Dealing With Sin In The Church

Good evening, Lighthouse Baptist Church. Will you stand and sing with us? Yeah. It's beautiful, finally, finally beautiful. Day on Wednesday night, we're gonna sing in my heart that rings a melody.

I have a song. that Jesus gave. It was sent. From heaven up. Oh there never was a sweet Melody, tis a melody of love In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody with heaven's harmony in my heart there rings a melody there rings a melody Uh Love I love the Christ Ty non Calvary for he washed my Since away.

He put within My heart of melody, and I know it's there to stay in my heart. There rings a melody, there rings a melody with heaven's harmony. In my heart, there rings a melody, there rings a melody of love to be my endless theme. In glory with the angels, I will see. Twill be a song with glorious harmony when the courts of heaven breathe in my heart.

There rings a melody. There rings a melody with heaven's harmony. In my heart, there rings a melody. There rings a melody of love. Amen.

I hope that stirs your soul tonight. Tonight's scripture reading comes from the book of Psalm, chapter 37, verses 4 through 6. Where the writer says, Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in him.

And he shall bring it. Surpass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light. like judgment the noonday. And these are the promises we have when we trust in Jesus.

Will you continue singing with us tonight? Tis so sweet. to trust in Jesus. Tis so We to trust in. Jesus just to take Him at his word just to rest upon his promise and to know the same.

Jesus, Jesus. Oh hydra. Him, how I've proved him more and more. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus. Oh, for grace to trust him more.

Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus, trust to trust his cleansing blood, just in sin. Simple faith to plunge thee neath the healing cleansing, Jesus, Jesus, how. I trust him, how I proved him more and more Jesus, Jesus, press just Jesus. Oh, for praise to trust him for. Yes, it is sweet to trust in Jesus just from sin and self.

To cease just from. And Jesus him. Simply taking life and rest and joy. And peace, Jesus, Jesus, how I trust. How I've proved him more endured, Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, hope for grace to trust him more.

And on the last, I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, precious Jesus, Savior, friend. And I know that thou art with me, will be with me to the end. Jesus, Jesus, have. I trust him, how I've proved him more and more. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus.

Oh, for grace to trust him more. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I've proved him more and more. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus. Oh, for grace to trust him more. Thank you, church.

We turn around tonight. May someone feel. Welcome.

Well, good evening. We want to welcome you to Lighthouse and so glad that you're with us tonight.

Well, that sunshine was nice to see this afternoon, wasn't it? Amen. In Ohio, anytime it comes out, I know Ben's praying for continued snow. And we'll pray for that right on his house. Lord, dump it all on Ben's house, the guy in the orange, you know.

He must be from Michigan. It must be. But we're glad to have you. Let's open up in a word of prayer. Before we do that, it's good to have some from Mel and Brenda Chamberlain has some dear friends with them down here.

Thank you so much for being with us. Any other first-time guests or visitors this evening with us on my right? Anybody on my left side? And so good to have you. Let's open in prayer as we begin.

I asked Brother Denny Stoddard if you could open us in a word of prayer this evening. Yes. Amen. You may be seated tonight. And if you have a um Prayer request that you would like to share, just raise your hand at this time, and these guys with the green prayer cards will get by and give one of those to you.

And you can just fill that green prayer card out, and at the end of service, we will collect those. If you want that prayer request to be shared with the congregation, just write that prayer request out, and we'll share that. Want that just to be prayed for by the staff and not announced publicly. Just write in big letters at the top: private request, and I won't read that out loud.

So, also, if you're joining us online, I want to welcome you as well. And you can put those prayer requests in the comments section, and we will also share those at the end of service. as well. Couple brief announcements as they're coming around. This Saturday, we have an equip conference down at Mount Orb.

There are several pastors that will be there, different churches going to that. We do this once a year.

So I encourage you to go if you would like to be a part of that. We'll be meeting here and leaving at 6:45 on Saturday morning. The conference goes to around 1:30, so we'll be back early afternoon. It's $10 and it covers breakfast and lunch. It's a great opportunity to hear some different pastors and some teachings.

So if you're able to go to that, please let me or Brayden or one of the staff members know. If you need a car ride down there, let us know as well.

So we'd love to have you a part of that. All right.

Well, that's and then this Sunday, I also want to mention we're going to be having a new family meet and greet right in the here at the church in the sanctuary. Myself, several of the staff and some leadership will be there. And if you're a newer family to the church, whether a newer member or newer to the church, you just have some questions about the church, it's just going to be a real laid-back meal. It's all covered, and we'll just be having a meet and greet time.

So I encourage you to let us know. You can just scan that QR code inside the bulletin there and sign up online, or you can just let us know and show up. We would love to have you. That'll be right after the second service this Sunday.

So, all right.

Well, let's jump into the service sermon tonight. We always have a short message, so we'll want to jump to that early. The laughter is encouraging, isn't it? First, we'll be in 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter number once and I Second Corinthians one and uh If you have your Bibles, if you would join me as we stand and read. Uh the passage tonight, 2 Corinthians chapter 1.

We'll read verse 22 through chapter 2, verse 4. As we jump into this, it's important to know that the chapters in the Bi the words in the Bible were inspired by God, but the chapters and verses were not.

So, the placement is not always exactly the best placement in here. It could have gone down. Chapter 2 could have started in verse 5, probably in a better place.

So we're going to be reading verse 22 through chapter 2, verse 4. Uh the Bible says Who has sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts? Actually, let's. Let's start in verse fifteen. Is that okay?

I'm going to bring some context into this. In this confidence, I was minded to come unto you before that you might have a second benefit. and to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judea. When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness, or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay? But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

He's saying, I didn't say yes and really mean no. Verse 19, for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God, in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Now he which establisheth us with you is Christ, and hath anointed us as God, who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

So last time we looked at those passages and Those verses there and the characters of a faithful minister. Verse 23, Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth, not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith ye stand. But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? And I wrote this same unto you, lest when I came I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, so that ye should be grieved, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. God, we are so blessed to have your word. We're so blessed to be safe today. We're so thankful for the church family you've brought together here, for the grace that you've shown us. Thank you for the soul that was saved Sunday and the one rededication and the two baptized and the visitors that you just continually bring.

