QUALIFIED To DECIDE-IV—1Corinthians 6:1-11
OR Qualified To Rectify
Attention:
Stop vs. Slow Down:
A patrolman pulls over a car, walks up to the driver's window, & asks the man if he knew why he was pulled over.
"No," the man replies.
"You failed to stop at the stop sign," the officer explains.
"But I did slow down after I had looked both ways!" the guy argued.
The officer shakes his head. "You are required to stop. That's why they're called stop signs."
The driver starts to get an attitude. “Stop, slow down -- what's the difference?” he says to the patrolman.
The officer pulled out his baton. “I can show you the difference. I'm going to start hitting you with my baton. Now you tell me if you want me to stop or slow down.”
The driver was indeed ‘qualified to decide’ if the officer should stop or slow down!
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 to rectifying personal grievances?
6 confirmations that Christians are uniquely qualified to properly rectify personal grievances.
We have already found that Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
1. DARING/Boldness(:1)
2. DESTINY(:2a & :3a)
3. INFERENCE(s)(:2b & :3b-4)
4. WISDOM(:5-6)
5—Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
SELFLESS/Loving CONCERN(:7-8)
Explanation:(:7-8) Selfless/Loving
:7—“Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?”
It’s been said that this verse makes it sound like Christians are just supposed ‘to let people run all over them.’ Yes, that is correct!!...Among Christian brethren, & according to God’s authority.
BUT not so that we become innocuous ‘patsies’ at everyone else’s disposal. Not so that others become the determiners of our fate...That is slavery to men & flesh!
The choice for your ‘letting people run all over you’ is to be decided by the individual. We do this thru the Holy Spirit’s guidance & control at every given moment of your day. You cannot & should not attempt to regulate—by rule—obedience to the Spirit of God! It is done only thru love...Love for God & love for your brother or sister in Christ.
A Christian & the Church must be Willing to sacrifice self on the altar of submission, love, & service to God! Lost people cannot do this! And neither can backslidden Christians!
?Is my being “wronged” & “cheated” a testimony to the power of Christ?! ?Can Christ work in your “acceptance” of “wrong” & in your “being cheated”?
Negative example:
As a pastor I have been part of churches where my entire family has had to leave for this very reason...Because the church’s pride kept them from attaining reconciliation with the pastor & the pastor’s reconciliation with the church! This is an unfortunate pattern in many small churches with a ‘family-chapel’ attitude. The pastor rather “accepts wrong” & “is cheated.” The immediate ‘collateral damage’ is that he has to pack-up his entire family in order to leave, looking for a place to minister.
?The question is...?In the “wrong” & in your “being cheated” are you able in Christ to “accept” it without being bitter, & hate-filled, & hurt so much that you cannot forgive?
Positive example:
I told the deacons in one church I served, that God was calling me elsewhere...genuinely a God-thing. Where I did not know at the time, but I was honest with those men. And I remember one of them asking me, “What if it takes 6 months or a year(arbitrary)?” I asked them if they would trust the Spirit so much that they would trust me & my family, to give them plenty of notice. They did not prepare a search committee until I was convinced that they should! It was one of the smoothest moves that we personally had & one of the smoothest moves that the church experienced.
*Love with it’s selfless concern avoids the “utter failures,” whereas pride multiplies them!
?Is your main/chief/primary CONCERN Selfless? or about getting what you want, getting what you want when you want it, getting your way, having things done your way, etc....so much so that the Holy Spirit way & His direction in others is circumvented/destroyed? We must live & prosper Jesus’ witness together!
“Now therefore/Actually”—oun—Particle—1) Then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so, Certainly, or Accordingly.
“Already”—hdh—Adverb—1) Now, already. “Now (already)”, with a suggested reference to some other time or to some expectation, the subjective present. Strong—Even now.
“Utter”—olwv—Adj.—1) Wholly, altogether. Strong—Completely, i.e. Altogether; by analogy--Everywhere; negatively--Not by any means. Used 4X.
“Failure/Fault/Defeat/Moral Failure/Default”—htthma—Noun Neuter—1) A diminution, decrease: i.e. Defeat; 2) Loss, as respects to salvation. Htthma denotes being worsted, defeated. In an ethical sense it means a failure in duty, a fault. Htthma is the diminishing of that which should have been rendered in full measure. Strong—A deterioration, i.e. objectively--Failure or subjectively--Loss. Used 2X.
