God's Wisdom in Action

Repeated Question: (Don’t You Know??)

Along the way, answer these, “well, do you?”

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1) Who Do you Trust

Options:

World, or Brother/sister

Unbeliever, or Believer

Where would you go if you had a dispute with a fellow believer, someone at this church? (Sheriff, Judge, Law?) How about the church?

God expects us to be able to manage life with each other

With His wisdom, not the world’s

Daniel 7:18 NASB95

‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’

Matthew 19:28 NASB95

And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Verse 3 here!

Do you know this? We will come with Christ and serve, judge, rule in HIS Kingdom!

POINT: Knowing this should affect how we respond to life

When we don’t follow God’s wisdom, perhaps we forget, or maybe we don’t know to begin with...

Build on chapter 5, you tolerate immorality, and so, yeah, it makes sense that you’d sue each other.

THINK ABOUT THE MEANING AND INTENT HERE:

Not a statement about the secular law, it could be fine

But…you’re willing to have some relatively small dispute, and rather than settle it by God’s wisdom, you want to go public and let everyone know that we can’t even be civil with each other. No wonder you have problems… (sarcasm)

The “righteous” should not go before the “unrighteous” and then let THEM tell you what’s right.

So…where would YOU take a dispute with a brother/sister?

I mean, they won’t let the 10 Commandments hang there...

We can’t pray in schools, or talk Bible there, but we’ll trust whatever they teach our kids.

Paul says: Be careful you don’t let the church become so ineffective that you can’t even settle matters among yourselves. You, :angel-judgers” - Come on!

EXAMPLE: Presbyt. Church in PA - lawsuit

2) Are You Willing to be the Bigger Person?

Ever been wronged?

I LIKE TO BE RIGHT - guilty!

Are you willing to damage a relationship, lose opportunity to restore one, just to be right? Is it THAT important?

Hard to be the bigger person, to do the right thing. Yeah!

“Do you not know?” Apparently they didn’t

Maybe they forgot, or ignored the right thing, from arrogance or pride

Do you know when to do the right thing?

ISSUE Here: Their behavior is not characteristic of what a Christian’s should be

What about us?

ASIDE: Why weren’t the Corinthians “getting” it?

Arrogant?

Not learning?

Wrong teaching? Poor teaching? NO teaching at all?

OR: Good teaching, but people aren’t showing up to learn?

If WE don’t “get” it, which of these are our reasons?

It’s time to “own” our identity in Christ, and get something done for HIM!

3) Have You Left Your “Lost” Life Behind?

Paul lists behaviors that are not characteristics that accompany the Christian life

Does that mean that these are sins that keep you from Heaven? NO, but...

God says if these (and others) are the dominating characteristic of someone, he’d assume they are not a believer, but....

“SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU” (Key: WERE!)

You’ve left that life behind

You’ve left that life of pleasing yourself first, pleasing the flesh (each on that list benefits the individual selfish self)

Just like the way you USED to settle disputes - PAST! (it all fits…)

AMAZING Depiction of the Christian that follows, so encouraging, so re-assuring:

Washed, Sanctified, Justified

Saved (not guilty) - Set apart - demonstrated in your baptism

now to be demonstrated in life!

BIG PICTURE: NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST!

Let God be your judge, not the world

Let other believers help you live the Christian life

Be a believer that can be used by God to help build the church HIS way

IT TAKES WISDOM, GOD’S WISDOM (That’s what Paul has been building to....)

Philippians 3:8 NASB95

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

All the other stuff, former life, really becomes less important when you truly understand the value of being in CHRIST!

We love garbage, don’t we? Kinda like junk food...

Need to let it go, grab on to Christ!

Your Identity in Christ

You will judge angels - you are more important to God than them! They serve God by serving us, ministering to us!

Hebrews 1:14 NASB95

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

So God trusts us to properly judge other believers, starting with ourselves, of course, for their health, spiritually

HEIRS to God’s kingdom, right there with Christ! - This is a big deal, a huge topic, a tremendous blessing. INDESCRIBABLE!

God needs you to step up, be great, and be great humbly!

If it hurts along the way, God will take care of you - you are rather important to Him!

“Don’t you know?” Maybe this “identity” thing is new concept

Grasp it, and never let go

“Don’t you know” what it is to live like a disciple?

Maybe you don’t, that’s OK, let’s learn

Maybe you do, and need reminder, encouragement; OK, let’s reset and go

Maybe it’s not important to you (and typically in a church, about 90% feel that way) - I pray you yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him grow you

My personal promise to you:

If you want to learn, I’ll do my best to teach you, lead you

I get to learn along the way, too

There is a world out there who is confused by what a “Christian” is

Maybe you don’t, that’s OK, let’s learn

Let’s show them the truth, and show them how this is the BEST life!

Maybe you do, and need reminder, encouragement; OK, let’s reset and go

Maybe it’s not important to you (and typically in a church, about 90% feel that way)