Really good advice here for those who are having disputes with others, as well as for those seeking marriage. Hopefully the two are not connected.
1 Corinthians 6: Lawsuits Against Believers
1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?
3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?
5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,
6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?
7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud---even your own brothers!
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Flee Sexual Immorality
12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.
13 "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"---and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh."
17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 7: Principles for Marriage
1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."
2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
3 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.
6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this.
7 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.
8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.
9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
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.
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.
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?
Live as You Are Called
17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.
18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision.
19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.
20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.
21 Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.)
22 For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.
23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.
24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
The Unmarried and the Widowed
25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.
29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,
30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,
31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.
33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,
34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.
35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry---it is no sin.
37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.
38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.
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.
40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Things to think about…
1. Why shouldn’t we take other Christians to court? Why should we promote peace and harmony within the church? Paul says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, 1Cor 6:9 and taking fellow believers to court is listed in this context as an unrighteous act. Paul lists the sins of the world and then says “And such were some of you”, 1 Cor 6:11. This means that as grace has been extended to them and as such we should extend grace to others as a reflection on our new identity and justification in Christ. The list given in 1Cor 6:9, 10 are not suggestions. These things keep you out of heaven. Holiness is not an option. Paul says because we were washed and sanctified, vs 11 we must reflect Christ’s holiness by the way we live.
2. “All things are lawful for me," 1Cor 6:12, praise God, “but not all things are helpful”. Paul’s point is that we have amazing freedom and liberty in Christ, but this should not be abused and taken as a liberty to sin through immorality, 1Cor 6:15-20. We know that online pornography is a scourge of our day and age. If you are a mature Christian please mentor and get alongside of younger Christians (male and female) and put in place good accountability practises. Never be afraid of asking the tough questions. Note that this is no longer just a young man’s problem, tragically greater numbers of young women are now viewing porn online.
3. Immorality is addressed a lot in 1Corinthians. When Paul says “"It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.", 1Cor 7:1 he means in general, but certainly not outside of marriage. This was the problem that prostitution and the general context of immorality caused within the church. Sexual immorality was a part of the cultural context of Corinth. Paul says that it is better to get married than burn with lust, 1Cor 7:9. I would agree. Why have long engagements or try before you buy deals. Paul says sexual immorality, I.E sexual relations or living with someone you are not married to is not just harmful to the other person, we also sin against our own bodies when we do, 1Cor 6:18. If two people love Christ and each other- get on with it and get married and stay married. Marriage is a wonderful blessing and our culture has twisted and burdened the importance and blessing of marriage. Marriage under the blessing of Christ cannot be compared with any other earthly relationship. If you know people who are making their minds up on this – show them Paul’s advice. Note here that Paul is only referring to marriage between a man and a woman. The bible knows nothing of ‘same-sex’ marriage.
4. Live as you are called, 1Cor 7:20, but do not become slaves of men, vs 23. Christ has bought us with the price of His blood on the cross. If you want to be a slave – be a slave of Christ and free yourself from other worldly distractions.
5. Paul says “Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that”, 1Cor 7:28. He is speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit of course, but a godly marriage, while Paul is right as it is still under the curse of the fall and Gen 3. It is still however, one of the strongest binders of church and society. Godly marriages are a blessing to both when they are under the Saviour of the world.
6. What does Paul mean when he says ‘Live as if you had none’, 1Cor 7:29, referring to those who are married with wives? The reality is that our husbands or our wives cannot save us. Sometimes I think people get married and think they can change the other person; this is a tragic lie. The Holy Spirit is the only One who changes anyone in any lasting moral/spiritual sense. Live to honour Christ and your wife or your husband will be blessed as a result.
7. Paul’s final advice on marriage or remaining single, 1Cor 7:36-40. If you want to get married, do so. Are you single? Don’t seek after a husband or a wife. Such seeking is bordering on idol worship if it replaces Christ in your heart. Seek Christ and see what He brings you as the One who loves your soul. As a husband to an amazing wife I agree with Solomon “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord”, Prov 18:22 Amen.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon and reading topic for this week – Sermon “A passion for God”
Reading – Psalm 42, 43
1. Jay is passionate about late 60’s and early 70’s Australian muscle cars. What are you passionate about? What do you do to find restoration that you would say is a blessing or a gift from the Lord to you?
2. In Psalm 42 and 43 the Psalmist does not hide his feelings. He pants after the Lord, yet he acknowledges that there is turmoil within his soul. While reflecting on these things he also acknowledges that he has had sweet times of communion with the Lord. Eg He recalls the blessing of the Jordan and Mount Hermon for Israel as well as the depths of God’s love and wisdom, Ps 42:6, 7. The word of God is a comfort for him Ps 43:3 and he gets exceeding joy when he praises the Lord on an instrument, Ps 43:4. When do you read God’s word? Do you play and instrument or play praise music? Discuss how you can cultivate mature bible reading habits (E.g reading a chapter or two a day) as well as a better life of praise.
3. Associated with bible reading is praying. These 2 Psalms are prayers. How and when do you pray. Jay mentioned that the “I pray without ceasing” is a bit of a copout as it neglects a focussed and disciplined daily time of prayer and reflection. Bible reading and praying are best done together? Discuss. Don’t just talk about what you presently do but hold each other accountable as to how you will improve in these spiritual disciplines in your daily walk with the Lord.
4. Finally, how are you at telling the truth about what’s going on in your heart? Are you accountable to anyone? Do you keep things to yourself? Discuss the difference between personality types while maintaining integrity of the heart as displayed by the psalmist in Psalms 42&43.
Prayer Points
1. Continuing to get quotes for café roof.
2. Pray for other building projects – the repair of the house roof and solar.
3. Recharge youth and Kids@Church ministries. Pray for Maddison and Melinda as they Coordinate Kids and Youth ministries.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
5. Church finances to meet our new staff and to put a roof over our café.