I pray you bless the teen service right now, God. There's children and teens that need to come know to Christ and come to Christ, and I pray that they might be saved. And kids' ministries, we had a great turnout there, and I pray that you would continue to bless them, and the teachers, and the workers, the kids in nursery, and just all you're doing is so wonderful. And we praise your name. As we dive into your word tonight, I thank you for those that are here with us in the adult service.

And, God, that you would just give our minds attentiveness to the word of God before us. Grant us wisdom and application. Help us to obey the word and that we might glorify you. For you said, If we love you, we'll keep your commandments, and so may our love for you be shown with our lives. We ask it in Christ's name, and God's people said tonight.

Amen. You may be seated this evening. Growing up, my preacher would say this. People are people, nothing more. God is God, nothing less.

And there is uh That is a true statement. God is God, but people are just people. Have you ever been surprised or shocked by something you heard or saw by another believer? Maybe in a good way. And maybe not in a not so good way.

You ever had somebody tell you they're a Christian and you're like Really? Have you ever had to work with two believers, two professing Christians, and were shocked by the way they treated one another. Maybe they behaved.

Some of you have perhaps gone through a church split. You've gone through the pain of a church going through that kind of a level of trauma. I praise God I've never been a part of anything like that. All the churches that I've been a part of and the line of churches that we fellowship with have not seen that, and I praise God for that strong history. But one thing that you will find in churches is the same thing you will find in families.

Um imperfect people who serve a perfect Savior. If we have trouble in our homes, is it any surprise that we have trouble among fellow believers? And so Sometimes people say, you know, we're all hypocrites, but I don't know that that's the case. I don't really believe that's the case. Because If you come to Lighthouse, you understand Or you will understand that we're not perfect.

And there's no one here that professes to be perfect. To be a hypocrite. is to do one thing. In intentionally violating what you say you believe, and you intentionally act out the hypocrite. You intentionally violate that.

You're intentionally being deceitful in many ways. But I don't think that's the case for most Christians. And so sometimes people say, well, the church is full of hypocrites. I don't think that's the case. I think the church is full of people who realize they're imperfect, and so they come and worship a perfect Savior, longing to be more like him.

Does that make sense? And so um If we were a church who declared to be perfect, then we would be hypocrites. But we recognize our desperate need of Christ. And as a church, you're going to deal with people. Doing some f sometimes some outright Foolish things.

Sometimes attitudes that aren't always good. You know, a lot of people who come in here on Sundays have have had long weeks. Not everybody is able and capable always of putting their best foot forward on Sunday mornings. They may be worn out. They may have gone through a conflict that morning.

He may have been trying to get his wife there on time for the 57th week in a row. Or vice versa. And there's stress that can happen, and so we need to make sure that we do extend grace one to another, right? And realize, you know, sometimes people have heavy weeks. I just talked to one dear grandmother this evening, and we've been praying for their precious grandson who was in a severely burned and most second degree burns through his body.

And Um You know, just just very, very hard. That's a heavy week.

Some people who've lost loved ones, some people who found out I was on the phone today, a dear young couple in our church who just found out their baby. didn't make it and and they had to deliver and and uh that's that's a heavy season.

So sometimes people come into church, and I don't see this at Lighthouse, and I'm so thankful for it. But So never come in here and say, you know, that person seemed kind of rude or they seemed kind of distant, they didn't shake my hand.

Well, you have no idea what they may have gone through recently. That makes sense. I even think that Um going down the streets uh Over the years, I remember being super impatient with people: like, why is that person driving like a nut? You know, and I get mad and irritated. And then I remember when my daughter was, um Struggling to breathe is around a two-year-old child and um.

I mean, she it's I she was like about turned blue. She couldn't hardly breathe. We Jumped in our little minivan. I'm driving a hundred miles an hour to get to the hospital. People honking at me, swerving at me as I was trying to like get to the hospital.

I'm like, you have no idea. My daughter could be dying. And they have no idea why this guy's striving like a madman because she's barely breathing, like she's eyes are about shut. I mean, you know, and when you're a parent, you're like, ah, you know, so I understand you want to be safe and things. But so I think it's important for us to understand, we have no idea what some of the things that people are going through as they enter into church.

And so just that's helpful to kind of hear and kind of think about. I think the older we get, we should realize that a little bit more as we live in circumstances like that. But tonight I want to talk about dealing with sin in the church. And this is really what Paul comes to here. And that's why we, this was not actually what I was planning on preaching tonight, but it's where the text brought us to.

So first of all, let's look at the reality of sin and the problems in the church. You know, God loves the church. He loves the church. He said, I've come to build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And so Christ loves the church.

Because he loves the church, there is always going to be an attack against the church from Satan. Satan hates the church. He wants to cause divisions and schisms and divide people. We see this happening in the Gospels, don't we, with the twelve disciples? They were at each other's throat.

And boy, you sure wish they were You sure wish that they didn't do those things, but then it's also comforting knowing they were human like we are, right? I mean, but they were fighting over who was the greatest when Jesus was instituting the Lord's Supper. Yeah. And he washes their feet while they're in mid-argument. It's an incredible thing.

When you read the New Testament, you find the early churches all dealt with problems in the churches. Not only were they in They're incredible blessings, but there were incredible problems. I mean, you have, you have. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four gospels that give us the panorama of the life of Christ. You get into the book of Acts, which is the launch of the church.

You get into Romans, that is the constitution of Christianity. And the next books that are written are 1st and 2 Corinthians, which are the two longest letters written to a church that was flooded with problems. And sometimes when you read through 1 and 2 Corinthians, you're like, is there any evangelism going on? Is that Where's the door-to-door evangelism? Where's the outreach going?

I mean, it's like problem, next chapter, problem, next chap. I mean, it's just like good.

Now they were doing outreach. They were winning people. People were getting saved. But Paul had to constantly deal with problems. I mean, in Acts chapter number one, they were fighting over who is the best based on who baptized you.

