God Has a Plan “in Corinth”

INTRODUCTION (7 min)

Have you ever found yourself in a place or situation,

and wished you were somewhere else?

Opening Illustration

That’s what happened to Carl

In the movie “UP”,

Carl meets Ellie, and they become friends because of their shared interest in exploring!

Eventually they get married, and try to start a family,

but they are unable to have children.

So they begin saving money to go to Paradise Falls.

They begin filling their savings jar,

but life happens…

the tire blows out…

Carl breaks his leg…

a tree falls on the house in a storm…

and they have to break the jar and use their savings.

Carl and Ellie grow old together and live a happy life.

One day, Carl finds a painting Ellie has made of their house perched on Paradise Falls.

He becomes inspired, and begins secretly saving.

After buying tickets to go to Paradise Falls,

Carl takes Ellie on a picnic to surprise her,

but she falls terminally ill due to old age and is hospitalized.

Before long, she dies, and Carl is all alone.

Now Carl is an old, grumpy man.

He feels the house is the only thing keeping him connected to Ellie,

but the area is developing and new buildings are going up all around.

After hitting a construction worker who accidentally hit his mailbox,

the court orders him to sell his house and go into a retirement village.

While he is packing, Carl finds the old painting of their home on Paradise Falls.

In one last attempt to keep his promise to Ellie,

Carl attaches thousands and thousands of helium filled balloons to his house…

and sets them free!

The house is ripped from it’s foundation,

and is carried into the sky!

Carl is going to leave the city behind,

and fulfill Ellie’s dream of planting their house on Paradise Falls!

Transition to Listener

Maybe you’ve felt like Carl in your life…

You’re unhappy with your situation:

your house…

your circumstances…

your job…

and you wished you were somewhere else.

You wish you could just grab thousands of balloons,

and float away to a better situation…

and fulfill your dreams!

Transition to Paul/Corinth

I think that’s how Paul must have felt when he went to Corinth.

This morning we are beginning a new series in the book of 1 Corinthians.

This is a letter that Paul wrote to the church he started in the city of Corinth.

Corinth was an important city because of it’s location.

Because it was situated in this narrow pass,

all north/south land traffic had to pass by Corinth.

It was located at a narrow point between:

the Gulf of Corinth; and

the Saronic Gulf.

Here’s a 3D picture of what that narrow strip looks like.

This narrow pass created a shortcut for ships.

They would put the ships on skids/rollers, and roll them across the land…

which was about a 6/7 km stretch.

Otherwise, these ships would have to sail all the way around,

which was about 700 km voyage which was:

time consuming…

and dangerous!

Interestingly,

In the first century,

Nero began making this canal in 67 AD.

He struck ground first with a golden pickaxe,

and then 6,000 Jewish slaves began the hard work.

The project was halted by invasions,

and was only completed in 1893, almost 2,000 years later.

The canal is

26ft deep…

81ft wide…

the side walls rise about 300ft above the water…

and the canal is just over 6km long.

Here is an aerial view of the area with the canal.

Summary

It’s easy to see how Corinth was a strategic location for Paul.

Because of it’s unique location,

there was a lot of commerce and trade that would go through Corinth.

This is a perfect location for spreading the gospel.

People could come and go, and take the teaching of Jesus Christ!

And yet, Corinth was not where Paul wanted to be.

At least…

not yet!

Acts 17 tells us that Paul went to Thessalonica,

and began preaching the gospel there,

and people believed!

But then we read in Acts 17:5

Acts 17:5 ESV

5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

Because of all this commotion, and danger,

Acts 17:10 (ESV)

10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night

Paul would go on to make a quick stop in:

Berea; and

Athens,

before going on to Corinth,

where he would stay for a year and a half.

But what we learn from his letter to the Thessalonians,

is that he wanted to go back to them!

1 Thessalonians 2:17–18 ESV

17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

Transition to Sermon

Paul wanted deeply to go back to Thessalonica.

He understood that Satan was preventing them from going back,

but he probably couldn’t understand why God was allowing it!

What Paul needed to learn is that…

God Has a Plan “in Corinth”

God had a plan to use Paul where HE wanted him to be,

not where Paul wanted to be.

Maybe you feel like Paul…

you can’t understand why God’s not giving you victory,

or changing your circumstances when you feel like it would be so much better…

What you need to know is that…

“God Has a Plan for you “in Corinth””

Bill Cook, in his book “Victory over the Enemy”

“When you feel like life has hemmed you in or Satan has kept you from experiencing God’s best for you, remember God is never outwitted by Satan. Trust God has you where he wants you to be. Ask yourself, “How can I live for God and glorify him right now?”

