Untitled Sermon (3)

Introduction

Welcome everyone, thank them for coming,

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.

When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ.[1]

Unity is vitally important within the church. Over the next several weeks, we will be examining a church that was dysfunctional, full of secret and very public sin, and disunity. What I hope for us to witness over the coming weeks is how Paul challenges the church to be:

1. United in Christ,

2. United in Worship,

3. United in Mission, and

4. United as Believers.

Historical Information of Corinth

- Rome destroyed the city in 146 B.C., re-founded by Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.

- Was considered: "one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire"[2]

- Roman Corinth was prosperous, cosmopolitan, and religiously pluralistic, accustomed to visits by impressive, traveling public speakers and obsessed with status, self-promotion, and personal rights."[3] (Sounds so similar to the US)

- Corinth was at the heart of an important trade route in the ancient world.

- Ultimately, Corinth had a reputation for

- Sexual immorality,

- Religious diversity,

- Corruption

- Greed

Historical Information on the Corinthian Church:

- Paul planted the church in Corinth (Acts 18)

- Paul wrote to the church around A.D. 55 from Ephesus

- Paul informs the church that the church belongs to God. (1 Cor. 1:2)

- Key Questions Addressed that were "dividing the Church":

- spiritual gifts,

- marriage,

- food offered to idols,

- the resurrection.

- Key Point of the Book:

- “Be unified in Christ and give ourselves fully to 'the work of the Lord'" (1 Cor. 15:58)[4]

Today, I would like to talk to you about “The Unifying God”

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

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.[5]

Pray

1) We are to be unified because believers are God called.

1 Cor. 1:1-2

“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenenes, 2 To the church of God… called to be saints together.”

In order to understand Paul’s grasp on what it means to be “called by the will of God” (1 Cor 1:1), we need to quickly examine Paul’s salvation experience. Turn with me to Acts 9:1-9

Acts 9:1-9

9 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.[6]

In Paul’s salvation experience, he is persecuting Christ through his persecution of believers. While on his way to continue his crusade against believers, Paul’s journey is interrupted. Jesus, intervenes in Paul’s life. In the intervention, Jesus calls Paul unto repentance and Paul is redeemed. Later in the chapter, God sends a disciple named Ananias to Paul. When God informs Ananias of Paul’s need for Ananias. God tells him, in Acts 9:15-16:

Acts 9:15-16

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”[7]

We not only see in Paul’s conversion experience that Jesus, himself called Paul unto salvation but also to a specific ministry calling.Therefore, when Paul writes “called by the will of God,” he is point back to his salvation experience and his unique calling from God.

Another way of looking at this statement is that Paul is proclaiming that he has authority to write to the Corinthian church because God has given him authority through his salvation and specific, ordained ministry calling. However, it is not just Paul that has been called with this kind of intimate calling. In fact, all believers have experienced an intimate call from God unto salvation. Jesus speaking tells us in John 6:44-47,

John 6:44-47

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. [8]

Therefore, all believers who believe in the work of Jesus Christ and has experienced saving faith have experienced an intimate calling of God unto salvation. While you might not have had the Paul experience, it does not take away from the intimate nature of your salvation experience.

Think back to the day Jesus saved you, do you remember the stirring of your heart? Maybe an uneasiness? The feeling you experienced was God drawing you to himself. Because we have been God called, we must find unity in our salvation in Christ Jesus.

2) We are to be unified because we belong to God’s Church.

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:[9]

“To the church of God” there is one thing that Paul made clear in his writings to churches, the church did not belong to anyone except for God. If you talk with pastors and members of different churches, it does not take long before you hear stories of members who have left their previous church because there pastor acts like the church belongs to him or a pastor complains because a deacon, or member, believes that the church belongs to them because they have been there longest, give the most money, and the list goes on. What is common in these situations, they forgot who the church ultimately belongs to, who is Jesus.

Much of the disunity found within churches and other ministry programs center on what we call preferences. Churches have split over the color of the carpet, the choice of chairs instead of pews, worship music styles, the attire the preacher wears to preach in, because of two families fighting, etc. Honestly, it is heartbreaking and ridiculous to imagine a church splitting because people want a natural carpet instead of blue, or because the worship pastor decided to play Jesus Messiah instead of Amazing Grace. Yet, when Jesus is no longer the focus of our worship and church gathering, we allow our own preferences and desires to cause division within the body.

So, why is division negative in a church? First of all, Jesus in Matthew 12:25 tells us, 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.[10] The same is true of the church. If our church is divided and full of bickering, we will not be effective in ministering to others or worshipping the Lord. When we do not have a unified heart the body of Christ, the church, suffers. We need all of our members functioning cohesively with one mind. Therefore, we are to be unified because we belong to God’s Church.

3) We are to be unified because we are sanctified.

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:[11]

Just a show of hands, how many of you would say you sin at least once a week? What about once a day? If you said you do not sin at least once a day, you are mistaken. The fact is, even the most faithful of saints stumble and fall victim to sin daily. The defining differences between the most humble of saints and the proud, the humble saints recognize their sinful nature and confess their sins throughout the day. Thus, they maintain their pure and humble walk with the Lord.

I know this is a little difficult to wrap our minds around but let’s try. We are currently being sanctified in Christ. Everything we experience in this life as children of God is for the purpose of helping purify us and make us more like Christ. However, at the same time, in God’s sight, we are already sanctified, made pure by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore, we are saints who are being made to be better imitators of Christ and that work of sanctification will be completed when we depart this world to be joined with Christ Jesus our Lord and savior.

Listen to this now, upon that moment, we will no longer experiences depression, anxiety, fear, pain, suffering, heartache, sin, oppression, sickness, loneliness, all of it will be gone! We will be perfectly pure and we will have glorified bodies as the bride and saints of Jesus.

Common now, I need some excitement in here.

Man if that does not pump you up we need to check your pulse.

Don’t you see? We are united because of the work of God in us. Being united does not mean we agree on everything, there are times for discussion and disagreement. However, how we disagree is altered, it does not result in personal attacks, leaving the church, becoming disconnected. Instead, disagreement leads to better plans, solutions, discussions, and life altering unity! Because we are saints, we live confessed lives. When we make a practice of confessing and apologizing to those who we sin against, we see hearts moved and unity is formed.

Conclusion

The difficulty of being unified is prevalent in our society. We are in some of the most divisive times of the short history of the United States of America. We see society fracturing over social justice and police issues, politics, and Covid-19. Also, we see churches dividing over Covid-19, Politics, Social Justice issues. Instead of showing the World what biblical unity looks like, we have communicated that the Gospel doesn’t actual change anything. We are in desperate need for the church to demonstrate the unifying power of Jesus Christ. However, in order for that work to transpire, we all need to have hearts that are humbly submitted to Jesus.

Invitation

For some of us in the room, that means we need spend some quality time here and ask God to forgive us for being distracted and allowing our hearts to drift away from the Lord. For others, it means you need to surrender your life to the Lord. The fact is you have been in church but have never experienced the calling of God for salvation. Yet, right now, you sense the Lord moving in your heart and prompting you to respond to his call to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Yet, for others, you need to pray and ask the Lord to help you be a unifying voice in these times of disunity. Ask the the Lord to give you the strength to lead well.

I will be in the back of the room for anyone who needs to make a decision or desires prayer.

[1] Our Daily Bread, October 4, 1992. (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/u/unity.htm)

[2] Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 2.

[3] Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 3.

[4] 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 15:58.

[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 1:1–3.

[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 9:1–9.

[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 9:15–16.

[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 6:44–47.

[9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 1:2.

[10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 12:25.

[11] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 1:2.