The Necessity of Church Discipline – The Purpose & Sphere, 5/24/26

Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old

leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness,

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and

truth. I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep

company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly

did not mean with the sexually immoral people

of the world, or with the covetous, or extortioners,

or idolaters, since then you would need to go

out of the world. But now... I have written to

you not to keep company with anyone named a brother

who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater

or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner,

not even to eat with such a person. For what

have I to do with judging those also who are

outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

But those who are outside, God judges. Put away

from yourselves the evil person. The necessity

of church discipline. Let us bow before the Lord

and ask for His blessing on this. Father, we

come to this passage today and truly this is

a passage, Lord, that is moving and stirring.

It is also, Lord, one that is sobering. And so

as we read it today, let us be filled with the

Spirit in our understanding of it. that we might

apply it properly. And through it all, Lord,

I pray that you would put a zealous desire in

each one of us to walk with you and to be faithful.

We pray, Lord, for the anointing and the power

of the Holy Spirit on each one of us, Lord, that

we might understand your word and that we might

have the power to live it out and to be faithful.

Lord, we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. As I

have already mentioned, today is the celebration

of the day of Pentecost, the time in history

after the ascension of Christ, when the Holy

Spirit was sent in power to the 120 disciples

in the upper room in Jerusalem. Now this had

been prophesied in the book of Joel and alluded

to also in other Old Testament scriptures. And

thus the promise of Jesus was fulfilled. As he

told them, you shall receive power when the Holy

Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses

to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and

to the end of the earth. Acts 1 and verse 8.

We continue today to enjoy the blessings of the

Holy Spirit in Christ's church, as has the church

throughout the ages since the day of Pentecost.

Now, Jesus said in John chapter 16, verse 8 and

John 16:8

9, that when the Spirit would come, that is the

helper, he will convict the world of sin. and

of righteousness and of judgment again in john

John 16:13

16 verse 13 and 14 he says however when he the

spirit of truth has come he will guide you into

all truth for he will not speak on his own authority

but whatever he hears he will speak and he will

tell you things to come he will glorify me for

he will take of what is mine and declare it to

you We are inheritors of these great promises

and of the apostles' doctrine. When as they heard

the word of God and was revealed to them, they

then wrote it down that we have the complete

canon of scripture today. We are inheritors of

these promises. We experience the work of the

Holy Spirit. On an ongoing basis. But we also

see more of the work of the Holy Spirit. As the

apostles Paul and Peter describe it. 1st Paul

in Titus chapter 3 verse 4 and 5. But when the

Titus 3:4

kindness and the love of God our Savior toward

man appeared. Not by works of righteousness which

we have done. But according to his mercy he saved

us. How? Through the washing of regeneration

and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Peter writes

to the elect among the dispersed that they are

elect according to the foreknowledge of God the

Father in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience

and sprinkling of the blood of Christ. 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:2

1 verse 2. And perhaps most importantly given

the context of the Corinthian church, Paul describes

their former state. in living in unrighteousness

and abundance of sin. And he says in chapter

6, verse 11 of 1 Corinthians, And such were some

of you, but you are washed, but you were sanctified,

but you were justified in the name of the Lord

Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. By these

scriptures, we see the importance of the work

of the third person of the Holy Trinity. That

is the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of

sin and of righteousness and of judgment. And

he is also a great helper to the people of God

in freeing them from the bondages of sin. In

each of these, notice the aspects of cleansing

and sanctification. When the Holy Spirit comes,

He reveals sin and corruption and filthiness

and wickedness, and He brings deliverance from

their ongoing power over Christian believers.

But, as we saw two weeks ago, the church at Corinth

was grieving the Spirit of God. They were lazy

and careless in dealing with habitual and ongoing

sin in the life of the church. First of all,

in their own pride and contentions and divisions

and reliance on human wisdom, but also in the

toleration and acceptance of sexual immorality

and incest within the church body. As one of

the members of the congregation had His father's

wife. In that sermon, I outlined the procedure

that is given in verses 4 and 5. That is for

his own good. And with the design and hope of

restoration and salvation, this person was to

be handed over. He was to be delivered to Satan

for the destruction of the flesh. so that his

spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord

Jesus. We also reviewed Jesus' instructions in

Matthew 18, as well as other scriptures. This

is a procedure that is called, or that we call,

excommunication. The removal of a person from

the body of believers and a withholding from

the Lord's table and from Christian fellowship.

