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He reads, Dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unjust and not before the saints. Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world and that the world shall be judged by you? Are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Now the first thing I want to point out here is that first word of the chapter, dare. He says, Dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unjust and not before the saints. Now this shows that this is a very serious matter when they're going to law against their brothers and sisters in Christ. It's not a minor infraction. He's basically saying there, how dare you. You have a lot of nerve, you know, you have a lot of goal to actually be bold enough to do such a wicked thing as to go to law before the unjust and not before the saints. Now as we read through this passage a little more you'll see what he's talking about there. He says, Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world and that the world shall be judged by you? Are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, no not one, that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Now he's saying here that you'd be better off to just be defrauded and ripped off than to go to law against your brother. Now what does it mean to go to law against your brother? This is talking about suing your brother or sister in Christ. This is like a lawsuit. This means that if I have a dispute with someone in the church, let's say for example somebody backs into my car in the parking lot or there's some kind of a business transaction that takes place and it goes south. Often business partnerships go wrong, don't they? Now I've often noticed something. There always has to be somebody who's the boss or things don't work out. Whenever you have two people that go together in business and they're equal partners, that usually doesn't work out. It's like a two-headed monster. Somebody's got to be in charge. Somebody's got to at the end of the day be the boss. There are often times when people enter into business transactions that can go wrong and people can lose money and people can get upset at each other. And a lot of times both sides make sense and it's a gray area and it's hard to say who's right and who's wrong in every scenario with financial transactions like that. And the Bible here is warning us that it would be very sinful and very wrong for us to sue our brother and sister in Christ in the unbelieving, ungodly court system. And we're going to get into more detail about just how wicked and ungodly the judicial system is of the world that we live in and that's what God's warning us about in this passage. Now, it's a very sinful thing to go to the law against your brother instead of going to the church because he says in verse 1, don't go to law before the unjust, he's saying, and not go before the saints. He's saying you should be going before the saints. You should be going before those that are saved and he's saying if then, verse 4, you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. Now, you say, well, why would we set the least member of our church up as a judge? I mean, why would we put them in church? Here's what he's saying. He's saying you'd be better off being judged by the one who's the least esteemed in the church. Basically, the person, what does esteemed mean? Respect. Basically, he's saying you'd be better off having the person in the church that you respect the least. Now, everybody right now, I want you to think, who do you respect? No, I'm just kidding. Don't think about that. Whoever you were to think and say, you know, that's the person I respect the least. He's saying, you know what, have that person judge you rather than the unbelievers, rather than the unjust, rather than the unsafe, rather than the worldly judicial system. That's why he explains part of why that is. He's saying, look, you'd be better off, you'd get more wisdom from the least of the people of God than from the Supreme Court or whatever you think is out there that's going to give you justice between you and your brother. And the Bible talks about what to do if you have a problem with someone in church. Go to Matthew 16. This is a famous passage that deals with the subject of how to handle offenses that happen in the church. And I didn't have this in my notes, so you'll have to bear with me because there's so much that I wanted to preach about. I didn't plan on turning here, but I do want to turn there. Somebody help me out. Is it chapter 18 or chapter 16? I think it's chapter 18. Okay, let me find it. It wasn't in my notes, so I've got to just find it here. Somebody tell me where it is. There we go. Verse 15. Matthew 18, verse 15. It says, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So right here, the Bible is telling us what to do if somebody wrongs you in the church. If somebody defrauds you in business or rips you off or backs into you in the parking lot and damages your car. You know, the first thing you're supposed to do is just go to that person alone and just go to that person and say, look, you've done me wrong here. You've harmed me. You owe me money. Whatever the case may be. And tell them his fault between you and him alone. And if he hears you, great. You've saved all the hassle and all the public outcry and everything like that. But if he won't hear you, then the Bible says take two or three people with you. Two or three witnesses. So you can go there, take one or two with you, then in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. Just so that there's witnesses there to see, okay, here's a problem between two people. And get it resolved that way. And the Bible says if you still can't resolve it, then take it to the whole church. And let the church decide who's right. Let the church decide, you know, what needs to happen and what kind of reparations need to be made. And if the people refuse to hear the church on that judgment, if we pass judgment, let's just say there's a problem between Brother Garrett and Brother Matt. And basically the church decides and says, you know what, Brother Garrett, you do owe Matt this money. Okay? And then Garrett just says, well, no, I'm not going to pay it. Then the Bible says basically he's kicked out of church. I mean, isn't that what the Bible says here? If he won't hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and as a publican. You know, basically just count him as not part of the church. You know what I mean? Just, he's gone. Because the Bible says that whatever the church binds on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth will be loose in heaven. You know, God has given jurisdiction to judge in these type of matters to the church. And when we say the church, we mean the whole group. All the people here, okay, can pass judgment on these things. And so, you know, we ought not, just at the drop of a hat, go out and sue our brother in Christ or just call the police. You know, oh, something went wrong, call the police. Now listen, don't get me wrong here. Obviously, if we're talking about a matter such as murder or, you know, molestation or, you know, I mean if there's some horrific thing that's going on that needs to be dealt with, obviously the church does not have the power to deal with something like that. You know, we don't have the power to just hold a cord and just put people to death and, you know, we're going to execute murderers and we're going to, you know, obviously we can't punish people to that type of a degree. Obviously, there is a time when we would have to turn things over to the world and turn people over to the world. But you know what? I'm not going to turn over somebody to the worldly legal system unless it's to that level of murder or rape or molestation. You know, some horrific thing like that, then yeah, okay, then we'll throw you to the wolves. Then we'll throw you under the bus, okay? But, you know, when it comes to financial things, when it comes to stealing, when it comes to, you know, you backed into me in the parking lot, when it comes to your kid socked my kid in the face, you know, that needs to be dealt with here. And I'll tell you why. Because our