QUALIFIED To DECIDE-I—1Corinthians 6:1-11
OR Qualified To Rectify
Attention:
Computer Dating:
A hopeful suitor logged onto match.com , the online dating service & registered his qualifications & his desires.
He was looking for a young lady with four minimal qualities—she should be who was petite, enjoyed water sports, enjoyed company, & favored formal attire.
The young man excitedly entered all his information onto the website.
The computerized matching system took a good deal of time, but eventually set him up with a perfect match.
It sent him to the south pole, which he thought was rather odd because not many people live in Antarctica.
You see it had paired him with a penguin!
Decisions made CAN disqualify our authority!
Paul rebuked the Corinthian Christians because they sought out & trusted secular sources to rectify personal grievances among themselves.
‘Grievance’—‘A real or imagined wrong or other cause for complaint or protest, especially unfair treatment.’
‘Rectify’—‘To put(something) right; To correct.’
The Church & Christians are uniquely fitted for properly rectifying personal grievances among themselves.
How/When are Christians fit for rectifying personal grievances?
6 confirmations that Christians are fitted to properly rectify personal grievances.
1—Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
DARING/Boldness(:1)
Explanation:(:1)Holiness
:1—“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, & not before the saints?”
There is a temptation, among Christians, to take a “another”(Christian brother or sister) to court.
Why?—Christians disagree with one another. And those with money may ‘have a lawyer’ whom they use for other business matters. Thus it would be an easy jump for new Christians to think it practical to use their lawyer for matters within the church without considering ramifications.
This temptation arises when we have a “matter”/case/charge/accusation against him/her.
This case can be legally brought to law. But in doing so, such an official, legally binding law will be arrived at thru parameters determined by the “unrighteous.”
Thereby, Christians should NEVER consider “unrighteous” courts or unrighteous reasonings as a course of action in settling a “matter” against another Christian. Why exactly?...see :2-4!
Thus all “matters” between Christian brothers & sisters have a spiritual element which must not be denied, & which informs any actions which may be entered either for or “against one another.”
Christians should instead take their cases before the saints—their brothers & sisters in Christ...
But then doing so, requires the baring of one’s soul before those to whom they do not wish to have knowledge of their real prejudices.
Gal. 6:1-7—“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, & so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, & then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, & not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
Js. 5:16—“Confess your trespasses to one another, & pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
“Believers who go to court with believers are more concerned with revenge or gain than with the unity of the Body & glory of Jesus Christ.”—MNTC
Christians should “DARE” to glorify God rather than themselves!
“Dare”—tolmaw—Present Active Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) Not to dread or shun through fear; 2) To bear, endure; 3) To bring one's self to; 4) To be bold; 5) Bear one's self boldly, deal boldly. Strong—from tolma(boldness; probably itself from the base of telov through the idea of extreme conduct); To venture(objectively or in act; while yarrew is rather subjective or in feeling); by implication--To be courageous. Used 16X.
“Matter/Case”—pragma—Noun Neuter—1) That which has been done, a deed, an accomplished fact; 2) What is done or being accomplished—2a) specially--Business, a commercial transaction; 3) A matter, question, affair—3a) specially in a forensic sense--A matter at law, case, suit; 4) That which is or exists, a thing. Strong—A deed; by implication--An affair; by extension--An object(material). Used 11X.
English=‘pragmatic’(?)
“Against”(See :7—meta)—prov—Preposition—1) To the advantage of; 2) At, near, by; 3) To, towards, with, with regard to. Strong—a preposition of direction; Forward to, i.e. Toward(with the genitive case)--The side of, i.e. Pertaining to; (with the dative case)--By the side of, i.e. Near to; (usually with the accusative case)--The place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. Whither or for which it is predicated.
“Another/Neighbor”(See :7)—eterov—Adj.—1) The other, another, other—1a) To number—1a1) To number as opposed to some former person or thing, 1a2) The other of two, 1b) To qualify—1b1) Another: i.e. One not of the same nature, form, class, kind, different. Eterov denotes numerical in distinction from qualitative differences. Eterov distinguishes ('one of two'); every eterov is an allov but not every allov is a eterov; allov generally denotes simple distinction of individuals, eterov involves the secondary idea of difference of kind. Strong—of uncertain affinity; (an-, the)Other or different.
