Bye! All right, maybe that'll do it. It's good to be with you today. I would say good afternoon to you. I'm glad you're there. It was a good night of sleep. It was great to get up this morning. and praise in the Lord. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Hey, we're not promised tomorrow, but we're given this moment. We're given breath in our lungs. We have light in our eyes. We have thoughts on our mind. Let those thoughts be of God. Let those thoughts be of the Lord, our creator, his son, Jesus. Let those thoughts be upon the redemption that is ours in Christ, and enjoy the day. Praise God. Well, it's good to be with you. I like that Psalm, I believe it's Psalm 29, that says everything in his temple says glory. And it certainly does. It says glory. Glory all around, the glory of God. And something's happening in his church. Something that you can't You can't manufacture and if you can't manufacture it you can't bottle it you just thank God for it and that is the spirit of God Working among his people. I think the other day we were talking about Talking about chemistry we're talking about The disposition of the believer not only toward God, toward the Lord in reverence and honor and worship, obedience, mission, and all those things, but our disposition toward one another as a church family, as brothers and sisters in Christ. And this is certainly something that is very important, how we how we conduct ourselves among the church family here in the local body, the visible church of the Lord Jesus. And that is what we are. We're the visible church. We're the visible collection of people that have been called by God out of darkness, out of the darkness and ignorance of this world into the light and life of God. So, Here we are and the Lord is doing a work. It is it is a pleasure. I'm just and I'm going to put this forth. And you can think about it and you can you can even be part of of spreading this good news. But I want to say this. Certainly what drives the church and the church ministry is Jesus and the word of Christ Revealed in Scripture And I want you to know that goes beyond The red letters the red letters are beautiful but Christ has spoken he's spoken in this word and the revelation of God is in this word and We respect and I trust we receive it all in the context in which it's given and for the reason or for the matter in which it is given. But what I want to say is this. that while the Word of God drives the ministry of the church, I mean, without the Word of God, without the revelation of God, without the specific revelation of God through the Bible, I mean, where would we be? You can answer that. Probably nowhere. We have specific revelation here, and that is promoted because we want to promote Jesus We're gonna promote the word of God. We're gonna promote the word of Jesus. And beyond that, and probably connected to that, is what we're seeing as far as the relationships of brothers and sisters go in the congregation. We're seeing folks taking time out for spiritual conversations. We're seeing, you know, when the service is over, it's not really over. There's good and meaningful relationships between brothers and sisters in Christ being formed. There's encouragement. And we saw as much last night. We had a spur of the moment ice cream social following the service. We didn't make homemade ice cream. Yeah, you can actually go out and buy Blue Bell homemade ice cream. And they even put some strawberries in it for us. We had that and folks just stuck around, had a chocolate chip cookie, had some ice cream. You know, if you don't, if you're like me and you don't need a whole bowl of ice cream, you can just call it an ice cream tasting. Maybe that works for you. Doesn't work for me too well, but be that as it may. Um, but there's, there's something, there's something going on in the church and it's at a deeper level. Uh, it is at a relational level and a deeper level. then I think we've seen heretofore and we're praising God concerning that. Yesterday, the first day of the week, was a day of ministry. My goodness gracious! I mean, we just come off a whole week of ministry with the Vacation Bible School, and we still are amazed, somewhat amazed. I mean, should we be surprised anymore at what God does? I mean, we just stand in awe of Him. We're amazed, we're awestruck. I think we're more amazed that He would do it in our midst. But we we give him praise for this I'm glad to say that these little round tables just acquired Friday were used and and had so many comments on Yes, I like those so many and a lot of the comments were not even comments people just seated at the little round table so we're just We're glad in heart. We want to continue to uphold the scriptures and we want to continue to magnify Jesus and these things we will do. I've got some things on my mind, some things that are stirring as far as ministry opportunities coming up. I've got some things on my mind concerning things we need to do here at church to be prepared for what the Lord is doing. So we'll, we'll talk more about those things later. Um, maybe even tomorrow, or maybe we don't get out of this session without, uh, thinking about some of those