Category: Sermon

This sermon is from the series “The Church: God’s Dwelling Place.”

Last Sunday, we looked at 1 Corinthians 8, where Paul prohibits believers from eating food offered to idols for the sake of a weaker brother who may stumble in his faith due to lack of knowledge. In the same spirit, Paul continues his conversation in chapter 9, addressing another conflict in the church. He shares his personal decision on a particular matter to help avoid any conflict or misunderstanding from becoming a stumbling block to the Gospel.

When we carefully read the words of Paul, we see that he was addressing two conflicts the church had against him.

First, they had not accepted him as an Apostle as they did with the other 12 disciples of Jesus. Look with me at 1 Corinthians 9:1-2.

To understand this, we need to know the meaning of the word ‘Apostle’. An Apostle is someone sent to preach the Gospel and plant churches who saw Jesus and was directly appointed or commissioned by Jesus himself.

Mark 3:14 ESV: And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.

Perhaps the church was asking how Paul could claim to be an Apostle when he was not among the 12 who saw and walked with Jesus and were directly commissioned by Him.

Paul has a backstory that I assume the people either didn’t know or didn’t believe in.

Paul did meet Jesus on the road to Damascus and was directly commissioned by Jesus to preach the gospel and plant churches. Whether the people Surrendering our rights for the sake of the Gospel 1 Corinthians 9 2 believed him or not, he seemed pretty convinced. In defending himself, he also claimed that the proof of his apostleship appointed by Jesus was evident in the Lord’s excellent work in the people’s lives through his hard work and efforts.

The second issue with people was that they were constantly examining Paul. They may have concluded that he was working for personal gain or ulterior motives, preventing them from enjoying certain benefits that the other apostles were allowed to have.

1 Corinthians 9:3-6 ESV: This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?

From verse 7 onwards, Paul provides reasons for them to believe they genuinely serve the Lord and the people.

1 Corinthians 9:7 ESV: Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

He is saying, look at the work we’ve done so far. We’ve done it at our expense. We did not take anything from you. We served you with a genuine heart.

In verses 8-14, Paul explains that even if they had to take a reward for their labor in the gospel, there was nothing wrong with it. God approves of it.

1 Corinthians 9:8-14 : Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In Surrendering our rights for the sake of the Gospel 1 Corinthians 9 3 the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

Now, what’s interesting is that knowing the conflict in people’s hearts, a division in their hearts that was becoming an obstacle to the gospel, Paul is expressing his decision to willingly surrender his rights to enjoy the fruit of his labor.

In other words, Paul is saying that because of the confusion in your heart, which is becoming an obstacle to the gospel, he is not making full use of his right in the gospel for the sake of the gospel.

Does that mean that Paul says a ministry worker shouldn’t enjoy the fruit of their labor? No.

In a different context, even Paul has taken support from the church to meet his needs. Look at 2 Corinthians 11:9.

2 Corinthians 11:9 ESV:
And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.

In other words, Paul could also be saying that if there were no dissension among you regarding us enjoying the fruit of our labor, we wouldn’t mind taking a little support. However, because you have issues with that, which has also become an obstacle to the Gospel, I am refraining from accessing that right and privilege.

Kindly note this gesture is purely motivated by love, humility, and a desire to avoid causing others to stumble in their faith.

From verse 19 onwards, he explains the degree to which he is committed to serving the church in this manner.

1 Corinthians 9:19-27 ESV: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by Surrendering our rights for the sake of the Gospel 1 Corinthians 9 4 all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

He says, “I am here to serve, win souls for the kingdom, willing to adjust and become all things to all people, discipline my body to fulfill the duties given to me, and will practice what I preach.”

In light of this passage, I want us to spend some time thinking about what it would mean to lay down our rights for the advancement of the gospel in our hearts and the hearts of others.

Surrendering our rights means giving up our privileges, freedom, and entitlements, especially if they have become an obstacle to the gospel in your heart and the hearts of others.

Examples of surrendering our rights for the sake of the Gospel include:

1. Financial Support:
   • Example 1: A Christian worker or missionary might choose to support themselves through a secular job rather than receiving financial support from the church to avoid any potential criticism or accusations of greed. This is similar to what Paul did by working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3).
     
   • Example 2: A Christian worker or missionary might give up a secure job that provides growth and security to fully commit to the church’s service and mission, like the other disciples of Jesus.
2. Personal Freedoms:
   • Example: Someone might abstain from consuming alcohol in social settings to avoid causing a fellow believer who struggles with alcoholism to stumble. This aligns with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 8:9, where he warns against using our freedom in a way that becomes a stumbling block to the weak.
3. Cultural Adaptation:
   • Example: A missionary might adopt the customs and dress of the culture they are ministering to build trust and effectively communicate the Gospel. Paul exemplified this by becoming “all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
4. Time and Resources:
   • Example: A person might give up their weekends or leisure time to serve in community outreach programs or church activities, prioritizing the needs of others over their comfort.
5. Dietary Choices:
   • Example: Choosing to refrain from eating certain foods when in the presence of those with dietary restrictions due to religious convictions or health reasons, as seen in Romans 14:21, where Paul talks about not eating meat or drinking wine if it causes a brother or sister to stumble
6. Forgoing Legal Rights:
   • Example: A Christian might choose not to pursue legal action against someone who has wronged them, opting instead for forgiveness and reconciliation to demonstrate Christ’s love and mercy, inspired by Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:40-41 about turning the other cheek and going the extra mile.

Biblical Basis:

• In 1 Corinthians 9:12, Paul says, “We did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”
• In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul exhorts believers to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death on the cross.

I know these tasks are complex, but let me remind you of someone who willingly laid down his rights to save us from death and eternal damnation, give us hope, and unite us with our heavenly father

Jesus, though He was divine and equal with God, chose to surrender His rights and privileges for our sake. He left the glory of heaven and took on human form, becoming a servant. He lived a humble and obedient life during His time on earth, ultimately submitting to death on the cross. This act of ultimate sacrifice was to save humanity from sin and eternal separation from God. By laying down His rights, Jesus provided a path to reconciliation with God, allowing us to experience a whole and abundant life on earth and in eternity. His life and sacrifice are the perfect examples of selflessness and love, inspiring us to live in a way that honors Him and serves others.

By doing so, he has also enabled us not just to receive mercy but also to show mercy, not just receive grace but also show grace to others, not just receive forgiveness but also forgive others, not just be served but also serve others as Christ did. Most importantly, he gave us the grace that enables us to surrender our rights for the gospel’s sake.

Good morning church! Hope you’re all doing well today. As a church we’ve been going through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from 1st Corinthians. And a theme that we’ve repeatedly seen in this letter so far is this – that God’s dwelling place or His residence isn’t in a building or a temple or a religious place. God’s dwelling place is among His Redeemed People – His church! 

Which means that God’s presence is no longer confined to a building or even limited to Sunday mornings between 10.30am to 1pm. If God’s people are present in the workplace or at school or in a home, then you can be sure that God’s presence is with them. That’s a huge paradigm shift! 

And this understanding of “God’s dwelling place among His people” brings with it some key questions. If God dwells in us 24/7, then how do I relate with the world and the culture around me? How do I live in the midst of this culture? Do I accept everything or reject everything from the culture around me? Where do I draw the line between my Christian life and the culture around me? And these are some tough questions that every believer wrestles with daily. 

But I want you to know that God hasn’t left us alone to figure this out and He’s graciously given us His Word to help us navigate through this. You’d be encouraged to know that the Corinthian church although in a different context also wrestled with these very same questions – hope and help is available in God’s Word! And so today we arrive at an important section of this letter which focuses on Christian liberty. But before we proceed, I’d love to pray for us.

If you look up the meaning of liberty in the dictionary, you’d see that it’s described as “independence, freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice”. (Freedom to do or say as we want) 

Now the question is – can we describe Christian liberty in the same manner? Can we describe our freedom in Christ in the same vein? Now that I’m a believer in Christ, am I free to do or say as I want? Am I free to do whatever I want to do without any consequences? I’m sure all of us from a biblical viewpoint would say no. Our liberty is under Christ’s rule. Christ’s rule gives us the framework of our liberty. What’s that framework? This passage tells us it is love! Christian liberty is all about love – loving God and loving people! 

In last week’s passage, it spoke about loving God. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (v3) Loving God is on one side of the liberty framework & on the other side is Loving people which we will cover in today’s passage. They are two sides of the same coin. They go hand in hand. Christian liberty is all about love. Our Christian liberty needs to be filtered through the lens of love – loving God and loving people. How does this passage break it down for us, in three ways:

1. Our Christian liberty involves understanding others (v7-8)

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

I think it’s important for us to recap the context of this passage. The context is the issue of eating food offered to idols. Just to give you a picture of the city of Corinth – everything about the city revolved around its idols and temples. Its temples were not only a place of worship, but also functioned as butcher shops and dining halls. 

Important trade conferences, weddings, funerals and private dinner parties were held there. This was the center of Corinth culture and life. And people who went to the temple for worship or to dine there were served portions of food offered to idols. And that was the main contentious issue for the church where they were asking Paul, “Is it okay for us to consume the food offered to idols?” 

And there were some people in the church who thought of themselves as “mature Christians” who possessed “special knowledge” or “superior knowledge”. And they were saying “we know that these idols are not real. Hence the food offered to them is inconsequential. There should be no problem in consuming it”. And they were hoping that Paul would agree with them. 

In fact Paul begins by agreeing with them saying “Yes, it’s true we worship the One True God & the Lord Jesus Christ – others gods are not real gods”… “But”, “However”, “Having said that”… “not all possess the same knowledge”. 

Paul is saying “Everyone doesn’t have the same level of understanding as you do.” Everyone is not on the same page when it comes to food offered to idols. Especially those who might have a weak conscience because of their past baggage associated with idol worship. 

They are probably newer Christians who’ve just come out of a lifestyle of idol worship or they may be Christians who have not yet attained the understanding that you have – and for them this food that you’re consuming is still considered as food offered to idols. 

And Paul is telling that by doing this, those who consider themselves as “mature” are “defiling” or “soiling” the weak conscience of these other brothers or sisters.

And even as Paul is saying this, he’s making it clear that the food by itself isn’t inherently wrong or sinful. V8 which says “Food doesn’t commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” We don’t win any extra brownie points by consuming or choosing not to consume this food. What we eat has no bearing on our standing with God. God doesn’t accept us or reject us simply on the basis of food. 

So although food by itself isn’t inherently wrong, we still need to bear in mind that everyone doesn’t view it in the same way. Past associations of food with idols can hurt the weak conscience of our brothers and sisters. We can’t be blind to it. We need to understand that. We need to be mindful of that. Our Christian liberty involves understanding others.  

But not only does our Christian liberty involve understanding others, it also 

2. Our Christian liberty can’t be at the expense of others (v9-12)

9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating[c] in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,[d] if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers[e] and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 

V9 gets to the heart of the matter. But take care (make sure, pay careful attention, see to it) that this right of yours (this freedom, this liberty) does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. That word “stumbling block” means “stubbing our foot”. It’s a word to describe stubbing your foot against an obstacle while walking. 

In the context of this passage, this word is basically telling us that our christian liberty / freedom should not end up being an obstacle to another person’s faith. And the impact is far more than stubbing your foot, it could result in hurting and turning someone away from his faith! Our Christian liberty can’t be at the expense of others!

