SIN ACCOMODATING CHURCHES-V—1Cor. 5:1-13
Attention:
Pretense Golf:
Negotiations between union members & their employer were at an impasse. The union denied that their workers were flagrantly abusing their contract's sick-leave provisions.
One morning at the bargaining table, the company's chief negotiator held aloft the morning edition of the newspaper, “This man,” he announced, “Called in Sick yesterday!”
There on the sports page, was a photo of the supposedly ill employee, who had just won a local golf tournament with an excellent score.
The silence in the room was broken by a union negotiator...
“Wow,” he said. “Think of what kind of score he could have had if he hadn't been sick!”
*To Dance around a problem rather than taking care of a problem.
Similarly, The Church proper is populated by Christians, all of the same heritage...they are brothers & sisters by the blood of Jesus. None of them are Christian sympathizers, they are actual Christians!
However, the sympathizers are readily invited to witness & be involved with the true Christian work but only to a limited extent...
...Because...
1)The church works so closely with the world, & that...
2)We cannot ultimately determine the reality of anyone’s salvation(only God can per 1Cor. 4-5) & that...
3)We minister with those who consider themselves ‘saved,’ the church can inadvertently & ignorantly become party to worldliness.
4)Our hearts can deceive us so that we think we are doing God service when in fact we are undermining the Kingdom(Jer. 17:9-10; Jn. 16:2-3)!
Such a hodge-podge can invite a label of ‘hypocrisy’ upon the Church among outsiders, who lump all so-called ‘Christians’ together, assuming everyone who claims the name ‘Christian’ is the ‘real-deal’...
Such a hodge-podge can also invite a label of ‘hypocrisy’ upon the Church from insiders, who impose legalism upon the Church in order to ‘weed out’ sympathizers from the ‘real deal’!
Regardless, neither the lost nor the church can afford to submit to such abuse.
SIN ACCOMODATING CHURCHES-V—1Cor. 5:1-13
Paul admonished(called out) the Corinthian church because they had allowed/accommodated heinous sin in their midst.
The church must not accommodate sin in their midst.
*How can the true church effectively act against sin in their midst?
When does a church accommodate sin?
9 deficiencies of sin accommodating churches.
We had previously visited the fact that,
Sin Accommodating Churches skirt/deny...
1. BASELINES(:1)
2. BROKENNESS(:2)
3. God’s PRESENCE(:3)
4. AVAILABLE ARSENAL/Weaponry(:4)
5. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY(:5)—See #10 :13
6—Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
DAMAGE POTENTIAL(:6)
Explanation:(:6)Sin’s potential for damage/Collateral-Inadvertent Damage.
:6—“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
Again possibly...“puffed up with their lenity & forbearance, boasting of it as an act of humanity & good nature, & an instance of charity, showing that they were not severe upon one another, for mistakes in life”—John Gill
The church’s “glorying” in their handling of this moral question is somewhat understandable if one considers that their focus was entirely upon the skewed ‘unconditionality’ of love. This is the problem with any lop-sided & thus namby-pamby ‘gospel.’ Their problem:—This church preached love to such an extent, that everything became forgivable & thus acceptable, while nothing became condemnable. Preaching love to the exclusion of calling sin, “sin” is damning to any church & people. The whole counsel of God must be preached, taught, held to, & maintained in the body of Christ!
When Christians use the term ‘Unconditional love’ what we actually mean is that no sin in your past is so heinous that the blood of Jesus cannot cover it! Once you are saved, God will never hold your past sins against you, so that you can never be condemned by it/them!
Rev. 2:14-16; 20-23; 3:1-3—“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, & to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. ‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly & will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”.....“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach & seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality & eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, & she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, & those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, & all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds & hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”.....“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God & the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, & strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received & heard; hold fast & repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, & you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” A little bit of falsehood or perversion or iniquity can indeed pervade the entire local church & beyond. Think of the many lost who have been damned to hell because the church did not take its God-ordained authority in Christ, to heart(which authority Paul will address in chapter 6:1-11).
“...the pervasive power of leaven...” “Compare the pervasive power of germs of disease in the body as they spread through the body” unchecked.—RWP
*A Positive use of “leaven”—Mat. 13:33—“Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took & hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
“Glorying”—kauchma—1) That of which one glories or can glory, matter or ground of glorying; 2) A glorying or boasting. Strong—A boast(properly, the object; by implication, the act) in a good or a bad sense. Used 11X.
