Do Not Be Deceived (part 2)

INTRODUCTION:

Over the last few months of our study of 1 Corinthians we’ve seen the Spirit addressing the addressing division and other problems in the church at Corinth. The root of all these problems was carnality…living like the world, instead of like Christ. Last week in 1 Corinthains 6:1-8 we saw that division was so deep they were suing each other! We’ve also seen that division among believers leads to slander and passing bad judgment, resentment, and acting out on your lack of love for one another which stems from a lack of love for Christ. Maybe we as Christians in 2013 don’t bring lawsuits against one another very often (I hope), but we do other things that reveal the same heart attitude.

Today we’ll see the Spirit calling out the deep rooted unrighteousness in the church at Corinth. Division was a big problem – but it is really just a visible symptom of deeper sin. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul has already called them on living carnally…today He calls out the evil that remains in their lives.

DON’T BE DECEIVED PT2:
I. Utter Failure: Not Accepting Wrong (READ 1 Corinthians 6:7-8)
No doubt that 1 Corinthians 6:7 is one of the key verses of the opening section of this letter to the church at Corinth. It is kind of a key verse within all of 1 Corinthians, and I would even say of the entire New Testament! It is the foundation of the Good News of Christ; it is Jesus’ example – taking our sin upon Himself. He committed no sin, but He died in our place, taking upon Himself the punishment for the sin you and I have committed. Jesus let Himself be wronged for our sake (Philippians 2:1-11). We are to follow His example, letting ourselves be wronged and not demanding retribution, justice, or punishment upon others.

The Spirit says through Paul that it is an utter failure for you to demand retribution. Recall 1 Corinthians 5, the church must address sin for the good of the sinner, not for payback, but so a sinning believer will learn to forsake their sin and return to living like Christ. That is true in the church and true in our personal relationships. I would lovingly suggest that where we most violate this basic truth is in divorce.

The church at Corinth had utterly failed at this, and the Spirit places responsibility on the whole church! It is further evidence that they were acting like the world instead of Christ’s Church, His Bride. Not only did they not accept wrong, their selfishness led them to cheat each other in ways to be mentioned in the next couple verses. Here’s the bottom line: if everyone was willing to accept wrong…that attitude would eventually lead to there being no wrong to accept! What I mean is, if we as believers would all follow Jesus’ example of love, compassion, mercy, and grace and let ourselves be wronged instead of demanding retribution, eventually those attitudes and way of life would keep us from offending others…but that’s in a perfect world and we don’t live there. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement and we can get much closer than we are now.
Now that the Spirit has called this out…He is going to get really personal…

II. Utter Failure: Moral Depravity (READ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
“Do you not know”…third time this phrase used within 8 verses. “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (6:2) “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” (6:3) “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” (6:9) What we are being told is that, the righteous should not take their case before the unrighteous (in civil courts) because the righteous should be able to judge for themselves since we will one day judge the world and even angels.

“Do not be deceived” – second time this phrase used in 1 Corinthians (3 times total). “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems wise in this age, let him become a fool to become wise,” worldly fool, Godly wise that is (3:18). “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…” (6:9). “Do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits” (15:33). Now, back to 6:9, the unrighteous – those who are characterized by the works of the flesh including all kinds of sexual immorality (anything outside sex as God ordained it: between one man and one woman who are married to each other), theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and extortion. Those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom according to God Himself. This is in perfect agreement with what the Holy Spirit wrote through the Apostle John in 1 John 2:3, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commands.” God says those things just listed are sin and that we should have no part in them; that is His command. If we love Him, we will obey that command. The Spirit also said through James in James 2:20, “but do you not know, o foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” If our lives and thoughts are characterized by sins like those mentioned, then our “faith” is in serious question; because a being a follower of Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit results in works of righteousness not of sin. That doesn’t mean we will be perfect, but sin will not be the patter of our lives.

Do not be deceived: a true believer’s life is characterized by loving and obeying God, NOT loving or obeying sin.

III. Utter Provision: Washed by Christ (6:11)
Look, We’ve all been there. We’ve all loved or obeyed sin…some of these ones in particular. That is what we do outside of Christ. I’ve been there. The Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But praise God, we are no longer under the power of sin once we come to faith in Christ. Upon trusting Christ and giving ourselves to Him, we are washed – cleansed from sin and the desire for sin, we are sanctified – declared holy by God and in the life-long process with the Holy Spirit of learning to live that way, we are justified – legally acquitted by God of the guilt of your sin by Jesus’ blood. That is what God does for us when we come to Him the only way possible – through His Son Jesus Christ.

That doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect, like I said a moment ago. We will still struggle against sin, the old sinful self in us battles against the Holy Spirit who is in us (Galatians 5:17). I still struggle. The people in the Church at Corith struggled: immorality, greed (self-seeking), and slander were not only present, but prevalent. It’s all part of the “living carnally” the Spirit has been talking about, but a believer must never allow himself to come under the power of sin. They only way we can prevent that is to pour ourselves into the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we are much more cooperating with the Spirit than fighting against Him.

CONCLUSION:
The church at Corinth struggled with sin and carnal living. We struggle with the same issue. It may involve different sins, but it all leads to pushing ourselves away from God, fighting with each other, and being miserable. That’s not how God wants us to act. He wants us to follow His Son’s example of grace and mercy, allowing ourselves to be wronged at times and not demanding judgment upon anyone who offends us in any way. He also wants us to understand the truth, that those who love or obey sin will not inherit His Kingdom. We are to love and obey Him, and that will be evident in how we treat other people.