Shawn Snobelen – Be Not Ashamed – Class 5 – Being Seperate

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This is Watch Anne Lake Bible
School 2024.

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This is our third class this
morning from our brother Sean

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Snowblood.
His theme for this week is Being

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Not Ashamed and this is his
fifth class titled Being

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Separate Brother Sean.
Well, thanks for the Toby.

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Welcome to Class 5 being
separate, you know, the Apostle

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Paul and our theme, you know,
chapter for this week opens the

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letter of the Romans with a very
powerful admission.

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And let’s just turn back to
that.

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We’ve looked at it before in
earlier classes.

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Let’s look back at Romans
chapter 1 just to set the.

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Stage as to why we’re talking
about this particular subject

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and the apostle Paul of course
says in Romans one verse 1, he

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says Paul a servant of Christ
Jesus called to me an apostle

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set apart for the gospel of God
separated for the gospel of God

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and the Greek meaning there of
the word separate or set apart

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depending on your version.
It means to be marked off for a

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purpose, marked off for a
specific purpose.

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The apostle Paul knew exactly
what that purpose was.

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The apostle Paul was not ashamed
to call himself a servant of the

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Lord Jesus Christ and Paul was
not ashamed of his purpose to

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preach the gospel of God.
And I wonder, brothers and

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sisters, and I asked this this
question of myself as well.

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Have we ever introduced
ourselves to somebody that we

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have just?
Met in this manner, in person,

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on social media, in any way that
we communicate with somebody

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that we’ve just met, that we
might.

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Say to this new person when they
say, hey, and you know, who are

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you?
And you say, well, I’m a servant

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of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I’ve been called to be an

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ambassador.
I’ve been separated from this

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world to preach the gospel of
God.

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The apostle Paul is very
specific, and yes, he’s writing

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a letter to believers, but this
letter is to be read by whoever

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reads the word of God, including
us.

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You know, I remember brother Bob
Lloyd and.

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It’s amazing some of the things
that he said and did in his

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classes, you just literally
never forget and if you remember

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seeing this one, he had AT shirt
imprinted with this with a huge

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bunch of letters across and.
He opened up his dress shirt in

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the middle of the talk and he
said, well, this is, this is

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what I say sometimes the people
I just met.

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I believe that the Lord Jesus
Christ returned to this earth to

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set up his Father’s Kingdom.
What do you believe?

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Anybody remember that?
No, Two people, two people.

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And then he said you wouldn’t
believe what kind of

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conversations that starts, what
kind of spiritual precedent you

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set when God goes before you,
when the image in which we’ve

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been created is what people see
first.

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Do we know what we’ve been
called to do?

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We really understand what our
mission is as servants of

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Christ, that we too are called
to be apostles, ambassadors of

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the good news.
That in fact we have been called

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out and separated and marked out
for a purpose and seen as we

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know.
That are we being separate 2nd

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Corinthians chapter 6 it’s the
it’s a title verse on this

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slide.
And it’s it’s a verse that we

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quote often in in exhortation
and in Bible class and in public

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lectures at Bible schools.
And the apostle Paul says, and

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again, this is another one of
those powerful statements that

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that really motivates me and
just centers me on the truth.

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And he says, come out from among
them and be ye separate, says

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the Lord, And I will be a father
to you, and you shall be my sons

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and daughters.
That’s a very powerful message.

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But we have to look at what
precedes this particular

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statement.
Paul gives us a preamble of the

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things that we need to separate
from.

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Look what he says just a couple
of verses before that.

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Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers?

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For what fellowship hath
righteousness with

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unrighteousness?
What communion hath light with

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darkness?
What concord hath Christ with

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Belial?
Or what part has he that

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believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the

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temple of God with idols?
For you are the temple of the

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living God, as God has said, I
will dwell in them, and walk in

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them, and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.

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And so, just as Paul reminds us.
In the 1st chapter of Romans.

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This is what’s at stake here,
brethren and sisters.

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That this is a world that’s
filled with all of those things

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with those that do not believe,
with those who unrighteous who

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are those who are filled with
darkness and Belial just means

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anything that’s worthless and an
infidel.

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That’s that’s the opposite of
faith.

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If faith is the term in the New
Testament as pissed offs.

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This is a pistas.
This is to be faithless

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completely the opposite of
someone who is of faith.

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And this is a world that is
filled with idols and idolatry.

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And therefore the apostle Paul
says, wherefore come among, out

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from, among all of these.
Things and be separate, says the

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Lord.
And touch not the unclean thing.

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And then the part that I
purposely skipped was the ESV

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says And then I will receive you
and I will be a father to you

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and you will be my sons and
daughters set the Lord God

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Almighty.
This is what it means to be

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separate is to identify the
things in the world that we need

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to separate from and then
actually do it.

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And the word there for for
separate in the Greek this word

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afrizo.
It implies a very clear and

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deliberate action of setting
oneself apart from the

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influences and behaviors and
relationships or anything that

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is considered impure or
incompatible with God’s truth.

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You know we like to use the word
intentional, right?

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It’s a.
Popular new word, you’ve got to

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be intentional in the things you
do.

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Well, really that’s what this
word means.

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We have to be intentional in the
things that we do and, and, and,

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and the places that we go and
the things that we say.

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Intentional in keeping in line
with the word of God and to be

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separate.
Well, it’s actually the very

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first principle that I believe
God gave us.

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Turn it to Genesis chapter 1.
As if this wasn’t important

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enough, that in the very
beginning, when the Lord God

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Almighty was creating the
universe, the heavens and the

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earth and everything all around
us, he implants the very first

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principle.
That, that, that’s to me how

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important this is.
The very first act of our Father

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in heaven was to create light.
His very second act, rather than

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sisters, was to separate the
light from the darkness.

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Now we look at verse 4 of
Genesis chapter 1.

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Now what does light mean in the
Old Testament?

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Hebrew.
It just means light, luminosity.

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It’s it’s like God gave us a
word that has its own

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definition, its own spiritual
definition.

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It just means light and the
Hebrew word for divided there

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it’s two different Hebrew words
together.

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The first word, Badal, means to
separate, and we follow that

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word through the Old Testament.
It’s a very specific word.

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It means to sever off.
It’s used in relation to the

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sacrifices.
When the sword was used to

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cleave it asunder, same word.
It was used in the severing off

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of the clean and unclean
animals, same word.

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It was used in the separation of
the Levites from among the

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people to be holy, same word.
And the second part of that

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word, the Hebrew word for being
separate, is this word bane.

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And it means to make a
distinction between, to separate

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from and then make a distinction
between to establish a boundary,

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to set something back, to create
some space.

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And this word is used a lot in
the Old Testament, actually in

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reference to the covenant, the
covenant that God made between

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Abraham and himself.
Was a distinct covenant.

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The covenant that God made
between himself and Israel was

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made in a distinct way same word
that they might be separate from

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the world and.
We had a bit of fun with this

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with the teen class.
The word, the word there for,

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for, for darkness.
It’s different from light,

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Light.
This means light.

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Darkness here means a lot of
things.

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It’s translated in many
different ways.

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It’s translated as evil, misery,
destruction.

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And the root word for that Shay
shack for darkness in the Old

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Testament, used right there in
Genesis 1, it literally means to

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withhold the light, to withhold
the light.

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Like in the plagues of Egypt
when the locusts covered the

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land and they and it brought
darkness.

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The word is used there as well.
And it meant that.

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They withheld the light.
They literally blocked out the

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light, so dark was the blackness
of it.

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And so I believe this is part of
the thought that the apostle

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Paul is trying to convey to us
in Romans chapter 1 and 8.

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For the 1 and 18.
For the wrath of God is revealed

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from heaven against all
ungodliness and all

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unrighteousness of men, who by
their unrighteousness suppress

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the truth.
They withhold the light.

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And God is angry with those who
are taking the principle of

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light and the principle of
separation of darkness from

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light, and they’re flipping it
on its head.

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And darkness has become the
light, and evil has become the

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good.
And it’s because of these evil

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deeds, the darkness.
That they have obscuring the

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light of truth that God is so
angry and while the locusts in

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their swarming were unwitting in
their natural state and blocking

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out the light.
Humanity is not.

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And so from the very beginning,
brethren, is this, there’s this

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principle exists in the middle
of God’s creation of everything.

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He reminds us of this very great
principle.

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And sadly, human nature’s been
battling this ever since.

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How much effort do we make,
brethren and sisters, every day

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to sever off the things of the
world and make a distinction

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between us and them?
Well, we need to be separated

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from this darkness, and we know
this.

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First Peter chapter 2 and 9 says
But you are a chosen people, a

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royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God’s special possession, that

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you may.
Declare the put the praises of

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him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful

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light.
The apostle Peter picks this

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exact same theme up, that we
need to sever off the darkness

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from our world.
This is this is Our Calling.

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This is what we’ve been
separated for, to be God’s

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special possession.
And the apostle Paul in his

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letter to the Colossians, I
think goes even one step further

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where he says, and I just added
in parentheses the meaning in

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the Greek of those words because
I think it’s a little more

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powerful.
It’s like God himself is

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participating or willing to
participate in our own

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separation from the world.
He has delivered us.

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He has rescued us from the
influence of darkness.

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And carried us to his Kingdom by
his beloved Son, in whom we have

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redemption and forgiveness of
sins.

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This is an incredible gift that
God has given us that he might

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even participate in our
separation.

