Jan 14:23

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The unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God

27.04.2021 evening sermon

The unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God

Yesterday we said that the new heaven and the new earth would be occupied by righteousness. In 1 Corinthians 6:9, it’s written as follows:

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 homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 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.

As if we were forbidden from entering. And it is also written in the Word of God that such people, even if they were believers who attend gatherings, would not enter the Kingdom of God and they would not inherit eternity.

In the Book of Revelation 22:15, there is written: “Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

In the Book of Revelation 21:8, “But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” They will not enter the Kingdom of God, but they will be thrown into the lake of fire.

I wrote it down from the Greek-Polish: “Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral”. The Greek word pornoi is written down here and it has a broad meaning: debauchee, the sexually immoral, sodomite, homosexual, adulterer and promiscuous. But most of all he is such a debauchee and Sodom was full of them. One who is ruled by the lust of the body and is not crucified.

In 1 Corinthians 5:9, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person.”

The apostle Paul writes that there are some believers who call themselves brothers, but actually, they are debauchees. He says not to even eat with such men who call themselves brothers and it is certain that they live in sin. He claims not to meet with such people.

            Then, there are idolaters. This is eidoloratrai – one who serves the image of a god, who serves this god ; this is the idolater. Such people will not enter the Kingdom of God either. God is righteous and He will not let those who live against God’s Righteousness and Law.

            In Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, etc.”

They changed the glory of the Immortal God into images of a mortal man – those people, who are found in such a condition, won’t enter the Kingdom of God. They are idolaters. Knowing about God and that it was God who has created it, they changed the glory of the Immortal God into some pictures and they claim that it is Jesus. Or they portray a grandfather and say he’s God. Even in Christian books and in the very beginning there was a grandfather and he was supposed to be God/god. From the very beginning, they introduce idolatry to children and then also other images that apparently serve something, but in fact, they are made to infect children’s minds.

            1 Samuel 15:22, “Samuel said: “Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. Since you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” Insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. Insubordinate people who don’t want to obey God create their own place that God calls worshiping another god and following their whim. And they say they obey God. That’s why, those who create different images are insubordinate towards God and disobedient to Him.

            Then, there are adulterers – moichoi – it exactly means “adulterer”. Leviticus 20:10, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.” It was already known in the Law of Moses that such a man couldn’t remain among God’s people. The same thing is that such a man won’t enter the Kingdom of God.

            Luke 16:18, “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” It was taught that when a spouse divorces his wife and goes off with someone else, a person who has been left has the right to get married with another person. It was invented. And the Word of God tells us very clearly: “...and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” So it’s not possible that when someone left, went off with someone else, the other person has the right to get married. Such a person is also an adulterer or an adulteress.

            In Romans 7:3 a lot of people have been led astray: “So then, if while her husband is alive she gives herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she gives herself to another man.” Nowadays, this sin is becoming more and more popular among believers. More and more people live in adulterous relationships and it is said about them that they won’t inherit the Kingdom of God. These people have been deceived for a transient pleasure of sin. They give all eternity with God and they are told that God is in it so that they can do it. It is the devil’s great deception and many people got into it because the pastor or the older believers told them that “God isn’t against it. Since the person went away, you can take the other one”, and other things that they invent. But the adulterer won’t inherit the Kingdom of God. The entrance to those who live in this sin is closed.

They can be preachers, congregation elders, pastors, evangelists - they can be anyone, it doesn’t matter. This sin separates them from inheriting the Kingdom of God. Nothing can cover up the sin and make sin covered up because someone converted some people. Sin is sin. If a man comes to his senses and gives it up, it’s possible to be purified and live in a way worthy of God.

            Then, we have: nor lechers... – there is another word: malakoi – it means soft, gentle, lenient, kind (it looks quite nice), sensual, promiscuous, effeminate. It is a man, as some people say, who doesn’t have backbone, isn’t permanent in the Lord. He is like a coquet – he behaves in a way so that everywhere it would be profitable. He’s soft, it could seem that he’s nice. Sometimes we see such people and it is so sad to see such behaviour because it’s so unpleasant. And this word says about such people.

