(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Okay, 1st Corinthians 5 guys, starting from verse 1. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his father's wife. Okay, so it's not just that Paul has been told this once, is it? He's saying that it's been reported commonly. It sounds like it's been much more than two or three witnesses. Now Paul says it's been reported commonly, and he's not near Corinth at this time. He's having this reported to him, and that's not a good testimony straight away, is it, for this curriculum church. That people regularly, at least there's been a good number reported commonly, people that are aware of this disgusting thing going on in this church. What a terrible, terrible example that is for those who are unsaved and those who are saved. Now fornication, the dictionary definition is the incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons. So basically, a physical relationship outside of marriage, and when I say physical, what married husbands and wives do is fornication. Now, the modern Bible versions try and change this to things such as, they call it, in fact, NIV, ESV, RSV, NKJV, so that's the, if you know the New International, the English Standard Version, the Revised Standard Version, the NKJV, so they're like the most popular kind of respected, not by us, Bible versions will all call it sexually immoral, sexually immoral. Now that leaves a lot of openness for interpretation, doesn't it? Sexually immoral. It's basically a physical relationship outside of marriage, and I don't care what the world tells us now, it's disgusting, it's wicked. Now the world massively encourages it, the world makes it, I don't know, you know, I don't want to just blame it on the world, because it's wicked people at the end of the day, and it's sinful flesh, but the world does, doesn't it? I was thinking back about this, and how many movies, when I was, oh well they wouldn't show the act, but they'd show a date, and then they'd show them getting up in the morning. Oh well that's okay, because we didn't show any nudity or anything else, what on earth? What is that doing when you're seeing that time and time again, that was like PG stroke, 12 stroke, whatever, and that's just the movies, and this stuff is pushed and pushed and promoted, I mean think about, I had a fellow that I know, he showed me, he said oh this lad that I'd be coaching, his son, he said he makes his own music, he's just like, he's got however many millions or hundreds of thousands on YouTube following him, and I think it was kind of a version of something they call drill, it's really wicked stuff. Anyway he sent me this video, and he was coming to do our move, to move us, move our house, and I said just get up, well let's just see what this kid's doing then, and he used to coach me, he's a nice kid. I mean absolutely, basically like a soft porn video, and this kid's got 16 I think, absolutely terrible, kid doesn't even know what he's rapping about, you know, but this is just one off, like this is what these kids are listening to, it's just being pushed, being promoted, like it's okay, like it's normal, like it's some sort of fuddy duddy, oh how could you not think that that's okay? It's encouraged by parents, I look back when I was young and think about some of my friends and some of their parents, encouraging this sort of stuff, it's wicked, it's absolutely wicked. Think as well like, not just the fact that, you know, of what a sacred thing that should be, but think as well just about the diseases, just seeing the bad hygiene of it, I mean it's disgusting isn't it? You know, if I, and sometimes, you know, a bit of spit comes out of my mouth, I'm just like spitting all over you lot, you'd think that is disgusting, yet people go and do much much worse, much worse with people that they barely know, whether they know them or not, it's disgusting, it's something for a man the way. And, do you want, another thing, by the way, in the Bible, in the Bible, God looks down and sees women that do that, he sees them as whores, he sees men as whoremongers, it's not, oh well it's okay if you're a man, it's bad, well no, it's disgusting, and God looks really down on you for that, it's a wicked thing to do. He says something not so much as named among the Gentiles, that even the wicked world don't go as far as this, and this is, so this is fornication here, it's between a man and basically his stepmother, from what I can tell from that. Now, I think, the fact that it's not being called adultery, I think that therefore his father's probably dead at this point, so I think it's probably his late father's wife, that's how I see it, a man and his stepmother, that is disgusting, just think, take yourself out of the world for a second, take yourself away from the pushing, the promoting, the acceptance, the normality, what we see everywhere, and just think, like, with someone that your father has had a physical intimate relationship with, that is absolutely foul. But you know what, this ain't rare, is it? Okay, it might be, well no, in fact it probably isn't in churches, but it should be, but this is rare in the world at all now, is it? I mean, wow, the stories you hear and the stuff you hear that goes on, in families and not in families and the rest of it, stuff like this, it's not even rare in our world that we live in. But that doesn't mean that we should start to lean that way, should we, and start to compromise a bit and go, well, as long as it's not as extreme as that. We're going to see what the Bible says about all fornication. Okay, verse 2, And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that either have done this deed might be taken away from you. So I kind of see two options here, that they're so puffed up that they don't even see it as a problem. Maybe they think like they're just so liberal, non-judgmental. You can see that in a church now, can you? Hey, you know, we're just, grace, grace, man. You know, we're not, don't judge not, judge not. You know, we wouldn't judge people, it's up to them what they do. Let them live their life. You know, who am I to judge? We're all sinners. You can see maybe that, maybe they're puffed up in that way. Or like I preached before, maybe, maybe they're puffed up due to associating with this pervert. So due to having that, and this isn't the only thing going on in a critical church. Maybe, like I said before, when you're around very sinful Christians, it makes you puffed up, doesn't it? Do you feel, well, I'm pretty good, you know, look at the way they live, look at the way that one lives. I'm not sure, one of the two. But they have not rather mourned, so to mourn is to express grief or sorrow. Now, you would hope, wouldn't you, if something like that went on in this church, I would hope that everyone here would mourn, everyone would show grief or sorrow. What about the other sins? What about the other sins? And we're going to go through them in a minute, but what about the sins of the end? What about if there was an extortioner, or an idolater, or a railer, or maybe covetous, or a drunkard? Would we all be mourning? Would we be really grieved about that? Because we should be. I don't know if everyone would. Maybe we wouldn't, but we should be. But here, they've not rather mourned. And of course, this is, you know, this is now, not just fornication, even worse, but if there's just fornication, I don't want to say