1st Cor 6:9-11 The New You

We are slowly making our way through this letter of Paul to the church at Corinth and I just want to reach you a couple of verses so if you were with us last week, we dealt with someone touchy issue talking about within the church at Corinth. They had some problems going on where Believers were getting Natalie contentious with one another but they were actually going to court with one another and not just amongst those that were in the church, but they were taking it to those outside of and Paul says I cannot any of you who are wise judge amongst you are you not able OU wise at Corinth as he has some sarcasm in his language there cuz they profess to be so wide handle these trivial matters and I think it's really important if you're tracking with us and you miss that to go back and listen to how we're going to handle those problems even within our own church and then Paul continues to go on in this letter n Best of them or do you not know that the unrighteous are some of your translations my safety wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived. neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality North Steve's nor the greedy nor drunkards nor revelers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God 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 When we as leadership decided to go through this letter of First Corinthians, I knew that it was going to be a letter that presented a lot of heart issues for many of us sitting here today. The first four chapters are a fairly easy. Paul says you guys don't get along you're fighting over everything you need to be rooted in unity of Jesus Christ. Conformity. You don't have to all like the same thing the same music the same food the same activities, but you need to be of the same mind in Christ Jesus and we spent four chapters talking about disunity in Corinth and the disruption it was causing amongst their own church to me an example. It was portraying to those outside the community and there's a lot of good and I would say maybe even easier things to teach in 1st Corinthians that are very important for our Doctrine in our church and Howard to operate then you get into some things in Corinth that are a little touchy we spent not one not two but three weeks on church discipline. That was fun. Huh? Yay. We made it 20 years from now. We'll go back through it. But until then you can go back and listen to where we stand and what we believe and it's actually very very important to how we're going to be handling those types of matters. And I know that in a church, it's going to ruffle some feathers is going to bring some clarity and then we moved into lawsuits and there's some things in there that we talked about and furthermore. There's going to be some issues with spiritual gifts and just Community idolatry issues in there where there's some theological ideas that we have to unravel that there are three sections. That I paid going to be incredibly difficult for a church. And this is the first that were going to come across because it's a cultural War. This is a first because it's an area where when we rub up against the world. The Bible has something vastly different to say than what we're being told and taught today rasi going to run into this around 1st Corinthians 11 when it comes to head shift and then 1st Corinthians 14, you can read ahead on your own and we'll talk about that when we get there someday and Let Jesus come back before. Alright, so there are some hard issues that we're going to hit because they are cultural issues and we are on a collision course more than ever with culture before we begin to unravel that here this morning. We see some things in Paul's letter to this church and verses 9 and 10 he begins to give this warning and let me just give you a big idea These Warnings are all concerning the identity that people are taking on themselves, but he doesn't just give a warning he gives a reminder of Grace his warning. Writing to a church is don't be deceived redeemers. Do you know what that means? We can be deceived on these matters. We can have other ideas and opinions committed infiltrate our beliefs and tell us and dictate us on how to think and what to think that it can be absolutely contrary to what God has for us. He says don't be deceived in these very specifically do not be conformed do not be those who applauded not be those who celebrate do not be those who participate in these areas and it will be incredibly easy to be seduced by them. Especially in Corinth Corinth is a lot like our Western world sexually driven. Idolatry everywhere. These are the ideas and philosophies that dictate our attitudes and our actions and tell us what is acceptable. What is right and is okay it gets right there piped into our television. I'm over to believe about so many of these issues what Paul does not say this morning. He doesn't say you will be a sinless church. He doesn't say there will not be a failure in your church. However, where there is is going to be recognition repentance pursuing the Lord, but these are People he's describing that are walking contrary to the Lord and here's what this issue comes down to and believe it or not as I so often like to do. It's a Genesis 1 2 and 3 issue. Here's what I mean by that. I just take it to the Proverbs. There's a way that seems right for a man. But its end is the way to death. Humans after the fall of Adam really before that fall saying we want to determine what way is right God we want to determine what is right. We want to determine what is wrong. We will be the deciders of all of the world around us and what we shouldn't shouldn't participate in and I'll tell you what God that fruit that tree of good and bad that looks pretty good to us. John Calvin wrote for the surest source of Destruction to men is to obey themselves. So the only Haven of safety, it's you have no other will no other wisdom and to follow the lord wherever he leads let this then be the first step to abandon ourselves as the energy of our mind to the service of God. What did he say to that first premise is first the sure source of Destruction is for men to obey them self. In the Bible, we have a really bad track record when it comes to aubagne ourselves rather than obeying the Lord Genesis 3. Hey, all these trees are good to eat of except for this one. What do we do?

