WHO WILL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: I CORINTHIANS 6:9-11




INTRODUCTION:


  1. I would like to speak today on the subject of the kingdom of God.
  2. This great theme can be found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. It is a theme that unifies all Scripture.
  3. At this point, I should stop and define the term, kingdom of God. There are probably not a few people in the room who are thinking right now, "What is the kingdom of God?"
  4. Some see the kingdom of God as entirely spiritual. Therefore, it is invisible and nonmaterial. It is the kingdom in which God rules over the hearts of men. They say things like, "Let’s support more missionaries, so more souls can be added to the kingdom." There certainly is a Scriptural basis for this (cf. John 3:3).
  5. On the other hand, there are those who view the kingdom as a literal, earthly kingdom; a realm in which the Lord Jesus Christ will rule. Since the Bible describes it as lasting for one thousand years, we often refer to it as the millennial kingdom, or the millennium. It will be both spiritual and material. So, there is a Scriptural basis for this position.
  6. There is another view that is popular with the liberals. They see the kingdom of God as some sort of earthly utopia, brought about through social and economic reform. Those who hold this view are usually not saved, and they have replaced the true Gospel for a social gospel.
  7. Yet another group sees the kingdom of God as synonymous with the church, and so they use the terms interchangeably. There is no Scriptural basis for this.
  8. Finally, there are Scriptures where the kingdom of God is understood as the future home of those who are saved. In this sense, it is as another term for heaven. I believe this is how the apostle Paul is using it in I Cor.6:9,10.
  9. He brings out three simple truths in this passage and I will deal with them this today.
  1. NOT EVERY ONE SHALL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6:9)
  2. THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6:9,10)
  3. ONE HAS TO BE WASHED, SANCTIFIED, AND JUSTIFIED IN ORDER TO INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6:11)
  1. NOT EVERY ONE SHALL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6:9).
    1. My daughter Rachel, Bro. Lubiano, and I were out knocking on doors months ago and we met a strange fellow who believes that everyone is going to heaven.
    2. I realize that this is a very popular idea, but the Bible does not teach it.
    3. Jesus plainly said that there will be some who are "thrust out" of the kingdom of God (cf. Luke 13:24-28).
    4. And for those who are thrust out, "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Luke 13:28). This refers to the torments of hell.
    5. This fellow we met insisted that heaven was eternal but hell was very brief and temporary – my friends, that is wishful thinking (cf. Matt.25:46).
    6. If some one were to tell you that they do not want to work because they are hoping some rich relative will die and leave them money, you would say, "That’s wishful thinking – you had better wake up!"
    7. And yet there are several people in this room today who are even more mixed-up than that – you are hoping that somehow, some way, when you leave this old world, everything is going to turn out alright – even though the Bible says just the opposite!
    8. The Word of God is clear: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?" (6:9).
  1. THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6:9,10)
    1. The Bible is very specific about the kind of people who cannot enter into heaven. There are several of these lists in the New Testament (cf. Rev.21:8; 22:15).
    2. And yet, there are people who are guilty of these sins and still feel that they have a home waiting for them up in heaven! Oh, the deceitfulness of sin!
    3. The devil has blinded their minds into thinking that they are saved when in reality they have never been born again.
    4. Let me stop here for a moment and say that the Bible does not teach that a person can get saved, then go out and commit these terrible sins, and then lose his salvation.
    5. Rather, it is saying that people who commit these sins are not saved (cf. I John 3:9,10; 5:18,19).
    6. Let’s examine this list and see these characteristic sins of lost men and women:
      1. Fornication – immorality before marriage. Young people, be careful – what you do now will have consequences and can effect your entire life.
      2. Fornicators and adulterers are listed separately because there is a distinction – both are very wrong in the eyes of God (cf. I Cor.5:10).
      3. Idolatry (cf. I Cor.5:9,10). Praying to statues, lighting candles, "saints" on the dashboard of peoples’ cars, etc. However, idolatry is more than just worshipping idols – some people worship the almighty dollar. Also, the fact that "idolaters" are sandwiched in between fornicators and adulterers suggests that there is a close connection. Back in Paul’s day, the most disgusting immorality took place in the heathen temples.