And then in V10, Paul goes on to elaborate. He says that if a weaker brother or sister sees you “who have knowledge” – “mature, knowledgeable and understanding” Christian go to a pagan temple and eat food offered to idols, would he not think that it’s okay to eat food offered to idols something he associates as sinful? 

Even worse, wouldn’t he think that since eating food offered to idols is okay, it’s probably alright for him to also now go back to worshiping those idols alongside the Lord Jesus Christ? And you can see how Paul’s building the argument – that christian liberty can end up negatively influencing and hurting the faith of those around us. Have we ever considered this thought? That our actions and choices influence the people around us especially those in our family and in our church family. Take a minute to allow that to sink in.

The next couple of verses explain the gravity of the situation. V11 – When we use our Christian liberty / freedom in a way that isn’t understanding and loving toward those around us, then our so-called “freedom” or “maturity” can actually destroy another person’s faith. It can hurt and harm another brother or sister’s faith – a person for whom Christ died! For those in Christ, they are no longer so and so from this family, so and so from this state or city; they are people for whom Christ died for. They were purchased at the highest cost – at the cost of His own precious blood. They are now His. They belong to Him. And it’s that person’s faith you are hurting!  

V12 is even more weightier and more convincing. Thus, by sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience (pummelling with repeated blows), you against Christ! That’s the weight and gravity of the situation. When we become stumbling blocks to each other, we are not only offending our brother or sister, we are offending Christ himself. 

My mind was blown when I read this. Since we belong to Jesus, now any offense to us is a direct offense to Jesus Christ himself. Which is why when Jesus met with Saul on the road to Damascus as he was enroute to persecute the people of God, Jesus didn’t ask him “Why are you doing this to my people?” Jesus asked him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Being a stumbling block to another person is not only sinning against that person but sinning against Jesus Christ. Our Christian liberty can’t be at the expense of others. 

But not just that

3. Our Christian liberty needs to be used to sacrificially serve others (v13)

13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

V13 starts with “Therefore”. On account of the reasons given in the previous verses, Paul says that if by me eating food offered to idols, it will make my brother stumble and turn from the Lord, then I will resolve to never eat it. NIV puts it in this way “I will never eat meat again”. 

In other words, Paul is saying that he will never eat food offered to idols again for the rest of his life if that is what is required to keep his brother from stumbling. 

And for some of us that might seem like a stretch. Why is Paul doing this? It’s because loving His brother takes precedence over his liberties. Love over freedom. He’s saying “I’ll willingly give up my rights for the sake of another”. “I’d rather use my liberty to sacrificially serve others”. 

Does that sound familiar? If there was one person in the whole universe who had every right to do what he wanted to do – that was Jesus because He is the Son of God. 

And yet we see God’s Jesus Christ relinquish His glory and majesty and choose to step into our shoes in the form of man. I know the whole of India has been mesmerized by the Anant Ambani wedding. I’m sure all the things that Anant wanted to do for his wedding happened – and off-course he can do that because he’s the son of Mukesh Ambani. He is the heir! 

But what wouldn’t have happened is Anant entering his home as a servant and that’s the willing choice that Jesus made when He chose to take on the form of man. As He walked on the earth, He lived the perfect, obedient life that we were all supposed to live. And then He died the death that we were supposed to die as our substitute. The wrath of God which was directed toward us because of our infinite sins (too many to count) was absorbed by God’s Son Jesus Christ. 

He died and was buried and three days later he rose from the dead so that whoever may turn from their sins and their efforts to win God’s acceptance by themselves and solely put their faith in Jesus Christ and His work would be saved not just for this age but for ages to come. It’s a humbling thing to realize that our salvation was the result of our Savior choosing to use His liberty to sacrificially serve us! 

What’s the take home for us? 

1. We need to start by taking out the time to understand the people in our church. Unless we understand each other’s stories, each other’s cultural and religious baggage, we will never be able to move toward them with sensitivity and compassion. It’s not going to happen overnight either, it’s going to take time for us to really begin understanding each other. 

2. I know that we can get touchy about subjects like alcohol, fashion, how we spend our money, movies we watch etc. but we need to be open to having honest conversations on what we believe, why we do certain things a certain way and also allow people to share their reservations about certain liberties which can be perceived as sinful or immoral by them because of their background. 

3. Once those reservations or issues are brought to us, our response matters. It could involve discipling them biblically through that issue but also we need to prayerfully ask God to help us discern how to use our liberty to be loving to one another. Pray and ask God to strengthen you to willingly give up your liberty if that helps in preserving your weaker brother’s faith.

4. We need to show patience and grace to each other. Knowing that we’re all in different stages of maturity, we need to be patient and gracious to each other, trusting that the Spirit will ultimately help us gain maturity in due time. And this is not a one-time activity. This is a life-long activity. 

The reason we are saying all this is not because the bible is trying to restrain our liberty and freedom. Christian liberty is all about love! 

1. It involves understanding others
2. It can’t be at the expense of others
3. It needs to be used to sacrificially serve others

We’re back again with Paul addressing questions raised by the Corinthians. Remember in chapter 7 verse 1, an issue regarding sexual temptation and sexual relations with women was raised. There the people were saying that it is good not to have sexual relations with a woman given how great the temptation surrounding sex is. But Paul says you shouldn’t give up sexual relations with your spouse because that opens the door to more temptation in your life. Instead, you should embrace it as God’s good gift and enjoy it with thankfulness.

Similarly, today Paul addresses a question about eating food offered to idols. What was the problem here? In the times the Corinthian believers lived there was the practice of offering food as sacrifices to their false gods. These people used to have feasts in their temples and before the feast began, they would offer the food as a sacrifice, then they would eat. When the feast was done, the leftovers would be kept by the priest of the temple and sold in the marketplace. You should know that Paul and Corinthians are talking about the food sold in the marketplace. The food that was eaten in the temple during the feast was a different matter. What we’re seeing here is leftover food from the feast sold in the market. Now, the Corinthians are saying it’s okay to eat such food because we know the idols the food was offered to are not real. Verse 1 says “all of us possess knowledge”. If you look at the phrase, it’s in double quotes indicating that Paul is using a phrase that the Corinthians wrote in their letter to him. So, the Corinthians are saying we possess knowledge. What is this knowledge? It’s in verse 4-6. The knowledge is of the reality that there is only one true God and one Lord, Jesus Christ. These idols are not real, so the food offered to them has no meaning. Therefore, it’s okay to eat that food. So some Corinthian believers rather arrogantly say that have knowledge so don’t tell us to refrain from eating that food. Moreover, the sacrifice to idols was a common occurrence that it was impossible for the believers to escape situations where that kind of food would come before them.

And what is Paul’s response? Yes, we all have knowledge, including us the apostles. But this knowledge makes you proud. This knowledge makes you grow arrogant. This knowledge hurts you and others. But love on the other hand? Love builds up. If anyone thinks he knows something, he doesn’t know yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. If you say you have knowledge then you should be humbled. Because knowledge of God means knowing that God is so much more holier than you thought He was, so much more powerful than you thought He was, so much more infinite than you thought He was, and so much more in control and sovereign than you thought He was. And it doesn’t end with knowledge of God, there’s the knowledge of self. You should be heart broken when your knowledge leads you to realise that you’re much more sinful than you thought you were, much more helpless than you thought you were, much more impure than you thought you were. But you should also be able to rejoice because inspite of this, God is much more merciful than you can imagine, much more patient than you can think, much more loving than you can grasp, much more faithful than you can conceive. If you have knowledge of these things then you’ll actually respond with love. And love who specifically? Those who don’t have knowledge. You may know that eating food offered to idols is fine, but there are many who can’t reconcile that with their faith. So for the sake of that weak brother or sister, you will not eat such food. You don’t want them to stumble because of you. This is what the passage is about. And it has practical implications for us. But today, I don’t want to focus on what these implications are. Today I want to focus on the theological insight that comes from Paul’s words. When Paul was responding to the Corinthians, he shed some light on the theology that informed and ought to inform their actions. Imagine you’re going on trip with your friends and family. As you driving up the winding roads you notice that the scenery is so beautiful that you have to stop the car, get out and take it all in. Soon you’ll be heading for your destination but just for a few moments you want to enjoy God’s beauty. In the same way, I’m hoping that we can enjoy God’s truth in today’s passage before heading to the main issue of the whole chapter, which we’ll be hearing next Sunday. For today, we have six verses and all six are packed with doctrine that has significance for our lives. And not only that, I believe these doctrines will bring you comfort and reassurance for today. I have three points and my first point will be from the middle of the passage, the second point from the end of the passage and the last point from the beginning of the passage. So we won’t be moving in a linear fashion as we usually do but I’m hoping and believing it’ll still make sense. 

So, what is the first doctrine present in this passage? It is that we exist for God.

1. We exist for God (v6a)

“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist”

The first one is a big one. Paul is saying yes it is known to them that “an idol has no real existence”  and that there is “no God but one”. When in verse 5 Paul says “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— “ he is meaning to say that the non-believers of that time consider the existence of many gods and many lords because the were people who followed the Greek religion, the Roman religion, then the few other cults of that time. So for them there are many gods and lords. But for the Christians like Paul, the believers in Corinth, and you and me, there is one God. And contrary to the false gods and lords of that time, everything comes from God. It’s written in the verse “there is one God the Father from whom are all things” Everything that you see, touch, hear, taste, smell comes from God. Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” or another translation says “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”. Everything comes from God and everything belongs to God. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The very first verse says that God created the heavens and the earth. The first three words, “In the beginning” that is the beginning of time itself. Before the creation of the world, what was time? What were days and months and years? There was no such thing as time and there was nothing at all. Yet there was God. And “In the beginning” God was there to bring forth everything. 

Now for the main part, that is, the second half of the sentence, “and for whom we exist”. We exist for whom? For God. This verse unlocks the purpose of your life. Genesis 2:2 “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. .” The Bible says that in seven days God finished creating the heavens and the earth and all the host of them. In the process of creation, He even made man and women. Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 gives the answer to what God created, or rather who God created, man and women. 1 Corinthians 8:6 gives the answer to why God created man and women. He created them for Him. He created you and me for Himself. We don’t exist for our jobs, we don’t exist for our friends, we don’t exist for our spouse or children, we exist for God. And what does existing for God mean? There is something called “The Westminster Shorter Catechism”, which is a series of 107 questions and answers that summarise the major truths of the Bible. The very first question in the Westminister Shorter Catechism is: “What is the chief end of man?” Or in other words, what is the main goal of men and women? The answer to that is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. Existing for God means glorifying Him. And glorifying God means using every fibre of our being, our strength, our mind, our hearts, everything to praise, honour and worship God. We honour God with our words, we honour God by our obedience to Him, with our good works, we honour Him through our repentance, and with our love for one another and the care for the poor and needy. We honour Him by preaching the gospel to those who have not heard it. We honour God when we do our jobs faithfully and diligently or when we study well. We also honour God by enjoying His gifts, like music, sports, movies, food, and various crafts like painting, writing, carpentry, or enjoying His creation by travelling, trekking, hiking, we glorify Him by taking care of our health and bodies through exercise. The question I want you to ask yourself is, “Do you know you exist for God?” and if you do, “How are you existing for Him or how are you glorifying Him?”. But if you didn’t know you exist for God maybe today God is telling you that. If you try to exist for any other reason, you will be left unsatisfied. No matter what you gain in life, how successful, how beautiful your family is, how much money you make, you’ll be left wanting for more, it is like a bottomless pit, you can’t fill it up no matter how much you put in. To be truly satisfied, you need to accept that you were created for God. Your sole purpose in life is to glorify God. Coming to terms with that sets you on a path to fulfilment and eternal life. 

