Living Like a Holy Family

1:23We laugh at dysfunctional families in movies and TV series, but when dysfunctional Isn't entertainment, but it's real life, it's less funny, especially when the dysfunctional family is the church family. Two weeks ago, Pastor Beau preached through 1 Corinthians chapter 5, where Paul addressed handling unrepentant sin in the church. And we were reminded that out of love for the sinner and out of love for the church's witness to the community, to the lost, that we cannot tolerate unrepentant sin in the church. We took a break last week for Day for the Nations. If you didn't get to be here or listen to that sermon, I would highly encourage you to do so. But today we're back in 1 Corinthians in chapter 6, and Paul is going to address other sinful attitudes and actions within the church, especially lawsuits among believers.

2:16And so the problem in Corinth was the same exact problem that we deal with today. And that problem is that we as Christians are constantly tempted to handle situations, to deal with circumstances, to evaluate things just like the rest of the world, just like non-Christians do. But in Christ, we are empowered by the grace of God and His Holy Spirit. We are set free from the same kinds of sins that enslave the lost. We don't have to relate to one another like non-Christians relate to each other, and we don't have to relate to one another like we used to relate to one another before we were saved. And so today in 1 Corinthians 6, we're going to be challenged that for the glory of God, we must. Resolve to live like the holy family we really are.

3:06So let's take a look at verse 1 together. At the outset of this chapter, Paul acknowledges that the Corinthians were having problems. That's very evident here when one of you has a grievance against another. Paul's not surprised by that. He's not surprised they have problems with each other. I mean, he understood the sinful human nature very well. If you go and you read Romans 7, that's basically an entire chapter of Paul saying, I cannot understand my own sinful heart, why I do the things that I hate. And so he understood the sinful human nature well. He's not surprised that such a diverse group of people like the Corinthians has problems with each other. He is shocked that they're taking each other to court.

3:50That's what surprises him so much. See, the word grievances in verse 1 refers to disputes, refers to lawsuits or legal actions. They're taking each other to civil court, probably over money or property or both, from the context of the chapter. Now, understand, Paul never resigned himself to the idea that because sinners are inevitably going to sin against each other and because the church is made up of sinful people, that we just have to learn how to tolerate sin in the church, or we just have to overlook sin in the church. No, not at all. Paul said all throughout his writing and all throughout his ministry that we cannot overlook sin. We have to continually walk in repentance. And part of walking in repentance is assessing where we're living like non-believers, where we are handling situations and circumstances and dealing with each other just like the rest of the world deals with each other. And then walking in repentance, meaning stop living that way. Stop living like the way the rest of the world does and instead live like the holy family that we really are. And so here in verse 1, Paul asks this question: When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare, look at that word, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

5:15Again, Paul's not surprised that Christians are sinning against each other. He's shocked that they're taking each other to secular court and asking non-Christians to settle disputes between them. And in verses 2 through 6, he outlines why he thinks this is so crazy. First, in verse 2, he notes, look there, that the saints are going to judge the world. He says, do you not know this? And then he says, if that's true, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Come on. If we're going to judge the world, surely we can handle trivial cases in the church. Second, he notes in verse 3, if you look there, do you not know that the saints are going to judge angels?

5:57And again, if that's true, can we really? Not judge matters of everyday life? Of course we can. Finally, Paul calls out their self-deception in verse 5. Now, I want you to remember, the first four chapters of this book, what are they about? They're about the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of the world. And the problem with the Corinthians is they thought that they were very wise, but their wisdom was puffing them up with pride. And all it was was wisdom from the world. And so Paul says in verse 5, look here, can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers? You people who think you're so wise and are puffed up with pride over your worldly wisdom, can it really be that there's no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between each other? Why do you need outside help if you're so wise?

