Our PRINCIPLE ASSETS-VI—1Corinthians 1:7a(:1-9)
ATTENTION:
Pound Cake—My wife makes a fantastic ‘sour-cream pound cake’, in the manner of Herb Traub’s ‘Pirate’s House’ restaurant in Savannah, GA. What makes the cake stand out above others is the deliciously delectable ‘crust’ that forms on the exposed surface of the cake, that has been baked in a ‘straight-sided, fluted pan.
The pound cake’s ‘crust’ is the cake’s Principle Asset. And that Principle Asset makes it noteworthy.
*And so, the Church has Principle Assets, that are absolutely essential for the Church to succeed, in eternal matters regarding the Kingdom of God!
NEED:
God’s Church, & therefore our church, must administer ‘The Good News’/‘The Gospel’ in this world!
God has blessed us with certain Assets in order to make that work possible. So, IF we ‘forget’ or ‘neglect’ or ‘discard’ those Assets, we will fail our God-ordained mission!
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.
You...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?’
In previous weeks we’ve discovered, that some principle assets of the Christian church are...
1. APPROPRIATE APOSTLES(:1)
2. SANCTIFIED SAINTS(:2)...
&
3. GOD’s GRACE & PEACE(:3)
4. GOD’s ENRICHMENT--parts A & B(:4-6)
Thru Christ--The Importance of Prayer is discovered, God’s Grace is received, God’s people are Enriched in Everything,...particularly--in their Utterance, & Knowledge; & that--The “testimony of Christ” is “confirmed” in God’s people.
Today we’ll continue looking at...
4—GOD’s ENRICHMENT--C(:7a) as A Principle Asset of the Christian church...
Explanation:(:7a)
*God has “enriched” His Church in everything by Christ Jesus(:5)...
:7a—“so that you come short in no gift,...”
That the Corinthian church is “enriched in everything”(:5) “by Christ Jesus”(:4)...Ensured & certified that there would be “no” NEEDED gift” from God, that would be lacking among them!
•Here, Paul is opening up dialogue with the church, informing them that they should not expend their efforts toward looking for any “gift” that they ‘SUPPOSED’ they needed(see chapters 12-14). BECAUSE: God has equipped them ALL with ALL that they actually need thru Jesus Christ!
•1Cor. 14:1, 12—“Pursue love, & desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”.....“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”
*WHEREVER God calls you, & to WHATEVER task he calls you, He will also perfectly equip you!—ex: NomCom efforts.
Said another way...The church’s having a “confirmed” “testimony of Christ”(:6), GUARANTEES that they will NOT be short-changed or “come short” in regard to matters of the Holy Spirit &/or “giftedness.” God Himself will see to it! And God Himself will empower it!
Personally, “A Christian is never lacking in any gift that he/she needs to live a full & faithful life.”—MNTC
*This statement of Paul’s, plays into a major issue that the Corinthian church wrestled with!—Their covetousness regarding spiritual giftedness(see chapters 12-14). Along with many other matters that God’s people are plagued with even today, from which God’s people can learn a great deal!
Argumentation:
2Cor. 8:7—“But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, & in your love for us--see that you abound in this grace also.”[a monetary gift to the poverty-stricken saints in Judea, by the hands of Paul & Barnabas](Acts 11:27-30)
Col. 2:1-3—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you & those in Laodicea, & for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, & attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father & of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge.” And IF you are ‘in Him’, then “all” Jesus’ “treasures” are also available to His people!
Php. 4:13, 19—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”.....“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
2Cor. 9:10-11—“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, & bread for food, supply & multiply the seed you have sown & increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” We are NOT to keep God’s blessings to ourselves! They are meant to be shared!
1Cor. 14:20—“ Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
•!Allow GOD to Enrich you, rather than attempting it yourself!
Eph. 4:11-16—“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Php. 3:8-15—“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; & if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”
Illustration:
Recently we gave one of our youth(who had grown up in the church), a church-wide send-off to college. He was plied with numerous tangible gifts(money, laundry supplies, clothes, etc.), prayers, but especially the love of the church was lavished upon him. We sent him away, ‘enriched’ with the various aspects of the love of God thru His people. GOD’s ENRICHMENT
More ‘ENRICHMENT’ Illustrations:
•The story is told of a teenaged high school student named Peter Parker. On a school field-trip, Peter was unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider. Certain of his normal human abilities were enhanced to include ‘SUPERHUMAN’:—’strength’, ‘agility’, ‘reflexes’, ‘stamina’, ‘coordination’, ‘balance’, an ability to cling to surfaces & ceilings like a spider, & an ability to detect danger with his enhanced “spidey-sense.” Peter Parker became Spiderman(or any ‘superhero’ story for that matter). GOD’s ENRICHMENT
•Vitamins—Uncommon trace nutrients are added to improve your overall health—so that you can be all that you can be(spiritually)!. GOD’s ENRICHMENT
•Planting a Garden—Add ‘soil amendments’(fertilizer/compost/sand/clay/lime, etc.) to improve the quality of the soil, so it will sustain & promote the growth of particular plants. GOD’s ENRICHMENT/Enhance God does that to you & me!
•Soil that is farmed can become ‘Nitrogen depleted’ for various reasons. If vegetable crops are to become optimized as a food source, Nitrogen will be added to the soil at some time during it’s growth. If the crop does not get enough nitrogen, the crop becomes severely limited. However, with the right amount of such ‘enrichment’, the vegetable plants will produce at their maximum capacity. GOD’s ENRICHMENT
Application:
?Is GOD’s ENRICHMENT an Asset for YOU?
