Four Points Cartersville: Recent Episodes
Four Points Church - Cartersville, GA
Twice in our passage, God reminds the people of the destruction He brought on them because of their
disobedience. In verse 10, God calls attention to the economic and social state of things under the curse. When a society is under a curse from Almighty God, it is not difficult to look around and see the effects of that curse. God used the Babylonians to utterly destroy Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem. He again reminds those who returned from their exile that He “purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, and I did not relent” (v. 14). When God purposes to do something, there is nothing that will stop Him from accomplishing it. Even after King Josiah’s reforms in 2 Kings 23, God still was not dissuaded from the destruction of the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Chapter 7 begins almost two years after the last of the eight visions Zechariah received. Things have been going well in Jerusalem. The temple is being rebuilt and is just a few years at this point from being finished. Leadership is established through Zerubbabel, and the priesthood is active through Joshua. Word has reached all around the surrounding areas that the prophets, speaking for God, have returned to the holy
city. These are exciting times in the city, but also for local areas that once benefited from the prosperity of Jerusalem in her flourishing days of old. Things are really turning around and future fortune seems just around the corner. These new times bring new questions to the minds of those living in the vicinity of temple progress. And who better to answer these questions than the leaders and prophets of Jerusalem?
In Zechariah 3, Zechariah’s visions introduced a character called “the Branch,” who will bring about restoration and new growth in God’s people. In Zechariah 6:9-15, the Branch is spoken of again, and we learn that the Branch is a priest who is crowned like a king. This brings hope and purpose to the exiles of Judah, who are charged with restoring the city of Jerusalem and its temple.
We’ve seen horses before in Zechariah (see Zechariah 1:7-17). In his eighth and final vision of the evening, Zechariah again sees horses. This time, the vision is not against the background of darkness, as it was in chapter 1. Rather, Zechariah’s eighth vision is set against the background of dawn. Hope is breaking through for God’s discouraged people. They are to get their eyes off of their bleak circumstances and onto their sovereign God, who is working out His rule and reign in this world for the benefit of His people. Our circumstances are never beyond the reach of hope!
As we begin chapter 5, we see the prophet Zechariah having two separate visions, the sixth and seventh that are recorded in this book: the Flying Scroll, and the Woman in a Basket. Though the two visions are different, they clearly go together to form one bigger message: that sin is revealed through the law, sin is judged, and then sin is removed.
In Zechariah’s fifth vision, he is shown a golden lampstand. The Hebrew word for this lamp is “menorah.” The fact this particular lamp is gold is symbolic of the lamps included in the temple furnishings: one in the tabernacle and later, ten in Solomon’s Temple (Exodus 25:31-40; 1 Kings 7:49). It was the job of the priests to ensure these lamps were filled with oil and kept burning at all times (Leviticus 24:1-4).
Imagine that a dear friend you have not seen in years comes by as you are doing yard work. You’d love to throw your arms around your friend, but your clothes are caked in grime and muck and you smell like a barnyard. What you want at that moment is to stop time, go shower up and get a change of clothes! Here in Zechariah 3, God continues to restore His people, whose priests are unclean and unable to stand before Him in worship and sacrifice. God alone can provide the cleansing and the righteousness that they need in order to draw near to Him.
Same evening. Another vision. We have all seen the city limit signs on the side of the road as we drive down the highway. They indicate the boundaries of the city, telling us where the city begins and where it ends. These signs represent defined borders that distinguish a city from other areas around it. Imagine a city with no boundaries, no borders, and no limits. The city is what the prophet Zechariah sees in his third vision of the evening, which is meant to provide great hope and comfort to God’s remnant who are in a very discouraging situation.
Three months after that first oracle of Zechariah’s ministry, recorded in Zechariah 1:1-6, he receives the first of eight visions that come to him in the night. Each of these visions follows a basic pattern: Zechariah sees something, asks the angel about it, and is told by the angel what it means. The general idea of this first vision is that God will overcome whatever difficulties Judah is experiencing. He will rescue His people.
Scripture teaches that “for everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The book of Zechariah begins with a specific time stamp: “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius” (Zechariah 1:1), which means the book dates back to October or November in the year 520 BC. During this time, God’s people, who had returned sixteen years earlier to the land He had given them, were still under Persian rule. Israel was in disrepair with broken-down walls. Just two months earlier, through the Word of the Lord given to the prophet Haggai, work on the temple had resumed (Haggai 1:8). God has already begun His movement towards His people, and now He is about to begin the movement of His people toward Himself. To do this, God raises up another prophet by the name of Zechariah, whose name means, “the Lord remembered.” Zechariah was a younger man who had been born during the exile and raised under Babylonian and Persian captivity. He was of the priestly line of Levi (Nehemiah 12:1-16). We learn in the New Testament from the mouth of Jesus that he was an innocent man who was “murdered between the temple and the altar” (Matthew 23:35). Zechariah was chosen and called by God to speak the Word of the Lord to God’s people at this divine time.
Shakespeare’s Henry V has its share of great speeches, but the best-remembered in our culture is found in Act IV, Scene III, as the king addresses his men before the Battle of Agincourt, a fight in which they know they are greatly outnumbered. He calls his men a “band of brothers”—very familial words for a mixed group of peasantry and nobility, especially in a society in which one’s birth determined so much in one’s life. The Apostle Paul continues to call out his own brothers (and a sister!) in the Lord in this final section of 1 Corinthians, people from different backgrounds and stations in life. Like soldiers on a battlefield, they find themselves united by their common mission and love for their King. Their dedication to the mission and to one another encourages us to better our commitments to Jesus and to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Most of us turn off the credits at the end of a movie, unless the music is really good! The endless scrolling list of names does not carry the entertainment value that the rest of the film does. As a student of the Bible, when you start seeing names and personal greetings, don’t treat them like that list of movie credits and tune out! All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for His people (2 Timothy 3:16). In this passage, we get a glimpse into how the budding New Testament churches interacted with one another. How did these small groups of
people across the Mediterranean grow into a burgeoning gospel movement that progresses so powerfully across the globe? The churches and their workers walked through “open doors” of ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they faced adversity on the other side of those doors, but a love for Jesus and His people kept them struggling toward the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:14; Hebrews 12:1).
Paul has just spent the last several verses discussing what the resurrected bodies of believers will be like. He now explains to the church in Corinth about the change that must take place for those that are in Christ to enter into the glorious presence of King Jesus for all eternity. This change is necessary because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50). “The perishable” is describing our current bodies, and “the imperishable” is describing our eternal glorified state in God’s kingdom. Dead in Christ or alive in Christ, it doesn’t matter. When the last trumpet sounds, those that have not fallen asleep and those that are already dead—all will be changed “in the twinkling of an eye” (v. 52). To hammer home the point of the necessity of this change, Paul uses the word “must” twice in verse 53. Our perishable and mortal bodies are not fit, as currently constructed, to enter into glory. The saints receiving their glorified bodies is the last step in the unbreakable, golden chain of redemption. “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:30).
In the previous section, Paul deals with some in the church who are saying that there is no resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12). Apparently, one of the sticking points for this group is the inability to understand what kind of resurrected bodies they will have. We see this belief in Paul’s anticipation of the follow-up question: “With what kind of body will they come” (v. 35)? Paul is upset at the line of questioning and calls the Corinthians “foolish” in verse 36, not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack faith in the omnipotence and sovereignty of God. Paul says in verse 34 that some within the church actually “have no knowledge of God,” and he directly addresses their lack of knowledge by defending the omnipotence and sovereignty of God. He says, “But God gives it a body as He has chosen” (v. 38).
Paul begins this chapter by validating the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has risen from the grave, what does that mean for you and me? What are the implications of the resurrection for the believer in Jesus? Paul addresses these questions now.
This book has been full of important issues. However, there is one issue that is vital to all other issues that have been addressed in 1 Corinthians. In this section, the subject matter now shifts. Paul addresses this very important subject—not that the other issues he has addressed were not important, but this issue is of "first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3): the resurrection. It seems as though some of the Corinthians were denying a physical resurrection of the body. This shouldn’t surprise us considering that the ancient pagan and Greek
religions viewed the body as inferior to that of the soul. Paul addresses this issue with a compelling and biblical argument, beginning his defense of the resurrection with a defense of Jesus’ resurrection.
God is a God of order and not chaos. Think for a moment about the universe, our world, and society itself. God has purposefully built order into everything. Those who accept His order will flourish, while those who reject it live under the shadow of a curse. Imagine if the mayor of the town you live in suddenly gathered everyone together and made the following speech: “We are no longer going to have leaders, police, firemen, or any other government agency within this city. Our goal is for each person to live freely as they see fit.” What do you think the outcome of that experiment would look like? Do you think the complete freedom of each individual to do as they wish would lead to more order, or to chaos? People who only do what is right in their own eyes always lead society to deprivation and despair. Anarchy, which is built on the freedom of the individual, can lead to no other place but chaos. This is why Genesis, the first book of our Bible, opens with this truth: God brings order to chaos (Genesis 1:1-31). God creates the family which, when ordered by God’s design, is the first building block of a healthy society.
Imagine being in a worship service when a woman interrupts the sermon by loudly singing in tongues. Or a man standing in a service and praying in tongues for several minutes. Both the woman and the man would be personally edified by using their gift of tongues, but no one else in the room would get anything out of it. No one else could even say “Amen” afterward because they have no idea what had been sung or prayed (1 Corinthians 14:16). I was once in a service where a man spoke in tongues for several minutes. When he finished a young child said very loudly, “I have no idea what that man just said!” Everyone around who heard the child’s exclamation had a good laugh about it, but if the apostle Paul had been there, he would have given the child a hearty “amen!” Tongues is a gift that has no purpose in a gathered worship setting unless someone interprets what has been said (v. 17). Paul is not saying tongues has no purpose at all. Paul loves
the gift of tongues and uses it every chance he gets (v. 18). However, when Christians gather to worship Jesus, Paul would trade 10,000 words in a different language for just five words everyone gathered could understand (v. 18). The church gathers to “build up” everyone present, not just a single individual who speaks in tongues.
Two aforementioned realities are again made very clear at the beginning of chapter 14. First, God has given gifts to His Church, and His people should earnestly desire those gifts. God gives these gifts to be used so that the Church can be built up (1 Corinthians 14:3, 5). It should not surprise us that God wants to build us into mature believers who together act as salt and light in this world around us (Matthew 5:13-16). It is through His people that God makes His glory and salvation known to those who are lost. God sends His Spirit to empower and gift us to that end. Why would we not want gifts that He has made available for the benefit of all our brothers and sisters in Christ? Second, gifts are to be used through the vehicle of love (1 Corinthians 14:1). The greatest misconceptions concerning grace gifts come from seeing them abused or used wrongly. Many pastors and theologians opt to sweep chapters 12-14 under the rug and declare there is no point or purpose in these gifts any longer. It is not that they despise God’s Word, but more that they fear the mess that some of these gifts will bring. The believers in Corinth are eager for spiritual manifestations of the gifts in their gathered services (v. 12). They are praying and singing in tongues, interrupting the order of the service, and causing unbelievers to think Christians are completely out of their minds. Many churches today follow these same practices. Both the believers in Corinth and the modern proponents of the gifts who act in these ways miss the point of the gifts God gives. Love for the person sitting on your right and left in church is the key to rightly using the gifts as God directs. Grace gifts in a gathered service should only build up everyone present. Unbelievers should be convicted of sin and drawn to repentance and faith in Christ through the use of our gifts. Likewise, believers should be consoled, encouraged, and built up through their use.
