WHAT MUST I DO? KEEP HIS CHURCH PURE
1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-13
Big Idea: Sin brings death and when sin is permitted to linger within a congregation it kills its body life and ministry.
INTRO:
A few years back I bought an electric guitar. The seller only wanted $50.00 for it and he told me upfront that it was a lesser quality guitar and that it had stopped working. Sure enough, we plugged it into an amp and it would not make a sound.
I took a chance and bought it. Before I took it home I took it to a repair shop so they could appraise it for me and repair it. They took the plate off the back where the electronics were kept and blew air into all the circuits. Then they plugged it in and it played like it was new. Dust had gotten into the circuitry and blocked the signals; the electronic signals could not be transferred from the guitar to the amp. I still have that inexpensive guitar and it still plays wonderfully.
There is a sense in which sin does the same thing in a church. It breaks the circuit … it prevents the energy from flowing from the Source (God’s Holy Spirit) to the receiver (His church). The Bible teaches us that sin brings death and, when allowed to linger within a congregation, it short-circuits/kills fellowship, body-life, ministry, worship, and the church’s testimony.
The church in Corinth is an example of what this tragedy looks like.
Listen to Paul’s words on this matter. You will notice the “must” statement in verse 11.
1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-13
1 It 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. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even 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. 4 When 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, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get 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. 8 Therefore 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. 9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--10 not 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. 11 But 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. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
Those are strong strong words! They were written to a divided and disgraced church. Sin was stopping the flow of divine energy and it was killing this church in every way you could imagine and the congregation was not willing to address it. In fact, they were boasting in their open-mindedness and tolerance.
Paul insists that the church address the sin within its midst and presents this church with three considerations. But please remember, as John MacArthur rightly points out “Paul’s thrust in this chapter is for the disciplining of persistently sinning church members.” It is about openly and accepted sinful behavior.
1. CONSIDER THE CHURCH.
“What will sin do to this church?” is certainly a consideration. We are called to be “saints” – holy ones – and if a believer loves Christ’s church he/she will not stand by and watch sin weaken it and ruin its testimony.
Did you notice that Paul admonitions are not directed at those who are involved in the immortality? They are directed at those who were not involved but were rationalizing the behavior and tolerating it. In the first four chapters of the letter Paul addressed sins of the mind and heart … impure philosophy … sins of attitude and and intellect. But in chapter five Paul addresses sins of the flesh. You see; our rationalization, pride, sanctimony, and thought life always end of expressing themselves in sins of the flesh.
Paul gives three specific instructions for the church to follow:
(i) Mourn over sin (5:1-2)
Paul says “Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief?”
The word for grief is the strongest word he could use. It is the word used for mourning over the dead which is what sin was doing to this church … killing it.
The Christian life is supposed to be a feast (v.8) but sin was making it into a funeral.
(ii) Judge the sin (5:3-5)
While Christians are never to judge one another’s motives (Matthew 7:1-5) we are most certainly expected to be honest about one another’s conduct (v. 12). Paul uses strong words to address the unrepentant offender doesn’t he?
> "put out of your fellowship" (v. 2)
> "hand this man over to Satan" (v. 5)
> "Get rid of the old yeast" (v. 7)
> "Expel the wicked man from among you" (v.13)
(iii) Purge the sin (5:5-13)
Leaven (yeast) is a picture of sin in the Scriptures.
> Like yeast which puffs up the dough, sin puffs up the sinner.
> Like yeast, sin spreads
> Like yeast sin, defiles and defines the entire loaf
John Wesley is to have said, “What one generation tolerates the next generation will embrace.”
Sin, you see, is a cancer in the body and drastic surgery is required. The church is called to purge itself of the old life. Malice and wickedness are mentioned (there were a great deal of hard feelings amongst the church in Corinth) they are to be replaced with Godly traits like sincerity and truth.
We are told to:
1. Consider the Church.
2. CONSIDER THE SINNER
As I said, John MacArthur rightly points out that “Paul’s thrust in this chapter is for the disciplining of persistently sinning church members.”
> It is not permission to put cameras in each other’s homes, commission spiritual spies, spread hints and allegations or to create a morality police force.
> It is not designed to be how we address those who fall or those who are weak and struggling with a sinful habit. There is a means and method of coming to such a brother’s or sister’s aid.
This is about those who confess to follow Christ but are brazenly and openly living in sin. In fact, Paul is himself modeling this as he writes. This church was brazenly and openly tolerating sin – a sin itself – and Paul was addressing publicly their public behavior. And he was insisting they consider the sinner involved.
“Hand this man over to Satan” was not about sending this man to hell or refusing him salvation. It was to allow sin to run its course within the offender so that its consequences would bring him to repentance. On too many occasions we try and insulate the offender from the consequences of their actions and in doing so we actually enable and embolden them to continue.
They are even told not to eat with him (v.11). In light of the Passover conversation right before these words (and the lengthy conversation Paul will later have with this church about its communion practices) it is safe to assume they are being told not to allow Him to receive the Lord’s Supper. To deny someone communion is a very big deal!
But why the harsh treatment? It is just to purge sin from their midst? Are there no other motivations for these actions other than just judgment and exposure? Yes. The reason for judgment was actually for his well-being. There is a greater motivation – it is to restore the sinner.
You see, in the midst of God’s wrath is God’s grace.
We must never forget that addressing sin within the body is not a “done and done” project. It has a goal … restoration. And on this note I have encouraging news … Warren Wiersbe takes us to Paul’s second letter to this church (2 Corinthians 2:1-11) where we discover that this particular offender did repent and was restored. God knows what he is doing doesn’t he?
Never forget that the same Holy Spirit which resides in you also resides in the black slider. The wayward Christian may be the most miserable person in the world and when we follow God’s instructions on dealing with them it gives God’s Spirit a window to chasten and call them to repentance.
We are told to:
1. Consider the Church.
2. Consider the Sinner
3. CONSIDER THE LORD (V. 4)
Jesus is the one we are to reflect in our lives and church.
Paul says “you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus … and the power of our Lord Jesus is present” (v.4). I cannot help but notice to repetition of the word “Lord.” It means “master” and insinuates that we have taken the role of obedient servant. It means we have denied ourselves and taken up the cross and followed Him. You cannot follow Jesus and live in sin nor can we follow Jesus and be a church that tolerates sinful behavior. Such behavior impunes the reputation and testimony of Jesus’ church and I cannot see how any born-again believer can be casual or okay with bringing his name into disrepute.
The blood He shed to spare us sin’s death is a serious matter. Paul says, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival … with … sincerity and truth.” (v. 7 -8)
WRAP-UP
COMMUNION
Paul’s words in Chapter 5 are a call for both unity and purity within the church. Addressing the sin within the congregation is essential to preserve the soul of the sinner and the ministry of the church. It is on these two fronts that the battle is won or lost. Both unity and purity must be achieved, preserved, and protected. And both are only possible when God’s people pursue holiness. The imperative here, my friends, is that everyone who confesses Christ as Lord repent of their sin. When the church stresses this and calls its members to holiness the condition described here will never happen.
When we choose the way of the cross God’s church will experience both purity and unity.
And remember, what God says we “must” do – He knows we can do!
We are moving from Word to Table now. As we prepare to receive communion I strongly challenge to you take inventory of your life and lifestyle. Anyone who confesses Christ as Lord is welcome at the table but we do not do so lightly. It is a sober thing to identify with Chris’s sacrifice for sin and at the very least it should reflect that we have not only experienced God’s forgiveness for sin but also deliverance from sin’s grip.
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