There's a fall is this moment and there's these new Sons and God comes to Kane and he sustained sin is crouching at the door don't walk in it. I think I'll go on my own Direction. How about Abraham Abraham, you're going to have a son. I know you have no children in your bearing. I want you to leave her and he goes to your timing is not very good. I'm going to go ahead and take what I see is good for myself, and I'm going to have a son on my terms with my handmaiden rather than my wife another instance of humanity saying we want life on our terms about in The Exodus story. They get there to the edge of the promised land and sending spies got to be can't do it your word. We like it you like what you're saying. It's actually participating in it to go forth into the land or fearful were afraid we can't do it. We know better there's Giants in the lamps over and over and over again in the scriptures a point us to these humans that come to these Crossroads where they have the potential to say. Yes to God in his weight. Even when it seems contrary to The Way of the World cover. They go the way of the world in fear and they walk in the opposite direction of God and Humanity failed over and over again, and here we come to another issue. It's sex and sexuality. The next couple of weeks we're going to be hanging out on this subject invite your friends going to be fun. All right, I might make you blush. I might say some words that you're hoping that you're first to fifth graders. You like probably should have sent them to class today. There won't be much of that next week. There might be a little bit more of it. I can say they're probably will be a little bit more of it. But he is the idea. We have come to a Crossroads were so you know what Lord we want to Define sex and sexuality on our terms. And his realm a sexuality right now not only in our World At Large but even in the church if there's not a much louder discussion going on about it and lines are being drawn in the stands and Paul has a lot to say on this issue. And I know what happens when we say, hey man, don't tell me about sex and sexuality hands off or or when it comes to the scripture that's restrictive a little oppressive. You know after all hey baby, we ain't nothin but mammals if you grew up in the 90s, you know what I'm talking about, right? You were Sinners you went to dances and yeah, okay. So so this is the perversity that people really begin to adopt and believe and go why can't we just adopt with the world's doing and let two Consulting adults and they seem is right in their own mind. All says I've got some things to say about this. You're not listening to the truth and the begin to listen to lies number to they begin to adjust their convictions to accommodate their preferences to sit. Sure that they didn't listen to the truth. But they going to listen to lies culture has an easier way a better way a smoother way. Unless Swift friction. Anyone looking to adjust our convictions to accommodate the Preference they love their sin. And here's this called Holiness and they want to participate in it. We don't have a sim problem. We like sin. We have a god problem because we don't like what God says about the sin that we like. I love my sin and why would you not inconvenience me in these restrictive areas in something that the world the same should be so free and so acceptable so, okay and so we can do a judge our convictions to adjust our Doctrine to make room for a new morality. And what happens is a progression of progression of sin when it's Begin to become accepted first just overlooked. It's been tolerated. It's been indulged in then it's positively a firm's not asking to be longer, but it's a good thing. Now what you think about this? I want thank you once again back to Genesis and what you have in the garden is this nikesh the serpent who comes is beautiful creature becomes to Adam and Eve Eddie wants to really wreck their world, right? He wants to ruin everything and it's Dallas Willard says, he doesn't come with a bat to beat him over the head. He doesn't come with a trap set open to catch them in the implantes a deceptive idea into their heads to disorder their desires to be normalized in society which then create chaos Brokenness pert pain and suffering that is what the enemy does a deceptive idea comes in a that frequently not that bad. You won't surely die. No. No, that's not the case. I just know what he's talking about. There's something in this fruit that will actually make you like Elohim. It'll make you like the Gods. That's what you'll become like. Oh my goodness, and then their desires are what disordered. Think of themselves first and is it entails and Humanity that he can to trample over one another and then things that were once considered wrong are now normalize and played out and culture. We talked about this extensively only look at 1st Peter. And so we see this the progress that happened how the enemy wants to work in plant ideas that are deceptive into our time. Does this section of scripture and begin to read Paul and it goes don't you know, the wrong doors will not inherit the kingdom of God Jesus came preaching the kingdom the good news of the Gospel of the kingdom of God and he has these are not going to be a part of it needed a sexually immoral. What does that mean? We got the junk drawer term for an area which is simply include all the perverts anything. That's