Dealing with Discipline (Staying Clean) - Chapter 5

INTRODUCTION:    As Christians and a Church, if we are committed to body life, we need to ask two questions.

                                    1.  How do I/we help a friend in sin who is unwilling to acknowledge and/or address hi/her sin?

                                    2.  How do we keep ourselves clean?

PROPOSITION:        Stay clean in a dirty Christian world.

TRANSITION:           Two  things that we need to do to stay Clean in a Dirty Christian World.

OUTLINE:

1.      Maintain proper boundaries in your Christian relationships.          1 Corinthians 5:9-13

A.     God NEVER told us to run away from the world!!!  Vs. 9-10            (We are to be in it, but not part of it.)

·         I am not going to turn there this morning, but look at the tensions in John 17 & James 4:1-6

·         Matthew 5:13-16 – Jesus Expects Us To Be Salt and Light

B.     God DOES expect us to separate ourselves from Worldly / Sinful Christians.       Vs 11-13

      PAUL has three incredibly bold (but appropriate) expectations.

1)       Don’t even ASSOCIATE with Christians caught up in sinful / worldly behavior.

2)       Expel the Man from the church.

3)       Maintain a unified congregational response to this man.

C.     Three verses scream for our attention here:

·         James 4:4

·         1 Corinthians 15:33

·         1 Corinthians 5:6

D.     Let’s answer a very real tension in this issue.  He / She is my friend!  He / She was there for me when I needed a

                  friend, should I now abandon them in their time of need?

ANSWERS:

·         A True, Godly, Christian, Friend will NEVER ask you to choose between them and obedience to God & His Word.

·         What is your friends MOST PRESSING NEED?  (Betty & her dad & a few weeks ago.)

·         You need to ask and answer – “Whose needs are being addressed by maintaining this friendship, despite it’s

                                                      obstacles?  (Yours?  Your Friends?  Gods?)

·         Are you truly desiring reconciliation or are you sharing stolen fruit and a shared undermining conspiracy?

·         What is more important to you?  Biblical obedience & your walk with Jesus or your “friendship”.

E.     Proper boundaries produce two things.

·         Repentance  2Cor. 2:5-11

                  What is the purpose of discipline?  It is to humiliate, denigrate, belittle, embarrass, chase away, etc…. 

                                                                                                                                                      Right? – Wrong)

·         A Clean Life

2.      Practice Biblical Grace in your Christian relationships.  1 Corinthians 5:6-8

A.     We value being a community of Grace. 

·         We name ourselves by it.

·         We seek  to treat others with it.

B.     The church of Corinth misunderstood and miss-applied Grace.

·         The church of Corinth thought that tolerance of sinful Christian conduct/character was Grace.

·         The church took pride in what actually brought them shame.  (Both inside and outside of the church.) 

C.     Applying Biblical Grace, calling people to Romans 6:14 Grace, is part of what community is all about!

·         A TRUE Brother or Sister in Christ will welcome and desire a siblings genuine investment in his/her life.

·         A TRUE Brother or Sister in Christ will heed loving and genuine council.   Proverbs 27:6

·         Choose to be a Romans 6:14 Christian

·         To a degree, it is appropriate, either through position or relationship, to earn the right to speak into another

      Christians life. 

      This reinforces our need to live in relationship/community with other Christians.  WE NEED THIS!!!

CONCLUSION: