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Amen. Alright well we're there in John chapter 17 and I appreciate everybody being here this this morning and coming out today and I want you to notice there in John chapter 17 if you look at verse number 9 in John 17 we have the Lord Jesus Christ you know praying a prayer and a lot of times people will refer to the Lord's Prayer and we find that that prayer where he teaches where he's teaching his disciples how to pray and you know I don't have an issue with people calling it the Lord's Prayer but this chapter here is actually really the Lord's Prayer this is the Lord Jesus Christ praying the chapter where he says where he's teaching his disciples to pray that's a pattern prayer where he's teaching his disciples to pray but here in this chapter it's interesting because we get to kind of come in and listen in on Jesus while he prays and this is shortly before his death of course I want you to notice there verse 9 it says this I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou has given me for they are mine and he's praying for his disciples and not just his disciples right then and there but for his future disciples and notice what he says he says he says I pray not for the world but he said I pray for them that thou he says for them which thou has given me for they are mine and he's making he's differentiating between his disciples and the world and in this prayer of the Lord and we're gonna see more things here in his prayer we see this concept of how Christians are to be separated or different from the world and what I want to do this morning I want to preach a sermon on the subject of living a separated life living a life that is separated from the world and you know this this this concept of separation today is ignored by most churches most churches today if you go to the average church in America today they're going to ignore the teaching the biblical teaching and concept of separation and not only our churches ignoring this doctrine but because of the fact that churches are ignoring this doctrine most Christians are ignorant of the teaching of biblical separation so what I want to do this morning is I want to teach you and preach to you on the subject of separation now what what I'm gonna do today since I'm here for two services this is just kind of part one of a two-part series or of a two-part sermon and what I'm going to do this morning is I'm going to teach you the doctrine of separation this morning's sermon is gonna be a very doctrinal sermon and you know sometimes when you announce those things people kind of just you know they they you know think oh this is gonna be a boring sermon you know things like that but you know as Christians we need to learn doctrine we need to understand not only what we believe but why we believe it and honestly I believe that you know teaching this doctrine of separation is important because you know sometimes you might come to a church like Verity Baptist Church you might listen to preachers like myself or like the men that have came here to preach and they might preach some difficult things they might preach some things that you haven't heard before or that you're not familiar with and you might think like oh they're just mean or they're just weird right or you know I don't know why they said that and if you don't understand this this doctrine of separation it might it might mess you up a little bit you know and having a thorough understanding of the doctrine of separation might help you understand why we preach the way we do why we take the stands we do why we do what we do so what I want to do today this morning I'm gonna preach a very doctrinal sermon on the subject of separation and then this afternoon for the second service it's gonna be more of a practical sermon in regards to setting up some standards and convictions in order to live a separated life but I'd like for you to really understand this doctrine and if you've got a pen I'd love for you to write some notes down in your bulletin that we handed to you on the back of the bulletin the last page there's a place there for you to write some notes and I'd love for you to just kind of write these things down this is a very important doctrine today this doctrine of separation is one of the main thing that separates us as independent fundamental Baptist or as fundamentalist Christians it's what separates us from the contemporary church down the street and even from the you know old IFB movement which is becoming more and more worldly as the time goes on so I want to teach you about this doctrine of separation and honestly you know especially as for a young church it's a very young church and I'm glad we have a great turnout here this morning I think brother Oliver you know texted to me that there's 55 people here this morning that's a great amount of people to be here for a church this this this old you know or this young I should say and but you know as your church is young what you really need to learn is doctrine to kind of help you get structured and get settled and get strengthened in the things of God so I want to teach you this subject of doctrine this morning number one if you're taking notes I'd like you to you can write this down or you can write this statement on point number one let's talk about the philosophy of separation because we're talking about separation the philosophy of separation when we're talking about separation what do we mean by that and I want you to understand when we're talking about separation we're talking about being separated from the world we're talking about being separated from the world you're there in John 17 notice verse number 15 John 17 in verse 15 notice what Jesus said I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world he says I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world now let me just say this when it comes to