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The Sin God Hates Worst of All

(Based on sermon by Jonathan McLeod--outlined, expanded and modified by Stanley Sherman)

INTRODUCTION:

A. We've been studying in our Bible class the epistle Paul wrote to the church

at Corinth (I Corinthians), and the problems they were having.

1. To make this book live for us today, let me ask the question: “Have you

ever found a Christian group that doesn't have any problems?”

a. If so, don't join it—you'll ruin everything; because all of us, every

person has their own weaknesses and faults.

b. And, since a church is made up of imperfect people, every church

will have problems.

(1) Some of them are visible and others are not seen on the surface.

(2) For instance Proverbs 26:24-25 says, “Whoever hates disguises

himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart. When he

speaks graciously believe him not. For there are seven

abominations in his heart.” (NESV)

2. However, before we look at this letter to the Corinthians, let's turn to

Proverbs 6:16-19: (NESV)

“There are six things that the Lord hates (detests), seven that are an

abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that

shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that

make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and

one who sows discord among brothers.”

B. As we now turn to our text, I Corinthians 1:10-13, think about these 7

sins which God says He hates—that he detests the most, above all other

sins; and as we read, I want you to notice which of these sins were being

committed by these Christians in Corinth.

DISCUSSION:

A. I CORINTHIANS 1:10-13 (READ) Let's dissect these verses:

1. In the King JamesVersion, Paul starts his pleading in these words,

“Now I beseech you...”

a. The New American Standard Version renders it, “I exhort you...”

b. The Phillips Version says, “I beg you...”

c. The Amplified Version says, “I urge you...”

d. All of these phrases convey survival urgency of crucial importance!

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2. “Now I beseech you, brethren,...”

a. The very title by which Paul addresses them is an exhortation to

unity.

b. When you hear the term, brethren, you think of a group all headed in

the same direction with a common purpose.

3. “by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...”

a. In COLOSSIANS 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do

all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the

Father by Him.”

(1) To do something in the name of Jesus is another way of saying

to do this by His authority.

(2) Whatever Paul was going to beseech them as brethren to do, was

directly the Will of God through the inspiration of the Holy

Spirit.

b. I also like the way the Phillips Version renders this part of the verse:

“by all that our Lord Jesus Christ means to you”.

4. “that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions

among you.”

a. The word for divisions is schisma. It means there should be no

open break, no fracturing of the church--which is done by

fighting, by gossip, by tale-bearing, by criticism, by hatred or by

bitterness and unforgiveness.

b. Problems between brethren can be and must be resolved between

brethren for the sake of the unity of the body of Christ.

5. The next phrase in our text is this: “but that ye be perfectly joined

together...”

a. The words “perfectly joined together” are translated from only one

Greek word, katarizo.

b. This word can also be translated united (NIV) or made com-

plete (NASV) or framed (Hebrews 11:3) or prepared (Heb.10:5)

and even mending as in Matthew 4:21 when Jesus saw James and

John and Zebedee “mending their nets”.

c. Jesus wants Christians in this congregation to be perfectly joined

together—

(1) as perfectly as the sun, moon and starts fit together,

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(2) as perfectly as God formed the body for Jesus to use,

(3) and as perfectly as a mended net is.

d. The Lord does not grow a church plagued with problems--simply

because the net is broken and, like fish, they get away.

e. Be perfectly joined together—just as a fish net is woven together...

6. “In the same mind and in the same judgment”

a. The term, mind, which is within, refers to things to be believed.

b. The term, judgment, is displayed outwardly in things to be done.

c. So the Holy Spirit says that in all that a congregation believes and

does, there is to be unity.

7. “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them

that are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among

you.”(11) [The NIV says “quarrels”; the Amplified says “factions”]

or cliques.

“Now this I say, that every one of you saith I am of Paul, and I of

Apollos and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.” (12)

a. Divisions were caused by believers following different leaders of

the church.

b. They formed cliques around certain men.

(1) In one group were the proud pupils of Paul;

(2) In another the adoring admirers of Apollos;

(3) And then there were some who like Peter, or Cephas, and they

formed the chummy cult of Cephas.

c. We know quite a lot about Paul.

(1) He was an intellectual;

(2) He was brilliant and courageous;

(3) But apparently he was not attractive physically. His body

bore the scars and effects of his many beatings and harrowing

experiences.

(4) He didn't claim to be a great speaker, and on one occasion in

Troas, a young man named Eutychus, fell asleep during one

of Paul's long-winded sermons and fell out of the third loft.

d. Peter was fiery, and even though weak at first, he had become a

rugged and captivating preacher of the gospel;

e. Apollos was a great orator—one of the great preachers of the

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early church.

(1) He was not an apostle; but, he had been given much recogni-

tion.

(2) If he had lived in our day and time, he would have been on

the lectureship circuit or have had his own TV program.

f. All three of these men had strong personalities and great

talent, but they did not cause the divisions.

