1 Corinthians 16 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00So, the last chapter [music]
2. 0:01of 1 Corinthians is really Paul's
3. 0:04wrap-up, greetings, and salutations.
4. 0:08Which, in itself, is a message
5. 0:12that
6. 0:13he would give an entire chapter length
7. 0:16to greetings.
8. 0:191 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 1, "Now,
9. 0:22concerning the collection [music]
10. 0:24for the saints, as I directed the
11. 0:26churches of Galatia, so [music] do you
12. 0:29also.
13. 0:31On the first day of every week, each one
14. 0:35of you is [music] to put aside and save
15. 0:37as he may prosper, so that [music] no
16. 0:40collection be made when I come."
17. 0:43He's talking about raising money, and
18. 0:45this tells us several things. One, it
19. 0:47tells us the church was not meeting on
20. 0:49Saturday, it was meeting on the first
21. 0:51day of [music] the week, on the day
22. 0:53Jesus was resurrected.
23. 0:55And it tells us that they were supposed
24. 0:58to be collecting money when they came
25. 1:01together on Sundays. [music]
26. 1:03And they were collecting it in order to
27. 1:05give it to the Apostle Paul, so that he
28. 1:08could distribute it to other churches
29. 1:09[music] as needed.
30. 1:11"When I arrive, whomever you may
31. 1:13approve, I will send them with letters
32. 1:17to carry your gift to Jerusalem.
33. 1:20So, when I get there, I'm going to ask
34. 1:22you, who do you want to send this money
35. 1:24gift to Jerusalem with? And then I'm
36. 1:26going to write the letter, and you're
37. 1:28going to send it to Jerusalem
38. 1:30as a blessing,
39. 1:31>> [music]
40. 1:31>> because there was a very much of an
41. 1:33awareness that Jerusalem was a mother
42. 1:36church that the others were benefiting
43. 1:39from, receiving from, and they needed to
44. 1:41stay faithful to Jerusalem.
45. 1:43And if it is fitting for me to go also,
46. 1:46they will go with me.
47. 1:48But, I will come to you after I go
48. 1:50through Macedonia,
49. 1:51for I am going through Macedonia.
50. 1:54And perhaps I will stay with you, or
51. 1:56even spend the winter, so that you may
52. 1:59send me on my way wherever I may go.
53. 2:03For I do not wish to see you now
54. 2:05just in passing, for I hope to remain
55. 2:08with you
56. 2:09for some time if the Lord permits. I
57. 2:12don't want to have a quick in and out. I
58. 2:14>> [music]
59. 2:14>> I want to spend some time in your
60. 2:15church.
61. 2:17But I will remain in Ephesus until
62. 2:19[music] Pentecost.
63. 2:21For a wide door for effective service
64. 2:25has opened to me
65. 2:27and there are many adversaries.
66. 2:30A big door of ministry is in front of me
67. 2:33and I got a lot of fights on my hands.
68. 2:36Now, if Timothy comes, see that he is
69. 2:39with you without cause to be afraid,
70. 2:42for he is doing the Lord's work
71. 2:45as also am I.
72. 2:48So, he's saying if Timothy comes to you,
73. 2:50I do not want you to give him a hard
74. 2:51time. I don't want you to make him
75. 2:53nervous to minister in you as a church.
76. 2:58Because he's doing the Lord's work as
77. 3:00also am I.
78. 3:01So, let no one despise him,
79. 3:04but send him on his way in peace, so
80. 3:07that he may come to me, for I expect him
81. 3:10with the brethren.
82. 3:12But concerning Apollos, our brother,
83. 3:15I encouraged him greatly to come to you
84. 3:18with the brethren,
85. 3:20and it was not at all his desire to come
86. 3:22now,
87. 3:23but he will come when he has
88. 3:25opportunity.
89. 3:27It's meaningful to me that he says,
90. 3:29you know, I begged Apollos to go back to
91. 3:31you,
92. 3:32but he did not want to
93. 3:34at this time.
94. 3:35And what that points to to me is that at
95. 3:39the very beginning he Paul acknowledges
96. 3:42that the Corinthian church is trying to
97. 3:44divide Apollos from from Paul. Some are
98. 3:47saying, "I am of Apollos." Others are
99. 3:49saying, "I am of Paul." But he says at
100. 3:51the beginning in the beginning of the
101. 3:52book, he says, Apollos and I
102. 3:54are completely united. And so, here
103. 3:56again, he's saying,
104. 3:58"In fact, I begged Apollos to go back to
105. 4:00you. I am not afraid of his ministry in
106. 4:03your midst, cuz he and I are one.
