Unity in Christ: God's Plan for His Church

Kevin M. Adams

1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

On the Unity of the Church

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Introduction

Good Morning Grace Alive. If you don’t know me, my name is Kevin Adams - my wife Melissa and son Cooper are sitting over there....we’ve been part of Grace Alive since day one, before we were Grace Alive - when we were just a launch team with a vision to help people Discover, Deeper and Display a relationship with Jesus to a lost and dying world.

Grace Alive is actually the third church plant I’ve been part of, having spent the previous 7 years leading Kirkman Community Church, which was also a church plant, just about 15 minutes from here - on Kirkman Road. We primarily ministered in the Carver Shores neighborhood and the Willow Key Apartment Community.

We understand the hard work and the ups and downs of church planting. We understand that problems occur. In fact, problems are part of life and we have the company of the whole world when it comes to problems. Everyone has problems, without exception. The real issue is not so much how to avoid all problems - because you can’t - it’s how do you reduce bringing additional problems onto yourself and those you love and how you respond to problems that do occur.

In our business, we own a Christian book and gift store, I am to some extent a problem solver most of the day. Most customers have a problem they need solved. What kind of Bible to get? What kind of gift to get? What size shirt to buy? And it’s not just customer problems, it’s employee problems, vendor problems, supply problems, etc. Normally, when I walk in the door of the store, if someone else has opened, or closed the night before there is a list or a pile of things that I need to fix. Solving problems is part of life.

Concrete is very strong if it is crushed, but it can crack if it is bent or stretched. To help it not to bend, steel (or plastic) reinforcement is put inside it. Steel is strong and won’t bend, but can be brittle. By forming concrete around steel reinforcement bars, it is much stronger. The steel is arranged inside it, protected from rust and fire by the concrete, and the two materials act together to carry the loads.

Concrete hardens (cures) over a few days – it actually takes in water, rather than ‘drying out’. The longer it takes to cure, the stronger it is.

The reality is that you either try to handle life’s problems on your own or you seek help. And like concrete, even if you try to handle your problems on your own, at some point you will reach a point of stress that is too much for you to handle and this stress will become your crisis event.

Bigger problems become bigger stressors and eventually too much stress leads to crisis. Crisis events occur because the stress was too much for the situation.By itself concrete is not able to handle the stress of keeping a building standing when high winds and storms come and without the reinforcing, stabilizing work of Christ in our lives we are not able to weather the high winds and storms of life either. We are well aware that as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, as soon as Peter was more focused on the storm than His Savior, he began to sink, he broke under the stress of the situation....BUT God....in Christ Jesus.....did not leave him to his own frailty, but instead reached out his hand - not just his heart - and pulled him back to life.

On July 24, 2021 at approximately 1:22 am Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condo in Surfside, FL - a suburb of Miami, partially collapsed leaving 98 people dead. The collapse, which lasted mere seconds; however, was not totally unpredicted. In fact there were numerous red flags.

An inspection in 2018 indicated a ‘major error’ in the construction of the pool deck. The waterproofing layer was not properly sloped resulting in rainwater collecting and remaining until it could evaporate. Over the years this had caused damage to the concrete slabs below the pool deck. The ceiling slabs of the parking garage, which sat beneath the pool deck, showed several sizable hairline cracks and cases of exposed reinforcing bar

Oct 2020 repairs around the pool could not be completed because the deterioration had penetrated so deeply it would risk destabilizing the entire area.

In April 2021 a letter to residents outlined $15 million remedial-works program and indicated the situation had gotten much worse.

On June 28, 2021, just 36 hours before the collapse images from an anonymous pool contractor were posted that claimed there was standing water, cracking concrete and severely corroded rebar next to the pool.

On the same day, just 7 minutes before the collapse a bystander’s video showed water pouring into the parking garage and concrete rubble on the floor.

Inadequate reinforcement of concrete, improperly designed waterproofing, cracks not repaired, unprotected rebar, left to the elements, and other potential factors resulted in death.

Like the warning lights on your car dashboard, red flags in life are warning signs to stop and re-calibrate your life.

The book of Corinthians is all about putting the rebar back in the concrete and repairing the holes. Jesus needs to be allowed back into his church to be the strength and stability to carry it forward, whether the sea is still or stormy.

Background

During Paul’s 2nd missionary journey he established a church in the city of Corinth and stayed there for about 1 1/2 years.

Corinth was a very significant city, a cosmopolitan, multi-cultural, center of commerce, bringing people from all over the known world through it’s streets.

