“Our Biblical Worldview” (14) Biblical Sexuality and Salvation 01/16/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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I think because of the time we'll hold off on our New Testament reading this morning Why don't we pray before we open the

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Word of God Thank you again our God for your kindness and mercy that you show to us in Jesus Christ Help us our

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Lord to as a church to properly Represent you and declare your truth to our generation

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We need wisdom our God. We are in need of great grace. We're in need of courage And so help us

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Lord to stand to stand true Give us grace now our God as we look at your word

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We also want to pray for those Lord that are struggling at this time particularly

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Lord those who are grieving We pray for Lenny and Debbie Lord as Lenny lost his daughter the other night suddenly unexpectedly

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Similarly, we pray for Teresa Seeley and her family With the unexpected death of her 30 year old nephew

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Lord, we pray that as people see go through these times of trial and they that they be struck with their own mortality and the need to Be right with you to know you and to walk with you to not only live in faith, but to die in faith

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And so help us our God We pray that you would comfort those that are afflicted and help us our

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God to grieve with those who grieve For we do pray in Jesus name Amen Well, it's our intention today to complete our series a biblical worldview

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When I began I didn't know how Far we would go or how long it would take

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And I'm sure there are other subjects that we could address in fact I suspect we could have gone on for a number of months if we purpose to do so But what we've addressed in these last 13 -14 weeks,

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I think is sufficient We've addressed most issues most critical and important for us

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When we consider the world Fallen world in which we live in the biblical worldview

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In which the Lord would have us live There is a subject that has become a great point of disagreement and even hostility between the culture the of the world in the biblical worldview that we espouse an attempt to proclaim and maintain there are a number of those but There is one that is quite significant at this time in our history the history of this world

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It seems like it is a cultural train wreck that's just beyond the next curve of the tracks and I don't know how it can be avoided

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The collision of our two worlds will take place. I suspect resulting in things not going well

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From a human perspective it may appear that we are the much smaller train as it were and that It'll get work the worse we will get the worse of the smash -up

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But actually it is of course the fallen world that always loses But the

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Lord never loses in his purposes and actions in history This conflict is in the arena of determining sexual identity and what determines sexual sin

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Many decades ago even years ago The Western world held the same beliefs and convictions about these matters with the

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Christian world But in recent years the world has departed from its former standards of sexual identity and morality

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But we hold today is no different than what our grandparents espoused and taught us and our parents also

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But the world has gone off on this whole new track Or as Bible centered

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Christians have maintained and promoted biblical sexual identity and morality The world has embraced and promoted what the

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Word of God declares to be dark and sinful and destructive beliefs and practices and The result has been increasing hostility of the world against Christians Who simply teach and promote biblical morality biblical marriage and family?

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We cannot change nor we do we wish to change we will not change as Lord the

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Lord enables us For we are bound by the Word of God And so it's our intention

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It is our resolve our conviction not only to hold but to promote what God has revealed to his will

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Respecting these matters we cannot and will not be silent about these matters

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That The world is becoming increasingly hostile and resistant to us and our message is no better Demonstrated than to consider the new law that went into effect this past week in Canada It is called bill c4 which outlaws what they call conversion therapy

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This was said regarding the extent of this bill The vast majority of Christians are opposed to the sort of coercive practices that many associate with Conversion therapy, they don't understand what we are teaching and why?

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however, the language of bill c4 has passed is exceedingly broad and may have the effect of criminalizing religious conversation and Teaching with respect to the biblical perspective on human sexuality and gender

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This new bill criminalizes any act of causing another person to undergo conversion therapy

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It does not matter that the person consented to or even sought out the therapy in question. It is illegal in Canada or what is meant by this?

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How does this law define conversion therapy? Well conversion therapy means a practice treatment or service or message

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Designed to a change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual That's outlawed now in Canada be to change a person's gender identity to cis gender

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Cis gender is a word that describes how Babies are assigned their gender at birth to promote, you know, you are as you were born declared to be male or female is now illegal in Canada See change a person's gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth

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D repress or reduce non heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior

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A repress a person's non cisgender gender identity You can't confront them or tell them they're wrong

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Or F repress or reduce a person's gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth

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And so the criminal code of Canada was amended and that it created a number of new laws and Here are the offenses for which

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Canadians can now be arrested and charged a Causing another person to undergo conversion therapy

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In other words teaching them leading them to reject say homosexuality and embrace heterosexual

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Understanding is set forth in the scriptures To repudiate or reject, you know gay or lesbian marriage is illegal

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Be doing anything for the purpose of removing a child from Canada with the intention that the child undergo conversion therapy outside,

