Alright, 1 Corinthians 6, verse
9. Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God. And such were some of you. There is my subject. And such
were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God. Oh, what a declaration. And such were some of you. that ye are washed, that ye are
sanctified, that ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God. The vast majority of people look
upon religion as an outward service, believing a certain creed, performing
certain rituals, going through certain ceremonies, doing certain
duties, that look upon God as a being to be feared and dreaded,
one whose wrath must be by some means or other appeased, propitiated,
rather than one who is to be known, loved, and cheerfully
obeyed. This was a big problem at Corinth.
Many in this church who professed faith in Christ seemed to look
upon Christianity as a system of doctrine, a system of worship,
but not a way of life. They seemed to have retained
their old pagan notions about religion, what they believed
in theory, the things they talked about on Sunday when they got
together to worship, didn't affect the way they lived at all. If your religion doesn't affect
the way you live, your religion's not worth spit. These Corinthians, many of them,
professing faith in Christ, had no change at all in life. The first four chapters of this
great epistle are taken up with correcting divisions. They were
constantly bickering, constantly fighting among themselves, fussing
about who's the greatest and fussing about who's the greater
preacher and who they ought to follow. Then in chapter five,
we meet with an incestuous man. A man who committed incest in
a way that was even uncommon among the pagan Gentiles, he
was married to his father's wife. Then in chapter 6, we get to
this first eight verses of this chapter and read about a man,
more than one, going to court with his brother to settle disputes
rather than taking the lost. rather than being defrauded,
rather than just counting meaningless things meaningless, they were
going to court over property and money and rights. Then the
apostle deals with a matter of believers voluntarily associating
themselves with infidels, choosing for their companions and their
friends the ungodly, choosing for those among whom they walked
most delightfully, among whom they lived most pleasurably,
those they chose for their friends, men and women who had no regard
for God or the things of God. What folly! What folly! You expect children to sometimes
choose bad company, so you correct them. And you protect them. You
choose the neighborhood where you live to keep them from the
influence. And then mom and dad go out and display the same stupidity
of little children. Paul corrects this issue. Then
in chapter 7, there were those among the Corinthians who retained
the old pagan notions that you still find common throughout
the heathen world among barbarians in Africa and in Indonesia and
in New Guinea and such places of asceticism, the idea that
somehow you can make yourself godly and holy by depriving your
flesh of things that you delight in, things that you like. If
you like to eat pork, you don't eat pork. If you like to drink
wine, you don't drink wine. If you like to enjoy the sunshine,
you only walk around in the dark, such nonsense. Such nonsense
that you can somehow draw near to God by depriving yourself
of things pleasing to the physical flesh. And then in chapter 7
again, there were those who thought that if you lived in celibacy,
then you'd certainly be more holy. If you didn't marry, then
you could certainly be more pleasing to God. And then, among the Corinthians,
there were those who so disregarded any sense of sanctity, they had
a great problem with divorce. In chapter 11, you come to meet
with folks who came to the Lord's table. And rather than having
a piece of unleavened bread and a glass or a sip of a wine in
celebration of the Lord's Supper, they would make a feast out of
the Lord's Supper. And people would come to the
house of God and become intoxicated by the overindulgence in wine.
In chapters 11 through 14, the apostle deals with folks who
came to church and they put on a show of spirituality. They
put on a show of spiritual gifts, not real gifts of the spirit,
but a show of gifts so as to call attention to themselves.
