Through the Bible - 1 Corinthians

Father, thank you for setting our hearts and our minds upon you as we've spent time in worship, singing, and partaking of your Supper, Lord, which reminds us of your death, burial, and resurrection. I pray that you would center our hearts and minds even more now as we look into your Word, your Word which is able to transform us, your Word which is able to cleanse us and sanctify us. Lord, we, like the church at Corinth, need your cleansing touch. So we pray that you would speak to us tonight, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

One great man of God once said that the one thing the church must never do is to capture the spirit of the age. The job of the church is to correct the spirit of the age. When we look at these two letters to the church at Corinth, we find a church that was, as we will see a little bit more next week, politically correct, non-offensive, and people-pleasing. Sound familiar? This was a church that wanted to avoid offending people. However, in trying to not offend, you are always going to step on somebody's feet. There is no possible way to avoid being offensive, especially when Paul makes it very clear that we have a message that is a stumbling block. It is a rock of offense.

Jesus made it very clear that we are not going to make friends with the message that you and I have in Christ. The message that we have in Christ is one that brings division. Jesus spoke of this in the Gospels, dividing households and family members. You have experienced this as you have been a believer and walked with the Lord. It has caused offense with you and your co-workers, and perhaps within your own families and homes.

There is often a temptation for the church, especially over the last 50 years, to try to be liked by everybody. However, they are just never going to be liked by everyone. Another great man of God once said that the church is either to be a thermometer or a thermostat. Which one are you going to be?

A thermometer is affected by its environment, while a thermostat affects its environment. We are to affect the environment in which we live. The church at Corinth was a church that had many problems. Paul wrote two letters to them, and it seems there was a third letter, a first one before 1 Corinthians, that we do not have. These letters were written to correct the issues within the church. Just as Paul tells Timothy that the Word of God is given for rebuke, reproof, and correction, this book demonstrates that rebuke, reproof, and correction.

Paul wrote to a church that was experiencing problems. They wrote him a letter with some questions, and this book answers some of those questions. The title of this book could be "Carnality and Spirituality," as the first eleven chapters deal with carnality, while the last chapters, from twelve to sixteen, deal with spirituality. This is how we are supposed to live; we are not to walk in carnal wickedness any longer.

Although Paul had been in the city of Corinth for a significant amount of time—believed to be at least eighteen months, and possibly two years—planting and teaching this church, when he left, there was a lot of disarray and many problems. He had to write these letters to rebuke, reprove, and correct them, setting them straight so they would walk in righteousness and holiness. They are to be sanctified, and this ultimately is a work that God does.

One of the theme verses is found in verse nine of chapter one, where we read, "God is faithful." Would you underline that in your Bibles? God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. God is the one who is ultimately faithful, and I think Paul would want us to remember that as we consider what he says in this letter and in this book.

It's a long letter, but we must recognize that ultimately the Lord is the one who is faithful to perfect us, to make us holy, and to make us saints. None of us can make ourselves holy. We've tried, haven't we? I think every Christian goes through a period of legalism where they attempt to perfect themselves. The church at Galatia had that problem, which we will see in a couple of weeks, and this church at Corinth also seemed to have that issue. But they just couldn't do it. You cannot perfect yourself.

Paul told the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter one, verse six, "I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." God is faithful; He is the one who ultimately completes that good work in us. Ultimately, He will be the one to complete that good work.

In the church at Corinth, there are times when God has to send a message to you and me, perhaps through an older brother or sister in the Lord, or maybe through one of these passages in Scripture that convicts us, reproves us, rebukes us, and challenges us to walk in a new direction. The gospel is all about change. Although our God never changes—He repeats that over and over again in the Old Testament—God is immutable. He does not change. However, His message is all about transforming you and me. He does not want us to stay the same.

This church was situated in a society that was very much like our own. In fact, you could call this the first letter of Paul to the Californians, because the church in Corinth, or the city of Corinth, was completely focused on two things: the pursuit of sensuality and the search for knowledge. They were a Greek culture, and the Greeks were very much into wisdom, knowledge, and philosophy. They were the ones who had Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, along with many other great thinkers that we still study in philosophy classes today.

As you read through the book of Acts, you see Paul going to Athens, where he contends with these people at Mars Hill. We will look at that in a moment. Then he goes to Corinth, where the people thought themselves to be something special. They believed they were wise, which is interesting because, in the Greek world at that time, during the first century, the church was beginning to move into that area. This was during Paul's second missionary journey when he planted the church at Corinth.