things. But, uh, just know that, that, uh, you're, you know, the Lord's manifested his love toward us, that we're loved as his children. Um, Let's do that. It's just kind of struck me and let's uh, let's go to first corinthians chapter one Let's do that And I um It's interesting kind of the way way the lord works and the things that he puts on your mind Um Let's see, I think, I think we got through verse 31, I think on Saturday. So we've been, we really, we really enjoyed the daily dose. We enjoy sitting down and reading through. One thing that I wanted to deal with here in the introduction of the letter to the church there in Corinth is this. How did Paul know that these people were legit? How did he know they were legit? You know, because we've highlighted the fact that some of the statements here in the citation They're just you know, they're glowing he kind of refers to the Church people they're in glowing terms. I mean you would just like I mean to hear To hear Paul talk about the church is a lot different than to hear, you know somebody Somebody in the present-day talk about the church Paul Paul talks about in this way He says he's writing to the church of God. Right there in verse 2, the church of God. That means Paul, with the knowledge of the issues that these people are facing, and many of these things self-imposed or really situations they're responsible for because of their because of their irresponsibility toward God and others, things have gotten out of hand. And Paul has heard as much. We read about that. He heard it from Chloe's people. So Paul's there in Ephesus and he hears about the situation in Corinth from Chloe's people. And there's a, There's several things going on. One, the first thing he mentions is the schisms or the schisma, the divisions among the people. He's going to go on and deal with some other things, but that's kind of where it starts. And it reminds me of that passage or verse in James that where there's bitterness and there's envy and there's strife, there's room for every evil work. And that's kind of what you see here. You see divisions, you see the schism, and where those divisions exist, there's room for all sorts of evil. So Paul writes to these people with the idea of bringing them into unity, but to bring them back to a unified entity a unified church body He has to deal not only with the primary issue of division But he's got to deal with some other issues not the least of which is the doctrinal issue of the resurrection now these people are so They're so off track that they don't even have the doctrine of the resurrection straight. What is the doctrine of the resurrection? Simply and plainly, that Jesus, the one who died on the cross for you and me, the one who shed his blood, was taken down from that cross, dead, buried, and on the third day, he rose from the dead. Meaning, on the third day, That tomb became empty. That the tomb once occupied with the dead body of Jesus was no longer occupied by the dead body of Jesus. No, not because his body had been stolen, but because his body had been raised from the dead. Behold, He is not here, for He, Jesus, has risen. He has risen from the dead, just as He said. Jesus predicted his own suffering and death. Jesus predicted his own burial and his own rising, albeit his own ascension and his soon return. So we give him praise, but this is the doctrine of the resurrection. And since Jesus is risen one day, all believers, in fact, everyone will one day rise from the dead, It's just that some will rise to be gathered to heaven with Jesus and others will rise for the judgment, for eternal judgment and outer darkness and eternal separation from God. So the doctrine of the resurrection is, sure, it's the foundation upon which the church exists in our own lives. It's the foundation upon which Christianity stands. It's the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of Jesus. So Paul devotes a whole 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians to the resurrection. And part of that chapter, future terms, that one day, since Christ is risen, we will also rise from the dead and we will rise with a glorified body for a glorified existence in the presence of Jesus. This is not something imaginary. This is not some kind of fable or fanciful tale. This is the truth of Scripture. So comfort one another with these words. Now, the question that we're entertaining, and I've thought about this, is for all the problems, and we're not talking problems without the church, There are certainly problems without. In other words, there were problems and evils in the society of the day. Corinth was one of the most corrupt, most sin-ridden, evil cities in the ancient world. But we're not talking about problems and evils without. We're talking about the evils, we're talking about the problems, we're talking about the issues within the church. So how is it that Paul even brings himself with the knowledge of the issues to identify these people as the church of God at Corinth? The church of God, think about that. To have that identity, as the church of God. I submit to you today that not only was Corinth there, the believers there in Corinth, the church of