Gospel of Grace Fellowship, Sermons (St Louis Park Minnesota)

This sermon emphasizes that since all who serve the Lord must not seek the approval of men in the fallen world system, Much of this message is about future reward, the contrast between those who know God through Christ and the many false religions of the world, and the need to be reconciled to God. Only those who know Christ and trust Him alone are reconciled to God. The world is not evolving into paradise on earth but is heading toward judgment.

In this text, Paul uses two rhetorical questions to highlight the problem with schisms based on personalities. Those who believed the gospel put their faith in Christ, not the personalities of preachers.

This sermon deals with the key reason that Paul used irony to describe the Corinthian church as "still of the flesh." They were making judgments about the relative value of various preachers which created "jealousy and strife." The term for strife is used nine times in the NT, all with negative connotations. Some were making claims that would not be made if they understood that they are no longer "merely human." Those in Christ are part of the redeemed family of God and have various gifts. Those who claim to be superior based on which preacher they follow are behaving and thinking as if they were in Adam rather than in Christ. Their slogans showed this confused thinking. In Luke, and elsewhere in the Bible, there were debates about who was the greatest. Those who come to Christ through the gospel already have received great honor as they are part of the family of God. When we compare gifts and make judgments about who is more or less important, we are in danger of bringing worldly status rivalry into the church. Some in Corinth made such judgments about Paul. The sermon ends with sharing the gospel based on 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 and what it means to be in Adam where all die, or in Christ with the gift of eternal life.

Paul addresses those who did come to Christ (not lost in sin) that he “could not” address “as” spiritual people but as “people of the flesh.” This is ironic and not literal.

Jesus’ healings are proof that Jesus is the fulfillment of passages like Isaiah 35:5-6 which predicted miraculous healings associated with the coming messianic age.

We learn that Jesus called His apostles personally and objectively. This calling stands in stark contrast to false apostles today who claim to be called as apostles but have no personal call by Christ.

The spiritual person who judges rightly sees the various religious messages of the world to lead away from God’s one true message of salvation. Those who know Christ by faith alone reject any spiritual claim that leads away from the truth.

Paul says that the natural man does not have the power to know the things of the Spirit. This does not imply various levels of Christians based on special knowledge, but a failure to perceive the weightiness of the gospel itself.