WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.859 Please take your seats. It's very good to be with you this evening as we gather here. Trinity West Church are gathering just down the road in Shepherd's Bush praying for us. 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:20.179 ! We delight to be able to pray for IPC Ealing and to have this gospel partnership. Please turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, the passage that was read earlier in the service. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:24.960 We'll consider together in this time these first nine verses. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:44.759 The pressing question for us in these days is, what do you do when the church, when your Christian faith and the culture collide? 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:56.679 It's a pressing question for us because the church, I think, in our day is waking up to the hostility that we face in our culture at this particular moment. 00:00:56.679 --> 00:01:09.799 You see, in a few short decades, many of you won't need me to tell you this, but in a few short decades, it has gone from being the case that the church was seen in the culture as a positive thing, as a cause for good, 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:17.060 as if you had put church member on your CV when applying for a job, it may have served you well. 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:32.520 It has gone from there to really being a bit of an irrelevance to a completely new phase in the last number of years, and that is that the church, the Christian faith, Christians, Christianity is dangerous. 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:44.179 There's a lot of culture, isn't there at the moment, but nobody in this moment is saying, hey, why don't we ask the Christians what they think? 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:50.219 Nobody, as they seek answers for the problems that we face in our society, are saying, do you know what? 00:01:50.219 --> 00:02:02.459 I reckon it would be really helpful if we turned to the ancient truths of the Bible to look for answers to this kind of cultural chaos we're in. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:04.359 No, quite the opposite. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:05.579 We're told we've moved on. 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:07.359 We've moved on from that. 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:09.020 That belongs in the dark ages. 00:02:09.579 --> 00:02:10.599 We've moved on. 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:13.520 So let men use ladies' changing rooms. 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:19.120 Let 12-year-olds overrule their parents when it comes to a decision about a vaccine. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.580 That's progress. 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:22.780 We've moved on. 00:02:23.640 --> 00:02:24.120 It's all right. 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:24.819 We've got this. 00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:27.680 We can sort this out ourselves. 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:31.300 And then some brave soul dissents. 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:40.659 Some brave soul, trembling knees, puts up their hand and says, I'm a Christian, and I can't go with this. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:44.159 This isn't right. 00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:45.800 And what happens? 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:48.640 They must be shut up and shut out. 00:02:49.480 --> 00:02:50.640 See, we're just bad. 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:56.840 We're bad for women, bad for children, bad for society, bad for progress, bad, bad, bad. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:09.860 And of course, in this part of the world where we live, in this city, we feel this more acutely because this kind of hostility is concentrated in cities. 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:11.420 It has always been that way. 00:03:11.420 --> 00:03:11.420 00:03:11.920 --> 00:03:15.520 Cosmopolitan, influential, important places like London. 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:17.320 So what do you do? 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.020 What do you do in a context like that? 00:03:21.020 --> 00:03:22.580 You face a simple choice. 00:03:22.580 --> 00:03:22.860 You face a simple choice. 00:03:23.640 --> 00:03:28.780 You either go with the culture or you go with God's Word. 00:03:29.939 --> 00:03:32.080 There is no third way. 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.080 It's one or the other. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:39.140 And that brings us to the church in Corinth. 00:03:39.139 --> 00:04:01.339 Because, as many of you will know, the Corinthian here is a church in a cosmopolitan, wealthy, important, influential city that is struggling with exactly the same kind of cultural pressure. 00:04:01.340 --> 00:04:04.439 And if you know anything about this letter, you know that they aren't doing well. 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:08.740 And so the Apostle Paul has written to them to correct them. 00:04:09.140 --> 00:04:11.400 Paul's tone is quite direct at times. 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:16.579 And there is definitely a bit of tension in the relationship between the Apostle and this church. 00:04:16.579 --> 00:04:25.199 But it looks, as you read the letter of 1 Corinthians, like what has happened in the church is that this church has stopped being in the culture. 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:28.240 Rather, the culture is now in the church. 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:33.039 And it is striking when you read the letter to see the similarities with our day. 00:04:33.979 --> 00:04:34.959 Corinth is impressive. 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:36.879 As a place, it's impressive. 