Sermon Tone Analysis

Proclaim the Lord’s Death Until He Comes

1 Corinthians 10:23–33 - 1 Corinthians 11:34

Paul tells the believers in 1 Corinthians 10:23 "All things are permitted, but not all things are profitable", then points them to Jesus Christ our example in

Then Paul reminds them of the Lord's supper, communion, the time when we all come together to remember the covenant that we have through the body and blood of Christ as Jesus said in

But it is more than remembrance as Paul now says in

Communion is also a declaration of what Jesus Christ did on the earth.

Not All Things Are Profitable

1 Corinthians 10:23–33

Sometimes the message is very simple and Paul gives us a very practical guide for our behaviour in

First, we must understand that we are free in Christ.

God had told us to go and take dominion and we can.

But we are also accountable for our actions.

Some things that we could do, have bad consequences either for us or what can be even worse, is when our actions hurt other people.

Then Paul repeats our freedom by saying it in a different way in

But not everyone understands this so Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:29 yield yourself to "the conscience of the other person" so in 1 Corinthians 10:33 "that they may be saved".

Become Imitators of Me, Just as I am of Christ

1 Corinthians 11:1–8

Paul admonishes them to follow him, and as Paul always does, he turns to Jesus Christ as the example he follows in

He them commends them in

for remembering and holding onto the traditions.

Now, we know that Jesus had rebuked the Pharisees and the scribes for their traditions in

We know that Paul’s tradition is Jesus Christ and him crucified in

Paul’s traditions I take to mean; the gospel of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, water baptism, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and communion that he just mentioned.

Then again Paul points to Jesus Christ and makes this strong point, in

We all come under the authority of God through Jesus Christ.

Does Not Nature Itself Teach You

1 Corinthians 11:9–16

There are some things that are obvious about this world and our lives if we just look to see as Paul says in

And I think this is clarified in

But we should also recognize that nature is not a perfect teacher because it is also fallen into sin in

I Received From the Lord What I Also Passed On

1 Corinthians 11:17–24

Paul established a tradition with them, “the Lord’s Supper”, also called ““eucharist” or “thanksgiving” and “communion” or “fellowship” … reminding Christians that they share the loaf and cup at His table, not their own.

1 Howe, C. L., Jr. (2003).

Ordinances.

In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.),

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p.

1229).

Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Paul said in

Here, “Paul stressed the memorial aspect of the Supper.

“Do this in remembrance of Me.” Christians were to remember that the body of Christ was broken and His blood shed for them.”

1 Howe, C. L., Jr. (2003).

Ordinances.

In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.),

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p.

1229).

Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

And this time of remembering Christ, was not an individual time, but a communal one.

They were all to be together remembering the new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31–34).

But the occasion is not one of unity, but of strife and division.

Paul rebukes them for the factions that exist in what is the body of Christ, the Church.

Proclaim the Lord’s Death Until He Comes

1 Corinthians 11:25–34

Paul continues telling them about the Lord’s supper but this is not just a ritual, in this moment, we are proclaiming the lords death in

This new covenant is not just about healing, his body broken for us, but also about complete forgiveness of sin, his blood given for us.

Joining together for communion, is also joining together before the Lord and we before we do, Paul tells them to take time for introspection.

Do they have their life in order?

Are they being the Christian people God wants them to be and that the world needs to see? Paul says in

Then he adds in

and if we truly understand the communal nature of this moment, that we are all one as members of the body of Christ we would then be willing to wait as he says in

These Three Remain: Faith, Hope, and Love

1 Corinthians 12:1 - 1 Corinthians 14:40

Paul teaches believers to understand their differences the way God does.

Just as God made our bodies with many parts, and we appreciate and use them all, so we should view the body of Christ.

There is in our fallen nature, this desire to be with others that are like us and we use differences as a way to separate ourselves by race, ethnicity, social standing.

But God wants us to operate together, valuing our differences, as the parts of our body do.

Paul then extends this to spiritual gifts which are given for the edification of the body.

The gifts are not to lift up the individual, but to help the body.

Finally, Paul comes to a description of the mature believers as they operate together in their gifts, where in 1 Corinthians 14:32 "the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets" and love mediates as each exercises preferential care for those around them in 1 Corinthians 14:39–40 So then, my brothers, desire to prophesy, and do not prevent speaking with tongues.

40 But let all things be done decently and according to proper procedure.

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1–11

The Corinthians new about idolatry and the influence of spirits, often for evil on the lives of people.

Paul here though explains the Holy Spirit, the one that seals us as believers in Christ.

It is this same Holy Spirit that is our teacher and guide.

And, it is this Holy Spirit that manifests differently in us as we are endowed with these gifts of the Spirit that Paul describes in

word of wisdom

word of knowledge

faith

gifts of healing

miraculous powers (working of miracles)

prophecy

distinguishing of spirits

tongues (diversities of tongues)

interpretation of tongues

In

Paul talks a bout "all faith" and this "Mountain-moving faith was “a proverbial expression for accomplishing something impossible in a miraculous way (see Matt. 17:19–20; 21:21; Mark 11:22–24; Luke 17:6".

Ciampa, R. E., & Rosner, B. S. (2010).

The First Letter to the Corinthians (p.

632).

Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

By One Spirit We Were All Baptized

1 Corinthians 12:12–20

We seem to have a natural tendency to gravitate to people that are like us.

In fact, I believe God understands this tribal nature and acknowledged it with the children of Israel.

We may understand these differences as ways for us to separate ourselves, to create divisions between us and others based on race or gender or social standing or ethnicity.

But Paul puts forward a different model, not one of distinctive separation but of unity and utility.

Who can deny the wonder of our bodies and who would change any part to have more of another?

This is the example Paul uses to represent the diversity in the body of Christ.

Just as our bodies have many different parts that each have their own function, yet all work together, so is it with the Church, the one body of Christ in

The context is spiritual gifts but Paul's use of "whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free" is not to limit our thinking to this list, but to prompt our thinking to extend his comments to include every nationality, every language, every culture, every level of social standing.

There is one more important point here, he does not intend that these all bring their characteristics into the body of Christ to make it an amalgamation of every kind.