I Corinthians 5 - 2
- I'd like to ask you to turn to I Cor. 5 tonight
- you know, believers have to be mature enough to respond
appropriately to different kinds of situations even if they
are occurring simultaneously
- Paul told us to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep
with those who weep
- sometimes you go from visiting a family in the hospital
who's loved one is dying out to the church for a wedding
- a believer has to respond appropriately to both situations,
even if they are occurring at the same time
- we've got to be able to "shift gears", mentally and
emotionally
- in a sense, we're going to be called on to do that tonight
- we've been talking about the Passion Play and all the
excitement that comes from trying, as a church family, to
share the good news of Jesus Christ with our community
- but now we're going to have to make a shift
- I've asked you to turn to I Cor. 5 because it addresses the
subject of church discipline
- later on this evening, we have a church discipline
situation we need to discuss
- all of us on the pastoral staff believe that it would be
best to review this passage of Scripture for several
reasons:
1) we have a lot of new folks here
- that has been a great blessing
- our clubs program is going very well, we have a
lot of new folks attending on Wed. evenings
- so its probable that a significant percentage of
the folks here have not heard a study on this
subject from God's Word.
2) We did speak on this as a part of our study on I
Cor. but this particular passage came up in Mid-
August on last year, which is obviously a busy
vacation time and many were gone for that reason as
well.
3) it's good for us to review things we already know.
- Peter said - (II Peter 1:12) - "Therefore, I
shall always be ready to remind you of these
things, even though you already know them, and
have been established in the truth which is
present with you. And I consider it right, as
long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir
you up by way of reminder."
I think our attitude toward any subject that
we have heard before ought to be:
- Lord, help me grow in my appreciation for this
doctrine.
- help me to identify any thoughts or actions that may
have "slipped" since I thought through this subject
last time.
- help me to rejoice in the fact that truth never
changes.
- if you're visiting tonight, what's going to take place
tonight doesn't happen every Wednesday evening--in fact
it seldom happens.
- and frankly, if we had our choice, this probably wouldn't
have been the first service we would have chose for you to
visit.
- But,:
1) we believe God is in control, and He's the One who
makes those kind of choices.
2) The Bible is our standard, and tonight is just
another example of that.
3) Jesus Himself said that a hireling runs when
there's a problem, but the good shepherd stays and
provides the protection that comes from following
God's Word.
- Read I Cor. 5:1-13
- let's talk first of all about the problem
I. The Problem
- its important, when we think about this passage of
Scripture, that Paul is addressing two different
problems
- one of them is bad - but the other one is worse, far
worse
- let's call it, "The problem...
A. Stage one
INPUT - what problem does Paul bring up in verse 1?
1. fornication
- "porneia" - from which we get "pornography"
- refers to any sinful sexual conduct
- in this passage, he tells us specifically what
kind of fornication
- a man is living with his father's wife
- so we're talking about:
2. incest
- INPUT - what's unusual about the phrase "his
father's wife?" (normally you would say - his
mother)
- because Paul didn't say "his mother,"
the father has been divorced or his wife has
died, and now he has been remarried
- Paul is saying that the man in question has
taken his father's wife and is having sexual
relations with her and probably living with her
as well
- that's bad for a number of reasons
3. reported commonly
- let's not put that into our American mindsets
- we're used to everybody knowing everything
- when there's a problem in Russia, we know about
it within the day
- we're used to telephone, television,
magazines, newspapers
- but that wasn't true in this society - yet Paul
says, everybody knows about this case of incest
- it's reported commonly
- another bad thing about this particular sin is:
4. even forbidden by unbelievers
- Paul says - the Gentiles don't even practice or
condone this sin
- of course the OT law forbid incest, but Paul is
alluding to a fact that we know from history,
and that is that even the secular Roman law
forbid this practice
- Paul is saying - things are getting pretty bad
when the world has higher morals than the
church
- probably the worst thing Paul brings up in verse 1 is:
5. among you
- Paul says - we're talking about someone from
the church
- they're "among you"
- its common knowledge that a person from the
First Church of Corinth is involved in sin that
even unbelievers look down upon
- INPUT - now, let me ask you - just from verse one - I'm not
yet thinking about what Paul factors in in verse two
- but just from what we're talking about so far, why is
that so bad?
