This week’s message from Pastor Aaron was deeply layered—part pastoral care, part biblical confrontation, and wholly rooted in the gospel. He opened with heartfelt prayer and support for the Bunker family, grieving the loss of Daniel. Before diving into Scripture, he reminded us that eternal life is our anchor and that we’re a family—grieving, loving, and walking through pain together. Then, with clarity and conviction, Aaron took on the task of teaching through three connected but distinct issues from 1 Corinthians 5 and 6, all centered on the deeper heart issues behind outward behaviors.

Mini-sermon one addressed the presenting issue of sexual sin—specifically incest—and how the Corinthian church had become arrogant instead of grieving. Paul’s rebuke wasn’t just about the act; it was about the church’s flippant attitude. Aaron emphasized that the appropriate response to sexual brokenness is not pride or tolerance, but grief. Grief over sin recognizes that something good and beautiful—God’s design—has been lost. And yet, Paul also warns against swinging to the opposite extreme—malice and condemnation. The right way forward, Aaron noted, is “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”: humble truth-telling rooted in love, not hate.

Mini-sermon two shifted to lawsuits between believers. Paul confronts Christians who were suing each other in secular courts over minor civil matters. But again, the deeper issue wasn’t just the lawsuits—it was selfishness. The Corinthian believers were motivated by worldly gain and were using worldly means to get it. Aaron pointed out that sometimes the more godly thing to do is to take the loss. “Why not rather be wronged?” Paul asks. It’s a call to live with eternal perspective, remembering that our spiritual inheritance is of far greater worth than any temporary gain we might fight for here on earth.

Mini-sermon three brought us back to the body and sexual ethics—specifically, the normalization of prostitution among believers. But the real issue? Forgetting who your body belongs to. Aaron highlighted Paul’s radical teaching that the Christian’s body is not their own—it has been bought with a price. The call is not just to avoid immorality, but to glorify God with our physical bodies. Using his laptop as a metaphor, Aaron illustrated how using something outside of its intended purpose doesn’t just damage the thing—it dishonors the one who designed it. Likewise, when we use our bodies outside of God’s design, we diminish what God made good and beautiful.

Across all three sermons, the thread was the same: behind every visible dysfunction lies a disordered desire. The Corinthians weren’t just struggling with behavior—they were struggling with misplaced affection. And so are we. Whether it’s sexual sin, selfish ambition, or bodily indulgence, our choices often reflect that we desire something more than we desire God. That’s the core issue Paul is addressing—not just outward behavior, but inward appetite. The solution isn’t shame, but reorientation. As Aaron reminded us, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37).

Aaron closed with a call to maturity—not the kind that just knows better, but the kind that wants better. The kind of maturity that says, “God, I want you more than I want what the world offers.” Because the appetites of the flesh are passing away—but the one who does the will of God will live forever. In all three mini-sermons, Paul isn’t just drawing lines of morality—he’s inviting us to deeper intimacy, deeper holiness, and a better life in Christ. This wasn’t just three sermons. It was one gospel message, preached from three angles, aimed at one transformation: hearts that delight in God above all else.

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Small Group Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think Paul means by calling the Corinthians “arrogant” in how they responded to sexual sin? How do we sometimes show similar attitudes today?
2. Have you ever experienced or witnessed conflict between Christians handled poorly? What would it look like to resolve those situations with “godly motives and godly resolution”?
3. Aaron said that sometimes “the more godly thing to do is to take the loss.” Why is that so difficult in our culture—and how do we discern when that’s the right path?
4. What does it practically mean to “glorify God with your body”? How does that differ from simply “avoiding sin”?
5. Which of the three areas Paul addressed (sexual sin, conflict and lawsuits, bodily misuse) do you think is most relevant or challenging for the modern church—and why?