Shane Idleman addresses the issue of hurt within the church in his sermon 'I'm Hurt - Now What?', emphasizing the importance of resolving conflicts among believers without resorting to secular courts. He highlights Paul's message to the Corinthians about the need for Christians to seek arbitration from fellow believers rather than airing grievances publicly, which can harm the church's witness. Idleman encourages forgiveness and the release of bitterness, reminding the congregation that true maturity in faith is demonstrated by how one handles wrongs done to them. He also discusses the significance of being washed, sanctified, and justified through Christ, urging believers to let go of past hurts and embrace their new identity in Him.

The title of the message is, I am hurt, now what? I'm hurt, now what? And we're in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. You can follow on the screen if you don't have your Bibles, but I would encourage you to bring your Bible. It's very good to show that nowadays at a restaurant or an airline. You might be kicked out. Can you believe it? Just having the Bible. Kids bring a Bible to church, they act like it's a gun. Just tells you where we're going. And we're in a series called, Answers for a Confused Church. Answers for a Confused Church. So Paul is saying this to the church. Dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? So let me just bring this home for you. Believers in the church were running to the court system to get their matters taken care of. For example, if you have a problem with Sister Sally on the front row, you're gonna take her to court. I'm gonna get all I can from her. And all these problems, they were taking their matters to unbelievers. So Paul is saying, why not just keep it in house? And that's what we're gonna get into in a minute. But it's interesting here. Do you not know that we shall judge angels? There's not one commentary that really agreed with the other on this one. Or they agreed that somehow we will judge in the end of all things. Nobody seems to know exactly what this means other than let's take the Bible at face value. Second Timothy says if we endure with him, we will also reign with him. So at some point in eternity, it seems like those followers of Christ, believers will have a position of authority and ruling and reigning in some capacity. Now you can leave that up to the imagination. But there is a reigning that takes place. Whether you believe in the millennial reign of Christ that's coming up, whether your eschatology does not support that, you can, we can all agree that we will reign with Christ. I like what John Piper said. He said this about the judging angels. Perhaps, that's why I'm glad he said perhaps, the reference is to judging angels, namely demonic spirits who have played a role in your life by tempting and battering you. You can then become a witness at their final condemnation by saying this is how I experience demonic assault. You are then a witness to their increasing guilt. But the first takeaway is this. Take concerns to unbiased believers for arbitration, advice and counsel. It harms the gospel when the world sees us bickering and complaining. I think we can all agree on that. Have you ever seen two Christians just bickering and complaining and the world has a filled day? They take it to court and they, and they just, they just make it, they just run their name through the mud. Spouses, this is hard sometimes in divorce court where they take, they run, they drag the kids through the mud and they just, and they're trying to get back at people and, but what about this, Shane? What about that? Hold on, I'm getting there. We'll just start the sermon. So, so Paul's saying take your concerns to unbiased believers for arbitration, for advice, for counsel. And notice how I put that word in there, unbiased. Do you know what unbiased means? Not biased. Because we all know we can run to a certain counselor and tell us what we want to hear. I know who I can call that will tell me exactly what I want to hear. But unbiased means go to someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth. And then verse four, if then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, so if you have concerns against a believer, which there are valid concerns out there, amen? If there's a concern out there, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? In other words, why are you taking it to the courts? Why are you taking your matter to unbelievers? I say this to your shame. Boy, Paul's not really worried about self-esteem here, is he? Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between the brethren, but brother goes to law against brother, and that that is before unbelievers? So let me just tell you this up front, and I think the Bible bears this out. I'm not totally opposed to the court system. Jesus actually gave an analogy of going to a judge for justice. But that often should be our last resort, not the first resort. And in some matters, I do believe we're to just let things go. I remember there was a girl who borrowed $6,000 from my parents 25 years ago, and my mom just let it go. And then we were like, what? We didn't understand. We didn't understand what was happening. But my mom knew, and it touched that girl's heart in such a way. And sometimes you're wrong. How do you apply turning the other cheek? How do we apply the Scriptures if we don't apply the Scriptures? Meaning turning the other cheek, we let some things go, we let debts go, we let some wrong things go. Now, you have to take that to God, because there is legal action needed sometimes in the case of child support. If you can't get arbitrate, if the spouse is hell-bent on leaving the marriage, and they are not in a good spot, and they say, I don't care, I'm not going to help out at all. You have to take it to prayer and say, okay, I need to maybe take this to court and get some type of legal action. The court's there for a reason. I don't think the court is unbiblical, because God actually says, I will be your judge, I will be your lawgiver, and I will be your king. Interesting, the founding fathers used that verse to set up the executive, judicial, and executive branches of government in the Bible. Did you know that? Those who founded our nation actually quoted the Bible four times more than any other source in founding the documents, the Constitution, different things. And so it's okay to have a judge for child support. What about restraining orders? I mean, there's a time and a place for it. So what I see here is Paul is saying the Christians were running to the courts to have their matter solved. Paul says, listen, don't run to the courts, work it out between you and the other person. Now I know, of course, as a pastor, maybe you know too, there's a lot of court cases out there. There's a lot of people going to court, and looking at all these, I would say that many of them, I don't know how many, what percentage, could be settled if they would just arbitrate. If they would just meet with somebody and agree that, okay, well, what this person, let's seek Godly counsel. Now be prepared, because you might not like the decision of the arbitrator. You might not like to hear, hey, you need to let this one go. What? We start to realize how strong of a pull money has on us. Because isn't that the reason most people go to court these days? I mean, most people? Did you know that California is ranked number 47 out of 50 for lawsuits? I just had fun the other day and looked at the top 10 reason people are leaving California. That was on there. Because of the just soohappy, have you heard that phrase? Soohappy. Another reason is, I guess Russia is planting little things on the coastline, I don't know about that. You gotta watch out for conspiracy theories, correct? Apparently, we didn't go to the moon and the earth is flat, according to all the conspiracy theories out there. So, anyway, I got off track on that one, I apologize. So, is legal action needed? Sometimes it is. Child support, restraining orders, what is the, in some cases, though, go to an arbitration and say, hey, we need to work this out between us. That's what believers are supposed to do. Biblically speaking, a believer is supposed to go to another believer and work things out. But Paul's saying, look, and they're running to the courts. And they're showing the world that we cannot get along. One of the best ways to tell that someone is really a Christian, ready for this one? Is by how well they know the Bible. By how many scriptures they can quote. By how many Bibles they own. How many cross necklaces. How many sign of the fish on the card. Do they still do that? How will they know? By your love for one another. Jesus said, they'll know, but that you are my disciples by how well you love each other. And boy, this gets some Pharisees mad. The modern day Pharisees do not like that scripture. But doctrine is so important. Yes, it is. Calm down, though. Love is greater. Love is greater than doctrine? No. Doctrine must come from a loving heart. Then it can accomplish what it's meant to accomplish. You bring the word of God without love, you will hurt someone. It has to be underscored and girded and supported with love. So out of that love comes sound doctrine, good teaching. Also, people take others to court because there's a rush to make a buck or to hurt someone. How many spouses want to get that other spouse back? Oh, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that one, I'm going to show him, I'm going to show her, I'm going to take them to the cleaners. Whatever that means. Go to the cleaners, you get laundry. I don't know what that. But I'm going to hurt them. Or how often, oh, somebody bumps my car, I'm wondering what this will