And then there were disputes about the resurrection he had
to deal with in chapter 15. So the church at Corinth was
a church full of much that needed correction. In our text, the
apostle Paul warns all these religious professors of their
fatal mistake. He reassures us that no immoral
person, no one who willfully follows a life of ungodliness
is saved by God's grace. I would suggest you write that
down and put it somewhere where you remember it and won't forget
it. No immoral person No one who
willingly lives following a life of godlessness and sin is saved
by God's grace. There's no such animal. There's
no such animal. Paul writes in such a manner
as to indicate that this is such a self-evident thing that only
those who are willfully ignorant don't see it. Look at what he
says in our text. that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Are you so ignorant, so foolish,
so spiritually blind, so deaf, so hard-hearted that you do not
understand this? The unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. Now this is the essence of Paul's
doctrine in our text. That person, that man or woman
whose religion, whose profession of faith in Christ does not involve
real conversion, a real turning of heart and life to the living
God is lost and does not know God. Those who say that a sin
that grace may abound are lost people. Acknowledged in Romans,
there were folks who said that concerning him. Paul says, we're
teaching, let us in that grace may abound. He said, God forbid,
God forbid. You cannot possibly preach God's
free grace. and the believer's freedom from
the law, as I do, as Paul did, as our Savior did, as was done
throughout the New Testament. You cannot possibly preach God's
free grace, the believer's freedom from the law, without self-righteous
legalists charging you with such licentiousness. But the charge
is false. And those who indeed say, let
us sin that grace may abound, do not know God. They have no
real heart knowledge of the gospel. Now be certain you understand
the teaching of Holy Scripture in this matter. There's no reason
for confusion here. Let's look at some Scripture.
Romans chapter 6. No, go back to chapter 3. Romans chapter
3. Understand this first. We are
saved by grace alone with no contribution on our part. We're
saved by grace without works of any kind. Romans 3 verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified in God's sight. You see that?
It doesn't matter how good you try to be or how good you actually
are before men. You cannot by your deeds justify
yourself. Verse 28. Therefore we conclude
that a man is justified by faith watch it now without the deeds
of the law We're justified by faith without doing anything
turn to Galatians chapter 2 Galatians the second chapter verse 16 We know that a man is not justified
by the works of the law but but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
justified by the faithful obedience of God's darling son as our substitute. Even we have believed in Jesus,
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of
Christ and not by the works of the law. We trust Christ to be
justified by his obedience as our substitute, not by our obedience
personally. For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Look at Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. By grace are you saved. What
does that mean? By grace are you saved. And not
of yourselves. You're not saved by something
you do. You don't have this grace because
of something you do. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. 2 Timothy 1, verse 9. God hath saved us and called
us, not according to our works. He saved us and called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. Now that's the plain, clear,
unmistakable declaration of Holy Scripture. We are saved by God's
free grace without any effort or any work done by us of any
kind. Understand this as well. Our
standing, our acceptance before God and with God is entirely
in Christ and entirely in Christ alone. We are accepted in the
beloved. God Almighty accepts us only
in Christ and only for Christ's sake upon the basis of Christ's
obedience, the merit of his life and his death as our substitute. Our salvation is altogether in
Christ and by Christ, the God-man, our mediator. Neither our righteousness
nor our sins, neither our righteousness nor our sins have any effect
upon our relationship with God. Read Romans chapter five and
understand it plainly. Our acceptance with God in Christ
is an eternal, immutable, indissolvable acceptance, it never varies. Oh, get hold of that, and it'll
float your boat in the darkest of times. Our acceptance with
God is an eternal, immutable, indissolvable acceptance. It
never varies. I've said that so many times,
and I hesitate to repeat it, but it must be repeated. It needs
to be understood. Listen carefully. Our acceptance
with God in Christ is an eternal, immutable, indissolvable acceptance. It never varies. It doesn't vary
with your feelings. It doesn't vary with your works,
be they good or bad. It doesn't vary with your capability
of overcoming sin or your incapability. Our acceptance with God was in
Christ from eternity. It cannot be in any way changed
by anything in time. And understand this, every child
of God, every believer, Every sinner who trusts Christ is completely
entirely forever free from the law Again, I want you to look
at some scripture turn to Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6 As Paul states it in our text
this morning this freedom from the law is doesn't promote sin
and licentiousness, as we are constantly said to do, but rather
just the opposite. Freedom from the law promotes
devotion, godliness, gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise to God. Romans 6, verse 14. Now again,
the scriptures are so crystal clear. that error regarding this
is inexcusable. The scriptures are so crystal
clear that error regarding this is inexcusable. Sin shall not
have dominion over you. How come? For ye are not under
the law, but under grace. Is that clear enough? The reason sin no longer has
dominion over us is we're not under the law, but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we're not
under the law, but under grace? That's insane. God forbid. Look at chapter seven. Every single statement in the
New Testament epistles, no exception, every single statement in the
New Testament epistles, Dealing with the law and the believer
every single statement declares the believer to be free from
the law There's not a suggestion or a hint of any kind Anywhere
in the New Testament that we are under the Mosaic economy
and under law. That means we're not motivated
by governed by or terrified by the law We are not to use the
law as a rule of life, a measure of sanctity, or a measure of
devotion. We do not keep any kind of a
carnal Sabbath day. To do so means you must also
go back and keep a Passover. You can't keep the sacrifice,
or you can't keep the Sabbath day without keeping the sacrifice.
