1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Let’s pray together in light of these truths...

Lord, you are a righteous judge.

You will not allow the unrighteous to inherit your kingdom.

You will not tolerate sin.

Those who are characterized by the breaking of your law, those who exchange the glory of God for the pursuit of their own glory and do not rightly reflect your image, those who reject your ways to pursue their own sinful desires – they will not inherit your kingdom.

Many will seek to bend, twist, distort, and destroy your law, your standard. Many will seek to deceive and teach otherwise.

They will seek to lower your holiness, distort your truth, lessen your glory, exalt mankind, excuse and minimize sin.

Help us not to be deceived.

Saturate us with the truth – the truth of your Word. Help us to so know you that we would not be swayed from a right knowledge of You and ourselves and your standard.

Might we not be deceived into thinking that you will not judge the unrighteous.

But praise be to your name that although this list of sins that would keep us from You and your kingdom used to characterize us, we have been radically changed by your grace.

This was us. Such we were. We were the fornicators, the idolaters, the adulterers, the effeminate, the homosexuals, the thieves, the covetous, the drunkards, the revilers, the swindlers... but no longer.

We have been washed, we have been sanctified, we have been justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in your Spirit.

Not because of us, not because of anything in us, but purely by your grace have we been saved through faith.

You are our Savior.

You are the one who saves.

There is salvation in no other name.

We pray that through our testimony of your grace that many more sinners would be changed by your grace, washed, sanctified, justified, and brought from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your Son.

Do your saving work by your grace and for your glory we pray, amen.