WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:03.120 Invite you to Second Corinthians 6 is where we are together. 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:04.380 Second Corinthians 6. 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:09.620 As we dive further into this passage of scripture, beautiful book of the Bible. 00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:17.020 I love, love, the book of Second Corinthians and the how frank Paul is in living his life in light of Christ and giving us 00:00:17.020 --> 00:00:24.420 an inside picture of what he endured in his ministry in order to glorify Jesus and 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:26.860 bless others for the sake of the Gospel. 00:00:27.540 --> 00:00:34.600 And it's a reminder to us that when we serve the Lord, that serving the Lord is not always an easy road to walk, that there is there 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:36.440 is a cost that comes along with that. 00:00:36.860 --> 00:00:43.980 But what God ends up doing through our lives as we surrender to Him as a beautiful ministry and a beautiful work for the sake of the Gospel, to 00:00:43.980 --> 00:00:44.970 the benefit of others. 00:00:45.760 --> 00:00:49.500 And Paul's reminded us in the Chapter five. 00:00:49.540 --> 00:00:54.080 Chapter six, if you remember, was we got to the end of Chapter five, verses 17 and on. 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:57.260 Paul talks about creating, creating within us a new work. 00:00:57.300 --> 00:01:01.740 You literally become a new creation in Christ and the old has passed away. 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:03.790 All things have become new in Jesus. 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:11.480 And God gives you this new identity in chapter 20, where you're an ambassador and you're bringing about this work of reconciliation, where 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:17.040 it's acknowledging that this world is not reconciled to God, that there is sin that separates us from God. 00:01:17.460 --> 00:01:24.620 But God has created you as a new creation, sent you out as an ambassador to call people into this ministry of reconciliation where they can have a relationship with 00:01:24.700 --> 00:01:26.920 God to things, things to what Christ has done. 00:01:27.220 --> 00:01:34.360 And verse 21 reminds us of that he became sin, who newness in Jesus became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God 00:01:34.360 --> 00:01:34.820 in Him. 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:41.460 Literally, Christ takes our sin that we might take on the righteousness of Christ so that when God looks at us, He sees the perfection of Jesus. 00:01:42.160 --> 00:01:49.240 When the Lord looks at you this morning, He doesn't want you to sit in your shame and your suffering because your shame and your guilt, as you 00:01:49.240 --> 00:01:56.600 say, because or we could talk about suffering, but especially your shame and guilt because God has reconciled what is separated you from him. 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.600 When Jesus covers your sin, he covers past, present and future. 00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:06.720 If you want a verse for that Hebrews chapter ten versus 12 to 14, when Jesus paid for your sin, he paid for all of it. 00:02:06.720 --> 00:02:09.810 Jesus said in John 1930, It is, it is finished. 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:15.310 And so God is doing this beautiful work in you, and God wants to do this beautiful work through you. 00:02:15.760 --> 00:02:21.900 But Paul reminds us in the second Corinthians Chapter six, that with that there is there is a cost. 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:27.100 If you look in verse eight, he reminded us of just that struggle we might experience. 00:02:27.160 --> 00:02:28.300 There's honor, yes. 00:02:28.300 --> 00:02:29.220 But there's also dishonor. 00:02:29.380 --> 00:02:35.420 There's slander and praise treated as imposters and yet as true unknown, yet known, dying. 00:02:35.420 --> 00:02:42.920 And yet we live punished and yet not killed, sorrowful, yet rejoicing in verse ten poor yet making many rich. 00:02:43.420 --> 00:02:48.430 So he's acknowledging that before the Lord there is this beautiful position that we have. 00:02:48.440 --> 00:02:53.280 But from the perspective of the world, there is this the sacrifice that is that is made. 00:02:54.220 --> 00:03:01.000 There is a battle and a struggle to follow after Christ in this world and a cost. 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:09.310 The costs contempt us to compromise. 00:03:10.260 --> 00:03:17.440 Every day we're faced with those sort of temptations that your identity and Jesus is something different and other than 00:03:17.440 --> 00:03:19.360 what the systems of this world might offer. 00:03:20.980 --> 00:03:28.060 And your everyday decisions, you have the opportunity to glorify Christ through that or to compromise that 00:03:28.060 --> 00:03:30.180 position for the things of this world. 00:03:31.720 --> 00:03:38.940 And this is where Paul brings us to in the message this morning is Paul wants to discuss for us how to live 00:03:38.940 --> 00:03:43.740 with an uncompromised conviction for the sake of Christ. 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:51.500 Paul sees the calling of Christians as important, and rather than wanting them to or seeing them compromise in that, 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:52.800 Paul wants them to live differently. 00:03:52.980 --> 00:03:58.300 And so he starts in the second Corinthians, chapter six, verse 11, saying this We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. 00:03:59.440 --> 00:04:00.660 Our heart is wide open. 00:04:01.700 --> 00:04:05.980 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:08.860 In return, I speak to you as children. 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:11.160 Widen your hearts also. 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:18.339 When Paul gives us this phrase, he's giving us this line as one from a place of pain. 00:04:19.700 --> 00:04:26.080 He's pouring out his life and he's doing everything that God has given him the ability to do in order to love the Corinthian church. 00:04:27.140 --> 00:04:29.620 And the Corinthian church is a messed up church. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:34.840 In fact, there's a book called The Corinthian Catastrophe that just talks about all the New Testament churches. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.850 If you want to talk about one of the churches that was really messed up, it's the Church of Corinth. 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:47.320 And Paul has just continuing to lay down his life and to love them unconditionally and to not let that 00:04:47.320 --> 00:04:47.900 go. 00:04:47.900 --> 00:04:54.550 An he's asking the same thing from the Church of Corinth, yet they're not reciprocating in that same love towards him. 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:04.180 And Paul is in this passage talking about how significant that is for the body of Christ as they work together as a community, that they would have this 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:10.700 mutual concern for the well-being of one another as they live their lives, for the glory of God as a community for Christ. 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:19.780 What's interesting is, as Paul is talking about, his heart being open in their heart being open towards him or encouraging their heart to be open towards him, 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:22.660 the literal Greek translation actually doesn't say heart. 00:05:23.640 --> 00:05:26.550 Well, Paul actually says is this is interesting. 