Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old
leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth. I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep
company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly
did not mean with the sexually immoral people
of the world, or with the covetous, or extortioners,
or idolaters, since then you would need to go
out of the world. But now... I have written to
you not to keep company with anyone named a brother
who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater
or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner,
not even to eat with such a person. For what
have I to do with judging those also who are
outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
But those who are outside, God judges. Put away
from yourselves the evil person. The necessity
of church discipline. Let us bow before the Lord
and ask for His blessing on this. Father, we
come to this passage today and truly this is
a passage, Lord, that is moving and stirring.
It is also, Lord, one that is sobering. And so
as we read it today, let us be filled with the
Spirit in our understanding of it. that we might
apply it properly. And through it all, Lord,
I pray that you would put a zealous desire in
each one of us to walk with you and to be faithful.
We pray, Lord, for the anointing and the power
of the Holy Spirit on each one of us, Lord, that
we might understand your word and that we might
have the power to live it out and to be faithful.
Lord, we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. As I
have already mentioned, today is the celebration
of the day of Pentecost, the time in history
after the ascension of Christ, when the Holy
Spirit was sent in power to the 120 disciples
in the upper room in Jerusalem. Now this had
been prophesied in the book of Joel and alluded
to also in other Old Testament scriptures. And
thus the promise of Jesus was fulfilled. As he
told them, you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses
to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and
to the end of the earth. Acts 1 and verse 8.
We continue today to enjoy the blessings of the
Holy Spirit in Christ's church, as has the church
throughout the ages since the day of Pentecost.
Now, Jesus said in John chapter 16, verse 8 and
9, that when the Spirit would come, that is the
helper, he will convict the world of sin. and
of righteousness and of judgment again in john
16 verse 13 and 14 he says however when he the
spirit of truth has come he will guide you into
all truth for he will not speak on his own authority
but whatever he hears he will speak and he will
tell you things to come he will glorify me for
he will take of what is mine and declare it to
you We are inheritors of these great promises
and of the apostles' doctrine. When as they heard
the word of God and was revealed to them, they
then wrote it down that we have the complete
canon of scripture today. We are inheritors of
these promises. We experience the work of the
Holy Spirit. On an ongoing basis. But we also
see more of the work of the Holy Spirit. As the
apostles Paul and Peter describe it. 1st Paul
in Titus chapter 3 verse 4 and 5. But when the
kindness and the love of God our Savior toward
man appeared. Not by works of righteousness which
we have done. But according to his mercy he saved
us. How? Through the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Peter writes
to the elect among the dispersed that they are
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Christ. 1 Peter
1 verse 2. And perhaps most importantly given
the context of the Corinthian church, Paul describes
their former state. in living in unrighteousness
and abundance of sin. And he says in chapter
6, verse 11 of 1 Corinthians, And such were some
of you, but you are washed, but you were sanctified,
but you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. By these
scriptures, we see the importance of the work
of the third person of the Holy Trinity. That
is the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of
sin and of righteousness and of judgment. And
he is also a great helper to the people of God
in freeing them from the bondages of sin. In
each of these, notice the aspects of cleansing
and sanctification. When the Holy Spirit comes,
He reveals sin and corruption and filthiness
and wickedness, and He brings deliverance from
their ongoing power over Christian believers.
But, as we saw two weeks ago, the church at Corinth
was grieving the Spirit of God. They were lazy
and careless in dealing with habitual and ongoing
sin in the life of the church. First of all,
in their own pride and contentions and divisions
and reliance on human wisdom, but also in the
toleration and acceptance of sexual immorality
and incest within the church body. As one of
the members of the congregation had His father's
wife. In that sermon, I outlined the procedure
that is given in verses 4 and 5. That is for
his own good. And with the design and hope of
restoration and salvation, this person was to
be handed over. He was to be delivered to Satan
for the destruction of the flesh. so that his
spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord
Jesus. We also reviewed Jesus' instructions in
Matthew 18, as well as other scriptures. This
is a procedure that is called, or that we call,
excommunication. The removal of a person from
the body of believers and a withholding from
the Lord's table and from Christian fellowship.
