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1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTERS 15 & 16
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1Cor 15,1-4
· (86b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Belief Ø Treating the knowledge of God as fact Ø
Believing is the result of the resurrection
· (106d)
Thy kingdom come Ø Hearing from God Ø
Attaining the hearing ear Ø Knowing the sound
of His voice Ø God speaks from the Scriptures – It is nice to have a passage in the Bible
that for the record succinctly spells out exactly what we believe. It is of first importance
that we understand Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Without the Scriptures we wouldn’t know that Jesus was buried and was raised
on the third day. The written word is our source of knowledge, which is how we
know that after He was raised He appeared to more that 500 people at one time,
and he also appeared to James, and to all the apostles. Last of all, as one
untimely born, He appeared also the Paul, who is now exonerating the
Scriptures, showing its importance to our faith. We receive this knowledge from someone who believed before us, who in turn received it from
someone before them and so on. It is not dependent on our memories to pass it
aurally as was the case for so many thousands of years before and after the
Scriptures. The written word of God was dedicated only to the
most important pieces of knowledge. It needed a system of writing and storage
to protect its accuracy and the material once penned. Throughout the Old
Testament it was the ministry of the Levitical priesthood, which was one of
the tribes of Israel, who cared for the nation’s religion. The written word
is much like the hardware of a computer, that without it you do not have a
computer. The software is the Holy Spirit, who
makes our faith work, and gives us a miraculous relationship with the Father
though Christ, whose ministry is founded squarely upon the written word of
God. Paul here is showing its importance, giving us a bulleted list of all the
purposes the Scriptures serve. It is the gospel that Paul preached to save the
Corinthian Church in the first place. It is the foundation upon which we all
stand in our salvation, believing in the blood sacrifice of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins.
1Cor 15-1,2
· (86i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Obedience Ø Be doers of the word Ø
Clothe yourself with the word of God Ø Live the
truth
· (107d) Thy kingdom come Ø
Truth Ø Word creates faith Ø
Believing the word creates faith
· (137d) Temple Ø
Building the temple (with hands) Ø Jesus is the
foundation of God’s favor in our lives
· (207c) Salvation Ø
God makes promises on His terms Ø Eternal
security? Ø You will perish if you do not
overcome
1Cor 15-1
· (149f) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church
bear witness to Jesus Ø Evangelism Ø
Preaching the word to the world Ø The gospel of
the kingdom -- This verse goes with verses 11&12
1Cor 15-2
· (170k) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Outward
appearance Ø Vanity Ø
Vain effort Ø Effort frustrated by failure
· (232i) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Seeking the kingdom Ø
Embrace (Jesus during the storm) Ø Take hold of
the hope of His purpose
1Cor 15,3-8
· (248j) Priorities Ø
God’ s preeminence Ø Values Ø
The Highest Values Ø Top Priority
1Cor 15-3,4
· (141g) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears
witness to the new Ø It bears witness to Jesus Ø
Prophesy about Jesus’ resurrection
1Cor 15-4
· (39a) Judgment Ø
Jesus defeated death Ø Resurrection of Jesus
Christ
1Cor 15,5-8
· (144b) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø
The Church Bears Witness of Jesus Ø Of the
cross
· (245d) Kingdom of God Ø
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm Ø
Literal manifestations Ø Literal manifestation
of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus literally gives sight
to the blind
1Cor 15,8-10
· (56i) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø Last is first and the first is last
1Cor 15-8
· (63h) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Sarcasm Ø
Ignoring the truth to convey the truth
· (214b) Sovereignty Ø
God controls time Ø God’s timing Ø
God’s timing transcends our comprehension Ø
God’s time does not make sense to the natural mind
1Cor 15-9
· (193e) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Turn from sin to God Ø Repent Ø
Bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance Ø
Testimony of Paul’s life – Paul was not being bashful when he said he
was unfit to be called an apostle, since he persecuted the church of God and
had many saints martyred. Others were left in prison for years or possibly
their whole lives, because they broke the laws of the old covenant, believing
things their countrymen didn’t understand, so they put them in prison for
their faith in God. Israel was a spiritual nation, the only nation that
existed through faith, specifically through the faith of Abraham, whose laws
were built around their religion. Anyone who broke the laws of Israel was not
just a criminal, depending on the infraction he was a blasphemer, and anyone
who habitually broke the law was not considered a career criminal, but a
reprobate. This is how Paul saw the saints, and then later he become one, a
saint to God but a reprobate to Israel, which claimed to be serving God. This
disparity is still hanging over the nation of Israel.
