A few weeks ago it seemed like Brock, our almost two-year-old, was part chimpanzee. Oh, we don't believe in evolution at all, but he seems to have an unusual ability to climb. One day he took the laundry basket, tipped it upside down and stood on it so he could crawl on top of the dresser. Then he stood up and reached to the highest shelf by the mirror and grabbed Nancy's lipstick. He crawled down and started drawing nice burgundy circles on our beige-colored carpet. Now thankfully, he seems to be outgrowing that stage the last couple of weeks, but some days he can be quite a handful. But, it is interesting. Even on those days when he got into all sorts of mischief (even on the day when he took all our toothbrushes and threw them into the toilet), Nancy and I were still very glad that he is a part of our family. Oh, yes, we got frustrated; we raised our voices a little a few times, but when we put him down for bed at night, we give thanks to the Lord, not because he would be confined to his crib for the next 10-11 hours, but because we feel so blessed to have him as our #3 son.
Thinking about that experience helps me understand a little better the attitude the apostle Paul has when he writes a letter to the Christians in the city of Corinth. We are beginning a journey through the Book of 1 Corinthians, which is the first of two letters we find in the Bible which Paul wrote to that church. Now, it is going to take us a few months to explore this Book, but I think it will be a very fruitful time. 1 Corinthians addresses all sorts of very practical issues with which those 1st Century Christians struggled, and they just happen to be things which continue to challenge us today. Division in the church, sexual immorality, lawsuits between Christians, questions about marriage and divorce, abuse of the Lord's Supper, the role of women in the church, spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, and questions about the resurrection are all covered in the sixteen chapters of this Book. Why does Paul write about all these different issues? Because each was a problem in the Corinthian church. I am sure that going to church in Corinth was never dull because one never knew what controversy would erupt when they gathered together. It also seems that many of the people in the church were not exactly fond of Paul. Though he had given generously of himself to them, many of the folks apparently resented his authority and disputed the instructions he had previously given them. So, what we have in Corinth is a church which has a ton of problems, full of people who really don't care much for Paul. It is a difficult church, full of difficult people. Yet, when we read our text, we find Paul expressing great thanksgiving for the Christians at Corinth. He is deeply grateful for how God has worked in their lives. Just like I am very thankful for a son who can sometimes be a bit difficult, Paul was very thankful for this difficult church. Today we are going to look at why he had this attitude, and I think we will see some things which will help us to be more thankful for difficult people as well. Let's pause and pray that God would speak to us through His Word today.
1 Corinthians... Letters in the ancient world, including those found in the New Testament, usually have an introduction which tells who the letter is from and to whom it is written. 1 Corinthians is no exception. 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,... This is a letter from Paul. Now, almost everyone here knows who Paul is, but I want to make sure we are all on the same page. When I was preaching through the Book of Galatians, one of the children thought the Paul we always talked about must be a friend of Pastor Dan's. No. The Paul who wrote Galatians and 1 Corinthians is the apostle Paul who lived in 1st Century Palestine. He was known as Saul from the city of Tarsus and was a very devout Jew. As a young man he became a religious leader among the Jewish people. When Jesus' disciples began proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah Who had risen from the dead, Saul decided these folks had to be dealt with harshly. He began a campaign to have Christians arrested and executed. One day, however, as he was traveling to the city of Damascus to arrest some followers of Jesus, he was met by the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, and experienced a spectacular conversion. To symbolize his new identity, his name was changed from Saul to Paul. Soon, rather than being the chief opponent of Christianity, he became a vocal proponent of the Christian gospel. After a few years of study, he embarked on a missionary journey in 46 A.D., preaching the gospel of Jesus in cities which were in what is now modern-day turkey. In 49 A.D. he undertook another missionary expedition and after three years, the spring of 52, he arrived in the city of Corinth, located in what was then the Roman province of Achaia and is now Greece. He remained there for about eighteen months, and then went to the city of Ephesus, located in what is now Turkey. It is from there that he is writing this letter, probably in the fall of 55 A.D.
Paul refers to himself as "an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God." An apostle was one sent by the Lord to represent Him. The twelve disciples of Jesus each had this title, and because of the special commission Jesus had given to Paul, he had this title as well. He may be using it in this letter to remind his readers of the authority he has to speak for the Lord Jesus Christ. Exactly why Paul lists Sosthenes as a co-author of the letter, we can't be sure. He may have been functioning as Paul's secretary. We are not even certain who he was, though Acts 18 says that a man with that name had been the ruler of the Jewish synagogue in Corinth when Paul arrived. It is very possible Sosthenes had become a Christian under Paul's ministry there and was now with him in Ephesus.
