1Corinthians 1:1-9
If You Are Saved
If you are saved and you know it, then your life will surely show it.
God has done a great work in your life. There is no such thing as a
Christian that has not been changed by God. The question is, "Do we
understand what God has done for us?"
I. \\#5\\ God has enriched you.
A. The word ENRICHED literally means to be made RICH.
1. Although some "name-it-and-claim-it" preachers might argue
with it, I will say that I do not think Paul is speaking
about spendable riches.
2. God has empowered us with spiritual riches.
B. What are they? Paul lists some of them:
1. \\#3\\ Grace has been given to you.
2. \\#3\\ Peace has been given to you.
3. \\#5\\ Utterance (the ability to speak with power) has
been given to you.
4. \\#5\\ Knowledge (the ability to know and understand) has
been given to you.
5. \\#7\\ Indeed, everything spiritual gift you would need to
do whatever God would have you to do as been given to
you.
C. I mentioned that we have all been enriched by the Lord but the
reason for it is so that we can all serve.
1. God wants us all to serve because we need to do something.
a. Humans were created to work.
b. No one is complete who does not contribute.
2. God wants us all to serve because there is so much that
needs to be done.
a. There are lost souls that need to be told,
truths that need to be understand,
ministries that need to be started,
love that needs to be shown,
help that needs to be given.
b. Hence, God has cross-blessed us with an abundance of
gifts. We are ENRICHED with them.
c. The questions become, "Will we recognize what God has
given to us and why? Will we use our gifts and get
busy?"
II. God has secured you.
A. \\#6\\ If the testimony of Christ is confirmed in you…
1. The words "even" and "confirm" create a relationship with
verse 8.
2. The word "confirm" means established or stable.
3. The word "even" means like.
4. So Paul was saying that like Christ is established in you,
so Christ will establish you.
B. The first thought is how well is Christ established in you?
C. In like fashion…
1. \\#7-8\\ Jesus will CONFIRM you unto the end….
a. This is the same word as used in verse 6.
b. \\#7\\ leads by saying that Christ is doing this
confirming.
c. So Christ, with His infinite power, is securing the
believer, making him/her secure, sure and firm.
d. "That is good," someone says, "but for how long?"
(1) UNTO THE END means to the uttermost, to
the finally, until termination.
(2) In short, it means to the end.
(3) Until the end of what?
(4) Being left open as it is, it would have to mean
UNTIL THE END OF EVERYTHING.
e. If this was all the verse said, any believer reading
it would conclude that Christ had established every
true believer unto the end of everything.
f. BUT, WAIT. THERE’S MORE!
2. THAT YE MAY BE BLAMELESS IN THE DAY OF OUR
LORD JESUS CHRIST.
a. Some get this verse backwards.
b. Some would say that if you are blameless, Christ will
confirm you unto the end. (In other words, if you
live a good enough life, God will keep you.)
c. However, what the verse is actually saying is that
Christ will keep you to the end so that at the end,
you will be blameless.
(1) It is not our being blameless that causes Christ
to keep us.
(2) It is Christ keeping us that causes us to be
blameless.
(3) How does Christ go about keeping us through all
of our failures and sins?
i. He does it by forgiving us.
ii. If Christ did not forgive us, He could not
keep us.
iii. Our sinfulness would so offend Him, He would
have to reject us.
iv. So Jesus just forgave us from the start.
v. You say, "What about the person who won’t
repent?"
vi. God tells us that before a person gets so
bad that He would have to throw him back,
He will kill him and take him home.
1Cor 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when ye are gathered together, and my spirit,
with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may
be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
3. \\#9\\ GOD IS FAITHFUL.
a. Our security is based not on our faithfulness to
God but on God’s faithfulness to us.
b. My security in Christ is not based on me being
faithful, but on God being faithful.
III. \\#9\\ God Has granted you fellowship with Jesus Christ.
A. The only kind of Christians there are, are those who have
fellowship with Jesus Christ; however, some are quicker to
avail themselves of this privilege than others.
B. \\#9\\ Notice that if you are a believer, you WERE CALLED
UNTO THE FELLOWSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST.
1. That means you have communication. We can talk to and
hear from God.
2. That means we can feel God’s presence.
3. That means we have comradery - friendship, oneness.
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