1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

⁹ 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.

Deception

Deception is historical concern of mankind that started in the Garden of Eden. The ancient serpent deceived the first human beings. And someone asked, “Why did God allow deception to happen?” Why deception happens is not clearly elaborated. There are numerous speculations why. Now, if God allows us to be deceived, should we consider it as testing of faith in him? Can we still sincerely trust that the Lord has greater plan when he allows deception to happen?

Before the Exodus, before the Israelites escaped from the Egyptian Slavery, each time Moses asked to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh refused. So, the Lord sent different plagues to Egypt, and Pharaoh promised to let the Israelites leave, if the plague stopped. But soon after the plague stopped, Pharaoh changed his mind.

Together, let’s reflect on Exodus 9:35, ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

What do you think? Did the Lord design it that Pharaoh hardened his heart to deceive Moses multiple times? Pharaoh may have presumed that he can control of everything when he did not honor his promise to Moses, but he was deluded. It stated in Romans 9:17-18, ¹⁷ For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

The Lord sent plague to Egypt several times as warning, but still Pharaoh didn’t let the Israelites go. Was he amused deceiving Moses? Then, his heart was hardened and calloused; he cannot realize the consequences of his deception.

God has mercy on anyone he wants to have mercy; he hardens hearts that ignore his warning. When the heart becomes callous and numb, spiritual life will become stagnant. But if we follow godly instructions, we grow mature spiritually. Our gracious God sends warning whenever we follow a wrong path.

1.  Wrong

⁹ 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.

The Scripture declares what is right in the eyes of the Lord. He warns what happens to wrongdoers. Wrongdoers won’t inherit the kingdom of God. His godly warning is very clear. By faith in Christ, we don’t hesitate to take heed of biblical warnings. Anyone who keeps doing what is wrong will grow callous heart.

Sadly, wrongdoers disregard godly warnings; they ignore biblical rebukes; their hearts are numb and callous. What can we do then, if loved ones, friends or relatives follow the wrong path? Pray that the Lord may regenerate their hearts. Warn them once or twice but don’t argue with them. Only God can change them.

Together, let us reflect on what the Lord promised in Ezekiel 36:26-27:

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

It’s by the grace of God through faith that we believe in Jesus Christ. It is also by the grace of God that our love ones, relatives and friends will turn their heart to the Lord and heed biblical warnings. It is by faith we believe in Christ, and it’s not by reason. Logical reasons cannot make anyone listen to godly warnings.

King Manasseh

Trivia: Who was the king who reigned the longest in Judah? It narrated in

2 Chronicles 33:1-2, ¹Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 55 years. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

Manasseh reigned the longest in Judah; he was also a worst king of Judah; he led the people to do evil. The Lord warned Manasseh but he paid no attention. So, the Lord brought the Assyrians and attacked Jerusalem. They put hook in the nose of Manasseh, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.

What happened afterward? If Manasseh was taken to Babylon as prisoner, how did he reign for 55 years? Reflect on what it says in 2 Chronicles 33:12-13:

             ¹² In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

The wheel of fortune in the life of Manasseh has dramatically ended in positive note. His story may inspire us to pray for love ones, relatives or friends.

First, you’ve got to make sure that you have faith in Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross and washed away our sins. Practically, how can we know for certain that our sins have been washed away?

2.  Wash

^11aAnd that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified,

Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that formerly some of them were sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who have sex with men, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers or swindlers. But after they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they have been washed from wicked life and sanctified. 

To be washed from wicked life and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, how can we simply explain that mystery to ordinary listener or to a child?

At his crucifixion, Christ shed his blood. Shedding of blood is the mysterious requirement of God for the forgiveness of our sins. It declares in Hebrews 9:22:

²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 

The Lord himself had commanded shedding of blood as requirement for the forgiveness of sin. And once and for all, Christ shed his blood for our forgiveness. Reflect and search your heart: Do you seriously trust that when Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, the Lord washed away your sins? Right now, do you accept that the Lord sets you apart as clean vessel, sanctified ready for godly purposes?

The term, sanctify means holy, sacred, consecrated or set apart for special purposes. So, when God washed away our sins by the blood of Christ shed on the cross, he set us apart for his special, holy and godly purposes. What may possibly be the purposes of God especially for you? Surely, it’s not just ordinary.

Experience

Someone asked: Does God use my experiences for his godly purposes in my life? Let’s reflect on what, it narrated in Luke 5:4-11, ⁴ Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

If you have tried fishing, you may have personally experienced that there are times when you catch so much fish; there are times when you catch nothing.

As seasoned fisherman, Simon knew that the best time for great catch is night fishing. Before Christ told him to let down the net for a catch, Simon said that they worked all night and caught nothing. But then Simon obeyed the Lord; they caught large number of fish and their two boats filled with fish began to sink.

The first reaction of Simon was surprising; he wanted the Lord to go away. But when he admitted that he was a sinner, it signaled a regenerated heart.

What do you think? Have you discerned if God had been preparing you before you became genuine Christian to accomplish his mission purposes for you?

When you share the gospel of Christ, when you testify of transformational work of Christ in your life, observe and watch if potential believers show any sign of regenerated heart. Pray for discernment to sense if they have repentant heart.

King David prophesied in Psalm 51:17, ¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

A contrite and repentant heart is godly requirement for potential believers to seriously respond and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When we repent of our sins and we also accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Lord sent his Holy Spirit into our heart. The Holy Spirit warrants our justification before God!

3.  Warrant

^11b you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Do you sense the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in your heart? The Holy Spirit in our life warrants that God justified us in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. He guarantees that we have become righteous in the eyes of God. What do you think? How do we know practically that the Holy Spirit dwell or reside in our heart? Sense for yourself: Has the fruit of the Holy Spirit developed in my life yet?

Evaluate your behavior: Do I have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do not be satisfied with just a little sample of fruit. Pray that the Holy Spirit produce large fruit for others to see.

Together, let’s seriously meditate on Colossians 3:12-15, ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

This world has so much confusion. Bad elements of the society are given much leeway and freedom to carry out their crooked agenda. What can we do? How do we behave? We need the Holy Spirit to develop fruit of joyful peace in us.

Fruit Tree

Store bought fruit trees have name tags to identify the variety of the tree; it also informs an approximated time to harvest ripe fruits of the tree. In winter, leaves have fallen from the tree; if the tree has no name tag, it is not very easy to identify an apple tree from pear tree, a plum tree from cherry tree. Nevertheless, even if the tree has no name tags, you can identify when the tree bears fruits.

Similarly, anyone may behave in kindness and goodness. Not everyone who is good and kind is a believer of Jesus Christ. Other religions promote kindness and goodness to others. Others can pretend also to be good and kind to others. So, how can we distinguish kindness and goodness as fruit of the Holy Spirit?

When the Holy Spirit produces kindness and goodness in our heart, we also sense his peace in our heart. We don’t need to force ourselves and pretend to be kind and good to others. Actually, pretension makes life difficult and lonesome.

Later, we will vote and approve our church budget for 2024. Included in the church budget are ministry opportunities for us to practice our spiritual gifts. Participate in the church ministries and have chance to learn from each other on how we may depend on the Holy Spirit. The more we rely upon the Holy Spirit, the more we sense peace from God. Do you sense the Holy Spirit of Christ in you?

Today, we lit the Blue Candle that represents Peace. Make sure that you sense the peace of God as warrant of our hope that when Jesus Christ returns, he takes us into his heaven. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus Christ!!! Amen!!!

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