1 Corinthians 1:7b ~ 20121209 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

12/09 1 Corinthians 1:7b Waiting for Jesus to be Revealed

¹ Παῦλος κλητὸς ἀπόστολος ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ καὶ Σωσθένης ὁ ἀδελφὸς ² τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ, ⸂ἡγιασμένοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Κορίνθῳ,⸃ κλητοῖς ἁγίοις, σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ⸀αὐτῶν καὶ ἡμῶν· ³ χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

⁴ Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ ⸀μου πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ χάριτι τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ δοθείσῃ ὑμῖν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ⁵ ὅτι ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει, ⁶ καθὼς τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐβεβαιώθη ἐν ὑμῖν, ⁷ ὥστε ὑμᾶς μὴ ὑστερεῖσθαι ἐν μηδενὶ χαρίσματι, ἀπεκδεχομένους τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ⁸ ὃς καὶ βεβαιώσει ὑμᾶς ἕως τέλους ἀνεγκλήτους ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ⁹ πιστὸς ὁ θεὸς δι’ οὗ ἐκλήθητε εἰς κοινωνίαν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν.

1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 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.

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-- 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual 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.

Paul thanks God for the sin-sick, sidetracked, self-centered church of God in Corinth. He thanks God because God's grace, his free gift of undeserved favor, had been poured out on sinners in the city of Corinth through his preaching of the cross; sinners believed and sinners became saints and a church was born. The apostle made it his habit to thank God for them. He thanks God that they were enriched in Christ Jesus in every way; in all speech and all knowledge; they had been given spiritual insight into the truth of the gospel. He thanks God that the testimony of Christ; the witness of who Jesus is, the invisible God become human, who lived the righteous life in perfect communion with his Father that we were meant to live, who took our sins and died on a cross, bearing the wrath of his Father against our rebellion, who rose victorious from the tomb, appeared alive to a multitude of witnesses, and ascended to the right hand of his Father, where he now reigns on high; this testimony of Jesus, that whoever believes has eternal life and will live with him forever, this foolish message was believed and proved to be genuine among the Corinthians. The testimony of Christ was confirmed. He thanks God that they were not lacking in any grace-gift. God had abundantly supplied them with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. They did not fall short. They had a real relationship with Jesus and in that they had everything that truly matters.

Waiting

Next on Paul's list of things to thank God for in this wayward church is that they were waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Christmas present illustration: What is this? What's in it? When do you get to find out? Even if you already know what it is, when do you get to have it?] Waiting is something that is characteristic of believers in Jesus. There is a natural expectation, a longing, a desiring, a forward looking hope. The author of Hebrews says

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

It is characteristic of Christians to eagerly wait for the return of Jesus. The first believers, who saw Jesus ascend into heaven, were gazing into heaven and had to be told by two angels:

Acts 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Paul tells the Philippians:

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Peter reminds us to:

1 Peter 1:13 ... set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Already and Not Yet

Peter says that there will be grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. There is a future grace to set your hope on. But Paul has told us in 1 Corinthians that we lack no grace-gift. We have been been abundantly supplied, enriched in him in every way. And yet we wait. There is a tension in the life of the Christian between the already and the not yet. There is tension between what we have been given in Christ Jesus, and that which is yet to come. Let's review the grace-gifts that are currently in our possession as believers, and then we will look at some of the promised blessings that are yet to come.

What are some of the grace-gifts that have been given to us by God? We are told in Ephesians 2:8 and 2 Timothy 2:25 that we have been given the gift of faith and repentance. Jesus claims to be the one who gives eternal life (Jn.10:28). He said 'whoever believes has eternal life' (Jn.6:47). God gave Jesus as the propitiation for our sins, appeasing his own righteous wrath toward us (Rom.3:25; 1Jn.4:10). In Ephesians chapters 1 and 2, Paul lists some of the spiritual blessings we have been freely given in Christ. We were chosen. We were predestined for adoption into the family of God. We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. We have obtained an inheritance. We have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who comes to live in us. We have experienced regeneration, or the new birth; being dead we were made alive. We have experienced reconciliation – having been separated and alienated, we have been brought near.

In Romans 8, Paul outlines the purpose of God for us. He says we were foreknown by God, predestined to be like his Son, called, justified, and glorified. And here we get a hint of the 'not yet'. All these words are in the past tense. We have been foreknown, predestined, called, and justified. Our sins are paid for. We have been bought with a price. God's wrath against our sin has been satisfied. We have peace with God. We have been adopted into his family. We have the gift of eternal life, and we have God's Spirit living inside of us. But we are not yet glorified. This is in the past tense because it is as certain as if it had already happened. He goes on to say that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and that since God has already demonstrated his great love for us in giving us the most costly gift imaginable, his own Son, we can be sure he will graciously give us all things.