pay. Versus, hey, no problem. No problem. Let's exchange numbers. Do you go to church anywhere? How are you? Can I pray for you? I mean, you use these as an opportunity. See, often, and I'll just be honest, flesh is in me, too. These things can rise up in us, but we need to look at opportunities not to make money, but to witness. There's been many times where I've bought some gas for somebody the other day, a couple of kids. I gave them the postcards of the church into the radio station, and there's opportunities out there to witness to people if we would look for those. Now, division in the church can cause anger and unforgiveness, correct? Jesus said in Matthew 18 that if we do not forgive others, God is going to turn us over to the what? Tortures. Another translation says tormentors. Now, this is interesting. Bible teachers are a little divided on this. I tend to agree with what I'm about to tell you. But Jesus could be saying, I'm going to turn you over, God's going to turn you over to the tormentors. Who else is called the tormentors? The demonic realm. So when a person has unforgiveness in their heart, like we talked about last week, Paul turned them over to Satan. So God could turn people over to the demonic realm, where the demonic realm begins to harass and hassle that person until full repentance takes place. Very interesting, because we know a Christian is not going to be tormented. We know a Christian isn't going to end up in hell. So what would this be applying to? I think it applies to possibly the demonic realm. Here's what unforgiveness does. It opens the door for the demonic realm. Because if we truly think this out, how can we hold in unforgiveness when God has forgiven us of all the things in our own life? And we're going to hold unforgiveness over someone? Now, of course, people come up and they say, shame, but you don't know what happened to me. And that's true. I don't. And we have to remind ourselves often that forgiveness is not validation. When you forgive someone, it doesn't mean you validate what they did. You're not saying, all right, you were right, I was wrong. No, forgiveness is just releasing. Lord, I have this anger and unforgiveness. It's in me like poison. I'm releasing it. I'm giving it to you. I'm forgiving. And you release that unforgiveness and that pain and that bitterness and that anger. I'm going to do a sermon title shortly. I'm wanting to on the devil whisperer. I've told you that a few times, because how many of us are divided because the devil is whispering contentious thoughts? Did you know he does that? Some of the times when I get so angry, do you get angry at people? You wonder, where's those thoughts coming from? And they begin to thoughts. How else does the devil work in our lives? How else do demons work in your life? And people email me sometimes, well, you still believe in that? I believe in demons because Jesus did. I believe in demons because the Bible teaches it. I believe in demons because we've seen it. And there's a good and there's an evil. There's a darkness, there's a light, there's a demonic realm. But think about that. The enemy will whisper thoughts into your mind. That's why the battle is here. The battle is up here. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. So when that thought comes into your mind, what do you do with it? Paul says to take every thought captive. That's why we're actually encouraged to err on the side of grace, not judgment. So if you have a judgmental spirit, a prideful spirit, be careful, that's probably not from God. I can actually say I know it's not from God because God gives us a humble, gracious spirit. How many of us are divided because the devil's whispering things? How many get upset at the church? I see people all the time who leave the churches and like, who planted that thought in your mind? Well, you know, their worship music is this. You know, it's cultish. You know, they just want your money. See, devil whisper. Pastor Shane didn't say hi to you this morning. I hate to keep bringing this up, but that happened to me in Lancaster. I talked to him. I said, I never see your son anymore. What happened? He goes, oh, he got offended. You didn't say hi to him a while back. I didn't even know he was here. But who does that? The devil whisper. The demonic realm. Somebody whispers those thoughts. How many of us are angry because he is whispering misleading thoughts? Do you ever get mad at your friends? You see stuff on Facebook or you get mad at your friends and these thoughts, like where are these thoughts coming from? They're just fueling this anger. They're fueling this frustration. So be careful with your thoughts. How many of us are anxious or fearful? Anxious or fearful because of, I actually did a few. If you just go to my YouTube page on Shane Eidelman, YouTube. I actually just started this page for like 30 or 40 people to give them fitness