Book of 2 Corinthians - Ch. 6, Vs. 16-Ch. 7, Vs. 16 (04/29/2001)

The Temple of God and Separation from Idolatry

2 Corinthians 6 .16. 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.

Now the question comes. It is understood that we are the temple of the living God. What does it mean, we are the temple?

Purge. We're His chosen people. We're the temple of God. God loves us. Now maybe I'll go over it. We're His temple. Whatever we do, we either glorify Him, or we tear Him down. All right.

I will dwell in them, and walk in them. Debbie? What does it mean, I will dwell in and walk in? All right. Charlie? What ramifications comes with, I will dwell in and walk in you? What is the outcome, or the process in which He walks in you?

Bill, where is 2 Corinthians 6 .16? We've just read the verse. And it says, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. Now that means more than just being present, walking along with you. What does it mean?

All right, from outside. From inside, He will direct your steps. I had asked you last week to research the scripture of Galatians 5 .19. Let me read it for you. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these.

These are the works of the flesh. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like.

Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And I ask you to bring back an explanation of the word do.

Verge, let me hear yours. We shouldn't practice that. We shouldn't be doing it. We just have to do it. We shouldn't practice those five principles because we are His chosen people. And if we do them, or if we practice those, then that's a slam on the table, I think, for us.

All right. Jesse, what does the word do mean? All right. Greg, does the word do, is the word do a culmination of your will? So then, to do such thing means what? You want to do such things. Now, where does the distinction come between those that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

Does that mean that if you go out and do one of these things that it listed, that you will not inherit the kingdom of God? But that's what it says. Let me hear your explanation, Clarence. That's very good.

Yes. About those that never do those, never commit any of these. Burge, what about those that don't commit any of these? All right. Very good. Then, those of us that live in this world have done one of these, right?

I wish you'd raise your hand when you speak so I can, before you speak. Now, I will dwell in them and walk in them. For God to dwell in you, you must have been chosen before the foundation of the world.

You must belong to him. Whether you know it or not yet, he'll let you know at the right time. But he will dwell in you. Well, I think we worked that over. About as much as we can. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

For you are the temple of God. The Christian is himself the sanctuary of the Lord, as is proved by the passage quoted from Leviticus 26 .12. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

God dwells in his people as the kind of glory dwelt between the cherubs. 17. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be 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.

What's he mean, come out from among them? What's be separate mean? Greg, is it possible for you to live in this world and be separate from them? Well, now, Greg says it's impossible. What do you say, David?

Is it? Yes. Jesse, what if you entered into a partnership with someone and later on found out that they were the devil? What if they were bringing in $10 ,000 a month to you? That's right. If the money makes the difference, you're wrong to start with.

He could. What? He could end it with you in the partnership. Yes. Or out of the partnership. But if you do it in obedience to the word, the loss in obedience to the word, in your eyes, is really gain in terms of...

All right. So if we've discovered something downstream we didn't know in the beginning, we should bring it to a close some way or other. God expects and requires His saints should make a separation from all uncleanliness, but especially from the uncleanliness of idolatry.

God expects a separation from us, from our unclean courses, from all unclean company, from the presence and appearance of all uncleanliness, from communion with idolatrous churches, and from communicating with what is sinful in the truest churches of Christ upon earth.

Now that's a big mouthful. What if you're attending a church and it comes to your attention that they're practicing something that is absolutely opposed to God? Bill, what should you do? If you can't change it, get out.

A quickening encouragement to back this exhortation, I will receive you and be a father to you. Here's a twofold promise. Of reception, I will receive you. Of adoption, I will be a father to you. God will receive them both into His house and heart.

Yes, that's right. If you're rebellious, that's witchcraft. We never think of that. And stubbornness is idolatry. It's an admonition. So all the ladies were kind of bummed because they didn't see the extent that there was stubbornness in many of the ladies on doing their own thing.

That's like our conversation. We won't use a, quote, cuss word, but we'll use gosh or darn or something. That is a watered down subversion of that. So we have to be very careful and not participate in that that we know is wrong, no matter what level it is.

Cleansing Ourselves in the Fear of God

Second Corinthians chapter seven, verse one. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

It's plain to see he's talking to Christians. Having, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh. Greg, how do you do that? You and I need to be aware of the fact that we're living in a world today.

We live here. We're in among them. And that world gives respectability to sins. Does it not? Even in areas of which we're not aware. Most people today say that alcohol is all right. Is it? It's all right if you're careful how you use it.

It is well advertised in the media. Does that make it right? The other day I heard an advertisement, which said the mark of the mature man, of the mature, sensible and successful man today is one who is able to drink cocktails.

I used to have a nephew that when he started in business, he thought he had to participate in that social drinking. He found out right quick that it wasn't so. Now the ad which I was quoting was not from the Southern Comfort or Old Crow or some other brand of whiskey.