1Cor 15-10
· (31j) Gift of God Ø
Gift of His grace Ø Being responsible with it
-- This verse goes with verse 58
· (91a) Thy kingdom come Ø
The called Ø God’s purpose for us is to
fulfill His calling Ø Walk in the anointing to
fulfill God’s purpose
· (100f) Thy kingdom come Ø
Diligence Ø Diligence in working the grace of
God
· (113n) Working The Grace Of God
(Key verse)
· (115k) Thy kingdom come Ø
Working the grace of God Ø Through obedience of
faith Ø Through diligence -- This verse
goes with verses 57&58. It is impossible to differentiate who is doing
what between Paul laboring in his faith and the grace of God producing His
works through Paul. This is the concept of working the grace of God. It’s
the Holy Spirit and man operating together to fulfill the vision God has for
each person with the goal of edifying the church. This is the idea of fitting
into the body of Christ, playing our designated roles through obedience of
faith. In this acquiring the hearing ear to know the will of God and then
doing it, constitutes our calling. Paul worked day and night for the sake of
the gospel; he devoted his entire life to it. He spent breathless hours, often
suffering from exposure to the elements, hunger, and persecution from every
side, yet Paul didn’t know whether he was the one serving the Lord, or
whether it was the grace of God working with him. It didn’t seem that he was
working at all; he simply woke up in the morning and lived for Jesus, and what
came of it was a never-ending effort to please the one who had forgiven Him of
all his sin, and called him into His grace and kingdom. If you find yourself
working too hard for the Lord, then you need to get a hold of the grace of God
as Paul did, and allow him to turn his work into the joy of your life, that
you too might find it impossible to differentiate between your efforts
producing the fruit and the grace of God working in you.
· (117h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Eyes of your spirit Ø Vision Ø
Real-eyes God’s purpose Ø Understand God’s
purpose for your life -- This verse goes with verse 58
· (228f) Kingdom of God Ø
God’s kingdom is a living organism Ø God
working in you Ø God is working in you to place
you in His will Ø To place you on the trail of
good works -- This verse goes with verse 58
· (231c) Kingdom of God Ø
God’s kingdom is a living organism Ø Mystery
of godliness Ø God’s grace is the mystery of
godliness Ø God working in you is a mystery
1Cor 15-11,12
· (149f) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church
bear witness to Jesus Ø Evangelism Ø
Preaching the word to the world Ø The gospel of
the kingdom -- These verses go with verse 1
1Cor 15,12-58
· (38c)
Judgment Ø Jesus defeated death (Satan) Ø
Resurrection overcomes death – According to 1Cor 15-23, the blessed first
resurrection is scheduled to occur at His second coming. Jesus was the first to
be resurrected from the dead, meaning that no one else before Christ has ever
been raised in the fashion that Christ was raised, in that He is never to die again.
It says in 1st Thessalonians chapter four that the dead shall be
raised. At that point, both Old and New Testament Christians who have been
faithful to God will be raised from the dead. This is called the first
resurrection. This will take place shortly after the middle of the great
tribulation, after the trumpets but before the bowls of God’s fiery judgment.
A lot of people ask, ‘what happens when people die, where do they go?’ 2Cor
5-8 says that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. So,
when we die, our spirit goes directly to heaven, but our body remains on the
earth. Therefore, we will not immediately have a body, but will temporarily
exist as spirits, until the time designated by the Father when we all will
receive a body at the first resurrection. We will not have the same body as our
life in the flesh, but a spiritual body, independent of our previous one, so it
won’t matter if our old body was cremated. We will receive a new body that is
indestructible, designed to last forever and never get old. We will receive new
bodies that will be composed of some kind of spiritual material. It will be just
as physical as it is spiritual. It will be of the type that Jesus had
after His resurrection, who was able to transform His outward appearance so His
disciples couldn’t recognize Him, yet they knew it was Him. He was able to
walk through walls with His new spiritual body, though He was indeed flesh and
bone (He made no mention of blood).
· (191b)
Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Separation from the old man Ø Baptism symbolizes
death, burial and resurrection – Paul begins his long dissertation on the
resurrection from the dead. His speech doubles as a dissertation on baptism. The
two subjects are inseparable, since baptism is designed to represent the
resurrection, epitomizing the depth of its symbolism. The imagery of baptism is meant to symbolize two
things that are nearly identical yet worlds apart. As everyone knows, it is
meant to illustrate the death, burial and resurrection of the Christian, but
what is less intuitive is that baptism represents the Christian life. The water
represents the Holy Spirit. The Christian’s old life dies through the agency
of the Holy Spirit, who is then raised by that same power to a new life in
Christ, which is achieved through the process of walking by the Spirit.
· (245h)
Kingdom of God Ø Spirit realm imposed on the
natural realm Ø Literal manifestations Ø
Manifestation of God’s righteous judgment Ø The
resurrection is a manifestation of His life – Just as the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the
literal manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in His life, so it will be
to us one day when our bodies are raised from the dead. Paul reminds those who
deny the existence of the resurrection that Jesus has been raised from the dead,
saying, ‘how then do some claim that there is no resurrection?’ What idiot
would claim there is no resurrection? There were all kinds of strange beliefs
even in Paul’s time, who didn’t believe in the resurrection, called
Sadducees, who also didn’t believe in the existence of angels or spirits (Act
23-8). The Sadducees didn’t leave much room to believe in anything, which was
probably their aim, so they could keep their secular viewpoints. The
contemporary church believes in both the resurrection and the Holy Spirit, only
most Christians don’t exactly know what to do with the Holy Spirit, as though
He were a spare part after putting a car back together. In this case He would be
the engine. I praise Evangelicals for emphasizing the grace of God in their
theology, which is no doubt the most important aspect of the gospel, but like
the Sadducees they too fail to understand many teachings of the Holy Spirit.
