SEXUAL IMMORALITY MESSES THINGS UP!
A team of journalists at the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram spent nearly nine months investigating a pattern of sexual
abuse in a loose network of independent fundamentalist Baptist churches,
recently unveiled their findings in a series of articles entitled "Spirit
of Fear." In their investigation, the Star-Telegram journalists spoke to
over 200 people concerning at least 412 allegations of sexual misconduct in 187
independent fundamental Baptist churches.
"Despite their use of the word
independent," their reporting said, "many of the churches were
connected with other independent fundamental Baptist churches through colleges
and pastoral friendships. And those connections, as well as the church culture,
allowed abuse to flourish and abusers to move around the country without
consequence."
Stacey Shiflett, an independent
fundamental Baptist pastor in Maryland, confirmed specific cultural markers
where abuse tends to occur. "The philosophy—and it's flawed—is you don't
air your dirty laundry in front of everyone. Pastors think if they keep it
on the down-low, it won't impact anyone. And then the other philosophy is, it's
wrong to say anything bad about another preacher." According to Tammy
Schultz and Sally Schwer Canning, professors at Wheaton College, church leaders
need to be prepared to deal with these issues by cultivating a culture of
respect, safety, and accountability.
Effective leaders model accountability,
humility, and biblical repentance. Those who excuse or cover-up evil sow seeds
of destruction and ruin lives."[1] Sexual Immorality among
Christians and in churches is a much bigger problem than we realize. Is it only
a problem of our times? In I Corinthians chapter five, the Apostle Paul takes
on this problem of Sexual Immorality. The BIG Idea is: Sexual Immorality
Messes Things Up. I Corinthians 5:1-13
I.
SEXUAL IMMORALITY
Vs.
1-2, "I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on
among you—something that even pagans don't do. I am told that a man in your church
is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you
should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from
your fellowship."
Chapter five shows Paul addressing persistent
sexual immorality and its devastating effects on the Church and how Christians should
deal with it. He approaches this embarrassing issue graciously yet firmly by
passing a clear judgment on the person involved.
To preach about Sexual Immorality in a Sunday
morning worship service is not an easy thing, so many pastors avoid it. But
remember, we are committed to working through complicated and not-so-easy
subject matters. Let us be aware of our vulnerabilities and approach this
subject as Paul not to shame people but to warn people. Let us maintain an
attitude that if it is not for the grace of God, we too might fall and sin.
What is Sexual Immorality?
In the New Testament, the word most
often translated as "sexual immorality" is porneia. This word
is also translated as "whoredom," "fornication," and "idolatry."
It means "a surrendering of sexual purity," which primarily uses
premarital sexual relations.
From this Greek word, we get the
English word pornography. stemming from the concept (Matt19:4–5).[2] Paul could hardly believe
his ears when a report came to Paul stating that a believer in the Corinthian
Church was involved in Sexual Immorality.
Paul was disturbed by the cover-up. To
address Sexual Immorality, Paul specifically includes incest here in these
verses. What is incest? "Having sexual relations between people classed as
being too closely related to marry each other."
It was strictly forbidden in the
OT. Lev 18:8, "Do not have sexual
relations with any of your father's wives, for this would violate your father."
Dt 27:20, "Cursed is anyone who has sexual intercourse with one of his
father's wives,"
Instead of grieving over a brother
involved in incest, the Corinthians covered it up and even boasted about it.
When it was brought to Paul, he took it very seriously and dealt with it
firmly. Is sexual Immorality the problem of the Corinthian Church only? Unfortunately,
sexual Immorality seems to be a massive problem in our Churches today. How do
we respond to it?
II.
DON'T COVER IT UP
Vs. 4-5, "Even though I am not
with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I
have already passed judgment on this man in the name of the Lord Jesus. You
must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so
will the power of our Lord Jesus. Then you must throw this man out and hand him
over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will
be saved on the day the Lord returns."
Is Paul contradicting himself when
he said I have already passed judgment on the man? What did Paul mean by saying,
"you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful
nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day of the Lord
returns"?
Unlike the Corinthian believers,
Paul did not cover up sexual Immorality; instead, he exposed it. He did not
condemn this man to hell; that kind of judgment is left to God. However, he
took a firm position in saying, "you must throw this man out and hand him
over to Satan." This is equaling
to excommunicating that believer. It amounts to putting that person out of the
blessing of Christian worship and fellowship with other brothers and sisters by
thrusting him into the world, which is the realm of Satan. What would be the
outcome of such action?
By depriving the Christian
fellowship, the person involved in sexual Immorality might repent of his
wickedness and seek God's forgiveness. In the end, though his body may be
destroyed physically due to sin, his soul might be saved. After passing the
judgment, Paul clarified a misunderstanding among the believers when dealing
with unbelievers.
They wrongly read Paul's words,
"not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sins." They
thought that Paul was saying to them not to relate with anyone in the world who
indulged in sexual sin, is greedy, cheats people, or worships idols.
If that is the case, we cannot live in this
world, can we? Paul meant not to associate with a brother or sister who claims
to be a Christian, belongs to the family of God, yet involves in such
activities. He went one step further and said, "don't even eat with such
people."
Paul qualified his stand, saying,
"It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your
responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning." The
LGBTQ community often uses the same logic and criticizes the Church. Because we
Christians become hypercritical and judgmental over the sins of the LGBTQ while
ignoring or even covering up the people who commit sexual sins inside the Church,
let us take care of our mess first before we advise others. What happens when
sexual Immorality is not addressed in our churches?
III. SEXUAL IMMORALITY MESSES THINGS UP
Among the Churches that Paul planted
during his missionary journeys, sexual Immorality seems to be a massive
problem. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he extensively dealt with it.
While writing to Galatians 5:19-22, Ephesians 5:3-5, and Colossians 3:5, he
admonishes the believers in those churches to stay away from sexual Immorality
because it messes things up.
Also, it breaks down trust among
married people destroys the fabric of the family, defiles the Church, and,
more so, disqualifies people from entering the Kingdom of God.
Think of the devastating effects of sexual
Immorality upon our country. Are we any better since the sexual revolution in
the 1960s, which challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality?
How many millions of people in our country are affected by sexually transmitted
diseases every year? We live in a free
country. Let's not misuse our freedoms.
What is the outcome of unprotected
and unbridled sexual encounters between people outside marriage? How many families have been broken down due
to a divorce based on infidelity? How many Christians have been hurt in
Churches due to sexual scandals?
In our world today, people justify
sexual Immorality by passing legislation to support and even encourage it. For
example, sex between two consenting adults is legal but is it moral before God?
Homosexuality has been legalized in our country but is it acceptable by God?
There is more to talk about this
subject which we will keep for next week. I realize that today's message focused
on the negatives of what is meant to be a wonderful gift for couples to enjoy in
marriage. Bear with me as we work through this complex subject as a
Church.
God loves us and has made us holy
through the blood of His Son. As a loving father, he wants us to get this
right. He doesn't want his people to get
hurt and damaged by messing up each other's lives with sexual sins. Amen!