“Good”—kalov—Adj.—1) Beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable. Kalov is a much higher word[than either asteiov or wraiov]. It means beautiful, physically or morally. It is, however, distinctly the beauty which comes from harmony, the beauty which arises from a symmetrical adjustment in right proportion, in other words, from the harmonious completeness of the object concerned. Strong—of uncertain affinity; properly--Beautiful, but chiefly figuratively--Good(literally or morally), i.e. Valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use, & thus distinguished from agayov, which is properly intrinsic).
“Know”—eidw/oida—Perfect Active Indicative—1)To see; 2)To know. Strong—a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent optanomai & oraw; properly--To see (literally or figuratively); by implication(in the perfect only)--To know.
“Little”—mikrov—Adj.—1) Small, little. Strong—apparently a primary word; Small(in size, quantity, number or figuratively--Dignity).
“Leaven”(See :7, 8)—zumh—Noun Fem.—1) Leaven; 2) metaph.--Of inveterate mental & moral corruption, viewed in its tendency to infect others. Leaven is applied to that which, though small in quantity, yet by its influence thoroughly pervades a thing; either in a good sense...or in a bad sense, of a pernicious influence... Strong—probably from zew[To be hot(boil, of liquids; or glow, of solids), i.e. figuratively--Be fervid(earnest)]; Ferment(as if boiling up).
“Leavens”—zumow—Present Active Indicative—1) To leaven; 2) To mix leaven with dough so as to make it ferment. Strong—To cause to ferment.
“Whole”—olov—Adj.—1) All, whole, completely. Strong—a primary word; “Whole” or “All”, i.e. complete(in extent, amount, time or degree), especially(neuter) as noun or adverb.
“Lump”(See :7)—furama—1) Any substance mixed with water & kneaded; 2) A mass, a lump—2a) Of dough, 2b) Of clay. Strong—from a prolonged form of furw(to mix a liquid with a solid; perhaps akin to fuw[To puff, blow or swell up] through the idea of swelling in bulk), Mean to knead; A mass of dough.
Argumentation:
Ezra 4:7-16—“In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, & the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; & the letter was written in Aramaic script, & translated into the Aramaic language. Rehum the commander & Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion: From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, & the rest of their companions--representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia & Erech & Babylon & Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, & the rest of the nations whom the great & noble Osnapper took captive & settled in the cities of Samaria & the remainder beyond the River--& so forth. (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, & so forth: Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, & are building the rebellious & evil city, & are finishing its walls & repairing the foundations. Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built & the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, & the king’s treasury will be diminished. Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent & informed the king, that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records & know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings & provinces, & that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed. We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt & its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.”
King, If you do this, some things are going to be set in motion which you have not fully anticipated....things detrimental to your reign & entire belief system. ‘Give ‘em an inch, they’ll take a mile.’
Israel wanted a human king regardless of the ensuing damage it would bring about thru unchecked human trusts & lusts(Deut. 17:14-20; 1Sam. 8:4-22):
Deut. 17:14-20—“When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, & possess it & dwell in it, & say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ “you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver & gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, & he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God & be careful to observe all the words of this law & these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, & that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he & his children in the midst of Israel.”
**1Sam. 8:4-21—Then all the elders of Israel gathered together & came to Samuel at Ramah, & said to him, “Look, you are old, & your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day--with which they have forsaken Me & served other gods--so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, & show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons & appoint them for his own chariots & to be his horsemen, & some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands & captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground & reap his harvest, & some to make his weapons of war & equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, & bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, & your olive groves, & give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain & your vintage, & give it to his officers & servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, & your donkeys, & put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, & the LORD will not hear you in that day.” Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; & they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, & that our king may judge us...& go out before us & fight our battles.” And Samuel heard all the words of the people, & he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.”
They wanted a man rather than YaHWeH God—Someone they could see vs. someone they could not see, working thru a man(Moses).
Rom. 5:15-19—“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God & the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace & of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s[Adam’s] offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s[Jesus’] righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
**1Cor. 15:33-34—“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, & do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”
**Mat. 16:4-6, 12—“A wicked & adulterous generation seeks after a sign, & no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them & departed. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed & beware of the leaven of the Pharisees & the Sadducees.”.....“Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees & Sadducees.”
