"Separation doesn't mean Isolation"

"Separation doesn't mean Isolation"

2 Cor 6:14-18  Be ye not unequally yoked (not to be bound together) together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? {15} And what CONCORD (agreement) hath Christ with Belial (worthlessness)? or what PART hath he that believeth with an infidel (unbeliever)? {16} 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.
17 Wherefore COME OUT from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and TOUCH NOT the unclean thing; and I will receive you, {18} And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

(7:1)  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us CLEANSE ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting (fine tune, make something completely free from faults or defects, or as close to such a condition) holiness in the fear of God.

It's not a welcomed message.  But…

      We need Separation
      To obey God and
      To be God's people with a testimony.

A child of God and an unbeliever cannot unite in a common purpose.  When we are not separated it will hinder us in our fellowship and worship.

The separation we are talking about doesn't mean isolation…..seperation starts.......with our relationship with God.

Will we obey Him?
(1 Pet 1:16)  …Be ye holy; for I am holy.
      "Be ye".  God commands us…
        To live a separated life
        To stand for what is right.

(Phil 2:5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.  God deserves…
         Our attention, Our devotion, Our love, Our will.

Our worship is a separation.
As Christians we want… Our lives…
To be on the altar of worship unto Him.
We want…To please God  & To serve God .
To please God - in how we live and act
To follow His plan for our lives.

2 Thess. 3:6 tells us of some believers walking "disorderly".  It's a military term - they don't keep order, they march out of line, out of step, out of place.  They neglect their duty and obligations.

It is the opposite of SUBMISSION (Eph 5:21) Submitting to one another .....
As believers we are called to bow to
God and His Word, to His authority.

Our relationship with God also impacts on…
  our relationship with the world.
The god of this world,satan, has blinded the minds of them which believe not (2 Cor. 4:4).
Separated from the world, but we aren't isolated from it.
We must reach out to the lost help them to be saved.  We love the sinner but hate the sin.

Real Christians are IN the world but not OF the world.

Jesus says, (Jn 15:19) ...ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

We are urged to… (1 John 2:15)  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

We are not to conform (comply) to this world (Rom. 12:1-2).

Beware of compromise… it can happen in stages…
 Friendship with the world (James 4:4) Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity (hatred) with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
 Loving the world - pleasure of sin for a season      
 Being conformed to the world - Going right along
 with it.

"The Ultimate Gift,The Gift Above The Tree"

"The Ultimate Gift,The Gift Above The Tree"

 

What does this mean?  Well, This Gift has a Gift for you!  

 1. This Gift wants to forgive you of everything you've done wrong. 

 2. This Gift wants to give you a pupose and power to live today. 

 3. This Gift wants to give you security of knowing that you have a home in Heaven. 

You will never receive a better Gift! Forgiveness,Help and Security....That's Salvation! 

You need to seek the truth and then you need to experience the JOY and realize that God has "The Ultimate Gift" for you. 

   John 10: 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

God gave us "The Gift Above The Tree" 

Now, I challenge you today to give your Gift to Him. You may say what in the world could i give God? 

You could give Him your life that's the Gift He desires from you. 

Before there was a Death,Burial and Ressurection there had to be a Birth! So we celebrate at Christmas time the Birth of The Greatest Gift we can ever receive, JESUS CHRIST!  So remeber the real meaning of Christmas is not the gifts under the tree but its "The Gift Above The Tree"     

"BROKEN THINGS"

"BROKEN THINGS"

Psalms 51:7-10,17

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise

 

Have you ever broken something?

All of us have…when we break things,we through them away,cuz we find them useless. God majors in finding “broken things” useful.

 

Isaiah 55:8 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”

I am glad that God’s ways are better than man’s ways…Man looks down on those who are broken, infirmed, or less than perfect.

But with God…Notice the “broken things” that God finds satisfying – “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart…” (Psalms 51:17)

 

Before God can save, one must find himself “Broken”

Before God can use the saint, the saint must be “Broken”

 

Gideon’s Broken Things (Judges 6:36-7:22)

Jesus Fed 5,000 with Broken Loaves (Mark 6:32-44)

Mary’s Broken Alabaster Box (Mark 14:3-9)

Jesus Instituted The Lord’s Supper by Breaking Bread (Luke 22)

verse 19, Jesus blessed the bread and broke it saying, “This is my body which is given for you: This do in remembrance of me.”

