1 CORINTHIANS 1- 4 “UNITY/DIVISION”

1 CORIN THIANS 1:1- 9 Section Overview: “Paul introduces the letter by greeting the church in AUTHOR Corinth and thanking God for them. When Paul thanks “The letter’s first line identifies God at the beginning of a letter, he usually includes the the author. “Paul, called by the letter’s theme in seed form. One way to state the will of God to be an of theological message of 1 Corinthians is that the Christ ” (1 Cor. 1:11). Few requires God’s holy people to mature in purity and have contested that Paul wrote unity. ‘The testimony about Christ’ (1 Cor. 1:6) is the 1 Corinthians” (Naselli 212). gospel Paul has proclaimed to the Corinthians, whom Naselli, Andrew Expository Commentary Romans-Galatians Vol. X God will faithfully sustain to the end. The church in Crossway, 2018. Corinth has many problems, but the gospel solves them.” (Naselli 224).

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10- 31

The image part Section Overview: with relationship ID rId7 was not found in the file. “First Corinthians 1:10 begins the letter’s body (1:10-15:58).

This (1:10-4:21) addresses the first of ten major issues: @reclaimedstudents dividing over church teachers. It is common for sermons and [email protected] commentaries to divide this unit into multiple sections. That is The image part The image part with with relationship relationship ID rId7 ID rId7 was not was not found in the not wrong, but it makes it harder to remember that this is a found in the file. file. single unit responding to one main issue. It is long- Paul devotes more words to this issue than to any other. But it is @reclaimedfbcm Reclaimedstudents helpful to work through the unit together without dividing it up -fbcmelbourne into separate parts. Paul provides three major reasons the Corinthian Christians should not divide over church teachers: (1) The gospel requires the church to be unified- not divided over its teachers (1:10-17). (2) God’s wisdom contradicts worldly wisdom (1:18- After reading 2:16).” (Naselli 230). – Consider these questions • What is God’s word saying about who He is and who you Before reading – Pray are? • Admit you can do nothing apart from God. (John 15:5) • What do you need to do about • Rely on the Holy Spirit by praying for supernatural what God is saying in His power to understand His Word and to obey His Word. Word? (Psalms 119:35-38) • Journal your thoughts, prayers • Cherish His Word by reading it and praying over every and any action steps you need word. (Philippians 2:12-17) to take.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:1- 3 WORD CHECK 1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of • ______Christ Jesus, and our brother , 2 To the • ______church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified • ______in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all • ______those who in every place call upon the name of our • ______Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace • ______to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who and/or what are you praying for?

April 1, 2021 (THURSDAY) – 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 o ______• Pray ______• In verse 2, Paul says, “Called to be saints ______together.” Why? ______o ______• What do these verses say about God? o ______o ______

• What do these verses say about you?

• What else is God’s Word saying?

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:4- 9 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of WORD CHECK the grace of God that was given you in Christ • ______5 Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him • ______6 in all speech and all knowledge— even as the • ______testimony about Christ was confirmed among • ______you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as • ______you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus • ______Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Who and/or what are you praying for?

o ______April 2, 2021 (FRIDAY) – 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 ______• Pray o ______• Who is God faithful to? ______o ______• What do these verses say about God? o ______

• What do these verses say about you?

• What else is God’s Word saying?

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10- 12 10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our WORD CHECK Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that • ______there be no divisions among you, but that you be • ______united in the same mind and the same • ______11 judgment. For it has been reported to me by • ______Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, • ______my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you • ______says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow ,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

Who and/or what are you praying for?

April 3, 2021 (SATURDAY) – 1 Corinthians 1:10-12 o ______• Pray ______• What was dividing the Church at Corinth in ______Verse 11? o ______• What does this verse say about God? o ______• What does this verse say about you? o ______• What else is God’s Word saying?

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:13- 17 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or WORD CHECK were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank • ______God that I baptized none of you except Crispus • ______15 and , so that no one may say that you were • ______16 baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the • ______household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not • ______know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ • ______did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Who and/or what are you praying for?

o ______April 4, 2021 (SUNDAY) – 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 ______• Pray o ______• In whose power was Paul called to share the ______gospel? ______

o ______• What do these verses say about God? ______o ______• What do these verses say about you? ______

• What else is God’s Word saying?

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18- 21

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are WORD CHECK • ______perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the • ______power of God. 19 For it is written, • ______• ______“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, • ______and the discernment of the discerning I will • ______thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not Who and/or what are you praying for? God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not o ______know God through wisdom, it pleased God through ______the folly of what we preach to save those who ______believe. o ______

o ______April 5, 2021 (MONDAY)– 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 ______• Pray o ______• Why is the message of the cross foolish to those ______who are perishing? ______

• What do these verses say about God?

• What do these verses say about you?

• What else is God’s Word saying?

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:22- 25 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek WORD CHECK wisdom,23 but we preach Christ crucified, a 24 • ______stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but • ______to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, • ______Christ the power of God and the wisdom of • ______God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than • ______men, and the weakness of God is stronger than • ______men.

April 6, 2021 (TUESDAY) – 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 Who and/or what are you praying for?

• Pray o ______• What is stronger than men? ______o ______• What do these verses say about God? ______o ______• What do these verses say about you? ______o ______• What else is God’s Word saying? ______

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts:

1 CORINTHIANS 1:26- 31 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of WORD CHECK you were wise according to worldly standards, not • ______many were powerful, not many were of noble • ______27 birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world • ______to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the • ______world to shame the strong;28 God chose what is low • ______and despised in the world, even things that are not, • ______to bring to nothing things that are,29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of 30 God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from. God, Who and/or what are you praying for? righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, o ______boast in the Lord.” ______o ______April 7, 2021 (WEDNESDAY) – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 o ______• Pray ______• Can a Christian be boastful? ______o ______• What do these verses say about God? ______

• What do these verses say about you?

• What else is God’s Word saying?

• What do you need to do about what God is saying?

• Journal your prayers and thoughts: