Defining Our Divisions 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Adapted from a Robert Harmon sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=155152

2. A teenage guy attended a congregation that
was one of the largest in the city at the time.
There were about 85 in the youth group.
He invited a girl to their Bible Study.
That night, the youth minister was talking
about a passage in 1 Corinthians where it
discussed division in the Church.

3. One of the young men asked about
denominations, and immediately the youth
minister made his opinions known about each.
When it came to the Christian Church, he said,
"The Christian Churches of today are a bunch
of legalists!”
The girl that came with him clinched her fist
and had an angry expression the rest of the
evening.

4. After they left, he asked her what the deal
was, and she looked at him and said, “If there
is anyone that is legalistic it’s that guy!”
After talking to her, he found out she and her
family attended the Christian Church! This
“minister” had just went into a tirade and
labeled his friend as a legalist.
She made the request for him to go to her
congregation and listen to what was preached,
and the next Sunday, he did.

5. The minister never once said, “this is what I
believe,” He never said, “you’re going to hell if
you believe anything other than what I do!”
He said something much more important! He
said, “Today, we are going to see what the
Bible says….” What the Bible says…not what
the youth minister says, not what a doctrinal
group believes, not what a denomination
believes, not what I believe! What the Bible
says!
The unfortunate thing was the guy ignored it,
because he thought he was right!

6. Internal conflict is seen in families today, and
of our Christian families both in the past and
present!
Not only is there division on the outside, but
there is division on the inside.
Many internal conflicts result from a struggle
over control.
If everyone would learn to give the Lord
control for whatever they are responsible for,
many internal and external divisions would be
eliminated!

7. Without the Lord’s leading, there will always be
divisions.
So what can we do to prevent this kind of
division?
Let’s be like that Christian Church preacher
from the story and go right to the Bible and
see what it says!

8. ESV

11. ESV
The Word is what unites us!
ESV

12. This is where our faith starts!
Paul knows that only through Christ’s words
can man know the path to salvation!
The Word dissolves barriers, and builds
bridges!
Truth is exemplified through the believers!
Christians have a direct order from Christ!
ESV

13. We are to walk the talk!
We are to live it out!
That was the problem with the youth minister
in the story…he had a lot to say, unfortunately,
it got lost because of his own blindness to the
Scriptures!
What is our testimony of Christ in our lives?
Is it summed up in one hour a week, or is it
based on our dedicated walk in Him!

14. Truth isn’t a simple, “I believe in Jesus!”
The Golden Rule is a great place to start, but
Jesus wants a relationship!
He wants Worship!
He wants

15. 11
One of the issues that the Early Church had
was that there was the same message, but
different people delivering and hearing the
message!

16. The Corinthians were so mixed up that they
had placed a value on the messenger over the
message!
“I come for the preacher not the Word!”
Does it happen today?
Sure does!

17. One man said he had been baptized by a very
prominent preacher!
He held his head high in the air, a sneer on his
face, that was until asked if he was active
there anymore!
His expression changed, and he said he had
not been back to Church in some time,
because they had changed ministers!

18. Same Message, different followers?
Not in Christ!
We are called to be one body!
ESV
Apollos, Peter, Paul, and Christ all preached
the same message, so why aren’t Christians
listening?

20. Does this mean the Church can’t have
opinions?
NO!!!!
Music, Style of Worship, The End Times,
Politics, all are open!
God doesn’t want puppets that have to be set
in a specific mold and cast!
He does want us to use our freedom with
wisdom!

21. ESV

22. Ever wonder why there are so many different
“churches?”
Opinion!
Ever wonder why a congregation might split
after a meeting over painting the building?
Opinion!
We can have opinion, but when it tears at the
Word, it can cause us and others to stumble!

24. Some would have you to believe Paul is
preaching against baptism here, and that is
the furthest from the truth!
He is calling out the people on what they have
been saved into!
How many times have we heard, “That isn’t
the way we’ve done it?” or “Back in my old
church…”

25. “Years ago, we were such an active
congregation! We were always headed to the
creek to immerse someone new into Christ?
Oh, & the youth & family nights”
Worst three words - “We Once Were…”
Someone asks if we have a crawdad mentality,
“Backing into the future, looking ahead to the
past.”

26. Do you recall when Nate was immersed a few
years back Emmett his dad baptized him.
Dewy immersed Jim Hyatt since he had been
studying the Scriptures with him.
Some of us witnessed Cody Immerse Victor in
a horse tank on the Rankin Ranch.

27. Some might argue, "that's the preacher’s job!”
What!?
Show me chapter & verse in the Bible!
Phillip was a deacon and he baptized the
Ethiopian Eunuch!
Does that mean the Eunuch wasn’t saved
because Paul or Apollos or Peter didn’t do it!?

28. Tradition has its place in worship, but when we
allow it to choke out sincere worship of the
Lord, when we allow the past to blind us to the
future, when we get comfortable in our
mundane methods, we fall into a snare Satan
sets for us.

29. Let’s read verse , and go back to verse !
What do they have in common?

30. It is !
Through Jesus, we have life, without Him, we
have nothing!
When we have Jesus, we have unity, without
Him we fall apart!
Are we in His name, or are we in our own? Is
our fondness for a certain style, a certain idea,
or a certain tradition holding us back from
being committed to allowing Him to lead our
hearts?

31. Back to the Christian Church preacher in the
story.
After some years had passed the guy saw the
preacher’s name on a board at a Bible
College, He wrote him a note and thanked him
for his prayers and encouragement that one
time he went to the congregation he served.

32. A few years later the guy was attending a
meeting for a church plant they were working
to start!
There, coming out of a church van, and
meeting him at the door was the preacher. He
shook his hand and introduced himself.
He smiled and said, “You wrote me a letter a
while back.” They teared up, hugged, and he
said, “We need Christians now more than
ever!”

33. He’d didn’t say we needed opinions,
he didn’t say we needed traditions,
he didn’t say we needed good speakers,
he didn’t say we needed more denominations!
He said we need CHRISTIANS!
Today, we need Christians to stand united in
Truth!
Today, are you ready to commit to truth and to
Christ?