- now, while stage one of the problem is bad--stage two is
far worse
B. stage two
1. you have not done anything about it
- verse 11 tells us that Paul had written a
letter to them previously telling them what to
do in these situations
- that’s not a letter that was included in the
Scriptures, but the Corinthians had been
instructed what to do when a person in the
church was caught up in sin and refused to
repent
- point is - what's most scandalous about I Cor. 5 is
not the behavior of the man in sin - it's the
failure of the church to do anything about it
- we know that’s true because the rest of this passage is
addressed to the church and what they're to do, not
the man and what he was to do
- Paul also describes this problem by saying:
2. you have been filled with pride
- INPUT - in what sense is what the Corinthians
doing (or in this case - not doing) am
evidence of pride?
- they know more than the Lord
(develop - this is the Lord's church-anyone who takes away
from the what the Lord says ought to be done in His church is
in effect saying - we know how to run the church better than
the Lord does!)
3. you have not mourned
- Paul is saying - this situation should have
driven you to your knees to pray for this
person and pray for yourselves as you carry out
the right steps
- this situation grieves the Holy Spirit and they
ought to grieve us as well
- but they were carrying on "business as usual"
- this is a sin that many churches are have been
guilty of
- cf. Rev. 2:18-20
- Paul says - this is a problem that has to be solved
- I'd like to take a moment here and talk about:
II. Some Objections To Church Discipline
- many churches that believe the same way we do on a lot
of other issues have long since stopped obeying the
Scripture when it comes to church discipline
- I'd like to take a few minutes here and have us brainstorm
some of the objections to church discipline and also talk
about what's wrong with that objection.
INPUT - what are some of the objections that might be given?
A. I have never seen it work
- experience isn't our guide
- we do what the Scripture says regardless of whether
we think it will work
- the example we're studying tonight is a clear
biblical illus. of church discipline working
B. It is not loving
- one of the most unloving things a person can do is
fail to obey the Bible
- our loving Savior initiated this process
C. It's too legalistic
- Paul disagreed
- in the book written to combat legalism, Paul told
believers who were walking in the Spirit to go and
restore sinning believers
D. I've done all I can
- If you haven't done what the Bible says, you
haven't begun to do all you can.
E. You shouldn't kick a person when he's down
- that's a nice statement - but it doesn't apply
here.
- we're not talking about kicking.
F. It has been abused
- that's true - that's why teaching these principles
is so important so that we handle this area
biblically and correctly
- point is - Paul is saying - you've got a problem in the
church because one of your members is caught up in sin,
and you've got a bigger problem because the church
hasn't done anything about it.
- Now let's talk about God's solution. Paul gives it at the
end of verse 2 through verse 5.
III. The Solution
- read 3-5
A. Presupposes "steps" of Matt. 18
- what Paul is describing here would normally be
referred to as the third step of church discipline
- Matt. 18 tells us that when a brother sins, the
person that knows about it is to go privately to
that person
- they are not to tell someone else
- they are not to ignore it
- biblically they must go, asking questions, but when
the facts are established and the sin is made known
- the individual is to confront the person in sin
and encourage them to repent
- you can factor Gal. 6:1 in here as well
- when a brother is overtaken in a fault, you who
are spiritual restore such a one
- INPUT - Matt. 18 tells us - if the person repents,
What? (you have won the brother)
- if the person doesn't repent, you are to go back
with one or two more individuals who are mature
believers, and confront again, still with the goal
of that person repenting
- if the person doesn't repent at that point, then
Jesus said in Matt. 18 that it is to be brought to
the whole church
- that what I Cor. 5 is all about (the third step of
church discipline)
B. the action
- verse 2 says - the person is to be "removed from
your midst"
- that's the same thing the Lord is talking about in
Matt. 18 when He says "If He neglect to hear the
church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a
tax collector."
- now, we're not going to have time to talk about
this tonight, but Nancy has copied a page for you
from this seminar guide on this subject which
describes the "Matters for which church discipline
should be exercised."
- the bottom line is on the back of that sheet which
points out that the third step of church
discipline, which we are discussing here, only
happens for one reason, and that is failure to
repent.
- when that happens, the church has to come down on
the Lord's side and as a group declare that the
person is not functioning as a believer
- and that our contact with that person will
always include a discussion of how they need to
repent and get that area right with the Lord
and the church.
- now some folks might say - "Well, we'll just quietly remove
the person from leadership, even though he hasn't repented
of this scandalous sin."
