There Ought To Be A Difference 4-14-96 PM

4-14-96 PM

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Leviticus chapter 8. Leviticus chapter 8. Let's get everybody in. We only got one life. Point unto men wants to die after this, the judgment. Somebody says, well, that doesn't apply to me. You know, there's a great white throne judgment for those who haven't received Christ, but then there's a judgment seat of Christ to give an account for those Christians to give an account of the things done in their bodies. Leviticus chapter 8 tonight, and would you also pick up Exodus chapter 11? Leviticus chapter 8 and Exodus chapter 11. Let me say right from the start tonight, the purpose of this message is not to hurt anybody. And the purpose is this message is not to uh to try to cause anybody a stumbling stone from which to stumble. So I hope you'll listen to it with that thought in mind. The preaching is always for edification, if you would. Leviticus chapter 8 and also Exodus chapter 11. Let me give you a lead into this tonight. Leviticus chapter 8, thanks for all the good work. We come off of Good Easter now. All the ministries doing a lot of work for the Lord and busy for the Lord in the months of April and May. Appreciate your good work and all the ministries that take care of so many things behind the scenes. May I say this: if you work in ministries that aren't always highlighted or something like that, believe me, God will highlight your work in heaven. Leviticus chapter 8 talks about the consecration, if you would, of those who are going to be a priest. In Leviticus chapter 8, verse 2, Aaron and his sons are taken. And with that is the anointing oil and the bowl, if you would, for the sin offering and the ram for the unlavened bread. And if you would, and look, look at verse 6 as they begin to be consecrated, sanctified, if you would, set apart. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons in what? He washed them with water. As you go on down, he begins to put the clothing on these priests now. And he puts the girdle, if you would, on, and the, and the ephod and the urm and thummon and the mitre on the head, and goes on down, and once they get, he gets them all dressed in the right clothing that God has ordained, which was a shadow of things going on in heaven, if you would. Look at verse 12, verse 12. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him to what? Sanctify. That means to cleanse him, if you would, to set him apart for service, to dedicate him, to consecrate him to that service of the Lord. Look, if you would in verse 22. Verse 22. And he brought the other ram, the ram of what? Say it again, the ram of what? Talk to me. One more time. The ram of what? Consecration. You're talking about consecration. We're talking about something that's dedicated, something that's set apart, something that's going to be holy and clean. And Aaron and his son laid their hands upon the head of the ram. And he slew it. And Moses took the blood of it. That ram of what? Consecration. Consecration. And Moses took the blood of it. And look what he does with that blood of that ram of what, say it? Consecration. He puts it on the tip of Aaron's right ear. I think it was depicting there that God wanted to make sure that Aaron and them knew that if you're going to have the ram's blood of consecration, that that ear needs to be consecrated and only hear the right things. Is that right? And upon the thumb of his right hand, the hand speaks of what we do and upon the great toe of his right foot where we walk. So what we hear and what we do, if you would, if Aaron and where he was going to walk. And God says, I want you to walk, Aaron, as a high priest, and your son's walks as priest. I want you to be consecrated to me. I want you to be careful what you hear. I want you to be careful what you do, and I want you to be careful where you go. Amen? Amen? And shouldn't that carry over to the New Testament, too? And he goes on down in verse, if you would, 33, and ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days until the days of your what? Consecration. So there's a type here of what's going to happen over in the New Testament. Now, if you would look at Leviticus chapter 10. Leviticus chapter 10, you're holding your place in Exodus chapter 11. Leviticus chapter 10 and Exodus chapter 11. You know the first part of Leviticus chapter 10 is where two of Aaron's son, Nadab and Abihu, they take it upon themselves and they put incense, if you would, in strange fire in their little censors. And when they uh take those little pots and they throw that incense upon those little pots that has that strange fire, the Bible says that a fire comes out from the Lord and devours them, right? They're not doing it God's way and God's timing. And God wasn't pleased with that thing. And he goes on to tell that Aaron, the father, he says, Listen, don't you dare leave that tabernacle. You're consecrated. And then if you would, look at Leviticus chapter 10, and notice if you would, verse 9. What he says to Aaron and his sons, do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou nor thy sons with thee. When you go into the taboo of the congregation, lest you what? Die. You talk about being something being tough. Somebody says, Man, you know, this Christianity is tough. It's not near as tough as God's religion in the Old Testament, amen? That's tough, amen. Thank God for grace, grace, and more grace. It shall be a statuate forever throughout your generations. Look at verse 10. And that ye may put what? Say it. Say it again, please. One more time. Difference between holy and unholy. And between unclean and clean. He says, you know what? You know the reason I'm doing this, and the reason I want you to act this way and walk this way and do these things? I want to make sure that there's a difference