It can't be done. Well, but Christ is our Passover.
Now you got it. He's also our Sabbath. He's also
our rest. Romans chapter 7. Know ye not,
brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the
law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. For the woman which hath a husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. If the
husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
So then, if while her husband liveth she be married to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she
is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though
she be married to another man. Now listen carefully. The statement
of God the Holy Spirit here is unmistakable. The Lord Jesus
said that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law. To fulfill the law. In the same
sense that he came not to destroy the prophets, but to fulfill
the prophets. Now, what does that mean? Did
Christ fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah? Behold, a virgin shall
conceive. The virgin shall bring forth
the son. Thou shalt call his name Immanuel. Did he fulfill
that? What does that mean? He destroyed
it. No, no, no, no. But he put an end to it. He fulfilled
it. He made it a dead prophecy. He made it a dead prophecy. It
no longer has any prophetic value. The prophecy has been fulfilled.
In exactly that way, Christ fulfilled the law. He made it a dead law. He took the writing of the ordinances
that were against us. What did He do with them? Nailing
it to His cross. Now, we're dead to the law. Read
on. Read on, verse 4. Wherefore,
my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of
Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is
raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God. Romans chapter 8, verse 1. What
does this mean? What does this mean? There is therefore now no condemnation. No condemnation. The law is more
silent than a whisper. It can't even whisper a word.
Do you get that? No condemnation. No possibility. How come? Because all the fury
of the condemning power of the law was worn out in and absorbed
by Jesus Christ, our crucified substitute. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. That is, those who
are born of God. To those who are born again by
God's grace, walking after the Spirit, they live free from the
law. Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. The Jews go
about to establish their own righteousness. They stumble over
that stumbling stone that God laid for the purpose of causing
them to stumble. They stumble over that stumbling
stone being ignorant of the righteousness of God. Not ignorant of the fact
that God is righteous in his character. Everybody knows that. Ignorant of the fact that all
the righteousness required and demanded by God is done in Christ
Jesus the Lord. And if you read the New Testament,
you'll find the righteousness that our Lord Jesus accomplished.
We call it the righteousness of Christ. I do so all the time. The theology books I read call
it the righteousness of Christ all the time. And that's right.
It's righteousness that he performed. But in the scriptures, it is
always called the righteousness of God. It's always called the
righteousness of God, except once. In the book of Revelation,
it's called the righteousness of the saints. This is their righteousness,
because it's Christ's righteousness. It's the righteousness of God.
Now watch verse 10, or verse 4, Romans chapter 10. For Christ
is the end, the terminating point, the finishing of the law. Do
you know what the word end is here? When our Lord Jesus died,
hung on Calvary's cross, He cried, it is finished. That's the word. That's the word. Christ is the
finishing of the law. Christ is the terminating point
of the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness, every kind of righteousness to everyone
that believe it. We're free from the law's curse.
free from the law's condemnation, free from the law's rituals,
free from the law's ceremonies, and free from the law's rule.
