In our message, HELPFUL THINGS (1 Cor. 6:12-20), after addressing dealing with an immoral brother in their midst and handling disputes in a godly manner, the Lord then spoke to the issue of sexual purity for the church as a whole.
“All things are lawful for me” was a popular phrase in Corinth which some in the church were using to justify a false view of Christian liberty (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In our message, LIVING LIKE HIS CITIZENS NOW (1 Cor. 6:1-11) after a discussion on the need for church discipline of brothers within the fellowship who are living immorally, the Lord turns to resolving conflicts over resources in a godly manner. Just like it is the church’s job to “judge those who are inside” its fellowship when they walk contrary to clear teaching of the Bible, it is also the church’s job to help resolve personal disputes among the brethren (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In our message, ANYONE NAMED A BROTHER (1 Cor. 5:9-13) we finished God’s directions to Christians to exercise church discipline when dealing with persistent, unconfessed immorality within their fellowship (1 Cor. 5:1, 2, 5, 7, etc.). At this point, Paul references a letter he wrote to them before the book of 1 Corinthians was penned, in which he also addressed this problem telling them “not to keep company with sexually immoral people” (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In last Sunday’s message, TOUGH LOVE TO HEAL GOD’S CHURCH (1 Cor. 5:1-8) the Holy Spirit left the problem of party factions to deal with a second serious issue in the local church. There was ongoing “sexual immorality among” them that everyone knew about (1 Cor. 5:1). This compromised the church’s ability to witness powerfully in the culture they were in and even threatened to ruin the church itself (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In last Sunday’s message, GOD’S KINGDOM IS IN POWER (1 Cor. 4:6-21) we looked at Paul’s conclusion to the first major problem addressed in the Corinthian church- namely party factions and divisions which had their source in pride. When a church acts like the culture it is in, our ability as Christians is hindered to effectively share the gospel, and, if uncorrected, it can even threaten the very existence of a local church itself (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In our message, MANAGERS ARE CALLED TO BE FAITHFUL (1 Cor. 4:1-5) we continued to look at the Bible’s discussion of Christian accountability today, and also at the judgment seat of Christ.
Paul starts this section of Scripture saying, “Let a man so consider us…” referring to himself, Apollos, and any other human authority the Christians looked up to at that time (1 Cor. 4:1). They and we should simply think of them as “servants” of God and “stewards” of all that the Lord has given them (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In our message, Y’ALL ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD (1 Cor. 3:16-23), we continued to look at the Holy Spirit addressing Christians who are not maturing because of unconfessed sin. These are “brethren… babes in Christ” (i.e. saved people), but who are also “carnal” (1 Cor. 3:1). All Christians, whether “spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:15) or “carnal” (1 Cor. 3:1-4), possess the right “foundation… which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In Sunday’s message, OUR LEGACY- TESTED BY FIRE (1 Cor. 3:1-15), the Bible directly addressed the difficult issue of a Christian who is not maturing because of unconfessed sin.
The first key point to realize in chapter 3 is the Lord is still speaking to Christians and not to unsaved people. This does not fit with many people’s theological systems, but Paul states here he is speaking to, “brethren,” that is, to both brothers and sisters in the family of God (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In our message, HAVING THE MIND OF CHRIST (1 Cor. 2:10-16), the Bible continues to point us as Christians to heavenly things speaking of the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. From passages like Ephesians chapter 1 we know these heavenly blessings of salvation come from our Triune God: the Father, who prepared them before time began; the Son, who carried out salvation at Calvary; and the Holy Spirit as He illuminates them to Christians today when we walk with Him (Eph.… Continue reading
In our message, NO EYE HAS SEEN… (1 Cor. 2:1-9), Paul continued to point the church in Corinth back to their identity in Christ- focusing on the Gospel which is “the power and wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:17-18, 24). After showing them that “Christ crucified,” the supposed “weakness God,” is stronger than the greatest achievements of humanity combined (1 Cor. 1:23, 25; Isa. 29:10-16, etc.), and that most of the Christians themselves in Corinth were “despised” in the world’s eyes when “called” by grace possessing not even a human reason to boast (1 Cor.… Continue reading
