1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Intro theme story
Have you ever had to have a really hard conversation with someone?
We’ve all been there, and we will be there again, and in this room there are two types of people:
Those who when faced with a hard conversation like this, squirm with anticipation of the potential awkwardness and fall-out – and we get smaller and procrastinate - “It’s not the right time.”, “I make it personal rule to never hard conversations unless the moon is in perfect alignment with Jupiter – otherwise it’s just irresponsible!”
Then there are those of you rip off the plaster, and get bigger, and say to yourself - “it’s about tough love”, “they’ll thank me for it later!”.
Now, hard conversations are always hard, but some are harder than others.
I: Share the gospel with a criminal
What I saw when I looked into his face changed my entire strategy. In some senses I relaxed, became human size again, allowed myself the space to be gentle – why?
Because this was the face of a father, this man who had done terrible things in life, was deeply loved by another.
And when you learn someone is deeply loved by another, they stop being a cartoon villain in your mind, to use the language of Genesis 1, they transform in front of your eyes, to become image bearers of the living God, deserving of dignity no matter what it is you have to tell them.
Reveal theme
The reason this matters is because according to CMI research, a survey found that 57% of respondents said they would do almost anything to avoid a difficult conversation.
80% of those surveyed said they had no formal training on how to handle difficult conversations.
Tie to the passage
And this introductory passage written by the apostle Paul, touches upon this very issue of difficult conversations, because almost the whole letter to the church in Corinth is the apostle Paul revealing to them some hard truths.
Just as a little sampler of some of the home truths Paul is going to be firing at them
[10] - church had shattered into more competitive factions than derby day in Manchester.
[5:1] - In an event that would have scandalised the Roman version of ‘Life’ magazine, the church was condoning a son having an affair with his stepmother,
[6:16] - In a jaw dropping act of hypocrisy, some in the church thought that being clients of the sex industry was compatible with being a Christian.
Reveal structure
So with a super awkward critical conversation on the cards, what we can we learn from Paul’s approach?
1. Remember the context
2. Remember who they are becoming
3. Remind them of what God thinks of them
Explore the passage as relates to theme
- Remember the context
Paul opens the letter in [1,2] with a simple but powerful statement:
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
In other words, “Hi y’all - remember me – Paul? And I bet you remember Sosthenes!”
Why because last time Paul and Sosthenes were in Corinth it all kicked off.
Acts 18 suggests that Paul would have been somewhat emotional when writing to the church in Corinth, because it had been a hard fought church plant.
His time in Corinth was no flyby – weekend city break – we're told he laboured for the Gospel in the city for 1 and half years.
Corinth wasn’t only a Paul’s home for that period of his life, but it was also where he had a particularly powerful spiritual encounter with God, who assured him to keep going, to not be afraid of the threat of violence in the city, because God would protect him.
It was a timely intervention by God, as the newly hatched church was dragged into court by the biggest player in the Jewish community at the time, a man called Sosthenes.
A name which means ‘strength to save’ - which gives the impression of religious bruiser intent on giving this new Christianity a bloody nose back to Jerusalem.
Of course, like the best fights the under-dog church wins the case like the climax of a John Grisham novel, and the tables are turned on Sosthnes who we’re told was battered by his own people in act of frustrated punishment for his failure.
Yet, low and behold, beside Paul, penning his name to the letter to the Corinthians, is none other than – Sosthenes. Once an enemy, now a fellow believer!
If it wasn’t written down, you’d never believe it – but for Paul, surely there is something about this church in Corinth, that against all the odds was favoured by God.
I wonder as Paul turned over in his mind, list longer than your weekly grocery shop, of: crimes, failings, and horrors of this church in Corinth, I wonder if he paused to consider the context.
We do that don’t we.
I: Girl in Y9.
I wonder if in the pause between writing verse 1 and verse 2, Paul recalled that this church in Corinth was planted in a city of regional importance in the Roman empire – a city that had been the recipient of the equivalent of millions of pounds of investment and regeneration since was destroyed in a rebellion [..] years earlier.
Which meant that this city had become the playground for the rich and the cash-cow for those on the make – what does that do to a church?
I wonder if Paul remembered his time in the city, and remembered the crowds flooding into the arenas? – Corinth was a sports city with an international sporting event only second the Olympics.
Which meant that this was a city driven by the twin cultural engines of entertainment and physical perfection – what does that do to a church?
I wonder if Paul remembered the festivals in the city? The city was home to the imperial cult of emperor worship. Meaning that it was a place that mixed the violent cocktail of nationalism with religion.
- What does that do to a church?
This talk is an introduction to letter of 1 Corinthians, and it will be easy to look down at this church as lunatics running the asylum, but wise advice before launching into any hard conversation, - remember the context.
- Remember who they are becoming
Have you noticed that the older you get the more you say, “That’s just what I’m like…”
Paul wants to remind the church in Corinth, and us here today, that if you are a Christian who you are today isn’t the end of the story.
Look at [2], he describes them as ‘sanctified in Christ Jesus’ - meaning those ‘set apart’ by Jesus.
[2] ‘called to be his holy people’
This is language from Exodus, where God effectively has a marriage ceremony with his people and declares them to be the unique beneficiaries of his blessing and presence – like a millionaire marrying a prostitute – for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health – what's mine is yours.