As a stopover for travelers of widespread geographical origins and destinations, Corinth offered nearly limitless opportunities for exporting Christianity throughout the ancient world. But the cultural diversity of the transient population also fostered an atmosphere of religious pluralism dominated by flourishing paganism

Gordon D. Fee and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., eds., The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), 651.

This group of believers in Corinth are a NYC/Las Vegas multi-cultural, multi-faceted group of people who are used to living for themselves, for pleasure, for their own benefit, climbing the latter of social success, fending for themselves and suddenly they come face to face with the realities of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Apostle Paul’s missionary endeavors (Acts 18.1-18). At first things seem to go ok, or at least that’s what we think, some 2,000 years later…but then after about a year and a half Paul moves on to additional missionary endeavors and things begin to take a turn for the worse in very significant and public ways.

After Paul had moved on to Ephesus he was sent information (from Chloe’s household) that things were going downhill in Corinth so Paul sent them a letter. Things were still not going real well and there were some criticisms of his authority so Paul sent another letter (or two) and had plans to send one of his co-workers (Timothy) as well (Acts 18-19.10).

Thus the letter of 1 Corinthians is not actually the first letter sent to the Corinthians, nor will it be the last. In fact church leaders after Paul’s time (Clement, etc.?) sent letters many years later, indicating that while some problems had been resolved, others continued to plague the church in Corinth.

It’s a Jerry Springer event. The inside details of a messed up family - the family of God in Corinth - put on display for the world to see and Paul writes, visits, writes, send messengers, and writes some more to let them know they are giving God a black eye.

Instead of putting Jesus on display, they’ve lost their focus, lost their footing, lost their faith to some degree, and certainly lost the fame of Jesus as they have usurped him, both in authority and their actions.

The Corinthian church is both a model of how not to do things and a model of how do deal with problems in the church - problems that occur when the Gospel and the Culture collide. Problems that occur when we lose our footing and our focus.

1 Corinthians is a fascinating letter because not only does Paul directly and pointedly address the issues that are out of alignment with God’s Word but he also demonstrates deep theological convictions and care for the believers caught up in this mess, some of their own choosing, others just swept up in the current of the culture and complexity of the situation.

God’s Plan for His Church

We need to understand that the situation in Corinth, the church in Corinth, Paul’s connection with the church in Corinth and everything else related to the immediate situation does not occur in a vacuum.

One of the problems in western Christianity is the smorgasbord approach to the Bible and Christianity in general. The Corinthians, like you and I, are part of a much larger story - God’s story. And God’s story did not begin when you were born, nor did it begin when Paul met the Corinthians, nor when Paul was knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus and met Jesus, nor did it begin with the NT. No, God’s story begins in Gen 1 with God speaking....creating....speaking life…ordering and purposing…and for us to understand the place of Paul, the Corinthians, and ourselves in God’s world, we need to first understand God’s Story and how we got into His Story.

While we don’t have time to unpack that whole story today, what you need to recognize is that the minute you were conceived you became a tangible part of God’s Story, and the minute you were born you became an active player in God’s Story. You were born onto the stage of the grandest of dramas that has been playing for thousands of years, much longer than any Broadway production will every play. In God’s Story the characters keep changing....they come and they go…but the plot line remains the same…and the protagonist and antagonist remain the same....year after year, century after century.

God’s Plan in Christ

God’s Plan is a plan with Jesus, the Christ, right in the middle of it all. He was prophesied and foretold in Gen. 3.15 and he was spoken of throughout the rest of the first half of the Bible (OT), especially in the prophets. He entered center stage via Bethlehem in the Gospels, took on the Enemy at the Crucifixion, provided the pathway to freedom from the chains of all types of sin and idolatry through the resurrection, provided continuous wisdom, teaching, strength and power through His Spirit from Pentecost to today and continues to desire that all men everywhere be saved, a multitude from every nation, tribe and tongue join his entourage to see the name of Jesus lifted high and the knowledge of God cover the earth as the waters do.

And thousands of years into this plan, just about 20 years after Jesus had been resurrected and ascended to heaven and the HS was leading his followers and writing the Scriptures Paul is radically called by God to join this global mission.

A global mission that is centered squarely “in Christ”. As Paul attempts to redirect the Corinthians and our focus, notice that every verse of our passage refers to Jesus, all but one actually using his name. And not just Jesus…but Jesus Christ our Lord. The Corinthian problem and our problem is always the same…taking our eyes off Jesus, a warning echoed in may other NT letters (cf. Hebrews).

Unity in Christ

Paul’s letter to the believer’s in Corinth was both specific to their unique needs but at the same time a social commentary on universally applying the gospel in difficult situations - situations that still occur today and situations that were not completely resolved because at the end of the day the resolution of disagreements and unity in Christ is dependent on God’s people listening to God’s Word and living by God’s Spirit. All divisions, like all sin, are a result of a failure to listen and live according to the Spirit (Gal 5.16).

