Let's take our Bibles now and
turn to the book of 2 Corinthians, chapter 6. 2 Corinthians, chapter
6. Been going through 1 Corinthians,
now we're in 2 Corinthians. Been a little over a month ago
since I preached out of this. And I want to pick up where we
left off. The Apostle Paul has been speaking
specifically to the church at Corinth, but to all God's people. Something of the trials and the
sufferings that have been providentially sent of the Lord. They were actually
marks. These trials, tribulations, sufferings,
They're the means of God exposing or showing His people who they
are. If you be without chastisement,
you're none of His. But the Apostle Paul, we looked
at this last time in verse 3, he said concerning these trials,
these tribulations, I walk in this life. He said, let no obstruction
be in anyone's way, let no fault be found in our ministry. In
verse 3 it says, let the ministry be not blamed. Then in verses 4-10, we'll pick
up in verse 11, he's talking about all the things that are
used of God in the approving of ourselves, commending ourselves. He says in verse 4, but in all
things approving or commending ourselves as the ministers of
God in much patience, afflictions, and all through verse 10, these
trials. We commend ourselves to God's
people. We don't commend ourselves to
God. And we don't commend ourselves to the world. but to each other
through all these afflictions, and trials, and tossings, and
sufferings, and labors, and fastings. And then he says in verse 11,
this is where we're going to pick up. What's happened is God's
people, the preachers, Paul and the other ministers, they've
been under some, taken some flack from some people that were there
in the churches that were giving them some trouble, what they
were doing. And some of the people in Corinth, some of the believers
were listening to them. They were listening to what they
were saying, you know, about Paul. And he said, O ye Corinthians,
our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. He said, you
Corinthians, you believers, we speak openly and freely. unto you, and our speech to you
is of the truth, and the things that I've been saying, that the
Lord has taught me, He said, I'm saying them from a heart
that is enlarged, one that is warm and generous in affection
to you, for my love for you. I'm desiring that you hear that
which is needful and I don't want to hold anything back from
you. He said, verse 12, you're not straightened in us. Straightened
means you're restricted, confined. That's what he said. You're not
straightened in us but You're straightened in your own bowels
or your heart. He said, there's no lack of room
in our hearts for you. We love you. We're ready to do
all we can for your welfare, to tell you the truth. But on
the other hand, your love and affection for us is not what
it should be. You've been listening to these
scallywags, and they're troublemakers. And, you know, whenever somebody
says something about somebody else, you know, it's just sad
to say, but somebody says something about somebody, and all of a
sudden you think, really? You know, there's just that moment.
It might take you a second to kind of grab hold of the instance,
and then you say, well, no, no, no, wait a minute, I don't know,
but boy, there's that moment. They just put that doubt in your
mind. They say something about somebody.
You know, I heard Marvin and so and so. Really? Really? There was doubts being put in
the minds of the Corinthians. And so Paul is telling them.
He said, listen. He said, our hearts are for you.
He said, now there's some doubts in you, and it's obvious. But
he said, our hearts are enlarged for you, brethren, and he says,
In verse 13, now for a recompense in the same I speak as unto my
children, be ye also enlarged. He said what I'm asking of you
is that you repay me by opening your heart toward me as I have
toward you. I want and need for you to understand. I'm not trying to hurt you. I
don't want to hurt you. I'm speaking to you as a parent,
speaking unto his children. He said, give me the same attachment
and love that I've shown you. I want you to understand. I don't
want to be a hurt to you. Paul, like all of God's preachers,
had suffered. The Lord had providentially put
him through some dire straits, but it was for the benefit of
God's people. It was to keep Paul in submission. Whenever he said, I knew a man,
such one went up to heaven, whether in spirit, in body, out of the
body, I don't know. Heard things that can't be spoken. God taught him some things that
he couldn't even, didn't know how to say them. But he said,
a messenger of Satan was given to me to buffet me, lest I be
exalted above measure. God knows how to base His people. God teach a man or a woman something,
and if He leaves them alone, they going to think they somebody.
I don't know about you, but I've been taught some things. The
Lord knows how to base His people. So Paul is telling them, say,
look, the sufferings that we've gone through, it's been for God's
glory, it's been for my good, it's been for your sake. And
he said, I'm telling you these things because I love you. And
I don't want you to hurt. He said, I'm just asking you
to pray God give you love for me, that I have for you. Then he says, continuing on verse
14, he says, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, Here's what they were doing.