6:52Now, lest there be any confusion, I think it has to be said that Paul is talking about civil cases in this chapter. He's not talking about criminal cases. And these are not just any kind of civil cases. Look at what Paul calls them. Verse 1, he calls them grievances. Verse 2, trivial cases. Verse 5, disputes. These are small matters, petty grievances against each other. Paul is not saying that believers can't or shouldn't take cases to court when crimes have been committed. He never teaches that here or anywhere else, even when other professing Christians are involved. He never says that. These verses, friends, have been misapplied over the years. They've been misapplied to justify not reporting things like child abuse or child molestation or rape or incest because another Christian is involved.

7:52But that's not at all what Paul is teaching here. He says that Christians should not be taking each other to court over civil matters. Things like disputes about money or property or personal offenses that should be handled in the church. Things like rape and incest and child molestation and child abuse, those are not trivial cases. Those are sins that break both the law of God and the laws of our government, the laws that we have as a society. It's not that those things shouldn't be handled in the church. They should be handled in the church. But they must also be handled outside of the church by the state. Because according to Romans 13, that's why we have a government. The government exists to punish evildoers who break the laws of the land, the laws that we together have agreed to believe and live by, and the laws of God. And so the state has to be allowed to do their job in terms of criminal cases. And we must report those things.

8:56But in this particular case, what you have is you have believers. Suing each other, taking each other to court over trivial matters. And look at what Paul writes in verse 7. He says this: To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. In other words, you guys are taking each other to court hoping to win your case, but there are no winners when two believers go to court against each other. You're wanting a verdict in your favor, but you've already lost if you're taking another Christian to court over petty matters. And he goes on to explain why.

9:37He says, first and most fundamentally, suing other Christians over petty matters is a direct contradiction of the teaching and example of Jesus Christ. Look on the screen in Matthew chapter 5. This is in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

10:24So that's Jesus' teaching on this matter. What about his example? Look at 1 Peter. 2. When Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. That's why Paul adds these rhetorical questions at the end of verse 7. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? See, he asks these rhetorical questions because that's what Jesus taught us to do, and that's what Jesus modeled in his life. To take another Christian to court over trivial matters directly contradicts the teaching and the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. But friends, we're so obsessed with our rights, especially as Americans, that we are willing to ignore the teaching and example of Jesus if it means that we can get what we think that we're owed. That's a problem. And that was a problem in the church in Corinth.

11:29The second reason why we've already lost if we take each other to court over trivial matters is that it damages our reputation with non-Christians. It ruins our witness. See, suing each other sends a clear message to them. We call ourselves the family of God, but we actually live as enemies, as adversaries. We say that our treasure is in heaven, not on earth. But we don't live that way. We act as though the worst thing that can happen to us is to have our money or our property taken from us, even by another believer.

12:10We say we're sinners who have been forgiven by a holy God, but we can't overlook the sins or even just small wrongs committed against us by another brother or sister in Christ. All of these things damage our witness to the lost as we try to talk about the fact that we've been reconciled to God through faith in Christ and we've been reconciled to one another. They see the hypocrisy of suing each other and taking each other to court when we say that these are the things that we believe and value. And so, church, it's critical to think through these issues ahead of time. The wrong time to try to develop a biblical theology of suffering wrong from another believer is after another believer has wronged you or sinned against you. I mean, by the time that's happened, you're going to get caught up in your emotion. You're going to get caught up in your flesh. And your desire is going to be revenge, payback, justice if you don't think about these things ahead of time. And so we have to decide now, I'm just not going to sue another Christian because God has forgiven my sins, because my treasure is in heaven. It's not here on the earth.

13:25And if that sounds hard to you, you should be encouraged to know that it also sounds harder. Very hard to the disciples. Look at this interaction that Jesus and his disciples have in Luke 17. Jesus says, pay attention to yourselves. Just listen to that start. Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times saying, I repent, you must forgive him. Now look at the reaction. The apostle said to the Lord, increase our faith.

14:08I totally understand that response. I am a firstborn, rule-following Enneagram number one. I love Batman because Batman is about justice. And I loved watching him pummel Superman in dawn of justice because that's exactly what Superman deserves in his red and blue pajamas. I love justice. And so when I see these words from Christ, that is my response. Increase my faith. Somebody sins against you seven times in a day. My kids sin against me one time in the day, and I'm like, this justice shall be done.