So, what is Paul’s message to us today? Paul begins his letter, packaged in the normal form of his time; there’s a Greeting with an Address to those he’s writing to (1.1-3) and a Thanksgiving (1.4-9) section. While using the customary form of ancient letter writing, Paul adapts it to his own needs and theological emphasis. Thus the traditional, non-descript “from, to, and hope you’re doing well” becomes, for Paul a theological treatise in and of itself that sets the tone and topic for the rest of the letter. Thus immediately we can note that although Paul is going to rail against the cultural morals, or lack thereof, infiltrating the church, he is not so sectarian that he rejects all aspects of the culture he lives in. No, rather, he employs the normal format of letter writing (culture) but he tweaks it, using this vehicle for the advancement of the Gospel. He simultaneously draws hard lines (in cement not sand) to distinguish how and why followers of Jesus live distinct lives, no matter where they find themselves planted.

In fact, these 9 verses we will look at today are a microcosm of the entire book of Corinthians. There is a hardly a topic mentioned in the rest of the book that is not first addressed here in the introduction to the letter.

The main thrust of the letter is unity in Christ. The basis for this unity is the work of God in Christ.

The Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:1–9 CSB

Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother: To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in him in every way, in all speech and all knowledge. In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God Prepares You (1-3)

God’s Plan is a fully formulated plan in which He knows all possibilities and has made available to his partners in the plan all the resources necessary for success in the plan and the solving of problems that occur. In the current context, for Paul and the Corinthians this began with God’s calling of Paul, formerly Saul.

God Calls (1:1-2)

God Called Paul (1:1)

Acts 9.1-7 relates the story of how Paul moved from being a persecutor of the way of Jesus, to a prominent promoter of the way of Jesus. This was no accident, this was nothing Paul sought out, this was God on the move. This was God moving to bring about the next step in His global missionary plan. Just as God called out Abraham in Gen 12, and then chose Isaac and Jacob. Just as God used sibling rivalry to send Joseph to Egypt ahead of his brothers to prepare Egypt to be the safe haven for the preservation of his family and secure a future for Abraham’s line, so God is now moving, calling the antagonist Saul to join the global movement to bring knowledge of the Holy One to his part of the globe and beyond.

God had prepared Paul for this very moment, unbeknownst to Paul. As a Pharisee Paul knew the Scriptures, as an entrepreneur Paul knew how to support himself, as a persecutor of the followers of Jesus, Paul had demonstrated leadership and skills of persuasion with those in authority. None of this was wasted and God will use every bit of this sovereign preparation for the advancement of His Plan in fulfilling His Promise made long ago (Gen. 3.15 and Gen 12) that has been slowly being pieced together.

Paul’s calling (1 Cor 1.1) was purposeful and planned by God. He was literally pulled out of his current situation, sent to Arabia (modern Turkey), then back to Damascus (Gal 1.11-18) before meeting up with Peter for a couple weeks and then beginning missionary work.

Paul’s calling was apostolic (1 Cor 1.1), that is, he was directly chosen, called and commissioned by Jesus himself, seeing the actual resurrected Jesus, like the original disciples/apostles. Paul wasn’t just a ‘sent one’ in the generic use of the term apostle, as are all followers of Jesus, he was an apostle in the specialized sense.

Paul’s calling included partners (1 Cor 1.1). Paul was not a solo Christian. Paul was constantly with other believers, even when in Prison. Here, we see that Paul is with Sosthenes, possibly a previous enemy of the followers of the way as well. Paul’s relationship with Sosthenes is indicated by the term brother. Unlike, other ancient letter writers, Paul doesn’t feel the need to take all the credit, rather he shares the load and gives credit where credit is due - to Jesus. Sosthenes is family. Not like family, but family - that’s what we’ve said at Grace Alive. That’s what Paul shows in his relationships, not just with Sosthenes but others as well. This word, brother is the most common term used for believers in the NT. Paul’s calling effected other people. Just as your sin effects other people negatively, so your relationship with God should effect other people positively.

