Riches of Christ

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Speaker: Rev Isaac Ong

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God not only calls us to salvation, but He also blesses us with spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Exercising these spiritual blessings will draw us closer to God; the neglect of these spiritual blessings will keep us away from Him.   Enriched in Christ (1:4-5)   Paul thanked God for the blessings that He had given to the Corinthians. He thanked God for His saving grace. The “grace of God” refers to the unchanging and unconditional favour that God showered upon sinners.            Paul also thanked God for enriching the Corinthian believers (1:5). He mentions two gifts – utterance and knowledge.   +       Lesson: God’s grace is a gift to be received. It cannot be earned (Eph. 2:8-9). The good works of a Christian (Eph. 2:10) is done not out of obligation but gratitude.   +       Lesson: Every believer is given at least one gift (1 Pet. 4:10), and you are to use that gift to minister to one another.   +       Lesson: Every believer is complete in Christ (Col. 2:10), and you are equipped by God to live a godly life (2 Pet. 1:3).   confirmed in Christ (1:6-8)   The testimony of Christ is confirmed in the believers (1:6, 8). “Testimony” means “martyr.” Every Christian is a martyr in the sense that he is a witness of the saving grace of our Saviour. The testimony of Christ is confirmed in the believer not for his own benefit only but also for the benefit of unbelievers.   +       Lesson: You confirm the testimony of Christ in you by your Christian conduct.   Fellowship with Christ (1:9)   God’s faithfulness means that God is true to His Word (1:9a). The believers in Corinth failed in many ways; despite their failures, they would be kept blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1:8). That means that they will persevere in the faith till the very end because of the faithfulness of God.          The promise of perseverance is based upon the fellowship they had with Christ Jesus. “Fellowship” means to have things in common. To be called unto fellowship with Christ means to be united with Him.   +       Lesson: To have fellowship with Christ means to love what Christ loves, and to have what He has (John 14:2-3, 19; Rom. 8:16-17; Rev. 3:21).   +       Lesson: To have fellowship with Christ means to be a partner, take up your cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24), to be willing to suffer the loss of all things to win Christ (Phil. 3:8), to be a partner in His sufferings (Phil. 3:10).   CONClusion   God has given us all things: His saving grace through His Son so that we may be redeemed; His power so that we may live a godly and victorious Christian life; spiritual gifts so that we may glorify Him.   Unbeliever:       Can you say that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ? The only righteousness that will present you as blameless is found in our Lord Jesus.   Believer  :         Are you using God’s spiritual gifts that God gave to glorify Him? Do you have fellowship with God? Are His goals your goals, His desires your desires? “My son, give me thine heart” (Prov. 23:26).  Are you willing?