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Canada See promoting or advertising conversion therapy and and so it this restricts publications and like gospel tracks, for example and D receiving a financial or other material benefit from the provision of conservative conversion therapy and So that would address the whole

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Official counseling Matter In Canada and it also amends a criminal code to authorize courts to order that advertisements for conversion therapy be deposed or Of or deleted and so Canada has essentially outlawed biblical evangelism

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Also pastoral counseling and much biblical teaching it's illegal This legislation reflects the present state of much of the world and portends the way what may occur in these

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United States If the supporters and promoters of this world view have their way, they're certainly moving in this direction

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But again, we purpose before God as he enables us that the way of the world will not deter us from the message of salvation

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To sinners through Jesus Christ. We are commanded to evangelize the world Which includes the call for sinners everywhere to repent of their sins surrender and confess

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Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior of the world and in order for us to fulfill our

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Responsibility before the Lord and to demonstrate loving concern and compassion for sinners.

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We must be clear and forthright Persistent and relentless in our declaration of what the

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Word of God declares to be true and righteous and To make known the eternal consequences of all who refuse him and his word

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Those who reject his will and persist in their sinful ways We do not hate sinners for we desire delight in their coming to escape the wrath of God through faith in Jesus Christ We desire and rejoice when they begin to order their lives according to the will of God We can turn to the passage of 1st

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Corinthians 6 and See how this passage really comes into conflict with this whole direction that our world is taking

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Now the Church of Corinth was anything but a perfect church It was a church that had many problems in many areas of life and faith

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There were divisions in the church having groups polarized around different Christian leaders their schisms

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They had moral problems among the members that the church failed to address properly First Corinthians 5 and this church had members suing one another taking their cases before non -christian secular courts

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Paul rebuked that in the opening verses of chapter 6 Then of course later in the epistle of 1st

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Corinthians The Apostle identified a number of other spiritual and relational problems that were characteristic of this church.

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They needed to correct But it was in the context of this church beset with serious spiritual immoral transgressions

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The Apostle set forth these words in 1st Corinthians 6 9 to 11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived

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Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor sodomites

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Nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God and Such were some of you

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But you were washed But you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the

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Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Paul first declared that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God Verse 9a.

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Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Now Paul in the form of the

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Greek text his writing Implied that these Christians already knew that the unrighteous would not inherit the kingdom of God.

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He wasn't telling them anything new the commentary Commentator Simon Kistemaker wrote do the

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Christians know and understand the spiritual implications of lawsuits and sinful lives

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The rhetorical question that Paul raises in this verse demands a positive answer

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In other words, they knew that the unrighteous would not inherit the kingdom of God Paul was appealing to these

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Christians based on knowledge. They had already possessed They Knew that if they lived in sin that they would die in their sin and they would not inherit the kingdom of God Hell was their eternal destiny.

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They had known these things But the way that they were living seemed to disregard what they knew to be true

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Paul was bringing to their attention truth, which they had already been taught and that they had formally affirmed

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The erosion of conviction regarding truth is a spiritual problem for which every church should be attentive and seek to correct and I imagine

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Among us there are some that have been adversely affected by the ways of the world teaching the world culture of the world and Have given a pass in somewhat to these things that are quite clearly

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Set forth as great sin Damnable sin as set forth in 1st

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Corinthians 6 verse 9 and following Let's consider first what is meant by the phrase inherit the kingdom of God To inherit the kingdom of God is to enter the final and the first Eternal blessed state of salvation promised to all believers in Jesus Christ They are children of God who inherit what the father has bequeathed to his children to inherit the kingdom of God It's a salvation and with all that salvation entails

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We read of the promise of God in Revelation 21 7 he who overcomes will inherit all things

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Can we then fathom that? As a Christian you're going to inherit all things in Christ They receive and inherit not by works, but by grace as written as wrote one rightly

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Unrepentant sinners, however are excluded from the kingdom. They will not have salvation everywhere in the

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Bible Salvation is equated with entering and living in the promised kingdom of God This promised kingdom should not be confused with the form of the kingdom of God that has always existed since creation

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The kingdom of God is set forth in different ways in the Bible The Bible speaks of this form of the kingdom of God as Being God's sovereign rule over all of his creation and this has never been diminished in any way whatsoever

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Daniel 4 34 This is the confession of a pagan king Nebuchadnezzar for his

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God's dominion is an everlasting dominion His kingdom is from generation to generation

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But the kingdom that is referred to here in 1st Corinthians 6 9 1 which we will inherit

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The realm of full salvation into which God brings his people is not the same as this kingdom of God Speaking about his sovereignty over all of history