Oswald J. Smith grew up in Embro, Ontario. In the winter of 1906 when Oswald was sixteen, the Toronto newspapers told of a great evangelistic crusade being conducted by Dr. R. A. Torrey. Oswald and his younger brother Ernie asked their mother if they could travel the ninety-four miles to Toronto to attend the meetings. Smith tells what happened: The second to the last meeting came. We had made up our minds to accept Christ that afternoon. We did not know that our mother had written to Dr. Torrey asking him to pray that her sons might be converted. At the close of his message he gave the invitation. To my amazement I was turned into a chunk of lead. Presently my brother quietly nudged me, and that broke the spell. I sprang out of my seat and took the momentous step. Christ had entered and I was a new creature. That was January 28, 1906. Oswald went on to found and pastor Canada’s largest church, the People’s Church of Toronto. Throughout his ministry, he wrote twelve hundred hymns, published thirty-five books in 128 languages, raised twenty-three million dollars for missions, and helped send out hundreds of missionaries. From that first step in Toronto, Oswald J. Smith walked with the Lord for three days short of eighty more years. What a change that took place in Oswald’s life.

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from First Corinthians, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2012), 7.

So maybe it’s RA Torrey that should get the credit for Oswald Smith’s life, or maybe it’s God who orchestrated the meeting and prepared both Torrey and Sanders for this occasion.

It was God that put Paul and Sosthenes together. It was God that reoriented Paul’s entire life. It was God that brought Paul to the Corinthians.

God Called the Corinthians (1:2)

But it wasn’t just Paul that was called. The Corinthians were called by God as well.

Called to be part of God’s already-in-motion plan. Called to became a local manifestation of God’s goodness. Called to be the church at Corinth but it was God’s church. Notice what Paul says 1 Cor 1.2

1 Corinthians 1:2 CSB

2 To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

It was God’s Plan, God’s intention, God’s work that brought this church about. It was no human idea, not human strategy, no, it was God who interrupted the life of a Pharisee traveling the road to Damascus that set this is motion…and of course it didn’t really start there either, Paul was just the most recent character to enter the limelight of God’s magisterial story.

So, what is it that Paul is wanting to remind the Corinthians of? That God called them. God set them apart to be his people, but lest they think too highly of themselves - spoiler alert, they did - lest they think too highly of themselves, they should know they are not the only ones called. They are part of a larger plan, one that involves people “in every place” - other believers in Corinth and around the world - that worship Jesus - the Lord of all believers.

Not only were the Corinthians called, but Paul is reminding them (and us) that their calling was to something/someone and for a purpose.

God Called You (1:2)

But it wasn’t just the Corinthians that were called, it was you and I as well. It was anyone who is a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ. The second half of verse 2 says 1 Cor 1.2

1 Corinthians 1:2 (CSB)

with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

God’s calling involves a setting apart, like the Israelites were set apart for God’s purpose and plan. Like the utensils in the tabernacle and temple were set apart for God’s purpose and plan. While historically this refers to other believers and churches in Paul’s day, by application this now includes us - you and me.

Your calling is an invitation to bring yourself completely to God to join his Promise-Plan and be part of his global movement that has been going on for thousands of years.

Paul uses specific terminology that we could spend the next several hours digging into but we’ll just scratch the surface instead. This isn’t just a greeting for Paul, this is a theological treatise.

I’m going to summarize this as succinctly as I can. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, at some point in time the Word of God came to you - whether through another person, a preacher, reading it, someone on TV, Radio, the web, etc.....somewhere, somehow, you had the Word of God brought to you and that word combined with the witness of the Holy Spirit brought conviction to your heart that you were a sinner, you needed a savior....that savior was Jesus, who died on a cross to take your place so you could share in the eternal life he has. You may not have understood all the aspects or ramifications when this happened....you may not have been knocked off your horse like Paul, you may not have witnessed a physical miracle....but you experienced a literal miracle because you were born again…the Holy Spirit of God came and indwelt you, gave you new life and set you apart (that means sanctified or made holy) to begin partnering with God in his Promise-Plan for the world.

But this wasn’t the end of it, no this was just the beginning…Jesus didn’t just save you through his work on the cross and the resurrection - Jesus also became your king or lord as Paul says it at the end of verse 2. Your allegiance just changed. Some of you are die hard fans to your sports team and others change allegiance as the wind blows, but here it’s a permanent switch…a dying to self and living for Jesus…who is lord, king, ruler, boss over your life. This is a complete surrender to all things Jesus. And this matters… you were bought with a price, you are not your own, you belong to Him. This is key to your life and the Corinthians life, which Paul will make clear later in the letter.

God Cleans (2)

This setting apart as holy, this act of sanctification - this is what is called positional sanctification. God has declared you to be his.

Every church [believer] has two addresses. They have their physical address where they are located and they have their spiritual address.… “in Christ Jesus.”

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from First Corinthians, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2012), 8.

Now it’s up to you to act like you belong to him. This is called practical sanctification - living out here on earth what has already taken place in heaven.

Clearly you have a choice in this matter, as did the Corinthians. Paul wouldn’t have needed to write numerous letters to the Corinthians if they were practically living out their sanctification that they were already gifted positionally.

