UNITED WE SERVE,

DIVIDED WE STRIVE

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

I. The Plea For Unity In The Church

1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

A. Be Agreed Doctrinally: The Name Of Our Lord Unites Us (Eph 4:3-6)

Description DefinitionOne Body The same Head (Jesus Christ)

controls each believerOne Spirit The same Holy Spirit indwells

each believerOne Hope Of Your Calling

The same hope of Christ’s return inspires each believer

One Lord The same Lord rules each believer

One Faith The same Scripture guides each believer

One Baptism The same baptism of the Holy Spirit identifies each believer as one Body

One God And Father The same Heavenly Father adopts each believer

B. Be Undivided Functionally: Don’t Divide Over Non-Doctrinal Issues

and that there be no divisions among you,

Schismata = rip, tear

When it is biblical to divide: Over false doctrine on

essential issues (Trinity, Salvation, Scripture)

Corruption, unrepented sin

C. Be United

1. Unity In Action

but that you be united

2. Unity In Thought in the same

mind 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

3. Unity In Discernment

and the same judgment.

II. The Problem Of Division In The Church

1 Corinthians 1:11-12 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

A. We Prefer To Quarrel, Rather Than To Work For Peace

11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.

B. We Side With Personalities, Rather Than To Side With Christ

12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

C. We Assign More Prestige To The Religious Works Of Man, Rather Than The Power Of The Gracious Gospel

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Carnality Driven by the lust of

the flesh rather than the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Immaturity Thinking of self before

thinking of others

Ephesians 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

Immature Believers Divide Over Opinions & Preferences

Weak Faith

Those weak in faith dispute more gray areas while those strong in faith exercise grace.

Romans 14:1-2 1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Power Play

Looking for the power in the church that is assigned to the Holy Spirit

3 John 9-10 9 Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

Pulling Rank

Thinking you head the church when only Christ is the Head of the Church

Ephesians 5:23b Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.

Expectations

Expecting more out of the church than we are willing to put in

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Healthy expectations for the church:

To worship God sincerely

To love others impartially

To preach the Word authoritatively

To have integrity practically

Unhealthy expectations for the church:

To receive without giving

To be served without serving

To be taught without spending time in Word outside of Sunday

To be entertained without worship

To have friends without being friendly

To expect growth without your participation

To be comparable to popular, national ministries

Philippians 4:11-12

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Legalism

Demanding people to adhere to non-biblical rules

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Gossip

Thinking you can rectify a matter through attacking behind the back rather than correcting face to face.

Proverbs 26:20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

A.A Team Player Maintains An Outward Humility Based On An Inward Christ-like Character

Ephesians 4:1-3 … walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

“lowliness” = realistic humility

“gentleness” or “meekness” = self-control

“longsuffering” = patient endurance

B. A Team Player Enthusiastically Encourages And Enjoys Christ-Based Relationships

3 – “endeavoring”

spoudazo = zeal, diligence Zeal implies natural

enthusiasm Diligence implies a steadfast

effort

C. A Team Player Preserves Unity With Careful Maintenance, Not Mechanical Production

3 – “to keep the unity”

D. A Team Player Doesn’t Seek Unity Based On Personality Matches, But Unites With The Wide Body Of Christ Based On Character Produced By The Fruit Of The Spirit

3 – “of the Spirit”

E. Team Players Bond Relationships That Are Not Easily Broken

3 – “in the bond”

F. Team Players Are Continual Peace Makers

3 – “of peace”

Do you respond to someone who upsets or offends you with forgiveness, or do you rub it in?

Proverbs 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

Do you endeavor to stop a contentious issue early on or are you frequently overrun by messy conflicts?

Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Proverbs 20:3 It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel.

Are you known more for responding to conflicts calmly or with a sharp tongue?

Proverbs 17:27 He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

Do you become contentious over being right about an issue or getting your own way?

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Is your motive in relationships to pursue goodness in others or the evil of seeking to use others for personal gain?

Proverbs 11:27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.

Is your Christian experience with other believers exclusive to a clique or extensive to the congregation?

Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord

Are you enjoying the fruit of peaceful relationships or struggling with ego clashes?

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

“To live in a manner which mars the unity of the Spirit is to do despite the gracious reconciling work of Christ. It is tantamount to saying that his sacrificial death by which relationships with God and others have been restored, along with the resulting freedom of access to the Father, are of no real consequence to us!”

(Peter O’Brien, The Letter To The Ephesians, p. 280)

G. Team Players Unite On The Basis Of Our Common Salvation In Christ

Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Description Definition

One Body The same Head (Jesus Christ) controls each believer

One Spirit The same Holy Spirit indwells each believer

One Hope Of Your Calling

The same hope of Christ’s return inspires each believer

One Lord The same Lord rules each believer

One Faith The same Scripture guides each believer

One Baptism

The same baptism of the Holy Spirit identifies each believer as one Body

One God And Father

The same Heavenly Father adopts each believer

How to be a Peacemaker

Check your heart (Phil 3:15)

Control your responses

Guard your tongue (Rom 12:4; 1 Pt 3:9)

Pick your battles (Prov 19:11; 26:7)

Reconcile with offended or distant one (2 Pt 1:6-7; Heb 12:14)