(#016) 1 Corinthians 3 - You Have No Right to Judge Yourself or Others

Class Outline:

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The race isn't over so be patient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God.  As the Lord He is 100% Deity…  He is God the Son.  He is also 100% human just like you and me, and His name is Jesus Christ.  The Lord…God the Son…became flesh…Jesus Christ...and lived among us.  He is the Sovereign God of the Universe…He is the Savior of the whole world…and He is the Jewish Messiah.  

 

Those who make Barah Ministries their spiritual home, believe in Jesus Christ.  We are Christians, and we have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.  The Lord Jesus Christ is a Person, not a thing or a concept.  Just as we would do with any person we love, we spend time getting to know the Lord through the study of His Word.  You can’t get to know the Lord without knowing His mind, and the Bible is His exact thinking.

 

In Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 21…the apostle Peter repeats what the prophet Joel declared…

 

ACTS 2:21

‘…and it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

 

Barah Ministries makes a difference by teaching the Word of God from the Lord Jesus Christ’s perspective, and not from man’s perspective.  We search the Scriptures to learn who the Lord is as a Person, and to learn what our God has to say about Himself, about His plan for all mankind, and about His personal plan for each of us.  We are here to learn how to see our lives from His perspective.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - You Have No Right to Judge Yourself or Others

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

In high school, I ran track.  One of my events was the long jump…ironic because my mother participated in the 1936 Olympic trials in the long jump and I didn’t even know that before choosing to be a long jumper.  Another of my events was the one-hundred-yard dash.  Remember when events were measured in yards not meters?  Some of you do.  Occasionally, my coach would send me out for a third event…to be the pacer (a rabbit) in the quarter mile race.  A pacer runs at 100-yard dash speed during the quarter mile race with the intent of throwing off the pace of opponent runners.  A lot of time it worked.

 

This trip down amnesia lane came to mind during this week’s study because I remembered that not many marathoners are leading the race at the middle point of a race.  Instead, they are usually in the middle of the pack at the middle of the race…they are not pacers…they are not the ones setting the speed of the race!  What would it be like if winning marathoners judged themselves in the middle of the race?  What if they judged every step during the race?  They’d be judging themselves too harshly because they eventually win the race.

 

So it is with believers in Christ.  We are ALWAYS listening to the little voice inside, the flesh, that is judging our lives.  “You’re so stupid!”  “I can’t believe you did that!”  “You’re wrong about that!”  The Lord doesn’t judge your life race until it’s over.  Why would you judge your life race in the middle, especially when you have already won the race through your union with Christ?

 

In today’s lesson, we’ll learn that we have no right to judge ourselves or others as we run the race of our lives.  The righteous judge is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and at the end of our lives He and He alone is the one qualified to make a righteous judgment!

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

A lot of us make ourselves victims of our past.  We define ourselves by our mistakes.  Yet as Christians, we know everything that happens to us passes through God the Father’s hands.  Nothing happens to us without His permission.  He allows tribulation in our lives so He can work all of our experiences together for our good.  So, in Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 13 and 14 the apostle Paul says…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:13

Brethren (fellow believers in Christ) … I do not regard myself as having laid hold of spiritual maturity yet (thirty years into his ministry) … but one thing I do…forgetting what lies behind (the past) and reaching forward to what lies ahead (the future) …

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:14 

…(today) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God the Father in union with Christ Jesus.

 

The group Casting Crowns puts this sentiment into the song…AT YOUR FEET.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

AT YOUR FEET

Casting Crowns

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father thank you for the compassionate way you look at us…You are a gracious God…slow to anger…filled with unconditional love for us….readily dispensing forgiveness…and we thank You for all the amazing things You do for us, especially for sending Your Son to die for us when we were ungodly, unrighteous sinners…teach us to view our lives the same way You do…to look at ourselves with compassion, and forgiveness, and grace, and unconditional love…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s

name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - You Have No Right to Judge Yourself or Others

 

We continue our study of the third passage of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, which extends from Chapter 1, Verse 10 to Chapter 4, Verse 21.    Let’s listen to the next part of the passage…First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verses 18 to 23…and First Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 1 to 5…and then we’ll study what the apostle Paul has to say to the church verse by verse…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:18 

Let no man deceive himself (stop lying to yourself…don’t be a victim… don’t give in to internal deception…this the imperative mood…the mood of command). If any man among you presumes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool (to the world), in order to become wise.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:19 

