Do I Really Need to Get Mine Now? - 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Sermon Series: Confused?

We are a part of a generation that is obsessed with living in the moment. I know a guy who is a driver for the Lays potato chip company. His job is to deliver Lays brand potato chips to grocery stores and convenience stores for them to sell. You may not think a guy like that has many insights into marketing, but he would surprise you. I remember him telling me one time where the most coveted location in a grocery store or a convenience store was for the distributors to place their products. Do you have any guesses? He said the location that every distributor wants to have their products is right by the check out line. Why is that? It’s because so many people can be persuaded by their own impulse to purchase things that they would normally not go into the store to buy. For example, unless we’re getting ready for trick-or-treaters or Easter baskets very few of us actually ever visit the candy aisle. But when we’re standing in line, waiting patiently for the customer in front of us to finish checking out, those 3 Musketeers and Milky Ways start looking pretty good, don’t they? It also amazes me how I can go through Target and not be thirsty at all, but as soon as I see those little coolers with Sunkist or Mountain Dew in them I start getting thirsty.

We’ve been conditioned by our culture to place a high value on the present and to think in terms of going after all you want and getting it as quickly as you can. That's why we are surrounded by people who have run up massive amounts of credit card debt because they can purchase products right away, even if they don’t currently have the money to pay for them. It's why on Black Friday we see news reports of women fighting in stores and people getting trampled over because customers go to a store determined to get what they want at that very moment and believing that it is more important for them to get that certain product than anyone else. And it's why young people all over our country are giving up on waiting for marriage to engage in certain activities because they believe there isn’t any sense in waiting if that’s what their flesh is desiring. We elevate ourselves and give ourselves the status of gods. Our goal is to make much of ourselves and to satisfy the desires of our hearts. We show very little, if any preference to others, and very seldom do we look through the lense of the future. We strive to get what we want and we strive to get it now.

But in our text this week, we’ll find words Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, which was permitting certain individuals to live this way, in order to challenge them to something different. Paul knew that God, Jesus, and the Gospel should impact the way we think about these things and impact the way that we live out our lives. The church was supposed to be modeling something very different. And as a generation that wrestles with the same way of thinking, we need to pay careful attention to what Paul calls the church at Corinth to.

There’s not much in this particular letter that the church at Corinth had to be excited about. They were really struggling to grasp how God, Jesus, and the Gospel should have been transforming the way they were living. In the first few chapters Paul had to address their over-emphasis on worldly wisdom and the divisions which that had caused in the church. In chapter 5 Paul was angry that the church was allowing one particular man to compromise the holiness and purity of the church by allowing him to continue to participate in an incestuous relationship and to continue to identify himself with the church at Corinth. In chapter 6 things aren’t any better. Paul continued to be angry and frustrated that the Gospel wasn’t having more of an impact and that the lives and behaviors of those who were a part of the church at Corinth weren’t being transformed.

Remarkably, despite his great disappointment, frustration, and anger towards this church, Paul still has some pretty clever transitions. At the end of chapter 5 Paul wrote, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you’” (5:12-13). Paul’s frustration in chapter 5 was that the church wasn’t taking responsibility for confronting one another with habitual sin. So at the end of the chapter he tells them, “Look, we don’t have any responsibility for judging those outside of the church. That’s God’s responsibility. But those who make up the church have every right and responsibility to hold one another accountable and to guard the purity and holiness of the church. So leave those outside of the church alone, but be responsible for judging and dealing with those inside the church.” Then, in a seemingly effortless transition Paul confronts the church with another problem – one that deals directly with legal issues and ‘judging.’

As chapter 6 begins it is clear that another problem the church at Corinth was facing had been reported to Paul. Apparently one individual who was a follower of Christ and a member of the church at Corinth had cheated another follower of Christ and member of the church at Corinth out of some money or property. Then, in an attempt to resolve the issue, the one who had been defrauded took the other individual to trial before the legal authorities in the city of Corinth. Once again Paul saw more evidence that God, Jesus, and the Gospel weren’t impacting the lives, behaviors, and relationships of those who made up the church at Corinth as they should have been and Paul took the initiative to rebuke both the individuals and the church. “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints” (6:1). Not only could Paul not believe that these individuals weren’t allowing the Gospel to transform their lives, but the church was allowing its dirty laundry to be aired among those who weren’t believers in Christ. Just as the church wasn’t to judge those outside the church (5:12-13), neither were they to go to those outside the church for judgment of their internal affairs.

