SEPARATION AND SANCTIFICATION

A synopsis of sermon delivered at the Bible Seminar of Brisbane BPC, 15 March 2014

“But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people. … And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” (Lev 20:24, 26).

Separation is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Holy Scriptures. No church can do without it if it wants to thrive, much less survive, in this sin-cursed and heresy-ridden world full of Satanic falsehood and human wickedness. We are living in such a dangerous world today. Our Lord Jesus had already warned that in the last days false Christs and false prophets will arise to deceive many. When His disciples asked him, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus answered, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matt 24:4, 5). Jesus repeated the warning in verses 11 and 12, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” And as if this was not enough, he warned the third time in verse 24, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

Satanic Doctrines

The Apostle Paul likewise warned us in 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Paul said, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” Faith-destructive doctrines abound today in Liberalism, Historical Criticism, Textual Criticism, Evolutionism, Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, Postmodernism, New Age Mysticism (Emergent Church Movement), Modern Arianism (Jehovah’s Witnesses), Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism, Charismatism, Neo-orthodoxy, Neo-Evangelicalism, Open Theism, Neo-Fundamentalism, Neo-Deism, Neolegalism (Norman Shepherdism or Federal Vision), Neo-Calvinism etc. Although God has preserved a remnant, the mainline Protestant denominations by and large have apostatised, denying the fundamental doctrines of the Christian Faith (eg, Inerrancy of Scripture, and the Virgin Birth, Miracles, Substitutionary Atonement, Resurrection of Christ etc).

Immorality

The world is not only becoming more and more idolatrous, it is also becoming more and more immoral. Paul warned in 2 Timothy 3:1-8, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” Know that this is not just a description of the world at large, but of people within the church. The church in the last days will be full of false believers, false brethren (2 Cor 11:26, Gal 2:4).

Our Lord warned of the severe judgement that will come upon false prophets and false professors of the faith: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt 7:15-23).

Good Root, Good Fruit

I am sure none of us want to hear the Lord Jesus tell us on that final day that He does not know us and that we have no part in His kingdom. How then can we be sure that we belong to God and are truly saved? Jesus said, we can tell by our fruits, are they good or are they bad, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

Good fruit can only come if we have true faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matt 7:24-27). Whether we stand or fall is determined by how we respond to God’s Word.

If we are truly God’s children, we would desire to obey our heavenly Father because we want to please Him (Heb 11:3). As children of God, our faithful obedience produces good fruits or good works in our life. The Lord transforms us by His Word and we will become more and more Christlike. But if we do not see any change, any fruit, then it is likely we are not born again, we have a faith that is dead and deadly, which is no faith at all. The Apostle James said, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (Jas 2:20).

That was why Paul called on all believers to check their faith, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:12, 13).

Holiness and Separation

Now if we truly belong to the Lord, then we are a sanctified people separated from the world. The Lord said, “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” (Lev 20:26). For this reason, we are commanded not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath 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 ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:14-18). We have nothing in common with the world, and we should stay away from all forms of unbelief and ungodliness.

In the World, Not of the World

As God is holy, we also must be holy. That was why Jesus prayed to the Father that we be kept from the evil of this world: “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14-16). Positively, Jesus prayed that the Father would sanctify us, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17).

God’s Word which gives us knowledge of who God is and what He desires of us sanctifies us by causing us to love Him more and more and the world less and less, even to hate the world and all its lusts. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. … 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, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:4-6, 15-17).

If we are God’s people, we will endeavour to draw closer and closer to Christ and His Word, and stay further and further away from sin and the world. JK

VERSE FOR THE WEEK

“A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.” Prov 28:17

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