The Gospel in Vanity Fair, Part 2
Acts 18:9-10
Now, coming to chapter 18, we find ourselves with the Apostle Paul, on his second missionary journey. And as he comes to chapter 18, he is in the City of Corinth. And Corinth was the center of vice, and the center of immorality of the world of its day. Now, as we saw in our study two weeks ago, as Paul came to Corinth, the trouble that he was going to face was not only the trouble of that kind of a city, but it was the trouble that he himself was experiencing in his own life. As best we can ascertain, he was a very troubled man. He was discouraged. He was tired. He was weary. He was perhaps even ill physically. And so this was a difficult time, a most difficult city, and a most depressed man. And yet he knew, as always he knew in every city, that God had a ministry for him.
But you know, before he could ever really get into that ministry, he needed to be encouraged. I think all of us have been there. All of us have been to those places where in our ministry we know God has something for us, and we know something awaits us. And yet, there's just that encouragement that we desperately need to really pursue, and Paul is at that place.
Now, this whole second missionary journey had started on a sour note. The first journey had been Paul and Barnabas, and what a sweet time they'd had, even though there was persecution. They returned with great victories, and they celebrated when they got back from Antioch. And then they decided to take a second journey. And this time, Paul and Barnabas started to go. And before they ever left Antioch, they had an argument, a very severe argument. And they fought over whether they should include John Mark on the journey, because John Mark had proven himself unfaithful. And Paul said no. Because John Mark had somewhat redeemed himself, Barnabas said yes. And so the fight went on, and finally they split, and the second journey started on a sad notice.
Paul and Barnabas severed relationships and Paul took Silas in the place of Barnabas and set out. But immediately, the minister was greeted with joy, because in Syria and Silesia, they had a marvelous time. They went to Galatia, strengthened the churches, confirmed the churches there, and even added to their team a young man by the name of Timothy. They followed the leading of the Holy Spirit then as the spirit led them really to the edge of Macedonia or Greece; the edge of Europe. And there, they picked up another one to add to the team by the name of Luke, the one who wrote the Book of Acts. And so the team is four; Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke.
They crossed over, and they found themselves in Europe, and they came to the first city that they were to minister in, the City of Philippi. And immediately again, they were greeted with a joyous time as Lydia and her whole household received Jesus Christ. But then it began, for no sooner had that happened, than Satan began his attach and persecution broke out. Eventually, Paul and Silas were thrown into the inner dungeon of a jail. They were put in stocks and they were left there. God, by a miraculous earthquake, released them; freed them. But they had to leave town.
And so they left, and they hurried off to Thessalonica. And there, they began to preach, and God blessed and some were saved. But persecution arose as some angry Jews started a riot. And they had to flee for their lives, and they fled to a place called Beria. And Beria had some noble Jews who searched the scriptures and received Christ. And there was rest in Beria for a little while, until those riotous, angry Jews from Thessalonica finally arrived. And they arrived in their pursuit of Paul and Silas, and created so much trouble that Paul had to run again. He left Timothy and he left Silas, but he hurried on himself to Athens.
When he got to Athens, he was all alone, and Athens was a formidable place; the city of philosophy and religion, and a city of sin. And he was all alone and somewhat discouraged already. Nevertheless, he had a fruitful ministry in terms of his preaching. In chapter 17, it tells how he preached both to the Jews and the Gentiles, and the masterful sermon on getting to know the unknown god in chapters 17, 22, and following. And yet at the end of all of that, there were only a few who believed. Just a few. And so he was perhaps somewhat discouraged at the results, but he knew God called him yet further.
And so he trudged on alone to the City of Corinth. And by the time we arrive, in chapter 18, verse 1, he was again alone at Corinth. And he faces a two-fold problem. The problem of a sinful, vile city, and a discouraged, depressed, disheartened, weary, tired apostle. Now, the City of Corinth deserves some mention. Verse 1 says, "After these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth." Corinth was not just a city, it was what I called a couple weeks ago, the Vanity Fare of the Roman Empire. It was sin city. It was debouched at every level.