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He might even help us in that
journey.

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God himself through his Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ carries us

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into the light.
He’s delivered us.

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He’s rescued us from this.
We have therefore, brother and

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sisters, no excuse.
But the lure of human nature is

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very powerful, and I want you to
turn it to Galatians chapter 6,

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because our desire to please our
human nature is very, very

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strong.
And in this act of separation,

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the reason why God doesn’t say
just stand back or just hold

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off, He makes such dramatic and
specific terminology is because

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we like to mix things up.
It’s like if, if God gives us a

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principle of light and darkness,
the first thing we do is try to

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find the Gray area in between.
Let’s see how I can figure this

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out.
Let’s see if I can marry these

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two things together.
The apostle Paul makes a

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different powerful statement in,
in Galatians chapter 6 and one.

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And the powerful statement that
I love that he makes is he says,

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do I seek the approval of man or
of God?

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And let’s just, let’s just
listen to what he’s saying here.

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It’s very, very deliberate.
Question, but here’s his lead up

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Galatians chapter 1 starting at
verse one.

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This is from the ESV Paul an
apostle, not from men, nor

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through man, but through Jesus
Christ and God the Father who

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raised him from the dead and of
the brethren who are with me to

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the ecclesias of Galatia, grace
to you, and peace from God our

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Father in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for our sins to

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deliver us.
From this present evil aid.

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So there’s the principle of
separation that the Apostle Paul

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is bringing in.
According to the will of God, of

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our God and Father, to whom the
be glory forever and ever, Amen.

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So here’s here’s the gospel that
Paul is speaking to us about

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that is not from men.
It is from God.

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And so he’s making that very
clear at the outset.

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That was delivered to Paul by
the Lord Jesus Christ himself

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through the inspiration of God.
It’s a divine gospel, brethren

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and sisters.
And the Word of God that we have

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conveniently bound up in print
for us or electronically on our

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computers is a living miracle.
And Paul says in the next few

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verses, verse 6, he says that it
is.

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Designed to deliver us from our
sins.

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To.
Deliver us from this present

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00:14:50,880 –> 00:14:57,640
evil age and what?
What sins and darkness surely

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were enduring in this present
evil, evil age, brothers and

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sisters.
And he goes on to say, he says,

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I’m astonished that you’re so
quickly deserting him that

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called you in the grace of
Christ and are turning to a

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different gospel, not that there
is another one.

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The Apostle Paul says now what
was?

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This different gospel that the
apostle Paul was talking about,

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what was it was a different
gospel because it had been

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distorted.
He says in verse 7 that there

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are some who trouble you and
want to distort the gospel of

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00:15:27,920 –> 00:15:31,440
Christ.
And so he says then in verse 10,

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this powerful statement, he
says, so therefore, am I seeking

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the approval of man or of God?
Am I trying to please people?

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If I were still trying to please
people, I would not be a slave

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to Christ, the apostle Paul
says.

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And interestingly, this word for
please in the Greek, this word

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aresco in verse 10, it literally
means to accommodate oneself to

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the opinions and the desires and
the interests of others.

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Now that that’s not human
nature, I don’t know what it is.

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If that’s not humanism around
us, I don’t know what other

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definition is that in the
ecclesia of God with the gospel

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of life before us, that we might
distort the truth in order to

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accommodate oneself to the
opinions and the desires and the

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interests of others.
You think, well, what’s what’s

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00:16:24,320 –> 00:16:26,840
going on here?
Well, in the context of of

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Galatians as a letter as a
whole, of course there were

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00:16:31,080 –> 00:16:35,200
false teachers that were trying
to distort the truth they were

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bringing in, bringing back the
baser elements of the law.

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Right.
Circumcision was one of those

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things and, and, and, and we’re
not going to go through all

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those details in relation to
what Paul was talking about

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specifically to the Galatians,
but turn to chapter 6 because.

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I I think for us in this subject
of separation is to understand

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why it was done turn to
Galatians chapter 6.

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There’s a few reasons why these
false teachers were distorting

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the truth, and this is this is
really, I think, key for us to

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00:17:04,280 –> 00:17:07,560
understand in light of.
Of what we just said about

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trying to accommodate the
desires of others.

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So he says in Galatians chapter
6 and verse 11 he says see with

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what large letters I’m writing
to you with my own hand.

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It is those who want to make a
good showing in the flesh who

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wood forest you to be
circumcised and only in order

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00:17:25,920 –> 00:17:29,120
that they may not be persecuted
for the cross of Christ.

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It might seem at first an odd
thing what what Paul is saying

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that that the reason why these
false teachers were trying to

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00:17:38,000 –> 00:17:41,360
distort the truth was to make a
good, good showing in the flesh.

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00:17:41,360 –> 00:17:44,880
And so if you look at it at the
translation, the literal

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00:17:44,960 –> 00:17:50,920
translation, it basically says
for those who want to look good

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00:17:51,040 –> 00:17:55,480
with external.
Matters like, hey, I’m right and

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00:17:55,480 –> 00:18:00,440
I want other people to think so
or to try to make compliance

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00:18:00,440 –> 00:18:03,680
with the philosophies of the
world, right?

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00:18:04,480 –> 00:18:06,040
To make a good showing in the
flesh.

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00:18:06,040 –> 00:18:08,640
And that word for flesh there
just means human nature.

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00:18:08,640 –> 00:18:12,520
That that human nature has come
into the ecclesial model and

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00:18:12,520 –> 00:18:14,080
they’re trying to make a good
showing for it.

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They’re trying to trying to
adapt, trying to have one foot

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in both the world of God and
the, and the world itself.

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And then he says that they may
not be persecuted for the cross

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of Christ.
Well, in those days there was

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direct persecution from the
Jewish authorities.

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00:18:26,280 –> 00:18:29,160
And so by bringing back in the
base or elements of the law and

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00:18:29,160 –> 00:18:32,560
circumcision, different things,
they, the Jewish authorities,

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00:18:32,560 –> 00:18:35,000
would back off on the
persecution of the ecclesia.

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00:18:39,600 –> 00:18:42,360
And then he says in Galatians
chapter 3 and 1, he says, oh,

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00:18:42,360 –> 00:18:44,240
foolish Galatians, who has
bewitched you?

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It was before your eyes that the
Lord Jesus Christ was publicly

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portrayed and crucified.
Let me ask you only this.

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So remember, we’re following the
path of humanism here.

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00:19:00,040 –> 00:19:06,160
Did you receive the Spirit by
works of the law or by hearing

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00:19:06,160 –> 00:19:09,200
with faith?
Are you so foolish?

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00:19:09,200 –> 00:19:13,760
He says, having begun by the
Spirit, are you now to be

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00:19:13,760 –> 00:19:18,880
perfected?
By the flesh, the net Bible

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00:19:18,880 –> 00:19:21,160
says, are you, are you so
foolish, Galatians?

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00:19:21,160 –> 00:19:23,760
Although you began with the
Spirit, are you now trying to

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00:19:23,760 –> 00:19:26,560
finish your course through human
effort?

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00:19:28,000 –> 00:19:30,080
And that word again, there is,
is for human nature.

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Brethren and sisters, we can’t
distort the Word of God to

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00:19:33,920 –> 00:19:37,160
accommodate our human nature.
We can’t change the gospel of

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00:19:37,160 –> 00:19:41,920
truth to accommodate the desires
of other people or the desires

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00:19:41,920 –> 00:19:44,160
of the world.
We cannot glory in the flesh.

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00:19:44,720 –> 00:19:54,640
How can we brethren and sisters
invest a lifetime of service to

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00:19:54,640 –> 00:19:58,160
our God only to veer off at the
last?

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00:19:58,160 –> 00:20:06,360
Minute and let human nature take
over and think that that’s the

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00:20:06,360 –> 00:20:08,320
way we will coast to the
Kingdom.

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00:20:10,160 –> 00:20:12,680
By accommodating the opinions
and the desires and the

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00:20:12,680 –> 00:20:18,880
interests of the world that we
are called by the divine hand of

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00:20:18,880 –> 00:20:20,840
God.
But we choose to finish it off

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00:20:20,840 –> 00:20:24,040
on our own power.
And that’s what human nature

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00:20:24,040 –> 00:20:28,360
causes us to do.
We don’t like being controlled

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00:20:28,360 –> 00:20:31,160
by somebody else.
We don’t.

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00:20:31,200 –> 00:20:33,160
We don’t like being told that
the things we’re doing are

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00:20:33,160 –> 00:20:37,760
wrong.
But if we choose to distort the

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00:20:37,760 –> 00:20:40,800
Word of God, if, if we were to
change the elements of God’s

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00:20:40,800 –> 00:20:43,960
truth in order to accommodate
the desires of the flesh, in

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00:20:43,960 –> 00:20:46,960
order to conform to this world
so that we might fit in a little

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00:20:46,960 –> 00:20:52,800
bit better, not be persecuted by
it, then this present evil age

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00:20:53,440 –> 00:20:55,400
that Christ’s death and
resurrection was meant to

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00:20:55,400 –> 00:20:59,520
deliver us from will come
crashing down all around us.

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00:21:00,520 –> 00:21:05,520
These are two completely
incompatible goals, pleasing man

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00:21:05,520 –> 00:21:09,160
and God.
There is no possibility that the

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2 can be together.
And Paul underlines this in

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00:21:11,400 –> 00:21:13,800
Galatians chapter 5 and I’ll
just read that for you.

