Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Endless Faithfulness

Theme: Grasping Our Resources in Christ Jesus

“I always thank God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus.

For in Him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge--because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

(1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

Focus upon Jesus Christ

The name of Jesus Christ is mentioned ten times in the first ten verses of 1 Corinthians.

The Apostle Paul wanted the minds of the Corinthians and all who are Christians today to keep their focus upon Jesus Christ.

With Him as their reason for living Christians will enjoy all the benefits of being children of God.

Today’s passages of Scripture put in the foreground all the hope and cause for our praise.

Listen as I read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, “I always thank God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus.

For in Him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge--because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

Let us Pray!

I would propose to you that faithful Christians can live a life of confidence as long as they are living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God.

Obedient Christians walk in the grace of God, enjoy the gifts of His Holy Spirit, enjoy the call of God upon their lives and know the faithfulness of God.

Just how do these great resources affect the life of the child of God?

Grace was given to us in Christ

Grasping our resources begins with understanding just what grace was given to us in Christ Jesus.

The apostle Paul said, “…he always [thanked] God for [Christians] because of His grace given… in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Corinthians 1:4)

The Corinthian church was a body of believers that had a lot of spiritual immaturity.

There was misuse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and division in the church over who followed who.

This was a troubled church and the Apostle Paul was thankful to God for have calling them to Christ and to have the privilege to give them spiritual teaching and direction.

The church is made up of people who have been “sanctified,” (hagiazo) set apart for God, whom He has made holy simply because they have accepted Jesus’ sacrificial death for them.

The New Testament “church” (ekkesia) of the redeemed is; first, a church worldwide of all times made up of those who are called by God to Christ in fellowship of His salvation.

Second, it is a group of Christians made up of individuals who seek to follow Christ and join together to exercise gifts given by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the Body of Christ.

A form of this Greek word for “church” (ekklateo) means to call out.

It was common in Paul’s day for a congregation (ekketoi) to be referred to as “the called people.”

It is important to note, Paul’s thankfulness was because of God’s faithfulness to call a people out of this sin darkened world unto Christ.

Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” (John 6:44)

If you know Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, it is because God, on the behalf of Christ sent the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your need for Christ and it is He who enabled you to accept Jesus into your heart and life.

Even if you are not a born again Christian and you are around the things of God, it is God drawing you to Christ.

Pastor Paul Rees told the true story related to him from a Christian nurse who attended the church he oversaw for the Lord.

One night the police brought a woman to the emergency room.

After the doctor’s examination they said “Just leave her alone, she is going to die soon.”

The Christian nurse who sat under the spiritual guidance of Pastor Rees chose not to leave the dying girl, but stayed by her bedside.

There was a drawing of this girl to ask the nurse, “Does God care about someone like me?”

She went on to share with the Christian nurse about her sinful lifestyle.

The nurse told her about how God loved her so much that He sent His one and only Son to die on the Cross for the sins of the world.

All who would look to Christ for forgiveness would receive Him and be forgiven.

The nurse went on to share the story in John chapter 8 of the woman who was caught in adultery and was granted forgiveness and a chance to leave her sinful lifestyle.

(John 8:2-11) The young lady accepted Christ.

Not long after her acceptance of forgiveness found in Christ this young lady’s life began to swiftly drift way.

As she went on to be with Jesus, the nurse said, “As I looked upon the dying woman, there was a look on her face of confidence that she was about to hear, “Then neither do I condemn you...” (John 8:11)

God’s faithfulness is always extending the grace of forgiveness to a lost and dying world.

For sake of application, what will you do with such a grace from God? What will you do with Christ?

Jesus’ words to the lady caught in adultery who He forgave were, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:8:11) (The Holy Spirit laid these things upon my heart and mind as I consider truths found in the study of, The Bible Exposition Commentary; The Bible Knowledge Commentary; The IVP Bible Background Commentary; Matthew Henry Commentary; Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary; The Complete Word Study Dictionary; The NIV Bible)

God’s faithfulness enables Christians to walk in His grace

It is the faithfulness of God that enables a sinner to come to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin.