You may remember that he received the Macedonian call, where a man said to him, "Come help us here in Macedonia." He went to Macedonia, was kicked out of Philippi, and then went to Thessalonica, where he was also kicked out. He then traveled to Athens in Acts chapter 16, contending with the intellectuals at Mars Hill, but he did not find much fruit there. So, he moved on to Berea and then to Corinth.

When he arrived in Corinth, he found a people who thought themselves to be wise. However, it is important to note that over 60 to 80% of the Greeks during that day were illiterate. They lacked understanding and did not know how to read or write. Most of them were slaves in the Roman Empire at that time, and the majority of the people in the Roman Empire were indeed slaves. They did not know how to read, write, or perform any sort of arithmetic, yet they considered themselves wise.

Based on listening to wise guys speak, if they heard a great teacher or a great orator, they felt empowered. They believed they were much smarter because they had heard these things. Paul talks in this passage about how the Greeks seek after wisdom, while the Jews require a sign. The Greeks want knowledge; they want to hear someone speak great things. This is why they were pulled between different speakers.

Paul addresses the dissension that took place in the church at Corinth, where some were saying, "I am of Paul," others, "I am of Apollos," and some, "I am of Cephas," which was Peter. There was even a fourth group that claimed, "We are of Jesus Christ." These different divisions arose because individuals held on to their preferences, saying, "I really like the way this guy teaches," or "I really like the way this guy speaks." Some would argue, "Oh, no, no, no, this guy performed miracles—Peter—so we are going to follow after him."

However, when Paul came to this church, he did not come with great wisdom or knowledge. This does not mean that Paul was not a smart man; many would contend that he was one of the smartest men of his time, a real intellectual genius. You can see his genius come out powerfully in the book of Romans. His speech to the Athenians on Mars Hill in Acts chapter 16 also demonstrates that he was a very intellectual man.

I have a theory about Paul during his second missionary journey. I believe, and this is just my opinion, that when Paul went to Athens, he tried to win souls by coming up to their level intellectually, contending with them, and showing them that he was just as smart as they were. At the end of that oration on Mars Hill, the people said to him, "We will hear you again on this matter." However, not many hearts were changed, and not many people were drawn to the Lord through his wisdom and understanding. All they could see was that he was pretty smart and able to go toe-to-toe with them on Mars Hill, but none of them came to the Lord.

Immediately after that, Paul left Athens and came to Corinth. He told this church, "When I came to you, I did not come with wisdom or knowledge. I came to you as a fool, and all I preached to you was Christ crucified." His message from Athens to Corinth, which was just a very short period of time, completely changed. His approach changed entirely.

I think that Paul, being a Roman citizen from Tarsus and filled with Greek culture, grew up in the midst of that culture. He then went to Jerusalem and was schooled in all the ways of the Hebrews. However, I believe he tried to reach out to the Greeks.

With a Greek mindset, it just completely didn't work. He recognized that all he needed to preach was Christ crucified. I think that's an important thing for you and me as well, because we are living in the same exact society—a Greek civilization, so to speak. Yes, it's 2,000 years later, and we have cell phones, computers, TVs, and the internet, but the mindset hasn't changed a whole lot.

We live in a culture that loves to debate. If you turn on the news channels from about five in the evening until ten at night, all it is is talking heads debating, yelling at each other, trying to one-up each other, and showing how they know more and understand more. You watch our political season, and it's all about debate, trying to go back and forth. This is all rooted in Greek rhetoric. If you read the works of the philosophers who lived about 50 to 200 years before Paul came along, they were all about rhetoric—who could talk better and who could persuade people to their side.

Christians are sometimes tempted to try and persuade people with our excellence of speech, wisdom, and knowledge. But the fact is, it doesn't often win people to Christ, does it? You can have the greatest apologetic argument. You could have the best defense of the faith. You can prove that there is a God by the ontological argument, the teleological argument, and the cosmological argument. Some of you might be wondering what in the world those things are, and praise God that you're thinking that way. Because at the end of the day, it comes down to a step of faith.

You can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a God who came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago, lived a perfect life, healed people, died on a cross, and raised from the dead. But then you come to that point where you have to tell people that they need to place their faith in Him. A lot of people say, "I don't want to do that," because they want to continue to live in their carnal, sensual exploration for truth that appears to be truth but isn't truth. That was the city of Corinth, and it had completely permeated the church.

As I mentioned earlier, the one thing the church must never do is capture the spirit of the age. This is the problem with what we call the emerging church today. Charlie Campbell was here a couple of weeks ago talking about it. The emerging church is trying to capture the spirit of the age in one way, but just the same, the seeker-sensitive movement in America has been doing that for about ten years and continues to do so. They've been trying to capture the spirit of the age, asking how they can be more palatable and more accepted by the world.

