Crossroad

Introduction:
The Spirit continued a work I came to understand far more clearly this week.  He knew the plan long before I did and He has been working for months to bring us to this Crossroad, a Crossroad where you and I stand.  The church at Corinth was a church where the people were trying to be Godly…but they couldn’t.  They were excited about their new freedom in Christ, so much so they started loving that more than Christ and each other.  As a result they were living according to their own wisdom and desires, and soon the worship of idols replaced the worship of God.  It sounds much like Israel in the OT; they tried to be Godly but they couldn’t either, not on their own.  They were following the rules, so much so they started loving the routine and forgot to love God and each other.  As a result they lived according to their own wisdom and soon the worship of idols replaced the worship of God.

Last week, the Spirit revealed just how great a problem this was in Corinth (see 1 Cor 11:17-22).  Their love of liberty, their idolatry, their lack of unity caused them to be gathering separately.  It was a disgrace to God, especially at the Lord’s Supper.  The church at Corinth, like the nation of Israel before it, was at a Crossroad.  We now see them standing at that Crossroad in 1 Corinthians 11.  To the left or right is more trying to be Godly, division, idolatry, and judgment.  Straight ahead is Christ-likeness, unity, worship, and peace with God & each other.

Crossroad

I Cannot (1 Cor 1-11:22)
That is the two-word summary of 1 Corinthians up to 11:23, for that church, for me, for you, and for every person of all time.  I cannot be Godly on my own.  When I try it ends up like that mess in Corinth.  Think about all we’ve talked about since we started this journey through Revelation 2-3 and 1 Corinthians: the rebukes Jesus gave most of the churches in Rev 2-3, and the rebukes the Spirit gives the church in Corinth.  They all earned those rebukes by trying to be Godly on their own.

Except for those with the spirit of antichrist that slip into churches to destroy it, people don’t try to divide churches, introduce heresy, or bring in idolatry, but that’s what happens when the entire church is not functioning like what’s coming up in 1 Corinthians 11:23 and beyond.  What does the church in 1 Corinthians 11:23 and beyond look like?  Well, every believer cherishes God’s authority.  Every believer knows his spiritual gift and is using it for the good of the church.  There is perfect unity within the Body.  Faith, hope, and love are the preeminent characteristics of the church, and the greatest is love.  There is worship as God intended it and the church is growing in number as each believer grows in spiritual maturity.

So there is a Crossroad in 1 Corinthians 11…knowing I’ve tried, I’ve really tried, but I Can’t…

God Can (1 Cor 11:23-26)
Here is the testimony that God not only can, He has!  None of us can save ourselves by following rules or trying to be Godly, but God did what we could not do ourselves…He redeemed us by grace through faith!  As believers, none of us can live like Christ did, grow spiritually, or do our part within the Church by following rules or trying to be Godly.  But God will do what we cannot do ourselves.  He cares about us too much to leave us like we are.  He wants to mold and shape us, help us mature spiritually, and use us to further His purposes and will.  He can do that…I cannot.  All I can do is decide to cooperate with Him.  That’s the Crossroad: deciding to commit my life and will to Him, or do it my way.  It’s a Crossroad we face every day.

Jesus said, “Take, eat, this is My Body which is broken for you…this cup is the new covenant in My Blood.”  Jesus offered Himself for you.  Yes, a once for all sacrifice for sin that when we accept by grace through faith, we receive forgiveness, victory over the power of sin, and eternal life.  BUT you also enter into communion with Him.  The Holy Spirit indwells you; you are baptized by the Spirit (Acts 1:5).  Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  The Holy Spirit, more than anything else, makes you a powerful witness of Christ. 

Do you think it is coincidence that the Holy Spirit is all over 1 Corinthians 12?  It isn’t… consider the sequence in 1 Corinthians: people got saved but soon were being Christians as they thought best; it led to division, pride, idolatry, and much more.  Then they started looking around asking what the problem was.  Then God laid it out through the Apostle Paul, and it is the same deal here as in the letters of Rev 2-3  When you do it…it’s a mess. 

So, how do we let God do it…well we have Communion with Jesus who won the victory (1 Cor 11:23-26).  We examine ourselves (1 Cor 11:27-34) and submit to the Spirit who gives the wisdom & power to live that victory (12+).  More on that in the weeks to come…

Conclusion:

My challenge to you this week: read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 everyday and ask God to reveal to you if you’ve been trying to live as a Christian on your own.