6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!
From the beginning of this book, 1 Corinthians, until the end of Chapter 4, Paul continues to write his introduction of this letter, addressing general concerns regarding his people in Corinth and their behavior. Starting in Chapter 5, he will get into the specifics, but until then, he continues with a central theme: "But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ" (Chapter 2, Verse 16). As we read the first four chapters, its quite clear that this is what Paul wants his readers to understand and believe. Our wisdom, our actions, our desires...they have all been replaced once we have become followers of Christ. We now have Christ IN us!
So now, in verse 6, Paul says, "Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other." He reminds them again, it's not about what men you follow (because remember they were bragging about whether they followed Apollos or Paul). Paul has just finished telling them how he and Apollos are just mere servants, mere men, of Christ. And that everything of importance points to Christ. The focus is not to be on Paul or Apollos. It's all about Christ!
"What makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?" Okay, here are the heart-cutting verses of the day! Paul wants them to examine their Source. Three great questions for us to examine in our own lives this morning...
What makes you better than anyone else? Do we not need to be asked this daily? I sure do! Our culture is constantly telling us that we are better than others if we _______ (fill in the blank) make more money, have more degrees, look better on the outside, drive a nicer car, etc. But Paul reminds us that NONE of us are better than anyone else in and of ourselves. We have all sinned, and that pretty much makes us all equal in worth. How many times a day do I compare myself with the people around me? And when I do, whether I come out on top or they do, both conclusions are incorrect. We are all of equal value to Lord, and if He says so, then that's the truth.
What do you have that God hasn't given you? So we do have gifts and abilities, right? I cannot play sports that require a lot of hand-eye coordination, but I can sing. I can't crunch a lot of numbers quickly, nor do I really care to, but I can write a fluid sentence or two. We absolutely do have areas where we excel better than others, but does that really give us more value? No! But what we do have, God has given us. All that we are is a gift from Him, and He continually is working to make us even better if we are open to the work He wants to do in us. Even our possessions are not ours about which to boast, because as we learned from the tornadoes this past weekend, they can all be gone in a matter of seconds. All that we have, our possessions, our personalities, and the people around us, are a gift from our loving God to us while they are in our possession. Everything good, every single good thing in your life is from the Lord, even our ability to know Him is a gift!
And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own? Again, this is not something we see in our culture. We, as a people, are all about giving glory to people -- think of all the awards shows recently, the awards given in your work place, and the awards we give our students for the sports they play, the music they make, the grades they earn, or for just being good citizens. Without the knowledge of God, it is easy for one to think that all my success is my own. I agree in that it takes some initiative on our part to get of the couch and DO something with our lives, but even the ability to "get off the couch" is a gift from God because some people are not able to do even that! I think this is one of the reasons why Tim Tebow is such a sensation these days. Now there's a man who could easily, and understandably, take all credit for himself, but even in the spotlight, with everyone singing his praises, he continues to give glory to God, the giver of his athletic ability. God gives the gifts; we use them for His glory. What a partnership!
"Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us!" We do have everything we could want -- we have full access to God! We are rich in Him! And we have everything we need without the Christian leaders of our day because our relationship with Christ is personal. He can teach us and mold us even without the use of other leaders -- we don't HAVE to have them. So we don't need to rely on others. We already have all of Christ!
Think about you and God today. Are you aware of how He has blessed you recently? Slow down for just two minutes to think about the gifts He has lavishly given you. The people in your life? The abilities and talents? The possessions -- house, car, clothes, food, fun? And what about your relationship with Him -- where would you be without that today? We don't need other leaders to direct us all the time...we just need Him. You have everything you need today, because you have Him.
Have you thanked Him for that recently?
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