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1 Corinthians 6:1-11 ESV
1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

I.SETTLING IN CHURCH, OUT OF COURT (1-6)
A.The church should be used to settle disputes between members of the church, that it is qualified to settle.
B.The church is qualified to settle intra-church disputes, since we will judge the world with Jesus one day.
C.The church settles disputes by applying the Word of God, which is authoritative in all situations.

II.SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF THE SUFFERING SERVANT (7)
A.When Christians can’t settle issues between them, the name of Jesus loses, which means we lose, too.
B.Jesus suffered the loss of what He deserved so that we could have what we did not deserve. (1 Peter 2:19-24)

III.#WINNING
A.In a disagreement between Christians, the real winner must always be Jesus.
B.We have to relinquish what we believe is our greatest right, which is our right to be proven right.

IV.SURRENDER TO WHO WE ALREADY ARE (8-11)
A.How we treat one another should reflect who we are in Christ, not who we used to be in our sin.
B.How we practice reconciliation in the church pictures the Gospel and the future reign of Christ for the world.

NEXT WEEK: The Supremacy of Jesus Over the Body — 1 Cor 6:12-20