Do Thy Diligence

Q: What does the Bible say about being separate from the world?

The Bible emphasizes that God's people are called to be separate and distinct from the world, highlighting the importance of living a life that reflects their faith. Scripture teaches that believers are distinct from the world. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul declares that anyone in Christ is a new creation, suggesting a transformed identity that separates believers from their former ways. Furthermore, in John 17:16, Jesus states, 'They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,' indicating that the faithful are called to live apart from worldly values and commitments. This separation is not merely physical but involves a spiritual distinction, as believers embody Christ-like characteristics, serving as lights to the world and reflecting God's glory.

Q: Why is the doctrine of perseverance important for Christians?

The doctrine of perseverance assures Christians that true believers will not ultimately fall away from faith, being preserved by God's grace. The doctrine of perseverance, closely associated with the assurance of salvation, posits that genuine believers are kept by the power of God and cannot lose their salvation. Jesus affirms this in John 10:28-29, where He asserts, 'I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.' This promise of eternal security provides comfort to believers amidst trials and temptations. It emphasizes that salvation is secured by God's sovereign grace rather than human effort, thus fostering a relationship rooted in trust and reliance on God's faithfulness.

Q: How do we know that Demas was not a true believer?

Demas's love for the world, as stated in 2 Timothy 4:10, indicates he was not a true believer, as genuine faith cannot coexist with such worldly attachment. Demas is a sobering example of someone who outwardly appeared to be a believer yet ultimately forsook the Apostle Paul due to his love for the world. In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul states, 'Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world,' which echoes the warning from 1 John 2:15 that loving the world indicates the love of the Father is not in a person. This illustrates a key tenet in Reformed theology: true believers maintain a love for Christ that eclipses worldly desires. The distinction lies in the inner transformation wrought by the Holy Spirit, which reorients the believer's affections towards God.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to gather in a church?

Gathering in a church is essential for fellowship, spiritual growth, and fulfilling the biblical mandate to be a light in the world. The church serves as a vital community for believers, providing a space for fellowship and worship as outlined in Hebrews 10:24-25, where believers are encouraged to not forsake assembling together. This gathering is crucial for mutual encouragement and the strengthening of faith. Additionally, the church acts as a beacon of light in a dark world, fulfilling Jesus's command in Matthew 5:14-16 that His followers are to shine their light before others. Through communal worship, teaching, and accountability, believers grow spiritually and embody the collective witness of Christ in society.

Q: What does John 17 teach about God's people in the world?

John 17 emphasizes that while believers are in the world, they are not of the world and are to be kept by God from evil. In John 17, Jesus, in His high priestly prayer, articulates the nature of His relationship with His followers. He specifies that while His disciples are in the world, they are not of it, thereby establishing their distinct identity. Jesus prays for their protection, stating, 'I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.' This underscores the Reformed understanding that believers, although engaged in the world, are preserved by God's sovereign grace and are called to live in a manner that reflects their heavenly citizenship, continually pointing others to Christ.