just, but compared with this, if there was fornication in this church, if someone found out, actually, someone's living in fornication, would everyone here be grieving and soaring? Because they should be. They should be grieving, they should be soaring about that. Okay, like I said, it seems that the stepmother isn't in the church. There's no talk about anything for the stepmother there, so she's not in the church. And again, that's a good reminder, isn't it, that when you're yoking up with the world, and yeah, we have to be in the world for sure, and we see at the end of this chapter, he talks about that. He talks about that obviously we can't do great fellowship with the whole world, because then we'd have to go out of the world. But there's a difference between being in the world, keeping company, and there's a difference between that and being unequally yoked. And clearly there's an unequal yoking going on there. But you've got to be careful, because the world doesn't see things at all like God sees it. Not at all. And when you're spending that time with people that aren't saved, and even people that are saved and aren't following the word of God, it can be a big problem, can't it? And we see that here. So, again, he says here as well, he says, you've not by the morn that he that had done this deed might be taken away from you. And taken away, we're going to see in a few verses what Paul's instructions are for dealing with it. Okay, verse three. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that has so done this deed. So, Paul doesn't need to be... Paul doesn't need to be... You know all this judge not nonsense, but he's judging, isn't he? Okay? And he's commanding them to judge as well. And we have to judge. It's just, I heard something a while back that apparently the most quoted verse now, and I don't know how they come to this, but some sermon has shown this was, and I forget the exact reference, but judge not, you know, in back of yours again. Judge not, lest ye be judged, I think it is. And it's just, just come on. And you can see why people love it. I don't know, they can just judge. Oh, I wouldn't judge, don't judge, don't judge. Well, Paul's judging. Okay, verse four. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and by spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Okay, so in verse four he says, when ye are gathered together... Okay, now, in Matthew 18, 20, back to Turner, it says, where two or three are gathered together in my names, there am I in the midst of them. So he's saying, when you're gathered together and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, are publicly in front of the whole church. And I think that will give someone boldness as well, with the Holy Spirit, with Jesus amongst them, in the churches, when he says, to deliver such a one unto Satan. So this is the sort of thing that you go and quietly, and we're going to talk about this in a minute, but if someone here is guilty of one of these sins, it's not the sort of thing, oh, we go in the office and just kind of talk about it, and then maybe come to an agreement. No, it should be done publicly, it should be done with the power of the Spirit, and he says, what should happen to people guilty of this sin and other sins? Okay, it's not a private discussion. The other thing is, with private discussions, then people start to change how they, you know, you could see yourself then getting talked around a little bit, maybe they start to exhale it actually, was it like that, et cetera, no. Publicly, it says here, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together in the church, and must bear with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, then he goes on to say, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Now in verse 13, Paul confirms what he means here, doesn't he? And in verse 13, he says, therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. Now why does being kicked out of the church deliver him unto Satan? Well, I was thinking about this. I was thinking, for one, you're out of church, you're kind of out of, there's a certain amount of God's protection with church, aren't there? I think if we had our spiritual glasses on now, oh, I can imagine, we'd probably see a good rig of angels round this church right now, because we're doing things God's way, we're preaching the gospel, we're trying to run a church how God would want it, and we need, we would have to have, we have to have some spiritual protection here. Otherwise this wouldn't last a day, would it? It wouldn't last a day. And of course this guy's wicked and in sin, but he's going to at least get some of that physical protection, some of that spiritual protection, being in a church, being around other church members, and if he starts getting punished or whooped by Satan and he's within the church, it's going to affect the church as well, isn't it? The church is going to be a partaker to some degree of that chastisement, be it if it's just that they're just having to constantly pray for this kind of guy, he's having such a bad time and everything else. Whatever, I do see that being out of church, he's going to get more of a punishment, more of a chastisement, he's not going to get that protection then. Okay, he says here, next part of this verse, that the Spirit may be saved. Okay, so Paul is hoping, now this is how I read this, because there's many, many, the work of salvationists will jump in a verse like this, they'll jump in a verse like this, and now right off, half the New Testament, grace through faith, you know, making it clear, you know, it's eternal security, once saved, always saved. Oh no, look, look what it says here. It says here that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Well, this is how I read this, that the Spirit may be saved. Paul is hoping that physical chastisement will result in an improved Spirit. Now, saved isn't always talking about salvation, okay, in the Bible, it's not every time we talk about saved, that's salvation. And I believe there, it's talking about he's saving the Spirit from the shame, the shame of no rewards. Now, we've gone over, and I'm not going to go over it fully again, but we've gone over the judgment seat of Christ, the rewards of the judgment seat in heaven, and I believe with this passage, this verse here, if you think about it, think that you're that guy, think that at the judgment seat of Christ, when everyone's getting, giving their rewards for everything they've done, that is, I tell you what, that can't be a good place at that point, when you are literally getting nothing, because you've just destroyed a church, and you're done, and you're in there still destroying the church. Now, yeah, you're not going to go to hell, and no, you're not going to get punished in heaven, but you know there's a lot of rewards, there are a lot of rewards that we're all earning, and we're earning, like, currently, week by week, the works that we're all here trying to do for the Lord, we're all earning rewards, and I think that his Spirit's being saved from that shame, and the Spirit's being saved from not earning any rewards, and it's the physical chastisement, what's the idea of it? It's not only for the church, but it's also for his own good. The idea, and we see that, don't we? We say Corinthians, because he gets cast out, and he ends up coming back in, and he's renewed, and he's repented, and that's the ultimate