Church Order: Worship, Sacraments, and the Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper - Part 5

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2006-02-19

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver examines Paul's reproof of the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11, focusing on the sin of divisions that corrupted their observance of the Lord's Supper. He traces how small, unbiblical attitudes—personal opinions, pastoral preferences, judicial disputes, intellectual pride, spiritual gift comparisons, and social status—escalated into full-scale schisms that brought judgment rather than edification. The remedy is submitting every thought to the Word of God, recognizing God's sovereign distribution of gifts, and maintaining unity in essentials while exercising charity in non-essentials.

[John Weaver] 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 17. Now in this that I declare to you, I praise you not that you come together, not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you and I partly believe it. For there must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When you come together, therefore, to one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in eating everyone, Take it before another his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken. What? Have you not houses to eat and to drink in, or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not?

[John Weaver] What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, this do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

[John Weaver] For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another, and if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that you come not together into condemnation, and the rest will I set in order when I come."

[John Weaver] Now, I'm not going to take the time to review in detail the last four weeks of messages, but may I point out the fact, just for your remembrance, that the Lord's Supper is indeed an ordinance. We call it a Sovereign Ordinance because it was instituted by God Himself. It is also called a Gospel Ordinance because it portrays the realities of the Gospel. We've looked at the various names given to it in the Scripture. We've looked at the significance of it under the various meals that are presented to us in the Bible, and then we took two messages and dealt with the partakers of it, and we showed from the scripture that it was indeed, first of all, a local church ordinance, that it was for the assembled

[John Weaver] church, and that not only that, but the church had to have control over it in the sense that it could exclude those who were disorderly and unrepentant. And I showed that God not only required you to be saved, but to be baptized and a church member and an orderly life. But then I showed you from this passage there were four other requirements that we must, of course, examine ourselves, that we must discern the Lord's body, that we must not partake unworthily, and that we must judge ourselves.

[John Weaver] And I explained all of those. If you haven't heard those messages, they are available, but today we come to what I'm going to just simply call the reproof. And I want you to understand that when Paul reproves the Corinthian church, in reality, he can be reproving most churches of today. If you look in your Bible to verse 18, he says this, for first of all, when you come together in the church. Now watch.

[John Weaver] I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it. Paul had been hearing that there were problems at the Corinthian church, and he was loathe to believe it. He said, I just don't believe everything that I'm hearing. But I'm hearing so much. I believe some of it. In other words, something is going on. In fact, he is so convinced of the problems in the Corinthian church.

[John Weaver] Look what he says in verse 17. Now in this I declare to you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse. In other words, when you come together to meet as a church, It's not edifying to you. It's not helping you. It's not benefiting you. In fact, it is condemning you. And you're the worst off for meeting.

[John Weaver] Now, how would you like for the Apostle Paul to come around today and visit most local churches? You know, I honestly believe he'd look at most churches today and say, you're wasting your time. You might as well stay home. You're eating and drinking condemnation of yourself. In other words, when you come together, you're not benefited. You're not edified. You're not being blessed. You're being harmed. And by the way, according to the preaching that goes forward from most pulpits, that would be an accurate statement. You're being harmed and not edified.

[John Weaver] So basically, I'm pointing out this truth. that we do the same thing as the Corinthians when we sin the way they sinned. In other words, when we come together, it is not for our blessing and our benefit. It would be for our judgment and for our condemnation.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask this question. What were the primary sins of the Corinthians?

[John Weaver] Now, they had all kinds of problems. You know, I honestly believe that I could say this out of all the churches that were in existence in the New Testament era. The Corinthian church was probably the most childish, the most carnal, the most fleshly. And yet, everywhere I go, I see Corinth Baptist Church or Corinth Polonist Baptist Church. And I'd often think, why would anyone want to name their church Corinth? But when you look at this church, there were all kinds of problems. Now, I'm not necessarily going to be dealing today with the physical problems they had at Corinth.

[John Weaver] They did have some, and Paul dealt with those in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 particularly. But I want you to remember something. I want you to remember that not all sins are physical. When we start talking about sin, most people learn about drunkenness and murder and adultery and stealing, and those are indeed physical acts. But do you realize you can have a great sin and that sin not necessarily be physical? What am I talking about? Well, look in 2 Corinthians 7 in verse 1. I could quote this, but I want you to see it just so that I can make a point. Notice 2 Corinthians 7 in verse 1.

[John Weaver] The Apostle Paul says, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, that is the promises that are given to us in this Bible, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and what? Spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So our filthiness can not only be in the flesh, it can also be in the spirit. So he said we need to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So if you just get rid of the sins of the flesh, does that mean you're right with God? Well, of course not. because there are sins of the Spirit as well.

[John Weaver] Now, one of the main sins that was in the Corinthian church was a sin of division. Look back in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11. What did Paul say? For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it.

[John Weaver] Now, the word for divisions here is schismata in the Greek, which refers to schisms or divisions. And what I want you to see today is this, I want you to see how little sins turn out and turn into the big sins. Do you realize that every big sin starts with a small sin? You remember when Lot was escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah, he said concerning Zoar, oh let me escape to this city, is it not a small one? Well, you see, that's what we talk about our sins. Is it not a small one? But do you realize the awful, wicked sin of murder begins with a single thought? Adultery begins with a single thought. Theft begins with a single thought.

[John Weaver] So I want you to understand as we look through 1 Corinthians, I want you to see how unbiblical attitudes and actions impact, compound and ultimately achieve a very undesirable end. Now, let me just tell you, as we discuss one point today, the reproof. The reproof that the Apostle Paul is giving to the Corinthians is over divisions. It's over divisions, and I'm going to say this, I'm thankful there's been no divisions in our assembly, but I want you to see how easily It can destroy a church and an individual and families as well. Now, remember the reproof is over divisions. There were various and different schisms and divisions in the Corinthian church.

[John Weaver] Most of them were indirectly related to the Lord's table. Some of them directly related to the Lord's table, but all had an impact upon the Lord's table.

[John Weaver] Now, in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, when the Apostle Paul says, for first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you. Actually, it's in the present tense. He says, I am continually hearing that there are divisions among you. In other words, these divisions were not just one time, but they were constant and they were continuous. They were ongoing even when the Apostle Paul was reproving the Corinthians. So these divisions then were not only affecting their worship, but especially their worship and partaking around the Lord's table. So what kind of divisions existed? Well, let's go back in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I want you to see, first of all, there were personal divisions. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and let's look at verses 10 and 11. Personal divisions. The Apostle Paul says this, Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and there be no division among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

[John Weaver] For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you." Now notice if you would, he said, I'm beseeching you that you speak the same thing, that there be no schisms among you, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Personal divisions, listen carefully, are based upon personal opinions. The original problem at Corinth was that each Christian had his own personal opinion, and he was using that opinion as a basis for fellowship.

[John Weaver] In other words, there was no charity, there was no consideration, there was no education. Here was a simple attitude. Sam, you agree with me, and I agree with you, so we'll fellowship together and fool the others. Doesn't really matter. In other words, what was happening was this. The church was full of cliques. That is, people that agreed together would associate here, people agreed this way would associate over here, and back there another group, and back there another group. In other words, just personal opinions.

[John Weaver] Now you see, one would think that something that would be so insignificant and so small as a personal opinion would hardly have any impact at all. But this is just the beginning of what is going to develop into a full scale problem. You know what we have to learn is this, that a personal opinion is nothing more than a personal opinion. What do I mean by that? Personal opinions are not binding upon anyone.

[John Weaver] The only thing that can bind the consciences of men is the Word of God. And if you cannot find a plain, obvious principle or a plain, obvious scripture Then you have no right to bind your opinion on anyone. You can say, I believe this and I'll respect that. But then you must also respect my opinion when I choose not to believe your opinion. You follow me? But what was happening in the Corinthian church, they were not doing that. They were separating. over personal opinions.

[John Weaver] Now, please remember, I'm not talking about sin. I'm not talking about rebellion. I'm just simply talking about personal opinions. And there are some people who hold their personal opinions so strongly, they're not only willing to divide over their personal opinion, they're willing to fight over that personal opinion. Let me give you an illustration. The gentleman that I'm talking about is now dead. But this happened. I was preaching in a western state and I was preaching basically with a group of unincorporated Baptists is what it amounted to. And we were traveling around, we were making a circuit and teaching about the sin of incorporation. And here was one pastor in this western state who was not even a member of our group, but he graciously opened to us his church building and allowed us to use it. And not only that, he himself was present for the meetings and invited his people because he wanted them to hear the truth.

[John Weaver] Well, there were some other folks who came to that meeting who were not necessarily of our group. They were outsiders, but they were friends of mine. And they came because I was preaching there. And when one of those men found out, who was visiting, that the pastor of the local church did not believe what he believed, did not hold his personal opinion, his personal interpretation of a certain passage, he was so incensed that he was ready to try to whip the pastor.

[John Weaver] When I heard about it, my mouth fell open. And I looked at his pastor who was there with him. I said, you need to get him out of here right now. I said, this man has graciously given us his church building. He's supplying the heat and the air and letting us use his building. And now your fellow wants to whip this pastor because he disagrees with him.

[John Weaver] And it was not even over a real doctrinal issue. It was over personal opinions. Well, I want you to understand when people take their personal opinion that far. They've taken it too far, and what they do basically is this. Anyone who disagrees with them, they normally reject, but ridicule and sometimes even will fight.

[John Weaver] Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter one and look at verse 10. Look what the Apostle Paul said.

[John Weaver] Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, look that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Now, the question you've got to ask is this. How can we as Christians come together and have the same mind and the same judgment?

[John Weaver] And the answer is very simple. We all submit our minds to the Word of God. That's what the Bible says in Romans 15 and verse 6. The Apostle Paul speaking to the Romans said that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the Bible says in 1 Peter 4 and verse 1 that we're to arm ourselves with the mind of Jesus Christ. You know, the Bible says in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 2, there were two women in the Philippian church that were having problems.

[John Weaver] In fact, they were fussing and fighting. Their names were Euodius and Syntyche. Sometimes I get in a hurry and I mispronounce them. I call them Odious and Stinky. But anyhow, they were having a problem. And Paul wrote, I beseech you, Odious and Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, how can that be? Philippians 2 and verse 5, let this mind be in you. which also was in Christ Jesus. And in other words, if Eodius and Syntyche would both submit their minds to the word of God, they're either going to come up with the same understanding or at least they're going to come up with the attitude, I may not see that just yet, but I'm willing to agree to disagree and we're going to be friends and we're not going to part over this issue. That's why the Bible in 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5, turn there, just turn there. I want you to see this. Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. Look what the Apostle Paul said. Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. Paul says, casting down imagination. and every high thing or thought that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] How many thoughts are you and I allowed that are unbiblical and unscriptural? None. So what is the answer to personal opinion? We have to learn to submit our minds to the Word of God. We have to understand that our unfailing standard is the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ. And if each of us submit our minds to the Word of God and learn to think biblically and scripturally, usually 99 times out of 100, we're going to come up with the same exact truth and the same exact understanding. But if we cannot come to the same exact understanding, if we're brethren, then we must simply agree to disagree.

[John Weaver] You remember the principle that Augustine used to say? The early church father, he said this, in essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.

[John Weaver] Now, I don't have time this morning to go into this in detail like I'd really wish to. But do you remember in the book of 1 John, the Apostle John divides believers into three groups. He writes to the babes, he writes to the young men, and he writes to the fathers. What's that mean? That means there are different stages in the Christian life. If you go up to a two-year-old baby, do you expect that two-year-old baby to eat a T-bone steak? No, you surely don't. Do you expect a 16-year-old young man to eat baby food? No, you don't. Do you expect a father to act like a teenager?

[John Weaver] You shouldn't, and he shouldn't. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. A baby is not going to have the understanding of a young man, and a young man is not going to have the understanding of a father. What's that mean? There's going to be difference of opinions and understanding. You just have to expect that. You do not expect a young child to be able to comprehend the Pythagorean theory or Einstein's principle of relativity. A child's not going to understand it. Most adults can't understand it. So I'm just saying you cannot expect someone younger in the faith to be of the same maturity of someone older in the faith. So you've got to understand there's going to be a difference of opinions. And so therefore. We have to submit our minds to the word of God, and if we can't come up with the same thing, we just have to read history. So he deals with personal opinions.

[John Weaver] Now, look in First Corinthians chapter one. In verses 12 and 13. There were not only personal divisions, there were pastoral divisions. He says in verse 12, now this I say that every one of you said, I'm of Paul and I'm of Paulus and I of Cephas and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand this division was based upon different personalities and gifts. So, here was one man who says, man, I like Apollos. That guy is an orator. He can really preach. And Apollos was a great orator. Scripture tells us that. Someone else said, I like Peter. Man, that guy is fiery. He's gutsy. He's got it. Someone else said, well, I tell you what, I like Paul. Paul is erudite. He is educated. He's intelligent. Someone else, a little more spiritual, said, well, I don't like any of them, I like Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, you see what they were doing? They were dividing over different personalities and over different gifts. Do you see how easy it is for you and I to forget the message and look at the man? What is important? Is it the man or is it the message? You see, what most people do is they'll quote unquote, they'll pick out their favorites is exactly what they'll do. And once they pick out their favorites, they forget everybody else.

[John Weaver] That leads to schisms and divisions. When men start following men instead of Christ and his word. You're always going to have divisions. When you start following oratory or education or gifts instead of Christ, you have problems. I'll guarantee you that many of these Corinthians in that church, when Peter spoke, some of them stayed away. They found other things to do. Well, they didn't like Peter. They wanted to hear Paul or they wanted to hear Apollos. And some of this, no, no, I'm not going unless so-and-so is speaking. I don't like that. No, you don't look at the man and you don't look at the gift. You look at the message.

[John Weaver] I never will forget what one of my preacher friends told me one time. He said it like this. He said, I like ice cream. He said, I don't care what flavor it is, I just like ice cream. He said, by the same token, he said, I like preaching. He said, I like to hear the Word of God taught. He said, I don't care if a man stands in one place and is monotone. I don't care if he runs around. I don't care if he swings from the chandelier just so he's preaching the Word of God. That's what counts.

[John Weaver] Do you realize that is true? That is what counts.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you how Paul says here's how this division can be resolved. Look at it. First Corinthians three verses three and four. What's he say? Now look carefully, 1 Corinthians 3, he says, Are you not yet carnal? For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and locus men? And look what he singles out. For while one said, I'm a Paul, that is, I'm a follower of Paul, another, I'm a Paulist, are you not carnal? Watch what he says. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watered, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planted and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. What's he saying? The men are nothing but instruments.

[John Weaver] Who is it that is to be honored and glorified? God. What is it that is to be received? The message. It is the Lord that gives the gift. And that is what counts. It is the Lord that blesses and makes His word effectual. It is not eloquence. It is not oratory. It is not illustrations. It is not personality. It is God alone. Let me give an illustration of this.

[John Weaver] If I were just simply to call the name Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Everyone in here would recognize that name. He's one of the greatest Baptist preachers that ever lived in England. But do you know what happened when Charles Haddon Spurgeon was converted? He went to a local Baptist church. There was a storm. Going on, he was Going to church regardless, the storm was so severe. That the preacher could not even make it to church. And when he got there, there was just a handful of people there. And since the pastor could not make it, a deacon stood up and said, well, I'll say a few words before we go home.

[John Weaver] And he opened his Bible to Isaiah 45 verse 22 and he read this verse, look unto me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else. You know what that deacon did? He says now the text says look. Why any fool can look. All you have to do is look to Christ. And you will live. You will be saved. Any fool can do that.

[John Weaver] He spoke just for two or three minutes and said, let's pray. And guess what? The greatest Baptist preacher in the world basically was convicted and converted under the reading of one passage of the Word of God by a man who is not even a preacher. What am I showing you? I'm showing it was God who gets the praise and the honor. You know, I have heard some of the greatest preachers that are in the world today. I have. And I've heard some of them preach.

[John Weaver] And although you're impressed with their oratory and their ability, nothing as far as spirituality and blessing. And yet I've heard some simple country bumpkin get up and stumble around and mispronounce words and not have an outline that you could even follow. And yet the blessing and the power of God be upon Let multitudes be blessed and converted. It's not the man, it's the message. And it's not just the message, it's the power of God upon the message.

[John Weaver] Look in 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 7. Look what Paul, and he's talking to the preachers now. I don't have time to give you the whole context here, but look what he says. For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what is thou that thou didst not receive? Now thou didst receive it, what is thou glorious that thou hadst not received it? Do you realize that each gift that God gives is from God himself? Preachers do not choose their gift.

[John Weaver] I'm going to deal with this a little bit later. I want you to turn, hold 1 Corinthians now, but turn in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Peter chapter 4. Let me show you this truth. 1 Peter chapter 4. And look at verses 10 and 11. I'm just pointing out the fact that preachers do not choose their gift. God is the one who gives the gift. In 1 Peter 4 and verse 10, look what the scripture says. As every man hath received the gift, and he's talking about ministers or preachers, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. So God's given different gifts to different preachers and to different Christians. He says in verse 11, if any man speak, Let him speak as of the oracles of God.

[John Weaver] In other words, if you go preach, you preach the word. If you need a minister, that is, if he waits on people, let him do it as the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. In other words, God says, I am the one who gives the gift. You don't choose it.

[John Weaver] I had a very dear pastor friend who's now in glory. And my wife will immediately know who I'm talking about. But I was talking to him one day. And he looked at me with tears in his eyes and he said, brother. I would give anything to be able to teach the word of God like you. And when he said that, my mouth fell open. And I said, Brother, you don't understand. I would give anything just to be as loving and kind and gracious as you are.

