Showing posts with label 1 Corinthians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Corinthians. Show all posts

Monday 17 February 2020

Out Of Our Old Life, Into Christ's New Life

1 Corinthians 10:1-33
‘Participation in the blood of Christ… participation in the body of Christ’ (16): There is nothing more important than this.
We are not to be spectators, standing on the side lines, watching what’s going on without ever getting involved. We are to be participants, getting to know the Lord Jesus Christ, growing in our love for Him, strengthening our faith in Him, bringing more glory to Him. We eat bread. We drink wine.
We remember Jesus Christ, ‘the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us’. We do not only remember this great event from the past. We participate in Christ here and now. He has brought us out of our old life - ‘I have been crucified with Christ’ - and into His new life - ‘It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20).
Participate ‘in Christ’ - not only in ‘the Church’!

Praying Through God's Word: 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5
We thank You, Lord, that our faith is “not based on human wisdom.” Our faith comes from Your power at work in us (1 Corinthians 2:5). Our faith is nothing without Your power. Without Your wisdom, we are fools. How do we receive Your power and Your wisdom? – We receive Your power and Your wisdom when we receive Jesus Christ, the Saviour, who has been crucified for us. He is Your power and Your wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).
1 Corinthians 2:6-3:23
Help us, Lord, never to forget that the Saviour is always much more important than the servant. We serve You. You save us. Save and serve – what a difference there is between the two! Your salvation comes first. First, You save us. Then, we serve You. Help us never to forget this. When we start thinking, “You save us, because we serve You”, take us back to the Cross of Christ. Teach us that we serve  You because You have saved us.
1 Corinthians 4:1-21
Lord, You’ve called us to be “servants of Christ.” May we be “found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1-4). Pleasing You – may this be the big thing in our lives. Nothing else matters more than this. We can try to keep people happy. What will that achieve if we’ve forgotten that the most important thing is pleasing You? Lord, let there be less of self and more of You in our lives.
1 Corinthians 5:1-6:11
Help us, Lord, to keep our eyes on Jesus – “Christ, our Passover Lamb, who has been sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). Help us never to forget that Your great blessings have come to us through Jesus, our great Saviour – “you were washed … sanctified … justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Help us, Lord, as we think of Jesus, our great Saviour, to say, from our hearts, “To God be the glory! Great things He has done.”
1 Corinthians 6:12-7:24
Lord, there is one love that is greater than any other love. It’s Your love for us. You gave Your Son for us. When we think of Your love, when we see Jesus, crucified for us, help us to open our hearts to Your love. Help us to receive Your love, to rejoice in Your love and be renewed by Your love.
1 Corinthians 7:25-8:13
Lord, there is no better life than the life that is centred on Christ. We may think that we’re doing all right when we’re living for ourselves – but we’re not! You call us out of a self-centred life and into a life of love, a life that is being shaped by Your love, a life that proclaims Your love – “The steadfast love of the Lord endures for ever” (Psalm 136).
1 Corinthians 9:1-27
Sometimes, Lord, we want to be the centre of attention. We forget that we’re not the centre. You’re the centre – the centre of our faith, our worship and our life. You’re the One who has done all that was needed for us to be saved. Our salvation does not come from ourselves. It comes from You. What can we say about this? – All we can say is this: “To God be the glory! Great things He has done.” Help us to stop trying to be the centre of attention – and to start making You the great focus of our attention.
1 Corinthians 10:1-33
We gather together at the Lord’s Table. We have been invited by Jesus. We are welcomed by Jesus. We remember Jesus. Help us, Lord, to appreciate, more deeply, the love of Jesus: “the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us.” Help us to leave the old life – “I have been crucified with Christ” – and live the new life – “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
1 Corinthians 11:1-34
What’s it all about? What are we doing when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Help us, Lord, to look beyond the bread and wine. Help us to see Jesus – in the glory of His love. His body was broken for us. This is not about what we do for Jesus. It’s about what He has done for us. It’s about thinking and thanking. As we think about Jesus, may we also thank Him for being such a wonderful Saviour.
1 Corinthians 12:1-31
Teach us, Lord, to walk with You, in love. May we be deeply appreciative of Your love for us. May we be radically transformed by Your love for us. Your love does not leave us where it finds us.Your love changes us. It makes us new men and women – people who are learning to love You with the love that You have poured into our hearts.
1 Corinthians 13:1-14:12
Help us, Lord, to look back with thanksgiving and to look forward with faith. Help us to remember the past and to prepare for the future.We’re to learn from the past. We’re not to live in the past. Learning from the past doesn’t mean getting locked in the past. There are things that belong to the past, things that should be left in the past. They’re not the most important things. They’re things that should be allowed to die. There are, however, things that must never be allowed to die – the love that comes to us from You, the faith that trusts in Jesus, our Saviour; and the hope that arises in our hearts when the Holy Spirit makes His home in us (1 Corinthians 13:13).
1 Corinthians 14:13-40
Help us, Lord, to practise what we preach, to practise what we pray, to practise what we praise. We speak about good preaching, good times of prayer, good songs of praise. What about good living? How much does it really matter, Lord, if our good preaching, praying and praising doesn’t lead to good living? teach us, Lord, to look for more than saying and singing the right things. Help us to live the right way – bringing glory to You all through the week, and not only when we’re gathered together for worship.
1 Corinthians 15:1-45
We thank You, Lord, that Jesus has risen from the dead. Help us to look forward to our resurrection from the dead. We will be “raised” – “imperishable … in glory … in power … a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Help us, here-and-now, to experience the power of Christ’s resurrection (Philippians 3:10). Believing the fact of His resurrection, living in the power of His resurrection, and rejoicing in the hope of our resurrection, may we be resurrection people, living the resurrection life. May we have faith in You, the resurrection God.
1 Corinthians 15:46-16:24
Teach us, Lord, to trust You, to love You and to serve You. Help us to think about our trust in You, our love for You and our service for You – Are they growing stronger or getting weaker? May there be less unbelief and more faith in You, less half-heartedness and more love for You, less laziness and more serving You with commitment that keeps on going when we feel like giving up.

