May it please almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in his holy word. Let's turn to the first epistle
of Paul to the Corinthians and the first chapter, and we'll
read the ninth verse. The first epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians, chapter one, and reading the ninth verse. God is faithful, by whom you
were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord. We're thankful to have the Word
of God, we're thankful to have the truth of God, and here we
have the words that Paul wrote to the Corinthians and not only
to the Corinthians because he addresses in the second verse
unto the church of God which is at Corinth to them who are
sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints with all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both
theirs and ours. So we see here it's a comprehensive
statement and incorporates all those who are indeed called to
be saints. And how wonderful and important
and necessary it is that we come under that banner those who are
called by God to be saints. With all that in every place
call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours.
And really that correlates with the words that we've read in
this ninth verse where the Apostle says, God is faithful by whom
you were called unto the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. So it's very clear that as we
are called by God, as God calls us out of nature into his glorious
light, it's for this divine and blessed object to enjoy and know
fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord. That's a tremendous
statement, isn't it? And how testing that is when
we lay alongside our own lives to recognise whether this is
true and therefore whether it does prove that we are those
who are called by Almighty God, called out of nature's darkness
into the glorious light of the everlasting gospel. And it's
not just in name. It's far deeper than that. It's
to enjoy fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Well, you and I stand before
God. You see, no one else can answer
that question apart from each one of us. before God as to whether
we do enjoy the fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord. You see the word is quite clear,
it's quite powerful. The fellowship of His Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord. And that means that if we are
enjoying or if we profess to enjoy fellowship with the Lord
Jesus Christ it is because he is our Lord and if he is our
Lord then we will truly want and desire to treat him as our
Lord and when we think of that surely he would become as the
Lord of Lords and the King of Kings unto us the most glorious
person. And what a wonderful privilege
it is to know that this faithful God, how faithful God is. He doesn't dump us off, does
he? He doesn't forget about us. He remembers that we are dust. He looks upon us in our lowest
state. He remembers us for good. And just when we think of that,
of the billions of people in the world, to think that He,
the Almighty God, remembers each one of us, if we are amongst
those who are His children. God is faithful by whom you were
called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Well, it is of course essential
for every one of us to know that we are the called of God that
means we've been awakened to our condition in this world we've
heard by faith the voice of the Saviour speaking to us calling
us perhaps we might say bringing us to our senses we may have
been wandering on content with the vanities of this world. But
what an unspeakable mercy if the Almighty God has remembered
us and called us and spoken to us. Well, we have to answer,
don't we, before God? We have to examine ourselves.
We're encouraged to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the
faith or not. You see, we don't want to be
deceived, do we? We don't want to mock God. We don't want to pretend what
we're not. But we want to have the wonderful
evidence that we are amongst those who God in his wonderful
favour and love toward us has called us. Yes, so that we do
know something of the wonder of that love that we sung in
our first hymn tonight. And it's a good hymn, it's a
very wonderful hymn and it starts off by saying, Sovereign Grace,
that means it's grace dispensed by the King of Kings, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is, of course, the Sovereign Lord, and therefore
it's sovereign grace, or sin abounding. And sadly, sin abounds
in our lives. Sin is within us. We're born in sin and shaken,
shapen in iniquity. But what a wonderful blessing
to realise that that grace is over all our sin. It abounds over all our sin. And therefore, the hymn writer
John Kent is able to say, ransom souls. And what a blessing if
you and I know that we are ransomed. That means we've had the price
paid to take away our sins. And the only way that you and
I can be ransomed is for the Lord Jesus Christ to have stood
in our place and to pay the punishment due to us. Ransomed souls, the
tidings swell. What is it? It's good news. It's good news to unworthy sinners. And so tonight, is it good news
to you and me? Oh, do we thank God for it. Thank God for it. This blessing
of being called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord, and be able to Recognize the wonder of it because John
Kent tells us, "'Tis a deep that knows no sounding." That means
we can't get to the bottom of this great and glorious truth. Who its breadth or length can
tell on its glories, let my soul forever dwell. It's a good subject,
isn't it? It's a wonderful subject. And
do we, as we sung that tonight, it's really a prayer, isn't it? And we sung it, we said it, did
we mean it? Did it come from our heart? Did
we really desire to be amongst those who are able to say on
its glories, its glories of sovereign grace, this glorious and sovereign
grace to such and unworthy sinners, and let my soul forever dwell. That means to often be found
thinking and meditating upon the wonder of this grace. Well, these words are glorious
words, but it's so easy to sing them, you know, without really
recognizing what we're singing and pass over it. and yet they
are very glorious and very wonderful I won't go through the whole
hymn we could do because it's very wonderful but just the last
a few words on such love God's love to unworthy sinners in calling
us why should God call you and me? why should he come to us? why should he speak to us? Anything
good in us? Not at all. The Apostle said,
in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And yet here we
have this wonderful statement. On such love, my soul, you see
again, personal, isn't it? Your soul, my soul. On such love,
my soul. Still ponder, think about it. Think about it. Love so great,
so rich, so free, so whilst lost in holy wonder. Why, O Lord,
such love to me? Why should God love you? Why should God love me? What's good in us? We can't claim
anything good, can we? It's because of his sovereign
grace. What a glorious Truth it is then,
and so we're told, say whilst lost in holy wonder, why, O Lord,
such love to me, an unworthy sinner. Hallelujah. Praise the
Lord. Do we praise the Lord for it?
