Local Church Discipline: Dealing with Matters of Morality
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Introduction
Introduction
DISCLAIMER: We are going to be addressing some very sensitive topics this morning. Topics concerning sex and sexual perversion this morning. I know that there are several young people here this morning and I want to be considerate of them as well as parents. However, let me say that what is going to be said here this morning must be said. Everyone needs to hear it because it comes from God. My prayer is that you will listen with a spirit of learning what God wants you to know. Preaching messages such as the one I am about to preach is never easy. Yet, it must be preached!
This morning we are back to 1 Corinthians. Last week, we celebrated Father’s Day . For that reason, we deviated from our continued study of 1 Corinthians. In fact, last week’s message was some what of a preface to today’s message. Last week, we spent time considering the impact men have upon their marriages, their families, their local church, and their communities. Without a doubt, God created men to lead. The challenge from last week was for our men to be men. It is time for men to rise up, to put their trust in Christ as Savior, to follow Him and to lead others to do the same. If you recall, I presented two men from the Old Testament that made choices which greatly impacted their families and their nation. Those two men were Joshua and Achan. One man made the right choice which was to follow God with all his heart, soul, and mind. In doing so, he impacted his family and his nation to do the same. However, the other man, Achan, made a very different choice. He made the choice that so many are making today. He chose to live for himself. In spite of clear direction and commands from God, he decided to take for himself what did not belong to him simply because it appealed to his flesh. It did not end well for him and his family. One of the verses from last week’s message was this verse...
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
It seemed right to Achan to take what was not his and, yet, it led to death not just for his family, but after the failure of AI many men did not return to their families. Why? Achan made a very bad choice.
Here is my point and this leads us to 1 Corinthians 5. God created men to lead. Whether men like or not, their choices impact others tremendously. If a man, especially a true believer, decides to follow God then has the opportunity to lead others to do the same. However, if a man, especially a true believers, decides to live for himself then he will lead others to do the same causing many to forsake God. Any true believer who is living for themselves and not for God is walking so some grave and dangerous ground.
We are going to pick up our study in 1 Corinthians 5 this morning. As we read these verses, it is helpful to understand that it concerns a man who made a choice to live for himself and not for God. Let’s read the text and then we will get into what the Holy Spirit wants us at Calvary Baptist Church to know.
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Let’s begin by first noting...
THE REPORT
THE REPORT
Verse 1 tells us...
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
“REPORTED COMMONLY”
“REPORTED COMMONLY”
The word “commonly” means that it was an actual fact. It was not hearsay. It was not a possibility. It was true. Everyone knew it. There was no hidden sin here. It was open and all in the community knew it. Obviously, Paul is somewhere other than Corinth when the Holy Spirit uses him to pen these words. There is no way to know exactly when Paul heard the news about this great sin in the Corinthians church. I am of the opinion that the Holy Spirit revealed it to him as he was penning these words. It matters not when he heard. The fact remains that there was sin in the church that needed to be dealt with and the fact remained that is quite public. It think that it is safe to say that many people were talking about it inside and outside the church.
“THERE IS FORNICATION AMONG YOU”
“THERE IS FORNICATION AMONG YOU”
The Holy Spirit cuts right to the heart of the matter by naming the sin. It was fornication. The word “fornication” comes from the same Greek word by which we get the word “pornography” today. Essentially, it meant any type of illicit sex outside of marriage.
LET’S ESTABLISH SOME THINGS RIGHT HERE BEFORE WE MOVE ON!
God determined from the beginning of creation that man would be male and female.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
May I say this morning that God is the One Who assigns gender at the moment of conception. You do not get to choose. You may think you have a choice, but this one thing that is already predetermined by God. And, as such, God has plan for each person born male or female. Additionally, one of the reason’s that God created male and female was for procreation. It is right for a man to know a woman and have children. Men and women are designed by God for that specific reason. We see God’s plan in Genesis 2:24...
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
This design was established by God with the first male, Adam, and the first female, Eve. Marriage then is a SACRED institution given by God Himself. For this reason, sexual relationships are reserved for marriage and marriage alone. Any sexual relationships outside of marriage is FORNICATION. Fornication corrupts the purity of what God established between male and female. Any male who “loves” another male is fornicating. Any female who “loves” another female is fornicating. Any male who has a sexual relationship with a female outside of marriage is fornicating and vice versa. You see God has reserved sex for marriage and marriage alone. Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, transgenderism, and any other such things are violations of God’s original design for male and female.