Every single time you do that, the church becomes carnal. What you find in Corinth is that the church had become carnal. Paul had to write to this church to shake them up and say, "I have heard things about you that ought not to be." He heard of sexual immorality within the church that was not even happening among heathens. Gentiles don't even do this kind of thing, and yet you are doing it among the church. Not only is it happening within the church, but you are accepting of it. You are patting people on the back and saying, "Look how tolerant we are. Look how accepting we are." Why? Because they were people-pleasing. They were non-offensive and trying to be politically correct.

The church in America today, especially the church in California, is no different than the church in Corinth. The words that Paul speaks to this church are something we should take note of in both 1st and 2nd Corinthians. You really see the people-pleasing nature of this group when, in 2nd Corinthians, Paul has to go back and say, "Okay, now you've done everything I told you last time, but you've pushed it a little bit too far, and now you need to back up a little bit." They wanted to follow Paul's words so perfectly. I believe they were really people-pleasers, as are we oftentimes.

Paul writes to this church to challenge them and to shake them up. He says in verse 17 of chapter 1, "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." I want you to take careful note of that because the church can get bound up in all kinds of formality, programs, and different things. Baptism is a great thing, maybe one of the greatest things, because even Jesus commanded us to do it. However, we can get so bound up in these different avenues and things, taking exits off the way, off the path, and forget that we are here to preach the gospel.

The church can get focused on miracles. The church can get focused on the gifts of the Spirit, as this church did. The church can get focused on causes, social justice, and all these different things. But ultimately, we have been sent to preach the gospel. Remember the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. After He had healed many people in the city of Capernaum, the people came en masse. They wanted Him to touch them, heal them, and cast out demons. He departed to a solitary place and was praying. His disciples came to Him and said, "Man, this is the time to start a movement." He replied, "Let's go on to other cities because I have come to do what? To preach the gospel."

So Paul says, "I didn't come to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness."

This world, especially our nation, looks at the message that we bring as complete, utter, and total foolishness. They are trying to distance themselves from that message. Even though our political candidates, both of them say that they are Christians, they want to distance themselves from what biblical Christianity truly is. To those who are perishing, and most of the people in the world tonight are perishing, they look at it and say that it is utter and total foolishness. That is exactly what Paul told us it would be. It is also what Jesus showed us it would be. The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God.

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? God has made foolish the wisdom of this world. This world is filled with a lot of knowledge, a lot of ideas, and many things that are posed as wisdom. The whole idea of philosophy is the love of wisdom. People are seeking it, but if it doesn't start with God, they will never find true wisdom.

Go back to the Proverbs. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of knowledge, and the beginning of understanding. It is interesting that several hundred years ago, when the great learning institutions in America were established—Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—every single one of them was founded on the Bible completely. They were started by preachers and pastors during the Great Awakenings in America, and their whole focus was the Word of God, prayer, and living a righteous life in Jesus Christ.

In fact, the founders of Princeton University stated that if any knowledge is taught contrary to the cross of Christ, it is not worth learning. It is not worth our time. This is Princeton, Yale, and Harvard—the great institutions of our nation were founded upon that. However, in 1962 and 1963, the Supreme Court removed prayer and the Bible from schools. It is amazing to look at the statistics of learning in America after that point. Did you know that prior to 1962, America led the world for decades as the nation with the lowest illiteracy rate? After 1963, there was a sharp drop to 68th place.

We have never been above 68th since then. I wonder why that is. Perhaps it's that God's word is true and every man is a liar. We removed prayer and the Bible from schools, and there was a sharp drop from that point. Also, after 1963, teenage pregnancy rose by 700%. Why is that? Nobody could figure it out. I'll tell you why: they removed the Bible from schools, and men forgot what morality was. They forgot who God was, and they started to be taught that there is no God.

Did you know that after 1963, violent crime increased by 694% in America? Why is that? The word of God was removed because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. As soon as you remove that from a society, the society loses understanding. It has no knowledge any longer, and that's what we've seen in our nation.

SAT scores began to be tested with the SAT standardized test, a national standardized test, in 1926. In 1964, for some reason, the SAT scores dramatically dropped. Why is that? Is it just a coincidence that in that same time period, the Supreme Court removed prayer and the Bible from schools? Ever since then, America has become one of the dumbest nations in the world. Now we teach people things that have nothing to do with knowledge, nothing to do with understanding, and we are slipping and sliding. You can see that our nation is turning, and the church is turning as well.

Abraham Lincoln said while he was president that what is taught in the schoolhouse in one generation will be the way that the nation is governed in the next. We have seen that, and we are seeing it even more in our nation today. The church at Corinth was a church that allowed the world to come into the church and accepted it because they felt that they were tolerant and loved everybody. As a result, they themselves became leavened. As Paul tells this church, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. It permeates everything.

