Wed Night Lesson - 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

1 Corinthians 5:1-13 - Church Purity

1. Principal Applied
   
1. (v1) The Member's Sin - (Sexual Sin)
   
1. The Corinthian Church has accepted it
   
1. Common Knowledge
2. Not something that had gone on in secret
   
1. Not named among the Gentiles
1. This was not a common practice even among their pagan neighbors
1. Incest
1. Have his father's wife
2. Legally it were as if it were his own mother
3. Lev 18:8, Deu 22:30
1. (v2) The Church's Reaction
1. What it was
   
1. Arrogance
1. Not necessarily proud of what had been done, but their pride prevented them from acting accordingly.
1. Imagine if he were family, or a friend
   
1. What it should have been
   
1. Should have Felt - Mourning
2. Should have Done - Removal of the offender (Exclusion from fellowship)
1. (3-5) The Apostolic Judgment
1. Truly, Certainly
1. Physically Absent (Paul was in Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians)
2. Present in Spirit - figurative - this was his word and he stood by it.
   
1. Judged... as though I were present
1. Some situations cause the judge to seek out more information.
2. Paul had all the info he needed
2. The individual involved in the sexual sin
3. In Jesus name
4. During a regular church meeting
5. my Spirit - again lends his name, apostolic authority, support
1. power of our Lord Jesus Christ - not a wishy washy human decision, but one backed up w/ the authority the Lord gave his churches -
   
1. keys to the kingdom
2. bound/loose on earth bound/loose in heaven
1. Let the natural affects of Sin take their course (Turn him over
   
1. ravaging of sin produces "destruction of the flesh"
   
2. despite the fact that sin may actually produce physical death in the individual, his spirit is in the hands of Jesus
2. Principal Illustrated
   
1. (v6) No need for arrogance
   
1. The Corinthians were vain in what they considered their spirituality
1. but apparently none had sought to rectify this awful situation
1. (v6) Illustrated w/ leaven
   
1. The danger
1. Refusing to address this type of behavior in their midst was dangerous
1. What about their children?
2. What about outsiders?
3. What about new believers?
4. It would end up affecting everybody. Callousness and acceptance of sin.
1. (v7) The solution
1. Purge - get rid of it.
   
1. It could not do the lump any good
2. new lump - ie - a body of believers exhibiting the characterstics of Christ
3. unleavened - cleansed of sin
1. (v8) Illustrated w/ the Passover
   
1. (v8) Passover - Christ is our passover lamb. His blood assures that God will passover us
1. Just as the Israelites put out the Egyption leaven when they observed the first passover
2. Just as they carried none of it out of egypt with them.
1. Let us also, "keep the feast" in Christ
   
1. w/o Old leaven = malice & wickedness
2. w/ unleavened = sincerity & truth
3. Principal Explained
   
1. (v9) Not to keep company w/ fornicators (those caught up in sexual sin)
   
1. This is in Church capacity
2. (v10) Not referring to the world at large
1. Such as
   
1. fornicators - sexually immoral
   
2. covetous - greedy, defrauder
   
3. extortioners - swindlers, cons, thieves
   
4. idolater - image worshipper
   
2. Would mean the impossible - leaving the world
1. In the world but not of the world
   
3. (v11) called a brother
1. Fellow Christians, particularly Church members
1. Includes two that weren't in the prev list
   
1. railer = abusive
2. drunkard
   
2. Not to keep company with - associate w/
   
3. Not to eat
1. Lord's supper.
1. If the Church has the authority to exclude, obviously it is the responsibility to include.
2. How can a church do that any more responsibly than by practicing Closed communion?
4. (v12) Church's authority is over its membership
1. Not those "without"
1. Sometimes churches expect lost people to act like church members all the while some church members are acting lost people
2. them... within
1. That was the Corinthian CHurch's responsibility
5. (v13) Action
1. Leave the outside world up to God. He will judge them.
   
1. The lost man will be judged at the Great White Throne
2. The saved individuals (such as the man mentioned before) will be judged in this life by the destruction of the flesh.
2. Right judgment means to "put away" the wicked from the church's midst.