WEBVTT 00:00:09.379 --> 00:00:13.000 The Church of Corinth is quite the church. It 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:18.019 is a multi -generational church. It is a multi, 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:22.019 what we would call a diverse church. It's really, 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:26.539 there's people from all over at this church. 00:00:28.410 --> 00:00:31.329 And there's a predominant Jewish membership of 00:00:31.329 --> 00:00:34.210 this church. Understand, this is not like there's 00:00:34.210 --> 00:00:37.030 one building sitting outside of Corinth where 00:00:37.030 --> 00:00:39.530 everybody comes and meets once a week. These 00:00:39.530 --> 00:00:43.630 are house churches everywhere. It was like that 00:00:43.630 --> 00:00:47.740 in every city, okay? Now, understanding that 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:49.700 there are some issues that Paul needs to deal 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:53.439 with because there's some divisive things happening 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:55.280 within the church that could rip the church apart. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:58.520 And there's many things we're going to deal with 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:02.179 in this. So how do we live out the gospel in 00:01:02.179 --> 00:01:06.120 the church? How do we make sure that we're exemplifying 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:08.299 Christ in everything we do? And that's really 00:01:08.299 --> 00:01:11.500 how he kind of handles and answers this particular 00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:14.219 church. And he guides them through this in two 00:01:14.219 --> 00:01:17.859 letters. Okay? Which we will get to. There are 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:21.500 a lot of issues here. And so we're going to manage 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:25.620 that. Okay? Now, let's read 1 Corinthians chapter 00:01:25.620 --> 00:01:28.260 1, verse 1 through 17, and then we're going to 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:31.859 pick up next week on the rest. Okay? Paul, called 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:34.540 by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ 00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:38.959 Jesus and our brother Sosthenes, to the church 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:42.859 of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified 00:01:42.859 --> 00:01:46.420 in Christ Jesus. called to be saints, together 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:50.180 with all those who are in every place, call upon 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:53.530 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. both their 00:01:53.530 --> 00:01:57.930 Lord and ours, grace to you and peace from God 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:01.650 our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give 00:02:01.650 --> 00:02:05.310 thanks to my God always for you because of the 00:02:05.310 --> 00:02:09.789 grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:14.610 that in every way you were enriched in him in 00:02:14.610 --> 00:02:19.520 all speech and all knowledge. even as the testimony 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:22.680 about Christ was confirmed among you, so that 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:29.580 you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:33.500 the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will 00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:37.060 sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day 00:02:37.060 --> 00:02:41.340 of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful by 00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:44.719 whom you were called into fellowship of his Son, 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:48.719 Jesus Christ, our Lord. I appeal to you, brothers, 00:02:48.939 --> 00:02:53.319 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:56.939 of you agree that there be no divisions among 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:01.039 you, but that you be united in the same mind 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:05.060 and same judgment. For it has been reported to 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:08.740 me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:13.979 among you, my brothers. Each one of you says, 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:17.819 I follow Paul, or I follow Apollos, or I follow 00:03:17.819 --> 00:03:20.939 Cephas, or I follow Christ. Is Christ divided? 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:24.599 Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:27.840 in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:32.389 none of you except. Crispus and Gaius, so that 00:03:32.389 --> 00:03:36.150 no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 00:03:36.189 --> 00:03:39.189 I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. 00:03:39.229 --> 00:03:42.009 Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized 00:03:42.009 --> 00:03:47.419 anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize, 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:52.099 but to preach the gospel and not with words of 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:55.379 eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:58.020 emptied of its power. So I want you to, did you 00:03:58.020 --> 00:04:01.120 hear the common, a common theme here? The Lord 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:05.439 Jesus Christ. This is his church. That's what 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:07.840 he's saying here. You are responsible to the 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:11.900 master Jesus Christ. He is the master of his 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:15.400 people. You are his slaves and his people. He 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:18.319 purchased you at a price. There's a cost that 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:20.879 was paid. You don't belong to yourself. You belong 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.860 to him. That's why Paul reiterates this Lord 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.220 Jesus Christ. That's number one. Number two, 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.300 he reiterates Lord Jesus Christ to show authority 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:33.000 to whom you answer to. It's him and him alone. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:36.699 Okay? So this constant in these first 17 verses 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:40.620 is a constant theme, the Lord Jesus Christ. The 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:43.360 Lord Jesus Christ. Over and over again because 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:46.439 he's setting a precedent so that they know that 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:49.379 they just don't do whatever they want. They do 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:52.759 what God commands. And he's the master. And that's 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:57.050 the way it is. He's the boss. Okay? Principle 00:04:57.050 --> 00:05:00.110 number one, the privilege and joy of being in 00:05:00.110 --> 00:05:04.649 God's family is solely due to his will, his work, 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:08.889 and for his glory. The privilege and joy of being 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:12.389 in God's family is solely due to his will, his 00:05:12.389 --> 00:05:16.490 work, and for his glory. In Hebrews 10, 14, it 00:05:16.490 --> 00:05:19.250 states it this way, for by a single offering, 00:05:19.470 --> 00:05:23.759 he has perfected for all time those. who are 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:27.459 being sanctified. In other words, we who have 00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:32.259 been saved by Christ, for Christ, he is our offering 00:05:32.259 --> 00:05:36.160 on our behalf, and he has been sanctifying us 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:39.040 and has already perfected us in the kingdom. 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:43.839 1 Corinthians 1, 1 -3. Paul, called by the will 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:47.240 of God. Very important to understand. A man of 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.500 God who is a preacher of God is called by God. 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:54.160 That is a great responsibility for anyone called 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:58.579 by God. Okay? But specifically, Paul is not only 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:00.959 talking about him being a preacher, he's talking 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:04.180 about his apostleship. Called by the will of 00:06:04.180 --> 00:06:08.319 God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. Three very 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:10.339 important things. Three basic things you need 00:06:10.339 --> 00:06:12.579 to understand about an apostle. In these modern 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:14.579 days, there's a lot of quote -unquote apostles. 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:18.399 Apostle, whatever you want to call themselves. 00:06:18.740 --> 00:06:22.779 Okay? Like female apostles, which is crazy. I 00:06:22.779 --> 00:06:25.860 don't even know where that came from. But an 00:06:25.860 --> 00:06:29.860 apostle must be taught by Christ directly, must 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:33.519 have seen Christ, and must be called by Christ. 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:38.379 Called, seen, taught. Paul was called, seen, 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:41.220 and taught. He was called by God, which we know, 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.079 because he came face to face with Jesus on the 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:46.680 road to Damascus. Do you remember that little? 00:06:47.280 --> 00:06:49.939 And then people go, well, how could he be taught 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:51.860 by Jesus? He didn't walk with Jesus for the three 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:53.639 years he was here. Do you remember he was blind 00:06:53.639 --> 00:06:56.660 for three days? Sat in a bed, blind, couldn't 00:06:56.660 --> 00:06:58.779 do anything. Do you think he was just sitting 00:06:58.779 --> 00:07:01.680 there having like whatevers? No, he was taught 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:04.540 all the things that Paul had studied, Christ 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:08.970 had brought to him. Right? So he was taught by 00:07:08.970 --> 00:07:12.029 Christ. And so there's a clear apostleship of 00:07:12.029 --> 00:07:15.389 Paul. Paul clarifies that apostleship based upon 00:07:15.389 --> 00:07:19.029 not only his work, but his preaching and his 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:22.589 life. It's been verified by the Spirit of God. 00:07:22.790 --> 00:07:26.870 Now, that's enough on Paul's issue. And he also 00:07:26.870 --> 00:07:30.230 talks about our brother Sosthenes. I'm not going 00:07:30.230 --> 00:07:33.410 to get into Sosthenes right now. Okay? He's mentioned 00:07:33.410 --> 00:07:36.800 like once. And there's no need to go into a whole 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:41.699 sermon on Sosthenes. To the church of God. He 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:45.160 starts at verse 2. To the church of God. This 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:49.519 term, church of God, shows ownership of his people. 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:53.699 This is God's church. And this term literally 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:59.100 shows, in the original language, ownership. God 00:07:59.100 --> 00:08:03.180 owns you. Now think about that. God owns you. 00:08:03.900 --> 00:08:06.040 How does he own you? Did you have a debt you 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:08.379 could not pay? And if someone comes and pays 00:08:08.379 --> 00:08:11.459 a debt you cannot pay, what's that called? A 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:15.139 slave. Except in Christ, he gives us freedom. 