between what people to consider to be holy and unholy. And I want to make sure that people understand there's a difference between unclean and clean. Look if you would at Exodus chapter 11. And by the way, in these days and this time, sometimes it's hard to see the difference between holy and unholy and clean and unclean. Look at Exodus chapter 11. In Exodus chapter 11, look if you would in verse number 7. Verse number 7. It talks about the Passover and what's going to happen. The firstborn of Lamb's going to die. In verse 7, Exodus 11 says, But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beast, that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a what? Say it. Say it again. Put a what? Put a difference between the Egyptians, which is a type of the world, and who? Israel. And we're the father of all, if you would. We're, if you would, by faith. We've taken the covenant, if you would, and it's in the New Testament's blood now, but it's the same seed of faith of Abraham. And the idea is that he says this. There's going to be a difference between Egypt and Israel, just like there's supposed to be a difference between the world and Christianity. Is that right? Yes or no? Say amen. If you would look at Exodus chapter number 10, I'm sorry, chapter 8, chapter 8. And notice in Exodus chapter 8 over here in verse number 22, verse 22. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell. He's going to bring swarms of flies up on the Egyptian. He says, but I'm going to sever in that day the last name of Goshem, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there. To the end that thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth, and I will put a what? A division between my people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign be. You know what he says? I'm going to bring those swarms of flies up on the Egyptians, but over there where the Israelites dwell, where my people dwell, there's not even going to be a fly there. I want everybody to know that I'm the Lord, but I also want them to know there's a difference, there's a division between those people and my people. If you want to look at Exodus chapter 8, and notice if you would verse 22 and 20, look at Exodus chapter 10. Exodus chapter 10. Thank you for turning there. Exodus chapter 10. In verse 23, and Moses stretched forth his rod towards heaven. The Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail and fire mingled with the hail. Very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, that fire, and that hail came down, and the hail smote every herb of the field and break every tree of the field. Verse 26, only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no what? Hail. Brethren, you know what he's doing? He was putting a difference, if you would, between what was going on in Egypt and what was going on over there with the Israelites. And I want to say to you tonight, there's supposed to be a difference between we as Christians in a Christian church and what we do in here versus what the world does down at the ballgame. There's supposed to be a difference going on, and I'm glad we can come in here tonight and we didn't serve liquor out there, and we don't have to have music that gets the whole thing pumped up and everything like that, because why? There's a difference. Now listen, I'm not saying you can't go to a ball game or something like that. I'm not saying that at all. But brother, if you get excited of the ball game and you get a little wound up down there with what the world's going on, and you sit here like a bumper and a log and fall asleep, then there's something wrong with you. If you get more excited about a guy hitting the baseball than somebody standing up and preaching the word of God, there's something wrong with you. You need to get to know the God in heaven because these things going on here are much more important than what's going on down there. Now there's there's just there's just a couple visiting here tonight, and I I apologize if you would if uh you come in here and it's a little noisy and it's a little wild and everything like that, but I decided beforehand, no matter who comes tonight, no matter who visits, I'm gonna preach it the way God wants it. Amen. So he said there's gonna be a difference in what's going on down there. You know uh Egypt. They come out of Egypt. Moses goes up on the mount. They had already been, if you would, they had been passed over with the blood of that lamb that God said to do during the Passover feast. They'd already come through the Red Seas, baptizing Moses. They were called in the book of Acts the church in the wilderness. And Moses goes up to the mount to receive the commandments, him and Joshua. And when they come back down, Joshua says, Hey, there's a noise of war in the camp. And he hears this thing going on down there, and Moses said, when he gets down there and he looks on that thing down there, he is all mad. The anger of the Lord waxed hot in Moses, if you would. And Moses looked down on what was going on down there. And if you know, when he looked down, the people were naked down there, they had built a golden calf, and they were dancing around that thing and making a making, a few words, a fool of what God was doing with Moses up on the mount. And Moses looked at that thing and he took those tables of stone that God made and he threw them down and he broke them and he went down there and he was angry. And he took that golden calf and he broke it down, and he hewed it into pieces, and he cast it in the water, and he said, Drink it! You know why? Israel had been already brought out of Egypt, and God had made a difference in what they had done with their action. They had taken themselves out to where they were clean, and they had brought out with them unclean.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

