I Corinthians 6:1-11

Read the passage

If you had to turn to the person you are sitting with and tell them:

What you and your personality are like? What would you say?

What makes you unique?

What makes you a different individual than the person you are sitting next to, who you work or go to school with?

These are questions of identity.

What makes you - you?

Today in the united states we are living in a time when people are choosing their identity based on their emotions or their interests:

Someone may say that part of their identity is a:

-Gun Lover - because you love target shooting, hunting, NRA and self defense.

Then we have-

-Expressive and Creatives, who draw, paint, drama, play instruments, write & create. Creating and expressing are who they are.

-Intellectuals who are extremely stimulated by learning. Love to learn and discover. … and they are good at it.

-Motor heads or gear heads who always have their hands on an engine, fixing, installing, tinkering

-Gamers, there is a massive connected community that spend most of their day playing, talking about or meeting up with others who play video games.

-Home school community that gets a bad rap and stereo type because that community seems to really relate to each other., similar values.

It’s part of who they are.

-The list goes on and on.

-Our identity come from: our interests, skills, desire, & our family

-There is one place that we are going to focus on today that partially shapes our identity.

-Our Culture, Southern Culture has shaped our identity.

Southern culture has shaped the music we like, the food we eat, what we think about family, and politics … so forth.

When you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ defines your identity.

The question of identity no longer is who you are, but instead “Who’s Your Are”

Transition - You Must...

I. Identify Your New Identity

Transition - For the Corinthians, parts of their identity, they had not grown in to yet. They had not fully grown into the identity of following Jesus.

Problem - - Suing each other in secular court.

vs. 1, Going to the unrighteous to be declared righteousness.

Christians Brother finding help to settle a dispute among those who are enemies of God.

-Paul says (vs. 7) this is a defeat for you.

Why would those in the Corinthian church do this?

Explain the law/court system of that day.

Part of how the Corinthians grew up (IN THEIR CULTURE), was to visit daily court that was held publicly in the town square.

With a population of 90,000 people in the city - there was always a court case to watch.

Greeks loved a drama and Greeks loved to hear others give public speeches. They loved the big words and how the lawyers would dramatically sway a jury and persuade. There was no TV or movies, but there was the Theatre, Roman Games of Fighting, and the Daily Courts at the City Square.

Corinthians loved to observe the courts.

We as Americans are no different:

-Even today we love the court and mystery drama.

Perry Mason

Matlock

The People’s Court Judge, Judge Wapner

Judge Judy

The Practice

Blue Bloods

Law and Order

-Greeks would go to the huge City Square and watch and be entertained.

If it were a big case, Sometimes thousands would be in attendance.

There are even some court cases that were said to have literally hundreds of jurors deciding the case.

-Court was as much about entertainment as it was justice.

-If you lost, you just didn’t feel like you were treated unfairly because it didn’t go your way.

-In an honor shame culture, When you lost, you felt shame. You felt embracement - a shame so severe that you wouldn’t want to show your face in public. People would gossip about the embracement and shame you took on.

-In the church at Corinth when a Christians said, “I’m going to take you to court.” You were not just saying, “I’ve been wronged and I’m going to look for justice.”

-You were threatening to make a dramatic spectacle and a public shaming.

-As brothers in Christ, suing someone was a defeat for their relationship and the church. It was going to hurt someone.

-People drew up sides. It caused division.

Vs. 5 Paul throws the shame. “The shame is on you, for even thinking about taking your brother to court and Publicly embarrassing him.”

Paul came from a Jewish background.

The Jews in Israel had their own Jewish courts not presided over by the Romans, but presided over by people who had deeply studied the law of God.

-Jews took jews to Jewish court, not to the Gentile Roman Court.

-The justice given, was based on the Old Testament. Not Roman law.

-Never would an Old Testament following Jew bring another Jew to a Gentile Court.

When Paul hears of Christ Followers going to a secular court...

To those who have no regard for God’s Word to get justice & to shame each other - he was incensed.

Pause

Paul tells the Corinthians where justice can be had, without shaming.

-In the Church.

vs. 2 & 3, -Paul explain that the Christ follower will judge the world & angels in the judgement. In some way the Bible doesn’t give us details of - God includes Christ Followers in the final judgement of the unsaved and of demons.

Question - Why go to those in the church to have disputes solved?

-Christ Followers have a spiritual understanding and viewpoint that an unbeliever cannot have.

Those who believe in the wisdom of God should go to those who God imparts wisdom to.

Question - Why were the Corinthians using the Public courts to get justice and shame their Christian brothers?

