Sermon Tone Analysis

Does this sound familiar: “"If you're in a dispute with another party and you can't seem to work things out, don't take the law into your own hands; you take 'em to court,"

This was the tagline stated by the host of the courtroom reality show in the 80-90’s called the People’s Court.

Some of you will remember that famous intro…bum, um, bum, bum, um, bum, bum.

Starting in 1981, Monty Hall the producer of Let’s Make a Deal produced this hit court room arbitration show that initially ran for 12 seasons from 81-93 before being cancelled.

This show was the beginning of the movement of court room dramas that only grown in popularity over the last 40 years on television.

The list of these type of court room dramas is too long to mention but they grasped attention to the inner conflicts of individuals and it emphasized the need for those conflicts to be settled in the court system.

Now the People’s court was not a real court, but instead, it convinced these conflicting parties to drop their real small claims cases and to settle them on the big screen with the People’s Court serving as arbitrators between the two parties.

What the show represents is a growing sensation for people in conflict, is not to overlook offenses, but instead seek financial and emotional restitution in legal means.

Its not hard to believe that such a sensation was a challenge for the church.

What the world poses as entertainment, the church and God’s word spoke against.

Paul deals with another issue in the Corinthian church where believers are taking one another to court over disputes.

In our passage today, the church is challenged to remember the spiritual authority which has been given to her to seek peace among conflicts in the church.

Paul teaches us in verse 1-8 with two main ideas about the church’s spiritual authority and how we must return to being judges over disputes among believers for the glory of Christ.

1.

The world was not appointed to judge

The practical nature of this letter for the church cannot be overemphasized.

Paul does a remarkable job of addressing issues in the Corinthian church that are so helpful for developing our ecclesiology and the way we do church throughout the ages.

In chapters 1 through four we looked at division among the believers in Corinth because of their arrogant allegiances to leader ship.

in chapter 5, Paul deals with the churches negligence in handling issues of sin that had made its bed in the church body.

Now in chapter 6, Paul handles another issue of sin among the people of the Corinthian church.

This issue is the Christian response to conflict among brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul clearly addresses the Corinthian church in verses one and verse four Stating the churches failure to handle conflict properly.

It is important to note that the conflict being addressed is not with the world, believer against unbeliever.

Instead, it appears that Paul is focusing on how believers should settle disputes with each other.

The overall theme is that conflicts among spiritual people requires spiritual authority from the church to be involved.

That does not mean just church leadership, as we have clearly addressed in our previous passages.

We all admonish one another with Christ as our head and therefore we all have spiritual authority to speak truth with love towards one another.

CorinthIans in the church were not submitting such disputes to spiritual authority, but to pagans and worldly authority.

Paul’s points this out in v1 and v4.

Notice in v 1 how appalled Paul is when he states, “do you dare go…” which emphaises Paul disgust with how these believers have taken these disputes to ungodly authorities for the sake of judgment.

He makes the comparison for emphasis… you take your conflicts before the unrighteous instead of holy ones.

He labels them unrighteous for two reasons.

One because in comparing them to holy ones, he is labeling those hearing and judging the disputes as unbelievers.

They are lost and their worldview is anti-God, anti-gospel, anti-Jesus.

Secondly, as the lost judges of these disputes, they will not be capable to deal with such spiritual issues with spiritual wisdom from God.

They may possess morality, but this morality is always biased and polluted by sin in some way.

Paul uses language to imply that these disputes had risen to the legal courts.

Instead of dealing with sin of the immoral man, the church ignored it.

Instead of biblically dealing with the conflicts between brothers and sisters in the church, these matt were taken to the courts.

Parents imagine for a moment with me.

Imagine the next argument your children get into, one of those knock down screaming matches, where toys are flying across the room, hair is being pulled, etc.

Now imagine that during the mele, you call a therapist to handle it.

Not a family member, like dad, or grandparent.

instead, you shun own parental responsibilities and you call a shrink.

If this was a true story, I would hope that medical doctor would laugh out loud and tell you to parent your own kids.

But sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised that this happens today.

Paul is disgusted that believers are not settling these disputes where God’s word is central, where is Spirit is leading, where his people are praying and humble before his guidance.

