Shalom dear brothers and sisters. We are going to continue with the study of the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians. And we have arrived now to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Very interesting letter filled with exhortations and instructions that helps us as well today as believers in the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, that we will be encouraged and instructed in the things of the Lord. In this time, we need to be corrected as the Corinthians needed to be corrected. We have arrived to chapter 4 and I would like to read the first 13 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 4. So please follow me as I am reading. Shaul, Paul continues to exhort the Corinthians and he is saying in verse 1, Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, ministers of the Messiah, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover, it is required of God. Moreover, it is required of God. Moreover, it is required of a steward that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judge of you or of man's judgment. Yea, I judge not mine own self, for I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified. But he that judge me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. And then shall every man have praise of God.

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes, that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against the other. For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou did not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received? Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reign as kings without us. And I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

For I think that God has set forth us, the apostles, last, as it were appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, for Mashiach's sake. But ye are wise in Christ, in Messiah. We are weak, but ye are strong. Ye are honorable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place, and labor, working with our own hands, being reviled. We bless, being persecuted, we suffered, and being defamed. We entreat, we are made as the filth of the world.

We are the off-scurring of all things unto this day. And so I will stop here, beloved brothers and sisters, with verse 13 of 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Here, beloved brothers and sisters, the apostle Shaul Paul continues to exhort and instruct the believers at the city of Corinth. to remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, that the Corinthians, though are called saints in chapter 1, when the apostle Paul wrote to them that they are saints with all that in everywhere and every place called upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. This is chapter 1 and verse 2. And yet these saints, who are positionally saints, they are set apart for God, yet in practice, in their lives, they had so many things occurred in their lives, and their behavior was in such a way that they were not set apart.

They were not saints practically, as they were saints positionally. And this is where the apostle Paul writes this whole epistle as a corrective ministry to a local assembly of believers who needed to be corrected. Again, I would like to remind you that the apostle Paul has addressed various errors, various wrong practice among the believers at Corinth. We have arrived to chapter 4, and this fourth chapter is included in the first four chapters that there was the problem with divisions among the believers at Corinth. In chapter 5 and chapter 6, there were wrong activity and wrong morality in the city of Corinth among the believers. In chapter 7, we learned that there was an issue with marriage and divorce.

In chapter 8, 9, and 10, there was a problem at Corinth in connection with liberty, believers' liberty. In chapter 11, they had an issue with the Lord's table. In chapter 12 and onward, all the way to chapter 14, there was a problem with the spiritual gifts that they have received. They abused their gifts. In chapter 15, the Corinthians were not correctly understanding the truth of the resurrection. Some did not believe in the resurrection. That's why he said, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead in 1 Corinthians chapter 15? And of course, in chapter 16, there was a problem in relationship to money, to giving. And so the whole first epistle, the first letter to the Corinthians was a letter to correct the Corinthians with respect to many, many problems that existed in the local assembly.

And it is indeed said, when they are already children of God, believers set apart, sanctified saints, yet in practice they behaved like the world. And this fourth chapter, the apostle Shaul Paul is now challenging the Corinthians in their behavior in relationship to their ministry, to their serving the Lord. And so he is really challenging the Corinthians in this fourth chapter to be wise as to how to minister to the Lord, how to serve the Lord. You see, even in serving the Lord, beloved brothers and sisters, it is so easy for us to serve the Lord and yet do it in a manner with an attitude and even with a motive that is not right with God.

And that's what the apostle Paul is dealing here with, writing the Corinthians concerning the necessity to be a true servant of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. And you notice what he's emphasized here in this fourth chapter to the Corinthians. In fact, the fourth chapter is divided into three sections. The first section is that the servant, if you are going to serve the Lord, the servant of the Lord is called to be faithful. The servant of the Lord is called to be faithful. First Corinthians chapter four, verses one to six. Secondly, the servant of the Lord is called to be humbled. Humbled to learn from Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, who humbled himself and became obedient, obedient even unto death.