[John Weaver] All the time, the fellow was envying my gift, so to speak, and I was envying his gift. Listen, this brother, you couldn't get angry with him. You couldn't be mad if you did. You'd go to apologize and he was so kind and so loving and so gracious.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. God has tempered the ministry together. And he's given every minister a specific gift or gifts. Preachers do not choose their gifts. But what God has done, He's given to the body exactly what that body needs.

[John Weaver] Now, my friend could not preach and teach the way I could, that is for sure. But I can assure you, I could never have the empathy and the patience and the love that he had. Because that was his strong point. But God has given us exactly what we need. So what we have to look at is this. Well, that guy just can't preach. No, no, no, no, no.

[John Weaver] It's not that he's not as good at oratory as someone else, but listen to what he's saying and observe his life and listen to the message. Because when God gives a gift to a man, whether you like it or not, or whether you admire it or not, you need it. OK, so here were personal divisions. Here are pastoral divisions. Look in your Bibles to First Corinthians six. First Corinthians six verses one through five, there were judicial divisions. Oh. First Corinthians six verse one, dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unjust and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world, and if the world shall be judged by you, are you worthy to judge the smallest matters? Know you not that we shall judge angels how much more things that pertain to this life? If then, if you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are the least esteemed in the church.

[John Weaver] I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

[John Weaver] Now let me just stop there. You see, what was happening was this. There were not only personal divisions based on personal opinions, and pastoral divisions based upon personalities and gifts, but there were judicial divisions based upon ignorance of God and His orderly way.

[John Weaver] Now when you get to 1 Corinthians 6, there were some who had civil disagreements among their brethren, and what they were doing was they were taking those brethren immediately to court, and that before unbelievers. Now can you get the picture of what was happening in Corinth? Here were The unsaved in the judicial realm, and the unsaved in the area, and brother was taking brother to court before the unsaved, and spilling all their dirty laundry right before them.

[John Weaver] You talk about an attitude of disunity, of unforgiveness, and greediness that was being displayed before the unbelievers, and the unbelievers were saying to themselves, Man, if this is Christianity, I don't have anything to do with it. Not me. What was the answer? Paul suggests two answers. The first one is this. He says in verse seven, now, therefore, there's utterly a fault among you because you go to all one with another.

[John Weaver] Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? In other words, the first answer is this. Be willing to suffer wrong. Be willing to be defrauded.

[John Weaver] Now, this is not talking about some great important matter. But look in your Bibles. We're coming right back there. Look in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. Let me just show you the attitude first. 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. Look what he says. For what glory is it If when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently. But if when you do well and suffer for it, and you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. Turn right over to 1 Peter 4 and look at verse 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator." Now let me explain what the Apostle is saying when he says, why do you not suffer wrong? Why do you not suffer yourself to be defrauded? Now he's not talking about someone trying to steal your home or someone trying to take away something of great value. No, no.

[John Weaver] You remember the passage in Matthew 5? What did our Lord say? If a man sue you for his coat, for your cloak, give him your coat also. What is a coat worth? It's nothing. What he's saying is this. Sometimes it's easy just to suffer wrong rather than to have to gulp through the motions and developing an attitude of bitterness and resentment at the same time than to deal with just suffer the wrong. Get over it.

[John Weaver] There's more to life than this little petty thing. That's what he's saying. Now, there's another answer. What he's saying is this. If you're going to resolve the conflicts legally. Then God has an orderly way to do that as well. Look in verse four. Verse four, the latter part is in reality a question that will explain. This verse. If then you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, literally it's a question, he says this, why are you sitting those who are the least esteemed in the church?

[John Weaver] In other words, here's what he's asking, if you really have problems, if you have something that needs to be decided, why are you setting someone up to judge who has no idea of the issues or no concept of biblical law? And to show you that is the correct interpretation, look in verse 5. He says, I speak of your shame. What is it so that there's not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brother. What's he saying?

[John Weaver] Is there not anybody in Corinth that's got any sense at all? That's what he's asking. Why would you set someone up to be a judge who doesn't know anything about the issues? Or couldn't resolve them if he heard them? No. He says you use someone wise. What's he talking about? He's talking about working things out according to God's orderly way. You say, well, what is God's orderly way?

[John Weaver] Let me show you very quickly. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 5 and then to Matthew 18. OK, very quickly. Each of these points could be a sermon in and of itself, but Matthew 5. Notice, if you would, please. And we're going to we're going to skip down to verse. What Matthew five, verse twenty three. What does God say, therefore, if I bring my gift to the altar and there remembers that my brother have fought against the leave there, my gift before the altar and go by way and first be reconciled with my brother and then come and offer my gift. Now, hold that passage. Don't lose that passage, but turn over to Matthew 18 and look at verse 15. Matthew 18, verse 15. Here it is. Matthew 18, verse 15.

[John Weaver] Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou scame thy brother. If he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two of the witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let it be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.

[John Weaver] Now, let's stop there just for a moment. I want you to note something. Go back to Matthew 5 and look at verse 23. Make sure this is underlined in your mind, OK? Verse 23. Therefore, if I bring by gift of the altar, now watch, and there remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee. Here's my question. Do you have anything against him? No. But you remember, he's got something against you.

[John Weaver] And you don't have any hard feelings toward him or it doesn't bother you. But now he's got something against you and you remember that. What does God say? You leave your gift and you go and be reconciled to your brother. You got that?

[John Weaver] Now look in verse 15, a verse of Chapter 18. Moreover, five brothers shall trespass against thee. Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.

[John Weaver] Now, waiting at it in this passage. He doesn't necessarily have anything against you, but you've got something against him. What's God say? You go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. You notice that? It doesn't matter if you've got something against him or he's got something against you, who's responsible to go get settled? You are regardless. In other words, what God is saying is if you're involved in a dispute, it's your responsibility to get it resolved.

[John Weaver] Now, let's suppose we're doing some supposing. I'm going to use Ed for an example, because a friend of mine really wanted to meet Ed because he said that Ed is always in trouble. All right, so I'm using Ed for the illustration again. So, let's suppose that Ed has beat me out of $1,000. I mean, it's an apparent case of fraud. And this is a little more than I can shrug my shoulders at. What is my option? My first option was to be defrauded. Well, I don't want to be defrauded out of $1,000. So my first step then is to go to Ed privately and say, Ed, you've done me wrong. You've stolen from me. Ed, I want you to make this thing right. I give Ed the opportunity and he may make it right. He may understand that he was wrong, but he may also take the attitude, well, I beat you out of that money fair and square. If you think I'm giving it back to you, you're crazy. Well, what do I do next?

[John Weaver] Next, I get Dr. Bowen and we go see Ed. And Ed still won't listen to Dr. Bowen. Well, then what do I do? I come back and I get Dr. Holmes. We go again. Ed won't listen to him. I may go four or five times to different men. Ed still won't do what's right. And so finally, I come to the church. I come to the pastor. I say, here's what's happened.

[John Weaver] We've been through this stage and this stage and this step. Now, would you send somebody from the church? To talk to it. And so a delegation of men go from the church to talk to it and try to get this matter resolved, and Ed just cusses them out and runs them off, will not listen. What's the next step? If he won't hear them, God says, let him be under these, a heathen and a publican.

[John Weaver] That is, you excommunicate him. You put him outside of the church.

[John Weaver] Now, a brother may not take a brother to law. Brother, brother may take a heathen man to law. Then I take him to the court. I say, he stole a thousand dollars from me. You follow me?

[John Weaver] Now, that's God's orderly way. By the way, I hope you understand that this teaches us there is a need for ecclesiastical courts. I'm not going to get into this today, but they are very important. They are needed and they're necessary. And I want you to understand this. When we've been wronged, we have two options. We may either suffer the wrong. Or we may resolve it in God's orderly way, but disobedience is not an option.

[John Weaver] So there were personal divisions, there were pastoral divisions, There were judicial divisions, but fourthly, there were intellectual divisions. Look in your Bibles, the first Corinthians chapter eight. And let's begin reading there with verse one, first Corinthians eight and verse one. I want you to see now how all these divisions are multiplying and cascading in this simple little church. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 1, now is touching things offered unto idols.

[John Weaver] We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, yet as he ought to know.

[John Weaver] Now, without me going into this, there was a division in this church based upon knowledge and understanding. And that's what this is all about.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just go ahead and emphasize verse 2 for you. This is very important. He said, And if any man think that he knoweth anything, He knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. Now, let me put it to you very plainly. When we think that we have arrived, when we have all the answers and we know it all, what does the Scripture say? We know nothing yet. In other words, that is a very apparent display of a lack of knowledge of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, when you and I try to acquire knowledge just for the sake of attaining facts, in order that we might demonstrate the greatness of our intellect, it always leads to pride. That's what he meant in 1 Corinthians 8, in verse 1, when he says that kind of knowledge puffs up. In other words, it makes one proud, arrogant, and haughty. You remember Job's three friends, Bilad, Eliphaz, and Zophar? Man, who would want friends like those fellas? But they believed that they were intellectually superior to Job. And they knew that old Job had done something wrong, and so they set out to straighten him out based upon their superior intellect. And I love what Job said in Job 12 and verse 2.

[John Weaver] And I've quoted this to people in time past who needed it. But Job said to them, no doubt, that you are the people and wisdom shall perish with you. In other words, fellas, when you die, it's all over. You know, we call those people know-it-alls and no one likes to be around those individuals. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18, pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 12 said, He that thinketh, he standeth. What?

[John Weaver] Take heed lest he falls. Now, there are intellectual divisions among us. You understand that? I don't know what Dr. Bowen knows. I don't know what Dr. Horne knows. I don't know what Dr. Brissey knows. I don't have the knowledge in some area that Henry has. But then they don't have the knowledge in other areas that I have. So, what I'm saying is this, you know what Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said, you can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character. So, if I want to know something about OBGYN, I say, Dr. Bowen, I need to ask you a question. If I need to know something about animal, I'll say, Dr. Holmes, I need to ask you a question. If I need to know something about chiropractor, I'd say, Dr. Brizzi, I need to ask you a question. But just because they're intellectual divisions, in the sense that some are superior to others in certain areas, does not mean that we can puff up and divide and say, well, you don't have an earned doctorate the way I have an earned doctorate.

[John Weaver] I never will forget what Lester Olaf told Bob Jones University. Bob Jones University wanted to convey an honorary doctorate upon Lester Olaf. You remember Lester Olaf? You know what Lester Olaf told Bob Jones University? He said, thank you, but no, thank you. He said, that's kind of like putting whipped cream on onions. You just don't do it. I mean, you know, but not everybody's intellectual giant. Come on, let's face it. But you know what God says, look at it. Verse one.

[John Weaver] Now, it's touching things over night as we know, they all have knowledge, knowledge puffed up, but what charity edify. What does that mean? That means if I come to Dr. Holman and say, Doc, I've got this problem and I don't understand what I can do to my cow or to my horse to correct this thing. And he says, now, wait a minute, John, let me explain this to you.

[John Weaver] Here's what you need to do. He doesn't say what you need to do is go to vet school and learn what I know. You follow me?

[John Weaver] Now if he took that attitude, how many clients is he going to have? None. So this is what God is saying. There may be people who are intellectually superior, and there are. Not everybody has the same intellect. I'm going to do it anyhow. But you heard about the computer that they designed that would talk to a man based upon his IQ. The one guy went in, but you had to punch in your IQ and then the computer would converse with you. Guy punched in his IQ of 140. And the computer started discussing Einstein's theory of relativity with him. The next guy came behind and he punched in his IQ of 100. And the computer started conversing with him on stories out of the newspaper. The next fellow came in and he punched in his IQ of 60. The computer sat silent for a few moments and then said, how about them dogs?

[John Weaver] Come on. But just because, just because we're not intellectual giants doesn't mean that we can't be Christians, that can't be brethren, and can't help each other. You follow me? So this is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Love is willing to teach. Love is willing to help. Love is willing to build someone up and not tear someone down. Love will be able to educate. So the way to resolve the intellectual division is you better realize whatever understanding you have God gave it to you.

[John Weaver] I got news for you. God can take it away just as easily, just as quickly as he gave it to you. So it says there's no reason to divide over that. Then fifthly, very quickly, there were spiritual divisions. And and I'm going to just tell you this is chapters 12 through 14. These spiritual divisions were based upon differing gifts, look in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 1, Paul says, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Skip down to verse 25.

[John Weaver] That there should be no schism or no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. Now, what happened in the Corinthian church was there were different gifts. And instead of them using their gifts for the edification of the body, they were using these gifts for personal pride and personal gratification. So the Corinthians then were using their spiritual gift as a measuring rod. And what they were saying was this, if you don't have the same gift that I have, you're not as spiritual as I am.

[John Weaver] That's exactly what happens today when you have some groups who take the unbiblical latitude. Well, if you don't speak in tongues or if you don't have my gift, then you're not saved or you're not nearly as spiritual as I am. Look at me. I have this gift. That's exactly what they were doing. And when one takes that attitude, what he is doing in essence is denying the very foundation for which God gave gifts to begin with. God did not give gifts in the early church or in this day and time for anyone to personally glory in. He gave them for the edification of the church. Look in 1 Corinthians 14.

[John Weaver] Let me show you how they were being abused. Look in verse 26. You're talking about nailing somebody to the wall, Paul does. He says this, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 26. How is it, brethren, when you come together, that is, you're coming together for church. How is it, brethren, when you come together, every one of you, half a psalm, half a doctrine, half a tongue, half a revelation, half an interpretation, let all things be done in edifying. He said, how is it when you come together, everybody's got something?

[John Weaver] Because I tell you what's going on. You're just trying to stand up and glorify yourself and elevate yourself with pride. You're not doing this for the edification of the church. You're not doing this to teach people. Skip down to verse 33. Look what Paul says. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. So the truth of the matter is this, folks. God is not the author of confusion. Gifts are not to be used, whatever they are, for personal pride and superiority or confusion. I could tell you story after story, but I'm not going to. But listen, if you would, to Paul's answer. Here's what his answer is. Look back in First Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Here's the answer. First Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Look what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] But all these work at that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. Now let me ask you a question. What preacher or what Christian gets the gifts that he wants? None. What gift do you get? Whatever God is pleased to give you. And that's it. Look in verse 28, same chapter. And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles and gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversity of tongues. Then look at this question. Are all apostles? What's the answer? No. Are all prophets? What's the answer? No. Are all teachers? No. Are all workers of miracles? No. Have all the gifts of healing? No. Do all speak with tongues? No. Do all interpret? No.

[John Weaver] But then he says, but covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet I show to you a more excellent way. And of course, he's talking about love right there.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand something. Not only does God not give everyone the same gifts, He does so for a reason. Not all the members of the body have the same function. I'm going to show you that in the Bible. But what if your body was nothing but a mouth? You sure could eat all you wanted to, but you sure would be bumping into every fire hydrant you ran across, wouldn't you? What if you only had an eye?

[John Weaver] You'd be starving to death. Look what he says. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12. For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. Now look. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink unto one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If a foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, am I not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were a hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, help me out now, as it has pleased Him. And if they were all one members, where were the body?

[John Weaver] But now are they many members, yet one body. Of the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our uncomely parts have no need.

[John Weaver] But God," watch now, what has God done? God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. Why? That there should be no schism, in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. What's he saying? God has not only given you different gifts because you are different members of the body. Therefore, you need different things.

[John Weaver] I got news for you. I don't wear shoes on my head. And I'll put socks on my ears. My head doesn't need that. My feet need shoes and socks. That's what God is saying. So the way to resolve these spiritual divisions is to recognize that, number one, God sovereignly gives you your gift and then God sovereignly places you in the body where he wants you. And let me tell you something, folks. One of the problems in the average church is this, to put it bluntly, everybody wants to be the chief and nobody wants to be the Indians. But you have to have members of a body. And I cannot fuss with God at where he's placed me. And the lack of gifts or the gifts that he's given me, that's totally up to him.

[John Weaver] And then lastly, let me tie this together for you. If you look in chapter 11, that's where we were. There were social and cultural divisions. I want you to see how all of these divisions now have worked against the Corinthian church. This is why Paul is reproving them. Look in verse 21 of First Corinthians chapter 11, he says, For in eating, everyone taketh before others on supper, and one is hungry, and another drunken." Verse 22, what?

[John Weaver] Have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. Look in verse 33. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another. These social and cultural divisions were based upon wealth and status. Now listen to me. What began in chapter 1 as a personal opinion, and then a pastoral opinion, a judicial opinion, see how all these things have now multiplied and now it's come down to a social and a cultural division. Listen carefully. If you go back to chapter 1, to the personal opinion, if it is alright to divide over something as innocuous as a personal opinion, why is it not alright to divide over pastors? And over judicial problems? and over intellectual problems and over spiritual problems. And if it's alright to divide in those areas, why can't we divide socially and culturally? And why can't we divide when we eat together?

[John Weaver] You see how all of these have just escalated and now finally bulldoze their way into the worship of the Lord's Supper. Now, in the New Testament era, The agape, the love feast, or the common meal, usually preceded the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper was usually the culmination of that particular worship service. So instead of the Corinthian church then providing the common meal out of the church treasury, Or instead of everybody coming and pooling all their food together and letting everyone get what they wanted, the wealthy and the cultural elite were bringing their own food and eating separately and or eating early before the less prominent members got there.

[John Weaver] They were shaming the poor in one sense of the word that the poor could not afford to bring probably the quality of food nor the quantity of food that the rich bought. Nor could they afford the delicacies that the rich had. So the rich then who had brought their wonderful food and all their delicacies didn't want to share. And so what they would do is they would sit down and eat prior to all the members getting there. And they would use the excuse that they were hungry and they couldn't wait, and so they needed to just simply to go ahead and eat.

[John Weaver] Well, Paul gives the answers of this social and cultural division. First of all, he says, look at verse 22. Verse 21, he says, for in eating everyone taketh before other is on supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken. Now, he says in verse 22, what? Have you not houses to eat and drink in? In other words, if you're just coming to church to eat, you stay at home and eat.

