WEBVTT 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:04.980 Today, I would like to bring an introduction 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:10.500 to the first letter of the Church of God in Corinth. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:13.839 The first letter to the Church of God in Corinth. 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:18.260 We're beginning our study of this book, the book 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:25.160 of 1 Corinthians. Our texts are, first of all, 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:30.160 from Acts chapter 18, verses 1 through 18. And 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.079 then 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 1 to 3. We 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:36.740 read in the book of Acts because this is the 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:40.560 founding of the church in Corinth. And so this 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:43.000 gives us some historical background before we 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.780 get to the beginning of the book. Hear the word 00:00:45.780 --> 00:00:49.420 of the Lord from Acts chapter 18. After these 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:52.179 things, Paul departed from Athens and went to 00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:55.000 Corinth, and he found a certain Jew named Aquila, 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:58.020 born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy 00:00:58.020 --> 00:01:00.960 with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:04.140 commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome, and 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:07.219 he came to them. So because he was of the same 00:01:07.219 --> 00:01:10.280 trade, he stayed with them and worked, for by 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.620 occupation they were tent makers. And he reasoned 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:15.659 in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:18.959 both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:21.939 had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:25.560 the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:31.519 is the Christ. But when they opposed him and 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.159 blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:36.920 them, Your blood be upon your own heads. I am 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:39.739 clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:42.420 And he departed from there and entered the house 00:01:42.420 --> 00:01:45.489 of one of a certain man named Justice. one who 00:01:45.489 --> 00:01:47.790 worshiped God, whose house was next door to the 00:01:47.790 --> 00:01:50.769 synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, 00:01:51.109 --> 00:01:53.430 believed of the Lord with all his household, 00:01:53.670 --> 00:01:56.750 and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed 00:01:56.750 --> 00:01:59.849 and were baptized. Now the Lord spoke to Paul 00:01:59.849 --> 00:02:02.950 in the night by a vision, Do not be afraid, but 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:06.329 speak, and do not keep silent, for I am with 00:02:06.329 --> 00:02:09.169 you, and no one will attack you to hurt you, 00:02:09.250 --> 00:02:14.979 for I have many people in this city. And he continued 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:18.300 there a year and six months, teaching the word 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:21.719 of God among them. When Galileo was proconsul 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:24.759 of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against 00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:27.080 Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:30.560 This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.259 to the law. And when Paul was about to open his 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:37.439 mouth, Galileo said to the Jews, If it were a 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:40.300 matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:42.539 there would be reason why I should bear with 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:45.620 you. But if it is a question of words and names 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:49.099 and your own law, look to yourselves. For I do 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:51.419 not want to be a judge of such matters. And he 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:54.180 drove them from the judgment seat. Then all the 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:57.060 Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:00.740 and beat him before the judgment seat. But Galileo 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:04.719 took no notice of these things. So Paul still 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:08.909 remained a good while. And ending there, now 00:03:08.909 --> 00:03:10.669 let's turn over to the book of 1 Corinthians 00:03:10.669 --> 00:03:17.990 chapter 1, verse 1 through 3. Paul, commanded 00:03:17.990 --> 00:03:20.490 to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the 00:03:20.490 --> 00:03:24.909 will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother, to the 00:03:24.909 --> 00:03:28.030 church of God, which is at Corinth, to those 00:03:28.030 --> 00:03:31.810 who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to 00:03:31.810 --> 00:03:35.150 be saints. with all who in every place call on 00:03:35.150 --> 00:03:37.990 the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs 00:03:37.990 --> 00:03:42.669 and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our 00:03:42.669 --> 00:03:47.509 Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray 00:03:47.509 --> 00:03:49.650 and ask God's blessing on this time together. 00:03:50.169 --> 00:03:53.990 Our Father, we bow before you today, Lord, and 00:03:53.990 --> 00:03:57.150 we are again gripped by the story, first of all, 00:03:57.150 --> 00:04:01.069 of the coming of the gospel to this city. And 00:04:01.069 --> 00:04:04.610 then also this greeting that opens up this letter, 00:04:04.689 --> 00:04:07.930 which we intend to go through. We ask for your 00:04:07.930 --> 00:04:10.110 blessing on it, Lord. We pray that you would 00:04:10.110 --> 00:04:12.870 grant illumination by the power of your spirit, 00:04:12.969 --> 00:04:15.069 both in the preaching and in the hearing of this 00:04:15.069 --> 00:04:18.670 word. We pray, Lord, that you would change us 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:23.350 by your power and sanctify us through this word. 00:04:23.509 --> 00:04:30.029 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. I begin this series 00:04:30.029 --> 00:04:32.870 of going through the book of 1 Corinthians with 00:04:32.870 --> 00:04:36.949 joy and with eager anticipation. There are several 00:04:36.949 --> 00:04:39.889 reasons for this, but the foremost being the 00:04:39.889 --> 00:04:43.269 remembrance of the time that we, my wife and 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:46.189 I, and our young family sat under the systematic 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:50.269 preaching through this book. That season proved 00:04:50.269 --> 00:04:54.149 profoundly life -changing for us, and it left 00:04:54.149 --> 00:04:57.730 impressions and lessons that remain with me to 00:04:57.730 --> 00:05:01.829 this day. To refresh my memory, I recently listened 00:05:01.829 --> 00:05:04.750 to the introductory sermon from that series preached 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:10.389 on March 3, 1999. So that was quite some time 00:05:10.389 --> 00:05:13.589 ago by Reverend Iain Wechter at Emanuel Free 00:05:13.589 --> 00:05:16.589 Reform Church in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. This 00:05:16.589 --> 00:05:19.370 stirred again my gratitude for the blessing of 00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:23.180 going through that book. It's what a privilege 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:26.259 now it is to return to this rich portion of God's 00:05:26.259 --> 00:05:29.480 word once again, only this time, instead of me 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:32.040 sitting and listening to it, by the grace of 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:35.019 God, I intend to preach it and deliver it to 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:38.279 you and to this congregation. 