Christ Methodist Church Memphis
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Christ Methodist Church Memphis
When it’s God-Honoring to Confront | Rev. Paul
Is it ever loving to confront? The Apostle Paul thought so. This sermon challenges the modern discomfort with correction and reminds the church that kindness is not the absence of truth, but the courage to restore with love.
[0:18] Today's scripture will come out of 1 Corinthians chapter 5.
[0:24] And we will be reading the entire chapter. This is 1 Corinthians chapter 5. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of the kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. For a man has his father's wife, and you are arrogant. Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
[1:03] For though absent in body, I am present in spirit. And as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit is present with the power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
[1:33] Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump As you really are unleavened For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed, Let us therefore celebrate the festival Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil But with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
[2:07] I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people Not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy and the swindlers or idolaters, Since then you would need to go out of this world But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler. Not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
[2:51] God judges those outside, purge the evil person from among you. This is the word of God for the people of God.
[3:02] Good morning, Christ Church family and guests. I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My name is Paul Lawler. have the honor of serving as the senior pastor of Christ Methodist Church, and we welcome you this morning. So isn't it true that a loving father, if he's loving, disciplines his own children from time to time? And so as we hear the word of God this morning, as a loving father would discipline his children, we see the nature of God reflected through the passage that's just been read. And as we begin in these early chapters in the book of 1 Corinthians, we experience a local church that is failing to discipline persons who are committed to a sinful lifestyle, even though they are professing the name of Jesus Christ. Now, let's ask a couple of questions as we engage this morning. Here's the first one.
[4:06] Why are we teaching this?
[4:10] Well, first, obviously, we are going through a series on the book of 1 Corinthians, and so therefore, we're going where the text takes us. But there's a second reason as well. If you live long enough as a Christian, through the decades, at some point in your journey, you're going to encounter the knowledge and understanding that's required out of 1 Corinthians 5 and associated passages. So we remember when we opened this series many weeks ago that we cited the problems happening in the Corinthian church. There's divisions, there's cliques, there's believers that are suing one another, there's misuse of spiritual gifts, and there is sexual immorality. And so Paul begins with this shift in topics as we engage in chapter 5. And it's okay to validate that as he engages in the topic we're looking at this morning, that it can feel a little bit like whiplash.
[5:11] Because suddenly, he says in chapter 5, verse 1, it is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and a kind that is not tolerated even among godless people, Even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. So what we see thus far is that there's a man in the congregation that is engaged in an adulterous relationship, and that's a problem.
[5:41] You all know the Ten Commandments, and you know what the Word of God says. Thou shalt not commit adultery. This man has taken his own stepmother as his wife, and this is why the Apostle Paul says there's a type of sexual immorality happening among you, Corinthian church. It's of a kind that's not even named among godless people, not even among pagans. And as Paul validates this sobering reality, that's not the only problem in the Corinthian church. The only problem is not that a man is committing adultery.
[6:25] That's a problem, and he's addressing it. We're going to unpack that as we journey forward. That is a problem. But Paul is saying to the Corinthian church that while this is a problem, and while the love of God is pursuing this man, and we're going to unpack that, there's a greater problem. And the greater problem is that the church there at Corinth is enabling it. The church at Corinth is turning its head, and nobody wants to rock the boat to deal with this so that the man can be restored properly.
[7:04] And so what we're going to do for the next few moments is we're going to engage around this statement when it's God honoring to confront out of love. And so, as we dive in, this is how Paul begins to characterize this issue. He begins characterizing the Corinthian church in this way, the problem of arrogance that results in enabling. Look with me at the verse, 1 Corinthians 5.2. He says something, and maybe you even felt a little bit of tension when Jacob read this a moment ago. When Paul says, I mean, is it true that he can be very direct?
[7:47] I mean, how's this for direct? And you are arrogant. Huh.
[7:56] Why does he say that? I mean, can't you reason sometimes? Maybe those of you who played sports, you go, hey, you know, our shortstop's pretty good, but he can be arrogant sometime because he's a little overconfident.
[8:12] But biblical arrogance, while that may have a category, biblical arrogance has a deeper meaning, a richer meaning. Biblical arrogance is rooted in pride. And what biblical arrogance is and biblical pride, which is the true definition of pride, is when a person operates outside the will of God in a way that they resist it. I will do it my way rather than God's way. And that's the problem at the church at Corinth. They're choosing to handle things their own way rather than God's way. And this is why Paul is so direct with them. And you are arrogant. You're handling this in your own way. You're managing things rather than leading in a God-honoring way.
[9:03] And so he goes on to say, ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. And so apparently, very clear, this man's sin is very public. Everybody in the church knows what's going on. And in the midst of public sin, the church merely chose to stand there and turn its own head. And so what we begin seeing unfolding in the letter in this section is Paul's corrective rebuke is not only directed toward the man who is involved in an adulterous relationship, but it's even greater.
[9:41] His rebuke, that is, is even greater in magnitude for the local church, for the church at Corinth, because they're ignoring and turning their head when this individual in the church is involved in adultery, and this is what he means when he calls out their arrogance. They should be grieving or mourning this sin, what this is doing to this individual, what it's doing to his family, if there are children involved, the way that's affecting them, the way this could potentially damn the man's soul—the.
[10:23] Effect it has on the local church and the name of Jesus Christ, bringing reproach upon the name above all names. And so they're not grieving. Instead, they are proud rather than mourning. It's heavy, heavy text. I guess we can validate that together. And so Paul points out the problem of their arrogance that results in enabling. But then as he validates these things, he begins leading the church.
[10:57] Correcting the church to move in a proper God-honoring direction. And he does that by lifting up the power of God and God's ability to restore. Listen to how he frames it, verses 3 through 5. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit. And as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present. Let's stop right there. What does Paul mean by my spirit is present? Is that something weird and mystical there? No, it's actually very practical. What Paul is expressing is that I'm praying for this man in this way. I'm inviting you to pray for this man in this way. I'm advising that you take this specific action. And as you take this specific action, we are moving one spirit together as we align with the heart and will of God in this matter. So let's continue the verse.
[12:02] Notice that this is with the power of our Lord Jesus, the power that's above all powers, the name that's above all names. But note that.
[12:13] With the power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh. And then here we see one of the many so that's of scripture. So that, this is unto something, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. The man's soul is in danger. He is professing the name of Christ, but he's living a lifestyle that is completely counter to a life that is in Christ. And Paul is expressing the love of Jesus for the man so that the man can come home and be restored in Christ. So when the Corinthians are assembled, they are literally to prayerfully hand this man over to Satan. We'll circle back to that in a moment. Paul doesn't give us a whole lot of details here, but he appropriately calls the congregation to exclude this person for a period of time from their fellowship with the understanding that he's going to be under the dominion of the enemy, but it has a loving purpose to restore the man's soul so that as he's buffeted, he will turn back to Christ. Paul wants these Christians to see that discipline within the body of Jesus Christ is not, here this church, is not judgmental.
[13:37] It's not judgmental. It's not vindictive. Please, heart and mind of every believer in the sound of the hearing of this word, hear that. It's not judgmental, not vindictive. It is restorative. It is rooted in the love of God. and love of God for people to keep Christ's body from living in hypocrisy so that this man would be restored.
[14:07] Before we continue, let's keep it real. Here it is. The church really does struggle to call out sin.
[14:16] We don't like doing it. We shy away from it. We don't want to cause tension or be misunderstood. We don't want to rock the boat. But Paul tells Christians here that that's precisely what they must do in the community of faith. This is his aim through the remainder of chapter 5. The goal of church discipline is redemption. The goal of church discipline is protecting other believers. The goal of church discipline is honoring Jesus Christ and removing him from the church body so that in leaving him on his own for a time will result in him being buffeted so it perpetuates a repentant heart turning back to the Lord Jesus Christ. The aim, once more, is for the purpose of his final salvation. This is rooted in restoration and redemption. This act by the church is rooted in love for the man. This is rooted in love for the church.