If you have your Bible, please
turn with me to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4. The book of 2 Timothy
chapter 4. Our brother read it to us a few
minutes ago. I'd like to take from my text beginning
with verse 9. Let me read verse 9 and part
of verse 10. Do thy diligence Paul writing
to Timothy, this is his last letter that he would ever write. Do thy diligence to come shortly
unto me, for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present
world and is departed unto Thessalonica. For Demas hath forsaken me, having
loved this present world and is departed unto Thessalonica. Demas was a professing believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ. A professing believer in Christ. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians
5 verse 17 that if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things are passed away and
behold, all things become new. A child of God is a new creation. A child of God is called upon
in the Bible to be a light to this world. A child of God is
to be separate. Paul said in Corinthians, Be
ye separate. Come out from among them and
be ye separate, saith the Lord. The Lord's people are to be a
separated people unto their God. And one of the great purposes
of God in giving a church, having a church in this world, is that
the people of God would gather there, separating themselves
from the world around them, in order that they might commune
and fellowship with their God. The great purpose of all, of
course, for the church being in the world, is for the glory
of our God. We believe it to be the glory
of God for those who profess to know him, to walk even as
he walked. Paul said, if we say that we
know him, we ought to walk even as he walked. And that's exactly
what we do say. Those that are believers in Christ,
those that are the Lord's people, members of the living family
of God, they do testify to the fact that they are those who
know the Lord. And there's no salvation apart
from knowing the Lord. And in John chapter 17, our Lord
Himself said, This is life eternal that ye might know Me, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He sent into the world. And so
the great purpose of God is for His own glory. He puts a church
in the world that His people would gather there, being lights
to the world, and they, living the separated life, show forth
His glory. We know the nation of Israel,
that that nation was a special people chosen by God. And that
nation was to show forth the glory of God in that heathen
world in which they lived. And they were to show forth the
fact that God owned them, and that they were the elect of God,
the chosen of God. God's people and their lives
were to shine in the world in order that men and women of other
nations would know that their God was the Lord. And so we know
that Demas here, being a professing believer, Paul said that he had
been forsaken by Demas, him having loved this present world. Now
we believe that This being separated from the
world by the people of God is a very, very important subject. We know that that's the reason
why God has called us and chosen us and called us out of the world
is because he would have us to be separate for his glory. and
for His praise. We've been redeemed by precious,
precious blood, the blood of His own Son. It is for this that
the people of God are set apart or sanctified by the Holy Ghost
and become temples of the Holy Ghost of God. It is for this
that they partake of that inward nature, that divine nature which
makes them different. from all other peoples in the
world. They have received that renovation
of heart, that regeneration by the Spirit, without which there
can be no delight in God, no fellowship with God, no communion
with God with Him here, and certainly no fellowship with Him in the
hereafter. God has a people And that people
are following Christ. That people are obeying Christ.
They're walking with Christ. They're separating themselves
even as He has separated them in His divine purpose. Now there's
some verses in John chapter 17. If you have your Bible, if you
would please turn there, I would like for you to listen to these
verses of Scripture. I'll read them to you. John 17,
beginning with verse 9. Our Lord says, I pray for them.
Who's He talking about? He's talking about those people
that have been given to Him. in the love covenant from the
foundation of the world. He's talking about the chosen
people of God, those in whom the Spirit has indwelt, those
who have been chosen and called and claimed by God the Father
to be His own. He says, I pray not for the world. So there we see that He's distinguished
between the disciples of the Lord and the world. He says,
I pray not for the world, but for them which you've given me,
for they are thine. They belong to you, Holy Father,
Jesus is saying in this high priestly prayer. And he says,
I pray for them. They're thy children. They belong
to you. And all mine, he says, are thine,
and thine are mine, and I'm glorified in them. There it is again, the
Lord Jesus Christ, He says, I am glorified in these people that
you have given Me, that I have redeemed, that I have saved.
He says, I'm glorified in them. He's glorified in them in that
they believe on Him. in that they are living testimonies
of the gospel of Christ and that they're lights of the world,
in the world. And now he says, I'm no more
in the world, I'm getting ready to leave the world, but these
are in the world. They're in the world, they're
not of the world, but they're in the world. And I come to thee,
Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one as we are. They're in the world,
