharing here, that Jesus is real and therefore what he said was true and the things that he said we need to follow. And so anyone who does not have Jesus Christ

is already cursed. Anyone who does not love Jesus is already a curse. Jesus said, you're either for me or against me. There's no gray area. There's no, well, I'm undecided. Hey, you're either for me or against me, is what Jesus said. And so Paul says, hey, if anyone does not love Jesus, let him be a curse. Now, Jesus became a curse for us so that we wouldn't have to be a curse.

He took the penalty. He took the punishment for us that we wouldn't have to receive what we deserve for our sin, that we could be forgiven. He became a curse so that we don't have to. So let's learn to love him and receive the gift that he's given to us. And Jesus said that if anyone loves me or comes to me but loves me less than anything else, they're not worthy of me.

It's in Matthew chapter 10. He says, look, if you love your father, mother, husband, daughter, whatever, anything in this life more than me, you're not worthy of me. You can't follow me and love other things more than me. Jesus said, it's of the utmost importance. You must love me. You must follow me. And so we must learn to love Jesus. And then we also must teach others around us to love the Lord, to love Jesus Christ, that they might not be accursed.

but that they might receive His forgiveness and receive what He has to offer. And then he says, O Lord, come. Which is, in the original language, you might have heard this before, Maranatha. He says, Lord, come quickly. Come, Lord. I'm ready. We're waiting.

Paul had a constant expectation of the return of Jesus Christ. And it's a healthy expectation that you and I need to have because he could come back at any time. And we need to realize that and to understand, look, Jesus is real. What he said is true. What he said he would do, he will do, which means he will come back again. There will be a time when the church will be caught up with him as we looked at in chapter 15.

And so we need to be on our guard. We need to be watching. We need to be standing fast. But we need to be reaching out as well and teaching others about the love of Jesus Christ, that they could be caught up together with us, that they could spend eternity with him. Because without Jesus, we're accursed. Without Jesus, there's no hope for us. There is no other way to heaven. There is no other road to salvation. It's only through his name. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father but by me, Jesus said. So we need, as believers, to realize, to understand, Jesus is real. And as we do that, as we understand that, Jesus is real. As he's in our life, we will become givers. Those who are generous with the things that God gives us. Not only that, but we will learn to follow God's will because it's his life and it's not our life. We also need to do the work of the Lord because he's real. He's alive.

We need to watch, to stand fast. We need to be brave and strong. We need to do all in love because Jesus Christ is real. Not only that, but we need to love Jesus, to love him, to be passionate about him because he's real, because he is who he said he was.

And he can do for us what he said he could do. And that is provide forgiveness, wash away our sins, and have a relationship with us. He's the mediator between God and man because he is God and he became man to die for you and me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we look at chapter 16 and understand, Lord, that you are real. Jesus, we thank you for that, God. And we ask that you would meet us here, God, and speak to us now.

Lord, I pray if there's people here who do not know you, Lord, and as we looked at the scripture, Lord, there's people here who do not love you. God, I pray that you would speak to their hearts. Lord, that you would draw them to you. Lord, that you would impress upon them, Lord, the importance of knowing you, of loving you, of serving you, because you're the greatest thing that could ever happen to us. Lord, turning towards you is the greatest decision we could ever make.

So Lord, right now, Lord, we ask that you would forgive us of our sins. Lord, that you would cleanse us from all unrighteousness as your word promises that you will do. Lord, that you would fill us with your spirit. God, I pray if there's any here who do not know you, that you would prompt it upon their heart that they would come forward and get to know you, learn who you are, and receive the loving gift that you have to offer. And God, I pray for those who are here that are believers. God, I pray that you would help us to be givers. I pray that you would help us to follow your will and to be a giver.

Lord, I pray that you would help us to do your work and to watch and to stand fast and be brave and strong. God, I ask that you would help us to love you and to draw closer to you, to be strengthened in you. Lord, because you're real. We love you, Jesus. We thank you. It's in your name we pray. Amen.

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