Come Out from Among Them
God told the Israelites to come out from among them and be ye separate
(Deuteronomy 7:1-6,9) “when the Lord Yahweh your God shall bring you into
the land where you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you,
the Hitties, and the Girgashites, and the Amorities, and the Canaanites, and the
Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and
mightier than you. And when the Lord Yahweh your God shall deliver them
before you; you shall smite them, and utterly destroy them, you shall make no
covenant with them, nor show mercy to them. Neither shall you make marriages
with them; your daughter you shall not give to his son, nor his daughter shall
you take to your son. For they will turn away your son from following Me, that
they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord Yahweh be kindled
against you, and destroy you suddenly. But thus shall you deal with them; you
shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their
groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are an holy people to
the Lord Yahweh your God; the Lord Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a
special people to Himself, above all the people that are upon the face of the
earth”.
We are instructed to be not like them, yet we know that the Israelites fell into a
snare and did not separate themselves, Ezra says in (Ezra 9:1-2) “now when
these things were done, the princes came to me; saying. The people of Israel,
and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the
people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the
Canaanites, the Hitties, the Perizziles, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the
Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their
daughters for themselves, and for their sons; so that the holy seed have
mingles themselves with the people of those lands; yea, the hand of the princes
and the rulers has been chief in this trespass”.
Psalms 106:34-39 says “they did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the
Lord Yahweh commanded them. But were mingled among the heathen, and
learned their works. And they served their idols; which were a snare to them.
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils. And shed innocent
blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to
the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they
defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
Therefore was the anger of the Lord Yahweh kindled against His people,
insomuch that He abhorred His own inheritance”.
We are told to be holy and He is holy, many times in the Old and New
Testaments. Some people believe that the New Testament exempts one from
following God through grace. We have to remember that God changes not.
We are to be in the world, but not of this world. Jesus tells us that we are not of
this world (John 15:19; 17:14) “if you were of the world, the world would love his
own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hates you. I have given them Your word, and the
world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of
the world”.
We are warned not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14-
18) “be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship
has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with
darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he that
believes with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father to
you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”.
Paul tells Timothy “this know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boaster, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good. Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than
lovers of God. Having a form of godliness; but denying the power thereof; from
such turn away”.
The apostle John writes in I John 2:15-16 “love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to stay focused on God, Galatians 5:16 tells us how,
it says “this I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the
flesh”. Romans 12:2 says “and be not conformed to this world; but be you
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good, and acceptable and perfect will of God”.
We have been given the Spirit of God (I Corinthians 2:12) says “now we have
received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God”. And in II Timothy 1:7 it says
“for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind”.
We cannot live a double life style, Ephesians 5:1-8 says “be you therefore
followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us,
and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becomes saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For
this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man,
who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let
no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things comes the
wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not you therefore partakers
with them. For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord;
walk as children of light”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 11, 2011
God told the Israelites to come out from among them and be ye separate
(Deuteronomy 7:1-6,9) “when the Lord Yahweh your God shall bring you into
the land where you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you,
the Hitties, and the Girgashites, and the Amorities, and the Canaanites, and the
Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and
mightier than you. And when the Lord Yahweh your God shall deliver them
before you; you shall smite them, and utterly destroy them, you shall make no
covenant with them, nor show mercy to them. Neither shall you make marriages
with them; your daughter you shall not give to his son, nor his daughter shall
you take to your son. For they will turn away your son from following Me, that
they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord Yahweh be kindled
against you, and destroy you suddenly. But thus shall you deal with them; you
shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their
groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are an holy people to
the Lord Yahweh your God; the Lord Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a
special people to Himself, above all the people that are upon the face of the
earth”.
We are instructed to be not like them, yet we know that the Israelites fell into a
snare and did not separate themselves, Ezra says in (Ezra 9:1-2) “now when
these things were done, the princes came to me; saying. The people of Israel,
and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the
people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the
Canaanites, the Hitties, the Perizziles, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the
Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their
daughters for themselves, and for their sons; so that the holy seed have
mingles themselves with the people of those lands; yea, the hand of the princes
and the rulers has been chief in this trespass”.
Psalms 106:34-39 says “they did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the
Lord Yahweh commanded them. But were mingled among the heathen, and
learned their works. And they served their idols; which were a snare to them.
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils. And shed innocent
blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to
the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they
defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
Therefore was the anger of the Lord Yahweh kindled against His people,
insomuch that He abhorred His own inheritance”.
We are told to be holy and He is holy, many times in the Old and New
Testaments. Some people believe that the New Testament exempts one from
following God through grace. We have to remember that God changes not.
We are to be in the world, but not of this world. Jesus tells us that we are not of
this world (John 15:19; 17:14) “if you were of the world, the world would love his
own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hates you. I have given them Your word, and the
world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of
the world”.
We are warned not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14-
18) “be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship
has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with
darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he that
believes with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father to
you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”.
Paul tells Timothy “this know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boaster, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good. Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than
lovers of God. Having a form of godliness; but denying the power thereof; from
such turn away”.
The apostle John writes in I John 2:15-16 “love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to stay focused on God, Galatians 5:16 tells us how,
it says “this I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the
flesh”. Romans 12:2 says “and be not conformed to this world; but be you
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good, and acceptable and perfect will of God”.
We have been given the Spirit of God (I Corinthians 2:12) says “now we have
received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God”. And in II Timothy 1:7 it says
“for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind”.
We cannot live a double life style, Ephesians 5:1-8 says “be you therefore
followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us,
and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becomes saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For
this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man,
who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let
no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things comes the
wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not you therefore partakers
with them. For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord;
walk as children of light”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 11, 2011
