SERMON OUTLINE:
BACKGROUND:
• (a). The City was Cosmopolitan:
• (b). The City was Commercial.
• (c). The City was Corrupt.
FOUR SNAPSHOTS:
• Photo #1: the tentmaker (vs 1-3).
• Photo #2: the watchman (vs 4-6).
• Photo #3: the evangelist (vs 7-10).
• Photo #4: the builder (11-17)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Whether it is the distance from Brighton, Manchester or Glasgow,
• The actual point for measuring the distance to and from London,
• Is located at Charing Cross, Westminster.
• Question: Why Charing Cross?
• Answer: Not even because it is quite central in London.
• It was chosen not because of its geographical location, but for another reason.
• You have to go back almost 750 years to the reign of Edward I.
• The name stems from the fact that King Edward I,
• Erected a cross on that site in memory of his wife Eleanor after her death in 1290.
• The cross-outside Charing Cross Station is a replica made in 1863,
• The one that stood at the original site was a few hundred metres away.
• Historians believe the original was not as ornate as the one seen today.
I was thinking of the cross after our Thursday night house group:
• Alistair who said that the sermon we looked at last week was probably just the highlights,
• We noted that he doesn’t mention the cross of Christ,
• But he does talk about the resurrection.
• Now you cannot of course have one without the other!
Today the apostle Paul has left Athens and walked 90-miles west to Corinth.
• And unlike Athens, when he is with Christian friends (chapter 17 vs 15)
• And here we get a better insight as to what he preached.
• Later he would write a letter to the Corinthians in which he says,
• Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 22.
• “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Quote: 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 1-4.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures:”
Ill:
• No cross then no salvation!
• Can’t play football without a ball.
• You cannot cook a meal without using food.
• You cannot play the piano without the keys.
• You cannot be saved without the cross.
• TRANSITION: Only at the cross is the problem of sin dealt with!
• “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”
• So, we know what message the apostle Paul preached,
• The gospel, the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ as predicted in the scriptures.
Note: As we look at these verses, note that:
• Athens and Corinth were very different types of cities.
• And there was great rivalry between the two cities.
• e.g., Portsmouth & Southampton, Manchester & Liverpool, Glasgow & Edinburgh.
• Athens had been the leading political and commercial centre in Greece.
• But now Corinth had replaced it!
• That alone caused major rivalry & opposition.
Ill:
• Corinth & Athens were in every sense city of contrast,
• e.g., Glasgow and Edinburgh.
• Athens was the university city, a cultural city e.g., Edinburgh.
• Where the eggheads, the intellectuals met and spent time in philosophical discussion.
• Corinth was a bustling port e.g., Glasgow.
• It was a populous city and the port made it economically wealthy.
BACKGROUND: 3 THINGS TO NOTE:
(A). The City was Cosmopolitan:
• Cosmopolitan simply means multi-ethnic, international, broad-based,
• A city that included people from many different countries.
Ill:
• For many years I ran a Holiday Club in Hounslow, London,
• We would easily get over fifteen nationalities each day.
• I counted Asian, Congolese, Philippines, Egyptians, Polish, Nepalese and more.
• TRANSITION: The city of Corinth was like that!
• People from all over the world passed through its port!
• Historians tell us that the city was mostly populated by freedmen,
• By ex-slaves:
• Individuals who had either bought their freedom or earned it in some way.
Ill:
• The apostle Paul alludes to this in his first letter to them,
• Written some 7 years later (1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 26 & chapter 7 verse 22):
“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.”
“For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.”
• Many of these ex-slaves had worked their way up the social ladder,
• They had become quite wealthy,
• And some now occupied some important positions in society.
(B). The City was Commercial.
• Thanks to its location,
• The city was a centre for both trade and travel:
• It was seated at the crossroads of the Roman Empire.
• Corinth was a place where all trade routes met.
Ill:
• If you have moved into this are of South Hampshire,
• You might not realise that Portsmouth is actually an island,
• Portsmouth is an island port city situated on Portsea Island.
• It is cut off by water.
• But made accessible by a couple of manmade roads,
• All traffic in and out of the city must pass though those limited ways!
• TRANSITION: The southern part of Greece is almost an island:
• On the west is the Corinthian Gulf.
• On the east the Saronic Gulf.
• The only thing to join these two parts of Greece together is a little isthmus (ist-mus),
• A little strip of land just four miles across.
• In ancient times it was called “The bridge of Greece”.
• Because all trade routes met and used this city.
• As a result, Corinth became a rich and populous city.
(3). The City was Corrupt.
