Our PRINCIPLE ASSETS-II—1Corinthians 1:2-?(:1-9)
ATTENTION:
Congaree National Park is located around 10 miles southeast of Columbia SC. It’s a little over a 2 hr. drive from here.—We have plans to go there sometime in the near future. There are certain aspects of the park that are appealing to us.
The park consists of 20,000 acres, designated as ‘wilderness’, the majority of which can only be accessed by walking, kayaking, or canoeing. It contains the highest concentration of ‘champion-sized trees’ anywhere in North America. ‘Champion-sized trees’ are internationally designated & selected trees, that are considered ‘special or superlative’ because of their height, size or significance. The tallest tree in Congaree is the National Champion loblolly pine, which when last measured, was 170 feet tall & has a circumference of over 15 feet!
We are interested in the boardwalks & walking trails. Those trails lead through one of the last remaining stands of ‘old-growth woodlands’ in the United States! We don’t want to just hear about it...we want to experience it!
•It’s those principle Assets that make Congaree NP appealing & attractive to us.
* Likewise, the Church has specific & undeniable assets, that are eternally significant for all people! And as such, the Church is THE Gathering for those who love Jesus!
NEED:
Local churches can sometimes see themselves as inadequate. They ‘feel’ as if they ‘need more’ than what they have.
However, undue attention toward attracting specific people, rather than attracting God’s people overall, can lead to the church’s living a lie...
It becomes ‘preference-based’, so that the ‘Good News of Jesus’(Gospel) becomes unbalanced, skewed, & tainted with sin. And as such, it is no longer ‘THE Good News’, but rather, SOME Good News, that is more aligned with secular society & culture, than aligned with God’s desire.
An ASSET— ‘A useful or valuable thing, person, or quality’; ‘An advantage or A resource.’
Paul & Sosthenes opened their letter to the Corinthian church by informing them of their most important spiritual assets.
The local(our) church has important spiritual assets.
We will attempt to answer the question: ‘?What are some of our church’s most important spiritual assets?’
1Cor. 1:1-9 reveals at least...
5 principle spiritual assets of the Christian Church.
Previously—the 1st Sunday in June—we found that...
at least one Principle Asset of the Christian Church is...
1. APPROPRIATE APOSTLES(:1)
Today we’ll find that...
2—Another Principle Asset of the Christian church is...
SANCTIFIED SAINTS(:2)
Explanation:(:2)
: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 & ours:”
“To the church of God which is at Corinth,...”
Overall, the ‘target reader’ of this letter is “the church of God.” •This is NOT a reference to the denominational affiliates under the umbrella of ‘Church of God.’
•A “church” is a ‘gathering’ or ‘assemblage’ of God’s people who are of the same mind & heart.
This verse specifically ‘targets’ that Christian “church of God” that is located “at Corinth.”
•“Corinth” was/is a city located on the northeastern edge, of the large southern peninsula, of the Roman province of Achaia. Today you can find ‘Corinth’ located in Greece, with popular mapping programs.
•The city of Corinth itself incorporated an outcropping of monolithic rock named Acrocorinth, which still rises up to 1886ft. In Paul’s day, on the pinnacle of Acrocorinth was the temple of Aphrodite—the goddess of love & beauty.
At one point, that temple boasted 1000 temple prostitutes. Prostitution was such a pervasive practice in Corinth that the term ‘to Corinthianize’ actually meant: to ‘practice immorality’! And the term ‘Corinthian girl’ was a designated for a prostitute.(ISBE)
• “The church of God which is at Corinth” ‘probably’ consisted of multiple localized branches, BUT it was not reckoned or considered by it’s divisions of separate congregations. Instead, all of the Corinthian congregations were considered as ‘one unified entity’! That is, they were considered as ‘one unified church’ or as ‘one unified body of Christ.
•The “church of God” “at Corinth” were the Christians, who were readily recognized as actively associat-ed & associat-ing by their local ministries headquartered in Corinth. The “church of God” “at Corinth” ministered to the spiritual & physical needs of the city’s populace, it’s immediate environs, & beyond...cf.-1Cor. 12:12-27...
•1Cor. 12:12-27—“For as the body is one & has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--& have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; & our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, & members individually.”
“The church of God which is at Corinth” was expected to act as one gathered group, all of whom together, represented the body of Christ!
•And all Christians are to work together, allowing God to work thru them by their individual, but complementary, manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
•However ‘ecumenicalism’ should NOT rule the day! ‘Ecumenicalism’ says: All churches of every stripe, should work together.
•If that were so, then many of us would have to compromise our true faith!
•If you attempt to bring together every 'church' that calls itself ‘Christian’, then you will quickly discover that there are some telling differences. Overall ministry(church polity, training, in-reach, out-reach) is to be dictated by doctrinal belief, & SHOULD be based on the revealed word of God—the Bible!
