If you remember, last week I mentioned that on occasions the believers tend to fall in the enemy’s trap; on occasions, the believer tends to fall in the trap of self pity, which in almost all instances causes them to deviate from God’s path. This was certainly the case with the prophet Elijah during the time in his life that we explored last week, and it is definitively something that the enemy continues to use to detour God’s people. Now the question that we must ask ourselves is: Why can we so easily be detoured from God’s path? The answer is because in the majority of times, whenever we face difficult situations, we tend to forget who we are. That is to say, whenever we face difficult situations, we first look to resolve the problem by our own strength, and when this does not have the desired result, we then begin to drown in the “why me?” Therefore, to learn how we can stop being deviated from God’s path, today we are going to explore about who we are, and the why me? Let us now turn to the Word of God.
1 Corinthians 1:2-5 - To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.
Like I always say, in order to have a better understanding of the message that God has for us today, it will be necessary to conduct a brief history review. Corinth was the most important city in Greece during Paul’s time. Corinth was a very important world commercial place, the culture was much degraded, and their religion was idolatrous. The evil that existed in Corinth was so great that to say “to act as a Corinthian” was synonymous with corruption and prostitution. What was happening is that this immorality and corruption was affecting the church. The immorality and corruption causes serious problems within the church, and it is something that is very evident en 1 Corinthians 1:11 when we read: “My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.” Therefore, as we can see Paul wrote this epistle as a corrective response to the news of the problems and disorder that existed within the church. In other words, this letter was designed to correct the inappropriate attitudes and to promote a spirit of unity between the brethren, their relationships, and their worship. Why do we need to know these things? We need to know these very brief details because through them we learn that although this letter was written in around 56 a.C., the reality is that people have not changed much, and the world finds itself in more or less the same situation. In other words, the majority of people on this earth spend their lifetime seeking pleasures, titles, and the material things, instead of seeking God. The majority of the people of this world are so connected to the evil current that runs through this world, that they have completely disconnected themselves from God. This is certainly the truth for all of those that do not yet know Christ as their King and Savior, that is to say the non-believers; however, unfortunately, there is a large group of people within the body of Christ, that just as back then, they are so involved in the things of this world that the only thing they do is cause division, arguments, and disagreements. Therefore, keeping these brief details in mind, let us no continue with our study for today.
In the verses that we are studying today we find three key words that will help us establish our identity, so that we can prevent from being detoured from God’s path. The first word is: “church”, the second word is: “sanctified” and the third word is: “enriched”. Let us now examine these three words a bit closer to discover the magnificent power that exists in our true identity.
The first word is: “church”. To have a better understanding of the powerful meaning that exists in this word, we will have to make a brief pause here to examine its origin. The word “church” is translated from the Greek word “ekklçsia”, which has a double definition as it can be defined as: “1. reunion or assembly of a group of citizens called out of their homes to a public place”; 2. reunion or assembly of Christians gathered to worship in a center; the body of Christ that is dispersed throughout the earth.” Therefore, using these definitions we find two things that are of the utmost importance.
Number one; He has called us by name to step out of the world and to enter His kingdom. This is something that the apostle clearly states in 1 Corinthians 1:9 when we read: “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful”. Number two; all of us here are part of the body of Christ. This is something that the apostle also clearly stated in Romans 12:4-5 when we read: “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”. This means that we are not just a small congregation; we are part of the all powerful liberation front. Therefore, to be part of the church means that our citizenship was transferred from earth to heaven. To be part of the church means that we have been liberated from the snare of the devil, we have been set free. It is as the Word tells us in John 8:32 when we read: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. We were not liberated from the snare of the devil by our own brute force of willpower; we were liberated by the blood of Christ on the cross and God’s holy Word. Tell the person sitting next to you: we are the church.
The second word is: “sanctified”. Again, to have a better understanding of the powerful meaning of this word, we will need to make a brief pause and examine its origin. The word “sanctified” is a translation of the Greek word “hagiazô” which means: “purify; clean externally; to purify by expiation; free from guilt or sin; purify internally by the renewing of the soul”. Therefore the word sanctified is used as an act of purification, and this was something that the Jewish and the people of that time understood quite well. They understood this quite well because during Jesus’ time here on earth, the people that wanted to enter the temple to worship God first had to purify themselves at the “Mikvehs”; (“Mikvehs” are ritual baths which Jews use in order to purify themselves before any act of worship.) In other words, people had to immerse themselves in the waters of a ritual before being able to approach God. And this is exactly what God has done with each and every one of us. Through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross we have been cleansed and purified, not by water, but by the blood of His only begotten son. It is as the Word tells us in John 3:16 when we read: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. This means that we have received a new life.
