Coming to Corinth

1 Corinthians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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In between the holiday period, Pastor Butts asked me to preach on Wednesday, December 29, 2021. That was the last service of 2021.
What was I too preach about? We just celebrated Christmas and it would have been entirely appropriate to preach on the birth of Christ. However, I brought forth a message on extending encouragement — encouragement found in 1 Cor 15.1-4. Simply put — the gospel.
Then this past Wednesday, Pastor Butts asked me to preach again. Evidently, he wants to spend time with his wife. It is their anniversary.
I look forward to these opportunities. However, when asked, I was operating on limited sleep. I was exhausted.
All that to say, I will start to study 1 Corinthians.
Please turn to 1 Cor 1.1-3; under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 1:1–3 KJV 1900
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why 1st Corinthians? I may have mentioned it but God has been dealing with my heart about vocational ministry, specifically pastoral work in revitalization.
One may ask, what is revitalization? Think of it as a renewing and refreshing of ministry practice focused on the essentials of the Christian faith, these include the virgin birth and Deity of Jesus, the substitutionary death of Jesus, the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus Christ along with the verbal inspiration of the scriptures.
We will observe in this epistle, a church that had problems. This church needed renewing and refreshing. In his introductory notes, Wiersbe exclaims:

No letter in the NT deals so forcibly with local church problems, and perhaps no NT letter is more neglected today.

Local church problems…namely, an unwelcome or harmful matter needing to be dealt with and overcome.
Problems came be overcome by staying focused on the essentials — make it our practice to love our neighbors authentically, share the gospel every week, and preach through the Bible verse-by-verse. Pastor Butts does that very thing. Luke, Psalms, and maybe Genesis.
This leads to the Corinthian circumstances. I repeat — Corinthian circumstances.

Circumstances

Circumstances, in other words, the events or occasion Paul wrote this epistle.
Consider this...
1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 15: Equipping Us for Battle

In December 2004, a single question from a young soldier touched off a media firestorm. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had come to deliver a pep talk to the troops at Camp Buehring in Kuwait. But the usually unflappable secretary found himself blindsided by a bold query. As news cameras rolled, Army Specialist Thomas Wilson of the 278th Regimental Combat Team asked Rumsfeld, “Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles?”

Specialist Wilson clearly felt he was being sent into battle without proper protection. As Christians, however, we shouldn’t have that fear. Our Supreme Commander generously equips us with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

But it’s up to us to put them on and put them to use.

The obvious reason for Paul writing this epistle is it is the inspired Word of God. It is the Spirit of truth we desperately need. We get that…but what led Paul to pen this letter? What were the circumstances?
It has been said:

Today Corinth is a small town with little significance other than historical. But in New Testament times it was a thriving, prosperous, and strategically located city.

It was a not only thriving, prosperous, and strategically located but it displayed troubles, problems, and shameful acts and at times these acts penetrated the church.
It is believed Paul wrote this letter (1 Cor 16.21) around AD 53 or 54, during his two stay in Ephesus (Acts 19.10), (1 Cor 16.8), to deal with the worldliness creeping into the Corinthian Church.
The church of God at Corinth was full of divisions, as well as fornication that was tolerated, and even approved of by the church.
1st Corinthians addresses a list of topics.
Paul explains the importance and purpose of marriage. (1 Cor 7)
Paul addressed the Lord’s Supper, which the church was abusing. (1 Cor 11)
Paul emphasis the Spirit’s work as the One who gives gifts. (1 Cor 12)
He was concerned about the people’s excitement over spiritual gifts alongside their lack of love for one another. (1 Cor 13)
Paul corrects their misunderstanding of the resurrection – 1st Corinthians 15: 14 “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”
Paul had first visited the Corinthians several years prior; therefore, they should have been more spiritually mature than reports suggested. These Corinthians witnessed factions (fights) ensue, filth infiltrate, and freedom abused.
Regrettably, the people were indulging in their carnality, discarding their armour, living like unbelievers rather than Christians, servants of Jesus Christ.
They needed to allow the Holy Spirit to bring them to maturity, developed in their faith, so they could have a godly influence on their world and advance of the gospel.
They needed to be equipped for the battle.
So, we understand the circumstances, the fights, filth, and fallacies concerning basics doctrines. Consequently, these circumstances in Corinth, provided the need for this correspondence.
Next we will look at the calling.