I hope we do. And I hope that comes from our
heart. It's not just a word. It's very
easy, isn't it, to say hallelujah, but it's a different thing if
it really emanates from our heart, so that we recognize the truth
of it, and we can say, praise the Lord, because of what He's
done for us. What He's done for us in calling
us. Calling us. out of this world's
darkness. We're born in sin, shaped in
iniquity. We're born in the darkness of
nature. But what a wonderful thing is the glorious light of
the Gospel has shone into our hearts and reveals to us the
glory of the Gospel. And the glory of the Gospel is
this, that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners
of whom I am chief. Well, it would be a blessing
tonight if you and I walk that path and recognise God's amazing
love toward us. Again, the Word of God tells
us not that we loved God, but that he loved us it emanates
from him his love shared abroad in our hearts and there's that
responding from our hearts to then love our God because of
his grace because of his favour because of his blessing because
of his redeeming grace what cause there is to love such a great
and glorious love God hallelujah grace shall reign eternally that
means it will never be taken away never be removed once God
has set forth his love upon us it's forever would never be removed
grace shall reign eternally well tonight I hope we can bless God
for these great and glorious truths and the Apostle in this
opening chapter to the Corinthians he gives some background and
it tells us that Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach
the gospel the good news not with wisdom of words lest the
cross of Christ should be made of none effect the glorious gospel
my friends is very simple We don't need a degree. We don't
need to have a great education. But my friends, it's what God
directs us to understand. And so he tells us, for the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. How many there are today who
consider Christianity, true Christianity, as foolish? but he tells us here
for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish and that's
a tragic scene isn't it those who perhaps hear the gospel and
don't believe it don't believe it they think it's foolishness
and therefore they will perish in their sin but there are many
buts in the Word of God as you well know but unto us which are
saved, it is the power of God. That means that such a grand
and glorious truth has an effect in our lives. Well, you know
and I know whether the preaching of the cross has had an effect
upon us, an effect upon our souls. and it is therefore the power
of God. It's produced a change in our
life. It's turned us to seek unto the
Lord, to pray for mercy, to commit ourselves unto our God. Oh, my friends, isn't it glorious? What do you and I think tonight?
The preaching of the cross. You've heard it before. You've
heard it perhaps many times. Has it just gone in one ear and
out the other? But what a time it will be if that word comes
in accordance with the words of the hymn writer. The appointed
time rolls on apace, not to propose, but call by grace. It's not a proposition. No, it's
that which God does. He calls us, speaks to us. We recognise it's Almighty God coming to us and making us spiritually
alive. We understand therefore what
the Apostle said when he wrote to the Ephesians and you hath
he quickened or hath made alive who were dead in trespasses and
sins that's how we were born you and I born spiritually dead
with no spiritual knowledge but oh how wonderful and how humbling
it is to think that the preaching of the cross has come to us and
made us spiritually alive so that we truly rejoice in the
great truths of God. And the Apostle tells us, he
says, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. Natural wisdom won't satisfy. Natural wisdom will not save
our souls. and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent. And so he goes on and says, where
is the wise, where is the scribe, where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? Yes, you see, you and I can study
the Word of God all day and all night, nothing wrong in that.
