1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Whose Are You?

The Call to Unity in the Church of God

1st Corinthians chapter 1 hear the word of the Lord.

Paul.

Called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother Sothcenes to the Church of God that is in Corinth to those sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ both their Lord and.

Ours.

Grace to you in peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I That was given you in Christ Jesus that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the Revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ who will sustain you to the end guiltless and the day of our Lord Jesus Christ God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Appeal to you brothers by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you. But that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by closed people that there is quarreling among you my brothers.

What I mean is that each of you each one of you says I follow Paul or I follow Apollos or I follow Cephas. All right, or I follow Christ. It's Christ divided. Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul.

I Thank God that I baptized none of you except Christmas and Gaius so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. I did baptize also the household of Stephan us beyond that. I do not know whether I baptize anyone else.

For Christ did not send me to baptize. But to preach the gospel and not with words of eloquent wisdom lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. May the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word.

Whose Identity Defines You?

What's your identity? What what defines who you are? Who do you belong to that? That defines you that describes you that you feel proud of that is us when you think of us. We who do you think of maybe as an American and you are you proud of your country you patriotic?

Sense of the greatness of the country kind of wears off on you. It makes you great. Because you're just part of it or privileged. Maybe are you looking forward to this Thursday July 4th? To celebrate our therefore you think you were Greatness.

Oh, you have a good Independence Day. Put out the flag see some fireworks planning on Putting out the flag at our house probably tomorrow, but you may notice. I don't know if anyone notices, but there's not an American flag here.

It's not because I actually I'm one of those has a pretty strong opinion about like football games and baseball basketball. You know, you respect the flag, but we don't have one here and that's because we're not assembling here as Americans but as Christians, I mean what if you're not an American and we had a I saw one thing on on the internet this morning some church having a patriotic service today and.

Well, what if you're not an American would you feel part of that would you feel like this is about us. Or would you feel a foreigner in the house of God even though if you're a Christian? Well, who's are we?

Here.

People love to feel proud of some some kind of corporate identity something. That's us that they belong to that is greater than the whatever anyone else has for nations. It's called Patriotism. Americans are known for their patriotism.

But even in Singapore as small as it is it likes to boast of their per capita wealth their social harmony. Their airport is rated the best in the world. Their port used to be the busiest in the world until it got surpassed by Shanghai.

The movie last year a crazy rich Asians was made in and about Singapore. Chinese that is people from China are of course are proud of their status as the Middle Kingdom. Halfway between the perfection of heaven and the barbarity of the rest of the world.

I think Americans in Chinese Chinese from China have one thing in common. Is that both of them are absolutely sure that they are the greatest nation on the earth? This is it. No, they didn't even think they can't even conceive.

Otherwise. Even in Ethiopia though. They are proud of their heritage. I remember in an outdoor market in Ethiopian a young man was sitting under a tree and he called out to Mary and I as we were shopping there in that market.

Which is call it a market is really just kind of an assembly. Imagine a field few trees and people maybe a few tables. But mostly people just sitting on the ground with their produce spread out. That's the market and but the young man under a tree shouted out to us Ethiopia is rich and I thought well, maybe so but Ethiopians are poor and Downton Addis Ababa there are monuments though to great kings of the path in Ethiopia.

It's one of those few nations of the world. This has lasted thousands of years. You know, it's kind of along with China and Israel. I guess Egypt maybe that's about it, right? Ethiopia is one of those and then has these monuments the great kings of the past they've had there.

They have a history that they're proud of they they're proud of their Olympic athletes their world record runners Olympia marathon runners and all that they celebrate that people love to have an identity to belong to something that is larger than themselves.

That they can feel proud of feel is great greater than anyone else. Even if they individually in our kind of average, you know, I can't run a world record marathon, but we have. Way many people think I may not be the greatest person in the world.

But we are the greatest nation in the world. That's the way many people think even when it comes to religion to our relationship with God many many think it depends on us. They they may think yeah, I may not be the most sanctified Christian in the world.

