Podcasts about kingdom now

This week, we kick off our new teaching series through the book of Acts, Kingdom Now. In week one, Tom sets the course for the series, helping us see how the book is the true story of the outpouring of heaven and the renewal of the world, and how as the church we can climb inside it and live it out every day.

Today's sermon title is: The Kingdom Now and Later For more information about Redemption Church or to get in touch please visit our website at: https://www.redemptionchurchokc.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedemptionChurchOKC If you would like to support our ministry you can donate at: https:/www.aplos.com/aws/give/RedemptionChurch1/

The Church can be too political. There are forces among God’s elect that see the dominance of the Church in earthly rule as God’s design for His kingdom. Kingdom now theology falls far short of the Christ intent of the Kingdom of Heaven. Kingdom Now proponents believe that God lost control over the world to Satan when Adam and Eve sinned. Since then, the theology goes, God has been trying to reestablish control over the world by seeking a special group of believers—known as "covenant people," or "overcomers," who would bring all earthly kingdoms under God’s authority. The Church fails miserably when calls for theocracy overpower the TRUE teaching of Jesus as the Christ concerning HIS kingdom of heaven now. Matthew’s gospel focuses on the role of Jesus as the fulfillment of kingdom prophecy. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” [Matthew 3:2]. The kingdom of heaven is referenced fifty times in Matthew’s gospel, and within those mentions Jesus spoke of the kingdom forty-four times. At his birth, the Magi looked for the king of the Jews [Matthew 2:2]. And at his trial before Pilate, the governor asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews [Matthew 27:1]. A battle of kingdoms has played out since the Edenic Fall while two kingdoms between Heaven and Hell wage war. Human history is the battlefield. The kingdom of men fights on the side of the Satanic kingdom but in the end, kings and kingdoms will all pass away under the reign and rule of Jesus Christ who is granted the throne of heaven. As all great battles must fight the greatest of all battles before the war ends, so too will the kings of men fight against the king of heaven who won the great spiritual battle on the cross. Jesus shows his great strength against the kings of men as he suffered greatly along his journey to the cross. Let’s dig into Matthew 27:11–26 to see the battle waged between the religious leaders allied with Rome and the kingdom of heaven where Jesus reigns.

All All Souls celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Our God is Marching On,” a speech delivered on March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama. Music by The Porter's Gate, “Behold! Behold! The Kingdom Now is Come” (2020).

Kingdom Now

Download; Bob Souster, The Kingdom Now, Bassett Street Sermons, 31 mins

Charlie and Zealeus talk about what gamers really want from: Next Gen Switch Might Be Here Second Half of 2024 Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Now at 18 Million Copies Sold Baldur's Gate 3 is Now Out Diablo 4 Has Bug That Allows Eternal Characters to Participate in Seasonal Season 4 of The Mandalorian Could be Movie Instead of Episodes KickStarter To Ask for Disclosure of AI Generated Components to Projects Website: https://www.alteredconfusion.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/alteredconfusio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlteredConfusion/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AlteredConfusionLLC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteredconfusion/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AlteredConfusion IndieCluster: https://indiecluster.com/ NoodleBoy Media: https://www.facebook.com/NoodleBoyMedia Hero Chiropractic: https://www.herochiropractic.com CrossPad Creative: crosspadcreative@gmail.com Agile Axiom: https://agileaxiom.com

Join us for a powerful message titled "Heaven's Access Points" by Pastor Hector Robles, delivered at our annual Kingdom NOW Conference. Drawing inspiration from Genesis 28:10-20, discover the divine encounters and spiritual breakthroughs that await us as we explore the portals connecting heaven and earth. Get ready to unlock the supernatural and experience the Kingdom NOW! Don't miss out! #KingdomNOW #HeavensAccessPoints #DivineEncounters

Lest the Lord returns, there will be Podcast Analysts 100 years from now trying to understand why Canary Cry Radio did not publish a single episode in 2022! But in 2023, it was time to fire it back up! But not for reasons expected or planned. On this episode, a tribute to one of the most influential individuals in modern Biblical scholarship and personal mentor to Basil and Gonz, Dr. Michael Heiser, who entered the unseen realm on February 20, 2023. We go through a series of clips from Dr. Heiser's multiple appearances on Canary Cry and Canary Cry adjacent content. Spanning over a decade thinking outside the cage, Dr. Heiser's Gandalf-ian influence on the Canariam within Christian Middle Earth cannot be understated. While you can find endless hours of Dr. Heiser content online and in his books, we wanted to share moments where his down to earth personality shined through the brilliant academic and author. We will miss you Mike! But we can't wait to interview you again…in the Unseen Realm! Until then, we will continue to Think Outside the Cage! God Bless! Dr. Heiser's appearances in chronological order:January 1, 2013CCR 040: Dr. Michael Heiser InterviewDecember 20, 2014CCR 081: The Portent with Dr. Michael HeiserDecember 21, 2015CCR 100: Basil and Gonz' Excellent AdventureJanuary 20, 2016CCR 101: Middle-earth with Dr. Mike HeiserDecember 31, 2018CCR 138: Angels w/ Dr. Mike HeiserThe JOYSPIRACY TheoryApr 5, 2016TJT vs Dr. Mike Heiser - Episode 008FACELIKETHESUN (In chronological order)April 24, 2016[Pt.1] UNSEEN REALM SEMINAR w/ Dr. Michael S. Heiser: Supernatural Worldview of the O.T.April 25, 2016[Pt.2] UNSEEN REALM SEMINAR w/ Dr. Michael S. Heiser: The Three Rebellions and the Fall of ManApril 26, 2016[Pt. 3] UNSEEN REALM SEMINAR w/ Dr. Michael S. Heiser: Jesus, Cosmic Geography, & 2 Powers in HeavenApril 27, 2016[P.t 4] UNSEEN REALM SEMINAR w/ Dr. Michael S. Heiser: Cosmic Geography of the NT - Book of ActsApril 28, 2016[Q&A] UNSEEN REALM SEMINAR w/ Dr. Michael S. Heiser - Speaking in Tongues, Kingdom Now & EschatologyOctober 17, 2017REVERSING HERMON - 1 Enoch, the NT, Watchers, Nephilim & Antichrist - Dr. Mike HeiserOctober 18, 2017Q & A with Dr. Michael S. Heiser - Reversing Hermon, Sons of God, Nephilim, Gematria & End TimesMarch 7, 2019*AGE OF DECEIT 3* (FULL) REMNANTS IN THE CYBER_HIVE EARTH

"When you see a fake alien invasion, know that the devils end is near." -Cory​ ​ ​​Today I want to expose the ridiculous plan to use Holograms and different technologies to try and control humanity. Research "project bluebeam." ​ However today I am going to expose an angle that many have not heard. Also listen to Candace O. report on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHU2_1jiMC4 ​ Watch last nights broadcast here: https://media.talktruth.ca/ ​ BUT FIRST HEAR THE PODCAST FROM TODAY, SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT HAPPENING TONIGHT FOR THE KINGDOM I ANNOUNCE IN THIS EPISODE. THIS STUFF IS A DISTRACTION FROM THE KINGDOM MESSAGE MANIFESTATION!​​ Episode #243 - "Fake Alien Invasion: Is Elon Musk Part of Project Bluebeam?" Listen and download today's podcast and all the other 242 other  messages @>> https://kingdombusinesslifestyle.libsyn.com **"Born Again As Kings" my new book edition 2 is now out and professionally edited and up in hardback and softback on Amazon!!! 

