The Bible Provocateur
The Bible Provocateur
LIVE DISCUSSION: Be Ye Separate (PART 3 of 3)
When spiritual bonds form between believers and unbelievers, the consequences reach far beyond mere discomfort. This powerful discussion explores the biblical mandate to remain separate from those who don't share our faith commitments—not from a position of superiority, but from understanding God's protective design.
Drawing from 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, we examine why God commands us to "come out from among them and be separate." Through vulnerable personal testimonies, we hear how unequal yoking led some to compromise their values, twist scripture to justify sin, and experience spiritual depletion. As one participant poignantly observes, "When you are joining yourselves to idols, you are depleting the favor that God has with you."
The parable of the five wise virgins illuminates this principle beautifully. Just as they couldn't share their oil without everyone going dark, remaining in spiritually compromised relationships diminishes both parties. The believer's light dims while the unbeliever receives no genuine spiritual benefit.
Yet this teaching isn't about abandoning people. We explore different approaches to sharing truth—from direct confrontation to gentle, persistent seed-planting. Multiple testimonies confirm that "delivery isn't what offends; it is the truth that offends," and God uses various vessels to reach different hearts according to His perfect knowledge.
The ancient call to "touch no unclean thing" resonates profoundly in our modern Babylon. By breaking unholy ties and embracing separation not as isolation but as consecration, we position ourselves to experience deeper communion with Christ and, paradoxically, greater effectiveness in drawing others to Him.
Have you examined your relationships through this biblical lens? The freedom and spiritual vitality awaiting those who embrace this difficult but necessary teaching may surprise you.
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his glory. So, although it seemed as though we were I mean, I wasn't saved and neither was he, but it seemed to be an equally yoked because I already knew something right. But God had used me to continue to read out loud to soften his heart and to bring him to the truth. And now I'm so happy. My niece-in-law she's 19 years old, she's surrounded by the doctrine of Jehovah Witnesses, but she has to come to the Lord and I'm just so grateful that God will grab and drag out of those things those which are his and who belongs to him.
Speaker 1:And with prayer and just diligently speaking and not being conformed to the things that are around you, will strengthen them to be able to come out and do the same to those that are around them, right? So it's a tough thing and I understand why we shouldn't be, because there's some people who claim in my family that they too serve the Lord, but we do not talk about the Lord together, and it's the strangest thing to me. You know and so I'm like I had to tell them like we serve, if you're saying these things, we serve the same God why you don't talk to me anymore. But you know when I've helped you to be encouraged in the Lord. It's the strangest thing to me, but sometimes, like you guys were saying earlier and it really resonated with me, that when you're on a path, people, people will separate themselves from you and we may not understand that reason in that moment. But just keep your head down in the book and the word of the Lord and continue to pray, and it's possible to love people from a distance.
Speaker 2:Love people from a distance, absolutely. You know it's hard because one of the things that Paul is communicating here also by telling us to come out from among them, the whole idea, a significant part of what is being stressed, is that also, or expressed, is that also it can. It can impede our, in other words, being unequally yoked can impede the favorable fellowship and communion that we have with the Lord. That's why he says the sons of Belial cannot have communion with the children of God. It doesn't mix. And so even the most minute entanglement God says to stay away from them, even the most minute entanglement and you're going to know, because you're going to rationalize Stay away from them. Even the most minute entanglement. And you're going to know, because you're going to rationalize and try to find every reason why it's okay for you to do it In this particular instance, in this particular time, with this particular person. Most of us have had that. We've talked tonight or this morning. We're talking about Really close familial ties, that where this is affecting us, it's difficult, it's very difficult, but we need to understand that if, if, if this is like, put it this way, everyone is familiar and I see you pass, I'll come to you next. So everyone is familiar With the. You know we did A study on this a few weeks Back on the five foolish versions.
Speaker 2:There's a reason why the five wise Versions would not share their oil with the five Foolish Brian. You want To say why share their oil with the five foolish Brian? You want to say why? What was the reason why the five foolish virgins would not share? Or why the five wise virgins would not share their oil with the five foolish virgins? What was the reason for that?
Speaker 3:Well, physically, the reason was because they needed enough oil to keep their wick burning. That was the physical reason. The spiritual reason, yeah, because if the wick went out they wouldn't find their way to the door. But the spiritual reason is because those people who did not keep their lamps full of oil were not worthy of their oil. They were not worthy of sharing in the truth that the five wise virgins had. It was a last-minute rush for them worthy of sharing in the truth that the five wise virgins had.