separation there is a balance to separation and we're gonna talk about that tonight how we set up proper convictions how we develop proper convictions and we set up proper standards to live a separated life but let me say this that there is the ability of taking separation too far where you basically you know here's an example of people that have taken separation too far the Amish you know where they just decided like you know we're supposed to be separated from the world that means let's just go you know live somewhere away from everybody else and it's just you know our little group us four and no more you know and it's just and look that is not what God intended and you know there's a reason why those people are as weird as they are you know because in you know you're there in breading and they're having all sorts of weird things and Jesus never intended for that he said I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world he said look Jesus said my intention is not that they would come out of the world you know and look if you ever get connected with a church and they're talking about hey let's move the entire church to this compound you know in Guyana and you know and I've got a fresh batch of kool-aid or whatever you know just realize that that is not God's plan he says I pray not that thou should take them out of the world notice besides but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil so please understand separation is not a literal physical we can't be around you know the world's people but the doctrine of separation the philosophy of separation is that while we're in the world he would keep us from the evil of the world while we're in the world we would not be like the world notice verse 16 they are not of the world even as I am not of the world so when we're talking about the philosophy of separation we need to understand that we are to be separated from the world and what that means is that we are in the world but we are not of the world we are in the world but we're not like the world we are in the world but we're not to be patterned after the world now keep your place there in John chapter 17 we're gonna come back to John during the sermon but go to the book of Hebrews if you start at the end of the New Testament the book of Revelation and you head backwards you're gonna go past the book of Jude past the books of 3rd 2nd and 1st John 2nd and 1st Peter James and into the book of Hebrews Hebrews chapter number 11 and I want you to notice this passage in Hebrews chapter 11 now when you get to Hebrews do me a favor and put a ribbon or a bookmark or your bulletin you've got a bulletin now so it always serves well as a as a bookmark put something there in Hebrews 11 because we're gonna leave Hebrews and we're gonna come back to it and those two passages John and Hebrews are gonna be used throughout the sermon to be able to get you to where I need you to go Hebrews chapter 11 notice verse number 13 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 13 says this these all died in faith of course this is the famous you know Hall of Faith chapter where you got all those great believers that lived in faith and here he says these all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embrace them notice notice what they were persuaded by notice what they embrace because here's what I understand today especially when you've got you know newer Christians and when you've got younger Christians and what I mean by younger Christians is I'm talking about these kids and these teenagers and I'll praise the Lord for the kids and teenagers in this church here in Boise and I thank God for the kids and teenagers in our church in Sacramento but when you go to many churches today you know you have the young people that are resisting the doctrine of separation they don't want to embrace it and I think the reason for that is because they've been given a lot of rules they've been given a lot of standards they've been told a lot of you're not allowed to do this you're not allowed to do that you're not allowed to go there but they've never been taught separation and they've that those doctors have never been connected to the Word of God they've never been taught a principle they've never had a mom or a dad sit down and say here's what the Bible teaches and here's the conviction we pull out of there and that's why we have this standard and again I'm getting ahead of myself that's tonight's sermon but I want you to notice what these people were doing they were persuaded of them and embraced them and notice what it says confessed that they were notice these words strangers and pilgrims on the earth now the word stranger there is not the same as a way we use the word strange when we use the word strange you know we're talking about someone who we think is weird right or someone who we think is odd like the Amish right but the word stranger here in the Bible it's the same word that you and I would use as the word foreigner here's what these people embrace they embrace that they were foreigners and pilgrims what's a pilgrim a pilgrim is a traveler someone on a journey and here's what these people were embracing they were embracing the fact that they were not of this world when I was a kid we used to sing this song this world is not my home I'm just a passing through you know and as Christians we need to realize that we are in the world but we are not of the world we are in the world but this world is not my home this is not where I'm staying I'm just kind of on a journey I'm just passing through I'm just a stranger and a pilgrim now keep your place there in Hebrews if you kept your place in John go me in the book of Romans if you're in John you're gonna go past acts into the book of Romans continue to keep your place in John and in Hebrews let me say this not only do we need to realize that we are in the world but not of the world we need to realize