Handling Life
Notes
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Sermon Tone Analysis
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Secular -
Secular -
Eddie Edwards, Ripley, Tennessee shared the following story:
A salesman talked my uncle into buying 10,000 personalized pens for his business with the promise that he would be eligible to win a 32-foot yacht. A born gambler, my uncle agreed.
Well, he won, and a few weeks after the pens arrived, his prize showed up: a 12-inch plastic yacht with 32 plastic feet glued to the bottom.
Sin is a lot like this. It will promise you a lot. However, when the promise arrives it looks nothing like you expected.
Historical/Cultural Context -
Historical/Cultural Context -
Paul preached the gospel in Corinth in the early 50s AD during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–18). When opposition grew fierce there, the Lord Jesus spoke to him in a vision assuring him that he had ‘many people’ in the city (Acts 18:10). With this encouragement, Paul stayed on for eighteen months, ‘teaching them the word of God’ (Acts 18:11). God used Paul’s ministry to bring about the birth and establishment of the church in Corinth.
Biblical Text -
Biblical Text -
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!
And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
-[Prayer]-
-[Prayer]-
Life Principle - Live In Sincerity & Truth, While Handling Blatant Sin Both Individually & Corporately.
Life Principle - Live In Sincerity & Truth, While Handling Blatant Sin Both Individually & Corporately.
Life Point- Handle Blatant Sin
Life Point- Handle Blatant Sin
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother.
You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
This sin in the church at Corinth wasn’t just simply tolerated, but accepted. The man is living with his stepmother. Paul says that even pagans don’t do this kind of thing.
Not only was the man accepted but the church was proud of this.
How were they proud?
We are not told specifically, but this man was probably not just your average church goer. He was more than likely what we would call a dedicated volunteer. Someone the church was grateful for.
You know this specific sin was not something that used to be common in America either, but today this happens outside of the church all the time.
If you google the phrase “man marries stepmother” you will come up with hundreds of articles about this very sin. That doesn’t include people who don’t make it into the news.
Billy Graham once said, “If God does not judge America for its’ sexual sins, then He owes Sodom and Gomorra an apology.” In other words, judgement is coming to America because of our wickedness.
This particular sin wasn’t even found amongst the pagans, the Gentiles. Nor was it found amongst the Jews.
‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.
The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness.
“A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor uncover his father’s bed.
‘Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
So how does this sin, and any other, come to be tolerated and even celebrated in churches today?
Well the thought process usually goes something like this:
God is love. If God is love then He will forgive me for my sin and I can live in sin because He forgives sin. Or, I am saved and cannot lose my salvation so I can sin all I want.
The problem with the second one shows that they were never really saved. Sin is something to be ashamed of, and repented of. Not something that we continue to live in, day in and day out. These kinds of people do not have their conscious cleansed before God, so hurting God in this way does not bother them.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
We know that those who are saved begin to grow the fruit of salvation. The longer we live in Christ the more obvious to all that this fruit is being produced.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
As for the first thought process Paul addressed this himself in the book of Romans:
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?
Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?
For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.
We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.
So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
So what does Paul so to do with such a man? Does he say to celebrate someone who is living in sin? No! Of course not.
Does he say to tolerate such a blatant and open sin in the midst of the church from one who counts themselves as a believer? No! He doesn’t.
He says that the man should be disfellowshipped. Removed from the local body of believers. This is called church discipline.
Church discipline is not something that practiced much today.
Why?
Because if you end up disfellowshipping someone or disciplining someone. Then they just go to the church a block down the street where their sin will be tolerated. Does this mean we should not engage in church discipline? No. We follow Christ and not man. Blatant and open rebellion against God should not be tolerated in the church.
Illustration -
Illustration -
I have plenty examples of sexual sin in the church. However, I would like to share one.
A man, who was deacon, was asked by a woman to counsel with her about her marriage. Here are the red flags:
1. He was widowed
2. They met alone
3. He was not trained to do pastoral counseling in an official setting.
I never meet with anyone of the opposite gender for official counseling by myself. That is my policy.
What ended up happening was that she left her husband and married this man. Not only was the sin tolerated in the church, but people actually were glad for it. They lauded them for such a wonderful match.
This was over 15 years ago. There was no church discipline of any kind. As a matter of fact they are seen as upstanding members of their church to this very day.
I’m sorry folks, but this is a problem in the modern church in America. Open blatant sexual sin is not only tolerated in the church today but is applauded.
I read a news story this week that the 2nd largest United Methodist Church just pulled out of the UMC. This is a big deal as they have 14,000 members. They said they were tired of the blatant and open sin the denomination has been involved in. Such as ordaining homosexuals to ministry.
In our own denomination, if you were here for Enemies Within The Church this past Wednesday, you would know that there is a slide toward progressivism and wokeness starting to happen. I ask you to pray for the Souther Baptist Convention that our leaders would return to Christian Conservatism and stand up for Biblical principles.
Life Point - Live In Sincerity & Truth
Life Point - Live In Sincerity & Truth
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man
in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus.
Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.
Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?
Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.
So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
What is the ultimate goal of church discipline?
It is that the person will repent and return to fellowship.
In a previous church, where I served as an Associate Pastor, I saw it work. The individual was disfellowshipped from the church and a few weeks later they showed back up and stood at the end of service and apologized for their open rebellion to the church. You see, they were a gossip and their gossiping was tearing the church apart. So church discipline kicked in and did what it was supposed to do.
“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.
But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.
If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
Amazing what happens when we actually follow the scriptures isn’t it? You know where else someone was turned over to Satan for his betterment and repentance?
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
Paul now gives an example of what a little bit of sin can do, not only to a church but an individual.
Just a little yeast ruins unleavened bread.
Sin, the Flesh can ruin a church and cause grievance of the Holy Spirit. Not only does church discipline not only bring a person who is in sin into confront their sin and get it right, whether they choose to do so or not; but it removes the sin from the congregation where it won’t work it’s way through the dough and ruin the local church.
Paul uses this illustration in Galatians as well:
But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.
For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?
It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom.
This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!
I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.
Jesus had a similar illustration about the pharisees and sadducees. They would twist the scriptures to suit them and cause the people to openly sin:
Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread.
“Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread.
Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread?
Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up?
Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up?
Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ ”
Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Christian life comes down to one thing. Pleasing God. Doing His will not out of some sense of duty, but because you love Him and don’t want to hurt Him. Knowing that He wants us to be Holy ought to be enough for us to want to be Holy.
because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Life Principle– Live In Sincerity & Truth, While Handling Blatant Sin Both Individually & Corporately.
Life Principle– Live In Sincerity & Truth, While Handling Blatant Sin Both Individually & Corporately.
Call to Action – altar call….
Call to Action – altar call….