Such Were Some of You

Announce “Lord of The Wings” movie night at our house

†CALL TO WORSHIP John 4:24

Paul Mulner, Elder

Minister: Christians, we have met to worship. How can we sinners worship a holy God?

Congregation: God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. By God’s help, we will worship him together.

†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION

†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #294

“Song of Zechariah”

†CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN

based on Daniel 4:4-19

Minister: We confess our sins to our holy God. We know that when we confess he is faithful and just to forgive.

Congregation: Most gracious father: you are holy, yet filled with mercy and steadfast love.

And so we confess to you: we have preferred the ways of this world to your ways, and we have rebelled against your wisdom. Incline your ear to our troubles. Hear us when we pour out our sorrows before you. Forgive us, not on the ground of our own righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercy in the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.

It is in his name that we pray, for He is our Savior and the mediator of the covenant of grace. Amen.

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Exodus 3

Pastor Austin Prince

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†HYMN OF PREPARATION #321

“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”

SERMON 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Such Were Some of You. Pastor Austin Prince

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path; grant us so to meditate on that word, and to follow its teaching. That we may find in it the light that shines more and more until the perfect day through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Text

1 Corinthians 6:1–11 ESV

1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. 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.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

Intro

A few years ago I did a small stint in the state Diagnostic Prison down in Jackson, Georgia. I bet you all didn’t know that - it didn’t come up in my interview.

But I should clarify that it was as a part of a rotation of chaplains and not as an inmate.

The first time I visited, there were two really nice chaplain’s assistants–inmates who were allowed to apprentice with the chaplain’s office. But the second time I went back, they were no longer there. They were replaced by two new guys.

When I inquired as to what happened to the last guys, I was told that they had their apprenticeship privileges revoked for consistently making what they call “toilet wine” and starting fights among those who wanted it.

Sometimes life just gets you down and you might just have to crack some heads to get some toilet wine.

The sad part is, that little story is all too often like a dark parable of our real lives, our lives outside of prison cells, but still choosing the vile things of this world as if they are our only access to comfort. The pursuit of satisfaction or vitality or peace by any means necessary, even willing to partake in the ugly rewards of sin (a toilet wine) to get its fix is by definition anti-christian living. Living, as Paul writes to the Ephesians, as “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world”.

How should we look at this dynamic?

If the world is pursuing sin and self as if they are in prison taking any joys they can, then we should look on them with the eyes of pity and as those who relate to that impulse, but who bring the gospel, the keys that unlock the prison cell and the bread of life and living water to the hungry soul.

But if we see those in the church living this way, not only pursuing sin and self (indulging in toilet wine), but doing so by any means necessary — fights, manipulation, lies, lawsuits, anger, etc., we ought to mourn and be ashamed. This is where Paul is at with the Corinthians.

***By the way, when Chelsea and I were looking for places to serve, Covenant of Grace overwhelmingly displayed, and displays, a joy and vigor and hunger for the things of God. When we came to visit, we saw that you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, that worship is a joy, and that life with Him is abundant life. We hold that in our hearts and prayers with great joy as we join you as a family and I as your Pastor.

Here’s the dynamic that I want us to see this morning:

Seneca, a contemporary of Paul, cries our that what men want is “a hand let down to lift them up.” “Men,” he declared, “are overwhelmingly conscious of their weakness in necessary things.” “Men love their vices,” he said with a kind of despair, “and hate them one and the same time.” He looked at himself and called himself a homo non tolerabilis, a man not to be tolerated.” Barclay The Letters To The Corinthians, 61.

This is a great description of the relationship to sin that I described earlier. Vices and sins are often the things that make life seem worth living - joyful, freedom, vitality. But one things we all know is that they are also the things that make us miserable - jealousy, fighting, wars, gossip, mistrust, abuse, shame, etc. Seneca says we love them and hate them, but we are trapped, slaves to our appetites.

What Paul does in this section is to use an example to draw out a greater principle about this appetite dynamic that we have been speaking of.

It’s like a doctor that says, you see this symptom here? This is indicative of a greater disease, a disease that also presents itself with other symptoms such as x,y, and z.

So keep that framework in your mind as we look at the symptom and we look at the disease.

Outline:

Loss of Perspective

Lack of Posture

Link to Power

Loss of Perspective

1 Corinthians 6:1–6 (ESV) — 1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

The Jews didn’t generally use public law courts - they took their cases to the village elders of the synagogue. The Greeks, however, were a litigious people who like the spectacle of the public court.

usually a jury consisted of anywhere between 200-6000 citizens. The Greek love of wisdom made almost every man a law man -- they were quick to take this spirit into the church. Paul, with his Jewish background, found this to be revolting. It was a tawdry spectacle.

How can we look for justice among the unjust?

It’s as if Paul is saying, “how dare you bring a brother before an unrighteous court”

The Saints will judge the world [Dan. 7:22; [Matt. 19:28; Rev. 20:4]

We are inheritors of Christ’s wisdom — seeing through sin and deception, turning the other cheek, humbling ourselves and considering others more significant than ourselves, etc. Must we turn back to the world for wisdom?