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:19.139 That doesn't mean he does not keep us. He gives 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:22.319 us freedom within him to do whatever he's called 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:24.319 us to do. As long as we live according to his 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:28.319 word and his ways and love his things. We can 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:30.819 walk freely and we are free because where the 00:08:30.819 --> 00:08:32.919 spirit of Lord is, there is freedom. But we have 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:37.440 a debt. He is our owner. He owns the church. 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:41.379 He paid for her by his own blood. A cost you 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:43.879 could not pay. So not only did you have a debt 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:47.440 you couldn't pay, the cost was too deep for you 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:50.799 to pay. Okay? And this is important. So he's 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:53.860 saying the church of God, my people, that is 00:08:53.860 --> 00:08:57.779 in Corinth. To those sanctified in Christ Jesus. 00:08:58.120 --> 00:09:02.279 This word sanctified means purified and consecrated 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:06.159 ones. In Christ Jesus, we have been purified 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:11.799 and consecrated to him. Set apart for him, to 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:16.399 him, to do as he pleases with us. Thank God he's 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:21.519 so good. Second thing, called to be saints. This 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:23.879 understanding of saints is not what the Catholic 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.159 Church states. What a saint is. I'm sorry. The 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:30.840 Pope does not have any legal right to determine 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:35.500 who is the privileged ones. This is only God 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.659 and God alone. Now, this word called to be saints 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:42.879 means given the privilege to be a holy one. You've 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:46.600 been given the privilege to be one of God's holy 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:52.360 ones. Think about that. Not only is that a privilege, 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:55.929 but it's a pretty... Pretty high to hold, isn't 00:09:55.929 --> 00:09:58.389 it? That's why God does it for us. We're going 00:09:58.389 --> 00:10:02.330 to see that in a minute. Now, together with all 00:10:02.330 --> 00:10:06.350 those, meaning believers, in every place who 00:10:06.350 --> 00:10:08.850 call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:10:09.269 --> 00:10:14.110 So you are saints with all the saints of the 00:10:14.110 --> 00:10:16.950 entire world. That's what Paul's saying here. 00:10:17.590 --> 00:10:19.830 In other words, you're not to your own little 00:10:19.830 --> 00:10:23.049 self in your own little city. You have a much 00:10:23.049 --> 00:10:26.870 bigger connection in reality of the family of 00:10:26.870 --> 00:10:30.470 God. And what happens to you happens to all of 00:10:30.470 --> 00:10:33.970 us. That's what he's trying to imply here. Trying 00:10:33.970 --> 00:10:37.450 to set a precedent. Now, let's keep reading. 00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:41.549 He says, so if we call on the name of the Lord 00:10:41.549 --> 00:10:46.289 Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. Notice 00:10:46.289 --> 00:10:51.409 he says this, master, both their master and our 00:10:51.409 --> 00:10:54.870 master. Isn't that interesting? And then he ends 00:10:54.870 --> 00:10:58.690 it with his common statement, grace to you and 00:10:58.690 --> 00:11:02.029 peace from God, our father and the Lord Jesus 00:11:02.029 --> 00:11:04.850 Christ, meaning the son. We see the two persons 00:11:04.850 --> 00:11:09.269 of the Trinity here. Why? They are the ones who 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:11.509 declared the authority of what they have done, 00:11:11.590 --> 00:11:14.789 okay? Scripture says that Jesus says, all authority 00:11:14.789 --> 00:11:18.110 has been given unto me. It's showing that the 00:11:18.110 --> 00:11:21.549 reality of our position with God is because of 00:11:21.549 --> 00:11:24.649 the Father's plan and the fulfillment of Christ. 00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:29.350 Without that, there is no guarantee. Okay? Second. 00:11:30.009 --> 00:11:32.990 The Father has provided everything we need in 00:11:32.990 --> 00:11:37.610 Christ to abound in his word and the truth of 00:11:37.610 --> 00:11:42.490 his gospel, specifically for us in the gospel 00:11:42.490 --> 00:11:45.409 and in life. The Father has provided everything 00:11:45.409 --> 00:11:49.370 we need in Christ to abound in word and the truth 00:11:49.370 --> 00:11:53.250 of the gospel and life. Everything we need is 00:11:53.250 --> 00:11:57.830 in Christ. That's the idea here. 2 Peter 1, 3 00:11:57.830 --> 00:12:02.870 -4. His divine power has granted to us all things 00:12:02.870 --> 00:12:06.769 that pertain to life and godliness through the 00:12:06.769 --> 00:12:10.629 knowledge of him who called us to his own glory 00:12:10.629 --> 00:12:14.970 and excellence, by which he has granted to us 00:12:14.970 --> 00:12:19.299 his precious and very great power. promises so 00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:23.179 that through them you may become partakers of 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:26.879 the divine nature having escaped the corruption 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:29.419 that is in the world because of sinful desires. 