| Introduction Starting a new series is exciting and dreadful at the same because of the amount of work that goes into it. But I trust that the rewards and the blessings that will come out of this series on 1 Corinthians will be indescribable. I pray that by the time we are done with this book, we will be more united to each other, we will be more focused on the glory of God, and we will be striving toward holiness. Unlike today's letters in which the writer waits till the end of the letter to identify himself, ancient letter writing started with the writer stating who he is, which makes more sense. I. Paul's greeting sets up the three major themes of his letter: holiness, unity and the glory of God. A. God's people are called to be holy, 2. 1. Paul identifies the people to whom he is writing as "those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus." 2. These same people who have been sanctified are also called to be saints, that is, to live holy lives. 3. Our series through 1 Corinthians will be rather uncomfortable because it will force us to choose between the sins we love and the holiness God loves, without which no one can see him. 1. Did you notice the unusual way that Paul referred to the Corinthian church? "To the church of God which is at Corinth… with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 2. That's a mouth full and when you are writing on papyrus you do not use mouth full expressions unless you are making a point. 3. The point is that the Corinthian Christians and every Christian in history are united in Jesus Christ. 4. How does this identity impact the Corinthian church? C. God's people are called to do all to his glory, 3. 1. This verse hints at something that is going to become much clearer later on in the letter – everything we do, we do for the glory of God, 1:31; 10:31. 2. Why does this verse hint at that? Because Paul takes what is the standard way of starting a letter in the ancient world and infuses it with Christ. II. Why did Paul write this letter? A. Because he loved them. 1. God had specifically told Paul, "I want you here because I have a lot of people in this city," Acts 18:10. 2. He had spent a year and a half with them. 3. He writes not just as Paul, but as the messenger of Christ and of Christ's love to them – apostle called by the will of Christ 4. It is never easy for a pastor to point out the sins of the congregation the Lord has entrusted to him. 5. But love for the brethren requires that a pastor never shy away from preaching and counseling the flock about everything pertaining to faith and practice. 6. If you believe that your pastor is preaching concerning your problem because he loves you, you will be much more likely to hear the words he has for you with faith. B. Because the Corinthians had asked him to settle some questions they were having. 1. The church sent Paul a letter seeking Paul's clarification on six questions. 2. The six questions:
4. You can see that also by the way Paul answers the questions – he doesn't disregard their concerns, but he does realign their hearts. C. Not only had Paul received a letter from the church, he had also heard reports of how things were going in Corinth. "The Church was in the world, as it had to be, but the world was in the Church, as it ought not to be." Moffatt 1. Notice that he doesn't start answering their questions till he has laid down a foundation for six chapters. 2. This teaches us that we may get so focused on particular issues that we lose track of what the Bible says is very important. 3. Paul had heard from Chloe and Stephanas that some very serious things were going on at church and they were not doing anything to fix them, 1:11; 5:1; 16:15-16. 4. These reports told of factions and divisions in the church, adultery, disregard for the worship of God, selfish actions in the Lord's Supper, and doubts about the future resurrection. 5. And as a pastor Paul's heart was broken, 1:10. III. Paul deals with them in a pastoral way. A. Instead of just dealing the reports and questions, Paul teaches them to think Christianly about the issues that they are dealing with. B. He categorizes the questions that the church asked and the issues that were reported to him into five broad topics. C. And he presents these five topics as a sequence of pastoral sermons for the building up of the church in Corinth and elsewhere. 1. He teaches them about holiness, unity, and the glory of Christ in wisdom and the power of the Gospel, chpts. 1-4 2. He teaches them about holiness, unity, and the glory of Christ in sexuality, chpts. 5-7. 3. He teaches them about holiness, unity, and the glory of Christ in selfless love for the brethren, chpts. 8-10 4. He teaches them about holiness, unity, and the glory of Christ in the gathered church, chpts. 11-14. 5. He teaches them about holiness, unity, and the glory of Christ in the hope of the resurrection, chpt. 16. D. Paul's approach to dealing with the Corinthians teaches us that we are to be patient with our brethren. Holiness, unity in the body of Christ, and the glory of God – all brought together in these three short verses.  | |||
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Friday, June 1, 2012
Holiness, Unity, and the Glory of God - 1 Cor. 1:1-3