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:28.680 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. 00:05:28.940 --> 00:05:30.560 Our bowels are wide open. 00:05:30.640 --> 00:05:31.680 That's all Paul says. 00:05:31.820 --> 00:05:33.750 And then he says, and your bowels seem restricted. 00:05:34.300 --> 00:05:38.440 And so you need to have a better bowel response, a better bowel movement, a verse 13. 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:40.840 In return, widen your bowels also. 00:05:41.910 --> 00:05:44.610 That's kind of gross so we translate it a little differently. 00:05:47.260 --> 00:05:52.900 We don't like to talk about our bowels or especially in public settings. 00:05:53.020 --> 00:05:54.480 That's an uncomfortable conversation. 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:55.400 That's something for you. 00:05:55.460 --> 00:05:56.720 Get a little retired in life. 00:05:56.780 --> 00:05:58.760 Maybe that's something you might achieve as a success. 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:00.920 Those kind of those kind of things. 00:06:01.520 --> 00:06:01.640 But. 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:01.960 But. 00:06:03.520 --> 00:06:05.480 What Paul's interested in here. 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:09.720 It's for the church to respond. 00:06:11.420 --> 00:06:13.220 In a Christ like way, right? 00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:16.600 Paul calls the church to love him. 00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:25.300 And I think what's important to recognize here is the reason or motivation behind why Paul asks them to do this. 00:06:26.520 --> 00:06:28.780 And it's not because Paul feels inadequate. 00:06:30.840 --> 00:06:36.090 Church, I really love you, and I don't feel really important, and I need you to make me feel important. 00:06:36.440 --> 00:06:40.360 And so in order to make me feel important, I want you to love me too. 00:06:40.400 --> 00:06:44.900 Rather, what Paul is saying is, look, I've already found myself content in Christ. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:49.700 I find my identity shaped in Jesus. 00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:58.660 But what Paul wants the church to recognize is that by not listening, by not listening to the apostle Paul there, they're cutting themselves off 00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:01.920 from the very words of the Lord because Paul's been sent out as an apostle. 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:07.300 And to reject the Apostle Paul is to reject the message of Christ. 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:16.160 And so Paul sees the importance of unity in their relationship for the sake of the message that God has called him to share with the Church of Corinth. 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:25.140 And so therefore, in order to receive that message and communicate that with each other and to live as a community for Christ, they need to 00:07:25.140 --> 00:07:26.090 understand what God says. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:32.200 And so that relationship becomes paramount to experiencing what God desires for that people. 00:07:33.760 --> 00:07:36.280 As they live for his glory. 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:38.490 There's an old African proverb. 00:07:38.880 --> 00:07:43.500 Maybe you've heard me share it before, but it says this If you want to go fast, go alone. 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:45.830 But if you want to go far. 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:48.080 Go together. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:59.360 How important it is for God's people to live on mission, not not as an isolated individual, but as an uncompromised 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:00.200 community. 00:08:00.200 --> 00:08:06.980 And so point number one in your blank, if you want to if you want to live with an uncompromised conviction for Christ, what we need to do is to do that together. 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:07.320 So. 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.400 So number one is to be united in the Lord. 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:13.660 Be united in the Lord. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:15.040 Your heart wide open. 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:22.640 When we think about this idea of unity, I think it's important to say this. 00:08:22.700 --> 00:08:26.720 Look, as God's people, we're not calling for unity for the sake of unity. 00:08:27.060 --> 00:08:28.100 The goal isn't unity. 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:29.860 The goal is to glorify God. 00:08:29.880 --> 00:08:35.740 And sometimes if you're not careful when people talk about unity, the whole motive behind their unity is just simply unity. 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:38.460 And unity by itself cannot stand. 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:43.100 The whole point of unity is what's driven for the purpose of that unity. 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:47.400 Unity, eventually, for the sake of unity, will fall because there's nothing motivating it. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:51.910 And so when Paul is talking about unity here, he's not talking about unity for the sake of the unity. 00:08:52.160 --> 00:08:55.740 He's talking about unity for the cause of Christ, which are called to as a community together. 00:08:57.860 --> 00:09:05.160 And then there's Paul's understanding of this passage of Scripture is that, look, I care the message of Christ as his as his apostle into this world. 00:09:05.380 --> 00:09:08.620 And so the message that I carry is sacred and important. 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:11.380 And so to deny me is to deny the very message of Christ. 00:09:11.700 --> 00:09:13.800 And we need to strive together for this cause. 00:09:16.280 --> 00:09:21.940 You see this passage, we realize, as Paul is talking about, the importance of unity. 00:09:21.940 --> 00:09:24.150 He's also recognizing that it's not perfect. 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:27.420 It's not perfect. 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:32.380 Meaning meaning as God's people, we don't step into a community. 00:09:32.800 --> 00:09:37.240 And if things don't go the way we want, just say to ourselves, Oh, well, we gave it a shot and move on. 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:46.140 Rather, what Paul is acknowledging is that because we are individuals and all of us have different wants and needs within life, that 00:09:46.140 --> 00:09:47.450 we don't always strive together. 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:54.540 And so it's important for the sake of the gospel that we work towards striving for what God calls us to do as his community in this 00:09:54.540 --> 00:09:57.620 pursuit, that it takes intentional effort. 00:10:01.420 --> 00:10:02.560 That an ineffective Christian. 00:10:05.780 --> 00:10:07.340 Is one who is often isolated. 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:11.000 And content to be simply divided. 00:10:14.400 --> 00:10:20.920 But a Christian that will make a difference is one that dives into community to be a part of what God is calling them to do collectively. 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:30.320 It's something I regularly like to encourage us in the state of Utah as this state has become since 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:32.720 2004, a very transient state. 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:39.740 Since 2004, our population has grown average by about 54,000 people every year, 1000 people a week added 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:40.940 to the state of Utah. 