God in Corinth, I want to submit to you today that we, the children of God here in Auburn and the surrounding area. Lord knows that God has drawn people from distant places. And we are thrilled about what God has done. And it's a direct answer to prayer. I don't talk about this much, but forevermore, I bow my head before God when we would pray. We would pray for the church. This goes way back. I wonder if I could pick up a journal and read an entry where we prayed this prayer, which has been prayed many times. And that is with a bowed head and a bowed heart to say, God, we pray that you would draw men and women and boys and girls from the north, from the south, from the east and from the west and all points in between. Lord, you draw together as your people and raise up a church body here in Auburn, Indiana. Um, well, He has answered that prayer. In fact, he has drawn from the north, he has drawn from the south, he has drawn from the east, and he has drawn from the west. I mean, I could name four points, north, south, east, and west, of considerable distance where God has drawn men and women, boys and girls, here. I'm thinking, start with the North. Start with Coldwater, Michigan. We have friends there in Coldwater. Then you think South. I think Warren, Indiana. That's a good way South. Warren, Indiana. We have friends that come all the way from Warren, Indiana. We have friends that just recently moved here from the Indianapolis area that moved for ministerial purposes that God was leading in this way. And before they even set foot in this county, they pretty well knew what church they were going to attend. And all of that made possible through the internet, by going to the church website, by listening to sermons and kind of getting a feel for what the church is like. So the South, Warren, and then beyond Warren, in the Indianapolis area, God's drawn people. And then I think of our dear friends out East. And we have a number out East. I think the furthest distance right now is Hicksville, Ohio. So we have friends that come all the way from Hicksville. And then you look west, you say, well, west, is there anyone coming from a considerable distance, west, from the west? Well, we've got folks, dear friends and family from Goshen that come from the west, considerable distance. Listen, and all points in between. All I'm saying is to God be the glory, great things he has done. We bow our heads. We utter our prayers before the throne of grace because of a desire that God has planted in our hearts to see the ministry of Jesus grow and grow and grow until his glory fills the earth. And he has gone far way and above to answer those prayers. And we continue to pray, God bring them, bring your people, bring those that need you from the north, from the south, from the east and from the west and all points in between to your glory and honor. And for our good, and it certainly has been for our good. All these friends that we just mentioned, and then there are many more. that come from a little less distance, but nevertheless, they come. And they're consistent in their coming and in their attendance and in their involvement in the church. And we are just, we just feel like we're on cloud nine. We feel like we've but scratched the surface, so to speak, of what God is doing. And if what we've seen him do in the not too distant past is anything like he's gonna do in the future, we've got a major big time blessing on our hands. And we've got a God who is to be worshipped and praised and adored. And I would just say it's a good time. It's a good time to be inviting folks. It's a good time to bring folks with you to church. I just had the opportunity a while ago, I was out walking Minnie. I'm still trying to train that dog. Notice she's not with me today because she's not met the criteria, the standard that for a dog to be a consistent participant on the sermon audio. So she's at home, she's gonna have to improve her behavior immensely. But I was out walking her a while ago and met some neighbors up here, just across from the church. Just met them and praying, God, God bring them. God bring them. Anyway, the question that we're on is how could God, how could Paul reference these people in Corinth in such glowing terms, these Christians, when there were so many issues? They really didn't deserve the glowing terms because there were so many issues and things had gone Things had gone sideways for these people in Corinth. Nevertheless, Paul references them as the church of God. He says to those who've been sanctified in Christ Jesus. So it's interesting to note that it is true that in Jesus, when we are saved, we receive our sanctification. Positionally, we are sanctified, past tense, But it's also true that we are being sanctified. And that is a way to refer to our progressive sanctification, our continued growth in Jesus. Our growth in what? Our growth in Christ likeness, which is fueled by the Holy Spirit who indwells us and the word of God, which instructs us. and the fellowship of the saints that really motivate us to pursue sanctification. He says, he also refers to them as saints by calling. Now, what is a saint? Now, we're familiar with those, what