When you wanted to describe a person as utterly corrupt, you said he acted like a Corinthian. It was synonymous with vice. In fact, I don't know if you remember this, but it is from the City of Corinth that Paul wrote Romans. And when he wrote Romans 1, he was writing it not only by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but he was writing it out of the context of his experience in Corinth. And Romans 1:24 to 32 is really a catalog of the activity of the Corinthians.
Turning your bible to Romans 1, I just want to give you an idea of what the city was like, and you'll be able to better appreciate his ministry there, and appreciate why he was discouraged and fearful. And incidentally, he was fearful when he got there. He said, "I came in much fear." He was fearful. He was fearful because of the corruption, because of what he saw, and because of his own weakness. But verse 24 of Romans 1: Remember now, he's writing to the Romans, but he's writing from Corinth.
So the experience most vivid in his mind is the vision that he has seen of the Corinthians. Here is a description of them, "As of all pagans, predominately so the characterization of Corinth, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves." And here you have the idea not only of interpersonal sexual activity, but of beastiality; that is sexual relationships with animals.
Verse 25: "To exchange the truth of God for a lie, who worship and serve the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen." For this cause, God gave them up unto vile defections. Their women did exchange the natural use for that which is against nature; lesbianism. Men homosexuality in 27: "Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the women burned in their lust; one toward another. Men with men working that which is unseemly and receding in themselves that recompense of their error, which was fitting," or which they deserved for such activity.
Verse 28: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not seemly." Be filled through unrighteousness, fornication. That's pornaop, where we get pornography; sexual uncleanness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; that's verbal out-loud slander, whispers; that's behind the back slanders, back biters, haters of God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things. They didn't have enough to do; they invented some new sin. Disobedience to parents. Notice God catalogs that with those other things. Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection. That has to do with the family. They didn't have normal family relationships. Implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God that they would commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. They not only love their sin, but they loved sinners. They not only were glad to do the sin, but they actually rejoiced in the others who did it with them. They were debauched.
In that city, there were all kinds of shows and things going on where you could go see sin and vice displayed. There was a vulgar display of wealth. There was a most corrupt and indecent practice as imaginable. It was a vile place. And here was Paul alone in this place. And not being at the top of his strength, being somewhat fearful and somewhat hesitant and overwhelmed with the corruption of the place and his own weakness, he was hesitant. But oh my, if we learned anything from deal Paul, we learned when he wrote back to the Corinthians that he said this, "When I am weak," what? "Then I am strong, for God's strength is made perfect in my weakness."
And so though he may not have stopped to realize what he wrote later in 2 Corinthians, right here in the confession on his own inadequacy was the basis of his own effectiveness. That's a great principle isn't it? And Paul later on in 2 Corinthians says, "Wherefore I've learned a glory in infirmity. I've learned a glory in distress. I've learned a glory and affliction for when I am weak. Then I am strong." And so the Apostle Paul confronts a rotten city.
Now, just to show you the intensity of this corruptness, the church itself was started by Paul. He ministered in that church, perhaps for as long as nearly two years. Now, you say "That's a good beginning for a church." Right? I mean to be founded by the Apostle Paul, the greatest bible teacher alive in the world, maybe the greatest who ever lived, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. To be taught by that man all that time, you'd say, "There's a church that would really have a great start." Yes, and in 1 Corinthians 1, it says, "You come behind in no gift." Boy, they had it all; balance.
But you know what happened to that church? By the time he turns back tow rite 1 Corinthians, they are so corrupted that it just _____ description. And you know what that says to me? That says that the intensity of the corruptness of Corinth was practically irresistible. And just to show you what I mean by that, turn to 1 Corinthians 5, and I want to show you the vial character of Corinth, as evidence by what it did to the Church.
Believe me, you can see if even in our day today. The society that we live in has a tremendous effect on the church, a tremendous effect. Almost everything that our society does; it dominates our society, finds its way into the life of the Church. And it was true in Corinth with the vial nature of that city, it found its way into the Church. In 1 Corinthians 5:1, "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you," sexual sins. This wasn't some one-time deal. Everybody is talking about your sexual sin in the church. And when a church gets a reputation like that, boy, that's really something. And it's not just normal kind of fornication, if there is any such thing. It's fornication that isn't even named among the heathen. You got some that isn't even normal for them; that one should have his father's wife; somebody having a relationship with his mother. Now, maybe a stepmother, but nevertheless, it's with his mother or his stepmother.
