The Church At Corinth

Rory Mosley

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

August 3, 2008

Tonight we begin the study of a new book.

It is one that I have been excited about starting for about a year now.

You may have noticed on the flyer this morning I called them

“A Church in Turmoil”, and is that ever the case!

We just finished studying the letter Paul wrote to the Church at Rome,

in which he said:

Romans 15:14 “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”

But that certainly was not the case at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”

The Church at Corinth was not a Church to brag about.

They had problems, which you will see more and more as we study.

We learn that even Paul’s day, Churches made mistakes.

The beauty is that with some repentance and commitment,

The Church at Corinth could get back on the right path.

We study to learn the real life problems of a real life Church,

And through that not only do we find warning,

But also how to handle some of the real life problems we face.

The passage we study tonight is the introduction to the letter.

We are going to learn who the Corinthians were.

If we will take this time to put the context of the letter in place,

It will help us understand the letter more later.

So tonight, let’s break this introduction into 3 parts.

#1 THE PREACHER OF THE LETTER

1 Corinthians 1:1

“Paul”.

He was the zealous Pharisee who actually held the coats

Of the men who stoned Stephen,

And then himself went on a mission to stomp out Christianity.

However, it was on the Damascus road that Jesus put Saul on his knees,

Saved his soul, and gave him a new mission.

Almost overnight, the greatest enemy of the Church,

Became her greatest voice.

Even later in this letter Paul says:

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

What Paul lacked in pedigree and credentials,

He made up for with effort.

No apostle worked harder for the Church than Paul.

He told the Colossian church.

Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

He seemed tireless, passionate, determined, and certainly focused.

It was this tireless passion that led him on three missionary journeys.

ON THE SECOND JOURNEY HE FOUNDED THE CHURCH AT CORINTH

TURN TO: Acts 18:1-11

After that 18 months of ministry, Paul would leave Corinth.

At some point after that, he did write the Church back.

We do not have his first letter back to the Corinthians.

It is often referred to as “The Lost Epistle”.

But we know this is not the first because of:

1 Corinthians 5:11 “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a one.”

It is evident that after leaving Corinth, Paul wrote a letter back,

Giving them instruction about their association with the immoral.

(Some think that this letter was mixed up and is contained in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

Whether or not that is true, we do not know, but it is certain

That the first letter Paul wrote carried such an admonition.

However, after writing that “Lost Epistle” it wasn’t long

Before Paul received word back from a member of the Church.

1 Corinthians 1:10-11 “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you.”

Apparently Chloe’s people, whoever they are, wrote back to Paul

To let them know that the Church was in major disharmony.

That was not all they wrote:

Apparently they also informed Paul about a major instance of immorality

That was being widely accepted at Church.

1 Corinthians 5:1 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife.”

Beyond that, it is obvious that there were several questions

About marriage, and eating food sacrificed to idols

1 Corinthians 7:1 “Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.”

And so, it is with this background

That Paul sets out to pen the letter to the Church at Corinth.

It is also apparent that Paul was serious in writing it,

For he pulled his big stick as far his authority.

“Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God”

If there was ever a title that gave authority, this was it.

These men who were called as apostles

Were given unique authority by God for the early ministry in the Church.

It is first seen in John 20

John 20:21-23 “So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

Jesus gave these men special authority.

Certainly not to forgive, but the authority to declare if a man was truly forgiven by God, of if he was still trapped in sin.

It was this authority that Peter used with Simon the Magician

Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."

This was the authority that Paul also possessed.

1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness — nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”

Paul was an apostle, and he had the God-given authority

To command a Church to obey him, because he spoke from God.

Paul writes this letter to Corinth with authority,

With intent of answering questions, and rebuking disobedience.

You will also notice that Paul lists another man in this opening verse.

“Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,”

WHO IS THIS MAN?

Acts 18:12-17 “But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, "This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law." But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters." And he drove them away from the judgment seat. And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.”

No doubt Paul lists him as a familiar face, and as a confident ally.

It would also serve in agreement with the Lord’s command

While rebuking a brother, to take a brother with you.

Certainly Sosthenes was standing with Paul in his confrontation of this Church.

It is also likely that Sosthenes actually wrote the letter at Paul’s dictation.

The letter was written while Paul was at Ephesus.

He had such a wide door open to him for the ministry that Paul

Could not pull himself away to go and confront the Church at the present.

Acts 19:11-12 “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.”

And therefore Paul would not leave, but:

Acts 19:20-22 “So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.”

And as Paul sent Timothy away, he sent with him a letter

That Timothy would personally deliver to the Church at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 4:17 “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.”

And so you see a little of the setting of this letter.

First, the Preacher of the Letter

#2 THE PEOPLE OF THE LETTER

1 Corinthians 1:2 “To the Church of God which is at Corinth”

In order to gain a better understanding,

You also need to know a little about the city in which this “Church of God” dwelt.

The city was “Corinth”

I don’t know if either do them justice,

But perhaps the best I can do in order to explain the city to you,

Would be to compare it to modern day Las Vegas or New Orleans.

Corinth was the Sodom and Gomorrah of the New Testament.

Corinth was located on a 4 mile wide isthmus into southern Greece, Corinth was a major traveling city.

It had a population of about 250,000

And maintained the most vile night life imaginable.

In fact, in early Greek literature, the term “Corinthianize” became synonymous with sexual immorality, and if an actor was called a Corinthian, it meant he was playing the part of a drunken man.

High atop the city of Corinth stood the temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and at night, over a 1,000 temple prostitutes would come down into the city to ply their trade on the travelers.

