Ok, But Not the Best - 1 Corinthians 6:9-12

Sep 4, 2026

A personal sermon built around 1 Corinthians 6:9-12, using the author’s 1972 conversion story to argue that salvation is more than outward public action. It emphasizes repentance and a decisive turn of the heart toward Jesus, rejecting the idea that faith can be reduced to a fixed formula. The message explains that believing in Christ involves surrender and obedient followership, warning that an unrepentant life contradicts genuine faith and jeopardizes inheriting God’s kingdom.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Conversion Story and Its Meaning

Repentance and the Change of Heart

More Than Prayer or Public Decisions

Believing and Following Jesus

Decision, Surrender, and Obedience

Warning From 1 Corinthians 6:9-12

Unrepentant Living and Kingdom Inheritance

Ok, But Not the Best 1 Corinthians 6:9-12 September 7, 2025 When I was GROWING UP in my Southern Baptist church, I was very clear on how SOMEONE BECAME a Christian-You would WALK THE AISLE during the invitation at the end of the service-there in the altar, you would pray with the pastor and COMMITMENT YOUR LIFE to Jesus-You were standing up in front of the congregation PUBLICLY DECLARING your faith in Jesus Christ AS YOUR SAVIOR! And I did just that on a Thursday evening in April of 1972- I was 13 years old and in the eighth grade-And let me say, my life WAS CHANGED FOREVER THAT NIGHT! -about 2 months later I WAS BAPTIZED in the pool in the same sanctuary. At that time, I didn’t know all THE THEOLOGY of the Book of Romans- I did not know ALL THE PROMISES of the Book of Ephesians- I certainly did not know all the FUTURE PROPHECIES of the Book of RevelationsNo, that night I just knew I WAS A MESSED UP, SINFUL KID who needed a SAVIOR! In walking the aisle that night, I was doing TWO THINGS-First, I was AGREEING with God that I needed a Savior because I was quite aware THE SIN IN MY LIFE-Second, I was agreeing with God that my life NEEDED TO CHANGE- I needed to repent! Though I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING about salvation, I knew those two things-That night, I did BOTH. Some time later I read, Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulﬁlled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” -Repent and Believe-that was the simple MESSAGE OF JESUS-and I realized THAT WAS EXACTLY what I had done that night. I hadn’t FOLLOWED A FORMULA-though we often TRY TO REDUCE Salvation down to a formula-No, that night I had a CHANGE OF HEART. Something changed deep down inside my life-That was about 53 years ago, and Jesus is still my Savior-and HE IS STILL WORKING CHANGE in my life today! In some ways today, I think we DO PEOPLE A DISSERVICE in the churchWe try to reduce the Salvation experience DOWN TO A FORMULA-And I get that-We need A SIMPLE WAY to lead people to a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. But, in other ways, this MIGHT BE WRONG on our part as pastors-for coming to Jesus is more than PRAYING A PRAYER- it is more than RAISING MY HAND-or walking AN AISLE. Salvation REQUIRES A CHANGE OF HEART- It is making a decision TO CHANGE THE DIRECTION of my life- It is making a DECISIVE TURN TOWARDS the Savior & to follow Him! When the Bible speaks of BELIEVING IN JESUS, it is never speaking in terms of JUST MENTAL AGREEMENT-You know,“I believe Jesus was areal person who walked the earth-Yes, I believe He was even the Son of God” -The New Testament TEACHES US in several places that the Demons believe those facts-and in response to this knowledge THEY TEMBLE! When Jesus spoke of believing in Him, He was referring to making a DECISION TO FOLLOW HIM-to surrender your will to HIS WILL-In His words, to become a follower of Jesus was to,“Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Him” -Following Jesus is a LIFE-CHANGING decision! Here’s an IMPORTANT QUESTION for us all today: Was BECOMING A CHRISTIAN a life-changing decision for you? It may be that you CAME TO CHRIST as a very young person-there wasn’t a WHOLE LOT TO CHANGE when you were 7 years old-but I would be willing to bet AT SOME POINT in your teenage years or later, you HAD TO MAKE A DECISION that you would continue to follow Him. YOU WERE FACED with strong temptation that you had not faced beforeAnd you had to choose to CONTINUE IN OBEDIENT to the Lord-and in that moment, IT WAS LIFE-CHANGING! CHOOSING TO FOLLOW Christ means just that: SAYING “NO” to what I want to do-to what I am TEMPTED TO DO-and saying “YES” to Jesusit’s saying “yes” to RIGHTEOUSNESS and “NO” to Unrighteousness! -this is the very deﬁnition of SALVATION-surrendering my life to Christ! Here in 1 Cor. 6:9, Paul makes a BOLD STATEMENT-Do you not know that the unrighteous will

FAQs

What does the sermon say salvation is more than?

Salvation is more than praying a prayer, raising a hand, or walking an aisle. It requires a change of heart and a decisive turn toward Jesus.

Why does the sermon stress repentance?

Repentance is presented as the first step in following Christ. The author argues that Jesus will not be the Savior of an unrepentant person.

How does 1 Corinthians 6:9-12 function in the message?

The sermon uses the passage as a bold warning that unrighteous people will not inherit the kingdom of God, correcting the belief that lifestyle does not matter.

Sep 4, 2026

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