This is where things get messy. This is where stress and crisis events lead to meltdowns and churches blowing up. The salt water begins to corrode the rebar. Red flags are raised. This is where families fall apart. This is where Christ’s character gets a black eye, because of his children’s behaviors.

Some people don’t think it matters, and clearly some of the Corinthians didn’t see the need to eliminate these behaviors. However, the very word (sanctification) itself - both its basic definition and its use in Scripture indicate otherwise.

In the OT we read in Lev 11.44

Leviticus 11:44 (CSB)

44 For I am the Lord your God, so you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy.

And in the NT we read in 1 Thes 4.3

1 Thessalonians 4:3 CSB

3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality,

God didn’t just call you and then disappear. God called you and kept working on you - cleaned you.

Philippians 1:6 CSB

6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Later in Corinthians Paul writes

1 Corinthians 6:11 (CSB)

11 you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

God called you and empowers you (we’ll see that in just a minute). God called you up from the miry muck and set your feet on solid ground, not for you to go play in the mud again, but for you to shine brightly and help pull others out of the mud.

The entire goal is to make you like Jesus

1 John 3:2 CSB

2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

Salvation is a multi-faceted event. There are some things related to salvation that are a once-and-done aspect and there are other things that are continuing aspects. There are some things that are related to the past, some to the present and some to the future. There is a past, present and future aspect - both to your standing with God (your justification) and to your sanctification (set apartness) with God. And then all this comes together in the future with your glorification when you are physically with God.

Mattoon clarifies justification and sanctification like this

Justification deals with our standing before God or how He views us. Sanctification deals with our state, our condition or growth.

Justification is what God does for us. He declares us righteous. Sanctification is what God does in us.

Justification is an immediate act. It never changes. Sanctification is an ongoing work that is constantly changing.

Justification makes us safe. We are saved from Hell. Sanctification makes us sound. We have peace, power, and spiritual prosperity.

Justification declares us good before God. Sanctification makes us good. We live holy lives.

Justification removes the guilt and penalty of sin. Sanctification checks and curbs the growth and power of sin.

Justification furnishes the track that leads to Heaven.… Jesus. Sanctification furnishes the train which is growing in grace and godly living.

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from First Corinthians, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2012), 9.

God Connects (2-3)

But God doesn’t just call you and clean you. He also connects you. He connects you to the global body of Christ and he expects you to stay connected to the local body of Christ. The church, God’s body, is the means by which God has decided and designed his plan to reach the world.

Your calling brought you into Christ (2b), with other believers, as part of the church. You are no lone ranger, independent believer, you have been brought into a new community. You’ve been connected to God, His Plan and His People - all in an instant. Now, the living it out, the walking it out.

This is one of the ways God continues to bring out his sanctifying work in your life. If you cut yourself off from the body of Christ, you are literally cutting yourself off from the work of God in your life. You weren’t just created to be in relationship with God, you were created to be in relationship with people. Why do you think people have such a hard time in solitary confinement in prison? Why are hermits viewed as crazy? Why does Tom Hanks in Castaway create a person named Wilson out of a volleyball? It’s to keep his sanity - he needs to relate to someone. We are relational beings.

Paul is hinting forward to 1 Cor 12-14 as well as other parts of the letter here.

And yes, that makes for messes. Children bring not just joy into our lives, they also bring messes into our lives. People bring pain and hurt into your life, but they also bring joy and happiness. They go together and there is no separating them. In fact the people that bring you the most joy are simultaneously the people that have the most ability to bring you the most hurt/pain - because the more you care the more offenses hurt. This is the law of proximity - I don’t know anyone who would let their child, or even their neighbor go hungry if they knew about it, yet thousands of children around the world will die today because they lack a plate of food to eat. If they were across the street you would bring them a plate of food, but they are across the ocean and thus are out of sight and out of mind. This is no guilt trip, this is simply the realities of life and part of wrestling with global conditions in an ever increasingly connected world.

The act of being together is critical and central to Gospel development and synergy.

Acts 2:42–47 CSB

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

This is a communal, community fellowship, sharing life together, centered around the finished work of Christ. Paul picks up on this theme again in verse 9 and then later in the book as well.

Together, we all share the same commander in chief, we all work for the same king - Jesus, regardless of your background, how or where you were saved, how long you’ve been saved, which local church you are connected to, etc.

We all share one baptism, one lord, one global church - brothers and sisters, literally traveling together to our forever home.

So the calling, cleaning and connecting is all done by God…it is, to quote verse 3 God’s grace to you. He’s freely acting in love to you. He’s freely making you right (peace/shalom) with God. And all this comes from God the Father through Jesus Christ, who made it effective.