1 Corinthians is 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:42.079 a wonderful book. It is a manual and a compendium 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.920 of apostolic wisdom and instruction from God 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:50.000 given to a church that had many difficulties 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:55.579 and... problems. Many things were awry in this 00:05:55.579 --> 00:05:59.300 congregation, but things were not so bad that 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:02.699 they needed to be cut off. Despite the errors 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:05.639 and mistakes, there was still a congregation 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:10.899 that had the teaching of the gospel and the sacraments, 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:14.160 baptism and the Lord's Supper. Now while there 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.279 were a few who had started to question the bodily 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:21.079 resurrection from the dead, that error had not 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:24.160 yet permeated through the whole body. Calvin 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.740 points out in his commentary that neither the 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:29.839 name nor the reality of the church is wiped out 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:34.860 on that account. God has chosen to give us the 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:37.379 account of this letter to the Corinthians as 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:41.199 Paul wrote it. And in this letter, Paul answers 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:45.279 questions. and he deals with problems that were 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:49.120 reported to him. Now, much as we would like to 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:52.779 know what those questions were, we do not have 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:57.480 record of them other than in references and allusions 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:00.839 in the writings. So it's a bit like listening 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:04.019 to a one -way, to one side of a telephone conversation. 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:07.259 We don't know what all the others were saying. 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:10.720 We can only gather it as it's referred to or 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:16.319 alluded to. in this book. Nevertheless, as Ciampa 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:20.019 and Rosner write, 1 Corinthians models how to 00:07:20.019 --> 00:07:23.100 approach the complexity of Christian living. 00:07:23.629 --> 00:07:26.649 with the resources of the Old Testament and the 00:07:26.649 --> 00:07:30.290 example and teachings of Jesus. The problems 00:07:30.290 --> 00:07:34.230 Paul addresses reflect the infiltration of Corinthian 00:07:34.230 --> 00:07:37.930 values into the church, and his motivation in 00:07:37.930 --> 00:07:40.189 writing this letter is that the Lord's name would 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:43.170 be glorified and that God would receive glory 00:07:43.170 --> 00:07:46.990 from the earth. But now before I get into the 00:07:46.990 --> 00:07:49.589 full introduction to this wonderful book, I'd 00:07:49.589 --> 00:07:53.639 like to consider just for a brief moment Why 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:56.540 it is that I don't only preach topical sermons 00:07:56.540 --> 00:08:00.120 on various portions of scripture. God has given 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:05.620 us and to his church his precious and holy word, 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:08.800 which speaks to everything. And this word has 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:13.079 been confirmed. We do well to heed it as a light 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:16.139 that shines in a dark place. We know that from 00:08:16.139 --> 00:08:19.800 Peter's writing in 2 Peter 1, verse 20, that 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:24.779 no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. 00:08:25.220 --> 00:08:29.600 For prophecy never came by the will of man, but 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:37.220 holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:41.879 Holy Spirit. Too often, if we simply just choose 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.019 the topics that come to us, we as preachers can 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:48.440 so easily skip over parts of the Bible that might 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:51.840 be uncomfortable or maybe difficult or simply 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:55.960 just want to be ignored. So while there's much 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:58.519 preaching that happens in the world, there are 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:01.000 many places where there is a famine of the word. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.279 Instead of hearing the thunder of the word and 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:06.940 the understanding and illumination of the text, 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.700 And the red hot application to our lives, too 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:15.259 many are entertained or given moralistic sermons 00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:19.820 as in just do more, do more better. Or perhaps 00:09:19.820 --> 00:09:22.899 fed stories and illustrations without the application 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:27.120 of the word. Sometimes a passage is read, but 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:30.100 no exposition is given. And the rest of the sermon 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:33.960 might have nothing to do with the passage. Now 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.379 this famine has been the case. In many different 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:42.019 time periods of history. We have an example of 00:09:42.019 --> 00:09:45.320 this in God's word. In the book of Nehemiah. 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:49.700 The Jews had been in exile for 70 years. In captivity. 