The third word is: “enriched”. Again, to have a better understanding of the powerful meaning of this word, we will need to make a brief pause and examine its origin. The word “enriched” is the translation of the Greek word “ploutizô” which means: “to make rich; spiritual richness”. Therefore, this means that we have not received little, we have received much. Tell the person sitting next to you, we are rich. The truth of the matter is that there are many in the world that would love to have what we have. What do we have that so many seek, but never find? We have the peace of our Lord in our heart and mind. It is as the word tells us in Philippians 4:7 when we read: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. At times we are called fanatics or foolish, but this is because as the word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:18 when we read: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” For the faithful believer the word “enriched” means that we have no limits. Brethren, the apostle is not speaking here about material richness that can be obtained in this world, he is speaking about the richness of the spiritual blessings of God. Therefore, in those instances of difficulties, or in those moments of anguish, during those moments that may frighten us, we cannot forget who we are. Who are we? We are the church; in other words we are the people that have been chosen by God. We have been sanctified; in other words, we have been purified by the blood of Jesus. We have been enriched; in other words, we have received riches as no other; riches that can not be bought with all of the gold and silver that exists in the universe. We have been blessed with a citizenship in God’s kingdom. Tell the person sitting next to you, we are the church.
The second question that we asked today was: “why me?” What happens is that just as in the case of the prophet whom we studied about last week, many of us tend to drown in self-pity. This causes us to lock ourselves in, and it leads us to and internal and quiet suffering.
The truth of it all is that it is quite easy to become depressed and to have self-pity. All of us here have experienced this at one time or another and it is exactly here where the enemy wants to trap you. The enemy wants us to think and say: “nothing ever works out good for me”; “I always have this problem”. However, what does the Word of God say about this? Were we guaranteed that once we accepted Christ all of our problems would disappear? That when we accept Christ life would become a bed of roses? The answer is NO!! However, the Lord does make us a wonderful promise about all suffering and pain as we find in John 16:33 when we read: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”. When we take the time to meditate on this verse, we quickly realize that it answers our second question of the day. This verse answers the: why me? Why do I say this? I say that with this verse the Lord answers our question because in it we find that He tell us that we will have to traverse through difficult times. This verse lets us know that He knows the things that we have to endure, but at the same time He gives us the hope and encouragement that we need. With this verse the Lord strengthens us to prevent us from falling into the snare of self-pity. “I have overcome the world”. With this our Lord is calling us to be strong. He is calling us to not faint and to not allow the enemy to defeat us. The Lord is telling us; trust in me, I will take care of it.
I know that perhaps some may be thinking: “sure, but you just don’t know what I am going through”. I know that at times all of us feel alone and abandoned; Jesus during the most physically painful moments of His life had this feeling. This is something that is clearly reflected in Matthew 27:46 when we read: “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But I tell you today that no matter the circumstance, that no matter how difficult or invincible a situation may appear to be, God never abandons the faithful servant. Let us never forget that God has a plan and a purpose in everything that happens; God’s purpose was accomplished on the cross of Calvary. What was God’s purpose? God’s purpose was our salvation. Thank you Lord!!!
God has a purpose in all things, this means that we have to look at things that happens to us as an experience from which we must learn. The truth of it all is that no one can say with certainty why God allows certain things to happen, but of the one thing that we can be sure of is that there is a divine purpose, and the divine purpose will always be for our good. This is something that is clearly reflected in Jeremiah 29:11-12 when we read: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.” With this here the Lord tells us: I am in control, take it easy, and wait. Like I said a brief moment ago, being a Christian does not guarantee us a life free from suffering, but it does guarantee us that He will guide us through our pain. In John 14:16 the Lord declares: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever”. And it is this promise that guarantees us that no matter how difficult the situation may appear the faithful servant will always be guided to a successful resolution, as even death no longer has dominion over us; Jesus delivered us to eternal life. Tell the person sitting next to you: trust in the Lord.
In conclusion; God has done numerous things for us that we may not even know about, and others that we are fully aware of. This is why we should always thank God for all things and in all things. However, the biggest blessing that we have is His Word. I say this because when we seek Him, when we take the time to study and meditate on His Word, we quickly realize that there are no questions or problems that cannot be resolved by God. Why can so many be detoured so easily from God’s path? The reason is because there are many that forget their true identity. How can we prevent being detoured from God’s path? We can prevent it by always remembering that we were called out from the world. We can prevent it by always remembering that we have been sanctified, purified, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God. We can prevent it by always remembering that that we have been enriched; we have been given riches that can never be obtained with money or earthly possessions. Do not allow the enemy to trap you in the “why me?” Just remember who you are.
