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Servants Through Whom You Believed
1 Corinthians 3:1-11
When Moses died, God buried him in a valley in Moab. Till today, no one knows where his grave is. Why? Because Israel was prone to idolatry. So God buried him out of the reach of idolatry. Jude tells us there was a tussle between Satan and Michael the archangel over Moses’ body. Satan would’ve used it for idolatrous means, to cause God’s people to sin. Indeed, such a great man, who led Israel to the edge of the Promised Land - the people would try to claim him. And that’s what they were doing in Jesus’ day. The Pharisees and scribes claimed to be followers of Moses, they sat at Moses’ seat - meaning they claimed his authority when they taught. They forgot that Moses was a sinner. It was his sin that prevented him from entering into the Promised Land.
In Germany, behind the pulpit, of the Castle Church of Wittenberg, where Luther nailed his 95 Theses, is his grave. The inscription reads - “Here is buried the body of the Doctor of Sacred Theology, Martin Luther, who died in the year of Christ 1546, on February 18th, in his hometown Eisleben, after having lived for 63 years, 2 months, and 10 days.” This would’ve upset Luther tremendously. But more upset would he have been that churches were named after him. He once said, “The first thing I ask is that people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone...How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name?”
John Calvin had seen these things very clearly in the medieval church. The priesthood was celebrated. Men praised and revered priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, popes. This is why when John Calvin died, he wanted to be like Moses - he was buried in an unmarked tomb. He knew the heart of men. Yet, all his attempts to die in anonymity was foiled - centuries later, men put a headstone on a grave thought to be his - with his name and achievements.
This was the problem in the Corinthian church. They looked up to men more than God. As our officers are ordained and installed today - we realize they have a great responsibility before God to serve his church. And we thank God for them - that they would undertake this duty for the love of his people. But let us remember to look to God alone, because these are only servants through whom we believe God. There are 3 learning points in this message. Firstly, the common behavior of an immature church. Secondly, the humble designation of God’s servants. Thirdly, the God behind the servant.
Firstly, the common behavior of an immature church. The Corinthian church had been established for several years. But in those years, the church had not grown in maturity. Paul acknowledged their immaturity. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 says, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”
Paul said there were things he couldn’t tell them - they wouldn’t understand. They couldn’t understand then, neither could they understand now. There were 2 ways he described them. He described them as babes in Christ - not being able to bear spiritual meat but only milk. Babies have no tolerance for hard spiritual truth. Paul had to deal with some difficult issues when he wrote to the Corinthians. Things they hated him for saying.
He also described them as carnal. He couldn’t speak to them as unto the spiritually mature. They were carnal - fleshly. They should’ve been spiritual, but they had not progressed in their faith and growth. There are many things that prevent spiritual growth - one of those things is sin. They were called brothers - they were in the church - but they were carnal. They were manifesting the works of the flesh.
And Galatians 5:19-21 speaks about these works of the flesh. You had the sins of sensuality - sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, drunkenness, wild parties; you had the sins of superstition - idolatry and sorcery; you had the sins of community - hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy. The Corinthians were guilty of all! Paul had to address the man who had relations with his father’s wife. They were trying to outdo one another in the worship services by competing in tongues. They were taking one another to court.
And the evidence of this especially is seen in verse 3 - “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” There was envying, strife, and divisions. In other words, they were jealous of one another. That led to conflict with one another. And that led to splits. Why? Because of jealousy. This was carnal - they were not walking as transformed spiritual believers, but as natural sinful men. And this translated even to their comparison of men in the ministry. Verse 4 says, “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?”
You can almost hear the frustration and incredulity in the voice of Paul. Your jealousy, strife, and divisions - you’re even fighting over men in the ministry? Some were aligning themselves with Paul, others with Apollos. In another portion of 1 Corinthians, Peter was even mentioned. Why did they do this? It’s because they like those in Luther’s day, those in Moses’ day, those in Calvin’s day, those in our day - were prone to looking up to men. Wah, this deacon very good; wah, that pastor is very learned; wow, he graduated from that seminary, top of his class. Indeed, Apollos was very learned and eloquent; Peter was dynamic - the fisherman turned leader of the apostles; Paul was a great missionary. But to align themselves was carnal.
Because of their culture, they had great respect for philosophers and thinkers. And they followed those, who were en vogue at the time. So if a philosopher was taught something new, they would follow him. Then he would fade from favor, and another would come up in his stead. Each had his own fan club.
And when the Corinthians were converted, they brought this mentality into the church, and it led them to follow this man or that man. Paul sought to show them how foolish this was, because the bottom line is this - those who serve God, are described in humble terms. That’s the second learning point. The humble designations of God’s servant.
Why we shouldn’t look to men is simple - they are waiters. The first designation used to describe these men in ministry is the word, “minister”, in verse 5. “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers?” In the Greek it is “diakonos;” deacon! This was a term used in relation to serving food. The diakonos was a waiter. Someone who served tables. Subsequently, the term was used in general to describe household servants.
Their role is also to supply. Whatever is lacking, he stocks up; whatever is broken, he fixes, whatever is dirty, he cleans. And in the household of God, he was to serve the people. If anyone lacked spiritually, he would top up the teaching; if anyone was broken hearted, he was to repair and comfort; if anyone was living in sin, he was to admonish; if anyone was to be lacking, he was to give. The man in ministry is a servant - but the Corinthians were comparing them and admiring men.
The second description is farmer. Verse 6 says – “I have planted, Apollos watered.” The Corinthians were making a big deal between Paul and Apollos. But Paul said both were farmers in the Lord’s vineyard - verse 8 - he that plant and he that waters are one - they are the same. In a big farm, you have division of labor, but the goal is the same - to grow crops. And you can’t have a planter without a waterer, they’re all on the same team. The farmer spends long hours sowing seed and long hours watering them. When the time is right, he will harvest the crop. Those that serve, spend time in prayer, in the word, in demonstrating the Word; in coming along side the people. But ultimately, he’s just a farmer. We don’t look to him.