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Rather this kingdom, of course is the promised messianic kingdom of the Old Testament the promised kingdom that God promised to King David that he would inaugurate bring into being to his greater son

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Jesus This is set forth in 2nd Samuel 7 12 through 16 He told

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David when your days are fulfilled you rest with your fathers I will set up your seat after you it has first implication to Solomon But it looks past Solomon to David's greater son

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King Jesus He will come forth from your body and I will establish his kingdom

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He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

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I will be his father He shall be my son and if he commits iniquity, this would apply to Solomon Of course not

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Jesus I will chase in him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men But my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul Whom I removed from before you and your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you

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Your throne shall be established forever And so again these words had a short -term application for King Solomon who followed his father's reign over Israel But the prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in David's greater son

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Jesus Christ The messianic kingdom was foretold in many places of the

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Old Testament prophets We could cite probably 50 of them if we had time But one classic one is of course one that we

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Have considered just this Christmas season. Isaiah 9 6 and 7 for unto us a child is born on to us a son is given and The government will be upon his shoulder.

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His name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father prince of peace of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end and upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it

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Establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever. The seal of the

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Lord of hosts will perform this The New Testament of course opened with the announcement that this promised kingdom was about to be realized

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John the Baptist proclaimed a message of Preparation through repentance from sins being baptized for the kingdom of heaven is at hand the promised messianic kingdom and Jesus himself declared that in him the promised kingdom had arrived

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It was formally inaugurated upon the ascension of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion burial and resurrection

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God the Father enthroned his son Granting him all authority in heaven and over earth

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From that time those who believe on him as the only Savior and Lord of all enter that kingdom through faith in him

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But even with the realization of the promised kingdom being revealed and Granted through faith in its promised

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King Jesus Christ the full manifestation of that kingdom has not yet occurred It will be realized at the future appearing of the

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Lord at his second coming Then the kingdom will be fully revealed and manifested in a new heaven and a new earth and then his people of Faith in this world will inherit that kingdom the kingdom that God prepared for them from eternity as Jesus declared in Matthew 25 and So there is a present realization of the kingdom of God that God into which true believers

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Have entered and they are citizens God translated us out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of his dear son

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According to Colossians 1 But there is a future coming of the kingdom when all who are

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Christ's disciples will inherit and enjoy Enter into the joy of their eternal rest

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So to summarize there are two forms of the kingdom of God But there are two stages of experiencing the second form of the kingdom

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In this life as Christians and in the life that we will enter into upon our resurrection from the dead

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And so we might summarize this subject in this way first There is the kingdom of God, which is

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God's sovereign rule over all people events of all history God is in charge of his world

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He's to create all things that take place and then secondly there is the promised kingdom of God of salvation brought through Jesus Christ but this second

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Kingdom the kingdom of Christ is set forth in two stages as it were

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This kingdom is first entered spiritually by those who repent of their sin place their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and then as we have already said this kingdom is inherited and that it will be entered and experienced physically upon their

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Resurrection from the dead having been delivered from condemnation through Jesus Christ at the final judgment of mankind

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And Paul gave a warning here in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 9 He warned this church and through him

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God has warned all people everywhere God has warned us today. God has warned the world

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He's warned our church That people who are characterized by these sins will not inherit the promised kingdom

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That will one day be realized when Jesus Christ returns to judge the world the Apostle John gave a similar warning

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In in 1st 1st John 3 7 little children let no one deceive you

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Paul said that in 1st Corinthians Chapter 6 don't be deceived about this. John said let no one deceive you about this.

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He who practices righteousness That is who lives righteously Is righteous.

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In other words, he is the justified one. He's the true Christian and Anybody who understands otherwise has been deceived about the way and the nature of salvation

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Now in verse 9b of 1st Corinthians 6 the Apostle gave a directly worded warning or prohibition do not be deceived

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The Greek language of the New Testament is capable of conveying great precision and he does so here

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We may say it see a nuance here in Greek that's not apparent however in our

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English text Our English text is expressed in four words. Do not be deceived in Greek.

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It's just two words May plan us that is how that is said this is a present tense verb the

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Planesta preceded by the two -letter particle which is translated not here

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Paul used the Greek word may for not to negate the present tense verb and So what this means?