In the passage today, we will see that Paul gives

this procedure not only, though, for the sake

of the individual and a hopeful restoration,

but also for the sake of the congregation. For

the sake of the congregation. When open sin of

this nature is tolerated and accepted within

the church, within the body of Christ, there

are very bad effects. It contaminates. In this

passage, Paul instructs them as to why this is

a problem and how this affects the church. In

verses 6 -8, he then calls for separation from

immoral and unfaithful believers. In verses 9

-11, and then he shows the scope and the sphere

of this severe mercy. Calling for judgment to

be made within the church in verse 12 and 13.

We plan to look and cover all of these today.

The first point is when toleration is not a virtue.

Verses 6 through 8. He says your glorying is

not good. Do you not know that a little leaven

leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the

old leaven that you may be a new lump since you

are truly unleavened. For indeed Christ our Passover

was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep

the feast not with old leaven nor with the leaven

of malice and wickedness. but with the unleavened

bread of sincerity and truth. He begins with

your glorying is not good. Earlier he said that

they should have been mourning in light of this

fact. But instead of mourning over the sin, they

were glorying and boasting in their current condition.

As though they were a healthy and a strong church.

One that was eminent in purity and piety. They

thought their tolerance of this was glorifying

to Christ and was a mark of their superiority.

And in their pride and in their self -conceit,

they failed to consider the basic facts of sin

and evil and how this toleration affected the

body of Christ. Not only the individual, but

the body of believers. This was not a virtue,

but it was rather a self -replicating virus and

it would infect the whole body. This was a need

for a surgical operation and not a celebration.

Now Paul illustrates this with the example of

leaven. Now often we use the word leaven, we

think that just means yeast, but leaven actually

carries with it more the idea of fermentation.

fermentation so by leaving this this leaven in

there it would ferment it would spread to others

and in that sense it's also like yeast it you

know it spreads throughout the whole loaf as

yeast also does But we also think of maybe sourdough

bread, which is probably a little bit more close

to the direct meaning here, where you take a

small bit from the prior loaf and you put it

in, and then that same fermentation process takes

place throughout the whole new loaf. And so also

did this. And so Paul says, don't you know that

a little leaven leavens the whole lump? In those

days, they of course did not use granulated yeast

to make bread, but they took some of the old

dough, put it in the new batch, which contained

the leaven that would then go through the whole

lump of dough. The acceptance and the toleration

of sexual sin and the other sins listed in verse

11 do not remain simply in the life of the individual.

This is the point that Paul is going to drive

home strongly in this passage. They have a corporate

effect of defiling the body. They corrupt others.

Sexually immoral conduct involves others. Covetousness

leads to greed and theft and adultery and many

other sins. Idolatry brings false worship into

the body and others are led to that false worship.

And besides, idolatry nearly always involves

sexual immorality. reviling denigrates other

believers and brings disunity into the body creating

unrest and disarray and contention drunkenness

is a loss of self -control leading to many other

sins again often including sexual immorality

extortion includes greed and theft harming others

through the actions all of these sins do not

just affect you as a person but it brings harm

to others. This is the power of corruption and

infection left unchecked. Therefore, the apostle

gives a strong command and an imperative. Because

a little leaven leavens the whole lump, he says,

therefore, kind of in all capitals, purge out

the old leaven. This is portrayed in the feast

of the Passover in which all leaven was to be

removed. from their living quarters. Exodus 12

Exodus 12:15

verse 15. Seven days you shall eat unleavened

bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven

from your houses for whoever eats leavened bread

from that day until the seventh day that person

shall be cut off from Israel. For seven days

no leaven shall be found in your houses since

whoever eats what is leavened the same person

shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel

whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.