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00:21:14,000 –> 00:21:17,760
Galatians 5 and verse 16.
But I say walk.

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00:21:17,760 –> 00:21:20,240
By the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the

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00:21:20,240 –> 00:21:22,840
flesh, for the desires of the
flesh are against the Spirit,

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00:21:22,840 –> 00:21:26,040
and the desires of the Spirit
are against the flesh, For these

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00:21:26,080 –> 00:21:31,080
are opposed to one another to
keep you from doing the things

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00:21:31,080 –> 00:21:35,120
that you want to do.
And so when we sever off the

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00:21:35,120 –> 00:21:38,040
darkness of the, of the world,
when we make that distinction

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00:21:38,040 –> 00:21:41,520
between our life and the truth
and our life in, in the world,

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00:21:41,640 –> 00:21:44,280
it has to be meaningful.
It has to be intentional.

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00:21:45,400 –> 00:21:47,800
But unfortunately, there are all
kinds of challenges that are

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00:21:47,800 –> 00:21:51,160
coming into our particular
community because of this

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00:21:51,160 –> 00:21:54,400
particular issue that the
apostle Paul brings up.

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00:21:54,720 –> 00:21:58,200
And unfortunately, there’s
probably 5 or 6 things that we

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00:21:58,200 –> 00:22:01,840
should deal with here.
But I I chose these.

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00:22:02,520 –> 00:22:06,840
Because this is what came out of
the team class when I asked

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00:22:06,840 –> 00:22:09,120
them.
And the first one is our

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00:22:09,120 –> 00:22:14,000
challenge of tradition.
I’m seeing in our community the

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00:22:14,000 –> 00:22:15,920
challenge of tradition in in
many different ways.

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00:22:15,920 –> 00:22:19,120
Now look, the the critics in the
world say a lot of things about

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00:22:19,120 –> 00:22:23,120
organized religion, right?
That organized religion, you

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00:22:23,120 –> 00:22:26,880
know, caused, waged wars and,
and enslaved innocent people

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00:22:26,880 –> 00:22:30,360
and, and murdered millions and,
and, you know, changed

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00:22:30,360 –> 00:22:33,240
governments and, and corrupted
things and all those things are

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00:22:33,240 –> 00:22:37,360
definitely true, but not the
gospel according to Christ.

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00:22:39,720 –> 00:22:42,200
However, in our community I’ve
noticed a lot of pushback.

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00:22:42,640 –> 00:22:46,440
And you may have as well.
Some argue we’re becoming too

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00:22:46,440 –> 00:22:49,000
traditional.
We’re hanging on too much to our

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00:22:49,000 –> 00:22:53,080
traditions and that manifests.
Itself in different ways that

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00:22:53,080 –> 00:22:56,080
maybe our, our worship service
is not exciting enough and, and

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00:22:56,080 –> 00:22:59,760
our hymns aren’t, you know,
look, there’s a number of hymns

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00:22:59,760 –> 00:23:02,840
that that I don’t like,
honestly, but there are so many

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00:23:02,840 –> 00:23:05,120
hymns that are beautiful.
And when we heard morning and I

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00:23:05,120 –> 00:23:08,360
walked up here last night and we
heard the choir practicing

379
00:23:08,560 –> 00:23:11,400
wouldn’t be lovely if we could
just lease the choir for our

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00:23:11,400 –> 00:23:13,680
individual Eccleses and have
them sing the hymns for us

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00:23:13,680 –> 00:23:19,640
because it’s so beautiful.
When, when the pandemic came in,

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00:23:19,640 –> 00:23:23,320
in January and February of, of
2020, and, and legally in BC and

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00:23:23,320 –> 00:23:25,880
in Canada and many other
countries, we had to shut down,

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00:23:25,880 –> 00:23:29,080
we were not allowed to
congregate together.

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00:23:29,520 –> 00:23:34,360
It was to me the beginning of
the exacerbation of this problem

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00:23:35,360 –> 00:23:36,920
of fighting back against
traditional.

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00:23:36,920 –> 00:23:39,000
And the I ran Zoom for for 10
months.

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00:23:39,000 –> 00:23:42,440
The very first question I had in
setting up the format and

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00:23:42,440 –> 00:23:45,520
running Zoom for the moral
services, can we drop from 4

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00:23:45,520 –> 00:23:48,120
hymns to three?
Now it’s just a minor thing, but

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00:23:48,400 –> 00:23:50,040
and it also made it easier for
me.

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00:23:50,040 –> 00:23:51,720
But that’s just I just started
to see that.

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00:23:51,720 –> 00:23:54,920
And then of course, we started
to like being online.

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00:23:55,200 –> 00:23:58,640
Marnie and I liked being online.
We were fellowshipping from the

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00:23:58,640 –> 00:23:59,880
comfort of our.
Couch with a.

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00:23:59,880 –> 00:24:03,600
Coffee in our hand.
But after a month or two, I

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00:24:03,600 –> 00:24:08,400
think many of us started to go,
this is this is not right that

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00:24:08,400 –> 00:24:12,800
we’re not physically together.
Sadly, some brothers and sisters

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00:24:12,800 –> 00:24:14,880
really liked it.
It became their thing.

400
00:24:14,880 –> 00:24:17,400
And when we came back, when we
were legally allowed to come

401
00:24:17,400 –> 00:24:22,800
back, we had pushback.
And I would say at least 10% of

402
00:24:22,800 –> 00:24:29,200
our ecclesia has never returned.
They’re on Zoom, but they’re not

403
00:24:29,200 –> 00:24:31,600
live.
Hebrews 10 and 23 says, of

404
00:24:31,600 –> 00:24:33,800
course, let us hold fast to the
convention.

405
00:24:34,480 –> 00:24:37,160
Of our faith without waving for
he who promises faithful, let us

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00:24:37,160 –> 00:24:39,480
consider how to stir one another
up to love and good works.

407
00:24:39,480 –> 00:24:41,840
Not neglecting to meet together
is the habit of some, but

408
00:24:41,840 –> 00:24:44,080
encouraging one another and all
the more as you see the day

409
00:24:44,080 –> 00:24:46,440
drawing near.
And that was so difficult to do

410
00:24:46,440 –> 00:24:50,240
on Zoom to have conversations
and fellowship and communication

411
00:24:50,240 –> 00:24:53,960
when you’re just I think brother
Kitson mentioned you do you’re

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00:24:53,960 –> 00:24:56,960
speaking and they’re just all
these all the cameras are off.

413
00:24:57,160 –> 00:24:59,960
It was so odd to speak over
Zoom.

414
00:25:01,320 –> 00:25:03,080
You know, some question that
we’re too formal.

415
00:25:03,080 –> 00:25:04,320
Why do we have to meet every
Sunday?

416
00:25:04,440 –> 00:25:07,480
I’ve even heard this in the 1st
century they didn’t go to

417
00:25:07,480 –> 00:25:10,480
meeting four times a week, then
have sunny school and CYC and

418
00:25:10,480 –> 00:25:15,760
meeting and public lecture and
I’m like turn to Acts 2 and 42.

419
00:25:17,880 –> 00:25:20,960
Right the the the the
formalization of our meeting in

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00:25:20,960 –> 00:25:23,440
Acts 2 and 42, it says and they
devoted themselves to the

421
00:25:23,440 –> 00:25:25,440
apostles teaching into
fellowship, into breaking the

422
00:25:25,440 –> 00:25:28,560
bread into prayers and awe came
upon every soul, and many

423
00:25:28,560 –> 00:25:30,600
wonders and signs were being
done through the.

424
00:25:30,600 –> 00:25:33,880
Apostles and all who believe
we’re together and all had one

425
00:25:33,880 –> 00:25:36,680
thing, all things in common and
they were selling their

426
00:25:36,680 –> 00:25:40,040
possessions and belongings and
distributing the proceeds to all

427
00:25:40,040 –> 00:25:42,960
as any had need.
And day by day or daily, as the

428
00:25:42,960 –> 00:25:47,520
ESP says, attending the temple
together and breaking bread in

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00:25:47,520 –> 00:25:50,120
their homes and they received
their food and we’re glad with

430
00:25:50,120 –> 00:25:53,000
generous hearts praising God and
having favor with all things.

431
00:25:53,000 –> 00:25:56,200
And what was the result?
The result was that the Lord

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00:25:56,200 –> 00:25:57,880
added to their number day by
day.

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00:25:57,880 –> 00:26:03,080
Those who are being saved.
You know, as much as we may push

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00:26:03,080 –> 00:26:06,360
back against it, the, the, the
early Christian believers, they

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00:26:06,360 –> 00:26:08,680
were organized.
They had to be organized.

436
00:26:09,200 –> 00:26:11,960
In fact, the Apostle Paul
institutionalized the the

437
00:26:11,960 –> 00:26:14,480
practice of breaking a bread for
our benefit because what we had

438
00:26:14,480 –> 00:26:17,120
done is we’d taken it and we
turned it into a feast where the

439
00:26:17,120 –> 00:26:18,840
rich reading and the poor had
nothing.

440
00:26:21,520 –> 00:26:25,400
You know, I touched on this in
in the earlier classes that that

441
00:26:25,400 –> 00:26:29,120
humanism has crept into the the
mainstream, modern

442
00:26:29,120 –> 00:26:31,560
congregations, the modern
churches, the big.

