August 20, 2023 | 1 Corinthians 3:1-9/Evangelism Overview | Pastor Chris Baker
Good morning, church! Four-year-olds through second graders are free to head off to Children’s Church. The rest of you can open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 3. That's our starting point, but we’re going to be on a tour of the Bible today.
We just finished an overview of Mark’s gospel. We studied 16 chapters in 18 weeks. It felt like it flew by. The end of that study encouraged us to go and tell.
So we’re going to take three weeks and unpack what going and telling looks like for people who live in Mid-Missouri in the year 2023. There’s a sense in which it’s the same as it has looked for all Christians, but there’s some specific application of God’s Word for our time and place, so we’ll try to be as clear as we can when it comes to application.
Normally, we preach expositionally here at FBC. That means we study the Bible book-by-book. If you’ve been here for the past year, you’ve studied Psalm 120-134 (the Psalms of Ascent), parts of Exodus, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and the gospel of Mark.
We’ll get back to expositional preaching soon, but I think this break is important. When we consider what it means to go and tell the story of Jesus, we are talking about evangelism.
Evangelism is explaining the gospel in a way that calls lost people to trust Christ for salvation. That’s all it is. It’s neither rocket surgery nor brain science.
Evangelism is vital, church. Without evangelism, the local church is dead in one generation, do you realize that?
The job Jesus gave His disciples at the end of Matthew is what we in church-world have called the great commission. He said:
“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18b-20)
Wherever you go, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them everything I have commanded you. That’s the job description of every Christian. When we’re fulfilling that commission, we believe we are glorifying God in the most perfect way that we can—and that's what we were put here to do.
Fulfilling the Great Commission is about more than evangelism, sure, but it simply cannot be about less. We can’t make disciples without evangelism.
A church cannot be vibrant and growing without a culture of evangelism, and evangelism is the responsibility of every single follower of Christ. There’s no opt-out clause in the Great Commission. It’s for everyone.
Here’s the truth I hope you leave here convinced of today:
Evangelism is the duty of every Christian to join in God’s work of revealing Himself to sinners to save them for His glory.
Look with me at 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
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There was an issue in the church in Corinth. Truthfully, there were several. That’s why Paul is writing this letter. One of them was that some folks thought they were better than others based on who evangelized them.
Paul did some ministry work in Corinth. So did Apollos. And people took great pride in who led them to the Lord. Paul condemns this line of thinking and reminds them of one very important truth.
It’s not about you or who led you to the Lord. Evangelism is first and foremost about God Himself. God is the only one who can make growth happen. He’s the only one who can bear fruit from the work of evangelism. It’s impossible from the human side of things.
In the athletic world, experts said it was impossible to run a 4-minute mile. Scientists, physicians, and even athletes believed the human heart might explode if pushed to such limits. I would tend to agree with them and leave it alone.
But not Roger Bannister. He was an English medical student and an unbelievably competitive runner. He planned, prepared, and trained to run the impossible mile.
On May 6, 1954, he ran a mile in 3:59.4. It was all about physical hard work and mental tenacity for Bannister. He later said, “It is the brain, not the heart or lungs, that is the critical organ.”
(Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/breaking-barriers-how-4-minute-mile-taught-us-embrace)
Unlike a physical achievement that you can train for, evangelism really is the impossible task. Jesus said ‘make disciples,’ and that’s something we simply cannot do. We cannot talk anyone into trusting Christ as their savior.
But according to 1 Corinthians 3, when we do the work of evangelism, we become God’s coworkers. Evangelism is a ‘get to’ job, not a ‘have to’ job. God can draw people to Himself perfectly well without any help at all from you. But you cannot live obediently to the command of God without joining Him in His work of evangelism. And you get to do it. You get to be a co-worker with God.
We’re invited into the very work that God has been doing since the dawn of creation. God is revealing Himself to humanity.
We see it from the very beginning. Here’s what I’m going to do with the majority of our time today. I’m going to walk you from Genesis to Revelation to illustrate God’s work of revealing Himself to sinners to save them for His glory.