This is something you're doing, and it's coming to me from all sides, he says. And the worst of it is verse 2, "And you are puffed up." You are bragging about it. Can you imagine? It's one thing that it would even be done, but then to spread it around and brag about it? That is unbelievable in the Church; like feathers in your cap. You have not mourned that he could have done this deed might be taken away among you. But then he goes on to say, "Get that guy out of there. Don't you know that one rotten apple spoils a barrel? You turn him over to Satan." For the destruction of the flesh so the soul may be saved, get him out.
But listen; when that kind of sexual impurity gets into the Church, something is wrong. That's a pretty powerful system. That's a pretty powerful culture to infiltrate that fast, that much. Look over in verse 9: "I wrote unto you an epistle not to company with fornicators." Now, he had heard also that they were hanging around people in sexual sin, in company with those. You have no business with them. Beloved, choose your friends wisely.
Yet not altogether with the fornicators of the world, it's bad enough that you company with the fornicators of the world, but with the covetous exortioners, idolaters. For them, you need to go out of the world. In other words, you have no part with them. But now, I've written unto you not to keep company with any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, covetous, idolater, railer, or a drunk or an extortioner. No, don't even go to his house for dinner. See, it was one thing that these people were living outside the Church, but the problem was they had gotten inside the Church. And he says, "Cut yourself off from those people."
What a powerful influence of sin and evil was finding its domination against that church. Now, in verse 9 of chapter 6, it tells us something else in characterization of the Corinthian situation. "Know you not to be unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Be not deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters, adulterers," those are people who have sexual relations outside their marriage, "nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves of mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkard, nor vilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God." Listen, "And such what were some of you?" This is a typical cross-section of the culture of Corinth.
You want to know how to describe the Corinthians? There it is. They were fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate abusers of themselves, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. Now, I'm sure that didn't come out in their little brochure put out by the chamber of commerce, but that was true. Now over in verses 13 and following, I want to show you something else. They had another problem. They were gluttonous, and Paul was really sarcastic. He says in verse 13, "Food for the body, and the body for foods." In other words, boy, all you people can think of is eating. "But God shall destroy both it and them." Both your body and your food is going to go.
Then he goes onto say, "And the body isn't for fornication, but for the Lord." Some of the people in the Church, some Christians, were actually entertaining harlots, prostitutes, and they were not even hiding it. Verse 15: "Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I take the members of Christ and make them members of harlots? God forbid."
Now, you read a little bit in 1 Corinthians, you get the idea that God isn't real happy with pre-marital and extra-marital sex. Not at all. He gets very upset about it. In fact, if you go over to chapter 7, verse 2, they were having another problem. They were just having a big sex deal, and they weren't even bothering to get married. Sounds like today. Verse 2: "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman have her own husband." They were just putting marriage aside and living it up.
God says, "You get married." Over in chapter 10, verse 8, this is an interesting view of it. I've had young people say, "Well, I know that we have sexual relationships and we're not married, but we love each other." Well, that comes into the biblical category of fornication. I'll give you an idea how God feels about it. Chapter 10, verse 8, "Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed and fell in one day three and 20,000." God executes 21,000 people for fornication. That means he's serious about it. Twenty-three thousand people were executed by God for committing sexual acts apart from marriage. That's serious business.
Over in verse 20 of chapter 10, he says, "Another problem in Corinth is they worshipped demons. I say what are the things that the heathens sacrificed? They sacrificed demons, and not to God. And I don't want you to have fellowship with demons." So this was really a messed up society, and they are characterized very clearly in the Book of 1 Corinthians by their influence on the Church.
Now, Paul arrives there and he's alone, and he has a kind of formidable enemy. Before he can ever begin anything, God has to encourage him. There's got to be a buoying up of his sunken spirits. And oh, my, God is