1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Marc Minter
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 27 viewsMain Point: God intends all Christians to live spiritually gifted lives of gratitude and humble service toward other Christians.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
What if I told you about a church that was unfriendly and contentious? This church included members who were rich and poor, some with a high status in society and others who were low. This church had small time celebrities, and it had a bunch of no-name folk as well. And everyone seemed to run in their own circles.
What if I told you that this church also had a lot of life and vigor? It was active. People outside the church even knew some of the stuff that was going on there, and when they gathered on the Lord’s day, it was an event.
And what if I told you that this church was also scandalous? Some members were living in public and shocking sin, and everyone seemed to know about it. Maybe some of the members didn’t think this was so great, but a lot of them celebrated the fact that God’s grace was so big that even unrepentant sinners could rest at ease that God’s judgment would not bother them.
And what if I told you that this church also showed a good bit of evidence that God was at work among them? Many members had obvious gifts of the Spirit, and they even competed with one another in their efforts to show just how gifted they were. Of course, those with less noticeable gifts, those whose gifting was more “behind the scenes” were belittled and left behind… but big things were happening, and at least some sinners were being converted.
How would you talk about such a church? Would you say it was healthy? How would you measure this church? How might you pray for them?
Today we are continuing our study through the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth. That church might be described by all the characteristics I’ve just mentioned (and many others, both good and bad). And we are going to read and consider the rest of Paul’s opening greeting to them.
A few Sundays ago, we spent our time looking at the first three verses, and today we are going to (Lord willing) walk our way all the way through v9. We will see a good bit of continuity in the theme we’ve already noticed in 1 Corinthians – Paul was very interested to call them back to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, both the basic truths of Christianity and the basic Christian ethic or way of living. As any Bible student will see, sound doctrine and faithful obedience is the remedy for all that might ail or trouble an unhealthy church.
As I read this passage, listen for the pastoral heart of thanksgiving which Paul so wonderfully models for us, and listen for the sorts of features or characteristics that he highlights as the reason for his gratitude. You might also begin to ask yourself why he emphasized these characteristics and why he noted them as something to be thankful for. This will be the focus of our study today.
Let’s stand together as I read our passage…
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (ESV)
1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (ESV)
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Main Idea:
Main Idea:
God intends all Christians to live spiritually gifted lives of gratitude and humble service toward other Christians.
Sermon
Sermon
1. Pastoral Prayer (v4)
1. Pastoral Prayer (v4)
The last time we were in 1 Corinthians, we met the author(the Apostle Paul), we learned a bit about the recipients of this letter (the church in Corinth), and we focused the bulk of our attention on the concept of holiness. These Christians had been made holy or “sanctified” (v2) in Christ Jesus, they had been “called” by God to live as holy ones or “saints” (v2), and both the status and the calling were gifts of God’s “grace” (v3).
This was a great starting point for this letter to the church of Corinth since it was both their arrogance and their sinfulness that provoked Paul to write to them. Paul had received a “report” (v11) about what was going on in Corinth, and it was not good. So, Paul began this letter of criticism and instruction by calling them to remember their status and their calling and that both were from God.
This theme continues in these next several verses which we’re studying today. In v4-9, Paul is still calling them to remember, but he’s doing it by telling them how he prays for them. In these 6 verses, Paul models a pastoral heart of prayer… thanking God for them, and also urging them to be thankful as well.
He says, in v4, “I give thanks to God always for you…” We will spend time looking at what Paul was thankful for in just a moment, but I want to highlight this pastoral example of prayer right now. It is one of the main two functions or tasks of pastors or elders in the Bible – prayer.
The Apostle Peter said that “prayer” and “the ministry of the word” were so central to the pastoral job description that even the real and tangible needs of church members should not hinder pastors from doing their job (Acts 6:4). He said “it is not right that we should give up” or “neglect” the “word of God” in order to “serve tables” [literally “to deacon”] (Acts 6:2). All Christians are responsible to pray for one another and to teach the word of God to one another, but pastors or elders or overseers are especially tasked with this duty to pray and preach/teach.
Since we have so many letters from the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, he gives us a great example of the priority of prayer in his own shepherding and pastoring ministry among various churches. To the churches in Rome, Paul said, “without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers” (Rom. 1:9-10). To the church in Ephesus, Paul said, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:16). To the church in Philippi, Paul said, “I thank my God in all remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine…” (Phil. 1:3).
