A few years back,
before I retired, I was invited to a party at Clarks Hill that my foreman
was putting on for the crew. He knew I was a pastor, and I knew there
was going to be a lot of drinking going on, so I was surprised that
he invited me. At first I wasn't going to go. But as I asked Jesus what
he would do, he revealed to me that he would have jumped at the opportunity
to spend time with a bunch of sinners in their own environment. So I
went, and not did I have a great time, but I was also able to talk to
several people about how Jesus had delivered me from a life of alcohol
& drugs.
As I thought about that day, I realized how much I missed being among
sinners. Which is really odd, because I used to long to go full time
so I could spend more time with the Lord. The truth of the matter is
we all need to spend time with the Lord so we can spend time with sinners.
So let me ask you, as I asked myself this week, how much time, not counting
the time at work, did you spend with sinners this week? How many non-Christians
friends do you have that you are spending regular time with? More than
likely, your answer is like mine, none!
That is a shame because that is not the way Jesus wants us to live.
Jesus left us in a world that is full of immoral people in order that
we might be salt & light to them. In fact, the only way we can avoid
coming into contact with sinners is do what some monks did in the 5th
century. In those days there was a group of monks who were called "pillar
saints" because the lived on the top of pillars. The most famous of
them was Simeon Stylites, who lived on top of a pillar for 36 yrs. For
36 yrs, he never once came down. He even had his food and water hauled
up to him daily on a rope. He did so because he wanted to separate himself
from any evil influence of the world. In doing so, he misunderstood
what it means to be in the world but not of the world.
At this point in the letter, Paul refers to a letter he previously wrote.
In that letter he had begun to address the problem of the sin that he
heard was going on in the church. But now, as he reflected upon what
he had written, he realized that some of the people had misunderstood
what he meant. Instead of cleaning up their own act, the people were
preventing sinners from coming to the worship services. The church was
becoming a holy huddle that wouldn't allow any sinners into the circle.
And this is not God's will. God is not calling us to become pillar saints.
This is partially what Paul addresses in this part of his letter-v.
9-10.
If we were never to associate with immoral people, we couldn't make
it in this life. You wouldn't be able to go to work, or go to school,
or shop till you drop at WalMart. There is just no way we can live in
this world without associating with the inhabitants of this world.
In fact, I want us to become more intentional about associating with
unsaved people. I want us all to start developing relationship with
people who need to hear the good news that Jesus loves them. But if
this happens, I want us all to be aware that some pretty weird people
may start hanging around here. I mean people who are even weirder than
the ones who already come here. I'm hoping that one day this church
to be known as a hospital for those who need spiritual healing.
In these verses, Paul is addressing the same issue of separatism that
Jesus had to deal with in his days. During Jesus' earthly ministry,
he had to contend with the Pharisees, who considered themselves to be
the spiritually elite. They were masters at condemning the sin that
could be seen on the outside of others, while they happily tolerated
the sins that were inside their own lives. Yet, Jesus said to them:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed
tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full
of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (Matthew
23:27)
The Pharisees, in attempts to appear to be super-spiritual, wouldn't
even been seen with those they considered to be sinners. In the gospels
we read of the time that "Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house,
and many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, 'Why does your
teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus
said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go
and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have
not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" (Matthew
9:10-13)
Jesus knew that in order for him to fulfill his mission, he had to associate
with sinners. The problem with the church is that we are becoming Parasitical
by condemning the sin we see in sinners, while overlooking the sin that
is going on in our own family. We read of the time that a Pharisee prayed,
"God, I thank You that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust,
adulterers." (Luke
18:11)
That's like condemning your neighbor because he doesn't cut his grass
as often as you do. Yet, you wouldn't dare invite him over to your house,
because he would need a gas mask to keep from gagging from the fumes
of the mess because you haven't cleaned your house in weeks. Or you
condemn a neighbor because she sends her kids to public school instead
of teaching them at home like you do. Yet you wouldn't dare invite her
over to dinner because you're too embarrassed of how your kids behave
at the dinner table. Let me state that this illustration is from my
imagination, not from the results of pastoral visitations.
As we see in this passage, we are like the other people that the Pharisee
condemned. Look at v. 11 and underline the phrase "called a brother."
Remember, that is a term Paul reserves exclusively for those who are
born again. Paul is saying that the body of Christ is just as guilty
of committing the same sins that characterize the worldly person of
v. 10. As a Christian, your life should be distinctly different in all
areas of life. Especially in these areas because they are so visible.
