Sermon Tone Analysis
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Much is known about the city of Corinth due to the extensive excavation of the ancient ruins.
What was originally thought to be a city of about 10,000 turned out to number over 250,000!
CULTURALLY, the city was steeped in:
· IDOLATRY (many Egyptian deities were discovered, which may explain the success of Apollos, who was from Alexandria).
· IMMORALITY– as a result of the Temple to Aphrodite (located above the city employing 1,000 temple prostitutes who would descend on the city each night), sexual immorality was rampant!
· As you might expect, DIVORCE was another major problem—there were more people who were divorced than were married!
· MATERIALISTIC– MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
The architectural style of Corinth is still popular today, with its display of wealth!
· This was a culture that was infatuated with MONEY & SEX!
Sound familiar?
Many refer to this as, “The Letter to the Americans!”
SPIRITUALLY, the Church in Corinth was also a MESS!
Nearly every chapter in this book deals with some problem:
1 & 3 – Divisions and pride
2 – A reliance on worldly wisdom
4 – Submission to, and pride among the leadership in the church
5 – Failure to discipline a sinning member
6 – Resolving personal disputes; sexual immorality; marriage—those who weremarried, with those who wanted out ofmarriage, and those who wanted to bemarried
8 – Eating food offered to idols: Christian liberty versus love
9 – Problems paying the preacher!
10 – Warnings against idolatry
11-14 – Difficulties of proper worship
15 – Disputes over the resurrection
This church was in such apparent difficulty that Paul wrote an earlier letter that is now lost.
THEY had written a letter to Paul asking for HELP!
And we DO know the contents of that letter:
· (7:1)– Immorality
· (8:1)– Christian liberty
· (12:1)– Spiritual gifts
· (15:12)– The Resurrection of Jesus
· (16:1)– Collection of the Saints
Despite the mess, or better yet, because of the mess Paul begins his letter by REMINDING them of the BLESSINGS & GRACE OF GOD!
I. SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from GOD – (1:2-3)
1.
They are CALLED the CHURCH OF GOD! – (v.2a)
2. They are SANCTIFIED in CHRIST JESUS! – (v.2b)
3.
They are CALLED SAINTS! – (v.2c)
The whole point of (vv.4-9) is that the ONLY WAY to solve your problems is by God’s Grace!
The Corinthians were trying to do it by SELF-EFFORT (the same as many of us) but it doesn’t work.
It takes…
II.
The GRACE of GOD! – (1:4-9)
1.
There is a SOURCE of that Grace – (vv.4b-5)
“…given to you in Christ Jesus” “…in him”– ‘by means of, through’
Why is that important?
– The longer we are in the Lord; the more difficult it is to operate in the grace of God!
As you grow in knowledge of God & His Word, the temptation is to operate by your own strength and knowledgeinstead of relying on the undeserved, unmerited gift of God!
How does this apply?
When you have a carnal group of believers, the way to straighten them out is NOT to used LAW (which is the temptation) but to remind them of the SOURCE of Grace!
2. The SUPPLY of that Grace – (v.5)
“…you were enriched in him in every way”– made wealthy!
Do you believe that?
“…in all speach and all knowledge…”
Why did he mention those two?
– Many believe it was a reference to the spiritual gifts of tongues and knowledge.
NO – not even the same word (λόγω vs. γλωσσων).
Because they were speaking against one another based on their knowledge (or supposed superior wisdom) of things spiritual!
Have you ever run into someone who spiritually intimidates you?
The usual approach is they say something like, “What you need is what I’ve experienced…” They look at you like you’re some poor, little, wandering lamb–and you’re intimidated!
THEOLOGICALLY – Is that a true statement?
No way!
In fact, it is a denial of Bible doctrine!
God’s grace has made you WEALTHY in EVERYTHING!
The challenge is to believe what God says!
3. God’s Grace makes me STABLE!
– (v.6)
“…confirmed” – made stable, sure, validated, it was settled!
How many of you know for sure that if you died, you’d go to heaven?
–How many of you are ready to go right now?
What a JOY it is to have that assurance, to know that the issue of eternity is SETTLED—
Why does that NOT affect our lives when we run into problems?
There often is a GAP in what we SAY WE BELIEVE and what is APPLIED in our lives!
PARADOX – Paul writes to carnal believers and yet declares, “…the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you.”
You can have the issue of WHERE you’ll spend ETERNITY, and yet STILL struggle with PROBLEMS!
That’s GRACE!
4. The SCOPE of this Grace – (v.7)
(v.7a) – The “you” is plural, indicating that it is the CHURCH, and not the individual believer at Corinth that had every spiritual gift!
I believe that this applies to EVERY BELIEVER!
And here’s why:
(v.7b) – NOTICE the connection to the Return of Jesus…
Is there anything you can do that will either impede or speed up the Return of Christ?
NO – You wait for it.
IN this whole area of spiritual gifts, could it be that God is saying, “Wait…anticipate (eagerly awaiting) …believe!
Why?
Because you can’t do a thing about it other than wait for it to unfold!”
I have no more control over the spiritual gifts I receive than I do the Second Coming of Jesus!
I am to trust in God’s graceto equip me and work through me, and finally, to SECURE ME!
5.
The SECURITY of God’s Grace – (vv.8-9)
(v.8) – “He will also strengthen you to the end…blameless…”
When Jesus is revealed, you and I will be declared blameless!
It’s amazing how many people refuse to believe that!
Paul gives the reasons we are blameless in (v.9):
God is FAITHFUL –
God has CALLED US –
God has called us into FELLOWSHIP with His Son!
“fellowship” means that I share in common the life of Jesus!
I am called by God’s POWER & GRACE into FELLOWSHIP with His Son!
I didn’t deserve it; I didn’t earn it; it all came by God’s grace!
And THAT’S why Paul began a letter to a SINFUL CHURCH by THANKING HIM for His AMAZING GRACE!
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