1 Corinthians 15: 1-11
Key Verse 9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-- yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me”
Hi, I'm Joanne Lee, I'm the youngest of six kids, fours sisters and one brother. I was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently attending Lincoln park and am part of the IB program.
One of the earliest memories of grace was during an afternoon play session with my older brother Moses. We were wrestling, which we usually didn’t do and I somehow got on top of him. It was apparently a thing to split on each other but pretend to until you saw the split hanging from the other’s mouth. So you see where this is going, I was on top, spit hanging down from my mouth and Moses squirming. In my defense, he squirmed and the spit fell from my mouth, right on his cheek. I jumped off, completely taken aback, immediately apologizing. He stormed off into his room and shut the door. Dread, and horror overwhelmed me, I had just lost my closest play buddy and it was MY fault; he made it so I couldn’t even blame him for leaving! I jumped into action, I’d need to send a snack under the door, send a letter apologizing, again, whisper and look through the keyhole and hope he opened the door for me. He came out approximately five minutes later and as I stared ready for his wrath but nothing happened, instead he told me it was okay-- I was so taken aback and felt like my life had been spared.
Today, we will learn about a greater grace that God showed on us and how this grace of God changed our lives. I pray that through this message we may think about two questions, first: what is the gospel to YOU and second: why do we need living hope.
Let’s pray
Part I: Standing Firm in the Gospel verses 1-2
First, the love Paul had for the Corinthians and the reminder he gives them.
Corinth is known for being a port city full of hustle and bustle, those passing by seek to buy and those set up, seek to sell. Corinth was naturally a place of mixed ideals, beliefs, and lifestyles-- sounds like an environment we are used to. Paul writes this beautiful letter beginning with a reminder to the Church in Corinth. His reminder can be seen in the first two verses, in it he addresses them as “brothers and sisters” (1). He says “I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Paul reminds them exactly of what they did; they heard the gospel he preached to them and took their stand on it. But what exactly does taking a stand really mean?
In one way, these verses push us to remember to live holding firmly to the Gospel. Joshua 1:8 highlights the blessings that come when we hold onto the word of God. It reads “Keep this Book of Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” When we keep the word of God actively in our hearts; when we constantly meditate on it, we are able to stand firmly in the word and it is able to yield such blessings in our life. Another verse that helps illustrate what holding on to the Gospel looks like is Psalm 1:2-3 “but whose delight is is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers.” When we hold onto the word of God we are able to stand firm, bear fruit, and not wither away. Again, we are given the blessing of prospering. The prospering and success may not come from what we may consider success and prospering; it is more valuable than that-- it is, knowing the will of God. This is actually so much more valuable than getting recognition by others, looking good on paper, presenting yourself to please those around you. The prospering and success that these verse refer to can be seen in things like wisdom, discernment, patience, fruit of the spirit that help us prosper and be successful in a completely new way.
Can _____ read verse 2. “Otherwise, you have believed in vain,” I think what Paul is trying to remind the Church to be genuine in their faith. We should be careful not to speak our faith and not live it out. If we have taken our stand in our faith, we must also hold firmly and live it out. These words we hold onto are unlike human words, we may obey and listen and understand human words, but the words of God are powerful, life-giving words.
A verse that comes into mind is Hebrews 4:12 “for the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” the word of God is alive and active, it’s not something we read like a book, it’s not something that sits on the shelf. We are reminded like the church of corinth, to hold firmly to the gospel, it is not in our nature to remember, it’s quite opposite-- we forget and we are okay with it. Our world presents us a daily struggle to hold firmly to the gospel, we are faced with so many challenging beliefs and patterns of this world that we want to follow. Holding onto the gospel is holding onto the truth, holding to it will allow us to face any type of hindrance this world throws at us.
