Back in the early 1900s, Abraham Kyper, he posited this. He talked about different spheres of authority. The sphere of authority in the home, the sphere of authority in the government, and the sphere of authority in the church. And so long as each one is operating within their god- ordained sphere, we must submit. But when they step outside their sphere of authority and into the sphere of another, our need to submit ceases. As a biblical very biblically defensible argument here. This was important for us during COVID.
We see in certainly in Exodus the outworking of these things. We see the midwives defying the governing authorities who were killing or or calling on them to kill Jewish babies. We see it in Daniel. Both Daniel's friends and Daniel himself when either improper ungodly worship was being commanded or ceasing from worship altogether was commanded. They resisted the governing authorities. Now, we do not believe here at Gateway of preaching political messages. Some might say, well, why are we talking about a political message? We did a whole podcast episode on the on the importance of this that we won't preach in inherently political messages.
This isn't the political message. When the governing authorities step into the realm of the church, when they overstep and they speak to things that the Bible directly speaks to and they're opposing what God has said in his word, we will speak about what the Bible speaks about to that issue. This is a biblical issue before it's ever a political issue. We recognize not everyone here agreed with our position on CO. We understand that.
But our position as elders was that the governing authorities at that time overstepped their bounds into the church telling us how we could worship, how many could worship, who was allowed to worship, whether we were able to worship corporately at all. And according to Daniel and Hebrews and other passages, we felt that that this was indefensible biblically. And that was the ground of our actions. Our conviction at that time was that the government had overstepped their sphere and into the sphere of the church. And that is the issue of this day.
Bill C9 passed through third reading in Canadian Parliament a few weeks ago. It is now before the Senate. The Senate will almost certainly rubber stamp it and royal ascent will certainly pass and it will become law barring the miraculous intervention of God in just a short while. What is this bill? It amends the criminal code to this is what they say. It amends the criminal code to strengthen laws against hate propaganda and hate motivated crimes.
It aims to protect communities from facing rising anti-semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia. Those four are mentioned in the bill specifically over and over again. Those four: anti-semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia. Albert Mohler spoke about this in the daily briefing a few days ago that this has risen to Albert Mohler's desk and he spoke about the danger by by the way I encourage you to listen to his daily briefing from a few days ago on the subject.
It was very helpful but in there he spoke about the danger of specifying certain classes these groups we shall never do anything that appears hateful. It doesn't say we we're going to stop hate on mass across the nation. It's to these specific groups. It defines hatred in the bill as an intense extreme emotion associated with vilifying or dehumanizing an identifiable group.
That's the definition of hate. Now listen, do we understand that hatred exists? Of course. They mention anti anti-semitism. The the the treatment of the Jews worldwide in the last number of years has been awful, deplorable. Should never be that way. There are churches I turn use the term extremely loosely like Westboro Baptist. Their treatment of those who are gay and lesbian is shameful. No respect of human life and dignity whatsoever.
So, do we understand that hate exists? Of course we do. But that's not what this bill is targeting. At least not in it, not solely. And if you think, well, maybe maybe we need a bill like this. Maybe maybe we need a stronger anti-hate bill, let me give you some things to think about. This bill repeals the good faith expression for religious defense coming out of the reading of biblical text. In fact, the text that you heard Calvin read here just a few minutes ago would qualify as hate speech under this new bill.
This is a clause that has been in place in Canada since 1970. 56 years, multiple generations have had this good faith defense so that churches can read and teach and preach what the Bible says without fear of persecution or prosecution. That's being repealed now and being replaced with what's referred to as a clarification clause, which states that public interest statements, which include statements from educational entities, political, scientific, and religious are allowed if they do not willfully promote hatred.
That's what is stated. So of course there are groups, there are evangelical groups, even Catholic groups, Christian organizations, churches of course that are warning that the removal of this defense will create uncertainty for pastors, but not only pastors. Your kids are involved in a Christian school, it affects the Christian schools, their teachers, what they're allowed to teach or not teach. Homeschools affects homeschool groups, what you're allowed to teach, not teach legally.
You name it, you trickles down the list. I had the privilege of sitting in on a little session with about 20 of us a couple months ago with an individual who is part of Danielle Smith's staff currently and he studied this bill and he said contrary to what is being stated in the public, the bill opens it up so that lower level magistrates can now hear cases. The previous bill only the upper level magistrates could hear the cases, the highest courts.