I know we’re people of action, and we love sermons with concrete takeaways. Go, do this! Those are coming in this series, I promise. But today, the takeaway is to worship God. I want us to see God’s goodness across the pages of Scripture as He reveals Himself in kindness to His people. I want us to leave here praising God for who He is and what He has done.
We should see God’s Work and love Him more, and that’s what will motivate us to evangelize. Not some measure of guilt I can put on you for not doing it or any discouragement you feel when you fail. Those things don’t motivate us to evangelize.
Our primary motivation to share the good news of the gospel is that God deserves to be glorified by His creation, and no one can glorify God apart from salvation in Jesus.
I’ll mention a ton of verses in this walkthrough. You can try to keep up if you want to. All the passages are in the notes, so don’t stress too much if you get behind.
The Bible begins this way in Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God did not create because He was lonely. God did not create because He was bored. God spoke all creation into existence out of nothing because out of love He wants His glory to be known.
Isaiah 43 tells us God created for His own glory. What God wants for us is the thing that is best for us, church.
In our sinfulness, we’ll disagree sometimes. We’ll think what we want for our lives is better. But in reality, God being glorified in our lives is the best thing for us. The most loving thing God can do is share Himself with us.
Having a 2-year old just makes the Bible come alive sometimes. We have a little rotary cheese grater in our kitchen—just a little cylinder a few inches long. To Remington, it looked a whole lot like binoculars. So he wanted to put this device with a bunch of blades in it right up to his eye. I had to step in and stop him because that was best for him—but he sure didn’t agree in the moment.
God being glorified is the best thing for all creation—so not only does God create, but He reveals Himself.
Very early in Scripture, God reveals Himself as the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, distinct yet united as the One true God. We’ll never fully understand that, but what we can understand is how the Trinity highlights God’s desire for a relationship.
The Father's eternal love for the Son and the Son's eternal love for the Spirit shows us a relationship of continual love.
God's creation of the universe, the world, and everything in it didn't stem from any need on His part. God wasn't lonely or seeking entertainment. He created image-bearers.
Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
Genesis 2:7-9: Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This is the creation of humanity in God's own image. God designed us to reflect Himself. Our purpose includes mirroring His character, stewarding His creation, and growing a relationship with Him. Our very existence is meant for knowing, reflecting, and loving Him.
The relationship Adam and Eve had with God wasn't just abstract; it encompassed blessings and boundaries. On down in verse 16:
You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.
God's creation was theirs to enjoy fully. Everything illustrated that God had given them this perfect gift of the Garden of Eden. God made the world good, intended for our delight, and this brings Him glory.
However, joy needs safeguarding through God's truth. In verse 17, God commands and outlines consequences. Eat this one specific tree and you’ll die.
God is holy—perfect in every way. If humanity rebelled against Him, judgment would be inevitable. Our purpose was to know Him, revel in Him, and worship Him, ultimately glorifying Him.
Genesis 2:25: "both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt now shame.”
This was a world of perfection. No fear, no envy, no painful memories, or broken hearts. Regret and blame were absent. Their existence epitomized life, love, joy, freedom, and flawless holiness. That's the state we were intended to experience.
However, things took a turn. InGenesis 3 a new character emerges—a liar, a tempter named Satan. He enticed Eve, whispering, "God's holding out on you! Real freedom, happiness, excitement—it’s all yours if you give in to your desires!" Sound familiar? Eve listened, as did Adam. They defied God's command, rejected Him, and followed their own path.
And what ensued? Did their situation improve? No, just as God had warned, they faced death. Sin came into the world, and shattered everything. Genesis 3:7: "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths."
Sin distorted their self-perception. Once free, they now wrestled with shame, fear, and guilt. Their solution? Fig leaves, masking their pain. They hid themselves. They ran to some material thing to numb the pain of their heart. Our fig lives today might look like phones, or cars, or houses, or relationships, or success—anything just to numb the pain of our separation from God. But, church, sin’s destruction didn’t stop with cshame.
Genesis 3:8-12.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
I’ve mentioned this before, but this passage illustrates that the original sin is sharing food—that's why I never share food when Monika and I go out to eat.