[John Weaver] That's the simple answer to this. If you can't wait to eat, You just eat at home. You stay there or you eat before you come. I mean, that's simple. That's what he said in verse 33. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, carry one for another. If you can't wait until everybody gets to the table, you either stay home or you eat before you leave home. It's that simple. If you're going to have a love feast, if you're going to have a common meal, then you better learn to wait for each other.

[John Weaver] So here's what is happening. I want you to watch this. You think these social and cultural divisions are innocuous? You think what they were doing was non-incriminating? Well, look in verse 22. He says, What, have you not houses to eat and drink in? Or what? Or what? Or despise you the church of God and shame them that have not? What were they doing? They were despising God's church. They were despising the individual members of the church. They were despising those members that happened to be the foot or the knee or the hip or the hand just because they weren't the head and they did not have the social and cultural status and economic position. Oh, no. He says you are despising the church of God and you're shaming the brethren. So practically speaking then, this was an insult to Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church.

[John Weaver] Now, let me emphasize something to you, okay? Please listen. What Paul is condemning in 1 Corinthians is not just simply visible, open separation but also the inward attitude and the inward disposition that leads to alienation and separation that causes these divisions.

[John Weaver] Now, look at verse 20, because Paul says, when you come together, therefore, into one place, and then he says, this is not the Lord's Supper. That verse can be interpreted several ways. The first way you could say that that verse could be interpreted is he is referring to the common meal or the agape, the love feast. But secondly, Paul could be saying this, this is not the way to eat the Lord's supper.

[John Weaver] In other words, you may be gathering for this purpose, yet you're not really observing the Lord's table because what you're doing does not even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Lord's table. He could be saying that. Or thirdly, he could be saying you cannot eat the Lord's supper because of your attitudes and your divisions. How in the world can you partake of the Lord's table which teaches our unity and our oneness in Christ and our being nourished by Christ when you're divided?

[John Weaver] How can you do that? Well, that's what he's saying. You can't do it. Or he could be Fourthly, just reproving them for their misuse of the love feast. Let me show you these two verses. Look in your Bibles to 1 John 3. Remember this is called the agape? This is called the love feast? What do you do when you say that you love? Well, look in 1 John 3 and verse 16. Suppose I tell Henry and Ed And Hobie, to come to my house for dinner and I want to feed them because I really love them. And yet when they get there, I've either eaten everything up or I've eaten the best food up and just left them peas and bread. Well, look what the Bible says. 1 John 3, verse 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God. Now watch this.

[John Weaver] Don't let me misread this. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He told us He loved us. Is that what it says? No. Hereby perceive we, understand we, grasp we, comprehend we the love of God. Why? Because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Watch now. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shut up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." What's he saying? So if I invite these fellows to my house to eat because I love them, and I either eat everything up or save the best for myself, does that demonstrate that I love them? No. If I see them hungry, and I shut up my bowels of compassion, what's he say? How dwells the love of God in me? So if we say that we love the brethren, and we're not willing to share, even in our food, at a common meal, what's God say?

[John Weaver] We don't love the brethren. We're shaming them that have not, and we're despising the church of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make a couple of applications. First one is this, unbiblical divisions. Unbiblical divisions, and there are reasons to divide biblically, but we're not talking about those today. But unbiblical divisions, either visible separation or inward alienation, will bring the judgment and condemnation of God upon us. In other words, We must endeavor to be biblical in every area of our lives, and in those personal opinions and those simple ways where we cannot agree, we must agree to disagree and still remain friends and not divide over non-issues. Do you follow that? So every unbiblical division, whether it's visible separation or inward alienation, will bring the judgment of God upon us. The worst of all divisions would be over the Lord's table. Listen, if divisions in general are condemned in the Scripture, and they are, I just gave you all of these, how much more will there be judgment given if we divide over the Lord's table?

[John Weaver] That is to picture our union, our communion in Him. And if we have a falling out over the time of it, servers of it, the elements, whether we use wine or whether we use grape juice or whatever. If we have a falling out over those things, how much worse is it? Because at that very table, this is to picture our union and our communion. So unbiblical divisions are wrong, and that is why Paul is condemning them, especially in relationship to the Lord's Suffering.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to cover one last verse before I close today, and that's verse 19, because I can assure you that people have already been thinking about this verse. What did Paul mean when he says, for there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you? Wow. What in the world does that mean? Well, let me tell you. The Greek word for heresies is where we get our English word heresy from. Heresis is the word.

[John Weaver] It is from hereomai, which means to choose. It means a mental tendency, a mindset or a school or a sect. In other words, in this context, The word heresy refers to a school or a party formed on the basis of opinion. Did you hear that? A school or a party formed on the basis of opinion. In fact, you will find this same word used in Acts 5 and verse 17 when he talks about the sect of the Sadducees.

[John Weaver] What did you have to believe to be a Sadducee? You had to deny the physical resurrection. You had to deny the existence of angels. See, that's personal opinions, and that's called a heresy or a sect. What about Acts 15, verse 5? There's a sect of the Pharisees. You had to believe certain things to be in the Pharisees. So, what the Scripture is saying is this, now, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 19, The context is not using this as an ecclesiastical sense, referring to doctrine particularly, but rather to a division, to a sect, or to a schism.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says. Verse 19, he says it like this, for there must also be schools of thought, or schools of opinions among you. Watch. That they which are approved, and the word approved is hoi doki moi, and you remember I told you the word doki mazo means to be tested and to try yourself that you might be approved. Now look what he says. So that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. So who are the approved in this verse?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you who they are. There are those who refuse to get mixed up with the personal opinions of men. There are those who rather prefer to stand by the principles of the Word of God. Here's what he's saying. Sam says, well, all of those who agree with me come over here. Roy says, well, all of those who agree with me come over here. Who are the approved? The ones who'll sit back and say, I'm not getting mixed up with any of you nuts. I know what the Scripture says. I'm not going to be pressured by the whims and the thoughts of man. I'm going to stick with the Word of God. So that's what Paul is saying.

[John Weaver] You've got some in the Corinthian church who are wanting to cause divisions. And they've got all these sects, but those who are approved will say, personality doesn't mean anything. Opinions don't mean anything. It's the Word of God that counts, and I am sticking with the Word of God. Remember this, folks. Not all sins are physical. And our Lord said, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, help us now to love Thee Help us to be biblical and scriptural. Help us, Lord, to search our hearts and cleanse our minds from sins of the spirit as well as sins of the flesh. Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name I pray, Amen. This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-0995.

[John Weaver] You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

The Lord's Supper - Part 5

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	42206182543
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Worship, Sacraments, and the Lord's Supper
Genre	Sermon
Date	2006-02-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 041: The Lord's Supper — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	125

Formatted Transcript

Opening

1 Corinthians 11 and verse 17.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

"Now in this that I declare to you, I praise you not that you come together, not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you and I partly believe it. For there must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When you come together, therefore, to one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in eating everyone taketh before another his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken. What? Have you not houses to eat and to drink in, or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not?"

"What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, this do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another, and if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that you come not together into condemnation, and the rest will I set in order when I come."

Introduction and Review

Weaver briefly reviews previous messages on the Lord's Supper as a sovereign, gospel ordinance for the assembled local church, with requirements of self-examination, discerning the body, and not partaking unworthily.

Now, I'm not going to take the time to review in detail the last four weeks of messages, but may I point out the fact, just for your remembrance, that the Lord's Supper is indeed an ordinance. We call it a Sovereign Ordinance because it was instituted by God Himself. It is also called a Gospel Ordinance because it portrays the realities of the Gospel. We've looked at the various names given to it in the Scripture. We've looked at the significance of it under the various meals that are presented to us in the Bible, and then we took two messages and dealt with the partakers of it, and we showed from the scripture that it was indeed, first of all, a local church ordinance, that it was for the assembled church, and that not only that, but the church had to have control over it in the sense that it could exclude those who were disorderly and unrepentant. And I showed that God not only required you to be saved, but to be baptized and a church member and an orderly life. But then I showed you from this passage there were four other requirements that we must, of course, examine ourselves, that we must discern the Lord's body, that we must not partake unworthily, and that we must judge ourselves.

And I explained all of those. If you haven't heard those messages, they are available, but today we come to what I'm going to just simply call the reproof. And I want you to understand that when Paul reproves the Corinthian church, in reality, he can be reproving most churches of today. If you look in your Bible to verse 18, he says this, "For first of all, when you come together in the church." Now watch.

The Reproof: Coming Together for the Worse

Paul declares that the Corinthians' gatherings were not for the better but for the worse, bringing condemnation rather than edification—a condition Weaver says applies to many modern churches.

"I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it." Paul had been hearing that there were problems at the Corinthian church, and he was loathe to believe it. He said, "I just don't believe everything that I'm hearing. But I'm hearing so much. I believe some of it." In other words, something is going on. In fact, he is so convinced of the problems in the Corinthian church. Look what he says in verse 17. "Now in this I declare to you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse." In other words, when you come together to meet as a church, it's not edifying to you. It's not helping you. It's not benefiting you. In fact, it is condemning you. And you're the worst off for meeting.

Now, how would you like for the Apostle Paul to come around today and visit most local churches? You know, I honestly believe he'd look at most churches today and say, "You're wasting your time. You might as well stay home. You're eating and drinking condemnation of yourself." In other words, when you come together, you're not benefited. You're not edified. You're not being blessed. You're being harmed. And by the way, according to the preaching that goes forward from most pulpits, that would be an accurate statement. You're being harmed and not edified.

So basically, I'm pointing out this truth: that we do the same thing as the Corinthians when we sin the way they sinned. In other words, when we come together, it is not for our blessing and our benefit. It would be for our judgment and for our condemnation.

The Primary Sin: Divisions (Schisms)

The main sin addressed is divisions (schismata), which were ongoing and affected their worship, especially the Lord's Table. Weaver emphasizes that big sins start small.

Now, they had all kinds of problems. You know, I honestly believe that I could say this: out of all the churches that were in existence in the New Testament era, the Corinthian church was probably the most childish, the most carnal, the most fleshly. And yet, everywhere I go, I see Corinth Baptist Church or Corinth Polonist Baptist Church. And I'd often think, why would anyone want to name their church Corinth? But when you look at this church, there were all kinds of problems. Now, I'm not necessarily going to be dealing today with the physical problems they had at Corinth. They did have some, and Paul dealt with those in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 particularly. But I want you to remember something. I want you to remember that not all sins are physical. When we start talking about sin, most people learn about drunkenness and murder and adultery and stealing, and those are indeed physical acts. But do you realize you can have a great sin and that sin not necessarily be physical? What am I talking about? Well, look in 2 Corinthians 7 in verse 1. I could quote this, but I want you to see it just so that I can make a point. Notice 2 Corinthians 7 in verse 1.

The Apostle Paul says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved," that is the promises that are given to us in this Bible, "having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and" what? "Spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." So our filthiness can not only be in the flesh, it can also be in the spirit. So he said we need to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So if you just get rid of the sins of the flesh, does that mean you're right with God? Well, of course not, because there are sins of the Spirit as well.

Now, one of the main sins that was in the Corinthian church was a sin of division. Look back in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11. What did Paul say? "For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it."

Now, the word for divisions here is schismata in the Greek, which refers to schisms or divisions. And what I want you to see today is this: I want you to see how little sins turn out and turn into the big sins. Do you realize that every big sin starts with a small sin? You remember when Lot was escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah, he said concerning Zoar, "Oh let me escape to this city, is it not a small one?" Well, you see, that's what we talk about our sins. "Is it not a small one?" But do you realize the awful, wicked sin of murder begins with a single thought? Adultery begins with a single thought. Theft begins with a single thought.

So I want you to understand as we look through 1 Corinthians, I want you to see how unbiblical attitudes and actions impact, compound and ultimately achieve a very undesirable end. Now, let me just tell you, as we discuss one point today, the reproof. The reproof that the Apostle Paul is giving to the Corinthians is over divisions. It's over divisions, and I'm going to say this, I'm thankful there's been no divisions in our assembly, but I want you to see how easily it can destroy a church and an individual and families as well. Now, remember the reproof is over divisions. There were various and different schisms and divisions in the Corinthian church. Most of them were indirectly related to the Lord's table. Some of them directly related to the Lord's table, but all had an impact upon the Lord's table.

Personal Divisions over Opinions

The Corinthians formed cliques based on personal opinions, binding consciences where Scripture does not. The solution is submitting minds to God's Word and agreeing to disagree in non-essentials.

Now, in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, when the Apostle Paul says, "For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you." Actually, it's in the present tense. He says, "I am continually hearing that there are divisions among you." In other words, these divisions were not just one time, but they were constant and they were continuous. They were ongoing even when the Apostle Paul was reproving the Corinthians. So these divisions then were not only affecting their worship, but especially their worship and partaking around the Lord's table. So what kind of divisions existed? Well, let's go back in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I want you to see, first of all, there were personal divisions. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and let's look at verses 10 and 11. Personal divisions. The Apostle Paul says this, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and there be no division among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you." Now notice if you would, he said, "I'm beseeching you that you speak the same thing, that there be no schisms among you, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Personal divisions, listen carefully, are based upon personal opinions. The original problem at Corinth was that each Christian had his own personal opinion, and he was using that opinion as a basis for fellowship. In other words, there was no charity, there was no consideration, there was no education. Here was a simple attitude. Sam, you agree with me, and I agree with you, so we'll fellowship together and fool the others. Doesn't really matter. In other words, what was happening was this. The church was full of cliques. That is, people that agreed together would associate here, people agreed this way would associate over here, and back there another group, and back there another group. In other words, just personal opinions.

Now you see, one would think that something that would be so insignificant and so small as a personal opinion would hardly have any impact at all. But this is just the beginning of what is going to develop into a full scale problem. You know what we have to learn is this, that a personal opinion is nothing more than a personal opinion. What do I mean by that? Personal opinions are not binding upon anyone. The only thing that can bind the consciences of men is the Word of God. And if you cannot find a plain, obvious principle or a plain, obvious scripture, then you have no right to bind your opinion on anyone. You can say, "I believe this" and I'll respect that. But then you must also respect my opinion when I choose not to believe your opinion. You follow me? But what was happening in the Corinthian church, they were not doing that. They were separating over personal opinions.

Now, please remember, I'm not talking about sin. I'm not talking about rebellion. I'm just simply talking about personal opinions. And there are some people who hold their personal opinions so strongly, they're not only willing to divide over their personal opinion, they're willing to fight over that personal opinion. Let me give you an illustration. The gentleman that I'm talking about is now dead. But this happened. I was preaching in a western state and I was preaching basically with a group of unincorporated Baptists is what it amounted to. And we were traveling around, we were making a circuit and teaching about the sin of incorporation. And here was one pastor in this western state who was not even a member of our group, but he graciously opened to us his church building and allowed us to use it. And not only that, he himself was present for the meetings and invited his people because he wanted them to hear the truth.

Well, there were some other folks who came to that meeting who were not necessarily of our group. They were outsiders, but they were friends of mine. And they came because I was preaching there. And when one of those men found out, who was visiting, that the pastor of the local church did not believe what he believed, did not hold his personal opinion, his personal interpretation of a certain passage, he was so incensed that he was ready to try to whip the pastor.

When I heard about it, my mouth fell open. And I looked at his pastor who was there with him. I said, "You need to get him out of here right now." I said, "This man has graciously given us his church building. He's supplying the heat and the air and letting us use his building. And now your fellow wants to whip this pastor because he disagrees with him." And it was not even over a real doctrinal issue. It was over personal opinions. Well, I want you to understand when people take their personal opinion that far, they've taken it too far, and what they do basically is this. Anyone who disagrees with them, they normally reject, but ridicule and sometimes even will fight.

Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter one and look at verse 10. Look what the Apostle Paul said.

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:6

"Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, look that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Now, the question you've got to ask is this. How can we as Christians come together and have the same mind and the same judgment? And the answer is very simple. We all submit our minds to the Word of God. That's what the Bible says in Romans 15 and verse 6. The Apostle Paul speaking to the Romans said

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:6

"that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now, the Bible says in 1 Peter 4 and verse 1 that we're to arm ourselves with the mind of Jesus Christ. You know, the Bible says in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 2, there were two women in the Philippian church that were having problems.

In fact, they were fussing and fighting. Their names were Euodius and Syntyche. Sometimes I get in a hurry and I mispronounce them. I call them Odious and Stinky. But anyhow, they were having a problem. And Paul wrote, "I beseech you, Euodius and Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."

Now, how can that be? Philippians 2 and verse 5, "Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus." And in other words, if Euodius and Syntyche would both submit their minds to the word of God, they're either going to come up with the same understanding or at least they're going to come up with the attitude, "I may not see that just yet, but I'm willing to agree to disagree and we're going to be friends and we're not going to part over this issue." That's why the Bible in 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5, turn there, just turn there. I want you to see this. Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. Look what the Apostle Paul said. Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. Paul says, "Casting down imagination, and every high thing or thought that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Isn't that amazing?

How many thoughts are you and I allowed that are unbiblical and unscriptural? None. So what is the answer to personal opinion? We have to learn to submit our minds to the Word of God. We have to understand that our unfailing standard is the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ. And if each of us submit our minds to the Word of God and learn to think biblically and scripturally, usually 99 times out of 100, we're going to come up with the same exact truth and the same exact understanding. But if we cannot come to the same exact understanding, if we're brethren, then we must simply agree to disagree.

You remember the principle that Augustine used to say? The early church father, he said this, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity."