God wants to use you “in Corinth” even though you’d like to be “in Thessalonica.””

We need to learn that we will be most effective where God puts us,

not where we WANT to be.

BILLBOARD

What we are going to learn this morning is that:

Corinth is where God wants to grow YOU

Corinth is where God wants to grow OTHERS

Corinth is where God wants to fulfill HIS plan

PRAY

First…

1. Corinth is Where God Wants to Grow YOU

EXPLAIN

Paul went to Corinth as a result of being kicked out of Thessalonica.

This was because Satan hindered them… BUT

God works all things for good!

Though it seems like Satan had won the day,

God was in control, and

was using this for His purposes and plans.

Paul knew this, which is why he doesn’t quit and give up,

he kept going!

Acts 18:1–4 (ESV)

1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.

And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

God wanted Paul to grow and mature…

He wanted Paul to learn to…

a. Trust & Obey

I’m sure that Paul was questioning why the door to Thessalonica was shut.

This is why he tried time and time again to go back.

He felt like there was still more work to do there.

But God had other plans,

and Paul needed to learn to trust and obey God.

God also wanted Paul to learn to…

b. Walk by Faith

In Paul’s own mind,

it would never have occurred to him to leave Thessalonica after planting a church there.

He knew they needed a lot of help getting started,

and he planned on staying there a while to give them that help.

But that was not God’s plan this time.

God wanted Paul to go to Corinth,

and so Paul needed to learn to walk by faith…

trusting that God knows what He is doing.

Summary

Paul’s plans were at odds with God’s plans,

but God was using Corinth as an opportunity to grow Paul…

teaching him to:

Trust & Obey; and

Walk by Faith.

ILLUSTRATE

One of my favourite stories from the OT,

is when Elijah has a confrontation with the prophets of Baal.

At the time,

Israel is not being faithful and committed to God.

They are trying to worship God, AND Baal.

Elijah proposes to settle the debate once and for all…

1 Kings 18:22–24 (ESV)

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it.

And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”

The prophets of Baal go first,

they sacrificed the animal…

called out to Baal all day…

even cutting themselves…

but no answer!

Elijah was so confident in the Lord, he mocked them…

1 Kings 18:27 (ESV)

27 “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”

Then it was Elijah’s turn…

He offered the sacrifice according to God’s Word…

had them pour water all over it 3 times…

then called on God, and…

1 Kings 18:38–39 ESV

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

This was the pinnacle of Elijah’s career!

He was at the top!

Not long after, Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to tell him she was going to kill him.

This sent Elijah running from the mountaintop into the wilderness,

and he prayed to God…

1 Kings 19:4 (ESV)

4 “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Summary

How is it that a man who was so confident in God’s power in one moment,

now lacked trust in God and was completely defeated?

Elijah needed to learn that God had a plan in his “Corinth”.

God was using this season of “Corinth” to grow him.

Even though this is not where Elijah wanted to be,

God was using it to teach Elijah to trust Him.

APPLY

What is your “Corinth?”

The place you find yourself, even though you’d like to be somewhere else.

Maybe you’re at a job you don’t want to be at…

or you don’t have a job and you’re looking for one…

Maybe your marriage or a friendship is struggling…

or you don’t have anyone close to share life with…

Maybe a door of opportunity has shut,

and you don’t understand why…

These are things in our life that don’t make sense to us…

they feel like a loss or a defeat!

We may even be tempted to give up!

This is not the place you’d like to be…

you would never choose to be in these difficult circumstances…

and yet in God’s sovereignty,

there you are.

God may have something better for you in the future,

but during this season,

God wants you to grow!

He wants you to learn to:

Trust & Obey Him

His ways are better than yours!

He wants you to learn to:

Walk by Faith

Don’t give up!

You need to believe that God is working His plan,

even though it doesn’t make sense to you right now.

So, as you walk through this season “in Corinth”…

you need to pray for wisdom and discernment

to see how God wants to use “Corinth” to grow YOU!

Transition

Corinth is also…

2. Corinth is Where God Wants to Grow OTHERS

EXPLAIN

Because of Corinth’s location,

all the different trade merchants coming from many different places,

many different religions were introduced and practiced there.

Corinth was a very sinful/pagan city.

Full of sinful practice and idol worship.

Satan was using false religion,

and worldly materialism to deceive and trap people.

William Cook, in his book Victory over the Enemy, says…

“The world under Satan’s dominance manifests itself in the promotion of godless cultures and worldviews. The prince of this world uses the enticement of the world to seduce people further and further away from God.” — William Cook

That is exactly what was happening at Corinth!