“Go to law/Lawsuits/Legal Disputes”(See :1, 6)—krima—Aorist 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; 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.
“Against/Among”(See :1—prov)—meta—Preposition—1) With, after, behind. Strong—a primary preposition(often used adverbially); properly--Denoting accompaniment; “Amid”; Meta occupies an intermediate position between apo[Off, away from] or ek, ex[from, out] & eiv[to, into] or prov[toward, near to]; less intimate than en[in] & less close than sun[with, together].
“Another/Neighbor”(See :1)—eautou—Pronoun—1) Himself, herself, itself, themselves. Strong—from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete & the genitive case(dative case or accusative case) of autov; Him-(her-, it-, them-, also [in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons] my-, thy-, our-, your-)self(selves), etc..
“Why”2X—diati—Pronoun—1) Through, by, with, because of, for the sake of. Strong—Through what cause?, i.e. Why?
“Rather”2X—mallon—Adverb Comparative—1) More, to a greater degree, rather—1a) Much, by far, 1b) Rather, sooner, 1c) More willingly, more readily, sooner. Strong—neuter of the comparative of the same as malista[ Most, Chiefly, Most of all]; adverbially--More(in a greater degree)) or Rather.
“Accept Wrong/Take Wrong/Be Wronged”(See :8)—adikew—Present Passive Indicative 2nd Plural—1) absolutely--1a) To act unjustly or wickedly, to sin,, 1b) To be a criminal, to have violated the laws in some way, 1c) To do wrong, 1d) To do hurt; 2) transitively--2a) To do some wrong or sin in some respect, 2b) To wrong some one, act wickedly towards him, 2c) To hurt, damage, harm. Strong—To be unjust, i.e. actively--Do wrong(morally, socially or physically).
“Not”—ouci—Particle—1) Not, by no means, not at all. Strong—Not indeed.
“Cheated/Defrauded”—aposterew—Verb—1) To defraud, rob, despoil. Strong—To despoil. Used 6X.
From—apo—Preposition—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—sterew—To deprive.
:8—“No, you yourselves do wrong & cheat, & you do these things to your brethren!”
On the contrary local Christians are seeking their own ends.
And in that process of seeking self-seeking & self-satisfaction, they act in a manner completely uncharacteristic of the Church.
The clincher is that they are guilty of committing two wrongs...
1)It’s bad enough that Christians are guilty of “wronging” & “cheating/defrauding” at all!...
2)But such selfishness is worsened in that Christians would even “wrong” & “cheat/defraud” their own blood-bought brothers & sisters in Christ!..Their own family.
“No/Nay/On the contrary/Instead/But”—alla—Conjunction—1) But—1a) Nevertheless, notwithstanding, 1b) An objection, 1c) An exception, 1d) A restriction, 1e) Nay, rather, yea, moreover, 1f) Forms a transition to the cardinal matter. Strong—neuter plural of allov[else, i.e. different]; properly--Other things, i.e. adverbially--Contrariwise(in many relations). RWP—Perhaps, "nevertheless," in spite of the difference just noted.
“You yourselves”—umeiv—Pronoun—1) You. Strong—irregular plural of su[Personal pronoun of the 2nd person singular]; You(as subjective of verb).
“Do Wrong”(See :7)—adikew—Present Passive Indicative 2nd Plural—1) absolutely--1a) To act unjustly or wickedly, to sin,, 1b) To be a criminal, to have violated the laws in some way, 1c) To do wrong, 1d) To do hurt; 2) transitively--2a) To do some wrong or sin in some respect, 2b) To wrong some one, act wickedly towards him, 2c) To hurt, damage, harm. Strong—To be unjust, i.e. actively--Do wrong(morally, socially or physically).
“Cheat/Defraud”(See :7)—aposterew—Present Active Indicative 2nd Plural—1) To defraud, rob, despoil. Strong—To despoil. Used 6X.
From—apo—Preposition—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—sterew—To deprive.
“These things”(See :11—“Such”)—tauta or ta auta—Pronoun—1) These. Strong—nominative or accusative case neuter plural of outov, outoi, auth, autai; These things.