(1) They equally all contended for the faith.

(2) They maintained the unity of the Spirit.

(3) They were not seeking promote themselves or be popular.

(4) They all exalted Jesus Christ.

g. I can imagine how these cliques or fan clubs reasoned with one

another.

(1) The Paulites probably boasted “We're followers of Paul

and therefore have a greater credibility. Everyone knows

Paul is the greatest doctrinal preacher, and that's the only

kind to have.”

(2) The second group probably would retort, “Apollos is our

man. Everyone knows that he can preach circles around

Paul, and that's the kind of man we need in the pulpit if

we're going to attract the masses.”

(3) The third group probably reasoned, “We back Cephas

and you can brag about doctrine and eloquence all you

want, but there's no one that's as down-to-earth and practi-

cal as Peter. Why, he'd appeal more to the common man.”

(4) The fourth group, probably more spiritually mature than

the other factions, yet perhaps a bit haughty, might piously

reply, “We're of Christ, and therefore look to no human

preacher to lead us and feed us.” And, therefore, they

would be very skeptical of any preacher that came along.

8. Over the years, I've encountered and dealt with many similar church

cliques.

a. Most all of them are always composed of spiritually weak Christians

who have lost sight of Christ's plea for unity and the importance of

being of one mind and one purpose.

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(1) Some are bored with the gospel and are looking for more

progressive pastures, so they look for teachers and preachers who

will tickle their ears, and like them, do not endure sound doctrine.

(2) Others have their own agendas that rank higher than the peace

and unity of the body. They will gladly split the church to have

their way.

(3) Several years ago I interviewed with a congregation in Tucson,

Arizona, about a preaching position. Once I arrived, I discovered

that the church was on the brink of a split. I literally had to

interview with each of two strong factions vying for control; and,

obviously I decided that would not be a healthy place to be.

Neither side was willing to yield and heal the rift.

b. Cliques often develop over the selection process for a new preacher.

The story is told about a congregation going through a preacher selec

tion process. The search committee was composed of elders and

deacons.

(1) They had received a lot of resumes and were split over which one

to decide upon.

(2) The deacon who brought the mailed in applications for the

committee to review was beginning to lose patience, after seeing

the committee reject applicant after applicant over some minor

fault.

(3) He saw that all the committee had lost focus and was in need of

soul searching.

(4) At the next meeting he asked to read another letter of application:

Dear Brethren. Understanding your pulpit is vacant, I should

like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications. I've

been a preacher with much success and also have had some

successes as a writer. Some say I'm a good organizer. I've been

a leader most places I've been.

I'm over 50 years of age, and have never preached in one

place for more than 3 years. I'll have to admit I've had to leave

town after my work caused some problems. And, I've even been

in jail a few times, but not because of any real wrong-doing.

My health isn't too good, though I still accomplish a great

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deal. The churches I've preached in have been small, though

located in several large cities.

I've not gotten along well with religious leaders in towns

where I have preached. In fact, some have even threatened me

and have been attacked on occasion. I'm not too good at

keeping records. I've been known to forget whom I have

baptized...”

(a) One of the elders interrupted the deacon and said with

exasperation, “Why are you wasting our time with a resume

like that? Who would possibly want to consider a sickly,

trouble-making, absent-minded jail-bird? Are you crazy?!

Who had the nerve to send us that application?”

(b) The deacon replied, “The Apostle Paul”.

c. I know of some congregations I would say wouldn't even hire Jesus

Christ Himself. They would say that “although He has some good

sermons, He's too negative. He talks about sin all the time

and preaches more about hell than any other preacher in the Bible!”

B. Paul concludes with a heart-rending question in verse 13. “Is Christ

divided?”

1. One writer, John Gill, commenting on this question said of Christ:

“His human body was not to be divided; a bone of him was not to be

broken; the seemless garment he wore was not to be rent asunder; nor

is his mystical body, the church, to be torn in pieces by schisms and

divisions.”

2. Paul continued his questions in verse 13: “Was Paul cruicified for you

or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”

3. The answer to these questions is “NO!”

a. Paul did not preach one Christ, Apollos another, and Peter another.

b. There is but one Lord and Savior and one gospel.

C. I think you can begin to see how important it is to stay with and follow the

pattern that Christ has for His church. The body is so fragile.

1. The church is not a democracy, where its spiritual direction is

determined by the vote of the majority of the congregation.

a. That would open the door and invite politics...

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b. and the possibility for all kinds of atrocities.

2. Neither is the church run by a board of self-appointed directors.

3. Neither is the church a dictatorship. There is not a boss in the Lord's

church.

a. In fact the Holy Spirit told the elders through Peter, “Shepherd the

flock of God that is among you, serving as overseers, not by com-

pulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, not as

being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the

flock.” (I Peter 5:2-3)

b. There is no place for a boss in the Lord's church.

