1 Corinthians 6:1-11, Where Do You Fit In?

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

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August 5, 2019

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Where Do You Fit In?

1 Corinthians 6:12-7:40, “What’s Your Price?”

00:00: First Corinthians chapter 6 here the word of the Lord When one of you has a grievance against another
00:07: Does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the Saints? Or do you not know that the
00:13: Saints will judge the world and if the world is to be judged by you Are you incompetent to try trivial cases?
00:19: Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more than matters pertaining to this life?
00:25: So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?
00:32: I say this to your shame Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle dispute between the brothers?
00:38: But brother goes to law against brother and that before unbelievers To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you
00:46: Why not rather suffer wrong when I'd rather be defrauded but you yourselves wrong and defraud even your own brothers
00:55: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived
01:01: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor Revilers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God and such were some of you
01:15: But you were washed you were sanctified You were justified in the name of the
01:21: Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his
01:27: Holy Word Well, do you fit in here? What do you think? Do you feel like this is your kind of gathering?
01:33: You're kind of people that we have a place for you that we accept you you have a role to play among us
01:40: They say that a key to growing church is making people Immediately feel like they fit in Someone even goes so far as to give a newcomer almost like show up the first day something to do in the church right away a little job of their own perhaps providing a snack or Taking care of the children are playing a musical instrument
01:55: But the philosophy is to do this on purpose and get a little job of your own that way you'll feel like you fit in This is your home and soon you'll be a regular and maybe eventually you'll even join as a member.
02:05: Hopefully after After looking over what we believe the problem with that is that in such churches
02:10: They can often find themselves with people running their ministries and their programs who don't really believe what the church believes
02:17: Or live as the members of the church are committed to live They may have felt like they fit in But they didn't bother to check if they really do
02:27: Where do you fit in? Now having lived overseas for seven years I know what it's like to not feel like you fit in like you're a foreigner
02:35: You know, everything is different of the three main ethnic groups in Singapore. Mine is not one of them and twice
02:41: I was denied permanent residency status in Singapore probably because of that I didn't fit in Singapore is about three -quarters
02:48: Chinese and the rest are Malays and Indians Singaporean judge told me that they the government probably didn't grant my request for PR status on permanent residency
02:58: Because I wasn't any of those ethnic groups So I didn't fit in and they don't want any kind of new ethnic group started
03:04: They feel they want to keep their balance as it is and in fact over after a while that the
03:10: Chinese weren't multiplying enough To match the other ethnic groups particularly the Malays and so they first they began to try to promote have had more
03:18: Chinese and they even did a series of commercials on and Who's by the government first to get shy guys to go on dates?
03:27: Yeah, I should show the video I should show the commercials and it's just hilarious, you know, but the tagline was go ahead take that first step
03:34: Otherwise ask some girl out on a date and then further Commercials were to promote the benefits of having children.
03:41: So I guess after you've taken that first step now now start having kids and Apparently that didn't work out as they even have a special unit of the government called the special development unit
03:50: SDU just for that Have more kids particularly it was really aimed at the Chinese So they didn't make it so overt, but apparently that didn't work out like they wanted as enough
03:59: And so they began to import Chinese people because there's this nation up north of Singapore called
04:05: China But they have a lot of Chinese people up there in China And so they begin to allow import a lot of them to keep and all that to keep the balance
04:14: But white Americans, no, thanks. They don't want me. So anyway, that was that but people crave to fit in That's why we're in large universities.
04:21: They have fraternities and sororities, you know So you if you have a big group, you're just one you feel so detached But if you can have one little
04:28: Group, that's yours could club a sorority and fraternity whatever and some people go to church
04:33: Just so where they have a place to fit in even if they don't really care, you know about all that Christian Bible stuff
04:39: They you know, but but you know, there's nice people so they'll stay there that's why a lot of single people long to be married to have a family of their own so they can have a place where They fit in and that's not necessarily wrong.
