1 Corinthians 16:13-24

Welcome back. This is Coach Brian, and today we are looking at First Corinthians 16:13 to 24.

When was the last time you wrote someone a real goodbye. Not just see you later. I mean a letter where you knew this might be the last thing they hear from you for a while, maybe ever. What would you make sure to say before you ran out of room.

That is basically where Paul is standing. He has spent sixteen chapters correcting one problem after another in the Corinthian church. Division. Lawsuits. Confusion over the Lord's Supper. Now he is closing the letter, and in his final lines he tells us exactly what mattered most to him.

The first thing he says is this. Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Four short commands stacked right on top of each other. The reformer John Calvin read these as one military charge, like a soldier being told to keep watch and hold the line. Pastor John MacArthur, preaching through this same verse, pointed out that the Corinthians had let their guard down in almost every area that mattered. They were not watching for temptation. They were not watching for false teaching. They were not even watching for the Lord's return. Paul is telling them, and telling us, wake up. Stay alert. Stand on what is true.

But Paul does not stop there. In the very next breath he adds something that changes the whole tone. Let all that you do be done in love. Think about that. This is the same letter that gave us the great love chapter, chapter thirteen. MacArthur made the point that this entire letter opens with love and closes with love. Almost every conflict Paul dealt with along the way, the favoritism, the lawsuits, the pride over spiritual gifts, came down to one missing ingredient. Not a lack of knowledge. Not a lack of gifting. A lack of love.

So that is our first word today. Stand. Stand firm in what is true, and let love be the way you stand.

The second thing Paul does before he signs off is point to one quiet name. Stephanas. He was the very first person in the whole region of Achaia to come to faith through Paul's ministry. From that day on he gave his household to one thing. Serving other believers. No title attached to his name. No platform. Calvin observed that wherever God gives someone real gifts for serving others, the right response from the rest of us is honor, not jealousy.

Think about the church Paul is writing to. This was a congregation that loved to argue about whose teacher was better, whose spiritual gift was flashier. Right in the middle of that noise, there was a man who had simply chosen to serve. Quietly. Faithfully. Paul holds him up as the example worth following.

So our second word is serve. Not for recognition. Just because someone needs it.

Then Paul closes with greetings. The churches across the province send their love. Aquila and Priscilla, an old missionary couple who helped Paul plant the very church he is writing to, send their greetings too. And then Paul gives one more command. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

In that culture, this was not a small thing. Corinth was a city where the wealthy and the poor, the free and the enslaved, almost never touched each other in public as equals. Calvin described this kiss as a true and sincere sign of mutual love, not a performance, but something real. MacArthur counted this as the last on a list of seven marks of love running through this whole closing section. A church that had spent sixteen chapters arguing about status was told, in the end, embrace each other like family.

So our third word is salute. Greet each other. Reach across whatever divides you and treat one another like family, because in Christ, that is exactly what you are.

Right after that warm command, Paul's tone turns sharp for one verse. If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed. Calvin was careful to point out that Paul is not talking about people outside the church who never claimed Christ. He is talking about people inside the church wearing the name of Jesus without their heart ever belonging to him. It is a hard sentence. But it comes from a pastor who could not let his people settle for a false peace.

Then, almost in the same breath, Paul writes one word in Aramaic, even though the rest of the letter is in Greek. Maranatha. Our Lord, come. It is both a warning and a prayer. A warning to anyone faking their faith, and a prayer of hope for everyone who truly loves him.

Here is what I want you to walk away with today. Right after all of that, Paul writes this. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Notice the order. Grace and love come last, but they are not a reward for standing firm, serving well, and greeting each other warmly. They are the reason any of that is even possible. Paul is not telling the Corinthians to earn grace by doing these things. He is telling them, you

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
Welcome back.
This is Coach Brian, and todaywe're looking at 1 Corinthians
chapter 16, verses 13 through24.
Now, when was the last time youwrote someone a real goodbye?
Not just see you later, but Imean a letter where you knew
this might be the last thingthey hear from you for a while.

(00:27):
Maybe ever.
Now what would you make sure tosay before you ran out of room?
That is basically where ApostlePaul is standing.
He has spent sixteen chapterscorrecting one problem after
another in the Corinthianchurch, such as division,
lawsuits, confusion over theLord's Supper, and now he is

(00:49):
closing the letter, and in hisfinal lines he tells us exactly
what mattered most to him.
The first thing he says is thisBe on your guard, be on your
guard, stand firm in the faith,be courageous and be strong.
Now these are four shortcommands stacked right on top of

(01:11):
each other.
Be on your guard, stand firm,and be courageous and be strong.
Now the reformer, uh one of thereformers, John Calvin, read
these as one military charge,like a soldier being told to
keep watch and hold a line.
Pastor John MacArthur MacArthurJr.