But I belong to the greatest church the greatest organization. We are the chosen people or we are the true church and so others are not maybe others can join if they do the right Thing but as long as they're not part of us, they're out there.

Foreigners.

To the kingdom of God. After all if there's an us Who are the greatest? Then there's a them Who were outside who are lacking?

Who are foreigners?

That is true. But it all depends whether that's healthy whether that's right. Where you draw the boundary line between us and them on who? defines for you us. It's your nation.

Your.

Whatever your region you're a southerner your race. Who is it? Well in the past year I've dealt personally With both Eastern Orthodox and the so-called in the past couple months the Church of Christ.

Quote. Church of Christ so-called it's a great name. They got for themselves, although they are the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ are very different in most ways. They are remarkably alike in one important way.

They both claim to be the True church found in the New Testament, you know going through acts as we were. They will both say that those churches that Paul was founding like in Corinth where we left off in that chapter 18 Was exactly like them.

That's us. They'll point to in the Bible. You are not like that. We are that's the way they say and and if you want to be right with God You must join them. They are the church. All the others are fakes.

They're breakaways. They're schismatics. Whatever the word they use. Even though the Eastern Orthodox. Eastern Orthodox a little more sophisticated generally that than to put it that way. The Church of Christ are so different in a most and almost every other way dealing with them.

You go over the last couple months. I'm dealing with them. I can lose track of which is which wait. Wait, wait, are you Eastern Orthodox? Are you are you Church of Christ? I'm not because you're talking exactly the same.

Okay, you know we are the church that Jesus founded. Well both assume for you to be right with God. The assumption that they are working with when they talk like that and they put so much confidence in their church.

Is that for you to be right with God you must be in their group. You must be in the right church and their church is the right church. Their faith in is not so much in the Lord. It's in and it's not in what he did.

It's in the rightness of Their church their organization. They think our organization is the true one. And so I'm right as Long as I am in this organization. And they draw the line in at their organization their tradition.

Some would call it they wouldn't they wouldn't use this word, but some would their denomination. What about denominations? Our denominations necessarily divisive. Are they bad? Is it what we were just reading about here?

Are they you know, I'm a Paul Apollos. I'm a Lutheran. I'm a Presbyterian. Is that what it's like and we were still guilty of the same thing a Baptist Methodist Lutheran Episcopal Presbyterian Church of God Pentecostal Plymouth Brethren.

Some some decry them as divided as though we are war with each other. Is that we're condemning each other saying, you know, like this is actually what the Church of Christ people say about the rest of us.

That you're you're all wrong. You're going to hell if you don't repent and come with us someone think well. That's what we're all saying about each other. We've had to say that about Methodist and Lutherans and Presbyterians and they all say that about us.

Is that true? You know, if you don't have dinner every evening with your next-door neighbor, are you divided against them? Is that the way it works does that prove you hate them because you don't meet together every every day.

If we're so divided all these denominations gets each other. Why have we Covenant had special joint services with Methodist with Episcopalians? Last Good Friday, we had an Armenian Baptist pastor sing a song right here.

He did an excellent job. Do wonderful job for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and in? 2017 we even unofficially at least I did kind of unofficially put it in the bulletin calling ourselves Covenant Reformed Lutheran Church.

We sung all Lutheran hymns and we talked about Luther and I personally had myself I've had to have taken the Lord's Supper at Lutheran churches Anglican that's Episcopal churches Presbyterian Pentecostal Plymouth Brethren churches, you know in and I've even served it in Methodist and a Methodist Church.

Now who says that just because we have some different traditions and some different convictions about how to do some secondary things like like baptism. Who says that we're divided against each other?

You know here at first Corinthians Paul appeals to us and tells us there is no there are no divisions. There's only one church one Christ no warring tribes. Oh sure. We can have different traditions. We can have different preferences.

We're gonna have some different practices and why not? Since now you realize there's too many of us and their day they could probably all if they could find a home big enough. They could probably all meet in one home.

Today, there's just too many of us that we can't meet like in the Danville area Castle County. We couldn't be all meet in one place. There's just too many of us. So we're gonna meet separately. So why not have you know, what's wrong with different little convictions and some different practices?

