Honor your Father
Sometimes, when you’re watching a TV series, an episode may begin with a recap to get you caught up in a way that helps you better understand what the current episode is about. This Sunday, we come to the end of chapter 4 and the first major section of Paul’s first letter to the Coinrhians, therefore, I think a recap is in order. The Corinthians have allowed worldly wisdom and ways to gain a foothold in the church to the point that they are strongly divided against each other. Like a community of self-absorbed small children, their spiritual immaturity has been squandering all the good that God could do in the church because their embrace of worldliness has distorted the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ into something unrecognizable, so much so that they can’t even recognize Christ’s ways and teaching in Paul. And all of this has put Paul in a position to have to contend for his rightful place of authority as an Apostle for the sake of the Corinthians’ spiritual wellbeing. Paul is battling to once again become the voice of truth that they heed and honor, and much is at stake, for in dishonoring Paul, they dishonor Christ who sent Paul as an Apostle, and so, they dishonor the Father who sent Christ. In this Sunday’s text, Paul is essentially making this assertion, yet in titling this message “Honor your Father,” I intend a double meaning. In the text, Paul claims his authority over the Corinthians as their spiritual father: one who should be honored by heeding and following his direction which is the due of any faithful father with his children. But Paul would never claim this honor on his own. He claims this honor on the basis of the honor due to the One who sent him, Christ, and above all, to the Father who sent His Son into the world to bring salvation to it according to the gospel.
We invite you to come join us this Sunday morning for our in-person worship service at Leptondale Bible Church in Newburgh, starting at 10:55 AM. For those unable to attend, our service can be viewed live on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leptondalebiblechurch. This Sunday, we’ll continue a sermon series from 1st Corinthians titled “Written for Our Instruction” with a message from 1st Corinthians 4:14-21 titled “Honor your Father.”
God bless!
Pastor Mike