And finally, in the third section, from verse 14 to verse 21, the servant of the Lord must be and ought to have tenderness in his heart as he's serving his master, as he's serving the Lord Jesus the Messiah. He's like a father that has a tender heart towards those whom he is serving. This is so beautiful. It is an exhortation here in this fourth chapter of First Corinthians. But it is so important for all of us to learn this as each and every one of us is a servant of the Lord. We have to realize that even though sometime we look at a servant of the Lord who is in full-time ministry, who is who have left his secular job and he's serving among the people of God, whether it is as a shepherd, as a teacher, as an evangelist, as a pastor teacher.

Yet, beloved brothers and sisters, every believer is called to be a servant of our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach. Why? Because the moment we have accepted the Lord Jesus the Messiah as our Lord and Savior, we have immediately have entered into a life of relationship with him, whereby we are called to serve him, to live for him, and to be ministers of Christ, ministers of the Messiah. And so I would like you to notice, as the Apostle Paul concluded in chapter 3, again to remind you that the chapters and the verses are not divinely inspired. We just have these divisions in the books of the Bible, and to chapters and verses, just to help us to have section, one section at a time.

But in reality, chapter 4 is a continuation from the third chapter, which we have learned about the importance that we are to build. That God's people are called to be a family that is building the assembly, the ecclesia. See, in Israel's history, Israel is called to build the nation, to serve among the people of Israel in the history of the nation of Israel. Moses was a servant. Joshua was a servant. In fact, everyone in Israel's history had to serve his people. They had to love their brethren, to love the people of Israel. And so it is very much the same in this present-day age in which we live in.

The believers in the body of Messiah are called to build. So the assembly is like a family, and the goal is maturity. The church, the assembly is like a field, and the goal is quantity, to bring more people in and to grow. And the church, the assembly is the house, is the temple of God, and there must be godliness among the people of God. And in order to do so, we must serve God out of right to build upon the right foundation, to use right material, to have a right plan, and to have a right motive. And if you remember, we have concluded in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 21, 22, and 23, with the necessity that Paul exhorted the Corinthians, the necessity to build with the right motive, to be serving the Lord with the right motive.

And you remember the last three verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 3, Therefore let no man glow in man, for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, and you belong to Christ. You belong to the Messiah, and the Messiah belongs to God. In other words, you have to have the right motive, don't glow in man, don't glow in yourself, but make sure that you are glowing in the Lord. And that's why we read at the end here of chapter 3, that we are to glory in the Lord. Why? Because we cannot glow in man, we cannot glow in ourselves, because glowing ourselves, does not bring honor to God.

We are to glory the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, and to be a blessing to God's people. So it is very naturally flowing from chapter 3 into chapter 4. So 1 Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul continues in his exhortation to a divided assembly by exhorting them and teaching them of the importance to be wise as to how they serve the Lord and to the Lord's people. And so the Apostle Paul is presenting the importance of serving the Lord Jesus as servants of Yeshua, the Messiah, of servants of the Lord. And notice what we read, beloved brothers and sisters, the character of those who serve the Lord is that they need to be faithful, they need to be humble, and they need to be tender.

All of us, if we are going to serve the Lord, we need these three important facts. To be faithful, a time we fail, but the servant is called to be faithful. We need to be humble, a time we pride ourselves, but we are called to be humble. And we need to be gentle and tender in hearts, a time we are not, we are harsh. But nevertheless, the call is threefold in the fourth chapter of 1 Corinthians. The servant of the Lord must be faithful, must be humble, and must be tender, loving servant of the Lord. So in the first six verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Shaul Paul exhorted the Corinthians with the necessity to serve the Lord faithfully.

And so you notice in verses 1 and 2, Shaul is speaking, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians, and he said to them that the servant is required to be faithful. We read in verse 1 and 2, let a man so count of us, as of the ministers of Christ. In Hebrew it says, Meshartei ha-Mashiach, ministers of the Messiah, and stewards of the mysteries of God. The Hebrew there, here, is Sochnei Razei El, ministering, serving, stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, verse 2, it is required from a steward, from a servant, that a man be found faithful. This is interesting. This is interesting. Right here, beloved brothers and sisters, the Apostle exhorts the Corinthians that if they are truly going to serve the Lord Jesus the Messiah, their service must be done faithfully unto the Lord.