[15:26] Now, the Bible, as many of you know, talks about the right spirit we're to move in as a church family when we walk something like this out with a sister or brother.
[15:39] And this is covered in Matthew chapter 7, when Jesus says, be aware of the log in your own eye, when you gently remove the speck in your sister and brother's eye. And of course, that illustrates the spirit we're to move in. We're aware of our own sin and we're to be very gentle. We're not the convictors. The Holy Spirit is the one that brings conviction. In 1 Corinthians 5, we recognize that not only does the Holy Spirit bring conviction, but even the enemy can be utilized as a buffeting force to draw a sister or brother back to Christ. But we also recognize that Paul gives instruction that we've covered about three months ago in Galatians 6.1, brothers, sisters, if anyone is caught in a transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. And note that the verse tells us that as we practice loving, Christ-centered confrontation, temptation that we are to guard our own hearts lest we too are tempted what are we tempted with, well we're tempted to be offended there's a temptation, to be more offended by the sins of a sister or brother than your own sins.
[17:02] There's also a temptation to pride. When you hear somebody say something like, oh, I could never do that. I'm above that. And we lose sight of the fact that any of us, any of us in this sanctuary, you put us in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the wrong mood, in a dark set of circumstances, and we're capable of crossing inappropriate boundaries. All of us. That's our fallen nature. What we guard against is looking at others with a microscope and ourself with a telescope.
[17:41] And so we recognize that as we engage in this kind of ministry that we see in 1 Corinthians 5, that we indeed keep watch on ourselves, lest we too be tempted in areas that
[17:55] can take our own hearts in a dark direction. But let's also validate, first and foremost, not so much foremost, but we do need to validate that Christians can and do occasionally sin.
[18:13] And by definition, trusting in Christ, when we come to know Jesus, what comes with it is a commitment to stop living for the sins that were in our old nature. However, getting caught off guard because of our fallenness is going to happen from time to time, and that doesn't mean we're no longer in Christ. But Paul, even when he's talking in Galatians 6, is referencing how we need one another in growing in relationship with Christ. And he instructs spiritually mature Christians to always step in and help encourage and edify others to grow in their relationship with Christ and to be gentle and not condemning and to be humble and to guard one's heart above temptation within their own lives. But what we recognize in Galatians 6.1 is the admonition for all of us to be ready to step up and to serve to help restore sisters and brothers in Christ. And as we covered a few months ago, the word for restore here is actually the Greek word where we get restoration of broken bones and mending of nets. And so we recognize to restore means to make something whole and functional again, which is the heart of Jesus.
[19:43] And what we're talking about here, I just remind you once again, it's not harshness. It's not being judgmental. We're talking ultimately about the love of Jesus for human beings. By the way, Jesus doesn't love you because you're good.
[20:03] Jesus loves you because he's good, and that's why you can be confident in his love for you. So let me ask a question that doesn't get asked from pulpits very often based on this text, but if we're going to be faithful to the word of God, we need to ask this question, how do you turn somebody over to Satan? I mean, that's in the text, right? Let me ask you a question. Should we cover that or just skip over it? It would be a lot easier for me just to skip over that, loved ones. But because it's in the text, if we're going to be faithful to the text, we need to ask that question.
[20:49] First of all, we need to recognize we have precedence for this in Scripture. This isn't the only place we see this in the Bible. There are two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, that Paul refers to in 1 Timothy when he's instructing a young minister. Hymenaeus and Alexander are involved in some type of unrepentant pattern of blasphemy toward God. We don't know specifically what it is. Could be something they were saying, could be bad doctrine that they were embracing, could be some action. We don't know specifically. But in 1 Timothy 1.19, the scripture reads like this, By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, who I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. And so we recognize this is not isolated in 1 Corinthians 5. And there are times where a person is buffeted in this way, but it's rooted in the love of God to bring them home to Christ. Can you say amen to that? Amen. I felt your enthusiasm.