Paul closes out the Greeting section of this letter with a peace wish. Paul wishes the Corinthians grace and peace. Two key words, one from the OT and one from the NT. Paul has so expanded this simple prayer that it packs much more punch than first meets the eye.

Basically, Paul is re-iterating to them that everything they have comes from God and is a gift. That, being made right with God is part of that gift. That this all comes from God the Father and was made possible by the work of Jesus.

Grace affects our past, overcoming the guilt and gloom that our sins have produced. Grace affects our present, overpowering our grief, the grind, and glitches of our lives. Grace also affects our future, overlooking our goals, our glimpse of the future, and giving us hope. We could not spiritually survive without the grace of God. To live the Christian life without the grace of God would be like trying to catch a feather in a hurricane. It would be impossible.

Because of the awesomeness of God’s grace, writers have painted their hearts in wonderful songs.

It was John Newton who proclaimed, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.” This is the most famous and most translated song in the world.

Haldor Lillenas in splendor said, “Wonderful grace of Jesus greater than all my sin. How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall its praise begin? Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.”

James Gray humbly expressed his heart, “Only a sinner saved by grace, only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story, to God be the glory, I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!”

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from First Corinthians, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2012), 14–15.

The peace that Paul speaks of isn’t just lack of war, it’s an inner peace that is based on right relationship that breeds confidence and security.

In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake because of his witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley’s execution, his brother offered to remain with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas declined the offer and replied that he meant to go to bed and sleep as quietly as he always did in his life. Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need.

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from First Corinthians, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2012), 13.

God Provides for You (4-9)

God is no slouch. He not only Prepares you for his plan, he provides for you, he equips you. He doesn’t leave you to your own devices to figure it out on your own. No, he immediately connects you to himself through the Holy Spirit and to his body through the local church.

God provides both for our past and present, but also for our future.

(See further Matoon (1.7) on Gifts and their Provision, Perception, Potpourri, Priority and Purpose.)

God Gives Help (4-7)

God’s generosity is on display in these verses. And this generosity is what enables Paul and us to be thankful, even in our crisis event. Despite the gross immorality and upheaval going on in the Corinthian church, Paul is thankful that they are believers. Hallelujah, are you glad you’re a believer today?

You’ve been given gifts, grace-gifts, that’s free gifts out of the love of God’s own heart. God didn’t just save you, God poured out additional gifts - spiritual gifts upon every believer, not for themselves but to be used for the benefit of others, thus building up the entire body of Christ. The Corinthians were given gifts, including knowledge and speech gifts but they forgot these were gifts…they had done nothing to receive them yet they were boasting in them and looking down on those who had different gifts. They had become arrogant, forgetting from where they had come.

You have been given gifts, every believer has (Rom 12, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4) and it is your responsibility to use them in a responsible manner for the advancement of God’s plan.

The word ‘spiritual’ in front of gifts in many translations is not technically in the text. The word is simply charismata which means a freely given gift. In the context it refers to gifts from God, thus some translate it as grace-gifts indicating gifts given by God out of his free standing love and grace.

These are all things that were done in the past and related to your connection with Jesus.

God Gives Hope (8)

and hope is life. People without hope despair and give up, some even taking their own lives. There is hope in the rubble of collapse - even at the Surfside incident three people found in the rubble of the collapse survived.

Not only does God give you Help through free gifts of grace (and of course the Helper/HS Himself) but God gives hope. It’s not just free gifts given in the past but it’s hope to carry us through the now.

1 Corinthians 1:7 (CSB)

7 so that you do not lack any (spiritual) gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s impetus for his letter to the Corinthians isn’t the Corinthians - it’s Jesus! Everything Paul does is because of Jesus and for Jesus. Paul addresses the red flags in the church at Corinth because it is God’s church, not the Corinthian’s church and because Jesus is coming back....

Paul doesn’t want the church at Corinth to collapse because it’s God’s church.

Paul will pick up on this theme in 2 Cor 11.2; Eph 5.27; and John in Rev 19.7 references the return of Christ to get his church/his bride.

Jesus is coming back. We may not act like it but he is. I’m quite sure that if we knew he was coming tomorrow we would live a bit differently for the next 24 hours. Paul lived like he was coming at any time. He wanted the Corinthians to live the same way. He wants us to live the same way.