04:49: Psalm 68 verse 6 says God sets the lonely in families one of the diabolical tactics of racism
04:57: Was stripping certain people of the sense that they could ever fit in anywhere in society except at the bottom
05:04: Separate and never really equal that just because of their skin color that everyone would know that that person does not fit in here or there
05:11: Only in certain places down below not in positions of leadership or power or wealth The old excuse about why some churches tolerated racism in their midst was that well the society around them
05:22: Is just like that and it would just be too radical to try to take that issue on right now
05:29: Wait, you know give it time Be gradual So tolerate a little injustice now because justice won't quite fit in yet Martin Luther King called that the quote the tranquilizing drug of gradualism
05:45: Which numbed people to be what he called the fierce urgency of now
05:51: Now is when we need to change now is when we turn from our sins Today is the day of salvation
05:58: Whether God will give us another hour another day. We don't know we do know he calls us to repent now
06:07: Paul here is dealing with a cultural expectation, you know, kind of like Mason was expected in the
06:13: South He was dealing with a similar expectation the way people live everyone in their society fights and claws for their
06:20: For the rights in court, that's the Greek way You have a problem with your neighbor you take it to the to the town meeting and the jury of basically whoever all whatever men
06:29: Showed up they could decide the case. That's the American way, right? Some might have tried to warn
06:34: Paul Why why endanger the church you might alienate some potential converts?
06:41: They'll they'll think you're too radical. What do you mean? I can't go to court against another believer. What are you talking about?
06:47: I'm out of here They may go back to their pagan temples But he sees that just here the
06:52: Greek Christians must be distinct if we are not distinct we will be extinct
06:59: Where do you fit in? That depends of course on who you are, right?
07:06: I Didn't fit in in Singapore So the government told me this because I'm American if you're an American you fit in America If you're
07:13: Singaporean you fit in Singapore, where do you fit in? Who who are we We are
07:20: Paul tells us here four things first Saints We are future judges
07:26: We are sufferers and finally we are heirs First Saints now that didn't mean like st.
07:35: Ignatius, you know, somebody of a holy power and some ancient man from passage It means being you're being a
07:41: Christian changes who you are. So it changes where you fit in It means you are a saint in a world of the unjust the
07:48: Corinthians hadn't seen this They they still thought that they fit in here. They fit in now I'm in this society so they acted like all the other people who fit in here and now and when they had a grievance they fought for what was
08:01: Theirs by right Always ready to demand their rights and so they took that to court to just like everyone everyone else
08:08: Greek culture was highly litigious. I was they sued each other a lot They prone to public trials where the assembled men would you know decide the case for the
08:17: Corinthian Christians the Saints That was what they had grown up in That was their society.
08:23: That was their culture it was their city of the laws of They accustomed to decided by judges or juries made up of their neighbors and they felt like they fit in there
08:32: And it never occurred to them that being a Christian Would change that The Paul is shocked by it, you know, he begins the sixth chapter here we just shock
08:44: How dare you you're taking to each other to court and that before the world in Greek culture
08:51: It could have been juries of the men in Corinth perhaps hearing cases of one Christian versus another While they decided the case according to their traditions and customs.
09:01: They are as he calls them here the unjust They make less sense to ask the unjust to decide for justice does it
09:08: They have unjust they're not just and you want them to decide just us I don't make sense.
09:14: It makes no sense to expect justice for the unjust after all as he calls them here. You are Saints that is holy ones set apart by God, but these people you are taking your affairs to They're not
09:27: Saints. They're not set apart. And so you are coming from very different worlds you from the
09:34: Saints those made right with God and they from the unjust and That's not your home
09:42: Don't you know? You don't fit in there Notice that they cared so much about their personal rights that when they were offended they'd take even fellow
09:53: Christians to court But when in chapter 5 a church member was deeply offending God and for last week guys deeply offending the
10:00: Lord Yeah So what he didn't really care They wouldn't lift a finger to defend the glory of God while scratching and clawing for everything.
10:09: That's that that's mine they still felt like they've Fit in nicely in Corinth.
