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1 Corinthians 1:1-9 ESV
1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Church is a people called together by God that are greatly flawed, deeply loved, and fully empowered and kept, for their good but first to put on display the glory of God.

I.PUT TOGETHER BY GOD (1-2)
A.God is responsible for the offices of the church and the people who fill those roles.
B.God is responsible for both the local and universal church.

II.GREATLY FLAWED (2-4, 9)
A.No one is born in the church. We must be called by the grace of God into the church through what Jesus has done.
B.The church is not perfect yet b/c the people who make the church up are not perfect…yet.

III.DEEPLY LOVED (3-4, 5-7)
A.God loves the world generally but God loves the church specifically despite her imperfections.
B.Grace & peace from God to the church come at great personal cost to God.
C.God has loved the church in the past & the future but continues to love the church now through the gift of His Spirit.

IV.FULLY EMPOWERED (5-9)
A.Like a husband spoils the wife he loves, God spoils the church, holding nothing we need and He has back from us.
B.God is faithful to confirm that we belong to Him and both make us & keep us guiltless until the end.

NEXT STEPS
V.FOR THEIR SAKE, BUT FIRST, FOR HIS GLORY (10-13)
1.It’s not about me because it is not my church
2.It’s about the Glory of God because it is God’s church.

NEXT WEEK:
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Commonality & Centrality of the Cross in the Church