1 Corinthians: The Call to be a Contrast Community - Week 7
Opening Prayer:
Loving Father,
You have called us to be Your people—a holy people. An upright people. A people offering hope to the world.
Let us not be shaped by the values of the world around us but by the compassion and love that you have for your world.
May Your Holy Spirit shape us, and may we be faithful to Your call to live as a transformed people, a redemptive community. A new humanity open to all.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Key Scripture:
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
1 Corinthians 5
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This sermon explores how the church is called to live as a shared "contrast community" whose collective actions represent Jesus to the world. Using the illustration of flat mates sharing a kitchen, the sermon emphasizes that individual choices within a shared space inevitably impact the entire group's identity.
The message addresses three central questions:
Why does it matter? Paul confronts the Corinthian church for tolerating and boasting about a case of sexual immorality that even pagan culture condemned. The deeper problem was that Corinth was reshaping the church rather than the gospel reshaping the Corinthian believers. Just as Israel removed yeast during Passover, Christians must purge the "old yeast" of sin to live in sincerity and truth, reflecting who they already are in Christ.
What do we do about it? Rather than ignoring unaddressed sin, believers must confront it. Paul instructs the church to hand the unrepentant individual “over to Satan” so they experience the consequences of their sinful nature. In the modern church, this accountability follows Jesus's process in Matthew 18—starting with direct, private conversations and escalating only if necessary, seeking to act with integrity without causing harm.
What is the goal? The purpose of church discipline is not public relations or perfection, but restoration and salvation. Echoing the parable of the Prodigal Son and Paul’s instruction in 2 Corinthians, the ultimate aim is to lead the individual to repentance so the community can forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love for them.
Ultimately, Christians are not called to judge the outside world, but to maintain integrity within the church. Believers are challenged to inspect their lives for "old yeast," repent, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform them to reflect Jesus.
Discussion Guide:
Section 1: Shared Witness
The church is not a collection of isolated individuals pursuing private spirituality, but a shared community whose joint actions reveal God's character to the world. We are in this together.
Discussion Question:
In what ways do our actions in the "shared kitchen" of faith shape how outsiders view Jesus?
Section 2: Contrast Community
Paul calls believers to be a "contrast community"—living free from the "old yeast" of sin, holding fellow believers accountable with redemptive grace while leaving judgment of the outside world to God. We are to be shaped by Christ, not the culture.
Discussion Question:
Where do you see the risk of the surrounding culture reshaping the church, rather than the gospel reshaping culture? How do we resist this individually and together?
Section 3: Accountability and Restoration
Community accountability serves ultimate restoration and redemption, not public relations.
Discussion Questions:
Why is direct, private confrontation (Matthew 18) so difficult, and how can we practice it without sliding into legalism or causing harm?
How does viewing accountability through the lens of the Prodigal Son change our motivation when dealing with sin in the church?
Practices:
Individual Practices:
Ask Jesus directly: "Where is there old yeast in me, and where have I allowed culture to shape me more than Christ?"
If conflict or unaddressed sin exists with another believer, go to them privately first rather than gossiping or ignoring it.
Stop judging those outside the church; focus on demonstrating grace and hospitality to non-believers.
Communal Practices:
Create a safe space in group meetings to confess struggles without fear of harsh judgment.
Commit as a group to extend radical forgiveness and comfort when someone repents and seeks restoration.
Actively welcome searchers and believers alike into gatherings while upholding high standards of internal integrity.
Additional Resources:
For a printable version of this guide click here.