In all seriousness, though, this is one of the most heartbreaking Bible. Once, God and man strolled together in the cool of the day. Now, fear drives them to hide from God. His response? His initial question echoes all the way to today, doesn’t it? "Where are you?" Not confusion, but a plea for confession. He wanted them to admit their wrongs. Instead, they hid. And this has been humanity's response ever since—concealing, rationalizing, making excuses, denying Him. But God's question persists: "Where are you?" God revealed Himself in speaking creation into existence. He revealed Himself through creating image-bearers, and here He reveals Himself by confronting the sinful hearts of His creation.
God could have punished them. They earned their own condemnation, judgment, and eternal separation. But, God promised a different solution. He pledged to crush another, to pour out His wrath upon another.
Genesis 3:15: I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
God reveals Himself by making the very first gospel promise in Scripture. He commits to fixing the separation caused by sin. He commits to sending a deliverer, one who will triumph over Satan.
Following this promise, God provides a visual aid: Genesis 3:21. God makes garments of skin, necessitating a death. Innocent blood is shed, replacing Adam and Eve's self-made fig leaves with blameless attire. That's what God does for those who trust in Christ.
Genesis 3:24 marks Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden, guarded by a cherubim with a flaming sword, and the waiting begins. When is this person who will take away sin going to come?
That’s the driving question behind the narrative of the Old Testament.
Humanity awaits the Promised One.
Genesis 5 reads like a telephone book, name after name pointing to a man named Noah.
God reveals Himself in judgment, in the form of an epic flood. Those who entered the ark in faith—they passed through the judgment waters and emerged into a new world. It's a picture, a shadow of our Savior Jesus, who brings us through the flood of God's judgment into the newness of life.
Now, after the flood, folks kept on rebelling, human hearts are hopelessly lost in their sin. They built a tower, reaching for heaven, craving glory for themselves. In response, God brought judgment, confusion, and dispersion.
But in the midst of that chaos, God made a promise to a man named Abraham. Genesis 12:2-3
I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
The offspring promised to Eve in Genesis 3 is going to come from the family of Abraham. That family comes to be known as Israel. They moved to Egypt due to famine, then they ended up in chains under a tyrant Pharaoh. But God delivers them! Through Moses, He parts the Red Sea, leading them to Mount Sinai.
There, God reveals His character more explicitly in His law—a standard, a reflection of His holiness. Knowing they can’t uphold His law, God sets up a sacrificial system that is another shadow of Jesus in the Old Testament. The blood of those offerings points us to the blood spilled by Jesus, the final sacrifice.
Despite having God’s standard of holiness, Israel wandered off track quite a bit. God uses Samuel to appoint a king in Israel. Later, He spoke of a King from David's line. Not just any king—an eternal one, with a kingdom that'll never fade. Isaiah predicted a virgin birth, a Bethlehem arrival, miraculous deeds, and a suffering servant.
Every step of Israel's journey, every promise, it was like a breadcrumb trail. God was revealing more and more of Himself and His plan to His people.
And that plan culminates in Jesus. This is God fully revealing Himself to creation.
Born of a virgin in Bethlehem, He fulfills all the promises of the prophets. He lives a perfect life, performs miracles, proclaims God's kingdom, and offers hope to those repenting and believing in Him. Despite this, religious leaders condemn Him to death, and He is crucified.
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, is abandoned by those He came to save. Betrayed, arrested, scorned, and crucified, He takes on the curse and shame humanity deserves. On the cross, Jesus exchanges glory for our curse. The Father's wrath is poured on His Son.
Following His death, the temple curtain splits (Matthew 27:51). This veil separated sinful man from a holy God.
After Jesus' death, He is buried. For three days, He remains lifeless. Then, God rolls away the stone, and the world witnesses Jesus' resurrection. He's alive! God's Son conquers sin, Satan, and death.
Jesus ascends, empowering His disciples with the task of the Great Commission. All authority rests in Him. They are to make disciples, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching obedience.
In the beginning of the book of Acts, we see a fundamental shift in the way God reveals Himself to humanity.