They believe only two doctrines about Him: He comes to live in our hearts by
faith the moment we are born again, and we are called to walk by the spirit.
Evangelicals don’t deny the existence of the Holy Spirit; we just deny God His
right to lead us by that Spirit. Instead, we take the safe road, too afraid of
being swept into false doctrine, but we throw out the baby with the bathwater
when we choose not to live by what we believe. In today’s Christian world we
don’t have a hard time with the resurrection, but after 2000 years we still
don’t know what to do with the Holy Spirit. Is walking by the Spirit really as
important as the resurrection from the dead? It would be too hard to explain the
answer “yes,” so I will say “no.” However, fudging the doctrine of
walking by the Spirit completely debilitates His active role in our lives, which
falls right in the hands of the devil and explains how Satan has been so
successful in controlling the church throughout these last two millennia.
1Cor 15,12-20
· (7f) Responsibility Ø
Protecting the gospel Ø Defending the truth
· (94l) Thy kingdom come Ø
God’s perspective Ø God reflects on His plan
· (177d) Works of the devil Ø
The religion of witchcraft Ø False doctrine Ø
Doctrines of the precepts of men
1Cor 15,12-19
· (171c) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Outward
appearance Ø Vanity Ø
Vain experience Ø Things you do in the absence
of God
· (178d) Works of the devil Ø
The religion of witchcraft Ø Presumption Ø
Presuming the facts about the circumstances Ø
Philosophy
1Cor 15-17
· (186f) Works of the devil Ø
The result of lawlessness Ø The reprobate Ø
Man’s role in becoming a reprobate Ø The fool
Ø The heart of a fool
1Cor 15-19
· (64j) Paradox Ø
Anomalies Ø Weaknesses of God Ø
Foolishness of God
· (75b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Motives of the heart Ø Motives for doing the
will of God -- This verse goes with verses 30-32
· (121h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Hope Ø
Expecting good things based on
God’s character Ø Expecting good things
because He is God
· (226e) Kingdom of God Ø
Illustrating the kingdom Ø Rewards of the
kingdom of heaven Ø Reserved in heaven Ø
Our life is reserved for us in heaven –
In heaven everyone will be raised from the dead
and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them and walking by that Spirit. The
symbolism of baptism will be completely fulfilled in our lives, and how did
Jesus teach us to pray? “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven.” So if we are walking by the spirit in heaven, then we should
be walking by the Spirit here on earth. There needs to be a resurrection from
the dead and an endowing of the Holy Spirit for our faith to be meaningful
both in this life and in the one to come.
1Cor 15,20-23
· (248f) Priorities Ø
God’ s preeminence Ø Jesus is first Ø
Jesus is first born of the Father – Paul compares the ministry of the first Adam
with that of the second Adam (Christ) and points out the contrast in their
relationships to God. Adam was disobedient, whereas Christ was faithful, but in
order for there to be a comparison, they need something in common with each
other. That is, Adam was created to be the Father of all mankind, but now that
place has been given to Christ, who is God in human flesh, which has brought
us closer to His divinity. We may not be literally sons and daughters of the
living God, but are adopted as such through Christ. God has given us a better
place with Him as a direct result of Adam’s sin, so God has once more taken
a curse and turned it into a blessing for us.
1Cor 15-22,23
· (237i) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Transferring the kingdom
Ø The church is transferred to the kingdom Ø
The ascension Ø Believers’ ascension in the
Spirit
1Cor 15,24-28
· (13b) Jesus serves His Father Ø
Jesus is under His authority – It is not a coincidence that everything is
under the authority of Christ and that Christ is under the authority of the
Father. Before Christ visited mankind He owned all things through a joint
ownership with the Father. However, in the process of taking on human flesh He
stripped Himself of all things and submitted His will to the Father and
accepted the cross as His destiny. When God raised Him from the dead, He
received everything He willingly surrendered. Christ owns everything as He did
before the cross, only now he owns them in a different way, through
inheritance, just as we will one day own all things with Him through the
Father's great generosity. Therefore, when we submit to God, we inherit all
things, including His authority to accomplish whatever He wants us to do.
· (66a) Authority Ø
Lordship of Christ Ø He is Lord over all
creation Ø over life and death
· (72m) Hierarchy of authority Ø
Authority makes you accountable Ø Children are
accountable to their parents
· (253i) Trinity Ø
Relationship between Father and Son Ø Father
and Son glorify each other Ø Son glorifies the
Father in all things given to Him
· (253j) Trinity Ø
Relationship between Father and Son Ø Jesus is
subject to the Father Ø Jesus is under the
authority of the Father – This period to which Paul is referring comes
after the last rebellion after the millennium, and
after those who are in Christ are in heaven and those who are not are removed.
Once Jesus puts away sin, it will never return. God the Father will put the
last enemy of death, which is the essence of sin, in subjection under
Christ’s feet, referring to Satan and hell. Once the Father has placed all
things in subjection to Him, Christ will then give all things to the Father,
including all of mankind and the universe itself, consisting of the new
creation. The last thing Jesus will submit to the Father will be Himself, so
that God may be all in all. This demonstrates the trinity where there is only
one God and one final authority, and it demonstrates the humility and trust
between Father and Son.