judicial system is wicked and our legal system is wicked. Now, most churches today, they believe that they're doing God's work by teaching a doctrine that basically says the police are wonderful, judges are wonderful, the legal system is wonderful, the Republican Party is wonderful, you know, the federal government is wonderful, the state government is wonderful, our mayor is wonderful, our president is wonderful, you know, I mean, that's what most churches teach today. But that is not a biblical doctrine. And I'm sorry if this offends you, but the Bible teaches that people that are not saved are not righteous people. People that do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are not righteous people and they do not judge righteously and they do not govern righteously. They govern unrighteously. And they rule unrighteously and they make decisions unrighteously. That is what the Bible is teaching in this passage. Because the Bible says here in verse 1, and I want you to understand what the word unjust means, it says, Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust and not before the saints. Now there's a synonym of unjust in the Bible. The word unjust is often used interchangeably with the word unrighteous. And the word just is often used interchangeably with the word righteous. And the Bible says, you know, when you're not going to law before the saints, meaning the saved, you're going to law before the unrighteous. You know, when you walk into the world's courtroom, those are unrighteous people that are judging you, according to the Bible. And he says here, in verse 4, if then you have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, no not one, that you'll be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore is utterly a fault among you, because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren. So what he's saying there is, look, let's say somebody in church rips me off for a hundred bucks. Or let's just say it's a thousand bucks. And by the way, if you're one that just blindly trusts people financially just because they go to your church, you have a lot of misplaced trust there, because there are bad people in the church. But anyway, the bottom line is, let's say somebody in the church rips me off for a thousand dollars. Okay? Well the Bible says that I'd be better off to just lose my thousand dollars and walk away and be right with God than to basically take that person to court. Because I'm not supposed to sue my brother in Christ. I'm not supposed to go to law against my brother in Christ. Now, I would be perfectly justified to go to that person and say, you owe me a thousand bucks, and then if they won't listen, you know, take two or three witnesses, and then if they won't listen to that, take it to the whole church and say, hey, this guy has stolen a thousand dollars from me, I want my money back. You know, and then let the church judge. Let the church decide. And that is biblical. But look what he says. This is the interesting part. He says in verse 9, know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, get the context, because verses 9 through 11 are often taken out of context. Verses 9 through 11 are often quoted by themselves to teach a lot of false doctrine. Okay? Get the context of what he's saying here. Who did he say that they're going to law with in verse 1? He's saying you're going to law before the what? The unjust. Okay? And now he's saying that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And he's saying, look, don't you know that? So he just finished explaining why you're not going to go to law before the unjust, and then he says, don't you know that the unrighteous are not going to inherit the kingdom of God? Now, look, he already brought up the fact that the saints were going to inherit the kingdom of God, because look at verse 2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? So there he's referring to the fact that those that are saved, those that are the saints, will one day rule and reign with Christ on this earth for a thousand years. So he's saying, look, the saints are going to rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years. The saints are going to judge the world. The saints are going to judge angels. Okay? They are qualified to judge. He says the unrighteous, the unjust, the unbelievers, he uses those three words about the same group of people, he says they are not qualified to judge. I'd rather have the least of the saints judge than the unrighteous. That's what God's saying here. Then he says, know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? So he said, look, these unbelievers, unjust, unrighteous, they're not going to inherit the kingdom of God as opposed to the saints who are. And then he says this, be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers. Now look, before I go any further on this list, I'm going to go through the whole list with you, but notice that the first word that you see is neither. And then he switches to nor, nor, nor, nor, nor. Okay? And you know, I just really want to break this down to make sure we understand it. The word neither there followed by the series of nor's means that we're defining who the unrighteous are. Because if it said the unrighteous are not going to inherit the kingdom of God nor this person, then it would be like a different group of people. But because he starts out with neither, it is a restatement of who the unrighteous are. He's going to break it down for us. And basically what he's saying is that when you go to law before the unbelievers, when you go into that courtroom, this is who's judging you. The unrighteous. And here's what they are. He says neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. So he's talking about the same group here that you're going to law against your brother and letting these people judge you and these people be the authority. He's saying this is what they are. They are fornicators, they're adulterers, they're idolaters, they're effeminate, and all night he goes through that list of things. Now look, pretty much almost everything on that list is legal today. Isn't it? I mean what about that list is not legal? I mean technically what? Thieves and extortioners and that's it. And extortion happens every day in this country by the same people that you're going to law against your brother before. The judges and the law enforcement. And so what we see here is that these are all things that our world says are fine or legal. But that God says are wicked and abominable. Let's go down the list for example. Fornication. Does our world condone a fornication? Of course they do. Fornication is when people go to bed together before they're married. That's commonplace. That's accepted in the world we live in. That is not illegal. And you know what? If some judge were found to be a fornicator, would they say, ah, you can't be a judge anymore. What about the members of the jury? When they do the vor dire process, do they say, oh, if you ever committed fornication, do you have idolatry? Are you an adulterer? Wait a minute, you look a little effeminate. You're off the jury. You know, your honor, excuse this juror. Or this judge has to go. Or this guy can't be a police officer anymore because he's effeminate. You think that that ever happens? No, because these are all things that are acceptable and these are all things that in our world are considered fine. It's fine to fornicate in the world we live in. It's fine to be an idolater or an adulterer. Now we know what a fornicator is. Somebody who goes to bed with somebody that they're not married to. Idolater. What is an idolater? Well, it's someone who has graven images. Statues. The Bible says, thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. And people have little statues that they pray to or bow down before or burn incense to. Whether it be Buddha or Mary or the saints or whoever it is that you have idols to. He says, ah, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers. Now what is an adulterer? An adulterer is somebody who's married and then they basically, you know, I guess the wording today would be they cheat on their wife or cheat on their husband. They go outside of marriage. Or a single