Separation Unto God
Luke 19: 12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’
His own people (“Christians”) his own servants, did not want his rulership or lordship over their lives. They did not want this king to rule over them. They want the salvation, they want the healing, the restoration, the cleansing, the love, but not his rules, instructions or commands.
GROUP QUESTION: Was this you as a baby Christian? What helped you overcome that way of thinking?
2 Peter 2 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive (damnable) heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their evil teachingand shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.
People who deny Jesus as Lord (master), sudden destruction comes. God is not giving us rules just to make our lives miserable, he is giving us instruction to live a blessed life. They are for our benefit. Peter is warning the church that there are false prophets. The teaching of false prophets will come in secretly (cleverly). You will not be aware of it, it will be sudden and bring damnable doctrine and destructive. Even denying the Master who bought them. This is why you have to be sharp with the Word of God in not just knowing it for yourself, but walking it out in your life.
GROUP QUESTION: In what ways do Christians deny their Master who paid the price for their redemption?
Jesus is our king. We need to give him ALL of our lives. God is looking for his own people who will respond to every slightest word. When Paul got saved on the road to Damascus, the first thing he said was not thank you for saving and lifting that burden of sin, itwas “Lord, what will you have me to do?” He recognized it was someone vast, great and powerful to bow in obedience to. To be obeyed and have rulership over him. He said get on your feet and go city to city and prophesy to them. I’ve set you apart, I’ve got a calling on your life.
Everyone’s got a call. If you don’t accept him as your lord (ruler), you will never know. It’s that holy awe, reverence, regard, respect, that reverential love. When you love someone, you don’t want to disappoint them, but rather you obey them in love.
GROUP QUESTION: Is there anything God told you to do, but not doing it yet?
Malachi 2:4-5 NLT 4 Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
He is using Levi as an example. He had the fear of the Lord. That is the reason he chose that tribe over every other tribe to be his priests. God said to Moses to take his sword to those who chose not to be with him on the Lords side and slay everyone.
Exodus 32:26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
When Moses begins to bless the Tribe of Levi he gave them the blessing to teach the law to Israel. Because of their separation (they did not consider their brother, sister, mother, but stood in awe of His name). It was all based on their separation to God.
GROUP QUESTION: Where in our lives are we hesitating to fully stand on God’s side, and what is that hesitation costing us spiritually?
James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Today many Christians are more afraid of offending people than offending God. We no longer preach against sin. Why because someone might leave. There is a whole new way of “sensitive” preaching the gospel of a Good God who just showers you with love no matter what you do.
1 Corinthians 5 (NIV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
GROUP QUESTION: Why do you think Paul treated sin inside the church more seriously than sin outside of it?
Luke 6:46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?
Christ is coming back for a church without blemish, marked by holiness and righteousness. But too often, believers have formed quiet alliances with the world, holding onto what God has called them to leave behind. To call Jesus “Lord” is to accept the standard of being set apart for Him. Jesus is not returning for a divided bride, but for one that is pure, undistracted, and fully surrendered.
GROUP QUESTIOIN: If God asked you to fully separate from anything displeasing to Him this week, what would need to change immediately?