Because of our desire to be accepting and to be accepted, we allow things into the church that ought not to be, and neither should they ever be named among us, as Paul tells the church at Ephesus. We are to follow what the Scriptures say. We are to follow those who follow the Scriptures, as Paul tells the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 3. Note those who so walk and make yourself a pattern after them. Follow them. But we have drifted away from those sorts of things. Paul was seeking to right this church's wrong focus, and we need to correct our wrong focus.

In America, we need to look back to the Word of God with the understanding that ultimately it is God who is faithful. He is the one who perfects us and transforms us.

The first more than half of this book, the first eleven chapters, deal with Paul speaking against the carnality of the people. Remember, the themes of this book, or the title of this book, can be summarized as carnality and spirituality. The first eleven chapters show the carnality of these people. They had drifted; they had misunderstood the gospel message, the messenger who brought it, and Paul's ministry. They had allowed fornicators to come into the church and were accepting of them. They had not separated themselves from immorality.

They were all mixed up in how they ought to live in their community, particularly regarding the issue of meat sacrificed to idols. They did not recognize that they were the temple of the Holy Spirit. They wanted Paul to send them a list of do's and don'ts. If they lived a certain way, then they would be righteous. The church is always looking for a list of do's and don'ts because it is just a lot easier. If someone gives a few things to do, then they can follow those and feel righteous in their own eyes. However, comparing oneself to oneself is not wise.

Paul completely clears that away and states that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we grasp that, when we understand that, our whole focus begins to change. If we are a holy thing in God's eyes, then we will not want to drift toward things that are not expedient, as Paul said.

We have been given great liberty in Christ, as Paul revealed and exposed in the book of Romans. However, how do we not use that liberty as a license to sin? The only way we can use and possess that liberty in a way that is right before God is when we recognize that we are a holy thing in His eyes. We do not want to do anything that might trip us up or hold us back. That is why we read in Hebrews chapter 12, "Let us lay aside every weight and sin that does so easily ensnare us."

There are things in this world that might be areas of liberty for you and me. Sure, we might think we can do certain things because the Bible does not specifically say we cannot. We might feel we can go here, do this, or say that because the Bible does not outline that it is wrong. We have liberty in Christ; we have been freed from the law. However, when we recognize that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, our perspective shifts.

God has made you a sanctified and separate thing. All of a sudden, I don't want to do those things that hold me back or trip me up. That's exactly what Paul was seeking to emphasize with this church: you don't want to do things that will hold you back or trip you up. He spends eleven chapters dealing with all the things that they had been bound up with and tripped up by, whether it was marriage, divorce, remaining single, eating meat sacrificed to idols, or wearing head coverings.

As we look at these things that Paul addresses, we see that he was speaking directly to the culture of the day. When he talks about women needing to wear head coverings, we might think that perhaps women in the church in 2008 should wear head coverings too, but we don't understand the culture. In Corinth, they worshipped their main deity, Aphrodite, who was associated with sensuality and sex. There was a great temple to Aphrodite in the middle of Corinth, and every single night at sundown, two thousand temple prostitutes would come down from the mountain and sell themselves in the city. They worshipped Aphrodite through sexually immoral practices, and the temple prostitutes were known for letting their hair down and not wearing head coverings.

Paul instructed women to wear head coverings when they went to church, not because he wanted everyone in the church to wear them, but because they were to practice this as a way to be set apart. They were not to be seen like the rest of the people in Corinth. While we don't have that practice in our church today, the principle still applies. We recognize that there are things in our nation today that the world does, and we are to be separate from them because they can trip us up.

It's not expedient in our walk towards heaven. We might say, "Hey, you know what? It's like the head coverings from two thousand years ago. I'm going to wear this head covering, or I'm not going to watch this, or I'm not going to set this before my eyes, and I'm not going to go here." Not because I can't, but because if I do, it will trip me up, be a bad witness, and tear others down.

You need to recognize that people are watching you every single day. They want to see what a Christian is and how they really live. For a long time, those who don't know God in America have said that the church is full of hypocrites, and they've been absolutely right. Why? Because we have not lived in such a way that exalts the Lord Jesus and His Word.

The world often looks at us and says, "Yeah, it's just full of a bunch of hypocrites." The second half of this book deals with spirituality, where Paul begins to speak to these people about gifts. The first thing he focuses on is the gifts of the Spirit and how we are to live in a righteous way that glorifies God. If we are going to glorify God, it has to be completely done by relying upon His Spirit in our lives.