Saturday 18 January 2020

What Will We Pass On To The Next Generation?

"What You have done will be praised from one generation to the next" (Psalm 145:4).
These words, from Psalm 145, are calling on us to give an answer to a most important question: What will we pass on to the next generation?
Will we pass on something of permanent value? Will we pass on something that stands the test of time, something of lasting value, something that will last "not for the years of time alone, but for eternity"?
"Jesus, my Lord, will love me for ever ... not for the years of time alone, but for eternity."
"Jesus, my Lord, will love me forever " - This is the great message that we pass on to the next generation.
The love of Jesus - There is nothing better than this. His love is the greatest love of all.
In his great chapter on love - 1 Corinthians 13, Paul ends with these great words: "These three things remain forever - faith, hope and love. the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).
What are we going to pass on to the next generation? - we must choose. We must keep on choosing to pass on faith, hope and love - the faith, hope and love which come to us from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Passing on the love of Christ to the next generation - What a great privilege this is! What a great responsibility it is!
Sometimes, we may feel weighed down by a sense of responsibility. In times like this, we must never forget that we have received from God a great privilege.
The privilege and responsibility of passing on Christ's love to the next generation - Let's think together about how we can make our commitment to the future. Let's think together about the three things which are permanent - faith, hope and love.
Faith
Where does faith come from? - It comes from the Lord. He puts it into our hearts.
Paul puts it like this: "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ" (Romans 10:17).
Our faith is often weak.
Our God is always strong.
Real faith is not self-confidence. It is confidence in God. we must never forget this. Sometimes, our confidence in God is shaken by the things that happen to us. We start to think, "I'm not sure if I believe in God." When you feel like this, there's something you must never forget - God believes in you.
You and I are never a waste of God's time.
What is it that assures us that God always has time for us? - Jesus died on the cross for us. How can we look at Jesus Christ, dying on the cross for us, and continue to doubt the love of God for us? God believes in us - and He has a great future planned for us. he lifts us out of the shifting sand of our confused emotions. He sets our feet on the solid Rock - Jesus Christ, the Rock of our salvation.
Hope
The word, "hope", is not always a positive word. Sometimes, it expresses a a lack of faith - "I don't think that this will happen - but I hope that it does."
Hoping for the best - even when we have our doubts: Is this all that we can expect - or is there something more than that?
What is it that gives us hope? Who is it that gives us hope for the future?
It is God who gives us hope. He is the God of hope.
Without Him, everything is hopeless. We have no eternal future to which we can look forward.
With Him, everything becomes hopeful. He changes everything. He gives us the glorious hope of eternal life.
How does this hope change us here-and-now? This hope calls us on into the future. It calls us to be changed by the God of hope. It calls us to follow the Lord Jesus, who is leading us on to His eternal future.
this hope makes a difference here-and-now. It calls us to move forward with God and for God. It calls us to become, more truly and more fully, all that God wants us to be. This hope gives us vision for the future.
Sometimes, we are asked the question: "What is your vision?" Our answer to this question must always be, "The Lord is my Vision." We must keep looking to Jesus. He is the One who has given us faith. He is the One who gives us hope.
The other day, I passed a Wayside Pulpit, with this short but very powerful message: "Don't give up. God doesn't."