person who commits fornication with someone who's married. Okay, that is an adulterer. And then the Bible says, and by the way, that's not illegal either. I mean it's sin, it's an abomination, but it's not illegal. The Bible says, nor effeminate. Now what does effeminate mean? Well, effeminate is a man who acts like a woman. Now don't become confused here because a lot of people will confuse this with someone who is a homo or a sodomite. Now that is not necessarily the case because there are many men who are effeminate but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are queer or homos. I mean it just means that they are effeminate. They just act basically girly. Instead of a man acting manly, they act girly and effeminate. Now look, this is a verse in the Bible telling us that that is a sinful condition. You know, we might not think it matters if a man acts a little bit girly or like a sissy or effeminate. But you know what the Bible says here that it is a sin to be effeminate and it lists it off in a list of very serious sins. And so, you know, men acting like girls is not something that God condones up or finds acceptable. And we have a lot of that today in the world that we live in. That's the cool thing today is for men to be soft and sissy. And look, God cares about this. You know, the Bible very clearly teaches in 1 Corinthians 11 that it's a shame for a man to have long hair but that a woman's hairs are glory. I mean the Bible very clearly states that men should have short hair and women should have long hair. The Bible clearly states that a woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man. Neither shall a man put on a woman's garment for all that do so or an abomination of the Lord thy God. So the Bible says that it is a sin for a woman to wear men's clothing. It is a sin for a man to wear women's clothing. It is a sin for a man to have long hair. It is a sin for a woman to have short hair. I mean, this is what the Bible teaches that there should be a difference between men and women. But today we're so brainwashed by the society that we live in that just wants everything to be gender neutral. Just wants men to act like women, women to act like men. That did not come from God. That did not come from the Bible. That is from Hollywood and Madison Avenue and it is from the devil. And the Bible here teaches that the effeminate are unrighteous and shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Then next he says abusers of themselves with mankind. Now, keep your finger here in 1 Corinthians 6, flip over to 1 Timothy chapter 1. Because this term is actually used twice in the New Testament. This term, abusers of themselves with mankind. The Bible says over in verse number 10 of 1 Timothy chapter 1, it says for whoremongers, it's again just a list of wickedness that's in our world. And it says for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. So what does it mean to be an abuser of himself with mankind or one that defiles himself with mankind? Well, let me explain to you first the word mankind because today in 2013 the way that we use the word mankind is actually pretty much the opposite of the way it's used in the Bible. Because, for example, if I were to say to you mankind today, I'm basically talking about the human race in general. Right? If I said mankind. You know, one small step for man and a great giant leap for mankind or whatever. So I'm talking about just the human race in general. But if I said to you men, I'm referring only to males. If I say men, in today's vernacular, right? But in the Bible it's the exact opposite because when the Bible used the word man or men, it's just referring to people in general. It'll often use the word man or men to refer to both genders, just to people, just to human beings in general. But when the Bible used the word mankind, it's referring specifically to men. Now, go back if you would to Leviticus 2013 because the word mankind is actually used very rarely in the Bible. It's all used a couple times. It's not a common word in the Bible at all. But it is found a couple times back in Leviticus chapter 18 and in Leviticus chapter number 20. And so let me just show you that. Leviticus chapter 20 verse 13, the Bible reads, If a man also lie with mankind, so you see the term mankind there, if a man also lie with mankind as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them. So this scripture is referring to a man who lies with another man, right? Because it's saying he also lies with mankind as he lies with a woman. Like, you know, a man would normally lie with a woman. And when the Bible says lie with, it's talking about what married people do, you know, in the bedroom, okay? You know, just for sake of a better term. The Bible doesn't go into graphic detail, so he uses terms like lied with, just to kind of, like we would say went to bed or something. You know, and we know that it means more than that, okay? So the Bible says here if a man lie with mankind as he lies with a woman. Basically, if a man does with another man what men normally would do with a woman, it says even both of them, both men have committed abomination and it says they shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them. So the Bible is real clear here what God thinks about the sin of, you know, what we call today homosexuality. Which I don't like to call it that. I just like to call it sodomy or, you know, that's what the Bible calls it. Or call it, I don't know, being a homo, being a queer, okay? And the Bible says here that if a man commits that, he should be put to death for that, okay? Now that is not the law of the land today in 2013, did you know that? But anyway, it actually used to be, actually in America, that used to be the law of the land back in the 1600s, 1700s. You know, homosexuals were put to death because that's what the Bible says. And they said, well, you know, that's what God said to do, so that's what we're going to do. And, you know, basically the Bible is teaching here the word mankind only in a couple places. So if we fast forward to the New Testament and we see the word mankind pop up, that's the verse that comes to mind, okay? And so what he's saying there, someone who abuses themself with mankind, he's talking about somebody who lies with mankind as they lie with a monk. Or one who defiles themself with mankind, that's what he's referring to, okay? And so, you know, you could go back to the Greek, if you will, but really just your English Bible. If you just study the English Bible, you can just compare words and see, okay, mankind is pretty consistent through the Bible. That's what we're referring to. When I was a teenager, I actually studied this in great detail and depth, and I actually did go back to the Greek. And really, I was trying to get to the bottom of what this term means, because there's a lot of controversy sometimes about what the term abuses of themself with mankind means. You know, people have different opinions about it, about what those that defile themself with mankind really are. I think just looking at the English Bible is enough to clearly see what it is. But if you, you know, I did look it up in the Greek, and the word in the Greek basically was a compound word of basically the word for man and the word for bed, okay? I mean, that's what it's referring to, okay? So it's pretty clear, there's no controversy here. I mean, it's pretty obvious what it's referring to. It's referring to those that are sodomites, okay? So back to 1 Corinthians 6, now that we understand what that term means. So he says, nor effeminate, nor abuses of themselves with mankind. Again, showing you the difference between an effeminate person and one who abuses himself with mankind, not necessarily the same person, okay? Now you say, well, why would being a homo mean that you abuse yourself with mankind or defile yourself? I mean, there's nothing abusive about that lifestyle. There's nothing defiling about that alternative wonderful lifestyle. Well, you know, if you weren't here on Sunday night, you know, I went through these statistics on Sunday night in my sermon, but, you know, I encourage you to look at these statistics after the service if you don't