Now, I don't have time this morning to go into this in detail like I'd really wish to. But do you remember in the book of 1 John, the Apostle John divides believers into three groups. He writes to the babes, he writes to the young men, and he writes to the fathers. What's that mean? That means there are different stages in the Christian life. If you go up to a two-year-old baby, do you expect that two-year-old baby to eat a T-bone steak? No, you surely don't. Do you expect a 16-year-old young man to eat baby food? No, you don't. Do you expect a father to act like a teenager?

You shouldn't, and he shouldn't. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. A baby is not going to have the understanding of a young man, and a young man is not going to have the understanding of a father. What's that mean? There's going to be difference of opinions and understanding. You just have to expect that. You do not expect a young child to be able to comprehend the Pythagorean theory or Einstein's principle of relativity. A child's not going to understand it. Most adults can't understand it. So I'm just saying you cannot expect someone younger in the faith to be of the same maturity of someone older in the faith. So you've got to understand there's going to be a difference of opinions. And so therefore, we have to submit our minds to the word of God, and if we can't come up with the same thing, we just have to read history. So he deals with personal opinions.

Pastoral Divisions over Personalities

Factions formed around Paul, Apollos, Peter, and Christ, valuing oratory and gifts over the message. Paul counters that ministers are mere instruments; God alone gives the increase.

Now, look in First Corinthians chapter one. In verses 12 and 13. There were not only personal divisions, there were pastoral divisions. He says in verse 12, "Now this I say that every one of you said, I'm of Paul and I'm of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

Now, I want you to understand this division was based upon different personalities and gifts. So, here was one man who says, "Man, I like Apollos. That guy is an orator. He can really preach." And Apollos was a great orator. Scripture tells us that. Someone else said, "I like Peter. Man, that guy is fiery. He's gutsy. He's got it." Someone else said, "Well, I tell you what, I like Paul. Paul is erudite. He is educated. He's intelligent." Someone else, a little more spiritual, said, "Well, I don't like any of them, I like Christ."

Now, you see what they were doing? They were dividing over different personalities and over different gifts. Do you see how easy it is for you and I to forget the message and look at the man? What is important? Is it the man or is it the message? You see, what most people do is they'll quote unquote, they'll pick out their favorites is exactly what they'll do. And once they pick out their favorites, they forget everybody else.

That leads to schisms and divisions. When men start following men instead of Christ and his word, you're always going to have divisions. When you start following oratory or education or gifts instead of Christ, you have problems. I'll guarantee you that many of these Corinthians in that church, when Peter spoke, some of them stayed away. They found other things to do. Well, they didn't like Peter. They wanted to hear Paul or they wanted to hear Apollos. And some of this, "No, no, I'm not going unless so-and-so is speaking. I don't like that." No, you don't look at the man and you don't look at the gift. You look at the message.

I never will forget what one of my preacher friends told me one time. He said it like this. He said, "I like ice cream." He said, "I don't care what flavor it is, I just like ice cream." He said, "By the same token," he said, "I like preaching." He said, "I like to hear the Word of God taught." He said, "I don't care if a man stands in one place and is monotone. I don't care if he runs around. I don't care if he swings from the chandelier just so he's preaching the Word of God. That's what counts." Do you realize that is true? That is what counts.

Now, let me show you how Paul says here's how this division can be resolved. Look at it. First Corinthians three verses three and four. What's he say? Now look carefully, 1 Corinthians 3, he says, "Are you not yet carnal? For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and locus men?" And look what he singles out. "For while one said, I'm a Paul," that is, I'm a follower of Paul, "another, I'm a Apollos, are you not carnal?" Watch what he says. "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watered, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planted and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor." What's he saying? The men are nothing but instruments.

Who is it that is to be honored and glorified? God. What is it that is to be received? The message. It is the Lord that gives the gift. And that is what counts. It is the Lord that blesses and makes His word effectual. It is not eloquence. It is not oratory. It is not illustrations. It is not personality. It is God alone. Let me give an illustration of this.

If I were just simply to call the name Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Everyone in here would recognize that name. He's one of the greatest Baptist preachers that ever lived in England. But do you know what happened when Charles Haddon Spurgeon was converted? He went to a local Baptist church. There was a storm going on. He was going to church regardless, the storm was so severe that the preacher could not even make it to church. And when he got there, there was just a handful of people there. And since the pastor could not make it, a deacon stood up and said, "Well, I'll say a few words before we go home."

Judicial Divisions and God's Orderly Resolution

Believers were suing each other in secular courts. Paul offers two options: suffer wrong or follow the orderly church discipline process of Matthew 18 before taking a heathen to law.

I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?" Now let me just stop there. You see, what was happening was this. There were not only personal divisions based on personal opinions, and pastoral divisions based upon personalities and gifts, but there were judicial divisions based upon ignorance of God and His orderly way.

Now when you get to 1 Corinthians 6, there were some who had civil disagreements among their brethren, and what they were doing was they were taking those brethren immediately to court, and that before unbelievers. Now can you get the picture of what was happening in Corinth? Here were the unsaved in the judicial realm, and the unsaved in the area, and brother was taking brother to court before the unsaved, and spilling all their dirty laundry right before them. You talk about an attitude of disunity, of unforgiveness, and greediness that was being displayed before the unbelievers, and the unbelievers were saying to themselves, "Man, if this is Christianity, I don't have anything to do with it. Not me." What was the answer? Paul suggests two answers. The first one is this. He says in verse seven, "Now, therefore, there's utterly a fault among you because you go to all one with another.

Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" In other words, the first answer is this. Be willing to suffer wrong. Be willing to be defrauded.

Now, this is not talking about some great important matter. But look in your Bibles. We're coming right back there. Look in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. Let me just show you the attitude first. 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. Look what he says. "For what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently. But if when you do well and suffer for it, and you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." Turn right over to 1 Peter 4 and look at verse 19. "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator." Now let me explain what the Apostle is saying when he says, "Why do you not suffer wrong? Why do you not suffer yourself to be defrauded?" Now he's not talking about someone trying to steal your home or someone trying to take away something of great value. No, no.

You remember the passage in Matthew 5? What did our Lord say? "If a man sue you for his coat, for your cloak, give him your coat also." What is a coat worth? It's nothing. What he's saying is this. Sometimes it's easy just to suffer wrong rather than to have to gulp through the motions and developing an attitude of bitterness and resentment at the same time than to deal with just suffer the wrong. Get over it.

There's more to life than this little petty thing. That's what he's saying. Now, there's another answer. What he's saying is this. If you're going to resolve the conflicts legally, then God has an orderly way to do that as well. Look in verse four. Verse four, the latter part is in reality a question that will explain this verse. "If then you have judgments of things pertaining to this life," literally it's a question, he says this, "why are you sitting those who are the least esteemed in the church?"

In other words, here's what he's asking, if you really have problems, if you have something that needs to be decided, why are you setting someone up to judge who has no idea of the issues or no concept of biblical law? And to show you that is the correct interpretation, look in verse 5. He says, "I speak of your shame. What is it so that there's not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brother." What's he saying? Is there not anybody in Corinth that's got any sense at all? That's what he's asking. Why would you set someone up to be a judge who doesn't know anything about the issues? Or couldn't resolve them if he heard them? No. He says you use someone wise. What's he talking about? He's talking about working things out according to God's orderly way. You say, "Well, what is God's orderly way?"

Let me show you very quickly. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 5 and then to Matthew 18. OK, very quickly. Each of these points could be a sermon in and of itself, but Matthew 5. Notice, if you would, please. And we're going to skip down to verse, what, Matthew five, verse twenty three. What does God say,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:23-24, 40

"Therefore, if I bring my gift to the altar and there remembers that my brother have fought against the leave there, my gift before the altar and go by way and first be reconciled with my brother and then come and offer my gift."

Now, hold that passage. Don't lose that passage, but turn over to Matthew 18 and look at verse 15. Matthew 18, verse 15. Here it is. Matthew 18, verse 15.

"Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou scame thy brother. If he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two of the witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let it be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 18:15-17

Now, let's stop there just for a moment. I want you to note something. Go back to Matthew 5 and look at verse 23. Make sure this is underlined in your mind, OK? Verse 23. "Therefore, if I bring by gift of the altar," now watch, "and there remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee." Here's my question. Do you have anything against him? No. But you remember, he's got something against you.

And you don't have any hard feelings toward him or it doesn't bother you. But now he's got something against you and you remember that. What does God say? You leave your gift and you go and be reconciled to your brother. You got that?

Now look in verse 15, a verse of Chapter 18. "Moreover, five brothers shall trespass against thee. Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone." Now, waiting at it in this passage. He doesn't necessarily have anything against you, but you've got something against him. What's God say? You go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. You notice that? It doesn't matter if you've got something against him or he's got something against you, who's responsible to go get settled? You are regardless. In other words, what God is saying is if you're involved in a dispute, it's your responsibility to get it resolved.

Now, let's suppose we're doing some supposing. I'm going to use Ed for an example, because a friend of mine really wanted to meet Ed because he said that Ed is always in trouble. All right, so I'm using Ed for the illustration again. So, let's suppose that Ed has beat me out of $1,000. I mean, it's an apparent case of fraud. And this is a little more than I can shrug my shoulders at. What is my option? My first option was to be defrauded. Well, I don't want to be defrauded out of $1,000. So my first step then is to go to Ed privately and say, "Ed, you've done me wrong. You've stolen from me. Ed, I want you to make this thing right." I give Ed the opportunity and he may make it right. He may understand that he was wrong, but he may also take the attitude, "Well, I beat you out of that money fair and square. If you think I'm giving it back to you, you're crazy." Well, what do I do next?

Next, I get Dr. Bowen and we go see Ed. And Ed still won't listen to Dr. Bowen. Well, then what do I do? I come back and I get Dr. Holmes. We go again. Ed won't listen to him. I may go four or five times to different men. Ed still won't do what's right. And so finally, I come to the church. I come to the pastor. I say, "Here's what's happened.

We've been through this stage and this stage and this step. Now, would you send somebody from the church to talk to it?" And so a delegation of men go from the church to talk to it and try to get this matter resolved, and Ed just cusses them out and runs them off, will not listen. What's the next step? If he won't hear them, God says, "Let him be under these, a heathen and a publican." That is, you excommunicate him. You put him outside of the church.

Now, a brother may not take a brother to law. Brother, brother may take a heathen man to law. Then I take him to the court. I say, "He stole a thousand dollars from me." You follow me?

Now, that's God's orderly way. By the way, I hope you understand that this teaches us there is a need for ecclesiastical courts. I'm not going to get into this today, but they are very important. They are needed and they're necessary. And I want you to understand this. When we've been wronged, we have two options. We may either suffer the wrong. Or we may resolve it in God's orderly way, but disobedience is not an option.

Intellectual and Spiritual Divisions

Divisions arose from knowledge that puffs up and from comparing spiritual gifts. The answer is recognizing that God sovereignly gives gifts and places members in the body for mutual edification.

So there were personal divisions, there were pastoral divisions, there were judicial divisions, but fourthly, there were intellectual divisions. Look in your Bibles, the first Corinthians chapter eight. And let's begin reading there with verse one, first Corinthians eight and verse one. I want you to see now how all these divisions are multiplying and cascading in this simple little church. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 1, "Now is touching things offered unto idols. We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, yet as he ought to know."

Now, without me going into this, there was a division in this church based upon knowledge and understanding. And that's what this is all about. Now, let me just go ahead and emphasize verse 2 for you. This is very important. He said, "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." Now, let me put it to you very plainly. When we think that we have arrived, when we have all the answers and we know it all, what does the Scripture say? We know nothing yet. In other words, that is a very apparent display of a lack of knowledge of the Word of God.

Now, when you and I try to acquire knowledge just for the sake of attaining facts, in order that we might demonstrate the greatness of our intellect, it always leads to pride. That's what he meant in 1 Corinthians 8, in verse 1, when he says that kind of knowledge puffs up. In other words, it makes one proud, arrogant, and haughty. You remember Job's three friends, Bilad, Eliphaz, and Zophar? Man, who would want friends like those fellas? But they believed that they were intellectually superior to Job. And they knew that old Job had done something wrong, and so they set out to straighten him out based upon their superior intellect. And I love what Job said in Job 12 and verse 2.

And I've quoted this to people in time past who needed it. But Job said to them, "No doubt, that you are the people and wisdom shall perish with you." In other words, fellas, when you die, it's all over. You know, we call those people know-it-alls and no one likes to be around those individuals. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:18

"Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

1 Corinthians 10 and verse 12 said, "He that thinketh, he standeth." What? "Take heed lest he falls." Now, there are intellectual divisions among us. You understand that? I don't know what Dr. Bowen knows. I don't know what Dr. Horne knows. I don't know what Dr. Brissey knows. I don't have the knowledge in some area that Henry has. But then they don't have the knowledge in other areas that I have. So, what I'm saying is this, you know what Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said, "You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character." So, if I want to know something about OBGYN, I say, "Dr. Bowen, I need to ask you a question." If I need to know something about animal, I'll say, "Dr. Holmes, I need to ask you a question." If I need to know something about chiropractor, I'd say, "Dr. Brizzi, I need to ask you a question." But just because they're intellectual divisions, in the sense that some are superior to others in certain areas, does not mean that we can puff up and divide and say, "Well, you don't have an earned doctorate the way I have an earned doctorate."

I never will forget what Lester Olaf told Bob Jones University. Bob Jones University wanted to convey an honorary doctorate upon Lester Olaf. You remember Lester Olaf? You know what Lester Olaf told Bob Jones University? He said, "Thank you, but no, thank you." He said, "That's kind of like putting whipped cream on onions. You just don't do it." I mean, you know, but not everybody's intellectual giant. Come on, let's face it. But you know what God says, look at it. Verse one.

"Now, it's touching things over night as we know, they all have knowledge, knowledge puffed up, but what charity edify." What does that mean? That means if I come to Dr. Holman and say, "Doc, I've got this problem and I don't understand what I can do to my cow or to my horse to correct this thing." And he says, "Now, wait a minute, John, let me explain this to you. Here's what you need to do." He doesn't say, "What you need to do is go to vet school and learn what I know." You follow me?

Now if he took that attitude, how many clients is he going to have? None. So this is what God is saying. There may be people who are intellectually superior, and there are. Not everybody has the same intellect. I'm going to do it anyhow. But you heard about the computer that they designed that would talk to a man based upon his IQ. The one guy went in, but you had to punch in your IQ and then the computer would converse with you. Guy punched in his IQ of 140. And the computer started discussing Einstein's theory of relativity with him. The next guy came behind and he punched in his IQ of 100. And the computer started conversing with him on stories out of the newspaper. The next fellow came in and he punched in his IQ of 60. The computer sat silent for a few moments and then said, "How about them dogs?"

Come on. But just because, just because we're not intellectual giants doesn't mean that we can't be Christians, that can't be brethren, and can't help each other. You follow me? So this is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Love is willing to teach. Love is willing to help. Love is willing to build someone up and not tear someone down. Love will be able to educate. So the way to resolve the intellectual division is you better realize whatever understanding you have God gave it to you.

I got news for you. God can take it away just as easily, just as quickly as he gave it to you. So it says there's no reason to divide over that. Then fifthly, very quickly, there were spiritual divisions. And I'm going to just tell you this is chapters 12 through 14. These spiritual divisions were based upon differing gifts, look in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 1, Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:1, 11, 12-25

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant."

Skip down to verse 25. "That there should be no schism or no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another." Now, what happened in the Corinthian church was there were different gifts. And instead of them using their gifts for the edification of the body, they were using these gifts for personal pride and personal gratification. So the Corinthians then were using their spiritual gift as a measuring rod. And what they were saying was this, "If you don't have the same gift that I have, you're not as spiritual as I am." That's exactly what happens today when you have some groups who take the unbiblical latitude. "Well, if you don't speak in tongues or if you don't have my gift, then you're not saved or you're not nearly as spiritual as I am. Look at me. I have this gift." That's exactly what they were doing. And when one takes that attitude, what he is doing in essence is denying the very foundation for which God gave gifts to begin with. God did not give gifts in the early church or in this day and time for anyone to personally glory in. He gave them for the edification of the church. Look in 1 Corinthians 14. Let me show you how they were being abused. Look in verse 26. You're talking about nailing somebody to the wall, Paul does. He says this, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 26. "How is it, brethren, when you come together," that is, you're coming together for church. "How is it, brethren, when you come together, every one of you, half a psalm, half a doctrine, half a tongue, half a revelation, half an interpretation, let all things be done in edifying." He said, "How is it when you come together, everybody's got something?" Because I tell you what's going on. You're just trying to stand up and glorify yourself and elevate yourself with pride. You're not doing this for the edification of the church. You're not doing this to teach people. Skip down to verse 33. Look what Paul says. "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." So the truth of the matter is this, folks. God is not the author of confusion. Gifts are not to be used, whatever they are, for personal pride and superiority or confusion. I could tell you story after story, but I'm not going to. But listen, if you would, to Paul's answer. Here's what his answer is. Look back in First Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Here's the answer. First Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Look what the Bible says.

"But all these work at that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." Now let me ask you a question. What preacher or what Christian gets the gifts that he wants? None. What gift do you get? Whatever God is pleased to give you. And that's it. Look in verse 28, same chapter. "And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles and gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversity of tongues." Then look at this question. "Are all apostles?" What's the answer? No. "Are all prophets?" What's the answer? No. "Are all teachers?" No. "Are all workers of miracles?" No. "Have all the gifts of healing?" No. "Do all speak with tongues?" No. "Do all interpret?" No.

But then he says, "But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet I show to you a more excellent way." And of course, he's talking about love right there. Now, I want you to understand something. Not only does God not give everyone the same gifts, He does so for a reason. Not all the members of the body have the same function. I'm going to show you that in the Bible. But what if your body was nothing but a mouth? You sure could eat all you wanted to, but you sure would be bumping into every fire hydrant you ran across, wouldn't you? What if you only had an eye?