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:41.759 And so the Christians in Corinth want their Christianity to fit with that vibe. 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:44.379 They love influential people. 00:04:44.379 --> 00:04:48.300 They love people who do business and socialize in the right places. 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:50.439 Chapters 8 to 10 deal with that. 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:53.540 Now, isn't that what we want in our day? 00:04:54.519 --> 00:05:00.040 Deep down, actually, our instincts are that we're embarrassed about our weakness in the world's eyes. 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:06.980 But chapter 4 tells us that Christ-like weakness is our model. 00:05:07.719 --> 00:05:10.259 There is no Christian faith without Christ-like weakness. 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:15.819 The Corinthians are fixated on identifying with the right leaders. 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:18.099 And factions have grown up because of this. 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:18.860 I follow Paul. 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:19.980 I follow Apollos. 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:23.599 We have the cult of the leader everywhere in our culture today. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.560 In politics, in sport, in online personalities. 00:05:26.899 --> 00:05:28.279 And it's in the church as well. 00:05:28.659 --> 00:05:32.319 I follow fill-in-the-blank of your favorite celebrity preacher. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:41.699 And the triumph of the idea that personal pleasure is the most important thing in life. 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:43.599 It's rife in Corinth. 00:05:44.540 --> 00:05:46.959 Now, that sounds very familiar to us, doesn't it? 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:52.879 Especially when, in Corinth, the issue as it relates to sex and marriage. 00:05:52.980 --> 00:05:54.480 Chapters 6 and 7 deal with that. 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:56.360 Corinth was known for this. 00:05:56.360 --> 00:06:00.319 So much so that Aristophanes coined the term Corinthian. 00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:03.960 And he coined that term to describe sexual immorality. 00:06:04.900 --> 00:06:10.259 Back in the day, if a group of mates had planned a trip to Corinth, everybody knew what they had in mind. 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:16.680 And, of course, the church in our day isn't excelling in these areas either. 00:06:17.219 --> 00:06:26.439 As it seems, one after another gives ground, gives way, gives up on God's word as it comes to the issues of sex and marriage. 00:06:26.539 --> 00:06:28.920 I heard a church leader in London say not so long ago, 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:31.860 what people do in their bedrooms isn't the church's business. 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:39.699 Then the divisions in society between rich and poor have all come into the church in Corinth as well. 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:43.000 As has the Corinthian confusion about gender. 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:45.039 Chapter 11 deals with that. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:48.060 And the church is also divided about the gifts that God has given them. 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:52.480 That's perhaps what the Corinthian church is most famous for. 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:55.079 Chapters 12 to 14. 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:59.759 They behave like there's an elite group who are super spiritual and better than everybody else. 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:00.959 And then there's the rest. 00:07:01.939 --> 00:07:07.860 It seems that they have taken simply the superiority of the culture and the idea that there are the elites and the rest. 00:07:07.860 --> 00:07:10.319 They've taken that and they've just baptized it into the church. 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:13.319 Corinth are off track. 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.100 And this letter is a course correction. 00:07:18.379 --> 00:07:21.639 When you read the letter, Paul has clearly been in dialogue with them before. 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:22.699 He wrote this letter. 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:26.660 Some of what he says is responding to questions that they have asked. 00:07:27.520 --> 00:07:29.939 But why do I give us that kind of overview of the letter? 00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:42.079 Well, because what I want us to see this evening is that Paul begins his correspondence to this confused and compromised church in a remarkable place. 00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:48.480 He starts by reminding this church that they are. 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:49.639 Here's my first point. 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:51.360 Blessed by Christ. 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.040 Point one, they are blessed by Christ. 00:07:54.040 --> 00:07:54.800 Look at verse 1. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:08:01.620 Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother Sosthenes to the church of God that is in Corinth, 00:08:02.080 --> 00:08:03.980 to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:10.100 called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:11.400 both their Lord and ours. 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:14.780 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:22.240 On one level, this sounds a bit like any typical Pauline introduction to one of his letters. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:24.180 So why is it so remarkable? 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:28.620 Well, because of the emphasis on God's grace. 