14:57I can't stand it. And you may not be exactly like me. I hope you're not exactly like me. But all of us are bent to love our own righteousness. We are all bent to demand justice when people wrong us or sin against us. We don't like it. We don't want to suffer it. And that's exactly why Jesus came. He came and he set a perfect example for us, as we saw. He never did any of these things. He never sinned in any of these ways. But we need more than an example. Jesus came and was tempted to sin in every way, just like we are, and yet was without sin. Think about it as he is unjustly accused of all of these crimes that he didn't commit, all of these sins that he didn't commit. Think about it as he is unjustly sentenced to be flogged and then to die on the cross. He did all of that to set us free from sin's penalty and sin's power in this area of our life. That is such good news. Because without God's grace and without his Holy Spirit, what hope is there? What hope is there when somebody takes your shirt that you're also going to give them your coat? What hope is there when somebody slaps you on the cheek that you're going to turn the other one as well? What hope is there when somebody takes something from you that you're going to allow them to take even more?

16:25Only the grace of God in Christ can help us to do that. It is impossible. Apart from that, and that's why the disciples said, increase our faith. See, that's how Christians are supposed to respond. Not only are we supposed to not be wronging each other, but we're supposed to turn away or turn aside the other cheek when someone wrongs us. But sadly, the Corinthians weren't living this way. And that's evident from what Paul says in verses 9 and 10. Let's look there.

17:00Paul writes, Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. So, once again, and for the third time in the passage, Paul asks this question: Do you not know? And he asks, Do you not know this basic tenet of the Christian faith, which is that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? He says, Do you not know that? Now, this word translated unrighteous can also be translated wrongdoers. And in fact, your translation might say wrongdoers. If you look there now, it might say that word. And that's significant. Because let's connect the previous section to this section. What does he say in verse 8? He says in verse 8, you yourselves wrong and defraud even your own brothers.

18:14So Paul is saying unrighteous people or wrongdoers are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. But the problem is that some of you are living unrighteously. You are wronging each other. And so what does that tell you? Well, friends, that tells you one of two things. If you are wronging each other, if you're living unrighteously, you're either not a believer or you're not living like one. Those are the two choices. You're either not a believer or you're not living like one.

18:47Now, before we get to Paul's conclusion in terms of what he thinks about the Corinthians, let's consider all of these terms, these people, these types of people that he lists in verses 9 and 10, these unrighteous people who are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Look at verse 9. The first group of people is the sexually immoral. They won't inherit the kingdom of God. Now, in Scripture, a sexually immoral person is any man or woman who acts contrary to God's design and commands in the area of sexuality. So this is the Bible's general term for any kind of disobedience in this area. Any other kind of sexual sin can be put under. The umbrella, under the general term of sexual immorality. He says, if you practice sexual immorality, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. But then he gets a little bit more specific. And if you look a couple terms down, he says that adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

19:48So this is the first of two specific kinds of sexual immorality that Paul lists. If you're familiar with the Sermon on the Mount, you know that Jesus said that adultery is not just a physical act between two people. It is that. But Jesus also said that if you lust after someone else in your heart, you have already committed adultery. And so that is a broad term where God is concerned not just with our actions, he is concerned with those, but he's also concerned about our hearts. And we can commit adultery in our hearts just as we can with our bodies.

20:26The third type of sexual immorality, the second type of sexual immorality I should say, that he lists is homosexual practice. Now, in the Greek, the phrase men who practice homosexuality, it's actually two terms that is referring both to the active and passive partners in a consensual act between adults. It's referring to the active and passive partners in a consensual act between adults. That is very important to know and understand. Because you have probably heard. Living in the society that we live in, that Paul was not referring to consensual acts between adults, that he was referring to non-consensual acts or to acts involving minors. But that's simply not true. There are other Greek terms that refer to non-consensual acts. There are other Greek terms that refer to acts involving minors.

