A Hookup into Heaven
A Hookup in to Heaven • Sermon • Submitted
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Every now and then we need someone to hook us up. Amen. We need someone because we don’t have the connection nor do we have what is needed, so every now and then we need a hook up.
In our text The Apostle Paul in his first writing to the Corinthian Church lets the believers know in essence that the only way they are going to be admitted into Heaven is because they have a hookup and their hookup is Jesus Christ.
As Paul enlightens them to this biblical truth, he starts by telling them who won’t make it to heaven. And beloved please understand, those who won’t make it to Heaven are not exempt from having a hookup, they just haven’t hooked up.
Paul says “the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
The unrighteous represent those who act contrary to right. They are unjust, they are wrong doers, they are wrong and they are frauds. They engage in all that is ungodly and they live to sin.
A Hookup in to Heaven
A Hookup in to Heaven
A Hookup in to Heaven
My friends those who are a part of the unrighteous crowd, will not according to Paul, inherit or possess the Kingdom of God. Then Paul give a warning by saying, “Do not be deceived.” By this statement Paul was letting them know, don’t think your position or what you know will get you in. In other words it doesn’t matter who you are.
It doesn’t matter how much head knowledge you have.
Pastor Kenneth Cutler / General
It doesn’t matter how much money you have. Do not be deceived, because if you don’t have the hookup to get in to Heaven, you will not inherit the Kingdom.
A Hookup in to Heaven /
Brothers and sisters many of us know what a hookup is. But just in case we have someone here who doesn’t know what I’m talking about, A hookup is a good or service received as a favor from someone. You need someone who is able to get you what you need, however, they must know what you need and be able to get what you need if they are to be considered a true hookup.
Then Paul provides a partial list of those who will not inherit the Kingdom. Paul says,
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.
Brothers and sisters many of us know what a hookup is. But just in case we have someone here who doesn’t know what I’m talking about, A hookup is a good or service received as a favor from someone. You need someone who is able to get you what you need, however, they must know what you need and be able to get what you need if they are to be considered a true hookup.
Every now and then we need someone to hook us up. Amen. We need someone because we don’t have the connection nor do we have what is needed, so every now and then we need a hook up.
In our text, The Apostle Paul in his first writing to the Corinthian Church lets the believers know in essence that the only reason they are going to be admitted into Heaven is because they have a hookup and their hookup is Jesus Christ.
As Paul enlightens them to this biblical truth, he starts by telling them who won’t make it to heaven. And beloved please understand, those who won’t make it to Heaven are not exempt from having a hookup, they just haven’t hooked up, and if they are not hooked up before they die they will not make it in.
Paul says, “the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
The unrighteous represent those who act contrary to right. According to the ESV Study Bible, their “behavior is indistinguishable from the unbelieving world.” They are unjust, they are wrong doers, they are wrong and they are frauds. They engage in all that is ungodly and they live to sin.]
My friends those who are a part of the unrighteous crowd, will not according to the word of God, inherit or possess the Kingdom of God. Then Paul gives a warning by saying, “Do not be deceived.” In other words, make no mistake. By this statement Paul was letting them know, if they were routinely involved in sin they would not inherit the Kingdom of God. Do not be deceived.
To be routinely involved in sin means to sin Frequently without proper consideration of the consequences.]
Then Paul provides a partial list of those who will not inherit the Kingdom. I say partial, because the list is actually bigger than this, so if your sin is not mentioned, don’t get to comfortable, because you can best believe it’s mentioned somewhere in the word of God. AMEN.
Paul says, “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.”
Please note Paul is not talking about those who formerly did those things nor is he talking about those who may slip and fall after being saved. Paul is talking about those who desire to remain in their sin. Even those in the Church who claim to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, yet desire to remain the same and refuse to change.] That ought to be a warning to you, because to want to remain the same and be saved is an oxymoron which means contradictory, which means there’s a conflict, which means can’t happen, which means not saved. If you want to be saved and inherit the Kingdom of God you must desire to be changed just as much as you desire to be saved. The word of God tells us in , “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Now Paul has shared who won’t inherit the Kingdom of God, then in verse 11 He talks about who will inherit the Kingdom of God and brothers and sisters Paul makes it very clear that those of us who will inherit the kingdom of God have a hookup. As we look at the text and prepare to provide an exposition or explanation of the text, I want us to see why we needed a hookup and what our hookup has done to get us into Heaven. The first thing the text lets us know is we needed a hook up because of:
I. Who we were:
After Paul shares with his readers about who would not inherit the Kingdom of God, he makes a statement that I’m sure stunned his readers. After laying out such a debauched or immoral catalogue of sins, Paul shares with his readers, “And such were some of you.” Paul reminded the believers that they were not always saved.
