The Call To Come Out

GOSPEL LIGHT BAPTIST CHURCH

 

I want to draw our attention to a familiar passage to genuine fundamentalists:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “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.”

From verse 17 of the above passage, I want to bring you a VITAL message titled, "The Call To Come Out."

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

One missing note in messages preached to Christian people today, missing from ALL of the sermons and Bible studies on Trinity Broadcasting Network, missing from most other television and radio programs, missing from nearly all Southern Baptist pulpits, and is now missing from many professing fundamentalist pulpits, is the call to "come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord."

Beloved, the message of coming out and being separate is simply that we ought to be different from this world! One of the purposes of salvation, is that we be separated. The first verse of this chapter indicates that people who are NOT separated in their living receive the grace of God in vain:

2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

You see, salvation's purpose is not JUST that the believer can go to heaven. The Bible says that separation of the believer is one of the purposes of our Lord's crucifixion:

Titus 2:13-14 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

I invited a preacher in our area to speak to our people some time ago. When he told one of his friends about the meeting, his pastor friend said, "You're going THERE? You know that Brother O'Neal is peculiar!" Well, bless the Lord, I WANT to be peculiar. I WORK to be peculiar.

I realize that some of us are odd by nature, but God says that Jesus wants us to be PECULIAR. That doesn't mean that we have to wear two different color socks or wear our glasses on the back of our heads. It doesn't mean that you have to walk around crosseyed or never be able to construct a complete sentence. However, it DOES mean that Christian people should be DIFFERENT from lost people!

In the preceding verses of the same chapter in Titus, the Bible also proclaims that GRACE teaches SEPARATION. If someone is truly a GRACE preacher, he is going to be labeled a LEGALISTIC preacher by compromisers, because he is going to lead his congregation to have standards.

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

I say again: Grace teaches you to be separated!

Separation, as I have explained in the message, "Personal Separation -- A Balanced View," is both positive and negative. We should be separated TO godliness FROM iniquity.

We should be separated TO God from garbage! We should be separated TO Jesus FROM junk! By the way, you can't be filled with the Spirit of God if you are filled with junk!

So be careful about what you let go IN you, especially through your eyes and ears! We should be separated TO holiness FROM that old hellishness that characterized us when we were lost!

What I am about to say will go over like a lead balloon in MANY Bible-believing churches today, because most of them have been overtaken by fleshly, carnal country western music (called Southern Gospel when it has Christian lyrics). We should be separated TO good Christian music FROM that old country-western music! We should be separated TO the Redeemer's music FROM rap and rock and roll songs!

We should be separated TO the love of the Master from the love of money. We should be separated TO the praise of God and FROM promoting ourselves! We should be separated TO charity and FROM covetousness.

We should be glad to GIVE, whereas when we were unsaved we were only glad to GET. We should be separated TO tithing and FROM thievery! We should be separated TO soul-winning and FROM seducing people with sin and false doctrine! We should be separated TO prayer to God and FROM petty gossip!

We should be separate in our actions. We ought to live differently when we get saved.

We should be separate in our appearance! Recently we recruited one of our new converts in our soul-winning training program. When we took him over to visit one of his wife's relatives, he had a haircut, his earring was gone, he was wearing a white shirt, tie, and coat, and the glow of God was on him! I kid you not; when he met his wife's relative at the door, he had to introduce himself; she didn't recognize him at all!

There should be a difference in your appearance when you come to know the Lord. You shouldn't even want to look like you did when you were conforming to the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

We should be separate in our attitude. We should not even THINK like the world. The Bible mentions the mind when it tells us to be separated from the world:

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We should be separate in our associations. God's people should be friendly to all and should witness to every creature. However, it is a different matter to yoke up with and become companions with those who are living in rebellion against God.

Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

I want to give you three reasons for obeying the call to separation, the call to "come out from among them, and be ye separate." I find each of these reasons in the context of the call to come out, in this very chapter.

