1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Intro:

Devoted to God’s Church

1. Family Life or What is a Church? (Church)

2. What is Your Story? or Are You a Christian? (Testimony)

3. Follow My Leader or Being a Disciple (Discipleship)

4. A Glorious Addiction or What is a Member? (Membership)

5. Have You Ever Arrived at Church? or Worship (Worship)

6. Are You Hearing Me? or The Bible (The Bible/Scriptures)

7. Does It Help to Know Some Latin? or Christian Baptism (Baptism)

8. 'The Christian's Native Air' or Prayer (Prayer)

9. The View from the Foot or Christian Service (Service)

10. Is There Anything Special for Supper? or Communion (Communion)

11. Home and Away or Christian Witness and World Mission (Mission)

If there was anyone that was devoted to God’s church, it was Paul.

Using some of Paul’s categories, we will walk through 1 Corinthians to see how being devoted to God’s church affects how we respond to certain blessings and trials that come our way…

Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:1–9 ESV

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Vs. 1

1 Corinthians 1:1 “1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,”

Paul is called by the will of God to be an Apostle.

God’s Sovereignty

God is over all

Man is responsible

Acts 9:1–9 ESV

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Effectual Call

Westminster Chapter X, Of Effectual Calling…

I. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, (Rom 8:30; Rom 11:7; Eph 1:10-11); by His Word and Spirit, (2Th 2:13-14; 2Co 3:3, 6); out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ, (Rom 8:2; Eph 2:1-5; 2Ti 1:9-10); enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, (Act 26:18; 1Co 2:10, 12; Eph 1:17-18); taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh, (Eze 36:26); renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, (Eze 11:19; Phl 2:13; Deu 30:6; Eze 36:27); and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, (Eph 1:19; Jhn 6:44-45): yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace, (Sgs 1:4; Psa 110:3; Jhn 6:37; Rom 6:16-18).

II. This effectual call is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man, (2Ti 1:9; Tts 3:4-5; Eph 2:4-5, 8-9; Rom 9:11); who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, (1Co 2:14; Rom 8:7; Eph 2:5); he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it, (Jhn 6:37; Eze 36:27; Jhn 5:25).

III. Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, (Luk 18:15-16; Act 2:38-39; Jhn 3:3, 5; 1Jo 5:12; Rom 8:9); who worketh when, and where, and how He pleaseth, (Jhn 3:8): so also are all other elect persons who are uncapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word, (1Jo 5:12; Act 4:12).

IV. Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, (Mat 22:14); and may have some common operations of the Spirit, (Mat 7:22; Mat 13:20-21; Hbr 6:4-5); yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved, (Jhn 6:64-66; Jhn 8:24): much less can men, not professing the Christian religion, be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the laws of that religion they do profess, (Act 4:12; Jhn 14:6 Eph 2:12; Jhn 4:22; Jhn 17:3). And, to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested, (2Jo 1:9-11; 1Co 16:22; Gal 1:6-8).

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Jesus effectually called Paul and it was a special call to be an Apostle

An Apostle is a special office of authority that ceased when the last disciple died (usually thought to be John)

Apostles had direct access to Jesus

Paul describes himself as one untimely born

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 “1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

This was Paul’s calling

Vs. 2

1 Corinthians 1:2 “2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:”

To the Church…

When we’re born again, we’re grafted into something much larger than us.

We’re grafted into the church

We’re grafted into Christ himself

Who are the sanctified ones?

Visible church?

Invisible church?

1 Corinthians 7:13–14 “13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

The sanctified ones are all those who profess Christ as Lord and their children

Vs. 3

1 Corinthians 1:3 “3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is Paul’s usual greeting and he often uses it as a benediction.

Grace to you and peace

Vs. 4

1 Corinthians 1:4 “4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,”

Paul gives thanks for the sanctified ones at Corinth because of the grace of God that was given to them in Christ.

Paul says, “I thank God for you - because you were given grace…

How often do we give thanks to God for others being given grace?

It’s easy to thank God for giving us grace, and we always ask for more - *we need it*

But how often do we thank God for others receiving grace?

This goes back to the doctrine of the church

When we’re grafted into Christ, we are grafted into a network of believers

Such that when they rejoice, we rejoice

When they mourn, we mourn

And Paul is thanking God that he has been grafted - not just into Christ - but in Christ, we have been grafted into a community.

There is real spiritual connection because we are all united to the one same tree, vine, trunk.

Thank God for the people that we have been united to

Vs. 5

1 Corinthians 1:4–5 “4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—”

Remember that Corinth was a city that was known for their many pagan gods and the ceremonies that went along with those gods

But Paul says that he thanks God for them - that in every way, they were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge…

They had gone from death to life

They had gone from pagan worship to worship of the Triune God

They had gone from speech and knowledge derived from pagan practices, but had moved into speech and knowledge of Jehovah.

But Paul says that they were enriched in every way…

How is this possible?

Were they now perfect?

No.

Because they were untied to Christ, all that was his is now theirs…

All that Christ accomplished is theirs in him

Everything they need to live a godly life is theirs in Christ

Positionally, as they are seen before the Father, they are perfect, because they stand before him in Christ

This creates an already/not yet tension

Vs. 6

1 Corinthians 1:6 “6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—”

Taken in 2 ways:

The testimony of the people was confirmed by their deeds - the fact that their speech and their knowledge was now different confirmed their testimony.

This is true, but I don’t think that’s what the text is saying.

The text says that the testimony about Christ was confirmed…

What has been taught about Christ can be seen to be true in how you live.

It’s not, “Your changed lives prove your testimony.”

It’s, “Your changed lives prove Christ’s testimony.”

How do we know that this Christianity thing is real?

Lives are drastically changed.

The testimony about Christ was confirmed among you

Vs. 7

1 Corinthians 1:7 “7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

“you are not lacking any gift.”

To whom is Paul talking when he says that you are not lacking in any gift?

To those sanctified… as a whole

He’s talking to the church… as a whole

This is not to an individual.

You and I cannot say that we lack nothing in the gift arena.

We do lack…

I am not the church

You may have heard people say, “don’t go to church, be the church.”

Or, “I am the church.”

This is wrong headed because the church is the gathered body.

It is a collective body

Paul is saying that we are lacking in nothing as an entire church.

So when I hear people say, “I can worship God just as good in a boat as I can in a church building,” I say nope. False.

By yourself, you are lacking in gifts.

No one person has all the spiritual gifts

That’s why Paul says in Ephesians 4:11–16 “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

(Church discipline - this is a big reason for church discipline. To cut one off from the covenant community is to remove them from the completeness of the whole.)

We are a body working together - and together, we lack no spiritual gift - as we await the revealing of Jesus Christ.

This is probably 70 AD, but it still has the same application for us -

That we are united and lacking in no spiritual gift as we await Christ’s second coming

Vs. 8

1 Corinthians 1:8 “8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Christ not only completes us as a whole -

He preserves us to the end

He sustains us

This is what we mean by the Perseverance of the Saints

Christ will preserve his people through to the end.

This is the “not yet” that we await.

We are not complete, and yet we lack nothing

Vs. 9

1 Corinthians 1:9 “9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

So how do we know that we will make it there?

What assurance do we have?

God is faithful.

He is the one who called us

He is the one who unites us to Christ

In him, we are complete

In him, we lack nothing as a covenant community