understand that. Because these statistics state that a person who's a homosexual, and these are scientific statistics, and I got these from the Center for Disease Control, which is not exactly a right-wing, you know, Bible-based organization. And the Center for Disease Control says that homos have 50 times the rate of AIDS. 50 times! Okay? And that last year, those who were homos accounted for 79% of new infections, even though they are less than 2% of the population. Now you say, Pastor Anderson, I'm confused. How could they have 50 times the disease? How could they have 50 times the AIDS and syphilis? I don't understand. Why? Well, simple. Because everything you've seen on TV about homos is a lie. Because everything you've seen in Hollywood about the homos is a lie. And because, actually, I've got the statistic right here that states that basically 28% of homos, according to these statistics that are scientific data, and you can check this out, you can fact-check all this, and it's all right here for you to look at at the service, says that 28% of homos have already had over a thousand partners in their life. A thousand. Over 28%. Now, that boggles the mind. A thousand? There's only 365 days in the year. I mean, a thousand. And that almost half have already, and I mean, look, some of them are young people. I mean, this is what they've already accomplished. Almost half have already had 500. Now, is that the way the media portrays the homo lifestyle? No, it's just two men who love each other. No, it isn't. It says that more than 50% of these encounters are with complete strangers in public places. That is a disgusting, filthy, unsanitary lifestyle. I mean, you want to talk about abusing your body? And then I have another scientific study here that states that their lifespan will be 20 years shorter. But don't smoke. That's going to shave six years off your life. But being a homo is going to shave off 20, according to all the studies. Even by these pro-homo groups, they find the same thing. Because it's an abusive lifestyle where they're abusing their body. Their body is wracked with disease because of just the filth that they engage in and the animalistic behavior that they engage in. That's why I use the word abuse and defilement. But let's keep reading. It says in verse 10, nor thieves. We all know what thieves are, people who steal. Nor covetous. Covetous are people who are greedy of what belongs to someone else. It says nor drunkards. What's a drunkard? You know, a drunkard is somebody who gets drunk. And then the Bible says nor revilers. Revilers are those who basically are blasphemous, is what that's talking about. And then it says nor extortioners. Extortioners are people who force people to give them money under threat of violence or blackmail and so forth. And then it says shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I'll not be brought under the power of any. Just because something's legal doesn't make it okay. Just because something's lawful. Now, the reason that verses 9 through 11 are often taken out of context and abused, let me give you some ways that these verses are misused. Some people will use these verses to say that if you commit any of the sins on this list, you're not saved. That's what some people will do. They'll take this and they'll say, well the Bible says here that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And he's saying that fornicators are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abuse of themselves of mankind, thieves, covetous, drunk. So, basically if you do any of those things, you're not saved. Who's ever heard that doctrine before? You know, anything on this list, you're not saved. Well, go if you would to Galatians chapter 5. Let's expand the list, shall we? And let's see if that's biblical. Look at Galatians chapter 5, because that is a misuse and a misinterpretation of the passage. Go to Galatians chapter 5 and look what the Bible says in verse 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these. Adultery, fornication. So these are some of the same type of things, right, that we saw in 1 Corinthians. He says adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath. What is wrath? Intense anger. Strife. Strife is arguing or contending or seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like. Just anything like that are the works of the flesh. And he says, Of the which I told you before, as I told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Now go to Revelation 21, the last book of the Bible, just a few chapters from the end. Revelation chapter 21. So you say, man alive, I better make sure I don't do any of the sins on that list. Well, here's the thing. First of all, you couldn't do any of the things on the list and you can't even do anything like that. Now, I'm sure that probably everyone in this room has done something on that list or something like that. Because you say, well I'm not a drunk, I've never been a drunk, I've never been a fornicator, I've never committed adultery. Right, but have you coveted? Have you desired something that belonged to someone else? Probably everyone's been guilty of that. Or how about wrath? Have you ever been enraged and started screaming and throwing things? Or have you ever been argumentative for no reason and just been contentious and just bringing strike for no reason? Okay, look at Revelation 21, it says in verse 8. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters These are huge sins, I've never done these things. But look at the last thing on the list. And all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Is there anybody here tonight who's never lied? Everybody has lied. Okay, not only that, you say, well that's talking about a habitual liar. Okay, go down to verse 27. And there shall no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh, how many lies? A lie. But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. So what you have to understand here is that any sin excludes you from the kingdom of God. Any sin excludes you from getting into heaven. Any sin will wind you up in the lake of fire. Whether it's lying, whether it's being drunk, whether it's coveting, whether it's fornicating, whether it's idolatry, whether it's being a reviler, whatever the case may be, whether it's theft. Okay, but what you have to understand is that's the whole point why we need to be saved. The whole point of salvation is that the Bible says that He has washed us from our sins in His own blood. The Bible tells us that we're forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ. And look, there are people out there who teach that once you're saved you'll never sin again. That is a lie. That is a false doctrine. Because the Bible talks about in the very passage of Galatians 5 about how the flesh and the spirit are at war with one another. And how the flesh wants to commit all this sin and the spirit wants to do right. And there's a battle going on inside of us every day. Whether we're going to do right or whether we're going to do wrong. And even John, who was the greatest of the twelve disciples, who was the disciple who leaned on Jesus at the last supper. John said, if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Even the apostle Paul talked about the fact that he was constantly struggling and wrestling with sin. And he said, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And so the Bible is really clear that once you're saved you will still sin because you still have the flesh there. And you will still commit sins that you committed before you were saved. But what the Bible is saying is that thieves, coveters, drunkards are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Because before we get to the kingdom of God we are going to be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. We will be changed from corruption to incorruptible, from mortal to immortality. And the thing is, the Bible is real clear, the only reason that we sin is because of our flesh. Because our spirit is perfect. And so that's why when we die and go to heaven our flesh stays behind. We will not sin once we get to heaven. Now look, while you live on this earth you will sin. But when you die your flesh will be gone. Your flesh will remain here, your soul will go to heaven and you will never sin again. And then of course at the first resurrection of the rapture, basically when the dead in Christ rise the bodies will be changed. And we will receive a new glorified body that is without sin, that is spotless and sinless. So what you have to understand is that yes, we will not inherit the kingdom of God as sinners. Sin cannot enter into heaven. You know, sinful man cannot enter into heaven. Sinful man cannot enter into the kingdom of God. But once our sins have been forgiven and once we've been changed and once we have shed the flesh behind, we will enter the kingdom of God. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. So when we get saved, we're a new creature. Old things are passed away, but old all things have become new. And our flesh remains unsaved. So that's why there's a battle. But once we die, the flesh is gone. We will never sin again. Okay, so basically people who are looking at these scriptures and saying if you do any of these sins you're not saved. What they're doing is they're just ignoring salvation. They're just ignoring salvation. I mean look, if salvation comes by the works of the law then Christ is dead in vain. If you could go to heaven just by abstaining from these sins, why would Jesus have to die on the cross? The reason Jesus had to die on the cross is because you've done some of these sins and that's why you needed that forgiveness. And the Bible says in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Okay, now let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. Has every person in the world done every sin in Revelation 21 8? I mean, has everybody murdered or committed sorcery? No. Now, do you think that there's somebody in our church who's done all these things? Do you think that we have somebody in our church who's a sorcerer or who used to be a sorcerer? I mean, is there somebody in our church who has committed murder? I don't know. I don't think so. I hope not, but who knows, right? Okay, so go back if you would to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. So does that help you understand here? People can take a list and just isolate it, but when we take that logic over to Revelation 21 8, it becomes a lie. And even some of the things listed in 1 Corinthians 6, you know, there's probably something on that list that everybody is guilty of. Something on that list. Now, look, are we guilty of all the things on the list? No. But how many of the things do you have to be guilty of to be excluded from entering into the Kingdom of God? Just one. A lie. One sin. Okay, does that make sense? Now, so that's one mistake that people will make in interpreting this passage. They'll twist this passage to say, you have to stop doing these sins, and here's what they'll take, verse 11, because verse 11 says this, And such were some of you, past tense, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God. And what they'll take that to interpret it as, well, you have to quit doing that step. Well, you were a thief, but you have to stop doing that in order to be saved, and they'll say you have to repent of all your sins to be saved. You know, okay, you were a thief, well you have to repent of that to be saved. You gotta quit doing that. Look, is that what the Bible says is the way to achieve salvation, by quit sinning? It's so good luck with that. Because the Bible says there's none righteous, no not one. Now look, when we get saved, our soul and spirit is made righteous, but the flesh never can change. And so that's why we have to walk in the spirit so that we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. But as far as being saved, the Bible asks the question one time, what must I do to be saved? And the answer was, and they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. So the way to be saved is through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life. And look, that's it. That's it, period. The Bible says by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. So there's no works that we have to do to be saved. It's just all faith. It's just all believe. That's it. Believing in Christ, nothing more. Believing the gospel. The Bible says for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Salvation is about believing. It's about faith. It's not about turning over a new leaf. You're going to quit sinning. No, you're never going to quit sinning. Now look, can you quit particular sins? Sure. And we should all be striving to quit whatever sin. Whatever sin is in our life, we should work on that. Whatever thing on this list or other lists of sins that we struggle with, you know, and maybe it's just something as simple as covetousness, or lust, or foolish thoughts, or stealing, or laziness, or drunkenness, whatever it is. We need to work on quitting those sins, but we don't have to do that to be saved, thank God, or else heaven is going to be empty of any human being. Because there's not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not, the Bible tells us. So people will take that false interpretation, okay? But then there's another false interpretation that they'll take, which is kind of the opposite extreme. So on one hand they're saying, you've got to quit doing this stuff to be saved. And then other people will say this, they'll say, well, this verse teaches that all sin is equal. Now, where does this passage say that all sin is equal? This is their logic. They say, well, if any sin will wind you up in hell, whether it be a lie, or whether it be murder, then the two must be equal. But that is not true. Because the Bible is very clear that different sins receive different punishments, all throughout the Bible. The Bible says that the servant who knew his Lord's will and did it not will be beaten with many stripes. The servant who did not know his Lord's will and did it not will be beaten with few stripes. The Bible says that, for example, in John chapter 19, Jesus Christ looked at Pontius Pilate and he said of the Jews, he said, he that delivered me unto you hath the greater sin. Well, let me ask this. If all sin is supposedly equal in God's sight, how could Jesus say you have the greater sin to the Jews? There would be no greater sin. And if all sin is equal, then why in the Old Testament were some sins punished by death, whereas other sins were just a beating? And other sins had no punishment at all. Okay? You see what I'm saying? They have different punishments, different levels of sin. And even when people are cast into the lake of fire, they're going to be judged according to their works before they're cast into the lake of fire. So some people are going to be in the lowest hell. Now look, all of hell is fire, all of it is torment, all of it is punishment. But you know what? Some people will be in the lowest hell. Some people will be in the worst part of hell. You know, I wouldn't even want to set foot in the best part of hell or whatever. You know, there's a real big difference between the best part of hell and the worst ghetto of heaven. You know, not that there's any ghetto in heaven, but you know what I'm saying. But anyway, I'm just saying, you know, whatever mansion, I'd rather have the last pick of the mansions, you know what I mean, than to be in the first circle of hell or whatever. No, I do not believe in Dante's Inferno. But anyway, I'm just saying here, to get a false doctrine of this that says, well, all sins equal, you know, that's a false doctrine. Now, another false doctrine that people will derive from this is they'll say, well, they'll focus in on the part that says abuses of themselves with mankind. And here's what they'll say. They'll say, well, some of the people in the church at Corinth used to be homos. And they were homos that got saved. And that's what he's saying when he's saying, and such were some of you. So these people were homos and they got saved. And people will derive that from this passage. Well, if you want to go to Romans chapter 1, flip back in your Bible just a few pages to Romans chapter 1, and I'm going to show you why I do not believe that. Romans chapter number 1. Because you see, whenever you're studying the Bible, you've