they need to be kept. And thanks being to God, they
are kept by the divine power of God. They're kept by God's
grace and mercy in this world. We are a kept people if we are
the children of God. While I was with them in the
world, he says, I kept them in thy name. He says, I did the
keeping. I did it in your name while I
was with them. Those that thou gavest me, I
have kept. and none of them is lost. None
of them is lost but the Son of Perdition that the Holy Scripture
might be fulfilled. The Scripture must be fulfilled. It is spoken by God and it must
be fulfilled, and so the Son of Perdition is lost as the Scripture
says. And now I come to thee, and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves. 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." Now those were the words of our Redeemer,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and he says that they're not of the
world, and so he's saying to you that claim, like precious
faith, to those of you that claim to know the regenerating grace
of God in your soul and heart, to those who claim to be new
creatures in Christ Jesus, He's saying to you, that you're not
of the world. You're not of the world. Therefore,
my friend, you are to forsake the world. You're not to forsake
the Lord for the world because He's taken you out of the world
and you don't belong to the world. You're not of the world even
as I'm not of the world. Now, you that are listening this
morning to what I have to say here, are you not convinced that
our Lord Jesus Christ was separate from the world? Was He not Had
he not been set apart by the divine purpose of Almighty God
to be separate from the world, coming into this world to serve
the purpose of the Father and to fulfill the will of God on
the behalf of His elect? Well, he says, even as I'm not
of the world. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, none
could convince him of sin. None could convict him of sin. None could bring a charge against
him that would stick and make it stick because he was separate
from the world. But he said, I pray not that
thou shouldest take them out of the world. My people, they're
in the world. But he says that thou shouldest
keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, he
says again, even as I am not of the world. God's people are
not of this world. Now you say, well I don't know,
I can't seem to get that very clear in my thinking. Well, I
want you to get it clear if you can. I want you to get it clear. May God the Holy Spirit burn
it in your heart, you're not of the world if you're a child
of God and therefore you're not to love the world. Now in Matthew
chapter 5, if you would turn back there with me, I would like
to read a few verses here. And this is emphasizing the fact
that God's people are separate people. They're set apart unto
God. And as Jesus was in this world,
so are we. And as He was not of the world,
even we're not of the world. And so here in Matthew chapter
5, We read where it says in verse 13, ye, speaking of the Lord's
children again, God's people, the disciples, ye are the salt
of the earth. you're the salt of the earth.
But if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be
salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing
but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men." Now
what's he saying here? He's saying that we being the
salt of the earth, that actually we have a preserving influence
over the whole world. The people of God, when they
live right, when they're living as they ought to live, they're
a testimony to the world. There is hope through the message
they bring to the world. There's a light in their lives. that convicts the world and causes
the world to sense and recognize that there's coming a day of
judgment, a day of reckoning, when they must stand before Almighty
God. Ye are the salt of the earth.
But if that salt has lost his savor, If that salt has lost
its effectiveness, if that salt can no longer do that which it
was purposed to do, can no longer preserve, no longer has an influence
around it, no longer, then it is thenceforth good for nothing. You might as well throw it away
because it's no good. And it's just fit to be trodden
underfoot of men. And then he goes on to say, to
another example, ye are the light of the world. A city that is
set on a hill cannot be hid. You're the light of the world.
This is the light of God. And you that know are children
of light. You that know Christ. Children
of light. And you give light off in the
world. And you're in this church. And you're in this world because
you are the people of God left here by the Lord, sold here in
the places where you are, in order to give light out to the
world. And he said, a city that is set
on a hill cannot be hid. A city that is where it ought
to be. We're on the hill, a holy hill of Zion. The city of God. And we're on
this hill. And you cannot hide that church
when it's right. When it's a separated church,
when it's obeying God, walking with God, living in faith, honoring
Christ, believing the Word of God, studying the Word of God,
giving out the message of the Gospel, that light cannot be
hid. But he said in verse 15, men
don't light a candle and put it under a bushel. Now why would
God save a man if he's going to allow, if it would be okay
for him to go ahead and live just like he did before? That's
the point here. Do men light a candle, put it
under a bushel, or do they hide it? Well, would the Lord save
a man and say, well, just go on? No, no, no, the Lord put
a new nature in you. He put a new nature, a principle