In the passage today, we will see that Paul gives
this procedure not only, though, for the sake
of the individual and a hopeful restoration,
but also for the sake of the congregation. For
the sake of the congregation. When open sin of
this nature is tolerated and accepted within
the church, within the body of Christ, there
are very bad effects. It contaminates. In this
passage, Paul instructs them as to why this is
a problem and how this affects the church. In
verses 6 -8, he then calls for separation from
immoral and unfaithful believers. In verses 9
-11, and then he shows the scope and the sphere
of this severe mercy. Calling for judgment to
be made within the church in verse 12 and 13.
We plan to look and cover all of these today.
The first point is when toleration is not a virtue.
Verses 6 through 8. He says your glorying is
not good. Do you not know that a little leaven
leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the
old leaven that you may be a new lump since you
are truly unleavened. For indeed Christ our Passover
was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep
the feast not with old leaven nor with the leaven
of malice and wickedness. but with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. He begins with
your glorying is not good. Earlier he said that
they should have been mourning in light of this
fact. But instead of mourning over the sin, they
were glorying and boasting in their current condition.
As though they were a healthy and a strong church.
One that was eminent in purity and piety. They
thought their tolerance of this was glorifying
to Christ and was a mark of their superiority.
And in their pride and in their self -conceit,
they failed to consider the basic facts of sin
and evil and how this toleration affected the
body of Christ. Not only the individual, but
the body of believers. This was not a virtue,
but it was rather a self -replicating virus and
it would infect the whole body. This was a need
for a surgical operation and not a celebration.
Now Paul illustrates this with the example of
leaven. Now often we use the word leaven, we
think that just means yeast, but leaven actually
carries with it more the idea of fermentation.
fermentation so by leaving this this leaven in
there it would ferment it would spread to others
and in that sense it's also like yeast it you
know it spreads throughout the whole loaf as
yeast also does But we also think of maybe sourdough
bread, which is probably a little bit more close
to the direct meaning here, where you take a
small bit from the prior loaf and you put it
in, and then that same fermentation process takes
place throughout the whole new loaf. And so also
did this. And so Paul says, don't you know that
a little leaven leavens the whole lump? In those
days, they of course did not use granulated yeast
to make bread, but they took some of the old
dough, put it in the new batch, which contained
the leaven that would then go through the whole
lump of dough. The acceptance and the toleration
of sexual sin and the other sins listed in verse
11 do not remain simply in the life of the individual.
This is the point that Paul is going to drive
home strongly in this passage. They have a corporate
effect of defiling the body. They corrupt others.
Sexually immoral conduct involves others. Covetousness
leads to greed and theft and adultery and many
other sins. Idolatry brings false worship into
the body and others are led to that false worship.
And besides, idolatry nearly always involves
sexual immorality. reviling denigrates other
believers and brings disunity into the body creating
unrest and disarray and contention drunkenness
is a loss of self -control leading to many other
sins again often including sexual immorality
extortion includes greed and theft harming others
through the actions all of these sins do not
just affect you as a person but it brings harm
to others. This is the power of corruption and
infection left unchecked. Therefore, the apostle
gives a strong command and an imperative. Because
a little leaven leavens the whole lump, he says,
therefore, kind of in all capitals, purge out
the old leaven. This is portrayed in the feast
of the Passover in which all leaven was to be
removed. from their living quarters. Exodus 12
verse 15. Seven days you shall eat unleavened
bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven
from your houses for whoever eats leavened bread
from that day until the seventh day that person
shall be cut off from Israel. For seven days
no leaven shall be found in your houses since
whoever eats what is leavened the same person
shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel
whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.
Exodus. 12 verse 15 and 19 paul continues in
the same metaphor he says there to be a new lump
of dough or a new lump he says which we think
of the lump of dough since they truly are unleavened
and so in this despite their toleration of the
sin positionally in christ they are still unleavened
now they're toying around with this leaven but
he says you still are unleavened or you truly
are unleavened and so in christ they're bound
by their christian profession to be unleavened
and pure and as their profession implies and
upholds this he calls them to live it out it
is not enough to profess it with their mouth
and emphasizing the gospel of jesus that attests
to this and makes it happen paul continues he
says for indeed christ our passover was sacrificed
for us again showing that christ is the way of
salvation and when there is sin we cannot just
be free of its of its uh of the mess that it
makes and of its contamination by just trying
to stop the sin but we need the atonement of
christ and so he points out to them christ is
our passover and he was sacrificed So if Christ
has atoned for our sins and he has made us free
from sin, then Christian churches should be pure
and holy and not bear with such corrupt and scandalous
members. That is what he is driving at so strongly
in this passage. This means then, of course,
that we individually must also purge ourselves
from such impurity of heart and life. Let it
not once be named among us. Paul exhorts the
Ephesian church, but rather he says fornication,
all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even
be named among you as is fitting for saints.