goal, isn't it? That's the ultimate goal. So, as he said here, he said, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, and like I said, you're out of church, and God's protection. In a way, it's like you're being left behind. You haven't got any support, you haven't got any air strike support, or anything else. You're there, and you're out of church, and you know, it's an interesting thing, this, because looking at that as well, he's being kicked out of church, and that's the punishment, where he's then open to, and he's more exposed to the destruction of the flesh, by Satan. What about people that aren't in church, then? What about people that choose not to go to church? That choose for whatever reason, whatever excuses it is to be out of church? You're basically exposing yourself, aren't you? There is a level of protection that comes, I think, for being in church. There's a level of blessing. And people that choose to not be in church, they're basically casting themselves out, not in the exact same way, but in the same way this guy is. And I think, whenever I see, whenever I talk to people who have been out of church, when you start talking to them, you know they've been going through it. You know they've been going through it. And it's so important, so important. And like we say, now we know, it's not like, I'm not sure if that's really a church. Now we know we've got a church here. Get in church, get in church. And God will protect you in church. Okay, verse six. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole earth? So what's this glorying? Why the glorying? In themselves, do you think? In themselves, how great they are that they put up with this, maybe? Or how great, how liberal they are? Or maybe it's just their glorying anyway, like we said before. Just, you know, what great Christians they are because they're not like this guy. Now leaven was, I always look at that as yeast. It was actually a fermenting sourdough. It was a fermenting sourdough lump which was added to large quantities of dough to make it rise. So the analogy here is that a little sin affects the whole church. And a little sin does affect the whole church. Now think about it. We're all impressionable. People love to think that they're not. We are all impressionable. Every single one of us here. And the more you're around it, the more you're seeing it, the more you start to tolerate a little bit more in your life. What about kids? What about kids around this stuff, seeing this stuff, seeing this guy in and out of the church, knowing, everyone knowing what he's doing? And they hear things, kids. Kids hear things. I don't know how big your houses are, but I tell you what, they can listen in, can't they? They can hear. And, you know, my daughter down there, she always seems to leave her door open when she goes to bed, which is a bit of a funny thing. She's always kind of shy, but she always leaves her door open. You wonder how much she's listening in the conversations and stuff. And, you know, I'm not saying that they're all doing it on purpose, but they do, they hear stuff all the time, and it's something to be aware of. But as well, when they're around that sort of stuff, when they're around that sort of sin, and not only in our home lives, but in the church as well, what are we doing to our kids? What are we doing to our kids when we're tolerating that in a church? And that's why, as I'm going to be showing you in a minute, it ain't happening here. Verse seven says, Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, that ye are unleavened, for even Christ our password will be sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice or wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Okay, so the purge is to clean, purify, remove. And he's saying, get rid of this guy with his sins so that they can be untainted by him. Okay, they want to get rid of him and his sin, and too right, too right. Now, he then uses a picture of the Passover. So he's using a picture of the Passover there, verses seven and eight. Let's have a quick look at that. So, Exodus chapter 12. Turn to Exodus chapter 12. And from verse one. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you, the beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of the Lord, a lamb for a house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls. Every man according to his eating shall make your account for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take to the blood, and strike it on the two side posts on the upper doorposts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire and unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all. Raineth a bit, until the morning you shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it, in haste it is the Lord's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are, that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the page shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast of the Lord throughout your generations, and ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread, even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses, for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. Okay, that's the ordinance of the passover. Now Jesus Christ clearly fulfilled that he is the unblemished land. Jesus Christ is the unblemished land. And notice it's important, the importance of the burning by fire. And that's a picture of Jesus Christ burning by fire in hell. And it's his blood, like on the doorways, it's his blood that saves us, isn't it? It's his blood that saves us. Now, Paul's saying that we're saved, yeah, we're saved. Now, let's now get rid of the leaven, the old leaven, the old sin. He then says, don't then add malice or wickedness. In verse 8 here in 1 Corinthians 5, he says, neither with the leaven of malice or wickedness. And I think that malice or wickedness is, is in getting rid of this guy. It's not out of malice, it's not out of hatred for him. It's, are you listening? No, it's out of, for his own good and for the church's good. Okay, it's not just, it's kind of angry, you know, get out, we hate this guy. No, we're trying to do it for the good of everyone. That's the spirit it should be in. It says, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. It's in the name of sincerity and truth that we as a church will do what God tells us to do and kick people out of the church if we need to. It's in the name of sincerity and truth. It's not out of nastiness. It's not because we're some sort of cult. Cults don't kick people out, they usually don't let them leave. Okay? We're not, we're not some weird cult. We follow the Bible and the Bible tells us, it gives us clear instructions here as to what people we should be kicking out of the churches for their own good and for our as a church's own good. Okay, verse 9, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or extortioners or with idolaters for then must ye needs go out of the world. Okay, so Paul is saying that he's told them not to company so frequent the company of with fornicators, etc. Okay, but he's not talking about the unsaved. He's not talking about the unsaved, he makes that clear. So what's he saying here? Verse 11, but now I have written unto you not to keep company of any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one no not to eat. Right, so if we're not to keep company not to eat with these safe people that means we're out