Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21
Today we are beginning a new sermon series which I anticipate will take a full-year to complete. Over the course of the next several months we are going to read and study Paul’s letters to the Christian church at Corinth - both 1st and 2nd Corinthians. As always, we will consider how God’s Word applied to its original audience (back when it was written) and how it applies to our church today.
I have titled this series, “The Messed Up Church: Paul’s Letters to Corinth”. I am borrowing this name from a popular podcast that my son listens to called “The Messed Up Church”. This podcast seeks to call out some of the many errors and false teachings present in the modern Christian church. As we will discover, the church at Corinth fits this description quite well. It was fraught with all sorts of problems. Paul addresses many of these issues in his letters.
In truth, every church - including our own - is a “messed up church” to some extent. This is because we who make up the church are flawed human beings with an inclination to sin and to wander away from God. Each of us - even your pastor - is imperfect, frail, and broken. Our weaknesses and deficiencies invariably crop up within the church, often leading to strife and discord among us. While no church is ever perfect, my prayer is that the lessons we learn in this series will make us better.
I. THE FOUNDING OF THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH (Acts 18:1-18)
Paul’s first visit to Corinth occurred near the end of his 2nd missionary journey (50-52 AD). After checking in on his churches in Galatia and Asia Minor, Paul crossed over into the European region of Macedonia. From there he journeyed southward to Achaia, which was a Roman province in modern-day Greece. After a short stay in Athens, Paul made his way to Corinth. There he met a Jewish couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They were relatively new residents of Corinth, as they had recently been expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius who’d decreed that no Jews could live in the capital city. Paul stayed and worked with them making tents during the week and preaching in the synagogue every Sabbath.
Sometime later, Silas and Timothy caught up with Paul in Corinth. Paul had left them behind in Thessalonica earlier during his journey. Their arrival freed Paul to focus on preaching full-time. However, the Jews, for the most part, rejected Paul’s message about Jesus. Frustrated, he turned to the Gentiles. Paul began preaching in the home of Titius Justus, a Roman proselyte, which was located next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and his entire household became believers and were baptized as well as many other Corinthians - some Jews, but mostly Gentiles. The LORD encouraged Paul to continue preaching and teaching, so he remained in the city for 1½ years winning many converts to Christ.
Eventually some Jewish opposition rose up against Paul and brought him before the Roman governor Gallio. They accused Paul of persuading people to worship God in a manner contrary to Jewish law. Gallio didn’t care about their religious law, so he dismissed the case and drove them out of his court. Before departing, the infuriated Jews seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him as Gallio watched indifferently. Some scholars believe that Sosthenes and Crispus were the same person while others believe that they were distinct. Some time later, Paul left Corinth with Aquila and Priscilla. However, the community of new believers he left behind made up the original congregation of the Corinthian church.
II. PAUL’S EARLY LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH
From Corinth, Paul made his way home to Antioch making a few brief stops along the way. He left Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus, to serve in the church there. Paul remained in Antioch at his home church for about a year before embarking on a 3rd missionary journey (54-58 AD). Once again, he made his way through Galatia and Phrygia strengthening the churches in this region, before coming to Ephesus. On this occasion, Paul settled in Ephesus for almost 3 years, teaching the word of God primarily in the school of Tyrannus. During this time, Paul wrote at least 2 letters to Corinth.
It appears that Paul sent a letter to the church at Corinth prior to 1 Corinthians. This earlier letter, which has been lost, warned them not to associate with immoral people (1 Corinthians 5:9). Apparently, they did not heed Paul’s advice. While in Ephesus, Paul received a report from those in Chloe’s household, who were likely members of the Corinthian church, that there were quarrels within the congregation there. Furthermore, Paul received a letter from the Corinthian church itself seeking answers to several questions. Paul wrote the epistle known as 1 Corinthians to address Chloe’s concerns and respond to their questions.
