Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Who Will Inherit the Kingdom of God?

 

/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.

And such were some of you.

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God/.[1]

God saves all who come to Him through His Son.

He forgives their sin, sets each saved individual free from condemnation, and places His Holy Spirit within His redeemed people.

Each saved person is destined for adoption as a son of God, with all the rights of that inheritance.

The saved will inherit the Kingdom of God.

The text which serves as a foundation for the message this day indicates that some supposed Christians, and a host of non-Christians, are in for a surprise.

In fact, they will not inherit what they anticipate.

I should think that the prospect that some will not inherit the Kingdom of God would prove a worrisome spectre to some Christians.

There are some unfortunate souls who are obviously uninterested in living as God’s redeemed people.

They make no pretence of seeking after God.

I marvel at such people, but then I was once among their numbers.

Just a few weeks ago, we all witnessed the rescue of nine coal miners from what seemed certain death.

After three days, trapped 240 feet underground in a flooded coal mine near Somerset, Pennsylvania, nine miners stepped out, one by one, into the floodlit night.

Those of us who couldn't go to bed until the last one was rescued will never forget the wonderful relief as the capsule emerged with the final miner.

Only a few hours earlier, the drillers had managed to lower a two-way radio into the chamber and were thrilled to hear that all nine were alive.

Not surprisingly, the miners expressed a keen interest in getting out.

Their rescue was a parable for salvation.

Trapped in darkness, the helpless men yearned for deliverance.

A narrow but utterly necessary and sufficient way was provided, and they grasped it.

Their minds were filled with the vision of light and love and life above.

How strange it is that many are indifferent or hostile to rescue.

Just imagine the drillers' getting these radio responses to their breakthrough:

“No way I'm getting into that capsule.

It's too confining.”

“I think I'll pass.

It's pretty exciting down here, and life up there sounds so boring.”

“No thanks.

They made me third watch captain, and I'm finally somebody.

I'm afraid I'll be a nobody up there.”

“I'm not really interested.

There's a lot of this mine I want to explore, yet.”

“If that loser down the block is up there, I want no part of it.”

“What's all the fuss?

We'll all end up there anyway.”

“I'm not coming up until you persuade me it's an interfaith rescue team.”

“I won't come unless I can bring my gear up with me.”

“Naw, I'll just dig or swim out on my own.”

“Some of the guys down here are sceptical.

What do I know?

I'd better hold off.”

“I’m a member of the West Virginia Coal Miners’ Rescue Association.

If they aren’t doing the rescue, I’m not interested.”

As crazy as these responses sound, each of us who witness to others has heard precisely such feeble excuses from those who are spiritually lost.

Thus, the apostle Paul wrote, /one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus/ [*Philippians 3:13, 14*].

He was oriented on the light and sound from above.

He was happy to stay on earth (in the mine) as long as God pleased, that he might be a servant and blessing to others trapped below.

But, unlike many others, he never confused the mine with home.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ [*Philippians 3:17-20*].

Some contemporary Christians have confused this world with the promised Kingdom of God.

In fact, though we are citizens of Heaven and part of God’s eternal Kingdom, we live as though we will spend eternity on this earth.

We are dying creatures, condemned to live out our brief lives in the flesh, after which, if we are born from above, we will receive our promised inheritance.

We must never forget that we do have an inheritance.

We must resist the downward pull to live as though this world was all that is or as if this world was all that shall ever be.

There is more to come.

An Inheritance is Promised to the Righteous.

By his statement that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God, the Apostle is stating that an inheritance is promised to the righteous.

That inheritance is identified as the Kingdom of God.

Whatever can the Apostle mean when he speaks of the Kingdom of God?

The term Kingdom of God (occurring sixty-six times in the New Testament) is for all practical purposes equivalent to the term Kingdom of Heaven (which occurs thirty-two times in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke).

Merrill Unger states that “*the ‘kingdom of God’ is evidently a more comprehensive term than the ‘kingdom of heaven’ and embraces all created intelligences, both in heaven and on earth, who are willingly subject to God and thus in fellowship with Him.

The ‘kingdom of heaven’ … is a term descriptive of any type of rulership God may assert on the earth at a given period*.”[2]

The two terms Kingdom of God and especially Kingdom of heaven, are synonyms for the salvation of the believer, his life in Christ and his walk with the Saviour.

The two terms are used interchangeably throughout the Synoptic Gospels.

In fact, of the ninety-eight occurrences of the two terms in the New Testament, all but sixteen occur in the first three Gospels.

Twice, John has Jesus speaking of the Kingdom of God [*John 3:3, 5*].

Doctor Luke uses the term an additional six times, of which four are quotes concerning Paul’s use of the term [see *Acts 14:22*; *19:8*; *28:23, 31*].

The final eight uses of the term Kingdom of God occur in the writings of Paul.

In our text, Paul speaks of the Kingdom of God as an inheritance—an inheritance which precludes the unrighteous.

He identifies the unrighteous as the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, those who practise homosexuality, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers.

In *Galatians 5:19-21*, he speaks of the works of the flesh, which he identifies as: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

He then categorically states that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Christians who suffer persecution because of their Faith are enjoined to view the opposition they experience as an indication that God Himself considers them worthy of the Kingdom of God [see *2 Thessalonians 1:5*].

Another apostolic revelation teaches us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God [*1 Corinthians 15:50*].

Moreover, Christians that live defeated lives disgrace the concept of the Kingdom of God, for the Apostle teaches us that the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power [*1 Corinthians 4:20*].

Similarly, the Kingdom of God is not defined by the activities associated with this perishing life, such as eating and drinking, but it is rather defined by spiritual pursuits, such as righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit [*Romans 14:17*].

Putting this information together, we are driven to the conclusion that the Apostle has in view heaven.

It would appear from the apostolic writings that the Kingdom of God, our inheritance among the saints, is also the Kingdom of Christ [*Ephesians 5:5*], also referred to as the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [see *2 Peter 1:11*].

In Scripture, we also find reference to the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son [*Colossians 1:13*], an apparent reference to this same concept of the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God appears as nothing less than the ultimate inheritance of the redeemed.

For one moment, consider just what that inheritance entails and permit yourself to marvel at the grace and goodness of our God.

The inheritance we shall receive is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

Moreover, our anticipated inheritance is kept in heaven where man cannot sully it [see *1 Peter 1:4*].

Eternal life, not merely length of days but a radical new quality of life, is the promised inheritance of those who follow Christ [*Matthew 19:29*].

We inherit salvation [*Hebrews 1:14*].

I love reading the end of the Book; it is such an encouragement to the weary saint.

John, in *Revelation 21:5-8*, writes: he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

And he said to me, “It is done!

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”

Now, I have love, joy and peace.