Good morning and welcome everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Like many of you, when I was growing up, I often had to do the dishes, and because of the size of our family, I normally had quite a few of them to get done. But when it finally came time to dry them all off, I remember separating all the forks and the spoons and putting them away in separate piles in the flatware drawer. A lot of us will separate things during our day and not even realize that we’re doing it. You might pull the clothes out of the dryer and separate the pants and the shirts before you put them away in the dresser. A man might spend some time cleaning off his work bench, and spend some time separating all of his nails from the screws. Even when you recycle in your home, you will separate the aluminum cans from all of the rest of the everyday garbage.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
To separate means to divide, or to keep two or more things apart from each other. It also means to become detached, isolated and disconnected from others. When we become a Christian, we have to make the personal decision to come out and be separate from the world, because when you finally make that decision to separate yourself, God will become a Father unto you, and you shall become His child.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJB) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Whenever you are yoked with others, you are joined up with them in a very close relationship, and we are not supposed to be fellowshipping with others who are walking in the works of darkness. As a Christian, we are going through a process of turning away from sin, and you don’t want to be joined up with others who are continuing to live in sin. Many of you can probably remember a time in your life when you were hanging out with others who were a terrible influence on your life. When you decide to abide in a close relationship with worldly people, some of their activities can rub off on you. We are supposed to gather together with others who call upon the name of the Lord out of a pure heart. These are people who genuinely love and fear God, and have a great desire to serve and obey Him in everything that they do. Sharing relationships with individuals such as these.can be very beneficial to you, rather than surrounding yourself with the rebellious people from your past. Consider the Apostle Peter, who kept separate from past relationships in his life who were still caught up in sin. But when you do this you must be ready for a certain amount of suffering, because when you start picking new friends, most of the time all of your old ones are going to speak evil about you.
1 Peter 4:1-5 (KJB) Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
Obviously, you can make the attempt to lead people to Christ Jesus and the teachings of our faith, but if they are going to live in a state of complete impenitence and rebellion, then you must separate from them, and stand with the Lord Jesus and those who serve Him.
Joshua 24:15 (KJB) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Many people misuse the word “friend” in our society, and they think that if they see you or talk to you a few hours a week that you share a friendship with each other, but that’s really not the case. That’s called an acquaintance. Biblical friendship is to be in a very close relationship with others, almost like a marriage. The Apostles were together nearly every single day and were united in their friendship based upon their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we must come out and keep our distance, so that we don’t get involved with the wicked things that other people do.
James 4:4 (KJB) Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
The more you hang out with people who who don’t believe in the gospel of Christ Jesus, you are befriending people who are in a state of rebellion against God and without repentance they will be cast away from the presence of Christ forever. The teachings of Christ do not bring unity in this world, but division between the faithful and the rebellious. Contrary to human philosophy, Jesus didn’t come to bring peace in this world, but a Sword, creating division even amongst your own relatives.
Luke 12:51-53 (KJB) Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
The Apostle wanted the church to separate themselves from the fornication that was going on among them.
1 Corinthians 5:1-8 (KJB) It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
There are many examples throughout Scripture of men who separated themselves from the world in order to be faithful unto Christ. Moses turned away from the idolatry in Egypt to seek after God. Noah separated himself from the world, to prepare himself for God’s coming judgment. Lot eventually was called to come out and be separate from Sodom and Gomorrah, which was ultimately destroyed by the Lord. Being separate from the world and its wicked practices shows that you genuinely care about abiding in the will of God. It’s a narrow and far quieter path, but it is one of peace and tranquility, whereby you have more of an opportunity to devote yourself diligently to the things of God without distractions. If you truly want God to be a Father unto you, then you must be able to separate from those who reject the will of God, and continue to abide in worldly living. It’s not that we hate the world, it’s just that we have had enough of living the way that they do. God’s command is to be separate from the world, something I am reminded of when I think back to separating all of the spoons from the forks, each time that I put them away in,….
……The Flatware Drawer
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody..
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