Conversion in Corinth

January 16, 2022 Preacher: Ace Davis

Topic: The Gospel Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

47:52

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Corinth, sin, God, sexual sin, homosexuals, people, called, Paul, sinners, conversion therapy, world, Christ, kingdom, homosexuality, person, transgenderism, city, gospel, practice, inherit

Table of Contents

Introduction.. - 1 -

The Warning to Sinners. - 4 -

The Washing of Saints. - 8 -

Conclusion.. - 10 -

Closing Prayer. - 11 -

 

 

Introduction

This morning we are taking a break from the Gospel of Mark. As many of you have probably heard, there was a law that was passed in Canada that is trying to silence the believers there. And so, there's been a call for pastors this morning to preach the truth, the truth of God's Word and that's what we are going to be doing this morning as we stand unified with these brothers and sisters around the world, preaching the truth of God's Word.

 

Martin Luther said this, "If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point, which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ. However boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages there, the loyalty of the soldier is proved."

 

This morning, we're taking a break from Mark and we're addressing a very important topic. If you've not heard by now, last week on January 8th, the Canadian government made it illegal for someone to practice conversion therapy, conversion therapy. There's a bill called Bill C-4 that was passed unanimously, a unanimous vote by their Senate. Their website says this, "it prohibits certain activities that relate to conversion therapy, which is defined as a practice, treatment, or service designed to..." and here's what they say designed to "change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual, change a person's gender identity to cisgender, change a person's gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth, repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior, repress a person's non-cisgender identity, or repress or reduce a person's gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth."  Again, from their website, the Canadian website government website, it says this, "The bill would discourage and denounce harmful practices and treatments that are based on myths and stereotypes about LGBTQ2 people." I had to look that up -- and "2” is a two-spirited person - now they've added to that. "These include myths and stereotypes that the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of LGBTQ2 people are undesirable conditions that can or should be changed."

 

Notice how they convey sexuality, and God's design for men and women. You notice what they call it there? They call it a myth, and a stereotype. That's all it is to them, a myth and a stereotype. And what they're saying there is that heterosexuality and the gender that you're given at birth are nothing more than a myth and stereotype. And to say that a man is to be a man and a woman is to be a woman --and that is, what is preferred, because that's how God created them -- that is now wrong and against the law in Canada.

 

What's the penalty if you practice conversion therapy? Up to five years in prison. And if you're found promoting, advertising, or profiting from providing the practice, you could face up to two years in prison. Now, the website does give provisions and would not criminalize conversations that would happen unless that conversation forms part of an intervention designed to make a person heterosexual or cisgender. Here's what it says. "It would not criminalize conversations in which a person expresses an opinion on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, unless that conversation forms part of an intervention designed to make a person heterosexual or cisgender. Interventions that support an individual's exploration and development of their own identity would not be prohibited, provided that they are not based on an assumption that a particular sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is to be preferred over another."

 

And so, you can talk with someone, and even have an intervention with someone. But in that intervention, you must allow that person to explore and develop whatever identity it is that they want to explore and develop. But you cannot tell them that it is a sin to be a homosexual. That it is a sin to be transgender. You can't have an opinion that one gender is preferred over another, meaning you cannot tell a man that he is to be a man because that's how God created him. You have to let that man explore and develop whatever he wants to.

 

Now, what is conversion therapy in layman's terminology? Basically, here's a simple definition of it. It is trying to cure people of homosexuality. Trying to cure people of homosexuality. And we have to be clear that there have been some conversion therapy methods that are unbiblical -- such as electroshock therapy, and even exposing homosexuals to heterosexual pornography. That is unbiblical and wrong. And we don't stand with that, because it is sin. Those are unbiblical approaches to hurting sinners.

 

However, there's one method of conversion therapy that always works. It is the gospel. The gospel. When a homosexual is presented with the gospel, and they repent of their sin, and place their faith in Christ, there is true conversion that takes place, in the heart of that sinner, that cures them of all of their sins for all of eternity. That is why this is such a big deal. It's an attack on the gospel.