Many Christians don't know the blessed truths of Revelation. In part, this is due to the recent fad of Theonomy and Kingdom Now theology, which promises Christians a supposed "golden-age" if they'll simply bang the drum of conservatism. But a sound interpretation of The Revelation reminds us that though man will never fix earth, there is a King (soon returning) who will reverse the curse and restore perfect order. Soli Deo gloria. 

Many Christians don't know the blessed truths of Revelation. In part, this is due to the recent fad of Theonomy and Kingdom Now theology, which promises Christians a supposed "golden-age" if they'll simply bang the drum of conservatism. But a sound interpretation of The Revelation reminds us that though man will never fix earth, there is a King (soon returning) who will reverse the curse and restore perfect order. Soli Deo gloria. 

--- Sermon delivered at Pilgrim Baptist Church on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at 6-15 pm. -----This expository sermon on Matthew 13-51-52 looks at the final parable of the householder where Jesus teaches the disciples, that they are responsible to teach new truth as well as old truth.--This sermon is also a review of the previous 7 parables found in Matthew 13.--The big takeaway from this sermon is the understanding that we are NOT in the kingdom NOW. We are NOT in a mystery form of the kingdom. As Christians, we are part of the church, where Christ is the head.--At the end of this sermon you'll understand why Amillennialism is wrong and why there is no Millennium Now or Kingdom Now. The Amillennialist belief that the 1,000 years is symbolic and is happening now in a spiritual form is wrong. This sermon clears up that confusion.--Matthew 13-51-52 -KJV- Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things- They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.---- -- -- -- ----Jimmy Fortunato is the Pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church, located at 229 W. Jere Whitson Rd. Cookeville, TN 38501.--Pilgrim Baptist Church is a bible-believing, independent Baptist church that takes a strong stance on the authority of the King James Bible and the absolute necessity of public evangelism for true New Testament churches.--For more information about Pilgrim Baptist Church, visit--- https---pilgrimbaptist.church---Pastor Fortunato's Blog---- https---fortunato.blog-

Women who undergo abortion as a medical procedure are often stigmatized as young, irresponsible, uncaring, and among extremists, "murderers." What is it like to face a situation where abortion is necessary, and a woman is forced to make that decision to choose between life and death - even her own? Join Apostle Dr. Lee Ann Marino and guest Julie Harvey, who has come on Kingdom Now by request to share her stories involving medically necessary abortion to set the record straight about the experience and the reasons why abortion serves as a life-saving procedure for millions of women worldwide who are neither rare, nor an exception to the rule. (Intro and conclusion track provided by Vitaliy Levkin of Lemonmusicstudio) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kingdompowernow/support

What have you been waiting for? A phone call about a job, test results, or the person of your dreams? Have you been waiting for what seems like an eternity? Sometimes even when we wait for really great things, our desire for future events can feel like a burden. The question isn't how to avoid waiting, but how to wait well. Jesus answered this question in The Parable of the Talents with the promise of an incredible reward and a terrifying warning. To wait well is more than looking to the future; it's being faithful with what God has entrusted to us in our current situations. When we invest in God's Kingdom NOW, we can bring a taste of eternity to everyone around us.

In this message, we see Jesus perform yet another miracle – and we're challenged to examine whether or not we have thankful hearts. Ungratefulness is a dangerous path. The post The Kingdom – Now and Not Yet appeared first on First Baptist Church, Russellville, AR.

We continue with our discussion on "Christian Nationalism." In this episode we look at Dominion theology, Christian Reconstructionism or Kingdom Now theology. And hand in hand with that is something called The Seven Mountain Mandate. These are supposed Christian narratives that involve changing the laws of all the nations to God's laws in the Old Testament and enforcing that law on all people to prepare the world for Christ's arrival.What exactly is this theology? Who is practicing it? Why is it on the rise? And most important, is it Biblical?

Hey Thinner Circle! I hope this episode helps you to experience the FULLNESS of God's Kingdom NOW!

Continuing our series on the Everyday Kingdom, Jeff explores the tension of miracles and mourning. How do we explain the power of God vs. the silence of God? What did Jesus say about the Kingdom “Now” vs. the Kingdom “Not Yet,” and how does that impact our daily lives? Listen in as we explore the tension of the Kingdom.

To many Xennials and Millennials, purity rings, purity balls, and "waiting until marriage" were staple propaganda fed by Evangelical Christian groups. What was purity culture like, and what impact did it have on those who lived with its rhetoric? In this special extended episode of Kingdom Now, join Apostle Lee Ann Marino and Sanctuary International Fellowship Tabernacle - SIFT - Pastor Angie Littlefair, Prophet-in-Training Nik (Lex) Lewis, Teacher-in-Training Charlie Reep, Jenni Scruggs, and Grace France for a conversation about their experiences in purity culture, how such was harmful, each in different ways, and how as we recover from purity culture's sting, we recover together. (Intro and conclusion track provided by DanoSongs, www.danosongs.com.) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kingdompowernow/support