that we are not to be conformed to this world Romans chapter 12 and verse 1 says this I beseech you therefore brethren Romans chapter 12 and verse 1 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice notice this word holy holy is a holy or holiness is a is a byproduct or as a result it is a I shouldn't say byproduct it is the product of separation holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service how do we become acceptable unto God by being holy how do we become holy by not being like the world knows verse 2 and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God here we are told that we are not to be conformed to the world the word conform means to be similar or similar or in form or in type the word conform means to be patterned after and here's what we're talking about this morning we're talking about the fact that as Christians as believers we are not to pattern our lives to the world so look when it comes to being a Christian everything is up for questioning when it comes to look as a Christian especially as a new Christian you ought to go into Christianity just questioning everything that you've ever been taught I mean everything that you were taught about having children everything that you were taught about raising children everything you did or were taught about dating about marriage about you know finances about working about jobs about where you live and how you live and where you go everything needs to be questioned and you need to ask yourself am I doing that simply because that's what the world does because as Christians the Bible says that we're to not be conformed to this world we're not to be patterned after this world when I read that verse I think of you know my wife does some sewing and she'll often she'll sew skirts for the for my girls or show us do you know little things are here there for for for the kids and she goes and she buys a pattern and then she takes that pattern and she uses that pattern to be able to cut out what she needs to be able to sew whatever it is that she's doing a sling or whatever it might be and the Bible says that we are not to take the world's pattern and then apply it to our lives we are not to be conformed to this world in fact that's why we are commanded to come out of the world you're there in Romans go to 2nd Corinthians you're if you're in Romans the next book over is 1st Corinthians the next book after that 2nd Corinthians now 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 this is probably the key passage in regards to separation this chapter 6 in verse 14 be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers I want you to notice again just even in that phrase we learn of separation God says I don't want you to be yoked together with unbelievers the word yoke there the idea is that we're not to be partnered with or come into partnership with unbelievers a yoke is a tool that they would use during the time you know even you know farming times or the times of Paul here where they would be able to put two animals that were plowing you know like two ox you know that were plowing together they would yoke them they would connect them by the neck they would partner them up so that they would work together as they plowed the field and they would be able to accomplish more in in a less amount of time but God says I don't want you yoking yourself up with an unbeliever and look we often apply this to marriage you know don't be marrying an unbeliever but I believe that this applies more to just marriage you know and when it comes to your business life and your social life be careful about who you yoke yourself up with he says be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers you say why here's why for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what Concord that means what agreement hath Christ with Belial and Belial is Satan or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel notice verse 16 and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of living God as God had said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people verse 17 he says wherefore now when you see the word wherefore he's saying because of this reason because of what reason because of everything he just said that there's no fellowship with righteousness and right unrighteousness no communion with light and darkness no Concord with Christ and Belial there's no part that a believer should have with an infidel because of the fact that God himself have you ever thought about this when you got saved the Holy Spirit of God came to live inside of you and when God came to live inside of you here he says you know he are the temple of the living God I mean the the God that created the universe the God that spoke the earth into existence the Bible says that the living God he says I will dwell in them and walk in them God says where you go I go because I'm in you because the Holy Spirit in you where what you see I see where you take me I you know where you end up being and what you end up doing you know you include me in all those things he says he says and walk in them he says I will be their God they shall be my people he says because of that because of the fact that the Holy Spirit lives inside of you he says wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing so we notice as we begin this idea of separation the philosophy of separation what does that mean here's what it means we're to be separated from the world we are to come out of the world we are in the world but we're not of the world but please understand this there's more to separation than just that you're there in 2nd Corinthians you've got your place in John that's great go to the book of 1st Peter if you kept your place in Hebrews if you kept your place in Hebrews I need you to go backwards from Hebrews you're gonna go if you go back you're gonna go past the book of James into the book of 1st Peter