They brought out the religion, they owed golden calves and danced around out there naked, and there wasn't no difference, even though God had by type saved them, and by type had baptized them, and now they went out there and danced around in a golden calf, and God said, Moses, and what he said, you're not gonna do that anymore. Why?

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Because he brought them out to be a different people, not the same thing going over there in Egypt, just out there in the wilderness. He wanted to be different out there. God brought them out to make sacrifice of the Lord, not sacrifice to Satan. Now, the whole idea of this tonight is in the Christian church, there needs to be a difference. There needs to be a difference. There needs to be a difference between clean and unclean and holy and unholy. You say, preacher, our church is never going to grow with you preaching this way.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

I believe there's still people in this world and people in San Diego that want to have a difference in their life, and they don't want to just go after the normal of a liberal Christianity and what's going on out there, and they want their children to have a difference and have a set of standards and do something for the Lord in their life. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

We know where we're gonna be. We know where we're gonna stand. We're not the only church in town, but we're gonna be what God wants us to be. And there is gonna be a difference, and it's gonna be marked. May I say this though? As we go into some of these things where there's gonna be a difference, we need to be careful something. We shouldn't flaunt it. We never, ever, ever need to get to the place where we stand as that Pharisee who went in with a publican, and as they stood to pray, the Pharisee says, I thank God that I'm not like this publican. I give tithes of all I possess in alms and I fast twice. And you know, he just said, God be merciful to me. May we never flaunt the difference between holy and unholy. Because the closer you get to holiness, the less you flaunt anything as you see how unholy we really are. Amen. But there needs to be a set of differences. You know, uh, I was in the hospital last week and I was visiting someone, and before I could go into the room, they said uh you need to put on this gown, and so I put the gown on, and they said, You need to put these gloves on, so I put the gloves on. They said, You need you need to put this mask on, you need to put this covering over your hair. I said, fine. They said, This person is uh porn. Now please look up here. I didn't put all that on. Because that person in that room was being punished. I put all that on to make sure that I didn't get what they had. Is that right? I was walking in, as far as I know, healthy. And they were going through something. But I didn't go in there and flaunt it and say, I can't touch you, I can't do anything. But I went in and protected. You know what I was to do? It was protect my health. I remember 35 years ago in my town, uh, there was a disease that had come about, I don't remember what it was, uh uh some kind of fever, measles or whatever like that. And they quarantined houses. It wasn't to punish those houses, it was to keep the rest of the population healthy. Amen? Hey, you know why we have standards of separation? It's not to say to someone else you're punished. It's to try to retain our holiness. It's to try to retain some cleanness. Is that right? Yes or no? I mean, we don't we don't walk around and say, mm-hmm. Don't touch me. I'm holy. But we ought to have some standards of separation and some things we do that keeps us from touching the unclean thing. Amen. So the idea is the quarantine isn't so much to punish. Look if you would at 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and 1 Kings chapter 11. 2 Corinthians 6 and 1 Kings chapter 11. Stay with me now, nobody should get hurt on this tonight. It's not that tough a message. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and 1 Kings chapter 11. Now, may I say this? In a church where we preach some standards and we have some convictions about different things, some will look upon us and say, ah, you bunch of Pharisees. But the Pharisees said that to Jesus too. 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and you're holding your place in the 1st Kings chapter, what say it? 11. 11. Look at first 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and you know this scripture, but I want you to see it. And this is so easy to understand, but I just use this as an example. Verse 14. Be not unequally what? Yoke, together with who? Unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? A person comes to me who's saved, a blood-bought child of God, and they say, uh, you know, what do you think about me marrying somebody that's unsaved? And I say, the Bible would command against it. Because the Bible would say that the believers are not supposed to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Would you agree with that? And they would say, Well, I don't know if I understand that, and I don't know if that's fair. Give me a reason why. Well, because the Bible says not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, and what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness. And they say, well, there needs to be more than just that. Hold your place in 2 Corinthians 6 and go back to the Old Testament. Look at 1 Kings chapter 11. 1 Kings chapter 11. There's an illustration. Verse 1. But King Solomon loved what? Many who? Strange women. Together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, ye shall not go into them, neither shall they come into you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. You know what God commanded the children of Israel? You're not going to marry with those in other cultures that are worshiping other gods. You're not going to marry those in other cultures that are passing their children through the fire of Moloch. You're not going to marry those in other children or other cultures that are worshiping the God of the Zidonians. You're not going to marry those in other cultures that are worshiping the sun. I'm not going to let you do that. There's going to be a difference between you and them. So don't do it. Solomon claved unto these in love. Somebody says, you know, the Bible says that Solomon is the wisest man. Man, you've got to question that, verse 3. And he had 700 wives. Princesses. 300 concubines. And look at it. And his wives did what? Turned away his heart. Wives, don't, oh, don't say, oh, this is chauvinistic church. Hey, listen. There's nothing chauvinistic about us here. In fact, we believe the wives should be honored. And served. But the idea here, he married against God's commitment. God says, make a difference. There's going to be a difference. You're not going to mix unholy with holy. You're not going to mix unclean with clean. Don't do it. Verse 4. For it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his what? Say it, heart. After what? Other gods. And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. Now, that's why the Bible says in the New Testament, go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and also pick up 1 Corinthians chapter 7. I'll give you something to chew on as homework tonight. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. That's why it's consistent. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, again, he says in verse 14, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Hey, may I say this? There's nothing wrong, I don't believe, with saying to a teenager or a young person or a young Christian, if you would, hey, listen, you ought to not even be hanging around in a way that you could get interested in unbelieving of the opposite sex. Hey, if you're a Christian, don't even hang out in singles clubs and singles things like that where there's unbelievers. Amen. You say, oh, that's no, there's going to be a difference between holy and unholy and clean and unclean. Hold your place in 2 Corinthians 6 and let me give you something to chew on. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 7. I'll just let you chew on this and you can give me the answer to it later. You say, to God, even in the New Testament, say there's a difference? Well, look if you would at verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 7. I'm not trying to be unkind tonight. But to the rest, speak I, not the Lord. Somebody says, well, see, then, you know, it's Paul speaking here and it's not the Lord. Holy men of God spake as they were what? Moved by the Holy Ghost. Everything in this book's inspired. For the rest speak I not, not I, but uh uh speak I, not the Lord. If any brother have a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. So you got a situation there in verse 12 where it says, if a brother, that's a saved man, has a wife that doesn't believe, he said, just leave it alone. And if the woman who is uh hath a husband, if the woman who believes has a husband that doesn't believe, and if they're pleased to dwell in it, let them alone. But look at verse 14. For the unbelieving what? Husband is sanctified by the what's the context? The believing wife. Is that right? Come on, yes or no? And the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Who's the what? The brother. So if you would, the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife. The unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband. You say, I got all that. Why don't you chew on this? Else were your children what? Chew on that for a while. You say, what does that mean? But now are they what? You'll see in that scripture that unclean and holy are two uh syntaxes that are talking about if you would, the unclean relates to the holy, or if you would, the unholy. You say, what are you saying? Well, evidently it says this the unbelieving husband sanctified by the believing wife, the unbelieving Wife saying by the believing husband. Else were your children, you say unclean? Yeah, even unholy.