443
00:26:31,560 –> 00:26:32,800
Churches.
Right.

444
00:26:32,800 –> 00:26:35,040
The United Church, the Anglican
Church, even now the Roman

445
00:26:35,040 –> 00:26:39,720
Catholic Church.
Now all of those efforts to to

446
00:26:40,160 –> 00:26:44,200
to change the traditional format
of their services, bringing in

447
00:26:44,200 –> 00:26:48,480
rock bands, bringing in hiring
in preachers that that are

448
00:26:48,480 –> 00:26:51,320
exciting and, and we’re
emotional and trying to drive up

449
00:26:51,320 –> 00:26:54,880
the emotion in these allowing
anybody to come in, you know,

450
00:26:54,880 –> 00:26:57,880
flying the rainbow flag out in
front of of their church halls.

451
00:26:59,120 –> 00:27:02,360
Guess what?
Every single.

452
00:27:03,400 –> 00:27:08,120
Mainstream liberal church
congregation in North America is

453
00:27:08,120 –> 00:27:12,080
declining, declining in
membership, declining in reach,

454
00:27:12,120 –> 00:27:16,760
and it’s precipitous, like we’re
talking 20. 30% decline

455
00:27:16,760 –> 00:27:19,160
annually.
The United Church, I think in

456
00:27:19,160 –> 00:27:24,560
North America closes down
something like 10 or 15

457
00:27:25,720 –> 00:27:28,480
congregational groups every
single.

458
00:27:28,480 –> 00:27:30,800
Month.
They close them down, they sell

459
00:27:30,800 –> 00:27:32,960
the building.
Now guess what?

460
00:27:33,320 –> 00:27:37,320
What do you think is happening
with traditional conservative

461
00:27:37,320 –> 00:27:44,640
congregations in North America?
Almost without exclusion?

462
00:27:45,200 –> 00:27:48,840
They are growing.
Now, why do you think

463
00:27:49,000 –> 00:27:53,840
conservative Christian groups
are growing whereas liberal

464
00:27:53,840 –> 00:28:01,040
Christian groups are declining?
Well, number one, we want

465
00:28:01,120 –> 00:28:05,720
doctrinal clarity.
If you love the word of God, you

466
00:28:05,720 –> 00:28:08,800
want to know what it says, it
matters what you believe #2

467
00:28:08,800 –> 00:28:12,840
structure and consistency is
good for us as humans.

468
00:28:12,840 –> 00:28:16,360
We need structure, we need
habit, we need consistency.

469
00:28:17,320 –> 00:28:19,920
We actually thrive on it.
And when you let people just

470
00:28:19,920 –> 00:28:24,760
show up as they are in your
shorts and flip flops, right at

471
00:28:24,760 –> 00:28:29,080
some point, there’s no
separation between God and the

472
00:28:29,080 –> 00:28:30,440
world.
And then what’s the point of

473
00:28:30,440 –> 00:28:32,360
even showing up for an hour, an
hour and a half?

474
00:28:32,360 –> 00:28:38,000
You might as well go bowling.
Another thing is that Bible

475
00:28:38,000 –> 00:28:40,280
based groups they talk about
the.

476
00:28:40,320 –> 00:28:44,360
Issues of sin and the solution
of sin and they talk about the

477
00:28:44,360 –> 00:28:47,320
future, hope, the existence of
God and the existence of God’s

478
00:28:47,320 –> 00:28:51,480
future.
And they support community and

479
00:28:51,480 –> 00:28:53,760
family.
They try to develop community

480
00:28:53,760 –> 00:28:56,600
and family.
They get the kids involved, they

481
00:28:56,600 –> 00:29:03,360
focus on the community.
So it took a long time for me to

482
00:29:03,360 –> 00:29:07,160
find out whether Christadelphia
Worldwide was growing, and I

483
00:29:07,160 –> 00:29:10,200
almost didn’t want to know the
answer.

484
00:29:12,480 –> 00:29:17,360
We’re growing now.
We’re growing in some parts of

485
00:29:17,360 –> 00:29:21,000
the world dramatically and we
are declining in others.

486
00:29:21,720 –> 00:29:24,280
But according to the numbers
that I have on good authority,

487
00:29:24,400 –> 00:29:30,200
probably 10 to 20% a year.
In North America, apparently

488
00:29:30,200 –> 00:29:33,360
we’re holding our own.
In the UK there’s been some

489
00:29:33,360 –> 00:29:36,040
growth because of the influx of
it with immigration.

490
00:29:36,920 –> 00:29:39,680
But in the African nations and
in India it’s exploding,

491
00:29:39,840 –> 00:29:44,840
literally exploding.
So the Christadelphian global

492
00:29:44,840 –> 00:29:48,840
community is growing and we are
a conservative Bible based

493
00:29:48,840 –> 00:29:53,080
community.
And then there’s the challenge

494
00:29:53,080 –> 00:29:56,840
of judgement because this new
social order, the influence of

495
00:29:56,840 –> 00:30:00,120
the world, we, we preach that we
have our own rights, our own

496
00:30:00,120 –> 00:30:02,480
human rights, right?
We others can’t tell us what to

497
00:30:02,480 –> 00:30:04,960
do.
You know, this mindset is

498
00:30:04,960 –> 00:30:08,240
becoming manifest, I think, to a
certain degree within the

499
00:30:08,240 –> 00:30:09,640
ecclesia of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

500
00:30:09,640 –> 00:30:11,760
We’re, we’re influenced by the
broader community.

501
00:30:11,880 –> 00:30:14,120
This whole thing about tolerance
and acceptance.

502
00:30:14,120 –> 00:30:17,880
We talked about the other day
how tolerance and acceptance are

503
00:30:17,880 –> 00:30:21,040
not biblical principles.
They’re hardly even biblical

504
00:30:21,040 –> 00:30:24,960
words.
Within our eclusion, we face

505
00:30:24,960 –> 00:30:27,800
this challenge.
Look, either we fear being

506
00:30:27,800 –> 00:30:33,160
accused of being overly
judgmental or, and usually

507
00:30:33,160 –> 00:30:36,000
because of that, we avoid
judgment altogether.

508
00:30:39,200 –> 00:30:41,720
If we are not to tolerate or
accept bad behavior, then how do

509
00:30:41,720 –> 00:30:43,160
we address it when it’s
manifest?

510
00:30:43,920 –> 00:30:48,320
Well, I’ll tell you it from the
outset, we are commanded to work

511
00:30:48,320 –> 00:30:50,760
with our brethren and sisters
and call out those things that

512
00:30:50,760 –> 00:30:54,000
stand in opposition to the
morality and the righteousness

513
00:30:54,000 –> 00:30:55,520
of God.
Turn to Matthew 7 and one.

514
00:30:55,520 –> 00:30:58,200
And this is something we went
over with with the teens.

515
00:30:58,200 –> 00:31:00,120
And so we’ll talk about it here
because I.

516
00:31:00,240 –> 00:31:01,920
I think they totally understand
this.

517
00:31:03,680 –> 00:31:07,400
I’ve even heard this first
quoted to say that we shouldn’t

518
00:31:07,400 –> 00:31:10,600
judge that the Lord Jesus Christ
said judge, not that you would

519
00:31:10,600 –> 00:31:12,560
not be judged.
Well, they don’t know their

520
00:31:12,640 –> 00:31:16,320
their scripture.
It’s often used as this blanket

521
00:31:16,320 –> 00:31:19,320
condemnation that any form of
judgement, therefore towards

522
00:31:19,320 –> 00:31:22,840
others is a problem because our
human nature resists being

523
00:31:22,840 –> 00:31:25,160
judged.
Peter and I were just talking

524
00:31:25,160 –> 00:31:27,360
about that before the start.
You, you say something to

525
00:31:27,360 –> 00:31:30,840
somebody.
Hey, brother, so and so I just

526
00:31:30,840 –> 00:31:32,160
noticed that.
Say what?

527
00:31:32,480 –> 00:31:35,240
You know, what about you?
Like, that’s kind of our

528
00:31:35,240 –> 00:31:37,880
reaction because we don’t want
to be called out for the things

529
00:31:38,200 –> 00:31:39,680
that are they’re awkward.
We don’t want to be held

530
00:31:39,680 –> 00:31:44,160
accountable for things.
Let’s face it, judging our

531
00:31:44,160 –> 00:31:47,600
brothers and sisters, it’s it’s
uncomfortable, it’s awkward,

532
00:31:47,640 –> 00:31:50,320
it’s difficult, but the Lord
Jesus Christ gives us the

533
00:31:50,320 –> 00:31:53,840
prescription for it right after
he says, judge that you should

534
00:31:53,840 –> 00:31:57,240
not be judged.
He says, for with the judgment

535
00:31:57,240 –> 00:31:59,960
you pronounce, you will be
judged and with the measure you

536
00:31:59,960 –> 00:32:02,760
use, it will be measured to you.
And so Christ gives us then this

537
00:32:02,760 –> 00:32:05,840
mini parable that I loved when
we were doing the Bible readings

538
00:32:05,840 –> 00:32:07,480
as kids.
It always made me kind of.

539
00:32:07,520 –> 00:32:10,720
Giggle a little bit.
The Lord Jesus Christ says why

540
00:32:10,720 –> 00:32:13,680
do you see the speck in your
brother’s eye but fail to notice

541
00:32:13,680 –> 00:32:16,880
the log that is in your own eye?
How can you?