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor
coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather
giving of thanks. For this you know, that no
fornicator unclean person nor covetous man who
is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom
of christ and of god very similar in the wording
here in the phrasing ephesians 5 and this so
this new love that is the new people of god they
are to keep the feast with the unleavened bread
he says of sincerity and truth and not with the
old leaven of malice and wickedness malice and
wickedness include ill will with a desire to
injure but also evil purposes and wickedness
that is depravity that is not ashamed to break
god's law this includes an evil habit of the
mind he says we are to keep the feast we're to
do so this is in In verse 8, Therefore let us
keep the feast, not with the old leaven, not
with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
So what does it mean to keep the feast? What
is he referring to? There are various opinions
on this, as one could imagine. Certainly this
could mean the Lord's Supper, the reference to
Christ. Our Passover might indicate that and
that he was sacrificed for us and therefore we
keep the feast by observing the Lord's Supper
with sincerity and truth. Secondly, it could
also mean a love feast as they often observed.
And the early church did that a lot. We'll see
it referenced in 1 Corinthians 11. But it could
be that he's referring there that when you come
together basically for... like a fellowship meal
or a love feast when you're coming together and
you're enjoying each other's company and you
stand before Christ, you keep it with sincerity
and truth. Or, thirdly, just to enlarge on that,
it could mean that simply the life of the church
in Christ is a continual feast. Like Isaiah prophesied
with... In Isaiah 25 verse 6. When he said. And
in this mountain. This place of worship. In this
mountain. The Lord of hosts will make for a people.
For all people. A feast of choice pieces. A feast
of wine on the leaves. Of fat things full of
marrow. Of well refined wine on the leaves. And
this would include. The Lord's Supper, the fellowship
of the saints, the shared meal together after
the service, the celebrations and remembrances,
all of it together is how we keep the feast together
with sincerity and truth. I'm inclined to go
with the latter one, that is the whole package,
although certainly it would apply to the Lord's
Supper in and of itself. When one among us is
living the life of open sexual immorality, or
of covetousness, of idolatry, of reviling, or
is a drunken sot, or is an extortioner, then
the closeness of life and fellowship is marred,
it is broken, and it is a cause for mourning
rather than celebrating the feast together. Toleration,
when toleration is not a virtue, but is indeed
a sin and a partaking of that sin. Secondly then,
in verse 9 through 11, he calls for separation
from immoral and unfaithful believers. I wrote
to you in my epistle not to keep company with
sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did
not mean with the sexually immoral people of
this world or with the covetous or extortioners
or idolaters. Since then, you would need to go
out of the world. not to keep company with anyone
named a brother who is sexually immoral or covetous
or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or
an extortioner. No, not even to eat with such
a person. It begins this passage saying, I wrote
to you in my epistle. So evidently, there was
an epistle written to the church at Corinth prior
to this letter. This letter has been lost. In
that letter, he exhorted them not to keep company
with sexually immoral people. By the way, Paul
addresses this in almost every letter that he
writes, especially to churches. to keep company
or to be take part in the sexual immorality of
the day it was very common it was considered
okay in many respects by the culture and he hits
it broadside in almost every epistle and letter
that he writes this one of course he does in
multiple multiple ways he says here do not keep
company with sexually immoral people now evidently
some of these thought this meant that they needed
to seclude themselves from all association with
the world. And it could be that the acceptance
of this person was a reaction to that, saying,
we can't do this. And so we're just going to
be tolerant. We're going to love. We're going
to receive all. See how spiritual we are and
that we have received all. But I say again, that
could be. The fact is here that Paul says, That
he delineates with the misunderstanding or he
speaks about the misunderstanding that he did
not mean in that first letter that you cannot
keep company with the sexually immoral people
of this world. He clarifies it saying if that
were the case, you would need to go out of the
world. You'd have to be removed in some way from
the world. God does not call his church to be.