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:53.000 Many had lost the teaching and the reading of 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.100 the law of God. And thus they were ignorant of 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:59.799 God's teachings. Some of them came back to Jerusalem 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:02.940 to rebuild the temple with Zerubbabel. And the 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:06.330 wall around Jerusalem with Nehemiah. And the 00:10:06.330 --> 00:10:10.309 Lord stirred within their hearts a revival of 00:10:10.309 --> 00:10:12.789 the teaching and the preaching of the word of 00:10:12.789 --> 00:10:17.850 God. And of the book of God's law. We see this 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:21.710 in Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 3. And we get a glimpse 00:10:21.710 --> 00:10:24.370 of the revival. And I want you to notice what 00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:29.799 happened at this time of revival. Verse 4, Ezra 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.700 the scribe stood on a platform of wood which 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:35.659 they had made for the purpose. Beside him at 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:38.720 his right hand stood a whole number of men, and 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:42.259 they're listed there in the passage. Ezra opened 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:45.700 up the book, that is the book of God's law, in 00:10:45.700 --> 00:10:48.600 the sight of all the people, for he was standing 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:51.799 above all the people. And when he opened it, 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:54.539 all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the 00:10:54.539 --> 00:10:57.379 Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:01.980 Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands. And 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:04.960 they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord 00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:08.480 with their faces to the ground. Then these men 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:12.159 and the Levites helped the people to understand 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:15.960 the law. And the people stood in their place. 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:19.679 So they read distinctly from the book in the 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:23.799 law of God and they gave the sense and they helped 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.279 them to understand the reading. There are three 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:29.679 foundational components of the preaching of the 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:31.940 word of God. And this is what we desire to do 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:35.000 as we go through this book. First of all, they 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:37.960 read distinctly from the book. from the law of 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:41.019 God. They read distinctly. This was in a language 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:44.320 that they could understand and with clear words 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:48.039 that they could understand what the law said, 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:52.059 what God's word said. Then secondly, they gave 00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:56.659 the sense of it. That is, they explained what 00:11:56.659 --> 00:11:59.460 the word of God means. This is what it means. 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:02.940 Sometimes there are... Words that are hard for 00:12:02.940 --> 00:12:05.960 us to understand. Or we might understand them 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:08.860 in a different way now than what they did back 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:12.179 then. So we need to understand how they understood 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:15.799 the words that are used. So they gave the sense 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:20.039 of it. And then third, they helped them to understand 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:23.639 the reading. And that means that after the explanation, 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:27.980 there was application to current circumstances, 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.460 to the lives of the hearers. Here's the word 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:34.539 of God. Hear it. And then next, here's what it 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:37.539 means. And then here, here's how we apply it. 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:42.000 Here's how we work it out in our day with God's 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:45.820 help. So I want to attempt to follow this simple 00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:47.799 method as we go through the books of the Bible 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:50.019 and now here with the book of 1 Corinthians. 00:12:50.580 --> 00:12:54.279 This letter was written to a particular church 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:59.259 in a particular location. to the church of God 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:03.940 in Corinth. The word will be read distinctly. 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:07.139 I will seek to explain it as to what it meant 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:11.059 in context to them as much it lies within me. 00:13:11.740 --> 00:13:15.279 And then I hope to apply it to us, to our people 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:18.139 in our day, and so to understand the reading 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:20.960 and the meaning. This is the goal of Through 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.039 the Book expository preaching, verse by verse 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:29.620 or section by section. are the words of God revealed 00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:34.480 to the prophets and to the apostles. So what 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:38.860 is God saying to us as we read this? Let's now 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:41.279 begin with looking at the first three verses, 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.100 which are in themselves an introduction to this 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:47.320 book. First of all, we have the word Paul. Now 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:49.519 I'm going to take this a lot more slowly than 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:51.980 what I will in going through most of this book. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:54.019 But we're going to look at this very carefully. 