Way too many people set out to follow Jesus and then they discover – hang on a minute, this being a disciple thing, this kingdom building thing is a lot harder than I thought. Those people are the ones who forgot to count the cost. Those people are almost always the ones who fall by the wayside.   Are You Building God's Kingdom Or Your Empire?  As you can imagine, I get a lot of emails from people who listen to this program and many, many times, they're struggling with something in their lives. One man the other day emailed me and he was struggling about a lie that he'd told a few years back, and in his heart of hearts he didn't know whether God would ever forgive him. Another woman recently wrote to me about one of her children who'd gone seriously off the rails. People going through a marriage breakdown, people going through a divorce. People struggling to be accepted in their church. People who have lost their jobs. There are so many issues that we face in life, and I guess sitting where I sit, I get to see a pretty comprehensive cross-section of those. And it doesn't seem to matter where people live, in a wealthy country, in a poor country; east or west; north or south – the issues are pretty much the same. I even had an email from a woman living on the streets who'd sold her body into prostitution just to be able to afford to buy food. Despite all the growing affluence and all the things that you and I can buy with our hard-earned money. She's a tough old world out there. Real people struggling with real things. And into all of that, walks Jesus. How relevant is He really? How much of a difference is He really making? Believe it or not, that's something I often ask of myself, because by sharing the Word of God with you and many others who listen, if it ain't making a real difference, if it's not giving real answers, if it's not touching people's hearts with the powerful love of God, then frankly, I'm wasting my time. So how relevant is Jesus to you? How much of a difference is He making in your life? Because Jesus went to extraordinary lengths to bring the Kingdom of God near to you. And that's what I want to spend a few minutes focussing on today. The extraordinary lengths that Jesus went to, to purchase for you entry into the Kingdom of Heaven, which begins by the way, down here on earth. Because it's once we understand the passion in the Lord's heart to do all that's required for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, that it starts to make a real difference in our lives. Of course, neither you or I can ever enter the Kingdom of God of our own right. We've all sinned; we've all fallen short of the glory of God and the outcome, or the wages of our sin, is certain death. That's the whole point of Jesus dying for you and me on the cross. There He hung, beaten, nailed to that wood, gasping for air, in agony, dying … because God is a just God. Justice had to be done. But the dilemma for God is that He is also a loving God. So how does He reconcile justice and love? His justice and His love? Well, He does it by allowing Jesus to take my punishment and your punishment in this brutal way. The other day, I read a tweet from a great guy called Peter Pelt (he's a pastor) and he asked this question, quite simply: "Would you die for someone else?'" Tough question to answer isn't it? And I suspect that had I been facing such a brutal Roman execution, you'd have had to drag me there to the cross kicking and screaming. Why would you possibly die for a bunch of people you didn't even know? And yet for Jesus, it was the obvious thing to do. John chapter 10, verses 17 and 18: For this reason my Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father. Jesus gave His life for you and for me willingly. He always knew He'd have to, and He died for you and me so that we could enter the Kingdom of heaven here on earth, and for all eternity. And the only way to enter into His kingdom is through faith in Jesus and for what He did for us on that cross and through that empty tomb. God loved the world so much that He gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in him won't perish, but will have eternal life. (John 3:16) And for this reason, in order to save you and me, Jesus went willingly to the Cross. He gave up His life so that the Kingdom of Heaven would break out in my heart, in your heart, in our hearts, and take us through to spend eternity with Him. That's the powerful Gospel. That's the powerful good news of Jesus Christ. It's available to you, it's available to me, and it's available to anybody who would put their trust in what Jesus did for them on that cross. That He paid the full price of our sin, so that we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven by faith, through God's grace in Jesus Christ. The question is, does that make a difference to your life today? Does the power of God's love break through the difficult circumstances that you're facing today, and bring joy and peace and confidence to your heart today? I remember a time when I was completely alone on this earth. The people who should have stood by me had deserted me. I think there's nothing worse than being completely alone. Nobody to call. Nobody who cares. Nobody who understands. Nobody to deeply connect with, soul to soul. It's a dark place, I have to tell you. I'd never seen such darkness before, and I've never seen such darkness since. Inky, black darkness. Alone. And it's in that darkness my friend that the light of the love of Jesus Christ shines so brightly. It's when fear and loneliness and anxiety and pain are washing through you and over you. And you feel like you're drowning in a tsunami, that Jesus reaches down into that pit. For God so loved you, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that if you should believe in Him, you won't perish, but you'll have eternal life. My friend, that is the good news! And that good news is for you. The old rugged cross is for you. God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ is for you. His love, His presence, His comfort is for you. The kingdom of God … is for you. The Kingdom of God is many things … it's multi–faceted. And one of the things that God's Kingdom is, is a place of shelter and safety and comfort and love that can never be overrun by the cares of this world. It can never be overrun by the hatred and the sin of others and it can certainly never be overrun by the devil and his legions. Why is that important? Because when we're travelling through those dark places in life that we all travel through when we're feeling alone or unappreciated or under attack, we need to know that the Kingdom of God is like a fortress that we can run into. Romans chapter 8, verses 31 to 39: What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hallelujah! The fact that you, if you believe in Jesus, are in the Kingdom of God right now. The fact that nothing can separate you from God's love or defeat God's love, is the only thing … the … only … thing … that makes a difference. That is why the Kingdom of God is so important.   The Cost of Kingdom Building It strikes me that had Jesus been carrying out his public ministry in the 21st century rather than the 1st century, I'm sure that his disciples would have suggested that they hire a PR Consultant. Because frankly, public relations wasn't something that Jesus was particularly good at. He just … I don't know … He didn't put the right spin on things. I mean, take this for instance, Luke 14, verses 28 to 33: Whoever comes to me and doesn't hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and isn't able to finish it, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, "This fellow began to build and wasn't able to finish." Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciples if you do not first give up all your possessions. Now, any PR consultant worth his salt would certainly have massaged that little outburst wouldn't they? No! Public Relations wasn't Jesus' strong suit. Just as well too, because there's no way that you can retain the powerful meaning of what Jesus is saying here, by putting some PR spin on it. Here's the bottom line: following Jesus is going to cost you something. It may cost you your life. It may cost you your nice comfortable family/village existence, where the boundaries of your world are a walking distance from where you live. In fact, everything worthwhile is going to involve some sacrifice. Building a tower involves costs. Waging war involves losing lives and assets. And following Jesus involves losing your grip on that nice cushy little life that you had planned for yourself. It involves breaking free from the iron grip that your desire for possessions has on your will, your imagination, your plans and your hopes and your dreams. Being a Kingdom Builder – a true disciple of Jesus Christ – involves letting go of your own personal empire. Now that doesn't mean that we can't own anything or that we can't build anything. In fact, in the Kingdom of God, we need business people who build wealth that funds the growth of God's Kingdom. We need ministry entrepreneurs who grow organisations that take the Gospel into the lives of people who otherwise would never have encountered the amazing love of Jesus. But the question is who are we building it for? You know the syndrome don't you? The harder you work for something, the more you own it and the more it owns you. Now sometimes that can be a good thing. Any parent who has been through the joys and the challenges of bringing up children will know that the blood and sweat and tears that they've invested in their kids over the first couple of decades of their lives, has an enormous amount to do with how much you love them, and how proud you are of them. And that's great! But I remember when a couple of my business partners and I built a consulting firm that we'd started from scratch and grew it to a healthy, medium-sized international business. We decided to sell it to a public company, and that was great, but letting go of our baby, my baby, was hard, because we'd invested so much of ourselves in it. The things we sacrifice for become a part of us and they can have a grip on our hearts, on our lives and our wills that we don't even realise is there. That's why I keep saying that there's a very fine line between being a kingdom builder and being an empire builder. And so what it comes right down to in drawing a clear line in the sand between those two in your life and mine, is what we're prepared to give up. Let me be blunt about it. The things that you've built … the career, or the reputation, or the business, or the standing you have in your local church, or the position, or the title, or the recognition, or the kudos that you've built up over many hard years of toil … are you prepared to give them up for Jesus? All of them? Are you prepared to walk away from them and do what Jesus called you to do? I'm not saying that He will always ask you to give everything up. But in a real, practical sense, this is exactly what it means to count the cost. What are you prepared to give up for Christ's sake? I am so passionate about the ministry of Christianityworks that produces these radio programs. I am so passionate about seeing lives transformed. I am so passionate about the small but amazing team of people that make it all happen. But my constant prayer to God is this: Lord never, ever, ever allow this ministry to become my idol. Never, ever allow me to worship the works of my own hands above you. And when the time comes when your plan is to move me on, to replace me with someone else whose call it is to continue on the work of YOUR ministry – let me give it up with grace and with ease to follow you Lord Jesus onto the next thing that you have planned for me. Whatever it is. Whatever it may cost. In Jesus' name. Amen. I pray that constantly because the greatest commandment of all is that I should love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind. That's the first and the greatest commandment … that God's name, God's will, God's Kingdom should be first in my heart before everything else. That's why Jesus taught us to pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on this earth as it is in heaven." No, that's not an easy position to take. Not at all. We're all going to struggle with it from time to time. I know that. God knows that. But that's the position that we're called to. What are you prepared to give up in order to become a Kingdom Builder rather than an empire builder? Are you ready? Are you prepared to lay it down at the foot of the cross, or not? I remember being at that fork in the road in my life. There were two ways forward. To the left, continue on with my lucrative consulting career. To the right, follow Jesus into a tiny, ailing little ministry that looked like it needed someone to read it the last rites before it curled up its toes and died. And that's the point when I realised the grip that my career and my reputation had on my heart. I don't mind telling you, it was a real struggle to turn my back on my career and reputation and let's be blunt about it, on the money, to follow after Jesus. A real struggle. And every now and then, someone rings me and asks me to do this bit of work for them or that, and the temptation still presents itself. But truly, with all the ups and downs. With all the trials and challenges of following Jesus down this meandering, dusty, sometimes very lonely little road called the Ministry of Christianityworks that He's called me to – I wouldn't swap it for the world. Because in my heart of hearts, I know that what I'm doing is what He called me to do. Imperfectly mind you. Making mistakes along the way, of course. But that's no surprise to Jesus. So let me encourage you to sit and think and ponder and pray about what it is that the Lord your God is calling you to. And then to count the cost. To look at all the things that really matter to you and bring them before the Lord, and lay them down in the power of the Holy Spirit. And then take up your cross, whatever that may look like, and follow your Lord, wherever He may lead, whatever it may cost. Because that's the only path, my friend, it's the only path to becoming a Kingdom Builder.   Disciples Build the Kingdom Now to start to live out our lives as true disciples of Jesus, as Kingdom builders rather than empire builders, we need to have a pretty profound and dramatic shift in focus. Really! Because being a disciple of Jesus, when all is said and done, means that the expansion of God's kingdom needs to become more important to us than growing our own empire. It changes everything. It's about putting everything on the line. Our careers, our finances, where we live, how we live – it's not about tipping God with a 10% tithe, but putting everything on the table – all in, boots and all. Following Jesus is not a spectator sport. Following Jesus isn't about taking up residence in a comfortable pew in your local church. It's about travelling a difficult and sometimes lonely path to do what Jesus is calling YOU to do. I know that's scary. Jesus knows that's scary. That's why He said to His disciples: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life. (Matt 16:24–26) That's the dilemma we all face. You, me, anyone who has that nagging sense in their hearts that Jesus is calling them on to something new; to that plan that Jesus has for their lives that involves stepping out, and taking a risk. But here's the thing. So long as we stay in our comfort zones, so long as we try to ignore that …. that quiet still voice that's telling us there's something more – we'll never be satisfied. We'll never be content. We'll never have that sense of knowing that we're on the right path; God's path. And that's exactly how it's meant to be. Following Jesus, becoming a Kingdom Builder, often means … no, it always means the end of our own little empires. It's a whole new focus. Am I prepared to give up my dreams for the sake of following Jesus? That's the question. And it's at that question, it's at that point that many turn away. They were looking for an easy road, not this. But just think about how crazy that is. Think back to your childhood – and of course, I get it that your parents weren't perfect. But 99% of parents try their best. Was it hard growing up in your family? Sure it was. It's always hard growing up. But for most of us the benefits vastly outweighed the downside and pretty much, there's no easy road to anything that's worthwhile. Imagine if you'd turned away from your parents, instead of persevering with them. And here I'm not talking about those very small percentage of parents who abused their children – I know there are some people listening today who went through that. I'm not trying to downplay that in any way. But for most of us, we had good parents, imperfect though they were, and we accepted their word and their rules and their love and their discipline as children accept these things. Willingly. Openly. Almost naively. And that my friend is how we enter the Kingdom of God. Mark 10:14–15: Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. Listen to me. Jesus came to build His Kingdom, God's Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth. He gave His life so that you and I could enter it – now and for all eternity – and receive all the benefits of being children of God. And then … then He called you and me to do what He did – to become Kingdom builders. That's what our lives are meant to be all about. Kingdom builders. And whilst the road is tough now, the rewards that await us in heaven are beyond anything that you and I could ever imagine.