of the church, yeah? That clearly means that they're out of the church and that's the same as the church in Corinth the same as the church here. Okay, it's not being mean. It's not that we're trying to be mean. It's not that we're just so old fashioned. No, it's a love of sincerity, truth and everyone in here, including them. Okay, so let's have a look at these sins then. Let's have a look at things which mean that you're going to get kicked out of the church. Now, there's a certain amount of grace. You're a new believer and I don't think there are any new believers. So if you're a new believer or maybe you haven't heard this sort of preaching then, you know, we'll allow this to sink in for about another hour. You know, we're going to give you some grace here. But, you know, I'll tell you what though, any of you that have been here for a while, I'll pop the door open now if you want and just start playing people. No, I'm sure there's no one here. But let's go through, let's go through what it is that's going to get you kicked out of this church and what got you kicked out and should have got you kicked out of the church in Corinth. Okay, a fornicator. Right, we've gone through that. We know what that is. There shouldn't even be a question. No one should be looking around going, well, I'm not sure, not sure about them because, you know, there's a lot of talk, they just seem to be, well, they're living together but they're probably not. No, if there's a sign of that, you're living together, as far as I'm concerned, you're living in fornication. Okay, and like I said, get married or get out. Okay, they're the two options. Get married, break up or get out. Okay, they're your three options. Okay, there shouldn't be a question. And like I said, they're impressionable children in this church. Now, how bad is it now? How bad was it while we grew up in this society the pushing, the encouragement to fornicate? Massive, absolutely massive. Like I said before, most people here probably got saved at a later stage in life and I don't want to talk about what went on before but I tell you what, we have all been massive victims of that but we're also wicked people as well and sadly, many, many people in this room have probably been guilty of this. Okay, now I'm not talking about free salvation, now you're saved. Okay, we have children in this church who are impressionable, who are going to look at brother this or sister that and start to wonder and start to question and then when they're getting it pushed on them and promoting them through the workplace, through friends, through whatever it is, whatever they're about, they're going to be, well I remember brother this or sister that or whatever else, it can't be that bad or maybe it's not the end of the world or and they'll start tending themselves because we'll do it, we start to justify sin, okay, and we don't want that, okay. Also, fornication is like many sins, addictive, it's an addictive sin. You start going down that route kids, you start going down that route, you start thinking, oh well it's not that bad, well it's just these old fashioned chat, well you know the world, the world it's moved on from those times or anything else, you're going to find it hard, you're going to find it hard to break that addiction because it's a problem, once you start crossing lines, it's hard, it's really hard, not to, and by the way, there are many, many results of fornication aren't there, it's not just the fact that God hates it, it's not just the fact that it's disgusting, it's also that there are unwanted children from fornication, sadly, growing up in broken homes, disease, diseases come from fornication, diseases which are a problem, you might, oh well I've moved on from that, and then you've got a problem in your married life when you're carrying diseases, and you've got recurring diseases and the rest, there's so many, so many problems that come from fornication, the mental effects, the mental effects of it, I don't want to do a show of hands, but I'm sure there are people here that probably still have some mental effects of past fornication in life, it affects people, it's horrible, it will stay with you, and some would say maybe women will carry that horrible, I think men as well, and there are things that they can't necessarily always get out of their head, again, and there are ways the devil will try and put things into their head, half things that have happened, it's a wicked, wicked sin, and we need to make sure that there is not any hint of it, any hint of it in this church. Look at 1 Corinthians 6, and we will be going through that next week, but 1 Corinthians 6 18 says, Flee fornication, every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that commits his fornication, sin it against his own body, you sin against your own body with fornication, flee it, flee it, that means get away from it, any sign, any hint, any temptation, run the other way, run the other way, even if you're just, I'm not sure, I might offend that person, I think they're just being friendly, get out of there, get out of there, okay, and like I said, if not, get out of the church, because we're not having it, okay, that's fornication, covetousness, covetousness, because I've heard a lot preaching, and they'll preach hard on the fornication, some of them maybe preach hard on the drinking, and then they kind of leave out the rest of it, okay, well, let's go through it, because the Bible's clear here, isn't it? Covetousness, inordinately desirous, excessively eager to obtain and possess, directed to money or goods, avaricious, which means greedy of gain, so again, I've heard preaching of covetousness, where all they talk about is money, are people that just want money, money, money, they're people that are just so covetous, among people's things, they're stuff, that what they have, people's property, cars, you name it, just so covetous, they just start to really get it in them, and you can start to sense this a bit with some people, and again, I'm not saying there's anyone like that in here, but we have to be on the lookout for that, why, why do we have to be on the lookout, well first, turn to Psalm 10, Psalm 10 and verse 3, Psalm 10 verse 3 says, for the wicked boasted of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth, so the Lord hates the covetous, but the wicked, the wicked boast of his heart's desire, and bless the covetous, and again, not just, I don't want to just put everything on society, and on the wickedness of society, but the world is wicked, and it does, clearly, bless it, people are, you know, he's really, really successful because he's rich, oh this, oh what a, how much money has he got, what a great guy, or what a great lady, because she's just got so much money, or so much stuff, or whatever else, and put these people up, the rich of the world, and put up here, aren't they, because they're rich, and it's wicked, it's wicked, and that's what the world does, but just because the wicked world encourages it, it doesn't mean it's okay with it, the Lord hates it, now what does it do? It could cause bad blood, can't it, in a church, causes problems, like, you know, I think I was quoting it the other day, wasn't it, that I think it is, wrath is cruel, and angry, outrageous, I think, but who can stand for envy, and when you're envying things, and you're covetous of other people's sins, it's a problem, isn't it, it's a big