It led one Greek writer to say, “It is not every man who can afford a journey to Corinth” (Barclay, William – Letters to the Corinthians, pg. 3)

And nestled in the heart of this extremely vile and flamboyant city stood “the Church of God which is at Corinth”

The problem was that instead of being a light in the darkness,

In too many ways, the Church at Corinth had grown to conform

To the worldliness around her.

For example:

They were extremely arrogant and flamboyant

1 Corinthians 3:3-4 “for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?”

1 Corinthians 4:18-19 “Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.”

They were obviously too comfortable with sexual immorality

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.”

They had grown greedy, even defrauding their Christian brothers and sisters

1 Corinthians 6:8 “On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.”

They struggled with prostitution

1 Corinthians 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!”

They participated in idolatrous feasts:

1 Corinthians 10:21-22 “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

They were getting drunk during the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:20-21 “Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”

They were obsessed with the limelight at Church, and jealous of those with the most charismatic gifts

1 Corinthians 14:26 “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”

And they doubted the truth of the resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:12 “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”

On top of that, they were a church that was far too puffed up on their own knowledge, when in fact they did know all that much.

To expose and shame this arrogance, at least 10 times Paul uses the phrase, “Do you not know?” obviously shaming their lack of understanding.

“the Church of God which is at Corinth” had problems.

If I told you today, there is a Church that we are going to attend next Sunday, and then said, “Oh, by the way, they struggle with drunkenness, prostitution, extortion, arrogance, ignorance, idolatry, and they aren’t sure if they believe in the resurrection.”

You would say, there is no way I’m going to that Church,

For there is no way those people can be real Christians.

And certainly there was the possibility at Corinth.

You can read:

1 Corinthians 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.”

It is obvious that even Paul is a little uncertain

About the entire congregation at Corinth.

This is why he gives such a stern warning to them in chapter 6

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

They were a Church in turmoil,

And they were in desperate need of a housecleaning,

For even those who weren’t personally living in sin,

Were at the very least tolerant of it.

And so it is possible that they had some “fraudulent” Christians there.

But the beauty is that God didn’t just pass them off as hopeless.

FOR LOOK AT HOW PAUL ADDRESSES THEM.

(2) “To the Church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours;”

3 aspects

1) THEIR CLEANLINESS

“to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus”

He talks about this Church as those who are set apart.

He talks about this Church as those who have been washed clean.

2) THEIR CALLING

“saints by calling”

Obviously they were not “saints by action”, but they were “saints by calling”.

Meaning, when God looks at them,

He doesn’t look on them as filthy sinners, but as saints.

3) THEIR COLLEAGUES

“with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:”

Paul associates them with all the faithful Churches out there.

Paul associates this immoral Church right up there

With those faithful believers in Rome, and Thessalonica.

ARE YOU JOKING ME?

Why would Paul open this letter to this Church and identify them in such a positive way?

He is challenging them to quit looking like the world,

To realize who they are, and to look like it.

Lenny told the story in Sunday School of

An eagle pecking in a Chicken yard.

That was most certainly the Church at Corinth.

They had been truly saved by the blood of Jesus.

They were “those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus.”

God had completely changed who they were. They were no longer enemies of God, they were now “saints by calling.”

When God put them in a group, they were not thrown into the group of the godless and immoral, but rather God considered them as those who “call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In God’s eyes, that is who they were,

They just needed to live like it.

TAKE THAT APPLICATION FOR US TONIGHT

We all know who God created us to be.

He washed us clean and set us apart by His blood.

He no longer calls us sinners, we are now called saints.

And we are part of that elite fellowship known as the bride of Christ.

Now it is time that you become who you are.

The warning given to the Corinthians is a good one for us as well.

1 Corinthians 6:17-20 “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Be who you were created to be.

It is encouraging to us that even though the Church at Corinth had flaws, God still looked on them as His bride, and as His children.

The problem was they needed to see themselves in the same light.

We must look upon ourselves as God looks upon us.

· If God says you are set apart, then be set apart.

· If God says you are a saint, then do not sin reign in your body

· If God says you are part of the Church, then quit living like a part of the world.

The Preacher of the Letter The People of the Letter

#2 THE PROMISE OF THE LETTER

1 Corinthians 1:3

And from this we learn what a wonderful God we serve.

As Paul penned this letter, we must remember that it is written

Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

God is literally in Paul’s ear as he dictates this letter.

And notice what Paul says God wants to give them.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now that is not at all what I would expect God to say.

I would expect something like, “Wrath and anger from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

But that is not what God is offering to them.

This letter is not written to punish the Corinthians.

In fact Paul says so:

1 Corinthians 4:14-16 “I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.”

This letter is not written to punish them.

This letter is not written so God can unleash His fury on them.

If God wanted to do that, He would not have written a letter at all.

This letter is written because

God wants the Corinthians to receive grace and peace.

God wants the Corinthians to walk in a life that is blessed by Him,

And that is fulfilling and full of grace and peace.

That is why Paul writes.

He confronts their sin…

He challenges their immorality…

He encourages their obedience…

BECAUSE HE LOVES THEM AND WANTS THEM

TO EXPERIENCE THE FULL BLESSING OF WALKING WITH GOD.

And that is important for us to understand as we begin this letter.

THIS IS A PENETRATING LETTER

YOU WILL PROBABLY BE CONFRONTED AT SOME POINT

You can either get angry at Paul, and reject what he says

As though he is just judgmental and impossible to please…

Or you can see that the purpose of this letter is to show you who you could be in Christ, and to move you toward a life of grace and peace.

Max Lucado once said, “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you there. He wants you to be just like Jesus.”

And so that is our motivation as we start this letter.

We study a Church that was getting it wrong,

In order that we may get it right, and receive the blessing

Of being a Church in the center of God’s will.

1 Corinthians 16:21-24 “The greeting is in my own hand — Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”