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What Paul was commanding is that they were to stop what was already happening in Other words

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Paul was not warning these Christians to avoid becoming deceived He was telling them that they were deceived in this matter and they should stop being so immediately

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He Was saying stop being deceived and thinking that you can live in sin and that you will nevertheless inherit the kingdom of God They knew better They'd been taught better Paul was forbidding them from continuing to be deceived

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He was commanding them to stop being deceived and thinking they could inherit the kingdom of God and yet live in egregious sin

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They had embraced this error and they were to see Their error and correct it They were no longer to be deceived in thinking that those who live unrighteously will nevertheless enter the kingdom of God The point is this it matters how you live

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This is not a denial of justification by grace through faith alone apart from works

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People who truly believe on the Lord do not live in egregious sin Those who live in egregious sin are not born again

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Or else they've fallen into serious error and the Lord will recover them Richard Lenski Wrote concerning these words be not deceived

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Paul writes because regarding this very point people constantly deceive themselves Although it's so self -evident and so elementary.

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Yes, the simplest catechism truth Thousands who are living today are a decoy.

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He used the Greek term meaning unrighteous and yet expect to reach heaven at last

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And so it is in many churches in many Baptist churches incredibly

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And so I would say when you encounter a professing Christian and we probably all know them Whose lives are characterized by unrighteousness?

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Say by any of the sins listed here in 1st Corinthians 6 verse 9 and following you have a word of God Directly that you can give that person

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Stop being deceived You're wrong to think that you can one day inherit salvation if you live as non -christians do and That to me that if that message was declared faithfully and fully in the pulpits across our world

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We'd probably see a great change taking place But it's not hurt Because it is claimed.

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Hey, we're justified by faith. So it doesn't matter how you live It matters how Jesus lived. So as long as you believe thankfully your sins are forgiven

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You need not change your ways and that is a false gospel. That is not the way of salvation

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In verse 10 Paul became specific. He declared no practicing sinners will inherit the kingdom of God So in verses really 9c through verse 10 neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers or homosexuals nor sodomites

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Nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God And so those who live ungodly lives will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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They'll not be saved But rather they will be condemned by God on the final day of judgment.

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They will not inherit the kingdom of God Paul identified ten sins by name

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These are categories of sins it would seem They characterize the lives of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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They will not have salvation God will damn them forever in hell for they lived in these sins, which

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God had declared to be transgressions of his law These sins described the lives of the unrighteous those who are not

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Christians Regardless of what a person claims to believe about Christ if he continues to live in these sins, he will not inherit salvation

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Again Paul wrote do not be deceived respecting these kinds of people for the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God How could it be said any plainer?

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any clearer These ten sins specifically identified by Paul for our sexual sin

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This is not an exhaustive list They are representative of kinds of sins that are common in the fallen human condition

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There's no discernible order in this list of ten sins Linsky Richard Linsky rightly wrote efforts to detect a reason for the order of the designations results in finding no order

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The fact is that Paul intends to follow no definite order in presenting the list just as the number ten symbolizes completeness

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So this motley array, which is devoid of order pictures the mixture of sinners as they actually occur in the world a fornicator

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Sits beside an idolater a thief beside a drunkard any of these sinners beside any others

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They are all of one kind all headed for hell. Why should an apostle trouble even to group them?

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Let the devil do that if he cares Then Matthew Henry wrote of these sins and the accompanied ten commandments that they transgress

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All unrighteousness is sin and all reigning sin nay Every actual sin committed deliberately and not repented of shuts out of the kingdom of heaven

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He specifies several sorts of sins against the first and second commandments are idolaters

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Against the seventh commandment as adulterers fornicators effeminate and sodomites against the eighth as thieves and extortioners

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That by force or fraud wrong their neighbors against the ninth as revilers and against the tenth as covetous and drunkards

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As those who are in a fair way to break all the rest Those who do anything of religion must know from heaven that heaven could never be intended for these

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The scum of the earth are no ways fit to fill the heavenly mansions Those who do the devil's work can never receive

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God's wages at least no other than death the wages of sin It matters how we live

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And so Paul wrote neither fornicators will inherit the kingdom of God The first sinners mentioned in this list are fornicators from the

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Greek word pornoi From which we get the English words porn or pornography

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The fornicator is one who practices sexual sin any kind of sin outside a biblically sanctioned marriage relationship

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Corinth Corinth was one of the most wicked cities of the ancient world. It had pagan temples with immoral religious

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Practices cult prostitutes both male and female there were thousands of them there This is the common way that of life in Corinth There was a great deal of sexual sin in Corinth according to the

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Word of God sexual relations are only sanctioned and Uncommended approved they're not evil in any way within a legitimate marriage relationship all sexual activity outside of a legitimate marriage relationship as the

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Bible defines it Renders one to be a fornicator

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Fornicators will not inherit salvation. They will be damned in and by their sin

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It Should be stressed that though this passage described all these centers as damn who will not inherit salvation

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It's not damning all those who are tempted by these sins Or who may even fall back into committing sin from which they had formerly repented any

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Christian is capable of committing sin The Apostle Paul wrote him who thinks he stands take heed lets you fall

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The devil's clever and and we are weak And we are to always be on guard for ourselves.

