Links to Rev James Philip’s notes on 1 and 2 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians

Impossible?

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (Acts 2:24). This turns the world's way of thinking on its head. It's the exact opposite of what the world says to us. The world tells us that people don't …

What does it mean to believe in God?

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4). There are many people who say that they believe in God, but when they're asked …

Special Days – Christian Unity: Ezekiel 37:15-24; Psalm 122; 1 Corinthians 3:1-11; Matthew 28:16-20

As we we come to God’s House, let us pray, “Holy Spirit, we welcome You.” It was ‘a valley of dry bones’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything - ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’ (Ezekiel 37:5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. …

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

The Lord is calling us back to Himself - from sin and sadness to salvation and gladness. ‘The great Day of the Lord is near - near and coming quickly... That Day will be a Day of wrath... I will bring distress upon the people... because they have sinned against the Lord’ (Zephaniah 1:14-17). This …

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer ... He will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:9) God’s Word invites us to ‘call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved’ (Acts 2:21). To each and every one of us, the call of God comes. He's calling us to come to Him. This …

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How does the Lord keep us walking in His way? – He keeps on bringing to our attention the glorious future which He is preparing for us. …

Peace with God, the grace in which we now stand, the hope of the glory of God

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2). Peace with God, the grace in which we now stand, the hope of the glory of God: …

Are we content to live our life at the surface level? or Are we looking for something more than that?

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me (Psalm 42:7). The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God …

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48

Holiness and Love Holiness and love – the two belong together (Leviticus 19:1,18,34).  God calls us to live a life of holiness, a life of love.  Through His Spirit – the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love – , He enables us to live this life.  We need His promises.  We need His commands.  Take …

Getting Ready For The Lord’s Return

There is one wrong attitude we must take care to avoid. We must not sit back and say, “Let’s just wait and see what happens.” We dare not think like this. We dare not live like this. We must get ready for the Lord’s Return. At the heart of 1 Corinthians 15, there is a …

The Lord’s Supper: Remembering and Responding

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, …

Moving forward with God

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). Some things were important and they're still important! Make sure that you're devoted to the right things and preaching the right message! Have we outgrown the priorities, described for us …

The preachers speak the words, but the blessing comes to us from the Lord.

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe, as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who …

Walking in the light that comes to us from God’s Word and God’s Spirit

However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’, the things God has prepared for those who love him, these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For …

Our own great weakness and the Lord’s great strength

I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). What a contrast there was between what Paul was …

Faithful witnesses for Jesus

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of …

The Saviour Is More Important Than The Preacher.

1 Corinthians 2:6-3:23 We come to know God when ‘the Spirit’ leads us to 'Jesus Christ' (2:10-13; 3:11; John 16:14). We must not attach too much importance to the preachers - ‘What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants ...’. When we make too much of the servant, we draw attention away from the Saviour. …

When we draw attention to ourselves rather than Christ

1 Corinthians 12-16 12:1-31 - Paul speaks about ‘gifts of the Spirit’. They are ‘given for the common good’ (4-7). We’re not ‘to show off’: ‘Look at me. The Church can’t do without me’. When we draw attention to ourselves rather than Christ, we are not living ‘by the Spirit of God’. He moves us …

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”, the things God has prepared for those who love him, these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). What a great future the Lord has prepared for those …

Christ is the sure foundation upon which our faith is built.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together …

We need more love. We need more of Jesus.

"I show you a more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:31, New King James Version). "I will show you the most excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:31, New International Version). A more excellent way - Love is a better way. The most excellent way - Love is the best way. How do we learn to love? - …

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Isaiah 49:3,5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

Don't Keep God's Great Salvation To Yourself. "The Lord said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show My glory ... I will make you a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:1,7). We are not to keep the Lord's salvation to …

Has God forgotten about us?