The list goes on, but you get the idea… the Apostle Paul not only taught and corrected the Christians he knew and loved, but he also prayed regularly for them. This is the pastoral impulse or urge, and it is unique to pastors. Prayer is not unique to pastors, and praying for people you love is not unique to pastors… What I’m saying is unique is the heart of ministry which pastors offer their church members… which is far different than the teaching and advising and correcting ministry you might receive from anyone else.
The TV preachers don’t pray for you… Those YouTube preachers don’t even know you… Those Christian teachers on social media don’t have any idea what’s going on in your life, they don’t know anything about your circumstances, and they don’t ever mention your name in prayer.
I don’t mean to speak ill of any of those online or “celebrity” preachers. I’ve benefitted significantly in my own life from the teaching and preaching ministries of guys like RC Sproul and Mark Dever. I don’t agree with everything I’ve ever heard those guys say, but both of them have helped shape my own understanding of biblical doctrine and practical Christianity.
But what I am saying is that Christ has established the local church, not merely as a buffet of teaching and learning resources, but as a social institution where the people you teach and the people you learn from are those you also pray for, and those who pray for you as well. In this way, pastors or elders are unique… they are teachers God has gifted to the church, who devote themselves to instructing church members in biblical doctrine and devote themselves to praying for the church members they instruct… both for their good and for their growth.
Friends, this one of the main reasons (among many others) that you should be a member of a local church (not just an attendee or a lone ranger Christian). You and I need pastors… not just preachers or teachers… we need godly men who love us enough to teach us, to correct us, to lead us, and to pray for us.
Over the last two-and-a-half years, since we voted to affirm a plurality of pastors/elders at FBC Diana, we’ve had many elders’ meetings. We discuss administrative stuff, we talk about ways we are leading the church, we discuss ways to lead better, and we plan all sorts of logistics… and every meeting is different. But there are a couple of things we do at every single meeting: we read Scripture together and we pray together.
We pray for our church members by name, and we often do this after talking about specific prayer requests or concerns. We pray for spiritual growth… we pray for conviction of sin… we pray for healthy marriages and for financial provision… we pray for comfort in times of sorrow and boldness in Christian witness.
Friends, lots of preachers love to preach, and lots of teachers love to teach, but a pastor will love you, and he will teach and preach and pray out of a deep and increasing sense of that love and care for you… in service to you and to Christ.
Paul’s prayer was one of thanks, “because” of “the grace of God that was given” to the Corinthians “in Christ Jesus” (v4). But what specific gifts of grace did Paul name here in this opening greeting? This leads us into point 2…
2. Gifts of Grace (v5-9)
2. Gifts of Grace (v5-9)
From the very first, Paul was clear that the Corinthians were recipients of God’s grace. In other words, they were not self-made men and women. All they had that was worth boasting about had come from God through Christ and by the Holy Spirit. Verse 4 says that the “grace of God” was “given” to them “in Christ,” and the “gifts” that Paul highlights here, he talks about later on in this letter as “gifts” that are “apportioned” or “distributed” by the Holy Spirit, “as he wills” (1 Cor. 12:1-11; especially v11).
Furthermore, Paul could not have been stronger in his reminder that Christ is the one “in” whom the Corinthians had received “grace” (v4). Just by simple word-count, the “Lord Jesus Christ” is a big deal in this passage. It was “the testimony about [or “of”] Christ” which was “confirmed among” them (v6). It was “the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” which they awaited (v7).
It was the “Lord Jesus Christ” who would “sustain” them “to the end,” and it was also the “Lord Jesus Christ” who would present them “guiltless” on that last day (v8). And look at what that day is called… It is “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v8)! So too, the “fellowship” into which they had been “called” by God was the fellowship of “Jesus Christ our Lord” (v9).
There was absolutely nothing of any eternal value that the Corinthians had that did not come to them by way of their union with the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Christ who provided the basis or ground of their right standing before God… It was Christ who sustained them every moment… It was Christ’s own testimony or witness among them that produced their spiritual gifts… And it would ultimately be Christ’s own day (the day when Christ shall be revealed for all He truly is) where they would finally be presented guiltless or blameless before God Himself.
Again, I say, they had nothing of eternal value apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends, to have Christ is to have all the blessings of God’s grace. But to seek God’s blessings without Christ, or aboveChrist, or as some other benefit besides Christ, is to have neither God’s blessing nor Christ at all.
So, what blessings or gifts of “grace” did God so lavishly “give” to the Corinthians in Christ (v4)? Let’s look at three specific ways in which Paul noted these gracious gifts: first (in the order I’m presenting them), they were “called” (v9); second, they were “enriched” (v5); and third, they were “sustained” as they waited to be presented “guiltless” on the last day (v8).
