Feb 21, 2021
This Sunday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, which is
traditionally a time of prayer, fasting, and repentance
leading up to Easter, observed by Christians since the days of the
early church. Several elements of the service have
been adjusted to fit the character of this season. We will begin
each Sunday by singing What Wondrous Love Is This
(reflecting on Jesus paying the penalty for our “dreadful curse”),
and go out singing Christ Be With Me (confessing our
need for His continual presence in our lives). Each week we will
take a moment after corporate confession to confess
silently, and respond by singing from John 1:29, “Lamb of God, who
takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on
us.” The closing hymns for the next five weeks will be focused on
the Crucifixion. This week it is Isaac Watts’ Not All
The Blood Of Beasts, a poetic meditation on Hebrews
10:4—while “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats
to
take away sins,” it is possible for the “Heavenly Lamb.” The
prevalence of minor key music, times of silence, and
confessional passages from Scripture may seem a bit more somber
than usual—particularly when combined with the
sobering call to purity in this morning’s sermon text. But I pray
the reflective character of these next five weeks will
refresh our hearts, in preparation for the joy of Easter
morning.
—Henry C. Haffner
Key Words: Immorality, Arrogant, Deliver, Saved,
Leaven, Celebrate, Purge
Keystone Verse: Do you not know that a little
leaven leavens the whole lump? (1 Corinthians 5:6)
1 Corinthians
5:1-13
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
and of a kind that is not tolerated even among
pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are
arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done
this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and
as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the
one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in
the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the
power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man
to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may
be
saved in the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a
little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the
old leaven
that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For
Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let
us
therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the
leaven of malice and evil, 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
sexually
immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters,
since then you would need to go out of the world. 11
But
now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the
name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality
or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not
even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do
with
judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are
to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the
evil
person from among you.”