?Do YOU live by GOD’s ENRICHMENT?
?Are YOU an Asset to the Christian Church?
*Not only are some principle assets of the Christian church...
1. APPROPRIATE APOSTLES(:1)
2. SANCTIFIED SAINTS(:2)...
3. GOD’s GRACE & PEACE(:3)
&
4. GOD’s ENRICHMENT(:4-7a)
But today we’ll also find that...
5—A Principle Asset of the Christian church is...
A CARRYING CONFIRMATION(:7b-9)
Explanation:(:7b-9)Constant/Transporting/Life-changing
*God has “enriched” His Church in everything by Christ Jesus(:5), so that God’s people are in a constant state of...
:7b—“...eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
The “giftedness” that God has “graced” His people with thru Christ Jesus(:4, 7a), is intended by God, to be put into action or employed BY YOU—the one who is the recipient of God’s ‘enriching’ “grace”, by Christ Jesus. Currently, right now, God’s people are in a ‘waiting pattern’ of sorts...
•And our ‘waiting pattern’ is to be characterized by our “waiting” in an “eager” manner...
•So, God’s people are to be “eagerly waiting” for “our Lord”(:2) .....“Our Lord” being, none other than “our Lord Jesus Christ.”
God’s people are NOT ONLY to be “eagerly waiting” for their “Lord”(:2), but they are to “eagerly wait” for a particular time/aspect of “our Lord’s” presence...
•And that particular time/aspect of His presence that we are to “eagerly wait for”, is Jesus’ “revelation.” That is, His being “revealed” or ‘unveiled’ in the unfiltered fullness of His heavenly divine power!
•“Jesus Christ” who is “our Lord”, is to be wonderously & gloriously “revealed”(apokaluqiv) to all!
**While “eagerly waiting” for Jesus’ “revelation”, God’s people neither “wait” ‘passively’, nor ‘anxiously’, but instead they “wait” with intention & purpose!
1Pet. 1:15-19—“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.”
*“Christ” is destined to approach earth ‘FOR’ His holy-ones/Church/saints. He will ‘snatch-away’(‘rapture’) the Church—both those who are 1) ‘sleeping’(died-but having ‘untranslated’ bodies), as well as 2) those still living on earth(alive-but having ‘untranslated’ bodies)—to meet Him in the air(1Thess. 4:13-18).
•1Thes. 4:13-18—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, & with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”.....
*THEN following the 7-year ‘Tribulation’, Christ is also destined to return, to literally ‘set foot’ on the earth(‘2nd Coming’) WITH His saints, in order to defeat Satan & establish His millennial kingdom(1000 year reign)....
•Rev. 20:4—“And I saw thrones, & they sat on them, & judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus & for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, & had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived & reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”.....
WHEN Jesus returns, WITH His saints, His Divine nature will be openly & awesomely disclosed & apparent(“revelation”). And so, His presence & power will be unavoidable, un-ignorable, unable to be disregarded or snubbed as irrelevant!(Rev. 19:11-16)
Rev. 19:11-16—“Now I saw heaven opened, & behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful & True, & in righteousness He judges & makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, & on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, & His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white & clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness & wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe & on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
*So until “the revelation”(physical ‘unveiling’) “of our Lord Jesus Christ” occurs, God’s people are to be in a state of “eagerly” & properly a-“waiting” Christ’s return!
Rom. 8:24-25—“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
Heb. 12:1-3—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary & discouraged in your souls.
2Tim. 4:6-8—the apostle Paul to Timothy—“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering[the final portion of a live sacrifice], & the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, & not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
“Eagerly Waiting/Awaiting”—apekdecomai—Verb—1) Assiduously & patiently waiting for. Strong—To expect fully. Used 7X.?From—apo—“Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative); a primary particle.—&—ekdecomai—1) To receive, accept; 2) To look for, expect, wait for, await. Strong—To accept from some source, i.e. by implication--To await.
“Revelation”—apokaluqiv—Noun Fem.—1) Laying bare, making naked; 2) A disclosure of truth, instruction-2a) Concerning things before unknown, 2b) Used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all; 3) Manifestation, appearance. Strong—Disclosure. Used 18X.?English=‘Apocalypse’?From—apokaluptw—To take off the cover, i.e. Disclose.?From—apo—“Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative); a primary particle—&—kaluptw—To cover up(literally or figuratively).
Illustration:
Airline tickets. Suppose you want to fly to the country of Iceland from Raleigh, NC. You purchase the ticket. That ticket is the Confirmation of your payment & your specific journey’s itinerary. You can settle back in your seat ‘eagerly anticipating’ the visible ‘revelation’ of the land of Iceland. The ticket holds good thru to end of your journey. A CARRYING CONFIRMATION
Application:
?Is A CARRYING CONFIRMATION an Asset for YOU?
?Do YOU live by God’s CARRYING CONFIRMATION?
?Are YOU an Asset to the Christian Church?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
As the ‘crust’ of the Pound Cake is it’s Principle Asset.
*So, the Church has many Principle Assets, that are centered in Christ Jesus. Those Assets are essential for the Church’s eternally significant success, in matters concerning God’s Kingdom!
?Have YOU put the God-ordained Assets of His Church to use?
Action:
A Principle Asset of the Christian Church is...
5. A CARRYING CONFIRMATION(:7b-9)
As well as:
1. APPROPRIATE APOSTLES(:1)
2. SANCTIFIED SAINTS(:2)
3. GOD’s GRACE & PEACE(:3)
4. GOD’s ENRICHMENT(:4-7a)
Pt# 4C & 5A, presented 08/13/2023am 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