advice. Now there's like 800 people subscribing it. So I have to be careful, more careful with what I say. But I did a few quick ones on the earthquake and it just got shared and shared and shared and how to not be fearful. How to not be anxious. I got my kids running to me. Oh, what's going on? Hey, it's okay. It's okay. But who's planning those thoughts out there? I mean, you're on the San Andres fault. Do you know the church is on the San Andres fault? I probably shouldn't have said anything. But you are actually sitting on the San Andres fault line. So is my home. Okay, nobody's left. But they say, man, you got to move because that's going to fall off and coast and you're going to be an island or you're going to go swimming soon. Really? I'm not living like that. Where's those thoughts coming from? I'm in God's hands. I'm in God's hands. Whatever he has planned. And you have to bring those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. You don't even have a spirit of fear. So where does it come from? And people are thanking you for posting that. Thank you. I'm so scared. I'm so scared. Explain the tectonic plates and moving. It's natural often. But Matthew talks about it. Depending again on your eschatology, the earthquakes will come there. The birth pains of Christ coming. Is that something to be fearful over? But how many of us are anxious or fearful because of devil whispering, planting those thoughts? Are you so encouraged after you look at the news? Thoughts. Is the news ran by God Almighty or by the prince of this world? Do you know one of the best ways to get America on her, falling apart at her throat, all this division you're seeing is fear and discouragement. The media is fueling fear and discouragement. Fake news. Fake things going on. Look at what they say what's going on at the border. What's really going on at the border. So you have to get your information from the correct source. We have to be careful in this area. So if you're struggling with anxiety and fear, I don't want to minimize that at all. But be careful what you're filling your mind with. What's in here? Where's the thoughts going? If you're feeding it on the news and my wife sent me, hey, we should get this quake alert thing, our app. I'm like, no. I don't need an alert. I don't need nothing. I don't want to wait because now I have to carry your phone around again. Right? And the kids are worried and you have to set the tone in your home. You set the tone for others. We actually shouldn't be fearful of these things if God is on the throne. So take every thought captive and believe the best in others. I'm going to tell you a struggle I have and I'm going to share it with you. This is hard for me sometimes to believe the best in others. Amen? But love, the Bible says, is what? Patient. It's long-suffering. It's gentle. It's not easily angered. It doesn't keep wrong done against it. It always hopes, always perseveres. So if we truly love people, we have to believe the best in them. Now that doesn't mean become a doormat and just, well, there we go. Who cares? I'm looking the other way. No, you hold a standard and you hope. When I know somebody's fishy, after I give them grace, I'll hold them to it. I remember a guy, so I'm in the gym a while back and he knows, he doesn't say hi much anymore, but he got me once on benevolence. Oh, my kid has cancer and I can't make it. And I was so, I went over to the house and gave them money, but then come to find out he's a con artist. And I say, you got me once, but you're not getting me again. I told him that he's asking for money again. I'm homeless. Well, you're younger than me. You can work. I said, no, I think you got me last time. You're not getting me this time. Because I knew, I talked to people, I watched, I saw. Trick me once, right? Or fool me once. Shame on me, but we should err on that side. Hey, I'm believing the best in you. With homeless people I talk to, which I'm sure you talk to, you believe the best in them, but you also want to help them and use wisdom. Like Ronald Reagan said, trust, but verify. That's very good. Hey, I trust you, I love you, but I'm going to verify this. And we have part of our benevolence program. We run it through a filter. And we want to trust, but verify. And we want to look into things. So take those thoughts captive. If someone has wronged you, well, I'm hurt, now what? Now what? You take it to Christ. You release unforgiveness. Listen, I know, I know it's hard. Just this week somebody told me there's a person out there saying bad things about the church, and it's like cultish, and that I'm this kind of certain preacher. And I've noticed people that used to go here to this church didn't defend that. They actually encouraged, they actually agreed with this lady. Like a cult? Cultish? What are you talking about? And boy, do you think I start to get gentle in my spirit? Oh, I've