00:08:30.460 --> 00:08:35.840 Despite all the sin, despite all the disgraceful behavior that Paul is going to call this church on, 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:38.539 he starts with God's grace to them in Christ. 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.299 They are the church of God. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:46.399 I will say more a bit later on in the sermon on that. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:49.379 But this means that they are no ordinary group of people. 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:51.600 They are chosen by God. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.800 Verse 2, they are sanctified in Christ Jesus. 00:08:55.100 --> 00:08:56.680 Sanctified means set apart. 00:08:57.960 --> 00:08:59.600 They are set apart in Christ. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:00.899 They are united to Him. 00:09:01.180 --> 00:09:03.259 And they are declared righteous before God. 00:09:04.779 --> 00:09:08.000 Jesus' death and resurrection has been credited to them. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.019 And they're forgiven. 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:13.040 They're cleansed. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:14.320 They're renewed. 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:18.860 They have been declared holy unto God. 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:25.840 And as part of that new status, they are called to live that out in practice. 00:09:26.060 --> 00:09:29.879 Called to be saints or literally holy ones. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.300 For Paul, to be a saint is to be a Christian. 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:34.860 Called to be Christian. 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:39.419 Together with all those who in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:43.379 Just as Paul, verse 1, was called to be an apostle of Christ. 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:48.659 You remember that famous dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road. 00:09:49.299 --> 00:09:54.579 Just as he was called to be an apostle, so the Corinthians have been called to be saints. 00:09:55.659 --> 00:09:58.059 Paul did not achieve his apostleship. 00:09:58.120 --> 00:09:59.120 It was given to him. 00:09:59.319 --> 00:10:02.459 And the Corinthians did not achieve their status as holy. 00:10:02.460 --> 00:10:04.780 It was given to them as a gift. 00:10:07.420 --> 00:10:13.860 The way it works is that when someone calls on the name of Christ, 00:10:14.560 --> 00:10:18.820 that is evidence that God has already called them. 00:10:19.060 --> 00:10:21.780 Salvation is God's work. 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:23.400 Yes, we respond. 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:25.259 Yes, we answer. 00:10:25.400 --> 00:10:27.080 Yes, we call on Christ. 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:29.879 When you call on Christ, you really call on Christ. 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:33.000 But you only do that because God has changed your heart. 00:10:35.860 --> 00:10:44.379 We should note that the root word here for sanctified and saints are variations of the name of the Holy Spirit. 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:51.019 What Paul is saying is that the Holy Spirit is self-evidently present in their life together. 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:57.299 He is self-evidently present in the lives of these people that he's going to call on all of this sin 00:10:57.299 --> 00:10:59.840 and disgraceful behavior later in the letter. 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:01.939 They are blessed by Christ. 00:11:03.340 --> 00:11:05.000 But the blessing doesn't stop there. 00:11:06.500 --> 00:11:07.539 Look at verse 4. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:09.879 He goes on, 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:39.539 God has not simply, I could say simply, it's not simply at all, is it? 00:11:39.539 --> 00:11:41.519 It's supernaturally incredible. 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:50.019 But he has not merely saved them, set them apart as his, but he has also gifted them richly as well. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:56.059 And he has confirmed his grace among them in their knowledge of the gospel and their ability to teach others. 00:11:56.059 --> 00:12:00.539 He's saying, you lack nothing in terms of gifts from God. 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:08.699 Going a step further, because this is evident, Paul can say that then having, as he sees the evidence of God's grace in their lives, 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:12.939 he says that having started this work in them, God will continue to completion. 00:12:13.079 --> 00:12:15.679 He will get them safely to glory. 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:23.219 The Corinthian church might look like a complete shambles. 00:12:23.220 --> 00:12:31.800 If we were to look on at them and their relationships and the way that they're behaving, we'd be tempted to think that it's a complete mess. 00:12:31.920 --> 00:12:35.460 And Paul is going to tackle that mess head on in this letter. 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:41.519 He'll call them fleshly, carnal, rather than spiritual in chapter 3 because of the way that they're behaving. 00:12:41.620 --> 00:12:46.680 But that does not take away from the lofty heights of these words in this introduction. 00:12:47.900 --> 00:12:49.740 They are blessed by Christ. 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.960 Did you hear how cumbersome it sounded when the passage was read? 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:58.879 Apostle of Christ Jesus, the church of God, sanctified in Christ Jesus, the name of our Lord Jesus, 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:04.300 grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ, and so on and so on. 