It is very important, you know, in the history, in biblical history, in the history of Israel, God have raised various servants that were faithful to the Lord. Moses, we read, was faithful in all his house. We read of Abraham, the servant of the Lord, that he, God said of him that I know that he will be faithful. He will teach his family the ways of the Lord. And we read others in the history of Israel that they were called to serve God, and they served God faithfully, in spite of the fact that from time to time we fail, men fail. But one thing we learn in Scripture is that it is still required from the servant of the Lord to be found faithful.

It says very clearly here, in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 2, moreover, it is required in stewards or in stewardship, in servanthood, in servanthood, that a man be found faithful. Faithful is essential. We think of Joseph, of Yosef, of whom we read in Genesis chapter 39, how he was faithful. He was faithful to his master, even though his master was not a man of God, yet he was faithful in the home of Potiphar there, that he served him, according to Genesis chapter 39. Joseph was faithful there in his own home, and God honored that as he served in the home of Potiphar. And then we read of others that have been faithful, and it is essential to be faithful.

It is required from a servant to be found faithful, we read here in these first two verses. You notice, by the way, that Paul says in verse 1, Let a man so count of us, as of ministers of Christ. Notice he used the word, servants of the Messiah. You've already mentioned that already in chapter 3, in verse 5, where we read, Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. In other words, who am I, Shaul Paul? Who am I? Who is Paul and Apollos? They are but ministers. We are servants. And Paul wanted that the Corinthians will acknowledge that they are but servants.

No more, and no less. That's why he didn't want the Corinthians to say, I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Cephas. There was a division among the Corinthians. That's why he's addressing them in chapter 1, 2, 3, and 4 as corrective ministries to tell them, We are but servants of the Lord. You are not to divide yourself. I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Cephas, as we read here in chapter 1, and I am of Christ, chapter 1, verse 12, chapter 3, and verse 5. He says, We are but servants. So, account us as simply as servants of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

That's all what we are, Paul is saying to the Corinthians. In fact, when he wrote to the Galatians, in Galatians chapter 1, Do I now persuade man, or God, or do I seek to please man? For if I yet please man, I should not be the servant of Christ. In other words, if I will try to please man, I could never be the servant of the Messiah. I could never be the servant of God, the servant of Christ. And that's why in verses 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance that a servant of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is required to be faithful. Let me remind you of what the Lord himself said in Luke chapter 12, in verse 41 to 48.

The Lord Jesus, before his death, he said in Luke 12, when he was speaking to the disciples, as he was ministering to them, he said in verse 41, the Lord said, But who then is that faithful and a wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler of his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing of a truth. I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But if that servant say in his heart, My Lord delay his coming, and shall begin to beat the men's servants and the maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunkard, the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him asunder, and will appoint him a portion with the unbelievers.

And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be bitten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be bitten with a few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask them all. Amazing to see, who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat, of food in due season, spiritual food in due season. So Yeshua have already taught it in his life, as one of the parables that he taught in the land of Israel, before he died, and the Apostle Paul is now teaching these lessons to the Corinthians, who were having friction among one another.

He said it is required from a servant, from a steward, that he may be found faithful. And brothers and sisters, this is an exhortation to all of us, how at times, sadly, we dishonor the Lord, when there is no faithfulness, among the servants of the Lord, the people of God. We read in 1 Peter chapter 4, in verse 10, As every man has received the gift, even so minister, serve the same one to another, as good steward, of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4 and verse 10. Peter spoke about the importance of being a faithful servant, Paul is speaking about the importance of being a faithful servant. Our Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, taught about the importance of being a good and faithful servant.

