SIN ACCOMODATING CHURCHES-III—1Cor. 5:1-13
Attention:
In the days of wooden ships & boats—A ship or boat whose hull is known to have shipworms below the water-line. Shipworms have an overwhelming presence in every ocean. In the 1700’s the British covered the hulls with copper. In the 1800’s creosote began to be used as a deterrent.
Suppose a captain docks the boat not concerned with the detrimental shipworms. The boat is given harbor, protected from the wind & adverse weather, all the while allowing the shipworms to infest the boats & docks of others, weakening that which is depended upon.
*Dance around rather than approaching an object.
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’!
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?
10 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—Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
AVAILABLE ARSENAL/Weaponry(:4)
Explanation:(:4)Evident/Provisioned power
:4—“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,”
By “the name of” the Church’s & Paul’s “Lord Jesus Christ” there must be action taken(:5). When the Church is “gathered together,” it is openly recognized as the representation of Christ’s body on earth. They are also “gathered together” “along with” Paul’s “spirit(his judgment/determination(:3)), as well as “with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thus the Corinthian church is to enter an action concisely described in :5. It is the righteous compulsion of the Church to do so.
“& meeting in the name of our Lord Jesus”...“if taken with "gathered together"(sunacyentwn) Paul assumes less apostolic prerogative to himself. But he did have such power & used it against Elymas (Ac 13:8ff) as Peter did against Ananias & Sapphira (Ac 5:1ff).”—RWP
“Name”(See :1—onomazw)—onoma—1) Name: universally of proper names; 2) The name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.; 3) Persons reckoned up by name; 4) The cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason. Strong—A “name”(literally or figuratively) (authority, character).
“Lord”2X—kuriov—
“Jesus”2X—Ihsouv—
“Christ”2X(TR & Byz.)—Cristov—
“Gathered together”—sunagw—1) To gather together, to gather; 2) To bring together, assemble, collect; 3) To lead with one's self. Strong—To lead together, i.e. Collect or convene; specifically--To entertain(hospitably).
“Along with”—umwn kai—= ‘y’all &’—umwn—Pronoun—1) Of yours. Strong—Of(from or concerning) you.
“Spirit”(See :3, 5)—pneuma—
“With”—sun—Preposition—
“Power”—dunamiv—1) Strength power, ability—1a) Inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts & puts forth, 1b) Power for performing miracles, 1c) Moral power & excellence of soul, 1d) The power & influence which belong to riches & wealth, 1e) Power & resources arising from numbers, 1f) Power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts. Dunamiv is power, natural ability, general & inherent. Strong—Force(literally or figuratively); specially--Miraculous power(usually by implication, a miracle itself).
Argumentation:
**2Cor. 10:1-13—“Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness & gentleness of Christ--who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification & not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed-- lest I seem to terrify you by letters. “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty & powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, & his speech contemptible.” Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, & comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us--a sphere which especially includes you.”
Let’s look concisely at 2 prophets. Some of you might smugly say, “Well preacher I’m not a prophet, so this doesn’t apply to me.” I beg to differ with you...If you are not a proclaimer of God’s truth thru your particular giftedness, then you are no Christian at all!
Jer. 1:4-10, 17-19—“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. Then the LORD put forth His hand & touched my mouth, & the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations & over the kingdoms, To root out & to pull down, To destroy & to throw down, To build & to plant.””.....“Therefore prepare yourself & arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city & an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land--Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.”
Ezek. 2:1-10—“And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, & I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, & set me on my feet; & I heard Him who spoke to me. And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they & their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent & stubborn children. I am sending you to them, & you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ “As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse--for they are a rebellious house--yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers & thorns are with you & you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth & eat what I give you.” Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; & behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before me; & there was writing on the inside & on the outside, & written on it were lamentations & mourning & woe.”
The Armor & Sword of God:
**Eph. 6:10-20—“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord & in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, & having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer & supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance & supplication for all the saints--& for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Eph. 4:11-16—“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
You see, ‘Sin Accommodating Churches’ don’t use the Arsenal available to them in Christ Jesus. they prefer to operate in the flesh. They mimic the work of the Spirit & they consider & call their work of the Spirit but they do not step out on faith! Sadly, much if not everything they do, they are able to do in their own power! Committees operate by the power of flesh rather than the directives of God’s Spirit...they never ‘step out of the boat’ in response to Jesus’ voice!
Illustration:
The local church tends to ‘ride the fence’ between condoning sin & allowing freedom. Many disagreements arise so that no one’s feelings will get hurt...so they own’t get upset & leave for another church.
I have a poster in my office which lists most of the names of Jesus/Someone from the church graciously framed the poster for me & its hanging on my wall/Unfortunately the bottom of the frame piece came loose & fell down behind my desk/I can’t get my hand to it, so I have to ask myself, “How can I reach it?”...“What do I have available to me in my arsenal?”/AVAILABLE ARSENAL
Fishing Lures & Baits—Boats—Motors—Electronics, etc./AVAILABLE ARSENAL
Professional Landscapers/They always have a loaded trailer—Lawnmowers(riding & push), Weed eaters, Fuels, Shovels, Picks, Rakes, Trowels, etc./Now suppose the landscaper would show up at the job site without the trailer...without his tools!/He will be out of business soon!—Not taking advantage of his AVAILABLE ARSENAL
Application:
?Does Your Church Skirt/Deny Its AVAILABLE ARSENAL?
?Does Your Church Accommodate Sin?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Shipworm’s overwhelming presence
Action:
Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
4. AVAILABLE ARSENAL/Weaponry(:4)
1. BASELINES(:1)
2. BROKENNESS(:2)
3. God’s PRESENCE(:3)
Pt. 4 Only! Presented 06/26/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave SE(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