First, in v9, Paul says, “you were called” by “God” into “the fellowship of his Son.” There is more in these words than we can talk about this morning, but let’s focus on the calling and the fellowship into which they were called.
The idea of “calling” is pervasive throughout the Bible. God calls individuals and nations, slaves and kings, to say or do something specific. But that’s not the way Paul is using the term here. Here, he is using the term as it is commonly used in the New Testament, to refer to that effectual “calling” of God which brings sinners out of darkness and into light (1 Pet. 2:9)… that calling which brings those far off from the promises of God right into the center of those blessed promises (Eph. 2:12-22)… that calling which frees enslaves sinners (Gal. 5:13), which offers hope to hopeless sinners (Eph. 1:18)… and which makes kingdom citizens of those who were once rebel sinners (1 Thess. 2:12).
Friends, there is a general “calling” which goes out every time the gospel is preached. The one who shares the gospel with his neighbor or friend offers a real invitation or call to enjoy the gracious blessings of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. When a mom or dad explains the gospel to their children, when any one of us summarizes the gospel for a co-worker or classmate, there is a call (implicit or explicit) for the one hearing to repent and to believe.
But there is another kind of call in the Bible too, and this one is not the same as the other. When the gospel comes to our ears it will only strike the bell of our hearts if/when God joins His effective call to that general call of the evangelist. We may share the gospel a thousand times, and no one seems to hear it… but when God invigorates that good news with the power of His Spirit, and when God Himself reaches into the heart of a dead sinner (replacing death with life)… then that hearer of the gospel not only hears it, he or she believes it!
Friends, I want you to hear the general call or invitation of an evangelist this morning. I want you to know that there is forgiveness of sins and peace with God through Jesus Christ… who lived and died in the place of sinners… and who conquered death and reigns forevermore. And I want you to hear God’s own call or admonition to repent (or turn from sin) and believe (or trust) in Jesus.
If you have questions or want to talk about this, let’s meet after the service.
But I want us all to do more than just hear that general call to repent and believe… I want us to see beauty in the face of Christ, such that we will irresistibly be drawn to Him in faith and love… that we might enter into genuine fellowship with Him and with other Christians who love Him too.
This brings us to the concept of “fellowship” (v9). It was the “fellowship of [God’s] Son” into which those Corinthian Christians had been “called” (v9). This concept of “fellowship” is right at the beginning of Christianity. On the day of Pentecost, when thousands of sinners were baptized into “fellowship” with the church in Jerusalem, they were united both to Christ and to one another (Acts 2:42). When Paul came to the other Apostles in Jerusalem, and they perceived that Paul loved and preached the same gospel as them, they gave him “the right hand of fellowship,” welcoming him as a brother in Christ (Gal. 2:9).
Notice how this concept inevitably unites believers both withChrist and with one another. It is a “fellowship” of God’s “Son” (it belongs to Him!), but it is not a “fellowship” only with Christ and not with Christ’s people. This is important to the context in Corinth, and it is also important to our own context today.
In Corinth, the church was dividing over all sorts of issues, status and ability among them. And here, Paul is reminding them that their “calling” into “the fellowship” of “Jesus Christ” (both with Him and with His people) was “by” or based on the power and action of God Himself (v9). In other words, it was God’s “faithfulness” or reliability or trustworthiness which “called” them into “fellowship” with Christ and with His people in the first place (v9). It was not anything in them that earned them a seat at the table (see 1 Corinthians 11).
Brothers and sisters, this is an important word for us too. If you are prone to self-loathing and shame, then you need to remember that your fellowship with Christ and with other Christians is a gift of God, based on God’s calling and not based on your effort or perfection. If you are prone to self-righteousness and pride, then you need to remember that your fellowship with Christ and other Christians is a gift of God… you didn’t earn it, and you don’t deserve it, so don’t look down on others who aren’t as “advanced” as you. The truth is, humility is an indicator of spiritual maturity, and our pride is evidence that we are still pretty childish.
One feature of God’s gracious gift among the Corinthians was that they had been “called into the fellowship” of Christ (v9)… and another was that they had been “enriched” in Christ (v5). God made them “rich” in spiritual gifts, especially those of “speech” and “knowledge” (v5).
