Our Identity as a Holy People - Questions

Questions

1. There was a situation in of the the churches that Paul started
   • a man was sleeping with his own mother-in-law
   • But the biggest problem was that the church was totally cool with it
   • If you were writing to the church, what would you tell them?
   • read the summary below, now can you think of how Paul might speak to them?
     • and then read the passage (1 Cor 5)
     • see how Paul’s arguments are totally taken from Israel imagery
2. Look at the second passage (1 Cor 6)
   • What is the O.T. imagery there?
     • representing God to the nations
3. What do people think of us as a group?
   • They probably hardly know us
   • Think about how we can represent God to people
   • Pray for ideas and God’s presence
4. Review final point from message:
   • It is God’s Presence that makes us holy and requires us to be holy

• Two facts, flowing in opposite directions:
  1. It is because God is present with us and has put his name on us (as in a marriage), that we need to be faithful to him
  2. It is his presence that actually produces the holiness
• Two conclusions
  1. If we want more of his presence, then give attention to being faithful to him
  2. Spending time in his presence will actually have the effect of purifying us, so spend time worshipping, praying, and enjoying his presence
• Pray for each other for God’s presence

Summary

1. God did an amazing thing by chosing a nation to be his special people
2. In a remarkable way, we inherit this relationship
   • so our self-identity can be defined as “the People of God”
3. Looking as how God and the nation of Israel related to each other can be a real help for us
   Three things in particular relating to holiness:
   1. We are pure and united because: God’s special dwelling place is with/in us
   2. We are pure and united because: We represent God to the nations
   3. We are pure and united because: God’s presence actually makes us pure

1 Corinthians 5

1. It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is sleeping with his father’s wife.
2. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this from among you? …

6. …Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough?
7. Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough —you are, in fact, free from yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8. So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
9. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.
10. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world.
11. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.
12. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside?
13. But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.

1 Corinthians 6

1. When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before 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 not competent to settle trivial suits?
3. Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters!
4. So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?
5. I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?
6. Instead, does a Christian sue a Christian, and do this before unbelievers?
7. The fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves demonstrates that you have already been defeated. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
8. But you yourselves wrong and cheat, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!
9. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,
10. thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
11. Some of you once lived this way. 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.

Updated on 2009-08-18 (r.35) by Andrew Fountain