Paul spends three chapters—12, 13, and 14—really focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The church at Corinth had gotten focused on one gift primarily, and for some reason, the church in America still is focused in a lot of ways on this one gift: the gift of tongues. This focus hangs up a lot of people. However, Paul points out something so important for us in 1 Corinthians chapter 12: the gift of tongues is for personal edification. It is not to be exalted in front of everybody else so that they can see it and say, "Oh wow, look how spiritual you are."

In one sense, it's like circumcision; it's not something you show off. It was something that separated the Jews unto God, but it wasn't something they wore on the outside. The gift of tongues is for personal edification; it is a time primarily used between you and God. Ultimately, in chapter 14, Paul exalts not the gift of tongues but the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is not so much forth-telling or foretelling what is going to happen; it is forth-telling the Word of God. It involves using the Word of God in a right way to bring exhortation, encouragement, rebuke, reproof, and correction to those who need it.

There are many people in the church today who may say, "Well, I speak in tongues, so I'm really spiritual," but they do not know how to use the Word of God properly in their own lives or in the lives of others. In this, they are carnal, as Paul would say. They have just an external show of religion and not an internal righteousness towards God.

Paul speaks much about gifts in chapters 12, 13, and 14. Chapter 13, most specifically, begins with his declaration, "I show you a more excellent way" at the end of chapter 12. In chapter 13, he speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, which is love. He states, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I have become as a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing."

And though I bestow all of my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, if I have not love, it profits me nothing. Now, I want you to notice that in chapter 12, Paul lists a whole bunch of the gifts of the Spirit. Then, at the beginning of chapter 13, in the first three verses, he says you can have all of these great gifts, but if you don't have love, you're nothing before God.

So what if you can speak in tongues? So what if you can prophesy? So what if you can cast out demons? Jesus is going to say on the day of Christ to many of those who say, "I prophesied, I cast out demons, I did wonderful works," He'll say, "Depart from me, I never knew you." You see, the identifying mark, the identifying trait of a son or daughter of God, is love. The fruit of the Spirit is love. You can have all these things, all these good works in your life, and not have love, and you're nothing.

Then, Paul begins to speak about what love looks like. This kind of love that is spoken of uses the word "agape" in Greek. Love suffers long; in this kind, it envies not. It does not boast itself; it is not puffed up. It's interesting because the words "puffed up" are used nine times in this little letter. This church was filled with pride; they were puffed up. So now Paul says, "Well, that's not a fruit of the Spirit because love is not puffed up."

Love does not behave itself rudely; it does not seek its own; it is not easily provoked, and it thinks no evil. It rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they shall fail; whether there are tongues, they shall cease; whether there is knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known. And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. The mark of maturity in the Christian is faith, hope, and love. We're going to examine that more fully when we get into the book of Hebrews.

A sign of maturity in the son or daughter of God is that they are filled with faith, hope, and love. You might want to jot that down in your notes, and we'll look at that a little bit more later on.

Paul moves from carnality in chapters 1 through 11 to spirituality in chapters 12 through 16. He begins with the fruit of the Spirit, moves into love, and then in chapter 15, he speaks about the resurrection. The church, over the last several years, has done a very good job of exalting and focusing on the death and burial of Christ. However, if Christ be not raised from the dead, we are told in this chapter that we are of all men most miserable. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith; it is the focus of our faith as believers, both New Testament and Old.

We've talked about this before on Saturday nights. When you think about those in Hebrews chapter 11, the Old Testament saints, their faith was focused on the resurrection. We are told in Hebrews chapter 11 that Abraham believed in the resurrection. He believed that if he sacrificed Isaac, God would even raise him from the dead. We know that David believed in the resurrection as well. In 2 Samuel chapter 12, when one of his sons died, he told his servants, "The child will not return to me, but I will go to the child." They had faith in the coming resurrection, and we look back to the fulfilled resurrection. Jesus made very clear what the resurrection is all about when he said to Mary and Martha in John chapter 11, "I am the resurrection and the life."

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul says, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved." Underline that in verse 2: you are saved by what? By the gospel, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. That's an interesting thought. There are those who believe in vain.

Paul continues, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen of Cephas, or Peter, and then of the twelve. After that, he was seen of above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present."

But some have died; some have fallen asleep. Notice what he is saying here in verses 2, 3, and 4. I delivered unto you first of all, in verse 3, that I did not spare any time when I came to you about fluffy things. I focused on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the gospel of Christ. That needs to be what we focus on as well in our evangelism or in our conversations with other people.