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:35.120 That is a complete work of soteriology. A complete 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:39.360 work in every way. And that's what Peter is clarifying 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:44.659 in 2 Peter 1, 3 -4. So 1 Corinthians 1, 4 -8. 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:48.759 This is the way Paul states it here. I give thanks 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:53.620 to my God always for you because of the grace 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:58.629 of God that was given you in Christ Jesus. Who 00:12:58.629 --> 00:13:02.169 has given us grace? God the Father has given 00:13:02.169 --> 00:13:04.990 us grace. Where is our grace? Where do we attain 00:13:04.990 --> 00:13:07.529 our grace? Where do we obtain our grace? Through 00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:10.710 Christ and Christ alone. The word grace of God 00:13:10.710 --> 00:13:14.090 here means the favor of God delivered in Christ 00:13:14.090 --> 00:13:19.350 to you. That's God's favor from the Father to 00:13:19.350 --> 00:13:23.889 you through the Son. That. Verse 5, in every 00:13:23.889 --> 00:13:28.049 way you were enriched in him in all speech and 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:31.350 all knowledge. In every way. The term enriched 00:13:31.350 --> 00:13:34.850 here means richly furnished. I want you to think 00:13:34.850 --> 00:13:38.409 about that. What an amazing statement. It'd be 00:13:38.409 --> 00:13:40.809 one thing if I was enriched. But it's another 00:13:40.809 --> 00:13:43.549 thing when we are furnished with what we need 00:13:43.549 --> 00:13:47.330 to do the job. Like think about it. To be richly 00:13:47.330 --> 00:13:52.419 furnished in Christ. Concerning his word and 00:13:52.419 --> 00:13:55.419 concerning the knowledge of truth. Everything 00:13:55.419 --> 00:13:59.399 you need, Christ has furnished for you to be 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:03.139 a faithful witness in the word and the knowledge 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:06.899 of truth. You need nothing else but the Holy 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:11.139 Spirit and his word. It is by God's grace that 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:13.659 we have those who help us to understand some 00:14:13.659 --> 00:14:17.440 things maybe through other books and writings. 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:22.519 Great. But according to this, we don't need anything 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:25.860 else. You have everything you need. You've been 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:28.679 richly furnished in him concerning his word and 00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:31.220 the knowledge of truth, concerning all speech 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:34.740 and all knowledge. The thing is, do you know 00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:38.379 and believe that the Holy Spirit will do as he's 00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:42.820 promised, guide you in all truth? Now, verse 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:46.519 six, how do we know that this is true? The truth 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:49.700 is here. This is how we know that he's furnished 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:53.159 us in all speech and in all knowledge. Even as 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:57.340 the testimony, the evidence, the proof about 00:14:57.340 --> 00:14:59.899 Christ was confirmed in you. How do you know 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:03.700 that God has furnished you in all word, in all 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:06.240 speech, and in all knowledge? Because the testimony 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:10.799 of Christ being crucified and resurrected is 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:14.679 confirmed among you. That's how you know. How 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:16.679 do I know I'm a believer? He's confirmed it. 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:20.139 All of us go through times when we wonder, man, 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:22.000 if I was really a believer, would I do something 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:27.980 dumb? Yes, you will. We all do it. But he confirms 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:30.600 again and again and again. What's the evidence 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:34.279 of proof? A changed life. Obedience is the evidence 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:38.720 of proof here. Okay? So you have been furnished 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:41.259 in all knowledge and all truth. Why? Because 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:46.320 the proof of that is Christ in you. Okay? There. 00:15:47.430 --> 00:15:51.909 Continue, verse 6, so that you are not lacking 00:15:51.909 --> 00:15:55.029 in any gift. In other words, what Paul is saying 00:15:55.029 --> 00:15:57.169 is here, because Christ is in you, because the 00:15:57.169 --> 00:16:01.149 Spirit of God is in you, you lack nothing. Nothing 00:16:01.149 --> 00:16:05.230 to accomplish the mission. Everything you need 00:16:05.230 --> 00:16:09.470 for the gospel is there. Now, understanding that, 00:16:09.590 --> 00:16:13.870 let's keep reading. As you wait for the revealing 00:16:13.870 --> 00:16:20.190 of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, I stand, when you 00:16:20.190 --> 00:16:23.929 look at the issue of sensationism versus the 00:16:23.929 --> 00:16:27.269 continuation of gifts, I stand on John Piper's 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:31.570 side on this. It's hard. Concerning some things, 00:16:31.649 --> 00:16:33.750 you go, okay, I see where I'm a cessationist. 