Notice the word ‘called’ is used three times in these 9 verses, to make the point that the believers at this church, are favoured by God not because they earned it, but because he found them, abandoned in their filth, and yet they were brought home to him and loved, and declared family – with the full force of the one voice in the universe who invented the word ‘family’.
Paul’s reference in [2] that the church in Corinth is ‘to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours’,
Is almost as if Paul is reminding himself, that this rag-tag bunch of Christian pirates, are as authentically Christian as he is. Cut their souls to the core and it would read like a stick of rock: “Belongs to Jesus”.
Throughout the New Testament the language of Holy and sanctified, not only points to one’s inherent value but also the fact that such ‘set-apartness’ has obligations to live in a certain way, to speak in a certain way, to behave in a certain way.
Do you remember what it was like punished in public by your parents?
I:
I: Prince George yawns
But, did we ever stop to think, ‘Why George receive harsh words about his behaviour?’
Because – it was behaviour that was inconsistent with the honour, privilege and status of a prince of the kingdom.
But ‘Why then wasn’t George cast out of the royal family?’
Because – he was a child and who he was in that moment, wouldn’t define the prince he will become.
So it is, with the church in Corinth, there is a lot of hard conversations to have, but to God will finish the work he has begun in them.
That’s Paul’s point in [8], ‘He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Apply
It makes you wonder doesn’t it about the person at City Church you most struggle to love.
You know who I’m talking about, that person who...
When was the last time, you thought of them and smiled with the thought, that God had chosen that person above all others to be his selected craftsmanship for a life time of devoted work to get them ready for his return. Chosen with the same care and relish as Leondardo Da Vinci selecting one model to be his life-time sculpture to detail.
Of course does it change the beauty of the image, if you were to learn for someone in this room, the person they thought of was you?
- Remind them what God thinks of them
The reformed doctrine of election, that God irresistably calls us to be saved regardless of who we are and what we’ve done, can be sometimes be criticised as being a little cold or sterile.
Imagine looking lovingly at your husband or wife, ‘Why my dear, my love, my dearest sweet-heart do you love me?’ and the reply being: “My dearest love, it has nothing to do with you, I literally could have chosen anyone!”
That would not ignite your heart with love.
That is not a good picture of God’s attitude to the Corinthians, and Paul knows it, and he wants them to know it to.
Look at [3] ‘Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’
Hold the wait of this phrase moment longer than usual - “The God who made the universe, who knows what you did in secret, comes to you with undeserved favour and he is not angry at you, because Jesus has already paid for your sin.’
When I was doing management training many years ago, their great advice was regularly tell those you line-managed how you thought they were doing, because 40% of worker’s thought time is consumed by wondering what their boss thinks about them.
Yet, here is the one who determines the number of breaths they will take today, and whether the roads they will cross today will end in success, and the one who is the true wiki-pedia author of the Corinthians – and he says to them ‘I come to you in peace.’
I that’s why Paul naturally then, begins [4] with the declaration of ‘I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.’
And goes on to list evidence in this church of the favour of God upon them.
Now, some of you may be thinking, “I know exactly what Paul is doing here. He’s read management 101, give a ‘Praise sandwich’: When you have a hard conversation: start with something positive and praise worthy about the individual (bread), then give the hard news (meat), and then finish by saying something positive (bread).
It’s like smuggling the cancer diagnosis, between ‘I like what you’ve done with your hair’ and ‘haven’t you lost weight’.
Actually, Paul’s not doing this.
In fact he selects three things that he is going to majorly criticise about this church in this letter, and he incredibly mentions them as marks that God smiles upon them:
[5] they were enriched:
- Speech – they think they’re brilliant Bible teachers – eloquent, relevant, smart, sound [chp 1].
- Knowledge – they think they are mature, wise, spiritual gurus, able to advisors, guides and consultants for others [chp 2-11].
- ‘not lack any spiritual gift’ [6]- they think that they are central motorway for the power of Spirit of God to revive the city [chp 12].
Paul doesn’t deny that they have form in all three of these areas, that they do have some certificates in these areas – he is going to open a can of slaps- based on their application of them in the church, but first he wants them to reframe these three strengths not as things to boast about, but markers that God smiles upon them.
Why would they be evidence of God’s deep affection for them?
Because each of these blessings is from Christ, or points them towards Christ.
‘’In christ’
‘In him’
As you ‘wait for him’
In other words, Paul is saying that the platform for the hard conversation, is recognising the very things you hold so precious, that you are going to feel are threatened by a hard conversation – your reputation, your skills and competence, - must all be first properly understood as bi-products of your favour with Christ, not the reason he loves you.
Apply
For example if you’re going to step someone down from the music team, that person really needs to understand that their musical talent is a gift that flows out of God’s love for them, not the X Factor that ignites his love for them.
If there is any confusion on this crucial point a hard conversation becomes a fight for survival!
Gospel Engine
So what do we learn from Paul about preparing for hard conversations:
Remember the context
Remember who they are becoming
Remind them of how God sees them
But of course this passage can’t simply be about others. Doesn’t it provoke us to remember God’s heart for us.