Satan was luring people away from God through it’s godless culture.

So God sent Paul to there because they needed the transforming power of the gospel!

And God began to transform people through His gospel!

Acts 18:5–8 ESV

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

Paul was faithful to testify that Jesus was the Messiah.

First, he went to the Jews, but they rejected him…

so he went to the Gentiles…

and God began to transform hearts through the power the gospel!

Interestingly, Paul went to a house, right next door to the Jewish Synagogue.

Do you think God’s Word had an effect on the Jews being right next door?

I certainly think so!

Summary

So, even though Paul had desired to stay in Thessalonica,

God had a plan in Corinth.

His plan was to grow OTHERS

through the transforming power of the gospel!

The interesting thing is,

Paul was willing go to difficult places, like Corinth.

These cities did fear or honour God,

they were pagan…

filled with all sorts of evil/wickedness…

run by corrupt and greedy leaders.

Yet Paul willingly ran toward the world,

knowing they needed the life-changing power of the gospel!

He had faith Corinth was where God wanted to change OTHERS!

APPLY

Our tendency is to want to run away from the world.

We look at how sinful our city is… our province… our country…

and we want to go somewhere better…

We are trying to find heaven on earth.

“Let’s run away from all the sin and evil,

gather all the believers together,

and build heaven on earth!”

This sounds just like…

ILLUSTRATE

The Tower of Babel!

After God created man…

Genesis 1:28 ESV

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Sin began to increase so much in the world,

that God sent a flood and only spared Noah, his family, and all the animals on the Ark.

After the flood,

God made a covenant with Noah, and…

Genesis 9:1 ESV

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

Noah’s decendants began to increase,

but they disobeyed God’s command.

Genesis 11:4 ESV

4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

God wanted His people to fill the earth,

so that the whole world would be filled with the knowledge

and glory of the Lord.

But they disobeyed!

The thing about fighting against God is… He always wins.

After seeing what they were trying to do, God says…

Genesis 11:7–9 ESV

7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

Rather than following God’s way,

they went their own way, thinking their way was better than God’s way.

They were seeking to make a name for themselves.

They wanted to build heaven on earth.

APPLY CONT…

God’s plan is not for his people to isolate themselves in a corner,

safe from the rest of the world.

His plan is to redeem all mankind…

God will bring heaven here on earth...

but we are not the ones who usher in God’s kingdom… HE IS… IN HIS TIME!

Our mandate is to be His witnesses in a fallen world!

We are to be in the world but not of the world…

shining as lights…

pointing a lost and dying world back to their Creator…

who longs for them to know Him and be saved!

We shouldn’t run away from sin and worldliness, but toward it with the transforming power of the gospel!

Paul ran toward sinful/pagan cities… not because he trusted himself,

but because he trusted in the transforming power of God’s gospel.

and he knew they needed it to be set free from sin and darkness.

Missionaries today are running toward countries that are hostile to the gospel…

not because they like those places,

but because they know they need the light of the gospel!

How can we look for a life of ease, comfort and peace, isolated from the world?

We need to see that although we don’t always WANT to be in Corinth,

that is where God wants to grow OTHERS through the power of His gospel!

We need to be bold by sharing the gospel,

knowing that…

The Spirit of God, uses the Word of God, to transform people into the image of the Son of God.

Where are you right now in your life where you may not want to be?

It’s easy to

give up,

wish you were somewhere else, and

check out until your situation changes.

Summary

But how can God use you right where you are to be a light for Him?

Maybe this isn’t the best situation for you,

but God is still growing YOU “in Corinth”, and

He may also be using you to grow OTHERS in Corinth.

3. Corinth is Where God Wants to Fulfill HIS Plan

EXPLAIN

Paul may have thought the best thing was to stay in Thessalonica,

but God’s plan was for him to go to Corinth.

God wasn’t interested in fulfilling Paul’s plan!

Paul is a man, and is limited by space and time…

he is limited to what he can see.

But God is Spirit, and is not limited by space and time…

he can see everything, past, present and future!

Therefore, God is interested in fulfilling His plan,

since it is far better than any human plan could be with our limited knowledge.

Just after arriving in Corinth,

The Lord spoke to Paul in a vision…

Acts 18:9–11 (ESV)

9 “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

For reasons unknown to Paul,

God wanted him to stay in Corinth for a while.

This was God’s plan…

And sometimes…

a. God’s plan may bear fruit now

We have already seen how people were coming to faith in Jesus as Paul began his ministry in Corinth.