BUT some denominations hold to a semblance of ‘grace-driven ritualism’[my term]--centralized churches in particular. Baptists CAN do the same thing, however we don't encourage it & definitely not on a creedal level.
•‘Grace-driven ritualism’ holds for example, that thru the act of undergoing Baptism & thru the act of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, that God is pleased simply by their ‘doing’ or ‘performing’ the action. So that both of those ordinances becomes ritualized.
•In such practices, church members get caught up in the worldly trappings of ‘perfectly orchestrated ritual’, rather than by perfecting ‘love expressed toward God thru Jesus’!...
*That is why some churches baptize infants & suppose that the ritual itself, welcomes the child into ‘the family of God’, even though a child prior to ‘the age of accountability’(TAOA) is incapable of grasping the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice for them!
FYI—TAOA of any child is unknowable to anyone except God! The best that we can do to determine if a child is truly trusting in Jesus, is to trust the answers to the questions we ask them!
*That is also why some people feel that they have to have a pastor officiate at funerals, because they believe that if he does not, then the deceased will go to hell. So at some funerals, relationship with God CAN be lost to ritual...And ritual can be spiritually damning, because they give people false hope, basing salvation on & by self-goodness, rather than on salvation by Christ’s payment for sin on the Cross!
Southern Baptist Churches, hold to a more ‘symbolic’ understanding of the ordinances of baptism & the Lord’s Supper. They rightly believe it ‘spits in God’s face’ to baptize a child prior to ‘the age of accountability.’ God will welcome every child into heaven prior to the age of accountability, simply because they are incapable of grasping saving faith. God is not some monster Who easily dismisses children!
Likewise ‘mentally challenged’ children-to-adults will be ushered & welcomed into heaven, if they have, thruout their lives, truly been incapable of saving faith...NOT thru the results of sin(drug abuse/), but thru no fault of their own(biology/make up)!
“to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus,”
“The Church” “at Corinth” is composed of & consists of “those who are sanctified.”
•“Sanctified”—To ‘make holy’, OR ‘set apart’, or to specify as ‘holy’ to/for God’s use only. To be “sanctified” is to be willingly separated from that which God sees as ‘profane’!
The one unifying factor that “sanctifies”(sets any people apart as ‘holy’ for God’s use) God’s people, is their ‘standing’ before God “in Christ Jesus”, or their ‘position’ “in Christ Jesus”, &/or their ‘presence’ before God “in Christ Jesus.”
“Sanctified”—agiazw—Perfect Passive Participle - Dative Plural Masc.—1) To render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow; 2) To separate from profane things & dedicate to God; 3) To purify. Strong—To make holy, i.e. (ceremonially)Purify or consecrate; mentally--To venerate.
“Christ”—Cristov—Adj./Noun—Christ = “Anointed”—1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God; 2) Anointed. Strong—Anointed, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.?From—criw—To smear or rub with oil, i.e. by implication--To consecrate to an office or religious service.
“Jesus”—Ihsouv—Proper Noun Masc.—Jesus = ‘Jehovah/YHWH is salvation’—Jesus(i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord & two(three) other Israelites. Of Hebrew origin [ewvwhy Yeh-ho-shoo'-ah; or evwhy Yeh-ho-shoo'-ah];?ewvwhy Yeh-how-shoo'-ah; OR--evwhy Yeh-ho-shoo’-ah—Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader.?From—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—(the)Self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.—&—evy yaw-shah’—properly--To be open, wide or free, i.e. by implication--To be safe; causatively--To free or succor; a primitive root.
“...called to be saints,”
A “saint” is NOT a ‘cream-of-the-crop’ Christian, or a Christian who is spiritually head-&-shoulders ‘over-&-above all others’!...
Biblical “saints” are NOT those who have been declared “to be saints” by some council of church dignitaries.
•“Saints”—agiov—Adj. Dative Plural Masc.—1) Most holy thing, a saint. Strong—Sacred(physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated).
“Saints” are “saints” by GOD’s declaration & “calling” thru Christ Jesus. True “saints” are NOT designated as such by man, society, or culture.
Jn. 1:12-13—“But as many as received Him[Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Jn. 6:44-45, 64-65—““No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; & I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard & learned from the Father comes to Me.”......““But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, & who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.””
ALL Christians are “called to be saints,” & are one with all other Christians(“with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ...”). This includes the “apostle” “Paul” & his ministry partner, “Sosthenes” who wrote this!
•So “Saints” are “all” people who are ‘holy’ & ‘set apart’ to God, thru Christ Jesus! According to the Bible, “all” those “who” “call” upon Jesus’ “name” are “saints.” That is a truth which plays out globally & thru time.
•By virtue of the title “saints”, God’s expectations for them/us is plain...They are to honor God in all things! Saints are to be holy, as God Himself is holy, & by His holiness, the standard is set for our ‘holiness.’