wrong anything that's off anything that is sex outside of marriage just term encompasses all That he says those people in more like I could see maybe some facets of that nor idolaters. Of course. I did not inherit the kingdom of God, they're worshipping other gods nor adulterers. Yeah. We understand that. It's a lot of pain and suffering involved in that Norm and who practice homosexuality and right there? Culture drops their jaw and says there's something wrong with Paul but what he's saying we go to this passage and we want to say actually would have literally means is men who abused young man as they were doing in Corinth. And yet this term that Paul uses is cleared Direct Care in Romans 1 as well as in 1st, Timothy. Alicia's Northeast the greedy The drunkards Valor swindlers inherit the kingdom of God on Earth. We just keep hurting harm each other. Why is Paul though picking on homosexuality? First of all calls not God is cleaning it out that number to goddess in equal picker of all sin. Not just once in that he's mentioning this one gets out us and hurt us a little bit because of the arrival here in just a little bit but he's not just picking on one person picking on everybody. He's picking on everybody sitting on the gal who worships her shoes in her closet, that's idolatry. I got to get more to satisfy me picking on the greedy. He's picking on those who are worshipping anything outside of God's he's picking on those who steal he's picking on those to rip people off. He's pointing all 50 kinds of cultures view on this subject to discuss and talk about God's view on this. Because I'm dealing with everybody. Steve's the greedy. For example, we think abrey we have this idea that our definition of breed is probably the person down the street from us cuz it couldn't be me just to let you know the person down the street from you has that you love you. Jesus talks about greed. All the time green is not just in terms of wealth. We can be greedy for sex. We can be greedy for materials. We can be greedy for positions for power grid and compass with a lot of different things. Idolatrous one of the best definitions is when Good Things become God things in our life. The things that we have to have we can have idolatry of our people possessions position when we fantasize about these categories and thinking if I get that then I will be satisfied. What I want us to see in this this morning is the world's fundamental issue is one of identity as one of identity now, look our activity as humans clothes from our identity. Activity flows armor identity first and foremost you were created as a worshipper being a worshipper is an identity before it is ever an activity. It's who God says that you are and in the fall, we distort that and indirect are worshipped to other things there for those activities in the way. We direct that it's wrong and it's sinful but it is you are a creature created in the image of God that is who you are a worshipper created in the image of God, and when we pervert that are activity then becomes perverted in all sorts of different ways. So we have to look at this has to say something to this group of people about the vices that he mentions. He doesn't actually named The Spins here this morning names people who are defined by the fence. That's different. P names people even said you were some some of you were these people and he says here he doesn't just talk about sexual immorality. He talks about the sexually immoral didn't just talk about greed. He talks about the greedy. He doesn't just talk about fraud talks about the swindlers. He is talking about this identity. But these people have same as incredibly dangerous and Paul point out. Why because it's not just skin-deep it gets right to the root of who we actually are. This is the problem with sin and Paul is telling them. I meant to look at ourselves and say those who practice participate and pursue these things. And we think that participating in the mixture so freezes the contrary is true. The sin that we love and pursue and make Idols of in the end actually enslaves us they dominate us Define us and we become unrighteous would become the greedy would become the adulterous become the swindlers. Not merely a problem of activity here this morning. Behavior it's a problem of identity. I tried first and foremost want you to see this passage, which means much more than we realize here this morning. Our sin problem goes all the way to the root of who we are not simply what we do. And that's why the kingdom of God excludes these people because their identity is not in Christ is in what they're doing they saying if you want to know me, this is who I am. Don't let me walk through this idea of identity. You can get a quick definition online the fact of being who or what a person thing is the way you think about yourself the way you are viewed by the world to characteristics is to find you here my definition by not going to find this one of mine, but I identity is the place of personhood that we live out of that's identity the place of personhood who I actually am and then how I live that out in my life activity that slowed from that is so what I want to do this morning is make this transition into this topic and subject of sexuality and of the dangerous transition to make sure this morning because there are people no doubt. We're going to be greatly impacted by this discussion this week