unknown 22:08

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

You say, what are you saying? Well, evidently, God looks at uh looks at uh a marriage where there's two unbelieving people and looks at those children a certain way. You say, oh, there's no difference. You know, God is the God of love and God loves everybody. God does love everybody, and God's son did die for everybody, but God makes a difference in his mind. Somebody says, Well, I don't know. Well, chew on it for a while. Look at it for a while. Meditate on it for a while, study it for a while. Look back at 2 Corinthians chapter 6. Amen. I didn't write it, I'm just reading it. Amen. Oh, you say that's private interpretation. I didn't give you my interpretation, I just said study it. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 14. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteous with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord, that's uh, if you would, being in one accord, hath Christ with Below? And what part hath he that believeth with an what? An infidel. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God, as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Now notice the context of what he says this. Next, verse 17. Wherefore? Because of all those things that we just talked about, wherefore, come out from what? Among them. And be ye what? Say it separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the say it unclean thing. Why? Because he wants that there to be a difference between children of God who are saved in the New Testament of being clean or unclean, and he says, Come out from among them, and don't touch that unclean thing, and I'll receive you.

unknown 23:48

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Fellowship. He shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. That's not talking about working for your salvation. That's talking about after you're saved to have the fellowship with God, to come out and let some things go and stop touching and stop playing around with those things that God would consider unclean. Amen. You know what? Let me just say this. We're not trying to be a user-friendly church. Come on. We're not trying to be a user-friendly church. You say, what's a user-friendly church? A user-friendly church decides what the population wants to hear and then conforms what they preach to what the population wants to hear. We're not in it for that reason. We have a book, it rules us. We do not change it to make us conform to what it says to match our lives. We change our lives to conform to what it says. Now, some people say, I don't like that kind of authority. It's not so much pastor authority, it's book authority. Because I'm under this book just like you are. So he says this come out for a moment and touch not the unclean thing. Look, if you would a little bit further, and notice John chapter 15 and 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Are we doing okay tonight? John chapter 15 and 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Stay with me. Don't get mad yet. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Everything so far has been pretty easy. John 15 and 1 Corinthians 15. In John chapter 15, notice what Jesus says here in verse number 18. John 15, verse 18. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. I'm glad he put that little scripture in there. Amen. You ever get rejected by the world and think, well, man, they rejected him too. You ever have somebody just let you have it for some reason? You go, well, they did the same to Jesus. I'm okay. Verse 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own. Now, wait a minute. Oh, right there. That tells me something. If we're living in a way that's clean and holy, not everybody in the world is going to receive us as his own. But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world does what? Hates you. Look over at John 17 in context, John 17. And notice if you would, brethren, verse 9. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. Notice what he's praying in verse 14. I have given them thy word. And the world hath what? Say it, hateth them. Because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Look what he's praying, verse 15. I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from what? Say it. Evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. And then he says this sanctify them through what? Thy truth. Thy word is what? True. So this book is going to sanctify us, and he's praying right now for us, interceding at the right hand of the Father, not so much that we're taken out of the world because we're salt to this world, but thou should keep us from what? Evil. Look at a principle. Look at 1 Corinthians 15. And let me give you a principle. Stay with me. 1 Corinthians 15. It's such a simple little principle, but it's true. 1 Corinthians 15. Everybody okay tonight? 1 Corinthians 15. Look at what it says in one verse. And this is a good verse to memorize and meditate on. Verse 33. Be not deceived. Evil communications corrupt good manners. Look at that again. Look at it. 1 Corinthians 15. I know it's a little verse, but it says, evil communications corrupt good manners. Let me just give it to you so much simpler than that. Evil corrupts good. Illustration. Lot and his family go where? Go where? Sodom and Gomorrah, is that right? Not everything's holy in Sodom and Gomorrah. Amen? Not everything's clean in Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot goes down there with his family. The principle in the New Testament would say that evil corrupts good. When Lot goes down to Sodom and he's down there for a long period of time, he loses his family. What does he lose it to? Uncleanness, impurity. His sons and his daughters marry in to the people of Sodom, and when God comes by with his angels, if you would, to say, you need to leave this place because I'm going to destroy this place. Lot goes out and tells his children, and they don't believe him. So he leaves with whom? His wife and who? Two daughters. And as they're leaving, the fire comes down and destroys everything down there. And as they're walking away, the wife turns around. Becomes what? Pillar of Song. They go up into the mountain and Lot gets drunk. And out of that comes two of the most hated nations. When there's incest involved up in that cave up there, what I'm telling you is Lot didn't influence Sodom. Sodom influenced Lot. Evil corrupts good. Now wait a minute. I thought we were supposed to give the gospel out. We are. But it's God that cleans them up. Amen? I don't clean them up, you don't clean them up, God cleans them up. Evil has the ability to corrupt good. Samson goes down to Delilah. Samson doesn't change Delilah. Delilah changes Samson. Is that right? I mean, there's a principle in here, and God says, listen, I want you to be separate. I want you to stay away from that which would corrupt you, because there's a principle all the way through this Bible that says those that are trying to do right and trying to do holy is going to be corrupted by those who are going to do evil if they keep company with him. Now I know all the things go on your mind. Well then, if this be true and what he's preaching up there, I can't even go to work. Get the Wednesday night message. There's a difference between working and keeping company. And letting them influence us. We're supposed to be salt, but we're not supposed to lose our saving. Look a little bit further with me. And let's get into something that might be just a little controversial. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Everything I said so far? Easy. Now we're going to. 1 Corinthians 5, stay with me. And I'm not out to hurt anybody. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Now we know we're supposed to stay away from things in the world that would corrupt us. For example, that that that scripture. Mary. And he said to Mary, what? Touch me not. You know why? If she would have touched him, he would have been defiled or unclean from what he had to do as the high priest office. Now stay with me. The concept is simply this we're not supposed to let the uncleanness seep into us and affect us, and we're not supposed to go out and touch it, lest we be. Tainted. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. And by the way, I before I go on, just so I can get this taken care of real quick, pick up also 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Because this way it'll stop anybody from getting in a huff and walking out. If I give you these two scriptures quickly together, it ought to take care of that. Amen? Not trying to burn anybody tonight. That's not the purpose. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. I am trying to burn something into us. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Now, in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7. Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a what? A new lump. Well, why should I do that? Because of verse 6. Know ye not that a little what? Leaven leaveneth the whole lump. That's evil corrupting good. Then he goes on down to say, verse 9, with that context. I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to company with who? That means we're not supposed to have companions that are fornicators. Is that right? Hey, you men on that ship, your best friend ought not to be a fornicator. Amen. Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous or extortions, or with thy dollars, for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep what? Say it, company. If a man, any man that is called a what? Brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one, no not to eat. You say, well, what's he talking about? He doesn't want us to keep company with those who call themselves a brother, with those that are a Christian brother or sister, that are out giving themselves to fornication and covetousness and idolatry and railing and drunkenness and extortion. Amen? Why? Because he wants there to be a difference between the clean and the unclean and the holy and the unholy, whether they call themselves Christians or not. Now somebody says, well, you know, I just, where's the love in that? I'll make a statement. God never intended for any type of, if you would, the type of thing of where Christians separate themselves to destroy the other Christian. Hold your place in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Stay with me. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. And look at it, if you would, in verse 14. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, what are we supposed to do? Note that man, and have no what? Company with him, that he may be destroyed. No, it doesn't say that. That he may be what? Ashamed, yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a what? Admonish means to gently warn. But please look up here. I heard this illustration, I like it. We're in no way, shape, or form supposed to use these type of standards and ideals to go out and destroy a brother or a sister. But the Bible does say if someone is not obeying the word of God, then note that man and don't have company with him. Why? It'd be kind of like this. And I like, I heard a preacher say this once, and I like the illustration. If someone's sinking in the quicksand, we would be ignorant to go over and say, Oh, I want to commune with you, I want to help you, and jump in with them. Well, I just want to relate to you and I want to have fellowship with you. And as we're both sinking, better for the person in the quickstand to stay on solid footing and reach out to help him out of the quickstand or help her out of the quickstand, but to stay on solid footing. And not to jump out in whatever in there sinking in, whether it be fornication or extortion or covetousness or idolatry or whatever it is, not to jump in there with them, but to stay on solid ground and say, I can't come in there. I've got to stay apart from that, but I will help you out if you want to come out, if you want to get clean, I want to help you. May I say this? If your children grow up as adults and they jump into the quicksand, a parent would be foolish to jump in with those children. Come on. Love them, yes. Help them, yes. Jump in with them and go out and get drunk with them? No! Absolutely not. Pray for them? Fast for them? Yes. But when you jump in with them, or if I jump in with them, they're gonna look and say, there's no difference between me and you. Give them a reason to come out. Give them a place to come out to. Give them a person to come out to. So the idea is never destruction. But please look up here. It is admonishing, correction, that they be ashamed. Look back in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Stay with me. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 11. But now I've written unto you, not to keep company. Verse 11. If any man that is called a what? Say it? A brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, a drunkard, or extortioner, with such an one know not to eat. Now, I mean, you may be in here tonight and you maybe say, well, you know what, uh man, uh, I just don't like that attitude. I didn't write it. I'm just reading it. In fact, he goes on in verse 13, but them that are without God judges, therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. May I say this to you? Say, well, that's that's that's kind of rough. You ought to read the Old Testament. If a member of the congregation got involved in fornication, what'd they do? They stoned them. If a member of the congregation in the Old Testament railed on their parents, if a if a son railed on his mother or his father, what were they to do? Stone them. I don't advocate that. We're under grace. But we ought to not run around with them. We ought to not fellowship with them. Meet with them, try to help them, yeah. But not keep long-term company with them. Why? Evil corrupts good. Evil corrupts good. Leaven leavens the lump. Leaven leavens the lump. The salt loses its savor. I'll give you an illustration. You wouldn't know who I'm talking about, guarantee you. A few years ago in our church, a man that I was personally working with, doing great. Man, he was coming along. Started going soul winning, winning people to Christ, began to study to learn how to preach, just got on fire for God, coming to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. I mean, he was at every function and doing all great and everything, going soul winning a couple times a week and just excited. A guy he uh met in the church was kind of on the fringe and kind of in that lukewarm status and had some things going on, and he came to me and said, Boy, we've just hooked up and I'm trying to help him. And I said this to him I said, Be careful, make sure you're strong enough. So, not knowing what was going on and not following people around and checking out their lives, which I don't do, they started going out together and running together, and and I didn't know, and evidently for a while everything was fine. But it ended up later that this man that was hot for the Lord, I noticed he wasn't coming soul winning as much, and he wasn't coming to church as much, and I thought it had something to do maybe with his job. But I found out later what had happened was they had decided to move in together. And they moved in together and they became, I guess you would call them Christian bachelors. And it wasn't too long later, as this man who used to be hot for Lord related to me later, he said, You don't know what we did. I got involved in this and I got involved in that. You say, How do you know all that? Because just about every six to eight to nine months, this man calls me and he says, I gotta get back. I gotta get back. I gotta get back. I said, Well, come on back. About six months later, I gotta get back. I gotta get back. You know what happened? He started keeping company with with that who was not living in a practical basis, holiness. He started keeping company with a man who was, if you would, somewhat of a drunkard. Even though saved doesn't mean Christian. Christian means Christ-like. Saved means forgiven. I know people, and it's within all of our capabilities to be saved, but not Christian. And he got involved. And he related to me later, the parties with the women and all the rest of that stuff. And now for almost five years, every six to seven to eight months, he calls me and says, I gotta get back. I gotta get back. You say you're condemning him? Absolutely not. But I'm not going out in the quicksand with him. And he knows that there's solid footing right here. He knows that. What was his problem? Little leaven. Leaven to love. Say, that's a hard say. I know we're not supposed to keep company with the world.