Guest speaker, Landen Dorsch (Gateway Family Church), brings a 2-part message on advancing the Kingdom within your home during our Kingdom Now weekend.

Guest speaker, Landen Dorsch (Gateway Family Church), brings a 2-part message on advancing the Kingdom within your home during our Kingdom Now weekend.

Guest speaker, T.J. Green (Voice of Revival Ministries), brings a message on revival harvest during our Kingdom Now weekend.

Greg explains that your salvation doesn't depend on your politics, but your politics should reflect your salvation, and in a culture where everything is now political, Christians can't avoid politics, then he answers a question about the difference between the NAR's Dominion theology and postmillennialism and discusses the rapture.   Topics: Commentary: Politics is a moral enterprise. (00:00) What's the difference between the New Apostolic Reformation's Dominion (or Kingdom Now) theology and postmillennialism? (34:00) Commentary: Greg's thoughts on the rapture (49:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Study by Arizona Christian University's Cultural Research Center on the beliefs of those who identify as Christian Church and the Tribulation: A Biblical Examination of Posttribulationism by Robert Gundry Related Links: The Rap on the Rapture by Greg Koukl

Tune in for week one of our brand new series, KINGDOM NOW! In this message our College Pastor, Adam Tarver, walks us through Matthew 5:27-30 and talks specifically about lust. We hope you enjoy!

