"12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. 13 Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also. 14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty."
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty."
Good Morning Beloved,
Welcome to worship this Lord's Day
We're so glad your here.
Welcome to worship this Lord's Day
We're so glad your here.
Today in our ongoing study of the book of II Corinthians,
we come to one of the
most foundational, most basic, doctrines of the Bible.
I believe, what we’re going to study in our text is a cornerstone in all Christian
understanding and all Christian conduct. We’re going to be identifying a principle that is expounded by the apostle Paul that has
far-reaching, essential, pivotal implications for our practicality, and usefulness, all for our supreme blessing.
In our text is an impassioned plea, from the apostle Paul to his spiritual children, the Corinthian believers. He said that his heart was open to them. This open heart gives a picture of blood flowing, a metaphor of Paul’s unconditional, passionate love for these people; nothing was held back. Paul said his heart was open, however, their hearts were restricted towards him.
This imagery is a picture of being "squeezed out" of someone’s heart, the door is being closed. Paul was desperately attempting to love them for their benefit, they were rejecting his advice, pleas and even his rebuke. Paul is pleading with them, open your hearts to me; listen to what I have to say from my heart to yours. Beloved, that’s the way it should be in the family of God. Though Paul's words may have sounded harsh with his warning, but it comes from a place of love. When you’ve got loved ones that are in danger, you just don’t leave them stranded on the railroad tracks, waiting for the train to come! You do what you can to rescue them.
Paul is opening up his great heart of love, and he stirs up the hearts of those who love him. The interesting thing is that he apparently also stirred up the hearts of those who hated God and His Word and who tried to work injury upon those who loved Him and loved the Scripture. We find that was true in the early history of the church, and it is still true today. If you stand for God, you will find that it will certainly cost you something.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for this amazing opportunity, to assemble ourselves together, in Your Holy name. Thank You for the great honor and privilege of worshiping You. Thank You for the love and fellowship we share with those You have prompted to join us today. Lord, we're so incredibly grateful. Father, we offer up our praise and worship to You, because You are worthy.
Lord, we pray that You would elevate our thinking from the trivial and mundane, to the divine, that we might become more faithful. more obedient to Your Word, following the instruction of Your commands. Opens up our hearts O' Lord. That we might be found profitable and pure, useful for the advancement of the Gospel. All for Your glory and increase.
In Christs' precious name
Amen
Today's Message: Christians in the world or Worldly Christians
In our ongoing study the book in II Corinthians, today, we come to the end of chapter 6. We come now to an important, critical passage of Scripture. It is a section which has been misinterpreted, often abused. Some Christians attempt to make it harsh, unyielding and unloving. However, what Paul is saying here is coming from the tender heart of a man whose heart was breaking because of his great care and concern for believers.
One of the issues Paul is addressing in his letter, was that the Corinthians believers were attempting to live in two worlds, which are in completely contrast to one another. Two different worlds. One is corrupt, one is pure. One speaks lies, the other is all truth. One is material, the other is spiritual. One is earthly, the other is heavenly. One is unholy, the other is righteousness. Sadly, this problem which the apostle Paul is speaking about, still exists today. Many Christians are still attempting to live with one foot in both of these worlds, however, the reality is no one is able to live in both. They're only deceiving themselves.
In our text is an impassioned plea, from the apostle Paul to his spiritual children, the Corinthian believers. He said that his heart was open to them. This open heart gives a picture of blood flowing, a metaphor of Paul’s unconditional, passionate love for these people; nothing was held back. Paul said his heart was open, however, their hearts were restricted towards him.
This imagery is a picture of being "squeezed out" of someone’s heart, the door is being closed. Paul was desperately attempting to love them for their benefit, they were rejecting his advice, pleas and even his rebuke. Paul is pleading with them, open your hearts to me; listen to what I have to say from my heart to yours. Beloved, that’s the way it should be in the family of God. Though Paul's words may have sounded harsh with his warning, but it comes from a place of love. When you’ve got loved ones that are in danger, you just don’t leave them stranded on the railroad tracks, waiting for the train to come! You do what you can to rescue them.
Paul is opening up his great heart of love, and he stirs up the hearts of those who love him. The interesting thing is that he apparently also stirred up the hearts of those who hated God and His Word and who tried to work injury upon those who loved Him and loved the Scripture. We find that was true in the early history of the church, and it is still true today. If you stand for God, you will find that it will certainly cost you something.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for this amazing opportunity, to assemble ourselves together, in Your Holy name. Thank You for the great honor and privilege of worshiping You. Thank You for the love and fellowship we share with those You have prompted to join us today. Lord, we're so incredibly grateful. Father, we offer up our praise and worship to You, because You are worthy.
