The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 31, 1 Corinthians in a Nutshell

The Corinthians Correspondence, Part 31: 1 Corinthians in a nutshell Those of us who are a little older had a school experience learning the basics of readin, writin, and rithmatic. Those were the good old days before the school mandated multi-culturalism, or wicked sex education, or evolution taught as fact. There was no fighting over whether males could enter female restrooms. And believe it or not, there was a day when PPE and social distancing was not even heard of in a school setting. But how often when we were kids would we ask the teacher, "Why do I have to study this? I will never have to use it in real life." Think Periodic Table of the Elements. Why did we memorize them? And who cares about how a sonnet is put together? But what did the teacher say? "You might use it someday, so you need to learn it." The idea here is that so often what we learn in the artificial world of academics, sitting at desks seems to have no practical connection with the real world. Or it just shows how small the student's world is. Because as we know, education is not the mere acquisition of skills for a good paying job later on-or at least it didn't begin that way! But now, how often do Christians understand discipleship as mere academics? So many are exposed to the Christian life like this. We understand that God exists. He loves us. Christ died to save us. I pray the sinner's prayer and turn my life over to God-whatever that means. I go to church. Put a little in the offering plate or basket. I get involved doing stuff in the church. And when I die I'm going to heaven. And for many, that's about as far as things go. How often do we think, or at least act as though God is too busy to bother with my little life. He has more important things to do. Or if I'm good, then I'll live with God forever. Hell exists and surely I don't want to go there. But between now and the day I die, I've got my life to live. All this heaven stuff, and being good because I'm supposed to, "for goodness' sake", well that will help later on, when I'm about ready to depart out of this world to the next. But please don't get me to become too religious. There's a lot of living I need to do before I die. All of that Bible stuff. And prayer. What good do these religious things do for me on Tuesday afternoon when I'm bored out of my skull during that staff meeting? or trying to along with my co-workers when we're all going through hard times, like facing job layoffs during this covid thing? Or as a student, wondering why I'm learning things I will never use in real life? All that pie in the sky stuff related to following Jesus is for another time in my life. In other words, God's word, is for the non-real things in life, we so often reason. I'll never use all the begats and thee's and thou's in the Bible, so why read or study the Scripture? And prayer has its place. Like when I really need a miracle because I got that phone call from the doc. But the Christian life is not designed to be lived that way. We know this. Following Jesus in this life requires that we know how to take eternal truth and live it out as we, by faith serve the Lord, 7 days a week, for the rest of our days. And that's why 1 Corinthians is so important. Those of us who have been following the Corinthian Correspondence closely over these last 31 messages or so see how practical this letter is. In this letter, we encounter Paul, as a pastor, mentoring his beloved Corinthians. Loving on them. Answering their questions and correcting their thinking and behavior about many different things. As I mentioned last week, we want take a quick walk through 1 Corinthians, where we step back and get the big picture. Once again, we don't want to see this letter through the lenses of "why do I need this? I won't ever use it in the real world." We know how practical this letter is. So many different issues, so little time. So, I wanted to have us go back through this letter today in a fast-paced overview to remind us of what Paul covered. In a real sense we can think of 1 Corinthians as the gospel with shoe leather. Meaning, this letter shows a Christian how to live in this life--to live out God's timeless truths in the here and now. As we know, Paul addressed the believers in the church in Corinth. And he warned those who were not really Christians but for some reason attached themselves to the church. It was for the true Christians that Paul patiently, lovingly, and pointedly at times gave them ways of living out the gospel. Early on in this letter Paul reminded them of their new life in Christ, that he had given them the gospel and that God had profoundly and forever changed them. Remember in one of my more recent messages that I challenged you to answer these questions, the very ones Paul himself asked the Lord the day he met him. The first is, "Lord, who are you?" And second, "Lord, what would you have me to do?" Let's consider 1 Corinthians as a help to us in asking the Lord the 2nd question. Also, to help us get the big picture, we want to do some "chapter I.D.'s" Remember after we went through Genesis and I challenged all of us to think of a phrase to summarize each of the 50 chapters. Let me ask--did you do it? Can you walk a new Christian through the book of Genesis with your 50 chapter ID's? As we did in Genesis, I put in the bulletin an insert so you can write down the ID's of each chapter. For me, this was pretty tough. I mentioned that when I was in school many years ago, my professor assigned us as students to give chapter ID's to every chapter in the New Testament. Did I remember what ID's I gave to this letter back then? No! So, I'm sure that the ID's I gave these chapters this time around are vastly different than when I did this last time. But there is a vast difference between this time and last time. And