I Corinthians 1:1-9

“See What God Has Made You”

I. A Believer…
II. Who Serves….
III. On His Way to Heaven

During his years as a missionary, the Apostle Paul visited many different cities. Perhaps none, though, was more of a challenge to him than the city of Corinth. Prominent in the city was the temple to the goddess Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Secular writings indicate that worship services in this temple routinely involved over 1000 temple priestesses, which was a nice word for prostitutes. And that was just the tip of the moral iceberg that greeted Paul on his arrival. Descriptions of what was happening in Corinth would put it on a moral level with the Old Testament cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. One historian nicely put it, “The boat ride to Corinth is not everybody’s boat ride.”

I bet you didn’t get that indication from the introduction to the first letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the words that serve as our text. It doesn’t sound like words written by a minister to a morally bankrupt group of people. In fact, it is pretty glowing and complimentary. But before we send out too many words of congratulations, let’s take a close look at these verses to see where Paul is directing his praise.

Reading these verses more closely, we note that Paul is not complimenting the Corinthians at all. In fact, he will later tear into them pretty good for a number of sins and activities that they were involved in. If we look more closely, we will note that Paul is not praising the Corinthians, but that he is praising God. He praises God for what he had done for the Corinthians in spite of their sinfulness and moral decay. Paul still saw the power of God at work, even under the sinful blanket that the Corinthians had thrown over themselves.

Today we will see that we really fall into the same boat as the Corinthians. Our daily sins bring no reason for compliments. But after closer review, we see that that there are many reasons to thank and praise God for what he has done in our lives. Today we want to

“See What God Has Made You”
I. A Believer…
II. Who Serves….
III. On His Way to Heaven

Paul wrote, Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother, Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In his greeting, Paul twice credited God for what he had done for the Corinthians. He called them the “church of God,” and said that they had been “sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy….” Without God, the Corinthians would be no different from the rest of the heathen people living in their town. But God had “called” them to “be holy,” making them the “church of God.”

There is such an overwhelming opinion in the world today that you make yourself who you are. To a certain extent that is true. Those who apply themselves and make use of their talents can improve their lot in life and their standing in social circles. But spiritually that just is not the case. Scripture points out all to clearly that we were born sinful, we are inclined to be sinful, and that we would remain sinful if it were up to us. In fact, the Bible tells us that we enjoy being sinful, that “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only sinful all the time.” (Gen. 6:5)

As Paul walked the streets of Corinth, there were reminders all around him of the sinfulness of the people there. But the longer he stayed, the more he began to see the power of God in Corinth. On his arrival he met a fine Christian couple, Acquila and Priscilla, who gave him a place to stay. Later he met a man named Titius Justus who offered his house as a place for Paul to hold worship services. And one by one, Paul met people who had been “called to be holy,” people whom God had made a part of his Holy Christian Church. A congregation grew, and Paul thanked God for what he had done.

I wonder what Paul would think if he were to walk the streets of Wichita on a Friday or Saturday night! He wouldn’t find a temple to Aphrodite, but he would find plenty that would make him shake his head and wring his hands. Sin does not hide here, or in any other city in the world for that matter. Sin is more visible than ever before and flaunts itself in God’s face an a regular basis.

But God still “call [people] to be holy,” to be a part of the “church of God.” He would see you and me, people who do not have reason to boast or brag, but people who have every reason to thank God for making us a part of his church here on earth and, one day, in heaven. And Paul would thank God for the Christians that he would find here and around the world too.

We will also thank God for calling us into his church through faith. And, like the Corinthian Christians, Paul would urge us to thank God by serving him.

2. Who Serve

Paul wrote in the middle verses of our text, “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was sanctified in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift.” Paul wrote about some of the individuals that he met in Corinth. He co-authored this letter with Sosthenes, who was likely a member of the church in Corinth who had gone on along with Paul. We’ve already mentioned Acquila and Priscilla and Titius Justus. There are many more who were not specifically mentioned who also assisted Paul and worked within the congregation to bring God’s word to the people of Corinth.

Paul spoke of these people as being “enriched in every way” and said that was a result of the “grace given you in Christ Jesus.” The faith-inspired works of the Corinthians did not go unnoticed, not by Paul and certainly not by God. God had given the Corinthians the abilities and the motivation to serve him. In the middle of the challenging heathenism that surrounded them, the Corinthians were living in faith. Granted, they had some issues, issues that Paul would later address quite frankly. But their faith was still evident, and Paul meant to feed that faith with God’s word and sacraments.

Paul would see the same thing here today. All of us have been “enriched in every way” because of “the grace given you in Christ Jesus.” And moved by that undeserved love of God we are serving him in many ways. Everything that we do as a congregation is a result of God’s grace, grace that moves us to serve him. God willing, we will continue to serve him, making use of every opportunity that he gives to us. And, God willing, we will all find a place within this church to serve God and one another. We do so because we realize that our time to thank God for what he has done for us is short.

III. On Our Way to Heaven

Paul closed his greeting with these words, “…–as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” Paul would later remind the Corinthians that “this world in its present form is passing away.” (I Cor, 7:31) Too many people live their lives only for this world. They live with the belief that this world is all that there is. They try to milk all of the joy and happiness that they can out of it, often turning to sinful devices to do so.

The Christian lives with a different focus. We “eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” When Jesus returns on Judgment Day, there won’t be any mistaking who he is. Gone will be the humble appearance of Bethlehem’s manger and the lowly form that Jesus took upon himself when he lived on the earth. He will be revealed in his true glory as he comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. On that day we will be found “blameless” because our sins will have been washed away in the blood of our Lord.

God has made it his responsibility to “keep [us] strong” until that day. He has given us his word and sacraments to do that. He encourages us to make use of them regularly, to call on him daily, and to rely on him to overcome our daily struggles and lifetime temptations. It’s no secret that the struggle to live as God’s children is getting more difficult every day. Jesus warned his disciples that this would happen. And he was right. Satan will not concede, nor will he be content with the souls he now possesses.

But we will persevere, and, in Christ, we will win. Do you see what God has made you? You are a believer who serves him on your way to heaven. Live each day with that assurance, and praise God for the rich future that he is preparing for you in his kingdom.

Amen.

“The peace of God….”

–Rev. Roger Rockhoff