A woman was trying hard to get the tomato sauce out of the bottle. During her struggle, the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter Amanda to answer the phone. Kids view the world differently sometimes. Literally. She answered the phone obediently, “Hello, this is Amanda. Mommy can’t come to the phone to talk to you right now. She’s hitting the bottle.” atimetolaugh.org, edited slightly for Australia She misunderstood the situation.

In our text this morning, some of the Corinthian believers had misunderstood Paul. He had promised to visit “if the Lord will” but then was not able to. They accused him of saying “yes” and then changing it to “no”.

Transition

When misunderstandings arise between Christians (as was the case with Paul and the Corinthians), it is important to remember that we are on the same team. For this reason, Paul reminded us of four evidences that all true believers are teammates.

The first evidence that believers are teammates is that,

God is confirming us together in Christ.

  1. What does the word “stablisheth” mean?
    1. The Greek words means To make firm or reliable so as to warrant security and inspire confidence, to strengthen. CWSD Things that are firm, reliable, and steadfast do not move. They are sure. We can trust them and depend on them.
    2. The idea in our text is to confirm.
  2. What does this word teach us?
    1. Paul reminded the Corinthian believers that God confirms believers in Christ. He makes them firm. He gives them security. Once you truly repent of your sin and trust Christ to save your soul from hell and give you eternal life, God firmly establishes that. Your name is written in God’s book of life. God adopts you into His family. He calls you His child.
    2. In his first letter, Paul used the same word, (1 Corinthians 1:8) “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.“
    3. Jesus taught this in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.“
    4. Paul said that God confirmed us together with you in Christ. The apostles and people were on the same team.
    5. You may know someone who once claimed to be a Christian and who lived like it for a time, but now has turned away. God alone knows whether that person is backslidden or was never truly saved, but all true believers share the same assurance that they are confirmed in Christ. We are on the same spiritual team.
      The second evidence that believers are teammates is that,

God anointed us with the Holy Spirit at salvation.

  1. What does it mean to “anoint”?
    1. The term means to smear or rub with oil.
    2. In the Old Testament, men were anointed to set them apart for a particular ministry.
    3. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 and claimed that He was the anointed one who fulfilled that prophecy.
    4. In Acts 10:38, we read, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.“
  2. How are believers anointed by God?
    1. God anoints every true believer at salvation when He baptises them in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13) “For by [literally in] one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” This equips each one to serve the Lord. It sets them apart as saints for God’s service.
    2. The Apostle John spoke of this in 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“
    3. Because all believers are anointed by God, this also unifies us as teammates.
      The third evidence that believers are teammates is that,

God sealed us with the Holy Spirit at salvation.

  1. What did Paul mean by “sealed”?
    1. A seal was a mark.
    2. How was this seal used in the first century?
      1. A seal was a mark of ownership. John tells us in his Revelation that an angel will seal 144,000 Israelites to mark them as His and to protect them.
      2. A seal was a mark of security. Letters were sealed with wax. If the mark was unbroken, the contents were still secure. Thus, the Holy Spirit’s presence in a believer’s life is a mark of security. (Ephesians 4:30) “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.“
      3. A seal was a mark of authentication. The seal of a king’s ring pressed into wax or soft clay was his mark of authentication. In like manner, the Holy Spirit is God’s mark of authentication on a believer’s life.
  2. God has sealed us.
    1. Every true believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.“
    2. This takes place right after one believes. (Ephesians 1:13) “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,“
    3. Being sealed by the Holy Spirit assures the true believer that he belongs to God, his salvation is authentic, he is secure and he cannot lose his salvation.
    4. Being sealed by the Holy Spirit assures us that we are teammates with other true believers.
      The fourth evidence that believers are teammates is that,

God gave us the down payment of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

  1. The word “earnest” is an old English word.
    1. Strong’s Lexicon defines the word as, “money which in purchases is given as a pledge or downpayment that the full amount will subsequently be paid.”
    2. We still do this today. Often, if you buy a costly item, you must pay a portion at the time of purchase and the rest of the payment at an agreed time. That initial payment is a down payment.
  2. In what way is the Holy Spirit a down payment?
    1. At salvation, God gives the repentant believing sinner many things, including cleansing and forgiveness, but one big thing that he gives us is an eternal home with Him. We will one day dwell in the very presence of God.
    2. Until that glorious day, God gave us a down payment in the person of the Holy Spirit. We cannot yet go to live with God, but God the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He is God’s down payment, which promises us much more to come.
    3. Since God gives this down payment of the Spirit in the heart of every Christian, it serves as further evidence that we are on the same team. We are teammates.

Conclusion

Some of the Corinth believers were treating Paul as a foe. This grieved him. To help them see that they were on the same team, God had Paul write our text. (Review points). Think on these points.

Misunderstandings will take place between Christians because we still live in this sinful world. However, it is important for us to remember that all true believers are spiritual teammates. We may disagree on some issues. We may not be able to work with some who take different stands than we, but if they are true believers (and sometimes that is difficult to determine), they are not our foe.

Song: Thank You, Lord – 221
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Christian Teammates
21 April 2024 AM – Text: 2 Corinthians 1:12-24 – Topic: Unity