Sure, we can answer all kinds of questions about evolution. We can debate with people about whether or not Jesus is God or a god. But ultimately, what we have to come down to is: Did Jesus die and raise from the dead? Because if Jesus raised from the dead as he said he would, then it proves that he is the very Son of God. You better listen to what he said and not what the Mormons say about him, not what the Jehovah's Witnesses say about him, and not what the Muslims say about him. A lot of people have a lot of things to say about Jesus Christ, but ultimately, if he raised from the dead, what did he say about himself?

His resurrection is the proof that everything he said is true. That is a scary thought for a lot of people. It's a blessing to you and me, but it is a sure big scary thought to many others. People think that Jesus is a nice guy; they think he is a good teacher. They think he was a good healer and that he had a lot of good things to say. Some people say he is my homeboy. Who knows? There are a lot of different ideas about who Jesus is.

What did he say about himself? Jesus raised from the dead, as Paul says here. I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins just as the Old Testament prophets foretold, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. He was seen by a multitude of people. You see, they saw Jesus raised from the dead; they saw him physically. He ate in their presence, he spoke with them, and they watched him ascend up into heaven. He was seen of above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present day. They were eyewitnesses.

After that, he was seen of James and then of all the apostles. At last, he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time. When did Paul see Jesus? It was on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9. He was blinded by him when he saw him, but he still saw him. For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. I believe this was a great area of guilt in Paul's life.

As he continued, he saw himself as a persecutor of the church. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace was not bestowed upon me in vain. I labored more abundantly than they all, and that's the way we should react to the grace of God as well. The grace of God should have a transforming impact in our lives. When we recognize what God has done for us through His death, burial, and resurrection, we realize that even though we may not have been persecutors of the church or murderers in times past, as Paul was, we still have a past that is contrary to the gospel of Christ.

When we see how good He is and what He has done for us, it should cause us to want to labor more abundantly than they all. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so you believe.

Now, if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is not a resurrection of the dead? The Greeks didn't believe in a resurrection; they didn't have this whole idea of the resurrection. It wasn't something they were really into. But Paul says, if it is preached that Christ raised from the dead, how is it that there are some among you who say that there is no resurrection from the dead?

If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. If Christ be not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain also. Did you realize that if Jesus did not raise from the dead, then everything we do here on a Wednesday night, Saturday night, or Sunday morning, and what you do in the name of Christ in your community, is for nothing? It is for naught if Christ be not raised from the dead.

Now, that's a scary thing. The emergent church, in fact, Rob Bell, one of the key figures in the emergent church, has said in some of his writings that if Jesus didn't really raise from the dead, it's really not that big a deal to the church because what He had to say still has impact. No, it doesn't; it has no impact whatsoever if Jesus didn't raise from the dead.

You have to understand that he is looking at it from a completely social justice standpoint, believing that Jesus came to bring peace, harmony, and goodwill towards men, and that's all it's about. But if Christ be not raised from the dead, Paul will show us that we are still dead in our sins. Yes, we are found to be false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

For if the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised. If Christ be not raised, your faith is empty; it is in vain, and you are yet in your sins.

Those who have fallen asleep or those who have died in Christ have perished; there is no hope of eternal life if Christ be not raised from the dead. If in this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. If all we have is hope in Christ in this life, then we are indeed the most miserable, because our focus is not on this life but on the eternal. Our whole focus should be on heavenly things, not on this world. If that is our focus and Christ be not raised from the dead, then what a miserable existence that would be.

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that have slept. It is interesting because if you look at the feasts of the Lord, as Leviticus chapter 23 shows, we see that Jesus died on Passover, was in the tomb on the feast of unleavened bread, and rose from the dead on the feast of first fruits. He is the first fruits from the dead of those who have slept.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. Remember, just as Paul said in the book of Romans, through one man sin entered the world and death through sin. That man was Adam in Genesis chapter 3. But through another man, the second Adam, Jesus Christ, comes life and the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Now, circle in that verse, in verse 22, "in Christ." There are some who are teaching what is called universal salvation, particularly within the emergent church. They believe that because Jesus died on the cross, everybody is going to heaven; that His death on the cross was enough to sanctify the whole world. This is true in that His blood is sufficient for all mankind's sins, which the Calvinists do not believe. They adhere to the concept of limited atonement, asserting that Jesus' death on the cross is only sufficient for those who are elect.

However, Jesus' death on the cross is indeed the sufficient payment for all sin. For as in Adam all die, every human being born since the time Adam was created has been born in Adam. So, as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. The only way that you can be given life is to be in Christ by faith. We will talk about that more when we get to Ephesians.

But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.

Then comes the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father. When He shall have put down all rule, all authority, and power, for He must reign till He hath put all His enemies under His feet, as we see in Psalm 110. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death, and we are looking forward to the day when the last enemy, death, shall be destroyed.