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:09.899 It's almost awkward the way he says it because he's tripping over himself to name Christ. 00:13:12.919 --> 00:13:16.159 They are in Christ, and Christ is in them. 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:22.639 So, what does that mean for us? 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:27.559 The first thing I think it means is don't presume. 00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:33.559 Don't presume the Corinthians are an example. 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:37.159 Of how far you can fall. 00:13:38.359 --> 00:13:40.699 You might read bits of this letter and think to yourself, 00:13:41.339 --> 00:13:43.240 That's absurd. 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:45.399 I would never do that. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.639 But we're all expert in justifying our sin. 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:51.740 If we're honest with ourselves, we know that. 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:53.459 Yeah, but. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:55.620 Ah, yeah, but. 00:13:55.620 --> 00:14:01.919 There was probably a time when the guy in chapter 5 that is mentioned there who is sleeping with his stepmother 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:04.980 would have been horrified at the thought of doing something like that. 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:07.539 And now he's meeting with the pastor and he's saying, 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.759 Yeah, look, I know it's not great, but here's the thing. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:16.060 And there was possibly a time when the church would have dealt decisively with that issue. 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:20.879 If you read chapter 5, it's actually not the guy in sin that Paul is rebuking. 00:14:21.099 --> 00:14:23.819 It's the church for tolerating that behavior. 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:28.540 And now at their members' meetings, they're talking about, 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:31.640 Yeah, we don't want to judge. 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:34.220 It's complicated. 00:14:35.040 --> 00:14:36.600 And we're all about grace, aren't we? 00:14:38.420 --> 00:14:44.760 Don't presume, friends, that Christ's blessing means you can't fall into sin. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:47.120 Don't treat his grace with contempt. 00:14:47.800 --> 00:14:48.380 Don't presume. 00:14:48.379 --> 00:15:18.379 Don't despair. 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:20.720 You maybe think this evening that you have blown it. 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:22.980 That you haven't. 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:29.799 If you've come to church this evening and you're coddling some particular sin 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:33.879 and you think either that you can't leave it behind, 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:35.580 you can't let it go, 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:41.980 or that actually it's all you've got 00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:44.539 because you know that God won't have you back, 00:15:44.539 --> 00:15:51.819 I want to tell you that you can and you must turn back to God. 00:15:53.539 --> 00:15:54.360 Don't despair. 00:15:56.500 --> 00:16:00.740 If you've had a really clear and obvious fall into some sin or other 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:03.899 and you're consumed by guilt, 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:08.319 you can hardly hold your head up this evening. 00:16:08.939 --> 00:16:11.579 You don't even know why you've come to church 00:16:11.579 --> 00:16:13.459 because it's just made the guilt feel worse. 00:16:14.539 --> 00:16:15.919 You can come back. 00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:18.139 You can have that guilt lifted. 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:20.459 That burden can be taken away. 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:22.919 And I want to encourage you, if that's you, to come back 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:25.000 and not to wait. 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:26.620 Come back now. 00:16:28.079 --> 00:16:30.159 In the quietness of your own heart, 00:16:30.819 --> 00:16:31.639 turn to the Lord. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:36.019 Because the worst thing you can actually do is delay. 00:16:36.699 --> 00:16:37.360 Think about it. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:38.740 If you belong to Christ, 00:16:39.079 --> 00:16:41.120 He will bring you back 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.919 because, verse 9, look, verse 9, 00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:44.600 God is faithful. 00:16:46.659 --> 00:16:48.139 But the longer you wait to respond, 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:50.060 the more sin you will have to repent of, 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:51.440 the more shame you will accumulate, 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:53.379 and the more regret you'll feel 00:16:53.379 --> 00:16:54.840 when you do finally come back. 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:55.840 Don't delay, friend. 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:57.139 Don't delay. 00:16:57.139 --> 00:17:01.279 So don't despair. 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:07.779 Don't let failure and shame keep you from Christ. 00:17:08.339 --> 00:17:09.859 You can hear my voice this evening. 00:17:10.139 --> 00:17:11.720 You can come back to this grace. 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:13.339 You can come back to this blessing. 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:15.619 Let me encourage you to do that. 