10:15: Yes, they really did still well, they shouldn't have this is why this is what white churches did when it tolerated
10:21: South racism for generations white white people fit in here black people fit in over there
10:28: That's what the society around them was doing it's what they had grown up with a bit instilled in them and they brought the same thing into the church like it's not like we're
10:36: Not supposed to be any different today. Some are doing the same thing with now may be living together before marriage with homosexuality
10:42: It's all just all sexual ethics like so that's why you often in many places. They you don't hear
10:49: Much teaching against it like we're not any different because they just want to fit in they don't want to be distinct
10:55: So eventually they will be extinct What do you fit in? Any Christians they say amen to much of this that a man, you know, we don't fit into this world.
11:05: We're Saints. Amen They are the unjust Makes us feel good about ourselves, right?
11:11: Amen. We are heading for distinction They're heading for extinction. The world is not my home.
11:16: They say I'm just passing through Amen It's true that the world is not our home that the world as it is made up of rebellious people
11:25: People like those described in verses 9 and 10, you know the unjust the immoral idolaters adulterers homosexuals thieves greedy drunkards or Drug addicts the scoffers and slanders and swindlers are just people who fit in nicely with them that world is
11:41: Not our home but this world this planet in Which we we might not we shouldn't fit in very well yet Yes, it's not now our home
11:56: But it will be Meanwhile we're to be living now like we will be
12:03: When this world will be our home You know, there's an escapism among many
12:09: Christians that just wants to turn a blind eye To everything that's wrong here to forget about it to excuse it
12:17: Take no responsibility to change it instead, you know escape to songs About how we'll fly away to a golden shore over yonder one bright morning
12:27: That we don't do anything about this sure right now That is escapism and it passes for spirituality in many places
12:35: Many people think that is what it really means to be spiritual. Don't do anything about this world You're just singing about that golden shore over yonder it passes for spirituality and it misuses often this very passage
12:47: You see some say that we aren't even to go to the courts. They even try to rectify problems here and now
12:53: That's not really what Paul is saying here It's not but He's not against the the court.
13:01: So the use of law You know three times in the book of Acts He personally used his legal rights to protect himself, you know what you remember in Philippian Philippi.
13:10: Hey, it's me and Silas here. We're Roman Citizens, you weren't supposed to beat us You bring that town council over here make them apologize to us
13:19: Remember that and and here the implication is you're not supposed to be taking brothers to court But if it's someone's not a brother someone not a
13:26: Christian and they've wronged him. That's what courts are for You can do that But but now some use this passage as an excuse to escape from this world
13:34: I know of a man who a pastor whose daughter was almost killed by the malpractice of a hospital when they gave her
13:40: The wrong blood type and a transfusion and he was proud of himself For not even thinking of suing the hospital
13:48: Because he thought we aren't supposed to go to court Apparently from this passage. See that's what he thought this meant
13:53: But but what if the hospital fails to correct his problems because it got off without having to settle
13:59: You know because it didn't have to do anything about it didn't have to pay up and and next time it kills some other patient Will it not be because that man and escapist who thought that since this world is not my home
14:10: I'm not going to worry about correcting his problems The Bible clearly tells us in Romans 13 that the courts and the other rulers the government is
14:18: Instituted by God to bring his justice to bear on earth and we have a right to use that that government use the courts when necessary Sometimes we even have an obligation to use them if it will prevent future
14:29: Injustices this is especially so in our day when there's been a Christian influence on our society and on our courts on our laws
14:36: For hundreds of years unlike some churches. Well, this is a well we have an obligation then to continue to exert that influence whenever we can such as through voting
14:49: Now I'm not going to tell you How to vote or endorse candidates give you a list, you know go into the ballot box and vote for these people we're distinct
14:59: We're not a special interest group or a political action committee But I will tell you that you need to register and be informed and vote
15:07: The Lord Jesus commanded us to be a light and salt in our society and our government gives us the opportunity to do that by Voting and so as long as we are led by the light of his word we're voting by our by our biblical principles, then
15:22: We we have a we have an opportunity. We have an invitation and according to God We have an actually an obligation to To take advantage of that opportunity and vote.
15:32: I will not tell you who to vote for but I will tell you to vote Yes, it's true.