Boy, what a worthy argument that was, right? In Acts chapter number two, they were arguing that you need to have elevated speech when you. When you preached and Paul said, I chose to come to you in simplicity of the message and came not in some great oratory effort, but in the simplicity of the gospel, knowing Christ and Him crucified. And then you get into chapter number three and the immaturity of the believer. He said, You guys are carnal.

You walk as men. In times you should have been teachers. Do you have one to teach you again? Reflecting in Hebrews the same thought. Then you get into 1 Corinthians chapter number 6, they were going to court one with another, chapter 7.

Problems among marriages and in impurities. 1 Corinthians chapter 5, they had a man sleeping with his stepmother, and that marriage was ended, so he's ended up living with this lady and prob sin in the church that's not being dealt with. You get into 1 Corinthians chapter number 11, and they're getting drunk at the Lord's table. 1 Corinthians chapter number 12, they're abusing spiritual gifts, chapter 13 and 14, that continues on. I mean, just 1 Corinthians chapter 15, there's false teaching going on that the resurrection may not even happen.

And and And you read that, I remember preaching through 1 Corinthians, and I'm like, you feel like you're slopping in the mud all the time. It's like you just kind of want to get cleaned off.

So it took me a couple years before I even preached 2 Corinthians chapter 2, the book of 2 Corinthians. Man, you just let's go to Philippians or something. But then I get into Philippians chapter number four, and he says, I beseech Eureus and I beseech Syndicate that they be of the same mind in the Lord. There's problems there.

Well, let's go jump over to the book of James. And James spends a whole chapter dealing with the tongue. Because there are people at odds. He says, Why are there fightings and wars among you? Because You're carnal, like this is going on.

And you get to Revelation and say, well, maybe these seven churches of Asia Minor, maybe they got it together. And then Jesus confronts five of the seven and says, if you don't get things together and repent, I'm going to close your doors. And you're like, whoa, now we're at the end of the Bible, and now it's us. Yeah. Yeah.

Uh That's church, isn't it? Let me say this. I'm thankful the church is not perfect. If there was a perfect church, none of us would have ever had to forgive each other. We would never have to be gracious.

We would never have to be merciful. I think God allows us to go through this. Vapor length lifetime of a season. of life, not only to evangelize and win lost people. It's not the only reason we're here.

We're also here. To be gracious, to be loving, to be kind, to be forgiving, to be Christ in the church as well, to reflect him in our life, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible says, right? To walk as he walked, have the mind of Christ. And that's not always easy. It's not always easy to do.

Sometimes we get in the flesh. I think we win probably more often than not against the old man, but the old man sometimes wins. And this is a reality. And so that brings me to the second point: the necessity of confronting sin in the church. If sin is left unconfronted in a church, it will grow and it can destroy a church.

It's important to understand this. You ever have a And and and please don't raise your hand or say anything out loud, but But if you have a family Maybe not you're just the ones inside your home, but could be extended family. But if you have even in your own home, like a big known sin that's undealt with. That can really mess up your home, can't it? It can really cause havoc.

It caused division. It's like a cancer.

Sometimes that sin can come into a husband or a wife.

Sometimes it comes into children. Rebellion, sinful attitude, sinful conversation. And it can just begin to tear and shred away at the unity of a home. What happens in a company when sin goes undealt with? When when when Evil cons can can be allowed.

It just spreads like a cancer. We see that right now in our governments, don't we? I mean, it's just spreading like cancer.

Some of the things I read about, I'm just like... Insane is not even the word. It's just it just blows my mind what goes on. And in sin that's Be and now in our world it's it's it's promoted. But even on ball teams, if you have a kid on the team that has a very sinful attitude, very bad spirit, and that goes unchecked, can it pollute the rest of the team?

Absolutely. And so if a family, if a workplace, if a ball team all have to deal with sin, same thing in society. It can corrupt a society.

So it's got to be dealt with, it's got to be confronted. 2 Corinthians 2, it's an interesting section as Paul deals with someone in the church that had sinned against him personally. Chapter 2, 1 through 11, we're going to examine verse 5 through 11 next week. But there w must have been a man. When you study through the entirety of this chapter 1 and 2, as well as the book of 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, Putting it all together, there must have been someone at that church that attacked him.

verbally Like slanderously, but also like to his face in front of the church. And it and it created some some real problems. And um He wanted to deal with the situation and have it worked out because he says he's going to be coming to Corinth and he doesn't want to go there and have a conflict that he's got to deal with. He wants this thing worked out. But whatever happened, From the text, it seems that this man like assaulted Paul verbally.

And the church did not defend Paul. They they they didn't they didn't like side with him And so The reason that's a problem in the church is Paul was writing 13 books of the New Testament. And if you could undermine the Apostle Paul, you've undermined Scripture. You've undermined, Paul started the church at Corinth, you're undermining that system. And so it seemed that this guy must have done something like that, and instead of like.

rebuking this man, the church kinda let it go and and and didn't deal with it. And so There there is a there is a um response to this and he says why he did not Come to them immediately. He says this in verse number 2 and 3. He says, For if I make you sorry, who is it that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? And I wrote the same unto you, lest when I came I should have sorrow from them whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you, all that my joy is the joy of you all.

So he wrote a letter sometime between 1st and 2 Corinthians. There is four letters total that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. Two were inspired and two were just other letters that he wrote. Not everything that he wrote was scripture, but he did write some that was scripture.

Now, in the painful letter, Paul must have rebuked them for not defending him and dealing with the sinful, rebellious man.

So they end up confronting the man, disciplining him as a church.

Now, Paul says that man must have repented and got right. And Paul says, now you need to forgive him. And receive him back in. Look at verse six of chapter two. He said, Sufficient to such a man is the punishment which was inflicted of many, so that contrarywise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one as be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

Now, when you read again 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul is constantly dealing with and confronting sins or sinful attitudes in the church. And the reason he has to do this is because if sin is not dealt with, it can cause incredible problems in the church. When a church member lives in open, unrepentant sin and nothing is done about it. It mars that congregation and it reflects poorly upon Christ, who is the head of the church. The Bible gives us a clear four-step process in confronting sin in the church.