Paul was sharing the Good News of Jesus with them,

and they were

repenting of their sin,

turning in faith to Jesus, and

seeking to live their lives in obedience to Him.

God’s plan was bearing fruit now!

Paul saw the fruit of changed lives in the Corinthians.

This would have strengthened him to trust God’s plan.

But sometimes…

b. God’s plan may plant seed for later

While Paul was in Corinth,

and not able to go back to Thessalonica,

he wrote two letters to them to help and instruct them.

Those two letters of encouragement and instruction,

have been read by Christians for the last 2,000 years!

There’s no way Paul could have known his words would have that kind of impact.

His time in Corinth was planting seeds that would bear fruit for centuries!

Summary

It was in Corinth that God wanted to fulfill HIS plan through Paul.

God’s plan was bearing fruit during Paul’s time in Corinth,

as well as planting seeds for generations to come!

ILLUSTRATE

The problem is,

we live in a society of instant gratification.

We don’t want to wait for anything!

We are so conditioned to expect instant results,

that if we don’t see the benefit of something very early on,

we assume it’s not working,

that it’s a waste of time,

and we give up.

But let’s think about that for a minute…

I’ve heard Simon Sinek talk about this idea…

If you start working out tomorrow,

and you look in the mirror after,

you will see no change.

You work out the day after that,

and then look in the mirror…

still no change!

There is no results…

our hard work and effort can’t be measured…

so we give up!

The thing is,

you don’t get in to shape by working out one time,

even if you workout for 9 hours straight!

But you will get into shape by working out for 20 minutes a day over time.

It’s the consistency that will eventually produce the desired result of getting you into shape!

APPLY

It’s the same in our spiritual lives…

God wants to grow fruit in and through us,

but a lot of times we aren’t willing to stick around long enough to see it!

Maybe you tried obeying God’s Word,

but it didn’t make things better,

maybe it made things worse!

Maybe you tried serving in the church once,

and it didn’t really seem to make much difference…

Maybe you started our church-wide Bible reading plan with the Scripture memorization passages at the beginning of the year,

but then you fell behind and gave up…

besides, it didn’t seem to make much difference…

God may bear fruit in some areas that you can see soon,

but more often than not God is going to change you slowly over time,

as you consistently take steps toward spiritual growth!

You’re not going to feel like a spiritual giant if you read the Bible tomorrow,

but you will begin to see and feel the Spirit’s work in your life if you spend time in God’s Word everyday for the next year!

Someone may not come to faith in Jesus through you witnessing one time,

but they may feel the conviction of the Spirit after years of you consistently praying for them, and having conversation with them as you gently and patiently point them to Christ.

Summary

You need look at where God has placed you,

and pray for God to open your eyes to the opportunities He has given you.

Paul wanted to be in Thessalonica,

but God brought him to Corinth.

But Paul didn’t give up,

he just kept on working and serving God!

Paul had no idea when fruit was going to come,

but he was consistent and faithful, working hard,

trusting God to bear fruit in His time.

God has a plan to bear fruit through you,

but you don’t know when that will be.

Don’t give up because you wish you were somewhere else!

Just consistently, faithfully serve God right where you are,

trusting God to bear fruit in His time!

CONCLUSION

You remember Carl?

He was trying to fly away so that he could fulfill his wife’s dream to go to Paradise Falls.

Along the way he

He did eventually reach Paradise Falls…

only it didn’t make him happy like he expected.

He still felt empty.

He went inside his house,

which was now a mess after all they had been through…

and he set up his and Ellie’s chairs, and sat down.

Seeing Ellie’s adventure book that had inspired him to fly to Paradise Falls,

he picked it up and opened to the page that said “stuff I’m going to do”.

He expected the pages to be blank,

since they were never able to go on the adventures they hoped to.

But the pages weren’t blank!

They were full of photos of their life together.

The final photo was of them, elderly, and in their chairs,

with a note underneath that said…

"Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one. Love, Ellie."

What Carl learned was that Ellie saw their simple life together as her adventure.

The location never mattered!

What Carl realized, is that life isn’t about a destination,

it’s about the relationships along the journey that make life meaningful.

ENDING

You may be in Corinth…

and you may want to be in Thessalonica,

but what does God want to teach you?

God wants to use you “in Corinth” even though you’d like to be “in Thessalonica.””

Maybe you’re “in Corinth”… somewhere you don’t want to be…

How is God trying to grow YOU?

How is God trying to grow OTHERS?

How is God trying to fulfill HIS plan?