Lesson 12: Will I Live Again? (1st Corinthians 15)

This lesson will conclude the series of lessons from 1st Corinthians.  We'll reflect some on the lessons we've (hopefully) learned on our journey through this book. 


But, we'll direct much of our attention to the reality of the hope that awaits us because of the reality of the resurrection of Christ from the dead.  This is the lynchpin of the Christian faith.  As Paul says, if Christ has not been raised, our faith is worthless and we, of all men, are to be most pitied.


The good news for us is that Christ has risen and our faith is not in vain.  Pity those who have not yet come to accept the reality of this fact.


Christ's resurrection assures our resurrection.  This gives us ultimate hope and assurance in our future glory.  As a result, we should live lives that reflect this hope, lives that anticipate the day when death will become the gateway to our glorious future.


"Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory?  O Death, where is your sting?  ...thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

1st Post of the New Year

The holiday sabbatical is over and the daily routines of life are again in full swing.  This is always the time of year when the "resolve" to begin, change or modify certain behaviors is at its highest level of intensity.  Christians, among all people, should be people of resolve.  The specifics of our individual resolves are as varied as we are.  But, the goal we are resolved to achieve, the target we are aiming for should be the same.  The end of our pursuit is conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.  We will only achieve that goal perfectly when we are glorified, but, as image bearers, we understand that our effort and the supernatural transforming power of the Holy Spirit sanctify us even in this life so that we will resemble our Savior.

History is full of stories of Christians with resolve.  We all can benefit by reading the 70 Resolutions of Jonathon Edwards and  learning from the depth of introspection he applied to his own thought life and patterns of behavior.

The Book of Daniel provides another good example of how closely Christian character and personal resolve are linked.  Daniel 1:8 provides the summary of Daniel's reaction to the order by King Nebuchadnezzar that he and his colleagues eat the king's food and drink the king's wine as part of their indoctrination into the Babylonian culture: "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." (ESV).  A seemingly small issue, food and drink.  And yet, like Daniel, it is our resolve to navigate without compromise the small details and challenges in our secular culture that make all of the difference in the pursuit of our ultimate goal.

J.C. Ryle, a great evangelical bishop of England, wrote a study on holiness, using Hebrews 12:14 as his text, "Strive...for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.".  I commend this sermon to your reading.  More than that, I challenge you to join me in 2010 to resolve to strive for holiness, understanding that holiness is a sign of true saving faith, without which we remain dead in our sins with no hope of seeing the Lord.

Here are the links both Edwards Resolutions and Ryle's study:

The Resolutions of Jonathon Edwards    http://bit.ly/Edwards_Resolutions
A Study By J.C.Ryle                                      http://bit.ly/JC_Ryle_Holiness

Thanksgiving Redux

The official celebrations of Thanksgiving are now one day removed.  Our society goes from a sleepy pace of feasting with family and watching another "Ground Hog Day" like Lions loss (Lions?...an insult to their namesake!), to the supercharged start of the commercial free-for-all known as "Black Friday".  But, if your weekend is like mine, there will be reminders of the Thanksgiving just past.  Meals over the next few days will include reheated leftovers.  There will still be a sharing of old memories and making of new with family members who are still in town.
This Sunday we are going to reheat a few Thanksgiving leftovers in our time together.  We are going to spend our time together retelling what has been impressed on our hearts and minds this Thanksgiving.  This will be an open forum where all are encouraged to share.  My hopes and expectations are that:
-  We will be encouraged as we reflect on God's specific grace diplayed to us personally.
-  We will be encouraged as we hear how God has been gracious to others.
-  We will gain a deeper appreciation and awareness of blessings borne out of adversity.
-  We will grow in community and deeper love for each other as we come to know each other at a deeper level of shared experiences.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Lesson 10: The Lord’s Supper – Part 2 (1st Corinthians 11)

We are going to continue our study of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper this week.  We will revisit the position our church teaches on this ordinance, building on last week’s discussion and sharpening our understanding by contrasting it to other Protestant positions.

We will then focus on what we understand the phrases “this is my body” and “this is my blood” to mean.