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There's no immunity We're to you there's use the means of grace that we not fall into sin

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Fornicators Secondly nor idolaters will inherit the kingdom of God.

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And so the next sin is specified that of idolatry Oh, that's idolatry is when a person lives principally for something or someone other than God They've something more as important to them

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Has a has a higher place in their soul in their heart than God himself and Jesus Christ and his will

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It's a transgression of the second and third Commandments. You shall have no other God before me You shall not make for yourself a carved image, of course in the

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Commandments. He was talking about physical literal things But the scriptures also speak of idols of the heart

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These idols can be anything that we place in our heart to to which we give more honor more affection more attention other than God himself

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So the prophet Ezekiel addressed this repent Turn away from your idols

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Turn your faces away from all your abominations for any one of the house of Israel or the strangers who dwell in Israel who sets

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Himself from me and sets up his idols in his heart. That's the point and Puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity

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Then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me. I the Lord will answer him by myself I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb and I will cut him off From the midst of my people then you shall know that I am the

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Lord Of course, we can make an idol of just about anything in this life

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We can look to the works of our hands the wealth we acquire or the wealth that we want to acquire our homes our health our children our hobbies our work profession

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Christians have set forth God and his son as a chief desire and delight of their heart The Christian repudiates idolatry and puts it down when he becomes aware that it's emerging within his soul

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Or if he sees it and says hey, that's an idol. I've got a I've got to forsake this

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He repents of it Thirdly nor adulterers will inherit the kingdom of God an

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Adultery is someone who has violated the marriage covenant He made with his or her spouse the sin of adultery need not be an overt actual

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Physical transgression as the Lord Jesus made clear someone who lusts in his soul after another

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Then after another other than his wife has committed adultery in his heart true

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Christians Acknowledge and purpose as the Lord enables him not to indulge in this sin The Early Gnostics thought hey my spirit is saved so it doesn't matter what

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I do with my body And so they lived in all manner of sin. They didn't think it mattered Sounds like a lot of professing

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Christians in a lot of churches today My spirit saved because I'm believing on Jesus.

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It doesn't matter what I do with my body and That that is great error

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Now again, you know people struggle with temptation all of life and there's always some temptation

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There are some temptations that are stronger different stages of life But when the

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Christian sees these he cries out to the Lord help me our God Deliver me from this

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We're to pray Lord lead me not into temptation Because it is so common

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Readily available to us Now the next numbers four and five will consider together nor homosexuals or sodomites now here it really hits upon the world, doesn't it?

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They'll not inherit the kingdom of God Now when one considers the first word in English homosexuals with the word following sodomites

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These words may seem to be synonymous and repetitious, but they're actually not They're quite nuanced

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There's a distinction between the two and without becoming too graphic. We don't want to do that We can say that the first word refers to those homosexuals who are passive or effeminate

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The second word sodomites refers to homosexuals who are the dominant ones in their immoral relationships

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Paul is very specific here Again these sins were very common in the ancient world as they are in this present world

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But those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God and Yet you hear stories about You know these folks who claim to be

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Christian who find a church to support them and encourage them in their relationships The whole idea of church is being welcoming and affirming

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That that you know predominates the ABC USA Or are these kinds of churches and Then six no nor thieves will inherit the kingdom of God.

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This word needs a little explanation It's a transgression of the Eighth Commandment. You shall not steal We're to be honest in all of our dealings

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We're not to steal another man's possessions. Obviously. We're not to steal the time that we owe to an employer

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We're not to steal legitimate taxes that we owe to the government We're to be honest in our dealings with all with all people for we know that God is way in every action that we take

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Nor covetous will inherit the kingdom of God This is the transgression of the Tenth Commandment which reads you shall not covet your neighbor's house

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You shall not covet your neighbor's wife nor his male servant nor his female servant nor his ox nor his donkey nor anything that is your neighbor's

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And so covetousness is living for or longing for that which another has Or desiring intensely what

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God has forbidden you to have Covetousness is not being content with what

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God has given you as well as not being content with what God has not given you

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Contentment with godliness is great gain according to the Apostle Paul Nor drunkards will inherit the kingdom of God number eight

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The Bible of course does not condone or condemn rather drinking of alcohol The Lord Jesus himself turned water into the best wine at the festive occasion the wedding occasion

