The Kingdom Has a Character (1 Americans Collection) | Pastor Bryan Lamoureux

Devotional

Day 1: Kingdom Gates and Unwashed Hands

The Corinthian believers sat with Paul’s letter, hearing the jarring list: sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, thieves. These weren’t abstract categories—they knew temple prostitutes, neighbors cheating spouses, merchants exploiting customers. Paul stabbed their conscience: “Do not be deceived.” The kingdom’s gates only open to the washed. [02:50]

Jesus defines kingdom entry not by good intentions, but by transformed allegiance. Pagan Corinth celebrated sexual freedom and greed, but God’s people were called to mirror heaven’s purity. Paul named specific sins because compromise in one area erodes all others.

Where have you normalized what even pagans reject? Scan your relationships, entertainment choices, and secret thoughts. What “acceptable” sin needs confronting today? “Would I defend this behavior if Jesus stood beside me?”

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
(1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to expose one compromise you’ve rationalized. Confess it specifically.
Challenge: Write down one media source, relationship, or habit feeding compromise. Delete/avoid it today.

Day 2: From Darkness to Declaration

“Such were some of you.” Paul’s past-tense declaration stunned the Corinthians. The temple prostitute now led women’s Bible studies. The embezzler tithed double. Their baptismal waters still dripped with grace’s memory: washed, sanctified, justified. [30:03]

Salvation rewrites identity. “Were” means your worst sin doesn’t define you. Justification isn’t God overlooking filth, but Christ’s blood dissolving it. Sanctification isn’t self-improvement, but the Spirit’s surgical removal of sin’s roots.

You’re not recovering—you’re recovered. Stop introducing yourself by old addictions. What shameful “I used to…” story needs replacing with “But God…” testimony?

“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.”
(1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus aloud: “I am washed in _________, sanctified from _________, justified despite _________.”
Challenge: Text a trusted friend one victory sentence: “Today I walked in my new identity by _________.”

Day 3: Pagan Tolerances and Holy Contradictions

Even Corinth’s temple priests gasped at the church’s scandal: a man sleeping with his stepmother. Paul rebuked their arrogance—grace isn’t a blanket for rebellion. When the church winks at sin, the world questions resurrection power. [07:30]

Holiness isn’t prudishness—it’s the magnet drawing skeptics. Pagans tolerated temple orgies but recoiled at hypocrites. Jesus’ body thrives when our sexual ethics, financial integrity, and addiction recoveries out-love the culture.

Does your life make atheists curious or cynical? Identify one area where “churchy” people act worse than secular coworkers. What holy contradiction will you display today?

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not even tolerated among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?”
(1 Corinthians 5:1-2, ESV)

Prayer: Confess where you’ve excused sin as “cultural relevance.” Ask for bold tenderness.
Challenge: Initiate a conversation with a non-Christian about Jesus’ view of [your identified area].

Day 4: Regeneration’s Brooms and Renewal’s Fire

Titus 3:5’s “washing of regeneration” isn’t a quick rinse—it’s God scrubbing sin’s graffiti from your soul’s walls. The Spirit doesn’t whitewash stains; He torches them with refining fire. Sanctification burns away compromise’s kindling. [31:08]

Salvation’s bath happens once. Renewal happens daily. Like Peter’s post-betrayal breakfast with Jesus, God relights our smoldering wicks. Your relapses don’t surprise Him—He stands ready with mercy’s towel and grace’s soap.

What recurring sin exhausts you? Stop strategizing self-rescue. How might today change if you believed the Spirit’s fire purifies faster than your efforts?

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
(Titus 3:5, ESV)

Prayer: Ask the Spirit to reveal one “clean” area He wants to renovate deeper. Sit silently 3 minutes.
Challenge: Open your Notes app. Type: “Renewal needed: _________.” Read it aloud 3x today.

Day 5: The Unrighteous and the Unrepentant

Paul’s warning—“the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom”—wasn’t for brothel owners but church members. Unrighteousness isn’t imperfection; it’s unrepentant patterns. Like Judas taking communion while stealing funds, they fake allegiance. [38:37]

Salvation’s sign isn’t perfection, but direction. The prodigal’s stumbles home still smell like pigs, but his face aims toward the Father. God judges the heart’s compass, not the feet’s stumbles.

Are you repenting or excusing? When you sin, do you weep like Peter or bargain like Judas? What habitual sin needs brutal honesty today?

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.”
(1 Corinthians 6:9, ESV)

Prayer: Confess: “Jesus, I’ve minimized _________. Show me its eternal weight.”
Challenge: Fast one meal. During that time, write a repentance letter to God about this sin. Burn/shred it after.

