SERIES: “OVERCOMING OBSTACLES THAT OBSTRUCT OBEDIENCE”
TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 6:1-20
TITLE: “GLORIFY GOD IN ALL THINGS”
INTRODUCTION: A. The apostle Paul asks the Corinthians church to take a look at everything they’re
saying and doing and then evaluate it based on whether it brings glory to God or
dishonors God.
1. The Christians in Corinth had damaged their witness and testimony to that area
because of the divisions and immorality in their midst.
2. Throughout the entire letter, Paul is asking the Christians at Corinth to do one
important thing: Stop thinking about pleasing yourselves and concentrate on
pleasing God
B. Paul is simply reminding the Christians at Corinth of a basic scriptural principle
1. Ps. 34:3 – “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.”
2. Rom. 15:5-6 – “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a
spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart
and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. Col. 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
D. Paul cites three areas in which we need to remember to glorify God
I. GLORIFY GOD EVEN IN YOUR DISPUTES
--1 Cor. 6:1-8 – “If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment
instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge
the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How
much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges
even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among
you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against
another—and this in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have
been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8Instead, you
yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. “
A. An Amish farmer and his son were traveling in their horse and buggy down a lane that had room for
only one vehicle to pass through at a time. They met a car coming from the other way. There was no
room to pass for two miles in either direction.
The motorist was in a hurry and started beeping his horn. The Amish man waited until there was
silence. He jumped down off the buggy, rolled up his sleeves, and said, “If you don’t back up, I won’t
like what I’m going to have to do.”
The surprised motorist put his car in reverse and backed up two miles, allowing the Amish man and
buggy to pass. The Amish man’s son asked, “Father, what was it you would not like to have done back
there?” The Amish man said, “Back this buggy up two miles.”
1. Disputed and conflicts between the Christians at Corinth had gotten so bad that they were suing each
other in civil court.
a. Paul wants to know why those who are supposed to be godly are going to the ungodly for justice
b. He wants to know: Isn’t there one believer who’s capable of making even simple judgments?
--Where are those who are supposed to be spiritually mature and you leaders?
2. Side note
a. The U.S. has become a “lawsuit-happy” nation
b. There are over 1 million lawyers in the United States
c. As of a few years ago, there were over 200,000 civil suits filed in federal courts and over 12 million
civil suits filed in state courts
--that number increases every year!
B. Paul points out three distinct tragedies in this situation:
1. The Christians were presenting a poor testimony to the lost
a. If we can’t even get along with ourselves, how can we expect others to want to join us?
b. If there is no difference in what happens in the church and what happens in the world, it’s not a
church
--It’s just a social club
2. The Christians had failed to live up to their full position in Christ
a. Paul asks a very bold question: “Since we as saints will one day take part in the judgment of the
world and of the fallen angels, why can’t we settle our differences here on earth?”
b. As we’ll see in just a short while during our study of 1 Corinthians, the Christians at Corinth
boasted about their great spiritual gifts
--Paul is asking why they don’t use some of these great gifts to solve their problems?
3. The member who were suing each other had lost already
a. They had disgraced the name of the Lord
b. They had disgraced themselves through their disobedience to the Word of God
--In v. 7, Paul pointedly says: “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have
been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?”
c. African proverb: “When bull elephants fight, the grass always loses.”
II. GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR LIBERTY
--1 Cor. 6:9-11 – “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom
of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
A. The Corinthian Christians had a very high and esteemed view of themselves
1. In vss. 9-11, he quickly reminds them of their condition before coming to Christ: sexually immoral,
idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunks, slanderers, and swindlers.
--What a fine pedigree to be proud of!
2. Paul emphatically states that these kinds of unrepentant people will never ever the kingdom of heaven
--Contrary to what some people believe and teach, you can’t enter the kingdom of heaven while still
trying to live these same lifestyles
B. But the gist of Paul’s message is not the negative but the positive
--Jesus washes away all sin and gives new life
1. The blood of Jesus is able to take out any king of sin stain
--get your laundry detergent to do that!
2. I can most certainly identify with the old preacher who said, “I ain’t what I wanna be; I ain’t what I’m
gonna be; but thank God, I ain’t what I was.”
C. Because Jesus has washed away those sins, we’re no longer under the bondage of sin
--we have found liberty and freedom
1. In 1 Cor. 6:12, Paul warns these Corinthian Christians not to abuse this liberty we have in Christ –
“‘Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for
me’—but I will not be mastered by anything.”