 

1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”

 

1 Corinthians 11:24 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Jesus had to be “BROKEN” (Romans 15:3-4; Galatians 4:4; John 19:31-37)

 

3 Simple Principles about Broken Things

Sinners Cannot Be Saved Until They Are Broken

Saints Cannot Be Used Until They Are Broken

Only Jesus Christ Can Heal Broken Lives (Luke 4:18)

The Right Way To Worship

Ain't it amazing how differently people worship? Some are loud and expressive. Some are quiet and solemn. Some kneel, some stand the whole service, some dance, others just sit. Some sing praise songs, others sing hymns, others sing only psalms. Some read their prayers, others write their prayers, others tell God whatever pops into their minds at the moment, others speak in unknown tongues. Some take Communion every week, others once a month, or even less often. Some worship in beautiful church buildings, others in storefronts, others in homes. For some, preaching is the center of worship, for others it's only a minor part.

Are there right and wrong ways to worship? Certainly. But what makes worship right or wrong is not your posture, your music, or whether you raise your hands, clap your hands, or fold your hands. When a woman asked Jesus about different ways of worshiping, Jesus replied, "A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23, NIV).

Worshiping "in spirit" means that you mean it, that you're worshiping inside out, not just going through the motions.

Worshiping "in truth" means that you're worshiping the true God and not some idol you've created. And it means you're being truthful with your words and thoughts that you bring to worship, you're not trying to put on a religious act to impress someone.

There are several keys that are important in worship

1) Praise. 
Giving honor and glory to God with words, songs or signing.

2) Confession. 
Worship means acknowledging who God is (holy and good) and who we are (not so holy and not so good) in relation to him. This means admitting and confessing our sin, and accepting God's forgiveness.

3) Prayer. 
In worship, we speak directly to God about what's on our minds (our needs and the needs of others) and what's on God's mind (his desire for love and redemption in the world).

4) Hearing God's Word. 
This means reading the Scripture. It also means listening for what God is saying to you through the music, the sermon and everything that happens in worship.

5) Remembering Christ's sacrifice. 
This is most clearly done by taking Communion. Thinking about how God saved us from sin is at the very center of our worship.

6) Responding to God's love. 
Worship doesn't end when the service is over. Worship means we leave the service so aware of God's greatness that we find ways to obey and honor and serve him throughout the week.

*THE TRUTH ABOUT HELL*

Rev 20: 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

*THE TRUTH ABOUT HELL*

As a preacher, I’m often confronted with death. One thing I’ve observed is that when someone dies, that person’s loved ones want to believe their relative went to “a better place.” We’ll say things like, “She wasn’t a religious person, but deep down, she

had a good heart,” or, “He wasn’t a saint, but he did some good things.” When it comes to death and eternity, it’s human nature to hope for the best and avoid contemplating the worst. 

Research shows that while almost three out of four people believe in heaven, less than half believe in hell. Think about the ramifications: if hell didn’t exist, unbelievers would easily reject Christ with no fear of God whatsoever, and believers would be unmotivated to share their faith in Christ with nonbelievers.

While I may not have to convince most of you of the existence of HELL, I want to talk about HELL so as to motivate us to whatever we would have to do in order to keep someone from ending up there.

There are many different beliefs about HELL.

1. Some say it is the grave.

2. Some say it is only for the devil

3. Some teach it is here on Earth

4. Some say it is an outer darkness and we just float out there away from God.

In all these ideas of HELL, there is a little bit of truth. It is a place where God is not. But half truths are wholly lies.

People are reluctant to think about judgment and punishment. People like to think of God’s blessings and Heaven. Because of this, Satan fools us with many schemes to stop us from thinking or taking seriously the punishment for not obeying God.

1. The reality of Hell has been undermined in our society.

a. We have all heard jokes about Hell. The salesman who is so good, he could sell air conditioners to the devil. Or, the man who was happy to be in Hell because at last he could have peace and quiet from his wife.

b. Willy Nelson’s birthday bash – Aero Smith’s lead singer, Steven Tyler said “Happy Birthday Willie”. Here’s hoping that we will have twice as much fun in Hell as we did here on earth trying to get there.

