The Thing That Unites Us 6.18.23

1 Corinthians The Thing That Unites Us Lo que nos une June 18, 2023 (1 Corinthians 1:1-9) This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. I am writing to God's church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way-with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Introduction: There are at least 77 churches in Lake County-but let's accept that there is only ONE TRUE CHURCH and it meets in 77 different locations in the county. * Not every church is the same. * The buildings are different * The music/worship is different * The people are not the same * The focus and activities are varied * Some churches have a cool, hip youth pastor-we got Dustin! * Most churches have perky worship leaders, spiked hair, rad clothes, earbuds-we got Jerome! It's interesting how stressed out people can get if things are not done in the way they are accustomed. (Story: It's not amazing grace if you play the drums!) The point is-we can be distracted by differences and we get polarized by them to the point that we get off track and sometimes do harm. Let me show you an example... (Mark 9:38-40) John said to Jesus, Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn't in our group. Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. (Marcos 9:38-40) Juan le dijo a Jesús, Maestro, vimos a alguien usar tu nombre para echar fuera demonios, pero le dijimos que se detuviera porque no estaba en nuestro grupo. ¡No lo detengas! Jesus dijo. "Nadie que haga un milagro en mi nombre pronto podrá hablar mal de mí. El que no está contra nosotros, está con nosotros. Jesus continues to say-be careful that you don't offend the little ones that belong to me because if you do---you'd be better off drowning yourself than facing me. As we continue our summer journey in 1 Corinthians, Paul comes immediately with perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT point of the entire book. (1 Corinthians 1:30) God has united you with Christ Jesus...Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. (1 Corintios 1:30) Dios los ha unido con Cristo Jesús... Cristo nos hizo justos con Dios; nos hizo puros y santos, y nos libró del pecado. * God made us right with God * God made us pure and holy * God freed us from sin * Regardless of the style of worship * Regardless of your church location * Regardless of your annual budget We are UNITED with Christ Jesus because He paid the price to make us right with God-that's more important than anything that uniquely identifies this or any other church. We only know about the people in this church from the things Paul writes and one of those indicators is found in chapter 1, verses 26-29... (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) Brothers and sisters, consider what you were when God called you to be Christians. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view. You were not in powerful positions or in the upper social classes. But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises-what it considers to be nothing-in order to destroy what it considers to be something. AS A RESULT, NO ONE CAN BRAG IN GOD'S PRESENCE. (1 Corintios 1:26-29) Hermanos y hermanas, consideren lo que eran cuando Dios los llamó a ser cristianos. No muchos de ustedes fueron sabios desde un punto de vista humano. No estabas en posiciones de poder o en las clases sociales altas. Pero Dios escogió lo que el mundo considera tonterías para avergonzar a los sabios. Dios escogió lo que el mundo considera débil para avergonzar lo que es fuerte. Dios escogió lo que el mundo considera ordinario y lo que desprecia, lo que considera nada, para destruir lo que considera algo. COMO RESULTADO, NADIE PUEDE ALARDEAR EN LA PRESENCIA DE DIOS. How did you get here? ¿Cómo has llegado hasta aquí? (I don't mean what car you drive)...how did you get here so that you can offer praise to God for saving you? * I came by way of a diseased body * I came by way of an abusive spouse * I came by way of my addiction to alcohol, drugs or pornography * I came by way of my sinful pride * I came by way of my awful life If there is any credit to be offered for how we got here-let it go to Jesus who paid on Calvary's cross for our sins and made us to be sons and daughters of God! The Success Of Any Church Is Realized In The Power Of The Cross El Éxito De Cualquier Iglesia Se Realiza En El Poder De La Cruz * The church at Corinth had a missions problem-instead of changing the world, the pressures of the world were changing the church. * These identity issues were at their root-identity issues originating from the lack of understanding that the message of the Cross is how we are identified- * Not by race, * Not by social status * Not by family affiliation * Only from the Cross do we have any identity. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corintios 6:9-11) ¿No sabéis que los injustos no heredarán el reino de Dios? Que no te engañen. Ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los homosexuales, ni los sodomitas, ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los maldicientes, ni los ladrones heredarán el reino de Dios. Y así eran algunos de ustedes. Pero ya habéis sido lavados, ya habéis sido santificados, ya habéis sido justificados en el nombre del Señor Jesús y por el Espíritu de nuestro Dios. * We cannot forget that Jesus found us lost in our sins and without hope but by the Cross we are now the family of God! * At some point the people of these churches got divided over the personalities of their pastors-or the preachers that brought the gospel to them or baptized them. o They were claiming superiority because of their relationship to the minister. (I'm of Apollos, I'm of Paul...) o Remember this was the culture of their time... * it's about me * it's about my social media presence * my number of followers * about my network of friends * about the people I know! We still do it! * I'm Pentecostal * I'm Baptist * I'm non-denominational Paul says-you're missing the point. * It is the Cross that defines our fellowship * It is the Cross that make ordinary people...extraordinary witnesses * Our foolish attempts to make church about something besides the Cross only leads to strife and division. When Our Differences Become BIG, It Means The GOSPEL Becomes Small. Cuando Nuestras Diferencias Se Vuelven GRANDES, Significa Que El EVANGELIO Se Vuelve Pequeño. * When we are focused on what we want in the church we have forgotten our mission. * The people at Corinth had emptied the cross of its power by their divisions and created the assumptions that the Gospel was merely a good message preached by clever speakers. * Whether I speak well is not as important as the message that is spoken-did you receive it? Did you get the message? (1 Corinthians 1:5-8) After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. (1 Corintios 1:5-8) Después de todo, ¿quién es Apolos? ¿Quién es Paul? Solo somos siervos de Dios a través de los cuales creíste en la Buena Nueva. Cada uno de nosotros hizo el trabajo que el Señor nos dio. Yo planté la semilla en vuestros corazones, y Apolos la regó, pero fue Dios quien la hizo crecer. No es importante quién planta o quién riega. Lo importante es que Dios hace crecer la semilla. El que planta y el que riega trabajan juntos con el mismo fin. Y ambos serán recompensados ​​por su propio trabajo duro. Without the Cross None of This Matters Sin la Cruz Nada de Esto Importa Until we grasp this... * We think church is a social gathering of like-minded people * We think church is a scheduled obligation on our calendars * At the Cross, we were RADICALLY changed from our former selves and our lives are now a MESSAGE of hope to an unbelieving world. * We will see in later weeks that Paul insists this new life is not some adjustment or alteration of our former selves but the Cross is the death of OLD ME! (Galatians 2:20) My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gálatas 2:20) Mi viejo yo ha sido crucificado con Cristo. Ya no vivo yo, sino que Cristo vive en mí. Así vivo en este cuerpo terrenal confiando en el Hijo de Dios, que me amó y se entregó por mí. * A Gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is TOO SMALL! * The Corinthians had failed to grasp the weight and power of the Gospel and as such they had become divided as they pursued their own agendas. * The Cross will never make sense to the secular mind (I Corinthians 1:18) The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. * God uses the things the world might discard-consider all of us-not many mighty, not many noble-all saved and redeemed under the cross of Jesus * (I Corintios 1:18) * El mensaje de la cruz no tiene ningún sentido para las personas perdidas. Pero para aquellos de nosotros que estamos siendo salvos, es el poder de Dios obrando. Conclusion: In what you can you boast? What credit can you take for who you are today? Without Calvary none of this matters We must remember... * The devil hates unity-He's a divider * He works subtly to provoke you to judge one another, to be suspicious, to get concerned about the simplest of things...why? To divide you.. * The cross of Jesus is a uniter-We are ONE at the foot of the cross o All nations o All languages o All cultures o All people! The saints martyred in the lion's den of Roman empire-they won! The people ostracized by the world because of faith-they win! God I'm a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe Jesus will forgive me of my sins I choose Jesus Dios soy un pecador lo siento por mis pecados Creo que Jesús murió por mis pecados. Creo que Jesús me perdonará mis pecados elijo a jesus