--While those that say, “Everything is permissible for me” are correct in that observation, Paul says
that everything is not necessarily beneficial
2. I’m free to do anything I want
--But the real question is: What do I want to do?
a. Is what I want to do detrimental to my relationship with Christ and my testimony to others?
b. Or will what I want to do enhance my relationship with Christ and my testimony to others?
3. Paul says, “Everything is permissible but I will not be mastered by anything.”
a. I’m sure that Paul is thinking back to Jesus’ words: “No one can serve two masters.”
b. He’s asking, “If no one can serve two masters, why do I want to get involved in something that if I
continually do it, can control my life? I’ve already submitted myself to Jesus as my Master and I
don’t need any other master.”
III. GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY
--1 Cor. 6:13-20 – “‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food’—but God will destroy them both. The
body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God
raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members
of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do
you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The
two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins
sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who
is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body.”
A. The last section of glorifying God in our liberties naturally leads to glorifying God with our bodies
--Literally, Paul says, “Because God has done so much for us, we have an obligation to serve him with
our bodies.”
B. The Corinthians used a saying to justify their immorality: “Food for the stomach and the stomach for
food.”
1. Paul quickly reminds them that God created the food and the stomach and will eventually destroy
both
2. The Corinthians weren’t talking about food or stomachs
--They were referring to sexual immorality
a. They treated sex as an appetite to be satisfied instead of a gift to be cherished
b. Warren Wiersbe: “Just because we have certain normal desires given to us at Creation, does not
mean that we must always give in to them and always satisfy them.”
3. Sexual relations outside of marriage is destructive, while proper sexual relations within marriage is
beautiful and enhances the marriage
a. Someone: “Sex outside of marriage is like robbing a bank – you get something but it’s not yours
and someday you will pay for it.”
b. Sex within marriage is like someone putting money into a bank: there is safety and security and the
investment will bring dividends.
C. Paul points out the overarching principle in this entire issue is: As Christians, we do not belong to
ourselves. We belong to Christ.
1. If we belong to Christ, we are joined to His body
a. How can we take part of Christ’s body and unite it with someone who is not part of Christ’s body?
b. When you have sexual relations with someone, Paul says consider these things
1). Sexual relations makes you “one” in body”
--Paul quotes from Gen. 2:24 – “The two will become one flesh.”
2). That uniting process will effect you the rest of your life
--When you pull away from it, it’s going to tear that “one flesh” and it will hurt not just in the
physical sense but emotionally and spiritually as well
3). It’s why we’re warned in vs. 18 – “Flee from sexual immorality”
2. If we belong to Christ, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit
a. The Old Testament tabernacle/temple housed the Holy of Holies – the dwelling place of God on
earth
b. In the Gospels, Jesus’ body was the dwelling place of God on earth
c. After Christ ascended to heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us
--Therefore we are Holy Spirits temple – His dwelling place
d. Paul is saying, “Don’t use the dwelling place of God on this earth for cheap and tawdry things.”
3. If we belong to Christ, our bodies do not belong to us
--We’ve been bought at a very expensive price – Jesus’ blood
a. The Bible’s very clear that we could not provide a way to cleanse ourselves from our sin
--Only the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross could pay our sin debt in full
b. Therefore, what we do with our bodies should not be our decision
--It should be the decision of the owner – Jesus Christ
CONCLUSION: A. Have you ever noticed that when the Powerball Lottery reaches a high amount,
everything hits a fever pitch?
1. Record numbers of lottery tickets get sold
2. People in states that don’t participate in the Powerball camp out overnight in front of
stores at state lines just to get tickets
B. What if you found out that a large amount of money was designated for you?
--All you had to do was just ask for it and then claim it?
1. Would you say, “I don’t know if all of that money is for me or not.”
a. How about, “Well, I’m kind of busy. One of these days, I’ll get around to claiming
it.”
b. Would you say, “What if that story isn’t real”
c. I think almost all of us would at least check it out and most of us would run right
over just to pick up the money.
2. Yet the riches of Christ are all ours
a. Jesus paid the price so that we could share in His riches
b. He simply asks that you ask for them and then claim them
3. David Brainerd was a missionary to the American Indians in colonial America. In a
conversation with colonial preacher Jonathan Edwards, Brainerd said, “I do not go to
heaven to be advanced but to give honor to God. It is no matter where I shall be
stationed in heaven, whether I have a high or low seat there, but to live and please and
glorify God.... My heaven is to please God and glorify Him, and give all to Him, and
to be wholly devoted to His glory.”