Last year, I was faced with a really tough decision of living and practicing my faith. I was really swayed by the culture and the norms of this society and satan had tempted me with the “boy temptation”. I was really overwhelmed with this feeling of fitting in and proving I could do “normal” girl things like date a guy. I can say that it was God to hit me with a freaking rock at this point of my life. It wasn’t that I felt bad for liking someone or that I wanted to date someone but God telling me to focus on my life of faith. He gave me 1 Peter 1:23- “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” and 1 Peter 3:3- “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.” These verses were not joking, and they were not something I could argue with. It was so clearly stated. I was more than the things of the world, I was not made in the image of God to conform to the world and what it might seem to offer me. Let me tell you though, when you make that decision of faith, when you make a change like that in life, it is not from yourself-- again, it is NOT from the things YOU decide to do-- it is the work of GOD in you, stand firm in the word of God, stand firm in the Gospel.
Part II: Believing and Living According to the Scriptures Verses 3-8
Let’s have _____ read these verses.
Second, what believing and living according to the Scriptures looks like and being witnesses of God. It is through remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus that connects everything Paul preaches to what is according to the Scriptures. The death of Jesus as we learned from Luke 23 was according to the Scriptures, the pain, the suffering, the forgiveness that was poured out was all according to the Scriptures. The resurrection of Jesus and appearance of Jesus in Luke 24 was according to the Scriptures, the victory over death, Jesus meeting his disciples and giving them living hope even in their scared, shivering state. The hope that Jesus gives to them is the same to us; and that is all according to the Scriptures. According to the Scriptures does not translate to the old words people said some long time ago, according to the Scriptures is according to the word of God-- this is not a tragic death of an innocent man. This is the death of the Son of God, it was thought of, planned by, and executed by God the Father.
Paul concisely explains everything according to the Scriptures in verses 3-4; let’s have _______ read these verses for us. What Paul passes on as a message to the Church is the message of the Gospel. This message goes into verse 6-7 and describes those the risen Jesus appears to “he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at the same time. Most of whom were still living though some had fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to [Paul] also, as to one abnormally born.” These appearances are to those who followed Christ. They lived out this Gospel, they encountered the risen Christ and were turned into witnesses of Christ, how does the Gospel apply to our life though?
It is important to think of what the Gospel means to you. The Gospel literally translates to good news, but it may come in the form of something else for you. It may be your living hope, it may be your saving grace, or it may be nothing. But the Gospel really is the good news that we receive. That ALL people receive. Paul has a very personal connection with the Gospel. He was a very righteous man by law and actively persecuted the church. On his way to Damascus Paul is met by God who questions him saying “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”.This is just the beginning of Paul’s conversion, after meeting God, he is blinded, prayed for, healed by Ananias, baptized and completely changed. He was renamed Paul which means small or humble. The Gospel to Paul is the foundation of his faith, he experienced it in a very literal way. He states in verse 8 “as to one abnormally born”, the risen Jesus appeared to Paul, an apostle that actually wasn’t an apostle at all. Paul makes it clear that he was undeserving of this direct, personal, and completely life changing.
In reality, we all are undeserving of meeting the risen Christ. I fall short of meeting the risen Christ. But that is where the Gospel faith comes in, when we believe that we are saved through the grace of God and when we accept this grace for ourselves are met by the risen Christ. This is where the core of gospel faith is rooted in, the fact that we are undeserving of this opportunity, where we have no right to this saving grace yet the risen Christ becomes our saving grace, the mercy and love that we don’t deserve is given as a gift to us.
When I think about the Gospel, I question what about the Gospel I believe, why do I need to practice this at all?
Within my program, I face a constant cut throat but cheating system. There are those who are willing to do ANYTHING to be the BEST, this might mean bringing everyone down around them, this might mean proving a teacher wrong in front of the entire class, being so absorbed in studying that you have no social life or mean cheating their way through the entire program. Our world is actually like this, people are so set on proving themselves to peers, teacher, parents-- anyone who is willing to look at them. I found myself so unhappy three months ago and overwhelmed with this feeling of sadness, this continuous unhappiness and lack of motivation that felt like a rock in my heart. I had taken 5 ACTs, I had missed the opportunity to apply to Northwestern ED which meant my acceptance percentage went from 45% to less than 10%, I felt like I was working nonstop and that I was living my parents’ life. Not only was my mind full of these lies, but I was telling myself these lies so many times a day that I began to believe them; that my life wasn’t my life, that I was just a body. I can’t begin to explain how bad this is, this is what I call the black hole of lies.
The Gospel to me, is acceptance. It’s that I don’t need to prove myself to my peers, it’s that I don’t need Northwestern to prove my value or intelligence. When I accepted Christ as my savior, I also accepted myself.
It’s something that still challenges me, I still get self conscious and sometimes my doubts slip back into my mind but it’s the Gospel that reminds me, “Joanne, you can’t do ANYTHING and there is no running tab with God, he’s already accepted you with your flaws and your doubts and all your sins, you are more than this world’s standard, stop comparing yourself to people around you”
Even though I am not an eyewitness like those in Luke 24 like we learned in Jessica’s message, I am a follower and I am a believer. That makes me just as qualified to share my testimony of faith like all Jesus appeared to. Jesus appeared to me in many different ways in my life. I see Jesus working through my life and saving me everyday with his blood. I am reminded that I have witnessed the risen Jesus.
He may have appeared to Paul in a bright light, he may have ascended to heaven in front of the disciples but he is living and active in your life too. Our life is full of encounters with the risen Christ, these encounters are undeserving, full of grace, and build us in our gospel faith. We are equivalent to the Gentiles that were not the chosen people, the people who were the most disconnected and those that do not deserve to be saved. No matter what we do, no matter who we are, no matter how great we are, we are considered the worst; but this gospel, changes that.
Part III: Verses 9-11 The Grace of God
Lastly, Paul concludes his letter with a very intimate personal moment and his testimony to the grace of god. Paul is my favorite apostle in the sense that he is full of flaws and mistakes and detours in his life, but his change is a complete change that he constantly seems to be reminding himself of to remember the grace of God. After meeting the risen Christ his testimony is always about the grace of God in his life, and this testimony is just that. Paul is able to call himself an apostle because he accepted the gospel for himself.
When I hear Paul’s testimony I am reminded of the grace of God that was and is with me. This is an personal experience of the Grace of God in my life. My entire bubble of a life that I grew up in, popped when I entered high school, it wasn’t that I was left swimming with sharks but rather that I realized my life was not going to be as easy as it was up to the point. My family who always encouraged me to do my best and told me I was the best, still did, but inside I felt worthless and like a failure. I felt like going to Lincoln Park was a path that was paved for me, that it was just another thing planned for me in my life. The grace of God to me, is not that God made my life easy, or a piece of cake. The grace of God to me was realizing this was not actually that this was a pre-paved path by my family but by God. The grace of God to me was going to Lincoln Park, being supported by the amazing girls who go there, to be academically and spiritually challenged and to glorify God in all I did there. It was the grace of God that I was challenged and constantly struggled with many things to make me a Christian that sought out the will of God above all else. It was not that I knew automatically the way out, because I really didn’t. But that I was given the opportunity to practice my faith. It is through the grace of God that I was able to learn to turn to God in my struggles. It is through the grace of God that I have living hope. It was through the grace of God that through all my failures and all my shortcomings, I am saved over and over again. It is through the grace of God that I don’t have to worry about the successes and failures I make in my own plans, in my own eyes, because the grace of God is accepting the undeserved love and mercy God freely gives me. I continue to struggle with accepting this Grace of God as I face “planning and deciding” my future. I struggle still to remember that I’M not actually planning and deciding my future but that my life is in God’s hands and that through the Grace of God I can face any hardship I might face. It was through the grace of God that I am what I am, because his grace to me was not without effect.