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:1, 11, 12-25

You'd be starving to death. Look what he says. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12. "For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. Now look. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink unto one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If a foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, am I not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were a hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, help me out now, as it has pleased Him. And if they were all one members, where were the body?"

"But now are they many members, yet one body. Of the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our uncomely parts have no need." "But God," watch now, what has God done? "God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. Why? That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another." What's he saying? God has not only given you different gifts because you are different members of the body. Therefore, you need different things.

I got news for you. I don't wear shoes on my head. And I'll put socks on my ears. My head doesn't need that. My feet need shoes and socks. That's what God is saying. So the way to resolve these spiritual divisions is to recognize that, number one, God sovereignly gives you your gift and then God sovereignly places you in the body where he wants you. And let me tell you something, folks. One of the problems in the average church is this, to put it bluntly, everybody wants to be the chief and nobody wants to be the Indians. But you have to have members of a body. And I cannot fuss with God at where he's placed me. And the lack of gifts or the gifts that he's given me, that's totally up to him.

Social and Cultural Divisions at the Table

The wealthy ate separately and shamed the poor at the love feast preceding the Lord's Supper. Paul commands them to eat at home if they cannot wait and to tarry for one another.

And then lastly, let me tie this together for you. If you look in chapter 11, that's where we were. There were social and cultural divisions. I want you to see how all of these divisions now have worked against the Corinthian church. This is why Paul is reproving them. Look in verse 21 of First Corinthians chapter 11, he says, "For in eating, everyone taketh before others on supper, and one is hungry, and another drunken." Verse 22, "What? Have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." Look in verse 33. "Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another." These social and cultural divisions were based upon wealth and status. Now listen to me. What began in chapter 1 as a personal opinion, and then a pastoral opinion, a judicial opinion, see how all these things have now multiplied and now it's come down to a social and a cultural division. Listen carefully. If you go back to chapter 1, to the personal opinion, if it is alright to divide over something as innocuous as a personal opinion, why is it not alright to divide over pastors? And over judicial problems? and over intellectual problems and over spiritual problems. And if it's alright to divide in those areas, why can't we divide socially and culturally? And why can't we divide when we eat together?

You see how all of these have just escalated and now finally bulldoze their way into the worship of the Lord's Supper. Now, in the New Testament era, the agape, the love feast, or the common meal, usually preceded the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper was usually the culmination of that particular worship service. So instead of the Corinthian church then providing the common meal out of the church treasury, or instead of everybody coming and pooling all their food together and letting everyone get what they wanted, the wealthy and the cultural elite were bringing their own food and eating separately and or eating early before the less prominent members got there. They were shaming the poor in one sense of the word that the poor could not afford to bring probably the quality of food nor the quantity of food that the rich bought. Nor could they afford the delicacies that the rich had. So the rich then who had brought their wonderful food and all their delicacies didn't want to share. And so what they would do is they would sit down and eat prior to all the members getting there. And they would use the excuse that they were hungry and they couldn't wait, and so they needed to just simply to go ahead and eat.

Well, Paul gives the answers of this social and cultural division. First of all, he says, look at verse 22. Verse 21, he says, "For in eating everyone taketh before other is on supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken." Now, he says in verse 22, "What? Have you not houses to eat and drink in?" In other words, if you're just coming to church to eat, you stay at home and eat. That's the simple answer to this. If you can't wait to eat, you just eat at home. You stay there or you eat before you come. I mean, that's simple. That's what he said in verse 33. "Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, carry one for another." If you can't wait until everybody gets to the table, you either stay home or you eat before you leave home. It's that simple. If you're going to have a love feast, if you're going to have a common meal, then you better learn to wait for each other.

So here's what is happening. I want you to watch this. You think these social and cultural divisions are innocuous? You think what they were doing was non-incriminating? Well, look in verse 22. He says, "What, have you not houses to eat and drink in? Or what? Or what? Or despise you the church of God and shame them that have not?" What were they doing? They were despising God's church. They were despising the individual members of the church. They were despising those members that happened to be the foot or the knee or the hip or the hand just because they weren't the head and they did not have the social and cultural status and economic position. Oh, no. He says you are despising the church of God and you're shaming the brethren. So practically speaking then, this was an insult to Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church.

The Meaning of 'Heresies' and the Approved

Verse 19 refers to schools of opinion, not doctrinal heresy. The 'approved' are those who refuse to join factions and stand on the Word of God alone.

It is from hereomai, which means to choose. It means a mental tendency, a mindset or a school or a sect. In other words, in this context, the word heresy refers to a school or a party formed on the basis of opinion. Did you hear that? A school or a party formed on the basis of opinion. In fact, you will find this same word used in Acts 5 and verse 17 when he talks about the sect of the Sadducees. What did you have to believe to be a Sadducee? You had to deny the physical resurrection. You had to deny the existence of angels. See, that's personal opinions, and that's called a heresy or a sect. What about Acts 15, verse 5? There's a sect of the Pharisees. You had to believe certain things to be in the Pharisees. So, what the Scripture is saying is this, now, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 19, the context is not using this as an ecclesiastical sense, referring to doctrine particularly, but rather to a division, to a sect, or to a schism.

Now look what he says. Verse 19, he says it like this, "For there must also be schools of thought, or schools of opinions among you." Watch. "That they which are approved," and the word approved is hoi dokimoi, and you remember I told you the word dokimazo means to be tested and to try yourself that you might be approved. Now look what he says. "So that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." So who are the approved in this verse? Let me tell you who they are. There are those who refuse to get mixed up with the personal opinions of men. There are those who rather prefer to stand by the principles of the Word of God. Here's what he's saying. Sam says, "Well, all of those who agree with me come over here." Roy says, "Well, all of those who agree with me come over here." Who are the approved? The ones who'll sit back and say, "I'm not getting mixed up with any of you nuts. I know what the Scripture says. I'm not going to be pressured by the whims and the thoughts of man. I'm going to stick with the Word of God." So that's what Paul is saying.

You've got some in the Corinthian church who are wanting to cause divisions. And they've got all these sects, but those who are approved will say, "Personality doesn't mean anything. Opinions don't mean anything. It's the Word of God that counts, and I am sticking with the Word of God." Remember this, folks. Not all sins are physical. And our Lord said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." Let's pray.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Unbiblical Divisions

Summary: Divisions, whether visible separation or inward alienation, bring God's judgment and corrupt worship, especially the Lord's Supper which pictures unity in Christ.

Evidence: Paul says their coming together is 'not for the better, but for the worse' (v.17) and that there are divisions among them (v.18). Weaver states, 'unbiblical divisions...will bring the judgment and condemnation of God upon us.'

The Escalation of Small Sins

Summary: Every big sin begins with a small sin; personal opinions, if unchecked, cascade into pastoral, judicial, intellectual, spiritual, and social divisions that ultimately corrupt the Lord's Table.

Evidence: Weaver traces the progression from 1 Corinthians 1 through 11, showing how 'little sins turn out and turn into the big sins' and 'bulldoze their way into the worship of the Lord's Supper.'

Submission to the Word of God as the Remedy

Summary: The only way to have the same mind and judgment is for all believers to submit their thoughts to Scripture, bringing every thought captive to Christ.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 1:10, 2 Corinthians 10:5, and Philippians 2:5, saying, 'We all submit our minds to the Word of God...our unfailing standard is the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ.'

God's Sovereign Distribution of Gifts

Summary: God gives different gifts to different members of the body as He pleases, and no gift is for personal pride; all are for the edification of the church.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 12:11,18,28-30 are cited. Weaver says, 'God has not only given you different gifts because you are different members of the body...God sovereignly gives you your gift and then God sovereignly places you in the body.'

The Lord's Supper as a Picture of Unity

Summary: Partaking of the Lord's Table while divided is a contradiction because the ordinance teaches our oneness in Christ and mutual nourishment.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'How in the world can you partake of the Lord's table which teaches our unity and our oneness in Christ...when you're divided?'

Sins of the Spirit vs. Sins of the Flesh

Summary: Filthiness can be of the spirit as well as the flesh; attitudes like pride, envy, and division are spiritual sins that must be cleansed.

Evidence: 2 Corinthians 7:1 is quoted: 'let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.' Weaver says, 'if you just get rid of the sins of the flesh, does that mean you're right with God? ...there are sins of the Spirit as well.'

Key Arguments

Divisions make worship harmful rather than edifying.

Summary: Paul states that the Corinthians' assemblies were for the worse, bringing condemnation. Weaver argues this applies to churches today where preaching and attitudes harm rather than build up.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 11:17: 'you come together not for the better, but for the worse.' Weaver says, 'you're eating and drinking condemnation of yourself.'

Personal opinions must not become tests of fellowship.

Summary: Only Scripture can bind the conscience. When personal opinions cause division, they become sinful. Believers must agree to disagree on non-essentials.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if you cannot find a plain, obvious principle or a plain, obvious scripture, then you have no right to bind your opinion on anyone.'

Following personalities over Christ leads to carnality.

Summary: The Corinthian factions around Paul, Apollos, and Peter were carnal because they focused on men rather than God who gives the increase.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 3:3-7: 'Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed...God gave the increase.'

God has provided an orderly way to resolve disputes.

Summary: Instead of suing in secular courts, believers should either suffer wrong or follow the steps of Matthew 18, culminating in church discipline before legal action.

Evidence: Matthew 18:15-17 is outlined. Weaver says, 'if you're involved in a dispute, it's your responsibility to get it resolved' through God's orderly way.

Knowledge without love puffs up and causes division.

Summary: Intellectual pride over knowledge leads to arrogance. Love, however, edifies and is willing to teach and help others grow.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 8:1-2: 'Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.' Weaver says, 'when we think that we have arrived...we know nothing yet.'

Spiritual gifts are for edification, not personal status.

Summary: The Corinthians used gifts for self-glory. Paul teaches that God distributes gifts sovereignly and places members in the body to prevent schism.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 12:25: 'That there should be no schism in the body.' Weaver says, 'God did not give gifts...for anyone to personally glory in. He gave them for the edification of the church.'

Social snobbery at the Lord's Table despises the church.

Summary: The wealthy eating separately shamed the poor and despised the church of God. Paul commands them to eat at home if they cannot wait for one another.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 11:21-22,33. Weaver says, 'they were despising God's church...this was an insult to Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church.'

The 'approved' are those who stand on Scripture amid factions.

Summary: In 1 Corinthians 11:19, 'heresies' means schools of opinion. The approved are those who refuse to join factions and adhere to God's Word.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'the approved...are those who refuse to get mixed up with the personal opinions of men...I'm going to stick with the Word of God.'

Scripture References

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Context: The primary passage read at the opening, detailing the Corinthian abuses of the Lord's Supper and Paul's reproof.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Context: Used to show that filthiness can be of the spirit as well as the flesh, requiring cleansing from both.

1 Corinthians 1:10-11

Context: Paul's plea for no divisions and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind, introducing the problem of personal opinions.

Romans 15:6

Context: Cited to show that believers should with one mind and one mouth glorify God.

Philippians 2:2,5

Context: Euodius and Syntyche urged to be of the same mind; the mind of Christ is the standard.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Context: Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ as the answer to personal opinions.

1 Corinthians 1:12-13

Context: The pastoral divisions: some said 'I am of Paul,' others of Apollos, Cephas, or Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:3-7

Context: Paul calls them carnal for envying and strife over leaders; ministers are only instruments, God gives the increase.

1 Corinthians 4:7

Context: Who makes you differ? What do you have that you did not receive? Used to humble pride over gifts.

1 Peter 4:10-11

Context: Every man has received a gift; let him minister as of the ability God gives, that God may be glorified.

1 Corinthians 6:1-5

Context: Judicial divisions: believers taking each other to court before unbelievers instead of settling within the church.

1 Peter 2:20

Context: If you suffer for doing well and take it patiently, this is acceptable with God—supporting the option to suffer wrong.

Matthew 5:23-24, 40

Context: Reconcile with a brother who has something against you before offering your gift; if sued for your coat, give your cloak also.

Matthew 18:15-17

Context: The orderly steps of church discipline: private reproof, witnesses, tell it to the church, then treat as a heathen.

1 Corinthians 8:1-2

Context: Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies; if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

Proverbs 16:18

Context: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall, applied to intellectual pride.

1 Corinthians 12:1, 11, 12-25

Context: Spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit as He wills; the body has many members with different functions to prevent schism.

1 Corinthians 14:26, 33

Context: When you come together, everyone has a psalm, doctrine, tongue—let all be done for edifying; God is not the author of confusion.

1 John 3:16-18

Context: We perceive God's love because He laid down His life; if we have this world's good and see a brother in need and shut up our compassion, how does God's love dwell in us?

Acts 5:17; 15:5

Context: The word 'heresy' (sect) is used of the Sadducees and Pharisees, showing it means a school of opinion.

Historical References

Augustine's principle: 'In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.'

Context: Quoted to support agreeing to disagree on personal opinions while maintaining love.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon's conversion under a deacon's reading of Isaiah 45:22

Context: Illustration that God uses simple vessels, not just eloquent preachers, to bring blessing.

Lester Olaf declining an honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University

Context: Example of humility, calling it 'like putting whipped cream on onions.'

Bob Jones Sr. quote: 'You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character.'

Context: Used to emphasize that intellectual differences do not justify pride or division.

Important Quotes

Now in this I declare to you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse.

Significance: Paul's direct reproof that their assemblies were harmful, setting the tone for the entire message on divisions.

For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it.

Significance: Identifies the primary sin of schisms that corrupted their worship and the Lord's Table.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.

Significance: Augustine's principle cited as the biblical attitude toward personal opinions and non-essential matters.

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Significance: Explained as schools of opinion that reveal those who stand firmly on God's Word rather than joining factions.

Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

Significance: Key verse contrasting intellectual pride with love that builds up, central to resolving intellectual divisions.

Discussion Questions

What are some examples of 'personal opinions' that can become tests of fellowship today, and how can we apply the principle of agreeing to disagree in non-essentials?

Context: Based on the discussion of 1 Corinthians 1:10-11 and the danger of dividing over personal opinions.

How can we guard against the tendency to follow personalities or gifted speakers rather than focusing on the message of Scripture?

Context: Arising from the pastoral divisions in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 and 3:3-7.

In what practical ways can a local church implement the Matthew 18 process for resolving disputes before they escalate to legal action?

Context: From the judicial divisions and the explanation of Matthew 18:15-17 as God's orderly way.

How does intellectual pride manifest in church settings, and what steps can we take to use knowledge to edify rather than puff up?

Context: Related to 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 and the intellectual divisions.

Why is it a contradiction to partake of the Lord's Supper while harboring divisions or alienation toward fellow believers?

Context: Based on the argument that the Lord's Table pictures unity and communion in Christ.

What does it mean to 'discern the Lord's body' in the context of both the elements and the church as the body of Christ?

Context: Referenced in the review of previous messages and the warning against unworthy partaking.

How can we cultivate the attitude of the 'approved' who refuse to join factions and stand on Scripture alone?

Context: From the explanation of 1 Corinthians 11:19 and the approved being made manifest.

What are some 'sins of the spirit' that we may overlook while focusing only on outward sins, and how can we cleanse ourselves from them?

Context: Based on 2 Corinthians 7:1 and the distinction between filthiness of flesh and spirit.

Applications

Examine your heart for unbiblical divisions.

Summary: Believers must search their hearts for any attitude of alienation or separation toward fellow church members, recognizing that such divisions bring judgment and corrupt worship.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'unbiblical divisions, either visible separation or inward alienation, will bring the judgment and condemnation of God upon us.'

Submit personal opinions to Scripture.

Summary: When you hold a strong personal opinion, test it against the clear teaching of God's Word. If Scripture does not bind it, do not bind others with it, and be willing to agree to disagree in love.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you cannot find a plain, obvious principle or a plain, obvious scripture, then you have no right to bind your opinion on anyone.'

Focus on the message, not the messenger.

Summary: Evaluate preaching and teaching by its faithfulness to Scripture, not by the speaker's eloquence, personality, or gifts. Remember that God alone gives the increase.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'you don't look at the man and you don't look at the gift. You look at the message.'

Resolve disputes biblically.

Summary: When wronged by a brother, either choose to suffer the wrong or follow the steps of Matthew 18: private confrontation, witnesses, church involvement—before considering legal action.

Evidence: Weaver outlines the process and says, 'if you're involved in a dispute, it's your responsibility to get it resolved' in God's orderly way.

Use knowledge and gifts to edify, not to elevate self.

Summary: Whatever intellectual ability or spiritual gift you have, use it humbly to build up the body, recognizing that God sovereignly gave it and can take it away.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Love is willing to teach. Love is willing to help. Love is willing to build someone up and not tear someone down.'

Practice mutual care at fellowship meals and the Lord's Table.

Summary: When gathering for meals or the Lord's Supper, wait for one another and ensure no one is shamed by economic or social differences. If you cannot wait, eat at home.

Evidence: Weaver applies 1 Corinthians 11:33: 'if you can't wait until everybody gets to the table, you either stay home or you eat before you leave home.'

Cleanse yourself from sins of the spirit.

Summary: Regularly confess and turn from inward sins like pride, envy, and bitterness, not just outward sins, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Evidence: 2 Corinthians 7:1 is applied: 'let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.'

Stand on Scripture amid factions.

Summary: When cliques or parties form around personalities or opinions, refuse to join them. Instead, anchor yourself in the Word of God and maintain unity with all who hold to essential truths.

Evidence: Weaver says the approved are 'the ones who'll sit back and say, I'm not getting mixed up with any of you nuts...I'm going to stick with the Word of God.'