got to understand that the entire Bible is God's word. The entire Bible is perfect. So the Bible doesn't contradict itself, does it? So, you know, we have to make sure that whenever we're studying the Bible, we bring it into harmony with the rest of the Bible. You know, we don't want to just isolate. I mean, look, if you want to preach a false doctrine, you can just isolate little phrases and verses and pretty much get the Bible to say whatever you want. If you just isolate a phrase, isolate a passage, instead of looking at it in the context of the chapter, the context of the book, and ultimately the context of the entire Bible. Now, Romans 1 is very clear on the subject of homosexuality. In fact, it's the clearest passage in the whole Bible. It's the passage that goes into the most detail on this subject and on this sin in the New Testament. And so, you know, we should go here and get our doctrine in Romans 1 and understand it and internalize it. The Bible is clear. And look, what I'm going to preach right now is not politically correct, but I don't care. This is what the Bible says. Look at Romans chapter 1. It says in verse number 18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. So here we have a group of people who the Bible says they knew who God was, but they refused to acknowledge Him. They would not glorify Him as God. They became vain in their own imaginations. And it says that because of that, as a result of that, their foolish heart was darkened. Does everybody understand? As a result of rejecting the truth of God, rejecting the truth of the creation of God, rejecting the word of God, their foolish heart was darkened as a result of them taking that action. So which came first? Them rejecting the truth. Then, as a result, their foolish heart was darkened. Keep reading. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, verse 22, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. So the Bible is saying they rejected the true God, and they've created a God of their own imagination that has been brought down to the level of man, or yea, even further brought down to the level of an animal. Wherefore, verse 24, wherefore means because of this or as a result of this, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Now look, doesn't it say at the beginning of verse 24, God gave them up? Now did these people just go into uncleanness independently of God? Nothing to do with God. No. It says God gave them up to uncleanness. Now look, God didn't author the uncleanness. It says it was through the lusts of their own heart. But God gave them up to uncleanness. So if you underline in your Bible, I would underline the words, God also gave them up. Okay, because that's a key phrase. It's going to come up twice more. Keep reading. It says who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. Verse 26. For this cause, so as a result of what they did by changing the truth of God into a lie, God gave them up unto vile affections. Vile means disgusting or gross. He says God gave them up unto vile affections for even their women to change the natural use of that which is against nature. And likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one toward another. Men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, here's the third mention, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. The word convenient there means they don't come naturally. So here he says that these people, because they rejected God, they rejected the truth of God, they rejected the creation of God, they rejected who God is, they made up their own lies about who they believe God is, they worshiped the creature more than the creator, and because of all of this just total rejection of who God is, as a result of that in three stages we see God giving them up, giving them over unto vile affections or disgusting affections. Now what does affection mean? What does affection mean? What if I said I'm going to be affectionate with my wife? What does that mean? Basically, you know, we think of affection, I remember when I was in school one of the rules in the rule book was no public displays of affection. Does anybody have that rule in your rule book when you're, yeah. No public displays of affection. What are they talking about? Holding hands, kissing, hugging and so forth. And obviously within marriage it goes beyond that. And God here is talking about affections that are vile, gross, disgusting. And then he defines exactly what that is. He says in verse number 26, he said God gave them up unto vile affections for even their women to change the natural use into that which is against nature. So whatever this vile affection is, it's not, it doesn't come naturally. It's not convenient. It doesn't come normally. It is not natural. In fact, it's against nature. It's gross, it's disgusting. And then he defines what it is. He says likewise also the man leaving the natural use of the woman. So what's natural for a man? The use of the woman. It says they burned in their lust one toward another, men with men, working that which is unseemly and receiving themselves that recompense of their error which is me. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. So this is a real clear passage and it boggles my mind how people just completely ignore this passage. 99% of churches, Christians, Patches completely ignore it. It doesn't exist. Shut up, it isn't there. Okay? But they will not face this passage. This passage explains why people have vile affections. Because look, frankly, I want an explanation. Because it doesn't make any sense to me that a man would lust after another man. That doesn't make any sense to me. Thankfully, Romans 1 explains it to me and I can understand it a little bit. Because without this I wouldn't understand it at all. And the world doesn't understand it, do they? So here's what the world says. Oh, it must just be they're just born that way. It must just be a different, you know, like black, white, Chinese, gay. It's just another race now. You're just born that way. But is that biblical? Were these people born lusting after other men? Face the truth tonight. Were they born lusting after other men? Okay, how did they get to this point? By rejecting God repeatedly. And by twisting the truth, hating God. Look, you know, if you really hate somebody a lot, then it could be said in verse 28 says they didn't even like to retain God in their knowledge. I mean, they hated God so much it's like they don't even want to remember that He's there. They wish that He would just disappear. I mean, they don't even want to think about it. Just don't even mention that person to me. I hate them so much. You say, well, they don't really hate God. Okay, keep reading. Verse 29, being filled, which is not a new sentence but a continuation of the other sentence. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, and what's the next word? Haters of God. So this says here that men who lust after other men also hate God. And they got to that point by rejecting God, rejecting the truth. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God turned them over to reprobate God. The word reprobate means rejected. Now, go to 2 Timothy 3, and I'm running out of time. I'm not going to... I'd rather spend time on this part of the chapter than to finish the chapter. I mean, let me just give you... while you're turning to 2 Timothy 3, I'll just give you the rest of the chapter in a nutshell. Don't commit fornication. Okay? So there you go. And you know, it's a great chapter, but I'd rather finish what I'm saying here. I want to finish this point. And so I'm going to be done with my sermon very soon, but I'd rather thoroughly cover one thing than to cover a bunch of stuff and not get to what I want to cover. So that's what I'm going to do. Look at 2 Timothy chapter number 3, and the Bible uses the term reprobate because the term reprobate is used throughout the Bible. The first time it's used is in Jeremiah 6.30 where God defines it for us. And he says, Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord has rejected them. So reprobate means reject or rejected. Okay? So basically God's saying, look, they didn't want to retain God in their knowledge. Well, God rejected them. God gave them up. Look, three times it says God gave them up, God gave them over, God gave them up. Now, I don't have time to sufficiently deal with this subject. And if you have questions about this subject and you want to learn more about it, I've preached on this subject many times. You can go on the internet and download my sermon that's called A Reprobate Mind. Or my sermon that's called, I don't know, there's a lot of them. But anyway, that's probably the best one to listen to. But here in 2 Timothy 3 we see another use of this term. And look what it says in verse 7. It says, Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth. Men of corrupt minds, and look at the next word, reprobate concerning the faith. So we see here that those that are reprobate concerning the faith, go to John 12 if you would. John 12. Those who are reprobate concerning the faith, the Bible says no matter how much they learn, they cannot come to the knowledge of the truth. They're ever learning but they're not able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Look if you would at John chapter 12. And again, I could literally turn to like 50 verses right now. I'm not kidding. Off the top of my head I could go to 50 scriptures that will teach this truth. But for sake of time I'm just showing you a few highlights. Look at John chapter 12 verse 39 says, Therefore they could not believe. Now look, are there people out there who cannot believe according to the Bible? It's not that they don't want to believe because the Bible constantly talks about people who don't want to believe. Like Jesus said, You will not come to me that you might have life. There are people who don't want to believe but there are also some people who can't believe and there's a reason why they can't believe. Look what the Bible says next. Because then as Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes. Now who has blinded their eyes? God, if you get the context. He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. These things said to Isaiah when he saw his glory and the sake of them. So look, this is not a popular doctrine. This is a doctrine that used to be very common when I was a child. This was preached and everybody seemed like they believed it and churches used to believe this. But the popular doctrine today says it's never too late for anybody. Everybody can be saved. It's never too late for anybody. Anybody can get saved at the last second. No, the Bible teaches that there are sins that you can commit that will cause you to where you're done. Now, do we all agree, now let me just, I'll prove it to you from the Bible. Okay, do we all agree that when you're dead and you haven't gotten saved, you're done? No second chance, right? It's not like you go to hell and then you get a second chance, right? I mean if you die without Christ, you're done, right? So does it eventually become too late for people? Yeah, okay. But here's the thing, the Bible is very clear that it becomes too late for some people before they die. For example, the famous passage in Revelation 22, 18 and 19 where the Bible says that if you add to or remove from the word of the prophecy of this book, he says he'll take away your part out of the book of life. He'll take away your part out of the holy city. He'll take your part out of things and he'll add it to all the places. Now look, that means that when an unsaved person, and look, you can't lose your salvation. It's everlasting life. We're talking about unsaved people. If an unsaved person, because no saved person is going to say, well I'm going to change who God is. I mean they have God in their heart, okay? But anyway, you know, if you take the word of God, and let's say somebody says, you know what, I'm going to change what the Bible says here. And the Bible says there are many who corrupt the word of God. If a person were to add to or take away from the word of God and produce a fraudulent Bible that adds things and takes things away, can that person later get saved and go to heaven? No, because the Bible says their part has already been removed. It's too late. Okay, what about a person who blasphemes the Holy Ghost? Can they later change their mind and get saved? No, because the Bible says that a person who blasphemes the Holy Ghost has no forgiveness, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. And Jesus was talking about the unsaved Pharisees, and they're the ones who accused Jesus Christ of having a devil. They blasphemed the Holy Ghost and He said, you will go to hell, you're done. And that's the exact same people about whom it was said in John 12, they could not believe. So people will often say hypothetically, well what if somebody blasphemes the Holy Ghost and then they believe on Christ? They could not believe. They're never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. They've already been rejected, they've already been given over to a reprobate mind, it's too late. So it sounds good on like a Hallmark greeting card, you know, it's never too late for anybody. But that's not what the Bible teaches. For example, okay, in the end times, obviously we're not there yet, but if a person takes the mark of the beast, they're done. And the Bible says that their name is not in the book of life. Their part is removed, just like the person who tampers with God's word, the person who receives the mark of the beast in their right hand or in their forehead, has sealed their fate. Now, when a person seals their fate, they become what the Bible calls a child of the devil, or a son of Belial. Belial is another name for Satan. And all throughout the Bible we read about the sons of Belial, the children of Satan, the children of the devil. And just as when you get saved you become a child of God, can anything ever change that? You'll always be his son. Well, once you become a son of the devil, you're always going to be a son of the devil, my friend. Now, not all unsaved people are sons of the devil, of course, but a very small minority of those that are unsaved have pushed God to the point, rejected God to the point, where he gives them over. Okay, whether that be because they blasphemed the Holy Ghost, or tampered with his word, or rejected him, whatever. You know, eventually God gets fed up. You know, God is the God of the second chance, but he's not always the God of the 500th chance. He's not necessarily the God of the 13th chance, okay? And so, look, that's why the Bible says, seek the Lord while he may be found. That's why the Bible teaches, you know, that now is the day of salvation, because for people who are not saved, they better get saved before it becomes eternally too late, whether in this world or when they die. Okay, so again, you know, we can go to all kinds of scriptures. If you doubt what I'm saying, you know, you can listen to other sermons I've preached. So let me just quickly finish in 1 Corinthians 6 on that note. So look, I personally believe that a man who lusts after another man, he's done. Because the Bible says the reason he even got there is by being a reprobate. He says, oh, you're preaching hate. You know, call it what you want. I'm not scared of you. Call me what you want. I've already been declared a hate preacher by the Southern Poverty Law Center, you know. You're, you know, so what? Ask me if I care. I'm not preaching the Word of God. I'm preaching the Bible, okay? And so if you disagree, then fine. But that's what Romans 1 teaches. That's what the Bible teaches. Now, people will take 1 Corinthians 6 and say, well, this proves that people in Corinth, they, you know, they had been a sodomite, they had been a homo, and they had, you know, recovered from that or they had gotten saved and whatever. Now, there's a couple problems with that. One, first of all, just because he gives a list of what the unrighteous are like does not mean that he's saying that they and Corinth had done everything on the list. He's not saying, you know, some of you have done all of these things. No, he's saying some of you have done such things or you were such a person. He did not say you've done everything on that list. You have abused yourself with another man, okay? Also, later in the same chapter, I'm sorry, in