Sermon Summary

We trace Paul’s sharp correction and tender hope as he calls a gospel people to live with kingdom character. We see a local church tolerating what even pagans would reject, and Paul refuses to sanitize that reality. We accept that the kingdom carries moral contours that shape our daily choices; God’s commands form rails for abundant life rather than crude rules to steal joy. We recognize that grace never erases moral demand but gives the Spirit power to obey; grace transforms appetites and patterns instead of licensing them. We remember that the gospel speaks in the past tense to our identity: what once defined us no longer owns us because we were washed, sanctified, and justified by Christ and the Spirit. We hold sanctification as a process of growing into what we already are in Christ, needing community and proximity to the Word and other believers to move forward. We wrestle with the warning that persistent, unrepentant patterns point to no genuine share in the kingdom; repentance and visible change become signs of the Spirit’s work. We affirm that the gospel reaches the farthest places of our failure; no one stands beyond God’s rescuing power when we turn. We respond with a call to congruence so that what we proclaim and how we live align, that the world and younger generations see not mere words but transformed lives rooted in the risen Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Kingdom life has a moral character The kingdom of God shapes habits and desires, not merely private beliefs. We must stop treating morality as optional cultural taste and start seeing it as the distinctive way Christ’s people live together. That reorientation turns rules into a map for flourishing rather than a list of prohibitions. Recognizing a shared character reforms both individuals and communities. [09:19]
2. Grace empowers holiness, not license Grace does not give permission to press on in sin; grace rewires the heart so obedience becomes possible and pleasant. When the Spirit applies forgiveness, obedience flows from gratitude and new desires, not guilt-driven compliance. We should measure grace by its fruit: increasing dependence on God and decreasing delight in former sins. Grace calls us into daily reliance upon the Spirit’s power. [14:03]
3. The gospel changes our identity now “Such were some of you” refuses to let past patterns claim final authority over present identity. Because of Christ we bear a new legal and spiritual status: washed, set apart, and declared righteous. That present reality invites us into a forward-moving life where our habits increasingly match our new name. Identity in Christ reshapes how we reckon with failure and growth. [23:06]
4. Unrepentant patterns reveal false faith Persistent, unrepentant lifestyles do not simply mark weakness; they expose an absence of Spirit-led transformation. True repentance shows itself in turning, seeking restoration, and being joined to the community that sharpens and sustains change. We must test our paths by the presence of holy conviction and visible fruit, not by old prayers or mere affiliation. Living on autopilot toward former sins signals urgent need for revival and accountability. [38:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:39] - Context: Corinthians and cultural parallels
[02:27] - Reading 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
[06:19] - Background: chapter 5 and open immorality
[09:19] - The kingdom has a character
[12:18] - Paul’s list and its warning
[14:03] - Grace empowers holiness, not license
[23:06] - The gospel speaks in the past tense
[30:21] - Washed, sanctified, justified explained
[36:44] - Call to holy living and repentance
[43:02] - Invitation to follow Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, 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.

Observation Questions

What specific behaviors does Paul list as incompatible with inheriting the kingdom of God? How does he contrast these with the identity of believers?
The sermon emphasized that even pagans in Corinth found certain sins intolerable ([07:30]). How does this highlight the seriousness of unrepentant sin in the church?
What three actions does Paul use to describe the transformation of believers in verse 11 (“washed, sanctified, justified”)? How do these terms redefine a believer’s identity?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul connect the kingdom of God to moral character rather than just private beliefs? How does this challenge modern cultural views of faith?
The sermon stated, “Grace empowers holiness, not license” ([14:03]). How does this truth refute the idea that God’s forgiveness permits ongoing, unrepentant sin?
Paul says believers are no longer defined by their past (“such were some of you”). How does this past-tense identity shape our understanding of ongoing struggles with sin?
What does persistent unrepentance reveal about someone’s relationship with God, according to the sermon’s warning ([38:37])? How does genuine repentance differ from temporary guilt?

Application Questions

In what area of your life do you most need to embrace the truth “such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11)? How can you actively reject old patterns and lean into your new identity this week?
The sermon warned against a “gap” between professed beliefs and daily living ([22:17]). Where do you feel tension between what you say you believe and how you actually live? What practical step could close that gap?
Reflect on a time when you treated grace as a license to sin. How can you shift toward relying on grace as empowerment for holiness instead?
The sermon stressed the need for “proximity” to community and God’s Word for growth ([34:21]). What habit or relationship could you prioritize to strengthen your spiritual growth?
How can you lovingly address unrepentant patterns in your own life or in others while still affirming the reach of God’s grace?
What visible fruit of the Spirit (e.g., decreasing delight in sin, increasing dependence on God) have you seen in your life recently? Where do you need to ask God for greater transformation?
The sermon challenged believers to live so that “younger generations see not mere words but transformed lives” ([21:40]). What specific action could demonstrate Christ’s transformative power to someone watching your life?

Sermon Clips

32s

#NoSinHierarchy

“Now this is a broad list. And as Christians, do you know what we typically do? Is we try to rank our sins as in really bad and not so bad and and, you know, kinda bad. And Paul says, I'm putting it all on the same list. Because the danger is, watch, we wanna take sexual sin and put it at the very top. And we wanna put greed and anger at the very bottom. And all of it's sin.”

35s

#GospelReachesAll

“You may be sitting in this room today and go, You know what? Pastor Brian, you have no idea what I've experienced. You have no idea what's been done to me. You have no idea what I've done to others. And I just wanna remind you today but God. There's no one that is too far out of reach of the gospel of Jesus. What is the gospel? That Jesus died in your place for your sins, and on the third day he rose again so that you could have freedom, that you could have life, that you could have forgiveness, that you could have salvation. This is the gospel, and no one is out of reach.”

29s

#StopTiptoeingChurchIssues

“And and what we know is that in in our culture today, in America today, there are so many things that we're afraid to talk to, speak about, preach to. There's so many things in the American church that we just wanna tiptoe around. And God's like, we're not gonna tiptoe around this. This ought not to be in the church. The things that we're talking about, even the pagans wouldn't put up with. And here we are tiptoeing around it in the American church or in the churches at large.”

28s

#KingdomHasCharacter

“So why does God give us this broad list? The answer is this, because the kingdom has a character. The kingdom has a character. The kingdom of God has a character. If if I were to address it this way, like, think about this. Like, when we think about character, we often think about individuals. If I were to say, hey, the character of this man or the character of this woman is that they are an integris person.”

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The Kingdom Has a Character (1 Americans Collection) | Pastor Bryan Lamoureux | Reverb Church