Now you notice, in verses 3 and verse 4, we learn that every servant of the Lord will ultimately have to stand before three courts. And this is very interesting. In other words, whatever you and I will do as we serve the Lord, beloved brothers and sisters, we are always going to be examined. And that is important to realize that. Because whenever we do something for the Lord, whenever we serve God, whether it is faithfully or a time failing to do this faithful ministry, we will be examined. And so in the next verses, verses 3 and 4, the apostle, Paul, tell the Corinthians that they will be judged, they will be examined.

Notice, in verse 3, the first part of verse 3, we find out that the servant will be judged, will be examined by the outside world. I'm reading verse 3, the first part, but with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment. You see, the apostle Paul, he says, I am, he says, with me, is it a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment. In other words, you are examining me, the men in the world, the people of the world are examining me to see whether I am serving my Messiah, my Savior, in the right way.

If I am truly a minister of Christ, a servant of the Lord. And you see, brothers and sisters, whenever we will do something for the Lord and for the Lord's people, the world and also the people of God will examine us. The court of men, the opinion of men, whether it is in the assembly, in the church, or whether it is out in the world, men will examine us. Paul is admitting here, he says, but with me, is it a very small thing that I should be judge of you or of man's judgment? In other words, he is saying, it is not a small thing.

I know that the world and I know that the people of God are examining the servants of the Lord and whatever service you do, you might be teaching children, you might be ministering to, as a sister, ministering to the ladies, to the women, you might be serving the Lord and ministering to the people in the prison, you might be a preacher of the gospel, a teacher of the word of God, serving the Lord as a shepherd. Whatever we do for the Lord, Jesus the Messiah, it will always be examined both. As it says here, by you, Paul is saying to the Corinthians, already examined Shaul Paul, but also by man's judgment from without.

Whatever Paul did, serving the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, the unregenerated world, also evaluate what he says. And so, we have to realize that, that we will always end up to be examined by the human race. People will evaluate what we do. And unfortunately, at times, when we are being criticized, it is correct because we are failing to do what the Lord called us to do with the right motive, the right attitude, and also to be faithful. At times, we fail the Lord, but the call remains the same. It is required from a steward that he may be found faithful. But the second court, we might say, or the second court of examination, is the self-examination.

And that is found in verse 3 at the end and in the first part of verse 4. Shaul Paul continues. He says, yeah, in verse 3b, I judge not mine own self. In other words, I do not care as to only what men say, but I judge, you think I judge not my own self? For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified. In other words, Paul knew in his own heart that he also need to examine himself, but notice the way it is said here, yeah, I judge not mine own self, and I'm really, what he's really saying, you think that I'm only seeing what other people are saying about me?

He says, for I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified. He knows very well that he doesn't know everything, he doesn't do everything in a perfect way, yet he says that he is ultimately, he says, I do not hereby justify, I don't justify myself, when I fail, when I do things wrong, I don't justify myself, he knows very well that he has to examine himself. In scripture, we read that how important is that everyone ought to examine himself, because we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and so beloved brothers and sisters, every man's work, everything we do for the Lord, we have to realize that it is not only that others evaluate what we are doing, but also the Apostle Paul says, you think that I judge not my own self, for I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified.

he understood that he cannot justify himself if he is serving in a wrong manner, if he is not faithful, he cannot justify himself, and neither do we, if we serve the Lord, and if we fail him, we cannot justify ourselves, we always have to go to him in repentance, and ultimately receive forgiveness from the Lord, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but he doesn't stop here, because in the second part of verse 4, he is reminding the Corinthians, and of course, applying it to himself, that the servant is ultimately examined by the Lord himself.

you remember we read in verse 13 of chapter 3, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed as by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. So notice in verse 4 at the end it says, notice what it says, yet am I not hereby justified, he said, but he the judge me is the Lord. In other words, he knew very well that the Lord examined him, that the Lord is ultimately the judge of God's people. Remember, we have already pointed to it because in the second epistle in chapter 5 and verse 10, Paul already said, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad. Well, the world examine us, we need to examine ourselves, but the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is examining us now as we serve him, but also ultimately he will examine our activity, what we have done when he, we're all going to stand before him as the judge at the judgment seat of the Messiah after he will take us to be with him in heaven. The judgment seat of Christ, the judgment seat of the Messiah is only with respect to our service here and not with respect to our salvation.