- what from verse 4 tells us it can't be done this way?
C. The time
- "when you are come together."
- Jesus said in Matt. 18 - "What you bind on earth
has already been bound in heaven."
- the church body is a powerful force when it
functions and serves together
- our Lord wants all the love and authority of the
body to be brought together in these situations,
giving the person the best possible opportunity to
repent and change
- now, Paul is very careful in these verses to explain why a
church needs to act in this manner
IV. The Purposes
A. For the person in sin
- INPUT - what does verse 5 say is the desired result
of the process?
- the destruction of the flesh
- this phrase primarily refers to:
1. from this passage
a. destruction of fleshly desires and habits
- we studied the word "flesh" when we studied the
Fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5
- Paul said - Don't walk in the flesh - instead
walk in the Spirit
- the flesh refers to those desires and habits
that are sinful and do not please God
- the same desires and habits that got the
person into this sin in the first place
- a loving God doesn't want to see that person
continue to hurt, and as a result has ordained a
process that provides the greatest opportunity
for those habits to be destroyed
- "He that covers his sin shall not prosper" - and
the Lord wants this person to change and get
this area right so he/she can begin prospering
spiritually again
- INPUT - how might the process of church
discipline result in the "destruction of the
flesh?"
- "delivered unto Satan" means "turn them lose
in this world" apart from the fellowship and
teaching of the body, so that the folly and
pain of the sin might become evident
- point is - in I Cor. 5, Paul says that one of the
reasons church discipline is to be exercised is
for the benefit of the person in sin
- I think we need to point out, this:
2. may involve physical suffering
- now, not all sickness and disease is the result
of sin
- INPUT - how do we know that? (Job, the man born
blind)
- but, the other side of that is that some
sickness and disease clearly is the result of
sin
- later in this book, Paul is going to talk about
the Lord's table
- INPUT - what does he say in that discussion
that fits in here? (some are sickly among
you-some sleep)
- James says in James 5 that if a person is seriously
ill, the leaders of the church should be called -
"and if he has committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him."
- point is - the church disciple process has the
best interests of the person in sin in mind
- God wants that person "restored", and this process
gives the person the best opportunity for that to
happen
B. For the church
1. from this passage
- church discipline also has benefits for the church,
and this passage tells us about some of those
benefits
-INPUT-what is the reason Paul gives in verse 7
for obeying these principles? (sin spreads)
- when a person is diagnosed with cancer - their
first and primary concern is to what? (get it
out as quickly as possible)
- why? - because it spreads so rapidly.
- that’s what Paul is saying about sinfulness
- the purity of the church is at stake
- that’s why it's so important for a church to
maintain these principles throughout its history
- I feel sorry for pastors who go into churches where
these principles have been ignored for years
- because sometimes they go into a situation where
there may be 10-20 cases where discipline should
have been exercised but it wasn't
- and the church is so diseased and crippled that it
can't possibly have a testimony for the Lord
- I think of one situation where a leader in the
church was having an affair with another person in
the church
- right in the morning service, he went up and
sat with the lady he was having the affair with
and listened to the sermon, sang, etc. with the
"other woman"
- churches that aren't concerned with obeying the
Bible and living lives that are growing in purity
are diseased, and infected - and will be
ineffective for God
- point is - while the church discipline process is
designed to help the person in sin, it also has
great benefits for the church
- that point is also evident from what Paul later
wrote in the book of II Cor.
- the good news is that in this particular case, the
church repented and did what was right
- and then the man repented and did what was
right
- in discussing the repentance, Paul gives some
additional reasons for the process that are
important
- so still under the idea of "the benefits to the
church", let's see what these other verses say
2. From what Paul later wrote
a. II Cor. 2:3 - II Cor. 2:3: "...when I came...
that my joy is the joy of you all."
- he wanted to be able to get these problems
handled so they could get about the business
of serving the Lord and rejoicing in Him
b. II Cor. 2:4: "...that you might know the love
that which I have more abundantly unto you."
- Paul says the fact that I am willing to get
involved is a proof of my love
- We cringe when we see a news report of
someone in a big city neglecting to help
someone in trouble because they don't want
to "get involved."
- yet that's exactly what people and churches
are doing when they fail to obey God's Word
in this area
c. II Cor. 2:9: "...also did I write, that I
might know the proof of you, whether ye be
obedient in all things."