Paul has already affirmed that God gives a variety of gifts to the Church for the common good of all believers. Early church fathers and modern commentators agree that Paul is writing not to dissuade the use of these gifts, but rather to instruct on their proper application within the context of the gathered church. It appears that certain individuals have overstepped their roles in the use of the gifts, actually hurting the church rather than propelling her forward. This is why Paul says he will show them “a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). When gifts are used to shine a spotlight on a personality or interrupt a service, it is altogether unhelpful to the whole body. This is why love must guide the way in the use of spiritual gifts. God gives gifts for the good of all, not merely for the individual who receives the gift. Therefore, gifts must be rightly used through the vehicle of love for the good of all present within the worship service.
It has been clear since the beginning of this letter to Corinth that divisions exist within the church. People who lived two thousand years ago are no different from people who live in our postmodern world. It is simply easier to remove yourself from difficult or different people than to remain and try to get along with them. Gifts of grace have exacerbated the differences between members of the Corinthian church. Instead of using gifts for the common good, certain individuals have elevated their gifts over those of others, raising their position among their brothers and sisters. When challenged by others who seek to correct this faulty, self-elevating attitude, their response is a very haughty “I don’t need you.” Unfortunately, this same spirit exists in the Lord’s
body today. Social media, seeker-sensitive theology, and big conference culture has only deepened the celebrity “look at me” mindset among many within the church. Paul makes this point the climax of his “one body many parts” metaphor. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you” (1 Corinthians 12:21). No one in the body of Christ is dispensable. We are interdependent one to another. When a sister is honored, the entire body should rejoice with her. When a brother suffers, the entire body should suffer with him. This is God’s vision for His people and the purpose of the many gifts of grace being given for the good of all.
It’s not very hard to snap a single pencil in half. But have you ever tried breaking 15 pencils at one time? It’s a much different scenario. Pencils are not very strong alone, but when you have a bunch of them together, they become virtually unbreakable with human hands. This is God’s design for His Church. The Old Testament teaches us that “two are better than one” and “a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). There is strength in numbers. It is why wolves travel in packs and zebras in herds. Christians working
together can do more than one person by himself. Christians working together are stronger than one person by himself. The metaphor Paul uses to teach this truth to the Corinthians is that of a human body. The body has many members. A foot is not a hand, but the body needs both to be healthy and complete. God does not save us to be islands unto ourselves. The gifts He empowers us with would not be effective if we were alone. Rather, He places us, saved and gifted, as one member among many other members that make up one body,
with Christ Himself being our head. Our dependence on Jesus is paired with our interdependence on one another. Paul’s rhetorical question in verse 19 proves the point, “If all were a single member, where would the body be?”
Paul mentions nine gifts of grace in these verses. However, this list is in no way exhaustive. He will add four more gifts to this list later, in verses 28-30. Further, three other texts in the Bible add to our understanding of spiritual gifts. In fact, there are just over 20 unique gifts mentioned in the New Testament. It is important to realize that these gifts are spread throughout the individuals within the church and not simply all given to
one person or leader. This is shown through the continued use of the words “to another” found after each gift given in today’s passage.
In the last chapter, we read about Paul’s concern for the socioeconomic disparities that existed in the church. The members of the church needed to see the table of the Lord as a place of unity in Christ, regardless of social status. All are equal at the foot of the cross! Paul now turns his attention to another disparity that exists within the church. It seems the church in Corinth has several members with a wide array of spiritual gifts. The word “gifts” in Greek is charisma and can also be translated as “grace” (v. 4). Not only is our salvation an act of grace that we receive from God (Ephesians 2:8), but our very talents used to advance His kingdom also find their genesis in His grace! This is a truth that every modern “Charismatic” Christian should take note of and remember. In chapter 12, Paul begins to address this new topic, spending quite a lot of time on it. He won’t finish until chapter 14. Paul begins this section with the words “Now concerning”—words we have seen before in this letter (7:1; 8:1). This gives us an understanding as to why so much ink is spilled on the topic of
gifts. Paul is answering specific questions that have been sent to him by the church. They seem to have lots of questions and Paul wants them to have the correct information and understanding that they seek (v. 1).
In the first century when Christians would come together as a church, a meal was a part of their gathering. And when the early Christians took the Lord’s Supper, often it came after they shared that meal together. Luke wrote in Acts 2:46, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” Jude 12 speaks about “love feasts” where the church was almost certainly partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
This is one of the most challenging passages in the New Testament to interpret. Paul is speaking to a cultural situation that we find difficult to reconstruct and hard to understand. However, the principles we can glean from this passage on women’s head coverings and propriety in corporate worship are very helpful for our world, which is confused on the subject of gender. Paul is teaching us about God’s pattern for men and women. In this passage, we see God-ordained differences and complementary designs. When we align ourselves with God’s truth, humanity flourishes.
Paul continues his instruction on meat sacrificed to idols, which he began in chapter 8. Here, he helps the Corinthians navigate two challenging issues before the culture at large. How can they maintain a consistent witness about God alone deserving worship, while exercising their freedom to enjoy God’s good gifts? Must they investigate the history of every piece of meat that comes before them, to ensure that it has never been a part of a religious ritual? How can they be both faithful and free in this situation?
At the beginning of chapter 8, Paul began the discussion about food being sacrificed to idols. Some within the Corinthian body had no problem with eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. Earlier, Paul dealt with their lack of love for their brothers in prioritizing their own desires to eat that food over what was best for their brothers (see previous section in this study guide). Now, Paul condemns eating the sacrifices, saying those who do are participating in the idolatrous services (1 Corinthians 10:18). Paul condemned this practice by giving two reasons, one positive and one negative. The positive reason is a reminder of the beauty of God’s people participating in right sacrifice. The negative reason is that participating in idolatrous sacrifice is actually demonic.