What does that mean? That means that our lives are
not motivated in any way, ruled in any way, governed in any way
by the law. Not in the least. Not in the
least. I'm going to leave this afternoon. I'll be on the road
for about six or seven hours, maybe a little more. And as long
as I keep that truck set down below the speed limit, now that's
not often for me, but as long as I keep it set below the speed
limit, as long as I do, I never even look for a police officer
or a state trooper. Never even look for them. I wave my hand at them. Glad
you're there, buddy. Glad you're there. But let me push that thing
up about 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit, and I'm like this. Always tense, nervous, fearful
of getting caught breaking the law. With regard to God's people,
we have no dread of the law of any kind. Doesn't motivate us,
doesn't govern us, doesn't rule us, Not in any way. The law is
not made for a righteous man. Is that what the book says? Is
that what the book says? It's exactly what it says. But
for the unrighteous, do you know there are laws against beating
your wife? You better look that law up,
Bob. You better see what the restrictions
are and what the penalties are. There are laws against that. Brother Don, that's silly. Hear
everybody laughing? I'm not going to beat Mary Lou. He's not going
to do that. He wouldn't have when he was
able. He's not going to do that. How come? Because he loves her.
So whatever the law says, it don't matter. He'll obey to you.
It just don't matter. It just don't matter. You're
free from the law. Do you understand that? Do you
understand that? not only free from the law given
by God through Moses at Mount Sinai, not only free from the
rigor of the law and the terror of the law and the threat of
the law, but free from the laws that religion would impose as
well. Children of God, don't allow
religious tomfoolery to put you in bondage. Don't do it. Now,
I know that one of these days I'll deal with it more extensively. Folks say, well, you don't want
to do this unless you offend your brother. Unless you offend
your brother. I recall years ago, a fellow
down in South America had asked me to come down to Brazil and
preach in a meeting down there. I said I'd be glad to go. Wrote to him after some arrangements
had been made and I said he said what can we do to make you comfortable?
I said be sure I stay somewhere where folks won't be upset me
smoking my pipe because I enjoy my pipe And I got a letter back
that quick He said oh, oh, we can't do that It might offend
some of our Armenian brethren and he got a letter back that
quick. I said, I don't have any Armenian brethren I'm not worried
about offending them But people don't like that. People don't
think you ought to do that. To hell with what people think
I ought to do. That's exactly what I mean. That's
exactly what I mean. They have absolutely no influence,
only this book. And we dare not impose our opinions
on other folks. We dare not do so. We dare not
do so. I get letters and telephone calls
and People come when I travel, want to visit with me. Mother
Donna, I need to ask you something. Is it right for a believer to
wear sideburns down below his ear? Is it a sin for a child
of God to go here, wear that, or eat this, or drink that? And
you know what? I've never, Mark, I've never
had this happen in 47 years. I've never had this happen. Not
in 47 years. I've never had anybody to come
and ask me, is it right for a believer to do something we're told about
them? I've never had anybody do it.