oftentimes when we talk about separation we apply it as we should to being separated from the world we emphasize the fact that we are to come out from the world that we are not to be like the world and that's definitely part of separation and and and that's a great application but I want you to understand there's more to separation than that it's not that God simply wants us to be separated from the world separation has two aspects we are separated from the world but we are separated unto God 1st Peter chapter 1 look at verse 16 notice what the Bible says 1st Peter 1 16 says this because it is written be holy for I am holy here we are commanded to live a holy separated life in fact the word holy means to be set apart that's what the word holy means it literally means to be separated look at chapter 2 and verse 9 same book there 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 9 but ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood knows what he says and holy nation a set apart nation a separated nation a peculiar people the word peculiar means not usual not normal not average now it doesn't mean weird it just means we're not like the average people and look please understand this the average people in this world are a mess their lives are a mess their children are a mess their marriages are a mess their finances are a mess God says I called you to be different but he said not just to be different for the sake of being different not just to be different from the world but to be separated not just from the world but unto God he says a holy nation of peculiar people why that ye should show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light you have to turn there but Titus 2 14 says this who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works go to go to 1st John chapter 2 of your if you got your place there in a 2nd Peter or 1st Peter just go backwards past 1st Peter into the book of 1st John I'm sorry not backwards from you got you're there in 2nd Peter just the next book over Hebrews James 1st 2nd Peter and 1st John 1st John chapter 2 so I want you to understand when we're talking about the philosophy the philosophy of separation right just the concept of separation here's what it is it's separated from the world unto God from the world unto God and here's what that means and here's what you need to understand it's not just enough that we're not like the world but are we set apart for God because here's what I've learned you know over the last eight years of ministry and I see this often with new Christians and new believers and of course with a newer church and a younger church you're gonna have a lot of new believers and I've learned this that most Christians today and most Christians that are not accomplishing maybe everything that God would have them to accomplish is that they don't mind God and they don't mind having God as a part of their lives but the Bible says that the Bible says Christ who is your life see there's a difference between the Christian who says hey I've got my life I've got my plans I've got my thing going on and I'm willing to give God a couple of hours on Sunday morning or a couple of hours on Sunday night or maybe an hour you know on Saturday or whatever it might be there's a difference between that Christian and then the one who says I'm not just separated from the world I'm separated unto God God is my life everything about my life everything about my social life everything about my personal life everything is God's see separation is not just I'm separated from the world but it's this idea that I'm set apart for God I'm set apart for the use of God I'm set apart for the work of God I'm set apart for whatever God needs because it's not my life plus God it's Christ who is my life so here's a question for you are you separated from the world but here's a separate question are you separated unto God the philosophy of separation is from the world and unto God we talked about the philosophy of separation but secondly this morning let's talk about the practice of separation the practice of separation you're there in 1st John chapter 2 it's not enough to understand separation see here's the funny thing you go to the average path to the pastor of the average non-denominational Church I'm talking about the Rock Band Church the church you walk into that's not separated you know that's not that that is patterned after the world you say well how do you know here's how I know when you walk into a church and the lights are dark and there's streaming lights everywhere and there's you know big light you know and there's smoke coming off the platform and it's meant to look like a rock concert you just patterned your church after the world all right when you walk into a church and it looks like a casino when you walk into a church and it looks like a nightclub when you walk into a church and it looks like a comedy club you know and they've made it that way and they've designed it that way for a reason what that's what we're talking about your pattern after the world but here's the funny thing you talk to that pastor and you say hey what do you believe our separation and they'll probably quote to you some of these words oh yeah you know we're not in the world but we're not it's funny I I you know I don't know if it's around anymore but if a few years ago you'd walk into a you know a baila might bookstore you know one of these Christian bookstores is trying to unite the world with you know and you see people wearing these shirts not of the world and you know it's just funny to me when you see this teenage Christian and you know he's got a mohawk and he and he's got you know these I don't even know what they're called these earrings and your ears that like make your you look like you're some African you know he that or something you're like the the thing in your ear and it spreads your ear out you know he's got like