Rooted in Christ: Identity, Community, and Grace

Yet, this letter is written to a community, but in the very first few verses, it really sets the foundation, actually, for the whole Christian faith. This letter, as most historians or church historians talk about, is that the Apostle Paul who's writing this letter is writing to a group of Christians. He's most likely in Macedonia, a different place, and he sends this letter out to them. Most people call this 2 Corinthians. That's what we have, and church historians in general say Paul actually wrote quite a few letters to the Corinthians. Some even say up to four letters, and all we have is 1 and 2 Corinthians. It's mentioned in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, and now also in 2 Corinthians. Now, why am I bringing all these little facts? You can read it up yourself if you like to check it out. Well, this is a church, a Christian community that he's writing to, a group of believers, and there are many things going on in the life of this church, both in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. [00:03:44]

But what we're seeing really at the heart of Corinthians often is in any of the letters from the Apostle Paul, because he's speaking on behalf of God, the burden that he has for the church. And also because it is...is God's word. As followers of Christ would believe it is God's word. It's not just for the Corinthians at the time. It actually transcends time and place and actually speaks to us even today, but individually and even as a community of followers of Christ. [00:05:03]

For many years, I used to look at the Apostle Paul and his story in life, because he's well known in the New Testament. He wrote a lot of the New Testament. He's known as, it feels like he's this amazing preacher of the gospel. And you read his letters, he's got this deep heart and love for the church that he writes to. But I wonder, throughout his journey and throughout his walk with Jesus, Jesus, he had to constantly come back to this truth. over and over again ultimately who he is not based on the title but of the identity that he's been given through jesus and ultimately who is he serving who has actually called him to this particular mission. [00:06:34]

You can read about Paul’s conversion right it was amazing before he became a follower of Jesus before he became a herald of the gospel he was a persecutor of the gospel you can read about in acts 9 it's that moment the description is he's breathing threats and murder against the disciples of Jesus he gets a letter so to go and actually either put them in jail or murder them. And on that moment, he goes on the road to Damascus, he encounters the risen Christ. And Jesus says to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. It's radical. It totally changed his life, changed his mission, because he initially thought he was doing it for God. He encounters the one and only true God, Jesus Christ, the risen one. [00:08:26]

His life is transformed. He's humbled from becoming a persecutor. He becomes a follower of Jesus. And in that moment, he's given this mission to go and talk. Someone else has given the mission to go and tell Paul what his job is going to be, what his mission is going to be. A guy called Ananias. It would have been a fascinating moment for Ananias to hear from Jesus. Hey, I've got some news for you. I want you to go tell Paul. If you can just imagine, you can read about it in Acts 9, Ananias going, hold on a minute, did you just say Paul, the guy who's arresting and throwing people in jail? And this is what Jesus says in verse 15 of Acts 9. But the Lord said to him, God, go, for he's chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. And verse 16 has this for a mission statement. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. [00:09:27]

See, Paul came to this area in Corinth where initially what he would do was engage with different people, but in this particular place, he actually spent time, and he was a tent maker by trade. He worked and proclaimed the gospel. He was also engaging with the Jews in the synagogue at the time, but it was also a significant turning point in this particular place. He now said, well, I'm no longer going to pursue the Jews in the sense of proclaiming the gospel. I'm going to go after the non -Jews, the Gentiles. He was very discouraged, and God met him deeply and said, God encouraged him. He said, don't be silent. Keep proclaiming. [00:10:48]

And what you see in the life of the church in time, over and over again, their hope and joy was found in everything else except for Christ, and ultimately was found in themselves. And there was these arguments going on in the church, in 1 Corinthians, you can read about it, between who should they follow. They belong to Apollos or to Paul. They had this real kind of focus on spiritual gifts, and particularly certain spiritual gifts they lift higher than the other ones, and that was their identity. But when they talked about exercising these spiritual gifts, there was no love at all in this church. and they would rest in many things except in the one who's the resurrected christ. [00:11:48]

But this is the mission that they've been given. For many years, I used to look at the Apostle Paul and his story in life, because he's well known in the New Testament. He wrote a lot of the New Testament. He's known as, it feels like he's this amazing preacher of the gospel. And you read his letters, he's got this deep heart and love for the church that he writes to. But I wonder, throughout his journey and throughout his walk with Jesus, he had to constantly come back to this truth. Over and over again, ultimately who he is not based on the title but of the identity that he's been given through Jesus and ultimately who is he serving, who has actually called him to this particular mission. [00:06:31]

This is the wonderful foundation that we've been given that we are messengers and if we don't come back to the truth that Christ has actually called us this is the message that we've been given because even for the apostle Paul he would face suffering and trial there'll be things that will come to us as well in our lives many of you are going through that yourselves when suffering when people come and say mistruths about you when people don't accept you people reject you because of your faith in Jesus the question is who are we going to trust and rest in who who someone says we are we should rest in what Jesus says because that's what holds us steady and this is the reality of what it means to be a messenger of Christ. [00:14:53]

And so when that truth compels our hearts then our response should be in grace in truth in love and we don't need to respond out of fear as well but this is what God has called us to to be messengers to be reminded Christ is the one who's called us according to God's will and the purpose to represent him in this world. [00:15:39]

Paul, an apostle of Jesus, by who? By the will of God. This is who he was. And it's a reminder for us in knowing whom we represent first and foremost. That's the basic truth in that. [00:16:32]

