Some years ago on a Sunday morning here, I was preaching on a section from the sixth chapter of First Corinthians and commenting on Verse 9 where the apostle says,

Behind Divisions (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

Sep 29th, 2018

As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. Unlike most of his other epistles, Paul plunges right into the heart of the practical problems that were affect

God's Nonsense (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

Sep 28th, 2018

I think no American Christian can read First Corinthians without feeling right at home. I was told recently of a young pastor who was inquiring of an older pastor what he should do to prepare for his ministry. The older man told him, "Well, I w

God's Tools (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

Sep 27th, 2018

I have entitled this study God's Tools because it deals with those whom God uses to change the world, but I could have entitled it God's Fools, because the startling truth that Paul declares here is that God often prefers fools to use as tools

God's Wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:1-10)

Sep 26th, 2018

As we are looking at this passage from First Corinthians together, we are learning why it is that all our accumulation of knowledge does not ever seem to help us handle life better. The reason, however, is not so much because of the lack of kno

God's Teacher (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

Sep 25th, 2018

I think one of the things that must have deeply impressed everyone who heard Jesus himself teach was the fact that he spoke with such authority about things that other people knew nothing about. Remember how in the Gospels he seems to read the

The Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

Sep 24th, 2018

Last week my wife and I were privileged to be in Portland, Oregon, for the inauguration of young Joe Aldrich to succeed his father, Dr. Willard Aldrich, as President of Multnomah School of the Bible. We enjoyed very much the opportunity to be t

Carnal and Spiritual Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)

Sep 23rd, 2018

The church at Corinth was full of problems, factions, divisions and splits largely because its members loved the wisdom of men. They were proud of their eloquent ability to explore and explain many fascinating subjects, although no one was bein

God's Builders (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Sep 22nd, 2018

Several weeks ago I was down in Austin, Texas, where I was privileged to dedicate a new building for the Grace Community Church there. It was an exciting time as we gathered to set this new building aside for God's purposes, and yet I tried to

How to Destroy a Church (1 Corinthians 3:16-23)

Sep 21st, 2018

One of the most popular hymns of all time about the church is the well known Onward, Christian Soldiers, Marching As To War. The second verse is a great description, biblically, of the church:

The True Minister (1 Corinthians 4:1-7)

Sep 20th, 2018

We will be looking at the first seven verses of First Corinthians 4 this morning, the passage that defines for us the true view of a minister of Christ. There are many stereotypes abroad today as to what a minister is. It would be interesting t

A Father in Action (1 Corinthians 4:8-21)

Sep 19th, 2018

In this section of First Corinthians, the apostle is going to be dealing with the problem of a complacent church, that is, a church filled with complacent Christians. That was also the problem we read about in Revelation 3 of the church of Laod

Scandal in the Church (1 Corinthians 5:1-13)

Sep 18th, 2018

One of the growing problems the church is facing today is what to do about the frightening increase in sexual immorality among Christians. I do not think a week goes by but we hear reports of churches struggling in this area. We hear of Christi

The Wrong Way to Right Wrongs (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)

Sep 17th, 2018

The Apostle Paul is dealing with the problem of lawsuits among brethren in this passage from First Corinthians 6. Just last week, I picked up a current issue of a Christian magazine and read a report concerning two Christian organizations that

What are Bodies For? (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

Sep 16th, 2018

Corinth was a city given over to the worship of sex. A thousand priestesses from the temple of Aphrodite that stood on the little hill behind the ancient city would come down into the streets at night and ply their trade. Sexual promiscuity, th

Sex in Marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1-9)

Sep 15th, 2018

When we come to the seventh chapter of First Corinthians we plunge right into a very explicit and forthright passage dealing with sex in marriage. Some people are squeamish about hearing this subject taught and preached on a Sunday morning, but

Answers on Divorce (1 Corinthians 7:10-24)

Sep 14th, 2018

In the seventh chapter of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul leads us into confrontation with one of the major social problems of our day, and that is the breakup of marriages. Next month my wife and I will be celebrating our 33rd wedding anni

Alone but Not Lonely (1 Corinthians 7:25-40)

Sep 13th, 2018

In this section of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul has already discussed the place of sex in marriage and the right and wrong of divorce. Now, beginning with Verse 25 of Chapter 7, we come to a section addressed to the unmarried that sets f

What's behind Your Influence? (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)

Sep 12th, 2018

In the eighth chapter of First Corinthians we come to the second question these Corinthians had asked the Apostle Paul in the letter they wrote to him. It has to do with a problem that is very common in our Christian lives today: "How much shou

Rights or Wrongs (1 Corinthians 9:1-23)

Sep 11th, 2018

In Chapter 9 of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is still answering the question that these Corinthians had asked him, "Is it right to eat meat that has been sacrificed to an idol?" Although none of us would have asked that question of Paul,

Disqualified! (1 Corinthians 9:24 -10:13)

Sep 10th, 2018

Yesterday a young Christian with whom I was working said to me, "I do not like to be told that I cannot do something that I enjoy doing because it is going to offend the conscience of someone else. That sounds like legalism to me." I agreed, be

The Focused Life (1 Corinthians 10:14 - 11:1)

Sep 9th, 2018

In my judgment one of the most dramatic words that Jesus ever said to his disciples was, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves," (Matthew 10:16).Coming from Montana, where there are a lot of sheep, I must say I have never he

What is Headship? (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)

Sep 8th, 2018

Chapter eleven of First Corinthians has become a great battlefield of the 20th century. It is a very complex chapter that deals with the question, "Are Women Fully Human? or Are They Only Humans, j.g. (Junior Grade)?" This passage will deal wit

The Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Sep 7th, 2018

The Apostle Paul deals at some length with the institution of the Lord's Supper in the eleventh chapter of First Corinthians, to which we have now come. In an earlier message in this series, I quoted someone who said, "The main thing is to see

The Spirit's Point (1 Corinthians 12:1-6)

Sep 6th, 2018

In Chapter 12 of First Corinthians we are beginning a new and major division in this letter. Perhaps it would be helpful if I just briefly give you once again a quick survey of this letter (which is also addressed "to the Californians"), and we