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John 2 but drunkenness is always condemned as sin and there are many illustrations of the sin that drunkards committed in the scriptures because the their inhibitions were lost and the

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Temptations that presented themselves when people were intoxicated and snared them Think about you know, what happened with Noah and in so many others

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Nine nor revilers will inherit the kingdom of God a reviler is someone who's always contentious

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He is a disagreeable soul and is critical and argumentative a Reviler is an abusive person

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He will be damned on the Day of Judgment and Last ten nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God the

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ESV has the translation swindlers This is a common sin in our culture consider all the fraud that's committed in the misuse of someone else's identification and the theft and use of others credit cards

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I Had a checking account at DCU hacked last month

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And so I went through the process some guy claiming to be from Florida who took out a loan in my name in my account $2 ,000 and then began to issue payments to himself and DCU thankfully contacted me and said it all straight

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But you know, I can't imagine these institutions Trying to work through this and bring about prosecution of these

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Perpetrators, it's an incredible problem as we all know They're extortioners.

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They will not inherit the kingdom of God. They do not have salvation Scammers I have a in my

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Microsoft Outlook. I have a category scams and And I've been putting things in there for years

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It's quite a long list But again, this is not a complete list of sins

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He just listed some There are other sin lists that identify other sins

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Galatians 5 Have different sins identified but the same outcome is declared by the

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Apostle now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanness and uncleanness speaks again about sexual impurity lasciviousness looseness of living idolatry witchcraft hatred

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Xerxes emulation jealousies wrath strife seditions heresies Envies murders drunkenness revelings and such like he said this is a partial list

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Of the which I tell you before as I've also told you in time past that they who don't do such things

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Shall not inherit the kingdom of God same message in Galatians 5 as 1st

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Corinthians 6 with some different sins added in However after Setting forth these sins

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We may greatly thank God that though we may have been characterized by these sins at one time they do not bar us from salvation if we turn from those sins and Believe and submit to the

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Savior the Lord Jesus Christ So thankfully we read 1st Corinthians 6 11 and following That unrighteous people may be saved from their sins so that they will inherit the kingdom of God And so after setting forth this list of various kinds of damn sinners

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He wrote to these people in this church at Corinth such were some of you But you were washed but you were sanctified

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But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Thank God.

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God is pleased And he's purposed to save sinners From the just punishment do then

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Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners There is no sinner anywhere.

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They cannot be saved and Therefore one day inherit the kingdom of God if they but repent of their sin

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Acknowledge it agree with God as to its its sinfulness and turn from it

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Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is both Savior and Lord. You cannot have Christ as Savior without him being

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Lord. They go together And so Paul wrote such were some of you but you were washed

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What Does it mean to have been washed most people in churches would probably answer the question quickly without much thought

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It speaks of being forgiven of our sins Which is our great need and God's gracious provision for us in Christ, but that would be a wrong answer

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It would be a common answer to the question, but it would be a mistake And although receiving the forgiveness of our sins by God is the great need and great blessing of all who are in Christ The metaphor of having been washed or made clean is not a metaphor for the forgiveness of sins.

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What does it signify? Spiritual washing speaks to the experience of ceasing to live for sin and in sin

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You stop it This failure to understand the meaning of cleansing is the is really at the heart of much nominal

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Christianity They think I've been cleansed and what they think by that is I've been forgiven But that's not what the

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Bible means by being washed Washing speaks of a very real change in the way one thinks and lives washing is a result of the new birth regeneration

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Titus 3 5 the washing of regeneration It doesn't speak directly of God's forgiveness that comes later

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Paul talks about it It speaks of God's deliverance from sinning in short being washed speaks more to our sanctification by God and Regeneration than it does to our justification before God with respect to our sin and The context of 1st

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Corinthians 9 and following bears this understanding These Christians were no longer living as they formerly were before they came to Christ.

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They had been washed They had repented of their sin that is they had turned from practicing their sin to believing and following Christ they had been washed

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They were no longer fornicators. They were no longer adulterers. There were no longer effeminate. There were no longer sodomites

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They were no longer thieves. They were Christians They were washed from these things and again it was due to the new birth regeneration that had brought this about John and the revelation set forth those who have been washed who washed their robes made them white by the death of Jesus Christ John asked his heavenly messenger who these were he saw before him.

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Who are these ones that were washed? Revelation 7 14 records the angels answered to John.