isolationist, hermits, or to put up large fences
to try to keep the world away from us all and
from getting into any contact with it. That is
not God's intent. This will only happen when
we are removed from this world, as Paul speaks
here. Christian believers should be part of the
life of the community and the society in which
they live. except of course where it violates
the scripture norms such as we don't go to the
lewd or the drunken feasts and orgies as what
they had then or or today parties known for substance
abuse and drunkenness and casual sex and nakedness
or participation in witchcraft and occultic practices
or going to strip clubs or being consumed with
luxury and wealth as the ultimate meaning no
we we don't have concourse in all of those things
so we don't go with them to their exit but we
don't remove ourselves from the world in which
we live. Paul taught association with the world,
that is those outside of the church, but that
Christians were not to associate with them in
the context of idolatrous worship or at the temple
with food dedicated to idols, nor were they to
sacrifice to their gods. Paul gives additional
teaching on this in 1 Corinthians 10. This is
one of the reasons, by the way, as an aside,
that Christians were not able to serve in the
political civil system. And it was because the
Roman civil system up until the 300s demanded
that every civil officer must do a sacrifice.
Sometimes it was just a very little thing before
going into the building. There was a bit of an
altar and there was just a... a bit of an offering
maybe a little bit of fire or something else
that was done at the sacrifice and so thus christians
were not able to partake in the civic life Up
until Constantine the Great. It was when he came
in then, around 324, that he took away the requirement
and he even banned pagan officials from performing
sacrifices in their official capacity. It was
only then when Christians were able to serve
as civil servants or in the civil sphere. The
normal life of a Christian person And a Christian
church is right in the world in which we live,
wherein we are a light that shines in a dark
place. We are the light of the world. We are
the city that is set on a hill that cannot be
hidden, Jesus says. Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father in heaven. Paul exhorts the Philippians,
do all things without complaining and disputing
that you may become blameless and harmless children
of God without fault in the midst of a crooked
and perverse generation among whom you shine
as lights in the world holding fast the word
of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ
that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
In other words, God has placed us right here.
right in a wicked society. Of course, some are
more than others, but as we think about the world
as a whole, God has placed us right here. He
doesn't take us and rapture us out right away
when we get saved. No, He lets us here. He tells
us to be light for Him, that we are to glorify
Jesus by being a light to the nations and a light
to the world. We are in the midst of a crooked
and perverse generation among whom we shine as
lights in the world. That is our calling, brothers
and sisters. Sometimes we get this tendency to
think, oh, this is just so grievous to me or
this is so difficult. I just want to be taken
away. I want to go out in the wilderness and
just be there all by ourselves and maybe then
we can keep the world out. Guess what? It doesn't
work. Even if you go out there and people have
tried it, the world is in your heart. The sin
and the attraction to it, it comes from within.
And you're going to face temptations out there.
And besides that, Jesus calls you to be in the
middle of the world, shining your light to the
darkness all around you so that that darkness
may go away and the light of Christ. might shine
forth in your communities, in your towns, in
your cities, in your villages, in your farms,
and wherever it is that God has given you to
live, you do so as a light to the world and walk
as children of light. Now, this does bring out,
though, that there is to be a clear difference
between believers and unbelievers or the world.
kind of used interchangeably here. So what is
this? What is this clear difference? So do we
all dress in some kind of distinctive uniform?
Or perhaps we live in sinless perfection and
thus we present a model of perfection to everybody
around us? No, neither one of these are right.
First of all, the first one, that is to dress
in some kind of a distinctive uniform, that's
not a biblical command. Other than Paul and Peter
address the women to dress with propriety and
moderation and not with excessiveness or ostentation.
In 1 Timothy 2 verse 9 and 1 Peter 3 verse 3.
The second contradicts 1 John 1. Verse 8, and
we lie. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. It is not
that we don't make mistakes or that we do not
sin, for indeed none among us can proclaim his
own goodness and sinlessness. But the difference
is that we do not live in habitual practice of
these sins. And that we do not associate with
or keep company with a brother or sister who
does. That is, as he outlines it here, a person
who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater
or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner.