and the week to come Very important that your grass this morning. And II anybody says hands off my sexuality. I got to tell you again idolatry problem. You worship it you believe it satisfies you believe it's going to be the thing that defines you and give you life or you have a pride problem. And you say it I know better than God, I will determine what is right or wrong on this issue of sexuality here this morning and see what I want to do is for you to call troche if that has happened in our culture. And first of all first thing I want to say though in this subject is I do not condone Every Witch Way the Church of God about handling the lgbtq community in society today at times. We've been downright mean Contentious honry demeaning hurtful harmful, and I can't I use a whole lot of other adjectives to describe how we've been towards that community. Rather than seek to understand listen and engage. It's a little put down made fun of those that are participating in that alternate Community, but I want to give us a Biblical stance. You're true you who you really are is not defined by your sexuality. Hetero or homo. It is not determined by your sexuality pan or trans. It is not defined by your sexuality. When did this come into place Sigmund Freud real familiar Sigmund Freud. I mean that guy gets coated probably more than any other non-Christian in Christianity. Okay. He's been a big point of contention for the turn of the century there who proposed a lot of ideas and one of the biggest ideas. He proposed was Freud new sex from being a verb, which is something you do to be someone you Do you want to answer this question? What separates us from other mammals? Christian how would you answer that? What separates you from everybody else from the Animal Kingdom? Do animals live forever? We how about we were created in the image of God that's uniquely distinct compared to everything else. Now. There's a lot of theological idea that what it means to be created in the image of God. Does it just mean that we have this mental capacity? Will that can't be because some humans and even in the fall of Man though, we're still considered to be created in the image of God don't have the same mental capacities our abilities to think that others do it this idea that we were born to reflect the image of God. That's why we were not followers of Jesus. We spend so much time to reflect other people me image of other people have issues and problems and struggles when we're supposed to actually represents rule. Even over the animal kingdom because we were created as rulers in the image of God Freud wanted to answer the question what makes us different as you study human any study animals and his study sexuality because I'm like animals. We don't just participate in sex for procreation, but praise God forever. Amen for recreation as well. Can't it's okay. We're in talk about that and weeks to come here as well. So we should do something different and distinct and he moved sexuality from a verb, but you was always understood that something you do to someone you are you want to know me. This is who I am or you could call it a new category of personhood. That is what sexuality is today seeing people as essentially sexual beans with objects of Desire designate separate species of humans it took hold. In the twentieth century Idol killed by the sexual revolution in the belief that sexual autonomy is an imputable right this morning. I'm going to harp on people who have same-sex attraction. Cuz I can be a part of the Fall. We need to talk about how God sees all of this. I'm saying that sexual orientation of a designation of personhood that is who you are is a category by mistake mistaken way of thinking is talking about keep on Let me continue to explain this there's a world of difference between saying that you are struggling with same-sex attraction and that you are gay. The world of difference between those two terms one allows you to stand apart from your struggle being homosexuality is a part of the Fall. The other classes your identity into your struggle seen sexual orientation as a morally neutral reality. That makes more sense. Identity and personhood now in 2015. You probably followed the court cases of oberfell and Hodge in the Supreme Court decision that made gay marriage not only legal but I would say even more on their side of things and their view probably important is not just that it was legal, but it became a category of personhood and a write the major ship and cultural thinking Weird sexual orientation determines my personhood who I deeply am. And now it's a failed in the Fourteenth Amendment was there for when we tell somebody we think that homosexuality is a sin. This is why become such an offense to them because they're saying you're attacking my whole identity. This is who I am when you look at me now, you're seeing is a holistic person because I have to find myself by my sexuality. And so we've been on a collision course with this ever since I would say Sigmund Freud all the way now to this court trial that happened to refuse both to accept and approve of those who identify as lgbtq, which is neither rights to determine for themselves. What personhood means It's been a battle over sexual preference. Is a battle of her personhood categories explained what truly makes me human and who I am and who gets the right to determine what that is. And so when we talk