21:26To be perfectly and unmistakably clear, Paul is talking about consensual acts with another person of the same gender, and he is saying that those people who practice those acts will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, please understand, I say this often from the pulpit here at New Life because there is so much confusion inside and outside the church on this issue. The Bible does not forbid homosexual practice because it's icky. The Bible does not forbid homosexual practice because first century culture was not progressive.

22:07In fact, if you do research on first-century Greco-Roman culture, you will find that homosexuality was far more pervasive and far more accepted than it is today. 14 out of 15 Roman emperors practiced it. God forbids homosexual practice. Not because it's icky, and not because first century culture was not progressive enough, but because it is a perversion of God's created order, and because it distorts the imagery that marriage between one man and one woman is designed to represent. The unity between Christ and his one bride, the church.

22:57I think as well it bears saying that many times Christians are accused of being selective about the kinds of sins that get called out. I want you to notice that homosexuality is only mentioned after he has already called out sexual immorality and adultery. It's the second specific sin, it's the third thing on this list. Friends, all sexual sin is sin. Heterosexual sin is sin. Homosexual sin is sin. All sexual sin is sin. And the reality of the matter is that many of us, we have forfeited our witness to the world when we talk about homosexual practice because so many professing Christians are living in sexual immorality. We're using pornography, we're hooking up, we're getting divorced and remarried for unbiblical reasons. And then you think that the society is going to listen to us when we say that homosexuality, practicing homosexuality is sin? They're like, give me a break. All of you guys are addicted to pornography. Give me a break. All of you guys that are single are hooking up with each other. Give me a break. You guys get divorced and remarried at just as high of a rate as the rest of us. We forfeited our witness. And so, friends, all sexual sin is sin. We have to come to terms with that. And we have to live in a manner that is consistent with that.

24:29Now, let's back up to the second type of people that he mentions in the list. So he says, first, sexual immorality, those who practice that, and then he says idolaters. Now, I find it very interesting that he lists this after sexual immorality, but before adultery and practicing homosexuality. Why does he list it there? It's entirely possible that Paul had basic run-of-the-mill idolatry in mind when he wrote that word. I mean, after all, the city of Corinth was huge. It had dozens of pagan temples. There were shrines and statues all over the city to false gods and goddesses. So he may have had that in mind. Obviously, that's forbidden.

25:09But perhaps Paul had the idolatry of sexual fulfillment in mind, given that this appears after sexual immorality and before adultery and homosexuality. I mean, could we agree that we, as Americans, at least, have made an idol out of sexual fulfillment? It's talked about today like it's a fundamental human right. For the first time in human history, men and women identify themselves by their sexual orientation. Nearly every song on the radio is about it. Every genre. Every Netflix series, every HBO series, nearly every movie features it graphically. I think it's safe to say that we have made an idol out of sexual fulfillment. Anything that we have made ultimate in our hearts is an idol. And Paul is clear, idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God.

26:14He says that thieves and swindlers won't inherit the kingdom of God. Thieves are those who take things that don't belong to them. Swindlers are those who rob others face to face, either by violence or by cheating them out of what they own. He says that the greedy and drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God. These are those whose appetites for money or drink cannot be quenched. And then finally, he says, revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God. A reviler is anybody who speaks evil of others through gossip or through malicious slander designed to ruin reputations.

26:51Paul is clear that none of these unrighteous people will inherit the kingdom of God. And friends, I think when you read that list, You have one of two reactions to that. You either read that list and you go, that's exactly right. None of those people will inherit the kingdom of God. Or you read that list and you say, who then can be saved? Because we look at this list and every one of us is on it.

27:30We have committed sexually immoral acts, whether physically or in our hearts. We have taken things that don't belong to us, whether by cunning or by force. We've loved money. We've self-medicated with alcohol or other drugs. We have reviled others, speaking evil of them behind their backs. What hope is there for us? What hope is there for the Corinthians to whom Paul wrote? Well, friends, the hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that's exactly what Paul lays out in verse 11. Look at what he says.