It is God’s faithfulness that enables Christians to walk in His grace.

Paul wrote, “For in Him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- (1 Corinthians 1:5)

God had given the Corinthian believers the ability to learn about the things of God and speak of eternal truths.

They would need His faithfulness to work in their lives through the purifying of the written Word and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to cleanse them from carnal living.

As Christians allow the Lord to cleanse the carnality out of their lives He gives knowledge of divine truths, ability to teach Biblical truths to others and the ability to live them out.

Obedient Children of God enjoy all the favors promised in the Bible and walk in the abundant life promised by Jesus Christ.

Christians will have all their needs met and be changed more and more into the image of Christ.

The greatest enrichment Christians can have is a heart that is after God, desiring His righteousness and surrendering to His will in their lives.

Psalm 20:4 says, “May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

Psalm 20 is written in the context that a king is going out to do battle.

The Christian is a soldier of Christ and He is in a battle for the souls of mankind and there is a constant battle for his heart and mind.

The flesh, the world and the devil want the heart of the child of God and there is always that battle in his mind.

The greatest concern of a born again Christian’s heart is the honor of his God.

This must be in his heart before he can grasp the wisdom of God thus being able to discern God’s will for him.

A God wise heart produces God ordained plans and they succeed.

Christians are given a wise heart because they seek the counsel of God.

The New American Standard Bible translates Psalm 20:4 as, “…and fulfill all your counsel.”

“Counsel” (etsah) here can mean, “to think about a course of action, often including consultation with a counselor or adviser.

Psalm 37:4-5 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this.”

The Holy Spirit moved the apostle James to write, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

(James 1:5) The child of God who lives a life of true faith can have God lead and direct his life and there is no greater enrichment one can have than that.

Jesus tells us about the endless faithfulness of God.

How God by His request would send another “Counselor” to guide Christians in His wisdom and in all truth.

Jesus taught, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth.”

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:16, 24) In His endless faithfulness God sent Jesus and He is now in the abode of God making intercession for the children of God.

By the request of the Jesus, God sends the Holy Spirit to enrich the child of God’s life in every way.

His work is to bring Christians into a deeper knowledge of the Word of God, give them a divine strength to undergo all the battles they will face and fully equip obedient servants to fulfill their part of the Great Commission.

Christians who have in their mind and heart to obey the Lord’s commands will be led in all truth found in the Word of God.

When they need the promises and warnings of God’s Word in their lives, in their service to each other and to Christ, the Holy Spirit will remind them of everything they have been taught.

Christians who enjoy God’s endless faithfulness are the ones who make time to prayerfully read and study God’s Word.

The Book of Acts may be referred to as the recorded accounts of the work of the Holy Spirit working powerfully in and through the church of Jesus Christ.

Luke wrote down many accounts of the Holy Spirit giving guidance to those in the church who were surrendered to the will of God in their lives.

In Acts 13:2-4 we read, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’

So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit.”

The missionary journeys that the Lord sent the Apostle Paul on showed an extraordinary combination of strategic planning and sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Book of Acts records the time when Paul had things he wanted to do, yet God had to place His plan in Paul’s heart.

Paul wanted to preach in Asia, but Acts 16:6 tells us God’s plan.

The Bible says, “…having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in the province of Asia…” When Paul tried to enter Bithynia, the Bible says, “…but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”

(Acts 16: 7) Paul did great things for God because he was usable by being obedient to the Holy Spirit.

The “counselor” the Holy Spirit is given to guide the people of God so they can get His will done.

One of the Holy Spirit’s ministries is to lead Christians each day wherever the Lord desires them to represent Him.

When decisions must be made, the Holy Spirit can open the truths of Scripture to God’s obedient children and illuminate their minds and hearts.