problem, because you start to get hatred for people, you start to hate them, because they've got stuff that you want, they've got the money you want, and they've got whatever things it is, and you don't sit there, and say, I'm just so covetous, I'm just such covetous, no, you sit there, and you go, I hate that person, because whatever it is you dream up, is the reason you really hate them, so it causes bad blood in the church, covetousness, eventually, it can result, can't it, in thieving, in ways of trying to get, because you get so focused on that stuff, and it can take a while to get there, it can take a while to get there, but it can result in deceit, in theft, it encourages others, people are always talking about money, and stuff, and getting this, and how to get richer, and how to get, again, it starts to rub off, doesn't it, and it starts to become a bit more acceptable, oh, you know, which quick scheme, and everything else, and then you start, it starts to rub off, and so other people are talking about, thinking about it, well that's okay, your brother this, or sister that, it's always talking about money, and you start to make it okay, you might not run that through in your mind, exactly like that, but it rubs off on you, and it rubs off on kids, again, impressionable children, in this church, many of them in this church, so covetousness, um, Exodus, turn to Exodus 18, this is Moses' father-in-law, and he says, he's talking, he's saying, harken to my voice, I'll give you counsel, to Moses, and he says in verse 21, Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens, so, for those of you that want to lead, and lead your families, lead places of work, lead in a church, you should hate it, hate covetousness, you should hate it, not, oh well, they're just ambitious, no, hate it, hate it, now I'm not saying people that want to do well at work, I'm not saying people that work and diligent, I'm not talking about nice people, I'm talking about when it's covetousness, and what do we say about covetousness? Inordinately desires, excessively eager to obtain and possess, directed to money or goods, greedy of gain, hate it, number three, an idolater, what's an idolater? A worshipper of idols, one who pays divine honours to images, statues, or representations of anything made by hands, one who worships as a deity, that which is not God, a pagan. Okay, now, you might, this might sound a lot, you're thinking, I don't think anyone there is going to be into that sort of thing, might sound unlikely, okay, good luck, chums, some people do some funny stuff with things like that, Jesus images, pictures, photos, graven images, angels, anyone? I hope not, I hope no one is sort of trying to worship angels, pray to angels, go on and start to get, you know, some sort of obsession and start to treat them, worship them as a deity, because there was a temptation in the Bible, we saw John the Divine do that, don't we, we see him in the book of Revelation, starting to bow down before an angel, what about, what about, so one who worships as a deity, that which is not God, musicians, maybe kings, queens, certain cultures, they put the king right up there, don't they? Right up there, and, you know, I know when I spent a bit of time in Thailand, I mean, the king is like, it's a deity, to a lot of people out there, queens, celebrities, celebrities, people, people do, don't they? They worship them like a god, like a deity, it's idolatry, what about preachers? What about preachers? And you can cross that line between having respect for a man of God, to basically idolise them or worshipping them as a god, when what they say is more important than what the word of God says, you've crossed that line. Okay, Colossians chapter 3 verse 5, Colossians 3, 5, Mortify therefore your members which are upon you, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry, idolatry. So, he's saying here that covetousness is idolatry, because you basically start to worship that thing, it becomes idolatry, you're coveting, you're having this inordinate desire for something, and it becomes a god in your mind, something that you have to attain to, that you're almost worshipping, with that covetousness. You don't have to turn over, in 1 John 5 21 he ends a whole epistle of 1 John, with little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. You know, almost when you read that, it almost seems so out of context with the rest, but it's obviously so important, it's so important to keep yourself from idols, don't do it, don't start idolising, and like I said, for many it might be more likely to be a person, but people can do it with objects and stuff as well. Okay, so that's idolatry. What about a railer? What about a railer? What is a railer? Okay, one who scoffs, insults, censures, or approaches with a progrius, that's contemptuous language. Let's hear that again, one who scoffs, insults, censures, or approaches with a progrius, which is contemptuous language. Okay, now this is one where, you know, it's an easy one, where you're a railer because you've insulted someone or something else, I think here it's, if you're regularly, you're regularly rude and insulting to people, criticising everyone with obvious disdain for them, it's disdain, it's that spirit of, it's not that you're trying to help, you're just constantly just at people, criticising them, railing on them. Get out, get out, get right or get out, and you might think, well how do you work that out? Because I think, I think, I think everyone should be really assessing themselves, should be sitting here going, if there's any sign of that, get right, get right, yeah, or get out, because that's just going to affect the church, it's going to affect, the church is going to affect people, it's going to, like with all the other examples I said, where people are like that all the time, the negativity, they're just constantly just having a go at people, railing on people, it affects everyone around them, and it's going to make the church, it's going to be a bad bloody church then, we don't want that. Shall we see an example of railing? Okay, and railing, because we suddenly see railing, here railing, and we think, it's going to be screaming, shouting, swearing, let's have a look, Mark 15, have a look at the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15. And they that passed by, rail, we're talking about Jesus here, up on the cross, and they that passed by, railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross, then he says, likewise, also the chief priest, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, he saved others, himself, he cannot save, let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see, and believe, and they that were crucified with him, were bibles here, so, I don't know, maybe they were shouting, they didn't say that they necessarily had to be, there's other examples of railing in the Bible, and it doesn't say that it's shouting, it's not necessarily shouting, they're not swearing there, but it's that nasty, scornful way, isn't it? Nasty scornful way, and like I said, causes bad blood, encourages others, all the other things, of why we don't want it in this church. Okay, next one. A drunkard. A drunkard. A person who is frequently or habitually drunk. Right, what's a drunk? What is being drunk? Habitually drunk? Intoxicated and inebriated. Okay, so here's the thing. So here's now where people start to then spin heads. Well, it is having a couple of beers or having a glass of wine. Is that being drunk? I'm not drunk. I'm not a drunkard. So what's your motivation for drinking if it's not about being partially intoxicated? What's your motivation? Why are you drinking? Why are you drinking if you're not getting slightly intoxicated? Anyone explain? Again, I'm not asking people to start shouting it out. But just think about that. What is your motivation? Now, for me, like, after I was saved, I did a lot of study on this and, you know, I've read some really long stuff and I've listened to some really long sermons. I don't think it needs to be that long. I really don't. I think you can crack it in with a good few verses. Okay, first one that for me to just go to straightaway Proverbs 23. So let's go to Proverbs chapter 23. And because I've been, when I was first saved at some liberal churches, whether the pastor was a drinker and was justifying having a few beers, as long as he didn't get silly. Well, let's see what the Bible says about it. Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 29. Look not thou upon the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it fighteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of the mast. They have stricken me, shout thou, saying I was not sick. They have beaten me and I felt it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. Okay, verse 31. Look not thou upon the wine, when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. That's fermentation. Do not look upon fermented wine. Simple. Don't look at it. Don't even look at it. That doesn't mean shut your eyes when you drink it. Yeah, it means don't even look at it. Don't even go near it, because it's such a problem. Alcohol ruins. It wrecks lives. It wrecks lives. And we've seen that. Some of us have been part of that. And I don't care if you think, well, I could, you know, I could just have a couple. I could take it or leave it, you know. I'm not getting drunk. I'm alright, mate. Well, what about those around you? What about your kids? What about your wives, your husbands, your friends? Can they do the same? Because I, in fact, I got a call the other day from a family member, from a family member admitted to me that he is now a physical alcoholic. A close family member. I've gutted. Yeah, absolutely gutted. Physical alcoholic cannot get through the day now without drinking your econine. And you can't just go cold turkey like that, because it's dangerous. So he now has, I mean, he's got big problems, okay. And I got, like, that was gutting for me, because I don't even know how to really help him. He's not saved. It's a big problem. And that is just one of so many. And, you know, there's a big drinking culture in this country. There are many countries. And I look back to friends and whose lives have been wrecked, ruined, ruined by alcohol. Tell, oh, well, I can get by, you know, I don't, well, people can take it or leave it. Tell that to the victims of drunk drivers, to the victims of sexual abuse and assault from alcohol. And you know what, I, when I used to go to schools and teach some other stuff, I did a little study. I think it was 80% of reported sexual assaults in the whole London area involved alcohol. Involved alcohol. So, what, you just, oh, well, yeah, but I'm alright, mate. It's, it's wicked. It's evil. It wrecks lives. It ruins lives. And we don't want it in our church. Don't want it in our church. And I'm not going to sit there, well, you can only have one or two. No. I either stop drinking or get out of the church. It's as simple as that. For me, it's as simple as that. There's not, do you, do you love the drinking more than the Lord, more than being part of the church? Because if you do, get out of the church. Now, if you don't, get rid of the drink. Get rid of the alcohol. There is no reason. Now, like I said, that was one verse, but let's look at some others. What about, so the question is, what about all the mentions of wine? What about all the wine in the Bible? There's just wine going on everywhere, isn't there? They're just all having a big drink up. Well, let's have a look at what that wine regularly is. Isaiah 16 10. Isaiah chapter 16 verse 10. Okay, it says, in gladness is taken away, joy out of the plentiful field, and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting. The treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses. I have made their vintage shouting to cease. So it seems that in their presses, they're treading out wine. So clearly not alcoholic, is it? Because they're treading it out of the grave in their presses. So unless there's some rapid fermentation going on before they're treading it out, which it isn't, clearly wine isn't talking about alcoholic wine. Look at Isaiah 65. Isaiah 65 and verse 8. Thus saith the Lord, as the new wine is found in the cluster. That's the cluster of rape. And one saith, destroy it, for a blessing is in it. So will I do for my servants saith, that I may not destroy them all. Right, wine in the Bible depends completely on the context of whether, and you don't always know, it doesn't always make it clear, because it's only, it's a true translation, they're not going to decide themselves, the translators, whether or not it's alcoholic or whether or not it's fruit juice. Now what the wicked flesh does, it looks at it, and it sees it, and it sees Jesus making this wine, as his first miracle we see in the Gospel of John chapter 2, and we see it, and we go, what sort of a party was that? Because we're all so wicked, because we're looking at it, you've got to have a drink up at a wedding, but imagine now, take yourself back a couple of thousand years to a hot country, to a hot country with no mechanical juicing, with no mass farming on the scale where you can just buy juice at the shops like that, and just think, what a luxury, what an absolute luxury that was, that fruit juice was. And you see verses where it says, not given to much wine, and I honestly believe, and I know people get mocked for this, but I do honestly believe, that it's talking about not basically being a glutton, because we know that when you're drinking sweet drinks all the time, it puts on weight massively, and it's like liquid sugar, and it's not saying, oh as long as you don't have a lot of wine, it's not talking about alcoholic wine, it's talking about juice, not being someone who literally just gloves juice, the finer things, the expensive juice which isn't healthy to be hammering it, okay, you should be drinking water as your main drink, if you don't, think about that for help, you know, I don't want to go off subject with that. Okay, it's a wicked heart, a wicked culture, that makes us look at it and want to see it as alcoholic wine. Okay, then you get questions like this, well doesn't the Bible say to eat, drink and be merry in Ecclesiastes 8.15? Oh well, drinking and being merry, just a little bit tipsy, just a couple, just a couple. Well let's have a look at another mention of being merry, have a look at Luke 15. Luke 15 and verse 23, he says, and bring, this is the prodigal son, the father here says, and bring hither the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry. Wow, so he's getting merry for me, so just because our modern use of that is merry like a little bit tipsy, that's not what it's talking about in the Bible, it's being happy, from eating, from company, from having good food, from