Introduction
A. The human author of this letter was Paul, Saul of Tarshish
1. I am not going to spend a whole lot of time introducing Paul, except to say that Saul, his former name means “Prayed for”
2. Paul, on the other hand, means “small”
a. Saul is a somewhat exalted name
b. Paul, appropriately, is a diminutive name
(1) Lets begin by turning to 1 Corinthians 1:1
II. Body
A. The greeting
1 Corinthians 1:1 (NKJV)
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1. Paul begins by pointing out his authority, an apostle
a. An apostle is one sent with a commission
(1) In other words, an ambassador
(2) An ambassador is a representative of the one who commissioned him
(a) Turn to Matthew 28:18
b. Remember, Jesus told His disciples that He, Jesus, had been given all authority, in heaven and on earth
Matthew 28:18 NKJV) (
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
c. Jesus had the authority, given Him by God the Father
d. And He gave that authority to His apostles
(1) At the time of the communist victory in taking Saigon in Vietnam, our military helicopters were evacuating the American embassy in Saigon. The ambassador to Vietnam ordered the helicopters to carry away some very high ranking Vietnamese officials and their families while leaving behind Americas, embassy employees and military personnel. The president of the United States, Gerald Ford, had to personally call the piolets and the aircraft carrier captain to countermand the embassador’s orders, placing all American citizens at a higher priority than Vietnamese officials.
(a) An ambassador has the authority to order military and civilian employees
(b) Only the president of the country the ambassador represents can countermand the ambassador’s word
(2) That is the kind of authority an ambassador has
(3) That is the kind of authority an apostle had, has and will have
(4) That is the kind of authority we have as we represent our Lord and Master
2. Also note who Paul was representing, God, it says, “called to be an apostle through the will of God”
a. God called Paul
(1) Turn to Acts 9:10-16
b. God gave Paul the authority to represent Him
(1) Paul was chosen and called by God
(2) Not by himself, he did not assume his position by himself
(3) Not by men, there was no ruling body that said, “Paul, you’re now an apostle.”
(4) Paul was chosen and appointed by God
Acts 9:10-16 (NKJV)
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." {11} So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. {12} "And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight." {13} Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. {14} "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." {15} But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. {16} "For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."
(5) Now, I read this passage to give us the context of the Lord’s words in verses 15 and 16
Acts 9:15-16 (NKJV)
The Lord said, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. {16} "For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."
(a) The Lord verifies that Saul of Tarshish was chosen specifically by Him
i) He is a chosen vessel of mine
(b) Also notice at the end ov verse 16, “how many things he must suffer for My name's sake”
(c) I would say that the Lord didn’t pull any punches
(d) He is My chosen vessel and he will suffer many things for My name
3. Now, we don’t call ourselves apostles, well some do, but generally we don’t call ourselves apostles
a. Many churches say that there were only 12 apostles
(1) There is some question of who took Judas’ place
(a) Paul or Matthias
i) Matthias was chosen by the casting of lots on Pentecost
a) Lets turn to Matthew 28:19 - 20
(2) We do not have to concern ourselves with a name
(a) We are Christians
(b) We are servants of Christ
(c) We are disciples of Christ
(d) We have our commission
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
(e) We are today’s apostles
i) Here in Julesburg, apostles to our AWANA clubs, our neighbors, friends, and loved ones
a) Lets read 1 Corinthians 1:1 again
4. Just to remind ourselves of what Paul has written
1 Corinthians 1:1 (NKJV)
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
a. Paul mentions a man called Sosthenes and Paul describes him as a brother
(1) Lets turn to Acts 18:1
b. This verse tells us where Paul was at a certain time, in the city of Corinth
Acts 18:1 (NKJV)
After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
(1) Now a lot of things happened in Corinth during this time
(2) A great controversy BECAUSE OF THE Jews animosity toward Paul
(a) In Acts 18, go down to Acts 18:5-6
(3) Paul’s practice was to go to the Synagogue first and preach the gospel there, but because of the animosity of the Jews towards Christianity
Acts 18:5-6 (NKJV)
When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. {6} But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
(4) However, the ruler of the synagogue became a Christian
Acts 18:8 (NKJV)
Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
(a) Lets go down to Acts 18:17
(b) It seems as though Crispus was fired from his position in the synagogue, because a man named Sosthenes is mentioned just a few verses later as the ruler of the synagogue
Acts 18:17 (NKJV)
Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
i) We may look at this situation some time later but just notice the fact that Sosthenes was the ruler of the local synagogue in Corinth
ii) Is this the same Sosthenes that once was the ruler of the synagogue?
