GOD PRODUCES THE GROWTH. GOD RECEIVES THE GLORY.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:5-9
In
the name + of Jesus.
The apostle Paul established many
congregations throughout his missionary journeys. We are familiar with his relationship with
these Christians from the letters he wrote to them. Paul’s letters often concluded with greetings
to individuals. But even if some were
not singled out, Paul assured all the people of how dearly he regarded
them. For example, consider this
greeting: “I thank my God every time I remember you. Every time I pray for all of you, I always
pray with joy, because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day
until now. I am convinced of this very
thing: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6).
Pastors are fond of the people they serve,
and the people often return the affection for their pastor. That was the case in Corinth. Unfortunately, the affection for a particular
pastor began to divide the congregation as each pledged their allegiance to one
pastor over another. St. Paul wrote, “The
news I heard about you … is that there are rivalries among you. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I
belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I
belong to Christ.’ Is Christ
divided? Was Paul crucified for
you? Or were you baptized into the name
of Paul” (1 Corinthians 1:11-13)? There
is always a danger to exalt a pastor and to cling to an individual. Even pastors can get sucked into this,
thinking, “These people are coming to church because of me!” It is dangerous for both the pastor and the
people. The pastor ends up serving his
ego more than Christ or his people. The
people, on the other hand, drift away from Christ when their pastor leaves
because they were devoted to a personality instead of the word of God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians to keep them
properly focused on the role of a pastor and the relationship the people have
with their pastor. “What then is
Apollos? And what is Paul? They are ministers through whom you believed,
and each served as the Lord gave him his role.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then, neither the one who plants nor the
one who waters is anything, but it is God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians
3:5-7). It is God who produces the
growth. Therefore, it is God who
receives the glory.
Corinth
had been founded by Paul. Then they were
served by Apollos. Each had served
faithfully. But the Church is not about
the pastor. The Church does not exist
for the sake of the pastor; the pastor exists for the sake of the Church. In the Old Testament, the Lord spoke through
the prophets. The word of the Lord came
to them, and they proclaimed what they were given. In the New Testament, the Word made flesh
came. Jesus taught the apostles about
the kingdom of God. He commissioned them
to write God’s words for the Church to read and to hear and to ponder. He also bestowed sacraments to the Church to
grant forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation. This is how God creates and strengthens
faith. It is how God adds people to his
Church and preserves the ones who are here.
It is God who produces the growth.
Therefore, it is God who receives the glory.
I have had
the privilege of being your pastor for the last thirty years. I did nothing inventive. I preached what God had written. They are God’s promises; I just repeat
them. And I administered the sacraments Christ
established. They are God’s work; he just
used my hands. It has been a great joy
to be with you, to preach and teach God’s word, to feed you with the body and
blood of Christ, to baptize many, and to absolve those who are troubled by
their sins.
When you
called me to be your pastor, you did not know who you were getting. You asked the Seminary to send a graduate,
trusting that the Lord of the Church would provide his people according to
their needs. For me, I had never heard
of Novi until I was assigned here. But
Christ worked through his Church to bring a pastor to you. And Christ worked through his Church to bring
me to this time and place. Our
friendships have been enjoyed for these years; and I pray they have been
established for eternity. But our
friendships have been centered on the one thing that matters—the words and
works of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has
bound us together in the faith. He has
continually blessed all of us through his word and sacraments. Pastors are temporary; God’s gifts are
eternal. Therefore, God receives the
glory.
You and I
have been united by God’s grace. We
share the same confession. The first
confession we share is the one that begins our service. We confess that we are sinners. It is a general confession. We acknowledge that we are, by nature,
sinful. As much as we want to stop
sinning, we don’t and we can’t. As much
as we fight against temptation, we still give in. We were born into this condition, and we
cannot change it. That reveals itself as
we do what is evil and fail to do what is good.
When you
encounter other people, you present the best version of yourself you can. On social media, you are a superstar with amazing
achievements and Hallmark moments. But
God is not fooled by our presentations. The
Lord has exposed our sinfulness to us.
The Lord makes us be honest with ourselves. Before the Lord, we can’t pretend.
“If
you, LORD, kept
a record of guilt, O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is pardon (Psalm 130:3,4). This is why we can confess our sin
freely. We hold God to his promise: “If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The Lord promises to pardon the penitent, and
he is faithful to that promise. More
than that, the Lord is just to forgive our sins. Why?
Because our sins have been taken away from us and put upon Jesus. Jesus Christ has already suffered and died
for our sins. Jesus carried the record
of our guilt to the cross where he was damned for us. Since Jesus was punished for all our guilt,
it would be unjust to punish us for them all over again. They have been taken away. How could God condemn us? God does not condemn the innocent.