III. THE INTRODUCTION OF 1 CORINTHIANS (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)
Paul opens this letter with a greeting from himself and Sosthenes. It is uncertain whether this is the same man who was mentioned in Acts 18:17 (the leader of the synagogue who was beaten by the Jews). Paul then specifies the recipients of this letter as the church of God at Corinth, stating that they have been sanctified and called as saints by Jesus Christ. In this, they are part of the larger Christian church which shares this same calling. Following his usual pattern, Paul speaks a blessing of God’s grace and peace upon them.
Next, Paul expresses thanksgiving for the Corinthian believers. He is thankful for the grace they have received in Christ Jesus. He delights that they have been enriched by the Lord in all speech and knowledge, and that their testimony of Jesus has been confirmed. He states that they, as a congregation, are not lacking in any spiritual gift and praises them for their eager anticipation of Christ’s return. Paul declares that God will uphold them until the end and that they will, by His grace, be blameless on the Day of the Lord. Lastly, Paul exalts the faithfulness of God who called the Corinthians into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
In this morning’s message, we’ve discussed the historical background, approximate timing, and general setting of 1 Corinthians. We’ve identified the purpose for which it was written and the circumstances that led to its writing. We’ve also briefly discussed the letter’s introduction. The Christian church at Corinth, which Paul had founded a few years earlier, was facing several problems that threatened to destroy it. Paul wrote this letter to lovingly address and correct these issues.
Corinth was the capital city of the Roman province of Achaia. It was a wealthy and influential port city. The temple of the goddess Aphrodite was located there, and her worship involved temple prostitution. As such, sexual immorality was a huge issue in Corinth as prostitution was prevalent. The bustling city also attracted a diverse population of citizens from many different cultures and backgrounds, which often contributed to divisions and animosity. These and other issues presented serious challenges to the Christians living there. Nevertheless, God had established a church in Corinth, through which He desired to shine the light of Jesus to the darkened city.
In the same way, God has placed us here to declare the good news of Jesus in our small town and surrounding area. In order to do this most effectively, we must first examine ourselves and make sure that our church is functioning in a pure and godly manner. If not, we need to make the necessary changes - both individually and collectively - so that we might become the church that God desires us to be.
Today we are beginning a new sermon series which I anticipate will take a full-year to complete. Over the course of the next several months we are going to read and study Paul’s letters to the Christian church at Corinth - both 1st and 2nd Corinthians. As always, we will consider how God’s Word applied to its original audience (back when it was written) and how it applies to our church today.
I have titled this series, “The Messed Up Church: Paul’s Letters to Corinth”. I am borrowing this name from a popular podcast that my son listens to called “The Messed Up Church”. This podcast seeks to call out some of the many errors and false teachings present in the modern Christian church. As we will discover, the church at Corinth fits this description quite well. It was fraught with all sorts of problems. Paul addresses many of these issues in his letters.
In truth, every church - including our own - is a “messed up church” to some extent. This is because we who make up the church are flawed human beings with an inclination to sin and to wander away from God. Each of us - even your pastor - is imperfect, frail, and broken. Our weaknesses and deficiencies invariably crop up within the church, often leading to strife and discord among us. While no church is ever perfect, my prayer is that the lessons we learn in this series will make us better.
I. THE FOUNDING OF THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH (Acts 18:1-18)
Paul’s first visit to Corinth occurred near the end of his 2nd missionary journey (50-52 AD). After checking in on his churches in Galatia and Asia Minor, Paul crossed over into the European region of Macedonia. From there he journeyed southward to Achaia, which was a Roman province in modern-day Greece. After a short stay in Athens, Paul made his way to Corinth. There he met a Jewish couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They were relatively new residents of Corinth, as they had recently been expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius who’d decreed that no Jews could live in the capital city. Paul stayed and worked with them making tents during the week and preaching in the synagogue every Sabbath.
Sometime later, Silas and Timothy caught up with Paul in Corinth. Paul had left them behind in Thessalonica earlier during his journey. Their arrival freed Paul to focus on preaching full-time. However, the Jews, for the most part, rejected Paul’s message about Jesus. Frustrated, he turned to the Gentiles. Paul began preaching in the home of Titius Justus, a Roman proselyte, which was located next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and his entire household became believers and were baptized as well as many other Corinthians - some Jews, but mostly Gentiles. The LORD encouraged Paul to continue preaching and teaching, so he remained in the city for 1½ years winning many converts to Christ.
