In this study, Pastor Jim walks us through some difficulty Paul had in Corinth as he is falsely charged with teaching against the law before a Roman government official. What would Paul say to defend himself? Where was God in all of this? After some time, Paul, Aquila and Priscilla travel to Ephesus and begin to spread the good news of the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ.
Sermon Notes
Gallio reminds us that, apart from God, this world’s sense of truth, justice and freedom will remain erratically defined, morally confused and inconsistently applied.
“For at no time since the Reformation have Christians as a body been so unsure, tentative, and confused as to what they should believe and do. The outside observer sees us as staggering from gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like a drunk in the fog. Preaching is hazy, heads are muddled, and hearts fret. Why is this? We blame the external pressures of our world, but this is like Eve blaming the serpent. The real trouble is that for two generations or more our churches have suffered from a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord.”
J. I. Packer
Paul reminds us of the virtues of selflessness and faithfulness.
“We need not choose between faithfulness and secularity: our burden is to discern how to be faithful amidst secularity.”
James K. A. Smith
The people of Ephesus remind us of the benefits of spiritual hunger.
“There is perhaps no greater secret of progress in Christian living than in healthy, hearty spiritual appetite. Again and again Scripture addresses its promises to the hungry. God ‘satisfied him who is thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things’. If we are conscious of slow growth, is the reason that we have a jaded appetite? It is not enough to mourn over past sin; we must also hunger for future righteousness.”
John Stott