Tolerance and Account. 1 Corinthians 5:6-13

Introduction

Growing up, I had a certain group of friends that largely revolved around sports. I loved baseball and our team was exceptionally good and many of us walked into football together because we expected the same success to carry over. Through the years, however, we drifted apart. My parents marriage dissolved, as well as any stability for me or civility for them. It seemed strange to keep playing sports when no one would be available to give you a ride or even show up for games. I started participating in church and life’s focus kind of shifted. I didn’t have a plan per se where I got up one day and said I don’t want to be friends with these guys any longer. It just kinda happened.

However, my sophomore year I decided, largely in part to me not knowing what I wanted to do with my life and a rumor that a free paint job for my truck might be in the cards, to join vo-tech classes for collision repair. This yielded with it a 45 minute bus ride every morning to Rolla, and another one in the afternoon each day. Oddly enough, all of my old baseball and football buddies were enrolled as well. It was like a blast from the past and a chance to catch up again. However, they weren’t the same people and neither was I.

I had been going to church for a little over 2 years now and they had dove into areas of life that I was trying to distance myself from. As you can imagine, I explained this in a well articulated manner and they, being good friends, respected my decisions and understood where I was now. Not at all actually. I became the butt of all the jokes and was bullied daily by these friends that I once was close with.

The slow knife in all of it was a close friend of mine who dove right in with them. We went to church together, we hung out often, and I was at his house weekly if not daily. However, he joined in with them, largely out of a desire to fit in with these popular guys that he’d always been on the outside of. I eventually, left the program, and went back into school, finding that I was alot better student than I thought I was if I did this new thing they called, “actually trying.” Crazy concept but it worked for me.

My friend however, dove head first into that culture and became the friend that they let tag along because he was crazy and would do anything. I remember one day he explained that when he turned 18 the guys took him out to a gentleman’s club and they all hung out that Friday to celebrate together. I asked him outright, “Why would you do that? And why would you tell me that you did that?” I don’t know why but the question seemed to shake him as his face betrayed him. Its almost as if he stared his answer back at me, “I don’t know why I did any of it.”

Tension

Charlie Tremendous Jones said “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” While we know this to be largely true, it still is one of the hardest lessons to impress upon our young people that their friends have a greater influence than they will often admit because they themselves don’t always see it or want to see it. It is still the same for us as adults. We can all be moved and pushed into areas we didn’t sign up for by a friend or family member who might be a little much. Or a coworker who is always in trouble and we seem to be the one they call to bail them out. It can be a hard line to know how to walk in discerning when we are influencing others and when they are influencing us. It can be even harder describing to someone who knows us intimately, warts and all, that we don’t feel they are best for us. “Do you think you’re better than me? You might forget that I know who you really are.” Has anyone recived that particular dagger to the heart? Today’s sermon, flowing out of last weeks conversation, is about seeing those influences towards sin for what they are and how to respond to them. Paul continues with us in chapter 5 verse 6 if you’ll read along with me this morning.

Truth

1 Corinthians 5:6–13 (ESV)

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—

10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Pray

Exposition

1 Corinthians 5:6–13 (ESV)

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We must commit ourselves to casting out our sin and not re-embracing it. vs.6-8 Attitude/Behavior.

Paul uses this imagery that everyone in that ancient context would have understood. The idea of leaven or “yeast” working its way through dough. If you’ve never baked break or aren’t familiar with the process then you’re at a loss here but everyone in their world understood this. Recently, I have been taking on some baking at my house because it forces me to learn a new skill set. I love cooking but much of that is more of an art than a science. Baking is straight up science. There is little wiggle room in the recipes because you need the components to act and react specifically. I started watching some youtube on making my own starter and very quickly I thought all I was doing was creating a plague. Instruction are to mix flour with water and do that daily for 14 days. Guys, it smelled like sewer. I thought about throwing it out numerous times but Jessica Casper told me to stick it out. She gave me a good one to look at and in that 14 days something changed and it became less sewer water and more sweet smelling. When I made my first loaf of bread I watched the dough like a hawk. It’s crazy. It would double each rise, I’d pound it down and fold it, and it would rise again. The yeast works its way through the dough doing its work and causing the whole thing to bloom.

Paul uses this illustration to describe sin. Through the churches decision to not condemn sinful behavior but instead boast in it, they have dumped this yeast of sin into the congregation. Its working its way through the whole thing, causing an attitude of sinfulness and pride to permeate the whole church.