· (255i) Trinity Ø
Father, Son and Holy Spirit Ø Three in one Ø
God is one
1Cor 15,24-26
· (119i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Curse of sin is
broken Ø Curse of death is broken
1Cor 15-25
· (48n) Judgment Ø
Jesus’ enemies are destroyed Ø Enemies of His
glory – God intends to use the church to put all His
enemies under His feet in the last days. The church will begin to rule the
world on a spiritual level as the glory of God within them increases, taking
power away from mankind, even from those who are trying to destroy them. The
church will begin to reign by the power of God, until the moment comes for His
second coming, when He literally puts His enemies under His feet. However,
before He subjects their unbelief literally, He will subject them spiritually
to His church.
1Cor 15-26
· (29c) Gift of God Ø
God is our advocate Ø Delivered from death
-- This verse goes with verses 55-57
1Cor 15,29-58
· (224a)
Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø
Description of heaven Ø Describing the kingdom
after he makes all things new Ø Description of
the resurrection – The theme of this chapter is the resurrection
and the symbol of the resurrection is baptism. Verse 29 begins the discussion
of baptism that lasts to the end of this chapter. Baptism has a duality in its
purpose of symbolism that illustrates dying, in this case drowning, and then
being raised from the dead, while it also signifies dying to self in order to
live and walk by the spirit, the water of baptism representing the anointing.
Paul emphasizes this fact of symbolism in the very next verse (30) saying,
"I die daily." He dies daily to his interests, so he can fulfill the
interests of God. When Paul says, “What will those do who are baptized for
the dead?” he was indicating that there were those who had relatives, who
had died before Jesus entered His ministry, before He was sacrificed and
raised from the dead, hence before the institution of baptism. These were
people who loved the Lord, but died before Jesus came, and would have enjoyed
participating in the ceremony of baptism had they been alive in Jesus’ day.
So, Paul is referring to people were being baptized in proxy for their
relatives. It was merely a ceremony in memory of the faith of their
grandmother, grandfather, aunts and uncles. It wasn’t a ceremony that
ensured people a place in heaven, or had a functional value or spiritual
transaction, such as the Catholic version of purgatory, which is a false
doctrine without scriptural basis. Paul was using this to make his argument
that if the dead are not raised, then why are people being baptized for the
dead? A few verses down, Paul complains that the Corinthians are being
baptized well enough and are baptizing themselves in place of others, but are
not living in a way that reflects the significance of baptism, saying in verse
34, "Become sober-minded as you ought and stop sinning; for some have no
knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." Then in verse 35 Paul
formally begins his dissertation on the resurrection, bringing up the concept
of baptism again in verse 36, "That which you sow does not come to life
unless it [first] dies," comparing the resurrection to a seed. The term
germination signifies that the seed has died and is now preparing to take on
new life as a plant. The plant is not like the seed, any more than our
resurrected bodies will be like our current physical bodies.
1Cor 15,30-32
· (75b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Motives of the heart Ø Motives for doing the
will of God -- These verses go with verse 19
1Cor 15-31
· (84e) Thy kingdom come Ø
Words of your mouth Ø Boasting Ø
It needs to be said and no one else is saying it Ø
boasting of my weaknesses
· (188a) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Separation from the old man Ø Die to the flesh Ø
Dying to self takes discipline
1Cor 15-33
· (162h) Bad company
(Key verse)
· (162i) Works of the devil Ø
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) Ø Bondage
Ø Being slaves of men Ø
Bad company Ø Bad company will entangle you in
their bondage
1Cor 15-34
· (2o) Responsible to avoid offending God Ø
Get out of His way Ø quit sinning –
The
biggest difference between Christians sinning and the world sinning is that
the world doesn’t know God. The sin of believers misleads people of the
world who may be watching them to determine the nature of Christianity. The
term "sober-minded" means that they were drunk in their soul, drunk
with worldly influence – sin. Paul is telling the church to lose the world
and embrace Christ, because people are watching us.
· (78o) Thy kingdom come Ø
Renewing your mind Ø Putting your heart on
display Ø Consequence of not renewing your mind
· (153g) Witness Ø
Validity of the Father Ø God bears witness
against the world Ø Shame Ø
Walking in condemnation Ø Walking in sin
· (175m) Works of the devil Ø
The religion of witchcraft Ø Ignorance Ø
Ignorant of God
· (192j) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Turn from sin to God Ø Repent Ø
Stop practicing sin Ø Stop sinning
1Cor 15,35-55
· (134e) Temple Ø
Your body is the temple of God Ø Composition of
our bodies is from the earth Ø We are
physically excluded from the spiritual realm
1Cor 15,35-46
· (238f) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Transferring the kingdom
Ø The kingdom is transferred to the church Ø
New creation Ø The new creation is our
spiritual composition – There is more than one kind of seed in the
kingdom of heaven, which represent our future resurrected bodies, meaning that
our bodies will not look the same or be the same in appearance and glory, but
will differ in many and diverse ways, even as we don’t look the same or act
the same here on earth. For example, some people are athletes, while others
spend their lives in wheelchairs. According to another analogy in verse 39, it
equates our bodies to fish, birds and beasts, further suggesting that there
will be differences between us. That doesn’t mean some of us will look like
a fish while others look like birds; rather, he is saying that our heavenly
bodies will be inherently different from the one we have now, and there will
also be differences in glory between our heavenly bodies, just as there are
differences in brightness between stars in the sky. We will one day have
bodies in heaven of a spiritual composition that will differ in brightness;
some will shine brighter than others, depending on how they used their fleshly
bodies on the earth, that is, whether they lived for themselves or for others.