First Paul says that we should be living differently in the area of
our sexuality. God created us as sexual beings, but he also set the
rules for how we are to enjoy this dimension of life. God designed sex
exclusively for the mutual enjoyment of a man & a woman who are married.
While God has given husbands and wives much freedom in the ways they
can express their sexuality towards each other, he has explicitly forbidden
any expression of sex that is outside the confines of the marriage bed.
This includes premarital sex, extramarital affairs, homosexuality, and
even pornography.
Unfortunately, we are not doing so well in the area of sexuality. Let
me remind you again that surveys reveal that there is little difference
between believers & non-believers in the rates of premarital intercourse,
cohabitation, and extramarital affairs. The reason so many Christian
teenagers are violating God's rules are because they believe they will
miss out on something if they live within God's boundaries for sex.
Actually, the only thing they will miss is getting pregnant, or getting
raped, or getting a sexually transmitted disease, such as AIDS.
The reason the rate is so high for extramarital affairs is because we
have given the status of gods & goddesses to individuals, merely upon
the basis of how sexy they look. Most of us don't marry someone who
looks like Ben Afflect or Jennifer Lopez. Instead we end up marrying
ordinary looking people. People who have bad breath in the morning.
People whose hair starts falling out as they get older. People who occasionally
have bad moods. And people who require compassion, tolerance, understanding,
and an endless supply of forgiveness just as much as they require the
physical act of sexual intimacy. But because we are constantly bombarded
with images of these super-sexual creatures we are starting to treat
our spouse like we do an old car. Some of you right now may be looking
for a way to trade your 40 yr. old in for two 20's.
Secondly, Paul says we should be living differently in the area of materialism.
He says we are not to be greedy. The Greek word that is used here for
greed means to be eager to hold more in quantity and/or in quality.
The idea of having more, or having the best, has become the center of
our identity and security. And if you are not careful, Satan will use
the trap of greed to produce foolish & harmful desires in your heart,
that will eventually rob you of being able to be content with whatever
God has given you.
A couple of years ago, the TV show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was
one of the highest rated shows, because it tapped into our "if only"
dream. If only I made a little more money; if only I had a more reliable
car, if only I had a faster computer, if only I had a better job, if
only I could take a vacation; or if only I had a little bit more, then
I would be happy with life. The answer to how much is enough is just
a little bit more. We have attached so much power, prestige, and security
to money & possessions, that they have become hooks that pull us toward
greed.
Next Paul says we are to live differently in the area of what we worship.
Idolatry occurs whenever we spend more of our time, talents, & treasures
in the pursuit of something other than God. Some of you may be guilty
of worshipping the idols of success & power. If you are spending more
time at work than you are with God and your family, you are guilty of
idolatry. Some of you may have made an idol of good looks. If you are
spending so much money on designer label clothes that you can't give
to God, just so you can fit in with the rest of society, then you are
guilty of idolatry. Some of you may have made an idol of your free time.
If you are spending more time fishing, hunting, playing golf, watching
TV, or surfing the Internet, then you are with God, you have made your
leisure time an idol
Paul next tells us that the way we use of our tongue ought to be different
from an unsaved person. We should be able to control our tongue by not
yelling obscenities at our spouses or our kids. We shouldn't be going
around gossiping about each other. We shouldn't be cutting each other
down. We shouldn't be guilty of telling little white lies. Instead,
we should be using our tongue to bless each other. We should be using
our tongue to encourage each other. You are to "Let no corrupt word
proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification,
that it may impart grace to the hearers." (Ephesians
4:29)
Paul also reminds us that we shouldn't be drunks. No longer does the
church proclaim that we should be teetotalers. Instead there is more
openness to having a glass of wine with your meal, or a beer after a
hard day's work. But this permissiveness has also brought some problems.
Far too many Christians are now trapped in the sin of drunkenness. Notice
that Paul doesn't call drunkenness a disease. Instead he classifies
it as a sin. Paul doesn't want us to bring into our lives any outside
influences that could cause us to act in ungodly manners. Which is why
he said: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead,
be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians
5:18.)
When was the last time you heard someone called a drunk instead of an
alcoholic? If a person is a drunk, the answer is not to send him/her
to a support group or even to a detox center. The answer is not the
12 Step program of AA. The answer is God's program of confessing drunkenness
as a sin & turning from it in repentance.
The last area that Paul says we ought to be living differently from
sinners in the area of our financial dealings. We are not to be swindlers.
The broad meaning of a swindler is someone who acquires money or property
through deceitful tactics.
I remember once when I worked on a job, unbeknownst to me, with another
Robert Laube. The only difference was he had a different middle initial.
I discovered this fact when 1 week the company gave us each other's
paycheck. Which wouldn't have been such a big deal except I had worked
a couple of days of overtime, and he had missed a couple of days of
work. Guess who was the one who pointed out the mistake. Not the other
Robert Laube. When I asked him why he didn't return the check, he said
he didn't know there was another Robert Laube on the job and he was
hoping they wouldn't catch the mistake. In reality, he was trying to
swindle the company.
Hopefully none of you are swindlers, but have you ever fudged on our
income tax returns? Have you ever padded your expense account, or an
insurance claim to cover the deductible? Have you ever kept the extra
change you were mistakenly given? Have you illegally downloaded music
files or shared a copyrighted software program with a friend? Are you
guilty of arriving at work late, and leaving early without telling the
boss? If you have done any of these things, you are a swindler.
The principle Paul wants us to see here is that God want us to become
pure so we can effectively penetrate the sinful world in which we live.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "Let Me tell you why you are
here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors
of this earth. Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light,
bringing out the God-colors in the world." (Matthew
5:13-16)
In order for us to become salt & light, we first of all have got to
get out of our holy huddles and go to where the sinners. Salt will add
no flavor if it is kept in the cabinet. Neither does a light do any
good if it is put under a box. Yet that is exactly what is happening
in today's church.
George Gallup reports that 82% of Americans are on a spiritual search.
51% say they've talked about spiritual issues in the previous 24 hours.
Yet only 16% said that they had any contact with someone who claimed
to be a Christian in the previous year. I would like to know where the
church got the idea that the way to win the lost is to withdraw from
their world. This idea never came from Jesus or Paul.
The second thing that has to occur for us to be salt & light is for
us to start living holy lives. In order for us to effective witnesses
for the Lord Jesus Christ we have to become "Blameless and harmless,
without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among
whom you shine as lights in the world."
The reason that Paul has spent so much talking about church disciple,
is that not only does it help keep the body of Christ healthy, but it
also helps us in being effective in evangelism. The reason why we are
not impacting our world positively for Jesus Christ is because we have
become too relaxed about sin among the saints. Sadly, too many unsaved
people are being turned off to Jesus because of the hypocrisy they are
seeing in those who claim to be Jesus' disciples. And as they are seeing
the church live just like they are they are saying, "I don't want anything
to do with Jesus if he doesn't make a difference in your life."
Paul is not advocating that we become cruel towards our brothers/sisters
who struggle with sin. But, he is saying that if someone who claims
to be a Christian, continues in living visibly, willfully, and persistently
in ways that hurt the cause of Christ, that the most loving thing a
church family can do, is to stay away from them until they turn from
their sins. Look at the last part of v. 11-13.
This appears to contradict Jesus' teaching on judging people. But it
is not when we realize that in those passages where Jesus talked about
judging, it was for the sake of reminding us to clean up own act first.
Jesus once asked: "How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the
speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? You hypocrite,
first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matthew
7:4-5)
Paul is not asking us to develop a judgmental spirit. Rather he wants
us to see that by becoming involved in someone's life, even to the point
that you confront them about their sins, is an act of compassion, an
act of care. This kind of involvement is not easy. In fact, it is messy.
But it is vital for the health of the body of Christ.
I know that what I'm saying may sound drastic. I know that what I'm
saying doesn't sound very gracious. I know that what I'm saying has
the potential of becoming spiritual dynamite. So please handle this
level of discipline with care. Please understand that God is not asking
us to become spiritual spies who sneak around trying to catch each other
in our sins. He is not asking us to start kicking people out of church
every time they mess up. What God is asking us to do is to be the last
step, not the first step when someone we love sins. But please also
understand that God is so gracious, so loving that he is advocating
tough love towards those who continue in sin.
Let me close by saying that we live in a world that is full of people
who are living hopeless lives. And the only way they are going to find
hope that life can be different from the life they are now living, is
for you & me to be salt & light to them. Let me leave you with 2 challenges:
First, start living holy lives at all times. Remember, the lost are
watching every move you make. Secondly, establish & cultivate relationships
with those who don't know Jesus as their lord. For as you spend time
with them, living like Jesus has made a difference in your life, they
will one day ask you what has given you the ability to live so differently.
Then you have earned the right to tell them about Jesus.
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