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:57.250 First of all, we have the word Paul. Paul clearly 00:13:57.250 --> 00:14:02.049 identifies himself as the author. He is the one 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:05.250 that is written by him, formerly known as Saul. 00:14:05.789 --> 00:14:10.289 He was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. He was 00:14:10.289 --> 00:14:14.470 born a Roman citizen in Tarsus of Cilicia. Now 00:14:14.470 --> 00:14:18.070 this was a prominent city called by Paul himself 00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:22.669 in Acts 21 verse 39 as no mean city. This was 00:14:22.669 --> 00:14:26.309 not just a little backwater. Tarsus was a major 00:14:26.309 --> 00:14:30.929 city, and it was a prosperous, cosmopolitan center 00:14:30.929 --> 00:14:34.389 of learning, of trade, of philosophy, and of 00:14:34.389 --> 00:14:37.649 culture. He then had the depth of learning as 00:14:37.649 --> 00:14:41.289 a studious and a devout Jew educated at the feet 00:14:41.289 --> 00:14:45.559 of the learned rabbi Gamaliel. He seems to be 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:48.360 well connected with both of the Jews in Jerusalem 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:52.200 as well as in the diaspora, that is, the Jews 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:55.080 scattered throughout the nations. He was what 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:59.379 we might call a cultured Jew, for he was well 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:01.440 acquainted with the Greek learning of the day. 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:06.460 He wrote mostly Greek. as he wrote the scriptures 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:09.299 using the Greek Bible called the Septuagint, 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:13.139 but he also knew the language of the Aramaic 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:16.340 language. He was prominent in his knowledge of 00:15:16.340 --> 00:15:19.259 Greek and Roman culture, even quoting the Greek 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:22.960 poet Menander in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:27.299 verse 33. Upon his conversion and becoming a 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:30.539 follower of Jesus and then his subsequent appointment 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:34.799 as an apostle, In the building of Christ's church, 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:38.720 Paul became an able minister of the gospel to 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:43.539 both Jews and to Gentiles as a herald, announcing 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:48.059 Christ's authority over all, announcing his reign, 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:51.320 and announcing Christ's salvation to all who 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:54.259 would believe. In his journeys, he enjoyed the 00:15:54.259 --> 00:15:57.460 privileges and rights of Roman citizenship, and 00:15:57.460 --> 00:16:00.639 he employed them to his advantage, such as the 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:04.639 time in Philippi when he was apprehended and 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:08.200 held without just cause, and then also in Jerusalem 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.580 when he was captured but was spared from a beating 00:16:11.580 --> 00:16:14.440 by the Roman commander after he told him he was 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:17.840 a Roman citizen. This enabled him to appeal to 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.470 Caesar for a trial. And we read of that in the 00:16:21.470 --> 00:16:24.690 latter part of the book of Acts. And thus he 00:16:24.690 --> 00:16:27.669 was able to bring the glorious gospel to Caesar's 00:16:27.669 --> 00:16:31.830 household and to press the claims of Christ to 00:16:31.830 --> 00:16:35.289 kings and to rulers. Now Paul then associates 00:16:35.289 --> 00:16:37.649 himself. He said, Paul called to be an apostle 00:16:37.649 --> 00:16:41.210 of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes, 00:16:41.210 --> 00:16:46.009 our brother. He associates himself with Sosthenes. 00:16:46.389 --> 00:16:49.549 Now, the book of 1 Corinthians is clearly the 00:16:49.549 --> 00:16:52.850 very personal work of the apostle, so Sosthenes 00:16:52.850 --> 00:16:55.269 might have been a scribe in the writing of it, 00:16:55.309 --> 00:16:58.909 or maybe he was a help in writing it in some 00:16:58.909 --> 00:17:01.809 other way, perhaps contributing to the development 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:05.049 of the themes. We know very little about Sosthenes 00:17:05.049 --> 00:17:08.349 other than the account in Acts 18, which I have 00:17:08.349 --> 00:17:11.730 just read. Now, at the time when Luke wrote of 00:17:11.730 --> 00:17:14.910 him in the book of Acts, He was the chief ruler 00:17:14.910 --> 00:17:19.410 of the Jewish synagogue and he was in vocal opposition 00:17:19.410 --> 00:17:24.250 to the church. He joined with the Jews in opposing 00:17:24.250 --> 00:17:28.430 Paul and caused a disturbance in the city and 00:17:28.430 --> 00:17:31.890 therefore he was beaten by the Roman authorities. 00:17:33.109 --> 00:17:38.289 But evidently, this man was converted, changed 00:17:38.289 --> 00:17:42.230 by the power of God and joined himself to the 00:17:42.230 --> 00:17:47.240 church. Of Corinth. He was a well known person. 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:51.140 In the city. And Paul uses his name. To add this 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:54.420 testimony to the letter. And calls him in an 00:17:54.420 --> 00:18:01.400 affectionate term. Our brother. Sosthenes. This 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:04.480 points. Brothers and sisters. To the power of 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:08.779 the gospel. It is a life changing power. That 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:14.569 changes enemies of God. To lovers of God. It 00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:17.569 changes those who are opposed to Jesus Christ. 00:18:18.210 --> 00:18:23.049 Into followers of Christ. This is the power of 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:28.170 the gospel of Jesus Christ. It changes people. 00:18:29.769 --> 00:18:33.390 Paul says in Romans 1 verse 16 and 17. He writes 00:18:33.390 --> 00:18:36.349 about this. He says, I am not ashamed of the 00:18:36.349 --> 00:18:40.009 gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God. 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:45.839 to salvation for everyone who believes, for the 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:50.359 Jew first and also for the Greek. Sosthenes has 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:54.059 experienced the gospel. He has believed and has 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:56.920 been sanctified and is now affectionately called 00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:02.200 our brother. Number two, Paul is called to be 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:06.220 an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:09.380 God. So clearly identified as to who the author 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:11.839 is, and now he has this description of himself. 00:19:12.119 --> 00:19:15.200 He is called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:21.259 through the will of God. Now what is an apostle? 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:25.799 We first hear the term in Matthew chapter 10, 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:29.440 verse 2 in the New Testament. Now the names of 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:33.720 the 12 apostles are these. And then Matthew goes 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:35.720 through and lists them all. Simon, which is called 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.819 Peter, and Andrew, James, John, and so on. He 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:40.859 continues with the list of the names of the 12. 