a thing in his nose and he's got you know piercings everywhere and but and he's got his shirt not of the world I'm thinking myself you look just like the world you you I mean not you you wear the shirt you know you can understand the philosophy but but we have to actually practice separation it's not just enough to understand separation are you actually living a separated life you say well how does that work to live a separated life to practice separation to live a separate life you must reject the things of this world 1st John 2 15 notice what it says love not the world God says we're not to love the world neither the things that are in the world God says we're not to love the world and we're not to love the things that are in the world you say why if any man loved the world love the love of the Father is not in him in James we are told that to be a friend with the world puts you at enmity with God look you need to decide am I on God's side or am I on the world side choose you this day whom you will serve like Elijah said how long you know are you gonna sit there and between two opinions you need to decide whose side are you on because you can't be on both that's why Jesus would tell the church of Laodicea he said you know I would that you were cold or hot he said but you're lukewarm and I'm gonna spew you out of my mouth he said love not the world neither things that are in the world if any man love the world love of the Father is not in him verse 16 for all that is in the world for all that is in the world look that all that word all there you know in the Greek that word all you know what it means the the deep theological Greek meaning of the word all you know what it means it means all it means everything it means there's nothing that the world produces that we ought to love for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life is not of the Father but as of the world doesn't that cover everything the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life look there's basically nothing the world produces that doesn't meet and that doesn't fall in those categories so when you're a Christian and you're like well I of course I would never listen to that you know heavy metal rock music or I would never listen to that rap music but but but you think it's okay to listen to country music you know because they preach they think about Jesus they mentioned Jesus in church every once in a while well let me ask you this does it does it fall under the lust of the flesh I think it does when you've got the scantily clad women on those videos does it fall under the lust of the eyes does it fall under the pride of life here's what I'm telling you is we need to decide and we need to let realize if you're going to live a separated life you must be willing look you must be willing to reject the things of the world to walk away from the things of the world but you also must be willing to to live a separate life you must renew how you see the world we were just there in Romans chapter 12 if you can go back there Romans chapter 12 look at verse 2 we saw verse 1 but I want you to notice verse 2 and we read verse 2 also but notice it and be not conformed to this world and be not conform to this world notice what he says but be ye I want you to notice this word transformed by the renewing of your mind see you need to realize this is what I was talking about earlier when I say everything's on everything needs to be on the table everything needs to be on the table as far as questioning it everything needs to be on the table as far as is this right is this what God wants is this what and and tonight in the second service we're gonna go through today we're just this morning we're just kind of learning about separation tonight we're gonna talk about how to develop some convictions and standards in your life that will allow you to be that Christian who lives a separated life but you need to look you need if you're gonna live a separate life you need to be willing to reject the world and need to be willing to renew your mind be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God you need to be willing to say you know what everything I knew everything I was taught everything that I believed to be true it may be that I was wrong it may be that all of those things were wrong it may be that I need to be transformed by the renewing of my mind 2nd Corinthians 7 1 you have to turn there says this having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God the Bible says that we are to cleanse ourselves from all the filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting the word perfecting there means completing means making complete holiness in the fear of God we need to live a fully separated life so there's the philosophy of separation and there's the practice of separation you can say I understand separation from the world to God but then are you practicing it in the sense that you're willing to reject the things of the world and you're willing to renew your mind and someone said this and you ought to consider this in your life if you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you I mean if you were on trial you know people always talk about the end times the you know during the end times you know we're gonna get our heads chopped off because the the Antichrist is the editor you know sometimes I think myself man I don't think you have anything to worry about I don't you say our neighbors are gonna turn us in I'm like why would your neighbor turn you in you drink like they drink you act like they act you dress like they dress you you say the same things you do the same things that they do why would they suspect you of being a Christian if you were on track look I'm whole I'm hoping that when the Antichrist goes on TV and says turn in your Christian I'm hoping every single one of my neighbors is like that guy 303 River Run Circle they are weird