542
00:32:16,880 –> 00:32:19,560
Say to your brother, let me take
the speck out of your eye when

543
00:32:19,560 –> 00:32:24,240
there’s this log in your own
eye, Christ as you hypocrite,

544
00:32:24,240 –> 00:32:26,480
First take the log out of your
own eye and then you will

545
00:32:26,480 –> 00:32:29,720
clearly see to remove the speck
from your brother’s eye.

546
00:32:30,080 –> 00:32:34,800
Now we always appreciate the
simple teaching of Christ’s

547
00:32:34,800 –> 00:32:37,640
parables here there’s there’s
two very powerful.

548
00:32:37,640 –> 00:32:41,200
Messages #1.
There is a there’s a moral

549
00:32:41,200 –> 00:32:47,040
prescription here that ignoring
our own issues and then focusing

550
00:32:47,040 –> 00:32:48,920
on others faults.
It’s dishonest, it’s

551
00:32:48,920 –> 00:32:51,960
hypocritical.
Romans 2 and one warns us.

552
00:32:52,400 –> 00:32:54,760
Therefore you have no excuse, O
man, every one of you who

553
00:32:54,760 –> 00:32:57,320
judges, For in passing judgement
on another, you condemn

554
00:32:57,320 –> 00:33:01,040
yourself, because you.
The judge practice these same

555
00:33:01,040 –> 00:33:03,720
things, so that’s something we
can’t do right?

556
00:33:04,240 –> 00:33:06,040
We can’t be hypocritical in our
judgement.

557
00:33:06,880 –> 00:33:09,480
We have to deal with our own
issues, but there’s a practical

558
00:33:09,480 –> 00:33:13,320
element to this as well, because
it’s very impractical to try to

559
00:33:13,320 –> 00:33:16,960
help somebody else’s issue when
your own vision is clouded by

560
00:33:16,960 –> 00:33:21,760
issues that are unresolved in
your own life, James, 1 and 23,

561
00:33:21,760 –> 00:33:23,120
says.
Compare this to the person who

562
00:33:23,120 –> 00:33:26,800
looks in the mirror and after
looking at himself or herself,

563
00:33:27,000 –> 00:33:29,440
immediately forgets what manner
of person they are.

564
00:33:29,880 –> 00:33:34,680
And that’s the other problem.
Right, the truth of God is, is a

565
00:33:34,680 –> 00:33:37,960
magnifying glass on us to expose
us in the issues and the

566
00:33:37,960 –> 00:33:39,800
problems that we have in our
life and we’re to deal with

567
00:33:39,800 –> 00:33:44,000
those things so that we can help
one another towards the Kingdom.

568
00:33:46,480 –> 00:33:47,920
So what do we do?
Well, we need to judge

569
00:33:47,920 –> 00:33:50,560
righteously.
Turn to Galatians chapter 6 and

570
00:33:50,560 –> 00:33:54,080
one.
See Apostle Paul’s very specific

571
00:33:54,080 –> 00:33:59,280
here, Galatians 6 and one.
The Apostle Paul instructs us to

572
00:33:59,280 –> 00:34:03,080
judge rightly and justly, but
with care and with love and with

573
00:34:03,080 –> 00:34:05,880
compassion.
He says starting at verse one.

574
00:34:06,040 –> 00:34:08,440
Brethren, if anyone is caught in
a transgression, you who are

575
00:34:08,440 –> 00:34:11,280
spiritual should restore.
Him in a spirit of gentleness,

576
00:34:11,560 –> 00:34:14,560
keep watch on yourself, lest you
to be tempted.

577
00:34:15,159 –> 00:34:18,840
So we cannot relinquish our
roles as shepherds and members

578
00:34:18,840 –> 00:34:20,320
of the flock.
Our shepherds.

579
00:34:20,320 –> 00:34:23,199
We have to guide, we have to
rebuke, we have to exhort where

580
00:34:23,199 –> 00:34:27,199
necessary, right?
Second Timothy chapter 4 and two

581
00:34:27,199 –> 00:34:29,760
says, preach the word, be ready
in season, out of season,

582
00:34:29,760 –> 00:34:33,520
reprove, rebuke, exhort with
complete patience and

583
00:34:33,520 –> 00:34:37,679
understanding.
Yet we often hesitate to

584
00:34:37,800 –> 00:34:41,320
confront those who have strayed
from the truth because we

585
00:34:41,320 –> 00:34:44,719
ourselves are often entangled in
issues of our own doing that are

586
00:34:44,719 –> 00:34:47,159
also unscriptural.
So we have to get our own house

587
00:34:47,159 –> 00:34:50,159
in order before we help somebody
else.

588
00:34:51,600 –> 00:34:55,000
And the benefit then is to the
House of God.

589
00:34:57,200 –> 00:35:01,880
We need to rise up and deal with
the beam in our own eye and then

590
00:35:01,880 –> 00:35:04,960
help our brethren and sisters
address their struggles.

591
00:35:06,560 –> 00:35:11,640
Ephesians 4 and 15 says the
apostle Paul encourages us to

592
00:35:11,640 –> 00:35:16,320
speak truth in love so that we
may grow up in every way unto

593
00:35:16,320 –> 00:35:21,560
Christ who is the head.
Isn’t that why we are here?

594
00:35:22,400 –> 00:35:24,240
Isn’t that why?
We are here this week.

595
00:35:26,120 –> 00:35:30,320
That we might gather together
and support one another and help

596
00:35:30,320 –> 00:35:34,320
one another grow.
Then the other side of this, of

597
00:35:34,320 –> 00:35:38,800
course, is equally important.
We have to learn how to accept

598
00:35:38,800 –> 00:35:44,560
rebuke and exhortation and
correction and gentle guidance

599
00:35:44,560 –> 00:35:48,720
from others with grace and with
acceptance, knowing that it will

600
00:35:48,720 –> 00:35:51,600
help.
It’s difficult at the time it

601
00:35:51,600 –> 00:35:54,800
says in in Hebrews, you know,
discipline is difficult in the

602
00:35:54,800 –> 00:35:56,960
moment that it happens.
It’s painful, it hurts.

603
00:35:57,160 –> 00:36:01,480
Proverbs 15 and 32 says whoever
ignores instruction despises

604
00:36:01,480 –> 00:36:06,800
himself, but he who listens to
reproof gains intelligence, and

605
00:36:06,800 –> 00:36:11,880
in Proverbs 9 and verse 8.
It adds Do not rebuke mockers or

606
00:36:11,880 –> 00:36:14,120
they will hate you.
Rebuke the wise and they will

607
00:36:14,120 –> 00:36:16,200
love you.
Instruct the wise and they will

608
00:36:16,200 –> 00:36:20,880
be wiser still.
Teach the righteous and they

609
00:36:20,880 –> 00:36:24,560
will add to their learning
brethren and sisters.

610
00:36:24,560 –> 00:36:28,560
It’s about accountability.
It’s about helping one another’s

611
00:36:28,840 –> 00:36:30,800
one another on the path towards
the Kingdom.

612
00:36:32,320 –> 00:36:34,920
And it’s a sharp contrast from
the things that we see in the

613
00:36:34,920 –> 00:36:39,400
world, this postmodern thought.
Of non judgmentalism that we

614
00:36:39,400 –> 00:36:42,120
should let every man do what is
right in their own eyes.

615
00:36:42,120 –> 00:36:43,640
But that’s not the biblical
approach.

616
00:36:43,640 –> 00:36:46,840
The biblical approach involves
discerning and addressing sin

617
00:36:47,120 –> 00:36:50,080
for the purpose of growth and
reconciliation.

618
00:36:50,080 –> 00:36:54,800
Remember, on that great day we
will be judged by the Lord, and

619
00:36:54,800 –> 00:36:57,840
this is what God has done to us
through the Lord Jesus Christ.

620
00:36:59,040 –> 00:37:01,080
And so I believe we are called
upon.

621
00:37:02,040 –> 00:37:06,760
To do unto others.
And so we need to separate

622
00:37:06,760 –> 00:37:08,160
ourselves from the things of the
world.

623
00:37:08,160 –> 00:37:10,840
But one thing we are not to
separate ourselves from is is

624
00:37:10,880 –> 00:37:15,320
each other that we’ve been set
apart unto Christ to be

625
00:37:15,320 –> 00:37:20,040
together.
Paul tells us in Ephesians

626
00:37:20,040 –> 00:37:22,240
chapter 4 and 30.
He says, for we are members of

627
00:37:22,240 –> 00:37:24,600
his body and and of his flesh
and of his bones.

628
00:37:25,080 –> 00:37:27,840
And of course this this
statement echoes the connection

629
00:37:27,840 –> 00:37:30,240
that is made with Adam and Eve
in the beginning, that she was

630
00:37:30,240 –> 00:37:32,960
made from the rib of Adam,
literally from the the piece of

631
00:37:32,960 –> 00:37:35,960
timber.
That God made Adam bone of his

632
00:37:35,960 –> 00:37:38,360
bone and flesh of his flesh.
And again we find in Romans

633
00:37:38,360 –> 00:37:41,360
chapter 12 and 5:00.
So we being many are of one body

634
00:37:41,360 –> 00:37:43,920
in Christ, individually members
of one another.

635
00:37:43,920 –> 00:37:46,880
We’ve been separated from the
world so that we might be

636
00:37:46,880 –> 00:37:50,440
together in the family of God,
this diverse group of people.