Ill:
• If In asked you to name some of the great ‘sin’ capitols of the modern world,
• You would probably come up with, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Las Vegas etc.
• TRANSITION: In the ancient world,
• Corinth was up there with the worst of them!
• In New Testament times the Greek language had a verb; “To play the Corinthian”.
• Which meant; someone who lived a life of depravity (shamelessness).
• e.g., Throughout Greece whenever a Corinthian was shown on the stage in a play,
• He was always shown to be drunk.
Ill:
• Seven years after this visit (AD 57),
• When the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Church at Corinth:
• He listed some of their lifestyles before they met Christ,
• (1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 9-11).
• Some of you were, “wicked, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers.”
• He goes on to say, “sexual immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, homosexual & prostitutes!”
• It is an embarrassing list of sins to have read out publicly,
• Imagine if a newspaper of news channel did an article or interview about this Church,
• And described us like that!
• But the good news for these people is the quotation continues with this great line.
• “That is what some of you WERE!”
• That is the difference Christ makes to an individual,
• He is in the business of transforming lives, making the old new!
Ill:
• Now part of the Corinthian’s sexual hang ups was due to their religion.
• Dominating the city of Corinth stood the hill of the Acropolis (1,500 ft high),
• It was the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love,
• Aphrodite is the same goddess as Venus,
• Venus was the Roman name & Aphrodite was the Greek name.
• The temple of Aphrodite in Corinth,
• Was one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world:
Quote: James Montgomery Boyce
• “It had 10,000 priestesses (each priestess was a prostitutes),”
• Who would descend down into the city at night, to ply their trade?
• Worship at this temple meant sexual immorality!
• The more you were willing to pay, then the more perverse & depraved it got!
• Money and vice,
• Along all sorts of strange philosophies and new religions, bloomed in Corinth.
Note: I want to divide these verses up by using four images, four pictures or snapshots.
Photo #1: the tentmaker (vs 1-3).
“After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.”
• Some might say the apostle Paul met Aquila & Priscilla by accident,
• I don’t believe that! This to me is a God instance not a coincidence.
• By the providence of God, he encounters these two people.
Ill:
• Here is a God instance that happened last week,
• It comes from Mark McCormick of the Moldovan Mission.
“I was in the bank getting some currency to take to Moldova with me and a conversation was taking place between a member of staff and a couple of customers about aid that has been left in the bank for a truck to take them to aid the crisis
Anyway, I overheard them talking about which products were the most useful which prompted me to share what I knew
This led me into conversation with the 2 customers - mother and daughter - who it turned out were both believers.
Ann the daughter had been a missionary for many years in different parts of Africa mostly on humanitarian projects many of which were sizeable
So, they both gave me a gift for the ministry I am going to tomorrow and joined this WhatsApp group for prayer.”
• Quote: “When I pray coincidences happen, and when I don’t pray, they don’t happen”.
• God arranged for Paul to meet this couple.
Note: Aquilla and Priscilla had at least three things in common with Paul:
(FIRST): they were Jewish,
• When you are on your own in a new city.
• It is good to meet people who share the same language, food and culture.
• ill: Often on holiday abroad we make new friends.
• We might smile and chat to those we meet,
• But you nearly always end up chatting longer with English people,
• The reason being the language, food, love of football etc, all bind you together!
(SECOND): They shared the same occupation (work) as Paul.
• Aquilla and Priscilla had to work for a living.
• And at times so did the apostle Paul.
• ill: Someone once asked the pope how many people worked in the Vatican.
• He thought for a moment and replied; “About half of them!”
• Aquilla and Priscilla were workers in leather.
• And before Paul became a preacher, he too was a worker in leather.
Ill:
• All Jewish boys were expected to learn a trade,
• And most Jewish boys would follow in their father’s trade.
• Quote the Rabbis:
• “He who does not teach his son to work, teaches him to steal!”
• So as a young man Saul of Tarsus learned to be a skilled leather worker,
• And at times he earned his way around Europe by practicing a trade.
• He always trusted the Lord to meet his needs,
• And sometimes those needs were met by him taking employment.
Note: Verse 5:
• The apostle Paul carried on as a leather worker until Silas and Timothy re-joined him,
• They brought with them a financial gift probably from the Christians in Macedonia
• (2 Corinthians chapter11 verse 9).
• This gift enabled Paul to devote all his time to Christian work.
• And he spent that time preaching to the Jews in Corinth.
Ill:
• Penny and I just spent a week on the ‘Key to Life’ Expo.
• Neither of us received payment for our days spent working on the unit.
• We did not even get our travelling expenses!
• We depend on God to meet our needs,
• And he does that through Churches and individuals who support our work.
• This is a Biblical principle; That those who preach the gospel for a living.
• Should be supported in that calling!
• (2 Corinthians chapters 8&9).
• TRANSITION: The financial gift freed Paul up from tentmaking to gospel ministry,
• Often you cannot do both effectively,
• So, God calls some people to live differently to others.
THIRD: they were travellers.
Ill:
• In A.D.49 Emperor Claudius banished all Jews from Rome
• Verse 2 tells us that this ban may well have forced Aquilla and Priscilla to relocate.
• And they chose to relocate their business from Italy to Greece.
• From Rome to Corinth.
• And if you trace this couple in the New Testament, they are people on the move.
• They go from Rome to Corinth, then on to Ephesus, then back to Rome.
• But whenever they are mentioned, one thing remains constant!
• They always have an open home demonstrating fellowship and service.
Question: Were Aquila and Priscilla Christian’s when they met Paul?
Answer:
• At a guess, I would say yes!
• We do not read that they were converts of Paul or one of the apostles.,
• No mention in either the book of Acts or in the two letters Paul wrote to Corinth.
Ill:
• As Christians they served Jesus well (they make a great character study):
• We are told that this couple……
• (a). Risked their lives for Paul (Romans chapter 16 verse 34).
• (b). They assisted him in Ephesus (Acts chapter 18 verses 18-28)
• (c). They even hosted a church in their home (1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 19).
Ill:
• Aquila and Priscilla were an important part of Paul’s “team.”
• And he often thanked God for them:
• Every pastor, evangelist and missionary thanks God for people like Aquila and Priscilla,
• People with hands, hearts, and homes dedicated to the work of the Lord.
• Our itinerant ministry only survives and grows,
• Because we have some Aquila and Priscilla’s on our team.
• Folks with big hearts, big hands and give time to what we do.
Photo #2: the watchman (vs 4-6).
“Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.””
Ill:
• Watchmen in the Bible were guards,
• They were responsible for protecting towns and military installations,
• From surprise enemy attacks and other potential dangers.
• Ancient Israelite cities often stationed watchmen on high walls or in watchtowers.
• Their job was to keep watch and warn the townspeople of impending threats.
• e.g., Ezekiel chapter 3 verses 16-21.
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul was a spiritual watchman.
• He sounded out a spiritual warning to people.
• That they should repent and believe while they had the opportunity.
• e.g., Verse 4:
• “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks”.
• Each Sabbath (Saturday) the apostle Paul targeted the synagogue,
• From the Old Testament scriptures (that’s all that they had).
• He proved to the Jewish that Jesus was their Messiah.
• He reasoned with them that his death was not an accident or mistake,
• It was part of God’s plan of salvation!
Ill:
• Every so often in our house we can hear the sound of a foghorn,
• The sound of a foghorn can be heard up to 20 miles away,
• And is used to warn ships at sea who are blinded by the fog.
• Whether they choose to obey the warning is up to them!
• You can no doubt see and apply the spiritual application.
Note: Verse 6 contains a very Jewish, Old Testament gesture:
“He shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."”
• To shake out your clothes was a typical Jewish gesture that said.
• It meant, “You have had your opportunity, but now it’s over!”
• Today we might say that “We were washing our hands of a situation”.
• Paul is saying by these actions.
• “If you Jews won’t respond to the gospel, then I will share it with the Gentiles”.
Photo #3: the evangelist (vs 7-10).
“Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.””
Ill:
• A missionary was preaching in the village market,
• And some of the local villagers started laughing at this strange foreigner.
• The missionary picked up on this,
• And instead of being offended he used it to communicate.
• He said my face is not as handsome as yours,
• My nose is pointed, and my face is long.
• He said my hair is not as beautiful as your brown curls,
• I am quite bold and the little hair I have is now grey.
• He said my teeth are not as white or beautiful as yours,
• In fact, they are really not mine; they were made by the dentist.
• But he said there is one thing I have that is much better than all of you,
• Everyone in the crowd stopped and gave him their attention.
• He then said, “I have beautiful feet!”
• And he quoted the verse from the prophet Isaiah (chapter 52 verse 7).
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!””
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul had beautiful feet?
• Maybe not physically but certainly spiritually.
• The apostle Paul preached and debated question and answer style,
• And when the Jews in the synagogue would not respond,
• He went next door where he found people who would listen,
• He met a God-fearing Greek called Titus Justus,
• He and his family were willing to listen to Paul and to believe (vs 7).
• As is the usual pattern in the book of Acts,
• The response of faith (vs 7) “Believe & baptised”
• ill: They are Siamese twins.
Note:
• Evangelism is never easy (that’s maybe why we often struggle to do it).
• At times we need encouragement, especially when opposition comes along.
• The apostle Paul had faced some opposition and he was about to face a whole lot more,
• And to help him handle this difficult time,
• God gave him a word of encouragement (vs 10-11)!
“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So, Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God”.
• This is one of six visions that God gave to Paul in the book of Acts,
• All of them were given at crucial times in his ministry.
• In other words, they were not everyday experiences,
• But God gave them to Paul at key moments in his life!
• At key times when he needed encouragement and help and insight.
In this vision God told the apostle Paul reasons for him to stay at Corinth:
• (1st). God commanded it when he said, “Keep on speaking”.
• (2nd). God reminded him, “I am with you”.
• (3rd). God promised “No –one would attack and harm you”.
• (4th). God promised he would see converts “I have many people in this city”.
In tough times we all need assurance – the type that comes from the Lord:
• We need to know that what we are doing is according to his will,
• And that the presence of the Lord is with you!
Ill:
• When he was a young man, the famous British preacher G. Campbell Morgan,
• Used to read the Bible each week to two elderly women.
• One evening, when he finished reading the closing words of Matthew 28,
• “I am with you always”,
• Morgan said to the ladies, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise!”
• One of them replied, “Young man, that is not a promise—it is a certainty!”
• Paul was encouraged by the presence of the Lord,
• And by the promise of the Lord:
• TRANSITION: We all need encouragement.
• With the promise of God as his anchor.
Photo #4: The Builder (11-17)
“So, Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanour or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.”
Note
• From now on there is a change of tactics in Paul’s ministry:
• Verse 11: “So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.”
• Up to now he has been itinerant preacher, moving from place to place,
• He spent a week here, three weeks there, a month somewhere else.
• But from now on he becomes moor resident,
• A year and a half in Corinth.
• The next major city he visited was Ephesus, where he stayed two years,
• Eventually he got to Rome, and he spent several years there.
OPPOSITION (VS 12):
• Whenever God is blessing a ministry,
• You can expect increased opposition as well as increased opportunities.
Quote: Hudson Taylor the great missionary to China:
“If you want God to open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing,
then you should also expect the devil to open up the windows of hell and pour out opposition,
and you will be caught between the two!”
• When we preach the gospel,
• We are preaching treason in the devil’s kingdom!
• So, expect some comeback!
• Verse 6 tells us it was the unbelieving Jews from the synagogue,
• Those who had rejected the Word,
• Who were now stirring up trouble for Paul and the Christians?
Ill:
• John Wesley who would ask his ministers in training:
• “Did anyone get converted, did anyone get mad!”
• In fact, he went on to say that if your preaching got nether reaction.
• “Perhaps you were not suited to the ministry”
NOW: The Jewish community in Corinth were furious at Paul’s success
• And so, they did everything possible to silence him and get rid of him.
• In fact, in verses 12-17 they take Paul to court.
• The arrival of a new proconsul gave the unbelieving Jews,
• Hope that Rome might declare this new “Christian sect” illegal.
Gallio the new Roman proconsul immediately saw what the real issue was:
• It was not a problem to do with Roman law,
• And therefore, Paul had not committed any offense against Roman law.
• Not interested in or concerned about Jewish law, Jewish religion,
• Gallio the new Roman proconsul throws the case out of court!
• Gallio clearly thinks that these Jews, are wasting the courts time.
• So, he refused to try the case!
• Verse 16-17:
16So he had them ejected from the court. 17Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.
• Sosthenes was the new ruler of the synagogue,
• He had replaced Crispus who left (or was sacked) when he got converted.
• They beat up Sosthenes because as leader of the Synagogue,
• It would have been his responsibility to present the case against Paul.
• They felt he had done a rotten job.
• So, they beat the poor bloke up!
Note:
• Just as we finish there is a nice touch.
• God’s sense of humour I guess, in the first letter to the Corinthians.
• In 1 Corinthians 1 verse 1, written seven years after this incident of being beaten up.
• A man called Sosthenes is mentioned.
• If this is the same person, then he too got converted to Christ.
• Which meant the Jews had to find yet another ruler for their synagogue!
Punchline:
• Witnessing, hospitality, supporting others,
• Conversion & baptism are key truths in this passage.
• As we apply it.
• If the hat fits, make sure you wear it!
MP3 AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=cc6XB5BTS1UnS0ll1Pcp6z1aqqfLpDH3
YOUTUBE VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/V7KfhQ1YZ4k
