7. Always A Place For You! Who? Series

INTRO:

ACTUAL TABLOID HEADLINES FROM “WEEKLY WORLD NEWS”

TIME-TRAVEL DOG FROM FUTURE HELD CAPTIVE! – WWN March 2006

MAN WITH LARGE FUZZY SLIPPERS CREATES ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO HEAT HIS HOUSE — WWN February 2006

URBAN PLANNING NIGHTMARE: SELF-BUILDING STRIP MALLS INVADE U.S. — WWN February 2006

ELVIS WAX FIGURE CRIES REAL TEARS — WWN February 2006

THE WAY TO A MAN’S HEART IS NOT THROUGH HIS STOMACH! SURGEON’S LICENSE REVOKED — WWN January 2006

SURVEY REVEALS BEST THINGS IN LIFE COST AT LEAST $5,000 — WWN December 2005

CONGRESS PREPARES TO REPEAL THE LAW OF GRAVITY — WWN December 2005

CAVE PAINTINGS REVEAL EXISTENCE OF PREHISTORIC INSURANCE SALESMAN! — WWN December 2005

EVIL LIFE-FORMS OOZE FROM VIDEO ARCADE AS . . . DEMONIC ELECTRO-PLASM SLIME TERRORIZES TOWN! — WWN November 2005

It’s obvious that when the tabloids don’t have a story, they simply make one up – and still they make all sorts of money selling their trashy version of “news”.

But what if the headline read – “Christian leader caught sleeping with step-mom”? Or “Christian Church Cesspool of Sin”? That is in a sense what Paul had discovered about the church at Corinth.

In the fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians, we get a chance to read about how the church in Corinth was handling the situation, and how Paul instructed them to change their tactics toward the person who was involved in this immorality.

This is an important topic because at CTK one of our slogans is “Always A Place For You”. As we study Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church regarding this situation, we’ll discover that there are certain types of people for whom this is true, and others for whom it cannot be upheld.

It is my desire that every person leave today understanding how the church is to deal with each of these types of people – and why it is so important.

1 Corinthians 5 (NIV)

1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

6Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

1. At CTK there is always a place for you…

…if you are a non-believer. (1 Cor. 5:12-13)

CTK’s Mission Statement:

To create an authentic Christian community that effectively reaches out to unchurched people with the love, acceptance, and forgiveness so that they may experience the joy of salvation and a purposeful life of discipleship.

Unchurched, unbelieving people are not simply welcomed to our church - they are SOUGHT! We love to have the chance in our small groups and in our times of worship together to share the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of Christ with people who have always felt condemned and judged by the Church in the past.

People who are unbelievers are welcome to come and listen and receive friendship and love from us for as long as they choose to come.

We believe that if they keep coming long enough they will begin to understand their need to receive Christ as their Savior and repent of their sin – but until they do that it is NOT our job to judge them. Speak the truth to them, yes. Judge them, no. As Paul said in verse 12 and 13 “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?…God will judge those outside.”