Answering the Call to Separate from Unbelievers and Draw Closer to God

Understand the biblical command to separate from unbelievers and draw closer to God.

Recognize the importance of not being unequally yoked with unbelievers in various aspects of life.

Learn about the consequences of mixing with unbelievers and the importance of maintaining holy living.

Discover the call to come out from among unbelievers and receive God's blessings and promises.

True Believers in Jesus Christ have been given a direct command, and that command is to come out from among unbelievers and our sinful ways and awful, twisted perversions that take God's people down the wrong path called the broad way, which leads straight into hell. We can see the generous heart of the great living God that he desires to adopt multitudes of those who will bend their knee and answer the call to come out from among the unbelievers in the world and receive the many wonderful blessings and promises, which will keep them on the straight and narrow path which leads to the promised land called heaven, the eternal dwelling place of God Almighty and his Son Jesus Christ. The title of this message today is called, Have You Answered the Call to Come Out of Unbelievers? You may ask, what does that really mean? How is this possible when I live in the world? I have unbelieving family and friends. Well, let's get started and go right to our scripture today. Let's open our Bibles to Apostle Paul's epistle in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, beginning in verse 14. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Do not make mismated or incompatible alliances with them, or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God, and iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? Verse 15. What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial, the devil? or what has a believer in common with the unbeliever? Verse 16. What agreement can there be between a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God, even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. So come out from among unbelievers and separate. sever yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not any unclean thing, then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. The caution and exhortation Apostle Paul makes here is not to mingle with unbelievers, not to be unequally yoked with them, either in a natural liking or feeling of kinship even in marriage. And this includes forming a business partnership with them for making money. You see, it is wrong for God's people to join in sympathy or fondness with the wicked or the profane of the world because it will ultimately draw them in many different ways which in the end will be unbearable, distressing, and grievous because of making the wrong choice or decisions. These relationships, which are our choice to make as God's people, must be chosen by His standards because they outline the rules and commands which are good for those who are called the children of God. His command is to join with those who are so like-minded with rules and guidelines for holy living, rather that co-laboring with unregenerate minds, which are guided by carnal choices and rules of the evil one, called Satan the devil. Dear listener, no good will come out of this. The word is that we should not yoke ourselves in friendship and alliances with wicked people and unbelievers. Understand though, we cannot completely avoid seeing and hearing and being around these people. Yet we should never choose them for our bosom friends or buddies. I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 22, 14, when Jesus said, For many are called, invited, summoned, but few are chosen. Understand that calling Jesus' word to us is to come out from among them. And moreover, we should not join them in any religious service or have fellowship with them in any way of compromising our biblical standards. We must not join with them in their idolatrous services, nor approve or agree with them in any way regarding their false worship or any of their abominations. We see in the church today great abominations which are no different from the world, but yet condemned by Holy Scripture. You see, these abominations included sexual transgressions, which are outlined in Leviticus chapter 18, and the adoption of cross-dressing of the opposite sex is discussed and condemned in Deuteronomy chapter 22, verse 5. The practice of magic and witchcraft and spiritism is discussed in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 9 through 12 Most of the Hebrew words translated abomination have the meaning of impure filthy unclean which is foul-smelling and objectionable to our holy God. Starting at the top today, in this year of 2023, we read where there are many pastors and church leaders, especially in the United States, who have been arrested for embezzlement of church funds, adultery, child trafficking, for child abuse in the form of sexual abuse that includes engaging in sexual activities with a child, indecent exposure, child grooming, and sexual exploitation, such as using a child to produce child pornography. Abominable. Apostle Paul gives several good reasons against this corrupt mixture when he warns the church about the corrupt mix in verse 14 and 15, which again declares, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Do not make mismated alliances with them, or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial the devil? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What an absurdity it is to think of joining righteousness and unrighteousness, or mingling light and darkness, fire and water together. Believers are called to be righteous, but unbelievers are unrighteous, and in their actions and sins are condemned by the author of the book of life. Believers are made and formed anew in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, but unbelievers continue to live in the darkness of their defiled souls. The question is, what communion or fellowship can these have together? The call, dear Church, is to come out. Jesus Christ and Belial are contrary one with the other. They have opposite interests and designs, so that it is impossible there should be any union or agreement between them. There can be no agreement between the temple of God and idols, as our chief apostle Paul declares through the Holy Spirit and inspiring him to utter these words. Idols are rivals with God for his honor, and God is a jealous God and will not share his glory with another. We see in John's Gospel, in chapter 17, beginning in verse 13, where Jesus was praying for his disciples to be protected from the evil one, who is Satan the devil, beginning in verse 13. And now I am coming to you. I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my joy may be full and complete and perfect in them, that they may experience my delight fulfilled in them, that my enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have my gladness within them filling their hearts. Verse 14 And have given and delivered them your word, your message, and the world has hated them, because they are not of this world, do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world. Verse 15 I do not ask you, Father, to take them out of the world, but that you will keep and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, worldly, belonging to the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them, purify, consecrate, separate for yourself. Make them holy by your truth, your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. And for their sake and on their behalf, I sanctify, dedicate, consecrate myself, that they may also be sanctified, dedicated, consecrated, made holy in the truth. Neither for these alone do I pray. It is not for their sake only that I make this request, but also for those who will ever come to believe and trust in and claim to rely on me through their word and teaching, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they may also be one in us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that you have sent me. We read in verse 15 where Jesus prays for his disciples to be protected from the evil one who is called Satan the devil. Notice, dear listener, did you see that Jesus didn't pray for them to be taken out of the world, but rather he prayed for their protection from Satan the devil, who is the great deceiver? And even though they were going through many trials and persecutions, yet Jesus did not pray that they might be removed from these trials and situations at the time. It was better that they should endure the trials and share the gospel and spread abroad the knowledge of his wonderful name and saving grace. It would be an easy thing for God to rescue and take his people to heaven in the twinkling of an eye. but it's far more better for them to remain and demonstrate the power of the gospel of faith and supporting the heart and soul in the midst of the trials and persecutions, and to spread the gospel of the good news among men. Speaking about keeping them from evil, this either means from the evil one who is the devil, and also from apostasy which purpose is to shipwreck the faith of believers then in Paul day and yes even in our day today You see it is Satan the devil who works through the apostate teachers with the aim to deceive and confuse people of the truth of God's word. Today, these false teachers, who are apostate renegades, are many in the visible church today. Many people are reading their books and are attending their services. They entertain and they are very charismatic and this is all a part of the draw. Jesus said, Father, preserve them from the evil one and give them such grace that they may endure the trials and be sustained in the midst of them. He said in verse 15, Father, they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Please know this. The prayer of Jesus is a parting prayer, dear listener. He was evidencing the tenderness of his heart towards his people. Usually when any major grief takes possession of our minds, we seldom have much inclination or strength to sympathize with the sorrow of others. But this is not the case of our Lord in this time. He wasn't absorbed in the thought of what he was going to face as he went to the cross for the sinners and when he bore all the sins and sickness of mankind upon himself. He wasn't preoccupied with the thought of the horrible beatings of the whip that tore off his flesh and left gaping wounds or the sword that was about to pierce his precious body and all the suffering that he knew he would have to go through on our behalf. Dear listener, Jesus was praying to his Heavenly Father on his disciples' behalf, asking that they be protected from Satan's schemes and evil devices while they lived in the world. Remember, this prayer was for every true believer in every generation from the time since his death upon the cross. The truths that are to be learned from this prayer is, the world is full of danger. The world which encompasses people, places, and things are all possibilities for sinful engagements, and these must always be considered as places where Satan operates. And this is why it is so necessary for believers to grow up in the word of God and mature into full adulthood regarding his ways and his commands. Discernment is vitally necessary for every true believer in Jesus Christ. Discernment is sadly missing as a key ingredient for salvation of the souls of God's people today. We have a message called God-Given Discernment vs. Natural Instinct. And this message is available by going to ShiningLight7Ministries.com. That's numerical number 7, Ministries.com. And there you will find either the audio or the video selections. These teachings are a must that you have in your arsenal of survival as a believer in Jesus Christ. You will gain much insight from the Word of God in these messages. And to find these teachings, go to shininglight7ministries.com and locate either the audio or video selections where you will find these titles. You see, the prince of evil is the world's God. Satan the devil is called the prince of the power of the air. In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 2, we see this as the word declares, In which time you walked habitually. You were following the course and fashion of the world, were under the sway and the tendency of this present age, following the prince of the power of the air. You were obedient to and under the control of the demon spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience, the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God. You see, the fascinations of evil and its snares and works of evil are its calling and professions, and the