1 Corinthians 1:1-20 - Part B

World flexural humor and yet I'm told I'm going to be boy was going to be presented as follows. How is that possible one-word answer justification justification. Romans chapter 5 verse one just reminding you arty know, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord because of our sin nature. You're guilty before God and deserve judgment. We can be declared blameless before find out how to connect with Skip Skip shares how you can have freedom from sin and peace with God through Jesus that we want to tell you about a resource that will help you discover the Bible's extraordinary relevance in transforming power is your personal Bible study time, frustrating D&E direction. You can study the Bible with the plan and see progress.

Listen to this from skip. I think all of us.

We have trouble with certain parts of the Bible. Sometimes it's tough, but exposure to the Bible, a consistent exposure to the Bible. I would add on a daily basis with a consistent desire to obey it will do more for you than any other thing that I can think of?

Take the mystery out of studying specific testers to provide a joint $25 or more Bible teaching ministry to my thoughts to you don't have to be afraid to enjoy it. I think today online securely/offer for copies hundred 90 okay first Corinthians chapter Skip I kickstart students definitely after Paul leaves Corinth after your nap, he moved to Ephesus years. Their founding in Ephesus write a letter and the letter is because of this rampant immorality. What was happening in the city was now starting to happen in the church. So Paul wrote a very stern letter that we do not have.

We don't have it. We are first Corinthians in secular. The former letter that is writing about. We don't have so wrote them a letter but then after sometime after he wrote to correct that somebody writes him from Corinth by the name of Chloe and Chloe says hey Paul just word up heads up. There's lots of division going on in current people break it up into little groups & I'm up all summer same. I am about politics, these divisions you need to know about churches breaking up and not only that but the Corinthian church itself wrote Paul a letter with a series of questions about marriage.

What about divorce, where, how do we deal with immorality, etc. so beginning in chapter 7, he says now concerning the things you wrote me about so between the letter they wrote to him asking him a series of questions and the divisions Chloe wrote to him about. He writes first Corinthians make sense. So the theme of first Corinthians then is solving problems in the church. The whole book is a corrective a polemic against host of problems disunity so there's divisions in the church abuse of spiritual gifts in the church. I divorce and remarriage in the church of problems of immorality of proper doctrinal problems concerning the resurrection. It's a series of problems one after the other, the Paul addresses in this book. Now, having said that, were ready to start Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. Watch this and sauce the knees. Our brother now that you know about sauce the knees and he was so opposed along with the other Jews to Paul's ministry.

Evidently, and there's no indication, necessarily that it's the same sauce sauce that could be a different one but probably not. We have no reason to say it was so I'm just going to guess it's the same dude that was in Corinth has come to Christ and is now not in Corinth but with Paul in Ephesus being trained by Paul and disciple Bible. So Paul writes this letter from Ephesus sauce. The knees is there. Paul is giving greetings to them sauce the knees, not the RK synagogue, so go God is not the head of your synagogue. He's our brother.

He's our brother.

Now were on the same team.

We both worship the Lord Jesus Christ sauce.

The knees are brother just so you know Paul when he writes his letters follows a pretty typical format of most letters in antiquity and I like the way they wrote letters. In ancient times, we could learn a lesson from the how they wrote letters. In ancient times. You see, when we write a letter, we say dear so-and-so, then we write a page and another page and another page and you don't know who's writing it to you get to the back page and it says fine I'm sincerely and you sign your name well because of that, the first thing I do when I get a letters go to the back page to find out who wrote it, it would be more helpful if they began by saying you know, here is who I am and I'm writing this Skip to you. That's how they wrote letters. In ancient times it would begin by stating who the letter is from then who the letter is to then they would get salutations greetings of some kind and they would usually have some formal Thanksgiving of some kind. Paul follows that format and in the opening remarks, but he calls himself Paul called to be an apostle. Just a word about apostles because I get this? Are there apostles today, yes and no.

Yes, in one sense, all of us are ambassadors. All of us are representatives. All of us. The word means sent apostolic us or up a Stella means to be sent out and it usually referred to in ancient times, a royal representative of a king, and so somebody would be sent out representing a kingdom or that came. If you get sent out officially you are and up a Stella apostle sent out one. It is a word that is used in the New Testament about 79 times. It can refer to all of us.