It was an advertisement from an organization which deals with alcoholics. They added, there are some people who just don't know how to handle their liquor. I don't say there are. There are a lot of them, several million of them, that we the taxpayers are paying hospital bills of the liquor interest to receive this.

We have wronged no man. We have corrupted no man. We have defrauded no man. Now, Paul didn't come to take up an offering for all sorts of perfections, of offering for this and offering for that. Church supports this and supports that.

I'm so glad I'm not in that kind of a church anymore. I speak not this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die and to live with you. Paul constantly had these people in his heart.

We should do the same. Great is my boldness of speech towards you. Great is my glorifying of you. I am filled with comfort. I am seating joyful in all of our tribulations. For when we were coming to Macedonia, our flesh had no rest.

But we're troubled on every side where fighting's within, where fear's fighting's great opposition to the gospel. And in him for preaching it, fears lest his first epistle should not have been produced the desired effect.

He was very, very aware that being separated from someone that you want so much to correct and you write a letter is very seldom that that letter will convey your thoughts. The best you can do is not like talking eye to eye.

Nevertheless, God, that comfort those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus. You remember, Titus brought good news. And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you when he told us your earnest desires, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me so that I rejoiced the more.

For though I made you sorry with a letter, he wrote a letter very stern. I do not repent though I did repent for I perceive that the same epistle has made you sorry though it were but for a season. So I had many doubts in my mind when I wrote that first letter.

Now I rejoice not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed in repentance for you were made sorry after a godly manner that you might receive damage by us in nothing. Let me inject a personal note here.

When was the last time you went to your preacher and put your arm around him? And genuinely supported him? You're praying for him. You know what a heavy load he carries and told him so. I see that you're standing for God in it.

And I want to stand with you. I'm not gonna ask for hands, but you answer in your heart. How long has it been since you did that? 10, for godly sorrow worketh repentance and salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

The sorrow of the world worketh death. The sorrow of this age. It can only end in death. Did you ever hear about the little boat on the Mississippi River? That every time it blew its whistle, it drifted back downstream.

Didn't have a big enough boiler. It could either turn the paddle wheel or blow the whistle. Well, some people are like that. Lots of whistle for going forward. For behold this selfsame thing that you sorrowed after a godly start, what carefulness it wrought in you.

Yea, what clearing of yourselves. Yea, what indignation. Yea, what fear. Yea, what vehement desire. Yea, what zeal, what revenge. In all things you have proved yourself to be clear in this matter. The difference between worldly and godly sorrow is one has supreme respect to the creature, the other to the creator.

A worldly person can be sorry. He can even be sorry for you. Right after he's sorry for himself. But that's worldly. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you and the sight of God might appear unto you.

Now, a wrong is done to correct it, to address yourself to that wrong so that it will correct the individual is wrong. You must have God in mind. You must, in correcting him, you must build him up. You must have God as your focus point, not the individual, not to find something wrong with him, not to tear him down as opposed to yourself.

That's pride. But in correcting the individual, first of all, do it privately. If so, you must do it to support God, not the world. I think we fall down here a lot. Greg does something that I see is wrong and I go to him and I explain to him and he shouldn't be doing that.

And I think that I'm doing it right and I'm able to tell him, well, don't take that attitude. Don't go to someone knowing you're right. Always suspect the other person as being right. But you know, this is as far as I know, this is wrong.

You go to him to find out if you're wrong or if he's right. That's the only way that things can be corrected. Any questions? I apologize for my voice.

Yes, that's right. Now, because he was the real devil. That's right. But he didn't avoid it. And I think that not that you go extremely into it, but if you're doing your daily stuff and he reveals something to you in earnest prayer, I think we have to address things.

Because how can you confess your sins one to another? How can you grow in Christ Jesus? How can you, it's like we're all children. Can we address the conflicts of our children? Can we just say, if we think about it, don't think about them being bad, they're gonna be all right.

I think we have to address it. The Lord brings us to life. We have to say this is the cross of life. That's right.

You have to address it, but be careful to not address it until you're right. You may be, but don't present that.

That's right.

Paul’s Confidence, Titus’s Report, and Godly Repentance

Comforted in your comfort. Yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. But if I have boasted anything to him of you, I'm not ashamed. But as we speak all things to you in truth, even so are boasting, which I made before Titus is found a truth.

It's not boasting when you're telling the truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you. Whilst he remembered the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling he received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

Wouldn't it be nice if somebody could say that of us? I have confidence in you of all things. I'm going to have to quit. Is there a word from anybody? Does God, does God have confidence in you? Not collectively, individually, in all things.

You don't need to answer that. Except in your heart. Does he? Or am I holding something back? Anything else? You didn't raise, you didn't raise your hand.

Okay, I'd like to think so. They had their problems.

We have our problems. But he was confident in all things. David, you want to close out with anything? Hold it till then. Well, let's stand and purge. Will you dismiss us, please?