1Cor 15,35-44
· (192a) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Result of putting off the old man Ø Gain by
losing Ø Life for life Ø
Losing your life to gain God’s life
1Cor 15,35-49
· (39b) Judgment Ø
Jesus defeated death Ø Characteristics of the
resurrection
1Cor 15,35-44
· (98g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Endurance Ø (Faith à
Suffering à Glory of Christ) Ø
The resurrection
1Cor 15,35-38
· (187g) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø
Separation from the old manØ Die to the flesh Ø
Dying to receive the glory of God Ø Dying to
self precedes the resurrection
· (229e) Kingdom of God Ø
God’s kingdom is a living organism Ø Kingdom
grows by itself Ø God causes the growth Ø
Kingdom grows like crops in a farmer’s field
1Cor 15-35,36
· (129e) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Bearing fruit Ø
Bear fruit by dying to self
1Cor 15-36
· (56h) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø He must increase, but I must
decrease -- This verse goes with verses 42-49
· (232b) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Seeking the kingdom Ø
Count the cost Ø The cost is more than you can
imagine so don’t count
1Cor 15-38
· (35j) Gift Ø
God gives Himself to us Ø Gifts from the Holy
Spirit Ø Spiritual gifts -- This verse
goes with verse 42
· (217b) Sovereignty Ø
God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will
over man Ø God Is Independent Of His Creation
Ø No one can tell God what to do
1Cor 15,39-42
· (136d) Temple Ø
Your spirit is the temple of God Ø The body of
Christ Ø Variation in the body
1Cor 15,40-49
· (226j) Kingdom of God Ø
Illustrating the kingdom Ø Rewards of heaven Ø
Levels of reward Ø Rewarded by levels of glory
in our spiritual bodies
1Cor 15-41,42
· (226g) Levels Of Reward
(Key verse)
1Cor 15,42-49
· (56h) Paradox Ø
Opposites Ø He must increase, but I must
decrease -- These verses go with verse 36
1Cor 15-42
· (35j) Gift Ø
God gives Himself to us Ø Gifts from the Holy
Spirit Ø Spiritual gifts -- This verse
goes with verse 38
· (243i) Kingdom of God Ø
The eternal kingdom Ø The indestructible
kingdom Ø The body of Christ is indestructible Ø
Our spiritual bodies are indestructible
1Cor 15-43
· (9e) God is responsible to strengthen us from
our weaknesses
1Cor 15-45
· (254i) Trinity Ø
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son Ø
Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit Ø Holy
Spirit is life Ø Spirit of Jesus
1Cor 15-46
· (250f) Priorities Ø
God’s prerequisites Ø Sequence of priorities Ø
Natural then the spiritual (obedience then anointing) – It says that Jesus is a life-giving Spirit,
but what is Satan but a life-taking spirit? Jesus is God and he has an endless
supply of everything, and the thing He offers us is the Holy Spirit. He has an
endless supply of it, and He gives Himself to whomever will receive Him, but He
says, “The spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.”
This is a principle of the kingdom of heaven that we must follow through our
interpretation of Scripture. We must first obey the Holy Spirit before we can
receive His anointing, just like we must first live in our natural flesh before
we can receive our spiritual bodies. At other times the spiritual must come
first before it can manifest in the natural realm, such as performing a miracle.
We must first have a spiritual relationship with God before He can manifest
Himself. Another example is written in Gal 3,16-18, telling that Abraham
believed God, who considers faith a spiritual entity, and then the law came 430
years later, designed to govern man in his natural flesh. So, in this case the
spiritual came first, then the natural.
· (250a) Sequence Of Priorities
(Key verse)
1Cor 15,47-49
· (43c) Judgment Ø
Satan destroyed Ø Conform to the character of
Jesus’ image
1Cor 15-47,48
· (60g) Paradox Ø
Two implied meanings Ø Earthly—Tiller of the
ground / Worldly
1Cor 15-48
· (6i) Responsibility Ø
Ministering to people by being in the Spirit –
A Christian has two
natures, an earthly one and a heavenly one. The goal of every Christian should
be to see to it that our heavenly nature dominates our earthly nature.
Although all things originate from God, yet we received our earthly nature through our parents.
However, our destiny lies in our heavenly nature that will never die, unlike
our bodies.