Jesus said as the father sent me so I send you, but typically usually normally it refers to 13 individuals +1 refers to the 12 apostles. One of them. Judas was replaced by Matthias in acts chapter 1 and another one. Paul called an apostle, but he was called an apostle because he was commissioned by Jesus Christ and sent out personally by Jesus in a post-resurrection appearance, usually to be an apostle. You had to of been with the Lord during his ministry and had to have signs of an apostle that accompany you like miracle signs and wonders and you had to have been a witness of his resurrection. Paul was in follower of Christ during his ministry, but he did see the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. He was given his apostolic commission said go tell Paul that he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles for Kings before the children of Israel. That's his apostolic, but all of us have some calling, some calling by the will of God and sauce. These are brother going through one verse tonight cooking and were cooking to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints are you looking in your Bible you see the words to be our italicized. The reason there italicized is they are not in the original Greek language so literally it reads, and so the translators furnish these words because they think probably Paul meant that, but we don't know the Paul meant that because literally what he said is your sanctified in Christ Jesus, and you are called saints. No, I like that better than called to be saints because if you were raised like I was raised and I hear that I am called to be a saint that my mind says okay so that means I have to die and people have to pray to me after I'm dead, and then miracles have to be attested to that have happened when they called upon my name and if that is corroborated by the main church in Rome, then eventually I can be canonized recall the same. So typically we have come to believe. Unfortunately, that to be a saint is to be a dead guy or a dead gal and you know you have remains at somebody touches and they get healed or they make a pilgrimage and speak out something over your grave and something happens or miracles. Whatever it would be your canonized a saint by the Catholic Church. That's how I was raised that is not a New Testament teaching. You are a saint right now you are called saints. The word sanctified and the word St. it's the same Greek root word hog Diaz means to be set apart you been set apart by when you came to Christ were set apart you are completely saved and when you believe in Jesus Christ and God marks you as his own, or your St. so really like J.

Vernon McGee said there's really only two groups in the whole world there's the saints, and the eights either a saint or yank and even though they were in Corinth, and even though they had tons of problems there.

Saints. So I'm looking at a different saints here tonight and you're looking at St. Skip Scott a ring to it than it called saints, with all those in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours. When I was a kid. By the way, I had a little metal around my neck and it was St. Christopher somebody's a little St. Christopher do you know there never existed. Somebody by that name, you can. Don't do it right now.

Please go we go home disco go fact check that the Catholic Church has repudiated that there ever existed.

Somebody that was St. Christopher. So for years, people prayed to St. Christopher about as will be praying to their cat or their dog as he didn't exist. Verse three Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ's is how Paul opened most all of his letters, Grace and peace Grace and peace Grace is a common Greek greeting card lease is the Greek word you would see somebody on the street in Athens go Cadiz grace to grow. It's a wonderful greeting the Jews when they see each other say shalom peace. That is the Greek letter so they're not writing shalom that would be a Hebrew word but there using the Greek equivalent Aire née so Cadiz Chi Aire, née Grace and peace. I think Paul is combining a Greek and a Jewish salutation in one because that is how we opened most of his letters. There's a couple exception sometimes is a grace, peace and mercy but usually it's grace and peace and by the way, Paul never says peace and grace it's it's always in this order. Grace first and then peace in it. There's a good reason for you will never know the peace of God, until you know the grace of God.

And when you know the grace of God, you'll have peace. You have the peace of God which passes owners and so grace and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Jesus Christ. Any Paul look back and he's writing from Ephesus and he's thinking about how the church started a car thing would just an act of grace that that church ever got off the ground in that city. Why start a church of God incarnate, because you need a Church of God in Corinth like you need a church of the Lord Jesus Christ in every city in the world.

It's dark and light shines brightest in the darkest places and so it needed a witness for the Lord I thank my God concerning you for the grace of God which is given you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in every thing by him, in all utterance, and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you so you cut that you come short in no gift for you come behind in no gift eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says you were enriched in the word he uses speaks of being filthy rich. It's the word that we would translate Pluto craft the ruling class of the very very wealthy so you are excessively rich and you come behind no spiritual gift. One of the things about the church at Corinth is that all of the gifts of the Spirit were in operation. That's a good thing but it became a bad thing because Paul has to right to correct so many of the abuses of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that happened a court so I was gonna say. Unfortunately, there were abuses of the spirit in the church of Corinth, but I want to say some differently I'm to say fortunately there were abuses of the gifts of the spirit in Corinth.