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:20.200 Don't presume. 00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:20.920 Don't despair. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:22.980 These verses tell us one other thing. 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:26.599 Don't think that the Christian life is all or nothing. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:29.420 What I mean is, 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:31.259 the way that some of us are wired, 00:17:31.360 --> 00:17:32.500 we need things to be perfect, 00:17:32.620 --> 00:17:34.079 and if they aren't perfect, they're terrible. 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:35.220 It's one or the other. 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:37.779 Got to be perfect or they're terrible. 00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:40.079 Only two options. 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:41.220 All or nothing. 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:43.860 And so we want the church. 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:47.120 We want the church to have tidy, clear edges. 00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:49.579 Christians here, non-Christians here. 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:52.319 In, out. 00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:57.519 Now, those edges do exist, 00:17:58.000 --> 00:17:59.500 but only God knows where they are. 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:04.740 And His work in us over a lifetime is slow. 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:07.599 That is why churches get messy. 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:10.620 That's why churches even get messy 00:18:10.620 --> 00:18:12.500 in the sort of shameful ways we see in Corinth. 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:15.259 We read this letter and we write them off. 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:16.539 If you know this letter, 00:18:16.620 --> 00:18:18.240 as I say, many of you will know it well. 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:20.880 Your first thought when you think about Corinth is, 00:18:21.420 --> 00:18:21.880 disaster. 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:28.099 We want to define the church negatively 00:18:28.099 --> 00:18:30.000 because of the presence of sin, 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:31.259 but it's not all or nothing. 00:18:32.959 --> 00:18:34.119 Repentance is possible. 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:35.759 Change happens. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.219 Grace works its way in. 00:18:39.139 --> 00:18:40.259 It transforms people. 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:44.319 And it is then seen in the way that it is lived out. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:48.200 Perfectionism in the Christian life. 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:54.000 I think it's common in churches like ours, 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:57.400 conservative, evangelical, reformed kinds of churches. 00:18:58.360 --> 00:18:59.319 The thing is, 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:02.120 perfectionism will crush you. 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:04.000 It will crush you, 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.059 and it will destroy the church. 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:08.200 If you expect perfection of yourself, 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:10.220 you will die a thousand times a week. 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:13.039 And if you expect it of others, 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:14.839 you'll just become judgmental and nasty 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:17.240 because they never measure up. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:20.839 We need to repent of our perfectionism. 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.579 We need to pursue holiness, yes. 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.980 We need to repent of sin. 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.099 We need to pursue holiness. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.539 We need to be holy as the Lord is holy. 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:31.419 That sounds a lot like perfection to me, 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:33.480 but that's different from perfectionism. 00:19:35.080 --> 00:19:37.019 Remember, it's not all or nothing. 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:42.160 Turn from perfectionism where you see it 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.140 and trust God with the slow, faithful work in you 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:47.019 and in your brothers and sisters in the church. 00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:53.620 So, we might know the Corinthian church by its sin, 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:57.500 but Paul starts his letter with their true status. 00:19:57.500 --> 00:20:01.559 Like any Christian, 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:03.740 like any Christian, 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.119 the Corinthians aren't defined by their sin 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:10.359 or by the fact that they are sanctified in Christ. 00:20:11.339 --> 00:20:14.380 These aren't just opening pleasantries from the apostle. 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:18.180 This is the true status of the church. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:23.279 They are blessed by Christ. 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:26.480 That isn't all that there is to say 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:28.700 because with this blessing comes a responsibility. 