For you and I, as believers, as Paul goes on to say, death no longer has a sting because Christ died for us. When we die, this fleshly tent will go away, and many of us are probably very happy about that. The older we get, the more we are happy about that. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Paul continues to speak much about the resurrection. He goes on to discuss this future resurrection when, in a twinkling of an eye, this corruption shall put on incorruption, and this mortality shall put on immortality.

Several years ago, Pastor Chuck sent out a book on grieving, which is generally given to people who are going through difficult times. He quoted this passage in 1 Corinthians 15, stating that mortality will put on immortality. However, there was an accidental typo that said mortality will put on immorality, which is not a good thing. It was funny because Matt Dotson was the one who found it here at the church. We called the Word for Today, and they said, "Oh yeah, we should probably correct that."

But you know what? It brings up a good point. You and I, in Christ, as mortals, should never put on immorality. We should put on Christ and be renewed in the spirit of our minds, putting on the whole armor of God.

In verse 54, it says, "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God! Look at this verse 57: "Thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." His victory has been bestowed upon us by faith. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

And you know, 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

In verse 9, we read that God is faithful, by whom you are called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 58, these are the two real theme verses, the key verses of this book: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast." Stand strong, as you would tell the church at Ephesus in Ephesians chapter 6. Be steadfast, immovable.

The only way that we can be steadfast and immovable is if we are built upon the foundation that is Jesus Christ. Paul told this church in 1 Corinthians that there is no other foundation that can be laid. So, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. How do we abound in the work of the Lord? We must be filled with the Spirit, exercising the gifts that He has given to us, and overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit. Always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain. Because Christ has been raised from the dead, He is risen indeed. Therefore, all the work that we do in the name of Christ is not in vain; it is not for nothing. There is a purpose, there is a reason, and there is a reward. Amen.

He finishes up chapter 16 by speaking of his desire to come and visit the church in Corinth once again. It is believed that Paul wrote this letter during his third missionary journey as he was preparing to go to Jerusalem. He had put out a word that there needed to be funds sent from the churches in Europe to the church in Jerusalem because they were going through a very difficult time, facing persecution and famine. Paul was taking up a collection.

In the first part of chapter 16, he speaks about how that collection was to be taken. It gives us great insight into how we are to collect tithes, offerings, and love gifts unto the Lord. In verse 2, he instructs, "Upon the first day of the week," which is our Sunday, "let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." This was something that they were to be determined about doing regularly. He says, "I'm going to come and receive these things from you."

I want to point out one last thing as we finish up here in chapter 16. In verse 7, he says, "For I will not see you now by the way, but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit." Paul was one who had plans and desires; he had things that he wanted to do, but it was always submitted to the Lord.

Into the hand of the Lord, he said, "Whatever the Lord wills, this is what I want to do." But what the Lord wills presents a problem with modern-day Christians. A lot of times, they just say, "I want to do whatever the Lord wants me to do," but they never have a plan. Paul always had a plan, but he submitted that plan to the Lord. If the Lord wanted to redirect it, he would let Him.

There are other Christians today who have a plan and are sticking to it no matter what happens—hell or high water. They generally get into a lot of trouble. There are two big problems that happen in the modern-day church. One is that some people say, "We're just going to wait on the Lord," expecting Him to come and tell them exactly what He wants them to do. Sometimes the Lord does do that, but a lot of times, God begins with a desire that He puts on our hearts. He wants us to begin to make a plan and move in a direction, pick a target, aim at it, and shoot. We need to move in that direction, and He can begin to move us. A man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.

The flip side of the problem in the modern-day church is that some people have a plan and are sticking to it no matter what, with nothing stopping them. They often end up in a lot of trouble. Paul says, "I’m going to come to you if the Lord permits. I have a plan, but the Lord may have another plan. I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost."

Paul wrote this letter from the city of Ephesus, which was another church that he spent a lot of time with and ultimately had a lot of problems too. It's kind of funny that the two places where Paul spent the most time had the most trouble. It's also interesting to note that the two churches where Paul spent the least amount of time—Philippi and Thessalonica—were the most fruitful. That's an interesting thought to consider another time.

Paul states, "I’m going to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost." Why? Because, in verse 9, he says, "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." A couple of things I want to note from verse 9: What makes a door effective? He says a great and effective door has been opened unto him. A door only becomes effective when you go through it.

A lot of times, we see open doors all around us and think, "Wow, that's a neat open door," but we just sit there and never go through it. How will you know if it's a great and effectual door unless you walk through it? It doesn't become effective until you use it.

