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18 May:
Sinners Will NOT Inherit the Kingdom of God
Last week we looked at how much God loves us and has blessed us but there is also the fact that we have responsibilities in that relationship. We are expected to fulfill the two great commandments to love God and love our neighbor. And just as there are rewards/blessings for us in our being faithful and trusting so there are punishments in being unfruitful. The parable of the sheep and goats illustrate this perfectly. The sheep are invited to inherit the kingdom prepared for them since the foundation of the world and the goats are sent into the eternal fire.
Now how do we put ourselves into the sheep herd??? John gives us good advice regarding this:
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him.” 1 John 3:3-6 “And everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or know Him.” Gal 3:7 “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” These passages address the issue of commitment and lifestyle. Those who have put on Christ are now walking with Him and their lives reflect a changed status and a changed attitude and lifestyle. We no longer walk the way the world walks but instead, how Christ walks.
Today I want to take a look at the passage in 1 Cor 6:1-6 where Paul addresses the situation where one Christian brother was taking another Christian brother to court – courts and judges of this world instead of taking care of it in-house. REMEMBER – one of the “Great” commandments is to love our neighbor:
1 Cor 6:7-11 “7Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8On the contrary, you yourselves do wrong and defraud. And this to your brothers and sisters! 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 effeminate,10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
1 Cor 6:7-11 “7Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8On the contrary, you yourselves do wrong and defraud. And this to your brothers and sisters! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? As you can see in this passage Paul is linking brothers having legal difficulties with each other as being unrighteous and losing their home in heaven. Mtt 7:21, 23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” I Cor 8:3 “but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” Obviously Jesus is connecting those who are not doing God’s will and being unknown my God. On the other side of the coin, those who love God, know and obey God, and are known and blessed by God. In this Cor passage Paul is illustrating that how we love our neighbor/brother is a reflection on our relationship with God Himself.
1 Cor 6:9,10 “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 effeminate,10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” If you look closely, you will notice that none of these last categories break the Ten Commandments. These categories do violate the qualities that Christians should be developing under the help of the Holy Spirit. In the Cor letter Paul is condemning the behavior of some in the Church members who were suing and taking to court other members of God’s Church. Then he lumps these individuals with other sinners. Let me repeat that here is list of “LIFESTYLES” which Paul condemns and clarifies as being such that those who are doing these things are NOT going to inherit the kingdom of God, they are not going to be invited into spending eternity with the Father.
THERE are the two futures that lie before us – entrance into God’s eternal kingdom or denial into that kingdom and experiencing the weeping and gnashing of teeth in the eternal fire.
Here, in 1 Cor 6, Paul lists the behaviors that will condemn us if we participate in them.
Qualities condemned by the Lord:
- Those who take their brothers to court and therefore lack love, peace, patience, kindness (fruits of the Holy Spirit), forgiveness and humility with their Christian family. 1 Cor 6:7 “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?” Mtt 22:39 “The second (great commandment) ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Mtt 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. …”
In this first category are those Christians who refuse to show forgiveness and humility toward one another. I am reminded of the parable with one man being forgiven 10,000 talents and then has a fellow servant thrown into prison because he owed 100 denarii. Paul is illustrating to us here how important our relationships with one another are. Do you remember the question Peter asked Jesus with regard to how often are we to forgive our brother? Do you remember Jesus’ answer: 70 x 7.
2). Thieves, covetous (greedy), revilers, swindlers: As you can see these are relationship sins so they fit very well in Paul’s mind with those who are backstabbing their fellow brother and sister. Obviously, none of these actions are following the qualities listed as coming from the Holy Spirit and are certainly not “loving your neighbor.”
These are qualities in a person who is doing harm to others in order to help themselves. These qualities are the extreme opposite of someone who is like the Good Samaritan - someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves to help someone in need. These types of people are acting in such a way that they are putting themselves first over and above others! Paul is telling us these people do NOT have a relationship with the Lord and will not receive eternal life with the Lord. This reminds me of the parable of the rich man passing Lazarus every day but makes no effort to help.