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:31.519 Those who are blessed by Christ, 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.440 also, point number two, 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:35.420 belong to Christ. 00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:38.460 Blessed by Christ, 00:20:38.860 --> 00:20:40.079 belong to Christ. 00:20:40.180 --> 00:20:41.839 To the church of God that is in Corinth, 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:43.559 to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:45.500 called to be saints together 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:47.140 with all those who in every place 00:20:47.140 --> 00:20:49.779 call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:51.720 both their Lord and ours. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.299 The Corinthian church is God's church. 00:20:54.299 --> 00:20:56.259 He brought it into being 00:20:56.259 --> 00:20:58.720 by His gracious choosing of these people to be saints. 00:20:59.399 --> 00:21:03.579 He conferred the status of Holy One on these people. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.139 To be holy is to be set apart, 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:06.879 to be separate. 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:12.639 It's to be separate for God, 00:21:12.740 --> 00:21:15.039 distinctive in the way that you live. 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:18.599 Not everyone in Corinth 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:21.539 had known the blessing of Christ's grace, 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:25.519 but those who did now come under His Lordship. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.359 That means that Christ owns His people. 00:21:30.399 --> 00:21:31.119 In verse 9, 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:32.480 look at verse 9, 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.500 when someone is called into the fellowship of God's Son, 00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:36.700 Jesus Christ our Lord, 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:38.500 they are united to Him. 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:41.180 Putting our faith in Jesus 00:21:41.180 --> 00:21:43.099 connects us to Him. 00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:46.460 And so we are called to live accordingly. 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:48.440 We are connected to Christ. 00:21:49.660 --> 00:21:50.180 And so, 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:51.960 we belong to Him, 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.299 and there is a responsibility that comes with that. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.099 This is the basis for all of the rebukes 00:21:57.099 --> 00:21:58.200 that Paul will give in the letter. 00:21:58.500 --> 00:21:58.880 He says, 00:21:58.880 --> 00:22:00.440 stop behaving like that. 00:22:00.760 --> 00:22:02.920 Why should they stop behaving like the way... 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:04.600 When he rebukes them, 00:22:04.700 --> 00:22:06.940 why should they stop behaving the way they are? 00:22:07.520 --> 00:22:09.460 Because you belong to Christ. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:13.260 When he confronts the men 00:22:13.260 --> 00:22:14.800 who are sleeping with temple prostitutes, 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:15.900 in chapter 6, 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:17.140 Paul dials this up further. 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:17.600 He says, 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:18.940 you're united to Christ. 00:22:19.340 --> 00:22:19.920 Stop it. 00:22:20.100 --> 00:22:21.300 You're united to Christ. 00:22:21.660 --> 00:22:23.280 Don't unite Him with a prostitute. 00:22:23.560 --> 00:22:25.200 There is a special bond, 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:26.960 the mystical union 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:28.480 between Christ and His people. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:29.660 Christ is the head. 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:31.480 The bride of Christ is His body. 00:22:31.579 --> 00:22:32.500 The church is His body. 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.660 And so we don't just take the name Christian with us 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:36.460 wherever we go. 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:39.120 There is a sense in which we take Him with us too. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:42.039 And He is in charge. 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:43.339 We belong to Him. 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:48.279 It is really important to see 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:52.099 that Paul doesn't rail at the culture. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:56.019 He is not cross with Corinth for being Corinthian. 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:59.480 He rebukes the church that says it's Christian 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:01.759 when it's behaving like it's Corinthian. 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:05.160 So, 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:07.700 we need to see 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:09.759 that all of that grace 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:11.359 that I sought to dial up 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.519 at the beginning, 00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:15.180 that Paul seems to front load this letter with, 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:16.900 all of that grace 00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:19.400 tumbles out into this realization. 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:21.800 If you have Christ's blessing, 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:23.759 He has claim on your life, 00:23:24.259 --> 00:23:27.620 and we are responsible to live by His rules. 