All Things Are Yours

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-16-2025

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Last week, we examined an old heresy, the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which God hates.  The clergy over the laity.  In our case, the intellectual, or educated, superior to the uneducated,.  God finished with this: “Let no man glory in men!”  Look at verse 23. 

 

1 Corinthians 3:23  And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

 

B.  Here, we find the equality of the children of God.  We are all in Christ, and He gets the glory!

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-13  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.  (13)  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

 

Galatians 3:26-29  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  (27)  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  (28)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  (29)  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

C.  There is structure in the local church, but the upper echelon, pastor and deacons, are servants to the church!

 

D.  Our text is found in verses 21-22. These verses certainly put down the theology that we Christians are “as poor as a church mouse!” Sometimes we do not get the things that we want because they are not "good things" or not the will of God for us.

 

1 Corinthians 3:21-22  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;  (22)  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

 

1 Corinthians 4:8  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.

 

Psalms 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

Psalms 34:9-10  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. 

 

E.  The Lord has supplied our needs:

 

Philippians 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

Psalms 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

 

F.  The Lord has supplied our desires:

 

Psalms 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

 

G.  All that I can say is that “the Lord has been so good to us!”  Verse 21 – “For all things are yours … Verse. 22 – “all are yours”  Let us look at the things between these two statements and see what we have in Christ.

 

1.  The Lord Has Provided For Our Spiritual Needs – “Paul, Apollos, or Cephas”

 

Paul, who founded the Church, and was instrumental in their salvation.

 

Apollos, who doctrinally grounded the Church.

 

Cephas, whose surname was Peter, who was the Apostle to the Jews.  This is interesting because Cephas is mentioned as one area of division in chapter one.  There were evidently Jewish believers at Corinth.

 

1 Corinthians 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

 

Ephesians 4:11-16  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; (passing gifts) and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers (permanent gifts);  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

 

a.  For the perfecting of the saints – John 21:15-17  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

 

1 Peter 5:2  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

 

b.  For the work of the ministry – 2 Corinthians 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

 

1 Timothy 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

 

c.  For the edifying of the body of Christ - 2 Timothy 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

 

2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

 

2.  The Lord Has Provided For Our Pleasure – “the world” – Verse 22

 

Ecclesiastes 2:22-24  For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?  For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.  There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

3 John 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

 

1 Timothy 6:17  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

 

Psalms 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

 

Ecclesiastes 2:22-24  For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?  (23)  For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.  (24)  There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

 

Ecclesiastes 8:15  Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

 

3.  The Lord Has Provided For Our Physical Needs – “or life”

 

3 John 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

 

Psalms 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

 

2 Peter 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 

4.  The Lord Has Provided For Our Future Needs – “death, or things present, or things to come”

 

a.  An Eternal Love When We Fail - Romans 8:35-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

b.  An Eternal Home When We Die - Philippians 1:21-23  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: