Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 23 – February 1976

 

On The One Hand… But On The Other…!

 

Sermon by the Rev. P. H. Pellicaan, B.D. on 1Corinthians 15:9-10

Suitable for preparatory to Lord’s Supper

Scripture Reading 2Corinthians 6

Psalter Hymnal: 41, 9:1-2 (law); 110:1-2; 389; 386:3

 

All your friends and acquaintances have a certain opinion of you.

Some may say: he’s nice but a bit stupid.

Others may say: he’s a smart-aleck and pompous.

Your wife may think that you are overbearing.

Your friends may say: He’s an easy going chap.

How is it that people have such different opinions?  The simple fact is that people judge us according to the experiences they have with us.  And in different company our behaviour is different also.  Circumstances have a lot to do with it as well.

Now one day you hear your friends talking behind your back, unaware that you are listening.  And they say horrible things about you.

What is your reaction going to be?

You can do either of two things: make a big fuss about it, or say: I don’t care two hoots – I’m above, their silly criticism.

Both reactions would be wrong!

Paul was in a situation like that.

He was slandered, severely criticized by members of the Corinthian church.  They despised his ministry, his sermons, his epistles.  They even denied that he was a true apostle.

You know what Paul did?  He listened.  And then he sat down and had a good look at himself.  He examined himself before the Lord.

In our text we have the result of that self-examination.  He reached two conclusions, because you can look at yourself – and at anybody else – from two different viewpoints: there is a human judgment and a Divine judgment.  He worked out this concept in 2Cor.6 – the chapter that was read to you – and he mentions there two very different judgments about one and the same person.

ON THE ONE HAND it was said that Paul was in dishonour, of ill repute, an impostor, unknown, dying, punished, sorrowful, poor, possessing nothing.

ON THE OTHER HAND he was judged to be honoured, of good repute, true, well known, living, always rejoicing, making many rich and possessing everything.

Speaking about conflicting statements!

The first set of charges were made by people, Christian people.  The second set of evaluations were made by God.

In our text Paul first mentions what the Corinthians thought of him: the least of all the apostles.

Paul WAS an apostle.  He was fully convinced of that.  As such he presented himself to the churches and to the world.  He knew that apostles had to be eye witnesses of the Resurrection.  But then – the Lord appeared to him as well, on the road to Damascus.  Moreover, some days after that glorious event, Ananias brought the official appointment as an apostle of Jesus Christ: You are My chosen instrument to carry My name before gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.

However, other people were not so convinced about his apostleship.  If he was an apostle at all – and that was dubious – then he was a second grade one.  He was the odd one out.  Others went a step further and said: Paul – an apostle?  No, he’s not an apostle at all.  The Lord appointed 12 apostles.  When Judas had gone Matthias was chosen in his place.  Paul never was included in the number of apostles.  He pushed his way in.  He is a busybody and a nuisance.  His speech, they said, is contemptible.  For all we know he may have had a horrible Dutch accent….?!  Oh, he could write strong letters but when he came in person he was a big flop.  His letters misrepresented Paul and had to be read with great caution.  Paul had heard all this and it must have hurt him deeply.  And what did he do?  He did not react in anger.  He did not ignore it in self-righteousness.  He went into his inner chamber, he took it all to the Lord and struggled to see it all in its right perspective.  Was it true what these people said about him, or was it false?  The result of this self-examination he sent to the Corinthians.  They were entitled to know Paul’s opinion concerning these matters.

The first conclusion Paul reached was: you are right.  I agree with you.  I am indeed the least of all the apostles and am not worthy to be called an apostle.  Paul agreed: on the list of the apostles.  I am the last and the least.  I am unworthy even to bear the name of an apostle.  It’s a very humble statement which Paul made here.

But…..

DID HE MEAN IT?

That’s a good question.  Statements can be deceptive.  Also humble statements!  There is such a thing as HUMBLE PRIDE.  The funny thing about that is, that you can also turn it round and call it: PROUD HUMILITY, which is exactly the same thing.

We have to be aware of the sin of hypocrisy.