(01:32):
preaching through the sameverse, pointed out that the
Corinthians had let their guardsdown in almost every area that
mattered.
Every area.

(01:55):
And the apostle is telling themand telling us, wake up, stay
alert, stand on what is true.
But the apostle does not stopthere.
In the very next breath, he addssomething that changes the whole
tone.
Let all that you do be done inlove.
In love.
Think about that.
Now this is the same letter thatgave us the Great Love chapter,

(02:18):
chapter 13.
And Magadhar made the point thatthis entire letter opens with
love and closes with love aswell.
So almost almost every conflictthat Apostle De uh dealt with
along the way, such as thefavoritism, the lawsuits, the
pride over spiritual gifts, camedown to one missing ingredient,

(02:40):
and that was love.
It was not a lack of knowledge,it was not a lack of gifting, it
was the lack of love.
So that is our first word today.
Stand and stand firm in what istrue and let love be the way you
stand.
The second thing that theapostle does before he signs off

(03:04):
is point to one quiet name,Stephanus.
Now he was the very first personin the whole region of Achaea to
come to faith through Paul'sministry.
From that day from that day on,he gave his household to one
thing, serving other believers.

(03:26):
No title attached to his name,no platform, and so forth.
Calvin observed that whereverGod gives someone real gifts for
serving others, the rightresponse from the rest of us is
to honor, not to be jealous ofthat person.
Now think about the church thatApostle Paul is writing to.

(03:48):
This was a congregation thatloved to argue about whose
teacher was better, whosespiritual gift was flashier, and
so forth.
Right in the middle of thatnoise, there was this man who
had simply chosen to servequietly and faithfully.

(04:09):
And the apostle holds him up asthe example worth following.
So our second word is to serve,not for recognition, just but
serve just because someone needsit.
Then the apostle closes withgreetings.

(04:29):
The churches across the provincesent their love, and Aquila and
Priscilla, an old missionarycouple who helped Paul plant the
very church that he is writingto, send their greetings as
well.
And then the apostle gives onemore command, greet one another
with a holy kiss.

(04:50):
Now, let's think about this,folks.
The holy kiss, what's that allabout?
Well, in that culture, this wasnot a small thing.
Corinth was a city where thewealthy and the poor, the free
and the enslaved almost never,never touched each other in
public as equals.
Calvin described this kiss as atrue and sincere sign of mutual

(05:16):
love.
Not a performance, but somethingreal.
So we should count this as thelast on the list of seven marks
of love running through thiswhole closing section.
A church that had spent sixteenchapters arguing about status
was told in the end, embraceeach other like family.

(05:41):
So our third word is salute,greet each other, reach across
whatever divides you, and treatone another like family, because
in Christ that is exactly whatyou are: a family, family of
God.
So right after the warm uhcommand, Paul's tone uh turns

(06:05):
sharp for one verse.
If anyone does not love theLord, let that person be cursed.
And Calvin was careful to pointthat out that Paul is not
talking about people outside thechurch who never claim Christ,
but he's talking about peopleinside the church wearing the
name of Jesus without theirheart ever uh ever belonging to

(06:28):
Christ.
So it is a hard, difficultsentence, I know, but it comes
from a pastor who could not lethis people settle for a false
peace.
Then almost in the same breath,the apostle writes one word in
Aramaic, even though the rest ofthe letter is in Greek, and that

(06:50):
word is Maranatha.
Maranatha, our Lord comeMaranatha.
Now it is both a warning and aprayer, a warning to anyone
faking their faith, and a prayerof hope for everyone who truly
loves him.
Here is what we should walk awaywith today.
Right after all of that, theapostle writes this The grace of

(07:13):
the Lord Jesus be with you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus bewith you.
My love be with you all inChrist Jesus.
Notice the order.
Grace and love come last, butthey're not a reward for
standing firm, serving well, andgreeting each other warmly.
They are the reason any of thatis even possible.

(07:34):
The apostle is not telling theCorinthians to earn grace by
doing these things.
No, he's telling them that youhave already been given grace.
Now let it show.
So today ask yourself where yourfooting feels a little shaky,
and let that be a place whereyou watch and stand firm.

(07:57):
Ask yourself who you couldquietly serve today without
needing anyone to notice.
And ask yourself who you couldgreet today, really greet even
someone you have kept at adistance.
Well, this that's it, and thisis Coach Brian, and thanks for
joining us.

(08:18):
Don't forget, in Christ we arefree to live.
Now let us live to free others.
Godspeed