still got their phone number. I'm thinking, I'm going to just tell this person. No, no, shh, relax. The irony is a cult is what deviates from historical Christianity. That's not a cult. I think what they don't like is the call to holiness, the call to revival, the call to fully surrendering your life. People don't like that. I've noticed that. A carnal, lukewarm Christian hates deep messages. Tickle me with your ear. Tickle me with your ear. They'll go and they'll watch Joelstein all year. But you come in and hear a convicting message? Oh, whoa. I don't like this, so I'm going to speak against it. And I'm going to call him certain names, and a moralist, and works-based oriented, and all these things that just are not true. So I know, I deal with this often. I'd actually remove all the comments on one of my YouTube videos because people are just ridiculous. They're just so negative and condescending. But this is also a great opportunity to apply scripture when you're hurt, right? Paul said in verse 7, now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you do not? Why not just accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourself be cheated? So Paul is saying here, hey, yes, you've been wronged. Yes, you've been cheated. Maybe somebody took advantage of you. Why don't you be the better person? Apply scripture and let that go. Here's the amazing thing. When you let that go, now anger and unforgiveness do not have you bound. Now you can be filled, and free, and full of the Holy Spirit of God. Now joy comes, and peace comes, and oh, by obeying God's word. But every time I try to keep that anger in, oh boy, what happens? You react. You react. Instead of responding in love, I actually reacted, befriended that person on Facebook. 10 minutes later, I'm like, I don't know if that was right. Now they're gonna wonder, why did you do that? And then I gotta rehash this whole thing again. So why not just let yourself be cheated? This is truly where the rubber meets the road. Isn't that easy to read, what I just read? But very hard to apply. And it's a good reminder for us that the power of God's word is in the application of it. Not just in hearing it. You have to apply it to your life. And if you want to know the best way to spot maturity in a believer, it is this. How do they deal with things like this? Because I do get that question sometimes. Well, how do I know when I'm mature? What's a mature believer? Can you fill it out? Can you explain it? Watch how they handle wrong done against them, and you will see a mature believer. Correct? You can have somebody who's been in church 40 years and act like a little high school kid when they've been hurt. Well, I'm not going to church again for a while. I'm not going to email them. I'm not going to say hi to them. You've been a Christian 40 years. And then you have somebody who's only been a Christian six months who's just letting things go. Hey, I've been hurt. I know you didn't mean that. And who's more mature spiritually? See, don't just put age on it. And years as a Christian, put application on it. Do they apply the scriptures? So somebody mature in their faith, just have to let things go. Then here comes the rebuke. It's hard to believe, but this was in the church. Paul said, no, verse eight, no, you yourselves do wrong and you cheat and you do these things to your brethren. This is in the church. So Paul is calling it out. Paul challenges their faith. He reminds them of the gospel. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Paul really changes gears here. It's going along nicely. And now he says, some of you are unrighteous. Some of you are ungodly. And you're not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived. Now, why would Paul do that? Why would he say that if people are just not getting along? Here's why. If something, I'm going to teach on this next, not next Sunday, but the following Sunday on the difference between a struggle and a lifestyle. So try to make that one too. Basically just be at church every Sunday. You never know what God's going to do. It's funny. I get so excited about a message and I know 20,000 people are on vacation. It's like, maybe I'll preach it next week and then next week. And so a struggle and a lifestyle. Paul is saying, listen, it's one thing if you're angry at somebody, if they've done you wrong, but if there's a continual pattern of sin, if this person is angry and belittling, they're taking them to court. They want the money. They're money hungry. They're power hungry. And they're angry and they're upset and they're unforgiving. Paul says, be careful. Do not be deceived because that's a lifestyle of sin. That's why when Paul goes on to say, don't you know that fornicators, that idolaters, that idolaters, that homosexuals, that sodomites, that thieves, that covetous, that drunkards, the revelers, the extortioners will not inherit the