Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Welcome to the house of Paul the apostle, who has been living in Ephesus for about 2 years now. Oh, my such amazing things have happened recently, which we’ve been looking at closely, as recorded for us by Dr. Luke in Acts 19. Most impressive of all was the huge bonfire we witnessed, (Acts 19:19) when many new Ephesus Christians brought, out of their homes, books of sorcery and occult practices and threw them on the burn pile! It was a defining moment for this great city.
Meanwhile a delegation has come from the great Greek city of Corinth, looking for Paul. As they met with Paul, sadly, they brought discouraging news of what had been happening with the Christians in Corinth. So yesterday we watched as Paul started dictating a letter back to his friends in Corinth. Timothy is scribing on the parchments as Paul dictates, and standing over there is Mr. Sosthenes, whom we met yesterday, who is one of the delegation from Corinth.
Paul has just begun with his customary greeting: “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes. To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be His holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:1-3) I wonder if Sosthenes smiled and nodded his head in agreement as he listened to Paul and watched Timothy writing the words on the parchment?
Paul not only made it clear WHO was writing this letter, and who was an EYEWITNESS, Mr. Sosthenes, but to WHOM Paul was writing: “…the ‘ekklesia’, church of God, in Corinth…” Paul could have stopped right there, but did you notice, my friends, the carefully selected words Paul chose to describe and celebrate this group of Christians in the great, Greek city of Corinth? “…those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be His holy people…” There it is, right up front. Paul had heard some very troubling things about how the Christians in Corinth had been drifting back into their former evil lifestyles in Corinth. Corinth was a great city in many ways, but it was also a very, very dark city, much like Ephesus, with the darkness of the evil kingdom of Satan plainly evidenced all around the city, in so many ways.
Do you see Paul focusing on the work of Jesus in ‘sanctifying’ those people He saves from their sin bondage, but also calling His people to make every effort to live HOLY lives!? “Sanctified” means set apart for God’s glory and God’s use. Clearly Paul is reminding these Corinthians Christians that the very first thing God did, in their process of their salvation, was deliver them, rescue them, from their sin slavery, breaking the shackles of their sin, and setting them free to live holy, God honoring lives! Do you see Paul’s use of the phrase “called to be His holy people.”? Paul is reminding them that living a holy life is a daily, hourly, moment by moment CHOICE, which requires a determination to NOT yield to the temptations of the dark kingdom all around them in Corinth! Have you discovered that reality in your life?
Now, pause just a moment and reflect on that. Has God called you and me to live holy lives? Has God broken the sin shackles on us, set us free from our sin bondage and given us His Holy Spirit to help us live holy lives? Then what effort are we investing every day toward living the holy lives God has called us to?
Because you see the next line Paul spoke tells me that while this letter was written initially to the Christians in Corinth, the Holy Spirit intends this message for you and me today, almost 2000 years later, no matter where we are around the world! Paul dictates: “together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – their Lord and ours.” (1 Cor. 1:2) Now that’s very inclusive isn’t it my friends? That phrase includes EVERY person, everywhere in the world, in every generation who has trusted Jesus Christ to save them from their sin bondage and sin condemnation! I know that includes me… does it include you?
Next Paul pours out his great love on these people through his famous next phrase, which is repeated in so many of his letters: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:3) I think few things overwhelmed Paul more than the GRACE of God. Paul, you may recall, had strongly, violently opposed Jesus, His Gospel and His followers even to the point of leading a terrible persecution against them in Jerusalem, including overseeing the stoning execution of Stephen; hauling people out of their homes to be arrested; and even heading for Damascus, Syria to do the same. I imagine those memories haunted Paul. As Paul considered God’s grace, God’s kindness, God’s love for Paul it is not difficult for me to imagine Paul simply being overwhelmed, maybe to the point of tears as he considered God’s grace, lavished on Paul. (Eph. 1:6-8)
I can see why Paul would be moved to write the next phrase to these Corinthian Christians: “I always thank my God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in Him you have been enriched in every way – with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge – God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” (1 Cor. 1:4-7) Do you find it very encouraging when someone tells you they’ve been praying for you? Do you also find your heart filled with joy when someone reminds you of all God’s goodness and blessings that God has poured out on you?
If you’re like most people, the daily drudgery of life, the burdens and challenges of life, the problems and conflicts of life can steal our joy, and rob our hearts of peace, and draw us into a place of anxiety, worry, fear, anger, frustration, or bitterness. Paul wanted to begin this letter with words of encouragement and I imagine as Sosthenes listened to Paul dictate these words he nodded with relief and gratitude, knowing how his friends back in Corinth would be so encouraged when this letter would reach them.
It seems Paul wanted to remind them of how the Holy Spirit of God has taught them God’s truth, blessed them with God’s Presence and anointed them with God’s spiritual gifts, can you see that in Paul’s words? Do you also see Paul calling them to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ promised to return, and it may yet be in their lifetime? You’ll remember Paul had recently written to the Thessalonian Christians about that (1 Thess. 4:13-18) and while we don’t know if the Christians in Corinth had received a copy of either of those two letters Paul wrote to Thessalonica, certainly Paul wanted to encourage them to remember Jesus was coming again.
Finally today, let’s look at one more sentence Paul wrote and I hope it brings you as much encouragement as I am confident it brought to them: “He [Jesus Christ] will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:8,9) Oh my, do you hear words of promise that God will strengthen and support and be with His people especially in times of great difficulty? Do you hear the assurance that God will be faithful to accomplish, in and for and through His people, all He has promised and intended as part of His great purposes for each city where God has His people? Now ponder that my friends as you consider the challenges you are facing in your city? What difference does it make when you receive these words of Paul and you apply them to your situation? And here’s a song to help us do that…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Cor. 1:4-9
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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