We're not really divided even if we meet separately. We don't have to be we're not against each other. Not at all not if we believe in the same Lord not if we know Whose we are and in this opening section of first Corinthians we see Whose we are we see that in three parts?

Sanctified Together in Christ Jesus

First sanctified. Second sustained and finally sameness. First all true Christians are are sanctified. Even Saucinese seems like a strange name. It's that name ring a bell by the way saucinese. Where have you heard saucinese before?

Well, you heard it two weeks ago. Someone by that name probably probably the same man doesn't seem like it to me. It's a common name and in the fact that Paul mentions him in his letter to Corinth. Someone by that name.

He was was the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth. Remember accent 18. He complained he was an opponent of Paul. He complained about Paul to Galea. It was like the pro-council the the governor there and in the in Corinth in Acts 18.

And he was hoping to have the church persecuted. In other words, he was Saucinese was trying to persecute Paul. Galea the governor wouldn't listen to Saucinese and Galea's entourage beat Saucinese up.

The rest said maybe maybe a good beating was what was good for Saucinese and maybe it was. Maybe that was his turning point in his life. That's an axe 18. He was an enemy of the church enemy of Paul and now he's apparently with Paul here.

He is Paul says is writing to the church of Corinth. Hey me and Saucinese send you greetings. He's converted. Sometime between trying to persecute Paul in Acts 18 and now writing to the church in Corinth.

He mentions Saucinese and in the greeting that that's the from part in verse 1. Because they know him the people in Corinth apparently know who he is because he used to live there. And then in the two part the recipients in verse 2 he mentions that they are they are sanctified that is they are set apart and Called to be Saints that is called to be saying church sanctified people set apart people together with all those.

And here by the way, Paul is he's sneaking in what's going to be his theme into the into the greeting. This is the greeting part, but he's giving them some theology in the greeting. You're called to be set apart people Saints.

Together.

Here they are trying to divide. No, you're called together with all those who in every place Call in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sanctified together and they were dividing up into groups like little Christian tribes.

Paul responds by by telling them that they are sanctified. They are set apart by God, but to be one people one church.

How many churches are there?

Yes, we see all kinds of churches, you know. Danville was maybe it still is Called the city of churches. Because there were more churches per person in in Danville than in any other in the other city in Virginia.

And here we are. And another church in the same area and we all we probably all except for Joe and Ann I guess past several churches on the way.

Here.

We're meeting separately here. Sure, but in an altogether more important way there is only one church and Verse 2 Paul writes to the church that is in Corinth and that means he's writing to every believer every Christian who lives in that city.

There was not a first Baptist Church in Corinth or a reformed out of church or Lutheran Church Corinth or Methodist Church Presbyterian Church and so on all the Christians all that say people in that area were part of the one church and That is still the way God sees us we are part of the one church That happens to live here in Caswell County in Danville notice the one church is in verse 2 sanctified in Christ Jesus that means again set apart all believers are set apart by God set apart from the world.

Set apart for himself for his purposes that God makes his separation. So there are boundaries. There are us's and them's. There are people in and there's people out. God makes a separation and the only separation that matters to God is though is the Saints sanctified ones.

And then the others who are not it's not based on nationality or race or status or morality or culture. But in his sheer grace, he set aside a certain group of people. Peter calls him his holy nation.

They're holy in his eyes and now in their actual lives like some of these people in Corinth. Imagine he starts out calling these people sanctified you think of the problems We're about to see in Corinth, but he calls them sanctified their actual lives.

They will not always be perfectly holy, but they will be growing in that direction. So sanctification or holiness will be one sign of whether you are really part of the true church. The one church is also called to be Saints Together in verse 2.

It's a mark of it. It's a mark of a cult. This says they are the only church the only true church and that everyone outside their church is damned only they are saved. Only their baptism is good. Understand that's a mark of a cult.

You hear people stuck like that Baptist Methodist Presbyterians Lutherans Episcopal they never talk like that. They don't they may think their practices are best. They may think We have advantages. We do some things, right that others get wrong.