triumph of evil is its boast and its pride. Christ's disciples have work to do. They had his honor and grace to promote, and they had his gospel to spread, so others would have the opportunity to come to know him and be saved from the evil one so they too could be used as an instrument of God's grace to share the gospel with others too. We all have our stated duties and responsibilities to fulfill their church. We ourselves must understand that we must be free of Satan's evil strongholds before we can truly be instruments in the Lord's hands to lead others out of bondage of the prince of the power of the air. We all have a place in God's providence to fulfill in serving God and his son Jesus Christ. We need to come to the point of understanding that the power of this evil one of the world is so great that we can only be delivered from it by the power of Almighty God. We read that the Christians, while living in the world, they are not to be of the world. And that means they are not to be living in the sinful pleasures that the world has to offer. They should stand out and be distinguished from it, to where people know they are different. To the true believer, for him to live should be to live for Christ. Whether he eats or drinks or whatever he does, he should do all for the glory of God. Dear one you may lay up treasures but lay up your treasure in heaven neither where moth nor rust does corrupt or where thieves cannot break in and steal it You might strive to be rich but in your ambition to be rich be rich in faith and do good works for kingdom's sake. And it's not wrong to want pleasure in your life. When you are happy or joyful, sing songs and make melodies in your heart to the Lord because this brings eternal pleasures that will never end. Waiting humbly before God will always grow into consciousness of his presence. Isaiah chapter 30 verse 18 declares, Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love. He will conquer you to bless you, just as he said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them. all I can say is what love what compassion and patience our loving father has for those whom he is calling to come out from unbelievers and to be adopted into his family of love this will be a place of delighting in communion and fellowship with him this is a place where you will seek to know his will for you and not only that you will prove that you are one of his in this heavenly race of life. And this is a place where you'll be separate from the world in your actions. You will be willing to lose all for the sake of your master. You must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness, but rather reprove them. You willingly walk worthy of your high calling, and you do it with dignity, dear listener, because you serve and love the King of Cain, whose kingdom has no end. It is an eternal kingdom. You are the son or daughter of the living God and the King of Kings. Think about that. This is truly a privilege and an honor. A true and living adoption has taken place. It is a divine, supernatural adoption into the family of God. A great inheritance awaits all who are faithful to the end and will hear, Well done, good and faithful servant. You will receive a robe of righteousness and a crown of beauty and the very privilege of living in a place where there will be no more tears or sorrow. All because you loved your Lord, your God, with your whole heart, your mind, your soul, everything within you. And answering the call to come out of unbelievers means you and I must be faithful and obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ to the very end. well now you might say okay I understand that I am supposed to come out from among unbelievers and separate myself from them but how can I do this with my family whom I love very much they are not believers at this time and they have no interest in religion the Bible tells us that regarding our families especially in a marriage that if the spouse is pleased to dwell with the one who is a believer, that person is to stay married to them and be a good example of Christ's life and his ways. Many unbelieving spouses have come to Christ because of the loving example of their believing mate. Now if the spouse is not pleased to dwell with a believer, that believer is free to divorce their mate. God hates divorce, but he has made allowances for it in this case. Many times these things happen before a person has become a believer. In regards to our immediate family, we are to pray for their salvation and continue our relationship with them in being Christ-like example, so they will desire the life of Christ and the life of peace that they see in Christians. It is said our Christian brothers and sisters in the Lord are actually closer in relationship than our biological brothers and sisters, since we are limited in what we can talk about with them, especially the joy of our salvation found in Jesus Christ alone. Yes, many of God's people work in the world and go to work every day and labor among unbelievers and sick-minded people who belong to Satan, and they are covered by the grace and the banner of love of their Savior. They are divinely protected as long as they are faithful and obedient to the commands and the precepts of the word of God in Jesus Christ. Proverbs chapter 30 verse 5 declares, Every word of God is tried and purified. He is a shield unto those who trust and take refuge in him. It is your responsibility, as a professing believer in Christ, to keep yourself unspotted from the world. Let not your eyes look to the left or right to see unclean things, and let your ears hear only the lovely and the beautiful. Keep your feet clean by avoiding the defiled paths that lead to destruction. Let not your hearts be filled with pride and bitterness. Long for your heart to know more of the ways of the Lord and his wisdom, his knowledge and understanding, and above all, his love. Then surely you will be overflowing with a static joy and your longing will be to share in eternity with your King of Kings and your brethren who have the same heart for him too. These are all those who answered the call to come out from among the wicked and the unbelievers of the world. May Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, be praised and adored forever. Hallelujah. Thank you.

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