This passage opens with a summary of some of the ways God cared for His people in the Old Testament, as they left Egypt, wandered in the wilderness, and eventually entered the Promised Land. Paul relates several ways that God provided for their physical needs, including leading them through the Red Sea, feeding them manna, and giving them water from the rock. These were visible and tangible means that God used in the Exodus of His people. In verse 6, Paul is clear that one of the reasons we have such passages is as “examples
for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”
The modern storybook accounts of Jonah do not include any information on Chapter 4. Chapter 3 ends with a miraculous and humbling repentance from the Ninevites, and God responding with grace, sparing the city from destruction. And that’s where the book would end if we were writing it ourselves. End scene, role credits, everybody lives happily ever after. But as chapter 4 begins we find that there is trouble in paradise. And as it has been there throughout the story. The trouble is with Jonah and his heart.
The end of Chapter 2 finds Jonah expelled from the great fish and back onto dry ground. After
this incredible event, we don’t have any indication of the timeframe, if any, before God speaks to
Jonah again. One possibility is Jonah returned to his home to recover from this miraculous 3-
day encounter and attempted to go about his life, still refusing to accept this mission from God.
Or perhaps, God immediately speaks to Jonah as he lay on the ground. What we do know is
that God was not finished with Jonah just because of his initial rejection and fleeing from His
command. God allowed Jonah to run, to come to the end of himself before the story moved
forward.
Jonah’s rebellion has earned him a one-way ticket to the belly of a giant fish. Alone, in the dark, dank, smelly pit of that fish, Jonah is left with time to reflect on his disobedience and the merciful salvation provided by the Lord in bringing the fish. It is in this context that Jonah raises his voice in prayer and praise to the Lord, it is in the belly of the fish that he finds repentance.
Jonah has fled from the Lord’s command because he doesn’t want to have anything to do with
the Ninevites being saved. They were terrible people, murderous idol worshippers that were
viciously oppressing his people, the Jews. Now consciously rebelling, he descends to the
bottom of the boat, as far from the pagan sailors as possible. And in his mind, as far from God
as he could be. Jonah lies inactive and apathetic as the people around him, aware of their
impending death, yet unable to save themselves, struggle in vain. In his sovereignty, God
chose Jonah because He knew he would rebel. He chose Jonah so that you and I and hundreds
of other generations of believers would learn from his story. God was not surprised when he
rebelled. This very scary and painful story, along with all other stories, occurs exactly according
to His plan for us. He knew exactly which boat Jonah was going to board and which crew would
be on it. Their names along with many Ninevites have always been written in the Lamb’s book of
Life. So, we should not be surprised when the crew cast lots and the lot fell to Jonah. We should
not be surprised when Jonah runs from saving a pagan nation, right into saving a pagan crew of
sailors. The Lord’s will is always accomplished with or without our knowledge or cooperation.
The book begins with the phrase “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah…” (v 1, ESV) The book begins with God and His word front and center. He is the main character of this amazing story. In addition, we see the Lord taking initiative. He has a Word to speak through Jonah to a people far away from Him. He initiates this plan and invites Jonah to be a participant in it. Will Jonah obey the Lord’s word and the Lord’s way? Or will Jonah seek his own way?
At the beginning of chapter 9, Paul argued that those who minister the gospel deserve to make a living from the gospel. After all of this buildup, one would expect Paul to request the Corinthians to pay up! But that is not where he is going with his argument. We will see in this passage that Paul’s main point in chapter 9 is to demonstrate that though he has a right to claim payment for his gospel ministry in Corinth, he gave up that right for the sake of the Corinthians, and ultimately for the sake of the gospel. Paul laid down his liberties so that the gospel could be proclaimed without hindrance.
In the previous chapter, Paul uses himself as an example of someone who has given up certain rights for the sake of others. As an apostle and a minister of the Word to the Corinthians, Paul has a biblical right to receive financial support from the church. In fact, all those who labor diligently in the ministry of the Word have a right to claim financial support from the church in which they serve. Those who receive the Word owe support to those who sow the Word. Look at Paul’s argument in the text.
When we think of the topic of love in the Bible, one of our go-to passages is 1 Corinthians 13, and rightly so, but the theme of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ flows throughout Paul’s response to the ethical issues at the church in Corinth. Paul’s answer to a question about eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols is spread out over three chapters of the book, but he begins in chapter 8 with the crucial question: what does it look like to love your brother in Christ in this situation?
In the previous passage (1 Corinthians 7:7-8), the Apostle Paul mentioned that he is single (and not as a suggestion that he’s available to date!). Church history tells us that he remained unmarried for the remainder of his life. In this passage, Paul speaks about singleness and the unique way it offers opportunities to serve the Lord. He also reminds all Christians of how the return of Jesus should cause us to focus on eternal things and to increase our devotion to Him.
Paul just finished advising Christian husbands and wives to remain in their marriages if their spouses are unbelievers and are willing. This is because those circumstances do not hinder God’s grace from bringing unbelieving spouses into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, Paul hits on the point again that earthly circumstances do have an impact on God’s saving grace. In fact, when God calls someone into a relationship with Himself that person is to live out his calling wherever God has sovereignly placed him.
“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches” (1 Corinthians 7:17). Paul lays out two examples of earthly circumstances that may be causing some division within the Corinthian church: circumcision versus uncircumcision, and bondservant versus freedman.
The overall message of 1 Corinthians 7 deals with marriage in various ways. In this particular section, Paul discusses three main issues: singleness, divorce, and the unbelieving spouse.
At the conclusion of chapter 6, Paul addressed the issue of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church. In his argument, Paul spoke against sexual immorality by providing the theological implications associated with sex outside of the boundaries God has prescribed in Scripture. Paul begins chapter 7 by addressing a series of questions that have been raised by the Corinthian church in their letter to him. The first question seems to be regarding sex.