Exodus. 12 verse 15 and 19 paul continues in

Exodus 12:15

the same metaphor he says there to be a new lump

of dough or a new lump he says which we think

of the lump of dough since they truly are unleavened

and so in this despite their toleration of the

sin positionally in christ they are still unleavened

now they're toying around with this leaven but

he says you still are unleavened or you truly

are unleavened and so in christ they're bound

by their christian profession to be unleavened

and pure and as their profession implies and

upholds this he calls them to live it out it

is not enough to profess it with their mouth

and emphasizing the gospel of jesus that attests

to this and makes it happen paul continues he

says for indeed christ our passover was sacrificed

for us again showing that christ is the way of

salvation and when there is sin we cannot just

be free of its of its uh of the mess that it

makes and of its contamination by just trying

to stop the sin but we need the atonement of

christ and so he points out to them christ is

our passover and he was sacrificed So if Christ

has atoned for our sins and he has made us free

from sin, then Christian churches should be pure

and holy and not bear with such corrupt and scandalous

members. That is what he is driving at so strongly

in this passage. This means then, of course,

that we individually must also purge ourselves

from such impurity of heart and life. Let it

not once be named among us. Paul exhorts the

Ephesian church, but rather he says fornication,

all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even

be named among you as is fitting for saints.

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor

coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather

giving of thanks. For this you know, that no

fornicator unclean person nor covetous man who

is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom

of christ and of god very similar in the wording

here in the phrasing ephesians 5 and this so

this new love that is the new people of god they

are to keep the feast with the unleavened bread

he says of sincerity and truth and not with the

old leaven of malice and wickedness malice and

wickedness include ill will with a desire to

injure but also evil purposes and wickedness

that is depravity that is not ashamed to break

god's law this includes an evil habit of the

mind he says we are to keep the feast we're to

do so this is in In verse 8, Therefore let us

keep the feast, not with the old leaven, not

with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but

with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

So what does it mean to keep the feast? What

is he referring to? There are various opinions

on this, as one could imagine. Certainly this

could mean the Lord's Supper, the reference to

Christ. Our Passover might indicate that and

that he was sacrificed for us and therefore we

keep the feast by observing the Lord's Supper

with sincerity and truth. Secondly, it could

also mean a love feast as they often observed.

And the early church did that a lot. We'll see

it referenced in 1 Corinthians 11. But it could

be that he's referring there that when you come

together basically for... like a fellowship meal

or a love feast when you're coming together and

you're enjoying each other's company and you

stand before Christ, you keep it with sincerity

and truth. Or, thirdly, just to enlarge on that,

it could mean that simply the life of the church

in Christ is a continual feast. Like Isaiah prophesied

with... In Isaiah 25 verse 6. When he said. And

Isaiah 25:6

in this mountain. This place of worship. In this

mountain. The Lord of hosts will make for a people.

For all people. A feast of choice pieces. A feast

of wine on the leaves. Of fat things full of

marrow. Of well refined wine on the leaves. And

this would include. The Lord's Supper, the fellowship

of the saints, the shared meal together after

the service, the celebrations and remembrances,

all of it together is how we keep the feast together

with sincerity and truth. I'm inclined to go

with the latter one, that is the whole package,

although certainly it would apply to the Lord's

Supper in and of itself. When one among us is

living the life of open sexual immorality, or

of covetousness, of idolatry, of reviling, or

is a drunken sot, or is an extortioner, then

the closeness of life and fellowship is marred,

it is broken, and it is a cause for mourning

rather than celebrating the feast together. Toleration,

when toleration is not a virtue, but is indeed

a sin and a partaking of that sin. Secondly then,

in verse 9 through 11, he calls for separation

from immoral and unfaithful believers. I wrote

to you in my epistle not to keep company with

sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did

not mean with the sexually immoral people of

this world or with the covetous or extortioners

or idolaters. Since then, you would need to go

out of the world. not to keep company with anyone

named a brother who is sexually immoral or covetous

or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or

an extortioner. No, not even to eat with such

a person. It begins this passage saying, I wrote

to you in my epistle. So evidently, there was

an epistle written to the church at Corinth prior

to this letter. This letter has been lost. In

that letter, he exhorted them not to keep company

with sexually immoral people. By the way, Paul

addresses this in almost every letter that he

writes, especially to churches. to keep company

or to be take part in the sexual immorality of

the day it was very common it was considered

okay in many respects by the culture and he hits

it broadside in almost every epistle and letter

that he writes this one of course he does in

multiple multiple ways he says here do not keep

company with sexually immoral people now evidently

some of these thought this meant that they needed

to seclude themselves from all association with

the world. And it could be that the acceptance

of this person was a reaction to that, saying,

we can't do this. And so we're just going to

be tolerant. We're going to love. We're going

to receive all. See how spiritual we are and

that we have received all. But I say again, that

could be. The fact is here that Paul says, That

he delineates with the misunderstanding or he

speaks about the misunderstanding that he did

not mean in that first letter that you cannot

keep company with the sexually immoral people

of this world. He clarifies it saying if that

were the case, you would need to go out of the

world. You'd have to be removed in some way from

the world. God does not call his church to be.