Sometimes, we wonder, "Has God forgotten about us?" We get bogged down in the bad things that are happening to us. We start feeling sorry for ourselves. Before long, we start blaming God. Have we forgotten all that the Lord has done for us? Have we forgotten that God's Son, Jesus Christ, died for our …

Our lives are to be shaped by the love of Christ.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:5-6). Paul …

We do not preach ourselves, We preach Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you …

First things first

"I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you" (1 Corinthians 11:23). The message of Christ's salvation comes to us from outside of ourselves. It comes to us "from the Lord." We must, first, receive Christ before we can pass him on to others. We hear the Word of the Lord - …

More love, more power

Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). We need faith, and we need hope, but, above all, we need love. We need more than human love. We need God's love. https://youtu.be/JW9SkRMtXTo As I listened to these words of prayer, "More love, more power", I was …

The light of Christ’s love is leading us on to the fullness of his glory.

What is the world saying to us about Jesus Christ? What does the Word of God say to us about him? The two voices say something very different to us. The voice of the world is the voice of unbelief. The voice of God's Word is the voice of grace, and it is the voice …

Through faith in Christ our Saviour, we receive peace and joy.

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12); Psalm 112:1-9, (10); 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16); Matthew 5:13-20 Through faith in Christ our Saviour, we receive peace and joy. ‘To the far and to the near’, God speaks His Word of ‘peace’ (Isaiah 57:19). Christ is God’s Word of ‘peace’ (Ephesians 2:13-14). Christ is for …

We find God’s blessing when we come to worship Jesus Christ.

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany – Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12 We find God’s blessing when we come to worship Jesus Christ. In Micah 5:2, we have a prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus at ‘Bethlehem’. This prophecy invites us to ‘go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, …

God has kept His promise.

Third Sunday after the Epiphany – Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23 God has kept His promise. Christ has come. Let us rejoice in Him. The prophecy has been spoken - ‘To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given... .’ The prophecy has been fulfilled - ‘Today …

Second Sunday after the Epiphany: 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51

Second Sunday after the Epiphany: 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51 God is restoring His glory among His people. The call of Samuel is a vivid example of what God can do in the lives of children. Samuel’s early response to God set in motion a whole process of …

Keeping Our Focus On Christ

Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 2:4). He preached 'Christ crucified' with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:2). This is the message of our salvation - ‘Christ crucified... Christ …

What A Great Saviour Jesus Is!

'If I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting' (1 Corinthians 9:16). Paul preached the Gospel. His whole desire was to bring men and women to the Saviour (1 Corinthians 9:22). He did not want to draw attention to himself. He didn’t preach so that his hearers would say, ‘What a good …

Christ is our full salvation

1 Corinthians 1-4 1:1-2:5 - Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (17; 2:4). He preached ‘Christ crucified’ with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(23; 2:2). This is the message of our salvation - ‘Christ crucified… Christ the power of …

Let Christ’s Love Flow Among Us.

1 Corinthians 12:1-31 – Paul speaks about ‘gifts of the Spirit’. They are ‘given for the common good’ (4-7). We’re not ‘to show off’: ‘Look at me. The Church can’t do without me’. When we draw attention to ourselves rather than Christ, we are not living ‘by the Spirit of God’. He moves us to …

‘Participation in the blood of Christ, participation in the body of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 10:16)

There is nothing more important than this. We are not to be spectators, standing on the side lines, watching what’s going on without ever getting involved. We are to be participants, getting to know the Lord Jesus Christ, growing in our love for Him, strengthening our faith in Him, bringing more glory to Him. We …

Less About The Preacher And More About The Lord!

‘Be eager to prophesy’ (1 Corinthians 14:39). Preaching God’s Word to the people is important. It is not everything. It is to be accompanied by prayer and praise. Many come to hear ‘the preacher’. Few gather to pray that the whole service of worship will be filled with the presence of the Lord. Some come …

Jesus spoke with authority.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:28-29). Jesus had been speaking to the crowds – and they knew that they were in the presence of someone, who was very special. What …

Take your problem to the Lord.