drinking juice, from having the nice things, from having the fattened calf, it's not talking about getting drunk, it's not talking about getting drunk. Look at Proverbs chapter 20, Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 1, Proverbs 21, wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Don't get deceived by it, don't get conned into thinking, oh well I could have a couple, I'll just have the one or just have a few, don't do it, you don't get deceived by it, like I said that family member and many many others have been deceived by it, there are people doing time in prison right now have been deceived by it and ended up you know in the wrong side of fight or whatever else, walk through a town centre at night, walk through a town centre at night, stone cold sober and see how safe you feel, try, go into a takeaway or go into you know go to kebab shop or something like that at midnight or whatever time it is and like those people, those people, their lives get wrecked, they get ruined by it, it's wicked and I've been there, I've been on that side of it and I'll tell you what, you know I'm so thankful that I got convicted by preaching on this, by preaching on this in the Bible because it's so clear, it's so clear but again it's a heart, it's a flesh that wants you to justify it a little bit, why, why, why do you need to drink when you're told you're not wise if you drink, why, what do you want babbling, do you want babbling, do you want wounds without cause, do you want to look upon strange women men, do you want to, because the Bible says that's what happens, do you want to do that, okay like I said our kids are impressionable, our kids see that, our kids hear that, our kids, our kids start to think well that's okay, we don't want that, we don't want their lives wrecked as well, okay, we don't want their lives wrecked, so if you drink, stop drinking and get out of the church, simple, extortioner, extortioner, someone who practices extortion, okay now the act of extorting, this is what extortion is, the act of or practice of resting anything for a person by force, duress, menaces, authority or by any undue exercise of power, illegal exaction, illegal compulsion to pay money or to do some other act that will waste money, okay now straight away that makes me think of debt collectors, it does make me think of debt collectors because it's a wicked job and again someone gets saved, they're a debt collector, we'll give them a little bit of grace, get a new job, seriously because that is, that's a wicked job because it is, they literally will just shove on hundreds and hundreds of pounds for literally just knocking around someone's house, it's extortion, that's extortion, TV license collectors, they're extortions, honestly, get them out, get them out of the church, I'm telling you I'll use their head on the door like the bouncers thing, get them out, collecting money for the BBC, you're having a laugh, it's a paedophile debt, it is a paedophile debt, it's disgusting, it's disgusting what goes on at the BBC, what, what, and I've talked about this before, what happened with Jimmy Saville is just a tip of the iceberg, you know, a wicked, wicked play, the junk they print, the propaganda coming out of what claims to be an unbiased corporation, the British biased corporation, and it's a wicked debt of iniquity, you're going to go around and collect money and force money out of people for that, extortion is, get out, car clampers, as well, car clampers, unbelievable, someone puts a little sticker, a little sign up on a, on, on, on a driveway or whatever it is, on a, on a, on a car park, you're going to go and put a clamp on it, charge them hundreds, hundreds of pounds, extortioners, and look, there's probably a few things you can think of, and, and for me, like, you know, I'm interested in what people do for a job, you know, and it's not just because I want to find out if I need to kick you out, but it, but it is interesting, but I tell you what, you know, there are other things, and I would just give someone a chance, and I think, and you think, well, why, why, well, discord in the church starts to create groups of other people who look at you guys, I wanna be around that person, and then you have this problem where people don't want to fellowship with them, start getting these cleats because no one wants to be around the car clampers, or whatever they are, you know, the, the, the, the license collector, yeah, but you don't, I wouldn't want to be around him. but what about their lack of because they don't they you know there's a lack of love there isn't there really you doing jobs like that you've got some issues haven't you you've got some real issues because you're a bully as well and you're some bullying scumbag like that and that's gonna rub off on others it is people are gonna see that look at that and just think you know maybe it's not so bad being like that well they're a Christian you know they're reading their Bible they go soul winning can't be that bad can't be that bad being a bully can't be that bad forcing money out of people and just by the way and I don't think that would ever happen here but but you never know in the future anyone's threatening a church member for money for stuff for the cupcakes bullying money and then anyone trying it can happen call it and that can happen amongst kids as well that's a bit awkward isn't it with kids how we deal with that with kids but you know they need to cut that out don't know the parents need this unfortunately can't be really if you've got a kid here and this happened you can measure this churches group because there's no other church like it right now imagine we've got hundreds of church sorry hundreds of people in the church probably not in this building but just so we had hundreds of people in the church then you start getting the bullying kids maybe the one that starts trying to force things out of other kids trying to bully them for their toys and so that's all we had the toddlers here snatching off each other kick it off my son as well but but as I get older and they're saved Christian so they understand good and evil they understand right for wrong you start having ones are doing the old school y'all give me your lunch money type stuff they need to be sorted out quickly don't know they're not welcome that we don't want to ruin it for I imagine the kids are coming to church no one's magic imagine we have one of these wicked churches where the kids are just getting on with it there's like one person one pervert downstairs in the light in the dungeon underneath with all the kids it's not really funny but sadly goes on doesn't it and they're all downstairs and the kids are just running why and they're forcing money out of each other the kid doesn't want to come to church it becomes a problem and it grows and spreads and stress at home everything else because there's some bullying nasty kid who's extorting the other kids it happens and you know it will always be a family integrated church here but still as we get bigger and as we get more more stuff going on you can't keep an eye I can't keep an eye on everyone and again it's an important thing in kids don't be a bully don't turn into a bully because again the world a lot of the time almost like uplifts bullies a lot of the time that on one hand they hate bullying it's disgusting and get the bully and everything else and on the other hand the