A few years ago – Adam Sandler – made a movie called “Little Nicky” about the dumb son of Satan trying to serve his dad.

Some believe Hell is going to be a party. Some believe they will not be alone. Yet in all these ideas, the BIBLE claims loud and clear what HELL is.

Horrors of Hell

a. A lake of fire (Rev. 20:15) huge-raging fire – people in it that never burn up – but the pain will be there forever.

b. An abyss (pit) (Rev. 20:1) falling – fear – awful fear

c. A place of weeping (Matt. 8:12) crying because of pain and fear – memories of where you could be – but you are not

d. A place of gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:42) 

e. A furnace of fire (Matt. 13:4-42) It is hot, so hot – like lava hot

f. A place where there will be no rest (Rev. 14:11) No sleep ever – No rest from pain ever.

g. A place of everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46)

h. A place of darkness (Jude 13)

i. A place for the devil and his followers (Matt. 25:41)

j. A place where there will be tormenting, burning, suffering, the smell-the pain

k. The fire is not put out (Mark 9:44)

There will rain fiery coals on the people and the Devil (Rev. 11:6,7)(Psalm 140:10) burning coals falls upon them like a volcano erupted and the lava and rocks exploding on the people. You never get use to this.

l.   Place of torment (Luke 16: 23, 24)

m. It is a place without the slightest hope of release      

     (Matt. 25:46)

o. It is a place where the worm does not die 

    (Mark 9:48) (fire burning – worms eating your 

      flesh)

   No mercy – No hope – No love – unimaginable  

   fear that never ends – depression so great.

Hell is real and the most awful, horrible palace anywhere.

Maurice Rawlings, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, was also a devout atheist. But in 1977, while trying to resuscitate a man who had been screaming in terror, something happened that changed his thinking. He gave this report to Omni Magazine.

Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration the patient screamed, “I am in hell.” He was terrified and pleading with me to help him. I was scared to death, said Mr. Rawlings. 

Then I noticed a real alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death. This patient had a grotesque grimace expression of sheer horror. His pupils were dilated and he was perspiring and trembling. He looked as if the roots of his hair was on fire! Then still another strange thing happened. He said “Don’t you understand? I am in hell. Don’t let me go back to hell. The man was serious and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in panic like I had never seen before.

Dr. Rawlings said “No one, who could have heard his screams and saw the look of terror on his face could doubt for a single minute that he was actually in a place called hell. 

If we truly understood what hell was like, we’d be much more motivated to help people avoid going there. 

Hell is a place of unspeakable suffering. Jesus says in Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Can you imagine gouging out your own eye? According to Jesus himself, as horrible as it would be, digging your eye out would be far better than being punished for your sins in hell.

In Revelation 14:10 – 11, an angel speaks about those who will worship the beast. It says that they “will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” Those verses are difficult to read. They’re even more difficult to imagine. The Bible calls hell a fiery furnace, a place of burning sulfur, the outer darkness, and a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God has created a universe with a heaven — and a hell. He’s told us about both. And Christians must take these truths to heart. The Good News is that no one has to go to HELL. We are here to help others come to terms with reality. Are we living as lights in a dark world? Be honest. When was the last time you were so burdened for someone far from God that you spent the whole day or night praying on their behalf? We have on our prayer list, those who have not yet given their life to Jesus, do we really pray for them? Do people come to mind when praying for the LOST? 

Hell is Real, it is the destination of all who have not received Christ as LORD. What are we going to do about that? I am open to any suggestions to make us more fruitful in our evangelistic efforts, let us pray that God will give the wisdom, the courage, the strength and the words so that no one we come in contact with will end up in this awful place.

“DAMAGED GOODS"

1st Samuel 1:2-5, 10-11, & 19

And Elkanah had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.

Vs 10-11

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Vs 19 

And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.”

“DAMAGED GOODS" 

Often times in the certain stores they will have a special section of items that are considered to be damaged goods. These items have either been dented, scratched, or something is wrong with them and they are said not to have the value they are suppose to have.

 Because these items are considered damaged they are either marked down to a very reasonable price or some stores will just throw them away and consider them as trash. 

To the store they hold no profitable ability for them, they are damaged goods.

We find in our text the history of a woman called Hannah. 