3). Sexually immoral, fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, drunkards. Ex 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.” Mtt 5:28 “but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Lev 18:22/ 20:13 “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” (Rom 1:26,27 /1 Tim 1:9,10) Ephesians 5:18 “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 5:11 “I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.”
In each of these areas people are acting according to their fleshly desires – disregarding what God has established as natural and appropriate. In today’s climate of accepting anything and everything, we need to understand and hold to that which is right according to what God approves and/or disapproves.
What is the right response to God’s ways:
- Know and obey: 2 Tim 3:16,17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for corrections, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Rom 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Prov 14:12 “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” Prov 21:2 “A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.” 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world, The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” These passages tell us that it is possible for us to see things in a way that is not God’s way. But it also tells us NOT to let this happen. We are to stay on the course that God has set us on, as His children and servants.2 Tim 3:16 tells us that Scripture is the inspired words of God which we are to use to train ourselves and become the person God wants us to be. All of our actions are motivated and directed by who we have our relationship with – God or the world(self).
- Change and become obedient: “Such were some of you”. This indicates a past tense nature of the qualities which they had in the past and that it has changed. These qualities have been removed – they are a changed person. 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if anyone I in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Eph 4:22-24 “In reference to your former manner of life, lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” This means our old ways of living have been removed and are no longer the way we live.
How did such a change occur?
“Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” God cleansed them of their sins through the shed blood of Christ. Col 2:13 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions”. Eph 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”. Heb 10:10 “By this we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
We have been washed clean by the blood of Christ and have been set apart, sanctified, set apart by God. We are no longer under the control of sin or our earthly passions. We have been justified, made right, in the sight of God. We have been freed from any charge or punishment that the old man deserved. We are not able to enter into the kingdom of God.
THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS – THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST! We can still be tempted and still make wrong choices, but we can also have the Spirit living within us and helping us become who God wants us to be. We can use the Word to guide us and keep us on the path of righteousness.
11 May: Fruitless Fig Tree: Luke 13:6-9
Luke 13:6-9 “And He began telling this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And the landowner said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground? And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer If it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.” Typically, this parable is used to illustrate the importance of being fruitful and productive in our Christian walk here on this earth. But I think there is also an important message here about how much God has provided and how much He wants to provide for us. He has done many things to take care of His people. In the same way that the fig tree was planted in His vineyard Adam and Eve was placed in the Garden of Eden. Then Moses, working through the miracles of God, brought Israel out of slavery and into Canaan, the promised land, flowing with milk and honey. When Israel strayed from God’s path and worshipped false idols God would send calamities upon them until they repented and cried out. God would then deliver them and bless them as if nothing happened. God watched over them and cared for them and desired the best for them:
Jer 29:11,12 “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” The degree to which God took care of His people is clearly expressed by the 23rd Psalm: Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want….” And many other passages and Psalm as well. Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to Her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!”
God truly loves and cares for each and everyone of us. God has put His umbrella of love and care over us by bringing us into His family so that He might be a Father to us: Eph 1:5 “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” Gal 4:4,5 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, . . . . that we might receive the adoption as sons. Rom 8:15 “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father!” Eph 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.”
I am not sure what Paul has in mind when he speaks of spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm nor did any of the commentaries I read clear this up. But regardless of what Paul is specifically referring to – he definitely believes that God is watching over us and blesses us in ways that only He could. God has enriched us with the Holy Spirit which brings the life-giving fruit we see in Gal 5:22. In THIS fruit we find the fulfillment of the abundant life we have been promised.
And then there is the critical and clear blessing which we have been given in our adoption into God’s family. He has brought us into His family so that He might bless and protect us. And as His children we will receive an inheritance which He has planned for us:
1 Peter 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.”
Luke 6:23 “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. . . . “
John 14:2,3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
So clearly God blesses us here on earth as we receive that “abundant life” where His yoke is easy and His burden is light and then we leave this life to spend eternity with the Father in heaven.
But there is another side to this coin. Being in the family of God enables us to come to Him in our struggles but it also brings with it responsibilities. Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we must keep His commandments. Adam and Eve in the perfect place of harmony and well-being had to keep God’s laws even then. And when they did not, they were cast out into a broken world of weeds and pain and death – spiritual and physical.