Calling

In this text we see “called” stated twice. Two times…
“Called to be an apostle,” in reference to Paul. Subsequently, “called to be saints,” referring to all believers.
I intend for us to take a close look at this.
However, before I do that, let me state, "this is a standard salutation or greeting of a letter in Paul's day." If you have a cellphone, pull it out. Now, consider this…times change. Thirty years ago, landlines and letters were used. Changes is okay…some changes are for the good.
Now landlines, letters, and a load of functions can be accomplished with the cellphone you have in your hand.
In Paul’s day, they used letters. What we have before us is a letter he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Good news for us, he did not rely on the U.S. Postal system, if so, it may have gotten lost.
With that, scripture says, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.” He did not assume this office on his own initiative. He was called “through the will of God.”
This calling is an adjective and is used in the New Testament only of these called by God.
Paul was “called to be an apostle.” An apostle is commissioned as a representative of Jesus Christ. We don't have apostles now because to be one, you had to be charged directly by Jesus Christ.
Consider this passage later in this same epistle:
1 Corinthians 15:8–9 KJV 1900
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Paul obtained a unique witness of risen Lord. It has been said:

Paul was not among the original apostles, all of whom had been disciples of Jesus during His earthly ministry. He was not among the five hundred other believers who had seen the resurrected Christ. Rather, he had for many years been an unbeliever and a chief persecutor of the church.

An apostle spread the message about Jesus Christ throughout the ancient world through missionary efforts. We see Paul affirm this title in his epistles.
He was called by God, it was the will of God. Paul was not conformed, shaped, or molded to this world. This allowed him to discern or “prove” the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Paul seriously viewed this calling. So much that he was beaten.
For we read in:
2 Corinthians 11:23–27 KJV 1900
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Take a moment to let that sink in… Paul was in danger but he remained faithful to his duty.
Secondly, we have the calling of the saints. Paul says, in the second verse, “called to be saints.”
What picture comes to mind when we hear the term saint? A saint is not some pious individual to which a body idolizes. A saint in the New Testament is one that is set apart, holy, or consecrated.
We are set apart for His work. How serious should we view our calling to be saints?
They become set apart, sanctified by the blood of Jesus!
It has been said:

every true believer in Jesus Christ—whether faithful or unfaithful, well known or unknown, leader or follower—is a set apart person, a holy person, a saint. In the biblical sense, the most obscure believer today is just as much a saint as the apostle Paul.

Keep in mind, Paul is addressing the Corinthians. He will eventually admonish them for sinful acts, but here we read, “called to be saints.” Before this, Paul says, “to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus.”
Sanctified denotes to consecrate, to make holy, sanctify, hallow, or treat as holy. A divine act of setting aside as sacred, to be used of God.
What is the point?
Paul was called and he took it seriously, to the point of physical harm. How seriously am I with my calling?
Our individual “high calling” (Phil 3.14); will look different, but we are all called to be set apart. We each have a specific task but we all need to press forward in faithfulness to God.
So, we have visited the circumstances, callings, continuing on, let’s look at our companions.

Companions

By companions - I mean fellow Christians. That is our companions in the faith.
Charles Spurgeon stated:

Now to make friendship there will be not only mutual love, delight, and converse, but friends must have harmony of thought. I will not say identity, for man and man must always be two, and Christ and his people, though one in some respects, are two existences.

Harmony of thought, simply put, an agreement or concord. What does this have to do with he passage?
You will notice this epistle had joint authorship for we read, “and Sosthenes our brother.” Did you caught that — our brother?
Before us, Paul finds consent, harmony with another brother concerning proper Christian conduct. Conduct they will be bring forth to correct the Corinthian believers.
With only two references (Acts 18.17, 1 Cor 1.1) mentioning Sosthenes, little is know. In fact, some differentiate the two references. However, it is safe to say, he was known to the church in Corinth and he possibly could have been the same person as the Corinthian synagogue ruler.
Whomever he was, he was used of the Lord to pen this letter with his companion Brother Paul.
Ironically, this letter will discuss factions, that is, divisions and lack of unity. By example, Paul opens this letter with personally demonstrating unity.
Consider this passage:
Psalm 133:1 KJV 1900
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Being united continues, in the subsequent verse. For we read, “with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“With” coveys the idea of a “marker of association.”
Yes, we are independent, but that does not imply we are isolated and alone. We have brethren we can associate with both in the local church and external.
They may not be members of Grace but they do call upon the name of Jesus. It is this call that unites us.
As mentioned in:
Romans 10:13 KJV 1900
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
So, what does the mean? It is good and pleasant to dwell with the “whosoever” community.
To illustrate, this past week I was able to meet with Joshua Brown. A former member of Grace and we had awesome fellowship. Pastor and Mrs. Butts dwelt together with Pastor Patterson and their church invested in our church family.
It is appropriate for us to “dwell together” with fellow believers, companions in faith.
Up to this point, we have seen the Corinthian circumstances, individual callings, the value of companions, now we will turn our attention to the church.

