Sermon Tone Analysis

We have come to the end of our study through the First Letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers.

We will be going through 1 Corinthians 16 today.

Please open your bibles or bible apps to that passage so we can study it together.

Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus when some members of the church came to see him.

These visitors brought a letter of concerns to Paul which he addressed in this letter.

In the letter, Paul encouraged the Corinthians.

Right at the beginning of the letter he was letting them know that he thanked God for them, and that they had every spiritual blessing in Christ.

And, then throughout the letter, he referred to them as brothers and sisters, he praised them for holding to the traditions he had taught them, he reminded them of their one and only savior, and how they had been washed, justified and sanctified from their former sinful lifestyles.

However, as we have seen over the past months, he spent the majority of the letter addressing the problems.

What problems?

There were divisions.

There were people vying for position and status.

There were lawsuits where they were taking one another to court to make a name for themselves.

They were allowing immorality to take place without repercussions.

They were proud of their knowledge, and supposed spirituality.

There were issues in their marriages.

They were not living in consideration of one another.

The divisions in the church made it so that Paul said their meetings were more harm than good and that they were even abusing the Lord’s Supper.

There were some claiming to be spiritual, and teaching wrong things about the Lord and about spiritual gifts.

And there were some who even denied the resurrection of the Lord.

Behind all of these issues was Pride.

Spiritual Pride had crept into the church, and though they claimed to be spiritual, their lives and treatment of others clearly showed the opposite was true, which is why Paul at one point told them he could not address them as spiritual but rather as immature children.

Paul addressed all of these issues in the letter, bringing out the hope of their salvation throughout the correction and ending with hope—the hope of the gospel; the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

It is because Christ died for our sins, and rose again that they, and we, in spite of our problem, pride and immaturity have peace with God, and hope for our future!

We are no longer in our sins!

He paid it all, once for all time.

We are no longer caught in the grips of this sinful body and the fear of death!

Our Lord has risen, and has guaranteed our resurrection.

We are no longer in our sins!

We are justified and sanctified.

What is more, Our bodies will be raised.

The earthly body is like the seed that goes into the ground.

The new will be like the plant that sprouts out of the ground.

The resurrected body will be us, but it will be different!

It will be changed.

What was perishable, will now be imperishable.

What was dishonorable, will be glorious.

What was weak will be powerful.

What was natural, will be spiritual, truly worshipping and serving our Lord!

And so, as Paul concluded, “Where o death is your sting?”

And it is with that glorious hope of the resurrection, and the charge to stand firm and give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord that Paul now addresses a final issue, and gives his final instructions.

Let’s read the passage together, and then I will go back and point out a few of the major themes in this closing of the letter.

Last Issue - The Collection for the Saints

Paul’s Plans

Take care of Timothy

Apollos’ Plans

Final Exhortations

Be on guard / Constant Readiness

Constant readiness, alert

Be on Guard - the Lord’s Return

Lord is coming.

Are you ready? 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 “What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short.

From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them.

For this world in its present form is passing away.”

Be On Guard - Temptation

Be On Guard - False teachers

Be On Guard - Enemy, Satan

Not always giving ourselves fully to the work fo the Lord

Stand firm in the faith

firmly committed in conviction or belief

Be courageous

acts like men

Be strong

Passive voice, be strengthened… we are not strong in ourselves but in the Lord

Do everything in love

Let all of your deeds be done in love

Submit to and Follow the right examples

Devoted to ministry to the saints / Devoted to service of the Lord’s people

Refreshed my spirit and yours

Ice Cold Coke

Memory verse for the week:

Maranatha!

Communion Reflection

Key verses in 1 Corinthians

1 Cor 4.7 NASB