"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake ... " (Daniel 9:19). "O Lord" - This is prayer. We do not take our problem to everyone else but the Lord. We take our problem to the Lord. "Hear" and "listen" - There can be a …

Hosea 8-14

HOSEA 8:1-9:17  -  ‘Israel’ had ‘forgotten’ and ‘forsaken’ the Lord (8:14). We have not remembered the Lord. We have turned away from Him. We have forgotten Him. We have been ‘unfaithful’ to Him. This is the sad story of our life - a story of forgetting and forsaking the Lord. God is very different from …

When our heads go down

Our heads go down. Our hearts are lifted up by Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. He has triumphed over death - "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). He gives his victory to us - "Thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:57). …

Enough understanding to change our way of thinking and our way of living

"The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about" (Luke 18:34). The disciples didn't know what Jesus was talking about. Jesus did know what he was talking about. There are many things that we don't understand - this is when …

Compassion, Comfort, Confidence and Courage

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our …

God’s saving grace and keeping grace

"I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  For in him you have been enriched in every way, with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge, God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ …

Knowing Christ and making Him known

Tuesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36 Knowing Christ and making Him known ‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’ (Isaiah 49:26). We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’. ‘Jesus, the Name to sinners dear, the …

Let’s Live As Servants Of Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:25-8:13 We are to ‘use the things of the world’ without becoming ‘engrossed in them’ (31). Becoming more worldly in our way of living is not a purely personal thing. We harm other people ‘for whom Christ died’. They look to us for a godly example and we let them down. We ‘sin …

Good News for everyone

Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany – Isaiah 49:8-16a; Psalm 131; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34 Good News for everyone: Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. ‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’. We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’ (Isaiah 49:26). ‘Jesus, the …

Living in accordance with the Gospel is the all-important thing.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-12:14; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 96:1-13 “Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). There are many matters which are secondary. Living in accordance with the Gospel is the all-important thing: “We put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12). “For great is …

I’m accepted, I’m forgiven.

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23). So much of our life seems so ordinary. We say, "There's nothing very special about it." What does God say to us about our …

Out Of This World!

"Out of this world!" - Sometimes,  we use this phrase to describe something we like a lot. We exaggerate. We make something out to be better than it really is. When we speak about Jesus, our Saviour, we really mean it - He's out of this world: "Who came down from heaven to earth? Jesus …

Hearing and Obeying God’s Word

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany – Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37 Hearing and Obeying God’s Word For Israel, a real turning to the Lord with ‘all the heart and soul’ involved obedience to ‘His commandments... written in this book of the law’ (Deuteronomy 30:10). We are not left wondering what God …

Worship – at the heart of the Christian life

2 Chronicles 7:11-9:31; 1 Corinthians 11:2-34; Psalm 98:1-9 Worship lies at the heart of the Christian life. If the blessing of God is to come upon His people, there must be the gathering together of the His people for worship.  In calling His people to prayer, God says this: “Now My eyes will be open and …

Love, faith and hope

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). In these words of faith, hope and love, Paul builds up to "the greatest of these... love." We may, also begin with love, emphasizing that love comes first. When we begin with love, we emphasize that love …

Are there some things that are more than “just your own opinion”?

"I'll tell you what I think." "I'll give you my opinion." In today's world, people will listen to all sorts of opinions. They may disagree with what's being said, but they will listen, and they will say, "You're entitled to your opinion." What happens when someone says, "This is what the Word of the Lord …

We need the preaching of God’s Word in the power of God’s Spirit.

"When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God... My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s …

Armed for battle

2 Chronicles 16:1-18:27; 1 Corinthians 15:1-34; Psalm 102:1-11 The people of God are to be “armed for battle” (2 Chronicles 17:18). The battle is spiritual. It can only be won through the power of the risen Christ. His purpose is the destruction of “the last enemy … death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). This has been accomplished, …

God forbid that I should boast.

"God forbid that I should boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). These words of Paul take us to the heart of the gospel. They remind us of his words in 1 Corinthians 1:23 - "we preach Christ crucified" - and 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "I decided to concentrate …

We Will All Be Changed.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 An introduction to this great chapter on the Resurrection, the fact and its meaning The resurrection is more than a fact from the past. It's a fact for the future. "We shall all be changed... " (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). This is more than social change. It's more than personal change. Politics isn't …