of divine grace, a new nature, the very nature of God is in
a believer. And therefore, my friend, your
light must shine, but on a candlestick. Puts it on a candlestick. The
candlestick is the church. So when a person gets saved,
they ought to join a church, a scriptural church, and they
ought to be there as a light. and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. God's people are a separate people. They're not of this world. They're
in the church, and they're separated unto God for His glory and for
His praise. So let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. So let men see your experience
of grace, inward experience of grace by the outward life you
live. Let them see that, that the world
may get the testimony and glorify your Father in heaven when they
see that good work which He's done in your life. Now, beloved,
let me say that the world is so churchy and the church is
so worldly anymore. It's like a mist and a fog in
this world to the point where that you can't distinguish between
where one starts and the other begins. Now, beloved, that's
a problem. That's a serious, serious problem,
and we must be aware that that is just contrary to what God
teaches in His Word. Now, some people say, well, I
don't think there's that much difference between me and the
people around me. Well, shame on you if you claim
to know Christ. I mean, if you claim to be in
Christ, if you claim to have the Spirit of God abiding in
you, if your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, then my friend,
there must be a difference between you and the people living next
door to you that know nothing of the grace of God, or you need
to question your experience. Well, we get back to our original
text, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. Well, this is an awful case here. Demas hath forsaken me. He was considered a believer,
and he was not a believer. He was considered to be one,
but he wasn't. He wasn't. Now you say, well,
how do you know that? Well, the Scripture says in 1
John 2, that 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, are not of the Father. They're not of the Father, but
of the world. And the world passeth away in
the lust thereof. But they that will do the will
of God shall abide forever. God's people, my friend, do not
love this world. God's people, they are not of
the world, and they do not love this world. God's true people
do not. Now, listen to me. You say, well,
maybe he was a believer, and then maybe he changed, and maybe
he went back. Well, the question is often asked,
can true saints of God perish? Can they perish? Well, by no
means in no sense whatsoever can a saint of Christ, a saint
of God, perish. No way. The seed of the new birth
is incorruptible. We have the incorruptible seed
of the Word of God in us. Not only is it not corrupted,
but it cannot be corrupted. Now this is important to see.
There's a lot of professors in the world that do not possess
genuine saving faith. They profess to be saved, but
they've never been changed. There's never been a heart-rending
and a heart-moving experience to where they're truly in with
the Lord Jesus Christ, followers of Christ, imitators of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, I said that this seed is
not corrupted. It is not. If it is in you, the
seed of the Spirit of God and the Word of God, you, my friend,
have eternal salvation. You have a body that is sinful
and you have a nature that is corrupt. But the new nature is,
has never sinned, cannot sin, and won't sin. The new nature
is the very nature of God. Now Lord Jesus Christ said to
his sheep in John chapter 10, he said, now my sheep, he said,
I give them eternal life. I give them eternal life. I give them eternal life. They
don't buy it, they don't work for it, They don't in any way
put it on a layaway and then pay it off in installments. No,
no, no, no, no. He says, I give unto my sheep
eternal life. And he went on to say, now these
were the words of our Lord. They're not my words, they're
His words. They shall never perish. He said, I give them eternal
life, they shall never perish. That is, they that are His sheep. They that belong to Him as His
sheep. Those that are His by gift from
the Father. Those that were given to Him. There's two ways you can have
a sheep. One, it be given to you, and the other, you buy it.
Well, the Lord Jesus Christ had His sheep given to Him, and He
still bought them. He both had them given to Him,
and He bought them. They're His sheep. Well, did
He deceive them? He said, I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Listen to me. Were there any
of them that were sheep at that time that perished when they
died? Any of them? I asked you. Well,
based on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, I say that they
did not perish. I say that they were eternally
saved because Jesus said, I give them eternal life, not temporary
life, if they hold out to the end. Now what I'm saying is that
this business of people saying, well, you know, so-and-so's not
a very good Christian. So-and-so don't live for the
Lord. So-and-so just doesn't have their heart in this thing.
My friend, I think you have to look a little further back than
just somebody doing a little bit of backsliding. I think probably
you better find out whether or not that individual truly, really,
truly, sure enough, I mean with a heaven-set power, really was
regenerated, converted into the Kingdom of God. Demas hath forsaken
me, having loved this present world." He loved the world, he
didn't have the love of Christ and the love of God in his soul. Well, beloved, what does this