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These are the ones who come out of Great Tribulation Which is speaking about this entire Church Age is the period the time of Great Tribulation Not some end time seven years the entire

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Church Age is the age of Tribulation Sometimes it's greater than at other times but they are the ones who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the

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Lamb and later in Revelation the meaning of these wash robes is set forth Let us be glad rejoice give him glory for the marriage of the

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Lamb has come His wife has made herself ready and to her it was granted to be arrayed and fine linen and clean and bright for the white

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Linen is the righteous acts of the Saints And so the white garments are not set forth as the imputed righteousness of Christ here we find that in other places of Scripture that in justification, but rather they are white because their sins have been forgiven and And and cleansed they were washed because they're white linens are the righteous acts of the

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Saints And so here the metaphor of washing speaks of the grace of sanctification Cleansing from sinful living not the grace of justification deliverance from sins penalty

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But not only are Christians not only have Christians been washed That is when they were born again regenerated

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God had delivered them from their former ways It no longer was their desire

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They wanted to live differently But he said secondly you were sanctified

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Now in addition to having been washed Paul declared these former sinners had been sanctified Now when we think about biblical teaching regarding being sanctified we commonly think about progressive sanctification

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Which is taught everywhere in the Bible this progressive sanctification practical sanctification is a gradual conforming of our lives to the

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Word of God growing in holiness as We learn the Word of God and increasingly apply its principles to our lives the

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Westminster shorter catechism Defined sanctification in this way question 35.

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What is sanctification answer? Sanctification is the work of God's free grace whereby we are renewed in The whole man after the image of God and are enabled more and more you see

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It's gradual and over life to die out of sin and live under righteousness But whereas this is a good definition of progressive sanctification.

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It is not a definition of what is commonly called positional sanctification Every one of us as Christians are in different degrees being progressively sanctified some of us are living more holy than others

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But with the matter of positional sanctification every one of us as Christians are equally sanctified by God the

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Father through Jesus Christ and That took place when we were converted we were set apart and So Sanctification carries the idea of being consecrated set apart for God for God Everything belongs to God is to be set apart for him

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We read in the Old Testament the tabernacle articles of furniture the priests themselves Were all sanctified for that purpose they were set apart

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For God and his worship and in the same way God sanctifies every Christian Every each and every believer is one who has been singled out by God from the human race and separated set apart

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He sanctified us This is positional sanctification We've been separated set apart sanctified in the mind of God from all others

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We who are in Christ and in a covenant relationship with God having been chosen Set apart in the world as a unique people and so in the mind and purpose of God.

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We are separate sanctified from the fallen world and he is glorious and vastly different designs for us and For them who are he is not sanctified.

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This is positional Sanctification and this is what Paul is talking about here

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It's a work of grace on our behalf our positional sanctification occurred once for all time at the time of our salvation

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Or perhaps more specifically when Christ died For by one offering he is perfected forever them that are sanctified we were set apart

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It's a work of grace Was accomplished on our behalf apart from us apart from where our work or effort.

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This was work of grace When Paul stated in 1st Corinthians 16 610 you were sanctified

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He was referring to them of having been set apart by God at their conversion Having been positionally sanctified by God had

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Paul been talking about practical sanctification progressive Sanctification he would have used probably a present tense verb you were being sanctified

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But he speaks of you have been sanctified as something that had happened in the past They had all been sanctified

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The commentator Simon Kistemaker set forth this understanding you were sanctified.

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What did Paul mean? Already at the beginning of his epistle Paul told the Corinthians that they were sanctified in Christ Jesus as messed up as this church was and these

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Christians were they were sanctified in Christ set apart and now

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Paul reminds them they were made holy the New Testament teaches that everyone who believes in Jesus is

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Sanctified in him and he cited some verses there Sanctification means that the believer has entered into God's fellowship

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That Sets you apart from the people of the world and Thirdly then he declares, but you were justified

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Here Paul declares that they've been justified and I trust that we all understand what that means Upon the initial act of true saving faith.

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God justifies the believer in Christ Romans 5 Therefore having been justified by faith it happened in the past when you first believe we have peace with God Doesn't mean you feel peace, but you were at peace with God.

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You're no longer at war with him You have we have peace with God through our

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Lord Jesus Christ to whom also we have access by faith into this grace This is how we were justified by grace through faith alone

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Into which we stand we stand in this justified state and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God Again, we can refer to the

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Westminster shorter catechism that gives a really good definition What is justification question 33 answer?