 

We Should Come Out Because Of

The Crowd Who Watches Us

 

2 Corinthians 6:3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

People are watching you. Actually, many more people are watching you than you suppose. The Lord, in mercy, sometimes reminds us of this by sending along someone with whom we are already acquainted to just "bump into us" at an unexpected place or time. This lets you know that you really need to be careful of how you live, no matter where you are.

In Hebrews 11 we read of people who had a wonderful testimony of their faith in God and of the great deeds that they accomplished by faith. From the beginning to the end of the chapter, we find a description of these people and of the testimony they earned. The very next chapter begins with an admonition to you and me:

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

That word, "also," in the above verse refers to US. WE are compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses even as were the saints of Hebrews 11. Because of that, we should lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us.  People are watching!

Our children, cousins, and relatives are watching us. Some of them admire our Christian walk. Some of them have thought about the matter of salvation, and they are considering the way we live. Don't drag their opinions of Christianity down in the mud by not being willing to exhibit a separated life.

As a pastor, I have had the privilege of having relatives in our church membership over the years. They have known me for a long, long time. I know that they have watched me in the past, and they are watching me now. My Christian walk will have an effect on them.

Our relatives need to see someone who refuses to conform to the world. Someone in the family needs to set the pace for them. Someone in the family needs to be running the race with patience so that 15 or 20 years down the road they can testify, "I have a relative who loves God! He lives a holy, separated life. I believe he is going to serve God until Jesus comes!"

Our converts and weak Christians are watching us. Some of them just need a little encouragement to more fully surrender their lives to the Lord. They need someone to show them by example what the preacher proclaims from the pulpit. I don't want someone down whom I've led to Christ, do you? I don't want to let someone down who just joined our church. I don't want to let someone down who is a weak Christian and needs some support.

New believers have all kinds of bad habits that they are trying to overcome. They haven't gotten the victory in every area of their lives. They expect a higher standard of godliness from those of us who have been saved for a number of years. Don't disappoint them!

Our companions, friends, and neighbors are watching us. The people with whom you work are watching you. They want to see if you are going to steal company property. They are watching to see if you are going to lie to or cheat your employer. They want to see if you confess to cheating on your income tax return. What is going to make a big difference in your witness to them will be the change they see in your life.

You are not SAVED by a changed life, but your changed life will have an influence upon the salvation of OTHERS.

Finally, our critics, carnal Christians, and unsaved people are watching us. They are hoping that we will fall, in order that they might justify their own rebellion against God.

It made national news when a popular television and radio preacher was caught on videotape as he spent time with a whore in a motel room. Not long after that, a man told me, "It must be difficult for you people to try to explain that situation to people who are critics of your Christian faith."

Well, I actually had not considered that because the preacher in question was a member of a group that I regard as a non-Christian cult. However, in the eyes of the world he was a Christian, even as I am a Christian. That man's sin, because of his reputation as a preacher, caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, even as did that of King David when he committed adultery with Bathsheba.

By the way, not all of those who disgrace themselves before the public are from some other "camp." We Bible-believing fundamentalists have our own "fair share" of men and women who have tarnished the name of Christ by their behavior.

So, we should come out and be separate because of the crowd who watches us. Second,

 

We Should Come Out Because Of

The Change Made Within Us

 

In our text, please notice the first word of the verse which commands for us to come out from among them and be ye separate:

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

The command begins with the word, "wherefore." This word takes us back to the preceding verses, which give us the "wherefore," or the reason for separation in the immediate context. In other words, 2 Cor. 6:14-16 explain WHY we should be a separated people.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with un-believers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 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.

Separation is the outward indication of an inward change. Notice how God's people are characterized in the above passage: righteousness; light; Christ; believeth; and the temple of God! When a man trusts Christ, everything that God does supernaturally is on the inside. God saves the man's soul, and God gives life to the man's spirit.

However, God does nothing to the body until the rapture or the resurrection. Until that time, the sanctification of the believer's body is a progressive change carried out by the believer himself under the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit within him.