**Gal. 5:1-9—“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, & do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
**2Tim. 2:10-19—“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane & idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus & Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; & they overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” &, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
**1Pet. 2:11-12—“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners & pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Illustration:
*I am always using Sharpie Fluorescent Yellow Highlighters/I use them to highlight commentaries & reference books/The markers eventually get all the ‘goody’ used up in them & I have to throw them away...BUT every once in a while I will inadvertently, unintentionally mark a bulletin or a sheet of paper I have printed from my inkjet printer, or highlight a pencil or ink pen underlining/Those markers I have to reserve for only inkjet, & pencil & ink pen material(newspapers, cheaper catalogs, anything not printed on glossy paper, etc.)/The problem is that the ink is not ‘sealed’ to the page & it bleeds into the highlighter/That, in turn, causes the color of the fluorescent highlighter to have much less contrast & loses its effectiveness, cheaper paper also absorbs more of the highlighter so that it doesn’t last as long as it should/DAMAGE POTENTIAL
FBCC has a hedge on the east side of the sanctuary/It is a hedge of some type of ‘boxwood’—A widely planted ‘foundation’ plant/However it is not a homologous group of plants!/If you look at it, it has other green things that are growing along with the boxwoods/There are cat briers, palms, & cherry laurels, which regularly take root in the boxwoods!/To leave the ‘weed’ plants in the middle of the boxwoods will eventually destroy the effectiveness of the boxwoods—Their ability as a hedge will be minimal at best!/DAMAGE POTENTIAL
Yeast works its way thru an entire ball of dough(flour, sugar, water, oil, salt)/Without the yeast, the bread is considered unleavened—A flatbread, tortilla, pita, wrap, etc./DAMAGE POTENTIAL
Application:
?Your Church Skirt DAMAGE POTENTIAL?
?Does Your Church Accommodate Sin?
7—Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
RE-CREATION(:7-8)
Explanation:(:7-8)Born again
:7—“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.”
Thus, Paul seeks to realign & restore the Corinthian church’s lop-sided gospel by having them outwardly act(“purge out”) on their inward conviction of the sin within their midst.
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump,...”
The church is charged with “purging” that which represents the “old leaven” of identified & accommodated sinfulness within them. “Old leaven” is anything that dishonors Christ. It is the “old” leaven of pride-driven ‘rule-following’(keeping the law) or it’s total lack(denying the authority of the word of God). It is the “old” leaven of being puffed up or boasting(:2)—liberalism—no objective truth at all...merely ‘guidelines.’ It is the “old” leaven of granting safe harbor to that which is heinous sin in God’s eyes.
Churches tend to do this the same way the Pharisees used to attempt to keep themselves pure, by hedging in the law with human measurements.
By stating in our ‘laws’ the church’s rejection of certain sins(By-laws, Church Covenant, Confirmational Statements, etc.), we ironically become promoters & peddlers of the very thing which we are powerless to do—‘live’ by law!(whereas we truly live by faith). And we become the protectors & enforcers of such human law, claiming we are serving God. Legalism(law keeping) makes us slaves to man’s religion! That’s why God despises legalism, & why I do too, & you should too!
*Legalism is about tangible control. We can use a checklist of obvious things, not against ourselves, but against others.
*When we try so very hard to maintain the ‘purity’ of our church, even the denominational allegiances of our church, it can very easily turn on us.
*We all become ‘keepers of the Church’ by loving God so much that I am willing to personally sacrifice my self—my desire—so that I may know & honor God!
*When we stand before God neither saved nor lost will be judged on whether they’re Southern Baptists(or Church of God, or Assembly of God, Methodist, or Catholic, etc..)!
But James refers to the freedom of Christian life as being couched in the perfect Law of Liberty.
Js. 1:25—“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty & continues in it, & is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
Gal. 5:1-9, 13-15—“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, & do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”.....“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
1Pet. 2:15-16—“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
Yet there are instances where the church must be purged! And this is one of them.
There is another purpose(:5) to the church’s “purging.” Once the purging is complete, the church will be a “new lump.” With the absence of the “leaven,” this “lump” of dough is entirely “new,” or different, or of different consistency, being unaffected by the “leavening agent.”
“Therefore”[TR & Byz]—oun—Particle—1) Then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so. Strong—apparently a primary word; adverbially--Certainly, or conjunctionally--Accordingly.
“Purge out”—ekkayairw—1) To cleanse out, clean thoroughly, to cleanse. Used 2X.
From—ek—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote)—&—kayairw—To cleanse, i.e. specially--To prune; figuratively--To expiate.
“Old”(See :8)—palaiov—Adj.—1) Old, ancient; 2) No longer new, worn by use, the worse for wear, old. With palaiov the simple idea of time dominates, while arcaiov often carries with it a suggestion of nature or original character. Palaiov is that which has been in existence for a long time, arcaiov that which has been from the beginning. Strong—Antique, i.e. Not recent, worn out.
“Be”—w; including the oblique forms, as well as hv; h—the subjunctive of eimi; (may, might, can, could, would, should, must, etc.; also with ei & its comparative, as well as with other particles)--Be.