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. For it is written, “God is the one who catches the wise in their cunning schemes … ”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:20 

…and again it is written, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the “wise,” that they are useless (futile).”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:21 

So then let no one boast about humans (this the imperative mood…the mood of command)). For (in God’s plan) everything belongs to you (believers in Christ) … 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:22 

…whether it’s Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or

things present or things to come…all things belong to you (believers in Christ because they come to you from God) … 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:23 

…and you belong to Christ…and Christ belongs to God the Father.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:1 

Let a man regard us (teachers) in this manner (this the imperative mood…the mood of command) … (regard us) as (fellow) servants (executing the orders) of Christ…and as stewards distributing God the Father’s mysteries (the previously unrevealed doctrines of the Church Age…Christ indwelling you…the hope of glory).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:2 

In addition, it is required of stewards to be found trustworthy.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:3 

But to me (Paul) it is a petty thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court…in fact, I do not even examine myself.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:4 

For I (Paul) am conscious of nothing against myself (Romans 8:1) … yet I am not acquitted by this (I’m by no means innocent) … but the one who examines me is the Lord.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:5 

Therefore, do not keep on passing judgment (on yourself or anyone else) before the appointed time (this the imperative mood…the mood of command)…but wait until the Lord comes (back to judge) who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and who will disclose the motives of every person’s heart…and then each person’s praise will come to him from God.

 

This seems to be two passages…but remember…there are no chapter breaks in the original languages.  So, what appears to be two passages here is just a continuation of the flow of the third passage of First Corinthians, the passage extending from Chapter 1, Verse 10 to Chapter 4, Verse 21. Let’s remind ourselves of the start of this third passage to provide the context…First Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verses 10 to 13…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:10 

Now I (Paul) exhort you, brethren (fellow believers in Christ), by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions (no rivalries) among you…but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same purpose.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:11 

For I (Paul) have been informed concerning you, my brethren (in the church at Corinth), by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:12 

Now what I (Paul) mean by this is that each one of you is saying, “I belong to Paul” … and “I belong to Apollos” … and “I belong to Cephas (Simon Peter)” … and “I belong to Christ.”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:13 

Has Christ been divided (into component parts)? Paul was not crucified for your sake, was he? You weren’t baptized in the name of Paul, were you?

 

What do we see in this passage?  The human condition…our favorite sport…rivalries…divisions…eyes on people.  Now our verse by verse study of the current part of the passage where we’ll learn two things…how to think about people and how to think about our teachers.  As we review these verses…we’ll learn how to think about ourselves as well.  Remember…you have no right to judge yourself or others.  Ultimately, human evaluation of self is myopic…it is shortsighted…it lacks real tolerance and real understanding, yet we do it all the time.  First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 18…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:18 

Let no man deceive himself (stop lying to yourself…don’t be a victim… don’t give in to internal deception…this the imperative mood… the mood of command). If any man among you presumes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool (to the world), in order to become wise.

 

This is a direct attack against being a “Thieme-ite” which many of us were earlier in our live…we had our eyes on our teachers.  We looked with other churches with contempt.  We thought we were smarter than everyone else because we aligned with an allegedly smart teacher.  Rivalries…divisions.  But really…how smart is it to think that you have the corner on Christianity and that everyone else in the world is stupid or off base because they are different.

 

Now to be sure…I am not a fan of megachurches.  I don’t think having concerts and divorce ministries and turning the church into a social club and a reflection of the world will do a single thing for you when your doctor tells you that you have bone marrow cancer or leukemia or that you have eight months to live.  I have found the Word of God to be really helpful in these situations.  The Doobie Brothers songs were not helpful at all.

 

Stop lying to yourself means grow up…God expects it…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 14…

 

EPHESIANS 4:14

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…

 

Those who considered themselves smart in the Corinthian church had to make others dumb so they would appear smarter…but God encourages us not to be too smart for our own good.  First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 19…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:19 

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. For it is written, “God is the one who catches the wise in their cunning schemes … ”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:20 

…and again it is written, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the “wise,” that they are useless (futile).”

 

The way my Mom said it?  “You think you’re slick, but you can always stand another greasing.”  There is the world’s wisdom and there is God’s wisdom.  How are you thinking?  Psalm 94, Verse 11 says…

 

PSALM 94:11

The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath (futile).

