Sermon Notes "Power Struggle" based on 1 Corinthians 15:56-58

Introduction: My sermon today is titled, “Power Struggle”. This title came from preparation that I did when I taught on Wednesday night at end of June on “Power”.  I asked those gathered this question and I’m asking you it today- Where do we see “power” in our culture? (money, status (get to the top), work hard, manipulation, etc.) How does that compare to power in the kingdom of God? (humility, dependance, less of me, abiding)  We will see these again in our verses this morning.

Death (vs. 56)

·         The sting of death is sin. Notice the order.  I think it says, “The sting of sin is death.” Why did Paul say it this way?

·         This takes us back to the Garden of Eden.  Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

·         We know how the story goes.  Adam and Eve eat after the serpent lies to them by saying “You will not surely die. (Genesis 3:4)

·         But the result was not death for Adam and Eve’s bodies immediately, instead they experienced death spiritually. Listen to these verses about how sin leads to death for us as well.

o   Romans 5:12-“ Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”

o   Romans 6:23-“For the wages of sin is death,”

·         The power of sin is the law. Remember the law is holy & good.  It is God’s best way to live.  However, the law also leads to death. We have believed that if we just “lay down the law” then people will make good choices.  However, listen to what actually happens.

o   Galatians 3:19,23 “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made,…Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.”

o   Romans 5:20 “Now the law came in to increase the trespass,”

o   The true cause of ruin is in ourselves.^[1]

o   The sting is not in death; it is in sin. And sin has an unexpected ally and source of power, the law. The law is divine in origin, But it is quite unable to bring people to salvation^[2]

Defeat (vs. 57)

·         BUT

·         Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

o   All glory to Him for what He has done and what He has given us.

§  Genesis 3:15-“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

§  Romans 5:15-16 “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.”

§  Romans 6:23-“but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

§  Galatians 3:24-26-“²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

§  Romans 5:20-21-“but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

o   There is victory for the Christian, but it comes only through what Christ has done for him.^[3]

Determined (vs. 58)

·         THEREFORE

o   This “therefore” bases the practical on the doctrinal. It shows how true doctrine results in godly life.^[4]

·         My beloved brothers (and sisters) he voices his own tender love for them^[5]

·         Be steadfast

·         Immovable

·         Always abounding in the work of the Lord

o   To “abound” in the Lord’s work, in context, is to be constantly giving oneself to that work^[6]

o   While this encouragement may pertain to godly works in general, it is tempting to see it as a more direct command to minister the gospel.^[7]

·         Your labor is not in vain

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^[1] Calvin, J., & Pringle, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (Vol. 2, p. 65). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

^[2] Morris, L. (1985). 1 Corinthians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 7, p. 223). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

^[3] Morris, L. (1985). 1 Corinthians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 7, p. 224). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

^[4] Lenski, R. C. H. (1963). The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p. 752). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.

^[5] Lenski, R. C. H. (1963). The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p. 752). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.

^[6] Ciampa, R. E., & Rosner, B. S. (2010). The First Letter to the Corinthians (p. 837). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

^[7] Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). I & II Corinthians (Vol. 7, p. 272). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.