That leads me to my second point, which is we exist through God.

2. We exist through God (v6b)

“and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

One thing this verse highlightings is how one Lord, that is Jesus Christ, is the true Lord. All other “lords” as mentioned in verse 5 are false lords. In the beginning of the verse, Paul says from God the Father all things come. Here it says through the Lord Jesus are all things. What this verse tells us is that `just as the Father was involved in creating the whole world, the Son was equally involved. The heavens and the earth came from the Father through the Son and to complete the trinity, by the power of the Spirit. Jesus is God as much as Father and Spirit is God. The three are one but separate, three in one. Not three gods but one. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” And again in Colossians 1:16-17, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” These verses also reenforce the doctrine truth that Jesus is God and all creation was created through Him and for Him.

But the part I want to focus on is the second half of the sentence “through whom we exist”.

You know there’s a certain impossibleness to glorifying God. How are we, weak creatures that we are, supposed to worship the Lord with 100% devotion all the time? Let me tell you, God demands nothing less than our 100% devotion. It says in Deuteronomy 6:5 “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’ How much? With half your soul? With a quarter of your mind? With 3/4th of your heart? No with all, fully, absolute. Can you do that? Can you give 100% all the time? That’s a tough ask. Sounds impossible. Then there’s the problem of sin. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. Forget about loving God fully, we’re not even worthy to stand in His presence. Are we to glorify God like this? Will God accept our worship? Will God accept us? If you’re born again then you know the answer. Whoever sitting here or listening online is a born again believer, then you can say with a shout, you can say with full confidence, you can yes with thankfulness, yes God will accept me, God will accept my worship, I can worship the Lord with 100% devotion because I exist through Jesus Christ my Redeemer, my Shepherd, my Lord and my God. I’m not living my Christian life alone, I’m not isolated, I have my Lord Jesus through whom I’m living. The greek word for “through” is dia. Other translations of the word dia are “because of”, “on account of”. So we can rephrase the verse like this: “one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and on account of whom we exist”. It’s not only talking about existing in the physical world but also living spiritually and eternally. Look at 1 John 4:9 “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” The same Greek word for through is used here. Jesus Christ came into this world so that we may exist through Him. We might live through Him. And that should be a comfort for you because whatever is the requirements of worthiness are, Jesus Christ took care of it for us. 1 John 4:10 says, “ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation means to satisfy or appease. Sin needed to be paid for because God’s was going to punish that sin, your sin and my sin. But with Jesus’s sacrifice, there is no more fear of punishment. 

So brothers and sisters, what does this mean for us? It means right now, you’re living through Jesus, if you’ve repented of your sins and turned to Him. This is true for you now. Your life is in His hands, your life is in His life. John 14:9 says, “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” Because He lives, you will live in eternity and right now. So you keep striving to live a holy life, say no to sin, when discouragement and doubt knock at the door, remember that you’re victory is sure in Jesus because you exist through Him and He will carry you to the end.

And now for my final point, we don’t just exist for God even though is the greatest privilege, we don’t just exist through God, our sole comfort but we’re also known by God.

3. We are known by God (v3)

“But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.”

• Paul’s explanation about knowledge and love
• It is greater to love than walk around with knowledge
• Those who love God show evidence that they are known by Him
• Loving God is not a precondition for Him to know us. He knows us therefore we love
• The Greek word ginóskó means it’s to know personally and well, the same word is used for knowing sexually
• He knows us, our frame, the number of hairs on our head, we are not just another solider, servant, son or daughter
• To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.
• God sees you at you worst but still loves you.

Good morning church! Hope you’re well this morning. We’ve missed being with you over the last couple of weeks as we recovered from a viral infection. While we were recovering at home, we were so encouraged and blessed by your concern and prayers – and we’re excited to be back with all of you this week!

It’s Father’s Day as well – so Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father figures at the Gathering. We acknowledge God’s calling over your lives to lead and shape your family in the ways of the Lord.  

As we turn to God’s Word this morning, I’m sure most of us are aware that we’re going through a series titled The Church : God’s Dwelling Place from 1st Corinthians. And the recurring theme that we’ve been hearing week after week is this – that God’s chosen dwelling place or His chosen residence is not a building (not in a cathedral or a temple) but in His People – His redeemed people in Christ.

Think with me on how apt this theme was for the church in Corinth which was still coming to terms with the fact that they were called to live a radically different lifestyle from the culture around them. The worldly culture around them was having a greater say on their lifestyle than what Scripture was calling them to.  

That’s why we saw issues of infighting in the church, sexual immorality in the church & even confusion on how they approached marriage and singleness. So Paul wrote this letter to address all these issues from a Gospel perspective.

And these issues aren’t unique to the Corinthian church, these are very relevant for the Gathering as well which is located in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai. The sub-culture of the city & also what we consume on social media sometimes has a greater say on our lifestyle than what Scripture says.

So it’s apt for us and that’s why I’d urge us all to approach each and every passage with open minds and open hearts, so that we can allow the truth of God’s Word to teach us how to live a radically different life from the culture around us. But before we begin I’d love to pray for us.

(Pray)

Some years back I attended a marriage seminar where it started off well with worship songs and then it proceeded to the main session.

The speaker, probably to lighten the mood, decided to let out a bunch of marriage jokes. As I listened to the jokes, I realized that most of these jokes were always from the husband’s perspective due to which the husbands laughed the hardest on every joke.

But on a deeper level, I wondered if at some level the couples (mostly believers) shared a similar low view of marriage. Maybe the culture around them influenced their perspective or maybe their own personal experiences seeing the brokenness in their parent’s marriage or their own marriage colored their perspective and that’s why today’s topic on permanence of marriage needs to be handled biblically and sensitively.

The reason the sermon is titled as permanence of marriage instead of divorce is because the overall theme of the passage seems to be discouraging divorce rather than advocating it.     

And this passage gives us 3 ways in which we pursue Permanence in Marriage:

1.We pursue permanence in marriage through reconciliation (v10-11)

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

In verses 10, Paul specifically instructs married couples in the Corinthian church and makes it abundantly clear that it’s a direct command from the Lord Jesus.

What’s the command? That wives should not separate or divorce their husbands and likewise husbands shouldn’t divorce their wives. And if for some reason divorce is inevitable, then they need to remain unmarried or try to reconcile and get back together. It’s clear that God’s intention for married couples is that they stick it out together.

And this instruction might sound strange or too old fashioned to our modern ears where people sign prenuptial agreements planning the possibility of a divorce even before they get married.

And yet when we see a passage like this, it seems like the opposite where divorce isn’t an option. Divorce is out of scope. Divorce is off the table. The married couple mutually agree to stick it out together no matter what.   

And why is that the case? Why is God being so restrictive? Does God want me to be unhappy for the rest of my life? And when we ask these questions, the assumption is that marriage is about us and our happiness. That’s where we get it wrong. Our baseline itself is wrong.

Marriage isn’t about us or our happiness. Marriage is about God and His glorious purposes. So let’s first define what marriage is and then we will be able to understand why divorce is a big deal for God. Turn with me to Ephesians 5:22-32:

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

We can see here that God’s glorious purpose in marriage is to tell a story – His Gospel story to you, your spouse and the people around you. Our earthly marriages in some way are supposed to picture the loving, self-sacrificial and committed relationship that Jesus Christ shares with His bride which is the church.

So that’s the baseline. Marriage is not primarily about romantic love or companionship or compatibility or social obligation. As imperfect as we are and our marriages are, we get to learn and proclaim something about Jesus’ love, Jesus’ self-sacrifice and commitment for His bride through our marriage. Isn’t that amazing?

Which is the reason why believers in Christ should only marry believers because only those who have tasted and seen Jesus’ love for them would be able to display that to each other and the people around them.

And if marriage is all about that, then what is divorce? It’s a breaking up and a distortion of this purpose. Despite all our multiple failures and weaknesses, does Jesus divorce us? Does Jesus desert us? Does Jesus walk away from us?

No, and that’s why divorce is heartbreaking because it involves emotional pain and sorrow for the couple and the children but also because proclaiming something totally different about Jesus’ marriage with His church. It’s giving out distorted picture which is why when Jesus was asked if it’s okay for a person to divorce his spouse, this is how he responds in Matt 19:5-6

 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Jesus harkens back to the creation story to reveal God’s heart and intention for marriage. God’s heart and intention is for married couples to stick it out together because they are telling a story – His Gospel story through their marriage. And we’re called to stick together despite all the issues and ups and downs of marriage.

And I know it can be a hard thing for some of us to digest because most of us would probably agree with the idea of not divorcing for trivial reasons but what if a wife is being physically abused by her husband, does it mean that she continues to remain in that marriage though it risks her physical safety?

These are some really hard questions I know. And there are some real, serious situations where couples will need to be separated for a time, while at the same time getting your church involved, your own families involved and sometimes even the local authorities involved to help you navigate through this and possibly work toward reconciliation in the long run.

Our marriages are supposed to proclaim the Gospel story which is why we pursue permanence in marriage through reconciliation, but not just that

2.We pursue permanence in marriage through promise keeping (v12-13)

12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.

It’s very important to understand the context of these verses to interpret this correctly. The Corinthian church was birthed in the midst of a pagan, immoral culture. And so there were church members who got married while they were unbelievers, and then later heard the Gospel and became believers.

However, their spouses still didn’t come to faith and so the believing spouses were probably wondering if their marriages were still valid. They were wondering and maybe contemplating if they had to divorce their unbelieving spouses and Paul makes it crystal clear that their marriage still is valid and has a standing in God’s eyes.

What Paul is telling them is that if the unbelieving spouse agrees to continue in marriage despite being aware of the spouse’s newfound faith, then the believing spouse shouldn’t divorce but continue to maintain the promises in marriage. Their covenant promises aren’t thrown out of the window. God is still expecting them to be faithful in their marriage.

And Paul is not airing his own opinion on this – though the start of v12 seems like that. All that Paul is saying is that this isn’t a direct quotation from the Lord Jesus like v10, however all of Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, rebuke, correction and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16) – hence even this instruction which is in this passage is no less inspired by God. This is indeed God’s Word.

And I think passages like this should encourage us to know that if we’re in a similar place where we’re the only believers in our marriage or family, God is still expecting us to keep our covenant promises with our spouse. God’s not overlooking or ignoring our marriage.

The way we love, serve and honor our unbelieving spouse is precious and honorable in God’s eyes. God is glorified in the way in which we pursue

promise keeping in marriage. We are still called to proclaim the Gospel story in the way in which we approach our marriage.

But not only do we pursue permanence in marriage through reconciliation and promise keeping, we also

3.We pursue permanence in marriage through stewardship (v14-16)

14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

I’m sure this is confusing because it almost seems like Paul is trying to promote missionary dating or missionary marriage where the thought is “let me marry this person who is an unbeliever and I’ll convert them”. First of all it’s assuming that we have the ability to convert someone, we can’t. It’s ultimately a God thing.

Secondly let’s quickly look at the end of the chapter in 1 Cor 7:39 where Paul gives these instructions:

39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

Paul is permitting remarriage after the spouse has passed away but with a clear criteria as to who needs to be considered for marriage – “only in the Lord”. And if that’s the case, how can that not be the prerequisite for first time marriage believer couples as well?

