Sermon Tone Analysis

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 -

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 -

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - In All Of Life, Don’t Forget Where You Stand In Christ.

Life Point- Where Does The Christian Stand In Christ?

Exegetical -

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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).

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.

This greeting has been used elsewhere in a letter written by Paul.