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:43.680 People come in, people go out pretty regularly. 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:46.560 Half of you probably are from California, right? 00:10:46.900 --> 00:10:51.140 This is how this how our state is operated, especially as of as of recent. 00:10:51.140 --> 00:10:58.180 But I want you to know, and this is very important if you just see if Utah is a new place to you or if 00:10:58.520 --> 00:11:04.610 Christ is a new position that you're in life, you find yourself as in Jesus as a new creation. 00:11:04.800 --> 00:11:11.540 And you've never even been a part of a church family before taking time to invest in communities so sacred to what God wants us to accomplish together. 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:13.460 And it takes time. 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:16.590 It takes time, but it's got to be done intentionally. 00:11:17.380 --> 00:11:24.500 In fact, statistics say when you move into a new area, it takes about 2 to 3 years before you feel like you're able to put your roots 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:27.260 down and the people around you feel more like family or familiar. 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:30.980 Investing in community. 00:11:32.380 --> 00:11:36.630 Now, certainly you can fast track that and you can be a little more intentional in the way that you spend time. 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:38.400 But on average, that's about what it takes. 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:46.280 And when you think about what God wants us to accomplish on mission together, how much more important that is, especially in this valley that we strive for that as God's 00:11:46.280 --> 00:11:46.580 people. 00:11:48.060 --> 00:11:51.660 To be united in the Lord. 00:11:53.220 --> 00:12:00.260 When I think about what Alpine Bible Church has represented over the years, because I realize our beginnings, God has just done just a beautiful 00:12:00.260 --> 00:12:04.740 thing and seeing a church building in our and our city. 00:12:04.800 --> 00:12:10.020 This is the only freestanding church building that a mainstream Christian church owns within our community. 00:12:10.020 --> 00:12:14.120 And it's a beautiful, sacred thing as a pillar and a lighthouse here in our valley. 00:12:14.280 --> 00:12:21.560 And with each year that we have done ministry here and we're still a fairly new church, but with each ministry, each year we've done ministry 00:12:21.560 --> 00:12:25.320 here, God continues to just expand the opportunities that we have. 00:12:26.820 --> 00:12:33.900 It was even the last couple of weeks I just mentioned in the beginning just seeing a missions camp where we had people from all over the United States come here to learn about 00:12:33.900 --> 00:12:36.010 how to reach people in the state of Utah. 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:43.160 We had seven different states here and then our food pantry run regularly and then Vacation Bible School that we had just 00:12:43.160 --> 00:12:43.460 this week. 00:12:43.760 --> 00:12:46.120 I think we had a little over 80 kids participate in that. 00:12:47.180 --> 00:12:47.930 I mean, it's incredible. 00:12:49.260 --> 00:12:56.360 To see what God is doing and what God is continuing to do and just our hopes and plans for the future, which I'll 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:59.120 share some of that with you as we get towards the later part of the summer. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:06.270 But it's a beautiful work, and the only reason those things are able to happen is because God has brought a community and in that community there is cooperation. 00:13:06.680 --> 00:13:11.040 And with our cooperation, it expands our opportunity to do more for the sake of the Gospel in our valley. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:14.190 But you've got to be committed. 00:13:15.900 --> 00:13:16.260 To work together. 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:22.660 And Paul's acknowledging in the story and in sometimes sometimes it takes effort on our part. 00:13:24.140 --> 00:13:26.700 Because we don't always work well sometimes. 00:13:28.260 --> 00:13:28.780 Sometimes there's conflict. 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:31.140 Sometimes there's differences. 00:13:33.140 --> 00:13:34.200 But for the sake of the gospel. 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:37.580 And by the way, I'm not saying any of this thinking that we've got any arguments happening in our church. 00:13:38.300 --> 00:13:43.720 I mean, I hear sometimes other horror stories of what happens in communities for the Lord. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:51.440 And to this point, I still drop to my knees and say, thank you, Jesus, for how gracious he's been to us over the years. 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:58.260 Because just as a community, we've really worked well together and kept our eyes on what God desires to do in us and through us. 00:13:58.260 --> 00:13:58.820 So be united. 00:13:59.020 --> 00:14:00.530 Point number two, let me move on. 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:02.830 As be distinct. 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.220 Be distinct from the things of this world. 00:14:06.280 --> 00:14:07.300 He goes on and he says this. 00:14:08.260 --> 00:14:11.020 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.040 I'll just let me stop there and I'll read the rest of it in just a minute. 00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:19.180 But I want you to know, verse 14, this opening thought. 00:14:19.180 --> 00:14:20.710 Do not be on the equal yoke with unbelievers. 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:29.400 The rest of versus 14, 15 and 16 are intended to elevate just that phrase. 00:14:29.420 --> 00:14:29.660 Right. 00:14:29.780 --> 00:14:33.900 He wants us to think through what that phrase means for us. 00:14:34.160 --> 00:14:41.260 And then he goes on even further in the second half of verse 16, 17, 18, he quotes some Old Testament passages to reiterate that phrase in 00:14:41.260 --> 00:14:43.440 verse 14, do not be unequally yoke with unbelievers. 00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:51.130 And the question we should ask then is since since all of these verses from verse 14 down to verse 18 is intended to highlight that statement. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:52.520 What does the statement mean? 00:14:53.680 --> 00:14:59.320 Do not be an equally unequally dwelt visually and automatically. 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:03.000 You can start to picture what it means to be yoked or not. 00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:03.700 You personally. 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:04.120 But what? 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:06.640 What it looks for an animal to be yoked. 00:15:06.640 --> 00:15:13.720 Like if you're if you're a farmer and you've got a plow, a field and you've got to put two animals together, could you imagine if the if the farmer was to take like a, I 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:20.780 don't know, a donkey and an ox and put try to put them together to plow a field or even a horse in an ox or I don't know, we could get 00:15:20.780 --> 00:15:21.540 crazy with this. 00:15:21.560 --> 00:15:22.960 An elephant and a dog, I don't know. 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:26.120 But could you imagine just how disproportionate that would be? 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:28.780 I mean, certain animals would just be dangling there. 