Speaker 2:It was a last-minute rush for them, but what was the reason that the five wise virgins gave for not sharing their oil with the five fools? What was the reason they gave?
Speaker 4:My apologies.
Speaker 3:They told them to go and find somebody else. Go on.
Speaker 2:Go ahead, Mariah.
Speaker 1:Lest they not have any for themselves.
Speaker 2:Right. See, the whole idea was this If the five wise virgins who had oil had given of their oil, some of their oil, to the ones, to the five foolish ones, there wouldn't be enough for any of them. So this is a good application to what we're learning here in 2 Corinthians 6. When you are joining yourselves to idols, when you're being unequally yoked, you are depleting the favor that God has with you. You're depleting the blessings and the benefits of God with you, and they also, who you're trying to be in communion with, they're not getting any gain from this at all. So what happens is all around, everybody gets hurt, everybody gets hurt.
Speaker 2:I don't feel it's a stretch to make this connection. We have to remain, we have to keep our lamps full. You can't do that when you're unequally yoked. Can't be done Because essentially we would be those. If we remain, if we are unequally yoked, if we persist that way, we will find ourselves going contrary to what the five wise virgins understood. If I share my oil with them, then none of us will have enough. This is a significant part of that lesson, certainly applicable to what we're talking about. Sister Paz, go ahead.
Speaker 5:I just wanted to agree with you, because we already have enough problems with our flesh. So when we're unequally yoked, god doesn't say things for no reason. When we're unequally yoked and we're around people that aren't living for God, it can influence us even more to act in the flesh. We're called to be set apart and to fellowship with people that are like-minded, and we can twist scripture or certain things to fit our own hearts. I know that again, like when I fell into immorality in my unequally yoked relationship. God and I'm really grateful for it god allowed me to look back when he took me out of it and I saw the moment that I did that. I um, twisted scripture to fit my own desires.
Speaker 5:I did what I see in the garden of eden with eve. I twisted god's word, his love and his judgment. I said, well, surely God knows I intend to be married and surely he's not going to actually abandon me and leave me. And he knows my heart, so he knows my intentions. And then I fell into this sin. Right, and that's not what we're meant to do. We're meant to stand on the word of God, just as Christ did when he says man will not live by bread alone. But every word that proceeded from the Father. And he says man will not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeded from the Father.
Speaker 5:And then he responses Satan with as it is written. We're meant to stand on the word of God, but when you're around people that are not like-minded, the enemy does find ways in. If he can just find a foothold in and he knows that you're not grounded in Scripture and you might have idols in your heart, desires in your heart. He's going to find that way in and we have to be called to be guarded with the armor of Christ that is spoken about in scripture. Right we think of him.
Speaker 2:You know you can get a good idea where you should not be. If you feel you cannot be comfortable speaking about the Lord Anywhere you are, where you feel you cannot be open about who you worship and who you serve, then you know that's where you ought not to be. Or you need to examine where your heart really is, because one of the scariest things that a lot of Christians experience unbelieving Christians are going to find out is that they were the ones that needed to be that people that other true believers needed to be separated from. So even all of us here, we have to examine ourselves daily to make sure we're not the ones who should be avoided for godly reasons.
Speaker 5:I think that was definitely me, and as a baby Christian I had a lot of worldly desires still in my heart. And again God allowed me to look at this when he drew me back. I still focus on things of the world and through that chastisement God gave me all the desires of my heart the family that I wanted, the house I wanted all these things. But it was the fact that I did it of my own will, not according to God's will.
Speaker 5:I didn't pray about it, didn't ask God what he wanted. And God allowed me to look back afterwards and say, well, look what happens. Because I remember getting the house and sat on the bed and I weeped. And this is when I come back to repentance, because I had this empty void. I didn't have my fellowship with God. All of it was pointless because I didn't have God at that time. And it showed me truly about focusing on the things of the world.
Speaker 2:We're called to focus on the kingdom of God. Amen, sister Mae, go ahead.
Speaker 4:All right, now we got through all that. We've got to get to the other stuff. So we get to the point right Once this comes through. Psalms 97. 97, 10 says ye that, love the lord, hate evil. He preserved the souls of his saints, saints, and he delivered them out of the hand of the wicked. On the flip side of the table, the believer hates what God hates, and so I mean even you know to the point, like I had my, my sister-in-law.
