O’Neal church of Christ, Athens, Alabama Dec. 14, 2014

We Can Change!

Consider Consider What What Happened to Happened to the the Corinthians!! Corinthians!!

And Such were Some of You I Cor. 6:9-11

The Corinthian church Paul came to Corinth after departing Acts 18:1-3 Athens on his 2 nd. Missionary Journey. Acts 18:1-3 He found a couple, Aquila and Priscilla, and since they (as well as Paul) were Acts 18:3 tentmakers, he abode with them. Acts 18:3 V.4 On the Sabbath day he would reason and persuade the Jews and the Greeks. V.4

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul told the Jews that v. 5. Jesus was Christ.” v. 5. “Your blood be upon your When the Jews opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his rainment, and said unto them: “Your blood be upon your Own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. Acts 18:6 Own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. Acts 18:6

..Paul had responses to His preaching at Corinth. Crispus, a) Acts 18:8 Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all of his family. MANY of the Corinthians b) Acts 18:b “and, MANY of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, and were baptized.”

Corinth, A city of about 400,000 Morgan says in his introduction to 1 Corinthians: "The measure of failure on the part of the Church is the measure in which she has allowed herself to be influenced by the spirit of the age... We are sometimes told to-day that what the Church supremely needs is that she should catch the spirit of the age. A thousand times no A thousand times no. What the Church supremely needs is to correct the spirit of the age." The bottom line is this The bottom line is this: Is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church? Is the church influencing the city, or is the city influencing the church?

Oneal church of Christ, Athens, Al. Dec. 14, 2014

The Corinthian Church… Is shown to have, at times, Morality problems, Doctrine problems, Church government problems, Spiritual gift problems, Church service problems, and Authority problems.

Problems in the church at Corinth Reported by the house of Chloe: I Cor. 1:11 “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you…specifically: I Cor. 1:11 “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you…specifically: A. FACTIONS IN THE CHURCH (1:1-4:21) B. SEXUAL IMMORALITY (5:1-13) C. LAWSUITS AMONG BRETHREN (6:1-11) D. MORAL DEFILEMENTS (6:12-20)

II.Problems mentioned in the Letter from Corinth 7:1—16:9 (I Cor. 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman….) (I Cor. 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman….) A. MARRIAGE & CELIBACY (7:1-40) B. EATING MEATS SACRIFICED TO IDOLS (8:1- 11:1) C. WOMEN PRAYING AND PROPHESYING (11:2-16) D. THE LORD'S SUPPER (11:17-34) E. SPIRITUAL GIFTS (12:1-14:40) F. RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD (15:1-58) G. COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS (16:1-4)

I Cor. 6:1-11 Divided over Christians going to law Divided over Christians going to law Against one another before the unjust. Against one another before the unjust.

YE DO WRONG, AND DEFRAUD, AND THAT YOUR BRETHREN I Cor. 6:6 brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. V. 7 There is a fault among you, because you go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? V. 8. No, ye do wrong,and defraud, and that your brethren.

Thus Paul writes to them about others who also made changes!

I Cor. 6:9-19 cf (Mtt.15:19,20;Gal.5:19-21) unrighteous 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

10 Things Specified:

. Fornication- 1. Fornication- Gal. 5:19-21 Sexual Immorality. Generic term covering all Sexual sins. "illicit sexual intercourse", I Cor. 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Idolatry 2. Idolatry I Cor. 10:14 Flee it Webster, “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. The most prevalent form of idolatry in Bible times was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities. Keep yourselves from idols…I Cor. 10:14 “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”

Adultery 3. Adultery Matt. 15:19,20..Out of the heart.. “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.” 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. Gal.5:19,20

#4 Homosexuality Rom. 1:26, For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27, And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Sodomites 5. Sodomites ( a generic term for all homosexual practice). Rom.1:27

Homosexuality = Sodomites From history: “Homosexuality was rampant in the ancient world; 14 out of the first 15 Roman emperors were bisexual or homosexual. At the very time Paul wrote, Nero was emperor. Nero castrated a boy named Sporus and then married him (with a full ceremony), brought him to the palace with a great procession, and made the boy his "wife." Later, the emperor lived with another man, and Nero was declared to be the other man's "wife.“ “

Thief 6. Thief Eph.4:28 Quit stealing. Young boy Covetous 7. Covetous (greedy people) 1 Corinthians 5:10.1 Corinthians 5:10 It is remarkable that the apostle always ranks “the covetous” with the most abandoned classes of people.. Drunkards 8. Drunkards Gal. 5:21;..envyings,murders,drunkenness, revellings, And such like:of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Revilers- 9. Revilers- The same word which in 1 Corinthians 5:11, is rendered railer; - A reproachful man; a man of coarse, harsh, and bitter words; a man whose characteristic it was to abuse others; to vilify their character, and wound their feelings.1 Corinthians 5:11 Extortion 10.Extortion (Swindlers) ; greedy of gain, and oppressing the poor, the needy, and the fatherless, to obtain money

These People Needed to Change

And many did…

And such were some of you ‘And such were some of you: “I Cor. 6:11 ‘And such were some of you: but ye are washed, But ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

I Cor. 6:11 and such were some of you, but What had Happened to These people? Washed Acts 22:16 Sanctified Jno.17:17 Justified Rom.5:8,9

How? ( I Cor. 6:11) In the name of the In the name of the Lord Jesus Lord Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20) (Acts 4:12) (Col. 3:17) And by the Spirit of And by the Spirit of Our God. Our God. (John 16:13) (John 17:17) God God John 3:16) (Eph. 4:1-16)

No Wonder, Many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized … They found forgiveness of their sins They were called “saints” of God. I Cor. 1:2 “unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are Sanctified in Christ Jesus, Called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Both theirs and ours….” Sanctified in Christ Jesus …Called upon the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord…”

A Person Cannot Get It Any Better Than This! God’s way is the only way of Salvation!

And just think, you and I can do the same thing today and find forgiveness! Acts 22:16 Arise and be baptized I John 1:9 “IF” we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to Cleanse us from all ‘unrighteousness” Paul said that the unrighteous cannot inherit the kingdom of God…(and such were some of you—Corinthians)…

But God can CLEANSE us of all Unrighteousness…not some, but all. When we meet God’s terms for Forgiveness, washed’ We will be ‘washed’ ‘sanctified’ ‘sanctified’ ‘justified’ I Cor. 6:11 ‘justified’ I Cor. 6:11

God is calling you today; What will you do with His invitation? Hear Hear the Word Rom. 10:17 Believe Believe the Christ John 8:24 Repent Repent of your sins Acts 17:30,31 Confess Confess the name of Jesus Matt. 10:32,33 Be baptized Be baptized Acts 2:38 Live faithfully Live faithfully. Rev. 2:10

If you err, leaving the Lord, come back by. Repenting 1. Repenting of your sins. Acts 8: Confessing 2. Confessing you have sinned. I John 1:9 Praying 3. Praying for forgiveness James 5:16 And get back to faithfully following Heb. 12:1-2 Jesus. Heb. 12:1-2

You are invited by Jesus to come unto Him…Will you come…now?