Tough Love

As the title may indicate this weeks message is a tough one.

I said it before but let me remind you - even it it is hard to preach and hard to hear if it is in the Word then I am preaching it.

1 Corinthians 5:1–13 (CSB)

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles—a man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief and remove from your congregation the one who did this? 3 Even though I am absent in the body, I am present in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who has been doing such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. 11 But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.

A report about some sexual sin among the church is the next issue Paul deals with. He is specifically dealing with incest. In this case a man is in a sexual relationship with his stepmother.

Paul calls the sin “sexual immorality” which covers a multitude of sexual sins or any sexual conduct outside of what has been ordained by God in marriage.

So we cannot sit here and think “Oh he’s not talking to me” especially once we get down to verse 11 and discover Paul is addressing a much large issue.

Even though this man is committing this horrible sin, a sin even the pagan world does not allow, the first thing Paul calls into question is the church's reaction…

We should be deeply grieved by sin.

Oh how quick we are to judge those who are dealing with same sex attraction or those struggling with their identity as male or female but will overlook those living together out of wedlock, having sex prior to being married, pornography, and the list goes on…

Paul may be addressing sexual sin in this case but the reality is how many other sins do we just passover? Gossip, rebellious hearts, stingy, angry, etc, etc.

If we are deeply grieved by sin then it should stir us to action.

We need to protect the body from sin.

Sometimes you have to remove the offense.

Sin tends to spread like a cancer mainly because if we overlook one then others creep in.

If you knew someone was going to break in and hurt your family and destroy you stuff what would you do? Im guessing you try and stop them anyway you can.

Obviously, the best solution would be prevent them from getting in to begin with but once they are there, you have to deal with them.

The same is true in the church - the best solution would be for everyone to live according to God’s Word and not sin but once sin is there we have to deal with it.

Now please understand - people are going to sin but how do they respond to it? if they acknowledge their sin and repent then yay! But if they refuse to confess and repent then we MUST step in to protect the body and…

We discipline to lead to repentance not condemnation.

Even if it causes struggles in this life it is better now than to suffer eternal punishment.

A little trouble can cause a BIG mess.

Paul uses the analogy of leaven. Leaven is small but it mixes in and grows.

He also talks about old and new leaven. The old way is with malice and evil but Paul says we are to be sincere and truthful.

Paul is talking about how we deal with fellow believers.

We cannot expect unbelievers to act like believers.

But we should demand believers to act like believers.