1 Cor. 6:12-20
Six Reasons Why Sex Outside Marriage Is Wrong SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 6:12-20 Introduction: I read recently of a wife who went to lunch with eleven other women who were taking a French course together, since their children were all in school. One rather bold woman asked the rest, “How many of you have been faithful throughout your marriage?” Only one raised her hand. That evening when the woman of our story related the incident to her husband and admitted she was not the one who had…
1 Cor. 6:18, Genesis 39
Epitaph of a man of God: “He fled.” SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 6:18, Genesis 39 Introduction: I groped sleepily for the phone, wondering why the hospital would be calling my husband Bob back to work when he had just returned at midnight from a 36-hour shift. “Aunt Ann,” my teen-age niece sobbed hysterically into the phone, “tell Uncle Bob to come right now. Daddy has hung himself–and I can’t get him down.” “Oh, no! Hold on, honey–he’ll be there in five minutes.” Bob…
1 Corinthians 6, 2 Samuel 11-12
Sin Will Take You Further Than You Want to Go SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 6, 2 Samuel 11-12 Introduction: A Southern Gospel song I heard only once in my life, but remember clearly, goes like this: “Sin will take you further than you want to go, Slowly but wholly taking control. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.” That is the message I want to share with you today. Several weeks…
1 Cor. 7:1-7
We Missed the “R”! SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 7:1-7 Note: This sermon was preached at East Evangelical Free Church in Wichita in 2012. Introduction: Do you remember how we talked about the pendulum as a sad, but common, symbol of the Christian church? We used it in chapter 5 to illustrate how the church at Corinth went to the extreme of refusing to discipline one of its sinning members. But then after Paul excoriated them for their failure, they went to the opposite extreme by refusing to forgive the sinning member…
1 Corinthians 7:1-9
Sex is Good! SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 DATE: February 25, 2001 Introduction: This week we return to our regularly scheduled study of 1 Corinthians. We will be looking at chapter 7, verses 1 through 9. Last week Pastor Mike took us through a study of David’s life and mentioned that my sermon title was apparently a cheap attempt to cash in on the momentum of our recent study on sexual morality. Frankly, I just thought the research would be more interesting.…
1 Cor. 7:10-17
For Better or Worse, Unless … SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 7:10-17 Introduction: The best-known futurist of our generation, Alvin Toffler, has described contemporary America as the “throw-away society.” Whereas Americans once held on to their possessions as long as possible, now the abundance of goods and rapidly changing fashions mean that things like clothes, kitchens, and cars have a built-in obsolescence, to say nothing of electronics. Things are kept only a short time and then thrown away. This attitude has even extended to personal relationships,…
1 Cor. 7:17-40
Stay Where You Are! SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 7:17-40 Introduction: Nearly all of you are familiar with 2 Cor. 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This verse tells us that old habits, attitudes, priorities, and relationships become new, or at least should, when a person meets Christ and receives the new birth. In fact, so crucial is this concept that Christian theology has always questioned whether a genuine conversion has even…
1 Cor. 8:1‑13
Freedom Has Its Limits SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 8:1‑13DATE: March 25, 2001 Introduction: Fifty years ago last month my father accepted a pastorate in the Old Orchard area of Webster Groves. This delightful little church was my home from age 7 to 17. There are a number of individuals here this morning who were part of that congregation–wonderful people who have built significantly into my life. There were in that church, however, some people who had quite a long laundry list of issues by which…
1 Corinthians 9:1‑18
He Practiced What He Preached SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 9:1‑18 Introduction: The topic of our text today is one I do not relish. It deals in part with the question of whether pastors should be paid. This topic, however, is really only used by the Apostle Paul as an illustration of a broader theme which he began in chapter 8 and continues through chapter 10, namely the theme of Christian liberty and the need to limit that liberty by love for one another. If you were…
1 Cor. 9:19-23
Friendship Evangelism SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 9:19-23 Introduction: It is not a matter of significant debate that the church at large is not fulfilling Christ’s commands in the area of either evangelism or discipleship with any great degree of effectiveness. While some Christians are regularly engaged in sharing their faith, many go through the average week, or even month, without a single verbal witness regarding their faith in Christ. All of us acknowledge that witnessing is important; we know that God says that “he who…
1 Cor. 9:24‑27
Spiritual Olympics SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 9:24‑27 Introduction: I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy the Olympics when they come around every four years. I am in awe of the incredible physical ability, stamina, and commitment to training exhibited by world-class athletes. And thanks to the marvels of modern technology, nearly every event in every sport is available around the clock on TV or on the Internet. I heard about a guy who said his son was already in training for the…
1 Cor. 10:1-13
The Peril of Overconfidence SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 10:1-13 Introduction: Someone has said that if history teaches us anything, it is that history teaches us nothing. In other words, those who fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat its mistakes. In 1 Corinthians 10 the Apostle Paul gives us a major history lesson, with the express purpose of getting us to learn from the past. In chapter 9 he told us that he kept his body in top shape spiritually because…