Thirdly, the designation is a builder or laborer. Verse 9 says – “for we are laborers together with God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.” A laborer is a builder, who assists the stonemason in cutting stone. And according to a Greek engineer in the 1st century BC, for a building to built well, a good crew of laborers is vital. Even with the best architect, without a good laborer, the building remains unbuilt or built badly.
To Paul, they were construction workers. Yes, Paul called himself in verse 10 a wise master builder. Verse 10 reads – “according to the grace of God given to me as a wise master builder, (arkitektos), I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon.” Paul called himself arkitektos. Yes, he was the first one to reach Corinth, and he laid the foundation of the church. But after him, there were Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy and many others who built upon that foundation.
The architect needs builders. The planter needs waterers. They are one. Now, these professions can’t function without an important factor. A servant cannot serve if there’s no house and no master. A farmer can’t farm without a field or rain or sun. A laborer can’t build if there’s no foundation. So the Corinthians forgot that behind these men was God himself. The men were not the people to look up to, but they should’ve been looking to God, who is behind these men. That’s the third point.
If they are servants, there must be a master - God. Now verse 5 says, - “who then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers by whom ye believed.” Do you see that phrase? “By whom?” That's a very important word. This tells us that these men are just servants. The people did not believe in these servants, but they believed in God by these servants.
When guests visit, they visit the master, not the servant. The servants bring the guests to the master. The guests aren’t interested in the servant. Furthermore, the farmer cannot make things grow. All the farmer can do is to tend the field. But he cannot ensure growth. The farmer takes the ground, he sows the seed and waters it - but without sun and rain, there will be no growth. We men in office can teach and pray, and serve and comfort and give; but it is God that gives the increase. We men in office cannot ensure growth. And we learn in verse 7 this principle – “so then neither is he that plants anything, (he is nothing!), and neither is he that waters, BUT GOD giveth the increase.” So what a silly thing to look to planter and waterer as solutions; both are nothing without God. It is God that gives the increase.
Now there’s something interesting with the words, plants and waters. These words were written in a way to convey an action that is done only once. There’s planting season, then it’s over. There’s a watering season, then it’s over. There’s only so much a planter can do. He can plant a field only once a season. He can’t plant it more than once a season. And no matter how much water he may have, he can only water it so much. There’s a restriction to what they can do. They’re not miracle workers.
But on the contrary, we see the word “give the increase” - it’s in the continuous tense. The man can only plant, but God is the one that continues to grow it. A man is not a miracle worker. Any growth that happens is not a result of what we have done. As much as I’d like to think that I’ve contributed and what I did caused people to change, but ultimately, what the Word says is that you’ve done nothing, all you did is only what you could do. God is the one who gave the increase. Spiritual growth is a result of what God continues to do.
Paul also described these men as laborers. But a laborer can’t build unless there’s a foundation. Verse 11 says that Christ is that foundation – “for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” It’s a silly thing to compare construction workers when none can build without a foundation.
And one thing many of us forget is this - the ministry we are laboring in does not belong to us. We recently went through and divided our portfolios. But even those don’t belong to us. We are co-laboring together with God. That’s what verse 9 – “for we are laborers together with God ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” Whatever we’re laboring on ultimately belongs to God. Remember dearly beloved, and thank God for that - that we should labor prayerfully for our master, because he’s the one who will bless our efforts. He’s the one who will give the increase.
There are men who are more gifted than others. Praise the Lord. You know, I would’t mind writing a book or being able to connect better with people, or being able to reach out more. But I thank God there are better people for that. And that’s determined by the Lord. Verse 5 says – “who then is Paul and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man.” God has given to each a special role. Perhaps it is for him to labor for many years without fruit; to go into a field with stony soil, to break the fallow ground. It’s hard work; there may be few fruit, differing as the Lord wills.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a minister in the Church of Scotland, in Dundee. He ministered for many years in that city, but it was a hardened city. He described it as “A city given to idolatry and hardness of heart.” But he prayed to God to work mightily in the hearts of the people. When he went on a mission trip to Israel, to reach the Jews, he had a locum pastor stand in for him - William Chalmers Burns. And during his tenure with the church, revival broke out in Dundee. M’Cheyne came back to a drastically changed church and city. The revival he wished for happened while he was not there but abroad.
Every night, the church would be packed to the extent that many had to stand in the aisles and sit on the pulpit steps. Many outside could not gain entry. And to accommodate the crowds, the church held services in open air. During that time, public and private prayer meetings were started - on impulse. Even children had their own prayer meetings. When he returned, M’Cheyne found 39 prayer meetings, out of which 5 were conducted by children for children. All when he was away. Paul planted, Apollos watered, God gave the increase. Were the fruits given to M’Cheyne worse than the fruits given to Burns? The work belongs to God. He gave to every man what he willed. All would’ve rejoiced. John 4:36 says – “and he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.”
What are some applications here? God forbid we would ever compare. But it happens. The men here are but waiters, farmers, and construction workers. But God is the master, the giver of sun, rain and growth, and Christ is our foundation. We look to him alone. Pray that the Lord would help us men to be faithful. To be used by God.
And to the men of the session, and those who are here - let us rely on the Lord Jesus Christ. To be like our gentle master. To wash one another’s feet. To serve as he did. And let us remember that we are laborers together with God. This frees us from a success oriented ministry. And men, let us remember our savior. He’s the one that gives the increase. He’s the one that saves souls. He’s the one that prospers the work of our hands.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2021, Rev. Mark Chen
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