Our glorification, from our perspective, is still future. We wait eagerly for God to fulfill all his promises to us. If we look earlier in Romans 8, we see what he means by glorification:

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

We have received the Spirit of adoption as sons; we are now children of God. We are heirs with Christ. But we have not yet been revealed as sons of God. We have not yet been glorified. We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, specifically the redemption of our bodies. We have been transformed inwardly, spiritually. But we have not yet been transformed outwardly, physically. It is coming. It is guaranteed. But it has not happened yet. We hope. We wait for it with patience.

Paul says in:

Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

We now have justification; the legal standing of righteousness before God. All our sins are gone and Christ's righteousness has been imputed to our account. But practically, in our thoughts, words and deeds, we are far from righteous. Paul expresses it best in Romans 7

Romans 7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ...18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ...22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

We ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. We have been justified, but we do not yet act like who we are. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Our citizenship has already been transferred. We no longer belong to this evil world. We belong to heaven. But we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. By his own sovereign power he will transform even these lowly bodies to be like him.

Jude gives glory to God who:

Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

That is something worth looking forward to! Think of that. To be presented before the presence of his glory -blameless! With great joy!Or listen to this:

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

One day Jesus will no more be doubted, despised and rejected by men (Is.53:3). One day,

Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Already, we have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ. Already we have no grace-gift lacking. We have been given faith, eternal life, election, adoption, propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, regeneration, justification, the indwelling Spirit, an inheritance. And yet, there is more to come.

Waiting for Jesus

What is it specifically that Paul thanks God that the Corinthians are waiting for?

7 ...as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

They are waiting for a person. Jesus is coming again. Jesus promised that he would come. He said:

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ...18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Jesus prayed to his Father

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus promised to come to us. He promised to prepare a place for us. He promised to come again and take us to himself, that where he is we may also be. He prayed for us that we would be with him, that we would see him as he is. We wait for Jesus. We wait for our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord. He is King of kings, the Alpha and Omega, the great I AM, the sovereign one. He is Lord over all. But not just Lord over all, he is Lord over us. He is our Lord. He rules over me. He is my King. He is the one to whom I submit. He is Jesus, God come in the flesh, God become human. Immanuel, God with us. Jesus, who will save his people from their sins. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, our great Prophet, Priest and King. We wait for our King, Jesus, the promised Messiah. We wait for him to be revealed.

Revelation

What does it mean for him to be revealed? The word choice here is interesting. It points to something hidden that will be revealed. The Corinthians, who prided themselves on knowledge, had to acknowledge that there was more yet to be revealed. There were things they didn't know. The Corinthians, who prided themselves on their abundance of spiritual gifts, had to see that there was something they didn't have yet, something that they were looking forward to, waiting for. They were waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. The revelation of Jesus will mean different things for different people. For all who depend solely on Jesus,

1 Peter 1:7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

But for others,

2 Thessalonians 1:7 ... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

The thought of Jesus being revealed should strike either intense joy or sheer terror into your heart, depending on your relationship with Jesus. Paul thanks God that the Corinthians were waiting for Jesus, looking forward to Jesus coming.

Practical Benefits of Waiting

What are some practical benefits of waiting? Waiting roots out pride and fosters humility. Waiting reminds us that we are not in control – God is. What we wait for, as well as what we already have, is a gift flowing out of God's generosity. We didn't earn it and we don't deserve it, so we have no room to boast in it.

Waiting also keeps our eyes fixed on the prize and our hearts in the right place. Jesus said “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt.6:21). If Jesus is our greatest treasure, and we are eagerly waiting for him, that will be reflected in how we spend our time and resources.

Waiting encourages camaraderie in community. Notice, we are waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are fellow travelers on the same journey, weary pilgrims on the way, and we are not home yet. We all have the same end, the same goal in mind. When he says that you lack no spiritual gift, the you is plural. You the individual do not have every spiritual gift. God distributes gifts according to his purpose, and what you the individual lack, he has given to you the group, the body of Christ. We need one another. Waiting becomes more bearable when it is done with others.

Waiting also has a sanctifying effect. John says:

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

If what we are waiting for is seeing Jesus, which means for us total transformation and Christ-likeness, we begin to become like what we long for. When we see who Jesus is, the one who paid the ultimate price to save us from our sin, we are energized to put to death the sin that entangles us, fix our eyes on Jesus and more passionately pursue him.

I Thank God that together we are waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I pray that the practical benefits of waiting would become more and more evident in our lives. Come Lord Jesus!