Wake Up Call
Notes
Transcript
We don’t smoke…and we don’t...
We don’t smoke…and we don’t...
People in churches the world over have used scriptures to advocate for a complete separation from all things in the world. They have given away and given up on entire swaths of culture under the guise of holiness, righteousness, and spiritual snobbery. They have taken scripture out of context to justify separating themselves from all things world to prove that they are right and the world is wrong and they are above the world. They use the scripture in the world not of the world as an excuse to exclude the world. The problem is there is no actual scripture that says those words. The truth is there however
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.
I have given them Your word.
The world hated them
because they are not of the world,
as I am not of the world.
I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.
They are not of the world,
as I am not of the world.
As I said there is really no scripture that tells Christians to be in the world not of the world, However the concept, the truth, is there, digging into it a bit more I think it bears looking at exactly what Jesus said here.
In the first set of verses we see him letting his disciples know, having chosen them Jesus is calling the disciples away from the comfortable, the normal, the things that are expected. The things people are used to and in doing so. When you and I dig into what the world means here it’s a specific thing. The word used is Cosmos referring to the earth. At other times the word can speak to things in the world or the time in which people live. Jesus is being clear as to why people have an issue with his disciples. It’s because of the truth of his word living and active in their lives, causing them to live in a way that is not considered normal, that is changed, that is different and well people don’t really for the most part like change, they don’t like different. What we need to camp out on for a moment though is where we are going to be headed today.
Notice what Jesus says here again.
I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.
This is where, as good church going folk, we get it wrong so many times.
Let the shunning begin
Let the shunning begin
I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.
It seems that no word is more of a clarion call to Christians than the word sex and all of it’s various derivatives. Additionally the fall out from sex is also something that they tend to focus on, especially in it’s gotcha form. For some consequences are an important part of their faith, especially when those consequences can be seen happening in others lives.
Many times we stop at verse 9. However it’s important as always to get some context when we are reading scripture, and to do that we need to jump up a few verses to find out what Paul is talking about and then well then we need to go a few verses past to see what Paul means, and what Jesus means and what that Means for us as followers of Christ.
It is widely 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 living with his father’s wife.
Paul goes on to explain one of the reasons he is so upset in verse two telling them that they are inflated with pride instead of filled with grief.
Now we know what the issue is in the church in Corinth. Paul goes on to make an important point the same one that Jesus makes.
As people who have good news, not just any good news but the good news we tend to only want to discuss that good news with the people that already have it, and then use verse 9 or the verses that has Jesus talking about not being of the world as a reason to circle up and shun the world around us. To protect ourselves from the world. To keep it out at all costs. But that’s not what Jesus says and that’s not what Paul says.
No More Excuses
No More Excuses
As followers of Christ, any time we use the words of Jesus or Paul to justify not fulfilling the very commission that Jesus gave and that Paul was all about fulfilling we are wrong. We are making excuses.
Again Jesus specifically says.
“I am not asking you to take them out of the world.”
So why are we so quick to run away from the world. Why do we work so hard at isolation in the name of Jesus. Because it’s easier, it’s safer, it’s what we have grown used to. It doesn’t require us to think, to test, to study, to dig deeper into God’s word and to build relationships with people we think just don’t get it.
Whenever we read scripture and we stop at the thing that makes it easier to live. We are missing the point of scripture and, more importantly we are missing out on what Jesus and others said when it comes to the world around us and the people we are supposed to be serving.
So we know that Jesus said this.
I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.
Now look at what Paul says.
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.
Paul is being very pointed here. As followers of Christ that are working on our salvation and that are supposed to be fulfilling the great commission it’s not okay to shut the doors and use out of context scripture to justify our bad behavior.
It’s impossible to be light in the darkness if you always run away from the darkness. There is no way to share the good news with the people who need it if you run away from those people every chance you get, or if yo shun them, or if you look down on them as less than, or if you refuse to listen really listen to what they are saying. We can’t leave the world and fulfill the great commission.
The Big Reveal
The Big Reveal
So who do I get to shun then? Who should be left out?
But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.
That’s the answer. The person that claims to be a follower of Christ, that claims to have a realtionship with Jesus and is not working on their salvation. Also note it’s not just about sex. There is so much more to it than that. In addition to that three letter word we also find a greedy person, an idolater, a verbaally abusive person an person that just is conastantly drunk, a swindler.
You get the idea, and I would venture to say that we all know of and have seen people that fit into those labels, that claim to not just be followers of Christ but that may be leaders in the church today. Those are the ones we can and should be shunning. Those are the ones called evil, not the world outside the walls of the church but the people inside that know better.
Lets camp at verse 12 and 13 for just a moment.
For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves.
Paul is not calling people who don’t know and have a relationship with Jesus evil, but he is very clearly labeling that person that Is in the church that claims to know the very thing.
We talk so much of the evils in the world, but the evil we are supposed to be concerned with is the evil in the church, the person that is making a mockery of the faith, that we are not only allowing to do so but in some cases championing.
This Week’s Challenge
This Week’s Challenge
Find a person that does not share your faith and make friends with them! DO NOT JUDGE THEM LOVE THEM AS THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY ARE!
Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak through your actions and words. Live in front of them the way Jesus lived in front of the people around him.