It’s no longer primarily through miracles, personal appearances, the Law, or by way of Jesus physically present on Earth. Listen to what Jesus said right before He ascended back to the Father.
Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
God sends out His people as witnesses. After this statement, Jesus ascends.
At Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit arrives. Empowered, the disciples spread the Gospel, urging repentance and faith. Their message is that humanity's only hope rests on trusting Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Instead of revealing Himself as He did in the Old Testament, God has now chosen to reveal Himself through His people. Think about your own journey. Who revealed God’s goodness to you?
Evangelism is explaining the gospel in a way that calls lost people to trust Christ for salvation. And it’s vital not because some preacher says it’s vital. It’s vital because it’s the method God has chosen for revealing His goodness, His plan of salvation, to the world. He could do it other ways. I’m not saying God no longer works miracles or anything like that. God can and will do as He pleases. But the testimony of Scripture is that the normative way God reveals Himself to humanity today is by using His people as co-laborers in revealing Himself to the lost.
Evangelism is vital because it’s God's idea. It’s God’s chosen method for revealing His goodness today.
I say today because evangelism won’t always be the method.
God's mercy won't last indefinitely. A day will come when Jesus returns, and God reveals Himself in all His glory to all creation. It’ll be blessing and joy for those who belong to Jesus and punishment for those who don’t.
Revelation 21:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
There will come another shift in the way God reveals Himself. He’ll do it directly—by drawing His people to share in His glory and punishing those who don’t.
God's grand narrative unfolds, from creation to redemption, culminating in restoration. This narrative invites us to join the ongoing story, trusting in Jesus as Savior and King.
God has revealed Himself through His spoken words, His Law, through signs and wonders, and through the incarnation of Jesus. Now, and this is where I hope it hits home for us church. God has chosen to reveal Himself to lost sinners by deploying His people to spread His good news.
We get to evangelize. We get to participate in God revealing Himself to lost sinners. Scottish reformer John Knox was so passionate about evangelism that he’s remembered more than anything else for his prayer, “Give me Scotland, or I die.”
He was so passionate in his prayer and his evangelism efforts that his opponent at the time, Mary, Queen of Scots, is reputed to have said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”
Church, because of who God is, evangelism is our only right response. I preach today not to convict you of guilt for not evangelizing maybe as often as you should. I don’t want that to be your takeaway. I want you to consider evangelism in light of what God does across all the pages of Scripture. See Him as greater for it and hope for a greater desire to tell others about His goodness. Let’s pray.
Questions for Further Reflection and Discussion
Why is evangelism important for the growth and vibrancy of a local church? How does it connect to the Great Commission?
How does understanding God's desire for His glory shape our approach to evangelism?
According to the sermon, what is the role of every Christian in fulfilling the Great Commission? Why is it important for everyone to participate?
How does 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 emphasize that evangelism is ultimately about God Himself? Why is this perspective crucial for effective evangelism?
How does God's revealing of Himself start with creation? What is the purpose of creation, and how does it reflect God's glory and desire for relationship?
Explain the concept of the Trinity and its relevance to understanding God's desire for relationship. How does the Trinity illustrate God's nature and love?
How did sin enter the world, and what were the immediate consequences for Adam and Eve? How did their relationship with God change after their disobedience?
What was God's response to Adam and Eve's sin? How did He make the first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15, and why was it significant for humanity's future?
Describe the progression of God's revelation through the Old Testament, from the call of Abraham to the promises and prophecies related to the coming Messiah.
How did Jesus' work on the cross exchange glory for the curse?
How did Jesus' ascension mark a shift in the way God reveals Himself? What role did the Holy Spirit play in this new phase of revealing God's message?
How did the disciples respond to the Holy Spirit's empowerment at Pentecost (Acts 2)
How does the Holy Spirit enable believers to share the Gospel effectively?
Reflect on the statement, "Evangelism is vital because it’s God’s idea." How does this perspective impact the way we approach evangelism and its importance?
How does the sermon describe the ultimate culmination of God's revelation? What will happen when Jesus returns, and how does it tie into the theme of God's glory?