Matthew chapter 18, you could flip over there in your Bibles for just a moment. Matthew chapter number 18. Look at verse number 15. This is very uh important. Important to know.

Matthew 18, verse 15 says, Moreover, if thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him. And what's that next word? Hold on.

So if somebody sins against you, they do something that is actually sinful. Is the first thing to throw it on social media? You realize if somebody did something like that, they have sinned?

So you go to them alone. What would be the purpose of going alone?

Well gossip, right? They don't want to spread Spread it around.

So go ahead and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he hear it, thou hast gained thy brother.

So the The goal of this process is to restore the erring brother. It's to bring them back into a right place. Way Don't we do the same thing, parents? If our children do something sinful and wrong, Is it loving to go to them or is it loving to ignore it? The loving thing is to go to them, isn't it?

It's to confront that. It's to say this is not okay. The second thing Matthew tells Jesus tells us to do in Matthew's Gospel, Matthew 18, verse 16, he says, But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Well, he wouldn't listen to you, so Take somebody else. Take somebody, a spiritual. Leader in your life, go to that person. But if they won't hear them, then you go to the church, then you get church leadership involved in that. Verse 17: And if he neglects to hear them, then tell it to the church.

But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man, as a publican. And what that next step is, after you take it to the church, the church would view that person if they continue unrepentant, that they would be viewed as an unbeliever. Continued unrepentance, according to Jesus, reflects a lost condition. People who are unwilling to repent reveal that they're not born again. Treat them Evangelistically.

They're no longer a part of the church body. They're no longer they're they're removed from the membership of the church. They're to be put out really in a public sense from the church. Should be declared that so and so is no longer a member of the church. That's to be done.

And the fourth step you would take is you either restore that erring brother or you remove them from the membership of the church family. I don't think that They Would be kept from coming to church unless they were openly sinning. and and it was causing problems. We've had that happen a Small handful of times where somebody was doing something so sinful in the church, we We we did not allow them to come here. Men who were preying on women in the church.

You're not coming back on this property. No. You're not coming in here and trying to break up marriages. You're not. Would you let them in your house?

No. Sometimes the loving thing is to keep wolves away.

So it's a rare thing. But it can happen. False teachers that come in. We've had to deal with that. 1 Corinthians chapter 5, you have your Bibles flip over there.

Let me just show you an example of this happening. The beloved Paul dealing with the church at Corinth. He says in 1 Corinthians 5, verse 1, It's 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. That sounds super gross. That is not his biological mother, that is his stepmother.

Now, let me give you a couple of things to point out about this. First, the term is his father's wife, is in the present tense in the Greek, which means this is Ongoing. It wasn't a one-time fling with her. They're still involved in that relationship, and everybody knew about it in the church. It was open.

Second, the charge is fornication and not adultery. What's that let us know?

Well, that lets us know the man and his wife got a divorce. They're no longer married. This relationship must have split their marriage up, and now the guy's with the woman that his dad was married to. And thirdly, Paul doesn't address the woman. That lets us know the woman must not have been a member of the church.

He only addresses the man. You see it?

So that's the situation.

So you have a guy in the church who looks to have caused the dad and stepmom to divorce, now living with this unbelieving woman in open, sinful fornication. The church isn't doing anything about it. You know what the church does about it? Look at verse 2. He says, And ye are puffed up.

They're puffed up. What's that mean? They're prideful. You say, What are they prideful about?

Well, they're like, man, we are a loving church. We ac you know what? We just accept people as they are. We believe that church doors should be open to anyone, whatever they identify as, however they feel they're. This man loves this woman.

Who's to tell them no? We're a loving church. We're a gracious church.

Well, do we hear that stuff going on today? What should have their attitude been? Paul says in verse 2: you're puffed up. and have not rather mourned The word for mourn here was used in the Bible for mourning for the dead. They should have had their hearts broken over the man's sin.

Psalms 119, 136 says, Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law. What is the right action? He says in verse 2, that ye have not. that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

So what pa what's Paul say to do? It says remove this guy. You can't let this go on in your church. What are you doing? You can't allow that to go on.

You say, really?

Well, that's not a loving thing to do. I think the opposite's true. I think a lack of love gives license to sin that doesn't confront sin. I believe the Bible.

Well, what's the lost world going to think if you take somebody and put them out of the church? How will they ever repent? You know how they'll repent? They'll repent when their flesh is given over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the soul may be saved in the day of Jesus Christ, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5. You know over and over in the New Testament, Paul said, I handed them over to Satan.

To destroy them. physically. You ever seen somebody get destroyed physically? Satan just has his way with them. They come back broken.

Ruined Humbled. Devastated. That can happen. I've seen it happen. And Paul did this over and over in the New Testament.

And it was for the purpose of seeing them not destroyed eternally but Better to go through physical calamity that brings you to salvation. Than to go through physical health and acceptance from a church that makes you because if you don't confront sin, people think, well, there's no big deal in it. You ever had your sibling say this?

Well, if he can do it, why can't I? Right? Verse 2, he says, that he that hath done this may be taken away from among you. Verse 7, he says, Purge out the old leaven. Verse 13, put away from among yourself that wicked person.

He says it over and over and over. Churches like to say they believe the Bible till it comes to stuff like this. But at Lighthouse, we'll preach the whole council, and we'll have to we implement this. You must.

Sometimes people say, Why is there, you know, Lighthouse? There's so much unity. There's so much, you know, why? Because you have to deal with sin. You think I'd like that?

It would be much easier just getting up here and preaching. This is the easy part for me. This is like super fun. The the wearisome part is to go sit down and like work through big messy situations. I'm like, don't I have a deacon around here for this?

Come on over here, boys. I don't have a staff member jump in this situation. And praise God that so many of you So many of you, you know, when you preach the word of God to a congregation, it purifies the body? What happens over time, and most of you haven't seen this at the level that I've been able to see it, simply because I've been here since the The beginning. But When our church was started, there were so many new believers that they didn't even know I mean like You'd always hear cussing in the church after service.

