Faith & Fellowship: When Sin Enters the Fellowship
Faith & Fellowship • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
Introduction:
One of the most difficult aspects of considering our fellowship with one another is when sin enters into the local fellowship.
How do we handle some uncomfortable and tense situations?
The apostle Paul deals with these situations in his letters, especially in .
Let’s see how the local church fellowship can be affected by sin.
“It Is Reported…Sexual Immorality Among You”
“It Is Reported…Sexual Immorality Among You”
1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.
1 Cor. 5:1
Sin does not remain secret and private: Paul heard the reports from Chloe’s household -
Paul uses some sarcasm by saying such immorality would not even be found among the pagan Gentiles -
The reason this is sarcasm because Corinth was a pagan, Gentile city!
The church in that pagan, Gentile city was beginning to look like the culture around them and worst than that culture—because these Christians have been saved from those sins but they are going back into them!
The church is not to become like the world!
Paul will address the issues with the individual who is committing this grotesque sin, but he first deals with the flippant attitude of the church in Corinth. This sin is as much a reflection on the church as it is that particular individual:
“You have become arrogant” -
2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?
Paul sees their tolerance as a challenge to his authority. Paul had previously written to them not to associate with immoral people - ; ,
They should have mourned -
Sin is not something to boast in; arrogance and defiant attitudes of conforming to God’s standard of holiness and His requirements are nothing to be proud of.
When God gives us a standard to live by, we are to live by it:
Moral standards -
Doctrinal standards -
This is why we preach on the one true church and how the church is to do its work—not through other businesses and organizations or churches—but by following the scriptural pattern.
We identify behaviors that can be destructive and harmful: immodest dress, fornication, adultery, divorce & remarriage.
We identify doctrinal issues: OSAS, salvation by faith alone, baptism, deity of Jesus Christ, etc.
When only one of us grows entangled in some of these matters, the church will be held accountable to some degree or another because...
…your behavior is a reflection on this local church. Those who you associate with is a reflection upon this congregation. Those that we openly affiliate with have a reflection on the Lord’s church.
“You Have Become Arrogant”
“You Have Become Arrogant”
:2
1 Cor. 5:
“I…Have Judged”
“I…Have Judged”
, (ESV)
The language Paul uses in , can be startling and foreign to modern ears. It might even invoke hard feelings of betrayal and distrust.
Paul says he has “judged” this man who has committed this sin -
3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.
This was not a point of negotiation and church politics for Paul.
He was not waiting for a vote to see how the majority wanted this situation handled.
In fact, Paul says the church is to judge this man as well! -
3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.
12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
We might use language to describe what’s going on and what Paul is suggesting:
Congregational discipline
Expulsion (schools expel students who misbehave and who do not conform to the standards of the community and school; it’s usually not after the first offense)
Censured
Withdrawing fellowship/putting out of the fellowship (NIV; )
While Paul is unwavering here, he is not motivated by hatred. In fact, the whole goal and end-game is to save this fellow brother who is in sin! -
He anchors his whole contention based on the authority of Jesus Christ -
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
The purpose of Christians coming together is often to worship, but it might be also to practice church discipline - v. 4
This brother is to be delivered over to Satan so that his spirit may be saved -
5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Handed over to Satan is Paul’s rhetorical way of saying, “hand this guy over to the one he is serving; he is not serving God or Jesus”
His fleshly behaviors will lead to destruction, but this act of separation could lead him to the path of forgiveness and salvation!
The purpose of church discipline is for restoration, salvation, repentance, forgiveness.
It also teaches us -
20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
The avenue of church discipline is through separation and disassociation.
Fellowship is a partnership and a joint effort we have with someone.
Yet, if we are perceived as partners with those who are in sin, then we look guilty as well.
The result of church discipline is marking what is wrong, sinful, harmful, and destructive to not only the person committing sin, but also to the whole body as well.
Immorality is all around us, but when it comes into the church, that is when the church must take action -
The church does not discipline the world - v. 9
The church does judge and discipline its own members
Coveteous/greedy
Swindlers
Idolaters
Drunkard
Someone who is lazy, busybody, who refuses to work -
Church discipline: purpose (restoration; salvation; repentance - Matt. 18); separation/disassociation; marking what is wrong/sinful/harmful/destruction - ,
False teachers -
“Clean Out the Old Leaven, so that You May Be New”
“Clean Out the Old Leaven, so that You May Be New”
After dealing with the proper course of action with the brother who is in sin, Paul returns to the larger issue: the proud and arrogant attitudes in the church -
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
“A little leaven leavens the whole...”
He might have in mind the sin of the man
But more likely he’s referring to the overall sinful and poor attitudes that are within the congregation. They have been defiant against Paul’s teaching and instruction. If these poor attitudes continue, the church will be deceived and suffer the same eternal fate as the man who is committing sexual immorality!
Purge and clean out the leaven -
7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.
At the Passover, Israelites were to clean out their homes of leaven and keep the feast of unleavened bread.
Christ is the Passover lamb who has been sacrificed—not a reference to the Lord’s Supper. It’s a reference to Passover.
Passover was a time of celebration, joy, and jubilation because of God’s mighty hand in saving His people and delivering them from Egyptian bondage.
Now, Christ is the One who has delivered us from the bondage of the devil and sin.
This means, we are called to celebrate and live holy lives!
Become the new, unleavened lump of dough -
We are unleavened, having removed the sin and wickedness of the world from our behavior, thoughts, and conduct.
We are to be the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth - v. 8
Individually, we must each remove wickedness and its effects from our life.
But also corporately/congregational we must remove wickedness from our communal life with God.
Not only does our fellowship with sinning brothers/sisters affect the church; our church community/groups will affect our thoughts and behaviors and actions.
Therefore, our fellowship with God will be affected.
Our faith will be affected.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Faith & fellowship: they go hand in hand. Our fellowship with God and faith in God affect our relationships with others and their faith and fellowship.
Christ is our Passover lamb and we can celebrate with joy and happiness for the deliverance from sin.
That means we must conform to His standards of righteousness and holiness!