SPEAKER_00 43:40

I'm telling you, if a person who is saved, your best friend, pray for him, fast for him, try to help him, but don't follow them away from God's will.

SPEAKER_01 43:57

I'm telling you tonight, you might have a best friend come. And if they get twisted, become railers. Start railing on Christianity, on the church. Better be careful. Little leaven. Evil communication corrupts what? Say it. Good manners. And it'll start seeping in. It's like a poison. I can't tell you how many times over the years. You say, preacher, what are you, why are you preaching this tonight? I don't know why I'm preaching it tonight, but it's the right message. You say, well, what happens when that happens? You try to help them, you do the best you can, but there comes a point in time where if you were you're instead with them and having good fellowship, there comes a point in time where you say, if you're going to continue to go that way, we can't go any farther. We've got to draw a line right here. We're staying right here.

SPEAKER_00 44:58

We're going to be here if you ever come back. We'll be your friends again. We'll be everything to you again. But we're not going any farther into that slander.

SPEAKER_01 45:08

We're not going to get a bad attitude and lose the power of God. That doesn't mean you count them as an enemy. Doesn't mean you say, turn them over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. It's ridiculous. That means you stop. Why? That they might be ashamed. Why? Please look up here. There's a difference between clean and unclean. And holy and unholy. If you're thinking I'm talking about self-righteousness, you're wrong. I am talking about, listen to me, I am talking about obedience. Simple obedience. That's all. This church is. Hey, may I say something to you? We uh I guess in some ways we might be a little different than some of the quote-unquote things that are going on out there in quote-unquote Christianity. You know, uh Jesus said to beware of the leaven of the what? Pharisees and the Sadducees. And that leaven he was talking about, beware of the what? The doctor. Is that right? Do we have to turn there? Mark it down if you need to sometime. Matthew 16. Don't turn it out. He said, beware of the leaven of the who? The Pharisees and the. And he spoke of their doctrine. He said, Be careful of that. Brother, no, you gotta understand something as a church with the concept of this evil communication corrupts good manners. Let's say that in the community, there's gonna be this big uh citywide campaign down at the stadium, and the issue is going to be abortion. Now, I don't know about you and what you stand and what you believe, but I'm personally against abortion. Because I believe it's a scriptural basis of opinion. Stay with me. So all the quote-unquote Christian community is gonna go down there, and they're all gonna have this big, huge rally against abortion. I am not gonna lead this church to go. Let me say it again. I am not gonna lead this church to go. If you want to go, that's totally up to you, but I'm not gonna lead this church to go. Why? Because down at that rally, there will be heresy. The ecumenical crowd's gonna get together. And down there, there's gonna be people standing off to the side, and they're gonna be down there. Some of them are gonna be clutching a rosary and they're gonna be praying to Mary. There's gonna be others over on this other side, and they're gonna be over there clutching something and praying in tongues. Amen. And may I say, both prayers are heard equally by God. Or not heard equally. Amen. Oh, you say you're unkind. No, I'm just telling you, that's gonna go on. And if we go down there and start, you know, kind of getting around, sooner or later, we're gonna all join hands and sing kumbaya. Is that right? Yes or no? And if we're not careful, what's gonna happen then is some of our people are gonna become friends with this one over here praying in tongues, and I'll guarantee you, you won't stop them from praying in tongues, but they'll get you to the place where you say, Well, I gotta do that to be closer to God. Amen. So I won't lead you to that. Why? Because there's gotta be a difference between holy and unholy. It's like, oh, you shouldn't judge them that way. There's gotta be a difference between those who walk with God according to the scriptures and those who don't.