            The Lord Jesus in Matthew 11:8, “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!” This is in this verse where is used this exact word. Clothing is written in addition because the same word is quoted elsewhere and clothing is added. It’s about soft clothes – dressed in softness, as in subtlety, as if he was gentle, kind, but there is sensuality and promiscuity in it. There is plenty of it in the old life and there are people who are able to behave differently to achieve something. Such people convert and they don’t abandon this sin. That’s why, they can’t inherit the Kingdom of God. Many people know that at the courts everyone cheated on each other and they acted only to achieve something. They weren’t true. It was difficult to find a true man. A false man who can be gentle and then he can betray and use for his own purposes without paying attention to God.

            Homosexuals arsenokoitai – a homosexual, the one who falls in with men, a pederast. This is what is being introduced today in various places, for example Lutheran that women are largely pastors and they live in this sin and they pretend they are believers and also redeemed. They won’t inherit the Kingdom of God. God has made a law on this matter and it’s persistent.

            1 Timothy 1:8, “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and worldly, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, homosexuals, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” Paul extends it to various ceilings and fields of sinning. They are under the law that judges that the punishment is death. Everything that is against sound science.

            Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.” They know God’s law, yet they act against that law and even praise those who live the same way.

We know that there are many priests who are homosexuals and we also know that this is the cause of turning the glory of the Immortal God into images of mortal man, and worshipping those images, kneeling before them. This sin won’t enable to enter and inherit in the Kingdom of God. And it’s good that none of these sins and people will enter a place where it’s clean. Therefore, on earth, whenever a man sees such a sin, he should repent, abandon this sin and purify himself while there is still time for it.

            Then, there are thieves – gr. kleptai – a cheater, a thief (I need to whip something; maybe it’s lying, it isn’t known whose it is).

John 12:4-6, “But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, said, Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people? Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to steal from what was put into it.” He could defraud more money. And that’s why he didn’t enter the Kingdom of God.

            1 Peter 4, “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler.” Peter says that none of the believers should suffer as one who is able to kill or rob someone, or who could commit evil deeds to another person, or who could pry into other people’s business. It’s dangerous. Marriage is such example where one must be very careful not to interfere in someone else’s marriage. One has to be able to discern what and how the Lord allows you to do.

            God is the avenger when someone commits adultery or behaves inappropriately with those who are in the marriage.

            Subsequently, there are the greedy pleonektai – one who has or demands more than is due; something that is the result of lying, theft, e.g. wrong weights and thus he charges more than he should. Something should weigh 1kg, but he has a weight which weighs 950g and, thanks to it, he charges 50g on these weights. And such a person brings home something that doesn’t belong to him. If he sold a whole kilogram, he should give the whole kilogram. He has something in his house that he shouldn’t have. Because since someone has paid, it should belong to the buyer. One who demands more than is due, greedy, rapacious, insatiable.

            Ephesians 5:5, “ For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” It’s our experience that God wants to walk in our homes, in the places where His children live. God wants these places to be clean so that God can rejoice with those who belong to Him. Dishonest people are also among believers. If someone wants to make more profit, he buys cheaper and sells more to earn money. This is dangerous because if such things happen, if a brother cheats another brother about whatever, God is the avenger of these things. There is time to purify yourself of these things and abandon them because the Kingdom of God is for purified people. Paul wrote that they should abandon their sins like living in adulterous relationships and that they should end it: There are some of you who haven’t repented and haven’t removed this sin. Whoever does this begins to save himself, begins to fear God and understand that if he remains in this sin, the Kingdom of God won’t belong to him and he won’t be a coheir in Jesus Christ.

            Nor those habitually drunk gr. metchesoi – a drinker. Ephesians 5:18, “And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery...” It is aimed at believers. It doesn’t say: do not drink at all, but “do not get drunk with wine”. And if someone doesn’t have an urge to do it, he may not drink at all. There is no prohibition that one cannot drink at all, but there is a prohibition not to get drunk. It applies to both women and men. When a person gets drunk, the brain works differently and different things are created. Children of God have to be sober and truly aware that we live among various strange ideas so we must be able to reject them. When someone gets drunk, he judges a lot of things differently.