Hannah had a condition that is called barren, which simply means that she was unable to have children. 

Unlike many in today’s society, women are having children and do not want them, the women in the Old Testament days desired to have children. 

They looked upon the ability to have children as approval from God that they were without sin. However when a woman was not able to have children she was not socially accepted by those women that could. She was publicly criticized, talked about, harassed, teased, provoked, made to feel less than the woman was, and was considered to be worthless and useless. *Damaged Goods*

It was believed by society that she had committed a sin against God and this was His punishment for her sin, by not allowing her to have children. 

Often times when a woman was not able to have children, her husband would kill her, because her barrenness brought reproach upon him but sometimes Instead of killing her, he would send her back to her father and she would live the rest of her life has a widowed woman, because she was considered damaged goods. She was worthless and useless to any man.

Hannah suffered from this barrenness, she was socially unaccepted, criticized, not only from those that knew her, but those in her family. She was harassed, teased, disappointed, discouraged, had low self-esteem. She felt useless, worthless, incomplete, forsaken, she considered herself as damaged goods in the eyes of others and in her own mind and even in the mind of God. 

Even though her husband loved her and tried to fill the cracks of her broke spirit with a worthy portion. Even though he treated her with respect it was only a temporary fix. She was still considered in her mind and by others as being damaged goods.

Often times we become disappointed, discouraged, emotionally torn, and spiritually messed-up, we get talked about, and criticized. 

We may even not be socially accepted, rejected by family, friends, and society has a whole. Some may be locked in a mental prison of low self esteem looking for a way out, only to find a temporary fix. We get caught up in drugs, alcohol, and elicit sexual activity only to find that the problem is still there. We are considered damaged goods. Society has cast you off as being some kind of social disaster, they may have even tried to categorize you into the class of misfitted, mislead, miseducated, and misdirected scum of the earth. You are damaged goods

Understand that from this that is considered to be damaged goods there is a MIRACLE that is coming out of you. 

We just must become like Hannah, although she was considered to be damaged goods, socially unaccepted, worthless and useless in the eyes of all humanity she remained sincere, faithful, humble, steadfast and unmovable and asked God to remember her. 

When Hannah asked God to remember her, she was sincere and steadfast; He placed something inside of her that she never felt before. He filled all the cracks of her so-called damaged life, He filled the cracks of her broken spirit and out of what was considered damaged goods God brought a miracle named Samuel.

The name Samuel means: “Asked of God or Name of God” After Samuel was of a proper age she gave Samuel back to the service of the Lord.

The Bible says and “Samuel grew”, the name of God grew. 

Out of what was considered to be damaged goods the name of God grew. 

You may be thinking that you are not of any good use. Society may have rejected you, your family may have turned your back upon you, you may say that you are just damaged goods, but that is just what God is able to use.

Sometimes you may wonder why it seems like the devil is always fighting against you, why are people always talking about me.....God is able and wants to birth a MIRACLE  in you.

In your mind you may feel as though you are worthless, but I think of the statue of Venus, when it was made she had arms, over time the arms were broken off, people said it is a worthless statue good for nothing.  But today it is considered a priceless price of art.

That is how God wants to change your life around. The devil has you believing that you are a worthless piece of junk that is good for nothing, you are damaged goods. But God is about to birth something in you if you just yield to Him. God said you are a are as pure gold, but He needs you to yeild to Him. The world says you are damaged goods, but God said watch what I’m going to do in you if you just let me. 

There is a MIRACLE that is about to come out of you all you have to do is P.U.S.H, Pray Until Something Happens. Hannah was considered to be damaged goods, she was laughed at, talked about, socially cast off, but out of her came something that changed a nation of people.

Don’t give up. It may seem as though you are damaged goods right now, but if you just hold on to God’s unchanging hands you will be priceless. 

God said a broken heart and a contrite spirit, these are considered to humanity to be damaged goods, but to God it is just what he can use.

THIS DAY, Daily Bread

Jesus did not say, give us our daily bread. He said; give us THIS DAY, our daily bread. Why this day? We have people in the church eating rotten manna that smells. Too many people living off yesterday’s anointing, yesterday’s blessing, yesterday’s praise, yesterday’s worship. God is looking for people who want something fresh every day! Fresh bread awaits you today!