isolationist, hermits, or to put up large fences

to try to keep the world away from us all and

from getting into any contact with it. That is

not God's intent. This will only happen when

we are removed from this world, as Paul speaks

here. Christian believers should be part of the

life of the community and the society in which

they live. except of course where it violates

the scripture norms such as we don't go to the

lewd or the drunken feasts and orgies as what

they had then or or today parties known for substance

abuse and drunkenness and casual sex and nakedness

or participation in witchcraft and occultic practices

or going to strip clubs or being consumed with

luxury and wealth as the ultimate meaning no

we we don't have concourse in all of those things

so we don't go with them to their exit but we

don't remove ourselves from the world in which

we live. Paul taught association with the world,

that is those outside of the church, but that

Christians were not to associate with them in

the context of idolatrous worship or at the temple

with food dedicated to idols, nor were they to

sacrifice to their gods. Paul gives additional

teaching on this in 1 Corinthians 10. This is

one of the reasons, by the way, as an aside,

that Christians were not able to serve in the

political civil system. And it was because the

Roman civil system up until the 300s demanded

that every civil officer must do a sacrifice.

Sometimes it was just a very little thing before

going into the building. There was a bit of an

altar and there was just a... a bit of an offering

maybe a little bit of fire or something else

that was done at the sacrifice and so thus christians

were not able to partake in the civic life Up

until Constantine the Great. It was when he came

in then, around 324, that he took away the requirement

and he even banned pagan officials from performing

sacrifices in their official capacity. It was

only then when Christians were able to serve

as civil servants or in the civil sphere. The

normal life of a Christian person And a Christian

church is right in the world in which we live,

wherein we are a light that shines in a dark

place. We are the light of the world. We are

the city that is set on a hill that cannot be

hidden, Jesus says. Let your light so shine before

men that they may see your good works and glorify

your Father in heaven. Paul exhorts the Philippians,

do all things without complaining and disputing

that you may become blameless and harmless children

of God without fault in the midst of a crooked

and perverse generation among whom you shine

as lights in the world holding fast the word

of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ

that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

In other words, God has placed us right here.

right in a wicked society. Of course, some are

more than others, but as we think about the world

as a whole, God has placed us right here. He

doesn't take us and rapture us out right away

when we get saved. No, He lets us here. He tells

us to be light for Him, that we are to glorify

Jesus by being a light to the nations and a light

to the world. We are in the midst of a crooked

and perverse generation among whom we shine as

lights in the world. That is our calling, brothers

and sisters. Sometimes we get this tendency to

think, oh, this is just so grievous to me or

this is so difficult. I just want to be taken

away. I want to go out in the wilderness and

just be there all by ourselves and maybe then

we can keep the world out. Guess what? It doesn't

work. Even if you go out there and people have

tried it, the world is in your heart. The sin

and the attraction to it, it comes from within.

And you're going to face temptations out there.

And besides that, Jesus calls you to be in the

middle of the world, shining your light to the

darkness all around you so that that darkness

may go away and the light of Christ. might shine

forth in your communities, in your towns, in

your cities, in your villages, in your farms,

and wherever it is that God has given you to

live, you do so as a light to the world and walk

as children of light. Now, this does bring out,

though, that there is to be a clear difference

between believers and unbelievers or the world.

kind of used interchangeably here. So what is

this? What is this clear difference? So do we

all dress in some kind of distinctive uniform?

Or perhaps we live in sinless perfection and

thus we present a model of perfection to everybody

around us? No, neither one of these are right.

First of all, the first one, that is to dress

in some kind of a distinctive uniform, that's

not a biblical command. Other than Paul and Peter

address the women to dress with propriety and

moderation and not with excessiveness or ostentation.

In 1 Timothy 2 verse 9 and 1 Peter 3 verse 3.

1 Timothy 2:9 1 Peter 3:3

The second contradicts 1 John 1. Verse 8, and

we lie. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive

ourselves and the truth is not in us. It is not

that we don't make mistakes or that we do not

sin, for indeed none among us can proclaim his

own goodness and sinlessness. But the difference

is that we do not live in habitual practice of

these sins. And that we do not associate with

or keep company with a brother or sister who

does. That is, as he outlines it here, a person

who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater

or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner.