“New”—neov—Adj.—1) Recently born, young, youthful; 2) New. Neov denotes the new primarily in reference to time, the young, recent. Neov is the new as contemplated under the aspect of time, that which has recently come into existence. Strong—a primary word; “New”, i.e. of persons--Youthful, or of things--Fresh; figuratively--Regenerate.
“Lump”(See :6)—furama—Used 5X.
“...since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
It is non-sensical for “unleavened” bread to have leavening agents in it! Leavening changes the make-up of the bread entirely!
The church(local & universal) was saved(“unleavened”/set apart for God’s use) by means of Christ’s “Passover” “sacrifice” for the Corinthian Christians as well as for all true Christians of all time. Thus through Christ Jesus, condemnation passes over/beyond the believer.
For the Christian, Christ Jesus Himself is our “Passover” securing for us, life in Him.
Christ Jesus did not become our “Passover” so that we would ignore, take lightly, or sideline the forgiveness of our sin. He did not give of Himself so we would go back to living in sin. He became our “Passover” thru willingly surrendering His life for the sake of the entire world. Giving everyone the opportunity to trust his payment, & His desire for us to be in His presence eternally.
“Truly are/Are”—este—1) second person plural of “To be.” Strong—second person plural present indicative of eimi[I am]; Ye are.
“Unleavened”(See :8)—azumov—Adj.—1) Unfermented, free from leaven or yeast—1a) Of the unleavened loaves used in the paschal feast of the Jews, 1b) metaph.--Free from faults or the “leaven of iniquity.” Strong—from A(as a negative particle) & zumh[Ferment (as if boiling up)]; Unleavened, i.e. figuratively--Uncorrupted; (in the neutral plural)specially(by implication)--The Passover week. Used 9X.
“Indeed”(See :10—“Yet”)—kai—Conjunction—1) And, also, even, indeed, but.
“Our”—hmwn—Pronoun—1) Our, we, us. Strong—genitive case plural of egw[I, me]; Of (or from) us.
“Passover”—pasca—1) The paschal sacrifice(which was accustomed to be offered for the people's deliverance of old from Egypt); 2) The paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay & eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan(the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay & eat a lamb, & to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb; 3) The paschal supper; 4) The paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan. Strong—of Aramaic origin [compare xop peh'-sakh]; the Passover(the meal, the day, the festival or the special sacrifices connected with it).
“Sacrificed”—yuw—1) To sacrifice, immolate; 2) To slay, kill; 3) Slaughter. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To rush(breathe hard, blow, smoke), i.e. by implication--To sacrifice(properly, by fire, but genitive case); by extension--To immolate(slaughter for any purpose). Used 14X.
“For us”[TR & Byz]—uper—Preposition—1) In behalf of, for the sake of; 2) Over, beyond, more than; 3) More, beyond, over. Strong—a primary preposition; “Over”, i.e. (with the genitive case)of place--Above, beyond, across, or causal--For the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative case--Superior to, more than.
:8—“Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice & wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity & truth.”
Due to the above truths(:6-7) regarding Christ our Passover, we are required to “keep the feast’ in its prescribed manner with its full intention of prioritizing the actual(not pretended) forgiveness of sin. Properly “keeping the feast” in Christ, the “old leaven”(of religion & law keeping) must be disengaged/let go/released.
We are likewise to be specifically disengaged from both “malice & wickedness,” of which both are “leavening” agents. That is, these are readily recognized & openly, yet dangerously pervasive, easily effecting every fiber of our being, & originating in the heart directed by flesh.
Therefore we must rightly “keep the feast” thru the recognizable traits/virtues of “sincerity & truth.” These virtues are pictured as “unleavened” bread in the Passover celebration, which pictures the absence of sin. “Sincerity & truth” are evidence of the fulfillment of Christ as our Passover. By them, we are obviously “keeping the feast” according to God’s desire.
Jn. 4:21-24—Jesus said to her[the Samaritan woman at the well], “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, & now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit & truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, & those who worship Him must worship in spirit & truth.”
Ex. 12:12-15—“‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, & will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man & beast; & against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; & the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; & you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
?What originally brought you to repentance?...What got your attention on the day you were saved?... & What has gotten your attention as you have steadily become ‘set apart’ thru the years, for God’s use?
?Do you think it is possible to both...Experience life in Christ while simultaneously maintaining a heart of maliciousness & wickedness?
“Therefore”—wste—Particle—1) So that, insomuch that; 2) So then, therefore, wherefore. Strong—So too, i.e. Thus, therefore.
“Keep”—eortazw—1) To keep a feast day, celebrate a feast. Strong—from eorth[A festival]; To observe a festival Used 1X.