about sexuality from a Biblical perspective of God says I alone have the right. I alone have told you I made them male and female created them in my image and we say, nope. Hands off that sexuality. That's my thing. I have a right to Define that until you what is right or wrong, but we moved into a wrong category when we turned it into a state of personhood when we talk about sexuality. Here's the question. Whose definition of personhood are you going to use to Define sexuality? You want to know me? The world has known me by my sexual preference the way you can defy me understand who I truly am and wrong meaning makers trying to make sense of the world around us and we can come to this place reset. This is what my whole identity is going to be wrapped up in and when we've done that and the church has even participated in that we've adopted the wrong view of personhood and Friends. With failed deeply in that area would come to that position. What is the roots? Percent of sexual identity reading a book called openness unhindered by Rosaria Butterfield. If you don't know her story, I highly recommend you become familiar with it. It's a very easy read I read the entire book in one setting and treating she was in the 90s a professor at Syracuse. She wasn't outspoken gay rights activist herself in a committed lesbian relationship. She was on the Forefront of rallies despised Christians hated the way that they picketed and I don't blame her for some of that and then she met Jesus and then she met Jesus. And things began to change in her life and she has such a heart and a compassion for this community and how she even approaches and talk to them and engages with them on the level of friendship. uneven honoring some of their uses of non uses of pronouns But this is what she said on this issue specifically being a lesbian was not a description of the kind of sex that I like to have being a lesbian Encompass the whole range of feelings perceptions character qualities and sensibilities of the death of my non-sexual friendships and the integrated Community. I wanted to build with women being a lesbian also reflected the kind of Professor. I was class if I taught the books I read the dissertations I directed I was all-in I was a jumble of emotions because according to the Bible, but I called Community God called idolatry. You understand what she's saying. She engaged in this alternate Community really a community that shows Hospitality kindness very well really a very well organized Community, but she said my whole life was lived out of this we live out of our identities are all identities wrapped up in her sexuality. She said even to the way in this book to the way I stir my tea, give me the way that I walk my dog and all reflected my sexuality. My whole identity was caught up in who I am as a lesbian she sang. Everything I did it defined me. today's terms describes not just who you are, but how you are and we were wrong use of terms. So what do we need to do the church? What does it look like? I want to talk about God story as ontology, which is the nature of the beginning of things really because it's his story that make sense out of our lives are beginning or endings are qualities are attributed. He makes sense of all of Is personhood defined by sexuality? No, no more than person. Who did he defined by greed being defined by? He's being defined by the activities that we participate in. Let me give you an example of this. There's a rich young ruler and he came to Jesus. You know his name I certainly don't but when he was spoken of I'm sure everybody kind of knew who Jesus was talking all because you was defined by what the thing that mattered most in his life Rich Young Ruler. This is who he was if you wanted to know him. He should get to know me through this identity. What does Jesus say to him shed that identity. Give it all the way Jesus. I can tell everybody to sell everything doesn't he never puts that command on every single person which is this man who is completely caught up in what he did. It defined his life. It describes who he was in Jesus's you need to shut that and come and follow me. It's the same idea here with sexuality. She was going on at you for seeing if you want to know the real me look at me through those terms and God says I have completely different terms for you because I created you male and female as image of Paris. This is where the cultural battle is created getting what God created. He says there's Norms of boundaries and definitions and there's limits. Let me see what I have for you in terms of gender and sexuality and what you must learn even though difficult to embrace. To this morning when we look at something like this which you know, this is not the easiest thing to talk about friends in that Community. There's kids in my old youth groups that are now participating activate on the Forefront in that fight for their cause Stream this Smitty write an email. I have no idea but what I want you to hear and understand is The same-sex attraction is not a sin maybe people feel that way no more than all sorts of other attractions. If you're married to somebody maybe have the attraction to somebody else in your fighting that battle wrestling with it. But Paul says homosexuality and homosexuality is a sin acting on his ass and so is that her sexual lust and homophobia? It's sinful to write people off because their sin offend you.