We’ll discuss the question of whether a believer receives special grace in the Lord’s Supper.

We will also address the question of how we should come to the Lord’s Supper.  During this portion of the lesson we will consider:

  • Who should participate
  • Who should not participate
  • Should children participate

This from John Piper:

“…when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we may nourish our souls by faith on the spiritual presence of Christ.  When we remember and proclaim His death, he manifests himself to us as infinitely precious.  He shows us all that God promises to be for us in Christ.  This is the food of our souls.  With this we are nourished and find strength to live as Christians.

The Lord’s Supper is worship because it expresses the infinite worth of Christ.  No one is more worthy to be remembered. No one is more worthy to be proclaimed.  And no one can nourish our souls with eternal life but Christ.”

 

I commend to you a manuscript written by J.C. Ryle that will increase your understanding on the issue of the significance of the Lord’s Supper.  Click on the link below for the full article.

 

http://www.biblebb.com/files/ryle/pract6.txt

Lesson 8: The Lord’s Supper (1st Corinthians 11)

This week’s lesson takes us into one of the two ordinances we practice as Christians – the Lord’s Supper (the other being Baptism).

We will slow the pace a little and spend a little time examining the significance of this ordinance from several vantage points.  During our study of this text together, we will consider:

  • Why we use the word ordinance rather than sacrament?
  • What Jesus meant when he said “this is my body” and “this is my blood”?
  • Do believers receive a special grace in the Lord’s Supper?
  • Who should take the Lord’s Supper?  What about children?

We will begin this study by examining the celebration of the Lord’s Supper from a historical perspective.  Men have been martyred because of their refusal to recant from an understanding of the substance of the Lord’s Supper, an understanding that we share today.

J.C. Ryle (1816 – 1900) was an Anglican bishop who wrote this regarding the significance of the historic division over the issue of the Lord’s Supper:

“The doctrine in question was the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the consecrated elements of bread and wine in the Lord's Supper. Did they, or did they not believe that the body and blood of Christ were really, that is corporally, literally, locally, and materially, present under the forms of bread and wine after the words of consecration were pronounced? Did they or did they not believe that the real body of Christ, which was born of the Virgin Mary, was present on the so-called altar so soon as the mystical words had passed the lips of the priest? Did they or did they not? That was the simple question. If they did not believe and admit it, they were burned.

He went on to conclude:

“Grant for a moment that the Lord's Supper is a sacrifice, and not a sacrament . . . You spoil the blessed doctrine of Christ's finished work when he died on the cross. A sacrifice that needs to be repeated is not a perfect and complete thing. You spoil the priestly office of Christ. If there are priests that can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God besides Him, the great High Priest is robbed of His glory. . . . You overthrow the true doctrine of Christ's human nature. If the body born of the virgin Mary can be in more places than one at the same time, it is not a body like our own, and Jesus was not the "last Adam" in the truth of our nature.”

A doctrine worth dying for by our early church fathers deserves our consideration.  As we sharpen our understanding and bring clarity to the purpose of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (what we do, why we do it and how we should do it), we will grow in faith and love of the One whose death and resurrection we commemorate.

Lesson 8: Run For The Prize (1st Corinthians 9:24 – 10:33)

The Yankees Win! The Yankees Win!  The Yankees Win!  I was rooting for the Phillies.

 

To the victors belong the spoils, in this case the World Series trophy, or as the Apostle Paul would call it, a perishable wreath.

 

In 1 Corinthians 9:23-27 Paul challenges us to apply the discipline required to win a championship in sports to our spiritual lives…to discipline ourselves so that we will win the ultimate, imperishable prize of salvation in heaven.

 

There is a sports adage that goes like this, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”  In the game of life, it’s all about whether we win or lose.  How we play the game, so to speak, will ultimately determine whether we win or lose.  Ours is a “winner takes all” endeavor (better yet, “winner receives all”).  Close enough is not good enough.

 

John Piper has become my mentor over the last several lessons.  I’ve benefitted much from his teaching on 1st Corinthians.  Ponder his thoughts on this passage.