Tune in for week one of our brand new series, KINGDOM NOW! In this message our College Pastor, Adam Tarver, walks us through Matthew 5:13-16 and talks specifically about what it means to be salt & light. We hope you enjoy!

Tune in for week one of our brand new series, KINGDOM NOW! In this message our College Pastor, Adam Tarver, walks us through Matthew 5:1-12 and talks specifically about what it means to be poor in spirit. We hope you enjoy!

  The Great Deception And The Signs Of The Times Pt. 3: “Kingdom Now” Theology In the last of this three-part series, Tom continues his teaching on the Great Deception by explaining what “Kingdom Now” theology is. He explains how this belief is erroneous, and feeds into the Great Deception that many have fallen into already. Tom ends this week's podcast reminding us that we too can be teachers of the truths about Jesus' return which are found in Scripture. Join Tom, as he aims to raise up teachers who will STOP END-TIME CONFUSION. Check out his website www.stopendtimeconfusion.org for the latest blogs, articles, and books. Follow him on Facebook @stopendtimeconfusion. Thanks for joining us!

Sound theology is everything. Israel is like the top button on a shirt. If you get that wrong, all the other buttons are wrong.

Nothing New Under the Sun Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. We Christians live in an extremely distressing time in our nation, in our world, when it seems like wickedness is waxing stronger and stronger, and the church of Jesus Christ seems to be getting weaker and weaker all the time. Like we're living spiritually in a time of the plague, the Black Death that swept across the continent of Europe and took out in some communities up to a third of the population. In the same way, it seems like morality in our popular culture is contagious and the church itself has caught the disease. We see the signs everywhere, and it's rightly a cause for deep concern and relentless vigilance on our part. But we should not suppose that any of these things are new, as though we're the first generation of Christ people that has had to face the kind of wickedness and immorality, that is assaulting us. As we come this morning to this text, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, we are stabbed broad awake by its fierce words and it's severe warning: The wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God! And then we read carefully the sin patterns that Paul delineates here, fornication, idolatry, adultery, effeminacy, homosexuality, robbery, greed, drunkenness, reviling, swindling, and we realize we could have taken this list off the news feeds that our smart phones report in the 21st century. We realize there's nothing new under the sun. Satan has been enslaving human souls with the sin patterns in every generation. Our technological prowess through centuries of remarkable scientific achievement and progress has not changed our basic nature at all. Underneath all of it, the sinner who stands transfixed by his smartphone, is at core the exact same person that stood outside the pagan temples of Corinth ready to go in one more time. And when our spiritual father, the Apostle Paul, is warning us I think with tears that we will not inherit the Kingdom of God, if we're not transformed from those sins by the power of the Gospel of Christ, and by the inner working of the Holy Spirit, we must be roused by those words that seem to kill but actually bring life. I've been spending a lot of time in scripture memorization in the Book of Hosea and it has been powerful for me. And at one point, God says through the prophet, "Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth. My judgments flash like lightning upon you." It is God who wounds that He may heal. It is God who kills that He may bring to life, and He does all of that through words, the words of scripture. It is the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from sins that will sink us to hell. And He strikes us now with words, He swings the sword that comes from His mouth, the double-edged sword, sharp and gleaming, to kill us in our sin that He may bring us to life in His holiness. Paul's warning here contains the genuine work of the gospel, it is basically this; when God rescues people from Satan's dark dominion, He does it by transforming their hearts from within, by the power of the Holy Spirit, causing them to love righteousness and hate wickedness. From this transform heart, comes a transformed life. If that transformed heart as signaled by a changed life, doesn't happen, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Now a church that doesn't understand this truth and embrace this truth and live out this truth and proclaim this truth to the enslaved sinners that surround us in the community in which we live is no church at all. It's salt has lost it's saltiness and it's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by people. But a church that understands and lives out and proclaims boldly the transforming truth of the gospel as I've described it here, now that is a true church. And Paul says here, and we're going to walk through this, "Do not be deceived..." And he lists a whole set of sins that people must repent from, including fornication and greed. These are soul-killing sins but he also lists homosexuality, effeminacy. Hope for Sinners: "Such were some of you…" And he gives hope to all sinners of these various categories and all sinners in categories not listed here, for he says, "Such were some of you..." Now there are other categories of sins but all sin kills the soul. And he gives hope to us through the Gospel. By saying, "Such were some of you," you can be an ex-fornicator, you can be an ex-adulterer, you can be an ex-thief, you can be an ex-drunkard, you can be an ex-blasphemer, you can be an ex-swindler, and yes you can be an ex-homosexual. Now I had thought to address homosexuality within the context of this general list, but there isn't time in one sermon, because I want to do justice to the whole text and all the sins that are listed here, so I've decided to address the special problems of homosexuality next week. And we need special help in this area, because unlike most of the sins on this list, it's under special attack by Satan and therefore requires special attention. But I've already spoke cultural Heresy this morning when I say ex-homosexual. To some people that'd be like, for me, becoming an ex-Caucasian. It doesn't make any sense to them, but I want to speak the truth that comes from this text, that say you can be an ex-homosexual. And you can be an ex-fornicator and you can be an ex-adulterer, and all of the sins that you committed in those patterns can be completely forgiven by the blood of Christ, as the text clearly says. So may God grant us as a church, the grace to see this passage, these words straight on and honestly as they were given to us by the Holy Spirit. May God grant us the grace to accept this message no matter how much it marginalizes us in Durham, and it will. And in our world. May God grant us the courage to speak the truth first to ourselves to be honest about our own lives, our own sins, to be honest and humble, and then honestly help those that are drowning in sin around us, with the only thing that can save them and that's the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last night, I got an image that came in my mind, I've beta tested it with a few friends, I hope it works, but I'm going to go ahead and share it with you now. It's an image that I think fits this text. And it comes from the days when the gospel is beginning to spread in China through Hudson Taylor and others. During a time in which opium addiction was a massive problem in the Orient, and there were opium dens where addicts would go and lay down on beds and smoke the drug or take the drug in and this was their life. And so I want to establish that picture in your mind of Satan's dark kingdom like that, and you walk in and there are labels over different rooms, and the fornicators can lie down in beds and get IV drips of opium there and drink in that poison. And the adulterers can go over in this room and they can lie down and they can drink in that poison and the homosexuals can go in that room and they can lay down and drink in that poison, and the thieves can drink in that, and the covetous idolaters can drink in that poison and the blasphemous can drink in that, and there are other labeled rooms. And it's as though God having roused us up from a bed of sin addiction, and we still have the effects of the drug, but we in our bloodstream, spiritually, but we can see where this is all heading. And we are called on to rouse dying sinners up off their beds of sin and get them out of that place, because if they don't they will die and that eternally. So it doesn't matter that much what room you're in, drinking in the poison of sin, the sin will kill you. Now, there are some distinctions and differences and we need to deal with that. And as I said, I'm going to address that more clearly next week. So let's walk through this text now and see what the Lord would say to us. I. Paul’s Warning: Do Not Be Deceived Paul begins with a warning, "Do not be deceived." Look