the same book, in 1 Corinthians 10, he later tells the Corinthians, there hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. Now, let me ask you this. Is the temptation for a man to lust after another man, is that common to man? Is that something that comes naturally? Now, let me ask you this. Do we all have a sin nature? Yeah. Now, look, do I have to teach my children to lie or will they lie on their own? I have to teach them to tell the truth, right? We automatically have a nature that says, when you're in trouble, lie to get out of it. See something you want, you don't want to pay for it, steal it, right? That's the sin nature talking, okay? And we, as men, have a sin nature that if we see, you know, a half-naked woman on a billboard, our sin nature tells us, look at that billboard. We want to look at that, we want to feast our eyes upon that flesh. That is what men naturally have a tendency to do if they're walking out and about somewhere and some woman is scantily clad, their eyes are going to be drawn like a magnet to that and they're going to desire to look at that. That is not an excuse, it is sin. And a godly person, when they see that billboard, when they see that scantily clad woman, will make a conscious effort and say, you know what, I'm not going to look at that. I'm going to resist temptation. I am not going to sin in my heart because the Bible says if I look at a woman to lust after, I've committed adultery with her already in my heart. But let me ask you this, men. Are you tempted if you saw, for example, some guy in his underwear on a billboard? I mean, are you really having to work that hard not to look at it? I mean, is it really that tough, guys? You know, depending on who you are and especially what level of spirituality you're at, maybe you're a new believer, you know, it can be pretty tough not to look at that magazine rack. It can be pretty tough not to look at that sin. But you know what, guys, you and I both know it ain't that hard not to look at that because guess what, there's no desire to look at it. Because a normal man is not attracted to other men, period. And I mean, I should have got way more amens on that. But anyway, you know, everybody knows, you know, I'm not attracted to men. You're not attracted to men. And that's why, you know, throughout history when we lived in a normal society, this was pretty rare. Okay? But, you know, today as we live in a wicked society that hates God, that worships and serves the creature more than the Creator, that rejects everything about the Word of God, we are producing a generation of reprobates. We are producing a generation of sons of Belial. And that passage I turned to you about, you know, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, it says it's talking about the last days that they will abound, people of that persuasion. And so what we see here is that as it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be also in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. And so what we see is that an unnatural tendency for a man to lust after another man is a result of being given over to a reprobate mind according to Romans chapter 1. It doesn't come naturally. It's not just a normal thing. Oh, you're born that way or well, some people struggle with that more than others. No, some people don't struggle with it at all. It's called 90 some percent of the population. Okay? I mean, it's a deviancy. And again, man, I wish I could say so much more about it, but I don't have time and there's so much that I want to say about it and this is a great chapter that has a lot to say. But the bottom line is, you know, this is not teaching that they had done everything on the list. Because if it were, if it were teaching that they had done everything on the list, you know, that would contradict Romans 1. It would contradict a lot of other passages that I didn't have time to turn to, that I've covered in my other sermons on this. And it would also contradict the concept that when he talks to the exact same group of people a few chapters later, he says there's no temptation taking you but such is as common to man. Meaning that Christians are all tempted with the same types of things. And that this is not something that a normal person is tempted with. It is something that is against nature. It's not a part of the sin nature. Now also I've noticed this. Those who teach that this passage is teaching that some of the Corinthians had been former homos, they all teach, well, but in order for a homo to get saved, they'd have to give up that lifestyle. Now wait a minute, is that salvation by faith alone? No. Because if you have to give up any sin to be saved, that's work salvation. Because the Bible says God saw their works that they turned from their evil way. And God repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them, he did it not in Jonah 3.10. So look, let's say you say, Pastor Anderson, I disagree with the last 15 minutes of what you preached. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion. And you say, I just believe 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11 is so crystal clear on this. Fine. Even though that has nothing to do with what the passage is about, because what the passage is really about is telling us that that's who's wearing that gown when you go to law with somebody. Bunch of queers and adulterers and fornicators, and he's saying, look, yeah, okay, I know you used to be a sinful person also, but at least you're washed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God. That's why you're qualified to judge. But you say, well, Pastor Anderson, I disagree with the last 15 minutes of what you said. I believe that homos can still be saved. I don't believe it's too late for them. I don't believe they're reprobate. I believe that they can get the gospel and be saved. That's fine. If that's what you believe, I have no problem with that. But let me say this, then you would have to believe that there are saved homos then. Because you can't sit there and say, well, you know, these homos, if they'll give that up, then they can be saved. Now you're teaching work salvation. So you're teaching a false doctrine. Now I don't believe that any homos are saved. Because I believe that the Bible is very clear that they are sons of Belial all the way in the Old Testament. It calls them that every time. It calls them workers of iniquity, sons of Belial, reprobate. It always uses those type of terms every time. So I don't believe that. But if you believe that, you better at least be consistent on salvation, my friend. And don't try to say, well, as long as they'll give that up, they can be saved. Well, then you're teaching work salvation now. Because the only requirement for being saved is to believe. That's it. Let's bow your heads and have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you so much for your word and we thank you for the truths found therein. Thank you for this passage, dear God. Please help us to stay away from the wicked sin of suing our brothers and sisters in Christ. You know, there can be times that we're going to be defrauded or ripped off. Or somebody's going to steal from us or damage our car or damage our property, borrow something and not give it back. You know, their kid punches our kid in the nose or whatever. And you know, there's going to be a temptation to say, you know what, I'm going to sue you. I'm going to call the police. You know, you're not willing to agree with me? I'm going to call the cops right now. God, help us never to be so wicked as to throw our brothers and sisters in Christ under the bus, cast them to the wolves of an ungodly, wicked judicial system, filled with the most unrighteous and unjust of people wearing badges and wearing gowns. Help us not to fall into that trap, dear God. Help us to realize that, you know, we'd be better off just letting the church decide, letting the saints decide for the small matters. Not talking about murder, but you know, not talking about rape. We're talking about the small matters. Help us to be judged by the church. And you know what? It's better just to be defrauded in the end. Because we'll be right with you. And in Jesus' name we pray, amen.