In verse 2 Paul begins to explain why this issue in the church at Corinth is such a concerning one. He begins by asking a set of questions to the church at Corinth. The first is this, “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” With this question Paul begins to remind the church at Corinth over and over again throughout this chapter that the Gospel should transform their lives by causing them to place a much higher value on the future than on the present. The news of salvation and reconciliation with God through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection has tremendous implications for the here and now. It means that we are no longer separated from God and that we can have an intimate and personal relationship with Him in the present. But this life is only temporary. The news of salvation and reconciliation with God through Jesus has much greater implications for our future, because those who have repented of their sin and committed their lives to following after Jesus have the promise of an eternity in the very presence of God where their souls will receive the greatest treasure and satisfaction that they could ever imagine, because they will be in the presence of God forever and ever. So Paul begins to attempt to correct this misplaced emphasis on the present, by showing how the lives of believers should have a greater focus and emphasis on our future. Paul’s rhetorical question, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world” is an interesting one. The answer that seems to be implied is a positive one – that those who are followers of Christ and a part of the church at Corinth should in fact know that they will one day judge the world. But what does that mean? Unfortunately, the difficult part of this particular question is that Paul doesn’t give any follow up explanation (and neither does any other NT author). What Paul seems to be making a reference to is a verse out of the OT. Daniel 7:22 says, “As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.” From this particular verse in Daniel it appears that God’s people will in some way be involved in God’s final judgment. So our future reality, as God’s chosen people, saved by the grace of God through the revelation of the Gospel, is that we will one day have a place and a part in judging those who never made a decision to trust in Christ as Savior and follow after Him as Lord. That future reality should play a major role in shaping our present. If we will one day help to stand in judgment of the world, then we should not now be allowing the world to stand in judgment of us in our present disputes. The church should be able to make right judgments in disputes between two believers – especially when the disputes are over “trivial cases” (6:2). (As a side note, the future reality of our part in the future judgment of the world doesn’t contradict what Paul had said just a few verses earlier in 5:12, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders?” These are two separate contexts. In 5:12 Paul was speaking about present judgments on the people of the world, which wasn’t his place or concern. In 6:2 Paul was talking about the final judgment.)

Paul emphasized our future reality again with the rhetorical question that he asked the church at Corinth in verse 3, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” Unfortunately Paul didn’t give an explanation for this rhetorical question either. And yet once again he seems to assume a positive answer – that the believers in Christ who were a part of the church at Corinth should have know that they would not only help to sit in judgment of the world, but that they would also help to sit in judgment of fallen angels. This is a part of the way that God transforms our lives through the Gospel. Prior to faith in Christ as Savior and Lord our future is to be judged by those who follow after Christ. After coming to faith in Christ as Savior and Lord we are no longer part of those who are to be judged but we will help to sit in ultimate judgment over those in the world and the fallen angels. So if God is going to entrust the church to help judge in matters as significant as these in the future, certainly the Gospel should have had enough impact on these believers to enable them to make right judgments in matters that were far less significant. So Paul asked once again in verse 4 what this ridiculous means of settling disputes through worldly legal authorities was all about. “So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?”

In verse 5 Paul makes it clear that his intention regarding this particular problem was to shame the church, “I say this to your shame.” (Earlier he had made an effort to guard against shaming the church at Corinth – see 4:14 – and was striving to warn the church. That wasn’t the case here.) In the first four chapters of this letter, what was it that the church at Corinth was pursuing so fervently and taking so much pride in? It was wisdom! Many who were a part of the church at Corinth were following the pursuit of the culture and valuing more than anything else the one thing that the culture had exalted so much – wisdom. As a result, their perceived wisdom had become a source of great pride for many in the church. So Paul says to the church of Corinth which had taken so much pride in its wisdom, “Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?” They perceive themselves to be wise according to worldly standards, but now the truth was coming out. Now the church was starting to see that those who claimed to have great wisdom really didn’t. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the outside world was seeing their inability to use their wisdom to settle their disputes, because the followers of Christ were bringing their disputes to the secular authorities – not fellow believers. “But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?” (6:6).

When future realities fail to shape our (1) present priorities, our (2) decision making, and our (3) behavior, then our priorities, our decision making, and our behavior will be shaped by the present age. Additionally, there will also be a huge temptation for us to exalt ‘self.’ When we allow those things (i.e. the present age and an exaltation of self) to combine we start following our impulses and living with the mentality that, “I need to get what’s mine and I need to get it now!” Think about how many disputes and court hearings are a result of people thinking about their own rights and attempting to get more for themselves (even when it comes at the expense of hurting another). And unfortunately, believers in Christ are just as guilty as those who don’t profess Him as Savior and Lord. We look out for ourselves and we aren’t beyond cheating or hurting another brother or sister in Christ if it means we can get what we are after. The sad thing is, the object or thing we are in pursuit of is often just a temporary means of satisfaction. It may bring us pleasure for a while, but it will never completely satisfy our souls. Eventually the pleasure in that object fades away. But what doesn’t fade away is the ruin we left behind us in pursuit of that thing. For in the pursuit of that thing we may have hurt or cheated others and that cannot be erased.