Not one time. It's always, as Don comes, is
it all right for Mark to do this? Because we always want to control
other people. That's our natural, instinctive,
proud attitude. No, we're not under the law,
not under Mosaic law, and not under the law of religion and
religious tradition. I recall years ago, someone met
Shelby and made the comment, you sure don't look like a preacher's
wife. I wanted to hit him, but I said,
thank you. Of course, you know, she's supposed
to be kind of homely looking. Look like a mud fence on a rainy
day. And, oh no, a preacher's wife's
supposed to, she's not supposed to be pretty. She's not supposed
to wear makeup. No, no, no, no, you don't look
like a preacher's wife. That's absurd. That's absurd. And be sure you understand this
as well. God's saints are not lawless rebels. God's saints are not lawless
rebels. Any professed believer who lives in willful violation
of and rebellion to the law of God and the word of God is lost. He doesn't know God. His profession
of faith is a false profession. His religion is nothing but a
pretentious show of hypocrisy. It's not even a delusion, except
in the willful delusion of his own mind. Now let's look at our
text, and I'll be very, very brief. I want to show you four
things. First, a warning, a very solemn
warning. Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The word unrighteous
as it is used here means unjust. It refers to those people who
violate principles of justice in the way they live, in their
dealings with their fellow human beings. By the open acts described in verses 1 through
8 of believers going to law before unbelievers against one another,
Paul is talking about acting unjustly. That's just, that's
not right. Don't you know, don't you know
the unrighteous, the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
And by the pen of this apostle inspired of God, God almighty
excommunicates from his church all those who profess faith in
Christ and live in open sin and unrighteousness. The unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. God requires perfect righteousness. Righteousness such as you and
I cannot perform. Now, it's not too much trouble
for me to appear good in your eyes. That's not too much trouble. I can put on a pretty good show. I can roll out the right words
and I can say and do the right thing so that you see Brother
Don go by and you say, boy, he's a good man. Boy, he's a good
man. But righteousness before God
is something else. Our Savior said, except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees. Ron, they prayed three times
a day. They fasted twice every week. They gave tithes on the
money they had earned, the money they earned by interest in the
bank, and the crops they got out of the fields. They gave
tithes on everything. And they made sure everybody
knew it. They made sure of it. They dressed right, and they
talked right, and they acted right. They were good, good people. You don't have to be better than
that, or you can't enter into glory. Except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. What does
God require? Perfect righteousness. And He
alone gives that perfect righteousness. He makes us righteous in his
son by the sacrifice of his son, giving us the righteousness of
Christ in two ways. He does it in free justification,
imparting to us the righteousness of Christ. And he does it in
free sanctification, imputing to us the righteousness of Christ
in justification, and imparting that righteousness to us in the
new birth, in sanctification, making us partakers of the divine
nature. And by the righteousness of Christ,
we are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light. Brother Todd Nyberg, now we're talking Earlier this
week, he was preaching Colossians 127, Christ in you, the hope
of glory. And he said, Don, I couldn't
find anything written on that verse that was of any help at
all. I'll give some help to you. What's that? Christ living for
you is not your hope. Christ dying for you is not your
hope. Christ rising from the dead for
you is not your hope. That's the basis of hope. You
have no hope until Christ is in you by the new birth. Christ
in you, the scripture says, is the hope of glory. So that the
believer, the person born of God, given faith in Christ, has
faith in Christ, the evidence that Christ is his righteousness
from eternity, that Christ fulfilled all the righteousness of the
law on his behalf, and that faith given by Christ in you, that's
the hope of glory. We are made righteous before
God by God's own work. Not by our doing, but by his
doing. How did the Lord Jesus become
sin for us? How is it that he was made sin?
He never sinned. He never had a bad thought. He
never did anything wrong. But he was made sin for us, and
when he was made sin for us, he had our sin imputed to him,
so that he stood before God's holy law, totally responsible
for all our sin, and satisfied the wrath and justice of God
for all our sin, making us the righteousness of God in him.
And now, being made righteous in the new birth, The righteousness
of God is impeded to us consciously, given by faith in Christ Jesus
the Lord. And we stand before God by God's
own word, by God's own record, by God's own testimony. We stand
before God righteous. That means, Curtis Hall, you are responsible before God. for having performed perfect
righteousness with no sin and God will deal with you accordingly. It's called grace. Free grace
in Christ Jesus the Lord. You got that? God justly punished
his son when he was made sin for us. And God justly rewards
his people with everlasting life. eternal salvation being made
the righteousness of God in him. All right, look back at our text
again. The apostle here, getting this warning, identifies ten
very specific evils so that men won't have any mistake as to
his meaning. What do you mean by unrighteousness?
