Sermons from March 2019
Sex, Singleness, Marriage & Divorce (Part 1)
The arrival of the gospel in Corinth didn’t make everything suddenly rosy… in fact it created messy situations where new believers found themselves with new ethics, new desires and new freedom and yet they were still in the midst of their old city, culture and relationships. This is especially true in the areas of sex, singleness, marriage & divorce. Pastor Joe helps us navigate this messiness by unpacking Paul’s wisdom.
A Plea for Sexual Purity
The sexual ethic of the city of Corinth was not dissimilar to our sexualised world today. So it was vital that the new church didn’t let the sins of the city frame the way they thought about sex. Pastor Ben unpacks the way the gospel both calls us to, and fuels, sexual purity.
A Plea for Harmony
Culture is formed into the likeness of its leaders. And as we have heard, the Corinthian leaders were caught up in power struggles amongst one another. So it shouldn’t surprise us that members of the Corinthian church were struggling against one another. Paul highlights this problem and why it is so destructive in the church.
A Plea for Holiness
Paul’s fatherly love and concern for the Corinthian church leads him to uncover a heinous sin that is flourishing in the life of one of their members. But Paul will spend most of his time not berating the sinner, but challenging the church’s response to him. In this message we examine how the church needs to respond to willing and unrepentant sin.
The Despised Leader
Everyone loves to win. Everyone loves a winner. So in the church, we generally want to think that we are winning in the world. And we want our leaders to win in the world as well, to gain influence and respect. But Paul challenges this ideal as he unpacks what the life of the Apostles was really like.