DBD - The Immoral Will NOT Inherit the Kingdom

Series: Don’t Be Deceived

Series: Don’t Be Deceived

Lesson Title: They Will Not Inherit the Kingdom

INTRODUCTION

This morning during our first hour, we began a new series titled, “Don’t Be Deceived.” We talked about how this is one of the many dangers that we face as we go out into the world on a daily basis. Whenever we are go to work or to school or college, Satan is on the prowl and wants to see us be deceived. Whenever we spend time with friends or watch tv or listen to the radio, Satan has the desire to deceive God’s people. Really, no matter where we go, we have this danger of being deceived by Satan. Even within the confines of a church building, Satan can deceive God’s people. No place is safe. With this being the case, it is no surprise that often in the Bible, God warns His people against being deceived.

We looked at passages during our first hour that talk about how we can be deceived or blinded by pride. These passages are sobering to consider, and are worth a whole series, because they show not only how Satan can deceive us through worldly means, but as we have seen this morning, we can also deceive ourselves! So it is important for us to understand, not just the tactics of Satan — the tactics he uses to deceive God’s people, but we also need to understand in what kind of ways we can deceive ourselves also.

TITLE

For our lesson this hour, I would like to consider with you a passage from and a few others which talk about another area where we can be deceived. Let’s begin in .

In the context, Paul is dealing with a lot of problems among the Corinthians. There is division caused by pride. There is sexual sin not being dealt with. There are brothers taking each other to court. In many areas they had been deceived. In many areas of their lives, they had begun to look more like the world than saints. They had forgotten many of the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles. They should have known better. Let’s consider verses 9-10 of :

“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, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (, ESV)

Paul reminds them here of a fact that it seems at least some of the Corinthians had been led to either ignore or reject:

Those who are unrighteous — those who do not do what is right and good — there is not the promise of life for them eternally. They will not inherit the Kingdom.

One may ask, “What in the world would lead them to forget this? What would cause them to be deceived in this matter and to allow these type of sins in their number?” What’s amazing about this is verse 11. “And such were some of you.” They had repented of these kind of sins in the past. They were cleansed and forgiven by Christ. The fact that God had been working in Corinth was unmistakable. But now, it seems some were being deceived. Why?

THE REASONS:

I believe the answer lies in what follows. It seems that some were being deceived by things mentioned in verses 12-13.

First, verse 12. There is a phrase that seemed to be gaining traction among the Corinthians. Whether this statement came from a false teacher, from one of the brethren in Corinth, or if they were misunderstanding something that was taught to them, we cannot know for sure. But this is the saying or statement that some in Corinthian were saying: “All things are lawful for me.” They were turning sin into something they had a freedom to do. They were being deceived into thinking that sin would not enslave them again.

And then, in verse 13, it seems that they were giving an excuse/justification for allowing some sin to continue among them: the “God made my body for this” excuse. God made the stomach for food and food for the stomach… Doesn’t it follow that if God made my body to be able to do certain things, that it is well and good to fulfill the needs that my body has?

Doesn’t it follow that since God created us to have sexual relationships that we can use our bodies to have any kind of sexual relationship that we want? Doesn’t the fact that I have the desire for pleasure or an appetite for food mean I can fulfill these desires in any way I want?

They were being deceived, and Paul is trying to wake them up here. Their justifications and excuses are going to rob them of their reward. The deception that they had fallen prey to would rob them of the future promises God had given them.

APPLICATION

The statements and justifications that were popular among the Corinthians were not new. Since the beginning, those who have been in fellowship with God have been being deceived by these types of justifications for sin. It still happens even today. It doesn’t take much time looking at our society to see how Satan has been hard at work. In the world, there are so many examples we could point to in order to show how almost any action that is condemned in scripture is justified today or approved of my someone. Even among God’s people, those who you would not expect to be deceived, many of the same arguments that the Corinthians made are held to. Not much has changed. There are many ideas that we as God’s people can be deceived by. Let’s consider some examples.

