Everything In Unity
Lessons From 1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Theme: Lessons From 1 Corinthians.
Hope: To draw closer to God by better understanding specifically the doctrine of unity in our passage.
Last week, we examined 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 wherein Paul begins a rather lengthy discourse on issues the church in Corinth was having when they “came together in one place” to worship.
We discussed how the Lord’s Supper had been made into a “Common Meal” and how irreverent that truly was.
We talked about how easy it is for us to turn the holy into common if we are not careful.
Today, we continue our study in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
Chapters twelve through fourteen are all about managing the spiritual gifts that had been bestowed upon the church in Corinth.
Before we dive right in, it would be beneficial to be reminded of…
Miracles
Miracles
They Were Fulfilling A Prophecy.
They Were Fulfilling A Prophecy.
As the great apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit would be fulfilling, in the church, the prediction of prophecy stated in Joel 2:18-29 that the Holy Spirit would endow certain members with miraculous gifts.
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
These gifts were very much needed at this time.
These gifts proved that the gospel being preached by the faithful were from God.
Mark 16:20 (ESV)
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
These gifts help keep God’s word perfect and pure so that those who left their former religions could have confidence in what they were learning.
13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.
Acts 4:8 (ESV)
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…
However, miracles…
Had An Expiration Date.
Had An Expiration Date.
This lesson isn’t ment to go into all the details on this but because of the purpose of miracles when the “perfect law of liberty” was complete there would be no more need for the miraculous.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Now unfortunately, miracles became, for the some in the church in Corinth…
A Source Of Pride & Envy.
A Source Of Pride & Envy.
The reality is humanity has a tenancy to “think more of themselves” than they should.
It appears that as gifts were bestowed on people some esteemed others better than the rest leading people to be prideful for having them or envious for not.
Those that had a more “spectacular” look to them seemed to govern more attention than less dazzling.
Speaking multiple languages or raising the dead seemed more amazing than prophesying and so on.
Paul speaks to the backward nature of this in a mocking way in 1 Corinthians 13:1-2.
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Summary
Summary
So as you can see there were some issues that Paul needs to address and he does so by pointing out that every last one of the spiritual gifts from God are…
Harmonized In Holiness
Harmonized In Holiness
Unlike Idolatry.
Unlike Idolatry.
Adding to the issue was the background of those in the church.
They had been idol worshiping Gentiles.
1 Corinthians 12:1–3 (ESV)
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
These converts from paganism needed to reminded that…
First, no spiritual truth came from “mute idols.”
God is the only source of spiritual truth (John 17:17).
Second, spiritual gifts all come from the same source not multiple idols.
1 Corinthians 12:4–6 (ESV)
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Idolatry is full of divisions, factions, and contradictions.
But in the Lord’s church…
There Is Fellowship.
There Is Fellowship.
That there are no divisions in what they say, think, or live by.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel
That they are one in the Lord.
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
This means that when the Spirit bestowed the spiritual gift to an individual it was not for that individual person but the harmony of the whole congregation.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV)
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all
Summary
Summary
This fellowship between God and man through the distribution of the spiritual gifts was no different than any other aspect of God when it come to perfect unity.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we will discuss next week, God has blessed every person with certain gifts, not miraculous, but gifts non-the-less that each is to use to the glory of God.
And if we every begin to have pride in our gift or envy for another we loose sight of the purpose of what God gives us.
The purpose is to get ourselves and as many others to heaven as possible.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.