kingdom of God. So what he's saying is if there's a consistent pattern of sin that I embrace and I don't want to repent of it, I'm on the wrong team. Now, let me just throw out a word of encouragement to you. Many people think the church and myself, we're just judging people. Actually, Paul goes on to say, and such were some of you. Before I knew Jesus Christ, I would be in this camp. He goes on to say, drunkards, been there. Fornicators, been there. I would hit Las Vegas and Palm Springs on the same weekend and party. Hollywood, my life was out of control. So we don't come with the judgmental spirit. What Paul is doing is saying all sinful lifestyles that go unrepented of, and you don't care that it's wrong, you're going to shake your little fist in God's face. God says, don't be deceived because you're not saved. You're not a Christian. So that's why he'll, and in Romans, I believe, or even further when we read, Paul gives another list of things. Because he's showing people it's not the sin. See, we like to elevate the sin. See, that's a really bad sin up there. But this sin of pride and fornication is not that bad. But you're up there in the big sin. God sees all sin, all sin that's unconfessed sin, all sin puts people in hell. That's the point of the cross in Jesus Christ. We repent of our sin. We embrace God's gracious gift of sacrifice and redemption through the cross. That's why I can look at the persons who struggled with same-sex attraction, with homosexuality, with lying, with thieving, with adultery, with fornication, and we all stand in the same line. There's no difference. The difference is what do you do with that? What do you do with the cross? Do we repent of our sin? That's why Paul's saying, don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. If there's a consistent pattern of sin, you're living in deception, thinking that that's no big deal. So I don't need to go through this whole list. Sexual immorality, you know what that is. It's sex outside the confines of marriage between a man and a woman. Isn't it interesting? For thousands of years, no one disputed that. Nowadays, that's judgmental. That's arrogant. That's narrow-minded. No, it's how God created. No matter how many laws are passed, it will not change God's mind. God does not fall underneath the Supreme Court, Justice. He is the Supreme Court. So no matter what we do, no matter what we say, God's law, God will not change. And see, that comes from a loving heart, a gracious heart. What about idolatry? You shall have no other gods before me. It's something else, a god in your life that comes before God. What about adultery? He says here, homosexuality, sodomy, the sin of Sodom. We could spend time here, but I haven't done it in the past. Again, God wants us to give all of our sin to the cross, all of our sin to the cross. Why did Paul do this? Why in the world? Only Paul could go from the court system to all these sins within a couple sentences. People say that's out of context. No, what he's doing, Paul is doing what we need to do today. We need to clarify sin. We need to clarify it. I actually had a pastor in town, I'm not going to tell you who it is, or the church. He lectured me, because I'm too specific in my sermons when I call out certain movies, Game of Thrones, Twilight, Witchcraft. He goes, no, no, no, that will offend them. You need to just be broad and talk about entertainment in general. See, the problem is, if I do that, nobody thinks it's them. They think, oh yeah, I don't watch that. No, you call it out. You name it. You get specific. You go right to the heart. You clarify. You don't send mixed messages. How can Joel Osteen go to Lady Gaga's LGBT party? It just makes no sense as a pastor. That makes no sense. But we have to relate to them. Yes, you have an after-party party, and you say, now you're coming on my terms. Let me tell you about the gospel. If Lady Gaga was my friend, she's not. But if she was, I wish she was. Maybe she'll hear this. I would say, hey, Shane, can you come to this party? No. You know what I stand for. You know that I just can't embrace that. But I'll tell you what, the following day, let's cater, let's have food there, and I'm gonna share what I know about God to all your friends. So you have compassion without compromise. You can relate to people, but you play, people say, well, Jesus would go everywhere. No, he didn't go into the harlot's home. While harlotry was going on, he reached out to them. He didn't go in the bar and let's throw down some, let's get a stripper up there. Then I can relate to you. Oh, I crossed the line, the PG version. I'm sorry. But no, let's be real. Let's be honest. We have to clarify sin. We have to stop compromising the gospel. We stand as a light. We stand as a beacon of light. We love you. We hope for you. We pray for you. But we will not compromise the truth. And if something puts me in