I also passed the end of a street with the name: "Hope Terrace."
Day-by-day, the God of hope is giving us His little reminders. He's saying to us, "There is hope." He's reminding us that we're travelling on a journey towards His heavenly glory.
Sometimes, we may feel like we're in a wilderness. God is saying to us, "The wilderness won't last forever. I'm leading you on to the promised land." God doesn't lead us along a dead-end street.
"He didn't bring us thus far to leave us.
 He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown.
He didn't build His home in us to move away.
He didn't lift us up to let us down."
In a recent edition of "Life and Work", there was a great article from the Rev Marion Dodd. It has the title, "From Jacob to Israel." As well as speaking about Jacob who became Israel, she encourages us, by pointing to other people whose lives were transformed by the love and power of God - Abraham, Moses, David, Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, Levi - the tax collector who became Matthew the Gospel-writer, Saul of Tarsus - the persecutor who became Paul the Apostle. She even mentions the thief on the cross.
What is all of this saying to us? - There is hope. Why? - Because God believes in lost causes. Marion Dodd puts it like this: "What matters is not what we are on our own, but what we can be with God."
Let the past be the past. let us make a new beginning with God - a new beginning with the God of hope. He will lead us into His future, a future in which we will be learning to say, "Great is Thy faithfulness."
Love
Is there really such a thing as "everlasting love"?
Human ;love can be very confusing.
There's the wonderful experience of falling in love. There can also be the painful experience of falling out of love.
Is there a love that never comes to an end, a love that remains strong and doesn't fizzle out through time?
God's Word tells us that there is only one love that never comes to an end. there is only one "everlasting love." It is the love of God, our heavenly Father. His love is the greatest love of all.
How do we know that God loves us? - Jesus died for us. In the cross of Christ, we see the supreme demonstration of God's love for us. Our Saviour dying on the cross for us - This is God's way of showing us that He loves us. His love is not a love that comes and goes. His love is not a love that is sometimes strong, and sometimes weak. His love is constant. he loves us all of the time. His love is an "always and forever" love. It is a love that will not let us go.
His love is an unchanging love. It is also a changing love. It is the love which changes us.
 - Let us be secure in His love.His love is an unchanging love.
 - Let us be changed by His love. His love is a changing love.
Let's think together about this: God's love is an unchanging love. It is also a changing love.
 * His love is an unchanging love.
His love for us doesn't depend on our love for Him. He doesn't start loving us because He sees that we have a strong love for Him. His love comes first. Our love for Him can never be any more than a response to His love for us.
 * His love is a changing love.
Let's never imagine that God's love ever leaves us the way it finds us. God's love changes us. through the love of God, we are given the power to live as a new creation. In His love for us, God gives to us the power of the Holy Spirit, the power to live a life that bears fruit for god and brings glory to Him.
When God speaks to us about His unchanging love, He has something to tell us.
When He speaks to us His changing love - the love that changes us, He has a question for us.
 * God has something to tell us - He tells us that He loves us very much.
 * God has a question for us - He says to us, "I love you very much", and then He asks us this very important question, "How much do you love Me?"
What will we pass on to the next generation?
Let us pass on "the three things that remain forever - faith, hope and love." Let us tell them of Jesus. let us tell them of His love for them. let us pray that their hearts will be open - to receive Jesus, to receive His love.