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Justification is an act of God's free grace Wherein he pardoneth all our sins he forgives us and accepts us as righteous in his sight

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Only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us received by faith alone. The righteousness is a gift to us the righteousness of Christ Acquired through his life of obedience

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His life of righteousness is counted as your righteousness When you believe on Jesus and so God regards you as righteous as his son

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Jesus Christ And that's not just he regards you as never having said he regards you as of as of always been obedient to his law

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That's what it means to be Justified in Christ. There's no condemnation. How can there be any condemnation to you if God regards you as He regards his son

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Jesus Christ Also reveals that he loves you as much as he loves his son Jesus Christ, that's incredible To even attempt to fathom that Paul added further detail about God's dealings with them

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Paul added that they had been so wrought Upon by God that it was in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the

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Spirit of God Look closely at this Again, we here is the entire verse, but you were washed but you were sanctified

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But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God the two

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Prepositional phrases in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God may appear to be linked with the last of these three verbs only in other words justified you were

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Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God, but actually these two phrases should be understood as applying to all three verbs and And again, this would be apparent in the

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Greek text It's not so clear at least in the New King James translation of the of the English text.

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I don't know about the others Paul was a saint essentially saying but you were washed in the name of the

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Lord Jesus and you were sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God and you were

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Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God every work of God in Bringing his people to salvation is in the name of Jesus Christ and is by the

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Spirit And thus we have all persons of the Blessed Holy Trinity depicted in bringing salvation to God's people

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God is the one that Sanctified you God is the one who washed you

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God is the one who justified you and this was in Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit and so it's

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Trinitarian salvation Just a few concluding thoughts

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The Word of God teaches us that God is desirous and is at work in saving all kinds of sinners thankfully from their just condemnation

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Purposing to save them through Jesus Christ the only Lord and Savior for sinners But in order for sinners to be saved they must understand and know that they are sinners

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So that they might turn from their sin and believe on the Lord Jesus For God to forgive them of their sins and so inherent in our message of the good news

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The gospel is to tell people everywhere of God and his law and of the nature and presence of damning sin

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And that there's only salvation in Jesus Christ But the world in its wretched wickedness defies

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God and his ways People everywhere defy the Creator who made them and they deny and rebel against the kind of persons

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God made them to be Throughout the Holy Scriptures God is set forth as the

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Creator and the God of all human beings And so the Holy Scriptures declare that in the beginning

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God created the human race Genesis 127 So God created man in his own image in the image of God.

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He created him male and female. He created them He created mankind and he did so having created two genders with distinct roles and purposes within his world

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This is the God -given identity of every human being in this world You're either a male or female

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The fairly recent claim and assertion of our fallen culture that an individual can determine

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Define and decide his or her her own sexual identity or gender is great sin

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It's a defiant Attitude and action against God the

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Creator Every one of us are created male or female

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Some of us have a Y chromosome Others do not and you can pretty well

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Distinguish between male and female on that basis But the idea I can be who

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I want to be and declare that I am not as God made me is Is both foolish and great sin and we've got to tell them so It's Their responsibility

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The claim I'm just trying to be who I truly am will carry no weight when standing before King Jesus on the day of judgment

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Such claims are contrary to nature. They're in conflict with God's Word and to insist that others acknowledge and celebrate those claims to some gender other than what

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God clearly has made and What has been determinative at birth from the beginning of creation mankind until these past few decades is wrong and immoral

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Canada is on record of standing against God and his creation and against God's people and so to legalize and normalize sexual activity irrespective of biblically assigned gender within a biblically sanctioned marriage relationship is great sin and All those who practice such things and approve of those things are in danger of eternal damnation they will not inherit the kingdom of God and So regardless of what the world affirms to be right and true we are committed to a biblical worldview we can be no other other

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We will not be deterred discouraged or threatened so as to be silenced regarding to these matters

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This would be a failure on our part To hold forth the truth of Jesus Christ through whom alone is salvation and the promise of deliverance from eternal damnation into everlasting life

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It would be the most unloving thing to do to be silent, wouldn't it? It wouldn't be caring for souls and so we're to proclaim.

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What is true? regardless of what Consequences may come our way.

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The Lord has ordained that too And we're to be faithful and we overcome this fallen world and its wickedness through being faithful to the

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Lord Believing on him and affirming the truth of his word May the

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Lord help us to be true and to be faithful to him and to the world in which he has placed us.

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Amen And as a church, this is how we're going to be or at least this is how we're gonna lead it to be

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We're committed to this. Let's pray Thank you father for your word that so wonderfully and clearly portrays who you are and Who we are and what we should be and what we should do

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We thank you God for the clarity of scripture about these matters And we just pray our

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God that as we may encounter a great pushback and hostility Because of our declaration

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There may be serious consequences for our church and for us as individual

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Christians nevertheless, we are committed our God to be true to you and be true to all people and Telling them

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Lord of the glorious salvation that is in Jesus Christ and the glorious blessed eternity

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We will have in your presence with your people for we pray these things our father in Jesus name.