Paul has already addressed a specific sexual sin that has infiltrated the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). In this
section, Paul further investigates the issue of sexual immorality, another area in which the Corinthians have adopted the values of the pagan culture. Paul’s argument is simple, yet profound. What we do with our bodies matters! Our call as believers is to glorify God with all of ourselves, which includes our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Perhaps when you were young, you did something so foolish that your parents sat you down and proceeded to ask you a stream of rhetorical questions, one on top of the other. By the time you formulated an answer to one, the next one was on its way! In this passage, the Apostle Paul is similarly vexed with the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians 5, they refused to confront someone who was clearly in sin. Here, they are confronting one another, but in the wrong way. The Corinthians are dragging each other before the local courts, bringing reproach on the church and disrupting its unity. Paul corrects them by teaching them about their role in Jesus’ judgment at the end of the age, and then reminds them that those who hold on to their sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul then graciously reminds the Corinthians of what Jesus has done for them, and encourages them to live out these realities.
A certain amount of tolerance is important in any church, as we all come to differing conclusions about matters of conscience. Should we partake of alcohol, or abstain? Should we homeschool, or send our kids to public or private schools? Such tolerance is an expression of bearing with one another in love (Romans 15:1; Ephesians 4:2) and is an aspect of being brothers and sisters in Christ. However, when it comes to things that the Bible calls sin, tolerating sin actually becomes sin (Romans 1:32). In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul rebukes the church for tolerating grievous sin among them. This passage demonstrates how the practice of church discipline can be used to restore people, and helps us to see the importance of purity in the local church.
We know from 1 Corinthians 3 that one of the main issues that needs to be addressed in this church is the fact that factions have formed around peoples’ preferred leaders. In 1 Corinthians 3:4, Paul says that some are following him and some are following Apollos, and this has created “jealousy and strife among you.” The Corinthians are making judgments about leaders based on their own biased perceptions. This leads Paul to lay out the role of ministers and who exactly gets to judge their ministries. Then, in 1 Corinthians 4:6-13, Paul unpacks this church’s spiritual arrogance and explains why it is improper to judge God’s servants based on outward appearances.
The Bible gives us multiple images of the Church. According to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the Church is a household of faith (Galatians 6:10). According to Peter, the Church is like a flock of sheep who need a shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-2). Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul will use the imagery of the human body to describe the Church, highlighting the interconnectedness and unity of the Body of Christ. However, in this text, Paul likens
the Church to the Jerusalem Temple. The temple was the physical representation of God’s presence with His people. Paul is communicating that God now dwells with His people, the Church, through His Spirit. There is no need for a physical temple. We ourselves are God’s temple! And Christ is the supreme builder of this temple.
The context of our passage today is a lengthy discourse that encourages unity over rivalries. Paul has just reminded the church in Corinth that there is no need for them to create division by siding with certain teachers because the teachers all have the same goal in mind: ensuring that gospel fruitfulness occurs through the message they preach. Paul reminded the Corinthians in the previous section that the church is God’s field. He closed verse 9 with another metaphor: the church is also God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9). The building metaphor is central to Paul’s message in this next section. If the church is a building, then how should that building be built? Paul answers that question and provides us with some helpful insights into how we are to labor rightly in the Church, God’s building.
When children are growing up, no one expects them to act like adults. We expect a certain amount of clumsiness, foolishness, and lack of self-control. We identify these problem areas in our kids’ lives and do the hard work of teaching and discipline to help them to mature (Proverbs 13:1, 24; 19:18; 22:6, 15; 23:13; 29:15). If a child is older and is still acting immaturely, we remind them that it’s time to “act their age,” and to behave in accordance with what they have been taught. This passage continues a critique Paul has for the Corinthians as they divide into teams (1 Corinthians 1:10-13), based on which leader they like best. He shows the
Corinthians how they are thinking more like the people of the world, who constantly act out of their sinful nature (2:14). It is time for the Corinthians to “grow up” in their understanding of church leaders.
In order to translate from one language to another, the translator must have a good grasp of what the speaker or author is trying to communicate. In this passage, Paul explains that in order for us to understand God’s wisdom, we need someone to translate it for us, someone who knows the mind of God. Thankfully, those of us who have trusted in Christ have the Holy Spirit living inside us, to help us receive the wisdom of God.
In 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, Paul said that, to “those who are called” Christ is the power and wisdom of God. Here in verse 26, Paul reminds the Corinthians of that when he tells them “consider your calling, brothers.” The word “consider” means to perceive or have sight of something. Paul encourages these believers to step back and examine how they came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In verses 26-31, Paul makes two things very clear to the Corinthian church, and all Christians. First, Paul says that when it comes to the salvation of anyone, “both Jews and Greeks” (v. 24), we bring nothing to the table. We cannot boast about anything. Second, Paul makes the point that salvation belongs to the Lord (see Jonah 2:9; Psalm 3:8). Therefore, whatever boasting of salvation a person might do can only be boasting in the Lord.
God’s chosen Messiah being crucified on a criminal’s cross is the greatest scandal in the history of the universe. Such a scandal cannot be understood or believed by the natural mind. That is why in 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul tells the church that when it comes to hearing and responding to the gospel, there are only two groups of people. Some find it to be useless—those who are perishing. And to some, the gospel is the power of God—those who are being saved.
After addressing the church of Corinth with a warm greeting, Paul now directs his attention to a major problem that exists within the church. The warmth of his welcome is over, and his stern rebuke will now be heard. As a rope becomes unraveled when its cords are disunited, so the church in Corinth is on the verge of unraveling because of disunity. Paul addresses this now, and the other things he brings up in the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians all stem from this topic. Therefore, it is best to view this section as somewhat of an introduction to the first part of the letter (1 Corinthians 1:10-4:21).
Though the church of Corinth has some major issues that must be addressed, Paul begins his letter with some encouraging words. To center the entire letter of 1 Corinthians upon the gospel, Paul’s first words to the Corinthians are not rebukes but reminders. Paul wants the Corinthians to know that despite the messiness of their church, God’s grace hasn’t changed. These believers are being sanctified and sustained by Jesus for the glory of God.