 

We grow up when we use God’s thinking.  God sees us as we really are.  He knows what we think.  God doesn’t want us building our thought lives with wood, hay and straw…with perishable things…the world’s wisdom.  He wants us to build our thought lives with gold, silver, and precious stones… eternal things.  He wants us to be the third little pig who built his house of bricks.  When we build our thoughts with the Word of God, we build eternal thoughts.  If you want to evaluate what you are doing, ask what God would think…go right to Scripture…learn God’s viewpoint.  You can fool yourself but you can’t fool God.  No human thought escapes God’s notice.  Are your thoughts centered on divisions and rivalries or on God?

 

When we return from our five-minute break, we’ll take your offering, and then we’ll continue our study of this section of the passage.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - You Have No Right to Judge Yourself or Others

 

Believers in Christ in the first century Church had each other’s back in the matter of giving.  Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 32 says…

 

ACTS 4:32

And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and of one soul…and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own…but all things were common property to them.

 

They were not socialists…they didn’t believe in the redistribution of wealth…they simply looked out for each other.  Acts, Chapter 4, Verses 34 and 35 say…

 

ACTS 4:34

For there was not a needy person among them…for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales…

 

ACTS 4:35 

…and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and the proceeds would be distributed

to each as any had need.

 

Thank you for giving to Barah Ministries so we can provide the Word of God to those who have need.  We’re looking forward to the day when the impact of our giving can be even greater.

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with today’s offering message.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

LUKE 8:15

But the seed (the Word of God sewed) in the good soil…these are the ones who have heard the Word with an honest and good heart…and hold it fast… and bear fruit with perseverance.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

David Bauer, Instrumental

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - You Have No Right to Judge Yourself or Others

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

There are so many things in this life that are disturbing to us.  Yet when we remember to live our lives in the light of eternity, we have the faith to know that we have many things to which we can look forward.  In Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 8, the apostle Paul says…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:8

(As believers in Christ) … we are of good courage, I say…and we prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home (face-to-face) with the Lord….

 

One of the things we look forward to is to be reunited with our loved ones who are at home with the Lord, and to meet the people of the Bible whose lives have been lessons to help us in our life’s journey.  Here’s Larnelle Harris to remind us we have FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Larnelle Harris

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - You Have No Right to Judge Yourself or Others

 

Welcome back…First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 21…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:21 

So then let no one boast about humans (this the imperative mood…the mood of command)). For (in God’s plan) everything belongs to you (believers in Christ) … 

 

No one should place our confidence in humans, those only with “natural” power.  You’ve heard people say, “The most important thing to me is family.”  Really?  The most important person to me is the One who created me.  As believers in Christ we belong to the Person who was crucified for us.

 

No one will be able to boast in the presence of God (See what I did?)  We would never consider elevating ourselves in front of God…God isn’t going to respond to a sales pitch.  We do well when we boast about what the Lord has done for us.  So, what has the Lord done for us?  Only everything… He has provided everything you are…everything you have…everything you have done…you the Lord’s work by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

 

So, should we boast about teachers?  Teachers are merely your servants.  God the Father provides a plan, the Christ, the Cross, salvation, the Holy Spirit, sanctification, the “all” things, Himself, glorification, rewards (gold silver precious stones…what do we have that was not provided?  First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 22…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:22 

…whether it’s Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come…all things belong to you (believers in Christ because they come to you from God) … 

 

We massively underestimate our potential.  We are not of Paul, Cephas and Apollos…they belong to us.  I belong to you.  

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:23 

…and you belong to Christ…and Christ belongs to God the Father.

 

Believers in Christ are immortal.  Physical death does not end a Christian’s life.  How are we to think of others? Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 3…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:3

…for we believers in Christ are the true circumcision…who worship in the Holy Spirit of God and glory in union with Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 1 and 2…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:1 

Let a man regard us (teachers) in this manner (this the imperative mood…the mood of command) … (regard us) as (fellow) servants (executing the orders) of Christ…and as stewards distributing God the Father’s mysteries (the previously unrevealed doctrines of the Church Age…Christ indwelling you…the hope of glory).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:2 

In addition, it is required of stewards to be found trustworthy.

 

God is looking for people who are faithful.  Matthew, Chapter 25, Verse 21…

 

MATTHEW 25:21

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were

faithful with a few things…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:3 

But to me (Paul) it is a petty thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court…in fact, I do not even examine myself.