“Go to Law”(See :6, 7; :2—“Judge”)—krinw—Present Passive Infinitive—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—5a) To pronounce an opinion concerning right & wrong—5a1) To be judged, i.e. summoned to trial that one's case may be examined & judgment passed upon it, 5b) To pronounce judgment, to subject to censure—5b1) of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds & words of others; 6) To rule, govern—6a) To preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions, because it was the prerogative of kings & rulers to pass judgment; 7) To contend together, of warriors & combatants—7a) To dispute, 7b) in a forensic sense—7b1) To go to law, have suit at law. Strong—properly--To distinguish, i.e. Decide(mentally or judicially); by implication--To try, condemn, punish.
“Before”2X(See :6)—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—Over, upon, etc.; of rest--At, on, etc.; of direction--Towards, upon, etc.
“Unrighteous”(See :9)—adikov—Adj.—1) descriptive of one who violates or has violated justice—1a) Unjust, 1b) Unrighteous, sinful, 1c) of one who deals fraudulently with others, deceitful. Strong—Unjust; by extension--Wicked; by implication--Treacherous; specially--Heathen. Used 12X.
From—A(as a negative particle)—&—dikh—Right(as self-evident), i.e. Justice(the principle, a decision, or its execution).
“Saints”(See :2)—agiov—Adj.—1) Most holy thing, a saint. Agiov has probably as its fundamental meaning separation, i.e., from the world to God's service. If not the original meaning, this at any rate is a meaning early in use. This separation, however, is not chiefly external, it is rather a separation from evil & defilement. The moral signification of the word is therefore the prominent one. This word, rare & of neutral meaning in classical Greek, has been developed in meaning, so that it expresses the full N.T. conception of holiness as no other does. Strong—sacred(physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated).
Argumentation:
Mat. 6:19-23—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”—These boldly, & some ignorantly, flaunt their darkness!
Mat. 18:7-9, 15-20—“Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off & cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out & cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”.....“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go & tell him his fault between you & him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’--(Deut. 19:15; 17:6)- “And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen & a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Deut. 17:6—“Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.”
Deut. 19:15—“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”
1Tim. 5:19, 20—“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.”
Mat. 22:15-20—“Then the Pharisees went & plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, & teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, & said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image & inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, & to God the things that are God’s.””
God is impartial:
Js. 3:8-18—“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God & Father, & with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing & cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water & bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water & fresh. Who is wise & understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy & self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast & lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy & self-seeking exist, confusion & every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
1Pet. 1:13-19—“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish & without spot.”
Mat. 7:11—“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
To be partial is unrighteousness:
Lev. 19:11-18—“‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. ‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the LORD. You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. ‘You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, & not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
Deut. 25:13-16—“You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy & a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large & a small. You shall have a perfect & just weight, a perfect & just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the LORD your God.”
Isa. 10:1-2—“Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless.”
Isa. 55:6-7—“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
Gal. 5:19-24—“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, & the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions & desires.”
1Tim. 1:8-11—“But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless & insubordinate, for the ungodly & for sinners, for the unholy & profane, for murderers of fathers & murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, & if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.”
Acts 4:13—“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter & John, & perceived that they were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Eph. 3:8-12—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him.”
Heb. 4:16—“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
1Jn. 4:16-17—“And we have known & believed the love that God has for us. God is love, & he who abides in love abides in God, & God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”
Illustration:
If you allow ‘personal stuff’ to get in the way of your decisions, then your decisions are skewed & tainted by sin!...And you are not fit to judge spiritual matters! An accusing spirit is the spirit of the devil himself!
Our choices of judicial justices in government/We want & need them to be impartial—They cannot be ‘yes-men’/Justice cannot be served, nor mercy granted with a prejudiced eye!/DARING
Most every nation has a version of ‘Lady Justice’ who personifies the moral fortitude of that nation’s judicial system/She generally is blindfolded, holds a balance in one hand, & a sword in the other/She supposedly has her origins in Greek mythology/In America, there are statues of ‘Lady Justice’ in our federal, state, & city justice buildings/BUT...if she personifies the moral fortitude that means that there must also be a moral compass...standards by which right & wrong are determined/That moral ‘standard,’ for the Christian, must be God thru Jesus!/DARING
Do you dare to assess your life & the life of your church with boldness, by trusting Jesus?
Application:
?Your DARING/Boldness Qualify OR Dis-Qualify you to Rectify Personal Grievances?
?You qualified/fit to properly Rectify Personal Grievances?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The man who , on match.com, wanted to find someone who was petite, enjoyed water sports, liked company, & favored formal attire...was paired with a penguin!
Action:
Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
1. DARING/Boldness(:1)
pt. 1-only! presented 03/05/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
