September 6, 2024 -- I Corinthians 6:9-11 -- God's incredible power to forgive

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, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 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.
I Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV

Verse 11 states “and such were some of you”. It is easy to look at this list and go, “Phew, I am not one of those people”. The list misses murders, and those who hate their parents, Sabbath breakers, and meddlers, and gossips (as well as many other sins). What is Paul’s point? I’m going to quote Mez McConnell, himself a victim of terrible childhood abuse at the hands of his step-mother:

     Many people struggle with the thought of a loving God
     sending people to hell. Yet, these same people have no
     problem with paedophiles, rapists and the like going to
     hell. That’s not a problem.

     That would be justice.

     But God doesn’t differentiate between sinners. Sin is
     lawlessness and we all fall into that category. That’s a
     bitter pill to swallow. Here’s an even more bitter one.
     Some paedophiles and rapists will be in heaven. They
     will get to enjoy the glories of living with God for eternity.
     And some of their victims will be worshipping Jesus side
     by side with them. Even more incredibly, they will be
     there with them.

     I mean, that is just scandalous! thee is a verse in a famous
     hymn that says, “The vilest offender who truly believes,
     that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” For many
     years I refused to sing that verse. I refused to believe
     that God would do that to me. That there was still an
     opportunity for my abuser to go to heaven.

     There was no way that I would accept any of this ever.

     Ever.

     Until I had a complete change of heart.

     What I’ve learned as a pastor is that God saves anybody
     and everybody He chooses. He doesn’t ask for my opinion.
     He doesn’t ask for your opinion. We don’t get to decide who
     is worthy and who is not.
Mez McConnell “The Creaking of the Stairs”, 2021 reprint, page 157

                             
O Lord God, Who inhabits eternity,
The heavens declare Your glory,
The earth Your riches,
The universe is Your temple;
Your presence fills immensity,
Yet You have of Your pleasure created life,
and communicated happiness;
You have made me what I am, and given me what I have;
In You I live and move and have my being;
Your providence has set the bounds of my habitation,
and wisely administers all my affairs.
I thank You for Your riches to me in Jesus,
for the unclouded revelation of Him in Your Word,
where I behold His Person, character, grace, glory,
humiliation, sufferings, death, and resurrection;
Give me to feel a need of His continual saviourhood,
and cry with Job, ‘I am vile’,
with Peter, ‘I perish’,
with the publican, ‘Be merciful to me, a sinner’.
Subdue in me the love of sin,
Let me know the need of renovation
as well as of forgiveness,
in order to serve and enjoy You for ever.
I come to You in the all-prevailing name of Jesus,
with nothing of my own to plead,
no works, no worthiness, no promises.
I am often straying, often knowingly opposing Your authority,
often abusing Your goodness;
Much of my guilt arises from my religious privileges,
my low estimation of them,
my failure to use them to my advantage,
But I am not careless of Your favour or
regardless of Your glory;
Impress me deeply with a sense of Your omnipresence,
that You know my path, my ways, my lying down, my end.
from: VALLEY OF VISION "God the Source of All Good"

https://youtu.be/C6yqC2sWcRc?si=kgfos3GPbAO2MIXw “To God Be the Glory”

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