Speaker 4:We had an, we had an issue one time and, um, I had said something to her about sleeping around and she got very, very mad at me and she stopped talking to me. And you know what? She was mad for months and months because I lost it the way I delivered it. I shouldn't have.
Speaker 4:But in the end we realize that the harshness, sometimes it helps, because when you really call it out, get ready and you know, I remember that day that it happened and my husband just sat there and he just looked at me. He was like, shrugged his shoulders, like hey, it is what it is, you know, shrugged his shoulders, like hey, it is what it is, you know. But in the end you know people when you call people out and see and show people. That's where I that's my flaw is. If I see something, I'm going to say it, I'm not going to hide it under the rug, and that's where everybody goes astray with me, and sometimes my husband's like man, you're just, you just do it too much, and I'm like dude, like it's not, this is not right and I'm a right fighter, and so if it's not right, it is what it is, and but at the same time we have to understand that we, loving God, and hating evil, are inseparable.
Speaker 2:You know it's interesting because here's what I'll tell you, because I've always had that accusation of being harsh. And you know, there's a reason why my, my icon is a. Is that brass stone face? Uh, that's the reason why I use that image that I have. But here's the thing there, there have been times where, where I have, you know, after having been told that so many times, where I decided to kind of soften the way I respond to things.
Speaker 2:And I'm telling you, believers, I'm sure many of you probably know, like you know, you listen to Paz, for instance, as soft-spoken as she is. Or you listen to Mariah, as soft-spoken as she is, you know, just that soft, calming voice. If they say, even with those voices, say something in their tone, in their pitch, in their cadence, something that is strong from the word of God, it will be received exactly the same. And see, because, like Brother DT says in the comments, he says delivery isn't what offends, it is the truth that offends. Delivery isn't what offends, it is the truth that offends, and the harshness just becomes a way to rationalize why what you said shouldn't be listened to. They don't complain about what you said, they're trying not to take up issue with that. But they say you know what, get your tone right and then maybe I'll listen. You and I both know, we all know that's not going to be what happens. You can speak as softly as Mariah or as softly as Paz, and it will be exactly the same outcome. Brian, go ahead, brother.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So my auntie and uncle who lived on the road for me. They spent many, many, many years, uh, praying for me. Anytime I would meet them which was far and few between and I would tell them about what I was up to and stuff. They knew I was deep in sin. I didn't know that at the time I I thought they were just funny people in love with God. Honestly, I did, but this is how my this is how those absolutely wonderful people delivered the message to me. They always had time for me. They never, ever judged me, but what they did do was they brought the word to me every single time we spoke. They would often because I was always out in the town they would often ask what am I doing? And I'd say, oh, going to head out tonight have a few drinks, blah, blah. My auntie would often say to me, like a bull being led to slaughter, and I'd laugh. Sometimes I'd be like you know, that's, that's funny. God bless Angela. She's a lovely woman, you know.
Speaker 3:And then I, I go and I go on living my life. But they delivered it that way to me time and time again that they would respond to what I am feeding them, right. They just respond to it with scripture and they don't ever love, kindness and respect. They never shunned me away and many years later many years later I was in the shower where I was miraculously saved. Anger, depression, unalivened thoughts all that stuff disappeared in seconds Disappeared is a better way to say it in seconds.
Speaker 3:And when that did happen to me, it was everything that they had been saying to me nearly my whole life. I even get emotional thinking about this. It was everything that they were saying to me my whole life. That was brought to my memory and I was remembering the conversations with them and I was remembering that they were always actually guiding me and that God was really and truly using them as vessels to pour out His work, pour out His Word. And the reason that I'm explaining this is because we should do it like they did like out his word. And the reason that I'm explaining this is because we should do it like they did, like Martin and Angela.
Speaker 3:They never brought judgment to me, but they did bring the word to me, and that word is what judges? Because I realized one day who I was, what I was doing and why I was wrong for doing it. Because of the years that they spent planting those seeds in me. Because of the years that they spent planting those seeds in me and then to end, it is later about, maybe just about a year being saved I realized something they were not just bringing the word to me, sowing the seed. What they were doing was and this is what we should all love to practice is they found a way to communicate with people in the world where they did not have to partake in the terrible conversation that was happening, and that they would bring the scripture out of them from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks, as to why they were not involving themselves in the conversation. They were obeying the word every single time. They saw that seed in me, and it's just something to be really amazed at still today.