During the years in Canaan God was continually bringing pestilence, invasions and other forms of punishment because of their sinful ways of living. Similarly, there awaits for us punishment and consequences for the “Prodigal Son” actions which we engage in during our lives.
Heb 10:26,27 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgement and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” 1 Cor 6:9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” Rev 2:4,5 “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ...” Rom 2:3ff “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? . . . But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. ...”
Those of us who are sitting here this day are living in God’s vineyard. The question which should arise is “are we bearing fruit?” The great news is if we are then there awaits for us a place prepared by the Lord in heaven, at God’s right hand. There is a crown of life waiting for us. But if we, like the scribe and Pharisee pass by on the other side of the road – if we are like the goats failing to cloth the naked and feed the hungry then we will also stand condemned. Mtt 25:41-46 (paraphrased) “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, naked and thirsty to which you did not respond. To the extent that you did not do it to one of these you did not do it to Me! These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The good news is that in the parable the vineyard-keeper is given one more year to dig around and fertilize the tree to see if it can begin to produce. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is patient and long-suffering, not wanting any to perish. But we need to realize that like with all of Jesus’s parables, if we do not allow the Spirit of God to work in our lives – we will be cut off from His presence.
4 May: Why Do We Give?
Tithing in the Old Testament: 1) Tithing Given in Response to Blessings:
A) Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek, “a priest of God Most High”. (Gen. 14:20),
B) Jacob at Bethel promised God a tenth of everything granted him if He would bless and protect him. (Gen. 28:22).
C) A tenth of Israel’s seed, fruit, and flocks were given to the Lord (Lev. 27:30–32; Deut. 14:22–24; 2 Chron. 31:5,6; Neh. 13:5, 12).
Here we can see that giving was an action that occurred as a result of God blessing them. When we look at our lives today, when we consider situations that have caused us to struggle in years past – do we have reason to be thankful??? If we are following the lessons shown us in Scripture – is there reason to respond to God in appreciation of what we have???
2) Tithing Given in Response to Commands:
A) The people gave a tenth to the Levites to support them (Num. 18:21–24; cf. Neh. 10:38; 12:44).
B) Levites, in turn, were to give a tenth to the chief priest (Num. 18:25–28).
C) Those who didn’t tithe were threatened with a curse, while those who did tithe were promised blessing (Mal. 3:8–10).
You can see here that the Israelites were commanded to tithe to the priesthood because that is how God was providing for them. The other eleven tribes were given an inheritance and given provisions from the land – the Levites were being given provisions from the people. This is the people’s expression of thankfulness to the Levite’s for being an intermediary between them and God.
3) Why Tithing Is Not Required Today
A) Believers are no longer under the Mosaic covenant (Rom. 6:14–15; 7:5–6; Gal. 3:15–4:7; 2 Cor. 3:4–18).
B) The examples of Abraham and Jacob are not in response to a “rule” given them to follow. voluntary
1) Both Abraham and Jacob gave a tenth in those proscribed instances and they both lived before the Mosaic covenant was in place. There are no verses dictating follow on behavior.
2) Abraham’s gift to Melchizedek was a one-time event; there is no evidence he regularly gave God a tenth.
3) Jacob’s giving of a tenth signified his gratefulness to God for promising to be with him and to protect him. His gratefulness and generosity still speak to us today, but a historical description of what Jacob gave doesn’t support the idea that all believers must give God a tenth of their income.
C. Tithes were given to the Levites and priests, but there are no Levites and priests in the new covenant. Levites and priests were tied to the sacrificial system of the old covenant. Their sustenance required the giving of the other eleven tribes. Now, all believers are priests (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6), with Jesus as our Melchizedekian high priest (Heb. 7).
Rebuttal: in our system of worship today there are debt requirements that must be met. We have staff members, electric bills / mortgage payments, etc. that requires an income for the church. WE are not responsible free! Just like Israel had to give to sustain their religious system today we have to give to sustain our system of worshipping.
D. When Jesus affirmed the tithe, it was before the dawn of the new covenant.
Some defend tithing by saying Jesus praised tithing (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42). Jesus also mentioned offering sacrifices in the temple (Matt. 5:23–24), but we don’t find a “need” to do that! Our Lord’s words are understandable when we think about His location and time in redemptive history.