In verses 7 and 8 Paul turns his attention to the individuals involved: first to the one defrauded and who brought the charge (the plaintiff), and then to the one who defrauded/cheated the other (the defendant) – and yet he still does so in a way that has application for the whole church. Paul says to the one who brought the charge, “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” This statement is a powerful one. Paul says, “Look – even if you “win” this lawsuit and get back what was cheated away from you, the reality is that it is a defeat for you.” Listen to what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:19-21, “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.” Peter says that our calling is to follow the example of Christ. Jesus came to earth and did nothing but good. Yet even having lived a perfect life Jesus suffered the greatest of injustices. He was sentenced to death, beaten, and shamefully hung on a cross where He endured great torture and death. But Jesus didn’t fight to get what was rightfully His. Jesus suffered unjustly for the sake of others. And Peter says this is the example we are to follow. So for one to have a lawsuit against another brother in Christ who treated him unjustly wasn’t a victory. The greater victory would have been to graciously endured the wrong, knowing that the things of this earth are just temporary anyway, and that we have a greater, eternal reward awaiting us after this life – one that will never fade away or be taken from us.

In verse 8 Paul speaks to the one who did the original defrauding. “But you yourselves wrong and defraud – even your own brothers.” To this one Paul warns, “You may have achieved for yourself more ‘stuff’ temporarily by cheating your brother, but this is a defeat for you too, for your actions indicate that you may be in jeopardy of not coming into possession of an eternal inheritance. Why? Verses 9 and 10 answer that question, “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, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” At the heart of these habitual sins is a love for self that exceeds a love for God or any other individual. The individuals who continually practice these sins believe that their own fulfillment and satisfaction is the greatest good and they don’t give any regard for the people or things that might stand in the way of getting them. They’ll sacrifice relationships with God, with spouses, with friends, or with anyone else who stands in their way so that they might satisfy the cravings of their flesh. God is not these individuals’ greatest love. Their striving in life is not to follow after God – but their own desires. And their aim in life is not to glorify God and make much of Him – it’s to glorify and make much of themselves. This is not a picture of one who has repented of sin and committed his or her life to following after Christ. These are pictures of those who are still dead in their trespasses and sins. And Paul says that those who habitually cheat brothers in Christ out of money and property, in order that they may have more things (which they believe will satisfy their desires) have lives that look more like these others who are living in unrighteousness than they do those who are genuine followers of Christ and whose lives look like His. Therefore, there is great reason for concern and great motivation to do some self examination.

Paul doesn’t end on a note of discouragement though. Paul ends this portion of his letter with a great reminder of what has been done for the believers in Christ in Corinth, which should in turn serve as great motivation for living differently. “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” (6:11). If this in fact the case then we need to start living these realities out! I think so many believers in Christ look forward to the future when their life on earth is over with great excitement and expectation. They believe the promise that God will complete the work of sanctification which He began in them and so they look forward to the day when all sin's effects will be done away with and they will be like Christ. The strange thing is, while they are excited about that day, some refuse to strive to live that way in the here and now. Why? Because it takes work! Fighting off the temptation to sin, fighting off the cravings of the flesh, and fighting off the desire to exalt ‘self’ takes a lot of work and effort. We’re also faced with the reality that at times we are going to fail and fall short of the holiness that God calls us to. So many believers in Christ simply throw in the towel before they even make an effort to live a life that would put their present cleansing, sanctification, and justification on display. In our laziness we choose to simply wait for God to complete the work in us, rather than choosing to wrestle with sin and temptation (and falling short). We choose instead to manage our sin, trying to minimize its effects, and being content to let certain present desires rule in our hearts and lives. But Paul says that God, Jesus, and the Gospel have already begun the work of transforming us. Is the work completed yet? No. But it has begun in those who have repented of sin and chosen to follow after Christ, and the completion of that work is an absolute certainty. So Paul encourages the believers in Corinth to stop waiting and start living out the work that has begun in them. 

We don't have to get ours now!  A greater inheritance awaits those who have believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord and He has already begun a work of transformation in our lives.  So instead of working hard to get what we believe is rightfully ours in the present, let's work hard to put the cleansing, the sanctification, and the justification that God has already begun in our lives on display.