everyone that will stand at the judgment seat of Christ is a believer, is a forgiven person, but his works, his service will be examined and ultimately all that which is done for the Lord will be rewarded and whatever was done for the flesh will be set aside and burned. Well, now notice beloved brothers and sisters, in the next verses, verses 5 and 6, the apostle Paul, in these two verses, rebuking the Corinthians and he's telling them another three things he's telling to the Corinthians that they are judging God's servants at the wrong time, that's number one, secondly, they are judging God's servants by wrong standards, and thirdly, they were judging God's servants with the wrong motive.

How easy it is for us to do that, isn't it?

Notice what the apostle continued to tell them in verse 5, he's saying to the Corinthians, therefore judge nothing before the time, apparently, they were so quickly to judge one another, and even to judge the apostle Shaul Paul, and others, he's saying to them, you know, don't judge things before the time, learn a little bit about the servants and what they are doing, therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and he will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God, in other words, Corinthians, Paul is telling them, you see, don't judge things before the

time, it's not the time to judge now, and to examine, and to condemn, well, this is exactly what happened, beloved brothers and sisters, at Corinth, this division that existed, that he had addressed already in chapter 3, he says, I, brethren, could not speak unto you as to spiritual, but as to carnal, even as unto babes in Christ, chapter 3, verse 1, I fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither ye now are able, for ye are carnal, yet carnal, for where is there among you envying and strife and division, are ye not carnal and walk as men?

See, the Corinthians were envying one another, there was strife among one another, there was a division in the local assembly at Corinthian and Paul is saying to them in chapter 4 and verse 5 he rebuked them by saying to the Corinthians look you are judging those who serve God at the wrong time before the time in other words he is directing them to the future that the Lord Jesus himself when he will come in the context of the Corinthians and the rapture of the assembly the rapture of the church and then what will happen the hidden things of darkness any one of us everything that we have done in darkness against God not pleasing to

the Lord according to the flesh those hidden things of darkness there will be manifested and a counsel of the heart will be manifested before the Lord it will be revealed to the Lord so don't go around and start to fight with one another to have these divisions and envying if someone served the Lord with wrong motive he will have to stand before the Lord and it is so important to not to cause divisions and envying and strife and so on because one must realize that when we evaluate God's service God's servants it must be done in the right way with the right attitude and this is important one day we will all stand before God

and the Lord will reveal everything to us but you notice what beautiful here in this verse five beloved brothers and sisters Paul always look at the positive he realized the failure that the Corinthians had in their behavior he understood that he himself was liable to fail and to stumble even in his service you remember what he says in Romans chapter 7 I know that in me that is in my flesh dwell no good thing and you remember how he concluded this amazing seventh chapter in the book of Romans he says who shall deliver me out of this body of humiliation the apostle apostle Paul said he knew he realized that someone has to deliver him

day by day from living a life that is at times stumbling and failing and dishonoring the Lord and you remember what he said I thank God through Jesus Christ through Yeshua HaMashiach our Lord so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin and you remember when he said at that time in verse 24 he said all wretched men that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death and then he thanked God through Yeshua HaMashiach through Jesus the Messiah our Lord in other words it is only the Lord that can help us and so in chapter 4 and verse 5 Paul

is saying don you judge servant of how you judge remember that there will be judged in a future day but be sure to not to judge in a wrong time and apparently they must have done so otherwise Paul would not need to say this to them he continued in verse 6 the first part he is saying to the Corinthian you are also judging God as servants with and by wrong standards notice verse 6 these things brethren I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sake that he might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written in other words Paul is saying to them don't think

of men more than what he is that is exactly the problem that they have had in the assembly at Corinth we have mentioned it more than once and our pastor Paul mentioned this more than once in chapter one and in chapter three every one of you says I am of Paul and I am of Apollos and I am of Cephas and I am of Christ is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you were he baptized this is chapter one and verse twelve and thirteen then chapter three and verse five who then is Paul who then is Apollos but ministers by whom you believe even as the Lord gave to every man I have planted Apollos

