Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- 1 Cor 5-6
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas, and this is our journey through Scripture. We continue our chronological walk through the Bible. ⁓ we are into the New Testament. We are past the Gospels. ⁓ and now we're into the time of Paul and his missionary journeys. ⁓ so we again going chronologically, we skip around a a little bit, but ⁓ we are now in First Corinthians. ⁓ if you remember the last time we went ⁓ 1 Corinthians 1 through 4. ⁓ today we're it's gonna be short. We're just gonna do chapters five and six of 1 Corinthians. ⁓ so if you want to to read and then ⁓ join us as we just kind of discuss and hit hit hit some of the important ⁓ topics ⁓ in these two chapters. ⁓ so first corinthians ⁓ chapter five ⁓ the first four chapters Paul is talking about and warning the Corinthians ⁓ y ha hey you know, you're arguing about who to follow. Follow Apollos, follow Paul, saying it's all about Christ. We've we follow him and him alone. ⁓ he's really stressing that. The Corinthian church is in a ⁓ very diverse area, ⁓ has lots of other ⁓ religions and ⁓ pagan religions that are influencing the culture, and and many of those individuals are turning to Christ. ⁓ but yet they're bringing their pagan practices ⁓ into their new religion, right? And and so Paul is very concerned about this and is addressing ⁓ some specific issues. And ⁓ chapters five and six talk about three specific issues. one is is about incest, ⁓ w one is about suing another brother within the church, and then the other is dealing with going to prostitutes. so what you have Starting out in in chapter five, says, It is actual reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality ⁓ is not even named among the Gentiles, that a man has his father's wife. So basically somebody ⁓ has ⁓ slept with their father's wife. ⁓ so whether that would be their mom or maybe there was a divorce, we don't we don't have ⁓ all of the the details here. ⁓ and it And ⁓ Paul then goes on in verse two, says, ⁓ and you are puffed up and have not rather mourned ⁓ that he who has done this deed might be taken away from you. ⁓ So what Paul is saying is y'all are y'all know this behavior is going on and you're just allowing it to happen and not condemning the the behavior. ⁓ this it's interesting what he says, verse three, for I indeed, as absent in the body but present in the spirit, have already judged. a as though I was present, him who has done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together along with my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such one to Satan for the destruction of their flesh, that it has spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Now this is not a a popular preaching topic ⁓ or something to delve into in our culture today. We love to say, do not judge. ⁓ and there is Obviously, Jesus tells us not to judge. He's talking about it is not us who ⁓ judges whether someone is going to spend eternity with him or separated from him. ⁓ however, he never says not to judge what is good and right behavior. ⁓ and that's what Paul is talking about here. He's like, this behavior is immoral. And the fact that you are not ⁓ judging that behavior, and in fact, he goes even further. He says, This person says that they are part of your body, they that they are part of this church, and yet they are participating in this type of behavior, they they cannot be allowed to remain. ⁓ they need to be pushed out. Why? So that they will be convicted and that they will repent of their sin, that they will change, and then they can come back ⁓ and their spirit may be saved. ⁓ so this is very tough. Church discipline is very challenging and we mess it up all the time. ⁓ but what he is saying is that you cannot tolerate ⁓ immoral behavior and pretend that it is fine. It has to be called out. and and I think that's very relevant ⁓ for us today. We ⁓ we we live in a ⁓ time of rapidly changing sexual ⁓ norms. And there are many churches who have started accepting things that we have not in the past, ⁓ in order not to judge and in order to be inclusive. ⁓ that that is not the example we see in scripture. So if if you're going to go that route, you need to, I think, at least acknowledge that okay, we are we are not following scripture on this. I believe that we should follow scripture ⁓ no matter no matter what, even whenever it is challenging. ⁓ and and you know, again, this doesn't mean that we just kicked everyone out who is sinning in the church. This is clearly something that is widely known, that is reported, and that ⁓ that that they are acting as if it is okay. Right? They're they're saying, no, there's nothing wrong with this behavior. No, there is something wrong with this behavior. Verse six, Paul goes ⁓ into it even more. It says, Your glorying is not good. See, so they're glorying in this ⁓ behavior. Do you not know that a little leaven ⁓ leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that there may be a new lump, since you are truly unleavened, for indeed Christ ⁓ was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast not with old leaven nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. So again it there's no glee in this. This is Not something that they relish in doing, but they cannot glorify immoral behavior. ⁓ that cannot be done. And sadly, ⁓ I s we see that in many ⁓ churches today and in our own lives, that we we glory and revel in things that are ⁓ are not right or un ungodly. ⁓ he ⁓ he he then continues to ⁓ to talk about Says, I wrote to you not to keep company with sexually immoral people, as verse nine. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of the world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of this world. So what is he saying? He said, I I'm not saying that you don't ⁓ engage with people who are sinful. Those who are in the world, you need to be engaging with them. So that you can share the gospel with them. Right? So but those who are part of of the fellowship, part of the body of believers, cannot be allowed to just act in immoral ways and those immoral ways be glorified. See, there Paul is there is a different standard, if you will, from people in the world and people who are part of the claim to be part of the kingdom of God. Right. The that ⁓ Paul does not is not saying never engage those who are sinful. No, of course not. Right? We should be a light to those who are in darkness. ⁓ however, for those who claim to live for Christ, they need to be held accountable and to to to live up to those standards. ⁓ verse eleven, but now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother. Right. So that's someone who is part of the group who is sexually immoral, covetous, idolatry, reveler, drunkard, or an extortioner, not to even eat with such pers ⁓ person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore, put away from yourselves the evil person. Right? So it I I I think this is pretty clear. This is something that we don't like to hear. Because we certainly don't like to come across as judgmental, ⁓ but it is something very important ⁓ and that it is weakening our churches that when we do not stand up for what is right. ⁓ chapter six gets into not suing a brethren. ⁓ says, Dare any of you have a matter against another, go to the law before the unrighteous and not before the saints. So this again is ⁓ a disagreement between people within. the the fellowship. ⁓ it's saying, why are you going to an unrighteous government when you could settle this ⁓ between yourselves? ⁓ right, so this is civil stuff. This is ⁓ not obviously not ⁓ violence from one to another, ⁓ but it's a s a civil dispute. ⁓ you know, if if you don't have to bring in the outside ⁓ unrighteous courts, why do that? ⁓ it i it says ⁓ verse six, but ⁓ brother goes to law against brother and that before unbelievers. ⁓ it says ⁓ why why would you do that? Says verse seven, now therefore it is already an utter failure for you that you do that you go to the law against one another. Why do why do you rather accept wrong? Why do you rather let yourselves be cheated? No you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren. Why do you do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, ⁓ nor extortioners, ⁓ will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified by the Lord and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. I love there in verse eleven says, And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Right? We should be different. We should act and live differently than the world around us. and and that is so important ⁓ for us to understand and to wrestle with each and every day. ⁓ the the last part of chapter six ⁓ is talks about how Th there's those who are openly practicing prostitution. ⁓ now this is is normal. We see this. I say this is normal, this shouldn't be normal, but in that day it was very normal. And and that behavior was coming into the church, and people were bringing that with them. And again, Paul is saying, We we can't do this. We have to change. These these are not godly behaviors. And he says this, says, All things are lawful for me. But all things are not helpful. So okay, so it may be lawful for you to go to prostitutes, but that is not helpful. ⁓ all things are ⁓ all things are law for me lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Right? So says, you know, we should be ⁓ rejecting those behaviors that are ungodly because they can get grab and have power over us. ⁓ says ⁓ verse fifteen, do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not. Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? for the two, he says, shall become one flesh, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Then it says verse eighteen, flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that you're ⁓ body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and and you are not your own. For you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. You know, I I know sometimes we get tired of talking about sexual sin and I know ⁓ sometimes churches have in the past that it felt like that was the the focus of ⁓ you know, the Every sin ⁓ the the example is sexual sin. ⁓ well there are many other sins. However, sexual sin is debilitating and it destroys. It ⁓ destroys society around you, but also destroys you because there's something sacred about that act. That is a blessed act that God gave us ⁓ to be used in the right confines of marriage. Right? Not not to just be done however we want, ⁓ but to be done to glorify God. And that's when it is beautiful and it is something that comes from God. When we when we use it in other ways outside the will of God, it begins to destroy. And we see what it does to society and it if if people are honest with themselves, ⁓ what it does to them as well. ⁓ it doesn't mean that you can't be forgiven, doesn't mean that you can't overcome those things. Of course not. But it it is designed to be used ⁓ in a godly way. And and it's it's important that we do talk about it. and and I know it can be uncomfortable and and man, it w our society is drastic quickly going back to the sexual norms of pagan Rome. and we're going to have to to learn how to live within that and to truly live counterculturally, ⁓ because our bodies are not our own anymore. They reflect our relationship with God, ⁓ who has redeemed us, who has watched us wider than snow. All right. ⁓ begin reading First Corinthians ⁓ seven through fifteen. ⁓ I don't know if we'll get all the way through there, but we're going to ⁓ we'll probably split that up into two. But ⁓ first Corinthians seven through fifteen. All right. We'll see you on