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:33.400 That is vital that we get it this way around. 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:37.519 Paul will speak to this church, 00:23:37.580 --> 00:23:39.540 and very harshly in places, 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:42.400 but in order to hear those rebukes, 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:44.980 they first need to hear these assurances. 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:48.440 This is true for all of us, isn't it? 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:49.980 One author says this, 00:23:50.019 --> 00:23:51.220 we should always stand ready 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:53.259 to receive the apostolic rebukes, 00:23:53.740 --> 00:23:55.220 but we will only do that 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:56.700 to the extent that we have heard 00:23:56.700 --> 00:23:58.460 the apostolic assurances. 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:02.660 God's Word always delivers grace 00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:03.759 before correction. 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:08.039 And Paul is saying, 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:10.500 you've had all the grace. 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:13.579 You belong to Jesus. 00:24:14.220 --> 00:24:17.000 So stop living like that's not true. 00:24:19.779 --> 00:24:21.599 And so he says the same to us. 00:24:23.539 --> 00:24:25.039 If you're naming Christ, 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:26.900 but choosing the culture 00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:28.079 when the pressure comes, 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:30.599 you call yourself a Christian, 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:31.579 but you're persisting 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:32.900 in some unrepentant sin, 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:33.900 stop it. 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:35.279 Why? 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:38.200 Because you've been blessed by Christ, 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:39.799 and you belong to Him. 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:41.099 You have a new status. 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:42.559 You have a new identity. 00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:45.980 And that brings with it responsibility. 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:47.980 But it is a responsibility 00:24:47.980 --> 00:24:50.960 that liberates and brings joy. 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:53.039 It's like when a child is adopted. 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:56.200 They're taken out of one 00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:58.099 usually awful situation, 00:24:58.259 --> 00:24:59.899 and they're brought into a new family. 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:03.680 They receive love and blessing 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:06.019 and gifts and more kindness 00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:07.180 than was ever possible 00:25:07.180 --> 00:25:08.339 before they were adopted. 00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:12.000 And they take the new family name. 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:15.119 And they are expected 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:17.619 to abide by the new family rules. 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:21.399 They say, no, don't do that. 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:23.019 Being a hunter means 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:24.339 that we do things this way. 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:27.759 Of course, often when adopted children 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:28.940 misbehave, 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:30.139 it's because their past 00:25:30.139 --> 00:25:32.639 has done something to them 00:25:32.639 --> 00:25:33.799 such that their bad behavior 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:34.839 is a means of protection. 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:37.000 Stealing their new siblings' food, 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:38.440 it used to be that they didn't know 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:39.660 when their next meal was coming. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:43.380 So what does their father now say? 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:44.440 He leans forward and he says, 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:45.119 don't do that. 00:25:47.180 --> 00:25:47.579 Why? 00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:50.799 Because you've no need. 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:55.240 There's no reason to live that way. 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:59.620 Not only does that bad behavior 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:00.680 not belong here, 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:02.660 but it doesn't need to belong here 00:26:02.660 --> 00:26:05.420 because you have now got 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:06.559 a different identity. 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:08.319 In this place, 00:26:08.680 --> 00:26:09.700 around this table, 00:26:10.019 --> 00:26:11.960 you are loved and protected. 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:14.460 And we will always provide for you. 