It’s impossible for Paul to say that “It doesn’t matter who you marry the first time. Only when you remarry, then you need to ensure he / she is a believer”. That simply doesn’t make sense.

So it’s not referring to missionary dating or marriage. Again, context is important here – it’s referring to the situation of people who were unbelievers when they got married and then later on believed but their spouses hadn’t yet come to faith – the passage is not advocating missionary dating or marriage.

So then what does making the unbelieving husband holy or making the unbelieving wife holy mean in v14? It means that God has a special purpose for you in your marriage. It means that God has a purpose to proclaim the Gospel story to your spouse and your children.

God has still called you to tell your spouse something about Jesus’ love, self-sacrifice and commitment through the way in which you speak and live out the Gospel through your life.

I hope it can encourage some of us here today because being the only believers at home, experiencing the friction with a spouse who doesn’t see eye to eye with our faith can be draining and difficult but to know that God still has a purpose for us in the way we steward the Gospel in our marriages and families is encouraging I’m sure.

V16 in fact puts it in this way “For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” Not that we can be our spouse’s Savior. We can’t replace or substitute Christ but what we can do is be a faithful steward of the Gospel in our homes and constantly bring them before God’s throne of grace asking God to save them. And in doing so, we become tools in God’s hand in our own homes and it’s precious in God’s sight.

Application:

• For those who are married right now or looking to get married – embrace this glorious purpose of marriage. If you’ve been approaching a different purpose, then today’s the time to repent from that and receive this biblical glorious purpose
• For those who have gone through the experience of divorce – God is able to redeem that. The intention of this passage wasn’t to rub guilt or condemn you but to draw you to repentance (as divorce is a distortion of God’s design) and call you to remain faithful in whichever stage you are in right now.

As we’ve seen over the past few Sundays, the Corinthian church was messed up in many ways. Remember the divisions among them? Where some were saying I follow Paul and others I follow Apollos? Or the times when they were taking their fellow believers to court, and of course the glaring issues like sexual immorality. There was one guy sleeping with his stepmother, there were people going to prostitutes, and probably other things too. This was the culture of their times and it was heavily influencing their lives. Today’s passage is also about sexual immorality. Now you must be thinking when will this end, every week sexual immorality. Why did you title the sermon series as “The Church: God’s Dwelling Place” and not “Sexual Immorality and You”? What to do people? We’re doing expository preaching and we are subject to the text that is placed before us. Not only that, we’re obliged under God to bring the meaning out of the text as intended by the original author and not give our own meaning to the text. In other words, we have an obligation to expose the text. And after that we appropriately apply it to our lives.

And so we’re here with a passage on sex, marriage and singleness. Three of the most hottest topics in the church and even the world at large.

Unlike the previous weeks where we saw incidents of sexual deviance like incest and fornication, this Sunday’s passage talks about sexual abstinence. Not the right kind of abstinence mind you. Look at verse 1, it says “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.””

In chapter 7 and the subsequent chapters, Paul is beginning to address 2-3 concerns of the Corinthian church. The first one is here in chapter 7 and what is the concern, or what is the matter of discussion that Paul replies to? “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman”. The Corinthian believers are saying as a statement of truth that it’s better for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman or a woman with a man. Why? Because this belief is a response to the overwhelming nature of sexual temptations that were prevalent in their culture. Sex is used and abused so bad that the response of the believers are an outright rejection of sex. You know that is a good thing but these people were rejecting even sex within marriage. Some commentaries I read also pointed out the cultural understanding at that time, and this is

something that crept into the church, is that marriage was an evil state to be in. They said, if you want to truly be pure, you have to be celibate and have no sexual relations with your spouse. One harmful effect of this was divorce, if being married was evil then it’s better to be separated. But that is not what we have in our passage today. Paul has another harmful effect in mind and that is the power that sexual temptation was given because of this false belief. He says in verse 2 “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband”. In essence he’s saying, you can try to not have sexual relations with your spouse but it’s foolish to do so because of how strong sexual temptation is. Here people are rejecting the God-given means to give an outlet to the God-given sexual desires and passions.

So you see how the problem started here? The Corinthian believers rejected God’s good gift and it resulted in problems for them. Why am I saying that? The Corinthians are saying it is better not to have sexual relations in marriage because it’s problematic and it makes me unholy. So they rejected the gift of marriage and the enjoyment of sexual relations that is a part of it. Because they were rejecting it, it opened them up to more sexual temptation. 

And I believe this is pointing to some of the proclivities of our hearts. We also tend to reject God’s good gifts and cause problems in our own lives. You know when God says to follow this or do that, it’s ultimately for our good and for His glory. When we reject God’s good gift, it brings sorrow and potentially destruction in our lives.

So I believe what God wants to tell us through this passage is an obvious one, “don’t reject God’s good gift”.

1) Don’t reject God’s good gifts (v1-2 & v6-9)

You know rejecting good things is not restricted to marriage. You can reject so many other gifts that God gives. In this passage it’s talking about sexual intimacy in marriage. And pushing back on sexual intimacy made the Corinthian people vulnerable to sexual tempation. We are not free from that kind of temptation. If you’re married, then sexual intimacy is something you should still pursue, for the sake of fighting against Satan’s evil work and also for the sake of your marriage. Because God ordained sexual intimacy as one of the ways for a husband and wife to bond and grow their relationship. More than that, it’s a picture of God’s steadfast love for His people. One article I read described it this way, “God designed this soul-level intimacy to reflect the deep, intimate, committed, faithful, servant-hearted commitment between Jesus and his bride, the church^[1]”. Now it may not be possible to have such kind of intimacy in your marriage because of physical difficulties and I can only imagine how difficult it can be. I hope and pray that you can trust God with your difficulties and believe that He sees and knows your trouble.

As I mentioned earlier, there are many other gifts you can reject. One thing is marriage itself. There are so many who don’t want to get married, who are afraid to make a commitment, who don’t have the courage to take that step of marriage. But marriage is actually a gift from God. I like how one author, the late Tim Keller, put it, “Marriage is a major vehicle for the gospel’s remaking of your heart from the inside out and your life from the ground up^[2]”. In other words, marriage is a means for God to shape your heart to be more Christ-like than ever before. But of course, this means finding the right guy or girl to marry. You want your potential spouse to be a believer in Jesus, committed to obeying Him, committed to a local church, committed to pursuing holiness and also ready to sacrifice for the sake of the marriage. I know this is a whole another topic, but one more thing before moving on, your aversion to marriage may be because of a previous bad experience and that’s tough, I must acknowledge that, again I can only imagine how much that’s affected you. But marriage is still a good thing. It’s designed and instituted by God for your good and for His glory. Don’t reject it because of bad experiences in the past. God can turn what the enemy meant for evil to something for your good. And don’t reject it because you don’t see any good examples of marriage around. A few days ago a colleague at work asked how’s married life going. I said it’s good, why will it be bad? And he was surprised that I’m saying it’s good because a lot of the stories he hears and what people say all indicate that marriage is a headache. He even gave the example of his own mom and dad who, according to him, had so many fights. He said he doesn’t want to get married because of this. I told him see even I have fights and arguments with my wife, but because I love my wife and value what we have, I will want to seek reconciliation and say sorry. And he was like oh okay are you reading some book or what. I laughed it off. The point here is a lack of good examples does not mean marriage is bad. Again I want to quote the late Tim Keller here, he says “Do for your spouse what God did for you in Jesus and the rest will follow^[2].” Which means if we strive to love and serve our spouse like how Jesus loves and sacrificed for us, then that’s a recipe for a good marriage. Plus, there’s the benefit of having the right context to enjoy sexual intimacy. Verse 9 says if single people can’t control their passions, it’s better to get married. Sex is not the reason to get married but it is the place where you can enjoy physical intimacy.

And lastly, the gift that Paul mentions her in verse 6 and 7, “Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.” When Paul says I wish that all were as I myself am, he is meaning that he wishes everyone was single as he was. He’s basically saying it’s better to be single like he was because it gave him the time and freedom to serve God more. So, if you’re single or widowed, this time is actually a gift from God. Now some of you will be like no need for this gift, please return it, no thank you, doesn’t feel like a gift. Again, I can only imagine what you’re feeling. Yes, I was there a short time till a short time ago, but your experience and struggle is unique. This time is difficult but the best thing to do right now is to wait on God and continue to serve Him. The Christian life doesn’t change after getting married, it just looks different. If you’re unmarried or widowed, you’re still called to obey, you’re still called to pursue obedience, you’re still called to serve, you’re still called to love Him with all your heart, soul and strength. The same continues in marriage. 

Or again, you’re someone who doesn’t want to get married because of fear or bad experiences and you see a verse like this and say, see Paul is saying be like him, single so even I’m going to do that. But he calls it a gift from God in verse 7. Paul says it’s better to be single but he also concedes and subject himself to God’s sovereign will by saying your singleness and marriage is a gift from God. God decides the gift, God is the giver of the gift. If He gave you a particular gift, it’s the best thing for you. If God gave you marriage, that’s the best thing for you. If God gave you singleness, that’s the best thing for you, and maybe for a season only.

Ultimately, Paul is saying that one gift is not superior than the other. One is not good and the other is bad. God is the giver of both, so both are good.

And moving on to the last point, “God’s good gift is meant to serve one another”.

2) God’s good gift is meant to serve one another (v3-5)

Look at verse 3 to 5. ‭”The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. [4] For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. [5] Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

In response to the danger of sexual temptation, Paul is saying that the husband and wife should fulfil their marital obligations to one another, husband to wife and wife to husband. Because neither the husband and wife have authority over their own body but they belong to each other. So, he’s saying that God has give you a gift, use it to serve one another. He’s saying, the wife has sexual needs, the husband will willingly serve her needs. The husband has sexual needs, the wife will willingly serve his needs. Why do such a thing? Because you want to honor the other, you want to serve your spouse, you want to protect him or her from temptation, because that is what Christian life is all about. There’s a verse in ‭Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

When I was reading this I couldn’t help but think how Jesus Christ came down in the form of a baby. Did He not live to serve? Did He not come to seek and save the lost? Did He not willingly give up His throne of glory to save sinners like you and me? Jesus’s whole life on earth was a preparation for the great and terrible day when He was to be crucified. All so that your sin and my sin could be paid for and we could be made clean, and restored to a right relationship with Him. After restoring us to a right relationship with Him, He also gives us the power to obey Him, He actually transforms us daily to be more and more like Him. He is our role model and He is the one who supernaturally enables us to be like Him.

And how is this all made available to us? By a simple faith in Jesus, that He is Lord and He cleansed us from all sin. And not just faith but also a turning away from sin and pursuing Him. Many of you dear brothers and sisters are on this journey, you have a put your faith in Him and that is a cause for rejoicing. If you are a believer in Christ, rejoice I say because your names are written in the book of life. You are the apple of His eye, you may not feel like it, but that doesn’t change what’s true. If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus, then today is the day, we don’t know what happens tomorrow. He calls you to come to Him with your sin and lay it at the foot of the cross and seek his forgiveness. 

Because Christ served, you also serve. Use what God has given you to serve one another. Serving can also look like giving your time and resources for the people in this church, giving your money for God’s ministry, discipling others, etc. It could mean finding a way where your job doesn’t consume most of your time freeing you up for things of God. It may mean looking for a job where you will fight for your time. I know this is easier said than done because finding a job is not easy. This applies for both married and unmarried people. If you’re married then you have the additional opportunity to serve your spouse by fulfilling their sexual needs.