water but God gave the increase you have to understand that don't you judge God's servants with the wrong standard don't exalt him beyond what he is again let me read verse six the first part and these things brethren I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written you see beloved brothers and sisters don't go beyond what the servants of God are called to do and called to be don't make much of men make much of the Messiah years ago I am very thankful for the encouragement that I received from a believer who have told

me that if I have an opportunity to minister the word of God to make much of Mashiach of Christ of Messiah why because he is the central person he is the redeemer the savior the God man the Mashiach the savior who loved us and gave himself for us we are to be occupied with him not with men beloved brothers and sisters this is so important beloved brothers and sisters because if we exalt men we will fail we will fail so don't judge God's servant by wrong standard verse 6a but then notice in verse 6b we read notice that the apostle tells them and they are not to judge God's servant with the wrong motive what

is the reason that we are judging and accusing or trying to find fault in God's servant are we doing it with the right motive is it honoring to the Lord so at the end of verse 6 Paul said that no one of you be puffed up for one against another notice once again they were puffed up one against the other one against the other and that is the wrong motive beloved brothers and sisters to puff up once against another and to judge them the word to be puffed up is it's pride pride pride pride comes before a fall pride is that which brought about sin into this world when Adam who was supposed to humble

himself before God when he was told not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in pride he really said to God I want to eat this fruit and I will do so and in pride he plunged the whole human race into sin and God had to humble him therefore there is that exhortation not to be puffed up the apostle Paul will use the same expression in chapter 5 and verse 2 and ye are puffed up the word is me game Hebrew we are proud in what we are and we are proud in what we think and we are proud in what we say and therefore I am

lifting myself up I am proud this is very dangerous he will mention this later on in chapter 4 as well he said in verse 18 now some are puffed up verse 19 he said they are them which are puffed up arrogance pride and pride comes before a fall beloved brothers and sisters this is exactly what the scripture teaches us concerning the importance of being humble humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and he will exalt you in due time the wise man is humbling himself before the Lord and the Lord will bless him here and now but also in eternity this is so important beloved brothers and sisters as the apostle Paul in the

first six verses is charging and challenging the Corinthians that the servant of the Lord Jesus the Messiah must be faithful and therefore to realize that he will be examined by man he must examine himself but ultimately will be examined by the Lord but the rebuke to the Corinthians is that they were judging examining the servants of the Lord at the wrong time by wrong standard and with a wrong motive may the Lord help us to see this and that we will be sensitive one to another and that we will seek to encourage those who serve the Lord and to encourage ourselves to serve the Lord until he will come back to take us to be

with him at home in glory in heaven but secondly beloved brothers and sisters in verses 7 8 9 10 all the way to verse 13 the apostle continued to exhort and to challenge the Corinthians with the necessity that if they are going to serve the Lord they not only need to be faithful but the servants of the Lord are called to be humble you remember we just ended up in verse 6 with the fact he says that no one of you be puffed up for one against the other in other word instead of being puffed up be humble and so notice verses 7 to 13 he's emphasizing the importance of humility the servants of the

Lord actually receive everything from the Lord everything we have is given to us everything even we read in scripture that in him we move and live and have our beings the apostle Shaul Paul at Mars Hill in Acts chapter 17 reminded the people of Athens in whom we move and live and have our beings you know everything we have has been given to us by God but for one reason or another because of our sin nature we think that we deserve everything so Paul said to the Corinthians in verses 7 8 and 9 that servants of the Lord really receive everything from the Lord everything we have we receive from the Lord and so he

is saying in verse 7 notice that who makest thee to differ from another and what has thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it he is saying why does thou glory as if thou has not received it you see beloved brothers and sisters everything that we receive everything that the servant of God receive is that we have is received from the Lord the Lord is the one that gave everything to God's people but as a servant as the Corinthians claimed to serve the Lord and yet they were fighting with one another and causing division in the local assembly they didn't pause and stop to realize what has thou the thou didst