that, indeed, is time. The time I've spent studying and meditating and preparing messages have solidified these chapters in my heart much deeper than when I went to seminary about 30 years ago. But before we actually get going in the chapters, let me remind us of a couple of cultural things that made up all things Corinth. Remember the cultural soil the believers in this church were steeped in. Not much different than our own culture, even in Virginia. Obviously, things have taken on a different hue over the past 6 months or so. None of us are certain if things will ever go back to "normal." So, let's think of life, if we can, pre-covid, and pre-BLM movement when comparing our culture with that of Corinth. In Corinth and in ours as well, wealth was and is amassed and the good life was highly valued. Like Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes 10:19, Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. Leisure activities, like sports was an absolutely huge deal in Corinth--and with us as well. The city was home to the second largest empire-wide event-the Isthmus games, second only to the Olympics. Think about all the clamor of sports at all levels. Because of Covid there are a lot of issues just to watch, let alone participate, if people can actually do that. Talking heads, were big then. And big now. Think the 24 hour news cycle. How many channels scramble on a regular basis to be the first to break a story? And let's not forget all the actors in our day telling powerful stories. In short, the talking heads and athletes were the rock stars of their day. And in our day, throw in all the musicians, too! Next comes consuming sensual pleasure for the Corinthians in the forms of the worship of gods and goddesses and sexual activity of all kinds in all sorts of ways. They went together. In our day, we worship at the altar of pleasure as well. As Francis Schaeffer described it back in the 1970's, personal peace and affluence make up the foundation of our day and have for a long time. Think inconvenience. Or pain. Or deprivation of any kind. Or even perceived as feeling outcast from social circles. We don't want to be bothered; just left alone. "you do you" and "I do me" is what seems to be so prevalent now. The same holds true with so many of us in our understanding of God. The true and living God, as we have been so well trained to believe, only wants the best for us, in the form of keeping us from all hurt, harm and danger. If things don't go my way all the time, and especially if my prayers get answered with a no or even differently than the way I desire, then I conclude that God does not love me. And often that means I stop following the Lord, for after all, "God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life." And I don't even have to comment about the cultural similarities of sexual perversion between us and Corinth. I will say this, though. I learned yesterday at "the Return" that the U.S. produces 75% of all pornography in the world. Sex slave trafficking and abortion are the hideous connection points with all that. Of course, there was much more we covered in the first message of this series. If you care to, I encourage you to go back and give a listen on our Facebook page. The manuscript is there as well. So, it was into this Corinthian culture that the Lord led Paul to start a church. And let's keep in mind though the non Christian Corinthians were religious, they were very lost. It takes a lifetime for true transformation of a soul once he or she comes into the kingdom of God. This was why Paul had to deal with so many issues. And the biggest issue Paul deals with in 1 Corinthians, the one problem that over arches every other problem is disunity. Whether it be the Corinthians' breaking off into cliques with their favorite Bible teacher, or relationally, or morally between them and the Lord, or even deviations from the true teachings of the Lord, disunity reared its ugly head everywhere. So, without further ado, let's walk through this letter. On your insert, I have given you a couple of chapter ID's. Easy ones like chapter 13--Agape: The Essential Way, and chapter 7--Godly Marriage and Divorce & Separation. As I mentioned, it was a struggle for me in giving chapter ID's--short precise 1-2 word phrases because there is so much in these chapters. But let me give us a few verses per section with little comment. Again, we want to get a bird's eye picture of this letter as a whole. We've already studied it in depth, visiting this letter 30 times! Let's put it together in our hearts and minds. Let's get a little interactive. After we read the verses that seem to capture the sections, I'll ask for your feedback, to prime the pump in our minds for the ID's. Remember these are not right or wrong--they are to help you to get a handle on this letter, so we can fulfill part of our mission statement: to learn the Bible. 1 Corinthians 1:2-3 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:11-13: For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:18-20: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? Any thoughts about chapter 1? Here's what I have: Greetings / Divisions / Divine wisdom 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:6-7: Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:14: The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 3:1-4: But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? 1 Corinthians 3:5-7: What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:21: So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 1 Corinthians 4:1-3: This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 1 Corinthians 4:15-16: For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 1 Corinthians 5:11-13: But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." 1 Corinthians 6:1-3: When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 1 Corinthians 6:6-8: but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud-even your own brothers! 