 

What the Canadian government has done in making conversion therapy illegal, is that they have attacked God. They've attacked His created order, and they have attacked the gospel. Because we know that the gospel is the answer for the sin of homosexuality, right? We know that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Which is what I want to show us this morning in our passage.

 

Turn in your Bibles, if you're not already there, to 1 Corinthians 6. We read through this whole chapter here this morning in our Scripture reading. But what I want to do now is I want to focus on verses 9 through 11. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Follow along as I read our passage for us here this morning. 1 Corinthians 6 beginning in verse 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.” (1 Cor 6:9-11)

 

Now in order to to understand why Paul would give this list here that he does, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we need to understand Corinth. This city of Corinth, this church that was there in Corinth, and what it was like there in the city at that time. Corinth had been built by Rome around 46 BC, and it became the capital for the Roman province of Achaia. It was established essentially to be a miniature look alike of Rome. It had a very large population there, over 500,000 people were in Corinth. And it was located on an isthmus between two major ports. So that there was a lot of commerce then and trade that came throughout this city.  As you had two major ports on each side of that city, there would be a lot of commerce that would be going through this city. It's a port city.

 

Many people traveled through Corinth because it was a shortcut between the Adriatic and the Aegean sea. And so you can easily transport goods between the two seas, rather than taking the 200 mile journey down south around the Peloponnesus, which is the peninsula there in southern Greece.

 

And as a large city, naturally, there were lots of religions in Corinth. Lots of religions that were practiced there in this city. Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea was worshipped. Obviously when you have two ports on either side of the city, the god of the sea was worshipped. Isis from Egypt, the goddess of healing and magic was also worshipped there. Many other gods were worshipped there in Corinth. But the most famous Goddess that was worshipped was Aphrodite, the goddess of sexual love.

 

And in Corinth, there was an acropolis, in the city there, which was a very high city up above where all the people live. Up above there, there was an acropolis that rose up 2000 feet above Corinth. A big hill and a city up on top of there. And they love to have these acropolises there in these cities, these high hills because that would help to defend against an enemy. But it was also the place where they went to go and worship because they put the temples up on top, the highest place in the city. And the temple that they had put there was the temple of Aphrodite. There were 1000 priestesses who served as religious prostitutes who worked there. And they would come down to the city of Corinth at night to offer their services.

 

So, you can see there, how in the city of Corinth, there was sexual sin that was rampant there. Sexual perversion was rampant in this city. In fact, sexual sin had gotten so bad in Corinth that the name Corinth became no different from Sodom and Gomorrah. What do people remember from Sodom and Gomorrah? It was destroyed because of what? Homosexuality. The horrific sin, horrific sin in Sodom and Gomorrah. As the people came, and they wanted the two angels who were there, who took on flesh, and Lot had to guard and protect them in his home so that the men would not come and take these men out and do horrific things to these men. That was Sodom and Gomorrah. Corinth was really bad.

 

In fact, during the time of Paul, to "Corinthianize", meant to fornicate. If a girl was called a Corinthian girl, it was the same as calling her a prostitute. That's what Corinth was known for. Horrific sexual sin. And the city had become openly immoral, which is seen in verse 9.

 

The Warning to Sinners

 

Which leads to our first point here this morning. Point number 1, what we'll call The Warning to Sinners. The Warning to Sinners. Look at the sins that Paul lists there in verse 9, notice what he says there towards the end of verse 9. He lists out these sins -- fornication, idolatry, adultery, being effeminate, and homosexuality -- all sexual sins that are listed there.

 

What does Paul say about these sins here? Well, he asked the question in the beginning of verse 9, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" (1 Cor 6:9) Paul asked this question because the Corinthian believers had been acting like the world. They were acting like those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. In fact, back up in verses 7 & 8, we read this here this morning, they were suing one another. You had brothers in Christ who were suing each other. And they were going to the courts, and they were taking their cases against one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, as those who belong to one another, a part of this church, they were going to the world and having judges rule over them and their cases.

 

Paul says to them, basically, what's wrong with you guys? You need to deal with this within the church. You don't take this out to the world. What they were doing is they were damaging the church's witness to the world by going after each other outside of the church in the world system. Paul is making it very clear here. There are two systems, there is the world system and there is the church. And he says you don't act like them outside in the world.  And Paul says to them, don't you realize that the unbelieving world will not inherit the kingdom of God. And he asked this question in this way to remind them that they should know this. This is something that the Corinthian church should have already known. They had been taught this before. In fact, they had two of the greatest teachers of all time that were there preaching in their church, who was that? Paul and Apollos. Amazing men of God, who were teaching them these truths. They should have known this.

 

Then he gives him this command in the middle of verse 19. Notice what he says there in the middle of verse 9, excuse me, "Do not be deceived." He says, Do not be deceived. Why? Because there are many who are out there to deceive. There are many deceivers that are out there in this world, Satan is leading many false teachers, and many in the world, to try and deceive even believers into thinking that sin is okay. And he's done a great job of it. Deceived many people. In fact there's a movement by so-called Christians who approve of gay Christianity. But that is false. There is no such thing as a gay Christian. Because you would never identify a Christian with a sinful title, right? We would never do that. We would never say, Oh, I'm a lying Christian. I'm a cheating Christian. But I'm a Christian. Even the world would look and say, I don't think you are. But sadly, within the church, there are so-called Christians who are identifying people as gay Christians. And that goes contrary to the Word of God. There is no such thing. You're either Christian or you're not. You're either a part of the church, or you're a part of the world system.

 

There are many people who are out there trying to deceive people into thinking that sin is okay, and that God even approves of it. And the Canadian government has even gone so far as to say that not only do they approve of it, but if you try and get someone to turn from their sin, you will be jailed.

 

We will not be deceived. We're going to stand on the truth of God's Word. What is that truth? Well, the truth is that sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God. And who are these sinners? Well, Paul gives us a list, which is not an exhaustive list. But they are representative of major moral sins. And basically what Paul does here is he breaks it down into two different categories of sins here, he breaks it down into a category of sexual sins, and then a category of social sins.

 

  1. And he begins with the first group of sinners. Notice what he says there in verse 9, the fornicators. This is describing general sexual sin that happens before marriage. This is very popular and even promoted in Corinth. And it's popular and even promoted in our culture today as well. And those who practice this sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. God hates fornication, and His people should hate it too. And anyone who practices this or even approves of this cannot belong to God. Because God's children are to hate that which God hates and love the things that God loves. So, Paul tells us fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

  1. Second in this list is idolaters. And you might look at this and you might think that has nothing to do with sexual sin. Why does he put it in this list here? Why does he put it right here in the middle of these sexual sins? Well, idolatry is mentioned here, because in the days of Corinth, there was a close association between sexual immorality and pagan religion. And mixed with that pagan religion were all kinds of sexual immorality. They were idolaters who were also practicing sexual sin. There are many false religions, even still alive today, that have a following because of the sexual perversions that they approve of. Think of Mormonism -- all based on sexual sin.

 

When I was in seminary I wrote a paper on a cult group, and there's a lot of offshoots of it today, called The Way. The Way International. The man that started The Way was a sexual pervert. And he started this whole religion, and has this whole following now of all of these people who follow after him, and it was all based upon sexual immorality.

 

There are false teachers out there today who use sexual immorality to gather a following for themselves. And they are idolaters who are also sexually immoral people. They are idolaters because they don't worship the one true God, they worship a God of their own imagination. God says idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

  1. Third in this list is adulterers, adulterers. This is specifically referring to married persons who have sexual relations outside of marriage. Listen, marriage is very sacred, very sacred. And marriage is between one man and one woman. God established it back in the garden with Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:24 says this "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24) Right there in Genesis chapter 2 God establishes the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman.

 

Jesus even reiterated this in the New Testament, Mark 10:6 “But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, 8 AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.” (Mark 10:6) Notice God created them male and female. That's why transgenderism is a sin. God created you either male or female. And you are to embrace that. God didn't make a mistake when He created you. He created us male and female. And marriage is between one male and one female. And that's it. And any sexual relations outside of that marriage union is adultery. God says that those who are adulterers will not enter the kingdom of God.

 

  1. Notice next in that list, there is the effeminate, the effeminate and the homosexuals, and those two go together there. Now some see this word effeminate here and they think that any man who has feminine tendencies is forbidden from the kingdom. But that's not what is going on here. That's not specifically what this is talking about. The two Greek words the Paul uses here, both refer to males having relations with other males. One is the passive male, the other is the active male. And so, what would happen with that effeminate one, is that the role of that male then is blurred. It's a male to male relationship that is acting as a male-female relationship, and God says that is sin. That is wrong. That's why homosexuality and transgenderism are sin, they are an abomination in God's eyes.

 

In fact, in the Old Testament, homosexuality was so bad that the punishment for it was death. Death. Listen to Leviticus 20:13. "If there is a man who lives who lies with a male, as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act." Notice that... God says that is a detestable act. "They shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them." (Lev 20:13) The penalty for it was death. That's how serious this sin is, in God's eyes.

 

Back in Genesis 1:27 it says, "God created man in His own image, and the image of God, He created him, male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27) Then, as we talked about marriage was instituted in Genesis 2, where the man is to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman. And any thinking that goes against this is an attack on God, and His perfect created order.

 

We saw what God did with Sodom and Gomorrah, right? He destroyed them -- completely destroyed that city because of the horrendous act that the men of that city wanted to do with the angels that God sent. God completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because it had gotten so bad there.

 

Now, I want you to understand that what is going on today, with homosexuality, and transgenderism, and that whole movement that's going on, all of that that's going on is an attack on the fabric of society. It's an attack, it's an attack of the enemy -- who wants to attack the fabric of society.

 

Marriage is what God instituted between one man and one woman as the fabric of society.  If you think about this, it's the marriage that establishes what? The family. Right? The marriage establishes the family. And nature even tells you that you can only have children between one man and one woman. Because that's how God created it. So, it's an it's an attack on society. It's an attack on the family.

 

And it's an attack on gender roles. The gender that God created -- male and female and the roles that each one of us has, as a male, and as a female. We are equal in God's eyes, but we have different roles. It's called complementarianism. We complement one another. Male and female, created an equal in God's eyes, but different roles that we have as men and women. And what this whole movement does, is that it attacks that -- what God has established for society to be, how society is to function, how the family is to function. God established specific gender roles from the very beginning, that the man is to be the head of the wife, and he's to provide for her and to protect her. That's his role. That's what God has called the men to do.

 

And the woman is to be the helper of the man. She has her own important God-given role as one who bears children and nurtures and cares for those children. That is her God-given roles.

 

Homosexuality and transgenderism is a complete assault on how God established the gender roles to be in the family and in society. Therefore, we will not stand for what attacks God. We must take a stand for God and for His Word, and call those who are sinning in this manner to repentance. Because that's what we desire for them, right? We don't want to see them spend eternity in hell. We desire for them to repent of their sin, and put their faith in Christ, so they can spend eternity in heaven. That's our desire for them.

 

God says that those who are effeminate, and homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. But our desire for them is that they would inherit the kingdom of God. But the only way that happens is through repentance of their sin and faith in Christ alone.

 

Paul then moves on to another list of social sins, He gave the sexual sins, and now he moves on to the social sins.

  1. Notice first he says there are thieves, that is those who steal as a way of life, that is their heart. That is what they do and how they act. You also see the covetous there, the thieves and the covetous. Both of those sins are related to one another, because they're both rooted in greed. That's the heart of those sins -- of the thief and the covetous. The root sin of that, in the heart of that person, is greed. The greedy person is never satisfied and always wants more, and they're selfish, and have no place in the kingdom of God.

 

  1. Then he moves on in the list and he talks about the drunkards, pretty self-explanatory. Those who are addicted to, and drink alcohol to excess. Alcohol --you think about what it has done to our society; major damage that has been done to families, in our society, because of alcohol. God says that these drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God, because it is a sin.

