1 Corinthians 1:3-9 -- 1 Advent 2020

As the church flips the page on the liturgical calendar revealing a new year, why don’t we make a mental list of what you expect in this year ahead? Will there be a wedding in the family? Are you planning on a fancy vacation? Do you expect to die and live with the Lord Jesus? Do you expect Christ to return this year, to be acknowledged by all people?

I doubt if dying was at the top of your list. Yet, when we review salvation history, we find that our great God often does what we do not expect. What He does or allows to happen is, quite frankly, what we least expect. Take our OT Reading, for example: the prophet remembers that the Lord has done the unexpected in the past and pleads that he continue this pattern of the unexpected.

Our lives are lived with the unexpected. Did any of you expect the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic? Yet, for nearly 10 months it has been part of our lives. Nine months ago we attending worship, maybe planning a much-needed vacation: like a couple trips to Disney, and in my case a cross-country motorcycle trip with 1,800 other bikers. But then this pandemic hit us, something we didn’t expect. Yet, variety of reasons that I’m sure none of us will know for sure, God allowed this thing to happen in our life together.

But many things God does directly and oftentimes it is unexpected; and those unexpected things are what stands out in our lives. This morning’s letter to the Corinthians reveals the wonderfully unexpected thing He did in our lives and will so again before our last day on this earth. So today, let the Holy Spirit use St. Paul’s greeting to the church at Corinth to stir us to expect the unexpected, for what God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives.

The Lord Has Done the Unexpected

He did the unexpected for

Adam (1st sacrifice to cover his nakedness),

for Noah (build an ark—to save from My wrath),

for Abram (sacrifice your son to me—provided a substitute),

for Moses (rescue my people from slavery),

for David (though he sinned, God caused a righteous Branch to come forth).

He did the unexpected for us in Christ. 1 Cor. 1:4-9

1 Corinthians 1:4–9 ESV

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.

Jesus came to live perfectly for us,

to die perfectly for us,

to rise for us, to rule for us.

As we look closely at the opening line of today’s letter — when compared to all of Paul’s other letters — it’s only here in Corinthians that Paul gives thanks for the saving grace God gives in Christ. 1 Cor. 1:4

1 Corinthians 1:4 ESV

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

Paul lists grace as the first and essential gift, to which many gifts have been added. This grace was preached to the Corinthians. By grace they believed the message. By grace they have been kept in faith and equipped for the life of faith.

And what is Grace? God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense

Now that is unexpected, especially when you consider how we are continually falling short of the glory of God.

And this illustrates, in part, the unexpected that God has done for the Corinthian Christians, and for us. But He is not through...

The Lord is Doing the Unexpected

He is still showering us with GRACE: Our world and many churches do not expect God’s grace in Baptism. Few people expect forgiveness of sin in the Lord’s Supper. Unfortunately, when we don’t expect God’s grace sometimes we end up denying it all together. We say that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper is what WE do — as an act of obedience — instead of hearing and believing what Christ has told us HE is doing.

The Grace given in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper is God’s work, 100%, done to us and for us. You see, we are in desperate need because we cannot fix the problem created by Adam and Eve in the garden. They disobeyed and fell into sin and because of their sinfulness, they even lost the image of God, and every human being since.

If we are to be saved, and thereby restoring the image of God that was lost, our Lord God must intervene; and He does so in unexpected ways. He does so with simple water, stale bread, and inexpensive wine. And for the last 2,000 years we have wondered how these simple elements can do such great things.

Remember the story of Naaman healed of leprosy — 2 Kings 5

The world — that is, people outside Christ — does not expect the fellowship we know and crave with one another from being baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.

Therefore, gatherings with other Christians some deem as non-essential during times of pandemic. Fear of the pandemic overshadows our need to be the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, where Christ gives us His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

I’m sure God could have forgiven us our sins and saved us in another way, but He chose to do the unexpected by becoming flesh, dwelling among us, and being our substitute in paying the penalty for our sin. Then doling out this grace through means of water, bread and wine.

Even we who are new creatures in Christ do not always expect the abundance of his gifts in our congregations.

Grace is the first and essential spiritual gift.

Peace is the result of God’s grace indwelling in us. Our good Lord establishes peace by declaration. We have the peace of quiet assurance that our Lord cares for us in all things.

We are enriched with gifts of speaking and knowledge. We are enriched in every way.

The Lord Will Do the Unexpected

The Lord who has established the pattern of unexpected goodness to us will make his and our joy complete (Phil 2:2).

The Holy Spirit will continue to gift our congregation. The Lord will keep us strong in the faith.

Jesus will do the unexpected when he returns in the same manner as he ascended.

Conclusion: We pray: “Stir up, we implore you, your power, O Lord, and come that by your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and be saved by your mighty deliverance;” for you have done the unexpected, are doing the unexpected, and shall do the unexpected among us.