I. Introduction
A. There are many issues of concern or interest to the church today.
-Issues of curiosity or issues that can unite or divide a church.
-Issues of theology or issues of faith and practice.
-Issues such as:
-Divorce and remarriage.
-Role of women in ministry.
-Spirit baptism.
-Gifts of the Spirit
-Communion
-God’s judgment.
-God’s grace.
-Sanctification
-Unity of the body of Christ.
-We can begin several different studies to look at each of these topics.
-This would give us an opportunity to look at these topics in depth.
-The problem with these types of studies is that sometimes one can inadvertently miss the context surrounding these particular passages
-It would be better if we could instead look at these topics within context.
-It just so happens that God has given us a book in scripture that addresses all these topics and more.
B. Expositional study
-Today I would like to begin a study of the book of First Corinthians.
-This is what is called expository preaching.
-Looking at a book or passage line-by-line, verse-by-verse,
- The greatest contribution a pastor can make is consistent Biblical preaching. The proclamation of God’s Word is His chosen method of dealing with men. What I am here pleading is for a return to the preaching of the Bible itself. That is the preacher’s divine assignment. It ask the questions, Does God have anything to say? What does God say?
The most effective Biblical preaching is expository preaching because it confronts modern man with God’s truth. It comes entirely from the Scriptures. In expository preaching the preacher examines the grammatical and historical context of the passage of Scripture.
Wil Pounds
(2 powerpoints)
-I believe it is the most effective way to teach and preach the word of God.
-It will take a good amount of time to go through this book.
-16 chapters
-437 verses
-There will be times that we will step away from the book as the Spirit leads.
-However, I am excited to see what God unveils for us each week as we look into this very important book as it relates to practical Christian living
(title powerpoint)
PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
II. Background of Corinth
A. Date
-Written while Paul was in Ephesus during his third missionary journey
***** -1 Corinthians 16:5-9
-Paul gives his location at the time of this letter’s writing (Ephesus)
-He also gives the time of year (Prior to Pentecost)
-Held in late May/early June.
-Written in late 54 or early 55 A.D.
B. Geography
-(Place Map 1 of Greece on overhead)
-Greece is divided into two sections
-Northern section
-Southern section
-Peloponnesus
-Almost an island except it is connected to the northern section by an isthmus (land bridge)
--(Place Map 2 of Greece on overhead)
-It is near the western edge of this isthmus that we find Corinth.
-About 25 miles wide east to west.
-Here the land mass is only four miles wide north to south.
-Corinth is located about 45 miles west of Athens.
-The lower section of Greece, or Peloponnesus, is 250 miles to sail around.
-Very dangerous journey for a ship to make.
-Rocky, stormy
-Mariner had a saying, “A sailor never takes a journey around Malea (the cape at the south end of the peninsula) until he first writes his will.”
-Most captains chose to put their ships on skids, or rollers, and transported them the four miles over land right near Corinth.
-This is one of the reasons that Corinth was a major trade route during the time of Christ and at the writing of this letter.
-A canal was not completed across the isthmus until the late 19th century.
(title powerpoint)
C. Culture
-With all of the pagan influences and idolatry Corinth became known as one of the most immoral cities in the known civilization.
***** -1 Corinthians 6:9-11
-Paul list even more unseemly sins which we will address as we progress through the letter.
-Throughout the Mediterranean world gross immorality and drunkenness came to be known “corinthianized”
D. Religion
-Many Greek cities had a high point, or acropolis = “high city”.
-Corinth’s rose over 2,000 feet.
-Was called “acrocorinth”, or upper Corinth (powerpoint)
-Used in defense of the city but was also the main location for Corinth’s religious worship.
-You would find the Temple to Aphrodite, or the Greek goddess of love here.
-Employed 1,000 temple priestesses who lived there.
-Religious prostitutes
-At night went down to the city to provide services to the residents and the many visitors to Corinth.
