Pastor Curt

Part 6

1 Corinthians 6:10 (NKJV) 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Welcome to the final teaching in this series. Thank you for sticking with it all the way through!

Thieves; people who steal another person’s property.

Covetous; having or showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else.

Thievery and covetousness go hand in hand. It is coveting what someone else has that leads many to engage in thievery, stealing what is not theirs, taking possession of what they did not earn or work for.

Some may shrug this off as not being as bad as other sins. But rest assured that it is every bit as bad, regardless of the level of severity at which it is engaged in.

Drunkards; people who habitually and regularly engage in over-consumption of alcohol to the point of being drunk.

Drunkards are not looked at favorably in God’s word. Many times, they are compared to gluttons. It is said in God’s word that the drunkard will come to poverty (Proverbs 23:21).

Alcoholism is a serious problem. It can and will literally kill you. And the spillover effects from it onto the lives of those around the drinker are devastating and long-lasting. If you struggle with it, get help! Don’t let it destroy you and the ones you love.

Revilers; people who use words to sharply criticize, verbally abuse or destroy others.

This is one of the toughest forms of abuse to spot because there are no visible wounds or symptoms on the part of the abused person. Verbally abused people are usually also abused emotionally due to the constant onslaught of the words and insults hurled at them.

If you are a reviler, stop and consider those you are hurling insults at. Get help with your anger and cynicism. Ask God to show you where your heart needs to change, and then let Him begin making those changes in you. Nobody should live their lives abusing those around them. Let God change you from the inside, out, and let His love replace whatever is causing you to constantly lash out.

Extortioners; those who steal by way of threats or force (coercion).

This sin ties in very closely with thievery and covetous. The only difference is that the extortioner takes what they want in ways that make it less visible to those around them.

Come clean before God. Confess your sin and repent before Him, asking Him for His mercy upon your life. You don’t have the right to take what is not yours. Let God put your feet on a new path today, before your way of life destroys you.

As we wrap this up, take note what the scriptures above say; no one practicing these things “will inherit the kingdom of God”.

This is a warning that needs to be taken seriously by all of us. God does not take sin lightly, particularly habitual sin that we keep going back to.

But we want to state very clearly that there is hope and there is help for anyone who is participating in these sins and wants to get free of them.

God does not show favoritism. This means that He will help you get free from whatever you wrestle with if you are sincere and you have a repentant heart.

Go to Him. Confess your sins. Get the help you need. Don’t let sin control you any longer.

Let the blood of Jesus set you free.

John 8:36 (NKJV) 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Part 5

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…

Welcome to part 5 of our latest series. Let’s get started!

Today’s topic is probably the most sensitive and controversial of them all.

Homosexuals; a person who engages in sexual acts with their own sex.

Sodomites; males who engage in sexual acts with other males.

We live in an age where just about everything seems to be acceptable in the world. And these are at the top of that list.

We will discuss them regarding both male and female, not just one gender or one sex.

It’s interesting to note, though, that the word used for homosexual in this particular verse is “catamites”.

Catamites in that day were typically young teenage males who engaged in sexual relationships with adult males.

This particular word was likely used due to its familiarity in the cultures that Paul was addressing.

In its bigger definition, homosexuality encompasses people who choose to engage in sexual acts with those of their own gender, both male and female.

Despite the smattering of names that have been given to the various groups who participate in these acts, one word still defines them; homosexuals.

Homosexuality has been decried throughout the entirety of God’s word as being a sin. Some verses call it shameful.

Whatever words have been used in the Bible to describe it, it is clearly not acceptable behavior before God, our Creator.

In fact, God destroyed two cities for their unbridled participation in the sin of homosexuality (Sodom & Gomorrah).

Many reading this have been affected by homosexuality in one way or another, either directly or indirectly.

Maybe you have struggled with same-sex attractions. Maybe someone in your family participates in homosexual acts. Maybe someone has pressured you, trying to draw or push you into a homosexual act or relationship.

It doesn’t matter which gender you are, sexual acts with someone who is the same gender as you are wrong; a sin.

We encourage you to seek God’s help and to repent. He is willing to forgive us and help us with any sin. We just have to seek that help and that forgiveness.

Don’t wait. Today is the day and now is the moment to make that change.

It might not be easy. Doing the right thing seldom is. It takes determination and perseverance to make the right choice and stick to it.

But you can do it with God’s help. Take that step today, right now, in the name of Jesus.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Part 4

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…

Welcome to part 4!

We hope you’re finding this helpful.

Adulterers; Married persons who engage in sexual acts outside of their marriage.

This sin is very straight forward and is closely tied to fornicators (fornication).

A person who is married and engages in a sexual act with someone outside of their marriage has committed adultery.

