BETHEL SUNDAY SCHOOL 3 NOV 2019
Text: 1 Corinthians 5:9 – 13

MISUNDERSTANDING
(1 Corinthians 5:9 – 10)

1. The Corinthian Church misunderstood what Paul wrote previously!

2. This had to be clarified!

a. “I wrote to you in my epistle”

i. A previous letter to 1 Corinthians

ii. We do not have this letter in the Scriptures

b. “Not to keep company with sexually immoral people”

i. The problem of sexual immorality was brought up before

ii. Paul wrote to the Church to not keep company with them

c. “Yet I certainly did not mean sexually immoral people of the world”

i. Paul was certainly not referring to unbelievers but believers!

ii. If Paul was referring to all people then the believers cannot live in this world at all!

THE ISSUE OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE UPON BELIEVERS BEHAVING BADLY
(1 Corinthians 5:11)

1. A list of behaviors unfitting for believers (Not limited to this list)

a. Sexual immorality

b. Covetous

c. Idolater

d. Reviler

e. Drunkard

f. Extortioner

2. Prohibition of fellowship with such believers

a. Do not keep company

b. Not even to eat with such a person

c. To have fellowship with them is to condone their sinful behavior

EXERCISING JUDGMENT
(1 Corinthians 5:12 – 13)

1. Judgment upon those who are “Outside”

a. Those who are “Outside” the Kingdom of God

b. They are people of the world

c. They are unbelievers

d. They will not stand in judgment by the Church

e. They will one day stand in judgment before God

2. Judgment upon those who are “Inside”

a. Those who are “Inside” are people who have professed faith in God

b. They belong to the Church fellowship

c. The Church is meant to “Judge” those who behave wickedly in the Church community

d. The Corinthian Church failed to do this!

3. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person”

a. The person is proven to be indeed “Evil”

b. This person is disciplined by being “put away” from the fellowship

c. There is restoration to fellowship when there is genuine repentance

d. There is grace and compassion shown to those who are repentant

CHALLENGES

1. To appreciate the principles of Church discipline

2. To understand better our responsibility as members of the Church

3. To not fail to do guard our fellowship from being corrupted by evil