Sermon Outline  Feb 24, 2008 Morning Service

Topic: Sin In The Church 

Text:   1 Corinthians 5:1-13    

Introduction        

I.       We cannot decide right from wrong.

A.     It is for God to decide what is right and what is wrong.

B.     It then falls on us to measure up.

C.     When we do not measure up, God calls it sin.

II.      We need to look at what the Bible has to say about sin.

A.     Obviously man’s sin is probably one of the most prominent issues in the scriptures.

B.     In fact the whole reason Jesus came was because of sin.

III.     Our society has a view of sin that differs significantly from the scriptures.

A.     Our society calls us to be open-minded towards all things.

B.     Our culture means being open-minded to other beliefs and religions.

C.     Perhaps if more attention were drawn to sin and its consequences we would better realize that sin is not okay.

IV.     Let’s look at the biblical view of how the church should deal with sin.

Text

I.       The Sin Was A Bad Witness.

A.     How far do you suppose the news of this sin had spread?

B.     People try to find fault with the church and with Christians.

C.     Paul told them they needed to deal with this problem.

D.     Too often the church fails to seriously consider the affect of sin.

E.     We all sin from time to time.

II.      They Were Proud Of Their Sin.

A.     Please note that it is not a misprint to say “their sin”.

B.     Grief would have been a much more appropriate response than the delight they were showing (1 Corinthians 5:2).

C.     They should have grieved because:

1.      This brother was depriving everyone of the joy of fellowship.

2.      This brother was missing out on God’s salvation (James 5:19-20).

3.      The body of Christ was receiving a black eye over the matter.

III.     They Should Have Put Him Out Of The Fellowship.

A.     Here is where the church too often continues to sin (1 Corinthians 5:2).

B.     Understand what was behind the plan the New Testament teaches:

1.      To show disapproval.

2.      To stop it from spreading (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).

3.      To bring about repentance.

Conclusion

I.       They should have been careful of sin.

II.      We have already talked about how sin spreads and affects the church.

A.     Sin is tempting.

B.     We need to be careful of sin because we can all fall so easily (Galatians 6:1).

III.     Sin needs to be dealt with.

A.     We do have a responsibility to help others.

B.     But before we can help others we need to remove our own beams and motes (Matthew 7:5).