00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:37.090 A cessationist is one who believes that none 00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:41.990 of the gifts exist. Unless you're a partial cessationist, 00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:44.009 that means you believe that some of them do, 00:16:44.129 --> 00:16:47.039 but not all of them do. Specifically, the miracle 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:51.779 gifts, tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:55.820 meaning future telling, and miracles, healings. 00:16:56.220 --> 00:16:59.240 Now, which is kind of weird, because I don't 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:01.639 know about you, but if I'm preaching the gospel 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:05.099 in some unknown jungle, and a dude is sick, and 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:07.460 I go to the Lord and say, like, Lord, this is, 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:10.880 I mean, can you heal this guy so his family come 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:14.079 to Christ? Or, you don't know. Something like 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:17.450 that can happen. So I'm not willing to say definitively 00:17:17.450 --> 00:17:20.930 that the gifts do not exist. So I stand with 00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:23.450 John on this. And here's where John and I stand 00:17:23.450 --> 00:17:27.789 specifically. All gifts are for the gospel, period. 00:17:28.470 --> 00:17:31.630 That's the end of the discussion. They're not 00:17:31.630 --> 00:17:35.069 for you to be saying, I have the spirit of God 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:37.130 because I speak in tongues and now I'm going 00:17:37.130 --> 00:17:40.210 to heaven. That is not what the gift is for. 00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:43.940 The gifts are for the gospel. You can read that 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:48.559 in Hebrews chapter two. All gifts are for the 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:52.240 gospel, period. How do we know that? Because 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.799 that's what we're talking about here. So all 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:59.359 of these gifts are for you as you wait for the 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:02.279 revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, obviously 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.180 he's talking to the church in Corinth, but what 00:18:05.180 --> 00:18:08.220 are they waiting for if Jesus reveals himself 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:11.359 while they're there? What's that mean for all 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:15.160 of us? Is it only for them and not for us? These 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:17.480 are all good questions. That's called metaphysics. 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:20.240 Asking questions that can be difficult to answer. 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:25.460 Verse 8. And he, meaning Christ, will sustain 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:29.519 you, will keep you, will make firm you to the 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:32.640 end, guiltless. So there it is. It's continued. 00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:36.980 Whether you read verse 6 and 7 or verse 8, there's 00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:40.960 this. Constant communication of the revealing 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:44.200 of Christ or the coming of Christ. We know because 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:47.960 it's part of what we believe. In the Apostles' 00:18:47.980 --> 00:18:50.099 Creed, we believe in the second coming of Christ, 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:53.079 do we not? So there it is. The second coming 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:57.000 of Christ is clearly proclaimed concerning whether 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.759 gifts exist or not here. Can't have one without 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.579 the other. And that's the argument among us who 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:08.509 do hold that there's gifts, Need to be properly 00:19:08.509 --> 00:19:11.970 used. Here's another example. Whether you want 00:19:11.970 --> 00:19:14.809 to see that or not. The teaching of the scripture. 00:19:15.609 --> 00:19:18.809 Is that a gift? Teaching scripture is a gift. 00:19:19.509 --> 00:19:22.609 How do we know? Because the scripture says so. 00:19:23.369 --> 00:19:26.509 We'll get to those in a few weeks. Not, well, 00:19:26.509 --> 00:19:30.150 a couple months. Okay? I teach you every Sunday. 00:19:30.390 --> 00:19:32.650 I teach you every Wednesday. That's a spiritual 00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:36.269 gift. I also prophesy every Sunday and every 00:19:36.269 --> 00:19:41.549 Wednesday. You're like, what? I foretell. The 00:19:41.549 --> 00:19:44.950 word prophecy means to foretell the truth. God's 00:19:44.950 --> 00:19:47.829 given me his word. I foretell the truth of the 00:19:47.829 --> 00:19:50.509 word of God to you. That's the gift of prophecy. 00:19:51.029 --> 00:19:52.670 Well, how do we know? Because not everybody can 00:19:52.670 --> 00:19:56.349 do this. Okay? That's a gift. It's a gift of 00:19:56.349 --> 00:19:59.450 the spirit by the grace of God upon a very corrupt 00:19:59.450 --> 00:20:02.930 and broken man. It's his goodness in reflection 00:20:02.930 --> 00:20:08.589 to what I am apart from him. Now, understanding 00:20:08.589 --> 00:20:12.329 that there's two particular gifts that are practiced 00:20:12.329 --> 00:20:15.509 right in front of you every single day. So if 00:20:15.509 --> 00:20:18.309 those gifts don't exist and the gifts have ceased, 00:20:18.529 --> 00:20:21.789 I wonder who's teaching. And what's the sense 00:20:21.789 --> 00:20:24.170 of asking the Lord to guide us in all truth if 00:20:24.170 --> 00:20:27.369 it's from your own mind anyway? And then you 00:20:27.369 --> 00:20:29.349 have to give the credit to the school because 00:20:29.349 --> 00:20:31.230 the school is the one that's taught you all that 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:35.009 stuff. Not the spirit. Can't have one without 00:20:35.009 --> 00:20:38.240 the other. There's my argument. Third principle. 