SPEAKER_00 48:37

We're not going by experience, we're going by book. We're not looking at this book and saying, I've had this experience, so the Bible means this. We're looking at this book and judging our experience and saying, No, my experience, throw it out!

SPEAKER_01 48:54

Amen. You say, well, you know what? You you know, you guys just sound like you're just anti-everything. We're not anti-everything. It says, be is separate. Come out from among them. You say, well, that's the world. But I see there where it says we need to be careful with the leaven. So whatever the next movement is, and there's gonna be many.

unknown 49:18

Oh, yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 49:19

If you are around Christianity 10, 15, 20 years, it goes movement after movement, issue after issue. And sooner or later they're saying, Well, that church down there, you know, they're just Pharisees because they don't ever come in and join in. We're not going to a Christian rock concert. We're just not gonna do it. If you go, that's strictly up to you, but I'm not leading you there. Up to you what you do in your private life. Hey, listen, let me just say this. I'll just say it. Okay, I will. Please let me say this, and this is not in the flesh, it is in my notes. And I prayed everything about what's on that page. And I've crossed some things out, believe me. Stay with me. What goes on with your children in your home is totally up to you. I'm not going to come and invade your home and check out your headship because you are the head of your home. And you guide your children the way you want them to be guided, and I'm not coming into your home and scrutinizing you. All I have is a little time of influence, and that's all I have. But you are the head of your home, and what goes on in your home is your business. I am not Lord over God's heritage. Obviously, if it begins to affect the church, then I might get involved. But may I say this? I respect you as the head of the home. I was just thinking, we're going to have this teen parents meeting tonight. You know what's going to happen in a couple months from now? A large number of teens that are your children are going to get into a group that is organized and operated by this church and get on buses that are paid for by this church, which you are part of. And they're going to go on a function for seven or eight days as a church function. Now, may I say this? Just like I don't invade your home as your headship, when there is pastoral authority and pastoral decisions as to standards, and as to what they can do and they can't do when they get on our buses to go with us as a group up to that function, let the leaders lead and let the leaders decide what the standards ought to be, and you support it. Just like I give you respect and dignity, you give those leaders respect and dignity, and don't go against what they're saying is going to be the standards and the requirements. When they get into those hotels' remote, if the leader says they're not turning on the TV, they're not turning it on.

SPEAKER_00 51:55

Instead of going to my home, I let them turn on. In your home, do what you want to do. But when you let them come with us for seven days, they're under our authority.

SPEAKER_01 52:05

And we're not going to usurp yours authority. If we say these are the dress standards, then conform to us.

SPEAKER_00 52:16

If we say there's not going to be radios or there's not going to be Christian rock or there's not going to be that, then disagree with it.

SPEAKER_01 52:25

There ought to be respect for pastoral leadership. But when they get off that bus, they're yours. Well, you say, when they get on that bus, they're mine too. They're still yours, but you are granting us the authority over them while they're gone. Amen, amen, amen. You say, well, I got a problem with that. Well then talk with the leadership. Talk with the leadership. But you know what I find? It's not the teams that are the problem.

SPEAKER_00 52:58

Let them go! Let them conform! Even if they fake it, they'll go. And some of them will come back and say, I'm not doing that anymore. You turn my son or my daughter into a fanatic. Good!