But now even the lower courts can hear cases, which opens up far more opportunity for prosecution. Traditional teaching on matters such as sexuality, morality, identity will be mischaracterized as hate speech under the new definition of hatred. Unless you think that I am being alarmist in nature, I want to read to you a direct quote from Mark Miller. Mark Miller is a liberal MP who chairs the standing committee on justice and human rights.
This is the committee that's tasked with examining the bill to make sure the wording is just right and and you know what have you so that can pass through parliament. Mark Miller claims to be a bornagain Christian. This is what he said. You can look this up. You can find it online. He said this quote in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans, there are other passages. There's clear hatred towards, for example, homosexuals.
I don't understand how the concept of good faith can be invoked if someone were literally invoking a passage from, in this case, the Bible. There are other religious texts that say the same thing. And then somehow say that this is a good faith. Clearly, there are situations in these texts where these statements are hateful. They should be used to the pardon me, they should not be used to invoke or be a defense, and there should perhaps be discretion for prosecutors to press charges." End quote. So here we have the government directly stating that portions of scripture are hateful and should be allowed to be prosecuted by simply reading them or teaching them.
If convicted of what is classified as an indictable hate crime, someone can go to jail for 10 years. If you're convicted of what's referred to as a summary conviction, it's two years less a day. Now, a landmark case is going to be required to set the precedent and to see how the judges will actually adjudicate these things. And I would imagine at some point that will happen. In our province, our premier has said that she will not allow charges to be brought in this.
And we might say, "Well, that's great. I'm glad we live in Alberta." Yeah, she's the premier right now. If you're resting in that, that's a that's a poor thing to rest in. Let's be clear. Ephesians 6 tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and evil forces of this dark age. The undercurrent of all this, that the enemy here is not Mark Miller or Mark Carney or you name it. The enemy here is Satan.
This is satanic at its core, seeking to dismiss what the Bible says, not allow this the clear teaching of sin, which leads, by the way, to the hopefulness of the gospel. No, we don't want that. And we will seek to silence those who speak to that end. So, what will we do here at Gateway Bible Church? Before we get to the main text we're going to look at, let me just take you to Acts 20 for just a moment and Paul's farewell address to the elders there in Ephesus.
Starting in verse 24 of Acts 20, here's what we read. But I do not account my life of any value, nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course in the ministry I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole council of God.
Which would imply, by the way, brothers and sisters, that had he shrunk back, he would have been guilty of the blood of some of many. Souls are on the line. The eternity of men and women is on the line. Far be it from elders and preachers to withhold any part of scripture when hell hangs in the balance. Here at Gateway Bible Church, we can't speak for anyone else, but so long as I am here, so long as the elders that we have in place are here, we will preach the whole council of scripture.
And as it pertains to Bill C9, we will obey God over man. So if I'm in prison, it's next man up. If Pastor Bryce and Pastor Joe were in prison, next man up. Ron, you're up soon. Get ready. So with that preamble in mind, let's look at one of those. Mark Miller said Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans, and there are other texts. Let's look at one of those other texts.
Go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Starting in verse 9, I'm going to read down to verse 11. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolattors, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. There's hope here. But we got to look at the back the bad news first. Make sure we understand this. The worldly have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. That's what the text says. The Greek word here is unrighteous. Do you not or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
That word is the same root word that we find in verses seven and 8 right before our passage where it talks about suffering wrong or being wronged and defrauded. In fact, I believe it's the NIV that actually uses the word wrongdoer here in verse 9. It's the same word that's being conveyed here. What is it that's being stated? Well, we have to understand clearly, excuse me, the the text here, or do you not know, is linking with the previous text. The previous text is talking about lawsuits among believers.
So, if I'm in the church and myself and another brother in Christ have an issue. Instead of going to the elders and having them oversee that and working through that as brothers in Christ, no, they were going outside the church to an unredeemed judge to have the case heard in the court of law. Such it should not be that way. Prior to that, chapter 5 gives us an ugly incident. One of the more R-rated texts in the Bible where you have a a young a a man having adulterous relationship with his stepmother and it seems as if the church in large part knew about it and did nothing.
And so he addressed that in chapter 5. He addresses the lawsuit issue here at the start of chapter 6. And now he comes here in chapter to pardon me to verse 9 of chapter 6 and he seems to link all this together. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? What is he talking about here? He is talking about those whose conduct is indistinguishable from the world. The one whose conduct is exactly like the world should not expect to have any inheritance in the kingdom of God.