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:42.720 The father who is faithful has called us into 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:45.839 fellowship with his son, commands his people 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:48.240 to be faithful in fellowship with one another 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:53.839 by having the mind of Christ. Okay? So, if God 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:57.750 is faithful and has called... Called us into 00:20:57.750 --> 00:21:00.170 fellowship with his son. Which we'll read in 00:21:00.170 --> 00:21:03.029 a minute. He also commands us to be faithful. 00:21:03.109 --> 00:21:06.509 As he is in fellowship with one another. And 00:21:06.509 --> 00:21:08.690 the way we have fellowship with one another. 00:21:08.829 --> 00:21:12.609 Is to have the mind of Jesus. First Corinthians 00:21:12.609 --> 00:21:16.730 2 .16. For who has understood the mind of the 00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:20.809 Lord. So as to instruct him. But we have the 00:21:20.809 --> 00:21:24.769 mind of Christ. You have it. He lives in you. 00:21:25.230 --> 00:21:29.529 His mind is with you. 1 Corinthians 1, 19 through 00:21:29.529 --> 00:21:35.789 17. God is faithful. Do you see that? By whom 00:21:35.789 --> 00:21:39.630 you were called. Isn't that interesting? God, 00:21:39.630 --> 00:21:43.650 the faithful one, has called you into fellowship 00:21:43.650 --> 00:21:47.150 with his son. Now, here's the interesting term, 00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:50.069 the word called here. The word called means to 00:21:50.069 --> 00:21:54.190 be summoned by a king. So when God calls you, 00:21:54.269 --> 00:21:58.410 him being king says, come. And what do you do 00:21:58.410 --> 00:22:01.190 when you come before the king? You kneel. That's 00:22:01.190 --> 00:22:04.849 the idea here. This is not an option. This is 00:22:04.849 --> 00:22:07.849 a command. It's implied in the understanding 00:22:07.849 --> 00:22:10.430 of the word called. And the word called means 00:22:10.430 --> 00:22:15.549 to be summoned by the king. Now, he has called 00:22:15.549 --> 00:22:19.210 us. into fellowship with his son, which he puts 00:22:19.210 --> 00:22:21.950 us into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ, 00:22:22.009 --> 00:22:25.210 our master. And as a result of understanding 00:22:25.210 --> 00:22:28.529 that reality, the scripture here in verse 10 00:22:28.529 --> 00:22:33.390 says, I appeal to you. I urge you. Someone used 00:22:33.390 --> 00:22:37.970 the word beg. I wouldn't say beg. I think more 00:22:37.970 --> 00:22:41.670 the term is, listen, you're going to do this 00:22:41.670 --> 00:22:45.250 or there's going to be problems. That's what 00:22:45.250 --> 00:22:48.289 I think he's saying here. He says, I appeal to 00:22:48.289 --> 00:22:52.730 you brothers by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:56.549 So what he's saying is this reality concerning 00:22:56.549 --> 00:23:00.049 what I'm going to talk to you about is by the 00:23:00.049 --> 00:23:04.279 name, the authority of Christ, our master. This 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:08.119 is him. This is a required obedient act. That's 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:11.400 what he means here. That you all agree. This 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:14.339 word agree means to be sure and certain of the 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:18.279 faith. Agree in what? Agree concerning all things 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:22.799 concerning him. His ways. Okay? And that there 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:27.519 be no divisions, no dissensions, no damage to 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:30.160 the unity among you is what he says here. That's 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:34.410 the word divisions. Okay? Now, Understanding 00:23:34.410 --> 00:23:37.549 that, the reason why is because in order to be 00:23:37.549 --> 00:23:40.849 in fellowship with the Son and be in fellowship 00:23:40.849 --> 00:23:45.549 with one another, we must agree. We must keep 00:23:45.549 --> 00:23:47.809 the unity of the faith in the bond of peace. 00:23:48.569 --> 00:23:51.809 That's the most important thing here. Then he 00:23:51.809 --> 00:23:55.410 says, but that you be united. This word united 00:23:55.410 --> 00:23:59.349 means united completely. And here it is. In the 00:23:59.349 --> 00:24:04.700 same mind and the same judgment. This word same 00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:08.740 is the word his. It should be his because it 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:12.619 implies immutability. In the original language, 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:15.779 when it says the same mind, it's meaning the 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:20.039 immutable mind of Christ. I don't know about 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:22.720 you, but I'm not immutable. You're not immutable. 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:25.720 Your mind is not immutable and neither is mine. 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:32.180 But I know his is. So we must be united. In his 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:37.119 immutable mind, nos is the word here, means to 00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:40.480 think like Christ. That's literally what this 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:44.420 word means. It's not the same as in Philippians 00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:49.220 chapter 2, verses 2 and 5, which is froneo. Froneo. 