QUALIFIED To DECIDE-V—1Corinthians 6:1-11
OR Qualified To Rectify
*WARNING to parents about the ‘delicate’ subject matter of this sermon*
Attention:
Alerted Passenger:
A passenger is in a plane enjoying the view of the clouds when a man with a packed parachute appears at the window.
The man says "Would you like to join me?"
The shocked passenger responds with, "No thanks."
The man says, "Suit yourself, I'm the pilot."
The passenger was indeed qualified to decide her fate!
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. SELFLESS/Loving CONCERN(:7-8)
*WARNING to parents about the ‘delicate’ subject matter of this sermon*
6—Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
CONTRASTING LIFESTYLE(:9-11)
Explanation:(:9-11)Comparison/Separation/Proof/Dissimilarity
:9—“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,”
The uncaring, self-driven actions of people illustrate what it means to be “unrighteous.” Paul reminds them(& us!) that those characterized by “unrighteousness” “will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Therefore a self-seeking Christian behaves in a manner unbefitting to the Kingdom & will not be prepared to experience freedom there(either currently or eternally).
“God’s rule brings with it moral conditions that require a radical transformation of values & behavior for believers.”—BECNT
“The Corinthians seemed to imagine that their religious knowledge & Christian talk would suffice to open heaven to them...”—Godet in BECNT
Even !Christians can be Deceived!...by the wiles of the devil...by the ways of the world...by their own hearts!
“Fornicators/Whoremongers/Sexually immoral”—Gigilos/Male prostitutes/Libertines
“Idolaters”—Worshipers of false gods &/or belief systems.
It is noteworthy & ponderable, that Paul places “idolatry”(something other than God is your god!) in direct relation with obvious manifestations of sexual sins.
“Adulterers”—Faithless
Mat. 12:38-39—“Then some of the scribes & Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered & said to them, “An evil & adulterous generation seeks after a sign, & no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
Mk. 8:34-38—“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake & the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, & loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me & My words in this adulterous & sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Ezek. 6:7-9—“The slain shall fall in your midst, & you shall know that I am the LORD. Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, & by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.”
“Homosexuals/Effeminate”—“Males who are penetrated sexually by males”—BECNT
“Sodomites/Homosexuals”—“Males who sexually penetrate males”—BECNT
By the time Paul penned these verses by the Holy Spirit, “homosexuality had been rampant in Greece & Rome for centuries”—MNTC
“Confusion of sex roles”—including adultery, & homosexuality—“is particularly evil because it attacks the family,” & thereby God’s “plan for the family.”—MNTC
To the Greeks & Romans, “a person’s rank & status determined what was considered acceptable or unacceptable.”.....“A free male could not “indulge passive acts of love like a woman or a slave” without incurring a stigma”...“But he[a free male] could use boys, slaves, or persons of no account with impunity as long as he remained “on top”[the penetrator/initiator]. “Same-sex sexual acts between two men of equal standing” would have been considered “shameful” even to pagans.—BECNT
In our American(& other) political culture & society there is movement toward accepting homosexual lifestyle as natural, standard, & normal. God condemns such outright!
Again: even !Christians can be Deceived!...by the wiles of the devil...by the ways of the world...by their own hearts!
“Unrighteous”(See :1)—adikov—Adj.—Lit.=‘Not Right/Just’—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.
“Inherit”(See :10)—klhronomew—Future Active Indicative 3rd Plural—1) To receive a lot, receive by lot—1a) especially--To receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance, 1b) To be an heir, to inherit; 2) To receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession; 3) To become partaker of, to obtain. Strong—To be an heir to(literally or figuratively).
From—klhrov—A die(for drawing changes), A portion(as if so secured), An acquisition—&—nomov—1) Anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command. Strong—from a primary nemw(to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals); Law, Regulation, or A principle.
“Deceived”—planaw—Present Passive Middle 2nd Plural—1) To cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way—1a) To go astray, wander, roam about; 2) metaph.--2a) To lead away from the truth, to lead into error, to deceive, 2b) To be led into error, 2c) To be led aside from the path of virtue, to go astray, sin, 2d) To sever or fall away from the truth—2d1) Of heretics, 2e) To be led away into error & sin. Strong—To(properly, cause to) Roam(from safety, truth, or virtue).
“Neither & Nor”5X—oute—Adverb—1) Neither, and not. Strong—Not too, i.e. Neither or nor; by analogy--Not even.
“Fornicators/Whoremongers/Sexually immoral”—pornov—Noun Masc.—1) A man who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire; 2) A male prostitute; 3) A man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator. Strong—from pernhmi(to sell; akin to the base of pipraskw[to traverse]); A (male)prostitute(as venal), i.e. by analogy--A debauchee(libertine). Used 10X.
“Idolaters”—eidwlolatrhv—Noun Masc.—1) A worshipper of false gods, a idolater—1a) Used of any one even Christian, participant in any way in the worship of the heathen, especially one who attends their sacrificial feasts & eats of the remains of offered victims; 2) A covetous man as a worshipper of Mammon. Strong—An image(servant or) worshipper(literally or figuratively). Used 7X.
“Adulterers”—moicov—Noun Masc.—1) An adulterer; 2) metaph.--One who is faithless toward God, ungodly. Strong—perhaps a primary word; A (male)paramour; figuratively--Apostate. Used 4X.