that just by natural study will not bring into our hearts the
glorious light of the Gospel. We shall need the wonderful work
of the Holy Spirit, which is accompanied by the power of God,
which makes us spiritually alive. And oh, how wonderful it is to
have that life, the life of God in our souls, and to realise
this great and wonderful truth. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Natural
wisdom will never save our soul. Spiritual wisdom will. and how
important therefore that we are amongst those who are called
unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord into this
glorious light of the everlasting Gospel. Where is the wise? Where
is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? So
it is. for after that in the wisdom
of God the world by wisdom knew not God you and I won't know
God by natural wisdom by natural study nothing wrong in natural
study but you and I won't know God by it it pleased God listen
to this it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe. Now, if God has given you and
me grace to believe the gospel, that's God's gift. It's a wonderful
favor. It's nothing that you and I produced
ourselves. It's the grace of God. And it's
a wonderful blessing and it's essential blessing and we must
have it. Many things we may think are
needful but the word tells us one thing is needful and this
is so needful. For after, in the wisdom of God,
the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, remember
that, by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Then he says, for the Jews require
a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ
crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness. So where are we? Are we like
the Greeks? Are we like the Jews? Or are
we like these? But unto them which are called
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom
of God. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For ye see your calling, brethren." Again, it's good to just look
and hear what God says. You see your calling, brethren.
That means the calling of God. However, not many wise men are
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise. And you and I may feel sometimes
to be very foolish, or we often are, but to think of this, God
hath chosen the foolish things and how wonderful it is to realise
that God has called us and God has chosen us, chosen us to be
those who are true followers of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. And the reason he chooses weak
things and foolish things is quite simple. That no flesh should
glory in his presence. you and I won't be able to pat
ourselves on the back and say well of course I understood and
of course I believed you only believe because God gave you
grace to believe not because of natural ability it's that
spiritual wonderful glorious gift no flesh or glory in his
presence but of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made
unto us wisdom righteousness and sanctification and redemption
and he concludes his first chapter with this wonderful and important
and relevant statement that according as it is written he that glorieth
let him glory in the Lord well again we have to test the reality
of our religion to see whether we are amongst those who have
gloried in the Lord and gloried in his wonderful work of redemption
and can praise him for it. And if that is so, then here
we have this statement tonight before us. God is faithful. He always has been. God never
says things which don't come to pass. God is faithful. And how good and how wonderful
it is for us to realise the faithfulness of our God. Yes, He is a wonderful
God and it is truly good to realise the great truth of this, to realise
that we are indeed the children of light. Yes, the Apostle, when
he wrote to the Thessalonians, he says, But ye yourselves know
perfectly, then when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden
destruction cometh upon them. But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day shall overtake you as a thief. Ye are
the children of light, and the children of the day, We are not
of night nor of darkness. Well, what a blessing, therefore,
if this light of the Gospel has come into our hearts so that
we can truly praise and bless our God for these things which
he has done, done for us in redeeming our souls. Well, blessed be God. It's a wonderful favour to realise
that we worship the ever-living and true God. So here we have
the statement, God is faithful. So many examples of God's faithfulness. in the Word of God. So many,
many statements you can read again and again. I think there's
over 400 statements. And it came to pass. God has said. God brings it to pass. And it came to pass. We don't
read. and it didn't come to pass. We
read and it came to pass. So what a blessing it is for
you and me in our lives, if we know this great and wonderful
truth of God's faithfulness to us in bringing us into this gracious
and glorious statement, by whom you were called unto the fellowship
of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Many people don't want
to understand this but the Apostle Paul knew what it was when he
tells us he desired fellowship with his sufferings. We need
to ponder that and just think what it means. Just think of
the Lord Jesus Christ, what he endured on that cross, what He
endured in His life, what He endured in Gethsemane, what He
endured in that judgment hall. Sufferings. Are you and I willing
and prepared to go alongside the Saviour and recognise what
He's done and therefore sometimes as we find things are not easy
in our lives. And we find things are tough,
things are difficult, and perhaps we wonder why it is, why things
appear to be contrary to that which we expected. Well, it'll
be a blessing if the Holy Spirit reveals to us what it means and
to realise it means this great truth, fellowship of his son
Jesus Christ our Lord. The Apostle Paul wanted to know
more of it. Naturally we would think what
a strange man to want fellowship with the sufferings of Christ. But he knew what a comfort it
was and what a blessing it was Because what it did, it brought
him closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we could say it brought
