1 CORINTHIANS 4-5

1 CORINTHIANS 4:

VERSE 18:
Paul refers to the pride of the Corinthians
(they bragged about being superior to other Christians;
they felt they were reigning as kings with Christ).

Their pride is reflected in the fact that they felt Paul
had not visited them, because he knew he had been
replaced by better men than himself.

VERSE 19:
Paul did plan to visit them, and soon, but only within God’s will.

Paul was concerned with their pride
– Not so much about what they were saying,
  but the impact they were having on spreading
  the Gospel (he wanted to see if God or
  the people were in control).

VERSE 20:
Paul gives us a lesson here:
God is an active God;
action speaks louder than words.

VERSE 21:
At this point, Paul expresses his willingness
to visit them with whatever attitude
was necessary for their benefit
    – The choice was theirs.

He knew arrogant people were detrimental to the church.

He wanted to visit them with a gentle spirit
and love them into the right direction;
but he was also ready to deal with any confrontation
in a strong, firm manner, if necessary.

Note:
    Lesson for us – we should be able to discern which method
    is necessary, and act accordingly.

1 CORINTHIANS 5:

VERSE 1:
Look at how the Corinthian’s arrogance was reflected
in their treatment of existing immorality in their church
(a man having an affair with, we assume, his step-mother).

This affair was known even outside the church;
not only was it known, but it was continuing.

This type of activity was opposed even by the pagan morality.

Not only did the Old Testament law not allow it,
but public opinion strongly opposed it.

VERSE 2:
The people of the church were aware of it,
but had taken no action, as a result of their pride.

They probably were not proud of what the man was doing,
but were proud of their tolerant attitude toward him.

Some claimed the body and soul were completely separate;
consequently, a person could be saved, and yet
perform acts of immorality with his/her body.

Paul gets right to the heart of their mistake – he says
they should have been sad about the situation, and
should get the man out of the presence of the church.
Question:
Was he a member of the church?
    – Probably.

Question:
Was she a member of the church?
    – Probably not.

Question:
Why should he be removed from their presence?
    – It made the church guilty by association with him?
    – Others in the church may feel justified in
      pursuing the same, or other types of sin?
    – His actions could be a stumbling block
      (for Christians and the lost).
Note:
    This could lead to the crumbling of the church.

VERSE 3:
Paul says,
“Even though I’m not with you in body,
I am with you in Spirit and I’ve already
decided how this situation should be handled”.

VERSE 4:
Paul’s decision was based on his relationship with Jesus Christ
(in other words, he felt justified in this decision).

Paul suggested they have a meeting,
realizing that his spirit was with them;
also that they should pray for the power
of the Lord’s presence to help them arrive
at a unified conclusion for action.

VERSE 5:
What was the action?
    – Remove the man from the fellowship of the church.

Question:
Why?
    – So that he would be delivered unto Satan
      for the destruction of the flesh.

Question:
Meaning?
    – That through his embarrassment,
      he might lose his desire of the flesh.

Note:
    Isn’t it true that when something is “taken”
    away from someone, they’ll do almost
    anything to get it back?
   (Could be that he would experience physical
    suffering, or even death, if he didn’t change)

Note:
    In the 11th Chapter (11:27-30) Paul mentioned
    that some Christians had become ill and some
    had died as a result of improper observance of
    the Lord’s Supper.
    Note:
        We need to understand before partaking.

Question:
What was the intent of this action?
    – That the man would be saved in the day of
      the Lord Jesus (final judgment day).
Note:
    The action was positive in nature (remedial),
    not negative (punishment).
    We should always remember this
    if we have a similar situation.

Note:
    Paul had not given up on the man.
    He felt he could still be helped,
    but not as long as the church showed its
    approval of him and his conduct.

VERSE 6:
Paul refers to the danger of allowing
unchecked sin to continue in the church.

For one church member to act this way
was bad enough, but they showed signs
of arrogance in regard to his conduct,
which was even worse.

Paul gives a good example with his reference to yeast:
Just as a little yeast placed in a batch of dough
will spread throughout the entire mass causing
all of the dough to be affected;
sin in a church that is left unchecked,
will eventually spread throughout the church
affecting all members
(in other words,
“If this man is violating the standards of God
and getting away with it, I could also give in
to my weaknesses”).
Note:
    There was a church I where I knew there was
    a married man and a married woman who were
    committing adultery. The church did nothing
    and it resulted in all kinds of problems for this
    church and its members.

VERSE 7:
Paul again states that when there is a problem
with continuing sin in the church, the person
should be excommunicated from the church.

He then refers to the Passover and how Christ
died to purge our sins;
the people should likewise purge the church of sin.

VERSE 8:
Paul refers to the Passover Feast of the Unleavened Bread
(a period of 7 days in which no yeast
was found in the homes of the Israelites).

He was saying that, not only should they
purge existing sin in the church, but they
should also guard against future sin;
they should strive to keep the church body
pure with sincerity and truth.

Question:
Is discipline a negative or positive action?
    – Both:
    – Negative (when mad – abuse)
    – Positive (teaching)

Question:
Why do we discipline our children?
    – For guidance; to help them improve.
    – Because we love them.
    – Because we care about them.
Note:
    Discipline is not a “fun” thing that
    we “want” to do, but we “should” do
    when we love our children.

Question:
What is the meaning of discipline?
    – Webster:
          Training that develops self-control or
          character; treatment that corrects.

Question:
Paul says discipline in the church should be exercised;
do you know of any church that has acted in this manner?
    – Jim Bakker? Jimmy Swaggart?

Question:
How could our church deal with
individual sins in a redemptive manner?
    – Bathe the individuals in prayer.

Question:
How could we handle a situation similar
to the one that existed in the church at Corinth?

Question:
How would our church’s witness in the community
be affected if we allowed a similar situation to exist?

Question:
What is the attitude of the church today
toward willful misconduct within the membership?
    – Do we look the other way?
    – Are we ashamed?
    – Are we too tolerant?
    – Do we face up to these problems?
    – What problems are involved if we take action?
      (should it matter?)
    – What was Paul’s recommendation?

Question:
Is willful sin as destructive to the church today
as Paul indicated it was to the church at Corinth?
How so?

Summary:
    – Pride, arrogance, and disobedience
      are destructive for Christians and churches.

    – Our attitude toward sin in the lives of others
      tells a lot about our relationship to the Lord.

    – The church must act when sin within it
      threatens the effectiveness of its work.

    – The goal of church discipline should always
      be positive in its intent…to help in restoring the offender.

    – Moral discipline helps us to see the sin
      that needs to be removed in our own lives.

CHALLENGE:
– Pray for God to help our church detect sin that affects its
  witness, and that the church would be strong enough to
  practice “tough love” by taking the appropriate action.

– Pray that God will help us individually
  to improve our moral discipline.

– Look at our own lives and see if we are affecting
  the church’s work in a negative way; if so,
  pray for God’s help in resolving our problem.

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