Same Mind and Same Purpose

Michael Coppock

Called to Be Saints • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

1 Corinthians 1:10–18

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Psalter

Psalm 27:1 NRSV

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:4-9

Psalm 27:4–9 NRSV

4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. 6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! 8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

Psalm 27:

Psalm 27:4–9 NRSV

Opening Prayer

O God, our light and our salvation, shelter us in your love. O God, our stronghold, protect us from danger. We come with shouts of joy to worship you this day. We come with song and music to celebrate your love. We come with longing to seek your presence. Be with us now, O God, as we sing your praises. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Almighty God, you have seen us as a people walking in darkness and you have brought us a great light. Holy is your Name. You are our God who calls us and saves us from those things which oppress us. We sing your praise and lift our songs of thanksgiving.

In your infinite mercy you gave your only-begotten Son to be our salvation. By grace we have been counted as your children through baptism into him. Yet so often we act like spoiled children and fight among ourselves about who is greater. In your wisdom you have given us the cross, but by our political games we have witnessed it as foolishness to the world which is so deparately in need of the Good News. O God, where we have dishonored you and failed to proclaim Christ Jesus to the world, forgive us.

You Holy Spirit opens the ears of those you call into your service. May that same Spirit aid us in listening and hearing and responding to your claims upon us. Give us a sure reliance on your will for us that we may lay aside gladly our daily tasks to consecrate our work to you.

You shield us in your tent; you hide us in the day of trouble. So we ask you this day to shield and hide these dear ones whom we have named; they are in need o your protection. Touch the infirmity of those who are physically, emotionally or spiritually distressed, and grant your peace. Help them and us to behold your beauty in this life and the next.

Because you are God, our hearts do not fear; because you are our stronghold we are not afraid. Hear and answer us, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Children’s Time

How do we get along with one another? Do you ever have people who are more popular than other people in your class? What about people that others may not play with? Paul reminds us that we need to love everyone no matter what. We are to get along with each other and even play with each other especially those that we may see not have anyone to play with.

Scripture Lesson

1 Corinthians 1:10–18 NRSV

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. 18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Introduction

Paul leaps right into the primary issue for the Corinthians only ten verses into his letter - division. It is an us verses them mentality. Let’s be honest. What Paul is dealing with is no different from where we find ourselves today in the United Methodist Church. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room is always there, and no one really wants to talk about it - at least not much. We know its there, but we don’t really want to deal with it.

Our denomination is very divided and because of our structure, we are pitted against one another. This is sad. There are many who I consider friends with whom I do not agree on a number of issues. However, I still call them my friends. We live in a culture that doesn’t allow for that anymore. If you are not for us, you are against us is the mentality. We create factions and divisions not just in our churches but all across our society and culture. If you don’t agree, you are cancelled. It is this idea that we have to tear one another down in such vicious ways that we want to completely destroy the other person. We have seen it played out on our television screens for months. No matter where you may fall politically, I think we can all agree that it has all gotten completely out of hand.

So with so much division that exists in our culture and in our churches today, how in the world do we ever come together? If we are the saints of God, how can we truly live out what Paul says that we are to be of the same mind and the same purpose? We said last week that saints are to be a different people. How can we be examples of what it means to live with the same mind and purpose?

This morning, I would like for us to take some time to learn from Paul what it may look like for us to have that same kind of vision. He has come in as a mediator of sorts to try to help them to come together around the things that they hold in common. It is important to understand that there are times when separation is necessary, and we need to go our separate ways. But even in that separation, there are ways that we are united to the same mind and purpose in Christ.

1. Saints are united in the name of Jesus.

Philippians 2:9–10 NRSV

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

First, saints are united in the name of Jesus. Every day we pray in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus carries with it power for healing, transformation, and reconciliation. In fact, the name of Jesus will bring together all of humanity - living and dead - when Christ returns. Paul uses the Christ hymn in to give us understanding of the power in the name of Jesus. We used to sing a song when I was a kid that “in the name of Jesus we have the victory.”