A great and effectual door has been opened unto me. However, the second thing you need to note when you begin to walk through that door is that you shouldn't expect it to always be easy. The scripture says, "A great and effectual door has been opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." There are many obstacles and roadblocks.

I have met so many believers who said, "I saw this great and effective door going into children's ministry, but when I started to walk through it, it just seemed like there were so many obstacles. It was so difficult. I had problems at home, problems with this, problems at work." They often conclude, "I just don't think I should go through it." No, listen. The enemy is trying to stop you from going through the effective door the Lord opened before you.

Adversaries in front of the door, oftentimes—not always, but oftentimes—are an indication that the Lord wants you to move in that direction. There are other times when the Lord makes it very clear and closes the door, but we must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in this matter. A great and effective door has been opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

Now, if Timothy comes, see that he may abide with you without fear, for he works the work of the Lord as I also do. He finishes up by speaking about some of the other believers that were with him, greeting them and offering words of exhortation and encouragement.

In verses seven and nine, we need to have a plan and begin to move forward with it, allowing the Lord to direct our steps. When you see open doors, go through them. If the Lord opens a door, go through it. If He doesn't want you to go, He will close the door. He always works that way.

We have open doors to go to China, and the door has been opened for our church. Josh wanted to go through that open door this year, but the Lord just closed it for him. That's no big deal; it happens.

As I mentioned a few minutes ago, a lot of times God starts by moving in us first with a desire. What do you want to do? I have talked with many Christians, especially at the Bible College where I have had the opportunity to teach for the last four years. I meet a lot of students who are 18 to 25 years old, and they want to serve the Lord. That's why they are at Bible College; they want to be equipped and ready to serve God.

About three weeks ago, I made a comment to my class that God's will is not hard. I had three students come up to me afterward and say, "I disagree with you about that. I'm having a hard time with God's will. I don't know what God's will is." I asked them, "Oh yeah? What do you want to do?"

This one girl that I was talking to goes to Maranatha. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said, "Well, I'd really like to be a physical therapist." I responded, "What are you doing at the Bible College? You're not going to learn physical therapy at the Bible College." She looked at me like I was the Antichrist, as if to say, "How dare you even question me?"

I continued, "Seriously, I mean, you love the Lord, you're following the Lord, and you have this desire to be a physical therapist. Don't you think God needs Christian physical therapists?" I told her that I thought she was in the wrong place. She was discouraged because she felt like she was in the wrong place, but how dare she question that? After all, she was at Bible College, and that's the most spiritual thing anybody could do, right?

God has always moved me first with a desire and then an opportunity. It starts as a desire and then an open door. When I moved to Germany, it was a desire and then an open door. When I took over this church, it was a desire and then an open door. You don't push your desire and try to make it happen; you have a desire and you submit it to the Lord. You say, "Lord, this is what I desire to do." Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

God moves us first by desire. It's God who works in you both to will—that's a desire—and to do His good pleasure. We have a plan, we submit it to the Lord, and we begin to move forward in that plan. He may stop it, He may direct it, or He may permit it to go in another direction. But if you're not moving anywhere, if you're not doing anything, if you're just sitting stagnant here at the church, you're going to stagnate. You've got to be abounding in the work of the Lord, not just abounding in the word of the Lord, but abounding in the work of the Lord.

There are lots of open doors for you here at Calvary Chapel. One of the key open doors is our children's ministry. I know that we talk about that all the time, but let me tell you, the door is always open, and it's a wide and effectual door. Yes, there are many adversaries. We have the youth ministry, the men's ministry, and the women's ministry. We need guys to walk in the parking lot, and we need people to help us as ushers and greeters.

The pastors are praying that in the spring of next year, we're going to start a third service on Sunday morning. We need a lot of people for children's ministry then, so maybe that's you. A great and effectual door has been opened. Yes, there are adversaries, but pick a target and shoot, and see what the Lord does. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. I have to stand on my hobby horse from time to time. Father God, we do thank You for Your word, and Lord, we...

We live in a culture that is just like the Corinthian culture. In fact, the term "Corinthian" is used to describe someone who is carnal, an Epicurean person who lives it up and goes after all the things of this world. They seek after knowledge, understanding, and sensuality.

But, Lord, we know that apart from You, there is no knowledge and no wisdom, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So, Lord, I pray that You would help us to set our hearts to fear You and to follow You. Help us to go where You call us to go and to allow You to direct our paths.

Lord, show us the open doors that are in front of us and give us the faith to step out and walk through them, even though there may be adversaries, obstacles, and difficulties along the way. Help us never to back down or stop. We ask this in Your mighty and precious name. Amen. Thank You.