“Old”(See :7)—palaiov—Adj.—1) Old, ancient; 2) No longer new, worn by use, the worse for wear, old. With palaiov the simple idea of time dominates, while arcaiov often carries with it a suggestion of nature or original character. Palaiov is that which has been in existence for a long time, arcaiov that which has been from the beginning. Strong—Antique, i.e. Not recent, worn out.
“Leaven”2X(See :6, 7)—zumh—
“Malice”—kakia—Noun Fem.—1) Malignity, malice, ill-will, desire to injure; 2) Wickedness, depravity—2a) Wickedness that is not ashamed to break laws; 3) Evil, trouble. Kakia denotes a vicious disposition. Strong—Badness, i.e. subjectively--Depravity, or actively--Malignity, or passively--Trouble. Used 11X.
“Wickedness”—ponhria—Noun fem.—1) Depravity, iniquity, wickedness; 2) Malice; 3) Evil purposes & desires. Ponhria denotes the active exercise of a vicious disposition. Strong—Depravity, i.e. specifically--Malice; plural(concretely)--Plots, sins. Used 7X.
“Unleavened”(See :7)—azumov—Adj.—1) Unfermented, free from leaven or yeast—1a) Of the unleavened loaves used in the paschal feast of the Jews, 1b) metaph.--Free from faults or the “leaven of iniquity.” Strong—from A(as a negative particle) & zumh[Ferment (as if boiling up)]; Unleavened, i.e. figuratively--Uncorrupted; (in the neutral plural)specially(by implication)--The Passover week. Used 9X.
“Sincerity”—eilikrineia—Noun Fem.—1) Purity, sincerity, ingenuousness. Strong—Clearness, i.e. by implication--Purity(figuratively). Used 3X.
From—eilikrinhv— from eilh(the sun's ray)— & —krinw—1) To separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose; 2) To approve, esteem, to prefer; 3) To be of opinion, deem, think, to be of opinion; 4) To determine, resolve, decree; 5) To judge; 6) To rule, govern; 7) To contend together, of warriors & combatants. Strong—properly--To distinguish, i.e. Decide(mentally or judicially); by implication--To try, condemn, punish.
“Truth”—alhyeia—Noun Fem.—1) objectively—1a) What is true in any matter under consideration, 1b) What is true in things appertaining to God & the duties of man, moral & religious truth, 1c) The truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God & the execution of his purposes through Christ, & respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles & the inventions of the Jews, & the corrupt opinions & precepts of false teachers even among Christians; 2) subjectively—2a) Truth as a personal excellence—2a1) that candor of mind which is free from affection, pretense, simulation, falsehood, deceit. Strong—Truth.
Argumentation:
**2Cor. 5:14-17—“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; & He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them & rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
**Ezek. 11:17-21—“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, & I will give you the land of Israel.”’ And they will go there, & they will take away all its detestable things & all its abominations from there. Then I will give them one heart, & I will put a new spirit within them, & take the stony heart out of their flesh, & give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes & keep My judgments & do them; & they shall be My people, & I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things & their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.”
Ezek. 18:29-32—““Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, & your ways which are not fair? “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, & turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, & get yourselves a new heart & a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn & live!””
**Jn. 3:3—“Jesus answered & said to him[Nicodemus], “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Rom. 7:6—“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit & not in the oldness of the letter.”
**Rom. 6:4-6, 12-13—“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”.....“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Gal. 6:12-16—“As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, & I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace & mercy be upon them, & upon the Israel of God.”
**Eph. 2:8-10—“For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
**Eph. 2:11-19—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, & that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came & preached peace to you who were afar off & to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers & foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints & members of the household of God,”
**Rom. 14:20-23—“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
Illustration:
Recycling—Recycled plastics/Can take a frisbee & melt it down—totally change its old design or use— combine it with other plastics & make an oxygen mask to keep someone alive during surgery/RE-CREATION
History is informative & preserving the past is of limited use, but to be recreated so that I am useable NOW is best!/RE-CREATION
Application:
?Your Church Skirt RE-CREATION?
?Does Your Church Accommodate Sin?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The union negotiator of the ‘sick’ employee’s winning the golf tournament—“Wow,” he said. “Think of what kind of score he could have had if he hadn't been sick?!”
Action:
Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
6. DAMAGE POTENTIAL(:6)
7. RE-CREATION(:7-8)
1. BASELINES(:1)
2. BROKENNESS(:2)
3. God’s PRESENCE(:3)
4. AVAILABLE ARSENAL/Weaponry(:4)
5. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY(:5)—See #10 :13
Pts. 6-7 Presented 09/25/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave SE(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