15:38: The world is not my home, but it will be one day This is what Paul is getting at in verses 2 to 5
15:46: First we are Saints and Second we are future judges
15:53: We will judge the world even the angels That's why this is why this is coming off a chapter 5
16:02: When he said don't you need to be judging a sinner in your own midst now, don't you know?
16:08: You are future judges. Don't let the world judge you We will we will get to have a vote on the eternal destinies of people and angels here with all that judge the angels now, of course
16:19: We will not just vote as we feel like it, you know, I don't like you Gabriel. I'm gonna throw you to hell
16:24: No, it's not gonna work like that. That should never be our opinion even now as Christians We are to bring the kingdom that is the rule of God on earth now imperfectly now only partially
16:35: But that's what we're after right seek first the kingdom of God in our lives and bring it on the world
16:40: But later we will be able to do it perfectly and completely the world will not know it or believe it, but it's true
16:46: We will judge them According to God's law, of course So if that be the case, how much sense does it make for one
16:53: Saint one future judge? to take his grievance against another future judge and Take it before someone who is unjust and who will in the end be judged
17:07: I Didn't make any sense at all to do that That's what
17:13: Paul does. That's what Paul says. That's why he says in beginning of verse 2 or do you not know?
17:19: Don't you know you should know this already. I've told you why have you forgotten that you are judges?
17:25: Why have you forgotten? How distinct you are? Where do you fit in?
17:34: We are Saints we're future judges and now Sufferers people willing to suffer wrong to fit in Now people are willing to suffer to fit in like often they will
17:49: They'll suffer paying dues to be part of a club They'll suffer having sometimes to go out eat at a restaurant ever been with a group
17:56: Where'd you like to go out to eat and they end up signing to go someplace. You just don't like it at all Maybe you hate it, but you go
18:03: And you bear it because you want to be part of the group or maybe you in a family What do you wanna watch for TV and they say oh and I want to watch
18:09: NCIS. I'm tired of that But they but you sit there and you watch it because you just want to be part of the group
18:16: You'll suffer but you want to be part of what the group is doing sometimes being a part of something larger either family a
18:24: Nation a church means choosing to suffer some for the greater benefits
18:31: Because you fit in there Here choose to suffer loss Rather than take a brother to court
18:40: Now does this passage mean then that we can't go to court against any person who even claims to be a
18:46: Christian even in this atmosphere here in the Southern US were so many nominal
18:53: Christians. Almost everyone says they're a Christian Doesn't this didn't practically mean we're back to where we were before With no way to seek justice in the world because everyone says they're
19:03: Christian so I can't sue anybody Or maybe you try to get you know, you want someone to do work on your home you put out an ad
19:09: You know looking for a plumber only only Jews and Mormons may apply Whatever, you know or atheist
19:16: No, no, it doesn't mean that I I don't think so We've gotten to this condition that we're in with so many nominal
19:22: Christians because of the failure to practice what we looked at last week You know church discipline many people now in our society are in a church
19:32: Maybe just by name Some of them say they're in a church members of it and haven't attended there for 35 years, but whatever many people are
19:40: In name in a church who should be out Now if they're not in if they're not in our church and they say they're a
19:48: Christian We can appeal to them. Hey, you're a Christian. You should do better than that You shouldn't have defrauded me.
19:54: You said you're gonna do this or that you you know You say you're gonna do the work. You didn't do it. Whatever whatever you took my money
20:00: You didn't you didn't do what you said you were did we can appeal to them? Yeah, you're a Christian you should be doing this and then perhaps we can appeal to their church
20:08: Look this person defrauded me. You should you churches do something about it. I know they'll think you're weird if you try that After they don't have a church at all.
20:16: I don't think you have to even honor their confession. These are Christians. Okay, but yeah But if that doesn't work
20:23: You appeal to their church. That is a work maybe because their church won't do anything Because they don't even know what you're talking about.
