1 Corinthians 5-7

1 Corinthians 5-7

Today we return to the book of 1 Corinthians after a wee break.

It was good these past couple of weeks to spend some time thinking about the sacraments of communion and baptism, because they are so important in the life of the church…but now we find ourselves returning to Corinthians…and as we do, we’re at a very interesting point of Paul’s letter.

For a few chapters now Paul has been talking about pretty heady theological stuff—talking about God’s grace, the crucifixion of Jesus, the unity of the church, the work of the Holy Spirit, and leadership in the body of Christ.

But now as we come back to the end of chapter four and move into chapter five, there’s a definite shift in 1 Corinthians. If you’ve read ahead at all, you know what I mean.

The words we heard earlier from chapter four signal the shift, as Paul wraps up his discussion of church unity with what some theologians refer to as “fatherly admonitions:”

“I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you…as your father in the gospel, I urge you to imitate me.”

Paul is telling these Christians in Corinth, as any good parent would say, that he may be saying tough things to them…but he’s doing it for their own good.

And then he tells them that he’s hoping to come to Corinth again, and he asks them, “Which version of Paul do you hope to see when I arrive? The one who speaks with gentleness and love, or the one who has to engage in a bit of tough love and discipline?”

In other words…get your act together, guys.

Because, as I’ve mentioned, Paul is writing this letter in response to things he’s heard about the church in Corinth.

He’s gotten a disturbing report about some of their behaviour. And he’s hoping that he can correct that behaviour with this letter so that he doesn’t have to correct it in person.

You can almost hear the fatherly tone in his words… “Don’t make come down there.”

But even as Paul wraps up his talk about the disunity in the church, he isn’t done talking about difficult things.

In fact, the shift that takes place from chapter 4 to 5 is pretty dramatic in terms of the kinds of things Paul talks about.

You only need to read the very next verse after the passage we heard to realise how Paul is not letting up, but in fact is turning up the heat:

Because verse one of chapter five reads:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud!”

Wow.

Okay, Paul…you’re going to go…there?

Yes, he is. In fact, chapters 5, 6, and 7 “go there” in pretty significant ways.

And I have to be honest and say chapters 5, 6, and 7 are really difficult to read…much less teach or preach.

They cover things like…as we’ve just heard…what is either incest or at least adultery…and then on to…other kinds of sexual immorality, drunkenness, greed, slander, dishonesty, lawsuits, prostitution, marriage, divorce, and even slavery.

Friends…these are not the building blocks of a feel-good worship service on Sunday morning.

But they’re in here (POINT).

And I’ll be honest…I’ve wrestled a lot with how I would deal with these chapters once we got here.

Because I don’t think Gilfillan Memorial Church struggles with a lot of these things.

Some of them, maybe. We’re all human, and even just this morning I had a real tug of war with greed when an ad for a new, high-definition computer monitor appeared on my screen.

But so many of these issues are just not part of where we are as a church right now.

However…I didn’t want to move past them without mentioning how important it is that they are here in the first place.

Clearly all of these issues are part of the news Paul has received about the Corinthians.

He makes that clear at the beginning of chapter five… “It is reported,” he says.

He’s writing about these things because he’s heard about these things.

And he feels compelled to address them.

And that, in itself, is an important word for any church…for any Christian.

Because it reminds us that the word of God, the Bible, isn’t just about the big, heady theological issues.

Yes, the majority of what the Bible deals with are weighty issues like salvation, the promises of God, the nature of faith, the hope of eternity…

…but there are also parts of this book that speak to very down-to-earth, practical issues.

Which reminds us of an important truth: God isn’t just concerned with the state of our souls…he’s concerned with the state of our lives.

He desires to be intimately and intricately involved in every part of our existence, and he desires for us to thrive and flourish as his children.

And he knows that there are things we encounter…and sometimes even embrace…that get in the way of that.

Passages in the Bible like 1 Corinthians 5 through 7 are a strong reminder that God wants to help us live lives that bring honour to him and bring his peace and power into even our seemingly mundane, everyday existence.

That’s the theme of the Old Testament book of Proverbs, which we heard the intro to just a short while ago. Let me read it to you again from a more modern translation of the Bible:

“These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David’s son, Israel’s king—Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going;

A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality.

There’s something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.

Start with God. Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.”

A “manual for living.”

That’s what the writers calls the book of Proverbs.

“Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going.”

And the book of Proverbs definitely deals with down-to-earth, practical stuff: choosing friends, disciplining children, handling money, working hard just for starters…this is nitty-gritty life right here.

And God is interested in it. God has a plan for it.

But so often we act as though God is only concerned with the parts of our lives we might call “spiritual.”

Our prayer life, our worship life, our devotional life…all of which are certainly important, but they’re not the only parts of our lives God is interested in.

He’s interested in it all.

He wants us to flourish.

That’s why Paul feels free to dive in to difficult subjects, like he does in chapters 5-7. He’s already spoken about how he feels like a spiritual father to the Corinthians, and like a good parent he’s heartbroken to see them living parts of their lives in ways that bring nothing but brokenness and pain.

And he keeps encouraging them…give this…EVEN this…to God.

Let God into this situation and give him freedom to work.

And it leaves me wondering…how often in my own life do I fail to do that?

How many situations do I encounter day to day where I basically say to God, “Look…I know you’re busy. This is really beneath you. I can handle it on my own.” ???

And I think the witness of Scripture is that in all of those areas God says to us, “My precious child…if it concerns you…it concerns me.”

(PAUSE)

The past two weeks we’ve been talking about sacraments. Communion and baptism. Holy mysteries where we say the grace of God is active and present.

Whenever I hear that word, “sacrament,” I can’t help but think of a series of letters that were written almost 300 years ago by a French Jesuit priest named Jean Pierre de Caussade.

In those letters he talks about a different kind of sacrament, one he calls “the sacrament of the present moment.”

Now I don’t for a moment propose we add a new official sacrament to the official beliefs of the church, but what he says is worth paying attention to.

Because what he says is that every single day, in a way, is a sacrament…a gift that enables us to see, to hear, to taste, and to touch grace—to know the goodness of God’s presence in the midst of every moment.

What would it be like if we lived life like that?

If we were to bring God into every situation, every moment?

Actually…that’s the wrong way to think about it.

Because as Christians, we believe that God is already present in each moment. We just sometimes fail to see him or acknowledge him.

So the task it not bringing God into every moment…it’s bringing every moment to God.

Every situation…everything we deal with, no matter how mundane or “unspiritual” we might think it is…God is there and God desires for us to know his presence and power even in those moments.

Bring every moment…to God.

That’s what I think Paul is getting at in one of his other letters, the book of Romans, chapter 12, where he talks about making our lives “living sacrifices” to God.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,” he writes, “I urge you in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.”

Now that language, “living sacrifices,” can seem a little confusing. When we hear the word “sacrifice” in the Bible our minds tend to go to ancient and arcane practices of the Old Testament.

But what Paul is saying here is vitally important. He is saying we are to live our lives in a constant posture of acknowledging God and surrendering to God.

Eugene Peterson phrases it wonderfully in The Message:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”

I love that wording.

“Take your everyday life, your ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life…and place it before God.”

Let me tell you…I think a church full of people who do that is exactly what this world needs.

Because a lot of recent studies show that the people of today, especially the young people of today, are not asking if Christianity is true.

They’re asking if it makes a difference.

And as you and I open every part of our lives to God, he does make a difference.

Even in those areas we don’t like to think about or talk about.

“Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”

What would that look like…for you? (TRANSITION TO PRAYER)