Lord, we pray that You would elevate our thinking from the trivial and mundane, to the divine, that we might become more faithful. more obedient to Your Word, following the instruction of Your commands. Opens up our hearts O' Lord. That we might be found profitable and pure, useful for the advancement of the Gospel. All for Your glory and increase.
In Christs' precious name
Amen
Today's Message: Christians in the world or Worldly Christians
In our ongoing study the book in II Corinthians, today, we come to the end of chapter 6. We come now to an important, critical passage of Scripture. It is a section which has been misinterpreted, often abused. Some Christians attempt to make it harsh, unyielding and unloving. However, what Paul is saying here is coming from the tender heart of a man whose heart was breaking because of his great care and concern for believers.
One of the issues Paul is addressing in his letter, was that the Corinthians believers were attempting to live in two worlds, which are in completely contrast to one another. Two different worlds. One is corrupt, one is pure. One speaks lies, the other is all truth. One is material, the other is spiritual. One is earthly, the other is heavenly. One is unholy, the other is righteousness. Sadly, this problem which the apostle Paul is speaking about, still exists today. Many Christians are still attempting to live with one foot in both of these worlds, however, the reality is no one is able to live in both. They're only deceiving themselves.
In II Corinthians 5:17, Paul said, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." Paul’s message in this text is intended to
make it very clear to all Christians that there
is no possibility of living in both of these worlds, there is shuffling back and forth. Paul warns us that ours hearts have become restricted, only by our own affections, tender to the world and hardened to the Word. Scripture calls Christians to be separate from the world, to be in the world, not of the world.
Romans 12:2 teaches us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Open with me your Bibles and your hearts to II Corinthians chapter 6, verses 12-18, though Paul's letter is addressed to the Corinthian church, I believe it is a powerful truth, much needed instruction for many today.
Follow along with me, as I read to you from these marvelous truths, provided to us from our Lord, for our lesson today, II Corinthians 6:12-18.
"You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
Anything other than Christ affecting us, is a digression of the relationship we are in with Him.
Salvation has an "affect" on those who believe in Christ Jesus, in order to bring about influencing "effects," not only upon us, but the world.
Charles H. Spurgeon, who was certainly one of the most highly influential preachers of all time once said, "If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false."
I believe that is a profound statement. Christians are called to be separated from the world.
Deuteronomy 22:10 says it this way, "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together."
The reasons for this are obvious, they are two different animals, with two completely different natures.
Obviously, we cannot fulfill the Great Commission, by being isolated from the world.
Paul didn’t leave the world. He didn’t run from it. In fact, he got right in the middle of it for the purpose of leading people to the knowledge of Christ.
So, what is Paul telling us in verse 14, when he says "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"
Paul is not talking about the immoral people of this world, who is he talking about? He's talking about those within the church.
To get a better understanding, let's quickly turn back to I Corinthians chapter 5, looking at verses 9 through 13. Allow me to read this to you. "I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves."
Paul's exhortation is a word of caution: Make wise godly choices when entering a relationship, for there is a present danger that the bad will damage the good rather than hope the good will benefit the bad.
I Corinthians 15:33-34 teaches us, "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame."
How are people yoked together? Well, they are yoked together in any type of real union such as a business enterprise, a partnership, or a marriage. Most certainly marriage is the yoking together of two people. An unbeliever and a believer should not marry. A child of God and a child of Satan cannot be yoked together and pull together in their life goals.
Another such example is identification with an organization or institution. If a man is a professor in a seminary and he holds the great truths of the Bible, but the seminary has become worldly, this man should get out of that seminary. Why? Because he is receiving a salary from there, therefor he is identified with their work and their organization. He is associated with it in a very tangible way. He is unequally yoked with unbelievers.
So what about those who preach Christ and salvation, yet hold values that you do not agree with or condone? Do we support them? How do we handle that?
Notice how Paul handles it. When Paul entered into a new city, he would first go to the synagogue. Can you imagine a place where there would be more opposition to Jesus Christ than in the synagogue? Yet, that is where Paul began. I am not condemning him for it because God led him to do it that way. Now if Paul had joined himself to one of those synagogues and had become the rabbi in one of them and had stayed there, then that could have been considered a yoke. However, Paul is talking about being yoked together in a permanent arrangement like marriage or a business partnership.