The letter from Paul to the church at Corinth... 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -- their Lord and ours:.. Corinth was a city with an interesting history. It had been a powerful Greek city-state all the way back in the 5th Century B.C. Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. and then rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. It quickly became the most important city in the province. It had two harbors which made it a natural trade center and its prosperity attracted more people and more money, which attracted more people and more money. By the time Paul arrived there, the city probably had a population of 650,000, including 400,000 slaves. Besides financial prosperity, there were three other distinguishing characteristics of Corinth. 1) It was an intellectual center. Though it didn't have a university like Athens, many of the men were well-educated, interested in philosophy and placed a high priority on wisdom. 2) It was a religious city. When Paul first arrived, there were no Christians, a small handful of Jews, but hundreds of thousands who worshiped the pagan gods and goddesses. There were twelve pagan temples in Corinth, the most famous ones were dedicated to Apollo, the chief Greek god, and to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. 3) Corinth was a city obsessed with sex. One estimate is that there were 2000 prostitutes at the temple of Aphrodite. Having a sexual relationship with one of them was considered a religious sacrament. Sexual immorality was so pervasive in Corinth that neighboring Greek communities coined a new verb, "to Corinthianize," which meant to fornicate.
Now, I can't help but note that these characteristics of ancient Corinth also seem to describe the current state of our own culture. Prosperity, well-educated people, lots of religion, including rapidly growing pagan varieties, and an obsession with sex. It is no surprise that we find so many practical lessons in this Book because, though separated by almost 2000 years, our world is not really that different. I would also note that as we go through the Book, we will find that the Christians at Corinth were still very much influenced by their culture. Though God had brought about marvelous changes in their lives, they had not completely escaped the moral pollution which was on every side of them. Living a holy life and remaining faithful to Christ was a challenge for every Christian in Corinth.
We have already mentioned that Paul had come to the city over three years earlier and had spent about eighteen months there. We don't know how many people there were in the church at this time, but Acts 18:8 tells us that many Corinthians became Christians under Paul's ministry. After Paul had left Corinth and had gone to Ephesus, he apparently heard reports of problems in the church and wrote what he refers to in Chapter 5 as "the previous letter." We don't have a copy of it, but it probably dealt with the issue of sexual immorality and perhaps some other things. It is interesting that not everything Paul wrote ended up in the Bible. 1 Corinthians is Scripture written by Paul, but inspired by God in such a way that the words this letter contains are also God's words. It seems "the previous letter" was not inspired in that way and thus is not a part of the Bible. Anyway, the Corinthians then responded to Paul in a letter (7:1) which was probably hand-delivered by men mentioned in 16:17. Again we cannot be sure on the content of that letter, but it apparently expressed disagreement with some things Paul had said in his previous letter. Paul writes 1 Corinthians partially as a response to the complaints and questions expressed by the Corinthians. John Rosemond says that when a parent tells a child "Because I told you so," that should be a sufficient response. The child should understand that a parent has a right to do that. But, even though Paul was like a spiritual father to the Corinthians, "Because I told you so" was not enough. They wanted to argue with him on various points. This was a difficult church, full of some difficult people.
So what is Paul's attitude toward the Corinthians? Surprisingly, positive. 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a typical greeting, but it certainly didn't reflect any frustration on Paul's part toward this church. He continues: 1:4a I always thank God for you... Wait a minute, is Paul talking to the Corinthians? Yes, he is. Though I am sure at times he was a bit frustrated by them, he is always thankful for them. He goes on to explain why. 1:4b-9 ...because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way -- in all your speaking and in all your knowledge -- because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. There are three reasons why Paul is thankful for the Corinthians, despite the fact that they can be very difficult people. First is because they had truly experienced God's saving grace through Jesus Christ. The grace they have been given in Jesus Christ (Verse 4) means that despite their many weaknesses, they are in fellowship with the Lord (Verse 9). They are sons and daughters of God. That means they are Paul's brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul is glad about that. Secondly, they were currently experiencing God's grace. In fact, Verse 5 says their lives were being enriched in every way. According to Verse 7, they didn't lack any spiritual gifts. They had received gifts and abilities from the Lord to speak clearly and powerfully, proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers and giving encouragement to each other. The Lord was giving them knowledge and insight into spiritual truth. Oh, yes, the Corinthians were abusing and misusing these gifts, but Paul is still thankful that they are receiving God's grace in that way. Thirdly, Paul was confident the Corinthians would continue to experience God's grace throughout the future and even into eternity. He believed God would be faithful to the Christians at Corinth, and he was confident the Lord would keep them strong throughout their lives. When the end of history comes, when the Lord Jesus returns, Christians from Corinth will stand before Him, pure and blameless, clothed in the righteousness that was theirs because of God's amazing grace.