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Clean Transcript

The Lord's Supper - Part 5

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

1 Corinthians 11 and verse 17. "Now in this that I declare to you, I praise you not that you come together, not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you and I partly believe it. For there must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When you come together, therefore, to one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in eating everyone taketh before another his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken. What? Have you not houses to eat and to drink in, or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not?"
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"What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, this do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
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"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another, and if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that you come not together into condemnation, and the rest will I set in order when I come."
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Now, I'm not going to take the time to review in detail the last four weeks of messages, but may I point out the fact, just for your remembrance, that the Lord's Supper is indeed an ordinance. We call it a Sovereign Ordinance because it was instituted by God Himself. It is also called a Gospel Ordinance because it portrays the realities of the Gospel. We've looked at the various names given to it in the Scripture. We've looked at the significance of it under the various meals that are presented to us in the Bible, and then we took two messages and dealt with the partakers of it, and we showed from the scripture that it was indeed, first of all, a local church ordinance, that it was for the assembled
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church, and that not only that, but the church had to have control over it in the sense that it could exclude those who were disorderly and unrepentant. And I showed that God not only required you to be saved, but to be baptized and a church member and an orderly life. But then I showed you from this passage there were four other requirements that we must, of course, examine ourselves, that we must discern the Lord's body, that we must not partake unworthily, and that we must judge ourselves.
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And I explained all of those. If you haven't heard those messages, they are available, but today we come to what I'm going to just simply call the reproof. And I want you to understand that when Paul reproves the Corinthian church, in reality, he can be reproving most churches of today. If you look in your Bible to verse 18, he says this, "For first of all, when you come together in the church." Now watch.
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"I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it." Paul had been hearing that there were problems at the Corinthian church, and he was loathe to believe it. He said, "I just don't believe everything that I'm hearing. But I'm hearing so much. I believe some of it." In other words, something is going on. In fact, he is so convinced of the problems in the Corinthian church.
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Look what he says in verse 17. "Now in this I declare to you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse." In other words, when you come together to meet as a church, it's not edifying to you. It's not helping you. It's not benefiting you. In fact, it is condemning you. And you're the worst off for meeting.
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Now, how would you like for the Apostle Paul to come around today and visit most local churches? You know, I honestly believe he'd look at most churches today and say, "You're wasting your time. You might as well stay home. You're eating and drinking condemnation of yourself." In other words, when you come together, you're not benefited. You're not edified. You're not being blessed. You're being harmed. And by the way, according to the preaching that goes forward from most pulpits, that would be an accurate statement. You're being harmed and not edified.
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So basically, I'm pointing out this truth: that we do the same thing as the Corinthians when we sin the way they sinned. In other words, when we come together, it is not for our blessing and our benefit. It would be for our judgment and for our condemnation.
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Now, let me ask this question. What were the primary sins of the Corinthians?
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Now, they had all kinds of problems. You know, I honestly believe that I could say this: out of all the churches that were in existence in the New Testament era, the Corinthian church was probably the most childish, the most carnal, the most fleshly. And yet, everywhere I go, I see Corinth Baptist Church or Corinth Polonist Baptist Church. And I'd often think, why would anyone want to name their church Corinth? But when you look at this church, there were all kinds of problems. Now, I'm not necessarily going to be dealing today with the physical problems they had at Corinth.
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They did have some, and Paul dealt with those in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 particularly. But I want you to remember something. I want you to remember that not all sins are physical. When we start talking about sin, most people learn about drunkenness and murder and adultery and stealing, and those are indeed physical acts. But do you realize you can have a great sin and that sin not necessarily be physical? What am I talking about? Well, look in 2 Corinthians 7 in verse 1. I could quote this, but I want you to see it just so that I can make a point. Notice 2 Corinthians 7 in verse 1.
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The Apostle Paul says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved," that is the promises that are given to us in this Bible, "having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and" what? "Spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." So our filthiness can not only be in the flesh, it can also be in the spirit. So he said we need to cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So if you just get rid of the sins of the flesh, does that mean you're right with God? Well, of course not, because there are sins of the Spirit as well.
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Now, one of the main sins that was in the Corinthian church was a sin of division. Look back in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11. What did Paul say? "For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it."
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Now, the word for divisions here is schismata in the Greek, which refers to schisms or divisions. And what I want you to see today is this: I want you to see how little sins turn out and turn into the big sins. Do you realize that every big sin starts with a small sin? You remember when Lot was escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah, he said concerning Zoar, "Oh let me escape to this city, is it not a small one?" Well, you see, that's what we talk about our sins. "Is it not a small one?" But do you realize the awful, wicked sin of murder begins with a single thought? Adultery begins with a single thought. Theft begins with a single thought.
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So I want you to understand as we look through 1 Corinthians, I want you to see how unbiblical attitudes and actions impact, compound and ultimately achieve a very undesirable end. Now, let me just tell you, as we discuss one point today, the reproof. The reproof that the Apostle Paul is giving to the Corinthians is over divisions. It's over divisions, and I'm going to say this, I'm thankful there's been no divisions in our assembly, but I want you to see how easily it can destroy a church and an individual and families as well. Now, remember the reproof is over divisions. There were various and different schisms and divisions in the Corinthian church.
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Most of them were indirectly related to the Lord's table. Some of them directly related to the Lord's table, but all had an impact upon the Lord's table.
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Now, in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, when the Apostle Paul says, "For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you." Actually, it's in the present tense. He says, "I am continually hearing that there are divisions among you." In other words, these divisions were not just one time, but they were constant and they were continuous. They were ongoing even when the Apostle Paul was reproving the Corinthians. So these divisions then were not only affecting their worship, but especially their worship and partaking around the Lord's table. So what kind of divisions existed? Well, let's go back in our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I want you to see, first of all, there were personal divisions. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and let's look at verses 10 and 11. Personal divisions. The Apostle Paul says this, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and there be no division among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
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For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you." Now notice if you would, he said, "I'm beseeching you that you speak the same thing, that there be no schisms among you, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Personal divisions, listen carefully, are based upon personal opinions. The original problem at Corinth was that each Christian had his own personal opinion, and he was using that opinion as a basis for fellowship.
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In other words, there was no charity, there was no consideration, there was no education. Here was a simple attitude. Sam, you agree with me, and I agree with you, so we'll fellowship together and fool the others. Doesn't really matter. In other words, what was happening was this. The church was full of cliques. That is, people that agreed together would associate here, people agreed this way would associate over here, and back there another group, and back there another group. In other words, just personal opinions.
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Now you see, one would think that something that would be so insignificant and so small as a personal opinion would hardly have any impact at all. But this is just the beginning of what is going to develop into a full scale problem. You know what we have to learn is this, that a personal opinion is nothing more than a personal opinion. What do I mean by that? Personal opinions are not binding upon anyone.
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The only thing that can bind the consciences of men is the Word of God. And if you cannot find a plain, obvious principle or a plain, obvious scripture, then you have no right to bind your opinion on anyone. You can say, "I believe this" and I'll respect that. But then you must also respect my opinion when I choose not to believe your opinion. You follow me? But what was happening in the Corinthian church, they were not doing that. They were separating over personal opinions.
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Now, please remember, I'm not talking about sin. I'm not talking about rebellion. I'm just simply talking about personal opinions. And there are some people who hold their personal opinions so strongly, they're not only willing to divide over their personal opinion, they're willing to fight over that personal opinion. Let me give you an illustration. The gentleman that I'm talking about is now dead. But this happened. I was preaching in a western state and I was preaching basically with a group of unincorporated Baptists is what it amounted to. And we were traveling around, we were making a circuit and teaching about the sin of incorporation. And here was one pastor in this western state who was not even a member of our group, but he graciously opened to us his church building and allowed us to use it. And not only that, he himself was present for the meetings and invited his people because he wanted them to hear the truth.
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Well, there were some other folks who came to that meeting who were not necessarily of our group. They were outsiders, but they were friends of mine. And they came because I was preaching there. And when one of those men found out, who was visiting, that the pastor of the local church did not believe what he believed, did not hold his personal opinion, his personal interpretation of a certain passage, he was so incensed that he was ready to try to whip the pastor.
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When I heard about it, my mouth fell open. And I looked at his pastor who was there with him. I said, "You need to get him out of here right now." I said, "This man has graciously given us his church building. He's supplying the heat and the air and letting us use his building. And now your fellow wants to whip this pastor because he disagrees with him."
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And it was not even over a real doctrinal issue. It was over personal opinions. Well, I want you to understand when people take their personal opinion that far, they've taken it too far, and what they do basically is this. Anyone who disagrees with them, they normally reject, but ridicule and sometimes even will fight.
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Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter one and look at verse 10. Look what the Apostle Paul said.
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"Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, look that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Now, the question you've got to ask is this. How can we as Christians come together and have the same mind and the same judgment?
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And the answer is very simple. We all submit our minds to the Word of God. That's what the Bible says in Romans 15 and verse 6. The Apostle Paul speaking to the Romans said "that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Now, the Bible says in 1 Peter 4 and verse 1 that we're to arm ourselves with the mind of Jesus Christ. You know, the Bible says in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 2, there were two women in the Philippian church that were having problems.
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In fact, they were fussing and fighting. Their names were Euodius and Syntyche. Sometimes I get in a hurry and I mispronounce them. I call them Odious and Stinky. But anyhow, they were having a problem. And Paul wrote, "I beseech you, Euodius and Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."
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Now, how can that be? Philippians 2 and verse 5, "Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus." And in other words, if Euodius and Syntyche would both submit their minds to the word of God, they're either going to come up with the same understanding or at least they're going to come up with the attitude, "I may not see that just yet, but I'm willing to agree to disagree and we're going to be friends and we're not going to part over this issue." That's why the Bible in 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5, turn there, just turn there. I want you to see this. Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. Look what the Apostle Paul said. Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and verse 5. Paul says, "Casting down imagination, and every high thing or thought that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Isn't that amazing?
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How many thoughts are you and I allowed that are unbiblical and unscriptural? None. So what is the answer to personal opinion? We have to learn to submit our minds to the Word of God. We have to understand that our unfailing standard is the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ. And if each of us submit our minds to the Word of God and learn to think biblically and scripturally, usually 99 times out of 100, we're going to come up with the same exact truth and the same exact understanding. But if we cannot come to the same exact understanding, if we're brethren, then we must simply agree to disagree.
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You remember the principle that Augustine used to say? The early church father, he said this, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity."
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Now, I don't have time this morning to go into this in detail like I'd really wish to. But do you remember in the book of 1 John, the Apostle John divides believers into three groups. He writes to the babes, he writes to the young men, and he writes to the fathers. What's that mean? That means there are different stages in the Christian life. If you go up to a two-year-old baby, do you expect that two-year-old baby to eat a T-bone steak? No, you surely don't. Do you expect a 16-year-old young man to eat baby food? No, you don't. Do you expect a father to act like a teenager?
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You shouldn't, and he shouldn't. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. A baby is not going to have the understanding of a young man, and a young man is not going to have the understanding of a father. What's that mean? There's going to be difference of opinions and understanding. You just have to expect that. You do not expect a young child to be able to comprehend the Pythagorean theory or Einstein's principle of relativity. A child's not going to understand it. Most adults can't understand it. So I'm just saying you cannot expect someone younger in the faith to be of the same maturity of someone older in the faith. So you've got to understand there's going to be a difference of opinions. And so therefore, we have to submit our minds to the word of God, and if we can't come up with the same thing, we just have to read history. So he deals with personal opinions.
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Now, look in First Corinthians chapter one. In verses 12 and 13. There were not only personal divisions, there were pastoral divisions. He says in verse 12, "Now this I say that every one of you said, I'm of Paul and I'm of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"
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Now, I want you to understand this division was based upon different personalities and gifts. So, here was one man who says, "Man, I like Apollos. That guy is an orator. He can really preach." And Apollos was a great orator. Scripture tells us that. Someone else said, "I like Peter. Man, that guy is fiery. He's gutsy. He's got it." Someone else said, "Well, I tell you what, I like Paul. Paul is erudite. He is educated. He's intelligent." Someone else, a little more spiritual, said, "Well, I don't like any of them, I like Christ."
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Now, you see what they were doing? They were dividing over different personalities and over different gifts. Do you see how easy it is for you and I to forget the message and look at the man? What is important? Is it the man or is it the message? You see, what most people do is they'll quote unquote, they'll pick out their favorites is exactly what they'll do. And once they pick out their favorites, they forget everybody else.
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That leads to schisms and divisions. When men start following men instead of Christ and his word, you're always going to have divisions. When you start following oratory or education or gifts instead of Christ, you have problems. I'll guarantee you that many of these Corinthians in that church, when Peter spoke, some of them stayed away. They found other things to do. Well, they didn't like Peter. They wanted to hear Paul or they wanted to hear Apollos. And some of this, "No, no, I'm not going unless so-and-so is speaking. I don't like that." No, you don't look at the man and you don't look at the gift. You look at the message.
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I never will forget what one of my preacher friends told me one time. He said it like this. He said, "I like ice cream." He said, "I don't care what flavor it is, I just like ice cream." He said, "By the same token," he said, "I like preaching." He said, "I like to hear the Word of God taught." He said, "I don't care if a man stands in one place and is monotone. I don't care if he runs around. I don't care if he swings from the chandelier just so he's preaching the Word of God. That's what counts."
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Do you realize that is true? That is what counts.
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Now, let me show you how Paul says here's how this division can be resolved. Look at it. First Corinthians three verses three and four. What's he say? Now look carefully, 1 Corinthians 3, he says, "Are you not yet carnal? For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and locus men?" And look what he singles out. "For while one said, I'm a Paul," that is, I'm a follower of Paul, "another, I'm a Apollos, are you not carnal?" Watch what he says. "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watered, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planted and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor." What's he saying? The men are nothing but instruments.
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Who is it that is to be honored and glorified? God. What is it that is to be received? The message. It is the Lord that gives the gift. And that is what counts. It is the Lord that blesses and makes His word effectual. It is not eloquence. It is not oratory. It is not illustrations. It is not personality. It is God alone. Let me give an illustration of this.
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If I were just simply to call the name Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Everyone in here would recognize that name. He's one of the greatest Baptist preachers that ever lived in England. But do you know what happened when Charles Haddon Spurgeon was converted? He went to a local Baptist church. There was a storm going on. He was going to church regardless, the storm was so severe that the preacher could not even make it to church. And when he got there, there was just a handful of people there. And since the pastor could not make it, a deacon stood up and said, "Well, I'll say a few words before we go home."
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And he opened his Bible to Isaiah 45 verse 22 and he read this verse, "Look unto me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else." You know what that deacon did? He says, "Now the text says look. Why any fool can look. All you have to do is look to Christ. And you will live. You will be saved. Any fool can do that."
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He spoke just for two or three minutes and said, "Let's pray." And guess what? The greatest Baptist preacher in the world basically was convicted and converted under the reading of one passage of the Word of God by a man who is not even a preacher. What am I showing you? I'm showing it was God who gets the praise and the honor. You know, I have heard some of the greatest preachers that are in the world today. I have. And I've heard some of them preach.
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And although you're impressed with their oratory and their ability, nothing as far as spirituality and blessing. And yet I've heard some simple country bumpkin get up and stumble around and mispronounce words and not have an outline that you could even follow. And yet the blessing and the power of God be upon, let multitudes be blessed and converted. It's not the man, it's the message. And it's not just the message, it's the power of God upon the message.
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Look in 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 7. Look what Paul, and he's talking to the preachers now. I don't have time to give you the whole context here, but look what he says. "For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what is thou that thou didst not receive? Now thou didst receive it, what is thou glorious that thou hadst not received it?" Do you realize that each gift that God gives is from God himself? Preachers do not choose their gift.
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I'm going to deal with this a little bit later. I want you to turn, hold 1 Corinthians now, but turn in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Peter chapter 4. Let me show you this truth. 1 Peter chapter 4. And look at verses 10 and 11. I'm just pointing out the fact that preachers do not choose their gift. God is the one who gives the gift. In 1 Peter 4 and verse 10, look what the scripture says. "As every man hath received the gift," and he's talking about ministers or preachers, "even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." So God's given different gifts to different preachers and to different Christians. He says in verse 11, "If any man speak, let him speak as of the oracles of God."
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In other words, if you go preach, you preach the word. If you need a minister, that is, if he waits on people, let him do it as the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. In other words, God says, "I am the one who gives the gift. You don't choose it."
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I had a very dear pastor friend who's now in glory. And my wife will immediately know who I'm talking about. But I was talking to him one day. And he looked at me with tears in his eyes and he said, "Brother, I would give anything to be able to teach the word of God like you." And when he said that, my mouth fell open. And I said, "Brother, you don't understand. I would give anything just to be as loving and kind and gracious as you are."
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All the time, the fellow was envying my gift, so to speak, and I was envying his gift. Listen, this brother, you couldn't get angry with him. You couldn't be mad if you did. You'd go to apologize and he was so kind and so loving and so gracious.
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. God has tempered the ministry together. And he's given every minister a specific gift or gifts. Preachers do not choose their gifts. But what God has done, He's given to the body exactly what that body needs.
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Now, my friend could not preach and teach the way I could, that is for sure. But I can assure you, I could never have the empathy and the patience and the love that he had. Because that was his strong point. But God has given us exactly what we need. So what we have to look at is this. "Well, that guy just can't preach." No, no, no, no, no.
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It's not that he's not as good at oratory as someone else, but listen to what he's saying and observe his life and listen to the message. Because when God gives a gift to a man, whether you like it or not, or whether you admire it or not, you need it. OK, so here were personal divisions. Here are pastoral divisions. Look in your Bibles to First Corinthians six. First Corinthians six verses one through five, there were judicial divisions. Oh. First Corinthians six verse one, "Dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unjust and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world, and if the world shall be judged by you, are you worthy to judge the smallest matters? Know you not that we shall judge angels how much more things that pertain to this life? If then, if you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are the least esteemed in the church.
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I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?"
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Now let me just stop there. You see, what was happening was this. There were not only personal divisions based on personal opinions, and pastoral divisions based upon personalities and gifts, but there were judicial divisions based upon ignorance of God and His orderly way.
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Now when you get to 1 Corinthians 6, there were some who had civil disagreements among their brethren, and what they were doing was they were taking those brethren immediately to court, and that before unbelievers. Now can you get the picture of what was happening in Corinth? Here were the unsaved in the judicial realm, and the unsaved in the area, and brother was taking brother to court before the unsaved, and spilling all their dirty laundry right before them.
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You talk about an attitude of disunity, of unforgiveness, and greediness that was being displayed before the unbelievers, and the unbelievers were saying to themselves, "Man, if this is Christianity, I don't have anything to do with it. Not me." What was the answer? Paul suggests two answers. The first one is this. He says in verse seven, "Now, therefore, there's utterly a fault among you because you go to all one with another.
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Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" In other words, the first answer is this. Be willing to suffer wrong. Be willing to be defrauded.
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Now, this is not talking about some great important matter. But look in your Bibles. We're coming right back there. Look in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. Let me just show you the attitude first. 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. 1 Peter 2 and verse 20. Look what he says. "For what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently. But if when you do well and suffer for it, and you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." Turn right over to 1 Peter 4 and look at verse 19. "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator." Now let me explain what the Apostle is saying when he says, "Why do you not suffer wrong? Why do you not suffer yourself to be defrauded?" Now he's not talking about someone trying to steal your home or someone trying to take away something of great value. No, no.
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You remember the passage in Matthew 5? What did our Lord say? "If a man sue you for his coat, for your cloak, give him your coat also." What is a coat worth? It's nothing. What he's saying is this. Sometimes it's easy just to suffer wrong rather than to have to gulp through the motions and developing an attitude of bitterness and resentment at the same time than to deal with just suffer the wrong. Get over it.
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There's more to life than this little petty thing. That's what he's saying. Now, there's another answer. What he's saying is this. If you're going to resolve the conflicts legally, then God has an orderly way to do that as well. Look in verse four. Verse four, the latter part is in reality a question that will explain this verse. "If then you have judgments of things pertaining to this life," literally it's a question, he says this, "why are you sitting those who are the least esteemed in the church?"