tell us? that the sheep of Christ by no
means in any sense whatsoever will ever perish. And yet demons
hath forsaken me. Yet those who have the love of
the world, they don't have the love of the Father. Well, what
does this tell us? Well, number one, it tells us
how far nature may go and yet be nature still. Ah, we see that
men may make a profession, and many do. Men and women make a
profession, but nothing really happens. Nothing really happens. They walk the aisle. They make
some kind of a decision, but they never had a true experience
in grace. How far nature can go. Oh boy,
we see that everywhere, don't we? How far nature can go. But I'll tell you there's a big
difference. And I know human nature. I've lived a long time,
and I know something about human nature. And I know this, that
human nature, old fresh nature, can do a lot of corrupt and evil
things. But I know this, that if that
seed of God is planted in the soul, and one truly comes to
bear the witness of the Spirit of God in his spirit, that he
is a child of God, he'll never ever lose that, regardless of
how, how much corruption and sin and evil is discovered in
his own nature. Now, I was talking with a brother
the other day, who committed a horrific, horrific crime and
is paying for it. And he told me regardless, and
he mourns over his crime and his sin. And he was telling me
the other day that regardless of how low he sinks, how far
he goes down, down, down in misery over his sin and crime, that
there is still that small voice of the Spirit of God in his soul
that says, you're mine, and the Lord Jesus Christ died for you. Regardless of how far down he
goes, some of the poor people of God They do stumble and fall,
and they go low, and they get low, and they're bothered greatly
over their sin and weaknesses. But they're not going around
acting like they're happy in the world. A true child of God
cannot be happy in this world. He just cannot be happy living
in the world, and living as the world lives. He can't be. He
just cannot be. Because he has that new nature
down in there, And regardless of that old nature, he has that
new nature, which keeps telling him all the time. Telling him
all the time. He always got that small voice
in his soul, telling him, you're mine. You're mine. Well, then
how far nature may go and yet be nature still. Our motto should
be, let him that thinketh, he standeth. Take heed, lest he
fall. Be not high-minded, but fear. Fear, walk with reverence before
God. Oh, my friend, be not high-minded.
Don't get the attitude, oh, I'm in the profession. Yep, there's
a lot of people made a profession. Oh, they got their salvation,
put it in a fruit jar, took it home and kept it, put it on the
shelf, going on living just like hell, just the way they did before
they made the profession. Ain't anything to that, my friend.
I'm telling you, somebody saved is joined to Christ, and they
love Christ, and they'll follow in his ways. Sure, they slip
and fall, but God will raise them up. Be not high-minded,
but fair. Be not high-minded. Don't get
the idea that you've got it all, and that nobody else knows anything,
and that you're just alright. My friend, fear before God. Walk in reverence before God.
Scripture said, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear,
reverence. If I'm saved, I'm saved by grace. If I am saved, I'm saved by grace. If I am saved, it's in spite
of me. It's in spite of my own nature.
It's in spite of who I am by nature. It's in spite of all
of that. Oh, be not high-minded. Pass
the time of your sojourning here in reverence before God. I've
got it, somebody says. I've got it. Well, I hope you
have, dear friend. I hope you have. But I would
rather you say, I trust I have it. I trust I have it. Oh, past
the time of your sojourning at your pilgrimage in this world
with some fear and reverence in your heart. knowing who you
are and who God is, and knowing what you're going to have to
do when you die. You're going out of this world
to stand before God. The fear of a slave? No, no,
no. But the fear of a child that
springs from love, the true daughter of faith, and the fruit of the
Holy Ghost. Something very touching in this
expression. Demas has forsaken me. Paul was a tried man, you know.
He was a very trite man. And if you get back there in
that text of scripture there, where it was read to us this
morning, he said later, he said, Alexander the coppersmith did
me much evil. The Lord reward him according
to his works. Of whom be thou aware also, for
he hath greatly withstood our words. And then in verse 16,
at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook
me. All men forsook me. I pray God
that it not be late to their charge. Notwithstanding, the
Lord stood with me. The Lord stood with me. Now,
beloved, we know that the Lord is with His people always.
He is all we really need, isn't it? The Lord stood by me, strengthened
me. The Greek means here He poured
strength into me. It is always available. There's
no need to give in or give up as the people of God. No need. Strength is available. He said
that by me the preaching might be fully known. That my light
might shine in the world where it's meant to shine. And wherever
I go, wherever the Lord intends for me to be, that it will be,
that the light will shine. He said, I was delivered out
of the mouth of a lion. That means he was not immediately
executed by Nero after his trial. And so he could write this letter.
And how much richer we are for today. Paul knew what it was. And so when he said, Demas hath
forsaken me. It burdened his heart, but was