Lev. 19:2—YHWH told Moses,—“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, & say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
1Pet. 1:13-19—“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish & without spot.”
“Believers are God’s new people by Divine calling, who as such are to reflect God’s character.”—Gordon Fee in NICNT
“with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs & ours:”
“ALL who in every place”—No matter a person’s family, their birth place, their language, their former belief system, their school system placement, their system of government lived under, etc., etc., etc.....IF a person from ‘wherever’, sincerely places their complete trust in “Jesus Christ”, by holding to “all” that is associated with His “name”, THEN that person—you &/or others—are “sanctified in Christ Jesus”
“Jesus” is to be “called upon” as “Lord”, & is recognized as God’s “Christ”[Messiah].
• “Jesus” is ‘THE Anointed’ “Lord” for mankind’s sake, & for YOUR sake in particular.
•Jesus Christ is THE salvation that is sent TO the world FROM God. “Jesus” is the result of God’s love for you & me.
Therefore he should be respected as "Lord" of your life!
“Lord”(Kuriov)—was the title appropriated by some Roman emperors for themselves! Some viewed themselves as gods.
“...both theirs & ours:”
It is emphasized that “Jesus” is both the “Lord” of other believers, as well as the “Lord” of Paul, Sosthenes & the “Corinthians.”
“Jesus” is the same Savior, Messiah & “Lord” to “all”, “in every place.” Both far & near(“both theirs & ours”).
1Cor. 8:5-6—“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods & many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, & we for Him; & one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, & through whom we live.”
Eph. 4:4-6—“There is one body & one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God & Father of all, who is above all, & through all, & in you all.”
As part of the ‘body of Christ’, if you are a Christian, you are ‘one’ with every true Christian—No matter WHERE the other Christians might be located, No matter what LANGUAGE they might speak, No matter what STATUS they might hold in their own societies, No matter their GENDER, No matter the COLOR of their skin, etc.
?Is Jesus YOUR Lord?...?Why or Why not?
“Church”—ekklhsia—1) A gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly. Ekklhsia is a narrower word, also an assembly, but including only those specially called together out of a larger multitude, for the transaction of business. Ekklhsia usually denotes a somewhat more select company than sunagwgh. A significant use of ekklhsia in strict harmony with its derivation was common among the Greeks. It was their common word for the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those possessing the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs. They were summoned out of the whole population, “a select portion of it, including neither the populace, nor strangers, nor yet those who had forfeited their civic rights”(Trench). Strong—A calling out, i.e. concretely--A popular meeting, especially a religious congregation(Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both).
“Call on”—epikaleomai—1) To put a name upon, to surname; 2) To be named after someone; 3) To call something to one; 4) To invoke; 5) To call upon by pronouncing the name of Jehovah. Strong—To entitle; by implication--To invoke(for aid, worship, testimony, decision, etc.).
Argumentation:
Acts 26:16-18—The glorified Jesus to Paul—‘But rise & stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Heb. 10:23-25—“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
•?Are you set apart for God’s use?
1Thes. 4:7—“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”
Heb. 13:10-12—“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”
Rom. 8:29-30—“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; & whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
Eph. 2:10—“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Illustration:
The Sheriff’s deputy pulls up to a guy blatantly unloading garbage from his pickup into a ditch, directly underneath a sign meant to discourage people from dumping trash there.
The deputy asked, “Why are you dumping your garbage HERE of all places? Don’t you see the sign?! I’m gonna have to write you up!
The man replies, “I don’t understand officer. I’m dumpin’ it here because the sign plainly says, ‘Fine For Dumping.’
The perpetrator thought it was ‘set apart’ FOR dumping, when it was really ‘set apart’ for NOT Dumping! SANCTIFIED SAINTS
*God tells us thru Jesus Christ, that there’s an eternally binding ‘fine’ for ‘dumping’ Him!...
And the citation for such action, secures your eternal place in hell!...
Whereas, TRUE “saints” are ‘set apart’ as faithful servants of God!....
And as such, they are a Principle Asset of the Christian church!
Application:
?Are YOU a SAINT, who is SANCTIFIED to God thru Christ?
?Are SANCTIFIED SAINTS an Asset for YOU?
?Are YOU an Asset to the Christian Church?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The assets of Congaree National Park. We don’t want to just hear about it...we want to experience it!
Likewise, the Church has specific & undeniable assets that are eternally significant for all people! God wants you to experience it & not merely hear about it!
Action:
Principle Assets of the Christian Church are...
2. SANCTIFIED SAINTS(:2)
1. APPROPRIATE APOSTLES(:1-2a)
Pt#2 only! presented 07/09/2023am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC, 29512
Pts. 1-5 presented 07/21/2013pm to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave.
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-5 Presented 03/01/1998pm to:
Penia Baptist Church
3738 Old Penia Rd.
Cordele, GA 31015
