In many cities they will have a certain weekend when the residents can take whatever you want to get rid of or throw away out to the curb by the street, and a large truck will drive through the streets picking it all up and hauling it away. Old toys, furniture, household appliances, even regular house garbage, can all be taken out to the curb and left. Within 48 hours everything that you set out will all be hauled away.
What you did was leave all of that junk behind. You “departed” from it, in a way, and this is what we need to do with our sins. Depart from them, and leave them on the curb.
2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
Iniquity is defined as “deviation from what is right; wickedness, as well as the denial of the sovereignty of God.” In other words, sin. Sin is the act of doing what is wrong, and immoral according to the teachings of God’s word. Lying, stealing, murder, blasphemy, adultery-all these and more we need to leave behind, and separate ourselves from.
As Christians, our purpose and goal in life should be to try to imitate the life of Jesus, and to follow His teachings. Jesus taught us how to be loving, kind, merciful, forgiving, and patient, both by His word and by the life that He lived. If we are going to “name the name of Christ” by calling ourselves Christians then we need to live up to that name, and depart from our sins.
This is what the Thessalonian church had done. In one of his letters to them, Paul commended them for the example they were setting for other believers of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-9 “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;”
While they were once idolators, the Thessalonian church had turned away from their idols to serve the one true God. They had departed from their sins, and the news of their faith was so widely known throughout the region that Paul didn’t have to tell anyone about how great their faith was.
To become a Christian requires that we make a change in our lives. Instead of continuing down the road of sin and wickedness, we need to make a turn off of it, and onto the path of Christ, walking in His steps. There is no sin in heaven, and if we want to be there ourselves we need to take out the trash, and leave it at the curb.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 