Thursday, July 12, 2012

260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 139 - 1 Corinthians 6: Lawsuits & Doing What You Want

A few years back a patron at McDonald’s spilled his coffee in his lap and sued McDonalds because it burned him – and he won the lawsuit! Was it a cold coffee he wanted, ummmm that would be a frappuccino. Anyway, I mention this to describe the crazy direction that lawsuits have gone.

We see this here. In this chapter, Paul is addressing yet another area where the Corinthian believers were not living any different from the world. Believers were taking their cases to unbelievers and so Paul writes, “If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?” Paul’s concern was not that they would get an unfair trial but that they had so little respect for church authority & ability! Instead, “…if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!” Believers who know the Word of God and have the Holy Spirit are far more qualified than the best trained lawyers. Not to mention (don’t understand this phrase because I am gonna mention) that public disputes as believers is a bad testimony to the world = “…and this in front of unbelievers.”

So here’s Paul’s main point: “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” In other words, take the loss. Wow – that’s not very American. Nope, but it is Biblical! Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” It is better to leave a good testimony for Jesus than to be “right.”

The next issue Paul addresses is living freely. Because these new believers had experienced forgiveness in Christ, many may have felt that it didn’t matter how they lived, Christ would forgive them. While it is true that Jesus will forgive us, it doesn’t give us the freedom to continue to live wrong. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Specifically they were being sexually impure, thinking that it didn’t affect their relationship with God or others. Paul tells them to RUN from this kind of thinking! God lives inside us and we are not to treat God’s home with such filthy living.

SO WHAT?!

*Ever been wronged and you desperately want to be “righted?” yeah, me too. A few years ago, right after I got JJ (my new truck) a lady in the Academy parking lot backed into my side and dented in my door. We looked at the damage, exchanged numbers and even had an officer there helping us. I went and got 2 estimates and both places also noticed that the front fender was pushed in as well. When I gave the estimates to her she became irate. “I didn’t do that much damage, all I did was dent your door” she exclaimed. I explained I didn’t see the other damage either (I’m not a body shop estimator). Then, because I had taken the opportunity to talk with her about Jesus, she said adamantly, “How can you call yourself a pastor and be scamming me like this?!” This hit me hard. I told her I wasn’t scamming her, but I could see this was not going anywhere so I said, “Mam, I have not tried in any way to scam you, but because it seems that you might hold this against Jesus or His people, consider your debt paid.” I was wronged, I was cheated, but so was Jesus in my place. I still have that dent in JJ and every time I see it I reminds me that Jesus took my wrong for me! Oh Lord, whenever we are wronged, remind us that YOU know what that is like and to respond in a Christ-like manner.

*Sexual sin was bad in Paul’s day and the same is true today – even in the church. I work with students and it’s amazing how we can “rationalize” our sexual sin. Truth is that sex is great within it’s God designed parameter of marriage, and that it is extremely damaging when taken outside of marriage. Is there sexual sin you need to ask forgiveness of and stop? Internet porn? Going to far in a dating relationship? Having an affair? Paul is right – RUN AWAY from it! I pray you will today.

PS – Want a good laugh? Weird Al wrote a song making fun of lawsuits – you can check out the lyrics here:

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