637
00:37:50,440 –> 00:37:53,800
Marty doesn’t like it when I say
this, but you know, we’re a

638
00:37:53,800 –> 00:37:55,520
collection.
We’re a bunch of weirdos.

639
00:37:55,520 –> 00:37:57,640
Like we’re all different.
We all have our our

640
00:37:57,640 –> 00:38:00,680
idiosyncrasies and our our
problems and our backgrounds

641
00:38:00,680 –> 00:38:02,720
that are all different.
And yet that’s, that’s what

642
00:38:02,720 –> 00:38:04,680
makes us beautiful, this whole
thing.

643
00:38:04,920 –> 00:38:08,280
But we’re bound together in the
same faith, the same hope.

644
00:38:08,280 –> 00:38:12,520
So that is our connection, this
disparate group being called out

645
00:38:12,520 –> 00:38:16,920
of the world so that we might
become the body of Christ.

646
00:38:18,680 –> 00:38:22,640
This is not some metaphor.
This is not some fancy term.

647
00:38:23,280 –> 00:38:25,800
This is.
Literally what God intends.

648
00:38:26,720 –> 00:38:29,800
You know the Greek word for for
body that the apostle Paul uses

649
00:38:29,800 –> 00:38:31,680
there this word soma, the root
word.

650
00:38:32,040 –> 00:38:37,680
Actually means to save and
deliver and protect that within

651
00:38:37,680 –> 00:38:41,120
that body we might be saved and
delivered and protected and

652
00:38:41,120 –> 00:38:43,880
that’s precisely what Christ.
Has done for the ecclesia turn

653
00:38:43,880 –> 00:38:51,240
to Romans or sorry, First
Corinthians chapter 12, because

654
00:38:51,240 –> 00:38:53,680
part of the problem that we have
within our ecclesial community,

655
00:38:53,680 –> 00:38:55,680
sometimes brethren and sisters,
is that we don’t.

656
00:38:57,920 –> 00:39:03,120
I’d be careful in saying this.
We often find it hard to like

657
00:39:03,160 –> 00:39:10,160
our brethren and sisters, right?
We also tend to, if you notice,

658
00:39:11,240 –> 00:39:16,120
fellowship with those that we
like that are like us.

659
00:39:17,280 –> 00:39:21,440
And oftentimes that ends in the
exclusion of brethren and

660
00:39:21,440 –> 00:39:26,240
sisters in the meeting.
Now, my, my dad has often said

661
00:39:26,320 –> 00:39:29,680
we have a large family within
our ecclesia.

662
00:39:29,680 –> 00:39:33,080
Our ecclesia in Victoria is, has
a number of large families and

663
00:39:33,080 –> 00:39:37,040
that that’s, that’s a blessing.
It’s also a curse.

664
00:39:38,040 –> 00:39:40,840
It’s a curse because we tend to
focus on the things that are

665
00:39:40,840 –> 00:39:43,920
closest to us and that often is,
is our blood family.

666
00:39:43,920 –> 00:39:45,720
And, and the excuse is why we
have big families.

667
00:39:45,720 –> 00:39:47,960
So that’s why we invite them for
lunch every week.

668
00:39:47,960 –> 00:39:50,680
Or that’s why we, you know,
we’ve and that is that is all

669
00:39:50,680 –> 00:39:53,920
true, but then we forget we are.
One body in Christ.

670
00:39:54,680 –> 00:39:57,520
So, so let’s just look at what
the apostle Paul says here,

671
00:39:57,920 –> 00:39:59,880
First Corinthians 12 and verse
12.

672
00:39:59,880 –> 00:40:03,520
He says for just as the body is
1 and as many members and all

673
00:40:03,520 –> 00:40:07,440
the members are of one body,
though many are one body, so it

674
00:40:07,440 –> 00:40:09,920
is with Christ.
For in one spirit we were called

675
00:40:10,240 –> 00:40:13,720
and all baptized into one body,
Jews and Greeks, slaves and

676
00:40:13,720 –> 00:40:15,800
free, we’re all made to drink of
the one spirit.

677
00:40:15,800 –> 00:40:18,840
For the body is not consistent
of 11 member, but many.

678
00:40:18,840 –> 00:40:21,320
And so we understand the
principle he’s trying to give

679
00:40:21,320 –> 00:40:24,120
us.
Then he goes on to say, and this

680
00:40:24,120 –> 00:40:26,840
is, this is again the the
dramatic part, because he paints

681
00:40:26,840 –> 00:40:30,240
a picture here.
He says, he says sometimes we

682
00:40:30,240 –> 00:40:34,720
might question our place in the
body or we might question other

683
00:40:34,880 –> 00:40:38,120
members places in the body.
So then he describes this for

684
00:40:38,120 –> 00:40:39,520
us.
He says, starting at verse 15,

685
00:40:39,520 –> 00:40:43,920
if the foot should say, because
I’m not a hand, I don’t belong

686
00:40:43,920 –> 00:40:47,480
in the body, that would that
would not make it any less part

687
00:40:47,480 –> 00:40:49,120
of the body.
If the ears should say because

688
00:40:49,120 –> 00:40:52,480
I’m I’m an eye, I don’t belong
to the body, that we’re not

689
00:40:52,480 –> 00:40:53,960
making any less part of the
body.

690
00:40:53,960 –> 00:40:56,360
If the whole body were an eye,
he says, where it’d be the sense

691
00:40:56,360 –> 00:40:58,520
of hearing.
If the whole body were an ear,

692
00:40:58,520 –> 00:41:00,040
where it’d be the sense of
smell.

693
00:41:01,280 –> 00:41:04,200
And Paul’s argument is perfect.
We can’t think of ourselves as

694
00:41:04,200 –> 00:41:07,560
being excluded because we are a
different part of the body

695
00:41:07,560 –> 00:41:09,360
sometimes.
Rather than sisters, we might

696
00:41:09,360 –> 00:41:12,200
actually feel that way.
We might feel we don’t belong to

697
00:41:12,200 –> 00:41:15,240
the body of Christ because we
don’t fit some model or some

698
00:41:15,240 –> 00:41:19,320
mold of what we see around us.
We look around and we see arms

699
00:41:19,320 –> 00:41:22,360
and legs and eyes and ears,
these important parts of the

700
00:41:22,360 –> 00:41:25,080
body.
And sometimes we feel like we’re

701
00:41:25,080 –> 00:41:28,480
an elbow or we’re a knee pit or
we’re an earlobe or something

702
00:41:28,480 –> 00:41:30,880
odd that that we’re not
connected somehow.

703
00:41:30,880 –> 00:41:31,920
We’re not.
Useful.

704
00:41:33,520 –> 00:41:37,800
We’re not significant, we’re not
important, and we’re not

705
00:41:37,800 –> 00:41:40,280
necessary.
And Paul says that is absolutely

706
00:41:40,280 –> 00:41:43,000
not true.
Paul makes it clear every part

707
00:41:43,000 –> 00:41:46,080
of the body has its function.
No matter how seemingly

708
00:41:46,080 –> 00:41:49,760
insignificant, we need elbows
and knee pits, otherwise the

709
00:41:49,760 –> 00:41:55,280
arms and the legs don’t work.
We need a big toe for stability.

710
00:41:55,280 –> 00:41:58,080
We need eyelashes to keep the
dust out so we can see clearly.

711
00:41:58,080 –> 00:42:03,080
Every single part of the body is
essential to the functioning of

712
00:42:03,080 –> 00:42:06,760
the ecclesial model.
So we can’t think that there’s

713
00:42:06,760 –> 00:42:08,480
no place for us in the ecclesial
body.

714
00:42:08,480 –> 00:42:10,560
There is a place for every
single one of us.

715
00:42:11,040 –> 00:42:14,600
Do you know how many parts and
systems?

716
00:42:15,280 –> 00:42:21,120
And elements and organs there
are in the human body, literally

717
00:42:21,120 –> 00:42:27,080
10s of thousands of them.
And each part of the human body

718
00:42:27,080 –> 00:42:29,600
is essential to the functioning
of the whole.

719
00:42:29,600 –> 00:42:31,880
And so too is every member of
the ecclesian.

720
00:42:31,880 –> 00:42:36,480
God has ordered it that way so
that we might find everyone in

721
00:42:36,480 –> 00:42:39,120
their place.
And here’s the beautiful

722
00:42:39,360 –> 00:42:43,800
underlining part of what Paul
says in First Corinthians 12 and

723
00:42:43,800 –> 00:42:46,600
18.
After explaining all this to us,

724
00:42:46,880 –> 00:42:50,960
he’s going to remind us that the
ecclesia is spiritually and

725
00:42:50,960 –> 00:42:55,040
divinely and pointed.
He says, But now hath God set

726
00:42:55,040 –> 00:42:58,600
the members?
Every one of them in the body as

727
00:42:58,600 –> 00:43:01,480
it has pleased him, the Young’s
literal says.

728
00:43:01,480 –> 00:43:04,960
And now God did set the members,
each one of them in the body

729
00:43:05,280 –> 00:43:10,920
according to his divine will, So
that brother or sister that you

730
00:43:10,920 –> 00:43:14,400
don’t like, and it might be you,
you might be the one that people

731
00:43:14,400 –> 00:43:18,840
don’t like, that brother or
sister that seems odd or

732
00:43:18,840 –> 00:43:22,560
disaffected or lonely or doesn’t
come out that often.