20:29: What are we supposed to do about it? We just take their money. We I think if they don't do anything, I think then we can go to court
20:35: But this would mean however that in this chapter here that here in this church
20:42: Our members should not be suing one another If ever there's a grievance and we are members of the same church having accepted
20:51: Each other is brothers and sisters may read through that covenant, you know Bear with each other walk together in Christian love all that we should be able to trust if we do have a grievance
21:02: Somehow we think we've been cheated or maybe we're maybe we're wrong Maybe there's misunderstanding, but we should be able to trust the arbitration of others the church itself
21:09: We should be able to arbitrate to judge that to settle it And if we still think the church arbitrated and came to a judgment and we still think
21:18: We didn't get full justice Then we should be able to say Paul says here You know just basically got to shrug our shoulders and say well, it's better to suffer wrong
21:29: It's better to be defrauded Okay, I'm out a few hundred dollars, whatever It's just I'll take the loss it's better to be a sufferer because we think this is
21:43: Where I fit in To tear it apart because I would cheat it out of something. It is just just not worth it
21:49: The piece of the body is more important than me getting mine This once again proves the importance of church membership where you are a or you were in a body that you fit into Now think for a minute what
22:02: Paul in this passage think what he's assuming then fully articulated but what he's just assuming that the church is and How Christians are joined in it together
22:15: He is saying here that as brothers and sisters. It's a disgrace that we go to court against each other
22:22: It is as if we had more confidence in the judgment and the decision -making the principles of the secular judge
22:29: Then we do in the leaders of the church We are saying that even though I supposedly fit in with these people like they're my family
22:35: I trust those outside more to decide what is right Now then then they then then their decisions but here he is saying the opposite must be the case
22:46: So what he's assuming about the church the opposite. We must trust each other more than we would trust You know lawyers out there in the in in courts.
22:54: We are brothers and sisters. We are a body we have the Word of God and One day
22:59: God will let us use that word to be agents of his judgment of the earth together
23:06: We fit in with each other You know, there's no there's no idea you find what we find here so much in our culture this this kind of lone major Christians Out there unattached
23:16: Absolutely, not your brothers sisters. You're so bound together that you judge each other's if you have grievances
23:24: Where do you fit in? We're Saints We're future judges sufferers
23:32: And now we're heirs Verse 9 continues the thought in Greek it begins with the word or or don't you know?
23:42: It's better to suffer wrong. I don't you know, you don't think it's better to suffer wrong Don't you know the fourth and final reason that they should not bring their brothers before the unjust was not because they
23:52: The the Christians don't now fit in with the worldly courts, that's that's true, too but there's another reason because eventually
23:59: I Mean now we don't fit in here But eventually the unjust will not fit in with us and Will inherit the earth?
24:11: when that happens They won't fit in Now we don't fit in But we're gonna inherit the whole thing and then they won't fit in we're heirs.
24:20: We're inheritors of everything Inheriting means to enter into full possession of something that has been promised and now we have it prompt
24:29: We have everything promise. I remember earlier all is yours Paul said current in Corinth and Corinthians Everything is yours life and death and heaven and earth everything
24:40: And we're gonna inherit it all The kingdom of God has been promised the new earth is begun and we have we have taste of it.
24:48: We like appetizers But we don't have the full possession of it yet We are we are now
24:54: You know Kings kids we're inheritors we're heirs of a kingdom
25:02: But we haven't inherited it all yet And this kingdom is not just empty talk, but it's powerful
25:08: But the fullness of it is yet to come Will inherit it
25:14: In this chapter Paul is driving home the point so often missed by modern Christians that there is a radical divide
25:20: Between the world and the church the true church There was once one human race one people created by God, but as soon as there were the first two sons
25:30: There was a divide Abel received God's grace and so was saved but Cain did not
25:37: Right and because one was right with God and the other was not they were divided the unrighteous killed the righteous
25:49: The Lord Jesus said that he's not come to bring peace on the earth but a sword to divide even families right down the middle between those who believe him and those who will not in the end that Radical divide will be permanent in what
26:00: CS Lewis called the great divorce At the judgment when the rule of God comes on earth perfectly and fully
26:09: The righteous will be divorced from the unrighteous With no more reconciliation possible at that time the world system
26:17: That was not our home where we could not fit in will be finally fully conquered brought to heel
26:25: Made to obey the Lord Jesus Christ the King then this world that world to come will be our home and we will
26:37: Fit in where do you fit in? Those who choose to live their way their own way now
26:46: Living in in this world as if there were no God they may say they believe in God But they live they don't make any difference in their life as if there were no judgment to come
26:53: Those who would not submit to the coming King. They're now listed in verses 9 and 10
27:00: Those who create societies were rebels against against God Could fit in so nicely here and who showed that showed their rebellion in ten sins
27:11: Ten kinds of people that Paul says will not fit into the kingdom of God. It was first the sexually immoral
27:17: That's just generally all kinds of sexual immorality second lovers of the self -exalting human centered religion
27:24: Religion is made for the customer religion that lets you have it your way That makes
27:29: God in our image to serve our purposes like to give us wealth and success Third those who break their marriage covenant
27:37: Fourth I can actually and fifth there's actually two terms here in Greek for homosexuals
27:42: Those who chase after whatever sexual perversion gives them pleasure And I should note here with that.
