Text – 1 John 3:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Revelation 21:8
INTRODUCTION
Man has made an art out of using words to make his actions seem less sinful or wrong. For example; Fornicating and/or Adultery is called “Sleeping with someone.” Lying is called “Fibbing or telling a story.” Murder/Killing another person is said to merely “Taking a life.”; does this mean you can give it back? Many who call themselves Christians and are living unrighteous lives wants it to said that they are in a “Backslidden state,” or they are “Carnal Christians.”
Well, the word of God also has words for those who practice this type of lifestyle. As we examine what the word of God has to say to us in our texts for today, I want us to examine ourselves as the word of God tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:28 and think on our subject for today:
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 NO ONE WHO IS BORN OF GOD WILL CONTINUE TO SIN, BECAUSE GOD’S SEED REMAINS IN THEM; THEY CANNOT GO ON SINNING, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN BORN OF GOD. 10 THIS IS HOW WE KNOW WHO THE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE AND WHO THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL ARE: ANYONE WHO DOES NOT DO WHAT IS RIGHT IS NOT GOD’S CHILD, NOR IS ANYONE WHO DOES NOT LOVE THEIR BROTHER AND SISTER.” 1 John 3:1-10 (NIV)
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. 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 Corinthians 6:9-11(NIV)
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 (NIV)
CONCLUSION
We have a lot of people who are living the type of life that has them believing they are walking between the lines. These people are walking with the Christians, talking with the Christians, and even acting like Christians! But be very careful beloved, because these very same people are also walking with sinners, talking like the sinners, and even acting like sinners; yet all along they find ways to justify and rationalize the fact that they are simply doing things the way they want to it because they are in their comfort zones. They actually believe that they are doing things the way Christians are supposed to!
Beloved, I am going to say this and I am done. The Lord has provided us with instructions, directions, and everything else we need to enable us to walk upright before HIM and the world.