[21:58] And so we recognize in 1 Corinthians 5, this is a person who is not repentant. Everything's public. How do we know this? His sin is out in the open. His sin is ongoing. He feels no shame. The Christian community is aware of his sin, and no one will confront him about it. And so we recognize to turn someone over to Satan, Paul teaches that first we exclude them from fellowship. Look with me at 1 Corinthians 5, 9-11. Paul says, I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not at all meaning the sexual immoral of this world or the greedy or swindlers or idolaters, since you would need to go out of the world. And so he's being very clear, I'm not talking about the people you rub elbows with during the week who don't bear the name Christ, who are not living a Christlike lifestyle.
[22:54] He goes on to say, but now I am writing with you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister, if they are guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or as an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler, not even to eat with such a one. Now, loved ones, we need to be clear about what Paul is saying. Paul's saying not to associate with someone who is truly declaring that they're a brother or sister in Christ, but is involved in a lifestyle.
[23:28] And note the difference, not stumbling into sin, they're in a lifestyle of sexual immorality, a lifestyle of greed, a lifestyle of being an idolater, a lifestyle of being an abusive person, a lifestyle of a drunkard, the lifestyle of being a dishonest person. Verse 11, not to even eat with such a person. So he's not talking about somebody who stumbles into sin. He's talking about a person, not somebody who just lapses into sin, a person who is committed to a lifestyle. Their identity is marked by the pattern, a greedy person, a drunken person, an adulterer. They engage in habitual, systemic, unrepentant, sinful behavior. He's not referencing the Christian who one evening out with friends has too many glasses of wine and thinks, oh, man, that was wrong, and they repent.
[24:28] He's not talking about that category. He's not talking about someone who had a moment of dishonesty bearing the name of Christ. They realize it. They confess it. They repent of it. No, he's talking about persons who are professing the name of Christ, but their lifestyle is a sinful pattern of lifestyle.
[24:50] And Paul says genuine Christian believers do not associate with such people. Let me share a personal word here. As a young pastor, I was afraid to confront. And I realized I was confronted one day about that. I had a brother come to me privately, kind of a Matthew 18 thing, and he confronted me. This is what he said to me. Paul, do you not fear the Lord? I was so young in my walk at that time. I was like, why should I fear God? I know that sounds like, pastor, I can't believe you said that. But please understand, I was in my early 30s, green. I'd been pastoring my first church for a little bit more than a year. And it forced me more deeply into the scripture. And I began to notice from Genesis to Revelation how the fear of the Lord, honoring the reverencing God is a part of a walk, our walk as believers. And God began to cultivate that in me. The other thing that God began to expose in my own life was my control. I like being in control.
[26:16] There's a healthy way to be in control when you're stewarding things, and there's an unhealthy way you can be in control. An unhealthy way you're in control is when you're saying, God, I got this. I'll manage this circumstance my way rather than a sensitivity to his way. And I repented of those things. Now, please understand, I think if you like confrontation, you might need counseling, okay? I don't like confrontation. I don't. But I've learned that when the church needs to confront, that we have the privilege of moving in the power of the love of God more fully.
[27:10] And what I've grown to understand is that discipline is a part of discipleship. Church discipline is a part of discipleship. Remember Jesus' words in Matthew, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. A son has an inheritance.
[27:31] And I remind you, Jesus did not say blessing comes to peacekeepers. A peacekeeper glosses things over and enables a false peace.
[27:42] A peacemaker, on the other hand, will do the difficult thing, let things get messy, in order to have a true and enduring peace. But most Christians—let me rephrase that. I can't say most Christians. Some Christians say, I just want to be nice. Isn't it like Jesus just to be nice? And aren't Christians supposed to be nice?