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:53.960 That word froneo means to have regard or to set 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:58.869 one's mind on. Set your mind on Christ. As he 00:24:58.869 --> 00:25:01.690 has left you this example to live. That's what 00:25:01.690 --> 00:25:05.490 chapter 2 of Philippians means. Here, this means 00:25:05.490 --> 00:25:09.150 that you are to have, you must think like Jesus 00:25:09.150 --> 00:25:12.609 thinks. Now that makes a lot of sense, doesn't 00:25:12.609 --> 00:25:15.369 it? Because in order for me to be in fellowship 00:25:15.369 --> 00:25:17.789 with the Son and be in proper fellowship with 00:25:17.789 --> 00:25:21.130 one another, we must think like he thinks. And 00:25:21.130 --> 00:25:26.630 we must have his view. This word judgment means 00:25:26.630 --> 00:25:30.269 Christ's view or opinion. Now this word opinion 00:25:30.269 --> 00:25:33.049 is not like you think you have an opinion and 00:25:33.049 --> 00:25:35.990 I have an opinion. This is not, God doesn't have 00:25:35.990 --> 00:25:39.410 opinions in the way you think he has opinions. 00:25:40.029 --> 00:25:42.509 He doesn't go, you know, Joe has an opinion. 00:25:42.670 --> 00:25:46.250 Oh my goodness. I got to hear this opinion. It's 00:25:46.250 --> 00:25:50.049 not an opinion like that. It means it's his view. 00:25:50.190 --> 00:25:53.289 It's the way he thinks. That's the idea here. 00:25:53.690 --> 00:25:56.309 We must have the same judgment. We must have 00:25:56.309 --> 00:25:59.670 the same view that Christ has concerning all 00:25:59.670 --> 00:26:04.150 things, not just some things. So it's interesting 00:26:04.150 --> 00:26:07.230 when we sit and we read that we are to be united 00:26:07.230 --> 00:26:11.829 and think like Christ and that we should be having 00:26:11.829 --> 00:26:15.269 Christ's view concerning things. And this is 00:26:15.269 --> 00:26:18.450 why he says it, verse 11, for it's been reported 00:26:18.450 --> 00:26:22.859 to me by Chloe's people. that there is quarreling 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:27.440 among you, my brothers. So Chloe and Chloe's 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:31.220 people come to Paul. And he says, yo, Paul, we 00:26:31.220 --> 00:26:35.480 got some issues here. What are they? Well, we've 00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:39.480 witnessed that people are saying, I follow you 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:42.019 and they follow Apollos and they follow Cephas 00:26:42.019 --> 00:26:44.759 and they follow Christ. And Paul's like, well, 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:47.700 I got to fix that. So he rebukes them. Like the 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:50.099 entire book of Corinthians or letter of Corinthians 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:53.299 is a lot of rebuke because this church has some 00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:57.819 issues. Okay. Now that's what he says here. What 00:26:57.819 --> 00:27:02.720 I mean is that each one of you says, he's verified 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:07.720 this. I follow Paul or I follow Apollos or I 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:11.460 follow Cephas or I follow Christ. And Paul's 00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:14.559 like, I can see Paul thinking like, what are 00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:17.740 they thinking? This is not about any of us. It's 00:27:17.740 --> 00:27:20.880 about Christ and Christ alone. And he clarifies 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:23.559 that statement. And this is what he says. He 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:25.559 asks a bunch of questions. There's a lot of questions 00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:30.400 in this chapter. Is Christ divided? No. Was Paul 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:36.279 crucified for you? No. That's clear. Or were 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:40.839 you baptized in the name of Paul? No. Then why 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:43.319 are you claiming that you follow a man and not 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:46.440 follow the God of all men? That's Paul's argument 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:50.200 here. And what Paul does is he clarifies because 00:27:50.200 --> 00:27:55.240 in 2 Corinthians 2, you see something very common 00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:58.400 in Paul's declaration to the Corinthians. He 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:00.640 has a clear conscience. And what he does here 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:03.660 is he clarifies the truth. Not only does he call 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:07.259 them out on their junk and their issue, he rebukes 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:11.759 them. Is Christ divided? He then turns around 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:14.519 and says, here's what I actually did do. I thank 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.359 God that I baptized none of you except for Crispus 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:20.779 and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:23.359 baptized in my name. Because I know these two 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:26.000 guys are going to tell the truth. He mentions 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.180 these two guys. I think it's not only does he 00:28:28.180 --> 00:28:30.500 mention these two guys, I think it was providential. 00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:33.440 Not think, I know it was providential that Paul 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:37.359 only baptized Crispus and Gaius because God knew 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:39.980 beforehand he was going to have to deal with 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:42.960 an issue in this church. And then Paul has an 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:46.180 epiphany. He's like, oh, wait a minute. I did 00:28:46.180 --> 00:28:49.640 baptize also the house of Stephanas. And beyond 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:51.279 that, I don't know whether I baptized anyone 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:54.680 else. What I love about this verse is it makes 00:28:54.680 --> 00:28:57.759 Paul human. He's a pastor who like, I wish I 00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:01.519 had a V8 moment, you know? He's like, oh, I forgot. 