Now let's be clear here. We understand that we are not saved by works, right? We are saved by the grace of God alone through the finished work of Christ alone applied to my life through faith alone as revealed in the scriptures alone to the glory of God alone. That's how we're saved. Martin Luther famously said, "We are saved by faith alone, but faith that saves is never alone."
Meaning that when someone is saved, the spirit of God according to Romans 8 dwells in the believer and the spirit of God abiding in the believer will not simply stand by and allow that person to wallow in a lifetime of sin. They're going to bring conviction. The spirit of God is going to bring conviction. It's what we refer to as sanctification. The new life is accompanied by works of righteousness. This is the indicator. Our fruit reveals the root, whether we even have a root in Christ.
This is what scripture teaches over and over again. And this passage is no different. Those who say that who profess to have faith, he's talking to the church here in Corenth. Those who profess Christ by faith, but their life is altogether worldly. You should be concerned that though you profess Christ, you prayed a prayer at camp one time or something like that, you may not possess saving faith because your fruit is revealing you may not have a root in Christ.
Notice what it says here. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. In fact, it says it twice. Verse 9 and verse 10, which begs the question, then what is it? What is the kingdom of God? John MacArthur puts it this way. The kingdom of God is the spiritual sphere of salvation where God rules as king over all who belong to him by faith. All believers are in that spiritual kingdom yet are waiting to enter into the full inheritance of it in the age to come. It's a good way to define it.
Turn with me if you will to Matthew chapter 5. What's referred to as the biatitudes. Pick it up for you there in verse three. Matthew 5 verse three. And then we'll also look at verse 10. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You see there's the kingdom of heaven there. Look at verse 10.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven. The ones who inherit the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, are among other things identifiable Christians. They're visibly Christian. You might say, "How do you know that?" Because they're being persecuted. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. The the righteousness of Christ is seen in them such that they're being persecuted.
The one who is not living Christlike, but rather living worldly, no one's going to persecute them. They're not going to be persecuted at all. And you might say, "Well, that is, are you sure about that?" Yep, sure am. John chapter 15, listen to what Jesus said. If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you were not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
The visibly Christian man or the visibly Christian woman who's living out of the truth of the gospel that has been applied to their life will face persecution. The one who is given mere lip service, the one who's hypocritically saying they're a Christian, but are altogether worldly and carnal and unsaved will face no persecution. The worldly have no inheritance. Let us not be deceived. It's what the text tells us.
Do not be deceived. The overtly worldly Christian is likely not a Christian at all. Not according to scripture. This is one who needs to hear the gospel. And they not only need to hear it, they need to heed it. They need to come before God in brokenness over their sin. And they need to repent, turn from their devotion to sin, and turn to Christ by faith. That's what they need.
Regardless of whether they claim to be a Christian or not, if they're worldly, they need to repent. This is grave. Can you imagine someone who is deluded and thinking that they're saved, living however they want to live, and then they stand before the judge to realize they're they will be in eternity in hell without end. Far be it from us as churches to allow someone to live in that delusion.
This is why dancing around portions of scripture because they're less savory or because this might bring disagreement among us. We we don't want to do that. We don't want to ruffle any feathers. We just want to keep everyone together and so we're just going to avoid hard passages. That's detrimental. It's not shephering. It doesn't glorify God. People need to be taught the whole Bible. We need whole Bible Christians. It speaks to the implications for their life.
Notice also this that judgment begins with the household of God. So we read in 1 Peter 4:1 17, judgment begins with the household of God. God is going to discipline those whom he loves. Hebrews 12 informs of that. And he's going to make plain who the wolves are among the sheep. He's going to make that very clear. And he's going to bring them to judgment. This is evident. A key aspect of judgment is the examination of one's works.
Our works do not save us, but they do condemn us. If you don't believe that to be true, stick with us. We're starting in Revelation in September. And when we come to Revelation 20, 2122, we will see this. Now here we have he's speaking to the church and he saysdo not be deceived and he lists a a number of character traits. Do do I think that this is exhaustive? No. I my my understanding these are issues go were going on in Corenth issues of significant struggle.
These are habitual things that sometimes we can delude ourselves into going well I I'm greedy once in a while. This is not talking about a once in a while thing. This is the characteristic of this person's life. This is who they are. This is their identity. Among the things that are listed here, we have idolatry, which is probably at the root of everything. We have thievery, we have greed, we have drunkenness, we have revilers. That that word there can mean slanderers or those who are abusive. We have swindlers.
That is to say, those who scheme and plot in order to make them, you know, build themselves up at the great cost of others. Those who live contemptably before God should not expect an inheritance in his kingdom. And in the course of this list, he gives us three different little phrases here for sexual sin. First we read right off the hop about sexual immorality.