iii) It is unknown for sure, but Paul mentions Sosthenes in this letter to the Corinthian church
a) It seems that Paul assumed Sosthenes was known to the church in Corinth
b) Therefore we might just assume that Paul had seem the conversion of two synagogue leaders
c) Sosthenes may well have been the one who actually wrote this epistle at Paul’s dictation
d) Paul calls Sosthenes a brother, “our brother” therefore a Christian
1) Lets turn to 1 Corinthians 1:2
B. The church at Corinth
1 Corinthians 1:2 (NKJV)
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1. The word church is really an unfortunate translation of the Greek word, ekklesia
a. The word ekklesia literally means called out ones
(1) The word church is an adaptation of the German word kirke which describes a building
b. The church, ekklesia, called out ones does not refer to a building but to a gathering of people who worship the one true God
(1) Lets turn to Acts 16:31
(2) We might understand that Paul is addressing a group of called out ones, who were called out by God, called our for God, and called out to God
Acts 16:31 (NKJV)
So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
(a) This is the testimony Paul and Silas gave the Philippian Jailer
i) “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”
c. Notice Paul says to the called out one which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified
(1) When the Philippian Jailer accepted Christ as Savior he began the process of sanctification, to be sanctified
(2) Let me read Ryrie’s note concerning being sanctified: set apart for God's possession and use. This was true of the Corinthians because of their position in Christ, in spite of their blatant imperfections
(a) Every Christian is sanctified
(b) That means you and that means me, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior
i) Turn to 2 Corinthians 6:17
2. The word ekklesia, sanctified, and saint all point to one simple concept
2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV)
Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."
a. Come out from among the world of the lost
b. Be separate
c. Do not touch what is unclean
(1) But, since we do touch the unclean, we need only confess
(2) And the Lord will receive us
(a) Lets go back to 1 Corinthians 1:1
1 Corinthians 1:2 (NKJV)
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3. Sanctified, called to be saints
a. We are saints, by the will of God, not be any particular church or pope
(1) The word Saint has a great and wonderful meaning
(a) Sacred, physically pure, morally blameless or religious, consecrated, most holy, saint
(b) So, you can call me Saint Lee
i) That feels blasphemous
ii) Because I know that I, as a natural being, am no saint
iii) But, who am I to say that God is mistaken
b. Called to be pure and blameless will all who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord
(1) Every where and Any where they may be or every when and any when those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ
(a) The last phrase of this verse, “both theirs and ours” refers back to our Lord, to rephrase it we might say, “called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ both theirs and our Lord”
(b) To put it bluntly, each saint has the same access and privilege to own Christ as our Lord
i) Well, lets go on the 1 Corinthians 1:3
C. The greeting
1 Corinthians 1:3 (KJV)
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. We talk about grace and I am sure many do not really grasp the meaning and impact of grace
a. We say glibly, “unmerited favor”
b. But what does that mean in just plain American?
(1) To put it simply it means to get the good things we do not deserve from the hands of a loving Lord
(a) Forgiveness
(b) Peace
(c) Love
(d) A loving personal relationship with the God of the universe
c. Grace to you o called out ones in Corinth
(1) That Grace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ
(2) It would be interesting to note that Paul uses the terms Jesus, Christ, and Lord together 6 times in this first chapter
(3) And 13 times in the whole book and God and Father are referred to together 3 times
(a) How important is it to Paul that Jesus be knows and God’s anointed one and Lord of the saints
i) Turn to Philippians 4:7
2. Peace to you o called out ones in Corinth
a. This peace is not a peace of the world
b. This is a divinely ordained peace
Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
c. All this, grace, and peace and so much more are available from the Lord to every Christian
(1) We need only reach out and appropriate it
d. Paul prayed for the saints
(1) The called out ones
(2) For you and I
(3) To receive the gift of grace and peace
(4) Here specifically for the called out ones in Corinth
(5) But we can accept the gifts for ourselves