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:45.480 The apostles were men chosen by Christ Jesus 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:49.279 to serve as his delegates, his messengers to 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:55.079 the world. They were foundational, very foundational. 00:19:56.109 --> 00:20:00.029 to Christ's church. They carried a specific and 00:20:00.029 --> 00:20:04.369 unique authority that is unequaled. God's word 00:20:04.369 --> 00:20:07.069 tells us that the household of God, that is the 00:20:07.069 --> 00:20:09.650 living temple, the church of Jesus Christ, is 00:20:09.650 --> 00:20:13.609 built on the foundation of what? The apostles 00:20:13.609 --> 00:20:17.670 and the prophets. The apostles and the prophets, 00:20:17.829 --> 00:20:20.670 Jesus being the chief cornerstone. That's in 00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:24.950 Ephesians chapter 2, verse 19. God appointed 00:20:24.950 --> 00:20:28.210 these first in the church. We see that in 1 Corinthians 00:20:28.210 --> 00:20:32.589 12, verse 28. The great city described in Revelation 00:20:32.589 --> 00:20:36.710 21, that is the holy Jerusalem that descends 00:20:36.710 --> 00:20:39.650 out of the heaven from God, having the glory 00:20:39.650 --> 00:20:44.490 of God, also echoes this with 12 gates on whose 00:20:44.490 --> 00:20:47.190 names are written the name of the 12 tribes of 00:20:47.190 --> 00:20:50.650 the children of Israel and having 12 foundations. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:54.059 on which were the names of the twelve apostles 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:58.559 of the Lamb. Apostles were a unique and limited 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:02.700 office. They were held by those directly commissioned 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:07.839 by Jesus. They were required to be an eyewitness 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:11.599 of the resurrected Christ. We see that after 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:17.000 Judas failed, and he did, and he fell from the 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:22.079 apostleship by his... Giving up Jesus to the 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:24.740 authority. And so then they wanted to replace 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:27.400 him. And the first thing that they looked for 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:31.180 is who has seen Jesus? Who has been with him 00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:33.880 from the beginning? And there were two. And then 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:39.339 they chose Matthias to replace Judas. They revealed 00:21:39.339 --> 00:21:42.920 God's word. They delivered special and infallible 00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:46.359 revelation. They spoke the very words of Christ. 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:49.400 And this makes their writings authoritative. 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:53.900 All of the New Testament is either written directly 00:21:53.900 --> 00:21:58.079 by the apostles or under their supervision and 00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:01.660 testimony, such as Mark, the book of Mark and 00:22:01.660 --> 00:22:06.119 Luke and Acts. There are no apostles today in 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:09.900 this sense. Now, some try to make the word apostles 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:12.940 fit as ones who are church planters or who have 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:17.359 ongoing revelation. The foundation does not need 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:20.380 to be laid again. That has already been given 00:22:20.380 --> 00:22:23.700 to us, and the establishment of the canon of 00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:27.099 Scripture, of Holy Scripture, was the recognition 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:30.759 of which letters were truly letters from the 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:33.920 apostles. So they were sorting through, determining 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.559 which of these letters is authentic, which ones 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.759 were written by. The apostles of Jesus Christ. 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:44.180 Because there was also a lot of false ones. People 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:47.140 who wrote in the name of an apostle. But it truly 00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:49.279 was not written by them. And so that had to be 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:53.779 sorted through. Therefore, we do not have apostles 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:57.319 today like this. We have evangelists. There are 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:59.880 church planters. Yes. There are pastors. And 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:02.539 there are teachers. Yes. These are God's gifts 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:05.779 to all churches throughout all time. But God's 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:08.839 gift of apostles were those who had witnessed. 00:23:09.369 --> 00:23:12.609 the resurrected Jesus, they spoke the words of 00:23:12.609 --> 00:23:15.470 Jesus, and they revealed them to the nation with 00:23:15.470 --> 00:23:19.569 apostolic authority. Now, we immediately ask 00:23:19.569 --> 00:23:22.349 then, since Paul was saved much later, or out 00:23:22.349 --> 00:23:25.069 of due time, as he says himself, when did this 00:23:25.069 --> 00:23:28.769 happen to Paul? Now, we know that on the Damascus 00:23:28.769 --> 00:23:32.170 Road, when Paul was headed to Damascus as an 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:37.029 unbelieving Jew, as one who was persecuting Christians, 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:42.279 down by a light from heaven. This light was brighter 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:46.240 than the sun and he had a heavenly vision and 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:49.960 he encountered the risen Christ there on the 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:53.380 Damascus road. Paul recounts this to King Agrippa 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:57.700 in Acts chapter 26. Paul was immediately convinced 00:23:57.700 --> 00:24:01.579 that Jesus was alive and that he was the Messiah 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:05.180 of whom the Jews longed for, the one who was 00:24:05.180 --> 00:24:08.750 prophesied by the prophets of God. Paul tells 00:24:08.750 --> 00:24:12.869 the Galatians in chapter 1 verse 15 that it pleased 00:24:12.869 --> 00:24:17.049 God who separated me from my mother's womb and 00:24:17.049 --> 00:24:21.410 called me through his grace to reveal his son 00:24:21.410 --> 00:24:27.789 in or to me that I might preach him among the 00:24:27.789 --> 00:24:32.769 Gentiles. Christ was revealed as a living Christ, 00:24:33.130 --> 00:24:38.829 the resurrected Christ to the apostle Paul. Now 00:24:38.829 --> 00:24:41.490 we also know that Paul went into Arabia for a 00:24:41.490 --> 00:24:44.529 time. We know that he was taught of Christ in 00:24:44.529 --> 00:24:47.329 the revelation of the mystery of the gospel of 00:24:47.329 --> 