"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.