not receive the gift the spiritual gift were given by God salvation that they receive were given by God so why is it Paul is charging the Corinthians why is it that if you receive it why dost thou glory why do you pride yourself as if thou has has not received it you see beloved brothers and sisters everything that we have we receive notice what we read in John chapter 3 in verse 27 John answered and said a man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven you yourself bear witness that I said I am not the Mashiach but that I am sent before him he was sent before the Messiah John did not

want to take anything that was not his he wanted to give the glory to Yeshua HaMashiach who came as the scripture had declared in verse 29 he says he that has the bride is the bridegroom but a friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoicing greatly because of the bridegroom's voice this is my joy wherefore it fulfilled he must increase but I must decrease you see Yohanan Hamatbil John the baptizer was a servant of the Lord and that's why he was honest enough to say a man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven every good and perfect things came from above from the father of light with whom there is

no variableness neither shadow of turning everything that you and I receive beloved brothers and sisters came from God even even even the spiritual things that we do as we serve the Lord it was all given unto us and Paul is telling in verse 7 what what is thou that thou didst not receive how important beloved brothers and sisters is to bear this in mind as we serve the Lord in our life how important beloved brothers and sisters to realize this in our life as believers this is essential for us as we serve the Lord that everything that we have we received all of us received all from the Lord also the apostle continue in verse

8 that emphasizing to the Corinthians that they have been enriched by God in other words they received everything as they are serving the Lord nothing is from them verse 8 he continues now ye are full ye are rich ye have reigned as kings without us in other word Paul is humbly himself he is saying to the Corinthians look I am set aside I led you to the Lord which he mentioned it I am but a servant that led you to the Lord but the rest is you are to continue to serve the Lord and minister to God's people and seek to be united together recognize that you receive everything from the Lord and now he

is telling them in verse 8 kings without us and I would to God ye did reign that we also might reign with you in other word Paul is saying look you are like kings when you have accepted the Lord Jesus the Lord Yeshua the Messiah in actuality you have been so much blessed because you receive from God this amazing salvation and that you will reign and rule with the Lord in fact you are already enjoying some of it here and now when you belong to him and you serve the king yes the king is rejected now but you can serve him here and fool in fact do you remember in chapter one that the apostle

Shaul Paul said concerning spiritual gifts he said in verse 7 of 1 Corinthians 1 so that ye come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah Lord Jesus Christ in other one you are not lacking any spiritual gift you do not come behind any other assembly with the spiritual gift that you received so you are full and you are rich and you are reigning as king without us and he said I would I wish to God that you did reign now obviously when Paul said I wish to God that ye reign what he meant sadly they didn't enjoy the position that they have been brought into and they didn't

practice what they had they didn't enjoy it at all and therefore Paul said I wish that you would have reigned because we want to reign with you in other words what he is saying we want also to reign to serve the Lord here and now until we will be with him even here and now we want to do it with you with a proper attitude with a proper motive with a right standard in the right time and so in verse 9 he continued he said to them he said we as apostles we became an open example before you notice what it said in verse 9 for I think that God has said forth us the

apostles the shlichim last as it were appointed to death for we are made not as a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men in other word God have said the apostles as a spectacle the word spectacle it's like a show like a theater like a public show before the world before angels and before men for we are made a spectacle in Hebrew ra'avah to be seen unto the world everybody is observing us even the angels observing us and men observing us and you observing us namely the believers at Corinth now again the apostle Paul does not say that he is a perfect servant what he says that even we God set us

forth the apostles last what does he mean by that of course they were the apostles they were the foundation of the assembly of the church at large but what he mean by saying less because even though they were the Lord is the chief cornerstone the Lord Jesus the Messiah but the church the assembly built upon the apostles and the prophets Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone and yet Paul is saying here look we become a show to everyone and everyone observe us and watch perhaps our failures also and not only the whole world but also the angels and also men at large so Paul was honest with saying this to the Corinthians and so you notice