Of course, you have the same ideas that the Corinthians were being deceived by:

“God knows my heart.” Yes, I keep on committing this sin, but God knows deep down inside that I love Him and that I am a good person. This is a terrible excuse to commit sin! Jesus says that sin comes from the heart. “21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” (, ESV). Yes, God knows your heart, and if you choose to sin knowing that which is right, what your heart is like is evident, not just to God, but to the person you are saying those words to. Sin comes from a heart that is defiled. “God just wants me to be happy!” This is one that is commonly said by those who commit adultery and divorce. I am not happy in my marriage right now, so I am going to go and do what makes me happy. Does God want you to be happy? God does NOT want you to seek happiness at the expense of your holiness. If seeking sin is “what makes you happy,” then there is a problem. Yes, you may have some type of temporary happiness because the circumstances are more to your liking, but this happiness is temporary. It will end when you see that you miss eternal happiness/blessedness in the kingdom.“I have a disease.” This idea is thrown out there a lot in our society regarding many sins. Some of the most prevalent examples is drunkenness and pornography. Really, almost any addiction that someone can have, the world views it as a disease or some kind of chemical imbalance in your mind that is causing you to perform a certain action. This is not true. Just because someone with letters after their name says you are sick does not mean that you necessarily have lost your free will. You still choose whether to pick up the next drink. You choose to look at something you shouldn’t. You still choose how to respond to your circumstances. “This is just the way I am. I was born this way.” This is a version of the “God made my body for this” statement that Corinthians were saying. Have you ever heard someone say about a brother or sister, “That’s just the way that brother/sister is. They are just impatient. They have been this way for years.” This is one that is often said in the world regarding the sin of homosexuality. Many will say that they were born this way — that they don’t remember a time that they were not this way… Now, I don’t believe this is true, but just for the sake of argument, “Let’s just say it is true… Does the fact that you are born a certain way make an action good or moral when you do it? Does the fact that I was born a heterosexual mean that I can perform any sexual action with any woman that I want and it is acceptable? No, it doesn’t. I still need to submit my desires and my actions to the will of God. I need to show self-control. Even if someone believes they were born as a homosexual, this does not mean that they do not need to submit themselves to the will of God which says that homosexual actions are sinful.

We could look at so many more examples of ideas that we can be deceived by. If you have found yourself saying these types of things to excuse your actions or thinking, then I would encourage you to take Paul’s words to heart, “DO NOT BE DECEIVED, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom.”

PAUL’S ENCOURAGEMENT ()

The Corinthians needed some important reminders to help them in this battle against deception. We would do well to remember the things Paul says in this passage so that we can be strengthened and so that we will not be deceived.

Paul shows once again that their thinking was carnal… They need to keep in mind who they belong to and who will judge them for how they use their bodies. Paul says, “the body is not for immorality.” It belongs to the Lord, and they need to be careful not to use what belongs to the Lord to commit whatever sin they wanted to commit – using what is the Lord’s to sin against the Lord…

Instead of trying to justify sin, they needed to instead, as Paul commands them in v18, to flee it. “Flee fornication.” Sin is not something that we make excuses or justifications to get as close to it as we can or to play around with it. We need to run away from it.

[19] Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. ( ESV)

Do not sin with your body because your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit! And your body, ultimately, is not really yours! God purchased you with the blood of Christ to use your body to serve Him. Use your body glorify the one it belongs to! Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so do not sin with it. Do not defile it with sin.

Don’t forget these things. As we are faced with false ideas in the world — as Satan and those who follow him say things to try to deceive us and to get us to sin, we need to remember

CONCLUSION

As we bring this lesson to a close, I would like to ask you a couple questions. First, if you are a Christian, IS THERE SIN IN YOUR LIFE THAT IS DESECRATING YOUR TEMPLE? I would encourage you to listen to the words of Paul when he says, “DO NOT BE DECEIVED.” These things will keep you out of Heaven. No matter what the word may say about them, they are unrighteous actions that will keep us out of Heaven.

No matter what the sin is, there is no justification for sin in our lives, and we need to be careful not to deceive ourselves into thinking that any sin is safe to practice. Sin separates us from God.

If you are a child of God, you have been saved to serve and glorify Christ with your body. How are you doing at this? Is there is sin in your life that you have not confessed and repented of? Is there a sin that has taken all the life out of you and has enslaved you?

If you have not yet obeyed the Gospel, take verses 9-11 to heart. All of these sins that Paul describes can keep you out of Heaven (and this list is not an exhaustive list). The Corinthians were guilty of all of the sins that Paul describes in verses 9-10, but they were forgiven of them. They were made holy habitations for God whenever they obeyed the Gospel. They had their sins washed away when they were baptized in the name of Christ and were given spiritual life by the Holy Spirit. No matter what sins you are guilty of, if you believe the Gospel and want to give your life to Christ to live for Him, you can be baptized into to Christ today and be forgiven by God.

If there is anything we can do to help you know the Lord and to be victorious over sin in your life, why don’t you make your need known as together we stand and sing?