· (167d) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Carnality Ø
The carnal mind is set on the flesh Ø Bound to
the earth
1Cor 15,50-58
· (237b) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø The church is transferred to the kingdom Ø
The rapture Ø Last trumpet – This portion of Scripture is referring to the
rapture. It is mentioned in the New Testament only 3 or 4 times, and in this
case he gives a key piece of information. According to these verses the
rapture will occur at the last trumpet. Some would like to believe there are
many sets of trumpets in the New Testament and for this reason it is
impossible to know which “last trumpet” Paul is referencing, but the only
set of trumpets in the New Testament is in the book of Revelation. According
to the eighth chapter, there is a set of seven trumpets. If Paul says that
Jesus is coming at the last trumpet, then He means the seventh trumpet of
Revelation, which is described in Rev 11-15, “The seventh angel sounded his
trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of
the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will
reign for ever and ever.’” This is obviously when God takes authority away
from mankind and puts it in the hands of His Son, ending the tyrannical reign
of terror, which man has waged ever since the transgression of Adam in the
Garden of Eden. The rapture is when God snatches away His faithful ones, who
will not be required to experience the third and final judgment of the bowls.
The first set was the seals, which constituted Satan’s rage against mankind.
The trumpets that followed were meant to correct man for conspiring against
His beloved people, but the bowls are nothing less than a bloodbath, and for
this reason God had to remove His people from the earth, for the judgments
would be so severe there would be no place for them to hide. Part of the
reason people cannot see the rapture in Revelation 11 is because they don’t
understand its purpose. The rapture indicates the beginning of God’s eternal
reign. Man’s kingdoms are about to come to a close, while Christ’s kingdom
is about to reign; the rapture takes place at the very instance of this
exchange of power. After the rapture occurs the bowls begin, which will be
like the days of Noah. Once the bowls are complete, the earth will not be
immediately inhabitable, so Christ will descend and take up a small remnant
that gathered in Jerusalem. All His people will then ascend to heaven to
celebrate the marriage supper of the lamb while the dust settles and the earth
resets itself. Meanwhile, there will be a remnant that will have survived the
bowls; they will repopulate earth throughout the millennium. There will be one
more rebellion at the end of the millennium; it will be short-lived. Then He
will close the book on mankind in the flesh altogether, and He will create a
new heavens and a new earth, and this faulty, imperfect universe will come to
an end. We will have perfect spiritual bodies that will not lead us into sin.
This whole scenario begins at the point of the rapture. It is the beginning
point of God’s eternal kingdom.
1Cor 15-50
· (36i) Gift of God Ø
Inheritance Ø Our inheritance can be withheld
1Cor 15-53,54
· (113e) Thy kingdom come Ø
The anointing Ø Heaven’s clothes Ø
Garments of the new creation
1Cor 15,54-58
· (39h) Judgment Ø
Jesus defeated death Ø Victory Ø
Jesus never fails
· (39k) Judgment Ø
Jesus defeated death Ø Jesus defeated the law
of sin
1Cor 15,55-57
· (29c) Gift of God Ø
God is our advocate Ø Delivered from death
-- These verses go with verse 26
1Cor 15-56
· (52c) Judging Church with world Ø
Law judges sin Ø Power of sin is the law
· (218f) Sovereignty Ø
God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will
over man Ø Reaping the harvest Ø
We choose our actions, not their consequences Ø
wages of sin is death
1Cor 15,57,58
· (115k) Thy kingdom come Ø
Working the grace of God Ø Through obedience of
faith Ø Through diligence -- These
verses go with verse 10
1Cor 15-57
· (39d) Victory
(Key verse)
1Cor 15-58
· (31j) Gift of God Ø
Gift of His grace Ø Being responsible with it
-- This verse goes with verse 10
· (90l) Thy kingdom come Ø
The called Ø God’s purpose for us is to
fulfill His calling Ø Our purpose is to do God’s
will
· (98d) Thy kingdom come Ø
Endurance Ø Rooted deeply Ø
Be steadfast in the work of the Lord
· (99e) Thy kingdom come Ø
Endurance Ø Enduring the will of God Ø
The position of a servant
· (99k) Thy kingdom come Ø
Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) Ø
Persevere in doing good
· (101b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Zeal Ø For the manifestation of God’s kingdom
Ø Zealous for good works
· (117h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Eyes of your spirit Ø Vision Ø
Real-eyes God’s purpose Ø Understand God’s
purpose for your life -- This verse goes with verse 10
· (127g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Goodness Ø
Rewards for doing good Ø Sow the seeds of
goodness Ø Do not grow weary of doing good
· (228f) Kingdom of God Ø
God’s kingdom is a living organism Ø God
working in you Ø God is working in you to place
you in His will Ø To place you on the trail of
good works -- This verse goes with verse 10
· (236e) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Invest your strength into the kingdom Ø Invest
your labors
1Cor 16,1-12
· (130f) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Committed to caring for the needs of the body Ø
Committed to supporting one another -- These verses go with verses
15-18. Paul instructed the Corinthians to lay aside
money on the first of the week so collections could be made and sent to
Jerusalem, which was the hub of Christianity. The church today doesn’t have
a hub, but every Christian religion and denomination does what they see is
right in their own eyes. The Jerusalem-based Jewish hub didn’t last long; it
disintegrated with the Jewish persecution of Christianity, which became the
fate of all Israel, whose people were scattered throughout the nations in 70AD,
after their temple was demolished and their religion disavowed. The apostles
went out from Jerusalem preaching the gospel of Christ, so that many nations
came to know the Lord. Christianity started with its hub centered in Jerusalem
at a time when the leaders of the church were the original disciples of Jesus,
who walked with the Lord for 3 ½ years, who had an abiding relationship with
the Holy Spirit and a direct line to God. So it will happen at the end of the
age before Jesus returns that Jerusalem will once again become the hub of
Christianity, and those who steer its doctrines will have an even deeper
relationship with the Holy Spirit than the original apostles and an even more
secure line to God than the those of the early church. The two witnesses will
raise up the 144,000 Jewish witnesses, whose ministries will originate in
Jerusalem; and from there they will span out into all the nations of the world
preaching the gospel, organizing the church of the gentiles as they did in the
early days throughout the earth, leaving the two witnesses in Jerusalem to
defend the city. A Christian revival of the scope that no one has ever seen
will bring in more people than was saved during the last 2000 years.