Laodicea is one of the most ancient cities in the Lycus valley. Archeological evidence can accurately prove that people lived in the city more than a thousand years before the writing of Revelation. Historical records show previous names of the city as Rhoas and then Diospolis (which means City of Zeus). The name Laodicea did not come into use until the 3rd century BC when Seleucid king Antiochus II renamed the city after his wife Laodice. The provenance of Laodicea—its origins, importance, and history—helped it to remain a free city even when it was annexed into the Roman Empire in 133 BC. As a free city, Laodicea enjoyed electing its magistrates, running its government, and minting its own coins apart from Roman control. These luxuries help us understand why the city refused Roman funds to help rebuild after a devastating earthquake occurred in AD 60-61. Laodicea did not want to be in Rome’s debt, preferring to remain as free and independent as possible.
Philadelphia was located about thirty miles inward from Smyrna and the Aegean Sea, sitting on high ground on the south side of the Cogamis River. Its fertile land is well-suited for growing grapes, leading to an economy based mostly on agriculture and some industry. Because of this vine-growing ability, worship of the Greek god Dionysus—the god of wine— was a major pagan cult. Philadelphia had a strategic location at the intersection of several trade routes, making it a very prosperous city and earning it the name “the gateway to the East.” Unfortunately, its location also made it susceptible to earthquakes, and in AD 17, an earthquake destroyed the city of Philadelphia, along with several other cities. The Roman Empire played a huge role in the rebuilding of the city of Philadelphia, solidifying the city's devotion to the imperial cult. Just like in the city of Smyrna, those citizens who refused to worship the Roman emperor drew the persecution of the Roman devotees. Yet the Christians of the church at Philadelphia kept God’s Word and did not deny the name of Jesus (v. 8). This is a church that remains faithful to Christ in the face of multiple types of opposition.
Sometimes major cities are so close geographically that it is customary to mention them together. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas-Forth Worth and Tampa-St. Petersburg all share such proximity that they are like one large metropolis. The name of ancient Sardis is a plural noun, representing two neighboring places, one an impregnable fortress on a hill, and one a thriving trade city at the bottom of the hill. Sardis was the capital of the Roman province of Lydia. At the time of the writing of Revelation, the city’s glory days had long since passed. The decline of the spiritual condition of the church at Sardis mirrored the city’s fallen status. In this passage, the risen Christ calls the church at Sardis to remember, to wake up, and to repent. Jesus’ words are gracious, stirring the dying embers of a church whose flame is all but extinguished.
The church in Thyatira seems to have a similar problem to the church in Pergamum, whom we met in the last section. It seems that sexual immorality and pagan practices have begun to sneak into the church unchecked (Revelation 2:20). Knowing the grave danger that lies ahead for this church if this continues, the risen Jesus appears to John in a vision with a message for the Thyarians, which is also a message for us today. His message speaks to the purity of the Church, His Bride, which has been neglected. This desire for purity is displayed as John highlights Jesus’ flaming eyes and burnished bronze feet. Then Jesus speaks His words of commendation and correction to the church of Thyatira (v. 18).
Pergamum was a major city in the province of Asia, and a significant religious center. Behind the city was a large cone-shaped hill on which there were many temples to Greek gods, including a large altar to Zeus. Most significantly it was a center for the religious worship of the emperor. Christians would have been encouraged to offer sacrifices or incense on an altar to the emperor as a symbol of their patriotism and loyalty to Rome. However, no Christian in good conscience could participate in the worship of created things (Exodus 20:3; Daniel 3:16-18; Romans 1:25). The earliest Christian creed, “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3) meant no compromise of loyalty to Christ was possible. The church in Pergamum was sorely tempted to “accommodate” Rome, and Jesus’ letter to the church challenges her to remain devoted to the Lord.
The city of Smyrna was located on the Aegean Sea. The city boasted an impressive harbor, a hill in the middle of the city known as the “crown of Smyrna,” and multiple idolatrous temples. There were temples to the Greek god Zeus and his daughter, Cybele. Smyrna also had a temple to the Roman goddess Roma. And, in AD 26, Smyrna erected a temple to the Roman emperor Tiberius, who had essentially been deified. It’s very clear that Smyrna was a city of pagan idolatry. The church in Smyrna, however, refuses to bow the knee to these false gods, particularly refusing to recognize the emperor as a deity. Strong oppression and tribulation come upon her for her faithfulness to Christ. This faithful church is one of only two churches (with Philadelphia being the other) out of all seven that Jesus brings no charge against.
The Ephesians were a wealthy and proud people. Their city boasted the great temple of Artemis (a fertility goddess, known as Diana to the Romans), which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This temple was four times the size of the Parthenon in Greece. Even when their temple was partially destroyed in the fourth century BC, the Ephesians refused help from Alexander the Great, and rebuilt the temple themselves. This shows the wealth and power of the city. Artemis was not the only deity in Ephesus. There were as many as 50 other gods and goddesses worshipped there. Pluralism was the social order of the day.
John begins this powerful letter by telling his audience that the contents have come directly from God. This message is a revelation (Revelation 1:1), or in the Greek, apokalupsis, from which we derive the English word apocalypse. However, that word has been somewhat misused in our modern context. The original word does not mean a mass catastrophe that brings about widespread destruction as movies portray. The word apokalupsis refers to mysterious truths that were once hidden, but that have now been graciously revealed. In this case, these truths are “things that must soon take place” (v. 1). Thus, John is referring to events that have begun to unfold in the age of the Church and will culminate in the end of all things, or the eschaton. This mystery has been disclosed to the apostle John, who is writing these truths down for the benefit and strengthening of the Church. This revelation of Jesus is to encourage the believers who are enduring
widespread suffering and persecution. John invites his audience to read this revelation of Jesus, corporately, for their betterment and blessing. Those who hear and heed these words will be indeed blessed (v. 3).