 

Paul doesn’t judge himself in the middle of the marathon.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:4 

For I (Paul) am conscious of nothing against myself (Romans 8:1) … yet I am not acquitted by this (I’m by no means innocent) … but the one who examines me is the Lord.

 

That’s a pretty bold statement!  It’s a statement that can only be made by a person with mental serenity.  It’s statement made by someone who is mature.  So now a command…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 4:5 

Therefore, do not keep on passing judgment (on yourself or anyone else) before the appointed time (this the imperative mood…the mood of command)…but wait until the Lord comes (back to judge) who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and who will disclose the motives of every person’s heart…and then each person’s praise will come to him from God.

 

What is God going to bring to light?  Those things worthy of praise.  Let Him do the judging and you do the enjoying.  In the meantime…get off your own back!

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The closing moments of our study are for the benefit of anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU. 

 

If you closed your eyes in this life right this moment…and found yourself standing before the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…and the Lord asked you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” …what would you say?  Such a scenario would never happen…that’s not how God works…but let’s just suppose.

 

Many would talk about what a good person they are.  Many would talk about all their good works…the things they have done to earn and to deserve entrance into heaven.  The bible has bad news for good people who want to work their way into heaven…Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 4…

 

ROMANS 4:4

Now to the one who works for salvation…his wage for his work is not credited to his account as a favor from the grace of God…but his wage is credited as what is due for the work.

 

The bad news is that your goodness as a person and your hard work are not good enough to get you into heaven, because they are not perfect.  You were born with a problem.  From the moment of your physical birth, God considered you a sinner.  Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…

 

 ROMANS 3:10

…it is written “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 3:23

…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

In addition to being a sinner, you commit personal sins.  Sinners and those who sin simply don’t meet God’s absolute righteousness standard, because God requires perfection to get into heaven.  So being a good person, or trying to work your way into heaven with good, but imperfect deeds, does not impress God at all.  It’s not your fault that you’re a sinner from physical birth, but it is your circumstance.  Unfortunately, being a sinner has a penalty.  Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 6:23

For the payment earned for being a sinner is both spiritual death and physical death…

 

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself passed along this very bad news to a self-righteous Pharisee, Nicodemus, in John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 3:3

Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you are born again (the spiritual birth) you cannot see the kingdom of God the Father (in heaven).”

 

This gospel message is the good news concerning what God did to fix the bad news for a sinner.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…

 

ROMANS 5:8

But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind…in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly, unbelievers) … Christ died (a sacrificial death) for us.

 

Who is this God who saves you?  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4… 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of first importance what I also received (the gospel message)… that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Scriptures…

 

Absolute righteousness is the admission ticket to heaven and it is the key to eternal life…the resurrection life…and it is yours FREE OF CHARGE if you want it.  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 to 11…

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God) … and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be saved…

 

ROMANS 10:10 

…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness (your admission ticket to heaven) … and with the mouth a person confesses (choosing faith in Christ alone) … resulting in salvation.

 

ROMANS 10:11

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will not be disappointed.”

 

If you closed your eyes in this life right this moment…and found yourself standing before the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…and the Lord asked you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” …what would you say?  It’s easy… Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31 

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

All you have to say is, “I believed in You when I was alive, Lord.  That’s all it takes to get to heaven.”  And you’d be right!  So, heed the invitation and the warning of John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

There is a hell…a very real place…and it is described this way in the bible… Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 41 to 43…

 

MATTHEW 13:41

The Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth His (elect) angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers), and those who commit lawlessness (unbelievers)…

 

MATTHEW 13:42 

…and (the elect angels) will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (the Lake of Fire) … in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

MATTHEW 13:43 

Then the righteous (believers in Christ) will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…

 

For those without a relationship with Christ, He’ll just ask them to step to the left and to take the “HELLIVATOR” … just press down.  Don’t let that be you!  Sinners need a Savior.  That Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Believe in Him and you will be saved!

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Many of you who are listening to this lesson believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  But what do you KNOW about Jesus Christ?  In First Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 15, the apostle Peter says…

 

FIRST PETER 3:15

…but sanctify (set apart) Christ as your Lord in your hearts (that He is the source of your strength)…always being ready to make an oral defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the reason hope is in you (the absolute confidence of future blessings)…

 

Here’s June Murphy to tell us some of the things we should remember about our God, as we make our defense, in her song ESSENCE OF GOD.

 

CLOSING SONG

ESSENSE OF GOD

June Murphy                                

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

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