1Cor 16,1-3
· (72e) Transferring authority Ø
Men delegate authority by their words
· (235d) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Tithing Ø Offerings Ø
Help your weaker brother
1Cor 16-1,2
· (10d) Responsibility to keep order in the
church
· (232f) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Seeking the kingdom Ø
Count the cost Ø Procrastination]
1Cor 16,2-12
· (251a) Priorities Ø
God’s prerequisites Ø Making plans Ø
Making plans according to the will of God Ø
Making plans within the boundaries of God’s will
1Cor 16-3
· (142e) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø
Having a good reputation Ø A reputation of
being trustworthy
1Cor 16-6,7
· (105h) Thy kingdom come Ø
Led by the Spirit Ø Into The will of God Ø
Led to the right people
1Cor 16-7
· (216j) Sovereignty Ø
God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will
over man Ø God Is Independent Of His Creation Ø
You cannot control God’s desire for you Ø man
is not in control of his own destiny
1Cor 16,8-10
· (101l) Thy kingdom come Ø
Ambitious to promote the kingdom of God Ø
Preaching the gospel – Paul wanted to come to Corinth, but a wide
door of ministry had opened to him at Ephesus, and he couldn’t pass it up,
since these were human souls at stake. His delay in coming to Corinth has led
to the church of the Ephesians and will result in his letter to them, which
became some of the most beautiful words the world has ever known.
1Cor 16-9,10
· (14a) Servants of God’s word
· (236i) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the treasures of the kingdom Ø
Invest in the gospel
1Cor 16-9
· (29d) Gift of God Ø
God is our advocate Ø Delivered from adversity
· (148j) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church
bear witness to Jesus Ø Evangelism Ø
Obligation to preach the gospel Ø Preach even
if it hurts
· (165h) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Hardship Ø
The hardship of persecution
1Cor 16-10,11
· (14j) Servant Ø
Ministry of helps Ø Helpers have the heart of
the one who trained them – Paul sends Timothy in his place until he
arrives, and tells the Corinthians to receive him with open arms, knowing
that he will be doing the Lord’s work. Paul trusted Timothy with the souls
whom he led to Christ, who will become his reward and crown of faithfulness
in heaven. He trusted Timothy because he had a good spirit. He loved the
Lord and lived the Christian walk, and he had a sincere faith and a genuine
spirit. For this reason Paul warned the Corinthians not to despise him.
Anyone who has a close walk with God is readily despised in the world to the
point of being despicable. Those who walk in their anointing and are tight
with God are peculiar people to those who are carnal and fleshly, such as
the Corinthians. Part of the process of receiving the truth is to receive
those who bring the truth. For the Corinthians to receive Timothy was the
first step in receiving the truth he came to share with them. If Timothy was
readily despised because of his walk with God, then how much more did they
despise Paul (2Cor 10,7-11)? Paul was so tenacious that he was able to rise
above those who despised him and defended himself, whereas Timothy may have
been a little more timid. Paul was not going to let anyone walk over him.
When people despised Paul, he would tell them to their faces, and explain to
them that the reason they despised him was because they didn’t know the
Lord the way they should, putting them in their place.