As we go through the gospels, the name of Jesus carries tremendous power. Why is that? In the gospel of Mark, in particular, the demons try to call out the name of Jesus as a way to overpower and manipulate him. But Jesus continuously tells them to be quiet. In , he says, “Are there any among you sick? They should call the elders of the church and have them pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” He goes on, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”

In , the disciples are upset because someone else is casting out demons in the the name of Jesus. Apparently, this is someone who has followed Jesus and believed in him and is now doing the same kinds of miracles that the disciples are not doing. Just before this at the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus comes upon the rest of the disciples. (Peter, James, and John had been with him on the mountain.) They were attempting to cast out a demon from a young boy but were unable to. And here in , someone who is not one of the 12 is casting out demons in Jesus’ name.

Before the Transfiguration, Jesus sends out the 12 on a mission. He is sending them as his apostles into the world. Notice, they are being SENT. But how does Jesus send them out? says, “Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal.” They went out in the name of Jesus to do all these things - to heal, cast out demons, and to preach the good news. They were given authority and power!

What we have to understand is that we as saints are also sent out into the world to do these same things. Our purpose as the church is to spread the kingdom of God into the world. We do that by taking the authority of Jesus, as his representatives - as ones who take his name, to those who are hurting and need to know the good news of Jesus. We come to heal and to cast out demons. We do not talk about that very much any more in the church. But this is something that we must reclaim. Jesus has give us this authority in his name. All things must bow to the name of Jesus - this includes sickness, demonic powers, and even the rulers of this world. Remember what else Paul says in , “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” All of this is under the complete authority of Jesus. And it is in his name that we are sent into this world to continue his mission of spreading the kingdom of God to all people.

2. Saints are united in the cross of Jesus.

Ephesians 2:14–16 NRSV

For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.

Ephesians 2:16 NRSV

16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.

Ephesians 2:

Secondly, saints are united in the cross of Jesus. The cross is of central importance to the saint. Paul begins to list all of the ways that the church in Corinth is divided against itself. Some follow Paul, others Apollos, others Peter, and some even claim Christ. So what is happening in these factions is that they are going with the preacher that they like the most. The preacher is most important - the one delivering the message. We are all susceptible to this kind of thinking. I have always heard that in any church everyone is going to like you - some will like you when you come, some will like you when you are there, and some will like you when you’re gone. But Paul’s point is that the preacher is not the one that is important. What is important is the cross.

It is Christ who was crucified and through whose death atonement was made for sin. Christ is the one who saves and in whom we are baptized. The church is his body, and we become one and are united through his death and resurrection. When the focus becomes something other than the cross, the power of the message is lost. When it is all about the one who is in pulpit, it is a shallow message. Every preacher should point to the cross of Christ.

There was a painting by Matthias Grunewald that used to hang in the office of the famous theologian Karl Barth that had John the Baptist pointing to Christ on the cross. Much of his theological writing including his ciminal work, Church Dogmatics, came in the shadow of this famous painting. This was a reminder to him of his role in the kingdom - point to the cross of Christ.

Now some may be offended by the cross. They certainly were in Paul’s day. They thought it was foolish to put one’s faith in one who had died a horrible and humiliating death. It wasn’t reasonable. We are supposed to worship those who had accomplished great things in the world - those who have triumphed in extraordinary ways, but Jesus seemed not to do that. But it is in the cross where we find salvation. The one who did not deserve to die, died on our behalf so that we could be fully and totally reconciled to God and to each other. It is through the cross that people of all backgrounds, cultures, and colors can come together as the body of Christ. It is through the cross that every person in this world can be saved and made part of the kingdom of God. Paul says later in , “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” When we come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, there is no longer the divisions and distinctions that come in this world. Every person no matter who they are is united together in Christ as the his body through the cross.

