We are Eagerly Waiting for Jesus and are Guiltless in God’s Eyes based on 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Difficult time waiting. Waiting is something many people have trouble doing. Waiting patiently for something is not easy for many of us. We like to have things as fast as possible. Some people will pay more for shipping things to their home or business, so that they can have those things overnight or in 2 days. Many children are counting down the days until Christmas. They are eagerly waiting for the time to unwrap their Christmas gifts.

II. Sins of impatience. Sometimes we sin by doing something wrong because of our impatience. We might say something hurtful because of our impatience with another person. We might do something hurtful because of our impatience with some other person. Impatience can lead to many sins of thought, word, and deed.

III. Read 1 Corinthians 1:3-7 and comment. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:3-7, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul regularly gave thanks to God for the church in Corinth. He did not give thanks because they were such a great church, but He was thankful because of God’s grace given to them. He thanked God that the undeserved love and mercy of God had been given to them as a gift. The same could be said of this church. We can thank God that He has showered His grace in Christ Jesus on the members of this church each day. None of us have deserved God’s blessings, but those blessings are given to us out of God’s unearned love in the sending of Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord.

Paul reminded the church in Corinth that they had been enriched in every way. Because they believed Paul’s testimony about Christ, who suffered, died, and arose for them, they had been enriched in all their speaking and in all their knowledge. The same could be said of this church. We have been enriched in every way as well. Thanks to the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ we also can speak to others about God’s great love for us and we can know that God forgives us through the saving mission of Jesus Christ.

Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to eagerly wait for the return of Jesus Christ on the Last Day. Each day the Christians in Corinthcould eagerly wait for the Second Coming of Jesus. Each day the Christians in Corinth could tell those around them that Jesus Christ would return one day in the future. The members of this church can eagerly wait for the return of Jesus Christ on the Final Judgment Day as well. We can tell those around us that Jesus Christ will return sometime in the future.

IV. How can we eagerly wait for Jesus? How could the church in Corinth and the church in this place in Iowa eagerly wait for Jesus? Paul reassured them and us with the words: “(God) will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:8). God will keep us strong to the end. God will consider us guiltless on the Final Judgment Day. This promise of God does not depend on how well we do in performing good works in our daily lives. We will do good works, but we are not saved by any good deeds we do. God will consider us to be guiltless because of what Jesus Christ has done to save us from our sins. God will consider us to be guiltless on the Last Day because of the gift of faith in Jesus He has given us.

Paul pointed the church in Corinth and the church in this place to a special quality of God. Paul wrote to them and to us, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). We are not always faithful to God, but God is faithful to us. God has called us into a special fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

V. Martin Luther’s Large Catechism concerning the communion of saints. Martin Luther in his Large Catechism sums up the truth of this teaching about God by writing: “This is the sum and substance of this phrase (communion of saints): I believe that there is on earth a little holy flock or community of pure saints under one head, Christ. It is called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, mind, and understanding. It possesses a variety of gifts, yet is united in love without sect or schism.

“Of this community I also am a part and member, a participant and co-partner in all the blessings it possesses. I was brought to it by the Holy Spirit and incorporated into it through the fact that I have heard and still hear God’s Word, which is the first step in entering it. Before we had advanced this far, we were entirely of the devil, knowing nothing of God and of Christ.

“Until the last day the Holy Spirit remains with the holy community or Christian people. Through it he gathers us, using it to teach and preach the Word. By it he creates and increases sanctification, causing it daily to grow and become strong in the faith and in the fruits of the Spirit” (Large Catechism, page 417, 51-53).

VI. Conclusion. Like a little child eagerly waiting to open Christmas gifts or birthday gifts from loving parents, we also eagerly wait for the Christmas Gift of gifts—eternal life with Jesus Christ our only Savior and Lord who came to our earth because of the great love our Heavenly Father has for each one of us here this morning. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.