Eternal Life Hangs on the Way We Run

"In other words, life is not a game with no lasting consequences. The way we live our lives has eternal consequences. Life is a proving ground where we prove who we are, whom we trust, and what we cherish. Eternal life, the upward call, the crown of righteousness—all these hang on what our life says about who we are, whom we trust, and what we love.

Make no mistake here! Life is not a place for proving to God or anybody your strength. Life is a place for proving whose strength you trust—man's or God's. Life is not a place for proving the power of your intelligence to know truth. It's a place for proving the power of God's grace to show truth (Matthew 16:17). Life is not a field for demonstrating the force of our will to make good choices. It's a field for showing how the beauty of Christ takes us captive and constrains us to choose and run for his glory.

The race of life has eternal consequences not because we are saved by works, but because Christ has saved us from dead works to serve the living and true God with Olympic passion (Hebrews 9:14).

The race of life has eternal consequences not because grace is nullified by the way we run, but because grace is verified by the way we run. "By the grace of God I am what I am and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored [I ran, I fought] more exceedingly than all, yet it was not I but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Paul's running did not nullify the purpose of grace; it verified the power of grace.

Eternal life hangs on the way we run and the way we fight not because salvation is based on the merit of works, but because faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Life is a proving ground for whether faith is alive or dead—a proving ground for whom we trust. "


Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:8

 

Love never fails.  But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

 

Real love never fails because it flows from the source of living water that never runs dry, from Christ our Savior.  Does your love fail?  Drink deeply from the truth of the scriptures.  The words of God are God’s power for your life.  Commit yourself to live by God’s words with all of your might so as to win the imperishable prize.

Lesson 7: Does My Brother Come First? (1st Corinthians 8:1 – 9:23)

Many thanks to Steve Wilson for standing in during my absence last week.  I’m back in the saddle and pushing forward with Paul as he instructs us through his letter to the Corinthian Church.

 

This week, Paul again challenges us to live in the true freedom that Christ died to impart to us.  Throw off the shackles of the ceremonial laws, live as truly free men and women.  BUT, what does that look like?  Won’t life without rules result in a form of lawlessness, a self centered, indulgent lifestyle?

 

The answer to that question is found in the answer to this question:  What motivates us?

 

And that question takes us right back to 1 Corinthians 13 and this week’s memory verse:

 

1st Corinthians 13:6-7

 

(Love) Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

When we come to grips with what it truly means to love by God’s definition, when love for Him is our primary motivation, love of others will follow as a natural by-product.  When love reigns, freedom flourishes.  Behaviors are not compelled by a list of do’s and don’ts.  Rather, they are driven by pursuit of what is most profitable (in the ultimate sense of the word).

 

In 1520, Martin Luther wrote a treatise on The Freedom of A Christian.  Here are a few excerpts to ponder:

 

 A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none, a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.

---------------------

Here is the truly Christian life, here is faith really working by love, when a man applies himself with joy and love to the works of that freest servitude in which he serves others voluntarily and for nought, himself abundantly satisfied in the fulness and riches of his own faith. . . .

Lesson 4: Are My Standards High Enough? (1 Corinthians 5 & 6)

The Corinthian Christians that Paul wrote to were products of an immoral culture.  Sinful behaviors of the past were still evident in the life of these new Christians and were tolerated in the life of the church.   Their “Live and let live” approach to Christian liberty was offensive to Paul.  It was absent any sense of personal and corporate appeal to a higher calling of holiness.

 

This week, we learn from Paul and the Corinthians to look at our own standards of life and conduct.  Have we suppressed our own consciences to the point that we can embrace sinful practices without any sense of shame or wrong doing?  We will challenge ourselves to live according to the high calling of Christ on our lives, examining what it looks like to be free from the law of the letter of rules and to live by the influence of grace.

 

John Piper answers this question with these words:

Two Guidelines for Living 

Paul answers in verse 12 with two guidelines which I have called the law of love and the law of liberty.

1. The Law of Love

First, he says, "All right, all things are permitted in one sense, we should not live under external legal constraints; BUT NOT ALL THINGS ARE HELPFUL." In other words, don't ask, "What do I HAVE to do?" Instead ask, "What is HELPFUL to do?"

