2 Corinthians 1 "God Of All Comfort"

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (vv.3-4)

Paul opens this letter by praising the God who gives so much mercy and comfort to the apostle and all believers. As we read through this letter, we get the feeling that Paul knows the mercy and comfort of God on a first-hand basis.

Paul found real comfort in God and was able to comfort others because he experienced God’s faithfulness first hand. Being able to speak from experience has a tremendous power of immediately putting you on the same level with the person you are trying to help. This is the great purpose of God in comforting us, to enable us to bring comfort to others. Unfortunately many never receive the comfort God wants to give us through another person. Pride keeps us from revealing our needs to others, so we never receive the comfort God would give us through them.

Jesus expressed in John 16:33: In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Jesus who also suffered, is fully qualified to comfort us in our time of trial. (Hebrews 2:18) Even God Himself experienced the pain of watching His only Son beaten, whipped and nailed to a cross for us. So when we turn to Him and His Word, it has the power of comfort from His experience.

Therefore, He is able to comfort us in all tribulation so that we in turn may comfort others.

The Truth: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

1 Corinthians 16 "Above All Love"

"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (vv.13-14)

Paul ends his letter to the Corinthians like he started it. After all the time spent to correct, rebuke, and exhort them, he now affirms his confidence in them. Returning to the theme of love, he urges the Corinthians to; stand firm in the faith, don’t waver; act like men, lead don’t follow; be strong, firm, solid in your resolve not weak; and finally, all that you do should be done in love, and expressed in tangible ways to one another.

It should be noted that we all continue to struggle with some of the same issues in the 21st century, as the Corinthians did. However, the key point for all of us to draw on from in this chapter is, the attention to love. 

We as Christians are all brothers and sisters in Jesus, no one is perfect, we are all under construction but, we are His children. As such, we all need instruction, exhortation, at times correction, most certainly direction, and above all - love. 

All the watching, all the standing fast, all the bravery, and all the strength the Corinthian Christians might show meant nothing without love. They were called to do all those things in a meek, humble spirit of love.

Therefore, all that we do should be done in love. For, “There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Be on alert brothers and sisters, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and all that you do, let it be done in love.

The Truth: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, and will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)  

1 Corinthians 15 "Our Final Victory"

 “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our LORD Jesus Christ” (vv. 56-57)

Throughout chapter 15, Paul discusses the reality of the resurrection of Christ and, through Him, the assurance of the resurrection of all who believe in His name. Today’s text delivers the powerful conclusion to his argument in this chapter. Quoting the prophet Hosea, Paul pronounces death powerless (vv. 56-57).

In the book of Ecclesiastes, death has been shown as the great equalizer that conquers all men, rendering their labor on earth meaningless. But Paul claims triumphantly in verse 57 that, “through Jesus Christ, God gives us victory over death.” This assurance of life after death allows every Christian to live free of the dread of death.

Although the events surrounding the Second Coming are partly a “mystery," Paul makes it clear that believers will be raised bodily when Christ returns (vv. 51-53). Those who have already died and those who do not “sleep” will be changed instantaneously at the sound of the trumpet. An instant heavenly body. And with that, the power of sin and the sting of death will end forever.

Therefore, Paul exhorts all believers (who remain until His second coming) to be, "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, knowing that our work is not in vain in the LORD." (v.58) And what is our work? Paul made it clear that the declaration of the gospel was his sole purpose in life, the work he had been called to (vv.1-8). While we are certainly not apostles, we are believers, followers of Christ. And as such called by Him to the work of the harvest, to labor for the gospel, and for the kingdom.

Therefore brothers and sisters, fulfill your calling at every turn. Speak boldly in His name, for the time is short and the laborers are few, but the field is ripe for a harvest.  

The Truth: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)

1 Corinthians 14 “The Purpose Of Spiritual Gifts”

"Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (v.1)

In our text today, Paul is reminding the people of Corinth about the purpose of spiritual gifts, and how they are to function in a public worship assembly (specifically the gift of tongues and prophesy). He does not fault them for the gifts nor the desire to have them, he simply instructs them as to when and when not to use their gifts, especially tongues. 

An important instruction to note, "He who speaks in tongues speaks to God, not to man" (v.2). While he who prophesies, "speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men" (v.3) and "edifies the church" (v.4). Paul reminds the believers that spiritual gifts are given for the common good, and when the community gathers, priority should be given to the gift of prophecy for it convicts the heart (v. 24). Paul goes on to say while there’s freedom in the gatherings, nevertheless, there are restrictions put in place. These restrictions, such as forbidding more than one person from talking at a time or requiring interpretation for a person speaking in tongues, do not restrain the Spirit but, promotes order (vv. 26-40).

Though Paul would carefully regulate, and even discourage the use of tongues in the church, he would not forbid it. At the same time, he would greatly encourage its use in one’s personal devotions. If one were to ask Paul, “Which is greater for one’s devotional life: the gift of tongues or the gift of prophesy?” He would no doubt say “the gift of tongues,” because who do you prophesy to when you are alone with the Lord in your prayer closet?