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:05.759 I got to mention this. We're human. Men of God 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:07.819 are human. We're going to make mistakes. When 00:29:07.819 --> 00:29:10.579 we make mistakes, we go, oh, hey, by the way. 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:13.220 That's what Paul does here. That's one of the 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:15.700 things I love about him. Not only does he wreck 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:20.019 people, but he also goes, oh, I forgot. So good. 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:22.759 It makes me feel like I can connect to him. It 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:25.420 was one of my connecting moments. Oh, he forgets 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:27.819 like I do. If you forget the keys, Paul would 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:32.140 have forgot them too. Okay? Verse 17. For Christ 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:34.859 did not send me to baptize. And here is where 00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:40.160 Paul is setting a very clear statement, which 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:43.319 we'll get to at the end in verse 18 through the 00:29:43.319 --> 00:29:46.359 end of the chapter. This is a pivotal statement 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:50.539 here because he's clarifying why he's come. For 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:54.279 Christ did not send me to baptize. Christ doesn't 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:58.500 call men to just baptize. He calls us to preach 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:03.819 the gospel. What good is baptism if you don't 00:30:03.819 --> 00:30:06.819 tell them about Jesus? I'm just making people 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:10.740 wet. That's his point. If I preach Christ and 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:14.140 him crucified and they come to faith, then baptism 00:30:14.140 --> 00:30:16.799 means something. It's a fruit showing obedience. 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:20.240 But if they get baptized thinking that's going 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:22.619 to save them, it doesn't do anything but make 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:25.880 people wet. For Christ did not send me to baptize 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:28.279 but to preach the gospel. And he tells them how 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:30.599 he preached the gospel. Not with the words of 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:33.619 eloquent wisdom. I didn't make an amazing sermon. 00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:37.559 Nope. He preached just Christ and him crucified. 00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:40.380 Lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:44.940 Here's the power of the gospel. The power of 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:48.440 the gospel is not how well one can preach or 00:30:48.440 --> 00:30:54.359 not preach. It's not how well we become wordsmiths. 00:30:54.359 --> 00:30:58.569 And Jody knows I'm not a wordsmith. Okay? In 00:30:58.569 --> 00:31:01.549 reality, it's how well we can clarify the truth 00:31:01.549 --> 00:31:04.390 of the gospel in its simplicity. And here's the 00:31:04.390 --> 00:31:07.009 gospel. Christ died on the cross for your sins 00:31:07.009 --> 00:31:10.609 because you are sinful. And without Christ dying 00:31:10.609 --> 00:31:12.630 on the cross for your sins, you are destined 00:31:12.630 --> 00:31:17.670 for God's wrath. God sent his son in propitiation 00:31:17.670 --> 00:31:22.630 in your place to take away your sin, to shed 00:31:22.630 --> 00:31:25.990 his blood as a payment for sin, for the wages 00:31:25.990 --> 00:31:29.250 of sin is death. And on the third day, after 00:31:29.250 --> 00:31:33.490 he'd been crucified and buried, he rose him from 00:31:33.490 --> 00:31:36.230 the dead so that we would have victory over death, 00:31:36.569 --> 00:31:40.690 sin, and the grave. That's the point of the resurrection. 00:31:40.769 --> 00:31:43.269 Without the resurrection, he's just another man 00:31:43.269 --> 00:31:46.569 that was crucified on a cross. But he's not just 00:31:46.569 --> 00:31:49.890 another man. He's the man God who died for you. 00:31:50.369 --> 00:31:53.460 That's the point. That's the simplicity of the 00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:56.759 power of the cross. Christ was crucified according 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:58.980 to the scriptures. He was buried and rose again 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:00.900 on the third day according to the scriptures. 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:03.980 1 Corinthians 15, which we'll get to in about 00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:07.859 eight months. It's going to be a while. Probably 00:32:07.859 --> 00:32:10.720 not eight months, more like six maybe. But that's 00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:13.279 what we're talking about here. Why is the unity 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:16.000 of the faith and the bond of peace? Why should 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:18.539 we be striving for fellowship with one another? 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:21.579 It's the gospel. The gospel is at stake here. 00:32:21.880 --> 00:32:24.640 That's what's at stake. And Paul clarifies that 00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:28.759 with these people. Okay? Now, let's pray and 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:30.559 then I'll send you off. Father, I want to thank 00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:32.759 you so much for your word. Thank you for this 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:35.359 wonderful letter to be honor and glory in Jesus' 00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:36.460 name. Amen.