-City, itself, had a population of 400,000
-Size of Miami, 2010 census
-This is the culture in which the believer found themselves in Corinth.
-These are the people that Paul needed to address issues with.
-We live in a very immoral culture today.
-It is important that we, as believers, know what God has to say so that we do not find ourselves in a similar state that the church at Corinth did.
III. Paul’s Greeting (title powerpoint)
A. Paul’s background with the church at Corinth
-The church at Corinth was not new to the apostle Paul.
-He began the church during his first missionary journey around 52A.D.
-Assisted by Aquila and Pricilla.
-Paul felt the need to write to the church because they had difficulty breaking from an extremely pagan culture.
-Like many Christians today, the Corinthian believers had great difficulty in not mimicking the unbelieving and corrupt society around them.
-The church at Corinth’s most serious problem was worldliness.
-They wanted what is available through Christ (freedom from sin, peace that passes all understanding, joy), but could not attain it because of their inability to let go of the ungodly logic and practices of their culture.
-Paul also used this letter as an opportunity to commend those who were standing for the things of God.
B. The greeting
***** -1 Corinthians 1:1-3
-Times have changes in the way we write our letters to others.
-For many it is a lost art.
-The last time I think I wrote a letter was to my wife when we were separated by the Navy.
-Today most of us will write e-mails rather than letters.
-Setup is still the same
-Salutation (name of who you are writing to)
-Body of the letter
-Closing (signature)
-This causes you to look at the end to see who wrote the letter if you don’t have the envelope.
-1 Corinthians 1:1 – “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother” (powerpoint)
-In Paul’s day it was customary to put the names at the beginning so that the author of the letter was immediately known.
-Sosthenes
-Probably the one who penned the letter for Paul.
-Fellow believer and in agreement with the contents of the letter.
-Name not unknown to the church in Corinth.
-During Paul’s first missionary journey the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth came to place his faith in Christ.
-Sosthenes took his place.
-Acts 18:8-17
-Like Paul, Sosthenes was a former opponent of the gospel who had become a Christian
C. An apostle
-Paul’s usage of this term is not to be arrogant or proud.
***** -1 Corinthians 15:9-11
-The apostles were specifically called out men who were “sent forth” to proclaim the gospel.
-There were none after these chosen few.
-Here, Paul was establishing his right to speak and to admonish the church at Corinth.
-I would never be accepted giving a presentation at a medical convention.
-No degree, training, or experience.
-I would not have the right to tell men and women how to be doctors.
-Paul is about to instruct the believers in Corinth on important spiritual things and he sets forth his right to do so by reminding them of his calling by God.
-Remember, it is God who has appointed him this task.
-“apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God” v.1
-When the Jewish Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin, was asked to arbitrate a serious dispute or to give an interpretation regarding Jewish law or tradition, they would send their decision by an apostolos to the involved parties. As far as the message was concerned, the apostolos possessed the full authority of the Sanhedrin. He did not speak for himself, but for the Sanhedrin.
-He was more than a messenger.
-He was an emissary, an envoy, an ambassador.
-Paul was God’s envoy, His ambassador, God’s apostolos
-It is not Paul’s message that he is giving the church at Corinth.
-It is God’s
C. The church physical
-1 Corinthians 1:2 – “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (powerpoint)
-“The church which is at Corinth”
-This gives us the location of those receiving this epistle, or letter.
-When Paul wrote to a church in a city he always began his letters this way.
-Colossae, Thessalonica, Philippi, Ephesus
-The local church is made up of individual believers equal before God.
-We have different callings and gifts to use in service to Him.
-But we all are the same positionally before God.
D. The church spiritual
-V.2 – “to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints”
-“sanctified” - hagiazo (hag-ee-ad'-zo); to make holy (powerpoint)
-“called to be saints” - hagios (hag'-ee-os); sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or set apart for God, consecrated) (powerpoint)
-Paul is telling the church at Corinth, and us also, that we are saints.
