The Word of the Cross - 1 Cor. 1:18-31

Introduction From time to time I hear people in the church at large, some times even Christian leaders, say that they want their church to be just like a New Testament church. Every time I hear that I scratch my head wondering why anybody would want to be like one of these churches. In a very real sense, we have the epistolary part of the New Testament exactly because the Holy Spirit did not want the New Testament churches to be like themselves!  I sure hope we are not like the church at Corinth. I hope that we learn from the problems they had and from the solutions that Paul gives to us in this epistle. Paul urges the Corinthians to learn from the mistakes that others have made and I hope we can do the same.  In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, we see Paul's Spirit-inspired reaction to the Corinthian Christians' attitude to Bible-centered preaching in general, and specifically to the preaching of the Gospel.  I. The Word of the Cross Separates the Perishing Ones from the Being-Saved Ones, 18-19. A. We need to start by defining what the message of the cross is.  B. As far as the message of the cross goes, all the people who have ever lived, including us here this morning, fall into two groups, 18.  C. The message of the cross has this effect on people because God, who is the Author of the message of the cross, designed it to work this way, 19.  II. The Word of the Cross Turns Wisdom into Foolishness and Foolishness into Wisdom, 20-25.  A. What the world thinks is wisdom is actually foolishness, 20-21. B. What the world thinks is foolishness is actually wisdom, 22-25. III. The Word of the Cross Turns Nobodies into Sons and Daughters of God, 26-31. A. In essence, Paul is saying that the Church of Jesus Christ is mostly made up of nobodies who have been redeemed by God through the message of the cross, 26.  B. As a matter of fact, Paul says that those who are called by God are generally the weak things of the world, 27.  C. On top of that he says that those called by God are generally insignificant in the world, 28.  D. Why? So that no one can boast before God that God benefited from saving him/her, 29.  E. Yet, through the message of the cross there is a great transformation in us both personally and as a body, 30.  F. The purpose, the so that, the goal of doing things this way is that when a Christian boasts, he boasts in, that is, about his God, not about himself, 31.  Application & Conclusion · This passage teaches us that it is not what we were without Christ that matters, but what God has made us become in Jesus Christ.  · Paul is not arguing against the mind or against intelligence; he is arguing against a worldview that magnifies the sinful mind apart from Christ.  · We do not have to fear that one day somebody will be able to prove the Gospel wrong.  · We do not have to be afraid of interacting with other worldviews as if they will be able to destroy our worldview.  · We must be cross-driven in all we do.

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VBS Starts Today at 9:00 AM

Just one final reminder that VBS starts today (Monday, June 25th) at 9am and runs Mon-Weds, 9am-11:45am each day.  Our closing program will take place on Wednesday evening at 7pm.

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The Four R's of Disunity - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 - Pastor Tito Lyro

The Four R's of Disunity - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 - Pastor Tito Lyro If you find these lessons helpful, or if you have questions please write to us at contact@olympiabp.net. We would love to hear from you and learn how we can serve you.

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VBS Starts Tomorrow!

VBS starts tomorrow, Monday June 25th, and runs Mon-Weds 9am-11:45 each day.  Our closing program will take place at the church on Wednesday at 7pm.

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The Four R's of Disunity

Introduction After the greeting and prayer of thanksgiving, in which he introduces the threefold theme of the letter (Christ has redeemed and sanctified you; therefore, live holy and united lives for the glory of Christ), Paul spends the next 6 chapters addressing the things he has heard concerning the Corinthian church from Chloe's people and perhaps from those who delivered their letter to him. I. Disunity Revealed, 11. A. Paul's passionate plea in v. 10 arises from the report he received from members of the church in Corinth. B. The report is that there are contentions among the Christians in Corinth. II. Disunity Registered, 12. A. The evidence that there were divisions in the church was that some people were lining up behind a particular leader in the church as superior to the other people. B. It is not necessary to think that every member of the church lined up in one of these four groups, but enough did that created a problem. C. None of these leaders were willing participants in these divisions. III. Disunity Rebuked, 13-17. A. Paul demonstrates the absurdity of what the different factions in the church at Corinth was doing, 13. B. Very few can actually claim that they are "of Paul," 14-16. C. Paul's, and every Christian pastor's, primary call was to preach the Gospel, 17. IV. Disunity Resolved, 10. A. The solution is simple: 1. Confess the same thing. 2. Don't be divided. 3. Be joined together. B. Before we get there, notice how important this issue is to Paul. 1. He pleads with them. 2. What he asks is not something that he wants but what Christ wants – in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. C. Christian unity is based on a common confession – speak the same thing. D. Christian unity is based on a common purpose – same mind and judgment. E. The result of unity in completeness – be perfectly joined together – he develops this idea later on in the analogy of the church as a body. Applications & Conclusion Divisions among Christians are some times necessary, but they are never the ideal thing.  We must not be a follower of a Christian leader but of Christ.  Christ is one; so his Church should strive to be one.  Divisions in the local church contradict the gospel. At the root of these divisions was pride.