1 Corinthians 6:18-20: Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11: To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. 1 Corinthians 7:15-16: But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? 1 Corinthians 8:1: Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. 1 Corinthians 8:7-9: However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 1 Corinthians 8:12-13: Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. 1 Corinthians 9:3-4: This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 1 Corinthians 9:12: If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 10:6: Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 1 Corinthians 10:11-14: Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:31-33: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 11:2-3: Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:7-8: For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 1 Corinthians 11:19-20: for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 1 Corinthians 11:27-31: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 1 Corinthians 12:1-6: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:13: So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 14:1: Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:18-19: I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 1 Corinthians 14:26: What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 1 Corinthians 14:39-40: So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:16-17: For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55: When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:57-58: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4: Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:22: If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! And that is 1 Corinthians in a nutshell! What can we take away from this very practical, powerful letter? Paul wanted his beloved Corinthians to be about applying the Christian life to themselves. With all of the difficulties and sins the Corinthian believers had, Paul still saw the Lord's handiwork in them. And so, in the last verse in that great resurrection chapter, chapter 15, Paul gives them this encouragement, based on God's supernatural work in them and his love for them: 1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. It's very important to note here: what Paul, and ultimately God wants them and us to do is based on who they and we are. Paul calls them beloved brothers. Again, part of the family. How did they get there? God did a work in their lives. When Paul came to town he had one message, a message that he knew would not fly, unless God did a work: "1 Corinthians 1:23-24: but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." If the Corinthian pagans were going to become Corinthian saints, it would have to be a work of God-the gentiles saw Christ crucified as foolishness and something to be rejected out of hand; the Jews saw Christ crucified as a stumbling block-literally a scandalous thing, and naturally they, too would stay far away from the messenger and the message. Though doubtless there were many who rejected the foolish, scandalous message, there were some who believed and followed. And though the true believers struggled, at least they were following Jesus. Some followed from a distance, others followed close. But all true believers display a lifestyle of living godliness. Living because people who are alive can walk. Godliness because such is the way of Jesus. Paul said to these brothers and sisters to be steadfast immoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord. What about you? Are you steadfast or do you waver in your relationship with the Lord? Are your eyes fixed on him or are you distracted by the trinkets and shiny objects of the world? How you spend your time, the decisions you make, what you choose to think about and meditate on, all will feed into or detract from steadfastness and immoveability in him-in the Lord who was crucified and rose again for you and me. And for the record, the Lord got ahold of my heart yesterday. I had to confess my own lethargy in the things of God. I get so easily distracted in things. Though they are not evil in and of themselves, they eat up the precious time the Lord has loaned to me. And before I know it, hours go by and, once again, I'm behind schedule and have to rush things like even the sermon prep. Yesterday was humbling. But it was so needed in my life. My prayer is that the Lord will give me strength to minimize distractions and to spend time with him until the lethargy goes away, then I can begin to have fruitful time with the Lord. The second point of application is 1 Corinthians 16:22: If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! This word love is not agape love, it is phileo-a friendship love; a feeling love; a warm affectionate love for the Lord. The relationship we have with the Lord is not to be a cold, clinical bare bones relationship, but a warm, inviting one. It's like the difference between having a fireplace in your house and actually having fire going on a cold winter night. If I have a fireplace, that's a good thing. The potential is there for warmth and light. But if there is no fire, it is a cold hearth. But a roaring fire makes all the difference. Let's be about the business of keeping alive the teaching called the Westminster Catechism, First question: "What is the chief end of man?" Why were we created? God did not have to make us. He decided to do so. But why? It's all over the Scripture and the question is answered this way: "To glorify God and enjoy him forever." So, let me ask you: How's the fireplace of your heart? Cold, no fire? Or alive, burning with aged wood, and made just right, inviting, and relational with the one we were created to glorify and enjoy forever?