00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:35.800 And if and if your yoke doesn't fit right on the animals, if you have two animals that walk at a different pace and they're at a different 00:15:35.800 --> 00:15:42.350 size and they're placed within this yoke to plow together, it'll at the very least, start to rub you raw. 00:15:42.560 --> 00:15:43.980 But it could cause pain. 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:44.710 It could create sores. 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:46.700 It could even break a neck. 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:55.880 And so to be unequally yoked is to have a goal in mind, but really not to be able to achieve the goal because you got two people together 00:15:55.880 --> 00:16:00.620 that are two things together that will not effectively reach or attain what you're pursuing. 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:04.120 And if they do it, they'll just irritate each other and maybe possibly even kill one another. 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:09.180 And surpassing do not be unequally yoked. 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:16.800 You know, one of the interesting things, Matthew or Mark, Mark, chapter six, verse three, it refers to Jesus within that 00:16:17.180 --> 00:16:22.940 the passage as the carpenter, Jesus, the carpenters, son of Mary. 00:16:23.900 --> 00:16:25.520 He talks about Jesus being a carpenter. 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:33.210 And one of the words that He uses for Jesus is the same word that we get the word for technical or technology, 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:34.800 that word for Carpenter. 00:16:34.940 --> 00:16:36.900 There's a few different words you could use for Carpenter. 00:16:38.020 --> 00:16:39.370 There's a general carpenter. 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:44.160 But in terms of Jesus, they use this word for a technical carpenter. 00:16:45.180 --> 00:16:50.200 And it gives us the idea that whatever Jesus was in carpentry and people speculate a little bit as to what he could be. 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:51.540 And I don't want to get into all of it. 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:58.700 But one possibility that Jesus could have been as a as a finesse carpenter, very specific 00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:05.720 in a set of skills in order to produce what it was he decided to produce for his family and his 00:17:06.060 --> 00:17:06.960 carpentry work. 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:12.079 And some people think and speculate that he might have even been a master craftsman at creating yokes. 00:17:13.280 --> 00:17:16.339 In fact, the Matthew 11 Jesus says to me, Come to come to me. 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:22.740 All of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you because it's light and the burden is easy. 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:30.580 And Jesus is saying, I know how to create what it is that you're intended for to help you live out that calling. 00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:33.400 So don't take these religious yokes around me. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:34.280 Come listen to me. 00:17:34.520 --> 00:17:38.690 I have designed the perfect yoke for you to carry out the mission for which you have been called in Christ Jesus. 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:45.870 And it gives the idea that maybe as a carpenter, that was one of the things Jesus might have perfected, is this idea of shaping a yoke perfectly. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:53.760 When you think about the types of animals that might be pulling up a cloud, intending to shape that yoke, to fit that animal, it becomes important 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:58.360 because you want that animal to be able to plow that entire field and you don't want them to be rubbed raw. 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:04.260 You want him to be able to experience that according to the way that they're designed and to delight in a job well done. 00:18:06.040 --> 00:18:08.340 And Paul is saying the same thing to us in this passage. 00:18:08.560 --> 00:18:11.880 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 00:18:14.300 --> 00:18:15.400 Now what does this mean? 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.630 Oftentimes when I when I hear this passage taught. 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:24.920 I hear this a way that's related to marriage. 00:18:25.520 --> 00:18:32.640 People tend to say, don't be unequally yoked, and they immediately dive into the idea of marriage because they think about where in a believer's life can you put a yoke 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:38.180 upon yourself, where you're not going to be traveling in the same direction as someone else? 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:41.710 And then they'll infer from this passage, well, and they'll highlight marriage. 00:18:41.820 --> 00:18:48.900 And in fact, I don't think that that's necessarily wrong, but I think what's important is to say this passage is not talking about marriage. 00:18:51.260 --> 00:18:53.340 Jesus says, don't be unequally yoked. 00:18:53.340 --> 00:19:00.740 And what he means by that is don't allow your life to be aligned in a way that will cause you to compromise 00:19:00.740 --> 00:19:01.640 the gospel. 00:19:03.560 --> 00:19:05.620 And whatever platform you can think in your life. 00:19:05.620 --> 00:19:07.830 You understand, Jesus has called you to live for His glory. 00:19:08.760 --> 00:19:15.880 And so don't unnecessarily attach yourself to things that you know in the end will lead you to compromise who God has 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:23.090 called you to be for the sake of the gospel, whatever it looks like Some will infer to that it could be it could be related to that marriage. 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:25.240 And there's passages in the Bible that encourage you. 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:30.780 In 1 Corinthians 7:39, it talks about a lady who's become a widow. 00:19:30.820 --> 00:19:37.900 But then Paul says this once she's as she's a widow, then she is free to be married or remarried, to whom she wishes only 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:38.440 in the Lord. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.670 So Paul is saying, Look, that's great. 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:44.130 If you find yourself as a widow and you want to get you have that desire to be remarried. 00:19:44.820 --> 00:19:50.120 But when you get married, do it in the Lord, meaning God's got a goal for your life. 00:19:50.320 --> 00:19:55.700 And one of the most foundational places for your life is started in the in the home. 00:19:55.800 --> 00:20:02.240 And you want that home to be a place of peace headed towards that direction, because God has called your home to be a place that blesses the world. 00:20:03.280 --> 00:20:09.440 And so when you think about that, the foundation of the significance of the home, the family is a pillar to society. 00:20:10.360 --> 00:20:12.300 You want to know how well a society is going to do? 00:20:12.300 --> 00:20:13.540 Look how well families are doing. 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:21.160 And the family becomes that first basis for nurturing children to then become a blessing to society. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:25.100 So it's important to have that home leveraged in that way. 00:20:25.940 --> 00:20:31.560 So when you marry Mary in the Lord now that brings people to this position where they start to get concerned. 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:33.960 Well, in our home, we're spiritually divided. 