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In other words, here's what he's asking, if you really have problems, if you have something that needs to be decided, why are you setting someone up to judge who has no idea of the issues or no concept of biblical law? And to show you that is the correct interpretation, look in verse 5. He says, "I speak of your shame. What is it so that there's not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brother." What's he saying?
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Is there not anybody in Corinth that's got any sense at all? That's what he's asking. Why would you set someone up to be a judge who doesn't know anything about the issues? Or couldn't resolve them if he heard them? No. He says you use someone wise. What's he talking about? He's talking about working things out according to God's orderly way. You say, "Well, what is God's orderly way?"
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Let me show you very quickly. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 5 and then to Matthew 18. OK, very quickly. Each of these points could be a sermon in and of itself, but Matthew 5. Notice, if you would, please. And we're going to skip down to verse, what, Matthew five, verse twenty three. What does God say, "Therefore, if I bring my gift to the altar and there remembers that my brother have fought against the leave there, my gift before the altar and go by way and first be reconciled with my brother and then come and offer my gift." Now, hold that passage. Don't lose that passage, but turn over to Matthew 18 and look at verse 15. Matthew 18, verse 15. Here it is. Matthew 18, verse 15.
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"Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou scame thy brother. If he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two of the witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let it be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican."
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Now, let's stop there just for a moment. I want you to note something. Go back to Matthew 5 and look at verse 23. Make sure this is underlined in your mind, OK? Verse 23. "Therefore, if I bring by gift of the altar," now watch, "and there remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee." Here's my question. Do you have anything against him? No. But you remember, he's got something against you.
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And you don't have any hard feelings toward him or it doesn't bother you. But now he's got something against you and you remember that. What does God say? You leave your gift and you go and be reconciled to your brother. You got that?
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Now look in verse 15, a verse of Chapter 18. "Moreover, five brothers shall trespass against thee. Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone."
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Now, waiting at it in this passage. He doesn't necessarily have anything against you, but you've got something against him. What's God say? You go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. You notice that? It doesn't matter if you've got something against him or he's got something against you, who's responsible to go get settled? You are regardless. In other words, what God is saying is if you're involved in a dispute, it's your responsibility to get it resolved.
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Now, let's suppose we're doing some supposing. I'm going to use Ed for an example, because a friend of mine really wanted to meet Ed because he said that Ed is always in trouble. All right, so I'm using Ed for the illustration again. So, let's suppose that Ed has beat me out of $1,000. I mean, it's an apparent case of fraud. And this is a little more than I can shrug my shoulders at. What is my option? My first option was to be defrauded. Well, I don't want to be defrauded out of $1,000. So my first step then is to go to Ed privately and say, "Ed, you've done me wrong. You've stolen from me. Ed, I want you to make this thing right." I give Ed the opportunity and he may make it right. He may understand that he was wrong, but he may also take the attitude, "Well, I beat you out of that money fair and square. If you think I'm giving it back to you, you're crazy." Well, what do I do next?
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Next, I get Dr. Bowen and we go see Ed. And Ed still won't listen to Dr. Bowen. Well, then what do I do? I come back and I get Dr. Holmes. We go again. Ed won't listen to him. I may go four or five times to different men. Ed still won't do what's right. And so finally, I come to the church. I come to the pastor. I say, "Here's what's happened.
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We've been through this stage and this stage and this step. Now, would you send somebody from the church to talk to it?" And so a delegation of men go from the church to talk to it and try to get this matter resolved, and Ed just cusses them out and runs them off, will not listen. What's the next step? If he won't hear them, God says, "Let him be under these, a heathen and a publican."
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That is, you excommunicate him. You put him outside of the church.
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Now, a brother may not take a brother to law. Brother, brother may take a heathen man to law. Then I take him to the court. I say, "He stole a thousand dollars from me." You follow me?
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Now, that's God's orderly way. By the way, I hope you understand that this teaches us there is a need for ecclesiastical courts. I'm not going to get into this today, but they are very important. They are needed and they're necessary. And I want you to understand this. When we've been wronged, we have two options. We may either suffer the wrong. Or we may resolve it in God's orderly way, but disobedience is not an option.
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So there were personal divisions, there were pastoral divisions, there were judicial divisions, but fourthly, there were intellectual divisions. Look in your Bibles, the first Corinthians chapter eight. And let's begin reading there with verse one, first Corinthians eight and verse one. I want you to see now how all these divisions are multiplying and cascading in this simple little church. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 1, "Now is touching things offered unto idols.
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We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, yet as he ought to know."
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Now, without me going into this, there was a division in this church based upon knowledge and understanding. And that's what this is all about.
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Now, let me just go ahead and emphasize verse 2 for you. This is very important. He said, "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." Now, let me put it to you very plainly. When we think that we have arrived, when we have all the answers and we know it all, what does the Scripture say? We know nothing yet. In other words, that is a very apparent display of a lack of knowledge of the Word of God.
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Now, when you and I try to acquire knowledge just for the sake of attaining facts, in order that we might demonstrate the greatness of our intellect, it always leads to pride. That's what he meant in 1 Corinthians 8, in verse 1, when he says that kind of knowledge puffs up. In other words, it makes one proud, arrogant, and haughty. You remember Job's three friends, Bilad, Eliphaz, and Zophar? Man, who would want friends like those fellas? But they believed that they were intellectually superior to Job. And they knew that old Job had done something wrong, and so they set out to straighten him out based upon their superior intellect. And I love what Job said in Job 12 and verse 2.
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And I've quoted this to people in time past who needed it. But Job said to them, "No doubt, that you are the people and wisdom shall perish with you." In other words, fellas, when you die, it's all over. You know, we call those people know-it-alls and no one likes to be around those individuals. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18, "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 12 said, "He that thinketh, he standeth." What?
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"Take heed lest he falls." Now, there are intellectual divisions among us. You understand that? I don't know what Dr. Bowen knows. I don't know what Dr. Horne knows. I don't know what Dr. Brissey knows. I don't have the knowledge in some area that Henry has. But then they don't have the knowledge in other areas that I have. So, what I'm saying is this, you know what Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said, "You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character." So, if I want to know something about OBGYN, I say, "Dr. Bowen, I need to ask you a question." If I need to know something about animal, I'll say, "Dr. Holmes, I need to ask you a question." If I need to know something about chiropractor, I'd say, "Dr. Brizzi, I need to ask you a question." But just because they're intellectual divisions, in the sense that some are superior to others in certain areas, does not mean that we can puff up and divide and say, "Well, you don't have an earned doctorate the way I have an earned doctorate."
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I never will forget what Lester Olaf told Bob Jones University. Bob Jones University wanted to convey an honorary doctorate upon Lester Olaf. You remember Lester Olaf? You know what Lester Olaf told Bob Jones University? He said, "Thank you, but no, thank you." He said, "That's kind of like putting whipped cream on onions. You just don't do it." I mean, you know, but not everybody's intellectual giant. Come on, let's face it. But you know what God says, look at it. Verse one.
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"Now, it's touching things over night as we know, they all have knowledge, knowledge puffed up, but what charity edify." What does that mean? That means if I come to Dr. Holman and say, "Doc, I've got this problem and I don't understand what I can do to my cow or to my horse to correct this thing." And he says, "Now, wait a minute, John, let me explain this to you.
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Here's what you need to do." He doesn't say, "What you need to do is go to vet school and learn what I know." You follow me?
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Now if he took that attitude, how many clients is he going to have? None. So this is what God is saying. There may be people who are intellectually superior, and there are. Not everybody has the same intellect. I'm going to do it anyhow. But you heard about the computer that they designed that would talk to a man based upon his IQ. The one guy went in, but you had to punch in your IQ and then the computer would converse with you. Guy punched in his IQ of 140. And the computer started discussing Einstein's theory of relativity with him. The next guy came behind and he punched in his IQ of 100. And the computer started conversing with him on stories out of the newspaper. The next fellow came in and he punched in his IQ of 60. The computer sat silent for a few moments and then said, "How about them dogs?"
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Come on. But just because, just because we're not intellectual giants doesn't mean that we can't be Christians, that can't be brethren, and can't help each other. You follow me? So this is what the Apostle Paul is saying. Love is willing to teach. Love is willing to help. Love is willing to build someone up and not tear someone down. Love will be able to educate. So the way to resolve the intellectual division is you better realize whatever understanding you have God gave it to you.
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I got news for you. God can take it away just as easily, just as quickly as he gave it to you. So it says there's no reason to divide over that. Then fifthly, very quickly, there were spiritual divisions. And I'm going to just tell you this is chapters 12 through 14. These spiritual divisions were based upon differing gifts, look in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 1, Paul says, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." Skip down to verse 25.
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"That there should be no schism or no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another." Now, what happened in the Corinthian church was there were different gifts. And instead of them using their gifts for the edification of the body, they were using these gifts for personal pride and personal gratification. So the Corinthians then were using their spiritual gift as a measuring rod. And what they were saying was this, "If you don't have the same gift that I have, you're not as spiritual as I am."
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That's exactly what happens today when you have some groups who take the unbiblical latitude. "Well, if you don't speak in tongues or if you don't have my gift, then you're not saved or you're not nearly as spiritual as I am. Look at me. I have this gift." That's exactly what they were doing. And when one takes that attitude, what he is doing in essence is denying the very foundation for which God gave gifts to begin with. God did not give gifts in the early church or in this day and time for anyone to personally glory in. He gave them for the edification of the church. Look in 1 Corinthians 14.
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Let me show you how they were being abused. Look in verse 26. You're talking about nailing somebody to the wall, Paul does. He says this, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 26. "How is it, brethren, when you come together," that is, you're coming together for church. "How is it, brethren, when you come together, every one of you, half a psalm, half a doctrine, half a tongue, half a revelation, half an interpretation, let all things be done in edifying." He said, "How is it when you come together, everybody's got something?"
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Because I tell you what's going on. You're just trying to stand up and glorify yourself and elevate yourself with pride. You're not doing this for the edification of the church. You're not doing this to teach people. Skip down to verse 33. Look what Paul says. "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." So the truth of the matter is this, folks. God is not the author of confusion. Gifts are not to be used, whatever they are, for personal pride and superiority or confusion. I could tell you story after story, but I'm not going to. But listen, if you would, to Paul's answer. Here's what his answer is. Look back in First Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Here's the answer. First Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Look what the Bible says.
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"But all these work at that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." Now let me ask you a question. What preacher or what Christian gets the gifts that he wants? None. What gift do you get? Whatever God is pleased to give you. And that's it. Look in verse 28, same chapter. "And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles and gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversity of tongues." Then look at this question. "Are all apostles?" What's the answer? No. "Are all prophets?" What's the answer? No. "Are all teachers?" No. "Are all workers of miracles?" No. "Have all the gifts of healing?" No. "Do all speak with tongues?" No. "Do all interpret?" No.
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But then he says, "But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet I show to you a more excellent way." And of course, he's talking about love right there.
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Now, I want you to understand something. Not only does God not give everyone the same gifts, He does so for a reason. Not all the members of the body have the same function. I'm going to show you that in the Bible. But what if your body was nothing but a mouth? You sure could eat all you wanted to, but you sure would be bumping into every fire hydrant you ran across, wouldn't you? What if you only had an eye?
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You'd be starving to death. Look what he says. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12. "For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. Now look. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink unto one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If a foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, am I not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were a hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, help me out now, as it has pleased Him. And if they were all one members, where were the body?"
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"But now are they many members, yet one body. Of the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our uncomely parts have no need."
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"But God," watch now, what has God done? "God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. Why? That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another." What's he saying? God has not only given you different gifts because you are different members of the body. Therefore, you need different things.
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I got news for you. I don't wear shoes on my head. And I'll put socks on my ears. My head doesn't need that. My feet need shoes and socks. That's what God is saying. So the way to resolve these spiritual divisions is to recognize that, number one, God sovereignly gives you your gift and then God sovereignly places you in the body where he wants you. And let me tell you something, folks. One of the problems in the average church is this, to put it bluntly, everybody wants to be the chief and nobody wants to be the Indians. But you have to have members of a body. And I cannot fuss with God at where he's placed me. And the lack of gifts or the gifts that he's given me, that's totally up to him.
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And then lastly, let me tie this together for you. If you look in chapter 11, that's where we were. There were social and cultural divisions. I want you to see how all of these divisions now have worked against the Corinthian church. This is why Paul is reproving them. Look in verse 21 of First Corinthians chapter 11, he says, "For in eating, everyone taketh before others on supper, and one is hungry, and another drunken." Verse 22, "What?
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Have you not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." Look in verse 33. "Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another." These social and cultural divisions were based upon wealth and status. Now listen to me. What began in chapter 1 as a personal opinion, and then a pastoral opinion, a judicial opinion, see how all these things have now multiplied and now it's come down to a social and a cultural division. Listen carefully. If you go back to chapter 1, to the personal opinion, if it is alright to divide over something as innocuous as a personal opinion, why is it not alright to divide over pastors? And over judicial problems? and over intellectual problems and over spiritual problems. And if it's alright to divide in those areas, why can't we divide socially and culturally? And why can't we divide when we eat together?
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You see how all of these have just escalated and now finally bulldoze their way into the worship of the Lord's Supper. Now, in the New Testament era, the agape, the love feast, or the common meal, usually preceded the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper was usually the culmination of that particular worship service. So instead of the Corinthian church then providing the common meal out of the church treasury, or instead of everybody coming and pooling all their food together and letting everyone get what they wanted, the wealthy and the cultural elite were bringing their own food and eating separately and or eating early before the less prominent members got there.
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They were shaming the poor in one sense of the word that the poor could not afford to bring probably the quality of food nor the quantity of food that the rich bought. Nor could they afford the delicacies that the rich had. So the rich then who had brought their wonderful food and all their delicacies didn't want to share. And so what they would do is they would sit down and eat prior to all the members getting there. And they would use the excuse that they were hungry and they couldn't wait, and so they needed to just simply to go ahead and eat.
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Well, Paul gives the answers of this social and cultural division. First of all, he says, look at verse 22. Verse 21, he says, "For in eating everyone taketh before other is on supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken." Now, he says in verse 22, "What? Have you not houses to eat and drink in?" In other words, if you're just coming to church to eat, you stay at home and eat.
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That's the simple answer to this. If you can't wait to eat, you just eat at home. You stay there or you eat before you come. I mean, that's simple. That's what he said in verse 33. "Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, carry one for another." If you can't wait until everybody gets to the table, you either stay home or you eat before you leave home. It's that simple. If you're going to have a love feast, if you're going to have a common meal, then you better learn to wait for each other.
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So here's what is happening. I want you to watch this. You think these social and cultural divisions are innocuous? You think what they were doing was non-incriminating? Well, look in verse 22. He says, "What, have you not houses to eat and drink in? Or what? Or what? Or despise you the church of God and shame them that have not?" What were they doing? They were despising God's church. They were despising the individual members of the church. They were despising those members that happened to be the foot or the knee or the hip or the hand just because they weren't the head and they did not have the social and cultural status and economic position. Oh, no. He says you are despising the church of God and you're shaming the brethren. So practically speaking then, this was an insult to Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church.
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Now, let me emphasize something to you, okay? Please listen. What Paul is condemning in 1 Corinthians is not just simply visible, open separation but also the inward attitude and the inward disposition that leads to alienation and separation that causes these divisions.
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Now, look at verse 20, because Paul says, "When you come together, therefore, into one place," and then he says, "this is not the Lord's Supper." That verse can be interpreted several ways. The first way you could say that that verse could be interpreted is he is referring to the common meal or the agape, the love feast. But secondly, Paul could be saying this, "This is not the way to eat the Lord's supper."
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In other words, you may be gathering for this purpose, yet you're not really observing the Lord's table because what you're doing does not even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Lord's table. He could be saying that. Or thirdly, he could be saying you cannot eat the Lord's supper because of your attitudes and your divisions. How in the world can you partake of the Lord's table which teaches our unity and our oneness in Christ and our being nourished by Christ when you're divided?
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How can you do that? Well, that's what he's saying. You can't do it. Or he could be, fourthly, just reproving them for their misuse of the love feast. Let me show you these two verses. Look in your Bibles to 1 John 3. Remember this is called the agape? This is called the love feast? What do you do when you say that you love? Well, look in 1 John 3 and verse 16. Suppose I tell Henry and Ed and Hobie, to come to my house for dinner and I want to feed them because I really love them. And yet when they get there, I've either eaten everything up or I've eaten the best food up and just left them peas and bread. Well, look what the Bible says. 1 John 3, verse 16. "Hereby perceive we the love of God." Now watch this.
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Don't let me misread this. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He told us He loved us." Is that what it says? No. "Hereby perceive we, understand we, grasp we, comprehend we the love of God." Why? "Because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Watch now. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shut up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." What's he saying? So if I invite these fellows to my house to eat because I love them, and I either eat everything up or save the best for myself, does that demonstrate that I love them? No. If I see them hungry, and I shut up my bowels of compassion, what's he say? "How dwells the love of God in me?" So if we say that we love the brethren, and we're not willing to share, even in our food, at a common meal, what's God say?
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We don't love the brethren. We're shaming them that have not, and we're despising the church of God.
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Now, let me make a couple of applications. First one is this, unbiblical divisions. Unbiblical divisions, and there are reasons to divide biblically, but we're not talking about those today. But unbiblical divisions, either visible separation or inward alienation, will bring the judgment and condemnation of God upon us. In other words, we must endeavor to be biblical in every area of our lives, and in those personal opinions and those simple ways where we cannot agree, we must agree to disagree and still remain friends and not divide over non-issues. Do you follow that? So every unbiblical division, whether it's visible separation or inward alienation, will bring the judgment of God upon us. The worst of all divisions would be over the Lord's table. Listen, if divisions in general are condemned in the Scripture, and they are, I just gave you all of these, how much more will there be judgment given if we divide over the Lord's table?
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That is to picture our union, our communion in Him. And if we have a falling out over the time of it, servers of it, the elements, whether we use wine or whether we use grape juice or whatever. If we have a falling out over those things, how much worse is it? Because at that very table, this is to picture our union and our communion. So unbiblical divisions are wrong, and that is why Paul is condemning them, especially in relationship to the Lord's Suffering.
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Now, I want to cover one last verse before I close today, and that's verse 19, because I can assure you that people have already been thinking about this verse. What did Paul mean when he says, "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you"? Wow. What in the world does that mean? Well, let me tell you. The Greek word for heresies is where we get our English word heresy from. Heresis is the word.
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It is from hereomai, which means to choose. It means a mental tendency, a mindset or a school or a sect. In other words, in this context, the word heresy refers to a school or a party formed on the basis of opinion. Did you hear that? A school or a party formed on the basis of opinion. In fact, you will find this same word used in Acts 5 and verse 17 when he talks about the sect of the Sadducees.
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What did you have to believe to be a Sadducee? You had to deny the physical resurrection. You had to deny the existence of angels. See, that's personal opinions, and that's called a heresy or a sect. What about Acts 15, verse 5? There's a sect of the Pharisees. You had to believe certain things to be in the Pharisees. So, what the Scripture is saying is this, now, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 19, the context is not using this as an ecclesiastical sense, referring to doctrine particularly, but rather to a division, to a sect, or to a schism.
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Now look what he says. Verse 19, he says it like this, "For there must also be schools of thought, or schools of opinions among you." Watch. "That they which are approved," and the word approved is hoi dokimoi, and you remember I told you the word dokimazo means to be tested and to try yourself that you might be approved. Now look what he says. "So that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." So who are the approved in this verse?
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Let me tell you who they are. There are those who refuse to get mixed up with the personal opinions of men. There are those who rather prefer to stand by the principles of the Word of God. Here's what he's saying. Sam says, "Well, all of those who agree with me come over here." Roy says, "Well, all of those who agree with me come over here." Who are the approved? The ones who'll sit back and say, "I'm not getting mixed up with any of you nuts. I know what the Scripture says. I'm not going to be pressured by the whims and the thoughts of man. I'm going to stick with the Word of God." So that's what Paul is saying.
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You've got some in the Corinthian church who are wanting to cause divisions. And they've got all these sects, but those who are approved will say, "Personality doesn't mean anything. Opinions don't mean anything. It's the Word of God that counts, and I am sticking with the Word of God." Remember this, folks. Not all sins are physical. And our Lord said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." Let's pray.
#123 | 1:17:49 to 1:18:31 | cleaned
Father, help us now to love Thee. Help us to be biblical and scriptural. Help us, Lord, to search our hearts and cleanse our minds from sins of the spirit as well as sins of the flesh. Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name I pray, Amen. This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-0995.
#124 | 1:18:32 to 1:19:17 | cleaned
You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com
#125 | 1:19:27 to 1:19:34 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T05:02:11Z

