MPC, 1st September 2002.1 Corinthians 16 - "Work Worth Doing"
Stuart Atkinson MPC, 1st September 2002.
When Luke Tattersall was here for the wisdom weekend, he told us about a couple of Canadian scientist who'd spent two years of painstaking work gluing together this ancient dinosaur skeleton. It was to be displayed at a museum in The Hague, Netherlands. But as the workers were transporting the crate, as they were craning it in, the unthinkable happened, and they dropped it. It broke into one hundred and eighty eight pieces.
How would you feel? All that hard work just out the window. All of their labour in vain. For nothing.
It's a terrible feeling, and it happens to us too. You labour over a hot stove, prepare a beautiful meal, and you drop it on the way to the table. Have baked beans on toast instead. What about the day to day grind of life, where you go to work, with the same old people, the same old meetings. Same old conversation on a Monday morning. And you wonder – what's it all for?
Shakespeare put it well when he said in Macbeth that "life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing". Maybe Shakespeare was just having a down day, but sometimes it all seems like vanity.
Well, Paul has just spent the last part of his letter reminding the Corinthians that if there is no resurrection, then they might as well just go out and party. They might as well go out and strut their stuff, because you'll have your hour upon the stage, and you'll be heard no more.
If there's no resurrection then live it up. Make the most of the time you have. Write out a list of all the things you haven't done and go do them. Do what you want with your body. Because if there's no resurrection, then this is all there is. This is as good as it gets. Too bad if you've got health problems. Too bad if you're poor.
But in verse 58 Paul says stand firm. Because there is a resurrection. Jesus was raised from death, just as I preached it and just as you believed, and so you'll be raised too. Paul reminds them that their hope is for future glory when they'll be raised with Jesus with a new body. When they'll swap the perishable for the imperishable. The body sown in weakness for the body raised in power. A future full of glory. But not now.
So stand firm, Paul says. Because the work you do in the Lord is not in vain. Read it with me from verse 58:
Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the lord is not in vain.
Now because I passed my basic Greek exam, I can tell you that the word used for labour is Kopos - meaning intense labour united with trouble and toil. Sounds like child birth really. No one expects labour to be easy. I was having dinner with a friend last night who's just had a baby, and she said, at least the pain is constructive. It's not for nothing. It hurts, a lot so I'm told, but it's worth it in the end.
And that's what Paul is saying to the Corinthians, that living a Christian life and telling people about Jesus is no walk in the park. It's hard. It's going to mean sacrifice. It'll mean trouble. And to the world it will look stupid. It'll look like a big waste of time. But it's not in vain.
Paul is saying that our work in the Lord is something that lasts.
Something that's not in vain. There's eternal benefits. So it's worth it. It's worth the beatings, worth the opposition. The going without. And so in this last part of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul points out some ways they can be involved in the work of the Lord. Ways they can give themselves fully to the work of the Lord.
Maybe you've wondered that yourself. Maybe thought – the work of the Lord - it's something only full time ministers do. People with a degree in theology. But that's not Paul's perspective at all. From his point of view, every Christian's got a part to play in the work of the Lord.
And in the very next part of his letter, he talks about giving.
One way to be involved in the work of the Lord is to give money.
Have a look at 16:1:
Now about the collection for God's people. Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. Which is: give their money. Actually write A cheque. And give it away.
Which doesn't come easily. But if you're committed to the work of the Lord, you'll do it. Without even thinking about it. No fuss. But in a structured way. Keep reading. He says, "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then when I arrive I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem".
There's lots of ways your giving can be a part of the work of the Lord. There's a famine in Jerusalem and the Jewish Christians need help, so Paul says give.
I don't know about you, but I find giving hard. I think about all the other things I could do with the money. Like pay for that overseas skiing trip I've always wanted to take. Upgrade my seven year old car.
And to the world, giving seems ridiculous. When you go into the bank to apply for a loan, they say - let's have a look and see how much you can borrow. They say, What's your income? They say, "okay, write down your expenses." Then the bank guy looks down the list. "What's this giving to the church?" He says, "You don't have to do that. Cut that out and you can borrow a whole lot more." Get a better house. One with a view. It's tempting.
We played this game at our growth group at the start of the year. One of those get-to-know-you games. You go around the group and say what your dream holiday would be. If money was no object. It's fun. But it's cruel. Because the reality is I'll probably never be able to go on a holiday where money's no object. Neither will you probably. And as Christians, if we're committed to giving then that reduces our ability to do all sorts of things. Buy that car, that great sound system. When everyone else around us is.
But Paul says it's worth it. stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the lord is not in vain. So give.
Now if you're a regular here and you give money each week, you're doing the work of the Lord. Did you realise our ministers are paid. Our missionaries are paid. Like the Stocks and the Cases. We fund Youthworks. Kids ministry. Our building. Caring for people. Supporting other churches that are struggling. Which is what Paul wants the Corinthians do. Sending the money to Jerusalem. Paul says it's good to give. It's one way to be doing the work of the Lord.