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:34.410 What do we do? 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:40.960 Paul tells you in 1 Corinthians 7, if any brother has a wife, it was an unbeliever and she consents to live with him. 00:20:41.340 --> 00:20:42.540 He should not divorce her. 00:20:42.540 --> 00:20:47.760 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 00:20:48.060 --> 00:20:55.730 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. 00:20:56.740 --> 00:21:04.600 Well, Paul is saying, is your first mission field or your primary place to live for Christ in 00:21:04.600 --> 00:21:06.820 a home that may be divided becomes the home. 00:21:08.580 --> 00:21:09.120 Model. 00:21:09.120 --> 00:21:09.300 Jesus. 00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:14.730 Let your family be blessed because of your relationship with Jesus. 00:21:15.620 --> 00:21:18.770 Let them see the goodness of Jesus and the way you live your life. 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:21.420 That doesn't mean nag them. 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:23.620 That doesn't mean attack them. 00:21:23.620 --> 00:21:25.880 That doesn't mean belittle them because they disagree with you. 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:34.110 That means when you walk away from any experience they have with you, they should be refreshed by the sweetness of Jesus through you. 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:43.300 So we think about what it means to be unequally yoked you can infer important relationships in life like marriage, but that's not 00:21:43.300 --> 00:21:45.960 the only thing this passage is talking about. 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:54.440 This passage is encouraging us to set up our lives in the way in which we will have freedom to live for God's 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:57.090 glory, regardless of where we are. 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:02.080 It doesn't mean you shun people from this world just because they don't follow Jesus. 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:03.610 That's not what it means at all. 00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:08.660 But it's encouraging not to put yourself in a position of compromise for the sake of the gospel. 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:16.920 You can think in the Church of Corinth there were a number of places where that could exist or have been an easy part of 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.520 the society in Rome during that time period. 00:22:20.540 --> 00:22:27.800 And every every region or major metropolitan area would have had a specific deity that area would have been dedicated 00:22:27.800 --> 00:22:28.660 to. 00:22:28.800 --> 00:22:31.850 And so in Rome, they were a pluralistic society and what they worshipped. 00:22:32.620 --> 00:22:39.570 And so you would have your God based on where you lived and if you traveled to another area, and Corinth was a common place that people would travel to. 00:22:40.080 --> 00:22:47.300 If you went to that area, even though you worshiped your God, if you didn't pay homage to the gods of Corinth, it would be considered a 00:22:47.300 --> 00:22:51.760 maligning or a disrespectful to the people of that area. 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:59.860 And so you can think as a believer going into this area of being monotheistic and God saying that only glory belongs to Him. 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:05.800 When you would come to a region like that, being able to stand for the Gospel without compromising that position would be important. 00:23:06.820 --> 00:23:13.840 Don't be unequally yoked or if you were to live in Corinth, all that the people would do within that town would be attached to some 00:23:13.840 --> 00:23:15.560 sort of pagan worship. 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:20.800 You can imagine if you if you were a master craftsman, you might have often crafted idols. 00:23:20.980 --> 00:23:26.220 And those idols would be used for worships dedicated to the gods of Corinth or the goddesses of Corinth. 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:33.400 And all of a sudden, being a believer in Christ, you realize you're contributing to people's desire to want to worship false gods, and you're a master 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:33.940 craftsman. 00:23:33.940 --> 00:23:34.900 So what do you do? 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:38.160 Do you continue and make those idols knowing that it promotes false worship? 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:44.480 Or maybe you're a farmer and in the animals that you farm are sold directly to the temple. 00:23:44.520 --> 00:23:48.580 And in that temple they sacrifice those animals towards those false gods. 00:23:48.580 --> 00:23:52.800 Do you do you continue to sell your animals to the temple? 00:23:53.880 --> 00:24:00.880 Or what about if you live in Corinth and, when you go to the marketplace, the cheapest meat to buy is the meat of 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:03.020 the animals that were sacrificed in the temple. 00:24:03.340 --> 00:24:10.640 And maybe that month, in order to save for your family, you feel tempted to buy that meat sacrifice to the idols. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:13.000 But the people around, you know that you're buying that meat. 00:24:13.320 --> 00:24:20.160 And then it becomes a poor testimony to the sake for the sake of Christ, because in your home, you're eating meat, sacrificed to pagan gods. 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:31.440 Or what if you set up at the marketplace and the place that you choose to set up and the things that you create are for certain holidays 00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:35.310 related to activities that take place in the temple. 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:38.110 Will you continue? 00:24:39.560 --> 00:24:46.160 To make those products for those false gods, knowing it's in the celebration of something that's contrary to Jesus. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:50.670 What do you do? 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:55.840 For the sake of the gospel. 00:24:56.300 --> 00:24:57.120 What do you do? 00:25:00.940 --> 00:25:06.740 A cost can bring a temptation to compromise. 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:12.320 And Paul's encouragement for us is to be distinct. 00:25:15.280 --> 00:25:22.620 Because can I tell you, in our in our culture today, I think how important this is in our culture today, 00:25:22.620 --> 00:25:24.640 we've sort of gotten to the place of saying, look. 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:29.220 And unless you validate everything I do, you hate me. 00:25:31.260 --> 00:25:34.680 And we try to push everyone to agree with what everyone else wants. 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:37.500 Your purpose is to always validate me. 00:25:37.520 --> 00:25:38.480 That's the way the culture goes. 00:25:38.600 --> 00:25:38.660 But. 00:25:38.780 --> 00:25:43.900 But I think Christianity calls us to stand distinctly in saying, look, I don't need to validate everything people do. 00:25:45.340 --> 00:25:49.740 I am called to always love people no matter what. 00:25:52.540 --> 00:25:53.920 Because everyone's made in the image of God. 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:58.180 But that doesn't mean I have to agree with what everyone does. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.500 And that's an important place to stand in as a believer. 00:26:03.820 --> 00:26:05.170 Because it lets our message shine. 00:26:06.520 --> 00:26:11.800 You know, some people will get worried about the way that our culture is going, and I'm not real thrilled about it either. 