Your present hope is found in the fact that you have already been given everything you need to live a life of godliness

2 Peter 1:3 CSB

3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Paul, similarly, says that God has given you all you need - free gifts - you lack nothing from God to do what he’s called you to do, to get involved with his plan for the world, to help build up the body of Christ. You are not alone. You are not ill equipped. You have what you need. When the boat is sinking, grab a pail and start bailing water. Be there to help fix the broken mast, repair the hole in the hull and make the ship seaworthy again. Many hands make light work and that’s especially true when God’s got your back.

Grace Alive, God has given us everything we need in Him to be the church of God in this season.

God’s strengthening and confirming of you is the assurance you need to continue on.

Over the course of 5 days in March of 2023 three US banks failed. The third, Silicon Valley Bank, largely fell because depositors quickly withdrew so much of their money. The Federal Reserve and other banks scrambled to assess the situation and prevent future failures. However, it was too late for First Republic Bank of San Francisco as another bank run was already occurring. On May 1 it was announced that First Republic was no longer - it had been purchased by JP Morgan Chase.

What some people don’t realize is that the Fed Reserve, or some other component related to it, reached out specifically to JP Morgan Chase regarding purchasing First Republic. One of the reasons that JP Morgan ended up buying the bank is because JP Morgan had the confidence of the banking industry. It’s CEO, Jamie Dimon has been the CEO since 2005. That means he weathered the storm of the 2008 banking crisis. Confidence in JP Morgan was based on CEO longevity, weathering the 2009 crisis (and reportedly not needing the forced bail out money) assets, and lack of major crisis (at least publicly).

The lack of confidence in the regional banks led to a run on the banks. In contrast, the confidence in Jami Dimon and JP Morgan led to them purchasing the flailing First Republic bank. The entire banking systems is based on consumer confidence.

Your walk with Christ is based on confidence in God - his finished work through Christ, his current work through the HS, his future work through Christ. God confidence is your hope in this life.

This confidence is important not only for your current life, but also for your future life. Not only is Jesus coming back, but as king/lord he’s going to judge the living and the dead. Believers need not fear because He, God in Christ will declare you free from any charge (blameless) he says in 1 Cor 1.8. God’s continual sanctifying work that began the day you were saved continues to strengthen you, literally confirm you (same word as in verse 6) so that you can have confidence in your walk. This is the beauty of knowing (1 John 5.13) that you are part of the household of faith, part of the bride of Christ, part of the fellowship of Christ. It gives you confidence, not cockiness - but confidence to be able to walk in grace. So many people I’ve met that don’t understand their security in life live a roller coaster life with God. When they’re following him closely they’re great and when they’re not, they’re in the dumps.

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 2:1 CSB

1 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one.

You don’t need to live like you’re on a roller coaster - life may have ups and downs, but you can have security in Christ, confidence that He is by your side and in you via the HS. Confidence that you can walk in the fire because He is beside you, confident that you can go through troubled times because He is your calm in the storm.

The judgment that is coming when Christ returns is not something new. It’s been foretold for thousands of years, Amos 5.18; Joel; Zeph 1.14-18; Rom 13.12. God will be putting everything right (shalom) but you’ve already been made right with God when you were called and cleaned.

God’s faithfulness is the keystone character attribute of God that you can rely on. From Gen to Rev it’s what God proclaims you can trust and its what God’s people cling to in times of doubt. He said it. He’ll do it.

It’s the character attribute Paul relies on to assure the Corinthians they will be declared blameless when Christ returns.

Romans 8:1 CSB

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,

Hope in God. Hope in God’s Gifts. Hope in God’s greatest gift, Jesus.

God Gives Heaven (9)

Paul closes by reminding you that when you were called you were joined to Christ, to his body, to his Promise-Plan, you have become a shareholder in the sonship derived from Christ. This is a sharing of Christ’s life and secondarily a sharing of Christ’s life with others who are in Christ. We need to move from just sharing our lives to sharing Christ’s life together…to share in the fellowship of his suffering, to share in the cup of the Lord (1 Cor 10.16-17) and the shared bread/body of the Lord.

Covenant lordship also meant the lord would secure his people and bless them (1 Cor 1:8; cf. Exod 34:10) as they followed and obeyed him and that he would judge them if they did not (1 Cor 11:31–32; Deut 7:9–10) (ZECNT 70) They are God’s covenant people, and so Christ, the King (Lord) will come either to bless (1 Cor 1:8) or to judge, just as he did the Israelites (10:11–12)

Heaven starts now, not when you die. Heaven is eternal life with God where all things are in their proper place. Your salvation is the start of that. You have now been made right with God. You have been put into His body, the church. You have been justified, sanctified positionally and are being sanctified practically. You have the HS living within you. You have the Word of God at your fingertips to renew your mind. While heaven will certainly be much better, it has already begun in a starter package, a down payment.