In 3 John 9-11, we have an example of a man who set himself up

to be a boss in a congregation of the church.

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-

eminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come

I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us

with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does

not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting

them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil,

what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil

is not of God.”

3. Christ designed the leadership and decision making of His church to

be among a plurality of spiritual men, equal in position, which he

calls shepherds, or elders.

There is no authority for a board of

a. When evangelists were sent out to congregations, which did not

have elders to shepherd the flock and deacons to serve the flock,

(Titus 1:5-11) they were to appoint willing men who met the

qualifications that the Holy Spirit sets forth in I Tim 3 and Titus 1-

men who were already, before becoming elders, demonstrating

spiritual leadership ability—who were examples of morality and

purity, who were teachers, hospitable, even tempered, having a

good reputation in the community in which they lived, who were

not eager for personal financial gain and such. Men who were

faithful, active in leadership and totally committed to Jesus and

His church.

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b. Go to I Tim. 3 and Titus 1 to read in detail the qualifications for

elders and deacons and their wives.

c. The point is, the ones to be chosen to make the spiritual leadership

and final decisions for the congregation were to be the men who

could be elder material or close to it if they desired it. Titus and

other evangelists were to appoint such men desiring to protect and

shepherding the flock by there knowledge of the Word of God.

d. In the absence of elders, the church functions with men who come

closest to the qualifications until the day when qualified men can

be appointed to serve in that capacity.

e. Acts 6 also shows that deacons appointed to serve the material

needs of the congregation and ministration to widows and others

were to be spiritual men of good report and who were qualified.

D. So then, How then did the Corinthians get into their power struggle

and create this 4-way division?

Why were there contentions among them?

1. PROVERBS 13:10 says “Only by pride cometh contention...”

Another version says, “Pride leads to arguments.” (NLT)

2. The arguments among the Corinthians over which group as superior

was caused by pride, and along with it the quest for dominant

influence in the congregation.

3. In I CORINTHIANS 3:4 Paul continues-- “For when one says, 'I am

of Paul' and another 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal?” (like men

of the world with low character).

E. So, What sin does God hate the most?

1. God hates the sin of sowing discord among the brethren above every

other sin.

2. Why?

a. Because it distracts from the work of the church and

b. threatens the unity essential to the functioning of the body.

c. It's based on the pride of personal feelings and lust for power, and

opens the door to Satan's further quest for dominance and

destruction.

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CONCLUSION:

A. Nearly 50 years ago there was a man who had a dream of establishing a

congregation of the Lord's church dedicated to reaching out with the

gospel through preaching and person evangelism--

that would always stand firmly for truth in an eroding environment of

worldliness and error, and accomplish great work for the Lord.

l. He and his wife had a piece of property with an old school building

standing on it, which he freely donated to that end.

2. He shared his dream with other visionary Christian men and their

families.

3. His name was Earl Fisher, and along with his wife, Pearl, the Coburn's,

the Finley's and others began meeting in this building on July 25, 1965.

a. Ernest Coburn was the first preacher and Ed Finley the first songlead-

er.

b. And a congregation was planted that served Junction City, Harrisburg,

Monroe and the rural tri-county area dedicated to the mission of

evangelism and standing like a lighthouse as the pillar and ground of

the truth from this location from generation to generation until Jesus

comes again!

c. Others, caught this vision. In 1967 my brother John began sharing

the preaching with Ernest and served during the years that he attended

the University of Oregon.

(1) I had the occasion to come out during this time to preach one

Sunday, bringing a classmate who was an atheist with me from the

University, Jeff Gollupe. He was very impressed with the wel-

come he received, the friendliness and fellowship of the

congregation, and I believe that helped set the tone for his

continued interest in studying the Bible with me and investigating

Christianity.

(2) By the way, the pulpit back then was located at the other end of

the auditorium and the entrance to the building is where the

library is now located.

d. In 1971 my father and mother caught the vision of the Lancaster

congregation and dedicated their remaining years on earth to this

congregations vision and goals. He added the dimension of a

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radio program to proclaim the message from Lancaster over a large

area of the valley, and that program continues to this day.

e. It was during the 70's that the Lancaster congregation helped sup-

port our mission work in Canada, and we would come down from

time to time to hold week long gospel meetings.

f. In the early 1990's we joined with the Lancaster vision to continue its

goal of evangelism and keeping the lighthouse of truth reaching out.

So most of my life's work has been entwined with the vision of this

congregation.

B. As we stand on the threshold of this new year, with the prospect of a

surge of population expanding into our area with the new state hospital

being completed, and supporting businesses bring families into our area;

1. Let's renew our dedication to the vision our Lord gave us for this area

and stand united in the cause of Christ.

2. Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your

good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)

3. Let's keep Lancaster's lighthouse lamp radiating Christ and the

Christian example to others until Christ comes to take us home.