Gold for the heart - 1 Corinthians 6-9

1 Corinthians 6

1 Do any of you who have a matter against another dare go to law before the unjust and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the matters of this life? 4 If then you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, do you set those to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your shame. Is there not a wise man among you? Not one that is able to judge between his brothers? 6 But brother goes to court against brother, and before the unbelievers.

God wants the church to settle its disputes and legal matters within the church and not before unbelievers.
He wants unbelievers saved.
There is nothing attractive to the world about God’s people fighting and suing each other.
His saints will judge the world and angels.

7 Actually this is a failure for you because you take one another to court. Why not rather be wronged? Why not instead allow yourselves to be defrauded? 8 No, you do wrong, and defraud your brothers. 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be 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, will inherit the kingdom of God.

The Lord will not allow the unrighteous to inherit His kingdom.
He wants all to become right before Him and inherit all things.
He has done everything possible to see that it happens, but He won’t force anyone.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 21:7 He that overcomes will inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

The Lord has washed, sanctified, justified, and made us part of Himself

God raised up Christ from death and will raise us up also

11 And some of you were like this: but now you are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Food for the stomach, and the stomach for food: but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 14 And God has both raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by his own power.

The common dictionary defines justify as to free someone from sinfulness through faith in Jesus Christ by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those that are sanctified.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.

He made us members of His very body

15 Do you not know that your bodies are the members of Christ? Am I then to take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot? Never. 16 Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body? For he says the two are one flesh. 17 But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is outside the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. 19 What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, who you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Christ bought us at the highest price ever paid for anything.

1 Peter 1:18 … you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold from your empty manner of life. 19.But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 Corinthians 7

1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication let every man have his own wife and let every woman have her own husband.

A professor at USC many years ago, Dr. Val Davajan (spelling?), proved that right mates do exist in a purely physical realm—bodies that were designed to go together and bodies that were not designed to go together—bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.

Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife does not have power of her own body, but the husband: and in the same way the husband does not have power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Do not deprive one another unless it is with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again that Satan not tempt you for your lack of self restraint.

This is talking about sex. Don’t use sex as a weapon to get your way.
And the deprived person may be needy and easily tempted by Satan to fornicate or commit adultery.

6 I speak this by permission, and not by commandment. 7 For I would that all men were like me. But every man has his proper gift from God, one this way, and another that. 8 So I say to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they remain even as I. 9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

To burn with unfulfilled desire.

10 To the married I command, not I but the Lord, Do not let the wife leave her husband: 11 but and if she departs let her stay unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and do not let the husband divorce his wife.

Marriage is the place of protection and provision for the woman.
The Lord is with the man and the woman in the marriage relationship.

Matthew19:3 The Pharisees also came to him, tempting him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said to them, Have you not read, that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause will a man leave father and mother, and will cleave to his wife: and the two will be one flesh? 6 Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. So what God has joined together, do not let man separate.

12 But to the rest I speak, not the Lord: if any brother has a wife that does not believe, and she is pleased to dwell with him, do not let him divorce her. 13 And the woman who has a husband that does not believe and if he is pleased to dwell with her, do not let her leave him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: otherwise your children were unclean; but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving one departs, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases: for God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O man, whether you will save your wife? 17 But as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord has called every one, so let him walk. I ordain this in all churches.

The Lord wants us to stay in Him

18 Is any man called being circumcised? Do not let him become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? Do not let him be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every man remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Were you called being a slave? Do not worry about it: but if you can be made free, use it. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a slave is the Lord’s freeman: and he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 You are bought with a price; do not be the servants of men. 24 Brothers, let every man where he is called, there abide with God.

The Lord bought us for Himself at the most outrageous price ever paid for anything.

1Peter 1:18 … you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain way of life received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.

John 15:4 Abide in me and I in you. Since the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it stays in the vine; no more can you unless you abide in me. 7 If you stay in me, and my words remain in you, you can ask what you will, and it will be done unto you.

The Lord gives us mercy to be faithful

25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment from the Lord: but I give my judgment as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 26 I think that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries she has not sinned. Nevertheless these will have trouble in the flesh: but I am trying to spare you.