Church

Paul addressed this letter specifically to “the church of God which is at Corinth.”
The term, “at Corinth,” refers to a church in a specific location. Similar to the “the church of God which in Jacksonville.”
What can be said about church in general? On the negative side, it as been said:
1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 64: Wrestling with Belief

Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people.

Someone else said:
1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 63: Dumping the Cotton

Bayer Corporation has stopped putting cotton wads in its aspirin bottles. The company realized the aspirin would hold up fine without the maddening white clumps, which it had included since about 1914.

“We concluded there really wasn’t any reason to keep the cotton except tradition,” said Chris Allen, Bayer’s vice president of technical operations. “Besides, it’s hard to get out.”

Likewise, long-standing traditions in the church can also be more annoying than helpful.

But God said:
Hebrews 10:24–25 KJV 1900
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Concerning this passage, Wiersbe’s wrote:

“Let us consider” other believers and, by our example, encourage them to be true to Christ. If we provoke each other at all, it should be unto love (see 1 Cor. 13:5).

Wiersbe continues:

It seems that these believers, because of trials, were neglecting Christian fellowship and the mutual encouragement that believers need from each other.

So, what this church, that Paul speaks of and the author of Hebrews says not to forsake.
The church is is assembly of baptized believers, organized to carry out the Lord’s work. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1.2, Paul said, “the church of God.” We are charged to carry out His work.
In short, we need the church, that is, the encourage we find in our brethren.
For example, Brothers Siler and Rogers have both reached out and encouraged me over the past several weeks, in absence of my wife. I am thankful for the encouragement and added treats from Brother Rodgers.
However, this Corinthian church was beginning to mirror the city, a city it was charged to reach. The church should be focused on reaching the city, not the city impacting the the culture of the church. Keep in mind, this was a wicked culture — think San Fransisco or Las Vegas.
Moving on from the church, we see the comfort we come to possess.

Comfort

Before we look into comfort, let me ask:
How do we see ourselves?
Contemplate this illustration:
1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 606: Shrinking in God’s Light

When we see ourselves as “pretty good,” we misunderstand the gravity of sin and our desperate need for grace. We place ourselves above others, become their judges, and give them the power to disappoint us.

A physicist friend uses this analogy: Each of us is like a lightbulb. One shines with fifty watts of holiness, another has only twenty-five watts. Maybe the most stellar Christians are two hundred watts. But these comparisons become trite in the presence of the sun.

In the face of God, our different levels of piety are puny and meaningless. It makes no sense to compare ourselves with one another, because we are all much more alike than we are different.

How does this relate to comfort? Comfort can be described freedom from pain or contraint.
In Christ, we are free, left to ourselves, that “pretty good” nature, we are without comfort and in desperate need of grace.
Paul says, “Grace be unto you, and peace.”
True is a standard greeting, it is of no less significance. In fact, it is a truth that be cherished and embrace.
What this is saying in we should not forget the conform we have in knowing the Lord.
Grace it is more than the name of our church. It means God gives us what we don’t deserve. It is by grace we are save through Christ. (Eph 2.8-9).
One may ask, why do we need grace? Consider the fact Paul is addressing Christains, this is more than saving grace, it it sustaining grace.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV 1900
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
H. A. Ironside said:
Addresses on the First Epistle to the Corinthians Lecture I: Sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:1–3)

We need grace every day of our lives. The grace of yesterday will not suffice for today. We need to go to God morning by morning, to draw down from above by meditation and prayer supplies of grace to start the day aright.

It is said, “Peace with God” is the result of faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1). For the Christian, peace can be maintained with right thinking, praying, and living (Phil 4.6-9).
It is significant to see the one who Paul attributes as the bestower of this grace and peace, for Paul continues, “from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Grace and peace come from the only source of salvation. The One in who we find true comfort.
Paul is telling Christians, we have comfort but with this I see an implied call to action.

Call to Action

While I don’t see an explicit reference, I see an implied call to action.
How is this? We have been blessed with someone telling us about the Lord Jesus Christ. Several times, in 1st Corinthians, we will see the gospel presented in this letter.
For instance:
1 Corinthians 2:1–3 KJV 1900
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
The implication before us is the transfer of information, that is, the passing of the gospel.
Paul bought the gospel to the Corinthians and we have an obligation to pass it forward.
1 Corinthians 1:17–18 KJV 1900
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
When we take our eyes off the gospel, we neglect of call. Our call to be sanctified, set apart for His work.
So, in closing I trust, you have seen the circumstances surrounding Corinth, a church which allowed fights, filth, and fallacies to effect it culture, but God reminds them of their calling, a calling to be set apart both individually and collectively as a church, and comforts them. This should compel us to action — doing something to get the gospel into this community.
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