Don't you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom
of God? Well, Paul, who are you talking about? Fornicators. You see it? Be not deceived,
fornicators shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Does that
mean that a person who commits fornication can ever be saved?
Oh, I don't think so. There have been a few. There
have been a few. That's not what it means. What
does it mean? Talk about a person who lives in fornication. In the Gentile world, among pagan
religious people, that used to be very common. It was as common
as sand on the sea. Just common. Just common. Folks
did the fornication, thought nothing about it. You find it
that way in Gentile societies, much like our Gentile world was
prior to the gospel being spread through the world, when it was
limited to Jews only. in Africa, New Guinea, India,
this place. Folks just commonly live in fornication
and are shocked that anybody objects to it. And today, our
brilliant, educated, refined, morally enlightened society,
it's become common again. So the folks in Danville, Kentucky,
live like barbarians in Africa with bones in their noses in
fornication. And they're shocked. What's wrong
with it? Who are you to judge us? Nobody. The fornicator is not going to
inherit the kingdom of God. It ain't going to happen. It ain't
going to happen. You can have your life if you want, but fornicators
are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Do not deceive. Idolaters shall not inherit the
kingdom of God. Throughout the Old Testament,
Idolatry was referred to as fornication and adultery throughout the Old
Testament. Children of Israel went a-whoring
after other gods. Idolatry, the preference of anything
or anybody to God. Now, Merle Hart, this is what
he's saying. He's not saying no idolater can
be saved. We all have been idolaters. What's he saying? Nobody living
with anything preferred to God in their hearts will inherit
the kingdom of God. That's idolatry. He not deceived,
adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Adultery
today, like fornication, is as common as sunshine. Therefore
it is condoned by society and condoned by preachers, but it
is still a high crime against God. I know to whom I am speaking
and I know for whom I am speaking, therefore I do not mince words.
Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. I know some
of you are divorced and remarried. If you acknowledge and confess
your sin, forget it. What's in the past is in the
past. It's under the blood of the Redeemer. God's forgotten
it. So should you, and so should
I. But we dare not make light and
trivial matters of adultery. Adulterers shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. Be not deceived, effeminate. He's talking about men. Hard
for women to be effeminate. Effeminate men shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. I kind of like the way Governor
Schwarzenegger referred to them, girly boys. That's what he's
talking about. Limp wristed, lightened loafers
fellas. He's talking about sodomites,
homosexuality. The word effeminate means soft,
delicate, womanly. Mamas and daddies listen to this
preacher. If you care for your sons, don't
raise a bunch of sissies. Don't raise a bunch of sissies.
Better for the boy to go to school and get his nose bloodied every
day than be a sissy. Don't raise a bunch of sissies.
Effeminate, soft, delicate, womanly men. Men who assume the role
and identity of women. The specific reference, of course,
is to sodomites. the bestial practice of homosexuality. Be not deceived, abusers of themselves
with mankind shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Solemites,
homosexuals, but more. Those who practice and promote
all sexual deviancy. Wow. That takes in the whole
scope of society. Those who practice and promote
sexual deviancy. You say, well, Brother John,
what are you talking about? Go with your child to one of the
sex education classes in school and listen to the abuser of himself
of mankind. Just go listen. The promotion
and the practice of sexual deviancy. Be not deceived. Thieves shall
not inherit the kingdom of God. Not just folks who rob banks,
but dishonest people. They may be highly respected
by others, but they cheat and steal. They don't pay their bills. They give six hours work for
eight hours pay. Thieves. Be not deceived. Covetous people shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. Stingy, selfish, miserly, greedy
people. Folks who care only for themselves.
Always take and never give, covetous people. Be not deceived, drunkards
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. I'll pause for a moment
here. The scriptures nowhere forbid
or hint that it should be forbidden the use of alcoholic beverage.