It seems to me that it was this very “enrichment” of spiritual gifts which “proved” or “confirmed” the “testimony about” or “witness of” Christ “among” them (v6). The word translated “confirmed” means to “establish” or to “prove true.” Thus, we should understand what Paul is saying here to be that the genuineness of the faith of those believers in Corinth was “proved true” or “confirmed” by the fact that God had given them spiritual gifts.
Now, these spiritual gifts and others were a big point of contention in Corinth. As we read through this letter, we will find that many of the Christians there were prideful about which gifts they had and how they exercised them. They were acting as though these gifts were not gifts at all, but more like skills or accomplishments. Paul was rightly reminding them that the richness of their gifting was purely based on God’s lavish grace, and not on anything in them.
Friends, this is not just a problem for first-century Christians in Corinth. This is the perennial problem of Christians in all ages. We are prone to talk and act like the abilities we have and the opportunities we’ve been given and the resources at our disposal are somehow the result of our own ingenuity or skill. We think we’re playing Chess when we’re actually playing Candy Land. We’re just flipping over cards as God stacked them and moving along the board as God designed it.
And we often fail to realize that God is not just trying to get us to the place of spiritual maturity as fast and as pain-free as possible. No, God has put a whole bunch of other sinning and awkward Christians around us, and He’s given us all different sorts of gifts in order that we will be a mutual benefit to one another. If we care more about being useful to others than we care about being noticed and praised by others, then we will probably enjoy the path to growth a lot more.
So, they were “called into the fellowship” of Christ (v9)… they were “enriched” with every spiritual gift in Christ (v5)… and third, they were being “sustained” by Christ until that final day on which they would be presented “guiltless” by Christ in the presence of His Father (v8). Friends, this is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the Christian life… and Paul was reminding them that it was God who deserved the praise and thanks for every bit of it.
The end or destination of all Christians is “guiltlessness” in “the day of [the] Lord Jesus Christ” (v8). Of course, this is not the end entirely… there’s a sense in which it is the beginning of eternal glory. On that day when Christ is “revealed” in all His brilliance, He will bring all those who are His into the inheritance that He earned… that inheritance which is His by right and enjoyed also by those who are “sustained” or “confirmed” (KJV) or “kept strong” (NIV) by God’s grace in Christ.
Brothers and sisters, it was God who called them, it was God who enriched them, and it was God who sustained them… and all this in and through Christ.
3. Christian Characteristics
3. Christian Characteristics
With this final point of my sermon today, I want to ask and answer a question of application. We’ve been talking about Paul’s thanksgiving… his prayer of thanks for what God had done, for what He was doing, and for what God would do with and for those Christians in Corinth. We’ve been talking about all of the riches of God’s gracious blessings for those who are in Christ, those who are joined or united with Christ.
But what I want to ask and consider now is: Are these gifts of God’s grace only for some Christians sometimes, or are these gifts for all Christians of all time?
Specifically, are all Christians “called” by God into “fellowship” with Christ and with His people (v9)? …Or just some of them?
Are all Christians “enriched” (v5) with spiritual “gifts” (v7)?
Are all Christians or just some “sustained… to the end” and presented “guiltless” before God on the last day (v8)?
And, finally, should all Christians or only some of them express “thankfulness” to God for such wonderful gifts of His grace (v4)?
Let me word it more pointedly… Do you regularly thank God for calling you into fellowship with Christ?
Do you expect all of your Christian friends and family to gladly join in fellowship with other Christians with hearts of gratitude and humility?
Do you think and speak and act like the destination of every Christian is guiltlessness or blamelessness before God? And do you expect every Christian you know to persevere… sustained by Christ through to the end?
Friends, I believe these are the characteristics of every Christian… not just some of them, not just the really intense ones, and not just the professional ones. I believe Paul is describing here the glad and thankful perspective that all Christians should have when they look at how God has done such a marvelous work in calling them out of darkness and into light.
I believe gratitude or thankfulness is one of the main traits of those who have been born again or made spiritually alive by the power of God. And I believe that spiritual life is observable in the lives of all Christians over time… we can see it in the way that they display and employ (over time) the spiritual gifts God has given to them.
I’ve already alluded to the fact (earlier) that I think this is what Paul was talking about when he said that the “testimony about” or “witness of” Christ “was confirmed” among the Corinthian church (v6). Their faith or belief in the gospel of Christ was evident or “proved true” by the way that God had “enriched” them in Christ with all the gifts of the Spirit (v5-7).
If that’s true… if this passage describes the spiritual gifts of God’s grace to all Christians… and not just some… then what are we to do with that?
Well, I’m glad you asked… I’d like to offer a few applications this morning.