But they don't get to say because we're the because of that were the only true ones. They don't we don't say that. It's important to understand the difference. That's why we should be as friendly and as cooperative as we can with other bodies of believers.

When we have the opportunity to join with other churches We can take advantage of that and we have the Covenant has done that several years ago our neighbors right down the road here Providence Baptist Church put on an evangelistic event at the Castle County Civic Center and Even though they did some things that you know We don't really agree with like having an altar call.

We don't think our best are the healthiest we cooperated with them. I think we were probably the most helpful local church with them. Then we we help our people were there at the door handing out their materials as people came in and did other things to help.

Now, I know we could say we could say this would be somebody's people attitude. Well, we're better. We're Reformed we understand the gospel better. We understand better how to organize the church how to worship better.

We sing psalms. You know, we've got to be better. So why bother associating with these other? Be the polite as we can ignorant people who know so much less than we do if they want to be better. They should come to us, right?

Because we are called Here Paul says we are called together with all those who in every place. Even right down the road call in the name of the Lord Jesus. We shouldn't have that kind of arrogant aloof Dismissive attitude we might indeed know that we might know some things.

That others don't. God may have blessed us with insights that other believers would profit by but if we use those truths To separate ourselves from other true believers to feel superior to feel detached.

We're above them. We don't want to associate with those ignorant riffraff still contaminated with the pollution of whatever their traditions are if that's our attitude Then we've let what should be a building block Turn into a stumbling stone.

We've stumbled over our own arrogance. There is only one church called together. Well, we could say okay. I'm called together to all believers everywhere.

So I.

Don't have to tie myself down to one group of believers anywhere. Just maybe float from place to place leave my options open go taste some variety me here there. Maybe stay home and watch the watch quote other believers.

Somewhere else and we're all part of the one true church, right? Why not do that? They're all part just part of their franchises up. Aren't they of the one church? So why commit to just one? I Once met a lady who said she had visited Israel seven times.

It's a lot of money on flights and she appeared interested in spiritual things and so I asked her, you know. Just asking what church do you go to and she said I don't go to church. I am the church. Wow, that's impressive.

I met the church in the flesh and for her she was all she was all that was needed. Certainly not a particular local church. Certainly not being a faithful member of a body. There's other people who might tie me down but You know that she was in in and of herself she thought the church.

But practically we need other Believers, we need a local Assembly to live out what it means to be called Together, it's not just a theology. We say we believe we have to live it out. Are we called together with specific people?

Otherwise, we like that woman who somehow thought she was called alone. You know, it's just Jesus and her. Walked in the garden alone when the dew is fresh on the flowers. Whatever once to only two sets of footprints of the sand just me and Jesus those other people.

I don't care about them. I don't want them coming alone. No need for anyone else particularly people. No need for an annoying preacher.

Oh.

Or meetings that sometimes let's admit it Are a bit are a bit boring. No need for commitment. No need for accountability. No need for. But the church a real assembly. God says we're not called separately.

Think what he's saying. We're called together not called separately not called individualistically. We're not called apart. You know, he doesn't say you're all called individualistically. Come to Jesus.

No, you are called together together. You were called and.

Here you are.

You're the church. You got to live it out by being together with a specific body of people a church. Notice that we're called. Supposedly just kind of glaze over that and you don't really stop and think about it.

We're called. And then he says then we call. Some Christians they imagine that when they were saved, you know, they took the initiative. God wanted them to. God wanted to had wanted them to get saved, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

He was hoping he was kind of bringing in his hands. Well, so and so come along. Well, he or she finally get converted. He was sending messengers their way. Trying to woo you in but he's but the final say was ours, right.

Until we call on him. There's not much he can do about it. And that's the way many people many people view things when they finally called in the name of Jesus. Then they were saved they think but verse 2 says that God called us together.

With all those.

Who call in the name of Jesus those other people who are called to be with us? Why are they also calling on the name of Jesus? Because they. Because we.

Are called we're called and.

So.

We call put it another way to paraphrase a verse from first John. How to put it. We call because he first called us. Notice who or what we call on. We don't call on our morality. We don't call on our religion and color in our status.