I call this the law of love because it's love that wants to be helpful to others. Paul makes the connection between helpfulness and love in a round about way. Notice in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that being helpful is explained as building others up: "All things are lawful, but not all things are HELPFUL. All things are lawful, but not all things BUILD UP." Helpful things are things that build others up in their faith.

But then notice in 1 Corinthians 8:1 how Paul relates the act of love to the act of building others up. "Knowledge puffs up, but LOVE BUILDS UP." So if love is what builds up and if building up is what Paul means by being helpful, then the point of 6:12 (when it says, "not all things are helpful") is that we should let our lives be guided by the law of love.

Surely this is the "law" Paul had in mind in Galatians 6:2 when he said, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." And in 1 Corinthians 9:21, when he said, "To those outside the law I became as one outside the law—not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ—that I might win those outside the law." We are not under the law as a mere external constraint. We are under grace which provides an internal constraint to love, that is, to be helpful and build others up in faith.

2. The Law of Liberty

Second, Paul says in 6:12, "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything." In other words, not only let your actions be guided by the law of love, but also let them be guided by the law of liberty. Don't ask, "Am I permitted to do this as a Christian?" Instead ask, "Am I a slave to this act? Is this food or drink or sex or hobby or work becoming my master instead of my servant?"

What is the LAW OF LIBERTY? It is simply the control of the Holy Spirit from within. Paul says in Romans 8:2, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death." In other words the working of the Spirit is a LAW OF LIBERTY. It frees from the power of sin and death. "For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!" (2 Corinthians 3:17; see James 1:25; 2:12).

So there are two laws that govern the behavior and habits of a Christian: the law of love ("Will this be helpful, will it upbuild?"), and the law of liberty ("Will this enslave me, will it addict me?").

How These Two Laws Relate to Each Other 

If we ask how these two laws relate to each other, Galatians 5:13 gives an answer, "You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another." Freedom is more foundational than love. Inner freedom is the spring; love is the water that flows out in "helpfulness" to others. The inner work of the Holy Spirit, freeing us from the enslavements of all but God, is the source of love.

So the most basic challenge 1 Corinthians 6:12–14 has to give is: preserve your freedom in Christ! Can you say with Paul, "I will not be enslaved by anything!"?

Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:5

 

Does not behave rudely, is not provoked, thinks no evil.

 

Webster defines “rude” as lacking refinement or delicacy, offensive in manner or action, and suggestive of lack if training or skill.

 

Check yourself.  What does your love look like?


  • Are you insensitive to others, not delicate in your speech or behavior? 

  • Does your love need training to meet the Bible’s definition of love?

Lesson 4: What Am I Doing That Will Last? (1 Corinthians 3:10 – 4:21)

Matthew Henry writes:

The apostle was a wise master-builder; but the grace of God made him such. Spiritual pride is abominable; it is using the greatest favours of God, to feed our own vanity, and make idols of ourselves. But let every man take heed; there may be bad building on a good foundation. Nothing must be laid upon it, but what the foundation will bear, and what is of a piece with it. Let us not dare to join a merely human or a carnal life with a Divine faith, the corruption of sin with the profession of Christianity. Christ is a firm, abiding, and immovable Rock of ages, every way able to bear all the weight that God himself or the sinner can lay upon him; neither is there salvation in any other. Leave out the doctrine of his atonement, and there is no foundation for our hopes. But of those who rest on this foundation, there are two sorts. Some hold nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus, and preach nothing else. Others build on the good foundation what will not abide the test, when the day of trail comes. We may be mistaken in ourselves and others; but there is a day coming that will show our actions in the true light, without covering or disguise. Those who spread true and pure religion in all its branches, and whose work will abide in the great day, shall receive a reward. And how great! how much exceeding their deserts! There are others, whose corrupt opinions and doctrines, or vain inventions and usages in the worship of God, shall be made known, disowned, and rejected, in that day. This is plainly meant of a figurative fire, not of a real one; for what real fire can consume religious rites or doctrines? And it is to try every man's works, those of Paul and Apollos, as well as others. Let us consider the tendency of our undertakings, compare them with God's word, and judge ourselves, that we be not judged of the Lord.

