Sermon Tone Analysis

- As I was thinking about the size of this Bible reading, I was tempted to cut it short & address only the first point I have here today, which is the wonderful richness of speech & knowledge of Christ

Enriched in Christ, Impoverished by the World

Date: 24-03-19 826 Echuca

- As I was thinking about the size of this Bible reading, I was tempted to cut it short & address only the first point I have here today, which is the wonderful richness of speech & knowledge of Christ

- That God's people would not be lacking in any spiritual gift as we await the return of Christ

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- But I thought that the next point together with the 1st brings out something that we all battle with – living differently from what God has supplied to us

Q.

How can a people who are so richly endowed with spiritual gifts, speech & the knowledge of Christ be so worldly-minded & savage towards each other?

- So I have decided to keep both points together since these two different “windows” will appear throughout 1 Corinthians

1. Life in the Gifting of Christ

- When we first become a Christian, we wonder how on earth some of these statements here in the first verses of this reading can be true

- In everything, you were enriched in Him; in all speech & knowledge; not lacking in any charismata (spiritual gifts); and that God will confirm you till the end, blameless & that God is faithful & will do it

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- The word "gift" here is the Gk.

word Charismata & you have probably guessed it, that the Charismatic church derives it's nickname from here

- To be clear, the apostle is not talking about SOME Christians, he is talking about ALL Christians

- If you think that you don't have Charismata then you must think that you are not a Christian, & that would be wrong

- All Christians have Charismata

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- The spiritual gifts are gifts of God's grace & as we read in : the various types of Charismata are given, at the discretion of the Spirit of God

—11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

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- These gifts are given to the body for the benefit of the whole body

- When you are missing from the body, the body of Christ misses out

- Be careful what you say about this

- Often someone will say: “I have nothing to offer anyone”

- Wow – so dangerous – because it says something about the way you are thinking

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- It is not humility to say that you have nothing to offer – it could be an excuse to get out of serving, or it could express some insecurities you have (which is sad)

- To be unwilling to serve Christ, on the basis that you have nothing to offer, also disparages Christ who has given you His grace gifts

- You may not think what you have is worth much, but it is not about you

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- You would be amazed at how you have brought blessing to people, simply because you have been willing to die to self & live to God

- So, please, be done with the nonsense that you have nothing to offer

- Let us never give the impression, that we think the word of God is lying to us at this point

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- As a new Christian, we hardly think we are experiencing enrichment by God, since we may still feel as in the past

- It could be because we have been so worldly influenced, that we are still living under its influence

- Yes, you may now be a Christian, but the baggage a person carries into the Christian life with them needs time for it to be removed

- To accept the truth of what we have been given, you need to accept it by faith & work towards grasping the reality of these wonderful blessings

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- Often times, it is the hardships that we go through that brings us to a greater appreciation of these gifts of God

When young hoons do burnouts, they like to pour oil or some other substance on the road so that the spinning wheels get very little traction & create a huge amount of smoke.

This can be analogous to the Christian life.

The bare road is rough & can be likened to trials; the wheel is the Christian looking to move forward in Christian growth.

The oil is the slippery allurements of the world.

If all we have, under ourselves, is the oil of the world, we will not get traction & move forward in maturity.

Often, it is the rough road that gives us grip.

I dare say, if we imagined the skin of our knees tracking on the road, we would understand that it is not generally a pleasant experience

- Those who have been through hardships will usually understand that whilst it has been difficult, they have been reaching out to God more, than had those trials not been there at all

- Of course, we don't want these in our lives & we don't go looking for them

- But often, when they come along, we have no say in the matter

- I have my own trials – being a preacher of the word is a trial in itself because often I have to bear the brunt of unhappy people who don't like my interpretation of the Scriptures – but that's my lot – what I've been called to do

- Just remember that in all these times, God will be with you & will help you through them – that is the process of growth & maturity

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- The important point to take home with us about this is that the spiritual gifting, given us by God is, primarily, for the benefit of His Church

- God has richly provided us with every resource needed to edify & build up one another

—12 So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.

2. Life in the World

- Here you have a church, that is rich in charismata (spiritual gifts v.7)

—7 so that you are not lacking in any gift (chaismata), as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

- And yet this church is full of schismata (schism/division v.10).

—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 (schismata) among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

- It appears that Christians can be rich in grace, yet at the same time, doing the work of the devil

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- We often don't live up to our own expectations NOR the expectations of the ones we love

- We life in a fallen world with all it's trappings – a world that has been judged; a world that is destined for fire

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- In , the apostle Paul contrasts the works of flesh (that is in & of the world) with the work/fruit of the Spirit

- These are two powers/two forces at work in the world

- One has been generated by the fallenness of the world; the independence of man & his idolatrous ways & are being stirred up, says Paul, by attempts to live life by the law of God

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- The other way is when, through Christ, a person yields to God & allows the Spirit to control his passions & desires

- One of the works of the flesh is schism/division in the body

—20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

- These produce train wrecks in the church & people who have not matured react in the flesh rather than in the Spirit

A man was walking across a bridge one day, and saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off – suicide, you see!.

He immediately ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!"

"Why shouldn't I?" he said.

The man said, "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?"

"Well ... are you religious or atheist?" "Religious."

"Me too!

Are you Christian or Jewish?" "Christian."

"Me too!

Are you Catholic or Protestant?" "Protestant."

"Me too!

Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist."

"Wow!

Me too!

Are you Baptist Church of God

or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God."

"Me too!

Are you Original Baptist Church of God,

or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist

Church of God."

"Me too!

Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God,

reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist

Church of God, reformation of 1915?" "Reformed Baptist

Church of God,

reformation of 1915!"

To which he said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off

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- It is very important that we see ourselves as the body of Christ

- As a “champion team” rather than a “team of champions”

- A team meets together, it does not give up on meeting together

- In the past, I have used the example of a coal taken out of the fire

- Notice how quickly a coal will lose it glow & heat if it is separated from the body of coals for too long

- But there's another illustration that is also appropriate

A lone Palm tree in a paddock, being on it's own, is subject to the hostile elements.

Yet, with a mass of other trees around it, there is protection, less exposure to the harsh realities that exist

- This is what the church of Christ offers to each member of the body