And he goes on to say, we are not to eat with
such a person. Now, what does this mean? Some
again think this is referring to the Lord's Supper,
which of course it certainly includes. We are
not to break bread together, the bread of the
Lord's Supper, if we are living in open rebellion
against God in these kinds of sins. Sexual immorality,
drunkenness, reviling, and so on and so forth.
Idolatry. We're not to do that. I think, however,
that this could include more than just the Lord's
Supper. Think of how much eating is associated
with fellowship and how the breaking of bread
together opens up conversations and friendships
and often signals acceptance of one another.
It may be that the apostle has this in mind.
In other words, we're not to have close fellowship.
Everything's okay. You're okay. I'm okay. Yeah,
you're living in a mess. You're a mess right
now. And yeah, you're my brother in Christ. And
so we're going to just continue to have interaction
with each other just as if you're not living
in that sin. Paul says in this case, no, you're
not even to eat with such a person. You don't
go with that kind of fellowship and nearness
and closeness. Now let's take a closer look here
though. What are these sins? Paul lists certain
types of sins here that occur or that bring upon
this kind of drastic measure. They warrant excommunication
and stop close association with believers. Now,
I'd like to take note as we go through them that
most of them are taken right from the case laws
of Deuteronomy. Really fascinating how that is.
Paul is tying the Old and the New Testament together,
thus showing the enduring ethics of Old Testament
law. First of all, he mentions sexual immorality.
It's the word pornos. We talked about this two
weeks ago. It's one who indulges in... unlawful
sexual intercourse or prostitution deuteronomy
22 verse 22 and 30 speak of adultery of one being
married and then laying with another or also
that a man should not take his father's wife
nor uncover his father's bed which is precisely
the case with this particular person that they
are speaking that he is speaking about but all
sexual immorality is forbidden for the christian
we'll get into that a little bit more later then
he also speaks that of being covetous that is
a desire to have more especially what belongs
to others that have been greedy of gain deuteronomy
5 verse 21 you shall not covet your neighbor's
wife and you shall not covet desire your neighbor's
house his field his male servant his female servant
his ox his donkey or Anything that is your neighbor's
is quite extensive there. We are not to be covetous.
And that covetousness works itself out in actions.
Obviously, the thing with adultery comes because
you first coveted. So he includes that right
in here. Thirdly, he mentions idolaters. This
is the worshipers of false gods. We're not to
keep company with a brother who is an idolater.
Deuteronomy 17 verse 2 and 5 if there is found
among you with any of your gates which the Lord
your God gives you a man or a woman who has been
wicked in the sight of the Lord your God and
transgressing his covenant who has gone and served
other gods and worshiped them either the sun
or moon or any of the host of heaven which I
have not commanded and it is told you and you
hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently.
And if it indeed is true, and certain that such
an abomination has been committed in Israel,
then you shall bring out to your gates that man
or woman who has committed that wicked thing,
and shall stone to death that man or woman with
stones. In other words, it's a putting away.
They are to be put away, those who are worshipers
of false gods. Paul then goes on and speaks about
revilers. Revilers are those who abuse others
with words or they bear false testimony. Again,
Deuteronomy 19. If a false witness rises against
any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
then both men in the controversy shall stand
before the Lord, before the priests and the judges
who serve in those days, and the judges shall
make careful inquiry. And indeed, if the witness
is a false witness who has testified falsely
against his brother, then you shall do to him
as he thought to have done to his brother. shall
put away the evil from among you he moves on
he mentions then drunkards these are habitually
intoxicated without self -control we see in deuteronomy
21 the case of the stubborn and rebellious son
who is a glutton and a drunkard this was this
unrepentant and out of control son it's not referring
to a young child but to a young adult was to
be then taken to the elders with the witnesses
of his parents, and he was to be put to death
in that case. Finally, there's an extortioner.
Extortioner is a robber. He's a rapacious and
ravenous person who takes away from others. This
also includes kidnapping and slave trading. Again,
Deuteronomy 24, verse 7. If a man is found kidnapping
any of his brethren of the children of Israel
and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper
shall die and you shall put away the evil from
among you. You see how there are so many parallels
here as Paul is going down through these sins.