Just as Paul belongs to Christ by God's will, this church in Corinth and the whole or the community of churches, the community of believers, they're not just one church. They're a community. They all belong to God. And then there's this term that he uses called saints. This is who they are. [00:17:18]

See when a church community forgets who they are or who we are that we are a church of God that we're saints it won't be surprising when there are splits in a church when personalities won't ultimately make it about you themselves when there are things trying to take over from another group when secondary theological issues become primary issues where there's this tendency at times to actually particularly in Australian culture the temptation for us is to disregard leadership that God has placed to care and love and lead and has authority and ultimately there might be also the temptation and I hear this in my own little Christian bubble amongst church leaders that we are the saviour of the world my church is the saviour to the world church the danger is also there for us as a community as Canterbury Gardens when our church becomes known more for a single personality or our church becomes known ultimately it's about us it leads to pride not humility look at what we have look at what we've done. [00:19:15]

See when we start considering ourselves as the gift to our region or that the gospel of Jesus is ultimately on our shoulders we will unintentionally or intentionally think it's all on us it's that moment that we forget who we first belong to that we belong to God and this should shape how we live and how we ultimately submit to the way that God has actually a design for his local church under his loving lordship as we live out as a community of believers in church life under the leadership that he's placed but it should also shape shape you how you and I see Christ -exalting churches in our own city. [00:20:37]

And to remember who we are and who you are as followers of Christ. That we are saints. Now, when I use this word saint, particularly if you're near the Christian culture, we're not talking about the footy team that we have here in Victoria. And there might be some certain church traditions that raise up certain people and they call into sainthood. You might have heard that language. Well, for us, what we believe in, what we teach in this church, is that as Christians, are people who trust and respond to the gospel, that if you belong to Christ, you've been given a status, a title, you're a saint. [00:22:28]

Language is you've been set apart you're a holy one that's what it really means that we have been set apart we're chosen ones for his glory for his purpose and as people we're actually intertwined together we're no longer strangers to god and to each other. [00:23:06]

But please don't get to the posture where you and I think we're better than that church. Or we call it my church. It is God's church first. And so if we have, we need to repent of that. Perhaps a better posture for all of us is to be reminded who we are. We are God's church. It's His church. And every other church that proclaims Jesus according to God's word, they are saints, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We are God's church. [00:26:03]

If anything good is happening at all there's fruit bearing there's people coming to christ anything good at all it's actually not us it's all him doing the work through his spirit and the glory goes to him we are god's church saints intertwine and we should live lives that display who we are. [00:26:49]

And then finally this reminds us of what we've been given grace to you and peace from god our father the lord jesus christ do you know if you take those verses out of all of the bible you take this truth out of any church it will no longer exist as a church but just another religious group because what you're hearing at the heart of it is the gospel it's what i think defined all the disciples of jesus all their life to their final breath and it should define any church but often this is what is always at threat and in any church when the gospel gets watered down or the gospel is compromised on and there was no different for the corinthian church there were many things for them that trumped the truth of the gospel whether it was ultimately really about them and their spiritual gifts and there was lack of love or in second corinthians there were others who were questioning paul's authority apostleship but then ultimately what they're doing is adding to the grace and gospel of jesus christ and actually also his finished work on the cross there were corinthians coming in and saying yeah you received grace but there's some extra things you that you haven't listened to and so we're going to add to that paul reminds them the very source of true grace and peace is ultimately from the father through his son. It's radical thinking then and it's still true radical thinking today. [00:27:09]

See this is the truth that is the reality for us as followers of Jesus. We have grace, undeserved favor that rests on us and connected with that we have this peace that we now have not of our own works at all. It's all of God's mercy and grace. It's not our merits. It's a gift of grace from God and he's given us peace. [00:28:57]

This also means friends, this is what's true in that moment of our life situations and our sufferings and our trials and our challenges. You will see this in the letter because if this wasn't true, all of it would be lost because it is true. It's what holds us in those moments and it's true for us as followers of Christ. We have grace and peace. [00:29:21]

Friends, if you're someone who's exploring the Christian faith, I just want you to know going to church and doing Christian things will not make you right with a holy God. The only thing that will make you right with the holy God is receiving grace and peace through Christ and his. work. [00:29:49]

But God would pursue, God would pursue, God would pursue. And then he finally shows that pursuit in the most glorious and gracious way through the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes to this world, who lives the perfect life, who dies on the cross for your sin and my sin, who's physically raised again on the third day. This is what the Apostle Paul encountered on the road to Damascus, who now is seated on the right hand of the Father and intends everyone to turn to him in faith from your sinful life in faith, surrender your life. And when you do, his spirit now comes and lives in you. And you're a child of his, you're adopted, you're a saint. [00:30:56]

Christ is the...reason the right one who lived a life as the true greater messenger who was sent by the father to be our gift of grace the one whom the father is well and always pleased in the one who understands the very suffering and trial that you might be facing right now the one who faced it all the one who has brought peace by his precious blood now our savior is the resurrected lord and now he continues his work through his church his people even imperfect churches and imperfect people. [00:31:56]

Did you know if you're a follower of christ it's up here on the screen we're called to be his messengers you're called to be his messengers in your homes in your workplaces in your school in your universities whether if you're in season of singleness whether if you're married whether you've got no kids with kids whether if you're grandparents you've been called as his messengers and for some of you as we've heard this morning might be even to the ends of the earth. [00:32:47]

And finally we've been given grace and peace from our god and our father the lord jesus christ isn't that wonderful and this is why we can sing there is indeed no other name. [00:34:30]