Like, they just didn't even know. They didn't even know they were cussing. They didn't know they were. I mean, they would be smoking their cigarettes before they got outside. I mean, it was just like.

I mean, it was just, people didn't know. I can't even tell you. Probably I d I don't even know. How many people I sat down with like, hey guys, you know, the Bible says, you know, if you're Say you can't be living together in sin and you Is that in the Bible? People in this culture are shocked.

Really? I've had people debate me on this. They're like, adultery doesn't mean that. I'm like Google it. And they do.

And then when Google says it, they believe me. Yeah. Come on! You think I'm trying to deceive you in this? But what's so fantastic now, I see this happening all the time, is where the body confronts the body.

Where people go to one another, and I don't even know about it. I don't need to know about it. I don't need to know about it unless it's like Like the blue light is flashing, right?

So it's like ambulance alert. Like, I don't always need to know situations.

So it's go to them alone. I don't have to be the one, but take a spiritual leader. If they don't listen to you, there's other leaders in the church you can bring. And when you go, you should be. And that brings me to my next thought: the goal of confronting a sitting brother.

The goal is that you want that sin removed, not the person. You want the body healthy. We do this with our children, don't we? Because our hearts are breaking for our kids. We don't want to see them go down one of those sinful roads.

We don't want to see them mess their life up.

So we also want to restrain other believers from sinning. 1 Timothy 5:20 says this: Them that sin rebuke before all, that others may fear. And he's talking about there in 1 Timothy 5 about pastors, elders in the church that sin. It says, if that pastor sins before everybody, rebuke him before everybody. Acts 5.11, do you remember in Acts 5, God killed Ananias and Sapphira for lying?

For they dropped dead. It's shocking. Like, he lies. And he dies. And that rhymes and I didn't plan it.

They take him out, literally. Bury him The wife didn't even go to the funeral. She doesn't even know he's dead yet. The funeral's done. She comes in.

Perpetuates the lie, she dies. is buried And you know what the Bible says in Acts 5.11? And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. You think the whole church is like, yeah, we don't want to lie? You think there is a little cleansing of the church?

And you know what happened? You say, oh, I bet that killed the church. Boy, it probably killed all the numbers. People were like, look at verse 14, Acts 5 on the screen. It says, and believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes, both of men and women.

You know why? Because Christ builds the church. And a sin-filled church doesn't grow the church, it prostitutes it. One of the one of the probably the second largest church in America. There's a pastor who is now allowing homosexual membership and And And they think that's loving.

I would not allow fornicating membership. Not because I don't love the person fornicating or love the person that's homosexuality, but I know what the Bible says. You can't be an open sin and be a believer like that. Doesn't mean you're perfect, but it means you won't stay there. And it doesn't mean you may not have struggles in your life, but you're not going to continue living in that.

And and to accept them is to say it's okay.

Well, nobody's perfect. There's no one that I know of in our church that's a member that says, you know what, I'm a liar, I'm going to continue to lie, and I will not repent of this lie. People say, well, you make a big deal about that. The Bible includes lying and covetousness and stealing as well. I don't know anybody.

That is like, you know what? I'm a thief. I'm going to continue as a thief. And I don't care what the Bible says, I'm going to live as a thief.

Well, then, you'll be confronted just as hard. Does that make sense? So, when somebody lives in open fornication, open adultery, open homosexuality, the Bible says what it says. He says, be not deceived. People that are in those conditions aren't going to heaven.

They're not. It shocks me. You know, the loving thing to do is to be with tears in your eyes, pleading for them to come to Christ and repent, that God is not okay with that. That's what the heart should be. Not embracing them with open arms, and now I feel loved and comfortable, and you think you're helping them?

Have you not read what all the New Testament did? Thank you. Just what did we read in 1 Corinthians 5? Was that comfortable? Do you th could you imagine I should probably off say it anyway.

You imagine Joel? I would love to see Joel Olstein preach 1 Corinthians 5. I would just love to see that. Like, what do they do with those passages? Just preach that to your service on Sunday.

Squirming. You know, when we come to the Bible, we've got to take the Bible and believe it and apply it. And so that brings me to a third thought tonight. And so just notice, it's necessary. Because you cannot have open sin flooding around.

It restrains other believers. And the reason you confront people is it restores them. I can't tell you how many dozens and dozens and dozens of relationships I have had to deal with messy situations. I've had people get so upset at different times. People cry.

People... All these things. and how many glorious restorations I've been able to see. Nearly every time It turns into this hugging, embracing, and tears. Enjoy floods their relationship.

I've had people come, and oh, this person hurt me. I'm like, well, let's set up a time to meet with them. Oh, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm like, that's the only idea. You bring me in, it's in, it's on.

I don't I will not cover it under a rug.

So just know that up front. I'm making that very public, okay? You bring something to me, you got a problem with it, then let's go. I'm It it's just gonna be what it is. I've been in enough situations of discomfort.

I don't get used to it, but I'll just do it. I'm forced by God on this issue. And it must be done. And this is what makes a healthy church, friends. It's not fun, it's not easy, it's not like, oh, I look forward to that.

Some people are like, I like confrontation.

Well, I really don't. I mean, I'll do it. I'll do it all day long. I don't, it's not the funnest thing. It usually causes me a little bit of pressure in this area of my head.

You guys know what I'm talking about? You got a couple etc, you know. Yeah. And sometimes I turn out to be the bad guy. I'm like, I didn't even do anything in this.

Yeah. I had one pastor, he said in marriage counseling, he always tried to get the couple to get mad at him, he said, because then they became great friends. It's like the enemy of their enemy became their, you know, so they just, now they're friends because they had the common enemy of the pastor. It's like, I guess if that works for you, I haven't tried that.

Well, the right way to confront sin in the church, let's look at some thoughts there. Paul um Last time we examined, had his character attacked by some of the people at Corinth. They were saying basically, Paul is untrustworthy. Paul said he was going to come. He didn't come.