Those who are sexually immoral. That word there is the word porna from which we derive our word pornography from. This is a term that speaks about any sexual sin. Anything outside the relationship of one man married to one woman to the exclusion of all others. Any sexual sin outside of that is covered in this. Sexually immoral. Anything outside of monogamous heterosexual marriage is sin in God's sight.
Whether it be homosexual or heterosexual. If it's not within the bounds of marriage, it's sin. And it's an abomination in God's sight. Then we have adulterers listed here. That is those who are in marriage and who are engaged in sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship. It would include pornography. By the way, marriage is sacited marriage. It's sacred to him.
Far be it from us that we would do anything of to to destroy that to harm that precious spouse that God has given to us for our good and for his glory. And then we have in the ESV, it's worded men who practice homosexuality. Now, some translations word it a little bit differently. In fact, the LSB words it with, I think, great clarity for us. Uses both two phrases, effeminite and homosexual.
Because the Greek here speaks about a passive sense and an active sense. The active is those who practice homosexuality. The passive would be what we would classify as affeminite. That is those who may be give you an example of that. Those who would say I'm same sex attracted but I don't act on it. Airgo I I can be same-sex attracted and live in that and just continue to be blissfully okay with that and I'm a Christian. But Jesus said, "If you even look at a woman lustfully, you've committed adultery with her in your heart."
We had a play here last Saturday that laid out the gospel. And in the play, Travis Bartell's character said something. I'm changing the word a little bit, but the gist of it was, "You were a sinner in your heart before you were ever one with your hands." It's true. Sin's a heart issue. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Out of the abundance of the heart, the hands act. It's a heart issue. Now, don't get hung up here in the ESV on the word the word men.
Men who practice homosexuality. This is a male and female issue. Romans chapter 1 makes that clear to us. Romans 1:26 and 20 26 27 28 says this. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature. And the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another.
Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them o up to a debased mind to do what ought not be done. This is sinful in the sight of God. Any sexual sin is covered here. Adulterous sin is covered here. Pornographic sin is covered here. Homosexual sin is covered here. Transgenderism is covered here.
All of it is covered here. For those who would say, "I'm an adulterous Christian willfully living in adultery and a Christian," that doesn't square. They will not inherit the kingdom of God. For those who would call themselves a gay Christian doesn't square with the word of God. There's no such thing. And we need to make that clear. And this is loving. Paul said in 1 Timothy 1 vers5, "The aim of our charge is love."
The goal here is love. I would hope, let me press this upon you, gateway family, should a gay couple come in here or a lesbian couple come in here, I would hope that we would welcome them here. We're so glad you've joined us. That we would treat them with respect and kindness. That's what God-honoring people do. That we would not treat them with hatred in our hearts. Far be it from us to do that.
And then in love that we would teach them about sin and about the redeeming grace of God for believers to play along with the fallacies that are being foisted upon larger culture. One of the things in the bill is transphobia. This is a bill. Anything that's deemed to be transphobic. The transgender movement is delusional. And for us to simply play along with that is to feed that delusion and to enable that person to go to a Christless eternity in hell. How is that loving?
The text doesn't give us that opportunity. It doesn't give us doesn't afford us that opportunity. Nor should it. This is not loving in God's sight. But there's hope here, friends. There's hope in the gospel. Though the night is dark, the light comes in the morning. Look at this verse 11. Such were some of you. Past tense. Notice that obvious. This is Corinth.
Corinth is part of the Greco Roman culture. In the Greco Roman world, sexually sexually explicit images were everywhere. Sexuality was rampant. It was in temples. You name it. If people hadn't engaged in sexual immorality, it was certainly forced upon them in their face constantly. And he says here, "Such were some of you." But how many of the great gospel passages in the Bible start with that word? But. Why is that such a great great word? The only reason that word is great is because you first helped understand and unpack the bad news.
If I just started off with saying you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified as believers, we would say, "Oh, great. Awesome." But if I say to you, here is your sin. You should be in hell. You rightly deserve to be in hell. You've rebelled against a holy God. But now I've got your attention. That's what he does here. He says, "This is how you once lived. You who are believers in Corinth who this characterized your previous life, this is who you once were, but you were washed.
You were sanctified. You were justified. You were washed." That's a great term. What does that mean? You were washed. Well, let let's let David explain that for us. We were in Psalm 51 yesterday with our men's Bible study. This is David's penitent psalm after everything that took place with Bashibba and Uriah. And you can see his longing for to repent, his longing to make it things right with God.