at verse nine. "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God, do not be deceived." So this is a warning against deception. Paul is urgently seeking to cut through the danger of satanic deception on these matters. Jesus said in John 8:44, "He [he devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies." You must put the two images together, he is a murderer by his lies. He kills souls by his lies. You have to put the images together. Sin also in the New Testament is personified. It's given a conscious identity. And it's perceived or it's presented as a deceiver, that sin is a deceiver. So in Hebrews 3:13, "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hardened by sin's deceitfulness. That means progressively changed in your hearts to become more and more rebellious against God. Hardened means less yielded, less submissive. Less sensitive to the issues, like a calloused hand that can't feel pain anymore. Sin deceives us into that hardened state. It's deceitful like it's father the Devil. Sin lies to us, it promises us pleasure, it promises us happiness, it promises us success and prosperity, but it actually is assassinating our souls. It means to take from us everything we value in life, to make our body's sick, to make our minds racked with sorrow and anguish and anxiety. Sin means to plunder our resources and leave us penniless and suicidal. Sin approaches us in disguise. It never tells us the truth about the journey it intends to take us on. Sin deceives. And worst of all, here is the danger of being self-deceived. We can actually lie to ourselves, we have the ability to make excuses for behaviors and attitudes that the Bible clearly condemns. We can say things to ourselves like, "It's not so bad," Or, "I only did it once." Or, "I can stop any time I want." Or, "No one really cares anyway," or "Everyone's doing it," Or, "God loves me no matter what I do. God understands me. He understands my weaknesses." We can lie to ourselves like that. This is the basic deception that Paul seeking to address. I can be a Christian and still live in these sins. Matthew Henry said this, "Men are very much inclined to flatter themselves that God is just like me. And that they may live in sin and yet die in Christ. That they may live the life of the devil's children and yet go to heaven with the children of God. But this is all a gross cheat." The Context of the Warning Well. The immediate context here, we saw it begin to see it last week as I preached on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, and extended last week sermon to include these three verses, but touched on them only lightly. The context Paul has been addressing lawsuits among believers. You remember how we had brother A and brother B. And that seems like brother B swindled or cheated Brother A in business out of some money, brother A was incensed and took brother B to court before the pagans, thus airing the church's dirty laundry, in front of people they were supposed to be winning to Christ. Paul basically hammers on Brother A the plaintiff, the wronged one, for doing this, for most of those verses. Culminating in verse seven, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you, means you've been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" Than to take this brother to court in front of the pagans. But here in this text, as I mentioned last week, he gives an even more severe warning to the swindler, to the cheat. The one who swindled his brother for money. He lists very grievous sin patterns, many of them as we've already seen, that cannot be practiced by people who hope to go to heaven when they die. And the final one on the list was swindling. And he's saying you may get away with it, you may get a better lawyer than brother A and you may win your case and you may keep the money, but your soul is in danger of hell. That's the context, that's what he's saying. So the issue there was swindling. II. Paul’s Doctrine: Only Transformed Sinners Inherit the Kingdom Now, Paul's doctrine here is this, only transformed sinners inherit the Kingdom of God. Look at verse 9, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God?" This is a very strong assertion. And then he repeats it, "Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God." It's one of the translations of the list. He says, "Do you not know that the people who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God?" So he begins with what they know. It all comes down to doctrine, doctrine primes the pump for everything in the Christian life. Comes down to the knowledge that the faithful teaching of the Word of God can give. Do you not know? What we know then must drive how we live. Knowledge feeds faith, Knowledge plus faith transforms the heart, and out of that transformed heart must come an obedient life of good works. That's Christianity, and it all starts with the knowledge of the Word of God. You can't live what you don't know. So he starts there, "Do you not know this?" And he seems to be going back to his pattern of teaching when he was with them in Corinth in Acts 18, where his usual pattern was to settle into a city for a while, maybe a couple of years and teach them faithfully the Word of God, and he's just reminding them of the things that he had instructed them. The Corinthians when he arrived there, were enmeshed in patterns of pagan wickedness. And he was with them in weakness and fear and much trembling, and he resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified and he preached the gospel to them, and his preaching was a display of the power of God because God blessed his faithful preaching of the word with the planning of a church. People were converted, they were transformed. Now those Corinthians had been visiting pagan temples and sacrificing to the pagan deities, by having sex with temple prostitutes both male and female. There's no doubt that Paul called them to repent from their lives of sin and to believe in Christ for the salvation of their souls. A culture of repentance is essential to the true preaching of the gospel. Jesus, in Mark 1:15 said, "The time is at hand and the Kingdom of God is near, repent, and believe the gospel." So they're coupled together in mark 1. And so also the Apostle Paul, everywhere he went, he preached repentance and faith in Christ. So in Acts 14:15, he says to pagans in that city. We are bringing you good news, the gospel, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God who made heaven and earth the sea and everything in them, turn from these wordless things to God. That's repentance. What is the Kingdom of God? And he says, "Do you not know the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God." Now, what does that mean? Or What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is the realm where God is the king. And he rules actively over people who are delighted to have Him as their king, that's what the Bible means by Kingdom of God, it's not referring to his bare providential control over rebels. He does that, but that's not the kingdom of God. People can enter the kingdom of God, tax collectors and prostitutes Jesus said, We're entering the Kingdom of God ahead of the Pharisees. So to enter it means to come under with delight the rule of God the King, that's what it means, the Kingdom of God. But here it has more of an end time or eternal meaning, an eternal meaning, when it uses the language of inherit to be an heir of the kingdom, so that speaks of the future world, Jesus said in the Beatitudes, "blessed with the meek for they will [in the future] inherit the Earth." So this speaks of the future, it speaks of eternity. The new heaven and new earth. What Peter calls "the home of righteousness." The new Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven pure and beautiful like the bride for her husband. That new world that's coming, that's what he means here, when he says, inherit the Kingdom of God. That is a world with no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, and no more sin. We'll be set free forever from all of the sins that afflict us and trouble us. It's a world of Radiant Beauty. Where the glory of God and of Christ illuminates that world and makes it radiant and beautiful. It's a world so overwhelming with the brilliance of God that we could not handle it if we were not given resurrection bodies for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It's world filled with God, that's where we're going. So to inherit the Kingdom of God, means to be welcomed into that place and in some sense to become owners of it, through Christ, co-heirs with Christ. To inherit the Kingdom of God, means to be qualified for Heaven. As it says in Revelation 22:14-15, "blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." So to be washed and to be made pure and holy, so that you can enter that place. That's the exact teaching that Paul's giving here just in different language. Only if that happens to have your robes washed and made white will you enter heaven. And that happens when we truly believe in Jesus Christ, turning away from our good works, any works, just by simple faith in Christ, trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, by that way alone are