In the final chapter of Exodus, the Lord once again speaks to Moses, giving him the order to erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting (Exodus 40:1-2). Keep in mind that the tabernacle has been an ongoing project for Moses. The items that fill the tabernacle have been described and constructed previously in the story (See section on Exodus 25-27, 30, and section on Exodus 31, 35-39 in this study guide). The Lord tells Moses to place these items in certain locations within the tabernacle. Upon completion, the Lord will fill the tabernacle with His presence and dwell with Israel.
Throughout Exodus, we have seen God’s pattern of promise and fulfillment. First He says what He will do, then He performs that action. A prominent example is found in Exodus 3:19-20 when He promises He will compel the king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go, by performing signs
and wonders among the Egyptians. He fulfills this in Exodus 7-12 by bringing ten plagues on the Egyptians. In this passage, we see God interact with His people, following a similar pattern—this time, of command and obedience. God has commanded Moses to build the tabernacle according to His direction. We now see Israel obey God and carry out His plan. As a result, God blesses His people.
When Moses pleads with God on the people’s behalf, he asks for two things. First, he wants to know God better (v. 13). Second, he wants to see God’s glory (v. 18). God responds by saying, “I will cause My goodness to pass before you” (v. 19). Everything God does is good. When He judges other nations for their sin, it is good. When He forgives His people as they repent of their sins, it is good. God only does good!
For the past several chapters, God has been communicating with Moses on the mountain, giving him instructions for the building and establishment of the tabernacle. This chapter is a brief, but intentional, interruption in the flow of the narrative to tell us what is happening with the Israelites at the base of the mountain. We vividly see the human heart’s condition, and it's bent towards idolatry. And at the same time, we are graciously pointed to the mercy of God towards rebellious sinners. We also see that we are more like the Israelites than we think.
The high priest in the tabernacle had unique responsibilities before God and on behalf of the people that only he was authorized to do. Exodus 28-29 shows us how high priests are clothed for their office, and how they are set apart for the role of representing the people of Israel before a holy God. We will also see how Jesus fulfills the role of high priest in such a way as to remove the need for blood sacrifices forever.
People often ask, “Why do all religions seem to have the same practices and prayers?” The answer is simple: we all come from the same place. We are all, regardless of race, language, or geography, one people. We are sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. We are sons and daughters of Noah and his sons. World religions look similar in because our ancestors all heard from one God. Over time, people added their own ideas to the words of the one true God, and multiple religions emerged, but they all contain remnants of the original worship of the true God.
God has entered into a covenant with Israel. His chosen people have His moral law written on stone tablets. How are they now to apply that law to the everyday situations they may face? This section of Exodus answers that question. In chapters 21-23, God “sets rules before” His people that are to govern how they are to interact with one another as a called-out community of faith (Exodus 21:1). And then in chapter 24, we see the closing ceremonies of the covenant.
In Mere Christianity and The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis argues for an objective moral reality that governs the way we treat one another in society. He says that there is a common thread that runs throughout human society. There is no society which prizes adultery or theft as a virtue, and no one wants to be lied to. All people inherently recognize these things as sin when they are sinned against, even if not all people would use that term. Romans 2:15 tells us that God’s law is “written on [our] hearts.” Here in the “second table” of the Ten Commandments, we see God make clear His expectations of His people, that they would treat one another in ways that honor Him. God spells out what we all understand to be wrong. In doing so, He points to a way of life that is only fully realized in the person of Jesus Christ.
Throughout human history, there have been important moments where God broke through into time and space and changed everything for us, forever. The first and most easily recognizable intervention is at the very beginning of time, and of Scripture. “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1). God’s establishment of a covenant with Abraham was another time everything changed (Genesis 17). Thousands of years later, God kept His promises and sent His Son Jesus to live perfectly in human flesh and die in our place for our sin (John 1:1, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21). In this passage of Exodus, we will read about another interaction of God with Man where everything changed forever.
The scene in the Exodus narrative shifts here and focuses on Israel and Mount Sinai. God uses Moses as His mediator as He addresses the Israelites. About seven weeks have passed since the events at the Red Sea, and Moses has led his people out of Egypt and into the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19:1). The journey has encompassed over 400 miles, traveled by foot! Now they reach Mount Sinai, where the remainder of the events in Exodus will take place. God will soon reveal His covenant through Moses. Before He does that, God prepares His people for His presence.
As we move through Exodus, we transition from the first half of the book (God delivers His people), to the second half (God instructs His people). Exodus 17 and 18 are the last section in the story of God’s deliverance of His people. In these two chapters, we see the presence of Gentiles (non-Jews) and their interaction with Israel. Some will join Israel in worshipping the LORD, while others attack Israel, ignoring God’s hand on His people. In these situations, we see God protecting and teaching Israel. This has bearing on us today as God, through Christ, protects and teaches His Church, causing her to be healthy and fruitful.
As God’s people leave the Red Sea and journey into the wilderness, they become thirsty and they cannot find water. They travel on, beginning to be hungry, and realize they also lack food. Still further, they face another lack of water. The way the Israelites respond to these hardships is telling. God’s people have just seen the ten plagues that God brought against Egypt. With their own eyes they have watched the Red Sea give way to their crossing, and then drown the Egyptian army behind them. But only three days later, they lose faith in the God who provided them deliverance from slavery (Exodus 15:22).
Victory has occurred! The Israelites have been rescued and their enemies have been drowned at the bottom of the Red Sea. God has finally and fully destroyed the Egyptians. No more bondage, no more oppression, no more slavery in Egypt. What is the response of Moses and the Israelites to the mighty power of God and his deliverance? A song. This song, often entitled “The Song of the Sea” is the first recorded hymn of the Hebrew nation.