Why would the human courts of the land,….or

the advice of an unbelieving friend be any benefit to you in spiritual matters when the church is available to be a true help to you.

It will not.

Ken Sande

Civil courts can make rulings on legal and property issues, but they have no jurisdiction or ability to address sin or other matters of the heart described in James 4:1–3 and Matthew 15:19 (see the discussion below on possible concurrent jurisdiction).

Therefore, civil courts are completely powerless to resolve the root causes of a lawsuit or to help people break free from the sin that is fueling their dispute.

Only the church can authoritatively carry out the ministry that is needed to thoroughly resolve a lawsuit between believers.

Sande, Ken.

The Peacemaker (p.

258).

Baker Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.

When Human Courts are the only option

Paul is not speaking about human courts as failing all believers.

We trust in a sovereign God who rules all judges, all attorneys, all legal cases.

There might be a case where regardless of how sinful it is, a believer in Christ takes you to court over a dispute.

While the Lord instructs them to settle this in the courts, it doesn’t always happen in such a way.

Practically, this is when churches should do better in leaving disputes among believers within the church and even working together to resolve conflicts.

If one Christian business owner commits unfair practices towards another believer, then the Christians should step in, even the pastors of these two parties to help resolve such a situation instead of taking it to the courts.

How glorious would it be to see two churches working towards reconciliation with feuding believers.

Similarly, there may be times that the church has to settle affairs with unbelievers in courts, although such a situation should be avoided if possible.

The spiritual wisdom of the church has no value to a unbeliever and therefore in certain cases, the church has to take legal action against unbelievers.

One such case was the violation of religious freedom that was imposed on Grace Community Church where John Macarthur pastors.

After initially following COVID guidelines at the outset of the outbreak, GCC soon reinstated in person worship services.

The LA County health department began fining them weekly and removing access to church resources that the county previously allowed them to use.

Eventually, the church was sued by the county and the courts decided in favor of GCC, repaying over 800,000 back to the church.

Judges of This earth are appointed by the Lord and he can use them for his good purposes.

While we find rest in this if believers in Christ ever do have to go to court, the command of the Lord is to seek reconciliation among our church family, within our church family.

But if unbelievers take us to court, then we can trust that the Lord who reigns if a air and righteous judge

Romans 13 also instructs us in such a way to respect those authorities over us because they have been appointed by God.

Therefore the church should defer to handle its cases within the body of Christ, not out of dishonor to the courts, but as acknowledgment to the higher courts of our lives.

The Lord is supreme judge and therefore our disputes will receive his attention first and foremost where his Spirit dwells, in his church.

Do this while showing honor and respect to those earthly legal laws and authorities that align with and do not impede believers from faithfulness.

When laws and authorities stand opposed to God, then stand opposed to them with respect.

Transition: Now that Paul has again told the church what not to do, he turns to instruct them theologically, instructing their mind and heart, so that will lead to instructing their will, which leads to obedience.

2. The Church Has Been Appointed to Judge Rightly!

Paul turns to instruct the church as to why, logically and theologically that they should handle such conflict internally within the body.

He must first inform the heart and mind before the acts will change.

So his instruction is simple: God’s people will judge the world and angels and therefore, why would they refrain from judging matters in the church.

Judging the world and angels

The interesting statement from Paul here is an eschatological one.

The Bible speaks firstly that angels will face the judgment of God just like mankind.

Satan of course is the angel of light and he is included in that category.

Also the world will be judged for their acts of rebellion of sin against God.

We have these two well known truths about the judgment of the wicked, both angels and men, but how does the church play a part in the judgment of the wicked.

Paul states here very clearly that we are involved in the judgment.

This is the basis for his argument as to why we can judge disputes between brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let’s consider a couple helpful passage that build on this idea:

Christ has been given all authority to judge the wicked

We will reign with Christ and judge the nations in our eternal union

We will be perfected in all wisdom for eternity

(Therefore) our current union with Christ and judgment of church matters is an already not yet practice of what is to come more fully.

This is the line of thinking of the apostle Paul as he states that the holy ones are capable now of handling disputes now instead of going to the courts of the land.

Now we have been given the word of God that is sufficient for all life and godliness.

Now we have been given discernment by the Spirit to listen and assess situations, filtering the scenario through the word of God so that we might judge or give clear pathways to reconciliation.