Not talking about crimes here, but fraud. Also, Paul utilized the courts at times to hid advantage, but it was not to defraud and it was not against a brother.

It’s shameful that we are incompetent to settle disputes between brothers (as apposed to 1 Cor. 4 where Paul does not intend to shame) — This in direct opposition to their boasting and pride. Pride in what, exactly?

Taking brothers to law before unbelievers? What does that say about our testimony? What does this say about the power of the cross?

This is one of the symptoms

Lack of Posture

1 Corinthians 6:7–8 (ESV) — 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

Already a defeat: A lose lose situation, even if you win your case, you lose. (like a shouting match with your spouse or friend)

What’s the point of a lawsuit? Is it not that we are demanding our rights? Why not suffer?

A good illustration of this is that when we live with God as we ought and we are meant to, it’s like living on land, surrounded by air. But living as we shouldn’t, with idols and lusts, is like living under water. The way we survive down there among the darkness and pressure is to have an oxygen tank (artificial air), something that we can take a shot of and sustain living for a little bit. Of course, your tank gets low so you have to replace it with tank after tank to survive. And sometimes you can be jealous of someone else’s tank, or maybe your tank gets messed with and you panic-fearing that you won’t survive, so you lash out and fight to protect it.

That’s what is happening here.

Why not be defrauded?

(good application — at what amount do we abandon Christian charity?) “Just to be clear, this is not unclear. In addition, the principle doesn’t change as the amounts get larger. One man might be willing to suffer loss if it is ten bucks, but if it a thousand bucks, he would argue his case before unbelievers, and would do so with the veins on his neck sticking out.” -- Wilson, Douglas. Partakers of Grace: A Commentary on 1 Corinthians . Canon Press. Kindle Edition.

You yourselves defraud:

This is the key to understanding the next few verses. A heart that demands satisfaction, a heart that will not be defrauded, and a heart that is willing to defraud to get what it wants, is a symptom of those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Link to Power

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (ESV) — 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. 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.

Remember “life under grace”

Do not be deceived

There seemed to be an idea in Corinth that they could remain living like the world around them and still inherit the Kingdom of God. An idea that they could come up out from underwater (to go back to our metaphor) but still wear the oxygen tank of their idols. As if they could sit in the pews (as it were) while hooked up to the

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:33–34, ESV)

It is incredibly easy to think that God isn’t holy. To think that His mercy and grace and love diminishes the severity of sin. And the sins here described are perpetual, lifestyle type sins. Sins that our culture has made acceptable or respectable.

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14, ESV)

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, ESV)

Such were some of you (power)

Such were some of you — such are all of us

Our testimony to the world matters. And our testimony is one of power.

There but for the grace of God, go I (1 Cor. 15:10)

Washed, sanctified, justified,

Conclusion

Some of us have drunk the toilet wine, too. Maybe some of you are still drinking from it. But you needn’t live as if you are in a prison cell, clinging on to whatever pleasure you can. Nor do you need to walk in shame, as if the things you have done are indelibly etched upon your soul as if it’s an impossible stain to remove. In Christ, it is not. And brothers, in His name you have been washed, sanctified, and justified.

As Barclay writes, “But then after this dreadful catalogue of vices, natural and unnatural, there comes Paul’s shout of triumph “and such were some of you.” The proof of Christianity lay in its power. It could take the dregs of humanity and make men out of them. It could take men lost to shame and make them sons of God. There were in Corinth, and all over the world, men who were living, walking proofs of the sheer re-creating power of Jesus Christ. The power of Christ is still the same. No man can change himself, but Christ can change Him.” -- Barclay The Letters To The Corinthians, 60.

†HYMN OF RESPONSE #306

“To Us a Child of Hope is Born”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Leader: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

CONFESSION OF FAITH

The Apostles’ Creed p. 851 or The Nicene Creed p. 852

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

Minister: Here is the table of the Lord, we are gathered to his supper for a foretaste of things eternal. All who have faith in the risen lord and are united with his church in baptism are invited to come. Come, you who are fearful, to find peace in him. Come, you who are weak, to be made strong in faith. Come, you who are broken, and be made whole. It is not I who invite you, but the Lord. You who trust in him, come.

Congregation: What shall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward us? We will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are they who trust in him.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

SHARING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

CLOSING PRAYER

BENEDICTION

Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Go in confident peace, for the Lord is with you. Amen.

Grace Notes Reflection:

The glorious, glorious gospel, that which “could take men lost to shame and make them sons of God” (Barclay).

As Paul holds up some of the sins of the world, he reminds us that “such were some of you” (1 Cor. 6:11). And instead of filling us with scorn for the world and its ways, I believe we are to be moved to pity and hope. Pity in seeing others walk in paths that we once knew, paths of pain and darkness and longing, following the course of this world. But we are also to be filled with hope. Once we were blind, but now we see. As Isaiah summarizes, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isa. 9:2).

Reflect on the power of the gospel today:

- How has it changed you?

- Do you believe that the gospel can change those around you?

Pray for gospel boldness with Paul:

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18–20, ESV)