If you want to have a glass of wine with your meal, just have
at it. That's fine. If you want to have a beer with
your meal, just have it. That's fine. If you want a little
Jack Daniels with your meal, that's just fine. Or if you want
it without your meal, that's just fine. Nowhere do the scriptures
forbid that. Nothing more evil about that
than drinking Coca-Cola. Probably not a bad for you drinking
a Diet Coke. Nowhere in the scriptures forbid
it. Drunkenness is another word.
Drunkenness is another word. That the scriptures do forbid.
That the scriptures do forbid. Be not deceived, revilers shall
not inherit the kingdom of God. The reviler is a gossip, a slanderer,
one who spreads reproach and scandal and smears the character
and reputation of others. Extortioners. Extortioners. People who get gain at the expense
of others. What's he talking about? Unjust.
The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Doesn't matter
what they profess. Here's a reminder. And such were
some of you. Have I missed anybody? Have I missed anybody? This is
how we lived. walking after the lust of our
flesh. But by grace are you saved. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us. Such were some of you. Look always,
day by day and hour by hour, to the rock from which you were
hewn. and the hole of the pit from
which you were digged, and don't ever forget it. And such were
some of you. That's what we were when God
saved us by his grace, and that's what we are by nature. Years
ago, a young pastor went to have a meal
with a wealthy man in the congregation. First time he'd been to the house,
and after the meal, looking around, The man's huge estate. They walked
by a place and the pastor looked in and he saw just a bare dirt
floor, just unpainted plank walls, just little cutout things hanging
on a wall, nothing, any attraction in it, not a comfortable piece
of furniture in it, anything. And the pastor said, what is
this? He said, what do you mean? He said, well, this huge mansion
you have here. And this place looks like just
utter poverty. And the man said, Pastor, that's
my remembrance room. I like to come here often and
sit on that stool and remember where I came from. Oh, God, let me never forget
where I came from. And such were some of you. Look back at our text. Look at this marvelous, marvelous
change. But ye are washed. Doesn't say you washed yourselves,
does it? Ye are washed. Washed in the blood of Christ.
Washed clean from all sin. washed in redemption and washed
in regeneration. But you are sanctified. The unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God, but you hold it. God's given you perfect holiness. But you are justified. You're
justified. You're right with God. You're
just. You're just God's given you a
new nature and having that new nature in the experience of his
grace now You know you're justified by the obedience of Christ unto
death in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our
God Now Let me give you a very needed admonition verse 19 What
know ye not that your body is is the temple of the Holy Ghost,
which is in you, which you have of God. And Don Fortner, you are not
your own. It means that you're not your
own. That business you've been trying
to make go of Last several years, not yours. That wife sitting
there, that's not yours. Those two children, those grandchildren,
they're not yours. Not yours. The time, not yours. You're not
your own. You're not your own. The money
you got in the bank, not yours. The retirement you've been making
plans for, not yours. Not yours. You are not your own! How come? You're bought with
a price. You're bought with the price
of the blood of God's own Son. Therefore, glorify God in your
body and in your spirits, which are God's. Whatever you do, whatever you do, whatever you do, Do all to the
glory of God. You who are without Christ, I
call you to come to the Savior. Well, Brother Don, the way you've
been preaching this morning, you don't make that sound very
glamorous. Give up everything and come to Christ? Yep, that's
it. Bring everything to Him, your whole life, and lay it down
at His feet, trusting Him. Oh, now, if you ever enter into
this life, how blessed it is to know I'm not my own. Mark Christ bought me. I'm his. I'm his. Just like that boy sitting
right there. He's still yours. That means
he's yours to raise and provide for and take care of. To protect
and to influence and to guide. Yours to love and cherish. I'm bought by the blood of God's
Son. He owns me. I'm the apple of
His eye. Come to Christ. Believe on the
Son of God and go home this day the possession of God's Son in
your soul's experience with the joy of faith in Him. Amen.