Sermon Tone Analysis

Paul begins his letter by introducing himself as a good letter writer would.

His letter would be read to the church group that was addressed in the letter but it was also circulated to other churches as well.

Imagine a association of churches publishing articles of doctrinal importance from the associational leader.

Paul was a church planter and apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When he spoke, the churches listened because they knew that God called him to such an office and therefore his direction was heaven sent.

As we have learned previously, Paul’s introductions were never bland.

They were full of doctrinal spice and intention.

Paul usually identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

As a matter of fact he does so in every letter he writes, except his letters to the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and to Philemon.

He does this for a particular purpose.

He is usually reminding these churches of his authority that was given to him by God in order that he might teach them and correct them in particular matters.

He doles out his spiritual resume because in many of these letters that he writes, his authority and his apostleship is being called into question.

But with this introduction to this letter and his opening address, Paul expresses his thankfulness for the Corinthians.

His thankfulness is because of God’s work through Christ in his church.

Therefore, in our time today, we are going to look at a few ways Paul is thankful for the work of Christ in the church.

He writes in v 4,

His thankfulness shows his leadership qualities because regardless of the situation at hand in Corinth, with division, immorality, and abuse running rampant, he still is able to show thankfulness for Christ’s work among those believers there.

He is not ignorant of the faithful followers of Christ who are there fighting for holiness and faithfulness among the believers.

This should challenge us in our leadership in our homes, workplaces, schools, nation to prioritize seeing the good that God is doing even among the evil around us.

If we cannot look out into the existence that we live in and recognize God’s good hand at work, then we are blinded by the devil.

He is faithful and at work and no matter how distraught we might be, church we must ask the Lord for a refreshing gaze at his goodness in all of life.

So Paul says he is thankful to God always because of the grace given to the Corinthians in Christ Jesus.

This gracious gift he refers to is the work of Christ, a mulit-faceted work of redemption and love that needs our attention today.

Let us see these gifts from God’s grace and like Paul be thankful!

The Gift of Divine Calling

How did you come to Christ?

If someone asks you this question, you might say, “I walked an aisle… or I prayed with my granny, or my pastor.”

It is a common question about the salvation of a believer, but I am not asking it in that way others might.

I am not asking you to describe the day, time, events that you trusted in Christ.

Many people do not remember the exact time or day.

Instead, I am asking

His doctrinal richness will led us as well to be thankful for the work of Christ in our hearts and the hearts of our brothers and sisters of the faith.

There are 4 of these ways He is thankful

First of all, Paul teaches that we are called by God until salvation.

The word calling (KALEO) is used throughout the NT.

It has a few meanings:

1. to name or refer to someone by name.

We named our children when they were born and therefore these are the names that we call them.

In Matthew 1:23

2. to invite, summon someone

In Mark 3:31, Jesus’ mothers and brothers visited him while he was ministering to the people.

The text reads they “sent for him and called him” meaning they summoned him to come to meet and visit with them.

3. overwhelming usage: (passive voice) calling from God to someone else in regards to accomplishing a spiritual work in them

(Paul)Rom 8:30

(Paul) Rom 9:24

(Paul)Gal 1:6

(Peter) 1 Peter 2:9

(Matt) Matt 4:21

This calling by God is described in different ways with different words being used.

For example, the word drawing to God is sometimes used,

In John 6:44

John 6:44 (ESV)

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

And I will raise him up on the last day.

But the Scripture actually teaches that the call of God that leads to salvation is a two-part call.

In other words, there is both an external call of the gospel and an internal call unto salvation.

Notice these verses with me:

These are examples of the external public call of God that is communicated through the preaching of the gospel on a global scale by faithful believers in Christ.

No follower of Jesus has ever come to Christ without experiencing the external call of God through the gospel.

In other words, you can’t get saved by look at the trees in your deer stand, or looking at the stars in your telescope.

God draws his people to himself by the proclaimed external call of God in his word.

We hear that word and we respond in faith to it by God’s grace.

Sadly, the reality is that many people reject the external call of God.

They hear the gospel message preached or taught and they reject Christ’s message of hope and love.

These are the people in our neighborhoods and across the nations that will face the great judgment of God for rejecting him as King.

They will be held accountable for their sinful living but their greatest sin is rejecting the one for whom they were made to praise.

Special (divine) call

But on 1 Cor 1:9, Paul uses the term differently.

The GK language is a passive voice verb meaning that the call of God is initiated by some outside person upon the recipient of the action.

It is referred to as the divine passive because it is God acting upon human beings with effect.

Paul is thankful because of the divine call of God in the lives of the Corinthians that not only did they hear the gospel proclaimed but that the divine call to salvation had its effect on them and they were saved.

One of my favorite stories of the divine call of God unto salvation is the story of Lydia in Acts 16:14.

Now while Paul was on his missionary journey, was not intending at that moment to go to the region of Macedonia but the Lord by His Spirit directed Paul there.

In his providence, He led him to Phillipi and in Philippi, out to a riverside area to pray.

There at the riverside, Paul met some women and shared the gospel with them.

Here you see the work of both the external gospel call and the divine call of God to salvation.

Lydia heard Paul’s words proclaimed to the women and then the Lord opened her heart to heed Paul’s words.

To open her heart means that her heart was previously closed to the gospel message.

What closes our heart to gospel truth?

blindness to truth because of sin.

God has to remove that blindness in order for us to even hear or understand the gospel being proclaimed.

Now each of our salvation stories are different and yet the same.

All of us were at different stages of life, different locations and yet the same saving transformative work of salvation happens to us all when God calls us out of darkness into marvelous light.

Paul uses the same verbiage in v 1, to describe his calling as an apostle,

1 Corinthians 1:1 (ESV)

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus,

Paul is not saying that God invited him to be an apostle, he is not using that word call as a way in which God named him, like when we he changed his name from Saul to Paul.

Instead, the apostle is stating that a divine calling upon his life led him to undeniably repent of his sin, surrender his life to Christ and ultimately serve the Lord as an apostle.

This is why Paul states in almost every NT letter he wrote that his calling as an apostle is by “the will of God.”

Remember church that God’s will and plan will come to pass.

WIth human eyes, we can now see the course of Paul’s life that led him to hate Christ and Christians, but then radically love Christ, become a follower of Jesus and serve the church until his death.

Folks, that was the plan of God from eternity past for our dear brother Paul.

This is the divine call of God for Paul and for all who trust in Jesus.

The divine call of God, which is distinct from the external call of the gospel proclamation is the process whereby God draws sinners to himself, giving them open eyes of faith to believe in him and turn from their sins as they respond to the gospel being proclaimed

Application: What this means for us is that it leads us to thankfulness, in the great sovereign work of God that he would look upon with grace and send his Son to rescue us.

He didn’t have to save anyone, but He chose to save His people and sadly not all people are saved.

Therefore, some hear the call of the external gospel message and sadly reject Him as their lord and King.

These are the ones we pray that God would save and draw to himself.

It also leads us to thankfulness because without the power of Christ work on the cross and his resurrection, we would be dead and lost in our sins.

Eph 2:1-3