Answer - Because that’s the culture they lived in. They grew up in that culture, had their cultures values and perspective and had not fully changed to Biblical Values and a biblical Perspective.

Said another way:

Their identity was less defined by belonging to Jesus and...

More defined by belonging to their culture.

There is a question that you must answer as a Christ follower.

Who possesses you? Does your culture possess you, or does Christ possess you?

Illustration - I was talking to a friend this past week shared this with me.

A member of a Baptist church in another southern state say this,

First I am an American, Second I am a Christian.

That person put to words what many people believe.

My Country or my culture comes before Christ.

-If someone is a baby Christian and they growing and are working this out, then we give them grace and help them.

-This was a person who had been in the church a long time.

I doubt this person was a believer.

Here is the challenge for you and me.

We live in a Southern Culture. This culture that we were trained under powerfully tells us what is appropriate and how to live.

-There are some wonderful things about every different culture, especially the Southern Culture.

-There are some bad things too.

-Our Southern Culture teaches us that if someone offends you, don’t be confrontational and go talk to that person about it one on one, instead talk behind their back.

-Our Southern Culture wrongly teaches us that everyone who believes there is a God and occasionally says a prayer is a Christian & is going to heaven.

-Our Souther Culture says, play life safe, don’t take too many risks and stay close to your family.

-The Bible says, risk you life for Christ and be willing to leave your family to help spread the Gospel.

-The culture that we are raised in has it’s tentacles in who we are. All of that isn’t wrong, some of it’s really good, but we have to be wise.

-The Corinthians were learning that parts of their culture were not submitted to God.

-The Corinthians were identifying with the Greek culture more than identifying with Christ.

-You and I have to learn what parts of our culture and our cultural identity need special wisdom in our walk with Christ.

-There are times, that You and I will need to make a decision that says “NO” to our culture and says “YES” to Jesus.

Question - Where do you find your identity? In your culture or in Christ?

Transition - Not only must we Identify our New Identity, we must

II. Live Your New Identity

Paul brings back to mind the stark difference between light and dark.

A Christ Transformed life versus a Sin Defined life.

Read I Corinthians 6:9-11

Question - Why did Paul have to remind the Corinthians they they were different?

The Corinthian church was struggling with allow the sinful culture of the day to hold sway over them.

So Paul makes a list of WHO on the day of judgement will not be God’s Kingdom.

Here is Jonathan’s Interpilation of verses 9-10.

-The Sexually immoral (those who look at pornography and have sex outside of marriage),

-The Idolators (those who worship their trucks, hobbies and grandchildren),

-the adulterers (who are involved sexually with anyone other than their spouse),

-the homosexuals (those pursuing sexual intimacy with the same gender),

-the thieves (those who steal or do not rightly pay what they owe someone),

-greedy (those with a lust for more)

-drunkards (those given over to addiction)

-the revilers (those who use their words to threaten or slander others),

-swindlers (those who manipulate to get what they want)

An unbeliever’s identity and culture is defined in part by sin.

Question - What separates a believer who struggles with sin and an unbeliever? Thier is an admission and struggle with sin.

-A Christ follower knows that his/her identity is not found in Sin, but in Christ.

-A Christ follower will inherit the Kingdom of God.

-The unbeliever will inherit the Lake of Fire.

Vs. 11, THE HOPE

Paul says, BUT YOUR IDENTITY HAS BEEN CHANGED!!!

One who has been saved from sin to God.

-Washed = Cleansed, forgiven of sin

-Sanctified = Made Holy, - where sin does not define who you are.

-Justified = made right, Your sin debt was removed

You are a child of the King and will inherit His Kingdom.

IF you are a Christ Follower you Celebrate and Live Your New Identity

Application - We live in and celebrate our new Identity.

How?

-We rejoice at who God has made us.

-A people of peace with God.

-A people that trusts/God.

-A people who find their direction & Security from & in God.

-A people who finds their worth and value from God, and not from what others think.

-A people who has an everlasting home with a loving God forever.

-You are a child of God living under the umbrella of His forgiveness and His grace.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Gospel -

Maybe you are someone who says. I don’t know if I am a child of God.

Good News - God is calling you today to be a child of His.

The question for you is this:

-Will you fully trust that Jesus is the Son of God and paid for your sins by dying on the Cross.

-Will you give your life to Him to be our King and Master?

-Will you right now say in full trust. “YeS” Jesus I follow you!

-If you believe it, Will you say it in your heart to God right now?

-Do not allow you fear & the doubt of Satan hold you back.

-God is inviting you to be a part of His Kingdom right now.

-Where you sit. Will you say “yes” to Him?

Pray.