Good morning church! A warm welcome to everyone who has joined us at the hall in-person and on Zoom. Over the last few months, we’ve been going through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1^st Corinthians. And what we’ve learnt so far is that God’s residence is not in a building or a religious location but among His people – His redeemed people who have been rescued by Jesus Christ.

And if we are indeed God’s dwelling place, then what’s one of the key trademarks that should identify us? Our Pursuit of Purity! Our longing and growth in purity so that we can look more and more like our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Today we arrive in a passage that is connected to the passage we studied a couple of weeks back. In case some of us missed it that week, I’d encourage us to go back and listen in because we covered quite a bit on the topic of purity which flows into our passage today.

We will recap a few things today as well, but I’d highly recommend that we go back and listen in to that sermon to help us draw clearer connections.

At the end of every Gathering service, we usually share announcements and one of the last announcement slides is the slide on “Clean Up”. We’re requested to keep the hall clean since this is an office space that is being used from Monday through Friday. It’s a request and a call to “Clean up”.

Now the question that the passage today is asking us is this – if the church is no longer a building but the redeemed people of God, then what does “Cleaning up the church” look like? We are not talking about picking up physical trash and litter anymore, we’re talking about cleaning up our lives. The process of cleaning up is called Repentance which means turning away from sin & turning toward God. So we’ll be using the word “Cleaning” & “Repentance” interchangeably today. What does cleaning up the church actually look like?

1. It’s not superficial cleaning (v8)

8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Let’s recap the context of this passage. At the time, there was some serious sexual misconduct reported in the Corinthian church. There was an active church member who had physical relations with his stepmother and this was in public knowledge within the church.

Not only was the Corinthian church aware of this, they were okay with it perhaps even defending the sin. And we get indications of this in v2 where Paul calls out their arrogance and in v6 where he calls out their boasting. So we can see here that Paul is not only holding the man who committed sexual immorality responsible, but he’s also holding the church accountable for the way in which they are responding to the sin.

He’s basically telling them “You can’t simply be okay with this. You can’t be tolerating and defending this sin. You need to address and renounce this sin”.

And so in v5, Paul instructs the church to discipline this man by putting him out of the protection and safety of the church. So you can imagine that it’s a very painful situation for the Corinthian church because they’ve gotten to know this man relationally but now because of his persistent unrepentance, they will have to remove him from the church. That’s how we arrive at V8 where we’re told that this “Cleaning & cleansing” can’t be superficial. It can’t be surface level cleaning. How did we arrive at that conclusion? It’s because of the reference to the “festival” – the festival of Unleavened bread.

During the festival of unleavened bread, the people of Israel were commanded to remove every single ounce of leaven from their homes and consume only unleavened bread for a week. This was to help them remember the haste in which God rescued his people from the hands of the Egyptians. And this activity to remove leaven from their homes was not a trivial or optional thing because if there was anyone who ate bread with leaven in during that week, he or she would cut off from the people of Israel. This was a serious command. Anyone with a Jewish background would read V8 & would immediately understand the seriousness of it. This is not superficial cleaning of the house. This is thorough deep cleaning of the house which is required.

And what is the leaven which needs to be removed as believers? Not yeast or baking soda or baking powder. The leaven is “malice and evil” – referring to the intent of our hearts wanting to do what is sinful, conspiring to do what is sinful. Have you and I ever thought of our own

hearts in this way? One filled with malice and evil? The problem is not just the sinful things that we say and do, the problem stems from a heart that is terribly sinful.

The heart is deceitful above all things,

    and desperately sick;

    who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)

The humbling part is to realize that even my 7-month-old daughter has the same heart condition. She’s too small to talk or make sense of the world, but she already has a heart which is wired with malice and evil. Which is why she needs the grace of God in Jesus as so do we – for the thorough deep cleaning activity of our hearts. And so we need grace to help us repent not only of our actions and words, but we need grace to help us repent of what’s there in our hearts as well.

But not only is not superficial cleansing,

2. It’s not external cleaning (v9-10)

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

When Paul starts this verse, he’s referring to an earlier letter written to the Corinthian church which is not part of the Bible. (Paul wrote other letters as well but not all of them were included as part of Scripture). In that letter, Paul told the Corinthians to not associate with the sexually immoral.

In this letter, he felt the need to clarify what he meant by that instruction. Paul is clarifying that the command to not associate with the sexually immoral was in the context of the local church and not with respect to unbelievers in the world because then we would need to go out of this world. In other words, Paul is telling them that they don’t “clean themselves” up by escaping or running away from the world! 

That’s an interesting principle because it means that we are not called to abandon all our interactions with unbelievers. We are not called to unfriend or unfollow our unbeliever friends and family. We are not called to become a monk and isolate ourselves from the world.

We are called to be present in the middle of a broken world but not conformed by it. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Isn’t it interesting that in Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:15, He doesn’t pray for us to be removed from the world:

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

Jesus’ prayer echoed the same thing – not to abandon or avoid the world but to be in the world and yet protected from the influence of Satan and the world. Isn’t it encouraging to know that’s the prayer Jesus prayed for you and me?

The other reason why we need to be in the world is to provide them with an opportunity to hear the Gospel and visually see what a changed life in Jesus looks like.

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[a] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:14

An unbelieving world would be denied an opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel if all believers everywhere decided to isolate themselves.

But just a word of caution – although we’re called to not abandon our interactions with unbelievers in the world, we need to be discerning to not put ourselves in positions where we may be tempted to go away from the Lord.

If we’re aware of situations and conversations with unbelievers which can put us in positions where we’ve have struggled in the past and are vulnerable, it would be wiser & better to avoid those situations for the sake of our faith.

We’re not being unloving to our friends by avoiding those gatherings but rather it’s the right thing to do out of our reverence and love to God (and that takes precedence over everything else).

In fact, what it might require us is to have an honest conversation with our unbelieving friends letting them know that we really value the friendship with them but as a result of our relationship with Jesus, we wouldn’t be able to participate in certain settings and situations as we once did. And who knows – God might use that as an opportunity to

witness to our unbelieving friends because they’ll be interested to know what brought about such a radical change in our lives so much so that we’re willing to give up on the things that we once enjoyed.

So it’s not superficial cleaning, neither is it external cleaning,

3. It is internal cleaning (v11-13)

11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church[b] whom you are to judge? 13 God judges[c] those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

It’s a call to perform internal cleaning within the church. In V11, Paul clarifies that the instruction to not associate with someone is in the context of the local church. He’s saying that “anyone who bears the name of the brother” – in other words he professes to be a believer, he claims to be a believer or has labelled himself as a follower of Christ AND if that person “is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler” – then we should disassociate ourselves from him and at the end of V11 “not even eat with him”.  

I know this seems quite harsh or extreme but let’s understand the context to this instruction. This instruction is concerning the person who committed sexual misconduct in the church and is continuing in persistent unrepentance.

It isn’t as though the man was ignorant or unaware of the gravity of his sin, he was quite aware and was still continuing in blatant defiance. And it’s only after exhausting all attempts of calling & persuading the man to repentance is when they arrived at the unfortunate extreme decision to excommunicate him.

Because what was at stake was what it was going to do to the rest of the church and also the church’s witness to a lost world. If the church continued tolerating and turning a blind eye to the sin, it would have caused other believers to wrongly assume that God doesn’t really have a high standard for purity and it’s okay for them to remain in sin and unrepentance. Purity is an occasional good to have, but blatant sinning is the norm.

Think about what they would have been communicating to the outside world? They would be communicating a message that they were just like the rest of the world with no motivation or desire to grow in purity. So excommunicating the man who did this wasn’t a random decision taken in the spur of the moment, it was something that was long drawn, painful and arrived after many attempts to persuade.

So there was a specific case in the church which was being addressed here but just before we pat ourselves in the back thinking that we’re not guilty of extreme sins like the one that is described in this chapter, I want us to take a look at the sins mentioned in V11, we can find a lot of culturally acceptable sins.

• Sexually immoral – God’s boundaries are too restrictive, all I want is to find a way to satisfy my desire right now
• Greed – I just have an insatiable desire for more gain and to accumulate more
• Idolater – I find my security and blessing in someone or something else apart from God
• Reviler – Since these people don’t meet my expectations and don’t do as I say, I’m going to tear them down
• Drunkard – I just want to let loose and lose control of myself over alcohol
• Swindler / extortioner – I’ll use force or threats to get what I want from them

What we realize is that this list is not talking about some extreme perverse individual on the other side of the globe, this is actually hitting quite close to home. If we’re being brutally honest, all of us would admit to struggling with some of these sins even right now in this season.

Does that mean that church needs to disassociate themselves from us? Am I going to be an outcast? I’m not even saying this to say add guilt and shame upon us, but to actually point us to the cross of Christ where we see how Jesus faced the weight of abandonment when our sins were placed upon Him.

‭2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV‬

[21] For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And because Jesus faced that for us, we don’t have to ever face that from the Father. We only have to face the acceptance and delight of the Father. And because that’s God’s inclination toward us, we know we can repent and turn back and that’s what we are called to do today.

Good morning church! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in our church.

And as we come before God’s Word this morning, let’s remember that our God wants to speak to us, He wants to meet us in the middle of our struggle & bring us comfort and hope.

As a church we’ve beengoing through this series titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place from the letter of 1^st Corinthians. A common theme that we’ve been seeing right through this letter is that the place in which God has chosen to dwell in – His choice residence is not in a building or religious place but it is actually among His redeemed people.

What we’ll be seeing today and over the next few Sundays is that if God has chosen us as His residence (dwelling place), then our pursuit of purity individually and together as a church needs to be of primary importance. Our pursuit of purity is not a secondary issue, but a core issue of who we are as a church. The topic will be specifically on sexual purity.

And I know even as this topic is introduced, I’m sure some of us are surprised to hear being spoken about in church. It’s like that awkward topic which parents don’t want to talk with their kids and kids don’t want to talk with their parents. Maybe some of us are even thinking, I should have probably stayed back at home this Sunday.

But here’s the thing, if the church doesn’t give us a biblical view of sex and what God intended from it, then all that we’re going to know about sex is what is thrown at us from the world – in the form of movies, books, social media which is often a broken view of sex and that’s why it’s going to be all the more important as a church to have this conversation keeping the Bible at the centre.

When we look at the issue that the church in Corinth had, it was that the lines were blurring between the world and the church. Unlike the other NT churches which were suffering for their faith, the Corinthian church had the opposite problem. Their problem was how to prevent themselves from being influenced by their  culture around them.

I believe that churches in big cities like Mumbai have a similar struggle – more than suffering for faith, it’s about how we prevent ourselves from being influenced by our culture. And so we’re glad that we have a passage like that from today to help us.

And what does our pursuit of purity look like in this culture?

1.We confront sin (v1-2)

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

In the Greek – the word used for “sexual immorality” is “porneia” – the same word from which we get the word “pornography”.

Porneia is a word used to describe a wide range of sexual activity outside the boundaries of marriage between a husband and wife. Every kind of sexual activity outside the boundaries of marriage between a husband and a wife is porneia or sexual immorality.

It includes:

1. Pre-marital sex – sex before marriage
2. Adultery – sex with someone else apart from your spouse
3. Pornography – watching material which arouses your lust
4. Homosexuality – sex with someone of the same gender
5. Beastiality – sex between humans and animals
6. Incest – sex between members of the same family

Any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage between a husband and a wife is considered as porneia or sexual immorality.