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:15.339 You don't need to steal 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:16.180 your siblings' food. 00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:20.620 I think Paul is talking 00:26:20.620 --> 00:26:21.220 to the Corinthians 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:22.080 in the same way. 00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:25.880 And it's vital that we see this. 00:26:26.600 --> 00:26:28.380 If you have been blessed by Christ, 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:29.600 and you have, 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:30.779 if you've put your faith in Him, 00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:32.900 you have no good reason to sin. 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:35.380 There's nothing to be gained 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:36.880 by choosing the world's ways 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:37.600 over Christ. 00:26:38.120 --> 00:26:39.560 He has blessed you beyond measure. 00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:40.440 You're in fellowship 00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:41.620 with the living God. 00:26:41.619 --> 00:26:46.419 God who gives you grace and mercy 00:26:46.419 --> 00:26:47.659 and grace and mercy 00:26:47.659 --> 00:26:48.839 in abundance. 00:26:49.719 --> 00:26:52.099 God who will faithfully steer you 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:54.579 through the twists and turns 00:26:54.579 --> 00:26:55.279 of this life 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:57.219 to get you safely to glory. 00:26:59.199 --> 00:27:00.779 You're secure in the hands 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:01.639 of the living God. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:05.039 To choose the alternative, 00:27:06.179 --> 00:27:07.379 to choose to live like that 00:27:07.379 --> 00:27:08.139 were not true, 00:27:08.739 --> 00:27:09.779 is so out of step 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:11.219 with your profession of Christ 00:27:11.220 --> 00:27:12.660 and your status as a saint, 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:17.120 but it's also just silly. 00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:22.240 You're a Christian. 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:24.019 You have been blessed by Christ 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:25.779 and you belong to Him. 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:27.240 So live in a way 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:28.579 that is consistent with that. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:29.559 Put off your sin. 00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:30.620 Put on obedience 00:27:30.620 --> 00:27:33.140 because it fits with who you are. 00:27:35.140 --> 00:27:36.200 Can I say finally, 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:37.620 this evening, 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.759 if you're not a Christian, 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:40.860 I want to say that it is vital 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:42.259 that you understand this order 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:42.959 as well. 00:27:43.399 --> 00:27:46.359 Grace comes before instruction. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:48.479 Jesus does not ask you 00:27:48.479 --> 00:27:50.459 to get your life cleaned up 00:27:50.459 --> 00:27:52.619 in order for Him to accept you. 00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:53.699 He says, 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:54.919 come to me. 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:56.759 Come to me in faith. 00:27:57.579 --> 00:27:59.179 Receive the free gift, 00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:00.599 the grace of salvation. 00:28:01.379 --> 00:28:02.779 Let me take your guilt 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:04.919 and give you a cleansed conscience. 00:28:04.919 --> 00:28:06.599 Let me take your shame 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:08.119 and give you new life. 00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:09.759 If you're not a Christian this evening, 00:28:09.879 --> 00:28:11.259 that is the invitation 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:12.419 that the Christian faith 00:28:12.419 --> 00:28:13.139 holds out to you. 00:28:16.239 --> 00:28:17.479 This is the Christ 00:28:17.479 --> 00:28:18.759 who calls you 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:20.759 and if you hear Him 00:28:20.759 --> 00:28:21.239 and you come, 00:28:21.319 --> 00:28:22.000 He welcomes you. 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:26.099 And that is why, 00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:28.699 in the end, 00:28:31.199 --> 00:28:32.879 grace comes before the correction. 00:28:33.679 --> 00:28:35.219 The blessing comes before 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:37.200 the responsibility. 00:28:38.339 --> 00:28:38.900 That is why, 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:39.440 in the end, 00:28:39.539 --> 00:28:40.039 when the church 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:41.000 and the culture collide, 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:42.759 we go with Christ. 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:45.579 There is absolutely nothing 00:28:45.579 --> 00:28:46.539 to be gained 00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:48.920 by going the other way. 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:50.940 So, 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:51.660 in these days, 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:54.559 let me encourage you, 00:28:55.180 --> 00:28:55.600 when the church 00:28:55.600 --> 00:28:56.460 and the culture collide, 00:28:56.579 --> 00:28:57.200 choose Christ. 00:28:57.960 --> 00:28:59.220 The cost in the present 00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:00.980 is always worth it 00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:02.240 in the long run. 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:04.259 Let's pray together.