You and I
have been united in this confession. It
is not just a confession of sins that unites us. It is the confession of faith that unites
us. That is what makes us all children
of God and heirs of heaven. We confess
what our Lord has revealed to us through many people—parents, Sunday School
teachers, Christian day school teachers, friends, family, and pastors.
In
Corinth, Paul and Apollos were among those who proclaimed God’s promises. St. Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos
watered, but God was causing the growth.
So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but it is God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). God uses many servants for the good of his
people. Those servants are truly a
blessing. Each one serves his or her
purpose in God’s kingdom. St. Paul
wrote, “The one who plants and the one who waters are united, and each will
receive his own reward according to his own labor. For God is the one whom we serve as
coworkers” (1 Corinthians 3:8-9). It
is God who plants the faith, and it is God who produces the growth. Therefore, it is God who receives the glory.
St. Paul
reminds you of the role of your pastor. “I
planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then, neither the one who plants nor the
one who waters is anything, but it is God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians
3:6-7). This is not false modesty on
the part of St. Paul. It is recognizing
where the devotion of God’s people needs to be.
God used Paul to plant the church in Corinth, but it was God who made it
take root. God used Apollos to water the
seed which was planted, but it was God who made it grow. Or course, Paul and Apollos both moved on
from Corinth. But this is true of anyone
who has blessed you in teaching you God’s word.
Grandparents and parents do not remain forever. Friends come and go. Church members move. And no pastor is permanent. But God’s word and sacraments remain to bestow
eternal blessings. Through these, God produces
the growth. Therefore, it is God who
receives the glory.
When God’s
people gather together—whether it was in Corinth or whether it is in Novi—it is
for the same reason. You come where God’s
word is rightly preached and the sacraments are rightly administered. You do not come for the pastor; he does not
make the word of God effective. The
prophet Isaiah assures you, “Just as the rain and the snow come down from
the sky and do not return there unless they first water the earth, make it give
birth, and cause it to sprout, so that it gives seed to the sower and bread to
the eater, in the same way my word that goes out from my mouth will not return
to me empty. Rather, it will accomplish
whatever I please, and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it”
(Isaiah 55:10-11).
Before
each sermon, I pray that God will send his Holy Spirit so that it will be worth
something to those who are here. Not
every sermon is going to be an award-winner.
Nevertheless, the word of God is living and active. It will produce fruit because it is God who
produces the growth, even when the sermon is a dud. Therefore, God deserves the glory. Even when the sermon is a dud, we come to
this altar to receive the body and blood of Jesus which will never fail to
bring the forgiveness of sins and strengthen faith. This word of God will continue here. This sacred meal will be served here. The penitent who confess their sins and long
for relief will find absolution here and receive peace here. Therefore, God’s salvation will continue to be
bestowed here—whether the pastor’s name is Paul, Apollos, Gibbons, Schaefer, or
whomever God has intended to serve you next.
It is God who produces the growth and sustains the faith. Therefore, it is God who receives the glory,
and it is our Lord who deserves your fully and faithful devotion.
Throughout
the course of life, you get to experience many things for the last time. Sometimes you don’t know it until those
moments are long gone. There was a last
time your parents held you. You didn’t
know it when it happened. There was the
last time you pushed your child on a swing.
You didn’t know it was the last time.
Other times, you knew it. High
school graduates knew it was their last day in high school. The San Antonio Spurs knew their season ended
last night. Today, we all know that this
is my last sermon as the pastor at Good Shepherd. It is the last for me, anyway, but not the
last sermon here. The word remains. The sacraments will still be given. God will still produce the growth, and so God
still receives the glory.
I can’t tell you
what God’s plans are for Good Shepherd, at least as far as how long you will
have to wait for the Lord to provide your next pastor. I can tell you that the Lord of the Church
loves his people and works all things for the good of those who love him. I can tell you that by continuing to come and
hear God’s word and to partake in the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Spirit will
strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting. And I can tell you that we will all be
together again. For the Lord has told us
what will happen at the last: “And I heard what seemed to be the roar of a
large crowd or the roar of many waters or the sound of loud rumblings of
thunder, saying: Alleluia! For the Lord
our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him
glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has come. His bride has made herself ready, and she was
given bright, clean, fine linen to wear. (In fact, the fine linen is the ‘not
guilty’ verdicts pronounced on the saints.) The angel said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are
those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.’ He also said to me, ‘These are the true words
of God’” (Revelation 19:6-9).
We will be united again, and it will not end after thirty years. The Lord will gather us for the wedding feast and we will rejoice in his presence forever, even as we rejoice and feast for this moment now. This is God’s promise. Therefore, give him the glory and your full and faithful devotion. And be sure of this: “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
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