[28:08] Well, let's talk about that for a moment. And the way we're going to talk about it is I'm going to quote Bishop Jeff Greenway. He wrote a devotion on this not long ago, and I'm going to read a portion of it to you just to help make this distinction in regard to our text this morning. Bishop Greenway writes, the word nice doesn't appear in the Bible. This may be surprising because many of us have taught Christians, taught that Christians are supposed to be nice. Be polite. Don't be confrontational. Let it go. Don't make waves. Keep your mouth shut. Don't offend. I just want to be kind. The word kind, however, and kindness are found over 300 times in the Bible. And a careful reading of each use reveals what God calls us to. It's much more than being dysfunctionally nice to one another. God calls us to be kind. Now, what does that mean? Let me read on, church.
[29:06] In his book, Loving Kindness, Barry Corey, the president of Viola University, helps distinguish between niceness and kindness. He writes, whereas aggression has a firm center and hard edges, niceness has soft edges and a spongy center. Niceness may be pleasant but lacks conviction. It has no soul. Niceness trims its cells to prevailing cultural winds and wonders aimlessly, standing for nothing and thereby falling for everything. Kindness, on the other hand, has what Corey calls a firm center with soft edges. Kindness has conviction. It has courage. It has a solid backbone. It also is after something more than being accepted or getting along. It's a radical commitment to speaking truth. It expresses costly love. Kindness isn't blandly pleasant, and it's definitely not safe. Kindness takes risk. It walks lovingly toward difficulty and risk derision. It doesn't shrink in the face of conflict. Niceness avoids conflict and retreats from the prospect of adversity. It prefers the comfort of the status quo. Kindness doesn't revel in tumult, but it has the fortitude to persevere in love in spite of it. Good quote, Bishop Greenway.
[30:34] And I reiterate that church discipline is a part of discipleship. Now, loved ones, a lot of us don't like discipline. We get that. We like the results of discipline in our personal life. If we might like the discipline of working on our golf game or studying or losing weight, But we recognize that corrective discipline within the church is actually for our benefit, for godliness and development of our sanctification and eternal life. And we're aware that the fruit of it, when properly exercised, brings about really, literally, an eternal weight of glory for the glory of God. And so Paul, as he frames this section, he shares in verse 7, Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Now let me ask you a question. Why would he weave that kind of language into a text on church discipline? Here's why. Because he doesn't want anyone to lose hope.
[31:51] You remember what happened in the Passover? The death angel came, and the blood of a lamb was spread over the doorposts, and the death angel passed over. Christ is your Passover. That in Christ, in your life, there is no condemnation for a life that's truly in Christ Jesus. And Paul is lifting up this reality so that no man or woman would lose hope.
[32:23] By the way, obviously, we're teaching on 1 Corinthians this morning. Does anybody know what happens in 2 Corinthians, that 2 Corinthians reveals about the man that's being corrected? Show of hands. Good talking with you.
[32:45] In 2 Corinthians, Paul instructs the church to invite the man back into fellowship. Do you know why? He's been buffeted by the enemy, and he repents. He breaks off the relationship. He's restored in Christ. His eternity in Christ is restored. The love of God pursued him. restored him. And may I remind someone in the sound of my voice, whether online, on radio, or here in the sanctuary this morning, if there's hope for him, there's hope in Christ for you. Christ is your Passover. But let the text rest indelibly upon our hearts as a church family. Discipline is a part of discipleship. Church discipline is a part of discipleship.
[33:58] In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Let's pray for just a moment.
[34:10] Jesus, we exalt you as our Passover, that because of not only the shed blood in the Old Testament that covered the doorpost, but the shed blood of Christ at the cross, Jesus, you are our Passover lamb in whom our sins are forgiven and we're birthed into new life and we become your church, your bride, your people.
[34:39] And so we rejoice in you in this day. And we thank you that even though this man was restored 2,000 years ago, it serves as a testimony that you're still restoring people today. And we pray that any man or woman that may be living a lifestyle outside your boundaries of love, we pray, God, that you would draw them home, Draw them to you. Grant them great kindness that leads to repentance and restored life in you, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen.