The Daily Word of Righteousness

Total Destruction, #17

Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? 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 slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:8-10—NIV)

There were problems in the church in Corinth, including incest, lawsuits among Christians, divisiveness, selfishness, and drunkenness during the Communion services, and inappropriate speaking in tongues when the believers were gathered together. There have been similar problems in the Christian churches ever since.

There are many passages, such as the above, that tell us plainly fleshly, soulish, self-willed behavior will never have a place in the Kingdom of God.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, (Malachi 3:2,3—NIV)

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11,12—NIV)

At some point the Lord Jesus must come to His people and purify their conduct. I think this is taking place today. I think we have come to a new day in the churches, a day of denouncing, renouncing, and turning away from sin. There seems to be Power present now that is assisting us when we make the effort to overcome sin.

The Blowing of Trumpets follows the celebration of Pentecost. So it is that the trumpet of war is sounding in the churches—war against the sins of the flesh and soul that bind God's people. The Lord is coming soon. His way must be prepared. His way is prepared when we seek His face and purify ourselves from all sin.

We must be holy as He is holy or we shall never see Him.

We are in a moral mess today in the Christian churches, and political skullduggery, covetousness, moral uncleanness, and lying abound.

Notice what God declared thousands of years ago:

Seventy "sevens" are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. (Daniel 9:24—NIV)

"To put an end to sin." "To bring in everlasting righteousness."

And what does the Apostle Paul say?

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know our old self was crucified with him so the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—Because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:5-7—NIV)

God has made provision through the Lord Jesus Christ to not only forgive all of our sins but also to free us from slavery to sin. It is required of us that we place our faith in Christ until we press through to complete freedom from sin.

I think such is the burden of the present hour. (from Total Destruction)