And for some of us might wonder – why is Paul making it so restrictive? Is he just imposing his traditional, conservative views on the Corinthians?

Paul is not imposing his own personal view, he’s actually lifting up God’s view and His original design for sex. Let’s remember that sex wasn’t a result of the fall. Sex was a wonderful gift given to Adam and Eve as a married couple. Look with me at Genesis 2:24

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

That phrase “one flesh” isn’t only referring to their spiritual oneness. It’s referring to their physical oneness as well. Marriage is consummated through the act of sex. Marriage is completed through the act of sex.

So Paul is lifting up God’s wonderful gift and design for sex given to a husband and wife in marriage. And on the other side – a distortion, a breaking down and a messing up of that gift and design is sexual immorality.

And that’s the result of the fall – all the events of Genesis 3 has now resulted in sex being distorted, damaged and covered in shame. But that’s not the way God intended it to be.

Coming to the issue in the Corinthian church in v1, Paul received an oral report of sexual immorality – of incest that was taking place in the church.

There was a man who was having a physical relationship with stepmother! And this was in public knowledge – everyone in the church was aware of this and they were okay with it.

And so, Paul is not only correcting the man who did it, he’s also correcting the church who were tolerating sexual immorality within. They were approving of it, they were okay with it.

Not only were they approving of it, in v2 we are told that they were arrogant about it. It was a badge of pride for them. They were probably defending and justifying the sin rather than mourning and grieving over it.

You can see how far away the church has gone from the truth, that they would not only approve the sin but also defend and justify it. Paul is actually calling out and confronting their sin – it’s not because he loves them any less – he’s doing this because he truly loves them.

How does that speak to our church context today? Even though the church needs be a people that is non-threatening, non-judgmental but still they are called to confront sin. Because the goal is not to create a sweet, all-inclusive community.The goal is pursuing purity because we are God’s dwelling place.

Now there’s a way in which that needs to be done – it needs to be done lovingly where you’re wanting the best for the person but you’re still confronting them.

2. We address sin (v3-5)

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.[a]

In v3-5, Paul is actually instructing the church to discipline the man who is in sexual immorality. And he’s basically asking the entire church to assemble together to discipline this man.

When we read this, it almost seems like a disconnected, distant CEO who is terminating an employee for breaching the office policy. But that’s not the case here because Paul wasn’t their CEO, he was their spiritual father in Christ. They came into the faith because he shared the Gospel with them. In all likelihood, Paul would have personally known this man as well. So even as Paul is instructing them to discipline him, Paul is deeply affected as well.

The other to notice is that the decision to discipline (although initiated by Paul) is one that is taken by the whole church. The whole church is responsible for taking this decision.

But what is this decision that they need to take? V5 – deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

I know as we are seeing this verse, it probably unsettles because we wonder what that verse means – handing over to Satan. But what this actually means is that this man should be put outside the safety and protection of the church.

What it’s telling us is that the church is actually a safety net that God has provided for our souls. But do we see the church as that? We think that we are better off by being less connected and committed.

But what does this Scripture say? The church is a safety net that God has given to help us fight the darts of Satan. Day in and day out as Satan keeps throwing those flaming darts of condemnation, guilt, confusion – God uses your local church to act as a safety net to protect your hearts from that. As we remind each other of the Gospel and who we are because of the Gospel, we are God’s safety net protecting each other from Satan.

So the instruction is to put this man out of the church. But look at the end of v5 – so that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord. This seems like a contradiction. I thought Paul just spoke about removing him, why is talking about saving him now on the last day?

It’s because church discipline isn’t the end goal. Restoration is. Restoring the brother back to the Lord. That’s why church discipline isn’t like terminating an employee in the corporate world. Out here, the goal is not to just remove people. The goal is actually to restore back people and excommunication is not the first resort but the absolute last resort.

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matt 18:15-18)

And I know as some of us are hearing this right now, we’re probably discouraged thinking “I know I struggle with sexual sin, does that warrant church discipline where I’ll be eventually removed from the church?”

This passage is specifically referring to unrepentant, defiant, rebellious sin. There are some habitual sins that we all struggle with which will probably take some time to overcome because of how deep rooted it is, but if you are aware of that sin, if you’re repentant of it and looking to turn away from it, then be assured that God is at work in your heart even though you might not see the immediate victory from it.

And what about those who have been put out of the church? Are they beyond repair? No, if fact in the very next letter we see how another man who was disciplined by the Corinthian church has shown true repentance and is incorporated back into the fellowship of the church.  

The goal is restoration. So we confront sin, we address sin and we finally

3.We renounce sin (v6-7)

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Suddenly we come to v6 and Paul is talking about a cooking analogy. He’s talking about how a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Some of us here who have done a little bit of baking probably get what Paul is saying. When we use leaven – either in the form of yeast or baking powder – all we need to do is add a small portion of it and that’s enough to make the flour rise.

And Paul is using this analogy of leaven to help us understand the influence of tolerating sin within the church. And what Paul is saying is that by tolerating and approving sin within the church, it can seriously contaminate and damage the church.

And then in v7, he tells the church to renounce sin – he tells them to cleanse themselves from the contamination of sin. He tells them “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump” – what does that mean? People from a Jewish background would have immediately understood it because the Jewish Passover was a very important festival for the Jews. And an important part of the Passover meal was eating unleavened bread. So what Jews would do is they’d go through a very thorough exercise of cleansing their homes from any form of leaven. Even if a hint was found, they would put it out of the house because they didn’t want it to contaminate the unleavened bread. So Paul is using this analogy to tell the church – “You need to cleanse yourselves, you need to set apart yourselves”.

And then he says something strange “as you really are unleavened”! He’s telling the Corinthian church that they are already the unleavened bread. They are already purified. They are already clean. They are not trying to become unleavened bread by renouncing the sin from within, they are already unleavened bread. Their renouncing of sin is a proof of them being unleavened. Of them being purified, set apart and cleansed. But how is that possible that they are already considered as pure?

….For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Jews understood what this meant because on the first Passover when the angel of death went all through Egypt killing the first born, it passed over those homes whose doorposts were painted with the blood of the lamb.

And that to prep us for the perfect lamb of God Jesus Christ who was to come. He lived the life you and I needed to live but couldn’t live and died the death we deserved. On account of His shed blood on the cross, God’s wrath passes over us and spares us and so for whoever trusts in Jesus, God looks at them and says “No payment pending, you are free and you are my child”.

And because that is who God has declared us to be in Christ, we are already unleavened bread. We are already pure. We are already set apart. So Paul is calling us to renounce our sin in line with the identity we’ve been gifted in Christ.

Even as I talk about sexual purity, I just want to acknowledge that this is not an easy topic to listen to specifically because of the guilt and shame that we experience regarding it. And adding to it the whole subject of church discipline sometimes can seem like a crushing weight.

But what I want to encourage you all to know is that the greatest crushing weight for our sin was already placed on the Lord Jesus to save us. He paid the price for you and me so that we don’t have to bear the weight ourselves.

After he died, he rose from the grave and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. He is right now interceding for you and me praying prayers so that we may be strengthened to pursue purity. And one day He will return back to take us home and on that day we will struggle with sexual sin no more.

So do not be discouraged my brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus is with you to help you pursue purity. He’s not left you to yourself and He’s granted you loving brothers and sisters to help you confront sin, address sin and also renounce sin!

When I was thinking about First Corinthians and all the problems Paul was addressing, I again thought to myself how messed up this church was. What we’ve heard so far is not the worst of their problems. In fact, if you read from chapter 5 onwards, things are worse. The things that were happening in this church and the things they were tolerating will make you cringe.

Yet God loved these people. God was not giving up with them. In the first chapter of this letter, in verse 8 it says that Jesus will sustain them to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so it is with you, brothers and sisters. I don’t have to tell you how messed up you are, or how broken you are. You already know. Yet God is not giving up on you. Verse 9 in first Corinthians says that God is faithful and He is even today.

This sermon and every sermon we preach is a message of redemption. It’s meant not to condemn but to invite you to throw yourselves once again into the arms of the Lord Jesus.

No one’s sin does God condone. But He cleared your debt by making Jesus pay. Now that Jesus is risen, it’s all good. Because you can be sure of God’s faithfulness to you, you can with assurance hope in the promises of God and you can look forward to the day when Jesus will return. For those who haven’t believed he invites you to turn away from your sin and turn to Him.

Introduction

Our passage brings us to an end of Paul’s explanation of how he and his fellow workers have to be viewed. When you read verse 9 again, Paul is adopting a sarcastic tone with the Corinthians. He’s essentially wanting them to see how pride has clouded their vision on how they view themselves. But the reality is different. They are actually not as great as they think they are. Just because they follow a certain leader doesn’t make them great, just because they were part of a group that listened to Paul or Cephas didn’t boost their reputation. The reality is that ministers like Paul were considered as scum of the world. In fact, believers in Christ are all considered weak and weird because of where they stand. You say no I’ll not watch this or I won’t talk in a certain way or I willingly give up my Sundays to be in a place called church. The reality is that Christian life and serving the Lord is tough.

The previous two Sunday, Jinson and Saju gave us a Biblical view of ministry. Today I believe the passage is leading me to talk about Real Biblical Ministry.

What does it look like? 

1. Real Biblical Ministry is not Glamourous (v9-13)

Paul used a lot of sarcasm when talking to the Corinthians but he wasn’t joking when he wrote that he and the other apostles were a spectacle to the world, poor, homeless, working hard to support themselves financially, fools for the sake of Christ, etc.

This was all true. Paul probably got beaten up more than the other apostles ever did at least from what we read. This is what ministry looked like for him. This is in stark contrast to how the Corinthian believers were behaving. Creates separate groups amongst themselves, failing to the pressures of the times, and all the other problems that existed in there.

I’m not sure what you all think about ministry, or if you think it makes you famous or cool. Maybe some of you think that being up front preaching or leading the singing is something glamorous, it really isn’t. For those of us who do it regularly we know it isn’t. It’s hard work yes but it’s just ordinary stuff. Everything we do is ordinary. Many of you sitting here serve in different capacities and you know that it’s ordinary. Paul’s ministry certainly did not have any glamour in it. And is ministry restricted to the pastors? No, you’are all called to serve in whatever way that God has for you.

So what’s the point of this? Real biblical ministry is not glamorous because God works through such unglamourous methods. That’s the truth. In verse 9 Paul says “For I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all”. One commentary I read highlighted Paul saying that is was God who chose to exhibit the apostles as last of all. God did it. And to what end? What would God achieve through such weakness and foolishness? He would show His power. Yes, real biblical ministry is not glamorous but through this lack of glamour God works.

That has a direct application for you and me, friends. You are serving maybe almost every week in some capacity. Some of you are doing it for months and even for many years. It feels so ordinary. It seems like nothing is happening. But God is working through this, like He did through Paul. You may think that this church, our Gathering church can function without you, you may think what am I, I’m serving in this small way but no, God is working through if for your good and His glory. Your faithfulness is a display of God’s glory, your commitment is a display of God’s glory, your earnestness to serve is a display of God’s glory. Continue on. Push on. Serve in whatever way God has called you to. It may be ordinary but that’s because real biblical ministry is not glamorous.

2. Real Biblical Ministry bears the burden of correction (v14-17)

The point of Paul’s sarcasm was not to put down the Corinthians, it wasn’t to demean them or simply make them feel guilty.

His end goal was to “admonish” them. A commentary online defined admonishing as “to provide reasoning to a person to turn his or her direction to God. It means appealing to the mind by providing correct doctrine so that a person can change his or her conduct.