Jesus spoke about sacrifices and tithing before the cross and resurrection, before the dawn of the new covenant before the Holy Spirit led Paul to write that the Old Testament decrees have been nailed to the cross. He kept the law since He was “born under the law” (Gal. 4:4). But we can no more take His words as a commendation for tithing today than we can His words about offering sacrifices.
5. Nowhere is tithing mentioned when commands to give generously are found in the New Testament. When Christians are instructed to give to the poor, they aren’t commanded to give “the poor tithe.” Instead, they are instructed to be generous in helping those in need (Acts 2:43–47; 4:32–37; 11:27–30; Gal. 2:10; 1 Cor. 16:1–4; 2 Cor. 8:1–9:15). For example, 1 Cor 16:1–4 – a passage often cited in popular circles in support of tithing – doesn’t mention tithing; it relates to a one-time gift to be given for the struggling saints in Jerusalem.
So ARE we to Give?
Even though tithing isn’t required today, it does not follow that believers should hoard their possessions. We are commanded to support those who preach the gospel (Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:6–14; 1 Tim. 5:17,18). And while we should enjoy the good things God gives us, we are also called to be generous to those in need (1 Tim. 6:17–19; 2 Cor. 8–9). Wealth can so easily become an idol, leading us to abandon the Lord. And what kind of person is the Holy Spirit guiding us to be? 5/8
In recent lessons we have looked at the kind of person – the kind of qualities that are supposed to be alive within us and guiding us in our daily life. Gal 5:22,23 speaks of 8 qualities which are to be in our lives and of those 8 – 5 of them are qualities which speak to the type of relationship we are to have with others. If these kind of qualities are alive and well within us then there should be no resistance to the idea of sharing financially with those around us who are in need. When we do so, we are following the example found at the end of Acts 4 where the saints were selling what they had to support those who were staying in Jerusalem rather than go back to their homes and businesses.
So “Why” and “Where” does giving occur in our lives???
Someone has aptly phrased “put your money where your mouth is” AND “where your treasure is – there will be your heart”. In most of our lives, where we spend our money is where our priorities lie.
“HOW” are we to give??? I am going to leave that for you to figure out. The Good Samaritan gave in a variety of ways when he stopped and offered assistance to the beaten/robbed man. In the parable of the sheep “some” gave food, “some” gave clothes, “some” gave water and “some” gave time for visiting. The important thing I want to do today is to convince you that “some” sacrifice is called for in our Christian Walk. What does Luke 9:23 tell us? Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” NOW, what in that COMMAND catches your attention???
1) “Whoever wants to be My disciple/follower: that means following Him is following His example. What example stands out to you regarding Jesus’ life? How giving and sacrificial was Christ during His life here on earth? Rom 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2). Our giving reflects the character of God that is or is NOT living within us. Now you might ask what is the godly characteristic of God that I am referring to and that would be the relationship qualities that the Holy Spirit is trying to develop within us. That would be the quality found in God which caused Him to sacrifice His Son to restore our relationship with Him. Our giving reflects the attitude and compassion that we have for God’s other children. If He was wiling to give His Son – we should ask ourselves what and how much are we willing to give – remembering the parable of the Good Samaritan – told in response to the question “how do we show love to our neighbor.” Consider: Titus 2:14 “. . . to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.” Sheep/Acts 4 This recalls to my mind, again, the giving the sheep did to others around them. I am reminded again of how the early church sold their possessions and gave to their new Family as we saw in Acts 4:37.
How we give illustrates the heart of compassion that we have for others. Just as God loved us and gave His Son for us we must love others and give to their needs.
3) “must deny themselves and take up their cross daily: to do this properly we must have the desire to do so. We must also have the trust that God will take care of us. That is what Jesus promised in His Sermon on the Mount – that God knows what we need and will provide.
It is also what God’s Holy Words tells us: Malachi 5:8 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Jer 17:7 “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.” Isn't the point of digging down to the rock to build our house is that we are going to trust Him in the storms which will come into our lives?
4) What are some Scriptural support for the importance of our being giving followers of Christ? Deut 15:7,8,10,11 “