00:26:11.820 --> 00:26:17.170 But I will say this at the end of the day, the greater the darkness, the greater the opportunity the gospel has to shine. 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:20.800 And so let it shine. 00:26:22.860 --> 00:26:27.700 Sometimes in a society that's just simply good, the gospel kind of gets lost in that. 00:26:27.840 --> 00:26:30.810 It gets replaced with moralism in a lot of ways. 00:26:32.540 --> 00:26:33.720 And it shouldn't. 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:42.300 But when society starts to go dark or down a destructive path, it provides a beautiful place for God's people if they're willing to pay the cost to 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:43.380 take a stand for Jesus. 00:26:43.600 --> 00:26:46.000 And it doesn't mean we're disrespectful to people when we do it. 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:48.660 We're always, always, always loving the people. 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:53.000 But never to the compromise of our message. 00:26:54.260 --> 00:26:59.580 In fact, one of the most unloving things you can do for people is to let your message be compromised. 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:04.640 Because Jesus says the truth shall set you free. 00:27:06.140 --> 00:27:07.780 It's the truth that transforms our life. 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:15.780 And to step away from that is to step away from this the sacred message that changes the lives of others. 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:19.300 Do not be unequally yoked. 00:27:19.340 --> 00:27:21.260 I'll tell you, every year, multiple times a year. 00:27:21.260 --> 00:27:21.900 I'll get this phone call. 00:27:22.840 --> 00:27:26.550 For the sake of unity, someone will call me and say, You know what we should do? 00:27:27.460 --> 00:27:31.470 We should combine our religious churches and have a worship service together. 00:27:32.540 --> 00:27:40.640 Of which I always have the same remark to people when they call me that, as I'll say to them, Look, I 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:46.020 appreciate the sentiment that you have here and for the sake of unity or wanting some unity. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:53.780 And I will tell you, if there is an earthquake in our society, if there's a flood here in town, any natural disaster, you 00:27:53.780 --> 00:28:00.570 better believe shoulder to shoulder, we're going to be beside one another, doing whatever we can to preserve life, protect life, and help people in need. 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:03.700 But when it comes to worship. 00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:05.800 I can't do that. 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:14.240 We're not going to get under the same roof and hold our hands and sing Kumbaya to two different gods, because that's not pleasing to either of our beliefs. 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:17.280 Our message is so important. 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:20.160 I don't want it lost for the sake of unity. 00:28:21.040 --> 00:28:23.640 Because the question is, what are we unified behind? 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:30.000 The message of who Jesus is becomes important for us. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:33.000 And so he's saying, look, don't be unequally yoke with unbelievers. 00:28:33.120 --> 00:28:38.240 And as he makes this kind of a statement, he then peppers it with just some questions to consider. 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:41.000 He says, for what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness. 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:49.320 Or what fellowship agreement is there between light and darkness, or what accord has Christ with Belial? 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:52.720 He's saying, Look, what does what does Jesus and Satan have in common? 00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:54.780 That word accord is literally, literally a symphony. 00:28:56.200 --> 00:29:00.820 You got two notes that aren't matching each other, and when you do that, it does not sound pretty. 00:29:00.840 --> 00:29:02.200 There is not harmony among it. 00:29:03.080 --> 00:29:03.680 This is not helpful. 00:29:03.800 --> 00:29:06.230 Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 00:29:07.280 --> 00:29:09.940 What agreement has the Temple of God with idols for? 00:29:09.940 --> 00:29:11.460 We are the Temple of the Living God. 00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:17.400 Do you think that the privilege of that statement means that God's presence dwells within you. 00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:24.640 And in this society Paul saying, look, people have built temples dedicated to a specific God all over the place, and they're not going to allow another God 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:27.480 to be worship within that temple because it belongs to that god. 00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:30.720 And the same thing is true with you. 00:29:31.640 --> 00:29:36.120 That you belong to Jesus and are the temple of God. 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:43.560 Therefore, you should allow your heart to strive with him and to be dedicated 00:29:43.560 --> 00:29:44.040 to him. 00:29:44.040 --> 00:29:48.660 In fact, Paul goes on from there in verse second half of verse 16, it says, What agreement has the Temple of God with idols? 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:53.650 This is in Leviticus, chapter 26, verse 12 four We are the temple of the living. 00:29:53.800 --> 00:29:54.320 God has got to set. 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:59.900 I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:07.480 He's saying, Look, in the Old Testament, remember what it says in Leviticus 26, the God wants to dwell among you and be with you and your heart given over to 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:07.840 him. 00:30:07.860 --> 00:30:15.080 And then he quotes in the book of Isaiah, I think it's 52, verse 11, he says, verse 17, therefore go out from their midst and be separated 00:30:15.080 --> 00:30:17.260 from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing. 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:23.690 Then I will welcome you and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 00:30:25.600 --> 00:30:32.800 What he's quoting here in Isaiah is the passage where Israel's been taken because of their pagan idolatry, God has allowed them to be taken into captivity in 00:30:32.800 --> 00:30:33.230 a Babylon. 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:40.260 And now God is calling them back out of Babylon, and they're taking what belongs to the Lord to set it apart again, to worship Him. 00:30:41.540 --> 00:30:46.320 And as if he's saying to Israel, look, or to Corinth, look, Israel struggle throughout all of the Old Testament. 00:30:46.340 --> 00:30:53.840 God is saying from the Book of Leviticus all the way to Isaiah, he's been calling his people to be separate, to be distinguished, to let their message be unique. 00:30:54.480 --> 00:31:00.820 It's crucial for life and human flourishing and in eternity in relationship with God. 00:31:00.820 --> 00:31:02.800 And it's sacred to your identity. 00:31:02.800 --> 00:31:04.220 And don't let this go. 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:12.700 Don't let yourself be in a position where this is compromised as you think about how Israel has waged with this battle in their 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:14.460 own life to be distinct. 00:31:14.520 --> 00:31:20.250 And I think you think about the Old Testament in my mind, no one did this more beautifully than Daniel. 