a compromising position while I'm validating sin, I have to step back because I have to answer to my savior, not answer to a lost and dying world that is hell bent on rejecting God. You know, I just, I hope this is an encouragement. No matter what sin a person is struggling with, they often say, but I was born this way. It's how God made me. But we have to be careful because God made me, I was born to be a thief. Did you know that? I was born to lie. I was a good little liar. I was born, I began drinking at 12. I was born to sin. But never let that be an excuse for repentance. We were born into sin. In sin we were conceived. And it breaks my heart because so many people say, but I was born this way and I have to live this way. No, you don't. God can set you free. Take it to the cross. I'm a personal testimony. What God can do with a person on their way to hell, living a life of destruction, mocking God. I shouldn't even be here. I would get drunk. I would snort crystal meth. I would smoke marijuana. Then I'd shoot up steroids just for the fun of it. All in one night. Why did my heart just explode? Thieves, he says, thieves, dishonest, covetousness, wanting what others have, dissatisfied. Is that you this morning? He mentions you're drunkards, addictions. Let me just give you hope on addictions. Again, it's not the lifestyle, it's the struggle. Many Christians struggle with addiction. I talk to people from alcohol to opiates and the big one that's coming out, be careful, is fentanyl. They took out Michael Jackson. That's what they're cutting up with stuff. It's stronger than heroin. They're getting it out there. Fentanyl, just a little tiny bit can wipe out a dozen people. But people say, but Shane, I'm a Christian. Why? I still struggle with this. What's wrong with me? I must not be a Christian. Often the validity of the fight confirms the commitment. Just because a person struggles, don't rule them out. Just because they fell off whatever wagon and were doing so good. Oh, I knew you weren't a Christian. No, that's a struggler. Because they're being bombarded by sin on a daily basis. They're being bombarded. And sometimes we fall. And instead of being beat up by the Pharisee, we need to be lifted up and say, hey, listen, let me encourage you. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And though he falls, he will not be utterly cast down, meaning put away from God forever. But God will uphold you with his right hand. Let him strengthen you. Turn back to Christ. Repent and get back on track. And you encourage that person. That's the worst time to beat someone up is when they fall in. Because I think they already know that they've fallen. I think they feel pretty, I don't know if you've ever been there, God forbid. But if you've ever been there, the last thing you need is a Pharisee. You need someone building you up and strengthening you. Extortioners, which of course is taking advantage, blackmail for money, all these things. Paul says examine yourself. Examine yourself. Look at your heart. Because it's possible for someone to be deceived and think I'm a pretty good person. So Paul says examine your heart. Do any of these characteristics model who you are? But here's a wonderful verse 11. You ready for it? Can you handle this one? So Paul says, you fornicators, adulterers, idolatry, homosexuality, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revelers, extortioners, and there's a whole other list he could keep going on. He'll name it. If he hasn't named your sin yet, he'll keep going. He'll name it. He says, and such were some of you, were some of you past tense. Isn't that wonderful? You don't have to walk into a meeting and say, hi, my name is, I'm a whatever. No, you've been set free by the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Such were some of you, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. So Paul hits him with the right hook, but then he picks him up and says, such were some of you washed. Have you ever worked really hard? I heard this in a sermon somebody just sent me recently from Idaho, believe it or not. I'm going to use that one today, but have you ever worked outside and your clothes get just nasty, dirt all over? You know what I'm talking about? I still remember a job, hope I don't embarrass you, but Richard, Richard Herons, I did it at his house, what, 20 years ago, maybe, or 15, 18, and I decide to put sunscreen on, and I'm down in a seven-foot deep ditch, and it's windy, and I look like a monster with dirt just all come home. You know, I'm not even married at this time. I'm just everywhere in the clothes. After I take a shower, why would I put all that back on? You've been washed. You've been cleansed. Why do you keep putting the filth back on? That's what washed is. You don't have to live in shame and guilt. You've been washed. You've been cleaned. Stop putting those old clothes back