person that goes at you you know physically gets revenge and beats people up for this and that is apparently a good thing and no we don't want that do we now okay so yeah so these are these are like I said these are the sins that the Paul clearly writes here clearly writes he says here but now I've written unto you not to keep company of any man that is called a brother so anyone saved anyone saved here be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such and one no not to eat okay that's fellowship gone it's out so you might like I said there might be people in this church there might be one of those couple of those analysts they're wondering maybe they maybe they got a problem with it I don't know if they do so like this is a warning now sort yourselves out now you know it'd be nice if we didn't have to kick you out but we will and it's for the good of you it's for the good of the church why do you kick them out for your own for your own your own spirit to be saved for the rest of the church and again it's not because we're mean it's not because we're just sees nasty people you know I don't want to have to do that but but seriously you know don't get to that point so you said like do you want to be part of a great because this is going to be a great trade it's what I'm going to do I'm not saying I'm not trying to lift myself up here it's not it's because like everyone here there's some brilliant people here like for everyone here everyone here in this church yeah has has been out without with with just dire dire churches in this country dire if you can even call them churches the majority then is that soul winning he's trying to live the God is reading their Bibles they're they're casting sin out of their life they're doing stuff they even like seasoned Christians are looking and then just getting angry because they're going to try and find fault in you because they don't they can't match up to how you're trying to live your lives it yeah we all get things wrong yeah we all fell yet none of us are perfect but there are some really like everyone in here this is great people yeah and this church is going to be brilliant and as we do it as God wants it to be done it's going to be it's going to be great and we're going to be such a blessing to those around us yeah and like we said it's I think it's going to grow we're going to end up with churches gotten around this country and you know the gates of hell should not prevail against us and and praise God but you know what if you want to be a part of that how important is that city is that's in your life really that much more important is it worth being stubborn well you know just a bit of a regular you know I just well no just cut it out cut it out get right and stay the church would be part of what what is you know what a blessing what a blessing and something we should do a lot of just thank God praise God that we've got this guys because every other country around Europe doesn't every other country around Europe doesn't and not only have we got this but we're able to still meet during a time which is unprecedented in the world we're able to still go out soul-willing in a time which is unprecedented in the world we're able to actually have a church function our God wants to not have to be making these decisions we're being told that can't can't you know run services and everything else he's what a great start and what a great group of people and if you want to be a part of it just get right get right with God and and like I said hopefully there's no one in here that really this isn't necessarily speaking to but if there is and maybe there will be in the future because you know we can all fall every one of us here has to take heed if he thinks he stand and because you know there's so much pressure from the world from those around us so let's get it right so back to back first with is fine at verse 12 for what am I to do to judge them also that are without do not you judge them that within but then that are without God judges therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person Paul is saying that his job is not to judge the world but it's the Corinthians job to judge within the church yeah it is their job to judge within the church and that's we talk to do it I'm told to so if I would be a poor leader of this church if I was not judging people for these sins it's not that I'm you know it's not that I want to I hope and pray to God that we don't we don't have to kick anyone out you know apart from you know infiltrates and stuff with him that'll be fun but I hope it is you know because I love everyone in here I don't want to have to kick anyone out but I will hundred percent I will I promise you I will and and you know it's up to you then really isn't it and in the same way if I fall short as well kick me out you know I should be the first one kicked out head first down the stairs and we should we all of us need to make sure that we're a blessing to this church okay God judges the world doesn't it go judge the world and they need to judge the church and they need to kick him out and what's he called he says he says therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person as a wicked person you are yeah let's not be described as that let's not be a wicked person I said forget what the world says forget what the world says because we're all well we've all been conditioned to something every single person here has been conditioned to some degree by the word forget what the world says and follow what God says God makes it clear in this chapter I'll be looking forward to preaching this chapter I was going to keep the door open just so I could start around me people happy but no it really likes a really important chapter to teach it's good that it took five I think they took five weeks to get there as well because we're all getting a taste of wow this is like what a blessing we're going out we're racking up the numbers on the soul winning and we're getting great fellowship and a great time together it's great to be part of a proper church people are starting to get used to it as well because you know it's a bit of a change isn't it from what we're used to and everything else and now it's like right now you've got to do your bit you got to do your bit staying in Proverbs chapter 3 don't worry about turning there verse 7 or 8 says be not wise in thine own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil it shall be health of thine neighbor America the Christ and that's for the whole church isn't it be health to everyone and and don't be wise in your own eyes I think oh well you know I'll do it my way no fear the Lord and depart from evil it's pretty simple isn't it really with that let's pray Heavenly Father thank you for this church thank you for these people thank you that we've been able to be a part of the first proper church in this country and help us to to want to be part of this church to want to get rid of the sins which are a problem in the church which would mean that we can't that can't then be a part of the church just just help us Lord to get sin out of our life and not just the sins on this list but all sins and affect us that's all sin obviously just to live for you to live right to get our hearts right help us have a great week now great week help us to to be safe and sound on our way home and for those that are able to get here for Thursday Jesus name we pray. Amen.