And he goes on to say, we are not to eat with

such a person. Now, what does this mean? Some

again think this is referring to the Lord's Supper,

which of course it certainly includes. We are

not to break bread together, the bread of the

Lord's Supper, if we are living in open rebellion

against God in these kinds of sins. Sexual immorality,

drunkenness, reviling, and so on and so forth.

Idolatry. We're not to do that. I think, however,

that this could include more than just the Lord's

Supper. Think of how much eating is associated

with fellowship and how the breaking of bread

together opens up conversations and friendships

and often signals acceptance of one another.

It may be that the apostle has this in mind.

In other words, we're not to have close fellowship.

Everything's okay. You're okay. I'm okay. Yeah,

you're living in a mess. You're a mess right

now. And yeah, you're my brother in Christ. And

so we're going to just continue to have interaction

with each other just as if you're not living

in that sin. Paul says in this case, no, you're

not even to eat with such a person. You don't

go with that kind of fellowship and nearness

and closeness. Now let's take a closer look here

though. What are these sins? Paul lists certain

types of sins here that occur or that bring upon

this kind of drastic measure. They warrant excommunication

and stop close association with believers. Now,

I'd like to take note as we go through them that

most of them are taken right from the case laws

of Deuteronomy. Really fascinating how that is.

Paul is tying the Old and the New Testament together,

thus showing the enduring ethics of Old Testament

law. First of all, he mentions sexual immorality.

It's the word pornos. We talked about this two

weeks ago. It's one who indulges in... unlawful

sexual intercourse or prostitution deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 22:22

22 verse 22 and 30 speak of adultery of one being

married and then laying with another or also

that a man should not take his father's wife

nor uncover his father's bed which is precisely

the case with this particular person that they

are speaking that he is speaking about but all

sexual immorality is forbidden for the christian

we'll get into that a little bit more later then

he also speaks that of being covetous that is

a desire to have more especially what belongs

to others that have been greedy of gain deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 5:21

5 verse 21 you shall not covet your neighbor's

wife and you shall not covet desire your neighbor's

house his field his male servant his female servant

his ox his donkey or Anything that is your neighbor's

is quite extensive there. We are not to be covetous.

And that covetousness works itself out in actions.

Obviously, the thing with adultery comes because

you first coveted. So he includes that right

in here. Thirdly, he mentions idolaters. This

is the worshipers of false gods. We're not to

keep company with a brother who is an idolater.

Deuteronomy 17 verse 2 and 5 if there is found

Deuteronomy 17:2

among you with any of your gates which the Lord

your God gives you a man or a woman who has been

wicked in the sight of the Lord your God and

transgressing his covenant who has gone and served

other gods and worshiped them either the sun

or moon or any of the host of heaven which I

have not commanded and it is told you and you

hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently.

And if it indeed is true, and certain that such

an abomination has been committed in Israel,

then you shall bring out to your gates that man

or woman who has committed that wicked thing,

and shall stone to death that man or woman with

stones. In other words, it's a putting away.

They are to be put away, those who are worshipers

of false gods. Paul then goes on and speaks about

revilers. Revilers are those who abuse others

with words or they bear false testimony. Again,

Deuteronomy 19. If a false witness rises against

any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

then both men in the controversy shall stand

before the Lord, before the priests and the judges

who serve in those days, and the judges shall

make careful inquiry. And indeed, if the witness

is a false witness who has testified falsely

against his brother, then you shall do to him

as he thought to have done to his brother. shall

put away the evil from among you he moves on

he mentions then drunkards these are habitually

intoxicated without self -control we see in deuteronomy

21 the case of the stubborn and rebellious son

who is a glutton and a drunkard this was this

unrepentant and out of control son it's not referring

to a young child but to a young adult was to

be then taken to the elders with the witnesses

of his parents, and he was to be put to death

in that case. Finally, there's an extortioner.

Extortioner is a robber. He's a rapacious and

ravenous person who takes away from others. This

also includes kidnapping and slave trading. Again,

Deuteronomy 24, verse 7. If a man is found kidnapping

Deuteronomy 24:7

any of his brethren of the children of Israel

and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper

shall die and you shall put away the evil from

among you. You see how there are so many parallels

here as Paul is going down through these sins.