Therefore, the exercise of spiritual gifts should always be done for edification (v.26), properly, and in an orderly manner (v.40). God is a God of order and peace, and He wants order when the church comes together. When the gifts of the Spirit are given an unscriptural focus, it discredits the true work of the Holy Spirit, and often leads people to deny the gifts because they see unbiblical excess.

A good rule of thumb when exersising ones gift is to ask yourself, "Who is this edifying?" 

The Truth: "So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification." (Romans 14:9)

1 Corinthians 13 “Unfailing Love”

“Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (v.13)

When people hurt us and then apologize, we often say that we forgive them. But, like a dog that won’t give up its bone, we sometimes let our minds continue to chew on past insults. Paul declared in the latter part of verse 5 that love “thinks no evil.” He was using an accountant’s term here meaning, it does not keep a record of wrongs. Instead, love forgives and refuses to keep it on the books. When we want to remember something, we go over it again and again in our minds. But Godly love deliberately and consciously lets go of past hurts, and gives them to God.

The Bible challenges each of us to this higher ground in loving others, to live out God’s kind of love. The person who exercises Godly love doesn’t do so for personal benefit or gain, but rather “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (13:7). Why? Because Godly love endures beyond life’s hurts by pulling us relentlessly toward the never-diminishing care of the Father.

Therefore, even in our struggles, we know that “His love never fails,” and nor should ours. Lord, teach us the patience of Your unfailing love that we might properly reflect it.

The Truth: "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (v.7)

1 Corinthians 12 “Seek Your Gift”

“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (v.7)

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about the purpose for which the Lord gave them their spiritual gifts. Before he listed the diversity of gifts (vv.8-10), he reminded them that “a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (v.7). God does not give His spiritual gifts for our own selfish use, but to serve others, and in so doing, we serve Him.

We are all given different gifts to be used at different times and in different ways. W. W. Dawley, referring to this truth, says, “God gave Moses a rod, David a sling, Samson the jawbone of a donkey, Shamgar an oxgoad, Esther the beauty of person, Deborah the talent for poetry, Dorcas a needle, and Apollos an eloquent tongue—and to each the ability to use that gift. In so doing, every one of them did most effective works for the Lord.”

Our heavenly Father has given at least one spiritual gift to each of us as believers, and He provides all we need to carry out our individual responsibilities (vv.6-7). Each one of us is one piece of a jigsaw puzzle that is not complete without the others. Therefore, seek out your gift, and use it, for it is an important part of the body of Christ to serve others and to bring Him honor.

The Truth: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you.” (1 Timothy 4:14)

1 Corinthians 11 “Exam Ourselves”

If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” (v.31)

How often do we really take a good look at ourselves? I’m not talking about physically, for we do that constantly, but introspectively. Self-evaluation is what the apostle Paul calls for here in 1 Corinthians 11. Believers in Christ need to examine themselves, he said, to avoid being disciplined by the Lord.

The Corinthian church was especially in need of this. They were quarreling among themselves (v.18), going through the motions of celebrating the Lord’s Supper (v.20) and some were even drunk (v.21). So Paul said, in effect, “Look at yourselves. You’re a mess! If you don’t get your lives straightened out, the Lord will have to do it for you.” This warning, however, also carried a message of hope, for if we judge ourselves and repent of our sins, we will not be judged by God (v.31).

Even a righteous man like Job said it best when he saw himself in the light of his God, "I an unworthy - how can I reply to you?" (Job 40:4). But, righteous or unrighteous, we will all answer to God. For even Job heard God say, "Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me" (Job 40:7) Woe to all!

Therefore, take stock, see if there be any sin in our lives, and like Job,  "repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). Better to judge ourselves now, for we will all answer to God later.

The Truth: "Jesus said, "First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5) 

1 Corinthians 10 “Learn From The Past”

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (v.11)

First Corinthians 10 describes a spiritual disaster we can avoid. After the people of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt, they continued to turn away from the Lord. Recounting their recurring self-indulgence and its disastrous results, Paul wrote: “Now these things became our examples … And they were written for our admonition” (vv.6,11).

This story of reoccurring failure has been preserved in scripture so we can avoid the same disaster of disobedience. The same is true with all biblical lessons. They contain both examples and warnings to guard us against our worst inclinations and to lead us into wiser living. The question is, will we learn from the lessons of the past or repeat the mistakes of those who came before us? Scripture teaches us that, “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.” (Proverbs 1:5) Two excellent, biblical examples to apply to our lives.

Paul goes on to admonish the Corinthian believers, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (v.12). Don't think you're good because the water is clam now, Satan is always working, going to and fro seeking whom he may devour, stumble, or cause to fall. Yes, we do fall. But when we do, our goal must be to learn from our error and to avoid a second spill. When we walk in the Light, we won’t stumble in the darkness.

Therefore, read the Word daily, live carefully by its principals, be transformed by the renewing of your mind - and learn from the past!

The Truth: "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Walk as children of the light." (Ephesians 5:8)