In our text and within the local church of Corinth, a man decided that he was act according to his own lust. In doing so, he committed an act that even the Gentiles frowned upon. Now, remember, we are talking about height of the roman Empire at this time. The Romans as well as the Greeks were infamous for the sexual perversions. In fact, one of the temples located in Corinth was a temple dedicated to sexual perversions. Yet, the act that this man committed was so egregious that even the Gentiles were against it. Of course, we know from our text that this man was in an illicit affair with his father’s wife. The term father’s wife suggests that it was his stepmother. Again, this was a severe transgression against God and God’s Word.
Now note the rest of the report in verse 2. Not only was the sin reported, but so was the response of the local church.
And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
What was the report concerning the entire local church? It was just as bad as the report of sin within the church. They were “puffed up.” We spoke about this term two weeks ago. A person or group of people who are “puffed up” are ones who are full of pride. Instead of being filled with shame about this great sin in their midst, they were filling themselves with their own pride claiming to be disciples of this man and that man.
Additionally, they had not taken any action against the man who was in great sin. This could only mean one of two things. One they were hoping to sweep it under the rug so to speak hoping that it would go away. Or, on the other hand, they were openly welcoming this man each week into the congregation. Regardless, they were doing absolutely nothing in addressing the fornication in their midst.
APPLICATION: Let me stop for a moment and note something here. History reveals the great sin and wickedness of the Roman Empire. There is no doubt that sexual misconduct was condoned during the height of the Roman Empire. In fact, much of what we see today was common place within the Roman Empire that time of the Holy Spirit’s letter to the Corinthian church. We also know from the context of this chapter that much of the world’s influence had infiltrated that local church. I say that to say that we live in American during a great time of sexual immorality. In fact, I would contend that we are the precipice of even great moral decay than even the Roman Empire. Great sexual wickedness like homosexuality, adultery, pornography, and transgender-ism is not only condoned, but now it is being celebrated in America. As such, we, as a local church, must be on the guard against it and allowing it to infiltrate our church. We cannot afford to live in fear of what others may say or do if we take a stand against it. In fact, we, as true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have no choice. We MUST stand against it. The pressure to cave to man’s idea of what is right and wrong is going to grow exponentially over the next decade. Even now, there are churches preaching and teaching that we must accept today’s societal norms. Anyone who does not accept these norms is a bigot and racist. We are under the constant threat of lawsuits and/or losing our tax exempt status if we do not conform to man’s ideology. However, we must never abandon God’s Word. We must always adhere to the standards that the Creator of the Universe has determined and not man’s. As a local church, must not be like the church of Corinth and sweep these things under the rug. Instead, we deal with them head on knowing that we have God on our side. We must continue to battle the “principalities,” the “powers,” the “rulers of darkness of this world,” and the “spiritual wickedness in high places.” We must continue to stand for the Lord. We cannot afford to back down or cower in fear.
In fact, this is exactly what God tells the church of Corinth to do. They were to stand up and take action against sin in the camp through...
Local Church Discipline
Local Church Discipline
Verse 3-4 are God’s clear instructions to the local church concerning church discipline. You see there are going to come times within a local church when it must act in a righteous way. Now, let me preface this by saying that we must always act according to God’s Word. That is why it is so important for us to know God’s Word. It is the basic reason why we are working our way through the book of Corinthians. We want to know what God wants to be as a local church and how God wants us to act as a local church.
Here, using this situation of fornication within the local church of Corinth, God gives us clear instruction to handle such issues when they arise. This is church discipline in its purest form. We know the issue. It was this man who was committing fornication with his stepmother. How did God expect it to be handed? Obviously, they were not handling it the God desired. Thus another reason the Holy Spirit had Paul pen these words. Here what God expected.
They were TO IMMEDIATELY TAKE ACTION! Here are four things the Holy Spirit tells us about local church discipline.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE is ORDAINED BY GOD!
CHURCH DISCIPLINE is ORDAINED BY GOD!
For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
When reading this verse it is important to keep this key point in mind. Paul penned these word, but it was God who authored them. The Holy Spirit of God was moving upon Paul as he spoke these word in a letter to the local church of Corinth. Words that stand the test of time and apply to us today just as when they were first read in church at Corinth. Thus, it was the Holy Spirit who had already judged “concerning him that hath so done this deed.” And, thus, it was the Holy Spirit who directed the local church to ACT on HIS BEHALF! Note that He judged “as though I were present.” Paul may have been bodily absent, but God’s Spirit was there. He knew the name of the man who was committing this great sin. He knew all those who were not admonishing and confronting this man. And, for this reason, the Holy Spirit through Paul was letting them know He knew and He already had judged. Now, it was up to them to enact His judgment upon this man.