Eventually some Jewish opposition rose up against Paul and brought him before the Roman governor Gallio. They accused Paul of persuading people to worship God in a manner contrary to Jewish law. Gallio didn’t care about their religious law, so he dismissed the case and drove them out of his court. Before departing, the infuriated Jews seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him as Gallio watched indifferently. Some scholars believe that Sosthenes and Crispus were the same person while others believe that they were distinct. Some time later, Paul left Corinth with Aquila and Priscilla. However, the community of new believers he left behind made up the original congregation of the Corinthian church.
II. PAUL’S EARLY LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH
From Corinth, Paul made his way home to Antioch making a few brief stops along the way. He left Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus, to serve in the church there. Paul remained in Antioch at his home church for about a year before embarking on a 3rd missionary journey (54-58 AD). Once again, he made his way through Galatia and Phrygia strengthening the churches in this region, before coming to Ephesus. On this occasion, Paul settled in Ephesus for almost 3 years, teaching the word of God primarily in the school of Tyrannus. During this time, Paul wrote at least 2 letters to Corinth.
It appears that Paul sent a letter to the church at Corinth prior to 1 Corinthians. This earlier letter, which has been lost, warned them not to associate with immoral people (1 Corinthians 5:9). Apparently, they did not heed Paul’s advice. While in Ephesus, Paul received a report from those in Chloe’s household, who were likely members of the Corinthian church, that there were quarrels within the congregation there. Furthermore, Paul received a letter from the Corinthian church itself seeking answers to several questions. Paul wrote the epistle known as 1 Corinthians to address Chloe’s concerns and respond to their questions.
III. THE INTRODUCTION OF 1 CORINTHIANS (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)
Paul opens this letter with a greeting from himself and Sosthenes. It is uncertain whether this is the same man who was mentioned in Acts 18:17 (the leader of the synagogue who was beaten by the Jews). Paul then specifies the recipients of this letter as the church of God at Corinth, stating that they have been sanctified and called as saints by Jesus Christ. In this, they are part of the larger Christian church which shares this same calling. Following his usual pattern, Paul speaks a blessing of God’s grace and peace upon them.
Next, Paul expresses thanksgiving for the Corinthian believers. He is thankful for the grace they have received in Christ Jesus. He delights that they have been enriched by the Lord in all speech and knowledge, and that their testimony of Jesus has been confirmed. He states that they, as a congregation, are not lacking in any spiritual gift and praises them for their eager anticipation of Christ’s return. Paul declares that God will uphold them until the end and that they will, by His grace, be blameless on the Day of the Lord. Lastly, Paul exalts the faithfulness of God who called the Corinthians into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
In this morning’s message, we’ve discussed the historical background, approximate timing, and general setting of 1 Corinthians. We’ve identified the purpose for which it was written and the circumstances that led to its writing. We’ve also briefly discussed the letter’s introduction. The Christian church at Corinth, which Paul had founded a few years earlier, was facing several problems that threatened to destroy it. Paul wrote this letter to lovingly address and correct these issues.
Corinth was the capital city of the Roman province of Achaia. It was a wealthy and influential port city. The temple of the goddess Aphrodite was located there, and her worship involved temple prostitution. As such, sexual immorality was a huge issue in Corinth as prostitution was prevalent. The bustling city also attracted a diverse population of citizens from many different cultures and backgrounds, which often contributed to divisions and animosity. These and other issues presented serious challenges to the Christians living there. Nevertheless, God had established a church in Corinth, through which He desired to shine the light of Jesus to the darkened city.
In the same way, God has placed us here to declare the good news of Jesus in our small town and surrounding area. In order to do this most effectively, we must first examine ourselves and make sure that our church is functioning in a pure and godly manner. If not, we need to make the necessary changes - both individually and collectively - so that we might become the church that God desires us to be.