God Demands a Pure (not perfect) Church

Role of the Church Concerning Sin

Since God expects and demands purity in the church

REM - God’s wisdom, you (church) are a sacred temple, how should it be treated?

Apparently a previous letter discussing immoral associations

Paul there “in spirit” = psychologically speaking

1) Confronting Sin (explain this one in ch 5)

Some Assumptions here:

Man is a believer, “associated” with the church, a member

The church is tolerating this (would we? what if he’s a nice guy?)

QUESTION- Why would a persistent sinner want to be there?

QUESTION- Why would the church risk damaging their testimony to embrace something known to be wrong? (Roman law, OT, God’s law)

These are MATURE questions!

Why did they think this is OK? (POINT: They didn’t, so who was he? RIch, prominent, dirt on others?)

They had a clear disregard for several very clear concepts of decency, ignoring sin

Paul confronts sin, echoing teaching of Jesus (. e.g.)

2) Concerning Discipline

The issue is complacency about sin

Paul concerned about the man’s sin, yes

Paul more concerned that the church apparently doesn’t care!

QUESTION- Is it cruel to confront sin?

Why discipline?

Kids, teams, military, vocations

Correct bad habits, correct things that are dangerous?

The GOAL here: REPENTANCE

Cruel to ask someone to repent? ()

Not fun, sure

We don’t enjoy correcting kids (it’s hard work, and tiring)

We also don’t enjoy being corrected (toes stepped on a bit)

Real life application: many do not correct/discipline kids, it’s just too much work, it gets old, tiring, and it’s easier today just to NOT do it

Perfect parallel to the church, lost its way in many areas, including morality and decency today

Callous to sin - leads to serious trouble

For them, sickness, even dying () - this is SERIOIUS, and yes, there is a direct tie to communion...

Message of LOVE to this man - REPENT, RESTORE, RETURN

We must believe that the church is the BEST place for

Helping the hurting heal

From past sin, having confronted it, or helping confront and grow

Not persistent “in-your-face-try-and-stop-me” sin

We must believe this from the viewpoint that we correct, seeking repentance and righteous living

NOT tolerating just b/c we need $$$ or people, never about those numbers

NOT

“Hate sin, love the sinner”

QUESTION- How do we love, selflessly?

Certainly not gossip, and talk around the issue

How about- Go out of the way to connect and correct - “Tough love”

EXAMPLE - Child throws fit (“pitches”)

a) You give in: love?

b) You correct: love?

Which is easier? a

Which actually helps the child? b

NOT a witch-hunt - but true, loving desire for people, and utilizing what is best for them - CHRIST!

3) Concerning Associations

Leaven/yeast

Passover: house cleared of all yeast

No chance for contamination, knowing it spreads easily (effective, “effect”)

Influence of small amount ruins the lump of dough (parables)

POINT: celebrate the new mindset, fresh clean, HEALTHY!

Purity of the church is crucial!

WHAT ABOUT ASSOCIATIONS with IMMORAL?

Proverbs 13:20 NASB95

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Side point: What if doctor refused to see sick people?

We have to associate, if we want to help them

We can’t avoid the lost, the wicked, the evil

(But, we don’t have to be that, either)

Called to reach them -

Called to teach them - REACH and TEACH

To avoid evil is to be out of this world - otherwise, you’re in it!

Want to be part of it, or do you want to change it?

POINT: We must associate with the immoral. Who else will help them?

BUT… what about the “so-called” brother?

The believer knows better, right? Christian freedom taken to extreme

Eventually patience and charity is no longer a virtue - correction is needed

Church fellowship - spiritual, should not be a comfortable place for someone in open, rebellious sin!

IF they are comfy with this, then the church is to blame

Think about communion for a moment (SELF-examination) - the idea behind coming to communion “clean” is to recognize sin, repent, change attitude, then COME

Be restored and return!

We today (the church, maybe us?) look the other way, right? None of my business, right?

Judgment - eternal - “outsiders” belongs to God

Judgement - temporal, here and now - for us, “insiders” , for holy living and purity of the church, BY HIS WORD (see v. 4 - in the name of the Lord Jesus!)

4) Applications for us (what do we do with all this?)

Mature - willingness to be accountable to the church

willingness to be mature, be part of the church, and be part of that accountablility

willingness to be mature and bring others along, learning, teaching, growing

willingness to hold self and others up to God’s standard

(examples, asking advice, not judging when asked, knowing how to respond by God’s Word, and working, and working)

Membership in a church has to mean something - not a “club” but a living organism, established by Christ, for our benefit, and to be USED for and by Him

As always - to judge by God’s Word we must know it, respect it, and be willing to hold to it

Oppose “popular” thought, and be willing to call out wrong, especially when it affects us, the church

??(Example - Episcopal woman priest married to woman heading up abortion)

Realize what the world sees and thinks (sub conversation)

What do they see of “Christians?” We have to step it up, someone does!

People seek signs, they do; God says “NO NEED, I GAVE THEM YOU!

Personally

Not tolerate sin - love, correct, repent

YOU be the affect, not be affected

Hebrews 3:13 NASB95

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

YOU be the affect, not be affected

1 Cor 15:

1 Corinthians 15:33 NASB95

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Connect with lost, sinner, immoral, the hurting from sin

“Mourn” for sin, , Blessed are they that mourn (context)

We must reach them to bring them to Christ

Challenge self, and each other

“Mourn” for sin, , Blessed are they that mourn (context)

Consider “removal” from church- does it work today? Is it needed?

TALK about spiritual matters when we gather for fellowship - It’s OK! :)

Incorporate Christ into our conversation and life matters

SUMMARY

All of this, to be done humbly, faithfully, to build this body of believers, so we can be accountable to God, and then be accountable to each other?

How strong do we want to be?

I can’t make this important for anyone else but me.

Today’s challenge, what do we do with this?

Mirror, best tool. Look at yourself, don’t be self-deceived (REM James)

Repent where needed; forgive where needed; always GROW

God really, REALLY wants to use this church, YOU. Let’s let Him!