Paul all demons forsook? Somebody said, well, I left that
church. I left that church. I went here, I went there, I
went somewhere else. Well, was Paul all demons forsook? That's all I'm asking. Well,
no, I don't think so. I don't think so. I think he
forsook the Lord Jesus Christ himself. I think he forsook God. I think he forsook the way of
pardon. I think he forsook the way of
peace. I think he forsook the way of righteousness. He forsook
the way of holiness. He forsook the way from hell.
He forsook the way to heaven. He forsook the way to happiness.
He forsook the Lord. It's what he did. It was an awful
forsaking. An awful forsaking. Well, my
friend, What was the cause that led to this? It was love to the
world. That's what it was. And then
you say, well, what is this love to the world? What is it that
caused Demas to forsake the Lord Jesus Christ, forsake the way
to heaven, the way of righteousness, the way of peace, the way of
happiness? What is it? Well, let me try to explain what
it's not. Well, this love of the world
is not love for the work of God's hand, creation. Now, we know
that what God has made, the invisible things of God are clearly understood,
being understood through the things that are made. And there's
nothing wrong, my friend, with loving God's creation. Nothing
wrong with going out on a beautiful day into the mountains and loving
the creation of God. There ain't a thing in the world
wrong with that. That's not this love of the world that Demas
had. And then to cultivate a man's
mind, to educate oneself, that's not love in the world. Nothing
wrong with a man getting an education as long as it don't go to his
head. If our hearts be drawn even to
domestic enjoyments and to home life, is there anything wrong
with that? Nothing wrong with that. Not
a thing in the world wrong with that. Fact is, more attention
should be given to that. When we feel an attachment to
our worldly vocation, where we like our job. Anything wrong
with that? Ain't a thing in the world wrong
with that. Man ought to like it. He ought to enjoy his work.
Hopefully he can. That's one of the pleasures under
the sun, is that a man's able to do something he wants to do.
and make a living at it, earn a living at it. There's nothing
wrong with a man having some attachment to a worldly vocation.
And some say we ought not love the men of the world. Should
we not love those around us as our fellow man? And should we
not love them as our kin's people? Should we not have a love toward
them and a desire toward their souls? Absolutely, that's not
loving the world because we love some people and love to be around
people, love to talk to people and love to witness to people
and our own relatives. There's nothing wrong with that.
That's not love to the world. Some say that all recreation
is unsuitable to the love of Christ. That we ought not recreate
at all. That it's wrong to go out and
go fishing, wrong to go out into the mountains, hiking and doing
other things, recreation. It's wrong. That hasn't got anything
to do with what Demas did. That's not it. That's not it. There's anything wrong with recreation. What is it then? Listen carefully. I'm not going to take long on
this. It's the overvaluing of the creature and the things of
this world, the over-valuing of the creature and the things
of this world. It is placing the creature where God ought
to be placed. There are people, young people,
who will fall in love with somebody who is outside of Christ, forsake
Christ and what they believe to marry that man or that woman. They'll do that. That's forsaking
the Lord. That's refusing to be separate
from the world. Be not unequally yoked together
says the Word of God. Be not unequally yoked together. Don't do it. A child of God cannot
do it, must not do it. Looking for that from the belongs
to God, looking for that from the creature and from the world
that belongs to God to give only. You see, we got this idea that
our souls, you know, haven't been created for God, something
else can satisfy them. We never got close enough to
God. We never got our hearts right. We never got down. We
never got to where we could look up. We never got the burden of
prayer in our souls. We've never been to the closet.
We hardly mouth a little prayer at night before we go to bed.
Hardly mouth a little bit at the table. We never got serious
about our religion. We don't know anything about
what it means to get down to where we really and truly know
the Lord and seek Him for what He can give to our lives and
to our souls. We think we can get it down around
the corner. We think we can get it from this fella I met or from
this young lady I met. We can get it from them. No,
you can't get it from them. And you're going to be very disappointed.
You're disappointed now. And you're going to be disappointed.
You can't get it from them. Your soul was made to be satisfied
with God and what God is pleased to give. And you cannot satisfy
that desire anywhere else. Alright? Now let's look a little
bit further. Whatever it be, it doesn't matter
what. which I substitute for God, as
the most real substantial happiness, that thing, my friend, becomes
my idol. It becomes my idol. We know that
the pampering of our appetites, the living incarnal self, indulgence,
is called in the Bible, idolatry. And that the God of some, Paul
said, is their belly. It's their belly. As the object
for which they live is just for self. And for whatever they can
get out of this life. Whatever they can get out of
it. Whatever it be. It doesn't matter. Whatever I
substitute for God is the most real substantial happiness. That
