First Sunday of Advent 2005
Dr. Paul G. Humphrey
Valley Forge United Methodist Church
www.valleyforgeumc.org
The Faith of Christmas in Corinth and America
First Corinthians
1CO 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
1CO 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:
1CO 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1CO 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (NIV).
Verse 9 shouts at us, “God is faithful!” As we enter into this Christmas season I hope that each and every one of us holds firmly to the promises of God. Christmas is all about the coming of Christ, just as it was promised in Scripture. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ. And, we are immediately reminded that he is coming again, as is also promised in Scripture. Central to all Paul has to say to this church in Corinth is that he is aware that they “wait for the coming of Christ.”
How well would that description fit us?
In these verses the Apostle Paul is speaking to the Christians at Corinth. When Paul came to Corinth around 51 AD, the Corinth that he saw was only about 100 years old. Yet, it was five times the size of Athens. Corinth was a wild town, known for every form of idol worship and every kind of sensual depravity. It was a prosperous port city. The city was filled with temples and shrines devoted to emperor worship. There were old temples to the Greek gods such as Apollo. There was also a temple to Apollo’s son, Asklepios, the god of healing. In Corinth you would find the Emperor Cult, the indigenous Greek religion of the mythological gods, the Eastern religions like Mithranism. Drunkenness and prostitution was not only commonplace, it was even incorporated into pagan worship rites. A historical account of the old Corinth claimed that one of the temples had 1000 temple prostitutes.
I can remember a seminary professor once saying that there was a first century adage that employed the word Corinth. It basically meant “to fornicate.” One of the Greek verbs for fornicate was korinthiazomai, “to corinthianize,” a word derived from the city’s name meant “to fornicate.” Can you imagine your hometown’s name being synonymous with fornication? Just as our word sodomy comes from the city Sodom.
They had every pleasure that they could hope for. They lived in a self-now society. But those who became Christians in Corinth chose to reject all of that and turn to Jesus, notwithstanding some exceptions that we will look at in another sermon.
What would cause a person to reject a life of excess in exchange for a life of sacrifice?
Do you think that it may be with the Christians in Corinth that they had available to them every sensual pleasure thinkable, and that after indulging in all of this, they felt empty?
I. Because of their faith, they have been given grace. They are enriched. The testimony was confirmed in them.
When I look at our world today, we have about everything that a person could desire at hands length. To a great extent we are a “self-now” society. We want what we want, and we want it now. Quick markets, fast cash, convenient stores, faster internet, and many more slogans make up the vocabulary of our commercial society. There is even a car advertised today that will turn on the windshield wipers for you when it senses rain. And the advertiser suggests all the other things that you can do with the time that you will save.
Maybe we are not so different from Corinth. For many in America, Christmas has nothing to do with Christ, but is just another attempt at filling an unfillable void with gadgets and gizmos, diamonds and furs, food and drink, things that will not fill. And, there will be those who sit under a Christmas tree looking around at all the torn wrapping paper, ribbons and bows totally empty, because their life is devoid of God. They feel just as empty as those Corinthians must have felt before they met Jesus. How many people in this world have had everything that money could buy and still felt empty? You read about suicides. One rock star who had fame, money, relationships, anything that he wanted, killed himself, leaving a note saying, “is there nothing more?”
There is something more. There is Jesus and the salvation that he offers. Paul’s testimony to the people of Corinth was faithful and true.
1 Corinthians 1:4-6 says, “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you” (NIV).
What Paul preached to them was confirmed in their lives. Sometimes people think, “Well if I accept Christ, I’ll have to give up everything that is fun.” That is not the case at all. Receiving Christ is when the joy begins.
Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (KJV). You don’t have to just take my word for it, taste and see. You yourself will confirm the message.
Billy Sunday once said, “If you have no joy in your religion, there’s a leak in your Christianity somewhere.”[1]
British author C.S. Lewis had a conversion on a roadway. He’d started out as an atheist, with a strong dislike of church; yet the more he considered the Scriptures, the more he realized that the Gospels were truth, not myths. “Nothing else in all literature was just like this,” he admitted. Fellow author J.R.R. Tolkien urged Lewis to consider the claims of Christ. Lewis, in return, encouraged Tolkien to finish a book he was working on, The Lord of the Rings. In an automobile trip to the zoo, of all places, Lewis made the final step. He says, “When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.” Looking back he realized that “an atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side…God closed in on me.” The Light broke through, and Lewis was, in his words, “Surprised by Joy.” (SermonCentral)
How many people today who celebrate Christmas are actually celebrating his First Coming? How many people in America today look forward to the Second Coming of Christ? How many people today really even think about their faith as they think about Christmas?
II. Because of their faith they stand lacking no gift as they wait for the coming of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:7 says, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” (NIV).
For Paul to say that they are lacking in no gift as they wait for the coming of Christ, is not talking about things for them to use for themselves, but rather, gifts that are used for the building up of the Kingdom of God.
Paul tells us that because of grace, they are gifted with every gift of God as they wait in faith for the coming of the Lord. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts. We need to give good gifts. There is nothing wrong with receiving gifts either. But, we need to know that these things cannot be the well-spring of joy in our lives. The greatest gift that we can give someone is to introduce them to the one thing that will truly fill their heart. That gift is Jesus. A wise person once said, “We are vessels created in the image of God and we can only be filled by God.” That gift will fill our hearts right now.
Christmas is about giving. And, we are gifted. Over the past few weeks we have been through a series of sermons on parables looking at the Second Coming. Those parables showed us that there will be some using their gifts and talents upon Christ’s return, while others will not.
He will come like a thief in the night. What will he find in your life? What will he find in your church?
Among the CNN headlines for April 6, 1999 was “Armed Robber Holds Up Church During Easter Service.” About 100 worshippers in a Louisiana church had their Easter worship service interrupted by a gunman wearing a ski mask. The robber held a gun to one of the members head while he had other members go around and take up the offering. As he left he was disappointed, grumbling about too many one dollar bills. [2]
One of two things seems evident in this robbery. Either, most of the people just came with a few dollars to give, or they thought that the life of their fellow parishioner was worth the risk. Either way, their priorities seem to have been in the wrong place.
The people of the church at Corinth were not lacking in any gift. They were using their talents for the furtherment of the Kingdom. We each have wonderful talents that we can use for the furtherment of the Kingdom of God. And, let me tell you, there is great joy in using those talents.
If a person truly believes the message, then they are going to be using their gifts as they look forward to the coming of Christ.
John Wesley said of this verse, Waiting — With earnest desire. For the glorious revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ — A sure mark of a true or false Christian, to long for, or dread, this revelation.[3]
III. Because of their faith, they will be found blameless because God is faithful.
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 says, “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (NIV).
God is faithful! His promise of salvation only starts here on this earth. What he has in store for us is beyond our wildest imagination. If you don’t know Christ as your Lord and Savior, there is no better day than today to receive him. God is faithful. We, as believers await the celebration of his First Coming. We can use our gifts in the joy of the presence of his Holy Spirit, and look forward to his Second Coming. We will meet him at an hour unexpected. Are you ready for his coming?
’Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!
The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life, which was held in His hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "It’s not here" my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There’s only one life and when comes the last call
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!
Forwarded email: unknown author
Invitation
(Please email me your thoughts on this sermon: apologist4@hotmail.com)
[1] Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 496.
[2] Ibid.
[3] John Wesley, JOHN WESLEY’S NOTES ON THE WHOLE BIBLE: THE NEW TESTAMENT,1 Cor 1:7, in The Ages Digital Library: [CD-ROM] (Albany: Ages Software, 1997), 496.