-Try to wrap your mind around the concept that when you come to Christ, God sees you as holy.
-You may not be a saint as you know the term.
-But positionally God sees all those who come to Him by the blood of the Lamb as holy!
-Paul is telling those believers in Corinth that regardless of their sinful living that they were holy in God’s sight.
-How? “in Christ Jesus”
-This is what God means in Isaiah 1:18 – “"Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool” (powerpoint)
-The holiness we have positionally is not a result of our good works.
-Holy living does not make us holy.
-Holy living is a result of who we are in Christ.
-It is God who accomplishes this in us.
-In spite of us.
-1 Corinthians 1:2 – “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (powerpoint)
-“called”
-NT:2821 klesis (klay'-sis); an invitation (figuratively):
-NT:2564 kaleo (kal-eh'-o); to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, dir. or otherwise):
-NT:2753 keleuo (kel-yoo'-o); from a primary kello (to urge on); "hail"; to incite by word, i.e. order:
-NT:2822 kletos (klay-tos'); (word used in verse 2); invited, i.e. appointed, or (specifically) a saint:
-God’s order for those who are sanctified is that we are appointed to be saints.
-saints- hagios (hag'-ee-os); sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or set apart for God, consecrated
-Isn’t it beautiful how God’s word comes together?
-How all of Scripture tells, at its base, God’s wonderful story of love and redemption.
-Paul goes on to tell the church in Corinth that all of those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ have this place before God.
-Isn’t it awesome that though we may not be living as saints, God sees us as such positionally?
-If it was dependent upon me, I would fail miserably.
-Paul is also letting the church know that they have an obligation to live up to that position.
-There is a difference between position and practice.
-Between standing and state.
-When God looks at us as believers, He sees us through Christ’s righteousness.
-Presidents do not always act presidential.
-Diplomats do not always act diplomatically.
-Kings do not always act kingly.
-Yet they are still presidents, diplomats, and kings.
-Christians don’t always act like Christians.
-Yet they are still Christians.
-Some years ago a young boy, whose father was a pastor, was put in jail for stealing some merchandise from a department store. His father happened to be playing golf with some of the church leaders at the time and received a call while on the golf course to come down to the jail to get his son. Thinking it was a mistake, the pastor took the other men with him to the police station, where embarrassment abounded.
The deepest impression of the incident left on the boy’s mind was made by the repeated reminders he received from those men, and from many others afterward, about who his father was. “Having a father like yours,” they would ask, “how could you have done what you did?” Yet as humiliating and painful as the experience was, the boy knew he was still his father’s son. He had not acted like a son of his father should have acted, but he was still a son.
-If you want to honor God in how you live, begin every day remembering who your Father is.
-He is a loving Father who will never let you down.
-Never disappoint you.
-Never abandon you.
-He has adopted you and calls you his son/daughter.
-He sees you as holy.
-All He asks in response is that you honor that new name you have been given.
-You are a Christian now. Live like it.
IV. Paul’s Blessing
-1 Corinthians 1:3 – “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (powerpoint)
-This was a common form of Christian greeting.
-Find it in the writings of Paul, Peter, and John
-A desire that God’s favor would be upon the recipient of the greeting
- Philippians 4:7 – “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, …”
(powerpoint)
-John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” (powerpoint)
V. Conclusion
-There is a peace that only God can give.
-Comes from knowing that He sees us as saints in spite of our imperfections, our struggles, our failures, and our sins.
-You can only know this peace if you have trusted Christ as your Savior.
-The peace of knowing your sins have been forgiven.
-The peace of knowing you are a child of God.
-The peace of knowing heaven awaits you some day.
-Do you know this type of peace today?
-To the Christian: Do you feel a lack of peace in your life?
-Are you so racked by sin or guilt that you have a feeling of heaviness?
-Let it go.
-God sees you as a saint, a holy one.
-Give your thoughts, concerns, weaknesses to Him.
-He will give you the victory.
PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!