00:31:21.220 --> 00:31:27.270 And the book of Daniel, especially the first six chapters, talks about Daniel and his friends deported into Babylon or carried from Israel into Babylon. 00:31:27.600 --> 00:31:29.160 And it says in Daniel chapter one, verse eight. 00:31:29.540 --> 00:31:32.120 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself. 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:40.840 He just determined as he was carried away as a teenager that whatever he was going to stand for at the end of the day, it would be for the Lord and he would not 00:31:40.840 --> 00:31:41.140 compromise. 00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:49.620 In fact, Jeremiah, when he talks about being taken into captivity, he says this thus the Lord, the thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. 00:31:49.660 --> 00:31:56.720 To all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat 00:31:56.760 --> 00:31:59.060 their produce, take wives and have sons and daughters. 00:31:59.060 --> 00:32:02.220 Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage that they may bear. 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:09.590 Sons and daughters multiply there and do not decrease, but seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and prayed to the Lord on this behalf, 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:12.440 for in its welfare, you will find your welfare. 00:32:12.540 --> 00:32:19.640 Verse eight, Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you, deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream for. 00:32:19.760 --> 00:32:23.020 It is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name. 00:32:23.120 --> 00:32:24.540 I did not send them, declares the Lord. 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:27.540 So God's saying to them, Look, go into the town and watch. 00:32:27.540 --> 00:32:32.280 You're a foreigner in this land and live to bless, live to bless. 00:32:32.280 --> 00:32:32.810 You're not shunning. 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:33.590 You don't have to isolate. 00:32:34.100 --> 00:32:35.730 You don't have to cast stones at people. 00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:38.410 Well, I want you to do is influence for the sake of Christ. 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:40.760 For the sake of the Lord influence. 00:32:42.020 --> 00:32:49.190 It even says and sometimes people are even going to be tempted to teach you messages in verse that are contrary to what Jesus is about, what the Lord is about. 00:32:49.300 --> 00:32:50.460 Don't listen to that. 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:52.180 Take your stand. 00:32:54.020 --> 00:32:54.840 Take your stand and. 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:57.120 And bless. 00:32:57.640 --> 00:33:03.100 I have heard it often said there was a story of a and I can't remember who wrote this or what book it was in. 00:33:03.300 --> 00:33:05.700 So I give credit to whoever the author is. 00:33:05.700 --> 00:33:06.430 I can no longer remember. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:13.740 But they have a they have a story in this book where there were these two women that traveled one one from India to American 00:33:13.740 --> 00:33:15.320 America to India. 00:33:16.860 --> 00:33:19.260 And they both got home and they reported what they found. 00:33:19.340 --> 00:33:21.920 And the American lady returned and they said, What was it like? 00:33:22.040 --> 00:33:23.110 And she said, the country is beautiful. 00:33:23.520 --> 00:33:28.640 But, the family that I stayed with, it was it felt dark to me because I went into their home. 00:33:28.780 --> 00:33:35.780 And when I walked into their living room, all of their furniture was pointed in one direction towards this idol in the 00:33:35.780 --> 00:33:39.000 center of the room where there were incense was always burning. 00:33:39.040 --> 00:33:41.740 It was dedicated to their to their God. 00:33:41.780 --> 00:33:47.340 And they would sit around in their living room and dedication to this idol and they would converse one another. 00:33:47.360 --> 00:33:47.710 And I just. 00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:48.480 I didn't like it. 00:33:48.840 --> 00:33:49.240 And. 00:33:50.320 --> 00:33:54.480 And then the lady from India, she returned back to her home and they said, What was it like? 00:33:54.540 --> 00:33:55.380 America was great. 00:33:55.380 --> 00:33:56.580 I enjoyed my time there. 00:33:56.580 --> 00:33:58.760 But when I went into the family's home, it was so weird. 00:33:58.760 --> 00:33:59.410 It felt dark. 00:33:59.780 --> 00:34:03.940 They I walked into their living room and their living room was all centered around one object. 00:34:03.980 --> 00:34:06.100 It was all, all focused on the television. 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:09.159 They worship the television. 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:17.060 I heard one person say once, I don't watch TV for the same reason. 00:34:17.080 --> 00:34:18.710 I don't drink from the toilet bowl. 00:34:22.100 --> 00:34:22.820 You'll get it. 00:34:22.850 --> 00:34:23.500 Some of you did. 00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:25.960 There's a lot of garbage. 00:34:28.820 --> 00:34:31.800 We compromise and tolerate a lot of garbage. 00:34:32.620 --> 00:34:32.960 For what? 00:34:33.100 --> 00:34:33.980 The sake of entertainment. 00:34:35.840 --> 00:34:41.100 I mean, you take what we put on TV today and you go back 50 years and try to suggest that to people. 00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:47.500 They would wonder what's happened to our country. 00:34:50.860 --> 00:34:54.300 When soft porn becomes the norm for entertainment in our homes. 00:34:55.560 --> 00:34:57.840 With the kind of garbage that we allow ourselves to see. 00:35:04.440 --> 00:35:08.020 To not be unequally yoked. 00:35:09.680 --> 00:35:11.520 What Jesus says matters. 00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:15.860 One move to point number three. 00:35:18.340 --> 00:35:19.550 Point number three is to say this. 00:35:20.780 --> 00:35:23.540 Be on mission beyond mission. 00:35:24.460 --> 00:35:26.580 You could obsess about not being unequally yoked. 00:35:26.820 --> 00:35:30.760 I don't wanna be unequally yoked all day long and still not hit the purpose for which you were created in Christ. 00:35:31.600 --> 00:35:38.900 So at the end of the day, what ultimately matters for us is not that we're simply not unequally yoked, but that we understand who we are in Jesus 00:35:38.900 --> 00:35:45.920 and want to live in light of that we live on mission to make a difference in this world, to be a blessing to people around us that when they encounter 00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:49.580 us, that they see the goodness of Jesus and they desire more. 00:35:51.720 --> 00:35:57.430 So Paul encourages into this passage second Corinthians, chapter seven, verse one, since we have these promises. 00:35:59.180 --> 00:36:00.560 Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves. 00:36:00.640 --> 00:36:07.640 And the promises he's talking about are the quotes from Leviticus 26, Isaiah 52, that God's presence would be with us, people calling us to come apart, that 00:36:07.640 --> 00:36:10.240 we could experience the goodness of God in our lives. 