Paul wanted to correct them. And it cost him to do this always. He wrote letters but he was constantly worried about them. He would even part ways from his beloved brother Timothy in order to correct others.

He calls himself as a father to these Corinthian believers. He goes so far to say imitate him. Paul doesn’t think highly of himself, there are many passages that attest that not least when we calls himself the foremost of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15.

The real work of biblical ministry is bearing the burden of correcting and admonishing one another. It’s not easy. The easy thing is to cop out. I’m not saying it’s easy for two reasons, one things such conversations can be messy, the other person will be unwilling to listen to, might rebel, might accuse you of stuff and make you feel guilty, and moreover, you need to see how a sinful person like can go and tell the other person if he or she is wrong.

But it’s important part of Christian life. Now I’m also not saying start correcting each other without taking due consideration. What to say, how to say it, when to say it should all be considered. And it should be done prayerfully. Is a brother or sister in your life consistently walking in disobedience? Are you noticing the fire of his or her faith cooling? Then maybe you need to bear this burden of admonishing and speak to them to bring that person to God.

Yes, I’m calling it a burden but it’s a good burden to bear. It’s heroic to bear burdens. It’s heroic to sacrifice. James 5:19-20 says “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” You want to be a hero? Admonish your wandering fellow believer and return him to the truth. 

And the last point is

3. Real biblical ministry has transformative power (v18-21)

Paul says in v20 “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power”. What does this mean? Paul was talking about some people among the Corinthian believers who spoke a lot but did not walk the talk. Their life did not match what they spoke. If you remember earlier sermons on 1 Corinthians, the people of Corinth lived in a culture where philosophy, debating, wisdom from debaters, etc. were prized. The culture influenced the Corinthian believers so much that there were some who considered themselves wise because they could speak well and used to bad mouth Paul because he came to them in weakness.

Paul is saying that such people will be judged not by how well they talk but by the effect their words are producing. Because the kingdom of God is not just talk but it’s about a transformative power that changes dead unspiritual people to those who are alive to God and care about the things of God.

In effect he’s saying, real biblical ministry produces such transformative power. And that should be how we measure our effectiveness too. This has a direct bearing on the preaching. Is our preaching  producing change by the power of the Holy Spirit? What about our Bible studies in our GCs or DNA groups. What about the spiritual conversations we have? 

Conclusion

I want to end by saying real biblical ministry is only possible by the power of Christ. You’ll only desire to be real through your faith in Christ. Apart from Christ you can do nothing. Also, only a real faith in Christ gives meaning to everything that I just said. Why would you want to do the unglamourous work of ministry if you didn’t have Jesus who also did the same? Why would you want to bear the burden of correction if you didn’t have Jesus who did the same for you? Why would you care about transformative power if you didn’t see Jesus work similarly in your life? Real biblical begins by putting your faith in the Lord Jesus and turning away from sin. And real biblical ministry is sustained by your ongoing walk with the Lord. If any of you have not put your faith in Christ then today is the day to do it. You’re listening to this sermon because God wants you here and He’s inviting you to leave your slavery to sin and become a slave of Christ. Not just a slave but a friend and beloved son and daughter of the Most High God.

Good morning everyone! A warm welcome to all who have joined us this morning at the hall and online as well. As we sit under the preaching of God’s Word this morning, I want to remind us of this verse from Hebrews 4:12 which tells us about the significance of what’s taking place as we open up God’s Word:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It’s not a pep talk. It’s not best practices on how to live your life. This is the living and active word of God whose purpose is to reveal the intentions of our hearts.

So with that in mind, we will continue in our series from 1^st Corinthians titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place. And we’ve already seen this theme play out – God’s chosen residence is not a building or a temple or a religious place.

God’s chosen residence is among those He redeemed in Christ – the church. God takes great pleasure in declaring that His residence is in His people and not in a building.

And today we’ve arrived at Chapter 4. But before we move ahead, let’s pray and ask God to prepare our hearts to receive His word.

I’d like to start our time today by asking an open-ended question. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. The question is this “If Instagram was the only window available for the world into the church, how would the world describe the job of a pastor? If your non-church going friends were to only look at Instagram (think about all the top church handles), how would they describe the role of a pastor to you?”

They’d probably say strong communicator, motivational speaker, magnetic personality, good looking, well dressed, phenomenal leader & even influencer. I remember someone from one of my previous churches telling me that the main job of the pastor was of administration.

So it’s not just people on the outside, but sometimes even the people within the church are not particularly clear on what the role of a pastor is.

And that’s why passages like the one we’re studying today is apt because it clarifies for us on what is a biblical view of ministry. It’s not adapted from culture. It’s not coming out of human experience. It’s God’s view and expectation from Christian ministry.  

But some of us may wonder “why is it important for me to have a biblical view of ministry because I’m not called to be a pastor?”

Well, firstly it’s important to have a biblical view of ministry because it’ll help us discern and speak up when leaders stray from their pastoral calling.

Secondly, it’s important to have a biblical view of ministry so that we can offer the right kind of support needed for pastors and ministers to be able to do what God has called them to. That’s why it’s so critical for the whole church to have a biblical view of ministry.

So how does this passage break this down for us. 3 things:

1. Humble Role of ministry (v1-2)

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 

Just a little bit of context to help us understand this passage – The Corinthian church was a divided church at that time. Members in their church had formed certain fan clubs based on the leaders that they associated themselves with (be it with Paul, Apollos or Peter).

And these fan clubs ended up warring against each other – they engaged in a bitter fight over a long period of time. It became evident that they were more concerned about their loyalty to their leaders than their loyalty to Jesus Christ.

And Paul is basically telling them that they are getting it all wrong. They were merely servants who were assigned to help the Corinthian church be loyal to Christ. They were not meant to distract them from their loyalty to Jesus Christ. That’s the background to this passage and then in chapter 4 v1 & 2 he describes what is their actual role in ministry – what is their job description which was handed to them.

Look at the words used to describe his role and position. Firstly “servants” – this is an interesting word because it’s translated as “under-rower on a ship”. In those days, large ships would have a bunch of under-rowers whose job was to keep rowing to keep the ship moving.

This wasn’t an honourable job and involved hard physical labour. On top of that, the word “under-rower” obviously indicates that they are not the ones in command. Somebody else is – the captain on the ship.

And so when Paul uses this word to describe himself, he’s referring to hard labour, no honour and someone under the authority of Jesus Christ.

But not only does he use servants of Christ, he also refers to himself as a “steward(s) of the mysteries of God”.  Again, an interesting but intentional choice of words.

He’s saying that he’s a steward not an owner. The owner owns everything but the steward has a specific job to manage the owner’s resources in such a way that it profits the owner.

He’s a manager on behalf of the owner – he’s a steward on behalf owner. But what is he stewarding?

Mysteries of God! When we usually use the term “mystery”, we refer to things that can’t be understood or explained but that’s not what it means in the Bible.

Whenever the Bible uses the term “mystery”, it’s referring to hidden truths of God which are now being revealed to the church. Paul is saying that he’s been called by God to steward the preaching of the Gospel & other spiritual truths which were hidden in the past but is now being revealed to the church.

V2 adds some more flavour to this job description. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. The word faithful means someone who is reliable & trustworthy.

Paul is saying that the owner (Lord Jesus Christ) has entrusted His possessions (the precious Gospel and other spiritual truths) to him so that he can manage it on Christ’s behalf. So that involves a great amount of trust, wouldn’t you agree? There is a weight of responsibility because you’re looking after something that belongs to someone else.

And it’s telling us that not only does the steward need to be competent and skilled in managing, but also he needs to be trustworthy and reliable. In some ways, you could say that trustworthiness and reliability of the steward’s character is more important than how skilled or competent he is as a manager.

So it’s clear that Paul saw his ministry as one which was entrusted to him by Jesus Christ but also one where he longs to be found and seen as a trustworthy and reliable steward. And he’s telling the Corinthian church that this is how they need to regard him and Apollos as – simply “servants” and “stewards”.

And when we read this and compare it with the church culture today, it seems like something that’s worlds apart.

The definition of a pastor is no longer a role fulfilled by certain people in the church, it’s a fully-fledged title! The number of pre-fixes that are attached to pastor just keep increasing. I understand that in bigger churches, having these pre-fixes helps them explain their structure to people but I think it’s helpful for all churches (including ours) to frequently examine ourselves if we view “pastor” as a role or has now been converted into a title – a symbol of prestige?

Biblically speaking, it’s the role of a servant and steward – hard labour, no honour, under the authority of Jesus who have been entrusted with the Gospel and spiritual truths. There is a weight of responsibility when we realize that Jesus is entrusting us with something so important.

It’s a humble role of ministry but not just that, there’s

2. Great Accountability in ministry (v3-5a)

³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. 

When we look at the previous chapters, it seems that there was a certain section among the Corinthian church (probably part of the other fan clubs) who were passing snap judgments on Paul’s ministry specifically his oratory and speaking skills – They probably felt like he lacked eloquence compared to the other leaders.

And also they looked down on the way he went about his ministry – which was in weakness and trembling. They were expecting a charismatic, dominating leader and felt like he wasn’t right up there.

And in response, Paul is trying to say that he’s not looking to any church, human court or even himself to validate his faithfulness in ministry. People’s opinions or judgments of his ministry is not the benchmark that he uses.

But at the same time he’s not using it as an excuse to avoid accountability. Because if that were the case, he wouldn’t be saying these things to Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:16 ESV‬

 [16] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

And then later on in 1 Tim 5, he talks about disciplining wayward church pastors:

 ¹⁹ Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁰ As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

So there’s clearly accountability for all ministers and pastors. So then what was Paul meaning here? V4 answers that for us.

⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me

He’s not absolving himself from accountability but actually pointing to a greater level accountability because the one who is going to take stock of his faithfulness is not mere man but God Himself. It is the Lord who will ultimately judge his ministry and that’s what matters in the end.

So interesting that Paul uses court language throughout this passage. He uses that to indicate that God is the ultimate Judge. Unlike human judgments which are tainted by sin and superficial, God’s judgments are accurate and go as deep as the intentions of our hearts. Look at v5:

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. 

At the second coming of Jesus Christ, He will not only judge our public ministry, but also reveal the acts or deeds done in private. Not just private deeds but as the ultimate Judge, God will also reveal the hidden intentions of the heart. So it’s going to be a thorough, comprehensive diagnostic report of our ministry not just a quick scan of ministry

And when we read it in this way, it is a sobering truth to realize that the God who is the ultimate Righteous Judge will actually judge the quality of our Christian ministry.

It’s not the number of Instagram followers, it’s not the number of likes and engagements on our handles, it’s not the number of people who turn up at our services, it’s not the applauses and praises we receive from people.

It’s God who is the ultimate Judge. He will examine and judge the faithfulness and quality of our ministry. And look who is saying all this. This is Paul after all – despite all of his credentials and accomplishments as a church planter, Paul was humbled in the way he saw his ministry because he knew who He was accountable to and who was going to judge his ministry in the end.

It’s like the steward of a house who is being told how great a job he is doing by the people on the outside the house and he’ll simply say “yeah, that’s all okay but what matters is what my owner thinks about the quality of work”.

It’s not just the humble role of ministry and great accountability in ministry but also there is an

3. Eventual Reward for faithful ministry (v5b)

Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Paul makes it clear that it’s not just doom and gloom for people in ministry. For those who have been faithful in ministry, they have a reward to look forward to. And that reward is the commendation from God – praise from God!