They were kind of joining themselves with, you know, giving these
people that were starting trouble an ear. They were listening to
them. They were listening to them.
Somebody comes and they start talking about a brother or sister,
don't listen. Somebody was going to tell me
something the other day. I knew where it was going. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't
want to hear it. I just didn't. A lot of times
I do. Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell me. But
thank the Lord for this moment. I didn't want to hear it. And
I told him. I said, don't tell me. I don't want to hear it. Don't tell me. I'd rather not
know. And I'm so thankful that I did. Believe me, I'm not always
like that. No, usually I like to hear some
juicy stuff. Then I wish I hadn't heard it.
But I didn't. But he was telling me, you're
listening to these people. Be not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. I looked that up, unequally yoked. It means to have fellowship with
one who is not an equal spiritually. We're all sinners. We're sinners,
all of us, we're sinners saved by the grace of God. But when
the Lord has taught us something, there's a difference between
a believer, a sinner, who is saved by the grace of God and
someone who doesn't know the Lord. That's what I'm talking
about, being not equal. I was asked one time about this,
Mark and I were just talking about this one time about divisions,
the different associations and denominations in churches. They asked me this, why is there
so much difference in denominations? This one says this, and this
one says this. Why is there so much division?
My answer was, the scripture says, can two walk together except
they be agreed? What is the difference? What
is the difference in a place where the gospel is preached
and a place where the gospel is not preached? First of all,
you've got to find out, what is the gospel? I've told you
this before. Somebody would say, do you believe
the gospel? Yes, I do. I believe the gospel. I said,
okay, tell me what it is. Tell me what the gospel is. The
gospel is the message of how God has been pleased to save
sinners. That's the simplest way I can
say it. And there's only two messages
being preached in this world. All the different denominations,
there's only two messages. Salvation by the works of man
is one of them, which is not the gospel. And salvation by
the grace of God. That God Almighty chose to show
mercy and chose a people, chose a people Ephesians 1, I've told
you this, look it up. He chose a people that He was
going to save. And He gave them to the Son and
entrusted them in the Son. And the Son came into this world
and lived for them, establishing their righteousness before God
on their behalf. And then Almighty God sent the beloved servant, the Lamb. And He laid down His life and
He paid their debt. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. He lived for them, establishing
their righteousness. He died for them, paying their
debt to the broken law. And the Spirit of God comes to
them, John 6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to
me. And He calls them out of darkness and He keeps them and
saves them. That's the gospel. how God saves sinners. Either works or grace, what is
it? It can't be both. And so Paul
is telling them, he says, beloved, be not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers, false religion. There's only one source for false
religion. There's only one source. And
it is Satan. Listen, John 8, 44. The Lord
is speaking to some Pharisees. He said, You are of your father
the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, abode not in the truth, because there's
no truth in Now when we talk about there's no truth in Him,
there's nothing of Christ in Him. The Lord said, I'm the way,
the truth, and the life. There's no truth. There's no
truth in a false message. When He speaketh a lie, He speaketh
of His own, for He's the liar and the father of it. He's the
father of all that is false. So, if you want to know, A true
message or a false message, the answer is who gets the glory
for salvation? Man or God? And then individual
denominations, they may declare that they have no common ground.
This one believes in this, this one believes in that. But if
it comes down to works, which it all does, they're all on the
same ground. So one that's been taught of
God. Paul is telling them, he said, don't be paired or coupled
together, connected with one who is without faith in Christ.
I heard Brother Henry say this, and rightfully so, he said, and
I took this down out of his commentary, he said, this admonition about
being not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, he said, this
admonition doesn't mean that believers are forbidden to have
any contact with unbelievers. It doesn't mean that believers
are forbidden to have any contact with unbelievers. He said we
trade at their stores, we work with them in the office, we have
other contacts in civil society, but he said to seek unnecessary
partnership or union with one who doesn't know or love our
Lord is foolish and is dangerous. We don't think the same. We don't
have the same We don't love the same God. Now this analogy about being
unequally yoked together is from a practice that was forbidden
in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 22.10, Thou shalt not plow with
an ox and an ass together. Two different kinds of animals.
They don't pull the same. They don't act the same. They
don't react the same. They're different. They don't
pull together, they don't pull the same. Likewise, believers
and unbelievers, they're different. I said a moment ago, both sinners,
but a believer has a new nature that loves Christ and desires
Christ's honor, follows after Him. My sheep hear my voice,
I know them, they follow me. They desire to honor Him, be
found in Him, and unbelievers don't. They just don't. Now most commentators put the
main focus on marriage concerning this passage of scripture. And without a doubt, marriage
must be considered by a believer in this light. But there's no
reason to think that it's only concerning marriage. It certainly
does. I told you concerning Brother Henry whenever my wife had passed
away. This is pretty well common knowledge,
I've told everybody this. But he told me, he said, don't
even consider, don't even consider a woman that has professed the
Lord less than five years ago and has consistently walked in
the gospel. He said, don't do it, it's dangerous,
dangerous. And I thought, you know, so concerning
marriage, that's good, but Paul's talking to them religiously,
spiritually, is what he's talking about here too. Believers are
to avoid being yoked together with unbelievers in intimate
friendships, business, or even connections that demands that
the believer and the unbeliever stand on equal footings. And
the reason that we're not to do it, God forbids it. The Lord
forbids it. That's what He said, don't do
it. The Lord had exhorted His people In Exodus 34, 12, take
heed to yourself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants
of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the
midst of thee. We're warned about being yoked
together with unbelievers in all areas of our life, business,
marriage, even friendships, be cautious, cautious. The scripture
says in 2 John 1 10, If there come any unto you, and bring
not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him God speed. Now you know that's pretty plain. Somebody comes to you under the
guise or character of a preacher, teacher, religious leader, and
doesn't preach this message. Sovereign, saving, electing,
redeeming, regenerating grace. Grace. If someone comes teaching
that, don't allow him, first of all, to preach. in the house
of God, but don't even entertain him in your house giving him
the impression that you agree with him. That's, there's the
issue right there. Don't give anybody the impression
that you agree with. Don't be even yoked together
in letting them think, well you know what, I know we're all working
for the same thing. Don't do it. Don't do it. There's no principle, there's
no admonition concerning the walk of a believer in this world
when it comes to our associations than what is set forth by the
Apostle Paul right here. We're admonished, we're admonished
to not yoke ourselves, don't tie yourself together like this. There's no place where Christians
are found to be more danger of erring, are found to be more
challenged with more stress and more difficulty to maintain consistency
in the gospel than here. We're in this world, but we're
not of it. We're not to join in it. We live
in it. When the Lord came into this
world, did he come to unite everybody together? Matthew chapter 10. Listen to the words of our Lord.
Matthew 10. Verse 34 to 38. Think not that
I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but
a sword. For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And
a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that
loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he
that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy
of me. Now, when the Lord made that
statement, I didn't come to send peace in the world, but a sword.
It's not that he came and his object was to produce discord
and contention. That's not what he was saying.
for He's the Prince of Peace, that's what Isaiah 9, 6 says. But what He said was this, this
will be the effects of Him coming. This will be the effects of Him
coming. This will be the effects of having regenerated one of
His own, called him out of darkness. This will be the effect of it.
When Almighty God calls one of His own out of the darkness of
unbelief, That's when you'll see the animosity
in the families, in the associations. That's when you'll see it. That's
when you'll notice it. One part of a family that's opposed
to him is going to set themselves against those that love him and
bow to his word. The wickedness of men is opposed
to the glory of God and his gospel. And that's the cause of the hostility. Those of you that... There's
some people in this congregation that know what I'm talking about.
It causes division. It causes division. If a man's
going to obey, walk after God, and seek His glory, and seek
His honor, and separate himself under the gospel, it's going
to cause problems. Somebody says, well, I think
we ought to all be together. You can't! It just don't work
that way. There's division. And then the
Apostle Paul asked these questions concerning, this is what he said,
verse 14, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
In what areas? In all areas. Then he asked this
question, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What partnership, what participation
does the righteousness of God, the imputed righteousness of
God to his people, have with unrighteousness? Meaning the
filthy rags of unrighteousness thought to be earned by people. I've earned my righteousness. I accepted the Lord. He said,
what fellowship? There's no fellowship there.
I mean, I might have to work with somebody that doesn't believe
what I believe, but I can't yoke myself together with them and
let them know, well, you know, we're all the same. I know you
believe in salvation by works, and I believe in salvation by
grace, but we're all in the same boat. No, we're not. No, we're
not. No, we're not. What communion?