SPEAKER_01 53:34

There ought to be a difference between the clean and the unclean. And the holy and the unholy, but we ought to not flaunt it and destroy people with it. Did you hear me? You know I'd never preach this message on Sunday morning. You say, well, why not? You scared? It has nothing to do with scare. It has to do with expediency. You feed people with milk at times and not with meat, for hitherto they're not able to bear it. But every once in a while it's good to just say, hey, there's a reason behind what we're doing. What we say and what we do and what we wear and where we go. By the way, I don't check you out, I don't scrutinize you. You don't know how much grace I think we have in our church. We let people grow. And I know people hurt from time to time, but it's not intended that way. Let me say it again. It's not intended to hurt. It's intended to make sure there is a difference. You pass by four or five user-friendly churches to get here. I'm not saying go there. Keep passing them by. Because I'll tell you what, when our teens go down to the streets, which they did on Friday night, and when they come to our teen activity, they're going to look like a boy is going to look like a man. When they come to our teen activity, now wait a minute, I'm not saying what they do in your home. But when they come to our teen activity, they're not going to have shaggy hair down to their shoulders. Amen. And a little ear in their earbob in their ear. Not at our teen meeting. And when the girls come, they're not going to look like the bride of Frankenstein. Amen. Like they're made up for a worldly Halloween. It's not going to happen. We've worked hard. And by the way, most of them go through those phases, and after a while they look on it as childish. And they're glad somebody helped them on through. Amen. Amen. I've seen teen groups. The guys and the gals are all hanging all over each other. Holding on each other. This is my boyfriend, and you know it's okay in our group as long as we don't. It's not the captain of our group. I'm not trying to hurt anybody. My marriage isn't perfect. My children aren't perfect. My walk isn't perfect. But I'm not giving up on perfection. There's got to be a difference. How would the world know if there's not? They would look at us and say, no difference. I'd rather them look at us and say, look at that team group down there. Man, look at them. They look old-fashioned, sharp, clean. Look at them. Let's go over and see what they got to say. Our children go on a field trip. They went on a field trip to the courthouse. We got a letter back. They were so disciplined. That was normal to our group. They had uniforms on. They walked. They said, Yes, sir, and yes, ma'am. There ought to be a difference. It starts in our homes. But it needs to start from the pulpit, too. And go out from here. Come out from among you. Be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the what? Unclean thing. May I say this? Not only should we not touch it, we ought to not let it touch us. Come on now. I'll give you one last scripture I heard a man preach on. I'll never forget the scripture. I'll never forget the message. One last scripture. Look at Haggai. Never forget the scripture. Never forget the message. And we're coming in for a landing. Haggai. Joe, I'm sorry that the preaching tonight was so liberal. Haggai chapter 2. Honey, where's Patty? Patty, did I say everything you wanted me to say? Make sure you see Joe afterwards, amen? By the way, if you're getting us on tape, that's Joe Del Ria that I'm talking about. Haggai chapter 2. Welcome to the Lighthouse, Brother Joe. Haggai chapter 2. Notice and we'll finish. Look at verse 11. I'll never forget the message. I'll never forget the preacher. I'll never forget the illustration. Thus saith the Lord of hosts. Ask now who? The priest. Concerning what? The law, saying, Ask those priests. They know it. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt doth touch bread or pottage or wine or oil or meat, shall it be holy? And the priest answered and said, No. And said, Haggai, if one of that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priest answered and said, It shall be what? Unclean. Then answered Haggai and said, So is this people. And so is this nation before me, saith the Lord. What was going on? The prophet was prophesying to the nation of Israel, saying, You know what? You've touched the unclean, and then you've let the unclean touch you. Get back and walk like you're supposed to walk. And tonight, all this message is for those of you who are walking and trying to live a life that's separated, keep doing it. Keep doing it. Keep doing it. Keep doing it. But don't be a Pharisee about it. And for those of y'all that are still coming out, and for those of us who are still trying to come out a little bit more, keep coming. You say, but they don't like me now. They didn't like Jesus either. But look around. There's a lot of other people that are trying to do the same as you are. And be what God wants them to be and be pleasing in his sight. Let's all stand. Don't leave. Don't go back, please. Don't go out the back door, please. Just all stand. Please look up here, everybody. It takes a group of people. Not so much that we are identically alike, because, brethren, we're not, and I'm not trying to clone you. We're never gonna all be exactly alike. Please look up here at me. We're never all gonna have exactly the same standards. We're never always gonna have exactly the same opinions of what should be done or shouldn't be done. But we ought to be trying to make our opinions and our decisions based on trying to get closer to God and walk in a way that would please Him. And every once in a while it's good for even those of us who've been around five, ten, fifteen, twenty years to look at our lives and say, am I touching something I shouldn't? Or am I letting something touch me that I shouldn't? Am I letting something go on that I shouldn't, or am I getting around people too much that has some things going on and is influencing me? Where am I at? There ought to be a difference in my life between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the unholy. Because, brethren, please look up here. If the salt loses its savor, its saltiness, how in the world is this earth gonna know that God's made a difference in our life? And why in the world would they want something that they don't have to do anything to change? They don't see any difference. There's no reason. Why do I want to be like you? Look at you. You're no different than me. Brother, you know what we gotta do? Without flaunting it, we gotta let them know there's a peace that passes all understanding in living a life that's separated under God. And that it's better than this world has to offer. And we've got some joy and we're happy about it. And when we we come to church on Sunday night, it wasn't a dragon, oh yeah, I had to go to church and hear that guy screaming again. If that's the way you feel and you go out of here, don't tell the world that.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:46

Go out of earth and say, man, you ought to be going to church last night. Mamma, do we have a service? Oh, I tell you what, that was exciting. That was more important than a guy hitting a baseball. It was more exciting than what was going on in the world. Man, I got something that's gonna help me for eternity. Would you like to come next week?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:05

Jesus did his works, and people began to gather around him. And they wanted to be like him. Because he was different than the Pharisees and the religious crowd. We read about it in Luke tonight, and the people wanted to follow him. We need to be his ambassador in his stead down here, instead of him doing his work.