on. Stop going back to that old lifestyle. And he says, you were sanctified. What does sanctified mean? Well, after you've been washed and set free, you've been set apart for God. So he doesn't just wash you and clean you up and set you free. He calls you out to make a difference, to be sanctified, to be set apart, and to be justified. I love this word justified. Theologians call it justification. Means just as if you've never sinned. Because of what Christ did, God looks at us just as if we had never sinned. You've been justified. Oh, if that doesn't give you reason to celebrate, I don't know what will. Maybe if the Dodgers win. Are they still playing? I don't know. But we get so excited about certain things. So I'm gonna close with this. Paul draws a clear line in the sand. Clear line in the sand. Number one, he talks to those who are deceived. He does. Are you deceived this morning? I don't know all of you. I don't know all the people who'll be listening to this later on the media or the radio. I have no idea. But God knows, and you know, if you open up your heart and say, Lord, am I deceived? It's very good, even if you're not a Christian, to say, God, I don't know if you're out there, but I don't want to be deceived. Will you show me? Show me my deceptions. Show me my sin. And God will answer that prayer. Because what is deception? At the heart of deception is pride, is it not? That's at the heart of it. I'm deceived. For example, I think, I've told you this before, 20 years ago, I thought I was a much better person than I think I am now. Living in those sins. Just mocking God. I'm a pretty good person. I don't build down the street. Now that's a bad guy. I'm a pretty good person. I give my clothes to Grace Resources when I don't want them anymore. I haven't killed anybody. I'm a good person. But then when you see your utter dependence on Christ and you see the cross in light of your sin, you realize that you were living in deception. Deceived. Not looking at the truth. That's the first group. Then if you are deceived this morning, I encourage you to turn to the cross. Let Jesus Christ set you free. Let him change you. And then the next group is such were some of you. So I'm talking to the believers this morning. Are you thankful this morning? Are you thankful this morning for what God has done? And I want you to think about this. Go to the ultimate judge today. If you've been wronged. If you've been wronged. Anybody in this room been wronged lately or recently? Yeah. Work promised you something that didn't come to fruition. Somebody promised something. This or that. Been wronged. Take it to God. Let him. He still sits on the throne. He is the final justice. The final judge. And many times I wonder sometimes he allows people to go through things to show us what's really inside our heart. To really get us to that next level. To say, okay God, I see my heart is bare before you. But again, if you're on the wrong side of the bench, you need to make a decision today. Tony Evans talked about a good analogy in his sermon. He said a judge can only do two things. This is interesting. Think about this. If you go to the courthouse, a judge can only do two things, right? Guilty or not guilty. The judge there can't offer forgiveness. The person who was wronged is the one who says, I forgive you. So God is the judge. Guilty, not guilty. The cross is the point of forgiveness. You have to go to Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and man. There's no other way. There is no other way beside Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the only what? Life. I am the way, the truth, the life. Nobody goes to the Father except through me. Through what? Through his forgiveness. See, can God go, oh, I just forgive you? No, he's a judge. Guilty, not guilty. If I were to stand before God, he'd say, guilty, Shane Eidelman. But Jesus, because of the cross, forgives you. So now, imputed righteousness, right? Or propitiation. The wrath of God, the justice is satisfied on the cross. Jesus took that guilt for me. So he comes and says, okay, now you're forgiven. Exit. So you have to have both, the judicial, the judge, and the forgiveness, the person offering forgiveness. So where are you at this morning? Where are you at? Because we're going to open that prayer room next door. And I want to pray for the believer who needs to be strengthened. I want to pray for the believer who needs to let unforgiveness go, and bitterness, and anger. I want to pray for the believer who's been hurt, who's been damaged, and it's allowing them. So you're allowing your past to now control your future. God says, don't do that. Even Paul said, I don't even look behind me anymore. But I run the race to grab hold of the prize. Shouldn't we grab that prize? Athletes train, and train, and train for a crown that perishes. But God says, follow. Follow Christ and finish strong.