is it, the Catholics that have, you know, saint whoever. I think posthumously call different people of the Catholic religion saints, Saint so-and-so or Saint so-and-so, and they're for different things, whatever. But no, the Bible says Paul refers to all these people at the church in Corinth as saints. They're saints. They're not waiting to die to be saints or to be admitted to sainthood. No, they're saints. So what is a saint? You know, we've heard the song, when the saints go marching in. You know, who are the saints? Well, the saints are these Christians. They're involved there in the local church there in Corinth. But what is a saint? Saint literally means holy one. A saint is a holy one. And this is, this is a, a present, meaning an application or identification rather to these Christians in Corinth that Paul says, hey, you're saints. They're not waiting to be saints. They're not waiting till death to be saints. They are saints. If they are saints, then all God's children, all his people, all the brothers and sisters in Christ, All who have confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior and admitted Him into their life, received Him into their life, all of them, all of those, are saints. So, they're holy. They're holy ones. He says, holy ones by calling. With all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord, and ours. grace to you and so here it is with all who in every place what call on the name of our lord jesus christ their lord and ours so he says they're saints by calling so by the effectual calling of god we are saints we are saints at salvation we are saints when we answer that call of god by faith in jesus and we become saints we become holy ones well listen paul's calling them holy ones but they're far from holy You know, He is identifying who they are, yet in practice, they are far from holy. I mean, listen folks, it's so bad, some are getting drunk at the Lord's table. So, Communion, Lord's Day comes around, and some, you know, they're trying to break line, they're trying to get to the front of the line. They're eating too much, but more specifically, and more repugnantly, they're drinking too much. And some were actually getting drunk at the Lord's table. Yet Paul here says, hey, you're the church of God. Hey, you're sanctified in Christ Jesus. You're saints by calling. How could he do that? I mean, how do you do that? What was the basis of Paul's reference to them in this way? Well, I think that it is that effectual calling. It is that they had answered, the ones he's writing to, the ones he is referring to, they had answered the call. They had answered the call. They had received salvation. They had been confirmed in that salvation. That's what he says there in verse 6, which we'll start in verse 4 because we don't want to, you know, just jump in mid-sentence. But he says, I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus. So the main thing is that they, in Paul's view, they had received the grace of God. These people knew that they had not earned their salvation. They knew what Paul wrote later on to the Ephesians. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not the result of works, lest anyone should boast. So these folks knew grace. They had known the call of God. They'd heard the gospel, and that gospel had been made personal to them in the call of God. Meaning they had responded appropriately. That's that is the distinction between the general invitation that goes out and The specific call of God on the part of the individual We got we got folks want to drive through Just saw a van go one way and a SUV come in the other And I normally don't like to sit with my back to the action. I like to sit facing the parking lot. But anyway, it's all right. I can still see a little bit. At any rate, there is a difference between the invitation The invitation that goes out and the call that is made. The call, I want you and I to understand, is specific to the person. And the call also incorporates the response of the person. Because the call of God is an effectual call. These people, these Corinthian believers, have responded to the call. They had responded, which makes it a call. And more than that makes it the effectual call. In other words, that call was effective in their own heart and mind. So Paul can refer to them as the church of God. He can refer to them as sanctified, even though their practice, their deportment, is far less and falls far short of the standard that Paul is going to set for them in this wonderful book. He says this, I thank my God, always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus. And listen, salvation is the grace of God. Salvation does not come with a list of do's and don'ts. It is not you do this, don't do that, and then you're saved, you're in. No, it is the grace of God, and you receive that grace of God. When you receive that grace of God, the trust in Jesus Is real the trust in Jesus happens the trust in Jesus is directed to Jesus That call is effectual Right? That is the grace of God. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to hear the gospel. I don't deserve to hear this great story of Jesus. I don't deserve to see the love of God unfurled before my eyes on the cross in which Jesus died. I don't deserve that thought, but I have that thought by the grace of God and by that By that truth and according to God's call and my response in that call, I am saved. I don't deserve it. It is the unmerited favor of God on my life. I'm brought out of darkness into light and I can't pay for it. I can't pay for that transference. I can't pay for that born again experience. All I can do is receive it. By grace, for by grace you are saved through faith, not of yourselves. And that, that salvation, not of yourselves, that call, not of yourselves. It is the grace of God, lest anyone should boast. So Paul knew these folks had received the grace of God. They were undeserving in this, but they had received it. He says, which was given you in Christ Jesus. Listen, there is nowhere else to find grace, or the grace of God for that matter, than in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus embodies the grace of God. If Christ Jesus is not in the equation, there is no grace of God in the equation. And if Christ Jesus is in the equation, then there is nothing other than grace that can be administered to our hearts, because it is all grace in Christ Jesus. That's why all these cults, all these what I would call aberrations of religion are just that. They're just religion. They don't make much of Jesus. They make much of their do's and don'ts. I don't care if you're talking about, you can talk about the Jehovah's Witnesses, which are really God's, they're false witnesses. They're false witnesses. They're of and by human wisdom and promoting Salvation which is no salvation of works There is there is very little of Jesus Therefore there is no grace of God. There is no grace of God. They don't make much of Jesus They're barely mentioning if at all but in Jesus is all grace outside of Jesus No grace. The only grace to be found is in Jesus. Outside of Jesus, there ain't no grace to be found. Take the Mormons. They're no Jesus. No, there's their do's and don'ts. There's their rules and regulations. They're no Jesus. No, no, no. Because in Jesus, it's all grace. And listen, don't be confused. There are others that they may try to talk about Jesus an awful lot, but they're equally as impressed by their own human wisdom and their own law, their own rules and regulations. And you know, in so doing, they promote what? A false Jesus. Because in the true Jesus, it's all grace. But in their human wisdom, it's only rules and regulations. It's only do's and don'ts. If you do the do's and you don't do what you're not supposed to do, then you may be in for a while, but then how much do you have to do? Listen. In Jesus, it's all grace. What are you trying to say, Brother Bill? I'm trying to say in Jesus, it's all grace. Outside of Jesus, it's rules and regulations, and there's no salvation in man's rules and man's regulations. There's no salvation in those rules and regulations. There's no salvation in man's system of religion, whatever you want to call it. There's only salvation in Jesus, and that salvation is by grace through faith. It's God's work. It's God's gospel. It's God's call. It's God's work, not only on the cross. That's where it starts. It starts in the life and ministry of Jesus, culminating on the cross. culminating with the empty tomb and Then it's that work of God in us by his grace We could go on and on There's so much false in the world my goodness Even those even those that want to mention Jesus they're just mentioning a false. It's a false Jesus there they're following because as soon as they mention their Jesus and They're gonna give you a list of do's and don'ts, and it's ridiculous. They give you a faulty system of man-made religion and traditions, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it is disgusting in the sight of God. and he'll judge it. It is an abomination before God for man to come up with his own views, his own laws, his own rationale for salvation veering away from what the Bible says. And so I would just say, you know, anything outside of Jesus, including the false Jesus, including the false gospel, is nothing more than man's rules and regulations, and there's no salvation in that. The only place that you can find grace, and by the way, grace is the only way you can be saved, is in Jesus. Jesus Christ, John the Apostle said, is full of grace and truth. Anything outside of Jesus, any system of man, any religion of man, following after the traditions of men, outside of Christ is an abomination to God. And that's a fact. All right, well, He goes on to say that in everything you were enriched in him. So Paul recognizes, here's the point. Paul recognizes a good beginning among these people. That's it. Paul recognizes a good beginning among these people. That the effectual call is there and the confession of Jesus is there. So they have the effectual call. They heard the gospel. They responded to the gospel. That's the effectual call. And they confessed Jesus. They were born again. They constitute the church of God. They are corinth. They had a fantastic beginning. They had God's apostle right there. But something, something had gone a little wrong. It veered. And it's important for us to see that, that they had veered in that Paul is correcting their problems. So in everything, you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge. So they have the speech, the confession, they have the knowledge of Jesus. Even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you. So the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed. I think it was confirmed by the Holy Spirit. It was confirmed by the eyes of Paul, by what he saw and what he heard among these people. It was confirmed. These people are believers. They're believers in Jesus. He says, so that you're not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. So they had a good, not only a good beginning in Jesus by the grace of God, but they have a good perspective on the future. They're awaiting the revelation of Jesus. They're awaiting the return of Jesus. This is consistent with what we've seen in Paul in his instruction to the Thessalonians that there is that day coming. The return of Jesus is at hand. There's that expectation among all of us believers that Jesus is gonna return. We believe his return is soon. We believe that the mandate is not for us to determine a date for his return, but the mandate is for us to be ready for his return. And I've known those who are really, I mean, they'll give you a date or they'll give you a time. You don't have to ask for it. Because we're not supposed to be Desiring a specific date or time. We don't need to know the date or time All we need to do is be ready and you can be ready each and every day By pursuing the sanctification that is ours positionally at salvation Yeah, the return of the Lord is the return of the Lord he has that God Almighty has that day in mind and We don't need to determine that and I know people that they're really they're really strong not on given dates and High watches for the return of Jesus and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and I don't mind to study this stuff But don't go given dates And then and then what what inevitably happens is they give dates and they get all wrapped up in that drama And they neglect the obvious things that God requires of the believer. They fail to respond to God in responsible ways in the here and now. You know, for instance, God says, do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as is the manner of some. But he says what? And all the more as you see the day approaching. So if you're convinced that the return of the Lord is at hand, be involved in the local body, the local assembly of believers. Don't extricate yourself from that body of believers as you go on and on and on about the date of his return, which no one knows. All right, well, here we go. He says, "...you're not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end." And He will. Why? He tells us right there in verse 9, God is faithful. He confirms us in the end. He confirmed us in the beginning. He confirms us in the end. And how is it that that would happen? Is it because we excel and we're so wonderful at the end? No, not really. I think we've grown, right? I think God grows us. We should be more Christ-like. We're not complete yet. We're not perfected yet. But guess what? He's faithful. So that explains our initial confirmation into the body of Christ, being baptized into the body of Christ. And that explains the confirmation at the end. What? God is faithful. God is faithful. God will not forget you. He will not forget his children. Let's see, verse 9, God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. So, we'll stop there at verse 9. And I know, we backtracked and dealt with that, but we had to ask the question, how did Paul know how to refer to these people? How did he know they were true believers? Well, that's how. That's how he knew. So, beautiful day out here. Breeze has kind of stirred up, feels good. I think I'll jump off of here now. I don't know about you, but I've got to cut my grass. It's growing and I've got to get out there and cut it today. I hear somebody running a lawnmower up here not too far from here. And I think that's what I'm going to be doing the rest of the afternoon, just cut the grass. Just reflect on the glory of God and I want to be here tomorrow for the daily dose I want to see as many folks Listen, I want to see as many folks here Wednesday night as I can possibly see because I want to encourage you in the Lord and I want to see you encourage one another in the Lord and And we'll have some snacks. I don't know what those are just yet, but we'll have some snacks after service. And we'll try to accommodate all the different tastes that there are out there. But nevertheless, we'll have a good time of church and fellowship in the body of believers on Wednesday night. I wouldn't miss it for the world. As my father used to say, wild horses couldn't keep me away or drag me away from this gathering on Wednesday night, looking forward to the gathering on Sunday morning. And I think that's gonna be a special time. We're just seeing good, I can't, there are just no words. I'm not even gonna try to express it. God bless you, and we will see you tomorrow. We'll be together again tomorrow.