Speaker 5:I think we should let God do the judging. I know me and Brian have similar testimonies. I loved Brian's testimony and my mom did a very comfort style. She was in a Roman Catholic church at the time. She's not a Roman Catholic anymore, she's a Reformed Baptist. She was in the roman catholic church at the time. She's not a room of catholic anymore, she's reformed baptist now, praise the lord. But she was there at the time and she gave me this list of sins and it was like a tick box right and she she just let god judge me, tick the, tick the sins that you've done. And I ticked pretty much all of them and I remember my response was well, I'm going to hell. Then and she was like no, the gospel. And told me the gospel and it still didn't register in my head. I was like, oh well, nope, I'm going to hell, I've done all these sins.
Speaker 2:But um years later god brought it to my remembrance in the bath, just as the brides was in the shower you know people says people at all times, no matter what they're doing he does, you know, and the reality is, because there's no formula that we as feeble servants can really understand. But see, god uses the right people at the right time to speak to the people a certain way, and there's a certain way a person can talk to me and reach me. That might not be the same way with any one of you, but there's a different way, a different person, a different type of expression that God will use in another person to reach you specifically. See, he knows he's a surgeon, he picks the right tools and he never makes a mistake of where he cuts. And so sometimes you know a person who's always being crushed in their lives Need to have that gentle approach.
Speaker 2:Certain people that are harsh, like I might be construed, also might require a gentle voice. It just depends. It depends on the person. It also depends on who's the one telling you. You know, and there's no way, there's no way to to develop like this systematic format and approach for a person being able to understand the truth, because we know that it's God who's the one who's doing it. Every one of us can attest, like Brian just did and like Meg's father, for instance, there is a way that God will use his people to reach those who are yet to come to faith, and it's just different. It can be the soft voice, it can be the loud voice, it can be Elijah's voice or it can be Elisha's voice. It's different for everybody.
Speaker 5:God knows how to deal with his people that's right and how to gather his sheep, so he'll use the right person at the right time.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 5:According to how he knows, they will respond.
Speaker 2:Our sister, candy, told me to read a verse out of Ephesians 4, verse 29. It says Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers, and a hearer can be anyone. It can be anyone. Brother DT brought up a verse earlier where it says evil communications corrupt good manners. Meaning you know, hanging out with the wrong people is it will corrupt you. This is what it's talking about, and so we need to have a godly conversation, meaning godly conduct. The way about us needs to be godly.
Speaker 2:When you're somewhere, people should be. One of the things that they should be thinking about. If you're quiet is like what's know what's going on with that person. Why are they not? Why are they not running out to the same riot of excess as we are? Because if they're not, if they're not concerned, if they're not questioning what's wrong with you in some situations, then you again you should examine yourselves what people are really, are really talking. I'm not saying that you got to go jump into every party and start preaching. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when people do bring it up, what do they say about you? What do people? I mean and I'm not, I don't want anybody to answer this question out loud, but I want you to answer this question in your own hearts, when you get around people, when you're around people today, people that you know, your friends, family what do you know? What is the perspective that you think they have about you? Because, if you're honest, it's going to have an impact on you one way or the other. Brother.
Speaker 6:Jeffrey, go ahead. Jonathan. I want to say to everybody here on the panel and in the scroll and everyone who's listening, exactly the same thing that I told you last weekend in person, and that is at any time, if you detect I'm not speaking truth or I have said something hurtful or counterproductive, you put my feelings aside and you say, jeffrey, this has been hurtful or harmful in some way, hold me accountable. Is what I'm saying. With love, our words have power, they have meaning. We've got to speak truth, but we have to speak truth with love. Jonathan has reminded me of that several times and I needed to be reminded every time he did it. So let us speak truth in love, but hold each other, and I'm asking you all to hold me accountable If I ever get outside of that. And I'm asking you all to hold me accountable If I ever get outside of that. Don't be afraid to step up and say it.
Speaker 4:That's all Y'all get ready. Brother Jonathan holds you accountable because he will get you.
Speaker 6:I'm telling you right now that's why I told him, meg, precisely that. That's the conclusion I came to about this gentleman some time ago, which is one of the many reasons Joni and I made the trip last weekend to meet in person, and I have since discovered this is someone that I know is going to hold me accountable if I'm on here running my mouth sometime and something comes out that doesn't need to be said or is said improperly. I want to be told about it. I want to be answered for it.
Speaker 4:Brother Jonathan does it with me too. He don't cut no punches.