The I belong to this nation or this race or this family or these. I have these privileges. We don't call on our group on us. What a call on. I'm a Baptist. I belong to the Church of Christ or whatever our group our our church being supposedly the true church.

We call in the name of the Lord Jesus. That's what we call on. We appeal to as all true believers do notice that Paul emphasizes the Lordship of Jesus here. He is at the end of verse 2 our Lord Jesus.

He is here both their Lord those other people that you are dividing from and shouldn't be their Lord and.

Ours.

That is the Lord of those of us in this church and the Lord of all true believers in every local church all around the world.

The us is.

Believers in Jesus that's our identity. Or the one true churches is sanctified that is it's called. And it is also starting in verse 4.

Sustained by Christ to the End

Sustained.

The Lord Jesus said that he will build his church and It won't be overcome. Not even by my tribalism by false churches saying that they are the one true church. There is one true church, but that doesn't mean one organization that you have to belong to.

It means one body of people. Believers that he sustains he preserves he keeps them his sheep. He's remember Jesus said he's lost sheep from all kinds of truck for all kinds of sheepfolds all over the world.

And he will gather them into one Sheepfold. There's one true church and doesn't mean one true organization. And he does that in verse 5 by enriching us. Because of God's grace the church is made rich.

And so you are made rich in his knowledge and his words and his spiritual gifts and his hope in his relationship with God. It has the richest treasure of all in the world the message of the gospel the testimony about Christ.

Mentioned in verse 6 that when we were dead in our sins When God was rightly angry with us and we deserve nothing Except eternal damnation from him when there was nothing that we could do to help ourselves.

When saying I'm I'm an American or I'm a Chinese or I'm a I belong to that church, but that would do us no good. God sent his son to obey the law for us to carry our guilt and to be raised so that we can have new life.

That's in there in an enriching Message and he's given us spiritual gifts. To help bring that message to others out there. To whom the Lord will call to be with us. Remember it was in Corinth. We saw two weeks ago That the Lord told in a vision Paul stay here in Corinth, even though it's starting to persecute you because I have other people.

Out there. I have other sheep. I have others who will call on my name. Now, you know it at the time. But he was calling them telling them be part of this one true church. Some of you and he had and Paul had spiritual gifts to enable him to be used by God to call Those whom the Lord is calling.

Some of you have gifts that the Lord can use to call Those whom he is calling like a Joe and winsomely share the gospel others can teach others can help with them with the music. Others can just spontaneously take up some practical burdens, you know that we need practical things done sometimes to keep the church going.

It's not us as individuals at verse 7.

Yes.

He says you have every spiritual gift that you need and some people may read this figure in English where there's no Reason we do have in Southern English. We have a y 'all and it should be translated with a y 'all but Here people can read this in English and think you have all spiritual gifts that they go.

That's me. I have all spiritual gifts all by myself. Maybe that lady thinks I am the church. She has it all. No, you're called together to do you. There in verse 7 is plural. You all the church Have every spiritual gift you need.

You have what you need to do. What God has called you to do. You and you. Corporately together you have it. One of you each of you individually doesn't have it. You have each have something though you can add.

Individually any one of us would be lacking many spiritual gifts. That woman who said that she was the church doesn't understand that she needs the gifts Of others to be complete. But called together working together Then we lack.

No.

Spiritual gift. The true church also waits in verse 7 For the Lord Jesus to be revealed. For waiting on that is to physically return talking about the second coming. There are lots of things that we can believe differently about the end times.

Very few of the things that people talk about these days of The end times are really the important things the essential things. They're not essential to our faith often. Our church's statement of faith only obligates us members to believe that the Lord Jesus kind of three things believe the Lord Jesus will return that he will judge and there will be a Resurrection.

And in verse 7 and 8 we see that the true church waits For Jesus to appear he will appear again. As we wait in verse 8 Jesus sustains us. Otherwise, he keeps us. He preserves us. He sustains his true people all the way to the end.

So that those true people those sheep he is gathering out of every sheepfold all around the world so that they will be there. They will be kept they will be protected When he appears when he returns. It's why as our statement of faith puts it the grand mark of a true believer how you know, you're a true believer the grand mark not belonging to the right organization if you're a member in this and this or that church, but a Persevering attachment to Christ.

It's the grand mark. Because our attachment to Christ.

Proves.

That he's attached to us. There were part of his body. That the one true church as we're sustained that is where we're kept. We are waiting for Jesus to appear and right now. We can be spiritually. Jesus can be spiritually revealed to us and that's what happens in salvation.

Light from God is imparted to our soul and you are finally able to see in a spiritual way Christ. What was before. Maybe just a concept something you heard in Sunday school or something VBS whatever from parents.

Suddenly because Christ is revealed to you. Become something real something obvious and you understand the cry. Open the eyes of my heart Lord. I want to see you. That's what we've experienced. That's what's been experienced by those who have been called.

That is why They call in the name of Jesus and having experienced it. You want more of it?

Well.

Jesus will sustain us to the end as it says in verse 8 and he will not let anyone snatch us out of his hand. And we know that when that final judgment comes when we know we would have we We should have I guess been pronounced guilty and damned to an eternity of eternity in hell.

We will instead it says in verse 8 be pronounced.

Guiltless.

The guilt that we have earned in such abundance Will be gone. It will have been attributed to Christ. It will be have been born by him and so removed from us. So when we are judged the judge will look at us and And instead of really looking at us at our record He will see Christ.

So the gavel will slam down. The verdict will ring out Recorded for an eternity.

Guiltless and.

God is fateful verse 9. Verse 9 tells us that we will that he says he's faithful. In other words, he will most certainly do it he will keep his promise to To judge us guiltless and then we will enjoy the fellowship of God's Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

He is. Whose we are. Well, finally starting verse 10 we have a we have sameness started with an s but Often we talk about sameness as though it's not desirable. But here there is some sameness that is desirable if same mind the same Convictions about who Jesus is what he's done.

Whose are we?

We're not a groups.

Not even the reformed Baptist that makes us separate from everyone else that that that's our us and the rest of them. You know, they're them's they're inferiors. No, whose are we? We belong to a church, but ultimately to one true church made up of all believers that we are united with.

We have the same mind. The same judgment we have all alike decided in our same mind. That Jesus is Lord. That God raised him from the dead. We have the same opinion about that. We may have a lot of different opinions about all kinds of other things on our favorite football team or basketball team.

But what our best foods to eat and we like to spend our spare time. What do we like to watch on TV on and on and on? But about that we have the same mind who Jesus is. God raised him from the dead and that that is the most important fact in the universe.

That shared mind about Jesus far more important all the other little quibbles We could debate about that is the one church called together sanctified Enriched and so it is to be one without divisions same mind same decisions about Jesus without parties struggling for dominance without politics or Quarrels without factions seeking to have their own way having their kind of church.

Without tribes on a white church or a black church or a Chinese church. All you which is all about us. No, none of that Paul appeals one church with the same faith same mind about Christ. There's only one church because Paul says in verse 13.

There is only one Christ. And I don't know if anyone would try to argue. There's a variety of Christ. Maybe some people will that there's a different Christ for all kinds of different people. Maybe no one will say that out loud, but practically that's kind of what they assume.

You can have your kind of Christ a lot of mine. Paul says the verse 13 that that is exactly what they have been implying when people create divisions within the church. They are saying I want this kind of Christ.

I want an old-time religion Christ. You know we use the old translation and we sing the old hymns or a generation X Christ, you know with the praise band and the Torn jeans and the untucked shirt or a white Christ or a black Christ or a Chinese Christ.

They want they want a Christ will let them have it their way. It's a lot like them. But Paul asked is Christ divided. If we're Christ Then which Christ do we belong to? Whose are we you belong to the white Christ to the black Christ or the Chinese Christ?

No, there's only one. Whose are we? Same class for all believers. The people who were dividing the body of Christ here according to their taste thought he could be divided thought that they. That those who like Paul they could have their their kind of church first Church of Paul.