00:24:50.650 Christ. We see that in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 00:24:50.650 --> 00:24:54.849 3. How that by revelation he made known to me, 00:24:54.970 --> 00:25:00.029 Paul says, the mystery. As I have already briefly 00:25:00.029 --> 00:25:03.279 written. by which, when you read, you may understand 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:06.759 my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. There 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:09.579 were mysteries that were revealed to Paul. He 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:12.680 unfolded things. He opened things up in some 00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:14.940 ways different than what all the rest of the 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:19.180 apostles. He was one who came later, but nonetheless, 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:23.599 his writing is authoritative. The other apostles 00:25:23.599 --> 00:25:27.400 recognized his apostleship. Peter also acknowledged 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:30.900 that his epistles were associated with the rest 00:25:30.900 --> 00:25:37.940 of Holy Scripture in 2 Peter 3, verse 15. Therefore, 00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:42.099 this apostle was commissioned and appointed directly 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:45.920 from God, and so Paul says that he was called 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:49.339 to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the 00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:54.259 will of God. God sovereignly moved in this man's 00:25:54.259 --> 00:25:58.740 life. He changed him from being an enemy of Christ's 00:25:58.740 --> 00:26:03.079 church to being one of its foremost proponents 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:08.039 and teachers. In fact, he wrote a good portion 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:11.680 of the New Testament under the power of the Holy 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:16.339 Spirit. This man was changed by God, and he was 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:20.529 an apostle. This was not something that Paul 00:26:20.529 --> 00:26:23.569 desired or took upon himself. He did not plan 00:26:23.569 --> 00:26:27.049 it or scheme for it, but it was so ordained by 00:26:27.049 --> 00:26:30.089 God, being first made evident on that road to 00:26:30.089 --> 00:26:33.529 Damascus. Number three, this letter is written 00:26:33.529 --> 00:26:37.210 to the church of God in Corinth or at Corinth. 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:41.380 That is, it is written to the ecclesia of God, 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:44.500 which is the Greek term meaning the assembly 00:26:44.500 --> 00:26:48.619 of Christians gathered for the worship of God 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:52.079 through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Let 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:55.039 me say that again. It is written to the ecclesia 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:59.200 of God, which means it is the assembly of Christians 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:02.880 gathered for the worship of God through Jesus 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:07.380 Christ by the Holy Spirit. This is not written 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:11.920 to an individual like Timothy or Titus or Philemon, 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:15.220 but it is to the church of God, the gathered 00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:18.819 ones. And by this he shows the corporate nature 00:27:18.819 --> 00:27:22.500 of Christ's body on earth. The church does not 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:26.539 consist of disparate individuals scattered through 00:27:26.539 --> 00:27:30.220 the countryside, each worshiping God in his or 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:33.619 her own way in their house or in the great outdoors. 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:37.980 No, our faith and doctrine is not an individualistic 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:41.859 one, although each of us must repent and believe. 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:46.299 This letter is addressed to the church, the gathered 00:27:46.299 --> 00:27:49.579 saints, those who come together regularly for 00:27:49.579 --> 00:27:52.579 the worship of God and the fellowship of the 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:55.779 saints, which is rich and encouraging and joyful. 00:27:56.019 --> 00:28:01.000 And we are told to not forsake this. Elsewhere 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:04.400 in the book of Hebrews. This passage also shows 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:09.079 that there is one church, that is one body of 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:15.279 Christ worldwide, but it gathers in congregational 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:19.559 meetings or ecclesias in many places all over 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:23.000 the world. This letter is written to the church 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:26.859 of God in Corinth. It's very important to remember 00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:30.400 this, that as a local body, we are also part 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:34.900 of the worldwide church. This is why we regularly 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:37.839 confess in the Apostles' Creed, I believe in 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:40.640 the Holy Catholic Church. Catholic not meaning 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:46.299 Roman Catholic, no. It means the whole church, 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:49.059 the universal church, the church from all over 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:52.319 the world. J .I. Packer describes it this way 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:54.619 in this little booklet that we're going to be 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:56.940 going through as we study through the Apostles' 00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:59.990 Creed and the doctrines of the Bible. He describes 00:28:59.990 --> 00:29:03.769 it this way. The church is one worldwide fellowship 00:29:03.769 --> 00:29:07.329 of believing people whose head is Christ. It 00:29:07.329 --> 00:29:10.789 is holy because it is consecrated to God, though 00:29:10.789 --> 00:29:13.910 it is capable nonetheless of grievous sin. It 00:29:13.910 --> 00:29:16.890 is Catholic because it embraces all Christians 00:29:16.890 --> 00:29:21.029 everywhere. And it is apostolic because it seeks 00:29:21.029 --> 00:29:25.569 to maintain the apostles' doctrine unmixed with 00:29:25.569 --> 00:29:29.509 the traditions of man. We call on the name of 00:29:29.509 --> 00:29:34.230 Jesus Christ, our Lord, and we adorn his gospel 00:29:34.230 --> 00:29:39.750 as we meet together in the assembly. We beautify 00:29:39.750 --> 00:29:43.670 and adorn him. Now this is to the church at Corinth. 