 

  1. Next are Another word we could use for that is slanderers, those who are slanderers -- those who use their tongue to destroy others. Now, we might think of this sin to be mild...so what if they gossiped? And they said this about so and so and they attack so and so with their words. But notice, God takes this sin very serious. Why does he take it so serious? Because what's the heart of this sin? It's a heart of hatred for others, to destroy them with our tongue. That's the slanderer. God says those who slander others will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

  1. Then finally, in this list is the swindlers. That is those who take advantage of others for their own financial gain. They take what is not theirs, and they use others for their own personal profit. The swindlers -- they will not inherit the kingdom of God. And in both of these lists -- the sexual sins and the social sins -- Paul says that those who practice such sins will not inherit the kingdom of God. So, what do we do with these people? The sexually immoral, the homosexuals and the social sinners? We preach the gospel to them so that listen so that they can be converted. That's our desire for them. And there are many sinners in these categories who have been converted by the gospel.

 

How do we know? Look at verse 11. Look at what Paul says there, "such were some of you."   Which leads to our second point here this morning.

 

The Washing of Saints

Point number 2, the Washing of Saints, we saw The Warning to Sinners. Now we see The Washing of Saints. Paul, after going through this list of sexual and social sins, says, "such were some of you." (1 Cor 6:11) Meaning there were Corinthians, in the church there, who used to be practicing these sins. They were sexually immoral. They were homosexuals. They were social sinners, but they aren't anymore. Why? Because they've been converted. They've been changed. Because God saved them. Because that's what God does, right? He's a God who saves, who saves sinners like you and I.

 

What happened then in that conversion and that salvation? Well, Paul gives us three things that happen at the moment that they were saved. He says they were washed; they were sanctified; they were justified. You were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified. These three words here are all in the aorist tense in Greek, meaning that they were a completed action in the past, your salvation was complete, at the moment that you repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus. It's a completed action.

 

The first word there washed, is in the middle voice. The other two are in the passive voice, meaning that it was something that was done to them. They didn't do this themselves. They didn't wash themselves. They didn't sanctify themselves. They didn't justify themselves. No, that was all happened to them. All of those things happen to us at the moment of our salvation.

 

  1. Who did it to us? God did it to us. What did He do? First, he says, you were washed. You were washed. This here speaks of regeneration. They were cleansed of their sins, and they were re-created. They used to be walking in the sins that are all listed above there. But their hearts have been cleansed from those sins. Because that's what the gospel does, right? It cleanses us from our sin.

 

We see this illustrated in baptism, washing. We go under the water symbolizing the washing that happens. It's a physical illustration of a spiritual reality. That's why it's so important that we obey Christ in baptism. That the moment that we repent of our sin and put our faith in Christ, we are called -- commanded -- by Christ to be baptized. Because it's an illustration to the world to say, I have been washed, I have been cleansed, not by me, but by Him! The moment that we're saved, God washes us clean from that sin that we once walked in.

 

And listen, God is still doing that with homosexuals today. He's still doing that today. Some of you might know... I know men who used to be homosexuals, and they have been converted by the power of the gospel. God is still converting homosexuals. The government might think that they can stop, and ban, and ban conversion therapy. But listen, they can't. They can't stop it. God is still converting homosexuals through the power of His Spirit. Causing them to be born again and washing them of that sin that they once practiced.

 

  1. Paul says, secondly, "you were sanctified." You were sanctified. This means to be set apart, sanctified -- now in a right relationship with God. Before you were saved you were not in a right relationship with God, you were an enemy of God. But now you have been sanctified. You've been washed. You've been set-apart from the world.

 

Those who were practicing homosexuality, were a part of the worlds system. But God drew them out of that world and set them apart. Listen, He set them apart for Himself. Do you realize that? That as a believer, we have been sanctified, which means we have been set apart from the world system for God! For Him! We are now children of God.

 

Those sinners there in Corinth were then converted and became children of God, and they belong to Him. And we as His children belong to Him. We are His. We've been given a new nature, just as they were given a new nature, and now desire the things of God and they hate the sin of the world.

 

We now seek to live a life of holiness to God because He has set us apart, right? That's what we desire. And that's what happened with these sinners in Corinth.