We are to be free from these. There is not to

be one who is called a brother. Or a sister who

is doing these sins in an ongoing basis. Rather

than the scripture calls for separation. That

is they are to be put away as we will see in

verse 13. Now the scriptures speak of separation

in a couple of other passages. 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 3:6

3 verse 6. But we command you, brethren, in the

name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw

from every brother who walks disorderly and not

according to the tradition which he receives

us. So there it speaks about a withdrawal. Romans

16 and verse 17. Now I urge you, brethren, note

those who cause divisions and offenses contrary

to the doctrine which you learned and avoid them.

Avoid them. So again, there's a separation of

company. 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 14. If anyone

2 Thessalonians 3:14

does not keep our word in this epistle, note

that person and do not keep company with him,

that he may be ashamed. And Titus 3 verse 10

Titus 3:10

and 11. Reject a divisive man after the first

and second admonition, knowing that such a person

is warped and sinning, being self -condemned.

Now let me go on to say here to make sure that

we understand and that I'm not being misunderstood.

This passage refers to those who continually

practice these things. They are living in them.

It is not referring, first of all, to sins of

the past that are confessed and repented of.

It is not referring to that. It is not written.

To bring you back under bondage and guilt. As

Paul tells them in chapter 6 verse 11. Such were

some of you. But you were washed. But you were

sanctified. But you were justified in the name

of the Lord Jesus Christ. And by the Spirit of

our God. Nor does this refer to one who has fallen

into one of these sins and is repentant, or one

who has stumbled and has sought forgiveness from

the Lord and the person to whom they have offended.

It is written to those who are notoriously wicked

and unrepentant, even though professing Christ

and salvation, and they are to be put under a

just, censure and and separation look at the

context again whom is he speaking of as he writes

this it was a person openly living in an ongoing

incestuous sexual relationship with his father's

wife and the church was careless about it tolerating

it and even boasting rather than turning him

over to satan and expelling him from the congregation

that's the context And so this requires pastoral

care and careful admonition. When someone falls

into a sin, we admonish them, encourage them

to repent from this and to turn to Christ and

to repent. But if there's an ongoing thing and

they refuse to hear the person coming to them

with the warning, refuse to hear the elders of

the church, refuse to hear the church, then this

kind of measure is what is to be taken. It's

separation. Finally, let's look now at verse

12 and 13. In closing out, we're looking at the

sphere and the scope of this severe mercy. Remember

two weeks ago, I called this a severe mercy.

In other words, this is strong. but it is also

a mercy and a kindness in christ church a kindness

in that it is to point them to christ and to

urge them to repent and to be ashamed but also

a mercy and a kindness to the body of christ

as well and that's what he's bringing out here

he says for what have i to do with judging those

Also who are outside. Do you not judge those

who are inside? But those who are outside, God

judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the

evil person. Those who are outside the church,

God judges. And this refers to unbelievers. God

calls them to repentance and faith. He calls

them to forsake the sins of the flesh and spirit.

And to be a new man or woman in Christ. Church

discipline and excommunication do not apply to

those outside of the church. It is not within

the scope or the sphere of this teaching. Now

the sins of unbelievers will not go unchecked,

for God will deal with them in his own sovereign

way, and God will judge them. But those in the

church are not left to go their own way and to

rely on the judgment of God. in the future no

this responsibility lies with us the church is

responsible to love encourage nurture and to

discipline those within its care those within

the covenantal bonds of god's people in the assembly

those who are saints those who have christ revealed

to them For we are called to be holy in all of

our conduct and not to conform ourselves to the

former lusts. 1 Peter 1, verse 13. Therefore,

1 Peter 1:13

gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and

rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to

be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus

Christ. As obedient children, not conforming

yourself to your former lusts. your ignorance,

but as he who called you is holy, you also be

holy in all of your conduct because it is written,

be holy for I am holy. To these who live according

to the flesh in this way, to those who live in

the sins enumerated here and in other passages,

the message is very clear. And Paul ends this

passage with this direct and strong and forthright

message. put away from yourself this evil person.