He said why would you say that because Paul wrote a letter addressing the problems so that now we can see the proper use and balance of spiritual gifts in the assembly so the value is that it has produced for us what we call first Corinthians which is actually second Corinthians, but I digress you come behind no spiritual gift, but look at this as you are eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he's good to mention this several times as he does.

By the way, in most all of his letters realize this, the early church 2000 years ago the churches were taught by Paul to always look up to always anticipate that the promise that Jesus made to return could happen at any moment and that they should expect.

So be aware of any teacher any doctrine, any church, any movement that tells you my Lord delays is coming we should all be looking forward and especially 2000 years post this when so many crazy things are happening in so many signs that we have now in the New Testament laid out have been fulfilled and I think we are waiting on borrowed time were waiting for the revelation word here is apocalypse its the final unveiling of the Lord Jesus Christ who will confirm you to the end. He he's going to take you all the way through. He's committed to your faith he's committed to your spiritual walk to bring you all the way through.

So much so watch this you looking for from you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice that you may be blameless — a question are you blameless now looking to me like I should answer because he doesn't say you are now blameless, but he says that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ right at the end of that little letter of Jude that one chapter letter of Jude Jude verse 24 the writers is now under him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. That doesn't mean you are faultless or that you are blameless, but you will one day be presented as faultless and blameless in his present, you will how was that possible.

What magic trick does God have to work to present me being blameless and I asked that because I know me I sin I fall short of the glory of God. I still have proclivities and propensities and leanings toward aberrant behavior and thinking as we all do world flesh raw human, and yet I'm told I'm going to be blameless. I'm to be presented as faultless. How is that possible one-word answer justification justification.

Romans chapter 5 verse one just reminding you about what you already know, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ he's declared us righteous. He's declared us as having the same righteousness as his son Jesus, because we believe in his finished work doesn't mean you are perfect or righteous or blameless or faultless, but he already declares you as such. And one day will present you as such. So it's a pretty good deal.

And that's why we have peace with God, having been justified with with. By faith we have peace with God think if my peace dependent upon my performance will some days I be very peaceful and some days I would not be very peaceful because some days my performance is goods continues my performance really stinks and so I died a piece one day and then I'd have anxiety the next day because I'm always looking at my performance, but because I'm justified declared righteous by faith I have peace with God every day through our Lord Jesus Christ, because now I understand how God sees me of God reckons me and how one day he will receive me and I'll be presented as faultless before his presence with exceeding joy. The psalmist I read it early this morning. Some hundred and 30 O Lord, if you should mark iniquities who could stand if if God kept a record and checked it, who would stand we we we would be miserable, but we are justified so because of that one day you'll be blameless. God is faithful, by whom you are called into the fellowship of the sun Jesus Christ. Okay so that is the introductory remarks of the epistle of the letter.

Now we get down to business and he addresses the real issue that this person Chloe has written about Annette is the tearing apart of the church. The breaking up into different factious groups because he says in verse 10. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment were divisions schism Motta speaks of the tearing of a garment. The fragmenting of something that was once a cohesive unit being torn into little pieces and it's not just that there were disagreements that's never a problem.

There, that's a it's healthy to have disagreeing points of view over certain things. The problem was a disagreement was dissension they were splitting up and being opposed to each other as we will find out or it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household that there are contentions among you.

On one hand I think all Paul you should mention Chloe because he got to her under the bus never, everybody's hello, you're the one they ratted on us to Paul.

But Paul had to give a source and probably this person, Chloe, and by the way scholars are divided whether this Chloe is a feminine name or a masculine and we don't notice the person in Chloe what we'll call it will identify her as she just because that's how our minds probably will deal better with that is been declared by those in Chloe's house was that there are contentions among you. Now I say this each of you says I am of Paul or I am of Apollo's or I am of Cephas or I am of Christ is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul when Jesus before his suffering prayed for his followers. After praying for his immediate followers.

He prayed at the end of his little prayer in John 17. Lord, I don't just pray for these alone, but for all all those who will believe in me through their name that they may be one as as we are one. I and you and you and me, that they may be one in us that the world may believe that, pray for our unity that Skip the message from the series expound first Corinthians we want to share about an exciting opportunity you have to take your knowledge of God's word, think taking classes in biblical studies can't picture life skill for college student Krista after years of wanting training in ministry. I found Kathy, now I can keep in my walk with the Lord and I can go as little as often as my schedule.

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