him in union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in our lives, my
friends, as you and I walk through this world, with so many things
that turn us away from Christ, many things, and sometimes God
brings us into difficult situations and the reason to bless us with
fellowship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So the
experience is not strange because we know we're walking with the
Saviour and we are privileged to walk in that path and it's
a path of blessing and it's a path when things appear to be going
in the wrong direction appear to be contrary to what we expected
but they're not God has ordained it that it might work together
for our eternal good and we should therefore recognize that here
the Apostle makes it very clear whom ye were called to what? Fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ
our Lord. I'm sure it is true that unless
we know something of the fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ while
here on this earth, how can we ever expect to get to glory and
have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ in glory and that
of course eternally. To be able to recognise the cost
of our salvation, to praise our God for it and to thank our God
for it, to think that he came to us where we were, lost and
ruined in the fall and yet called us, spoke to us, showed us where
we were, walking contrary to God walking away from God rather
than walking towards God. Well, what a blessing. We need
to ponder these words. They're great words. They're
very relevant to us. They're not strange words. They
are indeed very wonderful and important words. It's a mercy
that God in his love to warn us recorded such statement to
alert us to the reality of true religion. This is not a false
religion, this is not a superficial religion, this is a religion
which brings with it eternal happiness and and eternal glory
because if you and I know what it is to have fellowship with
the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a wonderfully positive evidence that we are
one of his children. We're joined to him and God has
called us out of the darkness of this world to walk with him. And so he says, God is faithful
by whom ye were called under fellowship of his Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Oh, what a wonderful blessing
it is to realise we have such a God who's so kind and so gracious
and so merciful. And you may remember that the
Apostle knew the reality and the truth of this because as
he writes the second chapter and of course in the original
there weren't any chapters the word just followed straight through
and he says and I brethren when I came to you came not with excellency
of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God
for I determined There are some very good positive words, aren't
there, in the Word of God. For I determine not to know anything
among you. Again, that's comprehensive,
isn't it? Not to know anything among you save, what? Save Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. That's why it's a great blessing
to be found in our hearts at Calvary, viewing what the Saviour
endured to deliver us from the wrath to come, to take away all
our sins, to be washed in the precious blood of Christ. yes to know that we are redeemed
to know the price has been paid what a mercy it is and therefore
perhaps we can understand just a little of what the apostle
desired here he says for I determined his personal position not to
know anything among you he didn't want to bring natural wisdom
he didn't want people to be impressed by his natural knowledge of the
Scriptures, and we know he was mighty in the Scriptures, he
was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, he knew the Word of
God, but that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want people
to credit him for what he knew in a natural way. He wanted to
be blessed with this great, wonderful favour. He didn't want them to
know anything among them save Jesus Christ and him crucified
and explains what his own position was. He wasn't bold, he wasn't
strong, he tells us, and I was with you in weakness and in fear
and in much trembling and my speech and my preaching was not
with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of
the spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." Well, how true
that was. How true it is. How true it is
today that our faith doesn't stand in the wisdom of men. It stands in the power of God,
in the power of God in revealing to us the value of the Blessed
Saviour's death upon that cross at Calvary and realise how important
it is and to thank God tonight for his faithfulness. So faithful
to such unworthy sinners. God is faithful, to think that
he's faithful to you and me. You're bringing us to this gracious
and glorious position by whom ye were called. Yes, there is
a calling, a true calling as we've outlined tonight, a calling
out of the darkness of nature, a calling away from all our sins,
to come and confess our sins, Remember the word of God tells
us so wonderfully in John's epistle. He is faithful and just. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It's a very simple statement,
isn't it? Sometimes people are expecting great revelations,
great words from God, my friends. It comes in this form, a humble
confession. If, it's a big if, isn't it? But God knows, if we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What does that bring us into?
Fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Fellowship
to rejoice in what is done. And so tonight as we ponder these
words, it's a wonderful chapter this first chapter in the epistle
to the Corinthians a lot of instruction in it it's worth going home and
pondering and reading over and to think how good and kind gracious
is and also God is and also to remember our first hymn tonight
766 which speaks so powerfully about his grace, which speaks
so powerfully about his love, so that you and I may indeed
bless God for the wonderful truths which we are privileged to know,
know in our minds, and what a mercy of God applies these truths to
our very heart, so we can go on our way, truly rejoicing in
what God has done. Amen.