27:50: He means clearly those who actually practice Homosexuality, there are some people that have a temptation for it.
27:56: Maybe they're even Christians. They have a weakness inclination They call it same -sex attraction and Paul would not classify those people as homosexuals unfit for the kingdom of God They can be
28:07: Christian. They could actually be trying to overcome it and fighting against it Just like with any other set could be with adultery or greed
28:13: You could be fighting against it, even though you had that inclination that weakness Well six those who care about the rights and the needs of their neighbors
28:19: But but just who don't care about the rights their needs of neighbors, excuse me, and who just take what they want
28:25: They don't care they can get away with it. They'll steal Seventh those who live for the dollar who chase more money more things.
28:32: That's what their life is all about Money eight those who crave the stupor of excess alcohol or the high of drugs ninth those arrogant people who are intoxicated
28:42: But with a with a heavy feeling that they get when they scorn authorities they pour out false vitriolic accusations at people they they scoff
28:51: Especially leaders. They they're mocking the reviling perhaps perhaps reviling people of other races tenth the last one those who took millions of dollars in pay and bonuses telling stockholders that all is fine with the company before leaving a company in bankruptcy or Take your money to do a job and then don't do it or don't pay someone who did a job for them
29:13: Or promise that they're you know promise that they're get it You get an email from a rich Nigerian Prince who says, you know, just give me your bank account number
29:21: Yeah, and of course what will happen is your bank account will be empty of money by If you do or maybe though or maybe the guy on TV who promises if you just send send in your donation
29:33: You'll get healed or whatever it is. You need to be healed of those are swindlers Such people may fit in nicely here now
29:42: They know how to play the game And get what they want Such people will have no place in the kingdom of God where Jesus rules
29:51: They won't fit in when Jesus comes to be in charge Paul begins in verse 9 with or do you not know?
30:01: As if they've forgotten something they should already remember they've been told if after forgetting
30:07: That we don't fit in this world that we will judge it instead That we should be willing to suffer wrong if necessary rather than rin the body finally don't you know that these people
30:19: To whom you're looking for justice You're going to them for justice won't even have a place with us when
30:26: Christ returns and finishes Installing his rule on earth Now it is true
30:32: The world is not our home but then The world will not be their home
30:40: They will not fit in with us That is as we saw two weeks ago
30:47: You know, that's not yet When they don't fit in There's the now and there's the not yet Not everything is now
30:57: It's what these Corinthians were having some problems with remember it already. You have become Kings already. You are rich Paul kind of Joke's at them.
31:06: No It's not already. They thought they could rule and be wealthy now Paul says no, it's not yet now
31:17: Remember Christ crucified Now we hold each other to account now
31:23: Judging the world for being immoral It's really none of our business. It's kind of it's the way the world is later.