Thursday 2 January 2020

Keeping Our Focus On Christ

Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 2:4). He preached 'Christ crucified' with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:2). This is the message of our salvation - ‘Christ crucified... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1:1 Corinthians 23-24). All the glory belongs to God. We have no right to steal away any of the glory for ourselves: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Our faith is ‘not based on human wisdom but on God’s power’ (2:5). ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’ (Mission Praise, 712). Christ is our full salvation. ‘Let us rejoice and be glad’ in Him’ (1 Corinthians 1:30; Psalm 118:24).

Thursday 19 December 2019

God's Glorious Future

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

How does the Lord keep us walking in His way? – He keeps on bringing to our attention the glorious future which He is preparing for us. He keeps on reminding us that we are being prepared for His eternal glory. How is He preparing us for ”praise,  glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed”? – He is teaching us to “love Him. ” The more we are learning to love Him, the more we will look forward, “with an inexpressible and glorious joy” to  ”the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls” (1 Peter 1:7-9).

Praise doesn't begin with us!

"Praise God in His sanctuary" (Psalm 150:1). "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit... glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Where does praise come from? How do we learn to glorify God"? We learn that we "have been bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). At the Cross of Christ, we learn to praise God. We see Jesus, crucified for us - and our hearts are filled with praise to God. This is where praise begins. It doesn't begin with us. It begins with God. It begins with Jesus. It begins with the Holy Spirit.

Friday 18 October 2019

Learning from the Apostle Paul

Paul was no silent disciple, no half-hearted follower of Jesus. He was not ashamed of his Lord. He was glad to say, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith" (Romans 1:16). Why was Paul bold to say, "God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14)? Why was Paul so emphatic in saying, "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2)? The answer is very simple and straightforward. He was a man who had been grasped by the power of the Gospel. Through the power of Christ, Paul was no longer his own. He belonged to Christ. This was why he was able to write to the Corinthian Christians, "You are not your own; you have been bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He was a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. This was why he was able to challenge the Corinthian Christians: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? ... So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He was a man grasped by the power of the Gospel, a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. What kind of men and women are we? This is the challenge of Paul's life for us.

Wednesday 9 October 2019

Keeping Our Focus On Christ

Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 2:4). He preached 'Christ crucified' with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:2). This is the message of our salvation - ‘Christ crucified... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). All the glory belongs to God. We have no right to steal away any of the glory for ourselves: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Our faith is ‘not based on human wisdom but on God’s power’ (1 Corinthians 2:5). ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’ (Mission Praise, 712). Christ is our full salvation. ‘Let us rejoice and be glad’ in Him’ (1 Corinthians 1:30; Psalm 118:24).

Thursday 19 September 2019

Let's Live As Resurrection People!

1 Corinthians 15:1-45
Here, we learn of Christ’s resurrection: the fact - ‘Christ has been raised from the dead’ - and the meaning - ‘the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (20).
* We look back to His resurrection. We ‘remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead’ (2 Timothy 2:8).
* We look forward to our own resurrection. We will be ‘raised’ - ‘imperishable… in glory… in power… a spiritual body’ (42-44).
Looking back to His resurrection and looking forward to our own resurrection, we are to live, here and now, in ‘the power of His resurrection’ (Philippians 3:10).
* We believe the fact of the resurrection.
* We live in the power of the resurrection.
* We rejoice in the hope of the resurrection.
With ‘resurrection’ faith in the ‘resurrection’ God, let us live the ‘resurrection’ life as a ‘resurrection’ people!

