Stay in the Ark

This sermon examines what it means to be outside of the fellowship of the church, by which we do not mean the building, but the people of God.

When people are saved, God the Father delivers them from Satan's dominion of darkness and places them in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 1:13).

When people commit grievous sin and refuse to repent, believers must place them outside -- outside where Satan has the power to destroy their flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5).

The purpose is to break them so they will repent and return to the place of safety and protection -- inside the fellowship of the church, and this is exactly what happened to this individual (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).

When this present crisis is over, there will likely be many people who do not return to the assemblies where they once worshipped. But to stay away is to place oneself outside the ark, in the place of extreme danger.

Are you suffering today? Not all suffering is due to sin, but some suffering clearly is because "whom the Lord loves, he chastens" (Hebrews 12:5-8).

Whenever we are in difficulty, we should begin by asking our Father why things are happening as they are.