The phrasing of this passage again points back

to Deuteronomy. Now there are many passages where

God describes the evil, prescribes the punishment

that they are to carry out, and then ends with

this same phrase, you shall put away the evil

from among you. deuteronomy 17 verse 7 19 verse

Deuteronomy 17:7

19 22 verse 21 22 verse 34 24 verse 27 and then

the one example which i've already read in 24

verse 7 if a man is found kidnapping any of his

brethren of the children of israel and mistreats

him or sells him then that kidnapper shall die

and you shall put away the evil from among you

now capital punishment as is described in a whole

number of times in Deuteronomy, that only belongs

to the civil sphere. That is to the civil government

that is also under the authority of Christ. Capital

punishment is not part of the commitment of the

punishment that is given to the church. That's

not part of it. It does not belong to us. What

does belong to us as a church? Excommunication.

The putting out from the covenant body of Christ.

To the church, Paul says, purge them, remove

them, expel them, put away from yourself that

evil person. This is the delegated responsibility

of the local church established by God with elders

and deacons and together for not just the elders,

but the whole church is to do this, standing

united before Christ and put them out. It is

the church, Paul says. Let's consider just a

few closing applications. Because many churches

have disregarded the clear teaching of Scripture

on covenant faithfulness and church discipline,

sexual immorality and other sins have become

widespread within the professed body of Christ.

Unmarried couples openly cohabit. Adultery is

often left unaddressed with new relationships

quietly accepted, sometimes with little more

than a token rebuke. Sexual sins such as homosexuality

and lesbianism are not only tolerated but in

many cases embraced along with the broader LGBTQ

agenda. The Apostle Peter gives a sobering warning

that applies directly to this situation. He says,

let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief,

an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's

matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian,

let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God

in this matter. For the time has come for judgment

to begin at the house of God. And if it begins

with us first, what will be the end of those

who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4,

15 -17. How can we credibly speak in a united

way against the moral decay in society when our

own house is not in order? If judgment begins

with the household of God, then we must first

examine ourselves. Let us return to the Word

of God. Let us repent where we have compromised.

Let us commit our hearts to full obedience and

to covenant faithfulness. And this means... Also

in this practice. God calls us to it. Secondly,

I'd like to give a plea to those who are considering

giving in to the temptations of some of these

sins. The scripture says, do not give place to

the devil. We see these sins all around us. No,

we don't live in the Roman times. but we see

it also flagrantly practiced all around us. We

see it in all sorts of depictions of stories

and books and movies and billboards and all sorts

of things. The adultery, the promiscuity, the

drunkenness, all of these things, they're temptations

that are there. And so my encouragement to you

is, Do not reserve a corner of your heart that

says, you know what, this is mine and I can indulge

in this at certain ways and at certain times

because I'm going to keep this from the Lordship

of Christ. No, Christ demands all of you. Absolutely

all of you. He is to be Lord of all. all and

yes that has wide and far consequences throughout

the world but right now i'm just speaking to

you directly christ is lord of you in every part

and that means over your temptations over your

sinful desires or any other kind of evil that

lurks within us For all of these sins that he

mentions don't start out with just committing

the actual sin. They start out, first of all,

in the thought process, in the giving in to temptation,

in the yielding, or in entertaining thoughts.

And then they get broader and broader and finally

it works itself out. So I plead with you, deal

with these sins now. Never let it get to that

point of which he mentions here. Lastly, I'd

like to end with a call to spirit -filled covenantal

faithfulness. Spirit -filled covenantal faithfulness.

There is no more powerful witness to the world

around us than the proclamation of Jesus Christ

and of Him crucified and a life of sexual fidelity

and covenantal faithfulness to our wives and

husbands or if you are single, to sexual purity

and self -control. Covenant faithfulness also

belongs to our children and to one another as

brothers and sisters in Christ in the church.

We must trust in God's promises to us through

Christ. Let us confess our sins when we fall

and receive forgiveness from Christ and from

one another. Hear these words of scripture in

Hebrews 10 verse 19. Through 25. Therefore brethren.

Hebrews 10:19

Having boldness to enter the holiest. Through

the veil that is his flesh. And having a high

priest over the house of God. Let us draw near.

Let us draw near. How? With a true heart. In

full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled

from an evil conscience. And our bodies washed

with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession

of our hope without wavering. For he who promised

is faithful. And let us consider one another.

In order to stir up love and good works. Not

forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

As is the manner of some. but exhorting one another

and so much the more as you see the day approaching

let us then follow after this let us seek that

covenantal faithfulness and let us rejoice today

in the coming of the whole holy spirit in this

day of remembrance of pentecost that's right