that Sunday morning Sunday night Wednesday night they're coming up they got their kids and ties are getting in this van they go somewhere then some one time they knocked on my door talk about Jesus and heaven I'm not sure what and you know well they they just they're there we you know they we they don't come to the block parties and I mean that that's how your life should be some of you're like and you know at times I'm gonna get kids like you know no one at work no even knows you're a Christian none of your neighbors even know you're a Christian now your friends even know look if you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you would there be enough evidence to even indict you would you even be suspected so we see the philosophy of separation and we see the practice of separation but lastly this morning I want you to understand the purpose of separation the purpose of separation you can make your way back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 if you kept your place in John you got Acts Romans 1st Corinthians 2nd Corinthians is a pastor he matters what's the point what's the purpose what's the reasoning for separation 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 notice verse 16 the Bible says this and what agreement has the temple of God with idols for a year the temple of the living God as God has said I will dwell in them and walk in them verse 17 wherefore come out from among them and be you separate see the purpose of separation is to establish a good relationship with God the purpose of separation is the fact that we cannot walk with I'm not talking about being saved okay don't let people tell you that salvation with from God and a relationship with God are the same thing because they are not you can be saved you were saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ it happens in a moment that's why it's called being born again after you are saved though God wants to walk with you he wants to have a relationship with you so when we say having a relationship with Christ we're not talking about salvation you can only have a relationship with Christ if you are saved but you are not saved by having a relationship with Christ but you say well what is the purpose of separation what is the reason for separation why live separated from the world unto God why reject the world and renew our mind why do all those things it's for one reason because the holy God who created you and I wants to have a relationship with us but that holy God cannot fellowship with sinful people and God desires for you to come out from among them and be separate so that you can have a good relationship and walk with him and here's what you need to understand and here's what I think most people don't grasp about separation is they often look at what they're losing well if I live a separated life I'm gonna lose my friends if I live a separated life I'm gonna lose my acquaintances if I live a separate life I'm gonna lose those things that brought me joy in the flesh or brought me satisfaction and in the flesh and you you're losing and you're losing you're losing but what you understand is you're losing those things so that you can gain something better with God and so that you can walk with God so you can have a good relationship with God go go to Ephesians chapter number four if you're there in second Corinthians you got first second Corinthians Galatians Ephesians while you go there let me read for you out of James chapter 4 James chapter 4 says this the adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will befriend of the world is enemy of God you need to understand that the purpose of separation is to establish a good and to keep a good relationship with God and when you don't live a separated life you're not going to have a good relationship with God Ephesians 4 30 says this and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption this is what we were talking about he said I will walk in them he said your your body simple Holy Ghost I will be in them and I will walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people the Holy Spirit of God into us if you're saved in whom you also trusted after that you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also after that he believed the Bible says ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise all right now there's a couple things there you know it has nothing to serve him but we're talking about it so let me just give it to you the moment you got saved you got the Holy Spirit the Pentecostals are wrong the Pentecostals and the oneness here the the the oneness Pentecostals and the regular Pentecostals they'll all teach that salvation is a process you first repent of your sins then you believe then you do this and you're that and the filling of the Spirit or the coming of the Spirit comes later the Bible says it comes when you believed when you trusted you got sealed with the Spirit and but and there's another doctrine though the sealing of spirit not only teaches us about salvation but it also teaches us about preservation because you know what today people tell you they'll tell you well if you live a worldly life then you're gonna lose your salvation and what they mean by that is you're gonna lose the Holy Spirit well if you if you lost the Holy Spirit every time you you sinned or every time you did wrong every time you walked away from God if you lost your salvation every time you walked away from God Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30 would make no sense it says and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God why would the Holy Spirit ever be grieved why would the Holy Spirit the word grieve means to feel intense sorrow or to cause distress or discomfort why would the Holy Spirit be grieved if every time I did something I wasn't supposed to do every time I looked at something I shouldn't look at or listen to something I