00:36:10.420 --> 00:36:12.480 We have a religious direct relationship with the Lord. 00:36:12.700 --> 00:36:13.730 That's what He's promising us. 00:36:13.800 --> 00:36:18.440 And since we have these promises, beloved, and that's a beautiful phrase to say right after those promises, isn't it? 00:36:18.680 --> 00:36:19.720 You have a relationship with God. 00:36:19.800 --> 00:36:20.900 And what does that mean, man? 00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:21.380 He loves you. 00:36:23.020 --> 00:36:23.600 He loves you so much. 00:36:23.620 --> 00:36:29.260 He's given his life for you that you could experience the freedom that you have in him and a new identity and all things have passed away. 00:36:29.460 --> 00:36:34.780 Behold, all the things have become new that you were beloved in Christ, which is a far greater calling than anything this world can give you. 00:36:34.980 --> 00:36:42.020 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit and bringing holiness to completion in 00:36:42.020 --> 00:36:42.660 the fear of God. 00:36:42.860 --> 00:36:44.930 It's talking about this word completion as perfection. 00:36:47.300 --> 00:36:51.600 To really strive for what God has called us to in Him. 00:36:51.820 --> 00:36:53.680 Sometimes I'll have people ask me this question. 00:36:55.280 --> 00:37:01.490 Yeah, but how close can I get to the boundary of sin before God really technically calls us and like hell? 00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:04.100 How far along the edge can I walk? 00:37:04.100 --> 00:37:08.340 I just want to kind of be the back row Christian, not not any of you guys in the back road today, but you get what I mean, right? 00:37:08.340 --> 00:37:09.050 Like, I just want to be there. 00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:14.500 I just want to I just kind of want to toe the line, which I kind of flirt with the world, but Jesus still counts me his. 00:37:14.720 --> 00:37:15.610 Where is that line? 00:37:15.680 --> 00:37:22.140 I want you to know, if you're asking that question in your relationship with the Lord, you're completely amiss to what God calls you to. 00:37:22.500 --> 00:37:25.620 The question is, and how good can I be where God counts me good enough. 00:37:25.940 --> 00:37:29.640 The question is that we should ask ourselves is How can I be near Jesus? 00:37:33.360 --> 00:37:34.100 How can I know Christ? 00:37:35.600 --> 00:37:37.220 It's not about where the line is at all. 00:37:37.300 --> 00:37:44.420 It's about what can I do to lay myself down more in order to experience the goodness of what God calls me to in these passages, since we have these promises as 00:37:44.420 --> 00:37:44.770 beloved. 00:37:45.160 --> 00:37:46.420 How do I live in light of that? 00:37:49.580 --> 00:37:50.620 And Paul saying Be on mission. 00:37:53.180 --> 00:37:54.200 And here's why it reminds us. 00:37:54.500 --> 00:37:54.800 Because over time. 00:37:56.700 --> 00:37:57.800 Mission drifts and vision fades. 00:38:00.160 --> 00:38:01.840 Over time, your mission will drift. 00:38:03.020 --> 00:38:05.020 Being the world can sometimes just wear you out. 00:38:07.380 --> 00:38:14.700 But we need a reminder ourselves and be reminded constantly of the importance of what we're doing for the sake of 00:38:14.700 --> 00:38:15.040 Christ. 00:38:17.680 --> 00:38:22.400 Costs can bring compromise. 00:38:22.560 --> 00:38:25.940 But Paul's encouraging us to something completely different. 00:38:27.500 --> 00:38:31.100 Let me let me illustrate with this last this last point. 00:38:34.440 --> 00:38:34.840 1982. 00:38:35.780 --> 00:38:38.340 Almost want to ask how many of your alive, but I'll leave that. 00:38:39.060 --> 00:38:39.580 I'll learn from it. 00:38:39.580 --> 00:38:40.660 January 13th, 1982. 00:38:42.340 --> 00:38:45.460 There was an Air Florida flight traveling from Washington, D.C. 00:38:46.500 --> 00:38:47.520 to Florida. 00:38:48.200 --> 00:38:49.460 But it didn't make it very far. 00:38:50.760 --> 00:38:57.100 It ended up clipping a bridge, taking out four vehicles and their drivers and plummeting into the Potomac River. 00:38:59.320 --> 00:39:00.740 79 people were on board. 00:39:02.500 --> 00:39:04.480 74 of them did not make it. 00:39:05.900 --> 00:39:11.340 Four of them were rescued by a helicopter that flew over it and dropped a line. 00:39:11.680 --> 00:39:16.530 The people that could grab it and they were lifted over to the shore and dropped off. 00:39:18.380 --> 00:39:19.360 But there was one lady. 00:39:20.980 --> 00:39:22.840 Her name was Priscilla Tirado. 00:39:24.180 --> 00:39:31.520 By the time the helicopter got to her, she was the fifth person in that icy water and she no longer had the grip strength to grab 00:39:31.520 --> 00:39:34.260 hold of the rope to be lifted out and carried to safety. 00:39:36.300 --> 00:39:43.420 And on that shore, there are hundreds of people that have now gathered around watching the events unfold as the plane was sinking 00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:46.510 into the water and one lady still remained. 00:39:48.380 --> 00:39:49.220 Then all of a sudden. 00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:52.810 This guy named Lenny Scott. 00:39:53.140 --> 00:39:54.260 Nick. 00:39:55.060 --> 00:39:56.320 Dove into the icy water. 00:39:57.720 --> 00:40:02.940 Made his way over to the lady, grabbed a hold of her and swam back through the ice to the shore. 00:40:03.860 --> 00:40:05.120 And both of them survived. 00:40:07.740 --> 00:40:09.060 Afterwards they asked Lenny. 00:40:09.060 --> 00:40:16.300 They gave him an award for being a hero, but they asked him, out of all the people standing on the side of the shore, what compelled you 00:40:16.300 --> 00:40:20.940 to jump into the middle of that ice in order to rescue this lady? 00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:25.520 And Lenny looked at it and he just said, I'm not really sure. 00:40:25.520 --> 00:40:27.780 I just saw a lady in need. 00:40:28.980 --> 00:40:30.040 And I didn't even think. 00:40:31.100 --> 00:40:32.220 I just knew I had to act. 00:40:35.740 --> 00:40:38.960 While cost can bring compromise. 00:40:41.520 --> 00:40:48.120 Because something that Lenny taught us in the story is that crisis can also bring out conviction. 00:40:51.700 --> 00:40:53.270 Crisis can bring out conviction. 00:40:55.260 --> 00:40:58.760 At the end of the day when you know what the stakes are. 00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:02.560 And you know the difference that you can make. 00:41:04.420 --> 00:41:06.640 Sometimes we're compelled to dive into those waters. 00:41:09.980 --> 00:41:10.830 When I think about. 00:41:12.260 --> 00:41:14.040 Where we're at as God's people. 00:41:16.460 --> 00:41:17.880 And the message that we carry. 00:41:19.880 --> 00:41:22.000 And the opportunity it brings for others. 00:41:25.080 --> 00:41:26.000 How precious. 00:41:27.900 --> 00:41:28.900 Your position in Jesus is. 00:41:31.800 --> 00:41:34.340 A crisis brings out our convictions. 00:41:36.740 --> 00:41:40.920 And I think there is no greater battle in this world than the consequences of sin. 00:41:42.600 --> 00:41:47.060 And what it means towards our relationship with God as human beings in general. 00:41:49.940 --> 00:41:57.100 But whatever the reason is, this morning, you find yourself here looking at a passage of Scripture to remind yourself of 00:41:57.120 --> 00:41:58.240 the significance of Jesus. 00:42:00.200 --> 00:42:07.360 And when I think about you and your position in Christ in this moment, I think about how beautiful an opportunity then it presents not only for 00:42:07.360 --> 00:42:09.320 your life, but what your family needs. 00:42:12.160 --> 00:42:15.360 That you would uncompromisingly seek Jesus. 00:42:17.540 --> 00:42:25.740 That they would be blessed because of that, even if they don't walk with him, that they could see Jesus emulated in your life because 00:42:25.740 --> 00:42:28.760 they see within you how important that message is. 00:42:30.300 --> 00:42:31.560 And not only your family. 00:42:31.780 --> 00:42:34.620 What about what about our community around us? 00:42:38.160 --> 00:42:38.660 What about our country? 00:42:41.860 --> 00:42:45.360 Crisis brings about our convictions. 00:42:47.220 --> 00:42:52.700 And it's that conviction of Jesus that we need to see the significance in our lives to never compromise. 00:42:53.880 --> 00:43:00.970 But to walk and strive for unity as God's people, to be distinct and to live on mission.