1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ~ 20131006 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
10/06 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Such Were Some of You ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20131006_1cor6_9-11.mp3
6:9 Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι θεοῦ βασιλείαν οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται 10 οὔτε κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν. 11 καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε· ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν.
1Cor 6 [ESV2011]
6:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
This is one of the most beautiful descriptions of the transforming power of the gospel found anywhere in the bible, and it comes in the context of sexual immorality and lawsuits in the church. The darkest of sins provide the backdrop for the grace of God to be seen in all its vivid majesty. The Corinthian believers were ripping each other off, taking each other to court, wronging and defrauding their own brothers. They were displaying their misunderstanding and misapplication of the cross. They were not living in sync with the gospel. Paul says that by taking one another to court, they are already admitting defeat, defeat of a much greater magnitude than they would ever sustain in the courts of their day. Jesus asked 'what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36)' Those in the church in Corinth were in grave danger of being self-deceived on the most serious of all issues; they might believe they were on their way to heaven, when in reality they would spend eternity separated from the presence of God.
Unforgiveness will Keep You From God's Kingdom
This issue of forgiveness really is that serious. Jesus taught us to pray that God would
Matthew 6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And then he said:
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Lawsuits in the church was evidence of a lack of forgiveness. What a terrifying thing to forfeit the forgiveness of God because of my own self-centeredness and greed. If I demand my own rights, I just might get what I deserve, and that is a fearful prospect. Jesus told a story that drives home this point. Peter was asking him how often we should forgive a brother who sinned against him. The story is in Matthew 18.
Matthew 18:23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
To feel the weight of this story, we need to understand that one talent was the equivalent of about 20 years wages of a laborer. So the debt the servant owed, ten thousand talents, was the equivalent of 200,000 year's wages. In contrast, a denarius was one day's wages for a laborer, so the servant was owed 100 day's wages. If you only earned a dollar a day, the servant was owed $100 by his fellow servant, but he owed the king 52 million dollars (and remember, that is if you only make one dollar a day; if you make $30,000 a year, that would be $6 billion). At first read, we might think the king harsh, who would sell the servant, his wife, and his children, so that the debt could be paid. But when we realize the magnitude of his debt, the obscene embezzlement that he was guilt of to put himself in that much debt, the insane lifestyle it would take to spend so much, the punishment seems mild. And the king was willing to forgive him the entire debt! Now we begin to feel how outrageous this servant's attitude was toward his fellow servant who had wronged him so little.
Our refusal to forgive demonstrates that we do not understand what it cost us to be forgiven. Unforgiveness toward a fellow servant shows what little appreciation we have for the weight of our own debt before God. This kind of unforgiving attitude displays that our heart has not been touched at all by the good news.
Unrighteous Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God
Paul asks the fifth of ten questions in 1 Corinthians indicting their ignorance of basic truth. 'Do you not know?' These are things that should be self-evident truths, plain for all to see. You, who claim to be so wise, do you not know? 'Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?' God is a righteous God, and his kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness. For God's kingdom to be a righteous kingdom, no one who is unrighteous can be admitted.
Do Not Be Deceived
Paul again warns his readers not to be deceived, not to be led astray from the straight path. There is a danger here of being misled. There is a deceptive danger to think that because God is gracious and compassionate and slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness, then we can continue to willfully embrace a lifestyle of open rebellion toward him and expect him to put up with it. Paul warns us that we must not be deceived. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.
He expands his list of behaviors and attitudes from chapter 5 that are incompatible with those who have experienced the new birth.
Sexual immorality is incompatible with genuine Christianity. Sexual addiction, pornography, any kind of sexual intimacy with anyone outside of a monogamous marriage relationship is out of step with the gospel.
Idolatry is unacceptable among those who claim to follow Jesus. Allowing anything or anyone to be more significant to you than God is idolatry. Sports heroes or celebrities or video games or pastimes or recreation or work or money or husband or wife or children or anything that consumes more of your energy and attention and affection than God may be an idol, and bowing to any other god is incompatible with the gospel.
Adultery, dishonoring the marriage covenant, being unfaithful to one's vows before God, is not to be tolerated among those who have been made part of the church, the bride of Christ. Covenant unfaithfulness is incompatible with the people of God.
Homosexuality is not an alternative for those who belong to Christ. Paul uses two distinct words here, referring to the active and passive partners in a homosexual relationship, which are together translated 'men who practice homosexuality' in our version. Same-sex intimacy is contrary to nature according to Romans 1, and is contrary to the gospel.
Thieves, those who take what does not belong to them, even if they use the legal system to do it, should not expect a part in the kingdom of God.
Greedy, those who are eager for gain, those who hold on to things and want more and more and more, do not show evidence that God is all-satisfying.
Drunkards, those who come under the control or influence of any substance are not being controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Revilers, those who are abusive, mistreating others with word or deed. These are not transformed by the word of God.
Swindlers, extortioners, those who by force or cunning would defraud or scam others.
Do not be deceived, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
This is not a checklist of bad things to avoid in order to pass the test and enter heaven. Rather, these behaviors and attitudes are evidence of a heart that has not been transformed by the grace of God. Those who persist in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, they will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Inheriting the Kingdom
Note that Paul does not say 'they will not earn the kingdom. Twice he uses this word 'inherit'. An inheritance is something that happens to sons. An inheritance cannot be earned. An inheritance is given. It is what comes to those who are in the family. And within a family, there are family resemblances. A son begins to act like his father.
And Such Were Some of You!
1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Now we get to the good news in this passage. 'And such were some of you!' There is hope for the idolater. There is hope for the drunk, for the alcoholic, for the substance abuser. There is hope for the sexually immoral, for the adulterer, for the one who struggles with porn or homosexuality. There is hope for the thief, for the greedy, for the con artist, for the liar, for the cheat. There is hope for the abusive. There is hope for the unrighteous, and we all were unrighteous. But note the past tense. 'Such were some of you'. That is what we once were. But those things define us no longer. We are those things no more. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. But Jesus did not come to call righteous people. He came to call sinners (Mk.2:17). Sinners like you. Sinners like me.
The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. But in Christ Jesus, we are unrighteous no longer. We have been clothed in the perfect righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been adopted into his family, we have been made new.
But You Were Washed
We were washed. Jesus said:
Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Jesus' primary concern is the heart. When the heart of a sinner is transformed, it will naturally produce good fruit. We were filthy. We were all the things that are abhorrent to God. But in Jesus, we are cleansed thoroughly, inside and out. 1 John says:
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
We have this picture of the saints in Revelation:
Revelation 7:14 ... They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Listen to this prophesy in Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
We have been thoroughly cleansed, made new, given a new heart and the Holy Spirit.
Paul in Romans views this cleansing through the lens of baptism:
Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ... 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Our old self was crucified with Christ and we have been raised to a new kind of life. We were washed.
You Were Sanctified
We were sanctified. Set apart. Made holy. Paul was sent by Jesus to the Gentiles
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Jesus prayed for his followers:
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Paul prayed:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
You Were Justified
We were justified. Acquitted. Declared not guilty. Pronounced righteous. Jesus told the story of the two who went to the temple to pray. He says:
Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The one who admitted his sin and cried out to God for mercy was justified by God.
Romans tells us:
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we believe in Jesus, we are counted righteous in Christ. We are set apart. We are washed clean.
In The Name
We are washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All these things happen to us based on the reputation and character of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. The triune God, Father, Son and Spirit is at work to take a sinner and transform him into a saint, qualified to inherit the kingdom of God. You may be sexually immoral, an idolater, an adulterer, a homosexual, a thief, greedy, drunk, slanderous, swindling, but God can transform your heart and make you new. You can be washed, sanctified, justified, made righteous in his sight. Cry out to him for mercy and he will rescue you.