People who speak very humbly about themselves and their achievements are not always to be trusted.

You can be sure that ever since the Pharisee among us read the parable of the Pharisee and the publican who went in the temple to pray, he goes and beats his breast three times a day and confesses for everyone to hear!  that he is a great sinner.  He may even be tempted to write a book and give it the title: Humility and how I achieved it!

But Paul came to this conclusion in God’s presence.  He humbled himself into the dust.  He also gave a reason for his unworthiness: Because I persecuted the church!

Now this is a very strange reason.  How could Paul say a thing like that?  If he would have said: I was the last one added to the number of apostles; I am number 13, then we could agree.  But the reason he gives, especially coming from the lips of Paul, is very hard to swallow.

Of course it’s true that he enjoyed the execution of Stephen.  It’s true that for quite some time he persecuted the Christians, breathing threats and murder.

But all that happened long ago!

And that sin had been forgiven!  The Lord will never hold it against him anymore.  But then it follows that Paul should not hold it against himself either.

Remember, Paul, that you preached everywhere that God justifies sinners!

Paul would answer: Yes, that’s true.  But the black smudge in my life is still there.  My sin was forgiven, but I can’t undo that sin.  People may have been in jail, some may even have died by my actions.  There may be orphans around.  And that would be my doing!

Sins of the past, even though they were forgiven, can still be a heavy burden.  God blotted out our sin, but we may still have to live with the results of that sin.  David’s sin was forgiven, but he had to accept the terrible consequences of it: Absalom’s rebellion and a frightful loss of life.  That is what makes sin so serious.

That is why Paul concluded: I am unworthy to be called an apostle.  Somewhere else he said: I am the chief of all sinners.

You are called upon to examine yourself and regardless of who you are or what you are: If you examine yourself in God’s presence you will always come to the same conclusion as Paul did: I am unworthy.  The Lord cannot accept me as a partaker of the table of His Son.

When the prodigal son came to himself he said: I am unworthy to be called his son.

In our human society we are somehow in a relationship with many people.  We are parents of our children, children of our parents, we are employees or employers, a member of the youth-club, maybe a member of the finance committee in the church, or an office-bearer, husbands, wives, neighbours and so on.  Ask yourself then in all sincerity: am I worthy, do I deserve that position, am I a faithful disciple in all the structures of society where God placed me?  Do I measure up to what our catechism says: that I am bound to employ my gifts readily and cheerfully for the advantage and salvation of others?

Lord, go out from me for I’m a sinful man!

If you have never come to that conclusion, then you have never been a Christian.  Church-father Augustine was asked once what are the three most important marks of a true Christian?

He thought a while and then said: the first and foremost mark of a Christian is: humility.

The second mark is: humility.

And the third mark is humility!

But Paul also reached a second conclusion.

By the grace of God I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain.  On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God which is with me.

If you put this conclusion next to the first one, then it is very hard to combine the two, isn’t it?

It’s understandable when some people say: Now he’s let the cat out of the bag!  Here we have the real Paul, self-righteous, boastful.  That first conclusion was only meant to pull the wool over your eyes.  In effect he now says I am the first and the best of all the apostles!

But it is most unfair to explain Paul’s words that way.  Only people who do not know what faith is can do that.  Because in faith – you see – is a mystery, a secret.  Martin Luther wrote a booklet about it under the title: “SINNER and SAINT at the same time”.  The old Paul who did those horrible things is not alive anymore – he died – and a new Paul rose with Christ.  That new Paul still has to live with the result of his former sins, but he is now allowed to live with Christ.

When Paul humbly confesses that he used to be a persecutor of the church, he really humbles himself but then he goes on to glorify Christ who made him a new creature.  And Paul never tired of witnessing to that, singing about it.  Despite his black and shameful past he still was a genuine apostle and when he considers his ministry he can honestly say: I laboured more than all the others.  I, who am so unworthy, called so late, was privileged to be in the frontline all the time.  He was sent to attack the centres of godless culture in Ephesus, in Athens, in Corinth.  He was chosen by God to confront Caesar in Rome.  It’s incredible, but this persecutor of the church was mightily used by God.  And he could do all these things because of ONE thing: the grace of God.  That is the only explanation of his boundless energy, his fearless witness, his successful ministry.  In verse 10 he mentions the grace of God three times in a row: By grace I am what I am; His grace was not in vain; I did not work but the grace of God.  That was his glory, his joy.