“Brethren”(See :5, 6)—adelfov—Noun Masc.—1) A brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother; 2) Having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, or countryman; 3) Any fellow or man; 4) A fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection; 5) An associate in employment or office; 6) Brethren in Christ—6a) His brothers by blood, 6b) All men, 6c) Apostles, 6d) Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place. Strong—from A(as a connective particle) & delfuv(the womb); A brother(literally or figuratively) near or remote.
Argumentation:
1Pet. 1:22-23—“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives & abides forever,”
Php. 2:1-5—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
Rom. 6:16-18—“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
*1Jn. 3:14-16—“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, & you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
Gal. 3:1; 5:4-9—“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”.....“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.”
1Pet. 2:17—“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
*1Pet. 3:8-9—“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
1Pet. 4:7-8—“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious & watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
*Jn. 13:34-35—“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Rom. 12:9—“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”
*Mat. 5:38-41—“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye & a tooth for a tooth.’ “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you & take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
*Eph. 4:1-3—“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness & gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Illustration:
?Why can’t I allow myself to be cheated by a saved brother or sister?
*Near the corner of Fulton & Innes St. in Salisbury, N.C. sits a beautiful 5000 sq.ft., Federalist-Style house that was originally built in 1820/It sits adjacent to the Park Sterling Bank with which it shares its NE property line/The house was the former Sidney Blackmer(movie star from 1929-1968) residence/All my young life, the house was in disrepair/And all my young life, I can remember the fence that separated the then Citizen’s Savings Bank(?)/The single-lane drive-thru for the bank brought bank traffic right along a short(4ft.(?))perpendicular stone embankment that separated the two properties/The traffic then exited onto Fulton St./There was a fence to finish up the embankment so that no one would peer into the Blackmer residence from the bank/The fence was very peculiar though/You see, the Blackmer’s had a beef with the bank because they thought the bank should have provided a privacy fence of some type between the properties/So the Blackmer’s responded by fashioning an intentionally hideous fence that ran all along the border with the bank/The Blackmer’s took rusty wire & ran it slipshod with irregular posts of different materials all along the border/Then they took old nasty t-shirts & pants & dirty pieces of cloth & draped & fastened them to the so-called ‘fence’ all along the border between them & the bank/It intentionally looked like a Ma & Pa Kettle or a Beverly Hillbillies set up!/The Blackmer’s would even change out the old nasty clothes for fresh nasties occasionally/The fence was an intentional insult to the bank & the city of Salisbury because the Blackmer’s could get what they wanted/Thereby all the drive-thru bank tellers & every drive-thru customer had to see that mess/CONCERN
?Why couldn’t the Blackmer’s just allow themselves to be wronged or cheated or find another means of resolving their issues?
Trash on the church lawn/I pick up trash every day as I walk to the office!/I could encourage the church to take the Express Lane(convenience store) to court because their garbage blows out of their dumpsters onto the church property/CONCERN
We had a problem with bears going thru the dumpster/
a. Do I shoot the bear?
b. Do I change the mechanism of the dumpster?
c. Do I blame ‘Waste Management’ who rents us the dumpster?
c. Do I pick up the trash that the bears leave?/CONCERN
There is a driveway accessed by three residences thru an easement/None of the residents of the houses are related/One of those residences has 100+ year old pecan trees at the edge of the driveway/The leaves constantly blow onto the other’s property/Pecans also fall on the other’s property/The other residents complain about the neighbor’s leaves being in their yards!/They fall on the neighbor’s cars & leave behind a stain that is hard to remove/BUT these same complaining neighbors also collect the pecans that fall in their yards without returning them, supposing themselves justified!/The Christian thing to do would be to maintain your property free of leaves—if that is what you prefer...It would not do for you to rake them up & dump them on the pecan owner’s property/You would also do well to collect the pecans & offer them to back to your neighbor from whose tree they fell/CONCERN
?What is your chief CONCERN?...And How does that effect your ministry potential?...Is it SELF-LESS?
Application:
?Your CONCERN Qualify or Dis-Qualify you to Rectify Personal Grievances?
?You Qualified/Fit to properly Rectify Personal Grievances?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Patrolman to the arrogant driver—“Now you tell me if you want me to stop or slow down.”
Action:
Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
5. SELFLESS/Loving CONCERN(:7-8)
1. DARING/Boldness(:1)
2. DESTINY(:2a & :3a)
3. INFERENCE(s)(:2b & :3b-4)
4. WISDOM(:5-6)
Pt. 5 only! presented 07/30/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