Trusting, Loving And Serving Christ, Our Victorious Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:46-16:24
In Christ, there is ‘victory’ - glorious, eternal, heavenly victory (54-57).
Every day, we face a battle. It is a battle for faith, love and service.
(a) We are called to trust the Lord: ‘Stand firm in your faith’ (13). We are to have faith. It is to be a growing faith, a faith which is growing stronger.
(b) We are called to love the Lord. This is to be the most important thing in our life: ‘love for the Lord’ (21). Christ’s question comes to us: ‘Do you love Me?’ (John 21:15-17). Is our love for Him growing stronger or getting weaker?
(c) We are called to serve the Lord: ‘Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord’ (58). Let’s get rid of the lazy, ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude. We shall be victorious through ‘the grace of the Lord Jesus’ (23).

Let Christ's Love Flow Among Us.

1 Corinthians 12:1-31
Paul speaks about ‘gifts of the Spirit.’
They are ‘given for the common good’ (4-7). We’re not ‘to show off’: ‘Look at me. The Church can’t do without me.’
When we draw attention to ourselves rather than Christ, we are not living ‘by the Spirit of God.’
He moves us to say, with our whole heart, ‘Jesus is Lord’ (3).
We live in fellowship with one another: ‘the body does not consist of one member but of many’ (14). ‘I’m happy - as long as I’m getting my own way’: We can do without this kind of attitude!
What about ‘the common good’? Sometimes, things don’t go according to my plan. Perhaps, my plan needs revising - to take account of ‘the common good.’
When self raises its ugly head - ‘It’s my way or no way at all’ - let’s not forget the ‘still more excellent way’ (3).
It is the way of love - Christ’s love!

Less About The Preacher And More About The Lord!

1 Corinthians 14:13-40
‘Be eager to prophesy’ (39).
Preaching God’s Word to the people is important. It is not everything. It is to be accompanied by prayer and praise.
Many come to hear ‘the preacher.’ Few gather to pray that the whole service of worship will be filled with the presence of the Lord.
Some come to hear a ‘sermon.’ They show little real enthusiasm for worshipping the Lord. They want ‘the Word.’ There is no real heart for worship, witness, and work.
The preacher’s public performance becomes more important than the prayerful praise of God’s people.
‘All things’ are ‘done decently and in order’ yet the atmosphere is forbidding. The Spirit of God is not moving freely among the people of God (39-40).
Let there be less talking about the preacher and more concern with giving all the praise and glory to the Lord.

Celebrating The Lord's Supper In Joyful Obedience

1 Corinthians 11:1-34
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper (23-26).
We take note of what Paul says about the way we are to come to the Lord’s Table (27-29).
What’s this all about? Is it about the whole thing looking good - impressive?
Paul gives us something to think about in verse 22 - ‘Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?’
In Paul’s questions, we hear an echo of the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 1:12-20; Amos 5:21-24).
We rejoice in John 3:16 - ‘God so loved the world…’.
Let’s not forget 1 John 3:16-18 - ‘let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.’
Jesus says, ‘…first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift’ (Matthew 5:23-24).
Don’t just think about it. Act on it (James1:22-25; 2:14-17)!

Our Love For The Lord Must Be Stronger Than Any Other Love.

1 Corinthians 6:12-7:24
The Lord has placed the highest value on us: ‘you were bought with a price’ (6:20; 7:23).
Our love for Him must be stronger than any other love.
Some are under pressure, at home, from an unbelieving husband or wife. You wonder whether your Christian witness is doing any good (7:16). You feel you are getting nowhere. You feel like giving up. You feel yourself being dragged away from the Lord.
What does the Word of God say? - ‘Lead the life which the Lord has assigned’; ‘Remain with God’ (7:17,24).
A difficult situation at home is just one example of ‘the world’ trying to ‘squeeze us into its own mould’ (Romans 12:2).
The world will keep chipping away at our faith - until there’s nothing left. ‘Do not love the world or the things in the world... He who does the will of God abides for ever’ (1 John 2:17).