thing is my idol. That thing is my world. That
world is my idol. Is what that is. There's a way
of faith, and there's the way of the world. And the way of
faith, the child of God, is to take that. He's to trust God,
but he's a reward of those that diligently seek him. That if
he seeks God, God will give him the best there is. The best there
is! God will give it to him if he'll
seek it. Seek it. God will give it to
him. Man says, no, I can't wait on that. I don't have time. I gotta have it now. Well, you
got to have it now or you're going to end up in trouble. My
highest element must be above every created thing, beyond every
created thing, out of every created thing. My highest element. I
must seek and worship the Lord and the Lord only. Worship God. One God. One true and living
God. If I'm out of fellowship with
God, can anything created, here's the question, Can anything created
make me happy? Anything material, anything created,
can it make me happy? Now just ask yourself that question.
You're out of fellowship with God. You come in this place this
morning and your heart hadn't looked at God in days and you
know that you're out of fellowship with the Lord. Somebody offer
you A million dollars would make you happy. I mean real happy. Happy enough. No, my friend,
if you're a child of God, there'd still be an emptiness when you
went out the door with your check in your hand. Be an emptiness
down in here. Just wouldn't be happy. No, no,
we must not forsake the Lord, loving this world. Examine yourself. See whether or not you've got
some idol somewhere that you're just Can't get away from them. That's your everything in this
world. My friend, you're an idolater.
May God have mercy on you. Now, could be a child, could be money,
it could be pleasure, it could be position, could be any matter
of things. But you know, we're getting ready
to take the Lord's Supper here this morning. I think it's a good
time for us to ask ourselves the question. Are we idolaters
or do we worship the one God of heaven and earth whose dearly
and beloved and precious well-beloved son came here to this world to
die for our sin? He said, Father, thy will be
done, bowed his head and died. Bowed his head and died. Because
he was made to be sin for us. He knew no sin. He was made to
be sin. Are we really in love with him?
Are we serving Him? Well, the destroyer of this world,
how do we overcome this world? I'm just going to tell you, Paul
said, he said, I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. I like
that. Christ, he says, liveth in me.
Oh, the song says, oh, what a salvation this. Christ liveth in me. And then he said, I was crucified
unto the world, and the world was crucified unto me. It's a
dead thing. Paul said, I'm dead to it, and
it's dead to me. I look only to Christ. I look
only to God. I lay my life down every day
before the Lord. Lord, just show me the way. Point
me the way. Point me the way. You're my all
in all, and I'll follow you. I'll follow you until I die.
And like old Job said, if he slays me, I'll just trust him,
go right on and trust him. Go right on. Trust the Lord.
That's what you have to do as a believer. And that's what you
will do. And that's what will make you happy. Trusting the
Lord. Crucified, the world's dead to
me and I'm dead to it. Couldn't enjoy it if I wanted
to. Couldn't enjoy it. God's fixed me up so I can't
enjoy it. And I'm not missing a thing. This whole world is
going to hell. It's going to burn down. That's
what's going to happen to it. It's going to burn down. Well, Scripture says this is the victor
that overcomes the world, even our faith. We believe, therefore
we act and walk. Submit ourselves to the Lord.
Walk in faith. Walk in faith. Say, I don't know
whether God does anything for people anymore or not. Well,
that's a bad way for you to start off. I come here this morning
and I tell you what I believe. I believe God does something
for His people. I believe God does something. I believe God
does something for me when He made me His people. I believe He does
something for me every day when He keeps me. I believe He does
something for me whenever He preserves me, provides for me,
takes care of me in this world. God does something for me. I
expect Him to do something for me. Oh, not because of who I
am, but because of who He is and His promise. His promise. I'll get up in the morning and
say, I just believe God will do something today. Praise God,
He's going to do something somewhere today. He'll do it. Believe it. Believe it. Oh, if we just had
a generation of believers. You say, this is a church of
believers. My friend, I question that thoroughly. Believers. Believers. Oh, I believe. I believe. I believe. Well, bless
God, we believe. We believe. And therefore, we've
spoken. I hope that the Lord will use
this word. I want us to take the Lord's Supper

Do Thy Diligence

What does the Bible say about being separate from the world?

Why is the doctrine of perseverance important for Christians?

How do we know that Demas was not a true believer?

Why is it important for Christians to gather in a church?

What does John 17 teach about God's people in the world?

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Do Thy Diligence

What does the Bible say about being separate from the world?

Why is the doctrine of perseverance important for Christians?

How do we know that Demas was not a true believer?

Why is it important for Christians to gather in a church?

What does John 17 teach about God's people in the world?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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