1 Corinthians

Refine by chapter:
127 results found

“You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 NLT)

August 10, 2014

When Paul wrote this to the Corinthians he was primarily addressing the problem of sexual sin that was so prevalent in their culture. Believers were to live differently than the culture around them. This was not a call to an outward asceticism, but a reminder of an identity change. They were no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to Christ. Their bodies were purchased by His blood and had become God’s holy temple where His Spirit dwelled. This word is as relevant today as it was then. We are no longer to be identified by our sexual orientation or sinful enslavement, for we have been bought out from under sin’s mastery. We have a new Master and a new identity in Christ.

“It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide” (1 Corinthians 4:4 NLT)

August 8, 2014

Paul rebuked the Corinthians who claimed to be followers of Paul or Apollos. He was not interested in the approval of men. His desire was to be found faithful by the Lord Jesus. He saw no value nor credibility in the evaluation of others or even his own self-evaluation. He recommended that we all wait until the Lord’s return to see what secret motives would be revealed and what praise offered. In the meantime, stop comparing one brother or sister with another. After all, anything good comes from God. And in the end, Christ deserves all the praise.

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

August 7, 2014

The Church is the people, not the steeple. And the One who holds them together and makes them one is the Holy Spirit of God. Remembering this, we work to build up people rather than places or programs. God’s strategy for the Kingdom is making disciples.

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7 NLT)

August 7, 2014

Paul uses a farming analogy to compare witnessing with planting. The one who sows and waters is the witness and the seed is the gospel. Yet, the seed comes from God and only He can make it grow. This removes both the pressure of success and the temptation to take credit. As the late Bill Bright used to say, “Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT)

August 5, 2014

It is God’s plan that the “message of the cross” should enliven human hearts, yet it is also that which certifies that others are already dead. We often try human wisdom to reason and persuade, but it is the gospel alone that saves. And it is the gospel that reveals others to be lost. Only the message of the cross has the power to show we are already dead in our sins before making us alive in Christ. This message is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others, but to us who believe it is the very power of God.

“S” is for Spiritual Gifts

January 12, 2014 | 1 Corinthians 12:1-13, 27-31 | discipleship, spiritual gifts

Pastor Gary Combs continues the 6-part message series “Shaped for Significance” with this message about spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians 12. In this message he answers questions about spiritual gifts from the Bible and shows how the ultimate purpose of these gifts is to edify the body of Christ and to bring glory to the Father.

The Gospel is Good News, not Good Advice

March 31, 2013 | 1 Corinthians 15:1-22 | easter, gospel

Pastor Gary Combs begins a new 4-week sermon series on Easter weekend entitled Evangelium: What the Gospel Is… And What It Isn’t. This message is taken from 1 Corinthians 15 and and discusses the importance of recognizing that the gospel is the good news about Christ’s resurrection for us to believe, not advice for us to follow. The gospel is about what Christ has already done, not what we need to do.

Discovering Your Gospel Love Language

March 3, 2013 | 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 | evangelism, gospel

Pastor Gary Combs continued his sermon series entitled “Loving Our Jerusalem” with this message from 1 Corinthians about the different approaches that the Apostle Paul was willing to use in order to share the gospel with others. Paul demonstrated the importance of witnessing in a language that the hearer could understand. This “love language” is different for everyone. This message discusses the seven witnessing love languages that one might use to share the gospel with others.

Time to Celebrate

November 25, 2012 | 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 | discipleship

Pastor Gary Combs concludes the “Time to Thrive” series with this message from 1 Corinthians. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that Christ’s victory over sin and death meant that they could live life to the full, knowing and celebrating that this victory was already theirs. And that everything they did for Christ would matter for eternity. Celebrating this victory that Christ has won, we can live life to the full, we can do more than just survive, we can thrive.

“Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies.” (1 Corinthians 15:43-44)

August 24, 2012

Paul teaches us about the resurrection body. He compares it to sewing a seed in the ground. The seed dies, but a new living plant sprouts from the earth. Jesus is the firstborn from among dead. His resurrection body is the prototype. Someday we will be like Him.