00:29:43.769 --> 00:29:45.609 So let's look a little bit at the city because 00:29:45.609 --> 00:29:49.829 we want to understand this in a bit. The city 00:29:49.829 --> 00:29:53.470 of Corinth was a very prosperous city. On the 00:29:53.470 --> 00:29:55.809 outline that I put out there, there's a bit of 00:29:55.809 --> 00:29:59.829 a map on the back of it showing where Corinth 00:29:59.829 --> 00:30:03.289 is. It's in the very bottom end of Greece. It 00:30:03.289 --> 00:30:06.490 was a very prosperous cosmopolitan city located 00:30:06.490 --> 00:30:10.029 on a very important commercial trade route. It 00:30:10.029 --> 00:30:12.309 was one of the largest and most important cities 00:30:12.309 --> 00:30:14.789 of Greece. It had an abundant source of fresh 00:30:14.789 --> 00:30:18.349 water, and it had an isthmus, that is, a narrow 00:30:18.349 --> 00:30:23.170 strip of land. which saved many, many miles and 00:30:23.170 --> 00:30:28.049 bad seas around the peninsula of the Peloponnese. 00:30:28.589 --> 00:30:31.630 Ships on the east -west trade routes would come 00:30:31.630 --> 00:30:34.549 to this isthmus, kind of like Panama. We can 00:30:34.549 --> 00:30:37.289 think about Panama and the Panama Canal. This 00:30:37.289 --> 00:30:41.950 was much narrower. It was just a couple miles 00:30:41.950 --> 00:30:46.630 across this way. this narrow strip of land ships 00:30:46.630 --> 00:30:49.630 would come on the east and west routes they would 00:30:49.630 --> 00:30:51.990 either be pulled even brought up out of the water 00:30:51.990 --> 00:30:55.890 and pulled across this few the few miles to get 00:30:55.890 --> 00:30:58.869 to the other side or they would be offloaded 00:30:58.869 --> 00:31:01.369 and then reloaded again on the other side and 00:31:01.369 --> 00:31:06.269 on another ship a canal was desired for thousands 00:31:06.269 --> 00:31:09.390 of years that would cut through so ships would 00:31:09.390 --> 00:31:12.509 actually be able to go through there however 00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:18.019 This did happen, but not until 1893, so many 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:21.180 thousands of years after they had desired it. 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:24.440 Now, as most commercial cities are, it was a 00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:27.900 place of great wealth with a mixed population. 00:31:28.940 --> 00:31:33.039 Corinth had Romans, Greeks, and Jews, and probably 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:37.210 many others. Twice a year. There were games that 00:31:37.210 --> 00:31:39.769 were held there. They were renowned in the Roman 00:31:39.769 --> 00:31:43.190 Empire, the Isthmian Games. There was both male 00:31:43.190 --> 00:31:46.049 and female athletes which attracted great crowds 00:31:46.049 --> 00:31:48.829 of people and thus again brought a lot of wealth 00:31:48.829 --> 00:31:50.670 because of people traveling. They would spend 00:31:50.670 --> 00:31:53.049 their money there when they came for the games 00:31:53.049 --> 00:31:56.430 or when sailors came because of the ships being 00:31:56.430 --> 00:31:59.490 transported across and the trade that happened. 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:04.119 The temple of Apollo was there with its 38 huge 00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:07.759 Doric columns, seven of which are still in place. 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:11.420 In classical times and in earlier, there was 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:15.900 a temple to Aphrodite employing over 1 ,000 temple 00:32:15.900 --> 00:32:20.559 prostitutes who were used as part of the idolatrous 00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:24.740 worship of the day. And this is why Paul deals 00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:29.720 so much with sins. and with practices such as 00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:32.660 the eating of food being offered to idols in 00:32:32.660 --> 00:32:37.640 this book. Wealth and commerce, cultural and 00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:41.599 architectural pride, a reputation for luxury 00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:46.039 and immorality, licentiousness and indulgence, 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:52.359 false worship and idolatry. Sound familiar? Not 00:32:52.359 --> 00:32:54.920 much different than many commercial cities today, 00:32:55.099 --> 00:33:02.509 is it? And right there, right there, Christ puts 00:33:02.509 --> 00:33:08.069 churches. God raises up churches. Churches with 00:33:08.069 --> 00:33:11.150 people who know him. Churches who worship him 00:33:11.150 --> 00:33:13.789 faithfully in truth and in righteousness and 00:33:13.789 --> 00:33:18.750 who love the Lord Jesus. Thanks be to God. For 00:33:18.750 --> 00:33:22.369 these cities are also places spoken of in prophecies 00:33:22.369 --> 00:33:25.569 that they, along with their rulers, will submit. 00:33:26.009 --> 00:33:30.990 To Christ. Now sometimes. We in small towns and 00:33:30.990 --> 00:33:36.750 rural areas. We might look with disdain. Dismissing 00:33:36.750 --> 00:33:41.289 cities as dens of iniquity. As places to avoid 00:33:41.289 --> 00:33:46.029 or to shun. But brothers and sisters. Do not 00:33:46.029 --> 00:33:48.809 despise the work of God that happens in cities. 00:33:50.150 --> 00:33:54.410 And the need for churches there. Yes. We are 00:33:54.410 --> 00:33:57.890 happy. In our rural areas. And our small towns. 00:33:58.089 --> 00:34:02.950 But Jesus is Lord of the cities as well. The 00:34:02.950 --> 00:34:06.529 trading centers. The places with much population. 00:34:07.250 --> 00:34:09.829 Remember what the Lord spoke to Paul when he 00:34:09.829 --> 00:34:11.869 was in Corinth. That we read in Acts chapter 00:34:11.869 --> 00:34:14.750 18. The Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a 00:34:14.750 --> 00:34:19.409 vision. Do not be afraid. But speak. Do not keep 00:34:19.409 --> 00:34:25.219 silent. For I am with you. and no one will attack 00:34:25.219 --> 00:34:30.260 you to hurt you, for I have many people in this 00:34:30.260 --> 00:34:37.659 city. Number four. He writes to those who are 00:34:37.659 --> 00:34:40.900 sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:44.280 everywhere. This letter, while written to the 00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:47.579 church at Corinth, was meant to be read by other 00:34:47.579 --> 00:34:50.480 churches. The sentiments expressed here are for 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:53.360 all Christians and all churches in every place. 00:34:53.820 --> 00:34:57.880 And so as we go throughout this year and we go 00:34:57.880 --> 00:35:00.579 through this book, this is also written to us. 00:35:00.780 --> 00:35:06.599 It is for our instruction, for our example. God 00:35:06.599 --> 00:35:09.860 speaks to us and he will speak to us as we go 00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:12.480 through and look at this word. So while it was 00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:17.619 written to them, it is also written to us. And 00:35:17.619 --> 00:35:20.260 this is shown here. It is written to the church 00:35:20.260 --> 00:35:23.039 of God, which is the Corinth. And to those who 00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:25.719 are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be 00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:30.480 saints with all who in every place call on the 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:33.860 name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Isn't that what 00:35:33.860 --> 00:35:37.860 we are doing here? Yes, it is. And so it is also 00:35:37.860 --> 00:35:41.559 for us. All Christians are called to be saints. 