Paul was thankful, grateful for the Corinthians because he saw the grace of God at work in their lives. An old southern preacher once told his congregation, "Folks, I know I ain't what I should be, and I know I ain't what I'm gonna be, but praise God I know I ain't what I used to be." Paul would say the same things about the Christians at Corinth. Well, if he spoke English, he would use better grammar, but he praised God that the Corinthians were not who they used to be. Oh, yes, they are kind of difficult people, but a few years before, they had been total pagans. They had been spiritually dead. But now, by the grace of God, they are very much alive. Yes, often they acted like spiritual children, which in many ways they were, since all had become Christians within the past three years. They may have been going through the "terrible twos," but they are alive and they are growing. Because Paul knows that they are not who they used to be, he is confident that one day they will be who they should be. He could have told the Corinthians the same thing he told the Christians at Philippi, Philippians 1:6 ...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Paul's words in our text today reflect a wonderful patience that he had toward the Corinthians. That patience was not there because of any confidence Paul had in their innate goodness, or because he believed in the inevitable triumph of the human spirit. No, his patience was there because he believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. He believed in the grace of God through Jesus Christ which he had experienced in his own life and which he saw at work in theirs.
Friends, an important lesson that the Lord has for us in this text is that we too need to be patient and confident in God's grace. I think of three things.
#1) Parents need to be patient with children, just as Paul was a patient spiritual dad. Yes, our children will be very frustrating at times. But, we need to look beyond that. We need to look for signs of growth and we need to encourage and nurture that growth. In Ephesians 6:4 Paul commands fathers, and I think mothers as well, to "not exasperate their children." One thing that certainly means is to be patient with them. As Christian parents, we also need to be patient with our children in their spiritual lives. Maybe your kids are not always excited about going to church or about reading the Bible at family devotions. That's OK. If you have not figured it out by now, your children are not angels, they are sinners in need of the grace of God. And your job is to encourage them to experience that grace in their lives. Your job is to help them understand what it means to trust in Jesus Christ and become a Christian, have their sins forgiven, and receive the gift of eternal life. Your job is to help them realize that true growth and change comes from the inside. Rather than merely trying to modify our children's behavior, we need to encourage them to make sure their heart is right with the Lord. If our kids are already believers in Christ, we need to encourage them to grow in the Lord's grace. No, they probably are not always excited about coming to church or reading the Bible, most Christian adults are not always excited about doing that, but we need to strongly encourage them to do those two things so that they can grow in the Lord. But we need patience. Your children are not all they should be. Sometimes it may even seem they are going backwards. But if they are growing socially, emotionally, mentally, or most importantly spiritually, you can praise God for that, and you can tell your children that you are thankful that they are growing.
#2) We need to be patient with other Christians, just as Paul was patient with the folks at Corinth. Look around you. The other folks who are believers in Jesus Christ are not who they should be, they are not who they are going to be, but praise God, they are not who they used to be. God's grace has worked in magnificent ways in many of the lives represented in this room. There are people here who used to be addicted to alcohol, who were drunks, but who are now sober. There are individuals here who in the past have been very promiscuous, have slept with lots of different men or women, who now, because of the grace of God, have been faithful to their spouse for years. There are people here who once had violent tempers, who once were very selfish and greedy, who once held bitter grudges against all sorts of other people, who have changed. By the grace of God they are learning to love others, just as Christ has loved us. Now, maybe you look at the person in front of you and think, "All I see is a hypocrite. She claims to be such a wonderful Christian, but I know she stabbed me in the back and was gossiping about me last month." Well, I don't know if she claims to be a wonderful Christian, but I know she isn't who she should be. Yet, if she is a believer in Jesus Christ, I know she is not who she used to be. There is room for improvement in each person sitting in this room. But, every person here who is a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, is moving ahead, is growing to become the person God has called him or her to be. Oh, they may be growing slowly, but they are surely growing.
C. S. Lewis talked about how folks can look at a Christian and say, "My, that fellow claims to follow Christ, but he is so arrogant, and he is so stingy, and so quick-tempered." But, as Lewis pointed out, we have no way of knowing how much more arrogant, how much more stingy, and how much more quick-tempered that man would be if he were not a believer in Jesus Christ. Praise God that our fellow Christians are not who they used to be. When I was in college, a lot of Christians would wear a little pin which had on it the letters "PBPGINFWMY." No, it didn't spell any secret password, it simply stood for, "Please Be Patient, God Is Not Finished With Me Yet." Maybe we should have some pins like that made up and have everyone here wear one so that we will remember to be patient with each other.
We need to be patient as God works in our lives. I am afraid we have a lot in common with the Corinthians. We live in a culture where it is not easy to follow the Lord. A lot of times we end up doing, saying or thinking things that do not honor Christ. We have our problems. Yes, it is important that we learn to hate the sin we see in our lives and that we should strive to be holy, like God wants us to be. But, when that is not happening as quickly as we want, we should not be discouraged. We should not give up and throw in the towel. Paul was patient with the Corinthians, because he knew God was patient with them. We can take comfort knowing God is patient with us. When we fail, when we sin, we need to remember what 1 John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. And then by God's grace, we need to keep plugging away, moving ahead, seeking to follow Jesus each day.
Friends, I encourage you today to be thankful for the grace of God. If you have not experienced that in your life, turn to Him today. He is able and willing to save you. If you are a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, remember the promise that the Lord gives in Philippians 1:6 -- God will complete the work He has begun in your life.
Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/sermons.htm for Pastor Dan's full text Bible based sermon site