It is quite clear then from this verse that every local church is ordained by God to exact discipline against those who wilfully live in sin without remorse or repentance. Each time it is discovered that one of our own is living in sin it is our duty to confront that person seeking to restore them back to God.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
In doing so, our prayer is that they will repent and be restored. However, there are times when a person refuses to confess and seek repentance. In such circumstances, the local church as a duty to act by discipling that person. Take also note that...
CHURCH DISCIPLINE is through THE LOCAL CHURCH!
CHURCH DISCIPLINE is through THE LOCAL CHURCH!
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Note the phrase “when ye are gathered together.” Here we find the Holy Spirit noting the gathering of the local church. Without a doubt, God expects the local church to gather and to gather frequently and consistently.
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
These instructions by the Holy Spirit were given to the local church of Corinth. In this way, the Holy Spirit was directing that church (as well as all churches today) to handle this matter at their next meeting. It was no longer to be delayed or ignored. It had to be done now and it had to be done by the local church.
There is a third aspect noted in our text as well.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE has a SPECIFIC PURPOSE!
CHURCH DISCIPLINE has a SPECIFIC PURPOSE!
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 5 states the purpose of the church discipline. Note two things within its purpose.
First, through church discipline, the unrepentant believer is delivered unto Satan. In essence, the person is excommunicated from the local church. They are no longer part of that fellowship because of their sin and their unwillingness to repent of their sin. We will deal with this more in the coming weeks as we get further into chapter 5. Second, they are delivered unto Satan for the “destruction” of the flesh. The word “destruction” means “ruin.” Essentially, they are now subject to any physical consequences that may come as a result of being delivered unto Satan. It is the same word used in 1 Thessalonians 5:3.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
In that context, the Holy Spirit speaks of the great destruction or ruin that will come all mankind after the Rapture.
When church discipline is enacted, it clears the way for Satan to do what Satan desires to do - to destroy a believer’s life. However, let it be noted that Satan has no control over their spirit. Note again that it says “that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” The day referred to here is the day of the Rapture and the resurrection of the saints. On that day, the spirit of those who asleep (the term used in the New Testament of saints who have died) will be reunited with their redeemed body. It is also the day when after the coming of the Lord Jesus all saints will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is a day when all saints will give account of the way they lived their lives and used their spiritual gifts.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Going back to the subject of church discipline we see that the sinning and unrepentant believer is to be handed over to Satan for his/her own good. God has often used Satan at times for discipline and correction of those who belong to Him. Job, Peter, and even Paul himself are examples. Yet, God always draws the line beyond which Satan cannot go. In the case before us, God permits Satan to wreak havoc on the body of the guilty party, but he is not allowed to touch the man’s spirit. Another proof that once we are saved, we are always saved. Our salvation is secure in Christ and no man, not even Satan, can touch it.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We have covered a lot of ground this morning. Let me summarize it all as we finish. There is no doubt that today’s world is filled with all kinds of sin and wickedness. American society especially seems to be drawn to all kinds of sexual immorality. It is everywhere. Inevitably it is going to creep into churches. There are going to be times when a church, even ours, is going to be faced with situations of immorality that will need to be addressed. Romans 5 is the section of our Instruction Manual which tells us how to handle such issues. How is to be done? First, we are not ignore these issues. We are to act based on the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are act immediately without any delay. We are to confront the person about their sin seeking to restore them back to God according to Galatians 6 and other passages. If they do not repent and are unwilling to give up their sin, we are to meet together for the purpose of delivering them unto Satan. From that point, they are no longer under the umbrella protection of the local church. They are now on their own with Satan bearing down on them. By doing so, we are seeking to save their spirit unto the day of the Lord Jesus Christ’s return.
Sin is a serious thing! The great thing about this age we live in is that God has given us a wonderful means of repenting. You may be here this morning and you know within yourself that you are not living for the Lord. In fact, you may be under the bondage of habitual sin. It can be any kind of habitual sin from immorality to using your tongue to cut others. Whatever sin it might be, if you are a true believer, I implore you to come forward this morning. Come to the altar this, admit your sin to the Lord, seek His forgiveness by confessing your sin. We have the promise of 1 John 1:9 which says...
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is much better for you to confess and repent than it is for you to be delivered back to Satan. Don’t let it get that far. Do the right thing before God this morning and get it settled now.
