I Corinthians 1:4-17
Notes
Transcript
I Corinthians 1:4-17
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.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ 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 may 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 preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Pray
Introduction -
College football. Who has the superior player?
When College Football fans are preparing for the season, they ask.
Who out of the gate has the Superior team?
Who has the best rankings?
Who has the greatest return players?
Who might win the Heisman this year?
People all over the world who love sports are looking for the best team and players.
The most superior team and players.
Transition - The church in Corinth is no different.
The people of the church were aligning with certain leaders.
Like we get behind certain football teams, the Corinthians were getting behind their favorite leader. They were so passionate about their favorite leader - that they were getting in spiritual arguments.
Transition - Paul makes very clear who is the greatest in the church in Corinth. It is not Peter, Apollos, it is not the pastor of the church in Corinth, it is not Paul.
The one who is superior - the one who is at the apex... the only one deserving of worship is Jesus Christ.
Our first point today is this ??? “Christ is superior In His Church”.
I. The Superiority of Christ in His Church.
How is Christ Superior?
verse 4, Begins the journey of telling us why Christ is Superior in His church.
vs. 4, Thankfulness for God’s “Grace” underserved gift given in Christ Jesus.
Christ is Superior because all the underserved gifts that we have come through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the funnel through which all in our life are given.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
One of the great gifts that the Corinthians were given is mentioned in verse 5.
Vs. 5. “Speech and all knowledge”
5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—
Speech - Teaching/Preaching/evangelism & explaining the Scripture
Knowledge - Wisdom/insight/discernment/Truth
I believe that Paul was not only pointing out a truth, but He was setting the Corinthians up for a future confrontation.
or was Paul congratulating them on these gifts that later he would accuse them of abusing?
-He was bringing up a subject and speaking truth to it, but later would rebuke them for how they were getting it wrong.
-Our greatest weaknesses are out strengths overdone.
Paul goes on in our text to talk about the Supremacy of Christ
vs. 6, vs., 5 “in everything you are enriched by Him”… vs. 6 “even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed”.
God has poured out His great blessings on you seen ultimately in the Gospel being given to you.
Vs. 7 unpacks the further grace of verse 5. “in every way you were enriched by Him”
vs. 7, “there is no spiritual lack”.
.You have Christ and the body of Christ, the church, has all the gifts you need to do the work that He has called you to.
In Giving us His Son Jesus Christ, God has given you all that He has - He can give you no more. He has given you His Son and the gifts it takes to live life following His Son.
God empowers you with the Spirit of His Son - the Holy Spirit.
vs. 8, Who sustains Spiritually? Jesus sustains us until the end of our life or the day Jesus returns.
We see in our first handful of verses:
-God saves us through Jesus - the Son.
-He gives spiritual gifts to the members of the church -which is the body of - the Son.
-God empowers His people to use the gifts he gives with the Spirit of - the Son.
-He sustains His people until the end with the endurance of - the Son.
-God shows His superiority through Jesus the Son.
Transitions, Let me ask you this,...
Who created your life? Jesus
Who invaded and saved your life? Jesus
Who has transformed you life? Jesus
Who has empowered your life? Jesus
Who has sanctified your life? Jesus
In the end ...
Who will culminate your life? Jesus
Who will give you a resurrection body like His? Jesus
Who will you worship in heaven forever? Jesus
Can I get an amen?
We talk about Jesus because we believe that God shows His church how superior He is through Jesus.
Vs. 9 says it this way, “God is faithful”.
The point is this. Jesus finishes what He started.
He started a relationship with you that calls you into fellowship with Him?
What does fellowship mean? Participating in an intimate relationship.
God has called into an intimate relationship with Himself through the most Superior person in all the universe, Jesus Christ.
Intimacy with God is meant to be even more precious, intertwined, more personal than even intimacy in marriage.
Not only does God show you His superiority, but He invites you into a relationship with the most superior.
Transition - The Corinthians were a divided church.
Due to their division, they were missing the superiority of Jesus.
A church that is divided is a church that is ineffective.
So, Paul addresses the issue of the ...
II. Unity of Christ in His Church
Here at the beginning of this letter, Paul (faces a serious problem head on).
I want you to notice how he does not avoid it. He doesn’t save it for later on in his letter.
-You will see this problem of division come up later in the book.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ 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 may 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 preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
The problem is this - there were arguments breaking out in the body of Christ.
The arguments were over who each person followed or got behind.
The Corinthians found an identity in being a follower of Paul, Apollos, Peter or Christ.
Imagine during your Sunday School class there is an argument, not a disagreement, but an argument over who is better to follow Billy Graham or Charles Stanley.
Imagine after church lets out if in the isle of this church house there is an argument over which is the better worship music, Hymns or Gospel music.
The Corinthians were divided. They didn’t have a simple disagreement over preference. They found their Christian identity so tied to an individual - they were divided.
It is most likely that those who followed:
Paul - Stated that he was the Apostle to the Gentiles so gentiles from many ethnic & cultural backgrounds probably followed Paul.
Apollos - Had his followers were probably not just gentile, but specifically from the Greeks. Because Greeks loved a speaker who was eloquent. Who made reasoning and speech an art form. Apollos was an eloquent speaker.
