A Holy Church I Corinthians 5

A Holy Church

Reading of the Word: I Corinthians 5:1- 12, 6:9-11

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. ² And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

³ For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. ⁴ When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,⁵ you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people ¹⁰ not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹² For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? ¹³ God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Prayer:

A Holy Church

1. The Toleration of sin

1. The case of sin that Paul was confronting

I Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife.

1. Porneia is the Greek word used for sexual immorality in the Greek
2. The case of the man sleeping with his father's wife. (5:1)

2. The Corinthians' response to the sin

I Corinthians 5:2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

1. Paul takes issue with the individual's sin but is even more focused on the church's response to the sin.
2. Paul condemns them for being arrogant.

3. The church should have been mourning over the sin that was infecting the church.
4. The state of the Church today.

2. The Necessity of church discipline

I Corinthians 5:3-8 Let him who has done this be removed from among you.³ For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. ⁴ When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,⁵ you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. ⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

*Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote “Nothing can be more cruel than the tenderness that consigns another to his sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than that severe rebuke that calls a brother back from the path of sin” (Life Together,107)

RC Sproul wrote, “The Church is called not only to a ministry of reconciliation but a ministry of butte to those within her gates. Part of that nature includes church discipline.” (In Search of Dignity, 182)

If Mustang Creek Community Church is a place that develops effective followers of Christ, we also have to be a church that operates in church discipline.

1. The Procedure

1. This gathering is congregational.
2. This needs to be done with the power and in the authority of Jesus Christ.
3. Remove them from the body and do not have fellowship with them.
4. The goal is to bring the person back into full restoration. “So His spirit will be saved in the day of the Lord.”

2. The Purpose

(vs 6) ⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened.

1. The rhetorical question
2. Leavened bread.
3. Feast of the unleavened bread.

3. The Passover

Vs 7-8For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1. The cost of the Passover lamb
2. The spiritual significance of the Passover festival.

3. The call to repentance

I Corinthians 6:9-11 ⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1. Do not be deceived by sin
2. Your sin does not have to become your identity.
3. Jesus does not just forgive us; he transforms us.