He said, what communion hath light with darkness? What communion,
what association, what companionship hath light, the truth that makes
manifest the glory of God and exposes man for what he is? What
communion hath light with darkness? A lie, corruption, error. There's no communion there. We
just don't see eye to eye. We can't walk together. Look
at verse 15. What concord, what harmony, what
unison hath Christ with Belial? What concord hath Christ, the
Lord Himself, the things of the Lord concerning His glory and
His gospel, His sufferings, His salvation towards people? What
unison hath Christ with Belial, or Satan, or worthlessness, or
a lie, deceiver, accuser of the brethren? They're oil and water. They don't mix. What part hath
he that believeth, that trusts the Lord Jesus and has no confidence
in the flesh, with an infidel, with a faithless unregenerate? What part do you have? You just don't. First message, I pray God have
mercy. on sinners. I pray God have mercy
on me. But I just can't enter into a
tight bond of fellowship and tell them, say, look, I agree
with you, when I don't. Verse 16, What agreement hath
the temple of God with idols? What agreement, what unity again,
hath the temple of God? Or how or what does the place
where the gospel is freely proclaimed have to do with the idle worship
of false religion? For me to stand up here and preach
a mixed message here, we're saved by the grace of God, totally
by the grace of God, but now you're going to have to do something
to perfect it. We're saved by grace. We're saved
by grace. But the way we're going to have
a higher place in glory. Where you're going to have more
crowns. Where your rewards are going
to be greater. You're going to have to do those little things
that's on that card today. You're going to have to do good
things. That just don't fly. What agreement has the temple
of God with idols? The Scripture declares 1 Corinthians
3.16, Ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said,
I will dwell in them and walk in them, I'll be their God, they'll
be my people. 1 Corinthians 3.16 again says,
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you? God's temple is not for men's
glory, but the Lord's glory. So for the glory of God, be not
yoked together with unbelievers. In Ephesians chapter 2, Ephesians
2, 19-22, the scripture says, Now therefore you are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation
of the apostles. and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself
being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in
whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God through
the Spirit." So again, what unison does the temple of God have with
an idol? The last two verses. Come out from among them, and
be ye separate. The Lord has separated His people.
God has separated them. 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 you
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. The scriptures declare Isaiah
52.11, Depart ye, go ye out from thence, and touch no unclean
thing. Go ye out of the midst of her,
be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Just as the Lord's
people were to depart out of the bondage of Egypt, just as
Lot was to depart out of Sodom. The Spirit of God has declared
unto those regenerated by the power and grace of God, depart. Don't sit there and listen to
something that is disrespectful, dishonoring to God, and damning
to men's souls. A message that makes salvation
to be based upon men. And what is the Apostle speaking
of when he speaks of the unclean thing? Well, nothing else than
what he's been speaking of in these previous verses, the association
of works religion trying to be mingled with grace. It just doesn't
work. It doesn't work. You who believe,
the Apostle Paul was telling the church at Corinth, you come
out from among them. Don't listen to them. Don't listen
to those that have been Lambasting God's preachers. Don't sit there
under a false gospel. Don't be associated. Don't be
considering a marriage. Don't be joined together, equally
yoked together with unbelievers. Don't do it. This last scripture
right here, Revelation 18, verse 1-5, and then I'll stop. Revelation 18, 1-5, the Lord
is speaking here. continuing this same thought.
After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven saying,
having great power, the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a
strong voice saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. Who's Babylon the great? It's
false religion. Mystery Babylon. It's fallen,
it's fallen and it's become the habitation of devils and the
hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful
bird. For all nations have drunk of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of
the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of
the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies."
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, I heard a voice
from heaven say, come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered
her iniquities." God Almighty has chosen to set
a people apart for himself. The Lord calls those people out
of the darkness of unbelief. It's not that they fail to have
a love for people that know Him not. They do love them. They
do love them. They do. I told you a while ago, I pray
God have mercy. I pray God save your children,
your grandchildren. I pray God save mine. If He's
pleased to do so, He will. He will. If He's pleased to do
so. I don't want to be accused of
being insensitive and thinking you just don't want anybody to
be saved. That is not true. That's not true. I pray God have
mercy. But I cannot yoke myself together
with someone that's not preaching the gospel or is telling someone
a lie and make them believe or let them believe that I'm in
agreement with them. I can't do it. I just can't do
it. I can't do it. I've got to be faithful to these
scriptures right here. Be warned. Be warned. Be not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers. The Lord forbids
it. For His glory and our good. Amen.