in verses 10 to verse 13 the apostle Paul continued to tell the Corinthians that the servants of the Lord if they are going to serve the Lord they will become fools for Messiah sake they become weak for the sake of the Lord who is strong and they become despised in the world that's why when he says in verse 9 that we are set forth as the apostles last is because the apostles have experienced a much opposition beloved brothers and sisters the early shlichim of the assembly who came to know the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah and they are the one that became the foundation of the assembly they had to pay a price for that

because by becoming servants of the Lord and the apostles the foundation of the assembly of the church they have experienced things that you and I have no idea and that's why notice in verse 10 11 12 and 13 notice what the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians first of all in verse 10 the first part we are fools for Christ's sake but ye are wise in Christ in other words verse 10 we are fools for the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah but you are wise in the sense that you have received that which came from us from the Lord through us to you and you learned so much but you did not enjoy

it you did not practice this in your life so we are fools for Christ's sake but you are wise in Christ in other words in a sense he is like saying to them you may claim to be wise but look at us we became fools for the Messiah then in the second part of verse 10 he says we are weak but ye are strong ye are honorable but we are despised in other words in verse 10 B the second part of verse 10 he is saying no you see we are not only fools for the Lord and you are wise or at least you claim to be wise secondly we actually became weak remember when

the Lord said to Shaul Paul when he sought to take the thorn in his sides away from himself and the Lord said my grace is sufficient and Paul said when I'm weak then I'm strong you see the Corinthians thought they were strong by the manner whereby they behaved and yet Paul said we are weak but he says you are strong in other words you are strong unfortunately in the Corinthians sake they were wise in their own side they were strong in their own strength because they did not behave in the right way that's why there was division in the assembly there and thirdly in verse 10c all the way to verse 13 Paul says we

became despised and beloved brothers and sisters notice what the apostle Paul says of himself he is saying to them now you are honorable again the Corinthians became honorable in their own side in their own mind in their own self because they were instead of humbling themselves instead of a proper behavior among themselves having right motive as they serve the Lord right standards as they serve him instead of being faithful they were not apparently that's why there were so many divisions at Corinth but notice what happened to those who truly serve the Lord he says in verse 10c at the end Paul all the way to verse 13 but we are despised you have been honored

Corinthian but we the apostles who serve the Lord we become despised and rejected of men like the Messiah himself who was called a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief he was despised and rejected of men as Isaiah the prophet of Israel spoke about the Messiah who would come at his first coming and here Shaul Paul is saying we are despised as you are priding yourself as you are thinking that you are wise Corinthian and you think that you are strong Corinthian as you are seeking honor for yourself Corinthian we are despised even even unto this present day we both hunger and thirst verse 11 and are naked and are buffeted and have no such

dwelling places verse 12 and labor working with our own hands being reviled we blessed being persecuted we suffer being defamed we entreat we are made as the filth of the world and are the off curging of all things unto this day amazing when you think what he says here in this verse beloved brothers and sisters that expression being defamed we are entreat we are made as the filth of the world and you notice this in verse 13 there at the end in that last part he says we have been made as the filth of the world and the off scurrying of all things until now we became you might say the garbage of the world

right up to this moment we became the off scurrying of all things until now another translation and call it we became like the scam of the world the scam of the earth that is that word of scurrying of all things unto this day and so beloved brothers and sisters the apostle Shaul Paul is expressing to the Corinthians in verses 1 to 13 the two of the three important things that needed to be characterized in the life of those who are going to serve the Lord even in the local assembly and beyond the servants of the Lord are called to be faithful verses 1 to 6 and the servants of the Lord are called to be

humble verses 7 to 13 and this is a challenge for us all beloved brothers and sisters that we as well are called to be so may God help us all because it is so easy for us to be unfaithful and it is so easy for us to be proud and arrogant and may the Lord help us every one of us who is called to serve the Lord every true believer is a servant of the Lord a brother or a sister we are all called to serve the Lord in the sphere where God has called us to be and we are all called to be faithful and we are all called to be humbled may the

Lord help us as we continue here to live for him until he soon return so God bless you my dear brothers and sisters and dear friend until the next time we will say to you Shalom Shalom