We are to be free from these. There is not to
be one who is called a brother. Or a sister who
is doing these sins in an ongoing basis. Rather
than the scripture calls for separation. That
is they are to be put away as we will see in
verse 13. Now the scriptures speak of separation
in a couple of other passages. 2 Thessalonians
3 verse 6. But we command you, brethren, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw
from every brother who walks disorderly and not
according to the tradition which he receives
us. So there it speaks about a withdrawal. Romans
16 and verse 17. Now I urge you, brethren, note
those who cause divisions and offenses contrary
to the doctrine which you learned and avoid them.
Avoid them. So again, there's a separation of
company. 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 14. If anyone
does not keep our word in this epistle, note
that person and do not keep company with him,
that he may be ashamed. And Titus 3 verse 10
and 11. Reject a divisive man after the first
and second admonition, knowing that such a person
is warped and sinning, being self -condemned.
Now let me go on to say here to make sure that
we understand and that I'm not being misunderstood.
This passage refers to those who continually
practice these things. They are living in them.
It is not referring, first of all, to sins of
the past that are confessed and repented of.
It is not referring to that. It is not written.
To bring you back under bondage and guilt. As
Paul tells them in chapter 6 verse 11. Such were
some of you. But you were washed. But you were
sanctified. But you were justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And by the Spirit of
our God. Nor does this refer to one who has fallen
into one of these sins and is repentant, or one
who has stumbled and has sought forgiveness from
the Lord and the person to whom they have offended.
It is written to those who are notoriously wicked
and unrepentant, even though professing Christ
and salvation, and they are to be put under a
just, censure and and separation look at the
context again whom is he speaking of as he writes
this it was a person openly living in an ongoing
incestuous sexual relationship with his father's
wife and the church was careless about it tolerating
it and even boasting rather than turning him
over to satan and expelling him from the congregation
that's the context And so this requires pastoral
care and careful admonition. When someone falls
into a sin, we admonish them, encourage them
to repent from this and to turn to Christ and
to repent. But if there's an ongoing thing and
they refuse to hear the person coming to them
with the warning, refuse to hear the elders of
the church, refuse to hear the church, then this
kind of measure is what is to be taken. It's
separation. Finally, let's look now at verse
12 and 13. In closing out, we're looking at the
sphere and the scope of this severe mercy. Remember
two weeks ago, I called this a severe mercy.
In other words, this is strong. but it is also
a mercy and a kindness in christ church a kindness
in that it is to point them to christ and to
urge them to repent and to be ashamed but also
a mercy and a kindness to the body of christ
as well and that's what he's bringing out here
he says for what have i to do with judging those
Also who are outside. Do you not judge those
who are inside? But those who are outside, God
judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the
evil person. Those who are outside the church,
God judges. And this refers to unbelievers. God
calls them to repentance and faith. He calls
them to forsake the sins of the flesh and spirit.
And to be a new man or woman in Christ. Church
discipline and excommunication do not apply to
those outside of the church. It is not within
the scope or the sphere of this teaching. Now
the sins of unbelievers will not go unchecked,
for God will deal with them in his own sovereign
way, and God will judge them. But those in the
church are not left to go their own way and to
rely on the judgment of God. in the future no
this responsibility lies with us the church is
responsible to love encourage nurture and to
discipline those within its care those within
the covenantal bonds of god's people in the assembly
those who are saints those who have christ revealed
to them For we are called to be holy in all of
our conduct and not to conform ourselves to the
former lusts. 1 Peter 1, verse 13. Therefore,
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and
rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to
be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ. As obedient children, not conforming
yourself to your former lusts. your ignorance,
but as he who called you is holy, you also be
holy in all of your conduct because it is written,
be holy for I am holy. To these who live according
to the flesh in this way, to those who live in
the sins enumerated here and in other passages,
the message is very clear. And Paul ends this
passage with this direct and strong and forthright
message. put away from yourself this evil person.
The phrasing of this passage again points back
to Deuteronomy. Now there are many passages where
God describes the evil, prescribes the punishment
that they are to carry out, and then ends with
this same phrase, you shall put away the evil
from among you. deuteronomy 17 verse 7 19 verse
19 22 verse 21 22 verse 34 24 verse 27 and then
the one example which i've already read in 24
verse 7 if a man is found kidnapping any of his
brethren of the children of israel and mistreats
him or sells him then that kidnapper shall die
and you shall put away the evil from among you
now capital punishment as is described in a whole
number of times in Deuteronomy, that only belongs
to the civil sphere. That is to the civil government
that is also under the authority of Christ. Capital
punishment is not part of the commitment of the
punishment that is given to the church. That's
not part of it. It does not belong to us. What
does belong to us as a church? Excommunication.
The putting out from the covenant body of Christ.
To the church, Paul says, purge them, remove
them, expel them, put away from yourself that
evil person. This is the delegated responsibility
of the local church established by God with elders
and deacons and together for not just the elders,
but the whole church is to do this, standing
united before Christ and put them out. It is
the church, Paul says. Let's consider just a
few closing applications. Because many churches
have disregarded the clear teaching of Scripture
on covenant faithfulness and church discipline,
sexual immorality and other sins have become
widespread within the professed body of Christ.
Unmarried couples openly cohabit. Adultery is
often left unaddressed with new relationships
quietly accepted, sometimes with little more
than a token rebuke. Sexual sins such as homosexuality
and lesbianism are not only tolerated but in
many cases embraced along with the broader LGBTQ
agenda. The Apostle Peter gives a sobering warning
that applies directly to this situation. He says,
let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief,
an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's
matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian,
let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God
in this matter. For the time has come for judgment
to begin at the house of God. And if it begins
with us first, what will be the end of those
who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4,
15 -17. How can we credibly speak in a united
way against the moral decay in society when our
own house is not in order? If judgment begins
with the household of God, then we must first
examine ourselves. Let us return to the Word
of God. Let us repent where we have compromised.
Let us commit our hearts to full obedience and
to covenant faithfulness. And this means... Also
in this practice. God calls us to it. Secondly,
I'd like to give a plea to those who are considering
giving in to the temptations of some of these
sins. The scripture says, do not give place to
the devil. We see these sins all around us. No,
we don't live in the Roman times. but we see
it also flagrantly practiced all around us. We
see it in all sorts of depictions of stories
and books and movies and billboards and all sorts
of things. The adultery, the promiscuity, the
drunkenness, all of these things, they're temptations
that are there. And so my encouragement to you
is, Do not reserve a corner of your heart that
says, you know what, this is mine and I can indulge
in this at certain ways and at certain times
because I'm going to keep this from the Lordship
of Christ. No, Christ demands all of you. Absolutely
all of you. He is to be Lord of all. all and
yes that has wide and far consequences throughout
the world but right now i'm just speaking to
you directly christ is lord of you in every part
and that means over your temptations over your
sinful desires or any other kind of evil that
lurks within us For all of these sins that he
mentions don't start out with just committing
the actual sin. They start out, first of all,
in the thought process, in the giving in to temptation,
in the yielding, or in entertaining thoughts.
And then they get broader and broader and finally
it works itself out. So I plead with you, deal
with these sins now. Never let it get to that
point of which he mentions here. Lastly, I'd
like to end with a call to spirit -filled covenantal
faithfulness. Spirit -filled covenantal faithfulness.
There is no more powerful witness to the world
around us than the proclamation of Jesus Christ
and of Him crucified and a life of sexual fidelity
and covenantal faithfulness to our wives and
husbands or if you are single, to sexual purity
and self -control. Covenant faithfulness also
belongs to our children and to one another as
brothers and sisters in Christ in the church.
We must trust in God's promises to us through
Christ. Let us confess our sins when we fall
and receive forgiveness from Christ and from
one another. Hear these words of scripture in
Hebrews 10 verse 19. Through 25. Therefore brethren.
Having boldness to enter the holiest. Through
the veil that is his flesh. And having a high
priest over the house of God. Let us draw near.
Let us draw near. How? With a true heart. In
full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience. And our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession
of our hope without wavering. For he who promised
is faithful. And let us consider one another.
In order to stir up love and good works. Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
As is the manner of some. but exhorting one another
and so much the more as you see the day approaching
let us then follow after this let us seek that
covenantal faithfulness and let us rejoice today
in the coming of the whole holy spirit in this
day of remembrance of pentecost that's right