Are You Sure You Are In Christ?
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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to ‘Honor thy father and thy mother,’ she asked, ‘Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?’
Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, ‘Thou shall not kill..’
Like this little boy putting God’s Word into practice. Today we will be starting our series in 1 Corinthians. As we progress through this book we will find that the same issues that people had 2,000 years ago. They have today. We will see how sin still raises its’ head in the church and how human ridiculousness can run amuck.
But before we get too deep, we need to start at the beginning. That is, our position in Christ and whether or not we are in Christ to begin with. This is the most fundamental thing that a Christian needs to know for themselves or they can have no assurance of salvation.
Historical/Cultural Context -
Historical/Cultural Context -
Paul preached the gospel in Corinth in the early 50s AD during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–18). When opposition grew fierce there, the Lord Jesus spoke to him in a vision assuring him that he had ‘many people’ in the city (Acts 18:10). With this encouragement, Paul stayed on for eighteen months, ‘teaching them the word of God’ (Acts 18:11). God used Paul’s ministry to bring about the birth and establishment of the church in Corinth.
After Paul moved on from Corinth he kept in touch with the church, greatly valuing his connections with it.
1 Corinthians 5:9 indicates that Paul wrote an earlier letter to the Corinthians which no longer exists. People like Chloe (1:11) kept in touch with him, and the church sent him a letter requesting guidance about problems that had arisen (e.g. 7:1). Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus probably delivered the letter to him (16:17). Paul later sent Timothy to visit them (4:17; 16:10f).
IT IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS to be written.
IT GIVES INSIGHT into the problems faced by a church in pagan society. Much like ours is becoming.
IT LAYS DOWN PRINCIPLES for church order and discipline not found elsewhere in the New Testament.
IT PROVIDES IMPORTANT INSTRUCTION regarding divorce and remarriage.
IT GIVES THE NEW TESTAMENT’S most detailed discussion of spiritual gifts (chapters 12–14).
IT SUPPLIES THE MOST assurance of the Christian hope of physical resurrection (chapter 15).
Biblical Text -
Biblical Text -
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
-[Prayer]-
-[Prayer]-
Life Principle - In All Of Life, Don’t Forget Where You Stand In Christ.
Life Principle - In All Of Life, Don’t Forget Where You Stand In Christ.
Life Point- Where Does The Christian Stand In Christ?
Life Point- Where Does The Christian Stand In Christ?
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
We hear from time to time about where we stand in Christ, and today you will know whether or not you are in Christ, and also what it means to be a Christian. To be in Christ.
The first thing to note here is that when Paul writes, he writes as one who has been called by God to be a minister of His word
The ministry is not just something someone decides they want to go into. It is a calling. It is something that comes straight from God, not something you decide flippantly.
The church as a whole has a big problem. Today it seems more and more people say they have a calling from God, and they don’t. They decided to “go into the ministry.” Whether because of some misguided attempt to please God or because they are interested in the things of God and have deceived themselves to believe they are called to ministry.
83% of Bible College graduates will leave ministry in the first 5 years. This can be for a lot of reasons, but chief amongst them, I believe, is because they shouldn’t have been there to begin with.
If one is called to the ministry then it is God’s will, not your own. Not mine and not yours.
The Apostle is about to write some pretty harsh things to these Christians in Corinth through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Let me give you a note about something else that is a big problem in churches today. If you want to talk more about it after service, I am available.
The Problem is that some are now fond of saying the the Bible contains truth, but not The Truth. That’s wrong, The original manuscripts and the copies we have down throughout the ages show that the Bible is accurate and authoritative. To state otherwise is heresy and damnable lie straight from the pit of hell!
If you strip the Bible of Inerrancy and infallibility you strip the Bible of its’ authority in all matters.
If this is the case, who is the arbiter of truth? Who decides which parts to follow and which parts to ignore?
Logically, you do. So let me ask you some questions? Are you Omnipotent, all powerful? Are you Omniscient, all knowing? Are you Omnipresent, everywhere at one time? If you are none of those things, pardon how I say this, than I wouldn’t follow you to the 7/11.
You cannot be the arbiter of truth! Simply because you don’t know all things. But God does. He gave His Holy Word to lead and guide us, but He didn’t stop there. He saved us to the uttermost and came to live inside us.
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
So if God says to us through His Holy Word to not do a thing, you don’t do it.
Abortion is a sin, Homosexuality is a sin, Gossip is a sin. Stop doing it!
If God’s Word says to do something, you do it. The Christian doesn’t rely on works to get them to heaven, but as a result of salvation by grace through faith, good works become an ever growing part of your life as you begin to look like Jesus.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Going back to our main text, Paul reminds them who he is and his credentials as to why he is able to correct their actions and thoughts. You see he was placed in authority over them by God. He is vexed to find what has become of them
Berean Study Bible (Heb 13:17).
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
Now wait a minute pastor, I thought sanctification meant to allow the Holy Spirit to clean up our lives after we are saved and that it is a gradual process, not something that happens and its’ done?
That’s right the cleaning up of our lives is a day by day and moment by moment thing. You will fail. You will fall down. But as the scripture says:
For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
In this instance the original word here means “to be set apart.”
This is to the church at Corinth who is set apart in Christ Jesus. Set apart from what?
Sin. Your older sinful nature. The way the world does things. You see, at salvation the Holy Spirit comes into you and regenerates you into a new man.
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
So this is to the church at Corinth to those who have been set apart from the world, who are saints.
What is a saint?
In the original language it is a group of people who are called to be God’s people.
This is to the church at Corinth to those who have been set apart from sin and the world, as a group who belong to God ( the local body of believers).
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
The church at Corinth to those who have been set apart from sin and the world, as a group who belong to God (the Local Church), with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord (That would be The Church universal). Both theirs and ours:
He says in verse three, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
He confers this blessing on them and to the Church everywhere and in all times.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This greeting has been used elsewhere in a letter written by Paul. The book of Romans.
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
For us such a greeting may seem like, so what? who cares? “I have the same greeting all the time.” Yes, I do too. Someone asks me how I am doing, my usual response is, “I was better and got over it.” It’s meant as a joke, but it does tell me who is paying attention.
Try that one out on your cashier next time at a store. Most of the time you will here, “Well thats good.” Then they move on.
I also use another one from time to time. “I am blessed and highly flavored.” Which is a spin on what the angel said to Mary about the immaculate conception in Luke 1:28 and following.
But Paul’s opening is not about having a witty opening or even a boring opening. He is pointing out our position in Christ.
The word Grace means to have favor toward someone. In our case it is God’s unmerited favor toward those that are God’s.
There is nothing in us that deserves God’s favor.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
This is the state of all mankind apart from God. Sin, can cause our hearts, even as Christians, to be impure.
Throughout my time as a Christian I have run across multiple so-called “pastors” who have justified their sin and many more laymen who do so as well.
You know what. As humans we are all capable of doing that. Very easily.
In California a few years ago there was a pastor who stood behind God’s pulpit and declared God told him to divorce his wife and to marry his mistress.
The problem here is that he completely ignored God’s Word and followed his “heart.” God’s Word was no longer the objective authority in his life and his sin and wicked desires won out.
So, it could be written, “God’s unmerited favor to you and peace...”
This is not the peace that the world portrays.
The world shows peace as an absence of conflict between mankind or between one person to another.
This peace is different, it is spiritually given by God to an individual and there is peace between God and that individual. Not peace between God and the unsaved.
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
Before we get to the peace part, notice what our Lord is saying here. “If anyone love Me he keep My Word,” then he says He will come to him and make is home with him.
This is the image of true salvation. Salvation is saying, “God, I am done doing things my way, I want to surrender and do life your way.” When that happens your spirit is regenerated and you are made a new creature
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Then He says those that don’t love Him will not begin to keep His words. Salvation is not about just saying a prayer, but a complete change of an individual from the inside out. They are given new hearts, new natures. Out of that change Good works, or spiritual fruit to use a different term, starts to happen. Not because your works will get you to heaven, but out of a true love for Jesus Christ and others.
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We know that upon salvation the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, and His job in us is teach the Christian all things about Jesus and to bring scripture to our minds when it is needed. He does not point to Himself, but He always point to Jesus.
So what is this peace? The peace is only for the born-again-believer not the unbeliever, because the peace that Jesus gives is the Holy Spirit. The peace that God gives is not just a cessation of conflict between you and God, but a new man.
A new nature, and nothing less than communion itself with Himself. It is a gift beyond compare.
Where there was once was enmity between you and God in your inner being, where there once was rebellion from God on the inside of you. He took that out and gave you Himself to fill that void.
How awesome! How humbling and experience and an understanding that God did these things not because of anything to do with us but because He Chose to do so.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This all comes to us because God sent His son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
He broke the bondage of sin that we find ourselves in and he made us slaves to Himself.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Maybe that is you today.
Maybe you need to finally surrender to the Master of the Universe in your heart. Does Jesus know you?
Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
Are being drawn to the Son of God today? Is that you?
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Me, you and everyone.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We all deserve death. We born in sin, but we can be reborn in Christ. It is a gift from God, but cost Him so much. Will you take that gift and count that cost and give up all you are to Him?
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This is a promise. It doesn’t call for some magical prayer or some magical words that you speak. It is about your heart and intention. He offers more than fire insurance, He offers forgiveness and love. He offers a new nature to walk in. Newness of life.
It will cost you whatever you have. But it is worth more than whatever you have.
As a Christian you are promised trouble in this world. But that’s OK because when it’s all said and done we get a new heavens and a new earth. We are just ambassadors, this world is not the Christians home. This world is temporary.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Life Principle– In All Of Life, Don’t Forget Where You Stand In Christ.
Life Principle– In All Of Life, Don’t Forget Where You Stand In Christ.
Call to Action – altar call….
Call to Action – altar call….