shouldn't listen to or go somewhere I shouldn't go or drink something I shouldn't drink whatever if every time I did that he just left why would he be grieved see the Bible says and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God because of the fact that the Holy Spirit is stuck with you when you got saved you were sealed with the spirit he's in you and when you're doing wrong and when you're doing sin and when you're not living a separated life you grieve him in other passages we're told not to quench the Holy Spirit so there's a grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption so what what is the purpose what is the purpose of a separated life it's to establish a good relationship with God but it's also to be a good or to establish a good testimony to the world to establish a good testimony to the world if you can make your way back to first Peter first Peter go to chapter 4 first Peter chapter 4 and look at verse number 14 first Peter chapter 4 in verse 14 first Peter 4 14 says this if you be reproached oftentimes people don't want to live a separate life because they don't want to be reproached they don't want to be looked at as odd they don't want to be looked at as weird they don't want to be looked at as as as you know they're they don't fit in especially young people young people always want to fit in everywhere you want to fit in with everybody he says if you be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye he said it's a good thing why for the spirit of glory and of God rested upon you look if you've got the Spirit of God upon your life you're going to be reproached by the world if the world loves you look if you look at these preachers out there and the world just loves them the world just thinks they're the greatest things and sliced bread they've got a spirit on them but it's not the Spirit of God because he says if you be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God rested upon you on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified notice there go back to our first Peter we saw this earlier chapter 2 and verse 9 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 notice what he says he says but ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood and holy nation of peculiar people that ye should notice what he says show forth the praise of him who have called you out of darkness enters marvelous light see we are to show forth the praises Jesus told his hypo he said let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven and we don't believe in lifestyle evangelism we believe in confrontational evangelism where we go on and we preach the gospel confrontational doesn't mean we're you know adversarial with people it means that we're confronting them with the gospel okay but I do believe this that our lifestyle ought to match our evangelism we ought to live in such a way that people would see our good works look we ought to live in such a way that your neighbors they might kind of smirk at you and laugh at you and they might think it's silly your family might think it's silly when Thanksgiving comes around and you don't want to be around the alcohol or whatever it might be you know they might think it's funny but they know who to go to when tragedy comes when they're in the ER they know who to call to pray for them when they're having issues and problems they know who to go to for counsel and help we had to live our lives you say why live a separated life because it allows us to have a good relationship with God is allowed us to establish a relationship with God but it allows us to establish a good testimony to establish a good testimony to the world go to 2nd Timothy chapter 3 is the last place we'll go to this morning 2nd Timothy chapter 3 I realize that this morning sermon is is is is not extremely super practical and you know I want to encourage you to come back tonight for the second service because tonight sermon is gonna be more practical I wanted to lay I felt like tonight's sermon wouldn't make sense if you didn't understand just the doctrine of separation I wanted to lay the foundation of separation the philosophy of separation were separated from the world unto God the practice of separation we have to be willing to reject the world and we must renew our minds the purpose of separation we are to you know it's to establish a good relationship with God and to establish a good testimony with the world and tonight we're going to talk about how do we develop some convictions and some standards that will allow us to live that separated life because you because you hear a lot of preaching about convictions and standards but a lot of people don't have convictions and standards they they they hear about it but they themselves don't have it and it's funny to me because they listen to me or they listen to Pastor Anderson listen and they say man I just love all the preaching you know about you guys preach about this you preach about that and then you see them make decisions in their lives you see them make choices in their life you watch them do certain things I'm thinking myself man you listen to everything we say but you're not doing anything we say and it's because there's a it's if there's a difference between hearing it and seeing it in somebody else and then deciding you know what I see the biblical principle I've developed a personal conviction and I have a standard then I'm gonna that's gonna guide my life and tonight we're gonna talk about that we're gonna talk about developing some convictions and standards in your life but let me just finish by saying this you're there in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 once you notice verse 13 the Bible says this but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse I want to just give you one last thought just as we conclude this morning on the subject of separation and I want to say this separation you