      4. "Effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind" refers to sissies and sex perverts, the so-called "gays."
      5. Thievery – people are so bad here in NY that when people are injured in an automobile accident, thieves rush over and steal their wallets and other belongings.
      6. The sin of covetousness is always listed among the most wicked of sins (cf. Mark 7:21-23; Eph.5:3-8; Col.3:5-7; II Tim.3:1-5).
      7. Drunkenness – this is the #1 drug problem in America today; I believe Christians should completely abstain from alcohol. It is a poor testimony when a Christian drinks booze (cf. Pro.20:1; 23:29-35). There was a wealthy young Englishmen named Frederick N. Charrington, who was out one night with some friends in the streets of London. While walking past a bar, he saw a crying woman being beaten up in front by her drunken husband. She was pleading with him, "Please give me some money, the children are hungry." As the enraged husband punched her to the ground, Charrington and his friends came to her rescue. Soon the police arrived and took the couple away and Charrington happened to glance up at the neon sign in big letters over the barroom door – DRINK CHARRINGTON BEER. He felt sick as he realized that his family made their millions selling a beverage that was destroying peoples’ lives and damning them to the eternal fires of hell. He vowed that night to dedicate his life to fighting the liquor business. He gave up a fortune of $6 million and was a leader in the temperance movement in England.
      8. "Revilers" are those who abuse others with their mouths (or sometimes with their typewriters!). The singular is "railer" in 5:11.
      9. Extortioners are crooks who try and take advantage of those less fortunate.
    1. Before moving on, let me clarify some things. It is possible for a saved man to be guilty of one of these sins – but if he continually practices these sins, he was never truly saved.
    2. It is also possible for an unsaved man to be guilty of all these horrible sins, and then to repent and get saved ("And such were some of you…").
    3. The city of Corinth was well-known for its wickedness. To say, "He lives like a Corinthian," meant that the person was a filthy degenerate. These Corinthian Christians were saved out of this sordid life-style (vs. 11). This brings me to my final point.
  1. ONE HAS TO BE WASHED, SANCTIFIED, AND JUSTIFIED IN ORDER TO INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6:11)
    1. "Washed" refers to being cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. I John 1:6,7; Rev.1:5). This is the "washing of regeneration" (cf. Titus 3:5), not baptism. There is no water in any of these verses.
    2. One of my favorite Gospel songs is "Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?" Are you washed in the blood?
    3. After we are washed in the blood, we need to stay clean through reading, studying, memorizing, and obeying the Word of God (cf. Ps.119:9; John 15:3).
    4. After we are washed, we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Sanctification has three aspects:
      1. Positional sanctification – by this I mean that the Christian is sanctified (holy) the moment he trusts Jesus Christ as his Saviour. Christians do not become saints – Christians are saints.
      2. Experiential sanctification – this depends upon our obedience to Christ, our walk with Him, our separation from sin and worldliness, and so on. Experiential sanctification is the result of yieldedness to God.
      3. Ultimate sanctification – this will not happen until we meet our Lord in glory (cf. I John 3:2,3).
    1. The repentant sinner is washed, sanctified, and justified (6:11), i.e., declared righteous.
    2. Justification is a legal term, used of the acquitted. The apostle Paul uses it for the act of God whereby, on the basis of Christ’s atoning death, He declares believers to be just.

CONCLUSION:

  1. Let me conclude by asking this important question – do you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross?
  2. A great preacher named L.W. Munhall was preaching the Gospel one day and told his audience that it was Christ alone who saves, it was Christ who seeks after sinners, it was Christ who stands knocking at the door.
  3. He then exhorted them to trust in Christ and Christ alone. He said that there is not even a command to any sinner to pray before believing.
  4. A challenge came from some minister in the audience, who quoted Rom.10:13, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
  5. "Yes," said Dr. Munhall, "but read the next verse: ‘How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?’"
  6. Do you believe? If you do, then you shall inherit the kingdom of God. If not, the Bible says you are lost and under the wrath of God.
  7. And unless you repent, you will spend eternity with all of these wicked people described for us here in I Cor.6:9 and 10.


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