In the end of 1 Corinthians, the book, he said. If the Lord will, I will pass by you from Ephesus, go to Corinth, perhaps winter with you, go up to Macedonia, the churches of Macedonia. You got Philippi and Galatia and other churches up there. And then he would come back down to Corinth, and then he would leave. But he doesn't.

He just passes on by, and so he's writing to them. A letter and And so he some plans changed for Paul. Things didn't work out like he thought it would.

So he says to them in verse 15 through 18: He's like, I didn't say yes and mean no, and say no and mean yes. I wasn't fickle. I wasn't acting off the flesh. I wasn't looking for, I wasn't speaking out of the both sides of my mouth or looking what would make me most comfortable. There were some reasons that I was not able to come to you.

And after he defends his integrity, he explains why he changed his travel plans. Look at verse twenty three. This is what he says. Moreover, I called God for a record upon my soul that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. Pope Says, God is my witness to the trustworthiness of my words.

The reason I didn't come to you was for your benefit. I didn't want to come with a rod and discipline. He says in 1 Corinthians 4, 21, What will ye, shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? 2 Corinthians 13, 2. I told you before and foretell you, as if I were present a second time, and being absent, now I write to them which heretofore have sinned and to all other, that if I come again, I will not spare.

2 Corinthians 13, 10, Therefore I write these things, being absent, lest being present, I should use sharpness. And and he he said, listen, I can come with a rod, but I I didn't want to do that. And so he says, I came to benefit you. Augustine said, As severity is ready to punish the faults which it may discover, so charity is reluctant to discover the faults which it must punish. And that was Paul's spirit.

He will Was patient. You know, there's definitely a right way and a wrong way to confront sin. The right way to deal with problems is to do so with the right spirit. You know, emotions are great servants but horrible masters. Anybody ever get yourself in trouble because emotions got in the way of something you had to deal with?

It's like, you know, I ne I know I need to talk to them. You know, and then you go to talk to them, and next thing you know, maybe your spouse, or your child, or your parent, or a friend, or somebody, and next thing you know, emotions got involved, and that thing turned into a mess. Emotions are not healthy to use in response to people. Paul didn't want to come to them in a severe way.

Some of us know it, we know what that's like.

Sometimes it's like, you know what? Um Your kid does something that upsets you, your spouse does something, you don't want to just react off the whim. It's good to just take. Take some time. Sit down, think about it.

Take some time to pray about it. And that brings me to my first point. The right spirit in confronting problems is use patience in dealing with sin and problems. But use patience. Don't quickly jump to a conclusion.

Be patient with people. Don't ignore someone who may have sinned against you, but don't seek immediate justice. Like, that's got to be dealt with right now. I've had people do that to me. You know, preacher, you got to deal with that right now, really.

I want you slow down just a minute because your spirit needs dealt with. You know They need punish, cries the law. Be patient, replies mercy. Listen to how Jesus confronts the sin at the church at Thyatira. Revelation 2.19, look how messy this is.

Jesus says, I know thy works and charity. I know your love, your service, and faith, and your patience, and your works, and the last to be more than the first. I mean, this like this church is great. Verse 20. Notwithstanding, I have a few things against you, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, She calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication.

And to eat things sacrificed to idols. I mean, that's a mess, isn't it?

Now this woman could not have had the name Jezebel. I don't know of a woman that's ever been named Jezebel in the history of the world. Outside of one. She's sealed the deal. You ever had that name you're going to name your child?

You're like, oh, I always wanted to name my child this, and your wife's like, oh, I love this name, and then you're like, Can't name her that. I knew this girl in school. And you say a name, and she's like, Yeah, can't name him that. I had a boyfriend in eighth grade. I can't wanna look at my son.

You're like, wait, yeah, boyfriend, who was this guy? We You know, names can be ruined and and this woman is Is a Prophet is teaching false things. Causing servants to commit fornication in the church. And look what he says in verse 21. You'd have thought immediate judgment.

It says, and Jesus says, and I gave her space to repent of her fornication. He gave her time. You see the mercy of God? You see it?

She repented not. Because she chose not to repent, he says, Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and then they commit adultery with her in the great. Tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. Just know this: you continue in sin. It's not the church.

Coming to you and talking to you about your sin and confronting that and disciplining those things, you need to worry about God. Because that's this is a light affliction. This could be very severe. Jesus didn't ignore the sin, rather, he confronts it, but he gave her space. People can easily jump to a conclusion.

We've all done that before. You know, we always want people to give us the benefit of the doubt, but so often people don't give others. Always remember there's three sides to a story. Your side? bitter side, then there's the truth.

Isn't it? Paul spoke of the importance of patience in dealing with people. 2 Timothy 2:24. He said, The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach patience. patient.

1 Thessalonians 5:14.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards them. Toward all men. The key to having patience with the new believer I find to be a couple things. First of all, always remember how God has been patient with you and I. And then secondly, remember how others have been patient with us.

I mean You know how many times as young believers some older saint was like Could have rebuked us, but they just bit their tongue and showed us some grace. Otherwise they'd been like You're a fool. You know, you're foolish. Why did you say that and do that?

So, are you patient? Do you have a tendency to jump to conclusions quickly? Do you get upset quickly? Are you patient with your spouse? Parents with kids, kids with parents, the first quality of love, the Bible says, is love is patient.

Secondly, we need to have the right motives in dealing with sin. Paul didn't want to abuse his authority over them. Look at what he says in verse 24. He says, Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith ye stand. Paul's not like, I want to come to you with a heavy hand.

I'm the patriarch of the church. No, that's not the idea. I don't think, as parents, you should ever come to your kids and say, you need to listen to me because I'm your dad or I'm your mom.

Well, you can do that. You can force submission. Or you can You can talk to them. in a way that that could be instructive. Ask yourself this: How well do you take being yelled at in emotional outbursts?

Have you gained from that? When your boss did that, were you like, thank you, sir? Because, you know, if you didn't raise your voice at me, I'm not quite sure that I would have responded. You know, I needed that. And sometimes we can use a sharp rebuke.