Speaker 1:But I love it.
Speaker 6:Well, he loves us.
Speaker 2:That's why he does it.
Speaker 6:He does it because he loves us, Meg. That's why.
Speaker 5:That's true. That's very true, sister Paz, go ahead. Just with regards with what you were saying before, I remember when I was first saved, um, I was highly convicted when I went back to hanging around my friends and I remember they were doing something and I was just like I hate this, I want to go home. And I literally picked up my stuff and ran out the door and I didn't see anyone for months. I locked myself in my room with my bible and everyone was like where are you? I'm like just spending time with God. So they see the change in me, they see the glory of God. They add me to a group chat.
Speaker 5:I fell asleep that night listening to a sermon on persecution. I woke up, added to a group chat with them and they was like we think that you have a psychosis or schizophrenia and we think you need to see a doctor because of things that you're saying about you've been saved by god and stuff like this. So guys, don't worry about me. Honestly like, uh, you have no worries, I've not. I'm not ill in any way. Like, I work in mental health. I know what mental health is. I don't have it. Um, as obviously time goes by, they see that I'm not mentally ill and they start to see the glory of god as I'm again standing on the word of God. More and um. Long story short. One friend got really angry and she was like, well, why you and not me?
Speaker 5:so you see the people's response to like election, and the other friend was like really intrigued. And this was in 2018 and I went to see her a few weeks ago and she starts talking to me about Jesus again. It's always been in the back of her mind since, and when I, she starts saying, oh, like I believe in Jesus and I just don't really know what I'm doing, kind of thing. And this is where I kind of had to go into election and just make sure that she didn't have like a just a mere intellect of, well, I believe in Jesus, but it was truly that she believes in her heart. So I had to read her Ezekiel 36 26 and talk her through and I think it did um get to her when I got home. By the time I got home, she was already texting me like I've just ordered a bible off Amazon. Is this the right translation? Etc.
Speaker 5:And so it was really encouraging to see that, again, when you do walk in the statues of God, it does affect people around you. They do see the glory of God.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 5:Whether they're running in the other direction or whether they're intrigued and God draws them. They do see it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, sister. In Isaiah 52, in verse 11, you have the backdrop. Remember, the Israelites had been In captivity In Babylon. It was for 70 years. And so here in verse 11 and 52.
Speaker 2:Isaiah says depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing, go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. Now, keep in mind, israelites had a hard time being told by Jeremiah and Isaiah that they were going into captivity and at first they weren't going to comply. But they were warned that if you don't comply, things are not going to go well for you. So they did comply and he went into captivity. And now, after the end of the captivity, this is what Isaiah says to them Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing. Now he has to convince them to leave. Think about it Now that they're in Babylon, which they did not want to go, they believe that they were hearing something that wasn't from God, finally convinced that if they didn't go, god was going to be on their backs and deal with them harshly. And now, after having been in captivity, now you got many of them who don't want to leave. So he says depart from them, depart, go off from there. Touch no unclean thing. And this is what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians. This is what he's hearkening back to in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 17. Wherefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. And then he says, just like in Isaiah 52, do not touch the unclean thing, and I will receive you Notice this. He says do not even touch the unclean thing, not to even touch it. Don't even touch it, don't even touch it. So many of us find ourselves back in Babylon or wishing we were still there, still having our minds fixated on how we because they got to the point where they enjoyed being there. Remember when the Israelites were leaving Exodus. Remember when they were leaving Exodus, always depending on Moses. Why did you take us out of here? We could have stayed back in Egypt when everything was great.
Speaker 2:You see this theme throughout the scriptures of people wanting to go back. So Christ talks about before he returns, there will be this great apostasy. What is that talking about? It's talking about the very same thing that is happening here in the, in the babylonian captivity. When they're set free, they want to go back to that.
Speaker 2:Daniel in chapter 9. He receives the 70 week prophecy, the 70 week prophecy and it leads up to christ and what he would do putting an end, making an end of transgression, making an end of sins ceasing, causing the oblation and the sacrifice to cease, uh, anointing the most holy, all the six things that he, that he says the 70 week, is going to accomplish, which it has already done. But then Christ tells us in Luke 18 that there's going to be a great falling away, a great apostasy. Paul talks about it in Thessalonians. What does it signify? What does it signify?
