PUFFED UP PEOPLE

PUFFED UP PEOPLE

1 Corinthians 4:1-21 (KJV)

Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:

Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

I have given Chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians the title PUFFED UP PEOPLE, because Paul uses the phrase three times in the chapter.

The term “puffed up” means to be inflated with pride.

The purpose of this lesson is to deal with those puffed up people and to try, if possible, to deflate them.

Notice first of all,

*I. PUFFED UP PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE ABOVE THE WORD

1 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Paul says that he had used his name, and that of Apollos as a figure. He had done that as an example trying to show them that what he had said about them was true of everybody.

A. Everyone has received all he has from God

1 Corinthians 4:7 (KJV)

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

B. Everyone will stand before God and give an account of that stewardship

1 Corinthians 4:4-5 (KJV)

For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

C. Everyone ought to be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (KJV)

Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

You know what happens with a puffed up person?

They cannot see themselves in this type of message. 

·   They hear that they received all they have of God, but they do not let it register. 

·   They hear that they will stand before God, but it does not matter to them.

·   They hear that they should be good and faithful stewards, but they always have some reason why they do not need to obey the Word of God.

A puffed up person can always find a way around the Bible. They always seem to see some reason they are above doing what the Bible says.

*II. PUFFED UP PEOPLE NEVER THINK THEY WILL GET CAUGHT

1 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV)

Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

One of the things about pride, it never looks at the consequences of its actions.

A. Lucifer was lifted in pride. 

He has to have known God would cast him out. 

But somehow that escaped him.

B. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit 

They had to have known God would come to walk with them in the garden in the evening.

But it escaped them.

C. Paul says that these puffed up people are acting like they will never get caught.

They forgot that they would be confronted for their actions.

·   Paul planned to confront them himself.

·   God would certainly confront them when they gave account to Him.

Don't we get that way sometimes?

When we decide we want to have our way, when we get crossways, or when we have a sin that we absolutely want to do:

We say something like:

1. It is my life; I will do what I want

2. I know what the Bible says, but I will do what I want anyway

3. Nobody has the right to judge me

*III. PUFFED UP PEOPLE ARE “ALL MOTOR AND NO BLADE”

1 Corinthians 4:19-21 (KJV)

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

They are like a lawnmower that makes a lot of noise, but has no blade to cut the grass.

They are full of gas, but they don't do anything anyway.

There are three messages here:

A. God's kingdom is a kingdom of power

1 Corinthians 4:20 (KJV)

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

It is not what you say that matters so much as what you do for the Lord.

B. Paul was going to look for the power, and not the word1Corinthians 4:19 (KJV)

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

He would be more interested in evidence of God working in them than he would of their spiritual speeches.

3. It was up to them whether Paul came to correct them, or to encourage and bless them

1 Corinthians 4:21 (KJV)

What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

   

·   If they would repent and make things right. Paul could come to them in love and in a spirit of meekness.

·   If they persisted with their puffed up condition, he would come to them with a rod and lay into them.

And, by the way, we can expect that same type of message, not only from our own pastor, but from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some Christians live as though we never think Jesus is going to come again.

But He is going to come again, shortly. And when He does, our little Christian act will not be worth a thing.

·   He is going to search down to the hidden things.

·   He is going to confront us with the contention we have caused and with the strife that we have stirred.

And He will show us what real power is.

It is up to us whether we can look forward to His return with joy, or whether we should fear His return because we have been poor Christians.

Jesus is coming again. Don't think that you are above making things right.

 Take care of things today.