And in there he says this, "Purge me with hissup and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. David knew he was filthy and needed to be cleansed and only God could cleanse him. And he called upon God to wash him because he knew God is able to do that. He was washed and so were you. If you're here and you're among the redeemed, you too were washed. You were a filthy sinner as I was. Such were some of us.
But we were washed. >> And there's more. You were sanctified. Look at what the text say. We were sanctified. That is to say, we were made holy, positionally holy. And the spirit of God abiding us enables us to live practically holy, pursuing holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. But by his spirit in us, we are constantly pursuing holiness, giving evidence of a true saving faith. Chapter one of 1 Corinthians says this at the end of chapter 1.
Because of him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So that it is as it is written that the one who boasts boast in the Lord. Praise God. I have nothing to boast about. Did I clean that? Did I wash myself? Nope. Did I make myself holy? Nope. Did I give myself hope? Nope. But God gave it all to me. Praise him. And then it says, you were justified.
That is to say, you are forensically, judicially made right with God. Forgiven. Having our account put in a right standing with him by saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Go with me for a moment to Romans chapter 4. I want to pick it up in verse 22 and read through into the start of chapter 5. Listen what we read here. This is here.
It's picking it up starting talking about Abraham but then applying it to those today as well. This is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. You were justified, friends, washed, sanctified. You who were once mired in sin, bound for hell, he plucked you out of that. He washed you. He sanctified you. He justified you. There's hope in the gospel. But where does that hope start? It starts by us knowing that we need it.
The one who is engrossed in sexual sin or any sin. They need to know they're in sin. And that there is hope in the gospel, true hope, saving hope, lasting hope, eternal hope. But they need to know it by being confronted about sin, lest they perish in the way. This exalts Christ in its loving.
This is why the gospel must involve every passage of the Bible. The whole thing. This is why we preach verse by verse through books of the Bible without skipping any verses because we want to make sure that we're preaching the whole council of scripture so that the people of God are fed, edified, built up, strengthened because it's our contention that God still saves sinners and he still sanctifies saints by his spirit and through his word. And may we never be people who assimilate with larger culture.
Chuck Swindell told of a survey that was done where 10 students were brought into a room at a time. This survey was conducted from for students from grade one through to grade 12. It was done by for hundreds upon hundreds of different groups. Nine of the students were informed of the ruse. One of the students was a stoogge, though he didn't know it. They they drew three lines on the whiteboard.
One there of varying lengths. One was obviously the longer line and then a medium-sized line and a short line. And he brought them in and he told nine of them, he said, "When when when I ask when I point to the longest line and I ask, is this the longest line? You you nine are not to put your hand up. And when I point to the medium-sized line and I say, "Is this the longest line?" It's then that I want you to put your hand up. The other student was unaware. They did this with group upon group upon group upon group, grades 1 through 12.
75% of the time when the one student who didn't know what was going on put his hand hand up when he pointed to the longest line and he looked around he pulled his hand down and then when the medium-sized line was pointed to and the other nine put their hands up 75% of the time the kid who wasn't in the no put his hand up and they conducted upon their research that the vast majority of people would rather ther align with the masses than be right.
We are not of those who ought to shrink back. We are not of those who are to assimilate with culture. Romans 12:1 and2 makes that very plain to us. For the love of God, for the love of his saints, and for the love of lost sinners, we must preach the whole council of scripture. We must preach it unvarnished. No dressing it up. Just te tell it like it is because we believe that the word of God is still sufficient to save sinners and sanctify saints.
May we be ever faithful. May we be found faithful in holding out that truth, the truth of Christ to the saints who need to be encouraged and edified and built up and to sinners who are a part of a lost and dying world and need to be saved. God, I pray that you would indeed minister to our hearts in this way. For those of us who are among the redeemed, may we not shrink back in this world that we live in. May we have courage. May we stand on our convictions that have been made known to us in the word of God and by the spirit of God.
May we fear you rather than man. Father, I pray that the general tone of the believers here would be that of submission to governing authorities, though you'd give us that kind of heart as well. But when it's time to stand, may we not be found stooping. Give us steel in our spines, we pray for your glory, for your exaltation. May we be gentle, loving Christians, taking the truth, speaking it with love, and yet also with courage and clarity to a world that desperately needs this message.
And so, Father, go before us in this. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Please.
Transcribed automatically from YouTube captions, so names and words may be misheard.