But there are other ways. Verse five Paul tells them about his plans. That he wants to see them soon. That he hasn't forgotten all about them. But the other reason he's telling them about the rest of his journey is so they can be partners in it. That they can play a part in spreading the gospel. Paul's not going on a Mediterranean holiday. He's doing the work of the Lord.
And he says that he wants to spend the winter with them, so they can help him on his journey – it's like it's a privilege for them to be able to be a part of the ministry. And it is. Because it's not Paul's ministry. It's God's. And they can be a part of it by providing provisions. Maybe travelling companions.
I heard about a retired couple who dropped in on a minister and did his washing and ironing for a bit. Even built him a pergola. Just so he could get on with teaching his church.
How can we help to do this sort of thing here? Well, we sent Maurie to Pakistan. As a church we're helping to train student ministers, and we're sending them off to college…
Well, Paul wants the Corinthian church to be devoted to the work of the lord. By giving. By supporting his mission trips.
But that's not all.
You know, in the end, there's no better way of learning than watching. And then doing. And in the rest of the chapter, Paul's highlighting people who are doing what he's talking about. Who are doing the work of the Lord. And holding them up as examples worth watching.
Which you see at the end of verse 18. As he says how glad he was when Stephanus and Fortunatus and Achaicus turned up to help. Like a breath of fresh air. He says this: "For they refreshed my spirit, and yours also. such men deserve recognition."
Recognition. Final Greek lesson for the day. And then Phil says I'm never allowed to do it again. The Greek word translated recognition is epiginosko. Meaning to become thoroughly acquainted with; to come to understand. What Paul's saying is "study people like this." Learn how to do what they do.
Because this is what the work of the Lord looks like.
So look back at Timothy. And Apollos. Who he says are also doing the work of the Lord. Follow with me in verse 10:
If Timothy comes see to it that he has nothing to fear while he with you for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
And so they need to respect him. He says, "No-one, then should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me." Look after people like Timothy. They're valuable. They're doing important work. And part of your responsibility as Christians is to support people like Timothy. And study them carefully. To learn from their example.
As opposed to the sort of false teachers we've seen the Corinthians were so attracted to. Who promised the world. And delivered nothing. Who said they were spiritual, and yet weren't interested in being holy.
It's much easier to listen to someone who tells you that as soon as you become a Christian you'll be well. You'll be rich, and you'll be able to bend steel bars with your teeth. Timothy's not impressive. You see from Paul's letters he's young. He's shy. Paul says, he's doing the work of the Lord like I am. So look after him well.
Here's another great example. A guy called Stephanus, verse 15;
Stephanus and his household, the first converts in Achaia. Here's someone worth watching. Because he says these guys have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. These are the kind of guys Paul says they should look up to. People who are servants. Have a think. Who do you know like that? People who devote themselves to serving God's people. I can think of a few. Read it with me in verse 15:
You know that the household of Stephanus were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work and labours at it.
You'll say, I'm too busy. You'll say, but by the time I get home from work I don't have the energy. Paul says, these guys are wearing themselves out in the service of the saints. Exhaust yourself at that. Be hospitable. As a whole household. Care until it hurts. Because it's worth it.
These are the people who have given up their weekend at the coast to help at the church barbecue. Who instead of watching the footy on Friday night spend time with someone who is hurting. The people who get out of their comfort zone to welcome a new person when they walk in to the church.
Paul says submit to such as these. And that's not hard because they're servants. Just like Jesus. Learn how to do what they do.
Because this is what the work of the Lord looks like.
Paul's given the Corinthians some stinging correction in his letter.
They've been led astray by people who have tried to change the gospel. They've been doing wrong things. And even when they've been doing right things, they've been doing it with wrong motives. Being selfish instead of being servants, instead of doing things in love.
Remember in chapter one, they were fighting for status by comparing which leader they followed. Pitching Paul against Apollos.
They were involved in sexual immorality.
They were taking each other to court. God's family suing each other, in front of unbelievers. Getting caught up in the injustice of being wronged. Instead of demonstrating grace.
They were doing the same thing when they celebrated the Lord's supper. Thinking about themselves instead of their brothers and sisters in Christ. Turning a meaningful remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice into a gluttonous free-for-all.
Using their freedom in Christ to assert their rights in all sorts of ways.
All the time thinking they're spiritual. When the reality is, they're not. They're spiritual babies. Not nearly as grown up as they think.
But Paul as their father in Christ wants them to grow into spiritual maturity. He wants them to grow as followers of Jesus. He invites them to change their wrong thinking. To do everything in love. To be fellow workers in the work of the Lord, work that's worth the effort. Work that has eternal value. And he reminds them of their brothers and sisters in Christ in other places - who are also involved in the work of the Lord. And he ends the letter the same way he started it. By reminding them about the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. By which they are saved and by which they'll continue, if they stand firm.