First, we ought to depend upon God for His gifts of grace. Corinth was a perfect example of what a church full of people looks like when it becomes self-dependent rather than God-dependent. They were proud of what they had, they looked down on others who didn’t seem to be as “spiritual” as themselves, and they were far more worldly in their conduct and efforts than any church should be.
If we are to see God work graciously among us… if we are to enjoy the richness of His gifts… if we are to see sinners brought into fellowship with Christ and sustained through to the end… then we must depend upon God to do all of it.
We must pray, we must preach and explain the gospel, we must call sinners to repent and believe… and we must depend upon God to give the growth. Paul himself later told the Corinthians, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:5-7).
Second, we ought to lovingly and soberly reject the notion of unspiritual, ungrateful, and unsustained Christians. Because the church in Corinth was thinking and acting like there are levels or gradations of Christian spirituality, they not only tolerated unrepentant sinners among their membership, they even celebrated it. If only some Christians have these “higher gifts” of God, then why shouldn’t they celebrate that even unrepentant sinners were claiming to believe and follow Jesus?
But Paul did not think the same way about such a thing. Instead, he reprimanded them for their arrogance and foolishness. He told them that they should fear God and remove those who claim the name of Christ while they continue in unrepentant sin (1 Cor. 5:1-13). We must never be judgmental, but we are commanded to judge one another with right and sober judgment. And those who practice sin must be called to repent… and if they do not, then we must not pretend that they are actually Christians when their lives are proving otherwise.
Brothers and sisters, I know that this is a hard thing to do, and I know that few are the churches who practice church discipline this way. But we simply cannot speak a positive word of affirmation about those things God has Himself condemned. It is far better for our loved ones to hear a harsh rebuke from us now than to be surprised to hear a harsh condemnation from God on the last day. By God’s grace they may turn from their sin and trust and obey Christ, but even if they do not, it is our responsibility to tell each other the truth.
Third, we ought to regularly praise and thank God for where we see His gifts in operation among us. If God’s Spirit is at work in us and through us, it is evidence that Christ is truly ours! Paul said, “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). And the same Spirit which animates love for and submission to Christ Jesus also distributes gifts among His people (1 Cor. 12:4-6).
Furthermore, these spiritual gifts are “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7)… which means that God is blessing all of us as He blesses each one of us with these different sorts of gifts! When some of us are gifted by God to serve, then we all benefit from that service… When some of us are gifted by God to teach, then we all benefit from that teaching… When some of us are gifted to lead… to help… to administrate… or to give generously out of our surplus… then we all benefit!
Brothers and sisters, this also means that we should be looking for ways God has positioned each one of us to be a benefit to others among the church body. So frequently, Christians look for formal systems or they try to figure out what their spiritual gifts are before they jump in and give themselves to blessing others. But this is not the best way to think of such a thing.
Instead, we should look around us… get to know other church members well enough to know what their needs are… and just start trying to bless them. Do you know a church member who is lonely? Then be a friend to him or her… call them often… visit them when you can… and invite them into your own life and routine.
Do you know a church member who is weak? Then check in on him or her… ask questions about how they are doing spiritually… ask directly about those areas of sin that seem to trip them up so often… pray with them… and offer loving words of counsel and comfort from Scripture.
Do you know a church member who is isolated… one who doesn’t regularly gather with us on Sundays… one who doesn’t understand what he or she is missing by being separated from the body? Then reach out to them… tell them how you miss them… encourage them to participate… and tell them why the Lord’s day is such a gift to them… and an opportunity for them to be a gift to others.
Do you know a church member who is struggling financially… or one that is going through a tough time at home… or one that is facing a difficult life decision? Friends, none of these needs requires a church program or an invitation… these are just a handful of opportunities for us to use the gifts God has given us in service to those God has placed in our proximity.
I praise and thank God for how I see His hand and His Spirit at work among us already… and I pray that He will continue to show His gracious grace in making us a church body that displays His glory by living in true fellowship with Christ and with one another, using the gifts He’s so lavishly given, until that final day when Christ shall finally present us all guiltless before the throne of God.
God intends all Christians to live spiritually gifted lives of gratitude and humble service toward other Christians… May God help us.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
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Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. The First Letter to the Corinthians. Logos Research Edition. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. Logos Research Edition. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Logos Research Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Logos Research Edition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Logos Research Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.
The NET Bible First Edition. Logos Research Edition. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.
Vaughan, Curtis, and Thomas D. Lea. 1 Corinthians. Logos Research Edition. Founders Study Commentary. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2002.