Many Christians today, refuse to even associate with believers because of their doctrine. However, it seems to me, we don't even partner with those whom we do agree with doctrinally, I believe that has to be wrong! This won't keep me from having fellowship with such men and women, who do things differently as long as they are preaching the same gospel that I preach and they believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. Paul is talking about permanently yoking ourselves with unbelievers, as he makes clear in the next verse.
In verse 15, Paul says, "Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?"
Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Beloved, as followers of Christ, we cannot live with one foot in the church and the other in the world. The Christian is justified by faith. Faith and immoral conduct, have nothing in common with each other.
What is the nature of your faith? A worldly Christian or a Christian in the world?
It is my prayer that though you are living in this world, you're living a life for Christ.
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Open with me your Bibles and your hearts to II Corinthians chapter 6, verses 12-18, though Paul's letter is addressed to the Corinthian church, I believe it is a powerful truth, much needed instruction for many today.
Follow along with me, as I read to you from these marvelous truths, provided to us from our Lord, for our lesson today, II Corinthians 6:12-18.
"You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty."
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty."
Anything other than Christ affecting us, is a digression of the relationship we are in with Him.
Salvation has an "affect" on those who believe in Christ Jesus, in order to bring about influencing "effects," not only upon us, but the world.
Charles H. Spurgeon, who was certainly one of the most highly influential preachers of all time once said, "If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false."
I believe that is a profound statement. Christians are called to be separated from the world.
Deuteronomy 22:10 says it this way, "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together."
The reasons for this are obvious, they are two different animals, with two completely different natures.
Obviously, we cannot fulfill the Great Commission, by being isolated from the world.
Paul didn’t leave the world. He didn’t run from it. In fact, he got right in the middle of it for the purpose of leading people to the knowledge of Christ.
So, what is Paul telling us in verse 14, when he says "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"
Paul is not talking about the immoral people of this world, who is he talking about? He's talking about those within the church.
To get a better understanding, let's quickly turn back to I Corinthians chapter 5, looking at verses 9 through 13. Allow me to read this to you. "I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves."
Paul's exhortation is a word of caution: Make wise godly choices when entering a relationship, for there is a present danger that the bad will damage the good rather than hope the good will benefit the bad.
I Corinthians 15:33-34 teaches us, "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame."
How are people yoked together? Well, they are yoked together in any type of real union such as a business enterprise, a partnership, or a marriage. Most certainly marriage is the yoking together of two people. An unbeliever and a believer should not marry. A child of God and a child of Satan cannot be yoked together and pull together in their life goals.
Another such example is identification with an organization or institution. If a man is a professor in a seminary and he holds the great truths of the Bible, but the seminary has become worldly, this man should get out of that seminary. Why? Because he is receiving a salary from there, therefor he is identified with their work and their organization. He is associated with it in a very tangible way. He is unequally yoked with unbelievers.
So what about those who preach Christ and salvation, yet hold values that you do not agree with or condone? Do we support them? How do we handle that?
Notice how Paul handles it. When Paul entered into a new city, he would first go to the synagogue. Can you imagine a place where there would be more opposition to Jesus Christ than in the synagogue? Yet, that is where Paul began. I am not condemning him for it because God led him to do it that way. Now if Paul had joined himself to one of those synagogues and had become the rabbi in one of them and had stayed there, then that could have been considered a yoke. However, Paul is talking about being yoked together in a permanent arrangement like marriage or a business partnership.
Many Christians today, refuse to even associate with believers because of their doctrine. However, it seems to me, we don't even partner with those whom we do agree with doctrinally, I believe that has to be wrong! This won't keep me from having fellowship with such men and women, who do things differently as long as they are preaching the same gospel that I preach and they believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. Paul is talking about permanently yoking ourselves with unbelievers, as he makes clear in the next verse.
In verse 15, Paul says, "Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?"
And in verse 16, "Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
Here Paul is specifically speaking about idolatry. The temple of God has no agreement with idols. Where is the temple of
God? Today the temple of God is the human body of each and every
believer. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit. The one in whom God
dwells cannot be in agreement with idols.
II Corinthians 6:17-18 says, “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty."
Paul is appealing to the Christian for separation and for cleansing. He
is not to be in agreement with idolatry. He is calling us to be separated from
worldliness and from the spirit of worldliness which can creep even into
the churches and into the lives of believers. The believer should not
even touch the unclean thing.
Beloved, there are many Christians who consider themselves separated. They
wouldn't think of doing this or of doing that. However, they gossip, they have
cruel tongues, yet never seem to realize that very thing is worldly and
unclean. They go for the latest in fads, for gluttony, for immorality and yet
consider themselves to be separate from worldliness.
I don't mention this to sit
in judgment, as we ought not to sit in judgment on each other. However,
I feel I must point out these things because we need to be very mindful, very
careful of such behaviors. It is easy for us to talk about the things of God, to claim the Lord
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to say we love Him, to consider ourselves
separated unto Him, yet still not in reality be separate from the world
and separated unto Him.
J. Vernon McGee, once wrote "When I made my decision to enter the ministry, the
vice-president of the bank where I worked called me into his office. He
was a godless man -- he could swear as I've never heard anyone swear. I
think it rather moved him when I announced that I was giving up my job
to study for the ministry. He called me over to his desk and said,
"Vernon, I want to tell you a story." This is what he told me: During
World War I he was working in another bank and with him worked a man as
godless and worldly as could be. However, this man was the soloist in a
church.
One day the man who was now the vice-president went to church,
and there he heard his co-worker sing a solo, "Jesus Satisfies." A dear
lady said to him afterwards, "Wasn't that a marvelous solo? It sounds
like it came out of heaven!" Since he knew this man at work, he knew
that Jesus did not satisfy him. One day this same woman came into the
bank to do some business, and the teller who had been the soloist was
attempting to get a balance sheet balanced, but it was off, and he began
to rip out oaths and curses. The lady was really shocked at this and
asked my friend, "Who is that man?" He answered, "That is the voice you
heard the other Sunday and thought it came right out of heaven."
The
vice-president of the bank was a skeptic and a rascal because he had
seen a professing Christian singing, "Jesus Satisfies," when he knew
Jesus did not satisfy that man. He knew that man was immoral, a drinker,
and a man of vile language. He knew a Christian should not be like
that, and it made him a cynical individual. He reached over and touched
me on the knee and said to me, "Vernon, don't be a preacher unless you
mean it." I have never forgotten that."
God says in verse 17, "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;"
In other words, Paul is saying, "don't be a Christian unless you mean it. Don't say that Jesus satisfies you if He is not really satisfying you." This is what Paul is talking about.
In other words, Paul is saying, "don't be a Christian unless you mean it. Don't say that Jesus satisfies you if He is not really satisfying you." This is what Paul is talking about.
The word “separate” is a military term, and it means to "stay in ranks."
And, in doing so we receive this glorious promise "And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty."
Beloved, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God is always your Father. Don't
ever forget that. What God is saying here is that He would like to act like a
Father to you. He would like to treat you as a son or a daughter.
In Closing....
If you are going
off into worldliness, if you don't mean what you say, if you are
hypocritical in your Christian life, then you can be sure of one thing: God the
Father will take you to His woodshed. However, let me make something very clear, God does not want to be continuously taking you to the woodshed. That is why He asks you to
come out from among them, to be separate, not to touch the unclean
thing. Then God can have an intimate relationship with you as a Father
with His son or daughter.
To come out from among them requires action on our part of forsaking the company and conversation of the world. Many today would prefer to write this off as having no effect in this age of grace. Though worldly circumstances may change, but the wisdom of the Word is timeless.
Today, each of us has the distinct opportunity to
begin afresh and anew with God. His Word is not difficult, though
by our own admission we may view it as demanding, nevertheless the
blessing of full and unhindered relationship with our God awaits all who
are willing to connect, occupy and separate.
We are called to be the light of the world. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said "You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lamp stand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
What happens when you mix darkness with light? One of them has to die! For
a believer who has promised to serve Jesus Christ as Lord, a Corinthian
lifestyle leads to disastrous results in his or her spiritual life. The Corinthian lifestyle is when, for any reason, a follower of Jesus Christ
settles for less than Lordship, being totally obedient to Christ and
rejecting the influences that pull him away from Christ. It damages
our communion with Christ, and leads to a less peaceful life, and a less
effective walk as a Christian. What kind of a witness can you have for the Kingdom of God when you're leading a Corinthian lifestyle?Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Beloved, as followers of Christ, we cannot live with one foot in the church and the other in the world. The Christian is justified by faith. Faith and immoral conduct, have nothing in common with each other.
What is the nature of your faith? A worldly Christian or a Christian in the world?
It is my prayer that though you are living in this world, you're living a life for Christ.
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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