            1 Corinthians 11:20, “Therefore when you come together it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for when you eat, each one takes his own supper first; and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.” The early Church was able to behave in this way even at the Lord’s supper. We see that the sinners converted, but they had to be discouraged to do it. Before they converted, it was normal for them: this is mine and that’s it. Paul told them that it was bad. 11:27-29, “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the body.” Even at this point, a man may no longer be considered in God’s inheritance if there is no respect for the Lord or awareness of what he says about the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus – His shed blood on the cross for our sins.

            Verbal abusers gr. loidoroi – taunting, becalling, insulting, disparaging, offending, imprecating person. It can be done easily if a man doesn’t watch himself in emotions or attitude. A man can insult, use becalling and disparaging words to other people, call someone badly. If a man doesn’t walk right, it’s easy for him to fall into it and if he stays in it, he doesn’t have coinheritance either.

            John 8:49, “Jesus answered: I do not have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.” They were doing it, they were insulting our Lord Jesus. They called Him various names: Samaritan, that He has Beelzebub. They allowed themselves to do so, even though they saw that His life was pure, He helped a lot of people, He did good. However, it didn’t matter to them because, according to their thinking, He didn’t suit what they had imagined. That’s why, they allowed themselves to use offensive, insulting and becalling words. They wanted to kill Him, but they called themselves believers and thought that God was their father.

            Luke 23:39, “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying: Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” This man spoke in a derogatory way even on the cross. The other one spoke in a different way. Initially, he was like the first man, but when he saw how Jesus behaved, he was caught in his heart and began to understand that He wasn’t a man who should be hanging on the cross. “But the other responded, and rebuking him, said: Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he was saying: Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom! And He said to him” Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” And this man inherited the Kingdom of God because he didn’t offend Jesus, didn’t parade using bad words, but he acknowledged Him as the Son of God and respected the Lord.

            Psalm 42:10, “As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him for the help of His presence, my God.” People can taunt God’s child: Where is your God? Look, you’re sick. If he existed, he wouldn’t let you suffer from such diseases. They taunt like that and may call themselves believers, but they won’t inherit the Kingdom of God.

            Psalm 102:8, “My enemies have taunted me all day long; those who deride me have used my name as a curse.” Again, God’s man and the enemies mock and taunt. People don’t realize how much they are losing at this point. They go to churches, sing, but their taunt other children. The result of that is terrible. Such people won’t enter the Kingdom of God because doesn’t need such people in His Kingdom. God wants there people who respect each other, who love each other, who understand what’s going on and who want to act like the Lord Jesus.

            2 Samuel 16:5-8, “When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man was coming out from there from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he was coming out, cursing as he came. He also threw stones at David and all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the warriors were on his right and on his left. This is what Shimei said when he cursed: “Go away, go away, you man of bloodshed and worthless man! The Lord has brought back upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have become king; and the Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. And behold, you are caught in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!” After all, David didn’t kill Saul, didn’t shed his blood, he didn’t even hurt him, kept him alive twice. What was this man talking? It was a man moved by anger and envy. He taunted a man of God when he was during experience. We know he later took the consequences of it. He could participate in the feasts. It seemed that he was among God’s people, but there is no possibility for such a man to enter the Kingdom of God. One who can’t discern that God reprimands His own child. One has to be careful not to do something that God doesn’t want.

It’s as if the parent would reprimand his own child and the other person would laugh at that moment. He will take the consequences of it because there is nothing to laugh at. “If you are happy that I reprimand someone, I can stop it at this moment and it can happen to a man who laughs.”

            1 Corinthians 6:10, “...nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God.” – gr. harpages. I even didn’t realize that when we were saying “harpaga”, we didn’t even know what it meant. It means: kidnapping, robbing, a species of a wolf, depredator, plunderer, bandit.

            Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” The false prophets come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. It’s like someone trying to achieve something by deception to devour someone. He walks, searches and wants to hurt, not help.

            And now Paul comes to a precious place. (1 Corinthians 6) “Such were some of you...” How lucky it is that Jesus came to free us from that. How lucky it is to always thank the Lord that He came to free us from this poor condition that has always separated us from eternal life with God and that has led us straight to the ordeal. How lucky it is that God came to us to end it on the cross; to die; that we may die to these sins. So that we don’t live like people who recklessly let their body function as it wants. We should mortify our body so that it may serve a good cause, not a bad one. “...but you were washed...”, but you washed yourselves... – we washed ourselves. This word means: let wash yourself from something, let wash something down from yourself. In other words, it means to want it to disappear, that it doesn’t exist, that it would be washed down of us, so that we could be freed from that and wouldn’t live like that anymore. We knew that this evil was leading us in the wrong direction, but we found the One in Christ who set us free from this evil. We let to be washed down, so that we wouldn’t have to wear it anymore.

            Acts of the Apostles 22:16, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.” The apostle Paul heard from Ananias: Wash away your sins by calling on His name. Acknowledge Jesus so that you don’t do it anymore. So that you would be free from your bad history, from your departing behaviour. Life without Jesus is a life of a criminal. And everyone who lives without Jesus Christ must be washed, must free oneself and be baptized for the absolution of his or her sins.

            Titus 3:4, “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and beneficial for people.” Bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that if you aren’t born of water and the Spirit, you won’t enter the Kingdom of God, you won’t even see it. Born again. People who died for the past to live for the present and the future as Jesus returns. People who are no longer interested in the worldly way of live, but in the heavenly way of life. They already live like Jesus who has brought heavenly life.

            Ephesians 5:25b, “...Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…” I think each of us has experienced more than once that there is a time as if you were bathing in this Word. It’s refreshing, it refreshes and nourishes you. This is what the word if for.

“...that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Jacob wrote that the Word of God is like a mirror – a man sees himself, can see where what is and purify himself of it. A man may walk and not see that he got dirty, but when he comes to the Mirror, he sees. He can wash himself. Otherwise, he would be dirty and he wouldn’t even know about it. It can happen that the other person will tell you that you have something on your face and you should wash yourself. We can point to each other.

Jesus presents to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. When we were baptized, we were immersed in the death of Christ so that, having arisen from the water of baptism, we could live a new life thanks to Jesus. There is no insult in Jesus, there is no drunkenness in Jesus, no idolatry and no adultery. There is nothing at all in Jesus. He has never sinned, He is pure, so let’s live thanks to Him. We can be washed and set free thanks to Him.

In the Colossians it’s written that this old man with sins is taken from us and our letter of debt is nailed to the cross – we experience release. Let’s not return to the slavery of nasty, prickly, insulting and jealous people who just have regrets and grievances. Let’s live in peace, let’s respect the King whose Kingdom is a Kingdom of peace, love, gentleness and goodness. This is our King and now we are experiencing whether we like living in His Kingdom or not, so that we could enter the Kingdom of God later on. In the Acts of the Apostles, as the Holy Spirit descended, three thousand people were purified of their sins too.

            The picture of purification and release is interestingly described in 2 Kings 5:14, “So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” He was leprous before and he was supposed to dip himself seven times. He claimed that Damascene rivers were as good as this one, but it was about dipping in that case. Perhaps it was a picture of being dipped in Jesus’ death, a picture showing just how Jonah was inside the fish. The same thing is here, after this dipping, a person becomes clean and without leprosy. It’s the bath of rebirth, of purification and then a man is completely set free from it and he can go on.

            But you were sanctified... In Hebrews 10:10 there is the following verse: “By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.” Let’s live in this sanctification. This is something what we got, we didn’t achieve it. The Lord achieved it for us and we must live in this sanctification. Remember that whoever doesn’t sanctify himself won’t see the Lord. While being sanctified, we have to live in the sanctification. It’s our duty, otherwise we will go back to these old things. Sanctification is separation to be with God.