Walking in the filling of the Holy Spirit is the way to have harmony in all things in life.
We have trouble when we walk in the flesh. Two self-centered people will not get along.
Two God-centered people will put the other before themselves and live in harmony.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then,Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

29 But I say this, brothers, the time is short: it remains that those that have wives be as though they had none; 30 and those that weep, as though they do not weep; and those that rejoice, as though they do not rejoice; and those that buy, as though they do not possess; 31 and those that use this world, as not abusing it: for the way of this world is passing away. 32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried cares for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33 But he that is married cares for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34 There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

The Lord alone brings fullness of joy

35 And this I say for your own profit; not to cast a snare upon you, but for that which is fitting, and that you may be waiting on the Lord without distraction. 36 But if any man thinks that he behaves himself unfittingly toward his virgin, if she passes the flower of her age and need so requires, let him do what he will, he does not sin: let them marry. 37 Nevertheless he that stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. 38 So then he that gives her in marriage does well; but he that does not give her in marriage does better. 39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she so abides, according to my judgment: and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

A woman enjoying her husbands presence is not as happy as one enjoying God’s presence because in God’s presence is fullness of joy.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

1 Corinthians 8

God knows those that love Him

1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 And if any man supposes that he knows anything, he does not yet known as he ought to know. 3 But if any man loves God, the same one is known by him.

There is nothing unlovable about God.
If we don’t love Him, we are willfully ignorant and grossly misinformed.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all you r soul, and with all your mind.

There is no other God

4 So concerning the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For though there are those called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there are many gods and many lords,) 6 But to us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

The Father planned all things, originated them. Then He brought them about through Jesus Christ, His Son.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at different times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 Has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high

7 However not all men have this knowledge: for some being aware of the idol until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God: if we eat we are not better; and if we do not eat, we are not worse. 9 But take heed that in no way this freedom of yours become a stumbling block to those that are weak. 10 For if any man sees you who have knowledge sitting to eat in the idol’s temple, will not his weak conscience be emboldened to eat those things that are offered to idols; 11 And through your knowledge the weak brother for whom Christ died will perish? 12 But when you sin against the brother and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 So if food makes my brother offend, I will eat no flesh while the world stands, so that I not make my brother offend.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, no doubt I am to you: for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My answer to them that examine me is this, 4 Do I not have the authority to eat and to drink? 5 Do we not have authority to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brothers of the Lord, and Peter? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have the authority to stop working?

We can tell by this that Paul and Barnabas had been criticized.
These same things happen today. Churches hire pastors at low pay, work them hard, blame them for what goes wrong and do not allow them much time for family or rest.
f we follow the Word of the Lord we will correct these mistakes.

7 Who goes to war any time at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? 8 Do I ask these things as a man? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain. Does God care about oxen? 10 Or does he say it altogether for our sakes? No doubt this is written for our sakes: so that he that plows ought to plow in hope; and the thresher to thresh in hopes of partaking of the crop. 11 If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?

Psalm 145:16 You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

12 If others are partakers of this power over you, are not we also? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but we endure all things so that we not hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who labor in the holy things eat of the things of the temple? And those who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14 Even so the Lord has ordained that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel. 15 But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things so that this will be done to me: it were better for me to die, than for any man to cancel my boasting. 16 For though I preach the good news, I have nothing to boast of: for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe to me, If I do not preach the good news!

There is no better news in history than the truth that Christ died to bring us to God to live with Him forever in the most awesome place imaginable where there is no fighting, war, perversion, sickness, or death but only fullness of joy forever.
And that God sent His Holy Spirit to help us, comfort us, guide us, and cheer us until we get there.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for those that love him.

The Lord has an incorruptible crown waiting for those who run His race successfully by faith

17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a stewardship is entrusted to me. 18 Then what is my reward? Truly that when I preach the gospel, I may make the good news of Christ without charge, that I not abuse my power in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all men, yet I have made myself servant to all, that I might gain the more. 20 Unto the Jews I became as a Jew so that I might gain the Jews; to those that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those that are under the law; 21 To those that are without law, as without law, (not being without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain those that are without law. 22 To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

The infinite, eternal God became a feeble, frail mortal to save us.

23 And I do this for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker of it with you. 24 Do you not know that those who run in the stadium, all run but one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain. 25 And every man that competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 Therefore I run with purpose; and I fight, not as one that beats the air: 27 But I beat my body, and bring it under control: so that when I have preached to others, I myself not be disqualified.

2Timothy 4:8 From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all those also that love his appearing.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those that love him.

1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory that fades not away.

Revelation 2:10 … be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.

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SUMMARY: ! Corinthians 6-9

The Lord has washed, sanctified, justified, and made us part of Himself
God raised up Christ from death and will raise us up also
He made us members of His very body
The Lord wants us to stay in Him
The Lord gives us mercy to be faithful
The Lord alone brings fullness of joy
God knows those that love Him
There is no other God
The Lord has an incorruptible crown waiting for those who run His race successfully