· (130k) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Accept one another Ø Love tears down social
differences in the church
· (142j) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus
Ø Having a reputable ministry Ø
A reputable ministry of helps -- These verses go with verses
17&18
· (171f) Works of the devil Ø
Manifestations of the devil Ø Outward
appearance Ø Decorating the outside to
simulate the inside Ø Playing the part to be
accepted by men
· (222l) Kingdom of God Ø
The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Conceit Ø
Thinking you are superior to others Ø
Treating people with contempt
1Cor 16-12
· (76i) Thy kingdom come Ø
Desires of your heart Ø Your interests
1Cor 16-13
· (3k) Responsibility to the Family Ø
God addresses both genders Ø Good men
· (9i) Responsibility to strengthen one another Ø
Be strong
· (84c) Thy kingdom come Ø
Be on the alert Ø Be faithful until Jesus comes
· (98a) Thy kingdom come Ø
Endurance Ø Rooted deeply Ø
Standing firm in the faith Ø Be strong
· (137k) Temple Ø
Building the temple (with hands) Ø Maturity Ø
Stages of maturity are levels of accountability Ø
It is our responsibility to be mature
1Cor 16-14
· (75b) Thy kingdom come Ø
Motives of the heart Ø Motives for doing the
will of God
· (124c) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø
Acts of love Ø Love is the proper motive for
all you do
· (250a) Priorities Ø
God’s prerequisites Ø Sequence of priorities Ø
In all things ... Ø Glorify God in all things
1Cor 16,15-18
· (72j) Hierarchy of authority Ø
More Authority The More Responsibility Ø The
strong shall help the weak – Paul encouraged the Corinthians to receive
the household of Stephanas. They devoted themselves to the ministry of
building up the saints, instructing the Corinthians that they should be in
subjection to such men and to all those who help in the work of the Lord. For
Paul to have to say this to the Corinthians demonstrates the level of
immaturity the Corinthians had to despise those who were faithful in Christ,
interpreting it as weakness. Those whom Paul sent to them understood their
calling and were sent as model Christians for the Corinthians Church to follow
their example. The Corinthians still clung to a worldview that was essentially
satanic in nature, whereas those who served the Lord sent by Paul to help
encourage them in their faith were at peace, and wanted nothing more than to
walk in love. They were not interested in competition of any sort, only to
serve, and the Corinthians didn’t understand this yet. They weren’t to the
point of maturity to fully comprehend this kind of life. They could apparently
visualize themselves in heaven, but couldn’t visualize themselves walking in
the Spirit while still in the flesh, and for this reason they had a hard time
understanding those that did.
· (73c) Authority Ø
Respect your leaders Ø The ministry to the
saints
· (100m) Thy kingdom come Ø
Devotion Ø In your ministry to people Ø
Devoted to ministering to their physical needs
· (130f) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø
Committed to caring for the needs of the body Ø
Committed to supporting one another -- These verses go with verses
1-12
· (236e) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest your strength into the kingdom Ø Invest
your labors – Paul gave a list of people who were
supporters of the churches, who went as missionaries helping people serve the
Lord and strengthening their faith and demonstrating the kind of life the
Christian has been called to walk. These are men of God whom Paul was most
grateful. He mentioned numerous times that he felt alone in the world, because
the church was largely unwilling to serve the Lord, though Paul was very
demanding; he expected nothing less than everything. Imagine the problem he
had with the Corinthians who were sloppy in their faith. For this reason
people like Timothy and others who supported him and the churches were a
tremendous encouragement to Paul. To know there were others who had a genuine
heart and a kindred spirit, gave him much optimism on those lonely nights in
his prison cell.
1Cor 16-15,16
· (15a) Servant Ø
Ministry of helps Ø Helpers are hard workers
1Cor 16-17,18
· (14i) Servant Ø
Ministry of helps Ø Indirectly in charge of
the word Ø Minister to men of God –
The main role of the ministry of helps is they lighten the load of ministers
and church members alike. They see something that needs to be done and they
don’t dispatch the job or wait for someone else to do it; they do it. They
are part word bearers and part workers. They are the jack-of-all-trades and
the master of none, but when they touch your life you know it because you
are refreshed.
· (139a) Temple Ø
Building the temple (with hands) Ø
Encouragement Ø Our brothers encourage us in
our adversity
· (142j) Witness Ø
Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus
Ø Having a reputable ministry Ø
A reputable ministry of helps -- These verses go with verses
10&11
1Cor 16-17
· (14m) Servant Ø
Ministry of helps Ø They are always there
when you need them
· (197b) Denying Christ Ø
Man exercises his will against God Ø
Spiritual laziness Ø Rebelling Against what
God wants you to do Ø Refusing to take on
responsibility
1Cor 16-18
· (235a) Kingdom of God Ø
Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the kingdom Ø
Be a blessing Ø God blesses those around you
1Cor 16-19
· (123g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø
Spiritual affection Ø Ministry of the saints Ø
Emotional benediction toward helpers -- This verse goes with verses
21-24
1Cor 16-20
· (123k) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø
Spiritual affection Ø Being in love with the
body of Christ Ø Physical affection with
spiritual motives
1Cor 16,21-24
· (123g) Thy kingdom come Ø
Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø
Spiritual affection Ø Ministry of the saints Ø
Emotional benediction toward helpers -- These verses go with verse
19
1Cor 16-22
· (20k) Sin Ø
Disobedience Ø Rejecting the word
· (26k)
Sin Ø Consequences of sin Ø
Curse Ø Deeds that return to the doer Ø
God’s blessings are a curse if you don’t walk in them – Unfortunately this is a true statement; those
who do not love the Lord have a curse on their lives, and the curse is
unbelief, along with the spirits they attract by their unbelief.
· (201b) Denying Christ Ø
Whoever is not with Jesus is against him Ø
You are against Christ when your unbelief materializes Ø
Our disobedience is against Christ
· (209c) Salvation Ø
The salvation of God Ø Personal relationship Ø
Counterfeit relationship through religion Ø I
never knew you
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