need to understand this separation because I believe a lot of people are don't understand this in their lives separation is not a distance from the world separation is not a distance people think oh I love a separate life because you know I'm I'm far from the world I'm distant separation is not a distance from the world I want to kind of give you an illustration and I apologize I didn't I didn't ask for this in advance but I'm gonna ask brother Oliver and brother Dylan if they would come up here I want to use you guys as an example I'm sure these guys won't mind but I want to just kind of use these guys an example if I can have you guys go just stand right over there by the piano and brother Dylan you stand right here all right in this illustration okay and I thought about this I prayed about this and I asked the Lord for guidance and the Lord told me that brother Oliver should represent the world I don't know why I don't know why but for some reason Oliver is gonna represent the world and brother Dylan's gonna represent a good godly Christian okay now I'm just kidding all right they're both good godly Christians but you know brother Oliver here represents the world and brother Dylan actually you know what brother Dylan's gonna represent the old IFP how about that brother Dylan's gonna represent Sam Gipp no I'm just kidding today you have a lot of even separated Christians who have this idea that separation is just a distance from the world so brother don't put your hand up and just you know his his his goal is to live a separated life from the world and what they think is that separation is a distance from the world as long as I stayed far away from the world then I am living a separated life the problem with that is that the Bible says keep your hand up if you don't mind the problem with that is that the Bible says that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse the problem with that is that this guy let me tell you is getting worse and worse he's getting more and more worldly and when Christians believe that separation is just a distance from the world the problem with that is that though as the world gets worse so come this way the world's getting worse all right but we're keeping our distance right the world's getting worse but we're keeping our distance the world's getting worse but we're keeping our distance right our standards change see go back to go back to the world there was a day when Christianity you know looked at Elvis Presley with his you know moving hips and said that's obscene that's ungodly that music is of the world but you know today the average Christian wouldn't blink an eye to that type of music they wouldn't give that kind of music a second thought in comparison to the stuff that the world's putting out today but see as a Christian our lives are not to maintain a distance from the world our job is to maintain a separated stand that doesn't change based on the world my separations my standards my convictions ought not be in comparison to what I'm not just trying to keep a distance from the world because as the world gets worse and worse and here's the problem is that maybe if you maintain this distance maybe if you maintain this distance that would be fine if I come this way let's do it this way here you got the world right here you got Elvis Presley and the Beatles I mean you preach against the Beatles today and people are like you're crazy you're insane but you know people used to think the Beatles were worldly as hell and by the way they are worldly as hell a bunch of communists they brought a whole lot of worldliness to this country you know there used to be a day when this was the world you had the Beatles you had Elvis Presley and you had you know Hellfire and Brimstone preachers preaching against that saying it was wicked but then you had Christians maintaining their separation but the world got worse and worse right and the Christians all they did was maintain the separation here's what's funny now the word now the now Christians are standing where the world used to stand so you so you go to the contemporary Christian Church today and you know all they're doing you know what contemporary Christian music is it's all just the music of ten years ago from the world so ten years the world the backstreet boys were popular they're not popular anymore but you go to Joe Lo seen church and there's basically backstreet boys on stage you know it's basically just the world you go to the old IV churches you say why because they decided that separations was a distance the problem is the world's getting worse and worse and as it continues as it continues the world just eventually Christianity is just standing exactly where the world was standing ten years ago or twenty years ago or thirty years ago or forty years ago but see separation and come this way brother Dylan come this way brother Oliver true separation is is is standing on a conviction and a standard based on the Word of God that does not change we're gonna learn about that tonight it's not a distance it's just a conviction and it doesn't matter how bad the world gets we don't change and we don't move because we're standing on the Word of God so please don't misunderstand thank you guys you guys can have a seat please don't misunderstand this it's not that separation is a just as long as I'm distant from the world the problem there is that the world's getting worse and worse and eventually you're gonna be standing right where the world used to stand but it is a conviction it is a standard that should not change it ought not change so I want to encourage you come back tonight and we're gonna finish this thought about separation kind of laid the foundation on the subject of separation tonight we're gonna talk about developing some convictions personal convictions setting up some standards in your life let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer