CALLED BY GOD
Corinthians Series (Part One)
TEXT: Acts 18:1-11, 1 Cor. 1:1-9
OPEN WITH PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING
We’re going to begin a series on 1st Corinthians today. And I think it’s important for where you are as a congregation, starting afresh like you are that we go through this book, and examine what God teaches to His Church through the Apostle Paul.
This book (1 Cor.) is extremely relevant for us today… it’s relevant for us as individuals, and relevant for the life of the Church. It explains to us what the Gospel is, it explains to us the importance of the Resurrection. It gives us principles for Biblical interpretation and how we should understand Scripture. It teaches on the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, Church discipline, Christian Marriage, proper worship, spiritual gifts and their proper use… It teaches a little about eschatology (the end times) – such as the resurrection of believers and the rapture and Second Coming. And throughout this book we see general practices for the Church as well.
And so it’s a helpful book, it’s a useful book, and like I said, it’s very relevant to where Fairview Fellowship is today – right here and now.
So let’s get right into it. Take your Bibles and open them up to Acts 18:1-11. We’ll get to Corinthians in a bit, but I want you to see Luke’s historical account of Paul in Corinth before we get to our main text (READ Acts 18:1-11)… So this is Paul’s second missionary journey. He launched out from the Middle East and come into Europe. He’s been to Philippi, then down to Athens and now he’s traveled into Corinth – which is also in modern day Greece. So think about this for a second… you’re Paul the Apostle… you’ve just been to Athens, which is the center of intellectual thought, and arts, and history, and philosophy, and now you’re in Corinth, which is a center of trade, and commerce. Corinth was an important port city… it even has its own gulf named after it. And during the New Testament times, Corinth was also a center for debauchery and sinful activity. So in one sense, we might say that Athens was full of idolatry, but Corinth was full of sensuality. So Corinth was a super important city when it came to trade and wealth and commercialism, but it was also morally depraved as well. Needless to say, it wasn’t the kind of place you would want to raise a family.
And this is where the Holy Spirit has led Paul.
And when Paul arrives he immediately starts preaching… and Acts 18:5 tells us what he preached – that Jesus was the Messiah! That Jesus was the promised Savior. That’s basically how all the Apostles and early evangelists preached. They would take the Old Testament and go through it and point out how all of it was pointing to Jesus. In Genesis when God promised that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent – that’s Jesus. When Noah built an ark of salvation, the one true Ark is Jesus. When Abraham offered up Isaac that was pointing to Jesus being offered up for our sin. When Moses brought deliverance, or the Judges defeated their enemies, or David killed a giant, or the prophets called for repentance… all of those things – the entire Old Testament was point to and speaking about Jesus.
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!
The Bible is not a story about good guys and bad guys… it’s a story about bad guys (and girls) and a good God.
So Paul is in the synagogue and he’s telling the Jews that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and the He alone is our only hope to be reconciled to God. And God worked in a powerful way… Acts 18:8 tells us that Crispus – the leader of the synagogue was converted and became a believer, and many others in Corinth. (Crispus is also called Sosthenes by the way… you see that if you go down to Acts 18:17)
Now I’ve said all of that by way of introduction… so that we can actually read Paul’s introduction in the letter to the Corinthians. So if you will please turn to 1 Cor. And follow along as I read verses 1-9 (READ 1 Corinthians 1:1-9).
The thing that immediately strikes me here is Paul’s thankfulness. I’d be thankful too. Remember; Corinth is a wicked place, and yet Paul has seen God do an amazing work there. God has taken people who were vile and wicked, who lived in a city that was vile and wicked and has saved them by His grace.
So Paul starts out by introducing himself… he’s saying “Hey guys this letter you’re reading is from Paul.”
And he claims apostleship… meaning he is one who has seen the resurrected Lord, and been instructed by the resurrected Lord and sent by the resurrected Lord. That’s what makes a person an Apostle. And then you notice who’s with Paul? Crispus Sosthenes… the same leader of the synagogue who was initially converted. He’s traveling with Paul, learning from the Apostle himself. Why? Because the authorities in Corinth beat the guy up and nearly killed him.
Let’s break it down a little further. Paul says, “called, by the will of God… to be an apostle.” So this isn’t something Paul decided for himself so to speak. God did this. A person can’t just all of a sudden decide “Hey I’m going to be an apostle.” Or a pastor, or evangelist, or prophet, or whatever… God has to call you to that. And you might resist it, and you might even try to run from it… but you’ll end up swallowed by a proverbial BIG FISH.
So Paul is called to be an Apostle… and he’s writing to – (verse 2) “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 the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” So you might not be called to be an Apostle, but you are called to be a Saint. You don’t have to wait for the Catholic Church to canonize you. If you are in Christ, you are a saint. That’s who Paul is writing to… the assembly of believers who gather in Corinth, who are set apart by Christ and who have been called by God to be saints. And then if you go down to verse 9 Paul says we were called into fellowship with Jesus.
God’s plan for some is for some to be called into ministry… His plan for all of us is to be called as saints and to fellowship with Jesus. In other words Church, it’s God’s determination to go with us, to be with us, to set us apart and sanctify us. And really what this is here is Paul’s appeal to authority.
Paul understands that he’s just a man, like anyone else… so what makes him worth listening to? What makes him someone that these Corinthians should pay attention to and obey his teachings? The fact that he’s an Apostle, called by God – not the will of man… he’s not self-appointed. But Paul has been called by God and taught by God, and gifted by God, and sent by God to be God’s ambassador to the people of God who are in Corinth. And anyone who desires to be in ministry needs to take note of this. It’s not something that should be taken lightly.
And to all of us who are believers… we are called to be saints. God calls us that… and we are called into fellowship with Jesus Christ. Now I don’t know about you, but that fills my heart with joy… the fact that God says, “Come and join Me.” “Come and fellowship with My Son.” What a wonderful privilege and blessing that is for us. What an honor. God has called us to these things.
So Paul states his authority. He talks about being called, and how we are called… and then he says, “Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s his typical way of greeting in most of his letters. These two great gifts we get from God - Grace and Peace! It’s by God’s grace that we know God… and once we know God, we get peace!
Now I’ve got to move on quickly or I won’t finish today…
Verses 4 – 9 Paul tells us what he gives thanks for; and it’s awesome! He gives thanks to God for these believers (and we can include ourselves in this) because we have been given the grace of God in Christ Jesus, so that in every way we have been enriched in Christ – in all speech and knowledge, so that – we are not lacking in any gift until Christ comes! And Paul goes on… he says our Lord Jesus Christ will sustain us to the end – guiltless… meaning that as we stand before God on that great Day, we will stand before Him justified and forgiven.
In other words, we have – presently and right now – everything we need to live our lives holy, and upright before God thanks to Jesus Christ! If you are in Christ, you have been given gifts that will help you, in your daily life… gifts like peace (we just mentioned that), peace that passes all understanding… Godly wisdom – not worldly wisdom… strength, knowledge, power to overcome every temptation that comes against you. This is power for daily living. And not only that… but because we are in Christ, when we stand before God, He sees us as guiltless. Because He sees us in His Son Jesus!
So you and I, we have power to live our lives for Christ, and walk with Christ, and press on towards the mark of the prize… until we finally reach that prize and go to be with the Lord, whether it’s by rapture or rupture… whether the Lord comes again and takes us all home, or we pass away before that time… we have been given strength for this daily living until that day… and when that day does finally come, we will stand before God – in Christ, guiltless and justified!
No wonder Paul thanks God… we should too! We should thank God for this, every single day!
But that’s not all… Verse 8 tells us that all of that happens because our Lord Jesus Christ will sustain us TO THE END! How can I know that? Verse 9 – Because “God is faithful…”
Let me sum it all up for you.
God has given us grace in Christ Jesus – So you’ve got to be in Christ Jesus… God has given us grace IN CHRIST JESUS, and by His grace, we’ve been enriched IN HIM, in all speech and knowledge – SO THAT we are not lacking in any gift – as we wait for Christ’s second coming… And while we wait, Jesus Himself will sustain us to the end… and we are guiltless before God BECAUSE we are found in Christ… and God does this because God Himself is faithful.
SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD (Psalms 3:8)!
This is why Paul is so excited. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a letter written to me with this much excitement… but Paul is excited to write to these believers in Corinth, and tell them these things… just like I’m excited to stand up here and proclaim them from this pulpit. God is amazing! His grace is amazing! And if you are in Christ, you should already know that!
Let’s Pray
CLOSING