107. 4:05But, because of the way you treated him
108. 4:08and me, and tried to stir up this
109. 4:11strife, he doesn't want to come minister
110. 4:12to you. He's got a He's got something to
111. 4:15overcome to come be in your midst. So,
112. 4:18he may come, he's not ready to come
113. 4:20quite yet.
114. 4:21But, he's basically saying,
115. 4:23"The problem is not between Apollos and
116. 4:25I. I trust him completely. And I'm
117. 4:28begging him to go do more ministry among
118. 4:31you, even though you tried to divide the
119. 4:33apostles by saying, 'I'm of this one and
120. 4:35not of that one.' It's just your
121. 4:37pathetic childishness.
122. 4:40But, Apollos and I were on the same
123. 4:42page, and maybe he's also saying, 'You
124. 4:44hurt him.'
125. 4:45He's going to have a harder time
126. 4:47ministering to you
127. 4:48because of what you did."
128. 4:50Be on the alert. Stand firm in the
129. 4:53faith.
130. 4:54Act like men.
131. 4:56Be strong.
132. 4:59Let all that you do
133. 5:01be done in love.
134. 5:04Now, I urge you, brethren,
135. 5:06you know
136. 5:07the household of Stephanas,
137. 5:10that they were the first fruits of
138. 5:12Achaia,
139. 5:14and
140. 5:16that they have devoted themselves for
141. 5:18ministry to the saints,
142. 5:21that you also be in subjection to such
143. 5:24men, and to everyone who helps in the
144. 5:27work and labors.
145. 5:30He says, "I want you to pay attention to
146. 5:31an entire family.
147. 5:34They were the first.
148. 5:35They were the founding family of Achaia.
149. 5:39And I want you to pay attention, and I
150. 5:40want you to be in subjection to them,
151. 5:42because they're serving
152. 5:45in the labor, in the work. And I want
153. 5:47you to have the same attitude toward
154. 5:49anyone else who is devoted to the
155. 5:51ministry.
156. 5:53I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas
157. 5:56and Fortunatus
158. 5:57and Achaicus because they have supplied
159. 6:00what was lacking on your part. What he
160. 6:03means is they gave me warmth. They gave
161. 6:07me appreciation and they helped me
162. 6:08practically when you did not.
163. 6:12For they have refreshed my spirit and
164. 6:14yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men.
165. 6:19Acknowledge the place God wants them to
166. 6:21fill in your ministry, in your church.
167. 6:23The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila
168. 6:26and Priscilla greet you heartily in the
169. 6:29Lord with the church that is in their
170. 6:31house.
171. 6:34All the brethren greet you.
172. 6:36Greet one another with a holy kiss.
173. 6:39The greeting is in my own hand, Paul.
174. 6:43If anyone does not love the Lord, he is
175. 6:46to be accursed. Maranatha. The grace of
176. 6:50the Lord Jesus be with you.
177. 6:53My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.
178. 6:57Amen.
179. 6:58>> [clears throat]
180. 6:59>> If anyone does not love the Lord,
181. 7:02he is to be accursed, anathema,
182. 7:05rejected, condemned, damned.
183. 7:10And then he says, "Maranatha."
184. 7:12Which means, "Come, Lord Jesus. Our Lord
185. 7:15come."
186. 7:17The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
187. 7:20My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.
188. 7:24[music]
189. 7:25Amen.
190. 7:26So, Paul ends
191. 7:28the whole letter
192. 7:31by expressing [music]
193. 7:32and requiring and commanding and and
194. 7:36giving the very love
195. 7:38that the Corinthians are so lightweight
196. 7:41on.
197. 7:43He's saying, "Love this one. Honor this
198. 7:46one. I love you. He loves you. We love
199. 7:49the Lord. And if we don't, we're
200. 7:51cursed."
201. 7:53But he sent He [music] ends it by
202. 7:54saying, "My love be with you." That's
203. 7:57the last thing he says in this book, "My
204. 8:00love be with you
205. 8:03in Christ Jesus.
206. 8:05Amen."
207. 8:07What a book.
208. 8:09What a book.
209. 8:11Do you see the whole picture?
210. 8:13Do you see how
211. 8:15division and independence and the wrong
212. 8:17kind of wisdom
213. 8:19and the wrong kind of [music] boasting
214. 8:21and the wrong kind of priority of
215. 8:23gifting and jealousy and strife is the
216. 8:25problem,
217. 8:27but the solution is humility. The
218. 8:30solution is honor.
219. 8:32The solution is love. The solution
220. 8:34[music] is to yield to the gifts, but in
221. 8:36the order of God. The solution is to
222. 8:39keep your eye on where we're going,
223. 8:41that everything in this life is but the
224. 8:44seed of the life to come.
225. 8:46And then to end with the love of God.
226. 8:49To start with the love of God and to end
227. 8:50with the love of God.
228. 8:52Amen.
229. 9:05>> [music]