| Introduction After a month and a half hiatus, I am glad to go back to our journey through the first epistle of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians. It always amazes me how a letter that was written around A.D. 55 remains so lively and relevant for us today. This is a testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit. Review First Corinthians was written as a response to several questions that the Corinthian Christians asked Paul (we find these answers starting in chpt. 7). It was also written out of concern that the Corinthian Christians had lost their focus in the service of Christ. Paul heard several reports that were very displeasing to him. There were some disturbing things that were happening in Corinth. Teachers had risen from among them teaching that preaching Christ was not sufficient, that the wisdom of the world was necessary in order to be super spiritual. These teachers promoted disunity and fights among the Christians (chpt. 1-4). Meanwhile, the Christians neglected to take care of some very important problems, and sins that weren't practice even in the pagan world were getting a free pass in the church. Paul structures this letter around three major themes: holiness, unity, and the glory of God, 1:2-3. Introduction to Chapter 6 That brings us to chapter 6 and we get ready to look at it, I want you to realize how the Holy Spirit does not leave any area of life untouched. We tend to think at times to think that the Bible is about how to get saved, and heaven, and "spiritual" and religious things. It is about all these things. But it is also about the nitty-gritty of everyday life. These verses we red this morning are all about our attitude toward and our conduct in lawsuits and lawsuits are something that Americans are really good at. I. The Issue: Christians Defaming the Name of Christ by Suing Other Christians in Civil Courts A. This is clearly expressed in vv. 5, 6, 7a, and 8. B. But it is also implied in the whole context of the passage. C. We have grown very numb to the heinousness/seriousness/wickedness of taking a brother to court that we can't see the big deal here. This was true of the Corinthians as well. D. So, Paul brings in what we would consider the "big guns" sins and connects them to bringing a lawsuit against a brother in an adversarial civil court system, 8-10. E. The worst offense is not against the brethren, who are offended by this action, but against Christ himself, whose name is mocked by two or more people for whom his blood was shed so that the may be reconciled. F. Their taking each other to court in an adversarial system is in essence crucifying Jesus afresh. G. The issue, the problem, is the defaming of the name of Christ by brothers taking brothers before the civil courts. II. The Solution: Christ, 9-11. A. We are going to briefly touch on this verse and will come back to it in two weeks, Lord willing. B. Kids, if you don't know what some of these things are, don't worry, just know that these things are really displeasing to God and that there is hope in the Gospel for the most wicked sinner there is. C. The foundation for not looking sinful into our interests by taking a brother to court is to keep in the forefront of our thoughts what Christ has done for us, 11. D. Do you see how Christ touches and takes over all of life including how we think about lawsuits and rights? If we don't see that, we'll end up like the Corinthian church. E. We can be easily deceived in this area, 9. III. The Practice: Advance God's Kingdom, Benefit Your Opponent, Enhance Your Ability to Know and Serve Christ (from Ken Sande in the Peacemaker). A. Realize you are equipped to deal with issues that arise between brothers, 1-5 B. Give up Your Rights, 7. Conclusion I know I am leaving lots of questions unanswered. Lord willing, we will revisit this topic in the near future in our series on conflict resolution. But one thing is clear: when a brother/sister sues another brother/sister is civil court, he is defaming the name of Christ. It is also clear that Christ has freed us from the necessity of doing that. Remember, such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, "…you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." | |||
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Friday, January 18, 2013
It Is to Your Shame -1 Cor. 6:1-11