Another illustration is employed that 2024-ers would move right past. Paul references here Passover and a festival. Exodus 12:15-20 tells us the story of how, during the festival of unleavened bread, specifics were taken by the people. They wouldn’t eat any bread with any leaven in it. Flatbread for 7 days straight. They would go as far as to remove their starter from the house entirely. It was kicked out of the house on day one. Just as Israel remembered the passover lamb whose blood protected them while in Egypt and the way in which they left in such a hurry that the bread didn’t have time to rise, Jesus would become the once-and-for-all sacrificial Passover Lamb. The unleavened bread became one of the elements of the Lord’s supper, pointing us to the broken body of Christ for our sin.

Now, the Corinth church has let the yeast back into the fellowship, so-to-speak. They’ve reinserted sin back into the mix and its taking over. Paul encourages them, stop going back to the old ways that used to govern us: malice and evil. Instead, embrace this new life Christ has given to us; one of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—

10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

We must remain sober and honest with ourselves about who is influencing us in our walk with Christ or leading us away from it. vs.9-10. Belief/Attitude.

Paul has two things mention here: one of them is obvious and overt and the other is the reasoning for the first.

Paul declares that he’s already told them not to associate with people who are opening diving into sin that God has condemned and declared to be missing the Mark.

Secondly, the reason why is because those that would choose to not follow Christ’s teaching will ultimately influence us to not follow Christ’s teachings.

Paul also states that he’s not talking about the worldly people of the world living worldly lifestyles. “you would need to go out of the world to avoid” such people, he says. I think this also has some thoughts for us reguarding our role as aliens in a nation that doesn’t honor God. Paul would not advocate a lifestyle of monasticism or separation ism for us. Instead he calls us to be in the world while knowing we are not of it, echoing Jesus’ statements in John 17:15-19

John 17:15–19 (ESV)

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Jesus himself gave us this as a sort of method of operation. That we would live out a life of devotion to him in our neighborhoods and jobs and communities. That we would live in contrast to the world whilst still participating in it to point the way to him. So, the influence that we are warned about is not outside of the church seeping into the people, but the very people themselves bringing sin in the front door and propping it up as a idol. We will discuss this deeper in a moment, so for now, I want to talk about the reality that we must not ignore. We all can gain fuzzy vision when it comes to seeing how we are influenced and by whom.

I remember first coming to FBC Owensville as a 7th grader and the way that you looked up to the Upper class-men at the time. However, I remember one night hearing Susan, Roger, and Misty talking next to the table I was sitting at. Overhearing them talking about the party they were all at Friday and all the hilarious things that happened in the haze of drinking, drugs, and drama. Even at that age, I remember knowing that what they were doing was wrong, and more importantly, that what they were living out was a lie. I didn’t say anything to them but I knew that I didn’t want to listen to them anymore.

As Amanda and I got older, newly married, and newly in ministry we developed a relationship with a couple that started out fine but later became destructive. Issues in their marriage had caused roots of bitterness and resentment to grow in a briar thicket of barbs and we saw it start to affect how we viewed and treated one another.

I would give two pieces of advice regarding such relationships and how we, as believers, should respond to them.

1. Where you have the influence, use it to call brothers and sisters back towards holiness.

there have been times that I have had influence over others. Individuals, couples, friends, and even family. What do you do with such influence? Do you use it to point others to Christ? To encourage them? To rebuke when necessary to seek to restore them? “Well, I don’t want to get involved or for things to get awkward.” Friends, with all do respect, God has given you a mandate to help one another embrace a life in Godliness and to spur one another on towards good works. In short, you can’t stay silent. A debt of love requires you to say something in gentleness and humility. Pray and say what you need too.

2. Where instead you are influenced, distance yourself far enough to escape your temptation.

“When she calls I always end up riding shotgun to a place I never wanted to go down.” I was talking with some boys this past week in a juvenile treatment program. One of the young men said to me “I’ve got some friends that have been with me through thick and thin and I can’t wait to get out this summer and spend time with them again.” I simply pointed out that the last time they spent time together he ended up in here and they are still out there. “Perhaps, brother, you need to get some new friends who don’t and won’t talk you into things you can’t refuse.”

We’ve all had relationships like this. Where people can influence us, manipulate us, control us. And they use this power rather than to build us up to instead keep us where they want us. Friends, this is the definition of toxicity. Young ladies, young men, if you ever find a person you are dating to be this way pull the ripcord quick. Don’t allow people to control you or demand your compliance without offering anything in return.