733
00:43:24,240 –> 00:43:28,200
The one that rubs you the wrong
way, the one that creates

734
00:43:28,200 –> 00:43:29,720
sparks.
You know, we talked about when

735
00:43:29,720 –> 00:43:31,920
iron sharpens iron.
You know what happens when iron

736
00:43:31,920 –> 00:43:34,160
sharps iron?
There’s sparks, brethren, in

737
00:43:34,160 –> 00:43:36,120
sisters.
And sometimes that hurts.

738
00:43:36,720 –> 00:43:39,640
But it’s to our benefit.
We have to remember when we look

739
00:43:39,640 –> 00:43:42,920
around our ecclesia, every one
of our brethren and sisters is

740
00:43:42,920 –> 00:43:50,320
there because it’s God’s will.
And he has placed every one of

741
00:43:50,320 –> 00:43:52,880
us in our respective ecclesias
as he has planned.

742
00:43:52,880 –> 00:43:56,720
It’s not a random act.
We didn’t just stumble into some

743
00:43:56,720 –> 00:43:58,960
ecclesial hall and find each
other.

744
00:43:59,120 –> 00:44:01,120
And they’re now we’re trying to
figure out a way to make it all

745
00:44:01,120 –> 00:44:03,360
work.
God brought us here.

746
00:44:03,360 –> 00:44:09,880
He placed us here, you know, as
we mentioned earlier on, Brother

747
00:44:09,880 –> 00:44:11,960
Ken, right at the start of the
week when we were talking about

748
00:44:12,160 –> 00:44:19,280
how our cliches need to operate
as hospitals, as cities of

749
00:44:19,280 –> 00:44:22,680
refuge.
Because sometimes, brother and

750
00:44:22,680 –> 00:44:25,600
sisters, we can attend when
we’re strong and we can, we can

751
00:44:25,600 –> 00:44:27,560
give back and we can help our
brother and sisters.

752
00:44:27,560 –> 00:44:30,680
But sometimes we’re weak and we
need to come and be healed and

753
00:44:30,680 –> 00:44:32,680
to be bound up and to be
strengthened.

754
00:44:35,600 –> 00:44:39,440
And we can never, never forget,
brethren and sisters, that we

755
00:44:39,440 –> 00:44:42,320
are the sheep of his pasture.
And I, I intimated this in an

756
00:44:42,320 –> 00:44:43,880
earlier class.
I said, you know why?

757
00:44:44,320 –> 00:44:47,600
Why did God not say that?
We are predators that were

758
00:44:47,600 –> 00:44:51,680
wolves or were Pumas or were
lions or were were tigers.

759
00:44:53,080 –> 00:44:56,240
Well, it’s because there’s a
very specific way that God wants

760
00:44:56,240 –> 00:44:57,680
us to operate.
We are.

761
00:44:59,040 –> 00:45:02,240
The very meaning, as we know of
the word ecclesia is we’re

762
00:45:02,240 –> 00:45:04,920
called out ones.
We’re not isolated individuals,

763
00:45:04,920 –> 00:45:06,720
we’re not predators going out on
the hunt.

764
00:45:07,920 –> 00:45:11,440
God gave us this ecclesial model
so that together we might be

765
00:45:11,440 –> 00:45:13,600
able to withstand the darkness
of the world.

766
00:45:17,320 –> 00:45:22,720
We are sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100 verse.

767
00:45:22,720 –> 00:45:25,760
Three says that sheep
instinctively stick together.

768
00:45:26,160 –> 00:45:28,640
We are sheep humble and
submissive, caring for another

769
00:45:28,960 –> 00:45:32,400
John the the Lord Jesus Christ
says in John 10 and four, when

770
00:45:32,400 –> 00:45:34,760
he has brought us out on his
own, he goes before them.

771
00:45:34,760 –> 00:45:36,800
The sheep follow him.
They know his voice.

772
00:45:38,360 –> 00:45:41,000
You know when sheep are grazing,
you notice they, they

773
00:45:41,240 –> 00:45:44,240
consistently raise up their
heads and they look around and

774
00:45:44,240 –> 00:45:45,920
they stick their heads down and
they graze again.

775
00:45:46,480 –> 00:45:48,600
Then they stick their head up
and they look around and they

776
00:45:48,600 –> 00:45:52,960
bleep.
You kind of think, well, we

777
00:45:52,960 –> 00:45:57,160
always think, oh, sheep are, you
know, they’re kind of dumb in

778
00:45:57,160 –> 00:46:00,440
some ways they are.
But in their instinctive ways

779
00:46:00,440 –> 00:46:03,440
that God has created them, they
are very, very intelligent.

780
00:46:04,520 –> 00:46:07,360
Every time they stick their head
up and they look around, they’re

781
00:46:07,360 –> 00:46:09,120
looking around for their fellow
sheep, making sure they’re

782
00:46:09,120 –> 00:46:10,720
there.
Bob, there’s Sally there.

783
00:46:11,080 –> 00:46:13,920
Yep.
Feed a little bit more strength

784
00:46:13,920 –> 00:46:15,920
and stick their head up again.
What’s Mike here, brother?

785
00:46:15,920 –> 00:46:17,240
So and so.
Yep, it’s good.

786
00:46:17,840 –> 00:46:21,000
Sheep love being together.
Sheep love being in a herd

787
00:46:21,000 –> 00:46:23,480
together.
I call it fellow sheeping.

788
00:46:24,240 –> 00:46:25,800
Right.
Instead of fellow shipping, we

789
00:46:25,800 –> 00:46:27,800
should be fellow sheeping.
We should be caring for one

790
00:46:27,800 –> 00:46:30,480
another as part of the flock.
And you know that the lambs

791
00:46:30,480 –> 00:46:34,080
always follow their elders.
They always follow their elders

792
00:46:34,080 –> 00:46:37,200
and they they seek guidance and,
and sheep move in herds and they

793
00:46:37,200 –> 00:46:39,760
do that for warmth, for comfort,
for protection.

794
00:46:41,360 –> 00:46:45,080
Sheep are deeply uncomfortable
when they are separated from

795
00:46:45,080 –> 00:46:47,920
their own community.
Sheep have no natural defense.

796
00:46:47,920 –> 00:46:50,720
They can’t kick like a horse.
They can’t head butt like a

797
00:46:50,720 –> 00:46:52,480
goat.
They can’t bite.

798
00:46:54,240 –> 00:46:58,560
They can only flee or herd
together for safety.

799
00:47:00,680 –> 00:47:03,360
And brethren and sisters, as
much as we don’t like being

800
00:47:03,360 –> 00:47:07,080
sheep.
We need to stick together, we

801
00:47:07,080 –> 00:47:10,040
need to fellow sheep together.
We need to support one another

802
00:47:10,040 –> 00:47:13,520
together.
Galatians 6 and 2 bear one

803
00:47:13,520 –> 00:47:15,720
another’s burdens and so fulfill
the law of Christ.

804
00:47:16,040 –> 00:47:18,840
And so sheep always maintain
this visual link to each other.

805
00:47:18,840 –> 00:47:21,640
They’re diligent and caring for
one another, ensuring that their

806
00:47:21,760 –> 00:47:27,720
fellow sheep are OK.
Philippians 2 and four let each

807
00:47:27,720 –> 00:47:29,760
of you look out not only for his
own interests.

808
00:47:29,760 –> 00:47:34,560
But for the interests of others,
we need to be genuinely

809
00:47:34,560 –> 00:47:39,120
concerned, genuinely care for
our brothers and sisters.

810
00:47:39,960 –> 00:47:43,760
Encouraging, supporting,
inspiring one another to help

811
00:47:43,760 –> 00:47:47,600
them in their separation from
the world, that we might do good

812
00:47:47,600 –> 00:47:50,240
works as an essential part of
our life together in the Lord

813
00:47:50,240 –> 00:47:53,960
Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul says in

814
00:47:53,960 –> 00:47:56,560
Colossians 3 and 16.
Let the word of Christ dwell in

815
00:47:56,560 –> 00:47:59,520
you richly teaching and
admonishing one another in all

816
00:47:59,520 –> 00:48:04,160
wisdom, singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs with thanks.

817
00:48:04,240 –> 00:48:05,840
Goodness in your heart towards
God.

818
00:48:10,000 –> 00:48:13,240
And, and as we know, brethren
and sisters, when we we think

819
00:48:13,240 –> 00:48:17,920
about this, this theme of
separation and not being ashamed

820
00:48:17,920 –> 00:48:23,520
of, of the gospel, the harsh
reality is that in the end, when

821
00:48:23,520 –> 00:48:26,560
the Lord Jesus Christ returns,
there will be the final

822
00:48:26,560 –> 00:48:30,160
separation.
It’s like we need to work today

823
00:48:30,160 –> 00:48:34,240
to practice on separating
ourselves from the world,

824
00:48:35,160 –> 00:48:38,080
flocking together, fellow
sheeping together as a

825
00:48:38,080 –> 00:48:39,840
congregation, helping one
another.

826
00:48:43,000 –> 00:48:45,280
Because when the Lord Jesus
Christ returns, it says in

827
00:48:45,280 –> 00:48:50,520
Matthew 3 and 12, sorry, John
the Baptist is describing the

828
00:48:50,520 –> 00:48:53,160
role of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He says his winnowing fork is in

829
00:48:53,160 –> 00:48:56,600
his hand and he will clear his
threshing floor and gather his

830
00:48:56,600 –> 00:48:59,240
wheat into the barn.
But the chaff he will burn with

831
00:48:59,240 –> 00:49:05,680
unquenchable fire.
Our role now is to practice this

832
00:49:05,880 –> 00:49:09,040
process of separating from the
world.

