When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church, he knew he had to confront some serious issues of sin. There was trouble in the church. Some members were guilty of sexual sin, others of drunkenness, and others were attempting to justify their worldly living with a perverted understanding of the grace of God. The city of Corinth was well known as a place of debauchery, and the church struggled to live holy in such a perverse context.

Paul would be unflinching in his confrontation of sin in the church. However, before he does, he begins with an encouraging word to remind the church who they are and the blessings they have received.

We, too, live in a cultural context of unrestrained debauchery. Likewise, the church today often struggles with living holy. Thus, it is good to hear again that those who have been saved by the blood of Jesus are saints of God, under the grace of God, and sustained by the faithfulness of God.

No one desires to be broken. No one wants to suffer the consequences of sin. If we had our desires, we would skip through life without consequences. However, there is grace in brokenness.

In Genesis 28:10-22, Jacob is broken. He had succeeded in his schemes against his father and brother, but he had lost everything he had hoped for. We find him not as the favored son receiving his father's wealth and blessing or becoming his family's leader but alone and destitute. He has no home. He has no family. He is uncertain about his future. And he is likely fearful that all is lost.

Is this where you are today? Are you struggling under the weight and brokenness of your sin? Have you heard of the grace of God and the promises He has made but wonder if they apply to you? Jacob's life is far from perfect. However, in this moment, he would hear from the Lord and be encouraged by the precious promises of God. You are not alone, God's provisions are sure, and God is in control.

The testimony of scripture is not of perfect people accomplishing God's purposes. Instead, the story of scripture is of a perfect God using imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.

The testimony of Jacob is complicated. On the one hand, Jacob's story is not easily celebrated. He is not a man of strength in character or physical ability. He is a schemer, manipulator, and liar. On the other hand, he is very significant because God demonstrates the character of His sovereign grace in choosing him over his brother. With this generation, we learn an essential truth about the promise of God. God's blessing and promise will not go to those whom man's customs, traditions, or desires dictate but to whom God so chooses.

In this passage, Paul encourages the church to rid itself of sinful rebellious members. I think this passage is instructive to us as individuals as well. Each of us must constantly work to rid our lives of the corruption of sin. As we begin 2022 let us consider how we can make a fresh start towards righteousness.

Sometimes all you have is a few minutes. With this in mind I am excited to announce that I am working on a new podcast channel called “Sermon Shorts”. I will be posting 5 min or less clips from recent sermons. I hope you will subscribe and listen. The channel is already available on Apple podcast and will be coming to Google podcast, and other podcast sites very soon.

The following is an example of what each sermon short will be like. It is from a sermon I preached from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 titled “Our Identity is in Christ alone.” I hope you enjoy.

Today I begin a sermon series on resetting. From time to time it is good to take an assessment of your life and reset things that are not as they should be. In the weeks to come I will be preaching on prayer, Bible study, worship, and other spiritual disciplines. But before we begin with the specific areas where we need to reset, I want to start with an introductory word on grace.