1 Corinthians 6 (4)

Pray Psalm 72.7-11.
In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.

Sing Psalm 72.7-11.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
Let righteousness abundant be where Jesus’ reign endures;
let peace increase from sea to sea ‘til moonlight shall be no more.

And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low;
let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.

Read 1 Corinthians 6.1-11; meditate on verses 9-11.

Preparation
1. Who will inherit the Kingdom of God?

2. Who will not?

Meditation
The Kingdom of God and righteousness go together. You cannot have one without the other. Nor must we seek them separately. Jesus commanded us to seek the Kingdom and righteousness of God as the defining priorities of our lives (Matt. 6.33). If we do not seek the Kingdom—the rule of King Jesus, according to His Law, for every aspect of life—we will not increase in righteousness. If we do not seek the righteousness of Jesus—to be increasingly transformed into His likeness (2 Cor. 3.12-18)—we will not inherit the Kingdom.

Paul’s catalog of those who are excluded from the Kingdom is not meant to be exhaustive. He merely picks out sins with which the Corinthians were familiar—and practiced in—to remind them that life in the Kingdom puts all this old leaven aside and daily seeks to be a new, clean loaf for the Lord. Those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus and set apart (sanctified) for Him will not go back to their old ways. And if they do, it raises the question of whether they have truly been born from above into the Kingdom of God.

Inheriting the Kingdom is a daily process. Every day a little more of that vast heritage is available to us. As we press on in keeping the feast of Jesus and His Word and living the washed and sanctified life, we will realize more of our inheritance of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14.17, 18).

Don’t be deceived. Kingdom citizens seek Kingdom priorities, pursue Kingdom work, and bear Kingdom fruit. Those who prefer to continue in sin—though they profess faith in Jesus—have no grounds for being sure that this inheritance is theirs.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Fear is a great motivator. Everybody knows that and practices it in one way or another. It is just the way things work.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD GOD:
“Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.
For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me
and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity,
then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself.
I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb,
and I will cut him off from the midst of My people.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD”’” (Ezek. 14.6-8).

Sin happens in the church because there is no fear of God (Ps. 36.1; Rom. 3.18).

Contrary to the way some parents raise their kids— “I’ll tell you this now. And if you don’t do it, I’ll tell you again. And again. And again”—God means what He says, and will act on it, make no mistake. “Do not be deceived” (1 Cor. 6.9).

The Ten Commandments sums up Paul’s list succinctly. Every accusation Paul launches at the Corinthians is found within God’s perfect Law (Ex. 20.1-17).

Paul makes very clear that we are all guilty of sin (Rom. 3.23). But after his list, yes, he says, “And such were some of you” (1 Cor. 6.11). But the operative word is “were”. Now we are new creations. These old things have passed away and everything about us has become new (2 Cor. 5.17). And of course, we still sin, but not intentionally or perpetually. We are convicted of it, we confess it, and we turn away from it. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to keep us close to Him and far from sin (Heb. 4.12, 13). So, reading the Word daily is a joyous and preventive necessity.

Because now we are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6.11). Cleaned up (Jn. 13.8) and redressed in His battle gear (Eph. 6.10-18), ready for the work all who are included in salvation are called to do (Eph. 2.10).

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever” (Ps. 111.10).

For reflection
1. How would you counsel a new believer to deal with any lingering sins in their life?

2. What can you do to recognize and resist temptation before it becomes sin?

3. How can believers help one another to keep from falling into sin?

All unrighteousness is sin; all reigning sin, nay, every actual sin, committed with design, and not repented of, shuts out of the kingdom of heaven. Be not deceived. Men are very much inclined to flatter themselves that they may live in sin, yet die in Christ, and go to heaven. But we cannot hope to sow to the flesh, and reap everlasting life. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6.9-11

Pray Psalm 72.15-19.
Pray that God will show you how to seek His Kingdom and righteousness as the defining priority of your life.

Sing Psalm 72.15-19.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right;
let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.

And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim;
and may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name.

Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs.
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forevermore!

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth needed revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today needs revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.