Peter - was the Apostle to the Jews. It is likely that the Christians from a Jewish background followed Peter and identified with Him.
These arguments and divisions were hurting the body of Christ.
This was beating up the body of Christ.
This was distracting the body ofChrist.
Illustration - Have you ever seen a basketball team that had 2 starting players get in an on-going argument?
-What did it do for the team?
-It distracted the team. The team floundered.
-The team could not focus on its main purpose of being a team & winning games.
-The team looses games due to the distraction.
I remember in High School, the first football game of the year, a popular kid in my grade who was on the team, but did not start was back by the fence near the stands. 2 girls started talking to him. He got distracted in the conversation with these 2 ladies. The coach turns around and sees him.
Coach yells at him in front of everyone. “You want to talk to those in the stands? Go sit in them.” Coach threw him out of the game and made him sit in the stands with his pads on.
Here is the principle -
When we are distracted from God’s purpose we are worthless to His work. (x2)
The body of Christ is no different.
Application
When a church has a division about secondary issues, we become ineffective for Jesus.
-When we are embroiled in political arguments, racial disagreements, heavy controversy on how to handle the pandemic - we become ineffective - we become distracted from Jesus.
Paul gives a solution -
vs. 10, reread
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
a. Make a decision to agree - make a decision that the primary issue is one that is of most importance.
-Paul was a broken man.
-Apollos was a broken man.
-Peter was a broken man.
-We do not place our hope in a broken-man, but we place our hope in the God man. Jesus Christ.
IDENTITY
-The Corinthians were finding their identity in people.
-In this case these were good people. Christ followers.
-We have a temptation to center the core of our identity in things other than Jesus.
For example: We are proud to be a republican, to support Trump, to pull for the Georgia Bulldogs, to be Baptist, to eat grits and listen to country music.
We are tempted to make those distinctions personal.
We are tempted to fight over these secondary issues.
When you get to heaven the bible doesn’t say anything about politics being in heaven, nor your favorite sports team, nor your church denomination, nor your preferred style of music.
All these things will seem trivial compared to loving and worshiping Jesus.
When all of us makes a decision to make Jesus the focus of who we follow, there is unity in the body of Christ.
-You have one job every day that everything else flows out of.
Set your heart on loving & following Jesus.
How are you doing with loving and following Jesus?
Is Jesus superior in your life?
Are you making sure that Jesus is the main thing?
How is God calling you to make Jesus the main thing in your life?
-Is there a decision that needs to be made?
-Is there a secondary or smaller issue you have become to focused on?
-A relationship that needs to be tended to?
-A sin that is to be confessed and avoided?
Gospel
Those of you who are listening, who have never said “yes” to Jesus.
Who have not yet given your life to trust, love and follow Him.
God is calling you to make Him the most superior thing in your life right now.
-He is calling you to love Him and follow him?
Christ has loved you. He left the beauty and majesty of heaven, came down to a dirty world, lived a perfect life, and died on a cross to make a payment for your sins.
Whatever it is that has held you back from saying “Yes” to loving and following Jesus - now is the time to put it aside.
Now is the time to grab onto the hand of God and follow Him.
Will follow Him fresh today, will you in your heart say “yes” to Him right now.
Pray.
_________________________________
-As a Christ follower your first job in life is to love Jesus.
As a Christ follower you first job is not to: be a good mom or dad, wonderful grandparent, top worker at your company, best student.
-Your #1 job is to love with Jesus.
-Your love for Jesus informs the way you parent and grandparent. Your love for Jesus informs the way you work and the kind of student you are.
Because you love Jesus - you live life for His glory.
Paul claims,
vs. 13-16, Verse 13 Paul says, You are out of your mind if you follow me. You are only to follow Jesus.
Here is the problem.
Here is how Paul addresses it.
does not avoid a serious problem. -Division
This problem Paul will continue to address in His letter to the Corinthians.
Focus on verse 10 & 17
Reread verse 10,
All of life is about Him.
Maybe take some time to address where we find out identity.
Some of the people in the sound of my voice find your identity in other things than Christ.
Before anything else - the saved are Christ followers.
Our allegiance is first to Christ.
Anything else that you attach to Christ needs to be unhitched.
Your political party needs to be unhitched from Christ.
Your political party will fail you. When it does. Your faith must stand strong.
Your favorite Christian sports star must be unhitched from Christ. When he or she fail you. Your faith must stand strong.
Your special Christian author or movie star must be unhitched from Christ. When they come out with a strange unbiblical belief, Your faith must stand strong.
Even our nationalism and patriotism must be unhitched from Christ. As much as we love our nation and the constitution our nation has and will fail. When it fails, our faith must not be in a country - it must be in Christ.
The Corinthians were saying, I follow Paul.
I hitch myself to Paul. Paul says, cut it out. Don’t follow me, follow Jesus.
Why? God’s love for you will never fail. God’s faithfulness will never fail. God’s greatness will never fail. A man or a woman that you idolize will eventually fail you.
I Cor 1:13,
Address vs. 17,
God sent me not to create followers of me, but Him.
I don’t have words of eloquent wisdom, all the wisdom is God’s.
If you place your hope in me - the cross is worth nothing.