The Lord's Supper - Part 5

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver examines Paul's reproof of the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11, focusing on the sin of divisions that corrupted their observance of the Lord's Supper. He traces how small, unbiblical attitudes—personal opinions, pastoral preferences, judicial disputes, intellectual pride, spiritual gift comparisons, and social status—escalated into full-scale schisms that brought judgment rather than edification. The remedy is submitting every thought to the Word of God, recognizing God's sovereign distribution of gifts, and maintaining unity in essentials while exercising charity in non-essentials.

Opening

1 Corinthians 11 and verse 17.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

"Now in this that I declare to you, I praise you not that you come together, not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you and I partly believe it. For there must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When you come together, therefore, to one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in eating everyone taketh before another his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken. What? Have you not houses to eat and to drink in, or despise you the church of God, and shame them that have not?"

Introduction and Review

The Reproof: Coming Together for the Worse

Paul declares that the Corinthians' gatherings were not for the better but for the worse, bringing condemnation rather than edification—a condition Weaver says applies to many modern churches.

The Primary Sin: Divisions (Schisms)

The main sin addressed is divisions (schismata), which were ongoing and affected their worship, especially the Lord's Table. Weaver emphasizes that big sins start small.

Personal Divisions over Opinions

The Corinthians formed cliques based on personal opinions, binding consciences where Scripture does not. The solution is submitting minds to God's Word and agreeing to disagree in non-essentials.

Now, go back in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter one and look at verse 10. Look what the Apostle Paul said.

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:6

"Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, look that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:6

"that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

You remember the principle that Augustine used to say? The early church father, he said this, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity."

Pastoral Divisions over Personalities

Factions formed around Paul, Apollos, Peter, and Christ, valuing oratory and gifts over the message. Paul counters that ministers are mere instruments; God alone gives the increase.

Judicial Divisions and God's Orderly Resolution

Believers were suing each other in secular courts. Paul offers two options: suffer wrong or follow the orderly church discipline process of Matthew 18 before taking a heathen to law.

Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" In other words, the first answer is this. Be willing to suffer wrong. Be willing to be defrauded.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:23-24, 40

"Therefore, if I bring my gift to the altar and there remembers that my brother have fought against the leave there, my gift before the altar and go by way and first be reconciled with my brother and then come and offer my gift."

Now, hold that passage. Don't lose that passage, but turn over to Matthew 18 and look at verse 15. Matthew 18, verse 15. Here it is. Matthew 18, verse 15.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 18:15-17

Now, let's stop there just for a moment. I want you to note something. Go back to Matthew 5 and look at verse 23. Make sure this is underlined in your mind, OK? Verse 23. "Therefore, if I bring by gift of the altar," now watch, "and there remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee." Here's my question. Do you have anything against him? No. But you remember, he's got something against you.

Now, a brother may not take a brother to law. Brother, brother may take a heathen man to law. Then I take him to the court. I say, "He stole a thousand dollars from me." You follow me?

Intellectual and Spiritual Divisions

Divisions arose from knowledge that puffs up and from comparing spiritual gifts. The answer is recognizing that God sovereignly gives gifts and places members in the body for mutual edification.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 16:18

"Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:1, 11, 12-25

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant."

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:1, 11, 12-25

You'd be starving to death. Look what he says. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12. "For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. Now look. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink unto one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If a foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, am I not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were a hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, help me out now, as it has pleased Him. And if they were all one members, where were the body?"

Social and Cultural Divisions at the Table

The wealthy ate separately and shamed the poor at the love feast preceding the Lord's Supper. Paul commands them to eat at home if they cannot wait and to tarry for one another.

The Meaning of 'Heresies' and the Approved

Verse 19 refers to schools of opinion, not doctrinal heresy. The 'approved' are those who refuse to join factions and stand on the Word of God alone.

The Lord's Supper - Part 5

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	42206182543
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Worship, Sacraments, and the Lord's Supper
Genre	Sermon
Date	2006-02-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 041: The Lord's Supper — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	125

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver briefly reviews previous messages on the Lord's Supper as a sovereign, gospel ordinance for the assembled local church, with requirements of self-examination, discerning the body, and not partaking unworthily.
The Reproof: Coming Together for the Worse: Paul declares that the Corinthians' gatherings were not for the better but for the worse, bringing condemnation rather than edification—a condition Weaver says applies to many modern churches.
The Primary Sin: Divisions (Schisms): The main sin addressed is divisions (schismata), which were ongoing and affected their worship, especially the Lord's Table. Weaver emphasizes that big sins start small.
Personal Divisions over Opinions: The Corinthians formed cliques based on personal opinions, binding consciences where Scripture does not. The solution is submitting minds to God's Word and agreeing to disagree in non-essentials.
Pastoral Divisions over Personalities: Factions formed around Paul, Apollos, Peter, and Christ, valuing oratory and gifts over the message. Paul counters that ministers are mere instruments; God alone gives the increase.
Judicial Divisions and God's Orderly Resolution: Believers were suing each other in secular courts. Paul offers two options: suffer wrong or follow the orderly church discipline process of Matthew 18 before taking a heathen to law.
Intellectual and Spiritual Divisions: Divisions arose from knowledge that puffs up and from comparing spiritual gifts. The answer is recognizing that God sovereignly gives gifts and places members in the body for mutual edification.
Social and Cultural Divisions at the Table: The wealthy ate separately and shamed the poor at the love feast preceding the Lord's Supper. Paul commands them to eat at home if they cannot wait and to tarry for one another.
The Meaning of 'Heresies' and the Approved: Verse 19 refers to schools of opinion, not doctrinal heresy. The 'approved' are those who refuse to join factions and stand on the Word of God alone.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Divisions make worship harmful rather than edifying.

Paul states that the Corinthians' assemblies were for the worse, bringing condemnation. Weaver argues this applies to churches today where preaching and attitudes harm rather than build up.

1 Corinthians 11:17: 'you come together not for the better, but for the worse.' Weaver says, 'you're eating and drinking condemnation of yourself.'

Personal opinions must not become tests of fellowship.

Only Scripture can bind the conscience. When personal opinions cause division, they become sinful. Believers must agree to disagree on non-essentials.

Weaver states, 'if you cannot find a plain, obvious principle or a plain, obvious scripture, then you have no right to bind your opinion on anyone.'

Following personalities over Christ leads to carnality.

The Corinthian factions around Paul, Apollos, and Peter were carnal because they focused on men rather than God who gives the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:3-7: 'Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed...God gave the increase.'

God has provided an orderly way to resolve disputes.

Instead of suing in secular courts, believers should either suffer wrong or follow the steps of Matthew 18, culminating in church discipline before legal action.

Matthew 18:15-17 is outlined. Weaver says, 'if you're involved in a dispute, it's your responsibility to get it resolved' through God's orderly way.

Knowledge without love puffs up and causes division.

Intellectual pride over knowledge leads to arrogance. Love, however, edifies and is willing to teach and help others grow.

1 Corinthians 8:1-2: 'Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.' Weaver says, 'when we think that we have arrived...we know nothing yet.'

Spiritual gifts are for edification, not personal status.

The Corinthians used gifts for self-glory. Paul teaches that God distributes gifts sovereignly and places members in the body to prevent schism.

1 Corinthians 12:25: 'That there should be no schism in the body.' Weaver says, 'God did not give gifts...for anyone to personally glory in. He gave them for the edification of the church.'

Social snobbery at the Lord's Table despises the church.

The wealthy eating separately shamed the poor and despised the church of God. Paul commands them to eat at home if they cannot wait for one another.

1 Corinthians 11:21-22,33. Weaver says, 'they were despising God's church...this was an insult to Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church.'

The 'approved' are those who stand on Scripture amid factions.

In 1 Corinthians 11:19, 'heresies' means schools of opinion. The approved are those who refuse to join factions and adhere to God's Word.

Weaver explains, 'the approved...are those who refuse to get mixed up with the personal opinions of men...I'm going to stick with the Word of God.'

Scripture References

1 Corinthians 11:17-34: The primary passage read at the opening, detailing the Corinthian abuses of the Lord's Supper and Paul's reproof.
2 Corinthians 7:1: Used to show that filthiness can be of the spirit as well as the flesh, requiring cleansing from both.
1 Corinthians 1:10-11: Paul's plea for no divisions and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind, introducing the problem of personal opinions.
Romans 15:6: Cited to show that believers should with one mind and one mouth glorify God.
Philippians 2:2,5: Euodius and Syntyche urged to be of the same mind; the mind of Christ is the standard.
2 Corinthians 10:5: Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ as the answer to personal opinions.
1 Corinthians 1:12-13: The pastoral divisions: some said 'I am of Paul,' others of Apollos, Cephas, or Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:3-7: Paul calls them carnal for envying and strife over leaders; ministers are only instruments, God gives the increase.
1 Corinthians 4:7: Who makes you differ? What do you have that you did not receive? Used to humble pride over gifts.
1 Peter 4:10-11: Every man has received a gift; let him minister as of the ability God gives, that God may be glorified.
1 Corinthians 6:1-5: Judicial divisions: believers taking each other to court before unbelievers instead of settling within the church.
1 Peter 2:20: If you suffer for doing well and take it patiently, this is acceptable with God—supporting the option to suffer wrong.
Matthew 5:23-24, 40: Reconcile with a brother who has something against you before offering your gift; if sued for your coat, give your cloak also.
Matthew 18:15-17: The orderly steps of church discipline: private reproof, witnesses, tell it to the church, then treat as a heathen.
1 Corinthians 8:1-2: Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies; if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall, applied to intellectual pride.
1 Corinthians 12:1, 11, 12-25: Spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit as He wills; the body has many members with different functions to prevent schism.
1 Corinthians 14:26, 33: When you come together, everyone has a psalm, doctrine, tongue—let all be done for edifying; God is not the author of confusion.
1 John 3:16-18: We perceive God's love because He laid down His life; if we have this world's good and see a brother in need and shut up our compassion, how does God's love dwell in us?
Acts 5:17; 15:5: The word 'heresy' (sect) is used of the Sadducees and Pharisees, showing it means a school of opinion.

Historical References

Augustine's principle: 'In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.': Quoted to support agreeing to disagree on personal opinions while maintaining love.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon's conversion under a deacon's reading of Isaiah 45:22: Illustration that God uses simple vessels, not just eloquent preachers, to bring blessing.
Lester Olaf declining an honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University: Example of humility, calling it 'like putting whipped cream on onions.'
Bob Jones Sr. quote: 'You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character.': Used to emphasize that intellectual differences do not justify pride or division.

Important Quotes

Now in this I declare to you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse.

Paul's direct reproof that their assemblies were harmful, setting the tone for the entire message on divisions.

For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it.

Identifies the primary sin of schisms that corrupted their worship and the Lord's Table.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.

Augustine's principle cited as the biblical attitude toward personal opinions and non-essential matters.

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Explained as schools of opinion that reveal those who stand firmly on God's Word rather than joining factions.

Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

Key verse contrasting intellectual pride with love that builds up, central to resolving intellectual divisions.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are some examples of 'personal opinions' that can become tests of fellowship today, and how can we apply the principle of agreeing to disagree in non-essentials?

[Context]

Based on the discussion of 1 Corinthians 1:10-11 and the danger of dividing over personal opinions.

[Question]

How can we guard against the tendency to follow personalities or gifted speakers rather than focusing on the message of Scripture?

[Context]

Arising from the pastoral divisions in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 and 3:3-7.

[Question]

In what practical ways can a local church implement the Matthew 18 process for resolving disputes before they escalate to legal action?

[Context]

From the judicial divisions and the explanation of Matthew 18:15-17 as God's orderly way.

[Question]

How does intellectual pride manifest in church settings, and what steps can we take to use knowledge to edify rather than puff up?

[Context]

Related to 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 and the intellectual divisions.

[Question]

Why is it a contradiction to partake of the Lord's Supper while harboring divisions or alienation toward fellow believers?

[Context]

Based on the argument that the Lord's Table pictures unity and communion in Christ.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'discern the Lord's body' in the context of both the elements and the church as the body of Christ?

[Context]

Referenced in the review of previous messages and the warning against unworthy partaking.

[Question]

How can we cultivate the attitude of the 'approved' who refuse to join factions and stand on Scripture alone?

[Context]

From the explanation of 1 Corinthians 11:19 and the approved being made manifest.

[Question]

What are some 'sins of the spirit' that we may overlook while focusing only on outward sins, and how can we cleanse ourselves from them?

[Context]

Based on 2 Corinthians 7:1 and the distinction between filthiness of flesh and spirit.

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