Paul’s Introduction to the letter to the Corinthians follows Christ’s upside down, inside out kingdom model in that it is built backwards - the entire basis of Paul’s thinking is in the final few verses

Faithfulness of God and

Fellowship with Jesus

From this theological base Paul built the rest of his introduction, providing the foundation and framework for dealing with the people problems within God’s Church at Corinth.

Your future ability to live a stable life in an unstable world, to weather the storm in a ship that may at times look like it’s capsizing is based on the same theological basis. The

Faithfulness of God and

Fellowship with Jesus

Rod Mattoon recounts that ...

In the book Why Christians Sin (Discovery House, 1992, p. 39–41), J. Kirk Johnston shared the following story about the faithfulness of God. Here is what he said: Roger Simms, hitchhiking his way home, would never forget the date—May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sign to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. “Going home for keeps?” “Sure am,” Roger responded. “Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago.” “Not quite that far, sir.” Do you live in Chicago?” “I have a business there. My name is Hanover.” After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fifty-ish, apparently successful, business man about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, “Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important.” He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.” Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand. “You knew my husband?” Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. “Can you tell me when that was?” “It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.” “Anything special about that day?” Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge. “Mrs. Hanover, I explained the Gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day.” Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, “I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him.” “And,” said Roger, “Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?” “He’s dead,” she wept, struggling with words. “He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see—I thought God had not kept His promise.” Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, “I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His Word!” Beloved, God is faithful!

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from First Corinthians, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2012), 22–23.

Conclusion

Grace Alive - God is faithful. God keeps his promises. God is not done yet.

God has either called you or is calling you now. And God has prepared you to be part of his Plan. God has provided what you need - what we need as His church. Will you accept his call today?

Invitation

If you’re not sure you’re a follower of Jesus, that you’re part of God’s family, that you’ll be in heaven with Jesus one day .....

Is God calling you to himself today? Is it time for you to surrender to God’s Plan? Let Christ become your Lord and Savior today. I’m going to ask everyone to close your eyes and bow your heads for just a minute. If you’re not sure where you stand with God today - you can clear that up right now. It’s not too late. Today can be the start of a whole new chapter in your life. I still remember the day in October of 1993 when I surrendered my life to the lordship of Jesus. Today could be that day for you. If you’re ready to do that you can call out to God, right where you’re sitting - and pray something like this...

God, I know that I’m a sinner. I know that I do wrong. I know that I need help. Thank you that you sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay for my sins. Thank you that Jesus rose from the dead demonstrating power over death. Please forgive me for my sins - for everything I’ve done wrong - against you and against others. I surrender my life to you to use as you wish. Make me alive through your Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer and meant it with all year heart and mind, today is the start of a whole new life for you. Don’t leave without letting someone know, without making sure you have a Bible, without making sure you get any other questions answered. We are here for you.

For everyone else...

Is God calling you to re-devote yourself to His Plan? To the rebuilding of this local church? Are you ready to place your confidence back in Christ to finish the work he began both in you and in Grace Alive? Are you prepared to trust God’s faithfulness, both to his Promise-Plan and to his People? Yes, it’s messy, but that’s life and that’s people. Paul didn’t change the world by avoiding messes and neither did Jesus. They got in the middle of the mess and brought the revelation of God to the situation. Let’s go change the world together - for Christ.

(FCF) We forget that Grace Alive is not our church, it is God’s church. We forget that God is still doing a work, both in us and in all other believers in Jesus Christ. We forget that everything we have is a gift from God.

We need to refocus our attention on the Lordship of Jesus Christ in God’s Promise-Plan to bring His Kingdom to the entire world. We need to realize our role in God’s Plan. We need to recognize the gifts God has given us to further His Plan.

Challenge to Unity in Christ

Challenge to Unite to shore up God’s leaking ship

Prayer

Thank you God that you call out messengers (Paul, Sosthenes), you bind them together in one purpose (Sosthenes), you build your church locally and in many places, with people from all walks of life worshipping the risen Jesus. Thank you for your gifts and for having a plan to bring about right relationships with you and others.

Thank you God for Grace Alive, for the vision you gave Cam, for Bradley joining him, for all the people that came from NC and for those from Orlando that joined. Thank you God for joining us together in Christ, for blessing us with various gifts to help each other, for using Grace Alive to draw other people to yourself.

Thank you God for securing our place in your kingdom through Jesus and his death and resurrection. Thank you that Jesus is our advocate as well as our savior. Thank you that you have declared us blameless both today and in the future on the day of judgment. Thank you that YOU are so completely faithful - faithful to your plan, faithful to your people, faithful to sustain and provide for your church. Thank you for loving us in so many ways.

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