Verses 9-11 highlight the active participation and practice Paul puts in, to live out his faith. He encourages us with his personal testimony of what God’s grace has done in his life. The grace of God as he says, is not without effect. There is an impact of God’s grace that Paul sees very clearly in his life. Paul considered everything he did nothing compared to the grace of God he experienced. The value of his life changed and his standard reset. We will see this in his letter to those in the Church of Philippi and the impact of this grace of God that led him reevaluate his life’s purpose. He then goes on to say in verse 10 that “he works harder than all of them.” This further encourages us to work hard at our faith, to be conscious of how we live our faith and to remember that it is only through the grace of God that we are saved. It is not that the grace of God saves us and it stops there, but rather that we use the grace we receive to live out our faith.
Again, he reminds them that this is what he and the witnesses preached and this is what they believed. Our faith is something rooted in not only the gospel and made possible through the grace of god. We are saved through the grace of god constantly, and we can learn this from Paul’s attitude and life of faith. Let’s remember how to live our lives remembering what we believe, what we hold onto, the power of the word of God, and the reason why the gospel is for us, why we need it and how we can live our lives of faith.
God's not dead, and his word is not dead, Jesus has risen and our faith should not be dead, we too need to remember why we believe what we believe.
At this point, you may be wondering, what is the living hope?, I just hope to pass this test I have coming up. Literally me, I have a TOK oral that I have NO idea how to do and I’m hoping that I just PASS. I hope to be taken off the waitlist at Northwestern, I hope there’s not traffic going home, I hope the weather gets warmer. When I set my hopes on something in this world, big or small, I replace my living hope with temporary, superficial hope. Living hope to me is the solid identity I took on when I met the risen Christ. My hope is not in this world, it is knowing I am a child of God and looking for an eternal life with him. These hopes of the world are not bad hopes, it’s not bad to want to be successful, to want to prosper but many times when we close our minds to achieving something in THIS world, we fall short of the eternity we spend with God. We allow the hopes of the world to take over us to the point where we forget that there is an eternity with God waiting for us when we accept Christ as our savior.
My hope was for the past two months was getting into Northwestern. When God delayed me from, again, an easy path, I was really convicted. I kept repeating to myself that I believe in the living hope, that the things in the world do not define who I am, that the email I get from them actually doesn’t pave my life but that God does. I ignored what I was feeling for a while because I didn’t want to fall into the black hole of lies but I also didn’t fill my hole of sadness and discouragement. I didn’t turn to God in my time of need and fully depend on him, I numbed myself out and tried to move on. It is a real battle for me. It felt like God knew exactly what would hurt me the most and did exactly that. For a while I listened to the lies of Satan who made me question God’s love. I found myself blaming God, “you know she’s my best friend and the closest to me, you know that I can’t even be mad at her because she deserves to get into Northwestern”. I was really rebuked from this passage. “For i am the least of the apostles and do not deserve to be called an apostle” it was God bringing me to my lowest point and then facing me saying “is my love conditional, is your living hope, is your faith based on the action of service I do for you? Are you that quick to sway into believing lies?” I had made my hope a temporary, superficial hope. God didn’t shove anything in my face, he was challenging me to come closer to him. My security isn’t getting into Northwestern, my security is in the living hope, this is the truth: that Christ died for me, for my pride, self-righteousness, my occasional craziness in public, overstepping in conversation, my critical judgement, for everything that separates me from God. This is the truth: that I am set free with the blood of Christ, that I look forward to the living hope and eternity with God. This is the truth: that I was made in the image of God, that I am very good, that God did not make me to fall into the black holes I create by listening to Satan.
The truth is, you are saved, you are saved over and over again, that you were a sinner lost but that you were accepted by the Grace of God and made new.
I’ll end with my favorite verse 1 John 4:18- “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
Your faith is your faith, I can’t make you believe something you don’t and your parents can’t either. But this I can assure you, the Gospel is the a love story where we are rescued and we pay nothing back to the savior and that living hope is our secure identity in Christ.
For you are what you are through the grace of God and his grace is not without effect.
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