Memory : 1 Corinthians 13:4

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; is not puffed up.

John MacArthur makes these comments:

  1. “Love suffers long.”  Bearing with a person’s worst behavior, without retaliation, regardless of the circumstances.
  2. “Love is kind.”  Diligently seeking ways to be actively useful in another person’s life.
  3. “Love does not envy.”  Delighting in the esteem and honor give to someone else.
  4. “Love does not parade itself.”  Not drawing attention to oneself exclusive of others.
  5. “Love is not puffed up.”  Knowing one is not more important than another.

Check yourself

  • “Suffers long” we might take to mean as having a long fuse.  How long is your fuse?  Or are you impatient, almost justifying this as a virtue?
  • Do you have a reputation as being kind?
  • In those secret moments, do you envy someone for what they have (family, talents, possessions, etc)?
  • How quick are you to extol your own virtue? 
  • If the 10 people who know you best were asked to respond about you to the questions above, would your answers line up with theirs?  Are you willing to take the test and see?

Lesson 3: Who Is My Leader? (1 Corinthians 1:10 - 3:17)

David Wallace writes:

"Following quickly on the heels of his salutation, Paul addresses the issues raised by Chloe’s people (cf. 1:11)—namely, divisions in the church (1:10–4:21) and disorders in church life (5:1–6:20).

First, Paul addresses the divisiveness in the church (1:10–4:21). The divisiveness had to do with loyalty to a personality rather than fidelity to a doctrine (1:10-17). Its root causes were due to seeing the Christian ministry through very Greek eyes (1:18–4:13).

On the other hand, the Corinthians had a wrong perception of the Christian message (1:18–3:4) in terms of “wisdom.” Their pagan background had negatively shaped their understanding of wisdom (due, no doubt, to the influence of Greek philosophy [cf. 1:20]). The message of salvation from sins which involved a dead Jew on a Roman cross was foolishness to the pagans (1:18-31), though it was central to Paul’s proclamation (2:1-5). But true wisdom—the wisdom which comes from God—can be known only by believers (2:6-10), and fully grasped only by mature believers (2:11-16). The unbeliever, because of his volition, is not at all able to grasp the wisdom of God (2:14). The fact of divisions among the Corinthians proves that they are still fleshly, however, and not mature enough to grasp all that could be theirs in Christ (3:1-4). Thus with few words the apostle Paul has been able to turn the tables on what constitutes true wisdom by showing that true wisdom comes by way of revelation, not reason.

On the other had, the Corinthians had a wrong perception of the importance of the messengers of the Christian message (3:5–4:5). Divisions are inevitable if the messengers are put on a pedestal (3:5, 21; 4:1). Paul uses two analogies to get his point across (3:6-17). Paul and Apollos are merely farmers, but only God cause the growth (3:6-9).13 And, by God’s grace, they are builders (3:10-15), and what they erect is mature Christians, a “temple” of God (3:16-17). The implication seems to be that if the Corinthians choose sides, they prove that Apollos and Paul have not done a good job! Consequently, they should “stop boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos . . . ” (3:21). Finally, Paul appeals to them to regard him and Apollos as mere servants of Christ (4:1-5).

To put all this in perspective, Paul reminds them of the irrationality of pride over things given to them by God (4:6-13). He uses irony and sarcasm here to show that their very arrogance strips them of the riches they claim to have.

To solve the problem of divisiveness, Paul essentially gives two commands: imitate the apostle, for his lifestyle is in accord with his instructions (4:14-17), and stop being arrogant (4:18-21)."

How comfortable are you with the cross of Christ?  Is it the wisdom of God that has been revealed to you, or, does it embarrass you in the company of those not in your "Sunday go-to-church" crowd? 

Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:3

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Check yourself:

  • Do you have love?
    • Do you look at your level of "sacrifice" (money, time, etc.) and compare it to others as a basis of assessing your "love" of God or others?