Jude has explained in various ways the apostasy (abandoning the faith) of antinomianism. Antinomianism is the wrong belief that, because of Christ’s work on the cross, Christians are no longer required to obey the commands of Scripture. The belief holds that because we are “not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14), we do not have to live in accordance with it. Paul’s response is succinct: “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15) and “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
En garde is French for “on (your) guard.” In fencing, the phrase is shouted by the referee at the start of each match. This exclamation tells the fencers to assume a position ready for action, to prepare to contend against their opponents. Jude gives a similar exclamation at the opening of Jude 11: “Woe!” The word is an interjection. Jude is sounding the alarm, telling the church to be en garde against those who act falsely, to be in a position of readiness to recognize them, and to contend against them.
In the opening verses of this book, we learn that Jude has to change course regarding the intent of his letter, in order to address a significant issue in the church. “Certain people have crept in unnoticed” (Jude 4). They pervert God’s grace and deny Jesus as Lord. These people are such a threat to the Body of Christ that Jude spends most of the letter painting a picture of who they are so that we may be able to spot them and also avoid becoming them ourselves.
Jude is addressing a situation in which a wheat-and-chaff separation is needed, as false teachers have infiltrated the church he is addressing. In the letter’s introduction, he draws a clear line between those who follow Christ and those who mean to harm the church. He aims to enlist the faithful in contending for the faith by teaching them to recognize and root out those who are false.
The crossing of the Red Sea is one of the most dramatic miracles in all of the Bible. This mighty act and its association with the people of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt makes it a foundational part of God’s history with Israel. It is referred to directly no less than fifteen times (Deuteronomy 11:4; Joshua 2:10; 4:23; 24:6-7; Nehemiah 9:9-11; Psalm 66:6; 77:16-20; 78:13, 53; 106:9-11, 21-23; 136:13-15; Isaiah 51:10; 63:11-13; Acts 7:36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, 13; Hebrews 11:29), with many more allusions (Psalm 18:13-15; 74:13; Isaiah 23:11; 43:16; Nahum 1:4; Zechariah 10:11). The Red Sea crossing is something that the people of Israel referred to again and again, because it reminded them of God’s great power and care for them. For us who live in anticipation of Jesus’ return, it is also a picture of Him delivering us from the power of sin and Satan.
The exodus is a monumental event in human history. For 430 years, God’s people resided in Egypt (Exodus 12:41). Now they are free. But God knows the fickleness and forgetfulness of mankind, and this is why He builds the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread into the annual calendar of His people. He calls them to remember His great work of deliverance.
The day of the Passover has arrived just as God has promised (see Exodus 4:23). Pharaoh has not heeded God’s commands, therefore the firstborn males in all of Egypt will be killed. Israel will be saved from God’s wrath with this sign: the blood of a lamb smeared on their doorposts. Everything that God had told Israel to prepare for now comes to pass in the events that unfold.
You would think that at any point in Exodus 7-10, Pharaoh would have had enough and abandoned his stubborn hold on the people of Israel. However, just as the plagues have become harder, so has Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 11:10). It takes one last plague to break his resolve and force his hand to send God’s people on their way (11:1). In this passage, we read what the plague on the firstborn will entail. We also see God’s gracious provision to spare the life of His people, called the Passover.
As we begin to look at the plagues, we see a pattern emerge. God makes a clear statement through these plagues to His people and to the Egyptians. He sends the plagues in a calculated and orderly way, showing His sovereignty and His divine order among the affairs of men. Nothing is random or by chance. God is in complete control over everything: past, present, and future.
In Exodus 6:28-29, God once again reminds Moses of his task, which is to stand before Pharaoh and deliver to Pharaoh all of the words that God has spoken to Moses. As usual, Moses gives God an excuse! He says, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?” (v. 30). Moses feels very unfit to accomplish this task. Will the king of Egypt listen to this old, stuttering Hebrew man? What unfolds next should provide us all with great encouragement and prove to us that God uses very unfit people to accomplish His perfect plan!
We’d all like to deliver on our word when we make commitments, but sometimes we can’t. We can get sick, or our car won’t start, or we simply forget to follow through. God is not subject to any of these limitations or lapses. He is all-powerful and is never unable to do what He says He will do. In this passage, God answers Moses’ complaint about the effect of his first audience with Pharaoh with a series of “I will” statements. Over the course of the first half of Exodus, God will fulfill these commitments over and again.
The instruction God gave to Moses at the burning bush was very clear. “You and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt” (Exodus 3:18). At the end of chapter 4, things seemed to be going according to plan. Moses and Aaron had met with the elders, pitched the plan, performed the signs God had given them, and Israel believed (4:29-31). However, by the time Moses and Aaron get to Pharaoh, they are conspicuously alone, with no mention of the elders being with them.
God has equipped Moses with supernatural powers to validate his call, and assured Moses of his inevitable success in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, despite Moses’ unbelief and lack of confidence in himself. Moses has all he needs to return back to Egypt to rescue the Hebrews from the snares of the Egyptians. However, Moses must first return from the wilderness to Midian, to formally seek the permission of Jethro to rejoin his kindred back in Egypt.
In Exodus 3:10-4:17, God introduced Himself with His sovereign name and revealed His purpose for Moses - to deliver the people of Israel from Pharaoh's hand. Moses' objections show us this was not in his five-year plan!
Moses has finally settled down with a wife and children, a new extended family, and a job—shepherd of Jethro’s flock. But God has another plan for Moses—Moses is going to deliver God’s people from the hand of Pharaoh and lead them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Moses will be the rescuer God chooses, and His vessel of salvation for the Israelites. It is striking that the first major event in Moses’ life is an act of despicable sin. Nevertheless, God uses Moses to bring about the deliverance of His people. This is a stark reminder that God uses even the most shameful events in human history to bring about His good purpose.
In chapter two, we zoom in to see how the crisis of the Israelites affects the family of Moses. We can imagine that Moses, the author of Exodus, heard this story more than once from the mouths of the three women involved in his rescue from Pharaoh’s murderous edict. Let’s meet these women, each one an instrument of God’s providence.
Exodus introduction and chapter 1. God's promises are everlasting. If God did not keep His promises, He could not be trusted and could not be God.