3. Saints are united in the gospel of Jesus.

Ephesians 3:6 NRSV

6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:

Finally, saints are united in the gospel of Jesus. What is the gospel of Jesus? It begins with what we just spoke about - the cross. This is the good news that is to be proclaimed. In our liturgy for holy communion, we say in the prayer of confession quoting from Romans, “Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.” The gospel is simple. Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, emptied himself of all the glories of heaven and became like us for the sole purpose of bringing us into right relationship with God and one another. He died our death and set us free from the bondage of sin so that we might live in the righteousness of God.

What good news is this! However, there is a false gospel that is perpetuated in many places. It can take the form of a gospel of works righteousness - that somehow we can earn our salvation through good acts in the world. This gospel is what Paul talked about in when he said, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” This works righteousness has seeped into the church in form of what is typically called the social gospel. Now, we all know that God calls us to help the poor, the widow, the orphan, and even the alien in our midst. This is part of the justice of God - how we love one another with the love of Christ. However, what has happened in many cases is that the social gospel has replaced the true gospel of life-changing power and the power of the cross is emptied because of it. The social gospel that is perpetuated in many places is nothing more that secular activism. The gospel of Jesus Christ begins with the transformation of the human heart. That leads us into the world to help those who are in need because when we help them, we are helping Christ. But it begins with a change in the heart. If the heart is not changed and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, any work that is done is not for Christ but for self. In many cases, the social gospel becomes a human centered project rather than Christ centered. That is where it falls short. Because in the end, one cannot be saved by this gospel. It is the cross that is power of God for salvation.

The gospel of Christ is a gospel of transformation. When he sent out the apostles to preach about the kingdom of God, that kingdom consisted of three things: delivering from the evil powers of the world, healing those who are sick and broken, and proclaiming that we are set free from the oppression of sin. That is the gospel of Christ, and it is only possible because of the cross and the resurrection.

When we are unified under this mantle and message, there is nothing that can hold us back. We are given authority and power to go out into all the world and declare the defeat of all things that Satan has tried to used to destroy the church. We are unified in the fact that God has empowered his people to go into all the world with the authority of Christ. Richard Hayes says that the cross is “God’s shocking intervention to save and transform the world.” This is the gospel that Paul proclaimed to the churches he founded including the church in Corinth. Today, we are called to take this same message of healing and transformation to a world that is broken and hurting. The truth of the gospel is what will bring unity to the church of Christ.

Conclusion

In closing, I believe that it is imperative for us to be of the same mind and purpose as we look to the future. We are entering a time of great transition within our denomination and within our local church. But this is not a time to be apprehensive about the future but rather to be excited about what God will do next with us. God is pouring out his Spirit in a new and fresh way upon the church right now. I believe with all my heart that we are on the precepice of a third great awaking in our world. It is time for us to be prepared and ready for this outpouring of the Spirit. We must look to the Scriptures to encounter this new thing that is happening. With this fresh outpouring, we must be prepared to be the apostolic church that Christ has called us to be. That means that we are a church that preaches the fullness of the truth of God’s word from Genesis to Revelation. That means that we are a place of miracles taking place. We lay hands on the sick and anoint them with oil and pray in faith for healing and wholeness to transpire. We are a people who know that we are not battling against flesh and blood but against principalities and demonic forces all around us. This is not a scary thought because all of these powers have already been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is right now sitting at the right hand of God the Father. His authority is now our authority. Through the power of the name of Jesus, these forces must flee. There are people in our community and in our families right now who are under the power and influence of these demonic forces. May we be a people who stand against these things and live with the authority of Christ in our lives. Because, brothers and sisters, when the church is of the same mind and the same purpose, Satan cannot defeat us.

Benediction

Go forth bathed in the light and love of God. Go forth to join with Jesus to proclaim the good news of this love and light. Go forth empowered by the Spirit to live the Way with courage, conviction, and joy.

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