833
00:49:10,680 –> 00:49:14,000
Matthew 25 the Lord Jesus Christ
says in verse 32 speaking.

834
00:49:14,000 –> 00:49:16,680
Of the final judgment, he says
We’re all Nations will be

835
00:49:16,680 –> 00:49:20,080
gathered before him, and he will
separate the people from one

836
00:49:20,080 –> 00:49:23,120
another as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats.

837
00:49:25,800 –> 00:49:29,160
You’ll put the sheep on the
right, and you’ll put the goats

838
00:49:29,160 –> 00:49:32,840
on his left.
The sheep are those who are

839
00:49:32,840 –> 00:49:36,240
righteous.
Who have been made right before

840
00:49:36,240 –> 00:49:41,480
God, who have separated
themselves from the world, the

841
00:49:41,480 –> 00:49:47,480
goats over the wicked.
And they will face eternal

842
00:49:47,480 –> 00:49:54,640
separation from their God.
And so we have to be reminded,

843
00:49:54,640 –> 00:50:01,560
brothers and sisters, that while
God is merciful and patient, he

844
00:50:01,560 –> 00:50:05,160
is also just.
And the decisions that we make

845
00:50:05,160 –> 00:50:09,440
now and the decisions on how we
live and whom we will follow and

846
00:50:09,440 –> 00:50:16,080
what we will value and with what
will we associate will determine

847
00:50:16,080 –> 00:50:17,840
our place in that final
separation.

848
00:50:20,920 –> 00:50:24,200
And so we must strive to live
lives worthy of being gathered

849
00:50:24,200 –> 00:50:28,920
as wheat and placed on the right
hand of our Shepherd, that we

850
00:50:28,920 –> 00:50:34,320
might hear him say, well done by
good and faithful servant, and

851
00:50:34,320 –> 00:50:37,720
by the grace of God might be in
the Kingdom.

852
00:50:40,080 –> 00:50:45,880
Let’s just turn up to Romans
chapter 8, maybe my favorite

853
00:50:45,880 –> 00:50:50,040
passage in all of Romans.
I just want to leave you with

854
00:50:50,040 –> 00:50:52,960
Paul’s very powerful assurance
from Scripture about separation

855
00:50:55,200 –> 00:50:58,840
and what it means to us.
Brethren and sisters, to live a

856
00:50:58,840 –> 00:51:02,440
pure and a holy life, separate,
no matter what the challenges

857
00:51:02,440 –> 00:51:05,160
are, no matter what the
temptations are in this world,

858
00:51:06,240 –> 00:51:08,280
no matter the.
Pressure to conform to its

859
00:51:08,280 –> 00:51:10,680
standards.
Nothing can sever us from the

860
00:51:10,680 –> 00:51:13,760
bond that we have with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,

861
00:51:14,240 –> 00:51:17,640
that his love is our anchor and
our strength and our assurance

862
00:51:17,640 –> 00:51:23,880
as we navigate this world and
and there’s a call to action.

863
00:51:25,240 –> 00:51:27,880
That’s embedded in these words.
Let us commit ourselves,

864
00:51:27,880 –> 00:51:32,040
brethren and sisters, steadfast
in our walk with the Lord Jesus

865
00:51:32,040 –> 00:51:33,760
Christ.
Let’s not be swayed by the

866
00:51:33,920 –> 00:51:37,920
fleeting pleasures or the
accommodations of the desires of

867
00:51:37,920 –> 00:51:41,280
this world, but instead let us
draw closer to the One who loves

868
00:51:41,280 –> 00:51:45,640
us with an everlasting love.
Submit yourself, therefore,

869
00:51:45,640 –> 00:51:48,360
James says in chapter 4.
Submit yourselves, therefore, to

870
00:51:48,360 –> 00:51:51,200
your God.
Resist the adversary, and he

871
00:51:51,200 –> 00:51:53,880
will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will

872
00:51:53,880 –> 00:51:59,880
draw near to you.
Brothers and sisters, as we draw

873
00:51:59,880 –> 00:52:04,360
near to God, even this week,
every day, it’s becoming more

874
00:52:04,360 –> 00:52:07,560
and more powerful for us as
we’ve been energized by the

875
00:52:07,560 –> 00:52:10,560
classes, energized by our
fellowship together, let us

876
00:52:10,560 –> 00:52:14,280
purify our hearts and minds,
setting aside anything that

877
00:52:14,280 –> 00:52:17,080
would hinder us from our
relationship with God severing.

878
00:52:17,080 –> 00:52:20,360
Off those things.
And when I was talking to the

879
00:52:20,360 –> 00:52:23,960
teens this morning about
severing off TikTok and severing

880
00:52:23,960 –> 00:52:27,240
off Netflix, you know, Marnie
said to me a couple of nights

881
00:52:27,240 –> 00:52:32,520
ago, she says, you know, Hon,
she calls me Hon.

882
00:52:35,560 –> 00:52:39,840
Not all the time, but.
This time she says, son, we when

883
00:52:39,840 –> 00:52:45,160
we get home, we got to we got to
disconnect Netflix, Jack.

884
00:52:45,160 –> 00:52:48,040
She said that to me and my got
to be honest with you, it’s,

885
00:52:48,440 –> 00:52:52,240
it’s this is how bad it is.
My in my brain, my face said

886
00:52:52,240 –> 00:52:58,320
yes.
My brain was like, yes we do,

887
00:52:58,920 –> 00:53:01,680
but also Amazon Prime and
Disney.

888
00:53:01,680 –> 00:53:05,040
Plus we tossed that years ago.
But I said this to the teens.

889
00:53:05,040 –> 00:53:08,680
I said you got to you got to
switch it off, you know TikTok

890
00:53:09,400 –> 00:53:13,360
and Netflix and Insta Hoover and
whatever would it face scram,

891
00:53:13,360 –> 00:53:16,960
whatever they are you like it’s.
The more you switch things off,

892
00:53:16,960 –> 00:53:18,680
the easier it is to switch them
off.

893
00:53:18,680 –> 00:53:21,800
And then honestly, their heads
were nodding and some of them

894
00:53:21,800 –> 00:53:24,560
were tired, but others were just
nodding in agreement.

895
00:53:25,080 –> 00:53:27,880
And as I said before, the
interesting thing about the

896
00:53:27,880 –> 00:53:31,240
young people is they say things.
You know that, you know that.

897
00:53:31,320 –> 00:53:34,640
You know the reason why I talked
about those two things of

898
00:53:34,640 –> 00:53:38,800
tradition and judgement is those
are the two things that they

899
00:53:38,800 –> 00:53:43,920
brought up.
They see our children, see

900
00:53:43,920 –> 00:53:47,080
what’s going on in our
communities, and in some ways

901
00:53:47,280 –> 00:53:51,040
they’re almost more perceptive
than we are about what’s going

902
00:53:51,040 –> 00:53:54,560
on.
Romans chapter 8.

903
00:53:58,240 –> 00:54:00,120
What then shall we say to these
things?

904
00:54:02,880 –> 00:54:04,960
If God is for us, who can be
against us?

905
00:54:05,840 –> 00:54:11,880
He who did not spare his own
son, but gave him up for us all.

906
00:54:12,960 –> 00:54:17,200
How will He not also with Him
graciously give us all things?

907
00:54:19,200 –> 00:54:21,280
Who shall bring any charge
against God’s elect?

908
00:54:22,760 –> 00:54:29,720
Is God Who justifies?
Who is to condemn Jesus Christ?

909
00:54:29,720 –> 00:54:33,000
Is the one who died more than
that, who was raised, who is at

910
00:54:33,000 –> 00:54:35,920
the right hand of God, who
indeed is interceding for us?

911
00:54:41,240 –> 00:54:43,640
Who then shall separate us from
the love of Christ?

912
00:54:46,400 –> 00:54:52,200
Shall tribulation or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or

913
00:54:52,200 –> 00:54:58,480
nakedness, or danger, or sword?
As it is written, the Apostle

914
00:54:58,480 –> 00:55:01,480
Paul says for your sake we are
being killed all the day long.

915
00:55:01,600 –> 00:55:03,920
We are regarded as sheep to be
slaughtered.

916
00:55:06,880 –> 00:55:13,680
No, in all these things.
We are more than conquerors

917
00:55:13,680 –> 00:55:21,800
through Him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither

918
00:55:21,800 –> 00:55:27,800
death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor

919
00:55:27,800 –> 00:55:31,200
things to come, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything

920
00:55:31,200 –> 00:55:34,760
in all of creation, we’ll.
Be able to.

921
00:55:34,760 –> 00:55:38,160
Separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

922
00:55:41,120 –> 00:55:47,240
Let us brethren and sisters be
unashamed to shine as lights in

923
00:55:47,240 –> 00:55:50,440
this Dark World.
Let us be unashamed to sever off

924
00:55:50,440 –> 00:55:56,320
the works of darkness, that we
might be separated unto Christ

925
00:55:57,040 –> 00:56:02,000
and be counted worthy of God’s
grace on the day of His Son’s

926
00:56:02,000 –> 00:56:02,480
return.