He did not expect and did not want to hear three cheers from the Corinthians.  He did not want them to sing: For he is a jolly good fellow!  He was not interested in human praise and admiration.  He only wanted people to look at him and notice that he was surrounded by God’s grace.  For what is Paul?  Only an instrument, a vessel used by God.

What is that GRACE of God?

It’s a very well-known word, but it is very difficult to understand.  And it is impossible to explain.  Because you see grace is a miracle.  That’s why no one can explain it.

You may however have a vague idea of what it is like.  But only if you have experienced it.  Grace is something which accompanies God’s children all their life.  It is a daily reality, but part of it exists in a promise.  That grace will come to daily reality, but part of it exists in a promise.  That grace will come to a head, that promise will be fulfilled when we shall stand in God’s presence.  We will be aware of our dirty sins, our selfishness, our rebellion, we will realize that our sins were so terrible that Jesus had to die for them on a blood- spattered cross, forsaken of God and men.

We will stand before Him then, whose eyes are as a flame of fire.  The Bible says that it will be very tempestuous round about His throne.

All our sins, from the first to the last will then testify against us.  Then the accuser of the brethren will take the stand and will demand your damnation: the soul that sins shall surely die!

What can we say then?  We have no defence, no excuse, no hope.  But then the Saviour Jesus Christ will arise and stand next to us, putting His arm around us.  And the Judge, the almighty Judge of heaven and earth will say to us: My child, call Me ‘Father’.  I love you.  Enter into My joy!

Brothers and sisters, I’d better stop.  I can’t describe it.  We know that it will happen, but no one of us has experienced this yet.  But we have the promise that this will happen.  We know that for sure.  We have been justified, declared to be not guilty and that is our guarantee that when we shall stand before the judgment seat of God the verdict will be: not guilty.  This is the promise of grace.  By that grace Paul was surrounded.  That was the tremendous energy in his work, his endless joy, his wonderful message to the world.  Paul was an unworthy sinner but by God’s grace he was a new creature: by God’s grace I am what I am!

Can you adopt also this second conclusion of Paul?  We are somehow in a relationship with many people.  We are parents to our children, or children to our parents.  We are employers or employees, maybe members of the home mission committee, maybe we are active in Cadet or Calvinette work, maybe office-bearers in the church.  But do we have a place in God’s Kingdom?  Can we say: by God’s grace I am what I am.

Some may hesitate to answer that question.  That is not necessarily bad.  Some people are shy to make bold statements.  Remember Luther who did not dare to call himself a Christian.  He said: I’m only on my way to become one..  The prodigal son did not make an impressive speech when he had been received in grace.  But you know for yourself that you are surrounded by God’s grace.  But if you know that despite all your activities you are not sharing in God’s grace, you do not belong to His Kingdom, then I have an urgent message for you: you have to pray, to call out to God.  You are in terrible danger!  We are all on our way to the final judgment.

Do you know now already what is going to happen then?

You will have to know that!  Otherwise you have no peace, no happiness.  We are also invited to come to the Lord’s Supper.  You are called upon to examine yourself in God’s presence.

That self-examination has the same pattern, and also has the same outcome as God’s final judgment.

All the elements of the one are also the elements of the other.  God will be there… Jesus will be there.  Your sins will be there.  The accuser of the brethren will be there.  Jesus’ precious blood will be there.

Everything will hinge on the connections.

If there is a bond between you and your sin you will be condemned

If there is a bond between you and Jesus’ blood you will be saved.

Two conclusions!

God be merciful to me, a sinner!

By God’s grace I am what I am!

And I need an eternity to sing of His unspeakable gift.

Amen.