 

  1. And so not only were they washed and sanctified, but third they were justified. They were justified. This means to be declared righteous. And not just listen, not just declared innocent, but declared righteous. Not to say that your plate has just been cleansed. Your heart has just been cleansed and you are now innocent, but you have been given the righteousness of Christ. This is what we call imputed righteousness, that the righteousness of Christ is credited to our account at the moment of our conversion. We are justified, we are declared righteous, and we are holy and innocent, and guiltless before God, because -- listen -- because of what God has done to us, not because of anything that we have done, but because of what God has done to us.

 

He is the one who has washed us.  He is the one who has sanctified us. He is the one who has justified us. And how did all of this happen? Look at the end of verse 11, there. Notice what he says there, "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor 6:11)

 

It was because they believed upon the name of Christ, that they were converted. It was because of the power of the gospel. And that's what the power of the gospel does, right? It converts sinners! It converts the sexual immoral, and the homosexuals and the social sinners when they repent, and put their faith in Christ.

 

Conclusion

Look, this is a major issue here, before us. And although this is a bill that passed in Canada, it's already here in the United States. In fact, I was sent an article last night from Thor, who had told me this article was about the city council in West Lafayette, Indiana. And they are trying to pass a bill there, the city council will be voting on a bill that would fine anyone, any unlicensed counselor who speaks with a minor about human sexuality. And they would fine them $1,000 a day, if they go and speak with a minor. "Any unlicensed" which means a parent, a grandparent, anyone who is not licensed by the state. It's here in our land. It's a law in Canada, but it's already here in our land.

 

But we will never stop conversion therapy, right? Because conversion therapy for us is not just getting a homosexual, to become heterosexual, we want them to be saved! That's what conversion therapy is all about for us. It's about salvation. We long and desire for them to be saved. And when they are saved, then they will become heterosexual. Because that's how God designed them.

 

He will change their heart. He will cause them to walk in obedience. Do we have the cure for homosexuals? Yes, we do. We have the cure. We have the cure for all sinners.  We give them the gospel. And it's the power of the gospel that will cure them and convert them. And when they are converted, their heart will then desire the things of God. Just as we know -- it's done in our lives, right? We were enemies of God before. We hated the things of God. But God saved us. And we now desire the things of God.

 

And that will happen with a homosexual who is converted as well. They will desire the things of God. They will desire marriage with someone of the opposite sex. They will desire children and to raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. They will seek to understand their gender role as God has laid it out in Scripture, and to live according to what God says men and women are to do. And all of this will happen because that is the power of the gospel.

 

And this morning, we are standing with our brothers and sisters in Canada who are being told that they cannot preach this gospel that converts homosexuals. We will stand with them because we stand for the truth! Right? Amen. We're going to stand with them. Just as I know that they are standing with Peter and the apostles who declared in Acts 5:29, they said this, "We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29) And we will do the same thing. As we stand for the truth of God's Word.

 

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for the good news of the gospel. We thank You that it converts sinners. And we know that it converts sinners, because it has converted us. Every one of us in this room has sinned against You. But it's only by the power of the gospel, by repenting of our sin, and putting our faith in Jesus Christ, that we have been saved, that we have been converted, that we have been changed.

 

Father, I pray for anyone here this morning, who has not been converted, who does not know You, who has not been saved. Who is not in a right relationship with You. Father, I pray that You would draw their heart to you, I pray that you would convict them of their sin. That they would repent of their sin, and that they would put their faith in Jesus Christ alone, who died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins to make the payment that we could not pay. And who rose again victoriously on the third day.  Father, may You draw sinners to Yourself.

 

Father I pray that You would be with our brothers and sisters in Canada. I pray that You would guard and protect them as they continue to proclaim the truth of Your Word. That as we just read this morning that homosexuality is a sin. Lord, we know that the heart of our brothers and sisters, is not to just get a homosexual to become heterosexual, but to preach the gospel to them so that they would be converted, so that they would be changed. Father, guard and protect them. Lord, we pray for the government in Canada. We pray for those that are in leadership there, Lord, we pray that You would save them -- that you would use our brothers and sisters who are there to preach the gospel to them, that they would hear the gospel and be converted themselves and be saved. And may You be glorified in all of it. We thank You for our time this morning in Your Word. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.