            Hebrews 2:11, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers, in the midst of the assembly I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in Him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.” Sanctified thanks to Jesus. We were dirty back then, but He purified us, made us saints and made us one sacrifice. He did it to so that we could walk in sanctification. This is very important not to go back to what is old, but we have to walk in what is new and appreciate it. Let’s be thankful to God for what Jesus did. Let’s praise Jesus for this powerful action towards you and me because it separates us from what was before.

            Ephesians 1:4-5, “ ...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will...” Let’s take care of it, this is our treasure of a new humanity. God chose us in Jesus Christ before the creation of the world so that we would be holy. Let’s not permit to be polluted with our own language, badmouthing, mocking thoughts – “what’s the big deal?” You can lose your inheritance, your eternal inheritance. You can close eternity to yourself with your own language. You need to be careful because Jesus never spoke badly about anyone, he didn’t speak in an insulting, reckless or disrespectful way. He was always authentic. Let’s be sanctified, enjoy this sanctification and enjoy that we don’t have to be like everyone else.

            1 Peter 1:14, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” When our children mock each other, laugh at each other and jeer at each other, it’s very upsetting, especially for God. Let’s appeal to Christ because it separates us. “Such were some of you...” If it happens that the believer runs into it, there is still Christ’s sacrifice. A man will admit, confess and abandon. The Lord will forgive him and the Word describes us as follows: “you were like that, you are not longer like that, but you were”. This word is very important. Something that says Jesus separated us from that. And today, we live on the side of following Christ.

            2 Thessalonians 2:13, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” The Spirit who sanctifies, who keeps us close to Jesus Christ, who exhorts us, who indicates, who cheers us up, who supports us so that we persevere, so that we don’t answer evil for evil, but endure it and then could pray for this person. Don’t run into the same thing, tit for tat.

            Revelation 22:11, “ Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.” Let’s still hold onto the Lord. Let’s abide in Him to the very end. If it happens that a person acts in a reckless way, there is a possibility to purify himself or herself, remove and continue to save himself or herself in Jesus Christ. However, don’t go back to the old way of life and let’s not consider it as a Christian way of life. That’s not true. That’s not how you live in Jesus. Jacob writes that making a distinction between people during professing faith is falling within the Law. The Lord didn’t do that. Whomever the Lord approves belongs to Him. Our task is to save ourselves and to support so that we might belong to the Lord.

            And there is also: but you were justified... Washed, sanctified and justified. This is what separates us from the people we came out of.

            Romans 3:21, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

            Romans 4:5, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” It’s the result of believing and submitting to Jesus. Then, Jesus’ deeds fill a man and separate us from the deeds of this world, from the deeds of the old humanity. These are Jesus’ deeds who separate us, not the deeds of the Law.

            Romans 1:16-17, “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.”

            May God always have us in the Lord Jesus separated from this world and from all bad things. Look, we can live a beautiful life thanks to Jesus, we can be kind and supportive to one another, honest, doing what we would like to do for us. Everything is in the new humanity. But we have to remember that we live on the earth all the time and the pressure of all this evil tries to hit us like the waves. But when we are on the rock, these waves will crash into the rock. And when we walk down of the rock, they will blow us down and then people become like animals – they can roar at each other, grind, bite, abuse and devour one another. Paul wrote about it in the Galatians. He wrote that we should be careful with the body to not become like animals that devour one another.

            Thanks to Jesus, we don’t have to be on the side of the inheritance of this world, i.e. of the fire of ordeal, but we can be on the side of the inheritance in Christ, i.e. of the Kingdom of God where is justice. Let’s take advantage of this justice. God settled accounts with us, the sinners, on the cross. We shouldn’t settle accounts with others, let’s take care of ourselves to live in a way worthy of God. Obviously there are cases when someone from the congregation sins and this person doesn’t want to repent, but in general we are to think how to help ourselves, not how to harm ourselves. May God be with us so that, when the end comes, we may go to the wonderful inheritance where all the righteous will meet in Jesus Christ. Amen.