28:06And such were some of you. And such were some of you. Before God saved you, you were sexually immoral. You were thieves. You were greedy drunks who reviled others. That is who you were. Now, listen to me. Secular psychologists will try to tell you that you are your sin. You are a sex addict. You are a homosexual. You are an alcoholic. I mean, isn't that how every recovery group starts? My name is John Smith, and I am an alcoholic. Secular psychologists say that you are your sin, that it is your identity. But, friends, God says no, that's not your identity. You may have been enslaved to those things at one time. You may still struggle with those temptations and sins, but that is no longer your identity. If you are a Christian, you are not your temptations.

29:24If you are a Christian, you are not your sin. If you are a Christian, you are a saint. You are a child of God. You are a brother or sister in Christ. You are a new creation. That's what Paul says. Look at verse 11. And such were some of you. But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Look at the repetition.

30:01Paul is trying to pound it into our heads. He's trying to pound it into our hearts. Because isn't that the bigger problem? It's not that we don't know the truth, it's that we struggle to believe the truth in our hearts. So he says, You were past tense, washed. When God looks at you, through faith in Christ, you are as white as snow. You were, past tense, sanctified. You have been set apart and made holy by God.

30:42You were, past tense, justified. Through faith in Christ, you have been declared to be as righteous as Jesus Himself. That is great news. See, church, how we view ourselves, how we relate to God, how we relate to one another in the church, it comes back to whether we believe the truth that we see here in verse 11. It is one thing to know in your head that you have been washed and sanctified and justified through faith in Christ. It is another thing to believe that in your heart and to relate to God as Father, not as an angry judge ready to condemn you.

31:26It is one thing to know in your head that your many sins have been. Forgiven by God. But it's another thing to forgive a fellow Christian who sins against you or wrongs you in some way. It's one thing to know in your head that through faith in Christ you've been set free from sin's penalty in the future. But it's another thing to believe in your heart that you've been set free from sin's power today. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to set us free not just from the penalty of sin later, but from the power of sin today.

32:08He came to be a perfect example for us that we should follow. But more than that, he came to be our Savior because we can never follow his example perfectly. He was tempted in every way. That means that he was tempted to respond sinfully to being sinned against, just like you and I are. And yet, Jesus was without sin. That's why when he offered himself in our place on the cross and he died for our sins, God could receive his sacrifice because he, unlike you and me, was perfect.

32:43And he rose again for our justification. And so if you're here today and you are not yet a believer in Jesus, I want to urge you to turn away from your sin and to receive Christ by faith today. You are just like the rest of us were. And you have to understand that in your sin, you cannot and will not inherit the kingdom of God. You need a Savior, and the only Savior is Jesus Christ, who lived and died and rose again for you. Receive him by faith today.

33:25And if you're already a believer in Jesus, then friends, we must work to believe that we are no longer who we were. That you are not defined by your temptations. You are not defined by your past sins, your present sins, or your future sins. You are defined by the person and work of Jesus Christ. You were washed and sanctified and justified through faith in Him. You have everything you need for life and godliness. And so I challenge you today from this passage: for the glory of God, let's resolve together to live like the holy family that we really are.

34:12Let's pray. All of us hear this passage, and we see once again how far short we fall. of your holy and righteous and perfect standard. How far we fall short from your character. We just don't live up to it. We don't match up to it. And God, I think for a lot of the Christians in the room, we know in our heads that these things are true. We know in our heads that we've been washed, that we've been sanctified and set apart for your purposes. We know in our heads that you have forgiven our sin and you don't hold it against us anymore. But in our hearts, we struggle to believe that on a daily basis.

35:15And it's evidenced in so many ways. I think one of the main ways, God, is how we just, when we sin and fall short, we don't run to you. We run away from you. And we think, you know, I can't pray. I can't read my Bible. I can't go worship with the church because I've sinned. We may know in our heads that that's completely unbiblical and untrue. But that's what we tend to believe about ourselves in those moments. And so, God, I pray that you would help us to connect our heads and our hearts so that we believe the truth from your word and live in light of it.

36:00In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.