This is convicting and encouraging for me – because I know my heart and how I gravitate towards seeking approval and praises from people when it comes to ministry. And this passage encourages me to not settle for the cheap momentary thrills from the approval of man. Rather it tells of the most glorious appreciation and reward for faithful ministry which will come from God Himself and that’s what I need to long and look forward to.

The fact is that most pastors or people in Christian ministry won’t be recognized in their lifetime. It’s just a fraction who will end up being influential church planters, pastors and authors. In all likelihood, most of them will end up having an insignificant ministry in the eyes of the world and this passage says that’s okay.

Because what awaits them after a lifetime of faithfully serving and stewarding their calling is the greatest ever recognition and reward – praise from God Himself.

Finally, what are take always for us as a church today:

• Firstly – what we shouldn’t do? We shouldn’t make celebrities or heroes out of pastors or people in ministry. In reality it puts a burden on them which they aren’t able to carry. Pastors can’t be your Savior. Pastors can’t replace Jesus. It makes them susceptible to thinking more of themselves than they need to and on the other hand, it isolates them to pretend and live up to the identity that has been created for them.
• What we truly need and ask you to do? Pray for your pastors.
  • Pray that we would understanding our calling and faithfully minister.
  • Pray that the motivations of our hearts are guarded and protected.
  • Pray that we’re strengthened in times of discouragement knowing that one day we will receive the appreciation and commendation from God.

Before I begin, I’d like to just encourage and remind us all that it’s not just our Sunday morning routine that landed us here this morning.

I really believe that God wants to meet with us and minister to us individually and corporately through our time today. There is a God ordained purpose attached to our gathering this morning, and that’s why I want all of us to prayerfully seek God and ask Him to reveal what He wants to speak to us today.

And so with that we turn to our text this morning. As a Church we’re going through a book series from 1st Corinthians titled The Church: God’s Dwelling Place for the last few months.

And after three months, we arrive at the first direct mention of our theme or title in today’s passage. Unexpectedly it comes in the form of an intense warning and not a happy go lucky message.

Most of us who watched the first ever Spiderman movie will remember this iconic line where uncle Ben tells his nephew Peter Parker these words that will change his life forever. “With great power comes great responsibility”. Such a powerful moment in the movie, but when you think about it – it’s a very true statement that applies to many other applications of life.

We all would unanimously agree that the greater the level of privilege, the greater the level of responsibility. This is true at home, work, in the church, at school, in government…everywhere.

And when we read today’s passage, Paul is writing a similar thing to the Corinthian church. He’s reminding them that by being the church, they are showered with such a great privilege.

But at the same time, there is a great responsibility on them which they shouldn’t forget. It’s almost as though he’s telling the church “With great privilege comes great responsibility”. It’s not a small or trivial matter to be part of God’s Church. It is a big deal and it is also a responsibility – but a joyful responsibility. So how does he remind them about the great privilege and responsibility of the Church:

1. By reminding us of our identity (v16)

[16]  Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Just to remind us of the context. In the previous verses, Paul has been using illustrations of babies, plants and buildings to explain the topic of spiritual growth to a church that is struggling with splits, divisions and factions.

The church was caught up in a major fan club war – where the fan clubs of Paul and Apollos and Peter were at loggerheads against each other. Using all these illustrations he was trying to tell the Corinthian church that they weren’t as mature or as healthy as they assumed they were.

Couple of weeks back in the passage that we read, Paul carried forward that analogy on buildings by challenging the church to think about what “materials” were they using to build the church? Were they using cheap material or strong, expensive material? Now we know he’s not talking about physical material for a physical structure. He’s asking them to think about the spiritual material they are using to build the church.

Today’s passage is connected to that one because in today’s passage Paul reveals that the building structure they are cooperating in building is God’s Temple!!

[16]  Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Because I saw the mention of God’s Temple in here, I decided to check out what it was like to build the Temple in biblical times because that will help us understand the weight of this verse.

So I turned to 1 Kings 6 and I was surprised to see that most of the chapter is dedicated to detailing construction details like measurements and materials used for building. My first response to that was to overlook those verses and get to the main part.

But then I understood that all these construction details were mentioned to let us know how much love, reverence and value was attached to building God’s Temple. It wasn’t an ordinary building structure, it was going to be the dwelling place for God among His people.

But here’s the thing – God would dwell among His people with restricted access. The Temple would have a restricted area called Holy of Holies separated by a huge curtain where the High Priest could enter only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

2000 years ago, on that first Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross, that separating curtain tore apart. Why was that? To show that because the entire punishment was borne by Jesus, there was no longer any barrier between us and God. We will have unlimited, direct access to God.

How was that going to happen? When the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us when we believe in the Gospel. The moment we believe in the Gospel, God Spirit comes and dwells within us affirming and declaring that we are indeed God’s Temple!

Now in the light of this great privilege and blessing, the application question is what kind of “material” are you and I going to use for God’s Temple? Cheap spiritual material or costly, strong material? What kind of material are we going to use which displays our love, reverence and value for God’s Temple and dwelling place?

[16]  Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Paul is using this question to remind the church of their identity – who they are in Jesus Christ. They are indeed God’s Temple!

But not only does He remind us of our identity, but He

2. By reminding us of our purpose (v17)

1 Corinthians 3:17 ESV‬

[17] If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

When we see this verse, I’m sure this unsettles us. Because it seems like a stern, direct warning to anyone who intends to destroy the church.

And here’s the thing – this warning is issued not to people outside the church, but for those within the church. And so it makes us wonder – why is Paul issuing such an extreme warning?

The answer is given in the same verse. It says “For God’s Temple is Holy”. That word “Holy” actually is translated as “dedicated and set apart to be used by God”. The Temple of God is dedicated and set apart for God’s use and purpose only. It’s not a multi-purpose facility. It’s not a clubhouse. It’s not a banquet hall. All these places can be used for different purposes but not the Temple in the OT.

Now let’s translate that to the NT where God dwells in His church – among His own people (not a building).

This verse basically tells us that we need to keep ourselves Holy because all those whom Jesus redeemed and ransomed through His blood, are now dedicated and set apart to be used by God. We are not a multi-purpose facility. We are dedicated and set apart to be used by God. And those places which God has set apart for Himself, He takes that very seriously.

That is precisely why Jesus got so angry when He saw the Temple of God being converted into a makeshift market. When Jesus saw buying and selling happening in the Temple, the Bible says that He overturned the tables and the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

And he said “My house shall be called a house of prayer but you make it a den of robbers”. Jesus couldn’t stand the fact that the place which was dedicated and set apart for God was being used for some other purpose. It’s not that Jesus was against people doing business, but what they did in the Temple displayed their lack of love, reverence and value for God and He couldn’t take that.

Now if we try and apply that to ourselves – if we had to assess our lives right now, what would we describe it as? Dedicated and set apart to be used by God or a multi-purpose facility? What are those specific areas in our lives publicly or privately where we are not using it to be used by God? Let’s remember that when we don’t use our lives for God, it actually demonstrates our lack of love, reverence and value for God. And that’s the core issue. And that’s why such a stern warning here.

But I hope you can see the grace in a stern warning as well. Sometimes grace is expressed through encouragement, but other times grace is also expressed through a serious warning. Wouldn’t you and I give a warning to a loved one when we see them walking into danger? Yes, all to be done lovingly but let’s also embrace the fact that grace comes through warnings too! The goal is not to threaten the church but to bring them to repentance which is the next point.

Not only are we reminded of our identity and our purpose, we are also

3. Reminding us of our calling to immediately respond to sin (v18-23)

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 ESV‬
[18] Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. [19] For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” [20] and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” [21] So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, [22] whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, [23] and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Our calling is to immediately respond to our sin!

And the first reason to immediately respond to their sin is because they are being deceived.

V18 starts by saying “Let no one deceive himself”. The Corinthian church were being deceived. By whom? Their own sin. That’s one of the main problems with sin. It deceives us into thinking that’s simply not true. It makes us believe that there’s nothing wrong with us. There’s nothing wrong with our faith. Everything is alright.

It deceives us into thinking that others have a bigger sin problem than us – they are the ones who need to repent, not me. And so Paul says “Don’t deceive yourself. Don’t assume that everything is fine with your faith. Don’t assume that others have a bigger sin problem than you. Don’t assume that you are already spiritually mature and healthy. Do a reality check! ”.

And the second reason they need to respond immediately is because they are spiritually prideful.

V18 says “if anyone thinks he is wise in this age…” Thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to. We’ve arrived, we’ve attained spiritual maturity, we’re more superior compared to others in the faith.

The third reason they need to respond immediately is because they are actually foolish in the eyes of God.

V19-20: For the wisdom of this world is folly with God

Paul is telling them that they think they are wise but in reality they are foolish. They think they have the wisdom of God, but instead they are operating out of the wisdom of the world.

Just to clarify he’s not referring to knowledge on science, business or technology. He’s not saying that it’s wrong to study or acquire knowledge in these fields.

What he’s referring to as wisdom of the world are thoughts, words and actions which are rooted in selfishness and pride. V19 refers to thoughts, words and actions which operate out of cunningness and craftiness. V20 refers to thoughts, words and actions which make us think about ourselves more superior and greater than we need to.

In fact the book of James clarifies what is meant by wisdom of God and wisdom of the world.

‭James 3:13-17 ESV‬
[13] Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. [14] But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. [15] This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. [16] For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. [17] But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Which means that I might be a super smart, intelligent and competent person but if my thoughts, words and actions are rooted in selfishness and pride, then I’m actually operating out of the wisdom of the world and foolish in the sight of God. Which is why sometimes it becomes unbearable to listen to someone who keeps praising himself. Irrespective of how accomplished and smart the person might be, we understand how foolish and immature that person is if all he can see is himself.

So there’s deception, spiritual pride and foolishness – and this is all seen among believers – we are not talking about unbelievers. So what’s the call to action? What is the immediate, urgent response to sin?

V18. “let him become a fool to become wise”. What does that mean? It means to humble himself before God. It means we have to get off our high horse and approach God with humility admitting that there are quite a few areas in our lives which are still not being dedicated and set apart to be used by God. They are still being used for sinful purposes.

We need to humble ourselves and repent. But here this out: God is not calling us to humility and repentance by threatening us with severe consequences. Sometimes we imagine God to tackle this like a HR issue – “You better mend your ways or you’ll be terminated from a relationship with me”. That’s not how God is approaching us here. God is calling us to humility and repentance by assuring us of our permanent relationship with Christ. Look with me at v23

and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s

We belong to Christ. We have a permanent, covenant relationship with Him and nothing in the world will change that. So there’s this safety in our relationship for us to humble ourselves and repent. That’s one of the most beautiful and unique truths of the Christian faith – that our relationship with Jesus Christ is secure on account of His death and resurrection. And that’s the best soil for us to humble ourselves and repent. Wouldn’t you want to humble yourself and repent in front of a Savior who is not warning you to put you on notice but warning you so that you repent?

Church, God’s Word today is telling us that we have a great privilege and a great responsibility. With great privilege, comes great responsibility. It’s not a trivial or light matter to be God’s Temple and so we need to be frequently and daily reminded of

• our identity as God’s Temple
• our purpose to be dedicated and set apart for God’s use only
• our calling to immediately respond to our sin by humility repentance not because God has put us on PIP but because He’s already given us a permanent secure relationship and He wants us change our ways and become more and more like Jesus.