Adultery is not looked at as being as serious a sin as it used to be by the world. The morals of many societies have changed as they have pushed God further and further away.

This does not make it any less serious in God’s eyes. God is still sovereign, and His truth still stands, regardless of what the world may say.

It’s imperative that we, as believers, not look at this sin any less seriously than it should be looked at. Adultery represents a breaking of the marriage vows (contract), and it is the only Biblical grounds for divorcing a husband or wife.

Marriages can be restored and reconciled if both parties are willing to forgive and rebuild. But this can be very difficult, since trust also needs to be restored and rebuilt.

It is only with God’s help that this can happen. He is a healer of all things, including damaged marriages and broken hearts.

There are some who are reading this who may have engaged in adultery and have never confessed their sin, either to God or to their spouse.

This is a grave mistake.

What’s done is done. You can’t go back and undo your choices.

But you can take steps to try to fix the things that have been broken because of those choices. And you most definitely need to repent before God and let Him help you to get your heart right with Him.

We encourage you to do so before any more time goes by. The burden that you’re carrying from unconfessed sin is heavy, and there is only one way to lose that burden; speak the truth and repent.

Don’t wait. Do this today. It will set you free.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Part 3

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…

We need to keep in mind that this list of sins is representative, not exhaustive.

It is meant to name the most common moral sins that people involve themselves in, which should also give us food for thought when it comes to recognizing other sins that may be similar or may fall into the same category of being unacceptable in God’s sight.

These sins would characterize the unsaved. Thus, by recognizing this fact, Christians should also recognize that they are not behaviors that we should be participating in.

Fornicators; Fornication is generally defined as consensual sexual relations between two people not married to each other.

For the purpose of the scripture above, fornicators would be all who indulge in sexual immorality in general.

This theme runs throughout scripture, but is actually spoken of more directly in the New Testament when it relates to individuals.

In the Old Testament, it is used when referring to the nation of Israel, who constantly prostituted itself to false gods, shunning God even after He rescued them from slavery in Egypt.

Jesus Himself addressed fornication, confirming that it is not acceptable behavior, and solidifying the stance that Paul took in his writings (Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21).

Idolaters; One who worships a false god or follows a false religious system.

Idol worship could be an extensive study in itself. Over the centuries, there have been too many false gods and idols worshipped to count. And false religions come and go by the thousands.

The takeaway from this is that we need to keep our focus on God, through the Son, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Helper, stating that He would teach us all things.

If we follow His leading, we can’t be steered wrong or led into the worship of false gods. And false religions will stick out like a sore thumb if we watch and listen for the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance.

Please join us again tomorrow as we continue to dig in to these topics.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Part 2

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…

Thanks for joining us again!

We ended yesterday’s devotional with this question; Why would Paul be addressing sins such as these when writing to believers?

Here’s the answer.

The fact that he used those 4 words before naming the sins alludes to the fact that some of them somehow believed that it was OK to participate in these types of sins, and that it would not jeopardize their spiritual wellbeing.

He wanted to make it clear that this was false.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s move ahead tomorrow and talk about the actual sins that were being addressed by Paul.

Part 1

1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?…

Before we dive into the various things mentioned in verses 9 and 10, let’s preface this with two things.

First, this is not written to condemn anyone. We are writing this to bring light and understanding to some topics that are often avoided because they are deemed by some to be too sensitive and controversial to touch.

We, however, do not shy away from these things. And it’s for one reason that this is so; truth sets people free.

So, if truth sets people free, then truth needs to be spoken, even when these truths are difficult, sensitive, or even contentious.

Lastly, we want to bring hope and light into dark situations. People in darkness can’t find their way out without a beacon of light to follow. So, we want to offer that beacon, that ray of hope that draws them out of their sin, into God’s light, where forgiveness is offered and redemption can be found.

Let’s get started!

Verse 9, above, states that the unrighteous cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

This is a fairly simple way of stating that those who are not seen as righteous by God will not enter His kingdom; will not inherit eternal life or spend eternity in His presence, in heaven.

Knowing that, let’s talk about who is righteous in God’s sight.

In its simplest form, God sees as righteous those who have recognized themselves as sinners, sought His forgiveness and placed their faith in Him, through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

That’s the short definition of righteous.

We won’t dive too deeply into all of this. Suffice it to say that this is all we need to know for now in order to study the topic at hand.

With that said, we need to understand that these words, penned by the Apostle Paul, were being written to Christians; believers. They were not being written to the world or the “unsaved”.

Why would Paul write of such things when addressing the body of Christ?

That’s an excellent question. So, let’s use that as the springboard for tomorrow’s devotional, as we begin to go a little deeper!

Stay tuned for more, tomorrow.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!