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REMINDER: Vacation Bible School Starts Monday

Just a reminder that our Vacation Bible School program starts this coming Monday, June 25th at 9:00am.  We'll have VBS the 25th-27th from 9am-11:40am each day.

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Lecture 4 - The City of God and True Diversity - Doug Bond

Lecture 4 - The City of God and True Diversity - Doug Bond If you find these lessons helpful, or if you have questions please write to us at contact@olympiabp.net. We would love to hear from you and learn how we can serve you.

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Lecture 3 - Girolamo Savonarola and the Family of God - Doug Bond

Lecture 3 - Girolamo Savonarola and the Family of God - Doug Bond If you find these lessons helpful, or if you have questions please write to us at contact@olympiabp.net. We would love to hear from you and learn how we can serve you.

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REMINDER: Dennis Leaman Lecture Series with Speaker Douglas Bond Continues Today

Just a reminder that our annual Dennis Leaman Lecture Series, with Speaker Douglas Bond, continues today.

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Lecture 2 - John Hus and the Family of God - Doug Bond

Lecture 2 - John Hus and the Family of God - Doug Bond If you find these lessons helpful, or if you have questions please write to us at contact@olympiabp.net. We would love to hear from you and learn how we can serve you.

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Lecture 1 - John Wycliffe and the Family of God - Doug Bond

Lecture 1 - John Wycliffe and the Family of God - Doug Bond If you find these lessons helpful, or if you have questions please write to us at contact@olympiabp.net. We would love to hear from you and learn how we can serve you.

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REMINDER: Dennis Leaman Lecture Series with Speaker Douglas Bond Begins Today

Just a reminder that the annual Dennis Leaman Lecture Series, with Speaker Douglas Bond, begins today at 4:00pm, with dinner at 5:30pm and a second lecture starting at 6:30pm.

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REMINDER: Annual Dennis Leaman Lecture Series this Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17

Our Annual Dennis Leaman Lectures Series is this coming Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17. Click here for a brochure with the agenda.

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No Wednesday Service Tonight

Due to the upcoming Lecture Series on Saturday and Sunday, we will not have Wednesday evening services tonight.

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OlympiaBP is Now on Foursquare.com!

We're now on Foursquare.com: http://4sq.com/9uTjGR

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The Fellowship of the Son - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 - Pastor Tito Lyro

The Fellowship of the Son - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 - Pastor Tito Lyro If you find these lessons helpful, or if you have questions please write to us at contact@olympiabp.net. We would love to hear from you and learn how we can serve you.

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The Fellowship of the Son - 1 Cor. 1:4-9

Introduction In the first installment of the movie The Lord of the Rings, all the good guys get together at Elrond's place and form the Fellowship of the Ring. They swear to one another on their lives that they will do whatever they can to get the ring to Mt. Doom to be destroyed. They are bonded together in bond of life or death around the ring. It is a powerful scene and sets up the rest of the movie.  Christians are also part of a fellowship. But this one is not about a silly ring. This is a much more powerful bond. This is the Fellowship of the Son of God, Forged on the cross of Christ by his blood. In this fellowship every Christian is united to Christ and to each other for all eternity.  I. A Review from Last Week: Holiness, Unity, and the Glory of Christ. A. In the first three verses of this letter, Paul gives us the three-pronged theme of the whole book: Christ has redeemed and sanctified you; therefore, live holy and united lives for the glory of Christ.  B. Paul deals with them in a pastoral way.  II. The Fellowship of the Son and Grace for Today, 4-7. A. We are going to come back to it in a few moments, but notice that God has called us into the fellowship of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, 9.  B. Paul is thankful for the members of the Fellowship of the Son who are in Corinth, 4.  C. The grace of God that is given to those who belong to the Fellowship of the Son is not just an invisible thing, 5.  D. This grace for today is foundationally established in the testimony of Christ, 6.  III. The Fellowship of the Son and Grace for Tomorrow, 7b-8. A. Our union with the Son, not only enables us to live for the glory of God right now, but it also preserves us to the end, 7b.  B. God will preserve us to the end, 8.  IV. The Fellowship of the Son and the Faithfulness of the Father, 9. A. All this is true because God is faithful.  B. We are called by him to be in fellowship with his Son because he promised his Son that he would give him a people to be his.  C. God is never going to go back on his Word to us and to his Son.  D. So we can be confident this fellowship, the Fellowship of the Son, will never be broken.  E. God will not give up on any Christian – he will keep him/her till the day of Christ's coming.  Conclusion Charles Hodge, the great Princeton theologian, said, "We are called to be partakers of Christ; partakers of his life, as member of his body; and therefore, partakers of his character, of his sufferings here and of his glory hereafter."  We have been called into the Fellowship of the Son and because of that we live holy lives, are united to each other, and whatever we do, we do for his glory.

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