“Homosexuals/Effeminate”—malakov—Adj.—1) Soft, soft to the touch; 2) metaph. in a bad sense--2a) Effeminate—2a1) Of a catamite, 2a2) Of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man, 2a3) Of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness, 2a4) Of a male prostitute. Strong—of uncertain affinity; Soft, i.e. Fine(clothing); figuratively--A catamite. Used 4X.
“Sodomites/Homosexuals”—arsenokoithv—Noun Masc.—1) One who lies with a male as with a female, sodomite, homosexual. Strong—A sodomite. Used 2X.
From—arrhn or arshn—Male(as stronger for lifting)—&—koith—A couch; by extension--Cohabitation; by implication--The male sperm.
:10—“nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
“Thieves”—Those who steal directly. English prefix=‘Klepto-’
“Covetous”—Lit.=‘To hold/have more’ Greedy--eager to have more especially for that which belongs to others.
“Drunkards”—Addicted to a mind & body affecting substance.
“Revilers”—“Those who destroy with their tongues.”—MNTC
Mischief-makers & Rail against others.
“Extortioners/Swindlers”—“Thieves who steal indirectly”—take advantage of & cheat others for financial gain.—MNTC
The Christian “deception” would be to ‘suppose’ that such ‘characterizations’(descriptors of lifestyle) as those listed—fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers & extortioners/swindlers—would inherit the kingdom of God. These describe fatalistic character traits(Mat. 12:31) which remain unchanged by relationship with Jesus.
Mat. 12:31-32—“Therefore I say to you, every sin & blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Isa. 5:20—“Woe to those who call evil good, & good evil; Who put darkness for light, & light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter!”
In accepting or tolerating such sinfully distinguishing characteristics among it’s own, such a church reveals that their concept of “the kingdom of God” is inaccurate at minimum, & as a result, is unacceptable to God!
Such lifestyle choices(:9c-10) are ‘constant’ & continuous...They are accepted & entertained in the heart & mind so that they are practiced by individuals. Such choices are constantly made moment-by-moment to the rejection & exclusion of God’s desire. Such lifestyle choices are blatantly self-centered & self-promoting.
It is possible for a Christian & for a Christian church to allow their personal attachments/relationships to influence/distort their acceptance of the ways of their own Christian family.
Thru prioritizing such relationships, we can even justify(in our own minds) those fleshly choices of individuals, families, & the Church body as a whole...Even when they openly contradict the testimony of God & suppress/squelch the voice of the Holy Spirit!
As stated earlier, the many sexual sins surrounding “idolatry” are noteworthy for the committed Christian.
Also note the association of “covetousness” with “thievery” & “extortion”(greed).
Likewise note those who are abusive of others(“revilers”) are also associated with “drunkenness.”
“It is a solemn roll call of the damned even if some of their names are on the church roll in Corinth whether officers or ordinary members.”—RWP
Again: !Christians can be Deceived!...by the wiles of the devil...by the ways of the world...by their own hearts!
“Thieves”—klepthv—Noun Masc.—1) An embezzler, pilferer—1a) The name is transferred to false teachers, who do not care to instruct men, but abuse their confidence for their own gain. Klepthv denotes one who steals by stealth. Strong—A stealer(literally or figuratively).
English prefix=‘Klepto-’
“Covetous”—pleonekthv—Noun Masc.—1) One eager to have more, esp. what belongs to others; 2) Greedy of gain, covetous. Strong—Holding(desiring) more, i.e. Eager for gain(avaricious, hence a defrauder). Used 4X.
From—pleiwn, neuter pleion, or pleon—comparative of poluv/pollov[Much, many, largely]; More in quantity, number, or quality; also in plural--The major portion—&—ecw—To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Drunkards”—meyusov—Noun Masc.—1) Drunken, intoxicated. Strong—Tipsy, i.e. as noun--A sot. Used 2X.
From—meyuw—To drink to intoxication, i.e. Get drunk.
“Revilers”—loidorov—Noun Masc.—1) A railer, reviler. Strong—from loidov(mischief); Abusive, i.e. A blackguard. Used 2X.
“Extortioners/Swindlers”—arpax—Adj.—1) Rapacious, ravenous; 2) An extortioner, a robber. Strong—Rapacious[aggressively greedy or grasping]. Used 5X.
“Inherit”(See :9)—klhronomew—Future Active Indicative 3rd Plural—1) To receive a lot, receive by lot—1a) especially--To receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance; 2) To receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession; 3) To become partaker of, to obtain. Strong—To be an heir to(literally or figuratively).
*NOTE*—*I OFFERED NEITHER A CLOSING ILLUSTRATION NOR BIBLICAL ARGUMENTATION FOR 'CONTRASTING LIFESTYLE' DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE REAL-TIME SERMON HAD REACHED A SELF-IMPOSED TIME LIMIT PRIOR TO :11. DELVING INTO 1COR. 6:11 WILL THEREBY ENCOMPASS THE END OF THIS SERIES.*
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Man outside plane—“Would you like to join me?"
Passenger—“No thanks."
The man says, "Suit yourself, I'm the pilot."
Action:
Christians are qualified to rectify grievances thru Their...
6. CONTRASTING LIFESTYLE(:9-10(...:11-forthcoming))
1. DARING/Boldness(:1)
2. DESTINY(:2a & :3a)
3. INFERENCE(s)(:2b & :3b-4)
4. WISDOM(:5-6)
5. SELFLESS/Loving CONCERN(:7-8)
Pt. 6 partial only! presented 08/27/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