31:29: It will be Then we will judge them as agents of God But that's not yet Then the divorce will be complete and there will be no way to return
31:39: Once condemned from hell to heaven then where you fit in will be settled forever
31:46: You will fit in hell or you'll find your place enjoying the pleasures of the kingdom of God, but that's
31:52: Not yet now you can leave this world you can leave your sin and fit in under the rule of God In verse 11
32:06: Paul tells them after listing all these kinds of people who will not fit in the kingdom of God. He says such were some of you
32:15: You used to be like that You used to be immoral or greedy or selfish, but now
32:23: Something's changed. You're you're new people. You're not the kind of people you were and because that happened
32:31: Now where you fit in has changed you used to be like that used to be immoral or greedy or selfish, but he says a magnificent but a stark bold contrast a radical distinction
32:45: It's missing in most English translations But Paul uses the word but missing here on this actually in the
32:51: English Standard Version Paul uses the word But three times here before washed sanctified justified three times
32:58: Paul uses that It's a sharp Adversative translated is but such as were some of you but but but They had fit in with the world in rebellion against God, but something revolutionary happened
33:17: Happened so that they could fit in the kingdom of God but You were washed
33:24: But you were sanctified But you were justified This is the power of the kingdom of God that Paul said we had in chapter in chapter 3
33:35: Our faith has not just talk but power Power to transform a life from being, you know, maybe from a repulsive perversion to beautiful holiness this power can take the dregs of humanity such were some of you and And transform them into the children of God you can make sinners living proof of the recreating power of Christ whether or not we live we whether or not we give in to these the worst of these sins
34:09: We're all born citizens of this world You know now fitting in here with others and rebellion against God enemies of God Unless something radical happens something to contrast us with the rest of the world
34:25: We used to fit in here but Something happened and it happened to us
34:37: It's not what we did Notice that it says it's in the passive voice you were washed you were
34:46: Sanctified you were just if I didn't say you washed yourself Does he he doesn't say you sanctified yourself?
34:52: Are you justified yourself? No, the passive voice the subject of the verb the doer of the action is understood here
34:58: We were washed sanctified that is set apart made justified that is made righteous in God's eyes
35:04: We were the objects of the of the action But who did it? Who watched us?
35:11: Who sanctified us who justified us well God did of course God washed us
35:17: God sanctifies us Calls us out of the world to be misfits in the world God decided to see us as clothed in the righteousness the righteous life of Christ because he had seen
35:29: Christ clothed With our sins. This is how we changed our citizenships
35:35: This is how we immigrated from fitting in so well here Amidst all the rebellion against God and it's all the sin we immigrated from that citizens of this world to fitting into the kingdom of God God the
35:51: Father did it for us and did it as he says at the end into verse 11 in the name of the
35:56: Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God You notice that all the
36:02: Trinity's at work. You see that father son and a Holy Ghost in the name fathers doing the work.
36:08: He's washing sanctify Justifying and he's doing it in the name of the
36:13: Lord Jesus the Son and by the Spirit of our God the Trinity was at work to save us such were some of you but God God in all his fullness
36:29: He acted Where do you fit in in this world or under the rule of God Well in the end, it will have to be one or the other if you fit in so naturally here
36:44: Your interests maybe your taste in music or reading or entertainment or your sources of pleasure are hardly distinguishable from the average unbeliever
36:53: If people can look at your life and see nothing really distinct about you If you can date unbelievers and get along so well, maybe because they have it
37:01: You're not really being challenged by you if that's you just kind of fitting in here. Paul says
37:08: Do not be deceived About whether you fit into the kingdom of God There will be people who who will finally not fit in in that kingdom
37:20: Is that you? Do don't be deceived You may you may not exhibit any of the more heinous sins listed here
37:28: You may have inherited the benefits of good Christian upbringing or good family trained up in the way you should go So you learn good habits, but whether you'll inherit the kingdom of God Whether you will fit in that world where Jesus is ruling as king without rival or rebellion
37:43: Whether you receive even the ability to want that but that's even attractive to you
37:48: The washing the setting apart the being made right Receive that as a gift inherit it because you are related as a child to the father
37:59: Whether you fit in forever Or will be on the other side of the great divorce
38:07: That is what you need to search your heart to find out now the fierce urgency of now
38:16: The question is not whether you've been sunk in the worst of these ugly sins listed here
38:23: The question now is whether you've experienced that great contrast