I mean, we need to embrace love care for firming that your personhood is wrapped up in your sexuality.

could talk and I could talk on what is Paul doing. How did he finish this letter? He doesn't Grace. And I want a quote Rosario more time to really lay this home. She said my new affection was not heterosexual but Jesus I was not confirmed converted out of homosexuality and unbelief.

Sometimes the church have gotten this mission that he took you and you and you and we're going to make you straight or going to put Helen you to scare the hell out of you. So are distilled the scare the straight out of your maybe going to say it. Oh my goodness. Who are you and Adam dinner fall in broken empty swindlers sexually immoral one commentator. I read said just about everybody in your church has how far is participating in sexual immorality and here we want to highlight this one thing and they're probably not even in our church hanging out with a lot of other discussions to have redeemers, but we need to lay some remedies for what we believe in here concerning this issue specifically more sync. This issue is an issue of personhood people's identities are incredibly confused and we need to take them to Jesus to see Jesus. I know Jesus I love Jesus and he says here there's this reminder of Grace I'll send your church at Corinth. It's filled with people like this. You were these things but you're no longer these things. How does Paul the finest Christian? He says you're washed. It does not say you're perfect. In fact in this letter. He talks about the unrighteous, but he does not say here's the steps to do righteousness. He says Jesus makes you righteous your washed your Sanctified. You're Justified. Not only that but this letter gives him because it doesn't discredit those who are struggling in these areas from coming to Jesus, but he says Come As You Are You are Dollar Tree's you don't trust be sexually immoral Steve's and swindlers and abusers those who have slandered. I'm loving you all then don't just look at somebody else's didn't think I shouldn't get near them. I might get that you are just as bad just as sinful just as much Cosmic treason and just because we trained one another have the gag reflex for some kind of sexuality that were repulsed by all the suddenly become religious snobs and how have you want another and we're sitting in that and Paul says I want you to come to me as you are come to Jesus. I'm watching wash you and cleanse you and convert you from unbelief to belief. What God does is he converts he has an identity and it gets his community. I want you to understand that we were every one of us in these shoes and some capacity or another. And it converts us. He's been redefined or identity to it actually needs to be restored image of bears in him and he placed Us in community and giving us and that's why we celebrate with Brian. Forgot this is hard because culture. And we all are touched by this issue in some facet or another and howdy what ifs and buts and questions? There's a tendency for us to one determine right or wrong on this even specifically and we really need to let your word wash over us. We need to be underneath of it. We need to learn how to be compassionate but not compromise that were asking for that help in our church. We want to say thank you that you washed us Sanctified us and cleansed us that you've taken from unbelief to belief and because of that for your children not because of anything we've done special because of what you've done in this rejoice in the Everlasting God for your good to us in Jesus name. Amen.