Speaker 2:Well, daniel understood his 70-week prophecy, based on the 70-year captivity that the Israelites had to go through or had to suffer under Babylonian rule. In the 70 weeks, daniel understands the same thing. There's going to be this freedom, this peace and this joy that is going to come as a result of the Messiah coming, but then, not long after, there's going to be another falling away where people who don the moniker Christian believer they're going to go back to the world Apostasy, just like under the Babylonian. They're going to go back to the world Apostasy, just like under the Babylonian captivity. We live in the modern Babylon and many of the Christians in it are going to go back.
Speaker 3:Brother Brian, go ahead. Yeah, your last part is exactly what I was going to say. So it's about what Babylon represents. It's the same thing Egypt represented. It's sin. That's what it represents. It's darkness, it's blindness.
Speaker 3:Right, do not touch anything, because the law in Leviticus says that if they touched a dead body or an unclean animal, that they were unclean themselves, and then they had to wash a certain way to get rid of this uncleanliness, and it wasn't until the third day that they were clean again. Right, all allegoric if you look at it that way, but when Babylon that's where we were before we came to Christ we were actually in Babylon. That's why the description is given that it is the rock that smashes the idol of Babylon. It's the rock. And who's that rock? Christ is that rock. We're not to touch that world anymore, we're not to go near it anymore. We're to intervene, evangelize. We have a duty, of course, but to touch it means to incorporate yourself with it, to involve yourself in it, to like it, to love it, to be with it. That's what touching really is. Um, yeah, so it's, it's. It's quite eye-opening when you, when you come, that and notice what he says, brother.
Speaker 2:He says touch not the unclean thing. And then he says this because if you do so, if you don't touch the unclean thing, he says, I will receive you. I will receive you. If you do not touch the unclean thing, I will receive you. That's his promise. If you do not test the unclean thing, I will receive you. That's his promise. Give up those ungodly relationships. Everybody listen as a Christian. Give up those ungodly, unholy relationships. Break those ties now, because they will bring you, because they will bring you down. They will bring you down. I know what this first hand looks like and feels like. But break those things and you will have a much more fruitful relationship and fellowship with God. You will see a better, you will see a more strident, you will get a more strident confirmation of his protection over you and perhaps even over those whom you are seeking to see saved. But he says don't touch the unclean thing, separate yourself. This is a requirement. This is a requirement and it is for us to have and to maintain purity in God, purity, holy communion, that true communion with Christ.
Speaker 2:Let me read something out of Isaiah, and I'm going to read this to close. He says in Isaiah 53, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he, our Lord, our Lord and Savior. He shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, meaning no appeal, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire in him. He is despised, he's rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely, he has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him. Stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All of us, as sheep, had gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.
Speaker 2:He was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before his shears, silent. So he opened out his mouth. So he was taken from prison and from judgment. And who will declare his generation? He was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people. He was stricken and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was there any guile or any deceit in his mouth.
Speaker 2:Yet it pleased listen to this, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin. But he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Shall prosper, meaning he won't lose anything, he will forfeit none, but he will prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. He can't be satisfied if any of his people are in hell by his knowledge. My righteousness, my righteous servant, shall justify many, for he shall bear. My righteousness, my righteous servant, shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Brother Jeffrey, I'm gonna let you have the last word before we finish. Last word by Jeffrey.
Speaker 6:Wow, put me on the spot. Why don't you All right? Part of what I shared with you all today could have been avoided. Let me tell you why. I knew that Sister Candy was going to be giving her testimony and her story Friday evening. What did I choose to do? Instead of being with people of God and where the Holy Spirit was moving and convicting me to go, which was to sit and listen to her incredible testimony I'm off with my son watching and listening to him do stuff I'm not going to repeat. So my point here is that when we get that nudge from the Holy Spirit saying stay close, as Brother Jonathan is imploring us to do, do it. Don't question it, don't say Lord, are you sure? Do it. He doesn't make mistakes. We do. He does not Walk in him strongly, fully and completely every day. Be persuaded, I'm sorry, be provoked and be persuaded.
Speaker 2:God bless you guys, or, I'm sorry, be provoked and be persuaded. God bless you guys. God bless everybody tonight and today, and hopefully those of you can will make it tonight, because I plan on doing another one tonight at 7.30. So continuing in the book of Galatians. But God bless you all for this day and I hope it's been a blessing to you today as it has been to me, and have a great day and if you can make it tonight, great. If not, god bless you anyhow. And so have a great day and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 5:God bless everyone. Bye everybody.
Speaker 6:See you all tonight, god bless.