He reminded them of the fact that they used to behave like some of those who he listed that would not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Brothers and sisters Paul let them know that some of you use to practice sexual immorality.
Some of you used to practice idolatry.
Some of you used to practice homosexuality.
Some of you used to practice the five-finger discount. You were a thief.
Some of you were drunkards, revilers and swindlers. So, before you start shaking your head at those who are, I need to let you know, you once were. “such were some of you”
Beloved, you and I needed a hook up in order for us to get to heaven, because of who we were. Have I got a witness?
If we look real close at the list that Paul has laid out, some of us might find ourselves in it. And just in case you don’t see yourself, then let me tell you what the word of God says, in , “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins. In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
We needed a hook up because of who we were. And brothers and sisters you know who you used to be.
You know what you were about.
Can I get real and relevant for a moment?
Some of us practiced immoral relationships.
Some of us loved being two sheets in the wind.
Some of us used to idolized persons and material things.
Some of us were revilers, meaning we were abusive.
Some of us loved being slick trying to swindle folk.
Some of us love to steal.
And some of us were just plain greedy, and as my mother used to say would eat up where you were going.
So, before we shake our heads at others, understand such were some of you.
Now brothers and sisters I understand some of us have been saved for a while and the saved life has become normal to you. You’ve settled in, and it feels as though you’ve always been saved, and because you feel like you’ve always been saved, and had a key to the Kingdom, that you can look down on unsaved folk and their actions. That’s why we need to be reminded of who we once were. We were not always saved. At one time, our eternal destiny was hell and the lake of fire, but now we have a hook up into Heaven. Such were some of you!!!
We needed a hook up because of who we were.
The second thing the text lets us know is:
II. What our hook up has done for us:
After Paul reminded his hearers about who they once were, he now lets them know what was done for them. Paul says in the (B) clause of verse 11, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified.”
Because the believers in the Corinthian Church had received salvation, because they have been hooked up, Paul lets them know that the One who hooked them up prepared them to inherit the Kingdom of God.
· Paul says, “But you were washed.” Which means they were cleansed by the blood of Jesus at the moment of Salvation.
· He says, “You were Sanctified.” Which means they were separated from earthly things to be connected with spiritual. They were separated from time to be connected with eternity. They were separated from idols to be joined to the living God. Separation from common, earthly, or sinful uses, to be wholly employed in the service of the true God.
· Finally, Paul says, “You were Justified.” Which means they have been brought into a state of favor with God. When they were who they were God viewed them as guilty, but now that they have been justified they stand before God acquitted of their sin. Not that they were not guilty, but because of the One who hooked them up, they are declared not guilty.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t know if you know this or not, but our hook up into Heaven has prepared us to inherit the Kingdom of God. At the moment of salvation, we were washed by the blood of our hook up. Our sin plate was wiped clean because of His blood.
But not only have we been washed, we’ve been sanctified. Set apart from this world to God.
Set apart from this world to be used by Him.
Set apart from this world to re-represent Him.
Set apart from evil to do His will.
Set apart from unrighteousness to righteousness.
As the people of God, we have been sanctified, which also suggests we should be different from the world. we should be counter culture. The Bible tells us in , “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
And then my friends we have been justified. Our hook up has made a way for us to stand before God not guilty. tells us, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Our hook up has prepared us to inherit the Kingdom of God.
His crimson blood has washed away all of our sins, past, present and future.
Our hook up into Heaven has set us apart to be used by God.
Our hook up to Heaven has clothe us in His robe of righteousness, so that we can now stand before almighty God, not guilty. Somebody ought to be shouting right there. Because you know what you once were.
You know what you used to do.
You know you don’t deserve it.
But because of what your hook up has done for you, you now have a right to the Kingdom of God. According to Dr. John MacArthur, the Kingdom of God is the spiritual sphere or domain of salvation where God rules as king over all who belong to him by faith. All believers are in that spiritual kingdom, yet are waiting to enter into the full inheritance of it in the age to come.
Brothers and sisters what that lets us know is, although we are still here on earth, as believers we are in the Kingdom. Yet, we are in the Kingdom, not yet because we are still here.] Because of what our hook up has done for us we are prepared to inherit the Kingdom.
Finally, beloved the text lets us know:
III. Who our hook up is:
For those of us who are on our way to Heaven it is no secret who hooked us up. If you don’t know who hooked you up then there’s a good chance you are not hooked up. But Paul in our text, after sharing with his readers why they needed a hook up, and what their hook up had done for them. He shares with them who their hook up is. Paul concludes verse 11 by saying,