00:35:41.820 --> 00:35:45.320 Saints is not just some special person that is... 00:35:45.719 --> 00:35:48.920 elevated often after their death no saints are 00:35:48.920 --> 00:35:53.059 holy ones it is the people of god this is the 00:35:53.059 --> 00:35:58.320 same word that is used even about children in 00:35:58.320 --> 00:36:02.260 chapter 7 verse 14 and as we look forward to 00:36:02.260 --> 00:36:05.260 a baptism after this sermon remember that this 00:36:05.260 --> 00:36:11.800 is a saint of god now throughout this book The 00:36:11.800 --> 00:36:14.900 apostle warns against adopting the ways of the 00:36:14.900 --> 00:36:19.480 world. How? In sexual immorality and false worship 00:36:19.480 --> 00:36:24.179 and in other things. He applies the word of God 00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:27.619 to various situations. He speaks to ministers 00:36:27.619 --> 00:36:31.500 of the word. He speaks to people who are guilty 00:36:31.500 --> 00:36:34.480 of factiousness. That is, they have factions 00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:37.659 and they can't get along with each other. He 00:36:37.659 --> 00:36:40.960 speaks to those tempted with idolatry. or to 00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:44.599 those who have trouble loving, or who are enamored 00:36:44.599 --> 00:36:47.239 with the gifts that God gives instead of with 00:36:47.239 --> 00:36:52.719 God himself. These are problems that we all face 00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:57.260 in one way or another. Which one of us loves 00:36:57.260 --> 00:37:01.719 perfectly, as Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 00:37:01.719 --> 00:37:06.480 chapter 13? Which one of us are tempted to be 00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:08.880 enamored with the gifts and the blessing that 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:12.300 God gives rather than the giver, than loving 00:37:12.300 --> 00:37:14.820 God with all our heart and soul and mind and 00:37:14.820 --> 00:37:18.539 strength? Paul speaks against the false doctrine. 00:37:19.230 --> 00:37:22.789 Of those who deny the bodily resurrection of 00:37:22.789 --> 00:37:26.010 Jesus. He shows that if Jesus was not raised 00:37:26.010 --> 00:37:27.829 from the dead. Then there is no resurrection. 00:37:27.949 --> 00:37:32.170 And we are yet in our sins. In chapter 15. He 00:37:32.170 --> 00:37:34.929 gives the most eloquent writing on the resurrection. 00:37:35.030 --> 00:37:39.610 In all of scripture. In chapter 15. In this letter 00:37:39.610 --> 00:37:43.150 to the Corinthians. There are many other things 00:37:43.150 --> 00:37:48.389 that he deals with in this book. But then he 00:37:48.389 --> 00:37:50.670 ends the introduction with a blessing. He says, 00:37:50.750 --> 00:37:53.889 may you be partakers of divine favor. That is 00:37:53.889 --> 00:37:58.230 grace to you. May you receive grace from the 00:37:58.230 --> 00:38:02.949 Lord. This is, in one sense, it's both a Jewish 00:38:02.949 --> 00:38:06.670 and a Greek saying. The Greeks had the term of 00:38:06.670 --> 00:38:09.710 using grace. Only Paul reinterprets it here as 00:38:09.710 --> 00:38:13.570 grace from the Lord. And then shalom, that is 00:38:13.570 --> 00:38:16.530 a peace, an objective state of well -being and 00:38:16.530 --> 00:38:20.010 of harmony with God. This grace and this peace 00:38:20.010 --> 00:38:23.090 comes not from within ourselves, but it comes 00:38:23.090 --> 00:38:27.340 directly from God. our Father and the Lord Jesus 00:38:27.340 --> 00:38:31.000 Christ. And so he says to them as he begins this 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:35.059 letter, grace to you and peace to you from God 00:38:35.059 --> 00:38:39.860 the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll briefly 00:38:39.860 --> 00:38:42.739 outline the book for you. After the introduction 00:38:42.739 --> 00:38:46.039 and thanksgiving, Paul answers the report of 00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:50.369 one named Chloe or the household of Chloe. about 00:38:50.369 --> 00:38:53.289 contentions and factions that were in the church. 00:38:53.449 --> 00:38:57.289 This is in chapters 1 through 4. In chapter 5 00:38:57.289 --> 00:39:00.190 and 6, he deals with the report from the church 00:39:00.190 --> 00:39:03.110 about fornication and about Christians going 00:39:03.110 --> 00:39:08.469 to law against each other. In chapter 7, He then 00:39:08.469 --> 00:39:10.690 switches and he gives an authoritative answer 00:39:10.690 --> 00:39:13.610 to thorny questions that were raised by the Corinthians 00:39:13.610 --> 00:39:16.949 and sent to him in a letter. He speaks of this 00:39:16.949 --> 00:39:20.949 letter in chapter 16, but he begins answering 00:39:20.949 --> 00:39:27.170 it in chapter 7. He gives counsel on the issues 00:39:27.170 --> 00:39:31.010 of marriage, celibacy, divorce, and remarriage. 00:39:31.369 --> 00:39:35.309 In chapter 7, on eating of food offered to idols 00:39:35.309 --> 00:39:38.909 in and in matters of public worship, including 00:39:38.909 --> 00:39:41.530 the improper observance of the Lord's Supper 00:39:41.530 --> 00:39:44.670 and the selfish use of spiritual gifts in chapter 00:39:44.670 --> 00:39:48.969 7 through 14. He then corrects the understanding 00:39:48.969 --> 00:39:51.510 of some regarding a wrong view of the resurrection 00:39:51.510 --> 00:39:56.250 in chapter 15 and gives final various direction 00:39:56.250 --> 00:40:01.369 and greetings as he closes in chapter 16. As 00:40:01.369 --> 00:40:05.909 we go through this, I hope that we look forward 00:40:05.909 --> 00:40:10.110 to it. And so I would say to us, as we look at 00:40:10.110 --> 00:40:16.789 it all, let us pray for ourselves. Pray for illumination 00:40:16.789 --> 00:40:20.570 and clarity from the study of this book. I hope 00:40:20.570 --> 00:40:23.289 you can look forward to it and pray that God 00:40:23.289 --> 00:40:26.769 would show you and reveal to you his will in 00:40:26.769 --> 00:40:29.750 a greater way as we go through this book. I would 00:40:29.750 --> 00:40:32.710 say, secondly, be diligent in the study of this 00:40:32.710 --> 00:40:37.230 book. As Paul exhorts Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 00:40:37.230 --> 00:40:41.710 verse 15, be diligent to present yourselves approved 00:40:41.710 --> 00:40:45.610 to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, 00:40:46.110 --> 00:40:50.230 rightly dividing the word of truth. There are 00:40:50.230 --> 00:40:52.730 things that can be misunderstood in the book 00:40:52.730 --> 00:40:55.190 of 1 Corinthians. We need to pray that we would 00:40:55.190 --> 00:40:57.510 rightly divide it, that God would illuminate 00:40:57.510 --> 00:41:01.230 us, that he would grant us the wisdom in the 00:41:01.230 --> 00:41:04.119 writing of this. There has been much written 00:41:04.119 --> 00:41:06.840 already on this book, but we need to understand 00:41:06.840 --> 00:41:08.920 it ourselves. Right now on my bookshelf, it's 00:41:08.920 --> 00:41:12.840 about that wide, just with various books on 1 00:41:12.840 --> 00:41:15.239 Corinthians that I'll use as some resources. 00:41:16.679 --> 00:41:21.059 Thirdly, though, be willing to be changed. Ask 00:41:21.059 --> 00:41:24.760 God to change you and sanctify you in the working 00:41:24.760 --> 00:41:28.739 through this book. Be willing to be changed as 00:41:28.739 --> 00:41:32.039 how God wants you to be. And then number four, 00:41:33.159 --> 00:41:36.460 Pray for me. Pray that I might rightly divide 00:41:36.460 --> 00:41:40.179 this work and be approved of God and a workman 00:41:40.179 --> 00:41:45.659 that is not ashamed as we go through this longest 00:41:45.659 --> 00:41:48.500 letter, not the longest book of the New Testament, 00:41:48.500 --> 00:41:53.139 but the longest letter to the church of the Corinthians. 00:41:53.559 --> 00:41:54.300 Let's pray.