we justified. Now, if that happens, if we're transformed then by the Spirit and begin to live that new life. Then we have the right to enter the kingdom of God. As the next verse, in Revelation 22 makes plain; outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolater and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Same teaching, outside they don't inherit the Kingdom of God. So when Paul says the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God, he means they will not go to heaven when they die. The wicked must be redeemed they must be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit to be fit for Heaven. Now, the danger here, if a person does not repent from these soul killing sins, they will hear these terrifying words in Matthew 25:41, from Jesus the judge, "Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." There's only two destinations, there's only two outcomes. There's life and death, there's heaven and hell, that's all there is. And so if you do not inherit the kingdom of God, you'll be condemned to eternal conscious torment, that's the danger. And the most compassionate thing that we Christians can do to the unredeemed sinners around them is to tell them the truth. To warn people to flee from the wrath to come. All sin is deadly poison, to see someone drinking in that deadly poison and say nothing or even somehow celebrate the poison they're drinking is to be a partner in their spiritual suicide. When it comes to homosexuality and I'll say this more next week. We are under intense pressure to not tell this truth. And those who would say this to us think they're taking the moral high ground. But how is it loving for us to believe this and not say anything. We have to tell the truth, even if it costs us. And our demeanor, should be one of urgency and grief, as Paul says in Romans 9, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart." We must put aside what the world thinks of us and tell the truth. Just as Christians and Islamic countries do. To tell the truth to their unsaved brothers, fathers, mothers, cousins. To tell them the truth that Islam is a satanic lie, Christianity is the truth, Jesus is the only Savior, He died on the cross, He Himself died in our place, He was raised from the dead. And that if you believe in Him, all your sins will be forgiven not by works but by faith and by grace. What price do our brothers and sisters have to pay in Muslim countries to tell that truth to their unsaved neighbors, and government workers, brothers and sisters, they pay a very high price and they're courageous and they do it. So must we in America tell the truth. Only transformed sinners inherit the Kingdom of God. III. The Representative Sin List Look at the representative sin list, and that's all it is, just representative. Sin has morphed and metastasized into so many different versions that this is not a complete list, Paul is not trying to make it a complete list, it's representative. Look what he says, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God, do not be deceived? Neither the... I'm going to re-translate all these words, well I'll just read the translation I've been using, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes. Nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindler will inherit the Kingdom of God." So look at the list in detail, he begins with fornicators, pornoi in the Greek. Fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The way that this word has usually been understood, most commonly is unmarried people who have sexual relations with each other. It's so common in our culture today that people think of it as strange if a young man or a young woman speaks their pledge and their commitment to be virgins until marriage. It's mocked, mocked, seemed to be strange like a form of mental illness or something's wrong with you. But the Bible has a name for those that don't keep that commitment and the name is fornicators. And it doesn't really matter what the morality of the campus or the culture is, what matters is what will it look like on judgment day. What will Jesus say about it? That's what matters. Bible standard for sexual activity is simple and clear: One man, one woman in covenant marriage for life. That's it. Everything else is sin. I remember years ago, Elizabeth Elliot was asked to write a book on sex and the single Christian. She said it's going to be the shortest book in history, I accept the book contract. Not much work to do there. Now, there's a lot of work to help single Christians be holy and we'll get into more of that in 1 Corinthians 7. But fornicators do not inherit the kingdom of God, do not be deceived. Secondly, idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who worship and served created things rather than the creator who's forever praised. Best definition of idolatry in the Bible, Romans chapter 1. We think Paul's first, meaning probably was of false religions, people who follow the pagan religions of Corinth, of Greece, of the Gentile world, and that's fair enough. And that would extend then to the false religions of our day, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the cults, they worship false gods. And if they continue to do that, if they're not transformed out of that, they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. That's why we do missions. But in Colossians 3:5, Paul also says that Greed is idolatry. So in our day and age, the driven materialist, the Fortune 500 Executive who lives for money, or even the medical student who wants simply to be a doctor to make as much money as possible, or any kind of materialist who really truly is living for money and the things money can buy, is an idolater and if they're not transformed they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Adultery is when one or both of the partners, sexual partners is married to someone else. Most people in our culture, I would say, still acknowledge that adultery is sin even though it's prevalent. I don't see any similar effort made like to homosexuality to get us to think differently. What can be done for it? It devastates people. The sense of betrayal is beyond calculation what adultery has done in our culture. A common place portrayed in movies and in songs and in the media generally though. The next word, and were going to talk more about the next two words much more next week. But the next word should be translated, the effeminate. The effeminate will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Robert Gagnon is a Bible scholar who's done excellent work on the topic of homosexuality, wrote a book called the Bible and homosexual practice, he spends a great deal of time on this verse and on the words here. And the word malacoi, the effeminate, he thinks should be translated effeminate males who play the sexual role of females. So the KJV has effeminate, and the KJV translators are really sharp and excellent at Greek. It's literally soft ones, that would be a home base for the word, so it would be males to dress like Women. Affect feminine behaviors, they were make-up long hair with jewelry like women to prepare themselves for the sexual role of a woman with another man. In our culture, we have seen these kinds of people portrayed very positively in the media for decades. Usually are sympathetic figures. Hollywood has been boiling the frog on this for years, getting us to accept homosexuality by delighting and these kinds of effeminate men. So also we can see them in certain settings in society, there's certain jobs that it seems that attract effeminate men, and they carry themselves plainly people don't wonder what's going on and, this for a very clear reason, they're sending out signals to other people that they want to be seen. Now the ultimate end of this approach is the massive confusion known as gender dysphoria, where people are actually challenging their birth gender, and think that gender is a matter of choice. Satan is laughing at the human race on this. The transgender movement. We'll talk more about these things next week. But the effeminate will not inherit the Kingdom of God. It's part of this list. The next one is Gagnon would translate it, males who take other males to bed. That's a simple kind of mechanical translation of malacoi. It's a term that Paul seems to have invented. No one else uses it, it's not used in Koine Greek, it's just Paul's. He made it up. But it comes from I think the Septuagint reading of two key texts in the Levitical code. Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. Let me read 18:22. "Do not lie with a man, as one lies with a woman. That is detestable." The previous term had to do with the one who played the feminine role in a homosexual relationship. This term has to do with the masculine role in a homosexual relationship. How can we allow ourselves to be deceived in this issue? We have to just read the text and tell the truth, believe the truth, and tell the truth. To think that we're being unloving when we do that. You just have to throw that off and tell the truth. Many Christians have bought into this brainwashing by the secular media and the Hollywood elite that we are homophobic. We'll talk more about that term god willing next week, or unloving or vicious, or immoral even if we believe this doctrine. You have to cut through all that for the sake of key individuals, elect, unconverted-elect people who need to be rescued. Thieves will not inherit the Kingdom of God. No one in our culture as far as I can tell, is advocating overturning laws on property. Thieves are criminals, thieves are sinners. It's in the 10 Commandments. You shall not steal. No one's questioning this. But what he's saying is, This is your lifestyle this is what you do, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The greedy will not inherit the kingdom of God, covered that earlier in idolater, but those who live for material possessions, those who live for money, if that's what you're all about, you'll not inherit the kingdom of God. And here I must speak a clear warning about what's commonly known as the prosperity gospel in our day. The prosperity teachings that Jesus is a means to the end of health, wealth and success, defined as any pagan would. Jesus is a means to that end. And if you believe in Jesus so you can get money, then Jesus isn't your God, money is. Quoting Shai Linne. So that's it. Covetous people will not inherit the kingdom of God. Drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God, people who are addicted to wine. We could extend it to drugs. People who are addicted to substances. This word may come as a shock to some people, many have come to think of alcoholism as a disease, no different than cancer. Paul listed here is a voluntary habit pattern that must be broken by the power of the Spirit. Revelers, blasphemers will not inherit the kingdom of God. These are people whose filthy mouths assault the ears of people around them. But specifically zeroing in on blasphemy, words spoken about the Father the Son and the Spirit. Jesus is without a doubt, the most blasphemed individual in history. And Jesus said all manner of sin and blasphemy against the Son of Man will be forgiven. He is so gracious to do that, but that's what reveling is. And then, swindlers those who take advantage of other people through corrupt business practices. We've come full circle now on the whole list. I heard of a roofing company that was in one community, and got a widow's money, began the work on her roof by tearing her existing roof off, and then left town. With her house exposed to the elements, no trace in the community, all of the things led nowhere. They swindled her out of her money and probably others besides, people who live like that will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Now it's important for us to see the whole list. That's why I gave you the image of one opium den with different rooms. Satan doesn't really care which of these you die with, all of these sins can kill your soul. Now, I believe that there's a unique focus on homosexuality, and it has its own unique aspects. And we'll talk about how homosexuality is the same and different as other sins next week. But any of these sins can kill us and deprive us of the kingdom of God. IV. The Transforming Power of Jesus and the Spirit Now we come to the good news, the transforming power of Jesus and of the spirit. Look at verse 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 God." Now here is the good news of the Gospel. Here is the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus, and by the Spirit, the Gospel has the power to transform the human heart. 2 Corinthian 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ he's a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come." When Christ comes to save you, He comes to save you completely, by the power of the Spirit, He can take out the heart of stone and give you the heart of flesh. You can see things differently, think about things differently, He can change your mind and make you a new person. Indeed this must happen, that's the point of the text or you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This is not one of many routes to Heaven, this is it, This must happen to you, you must be born again or you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. So you can and must be, if any of these describe you, a former fornicator, a former idolater, a former Adulterer, formerly effeminate, formerly homosexual formerly a swindler or blasphemer or reveler. God has the power to change you. And you're going to spend eternity not that person. Praise the Lord. An eternity. Because it says such were some of you, that's what you used to be. But now, you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. The name of the Lord Jesus is central to this work, Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary, who is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger, grew up to be a holy man, who never sinned, who did amazing miracles, who fed the 5000, who walked on the water. Who could cure any disease and sickness among the people, raised Lazarus from the dead after 4 days. This Jesus came primarily to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sinners like you and me, His blood was shed under the wrath of God, He took all of this filth on Himself and died the just punishment that sinners deserved. And the name of Jesus is everything here. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. Where as Peter and John said, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. So then Name of the Lord Jesus, his reputation, his achievements, his story, trust in that Jesus and you will be forgiven of all your sins. So also He mentions the Spirit of God, and the power behind the saving work of God, you were washed sanctified justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. They have equal billing here. If it weren't for the spirit Jesus would mean nothing to you, you wouldn't even know His name, you would never have even heard of Him. And if you're a Christian today you owe your salvation as much to the Spirit's working in you as Jesus working on the cross for you? They are equally vital. So you are washed. Isn't that a beautiful word? Cleansed from a guilty conscience, a brain that is washed now pure and free from dark wicked thought, washed our filthy mind, washed from dark thoughts, our body stained with sin, washed and made clean, even the garment stainless sin purified and made white by the blood of Christ, applied by the Spirit. We are sanctified. Set apart unto God as His holy possession, He owns you, He calls you His holy possession, and then progressively makes you more and more like Jesus, you were sanctified, you are being sanctified, you're going to be sanctified from now until the day you die or Jesus returns, He's going to be making you holy, if that's not going on. You weren't justified. You were washed, you were sanctified, and then He said you were justified. It's not the chronological order but all of these things happen to you. What that means is you are made righteous in God's sight. Declared righteous, you ex-fornicator, you ex-adulterer, you ex-idolater, you are justified, you are seen by God to be holy. And also practically you are forgiven for all of those sins, and reconciled to God. Now next time we're going to talk more about the issues connected with homosexuality, and the best way we can minister in this present cult climate. V. Applications Let me close with just some quick applications. Central application is come to Christ, I pray this morning that God would bring some people here who are lost, and that you would hear the gospel. You've heard the gospel, you've heard it this morning, and you've been urged by me, begged even to come to Christ. But now I say to you who... You do that years ago, now you're like the Corinthians getting this letter, reading a letter from Paul. So I want to say be warned. Read the list and be warned. If these habit patterns are characterizing your life, don't deceive yourself that you're a Christian, that's the point of the text. Be warned. Secondly, be amazed at Christ, be amazed that he would take this kind of sewage on himself on the cross, He who is holy, as holy as God the Father, He took this sewage on Himself, so you wouldn't have to bear it into eternity. So just be amazed at Jesus, and along with that be thankful to Him, thank Him for saving you. And be honest about yourself. Be honest, look at this list. No, it's not exhaustive, you say, you know, I may not have committed adultery, but Jesus said if I looked lustful at somebody I have committed adultery in my heart, my heart still is twisted it's still angled, I still sin in my heart, in my mind, so I just need to be honest. I am not there yet, I want to be holy, I want to be pure. Be honest and be humble toward unconverted sinners who have not yet found Christ. Don't think of yourself at all as morally superior to them. God is able out of the same lump of clay etcetera, to work. You're the same as them, you are made out of the same lump of clay. So be humble, and be compassionate to them, as they're still in their drunken stupor laying in that opium den, be compassionate, and then be bold and tell them the truth about Jesus. Close with me in prayer.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.

To teach those we reach how to live in the Kingdom NOW as apprentices of Jesus Christ.