That could happen at times. And that can be needful even with our kids at times, for sure. But I think that you see with Paul, he didn't want to come as an authoritarian. He wanted to come and his motive was not Not a strong arm forcing this. It was It was a positive outcome he was looking for.

He wanted them to have joy. His goal was not discipline and punishment and you're going to really get it for this and I'm going to enjoy this. My father said it hurt me more than it hurt you, but this is going to feel good and it's going to hurt you. That's not the way we should approach discipline. I remember growing up, my dad would say that.

I'm like, Dad, if it's really hurting you worse than it's hurting me, why don't we just change the roles? I thought I was supposed to be disciplined. I'm glad to change positions here. Give me that switch for just a moment. Yeah.

He never traded. That never helped. Um Who knows what it's like to be around a home or a place where there is no discipline, no confrontation of rebellious spirits? Is that an enjoyable place to be? Is it is it enjoyable to be around a home where kids are disrespectful, parents are disrespectful.

Mom and dads, husband and wife, one to another. but on the contrary, to be somewhere where the kids are respectful, polite, I can tell you that didn't come because they let them run wild and do whatever they wanted. There was a loving gracious but yet firm and truthful discipline that led them in that right way. Paul's goal was their jo I I remember we had a We had a dear girl in our church in Chillicothe who got educated out of discipline. You know some of those folks who in certain fields Um Oh, you know, she she was in uh Certain field that taught her that if you discipline your children, she was a supposed professional in that field.

And uh so she never told her child no because it could hurt their self-esteem. I said, you need to suck the self-esteem right out of that young guy. He got some self all over him. Yeah. You know, the Bible never teaches elevation of self-esteem.

The Bible teaches elevation of Christ. And our value doesn't come from self infused self esteem. Our value comes from understanding our Creator and what He's done for us. And because we're His creation, we're precious in His eyes. And it's value that we're looking for, not self-esteem.

I understand why people do that, and I could walk through that, but I don't have time. But what broke my heart was her child was the most rebellious kid in the entire church. He could not even function with the other kids. He had never been told no. He couldn't even sit in a chair.

He'd sit on the floor, scream, act out. He was like five, six years old. Could not, he was uncontrollable. And and that's that's so heartbreaking. That's not loving.

You you're setting that kid up for disaster. Because that attitude doesn't work in that world. That he'll he'll get destroyed.

So, have the right motives. You want the benefit for them. You want joy. You're not just coming to bring some strong arm, you're coming because you want some. Blessings for the person.

Thirdly, have the right love in dealing with their sin. Look what he says in verse 1 of chapter 2, But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again unto you in heaviness.

Now, not only was there a painful letter that Paul had written to them, but there was also a painful visit. that happened between his first And would be his later visit to them that he's talking about. There was a visit. What had happened, there were some false teachers there. That he knew were at the church, so he left Ephesus, sped over to Corinth, confronts it, but the situation didn't go like he was hoping it would.

That's where this person slanders him, speaks ill against him. There's a big conflict that went on. And so that was a very painful visit, followed by a painful letter of rebuke, like, hey, you guys need to deal with this person. You let him act this way. He says in verse number four, notice what he says in verse four.

He says, For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, not that you should be grieved.

So he had to write to them after that painful visit. He wrote this letter that we don't have still, but he wrote to them, and notice. He didn't just write that letter with ink, he wrote it with tears. This was heartbreaking. It's one thing to be hurt and offended and respond in anger, but he's responding in heartbreak.

He is broken. He says, I don't want you to be grieved. I want you to know the love that I have more abundantly unto you. His his desire was Was there benefit? You know, the Bible teaches discipline is an act of love.

Hebrews 12, 6 says this: For whom the Lord loves, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the Father disciplines not? And discipline is not enjoyable, but it produces good fruit. Hebrews 12, 11 says, Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. If you confront things in love, in truth, and in humility, it produces great fruit.

And it broke Paul's heart having to deal with this stuff in that church. You know, and I think it's important to know this. When you get into sin, you just know this, you cause grief to others. And sometimes I think people don't realize that it. The enduring grief.

It causes people when you just continue to sin and sin and sin and sin. Like it weighs on the people around. It injures, it can hurt them. Like it pulls It pulls at their heartstrings. I've seen people who counsel folks in our church over and over and over again, and they're just exhausted.

They're spiritually drained. And I tell them: hey, you need to make sure you guard yourself, help people, but not to the expense of your own health.

So so if you if you have need of being counseled but Absolutely reach out, seek help. But if you're living in sin and you keep messing up and you just keep doing that for month after month, year after year. You need to you need to really be broken over that and realize, man, can really injure other people. You know, this man had to be confronted. Paul says, you have to deal with this.

They dealt with it. But as we're going to see next time. Yeah. The church dealt with it so severely that Paul's like lighting up on the guy. Like, I forgive the guy.

Like, you need to forgive this guy and move on, lest Satan gets an advantage. And we're going to look at that next time. But But Paul went to them with the right spirit, and he went to them with love. And let me say this. Love believes the best possible outcome.

If given the option level, say, you know what, I think they're gonna Think this is going to turn around. You know. Paul was buring his heart. He wept over the church. He says in verse 2, If I make you sorry, who is he that maketh me glad but the same which is made sorry by me?

I couldn't visit you because I couldn't handle another difficult confrontation. I could not come to you like that. As strong as Paul was, it wore him down. He said, all the things that I face But it's the it's the care of the churches. Just drained him.

Because he has such love for them. He says in verse 3, And I wrote this same unto you, lest when I come I should have sorrow from them whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you, that my joy is the joy of you all. And the fourth point, and we'll just be done, is the right outcome of discipline. The right outcome, and we'll see this next time in verse 5 through 11, was sin was confronted. The man repented.

The church got the opportunity to show forgiveness. The church's testimony was upheld. Joy was restored. But the biggest struggle in confrontation and dealing with sin is one word: forgiveness. Because of fences.

that are not fully forgiven will eat like a cancer behind the scenes. Forgiveness is going to be what we'll look at next time. It's a massive issue, and this church was struggling with it.

So being a Christian in a church is like being a Christian in your home. We all have some struggles, right?