Let's Live As Servants Of Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:25-8:13
We are to ‘use the things of the world’ without becoming ‘engrossed in them’ (31).
Becoming more worldly in our way of living is not a purely personal thing. We harm other people ‘for whom Christ died’. They look to us for a godly example and we let them down. We ‘sin against them’. We ‘sin against Christ’. Our choices affect other people. We choose a self-centred life. We cause them to ‘fall into sin.’ We live a life of ‘love’, and they are ‘built up’ in their faith (11-13,1; Matthew 18:5-7, 10).
How are we to live? Are we to become preoccupied with how our actions affect those who watch our every move? That could become very confusing and distracting. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. We must live ‘not ... as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart...’ (Ephesians 6:6-7).

What A Great Saviour Jesus Is!

1 Corinthians 9:1- 27
‘If I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting’ (16).
Paul preached the Gospel. His whole desire was to bring men and women to the Saviour (22). He did not want to draw attention to himself. He didn’t preach so that his hearers would say, ‘What a good preacher Paul is!’ He wanted his hearers to say, 'What a great Saviour Jesus is!'
He did not want to be ‘an obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Christ’ (12). Paul was not a ‘performer’, trying to increase his own popularity.
Paul described his ministry like this: ‘I do it all for the sake of the Gospel’ (23).
Keep your eyes on Jesus. This is very important. Don’t get so preoccupied with ‘a good preacher’ that you lose sight of the great Saviour!
There is no room for ‘superstars’: ‘Humble yourselves before the Lord’ - ‘The Name of Jesus is the Name above every name’ (James 4:10; Philippians 2:9-10).

Keeping Our Focus On Christ

1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5
Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (17; 2:4). He preached 'Christ crucified' with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(23; 2:2). This is the message of our salvation - ‘Christ crucified... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (23-24). All the glory belongs to God. We have no right to steal away any of the glory for ourselves: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (26-31). Our faith is ‘not based on human wisdom but on God’s power’ (2:5). ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’ (Mission Praise, 712). Christ is our full salvation. ‘Let us rejoice and be glad’ in Him’ (30; Psalm 118:24).

Serving Our Lord Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21
As ‘servants of Christ’, we must concern ourselves with one thing - being ‘found faithful’.
This is not a matter of pleasing people - ‘it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you...'
Pleasing God - this is the most important thing (1-4).
Serving Christ is not easy.
There are always those who are quick to pass judgment on the Lord’s servants. What does God say about this? - ‘Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes’ (9-13,5).
Being ‘found faithful’ is not just a matter of ‘saying the right words’. We must be the right people. This is what Paul means when he says, ‘The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power’ (20). ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses’ (Acts 1:8; Romans 12:11).

More Of Christ And Less Of Self!

1 Corinthians 5:1-6:11
‘Your boasting is not good’ - May we never become so taken up with ourselves that we forget Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us: ‘Christ, ou r Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us’, ‘you were washed... sanctified... justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God’ (5:6-7; 6:11).
There were problems among God’s people - ‘sexual immorality’, ‘lawsuits’ (5:1; 6:7). In all of this, Christ was being forgotten.
* There are no depths to which we cannot sink when we take our eyes off Christ.
* There are no heights to which we will not be raised as we look away from ourselves to Him. Christ is able to lift from the guttermost and ‘save to the uttermost all those who come to God through Him’ (Hebrews 7:25).
Let it be more of Christ and less of self!

The Saviour Is More Important Than The Preacher.

1 Corinthians 2:6-3:23
We come to know God when ‘the Spirit’ leads us to 'Jesus Christ' (2:10-13; 3:11; John 16:14).
We must not attach too much importance to the preachers - ‘What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants ...’. When we make too much of the servant, we draw attention away from the Saviour.
There is a very important lesson here - ‘Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth’ (3:5-7).
We are not members of a ‘mutual appreciation society’ - ‘You pat my back, and I’ll pat yours’!
We must learn to point to Jesus, saying, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (John 3:30).
Let ‘Jesus take the highest honour’. Let His Name be ‘the Name high over all’. ‘’Tis all my business... to cry Behold the Lamb!’ (Mission Praise, 378,385) - Let’s say it and mean it!

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The Lord has sent His Spirit of power to live in us.

We read about Elijah in his high-points of strength - the triumph over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36-39) - and his low-points of ...