The truth is that in highschool, my buddy who stayed on in Vo-tech had alot more influence over me than I’d like to admit. He was my only friend for a while and I felt like I really needed to keep him. Without him, I’d have nobody, or so I told myself. However, everytime we hung out we’d just be idiots. We almost lit a hay field on fire, we blew out the axle on my car trying to impress they guys at school, we pranked a buddies car and got ISS. I just did dumb stuff when I was around him so I had to make a choice and stopped being around him. And wouldn’t you know it, God sent me different friends and more of them. I didn’t have any friends but then I started dating this chick and got all of her friends. It can be hard to cut people loose, especially when we have history. But we need to honest with ourselves about whether or not they are influencing us towards righteousness or dragging us back into the old man. Do they want us to honor God in our lives or do they want us to do what they tell us too. With all the boldness I can, i want to encourage you, as scary as it may be, pull the ripcord from such people. It might hurt now but its alot better than crashing into the ground and dying because we were too scared to pull it when we had the time.

11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

We are called, in love, to judge our brothers and sisters of the Church according to the Word, but we do not have the authority or the responsibility to judge anyone outside of the church. vs.11-13. Belief/Attitude/Behavior.

We discussed this a little last week. We need to get this straight church and we’ve missed it here in the past 10 years or so. What do I mean? You’ve heard many decry and even perhaps yourself, the downturn of the nation in these years.

The world is going to hell in a hand-basket,

its never been this bad before,

people stopped following Jesus and

we need God back in the white house again.

if they would just stop doing....

If they would just start doing..... like the bible says.

We have been guilty of thinking and telling those outside of the church and outside of a relationship with Christ that their lives would be better if they would just learn to act like us.

If they’d wouldn’t drink, wouldn’t chew, and wouldn’t run around with girls that do.

Now, what am I saying and what am I not saying? Let me be clear.

I’m not saying that God’s rules and regulations on how we should run and govern our lives won’t work to a make a persons life better.

I’m not saying that such wisdom is only profitable to a Christian.

I’m not saying that lost people can’t be good or moral. I have friends who are atheists who are better or more moral in some ways that I am.

I’m not saying that our world is following Jesus or is where it should be.

What I am saying, however, is that we need to get first things first. We are spiritually dead in our sinful state. Dead means no life. We can’t add good, right, or moral living to our lives and become less dead. A dead man can’t live anyway. He’s dead. Our friends, neighbors, family, and coworkers who our outside of Christ are spiritually dead and what they really need is not to cuss less or quit lying on their taxes. What they need is for Jesus to change their hearts, breath air into their lungs, and cause them to come from darkness into marvelous light.

They need a resurrection and we must have our eyes opened to this again. The reason we don’t judge the world for acting worldly is because thats who they are. They need to be brought to life and then we can talk about the statutes God has so they can live a life of abundance in Him. As it stands, they don’t desire a life of holiness because they never signed up to live one. By the way, neither did you or I. We all walk according to the desires of our own hearts and the patterns of the world. Until one day, the Holy Spirit cracked open our sinful hearts like a pistachio, laying it bare and naked. We saw our behavior for the first time for what it really was: sin. Repentance took us over and we gave our hearts and lives to Christ, turning from sin and asking Christ to be Lord of all that we were. Now, we pursue and desire Godliness and righteousness. Not because we are perfect but because we love him. Until the scales have been removed from our eyes and our hearts have been turned from stone to flesh, we don’t want nor could we embrace holiness.

What lost people need is not to act less lost, but to be found and saved. Don’t preach or teach lesser things. By telling people they need to clean up their act we are also teaching that their works can make them better. Simply put, they cannot. They need new life. To be born again. To be remade into a new creation, one with the capacity to see sin rightly, desire holiness totally, and pursue Christ entirely. God will bring this to bear on them, we are called to judge, encourage, and rebuke one another to keep each other on track.

Application

So, living this out in our lives and encouraging those we are making into disciples in their own, what do we do?

Is there any sinful “leaven” that is still bubbling up in your life? Name it. Pray it out before the Lord. As you are able, share this with a Godly brother or sister to help you deal with it and be done.

In the same way, call your relationships what they are. Are they influencing you for good and Godliness or are they pulling you from it? Pull the ripcord if necessary. Flee from temptation. Come up with an action plan with your mentor.

Do you have a brother or sister in the faith who has gone their own way? Have you encouraged them in love? Have you neglected or ignored it hoping it would go away or out of fear? Pray over this person and their situation then pray that God would give you courage and boldness to say what you need too in grace, humility, and love.

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