Well, lighthouse isn't a perfect church.

Well, absolutely not, because you and I are here. But praise God that we get to show mercy and forgiveness and grace and kindness. We're not looking for people to shake our hands when we come here. We're looking to shake and comfort and encourage and edify one another, right? Is there someone you need to confront if you do?

Go to them. Go to them alone. They won't hear you, go to them with someone. If they won't hear them, take a spiritual leader of the church. Pray for them, weep over them, be brokenhearted, make sure you have the right spirit, do it with patience, not demanding justice now.

Your benefit is for them. You want them to grow. You want them to be restored. And if they get right, forgive them, embrace them as a brother, and rejoice in Christ. Pretty clear, isn't it?

So I'll stay in tonight. Father, we thank you for your word. It's our joy, it's our wisdom. God, I thank you for. Allowing us to see that the early church was not perfect.

Thank you that the Bible is a real. Life book. It didn't shade over all the messy stuff. It would grieve us if we only read about perfect churches because we would look around and see how far or short we fall, but we realize, you know what, if they had struggles, we will. Help us to love you with all of our heart, to love others as ourselves, to forgive as we've been forgiven.

Continue to bless the churches you have with sweet unity. Thank you for Lighthouse. I love this church. I love the body. I love the work you're doing.

May you continue to do that work. We pray for Those who come that Okay. May not know you and know the gospel, and may they see the gospel in our life and on our lips. Continue to save and redeem and transform and cry. Christ's name.

Amen. As we sing, if God's spoken to her, would you come tonight as we sing? Come And every soul Maybe there's some situation you want to pray for.

Some burden on your heart. You're welcome to come. You're welcome to come. And you We will show. Let me give you rest by trusting him.

His word. Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him He will save you, He will save you, He will save you. Seek another verses these Please pray for Jesus shed his precious but rich blessings to be sown plunged down into the rims that once is wine as no think about those words. Uh Only trust him, only trust him, only trust him now, amen, amen. If you're still praying at the altar, take your time.

No rush. but the rest of the folks you can be seated. Do you have a prairie card? prayer request card. If you want to lift that up, and we've got folks that'll come around and pick up that green prayer card.

We've got some guys coming around to do that. While they're doing that, I'm just going to read off a couple of these prayer requests. Would ask you to pray for. Norma Oakley, severe UTI infection in her body. She's at the Miami Valley South for a couple days, so just pray for her.

Uh Also, uh pray for uh Little two-year-old named Blaze. He was severely burned and at Children's Hospital, uh and so want to pray for his recovery. And that dear family, we sure love those guys. That was a neighbor family of ours, Allie and Brian Poland's grand. grandson Blaise, so want to lift him up.

Pray for Jerry Orff surgery tomorrow. Pray for Ryan found a spot on his lung and needs an MRI to verify. Pray for the spot to be gone. Want to lift up Ryan? Pray for Bridget.

This is the Jordan's niece diagnosed with epilepsy. I want to pray for her. It'll bridge it. Pray for Chuck Ernst being admitted to Cleveland Clinic Monday to remove fluid. And have testing to evaluate for possible heart surgery.

Really encourage you all to pray for Chuck Earns. Dear man in our church, Chuck and Pam Ernst, and they literally have to do a surgery where they take his heart out, remove the Pericardium sac, and uh if they don't do that, the fluid will just continue to build in his body. It's just a really intense surgery.

So, um love that couple and a godly family. Pray for Chuck Ernst. Julian Wolfe, six-year-old, had brain surgery Monday, still in a coma on a ventilator.

So, want to pray for Julian Wolfe. Uh Six-year-old. Um I want to pray for the John King family. Continue to lift them up in prayer.

So good to see Pam and her dear daughter here. Pray for Kevin and Candy. boldness to share the gospel with all they meet with And reason. Tim Fox had two previous strokes, had a seizure last week.

So, I want to pray for Tim Fox. Pray for Sarah Wagner for salvation. This uh Steve's sister, I want to pray for Sarah Wagner for salvation. Gabby Tebow. Her grandmother had passed away.

So I want to lift up Gabby Thebow. And just remember, Gabby, in your prayers. She also had a brother who went home to be with the Lord. Yeah, and little blazed polands, his upper body, so when I lift him up in prayer. Also for Ronnie Riggs, at the end of his life, hospice has been called in.

This is Jeannie Moore's brother, Jeannie and Buddy Moore, so pray for Jeannie Moore's brother Ronnie and her family. And uh pray for Mike Israel lost his wife this morning. Pray for Mike Israel. Uh Ron Shelton. Uh Ron is having a knee replacement surgery Monday.

That's Ron Shelton. And then also pray for. Uh Eddie and uh Megan Bonk, dear young couple in our church. She just found out they lost their baby. This last week, and so just a very painful situation.

They said they're just feeling the grace of God around them right now, and so they had to deliver that precious little baby. And so, just remember the Bonk family.

So, thank you so much for being with us tonight. And this is always a wonderful time just to get with somebody close to you, share some prayer requests, pray one for another, and then after you pray, you could head home. And so, if you're able to hang around to pray, you're welcome to do that. We love you to do that. Also, Sunday, we also are having a meeting in the sanctuary for all life group leaders and teachers.

Foundations class will be going on.

So, if you are in foundations, plug into foundations. But all other life groups will be in here. We're going to be going over our next set of, it's basically a couple years of different material we're going to be working through. Super excited about it. If you're not in a life group, you really need to plug in.

We've got a bunch of different classes you can jump into. We'll be going over all that stuff on Sunday. We'll be in here at 9.55-ish.

So yes, after the early service.

Sometimes that preacher goes kind of different times.

So anything else, Brady, see you near? Oh, yes, thank you, my dear wife. We have a funeral on Monday for Juanita Ording. If anybody can help with some of the food, my wife's down here. Please see her if you could help.

There's only need food for around 20 to 30 people.

So if you could help with that, just see my wife. That'd be a blessing.

So let's all stand, greet one another, and take a moment to pray. And we'll look forward to seeing you Sunday. God bless you. I got your uh Uh