Since salvation, we have a godliness inside. That godliness is the new nature, born of God. This new nature was born inside you, and the new nature desires to do right. There is something in you that wants to look right; it wants to behave right; it wants to do right. It is that new nature that the Bible to which the Bible refers when it says:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

That godliness is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who indwells every believer:

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Not only does the believer have the Spirit of Christ, but that same Spirit LEADS the believer into godliness, which includes OUTWARD and INWARD separation:

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

When issues of practical, personal separation come up, the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, leads us into holiness, both in actuality and in appearance. I have preached and put into print what I believe about such things as women's pants, long hair on men, short hair on women, necklaces and earrings on men, mixed swimming, using tobacco, drugs, etc.

However, I don't argue with people about such things. When I preach, I do have a burden for God's children to grow in the matter of personal separation, but it doesn't drive me up a wall if someone acts like he or she is not convinced of my position.

You see, I'm not worried about whether or not you or anyone else adopts "my" position. If my position is not the right position, I don't want you to adopt it anyway. If my position happens to be GOD'S position, then that is between you and him once I have given you the truth on the subject.

You see, what RESISTS personal separation in you, if you are saved, is your FLESH. The Bible puts it this way.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

The flesh that you carry around with you is corrupt, primarily, I think, because of the blood that flows in it. Regardless of the cause of its corruption, the desires of the flesh are NOT the desires of the Spirit of God in you. If you are going to be separated unto God, you will have to follow the Spirit and walk in the Spirit:

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

The HOLY Spirit moved inside you when you trusted Christ as your Savior. SHOW that glorious truth by an OUTWARD holiness that is the FRUIT of that Holy Spirit.

Since salvation, we have a glow inside. In our passage the question is asked, "What communion hath light with darkness?" When you were saved, God's light came on inside you. You were walking in darkness, and you were filled with darkness. Even as God said on the first day, "Let their be light," he commanded the light to shine within us on the first day of our new life in Christ:

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

When you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, God flipped the switch that turned on a Holy Ghost light bulb in your heart! As a 14-year-old boy I had been walking in darkness, but on Feb. 11, 1968, GOD grabbed the chain and turned on His light in my soul! No, I haven't been all that I should be since that time. No, I haven't always let His light shine like I should, but I want you to know that something HAPPENED to me that day. GOD turned on the light!

If you have the light of God in you, you should GLOW for God. There should be something special about the way you look. Don't try to fake it. Just get close to God. After Moses spent time with God, his face glowed. He wasn't even aware of it at first (Ex. 34:29). When Stephen testified before his accusers, he was filled with the Spirit of God, and he looked like an angel (Acts 6:15).

Since salvation, we have GOD inside! "What part hath Christ with Belial?" Jesus comes in you when you get saved! Jesus is God! Therefore, you have GOD in you when you are born again! "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 . . ." God is IN you! You are God's house!

Not only is the church building a place where the saints of God can come together to hear the word of God, and not only is the church family a group of people among whom God moves and works in a particular community, but also your BODY is God's TEMPLE! Live like it! Come out from among them, and be ye separate!

I said, first, that we should come out and be separate because of the crowd who watches us. Second, we should come out and be separate because of the change made within us. Finally, I want to say that:

 

 

We Should Come Out Because Of

The Communion That Awaits Us

 

Look with me at the last two verses of our scripture:

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Now, beloved, that call to come out is to saved people. Yet, God says to saved people, that if WE come out, He will be a Father unto us, and we shall be his sons and daughters. How can that be, if we who are saved are already God's sons, according to John 1:12 and 1 John 3:2?

The answer is found in the commandment to "rightly divide the word of truth" when you study (2 Tim. 2:15). I'm not going to get you distracted by a lengthy Bible study here, but you need to notice the difference in the Bible between your standing and your state. This is the difference between what you are in Christ and what you are in your flesh. It is the difference between your position and your practice.

God is the Father POSITIONALLY of all who trust His Son and are saved by His marvelous grace. However, He will BE a Father PRACTICALLY to those believers who come out from among them and are separate.

When a father and son are not talking with each other, they are positionally father and son, but not practically. A son who was neglected during his youth by his father might accuse him, "You were never a father to me!" What he means by that is that there was never a PRACTICAL father-son relationship. A man who neglects his wife might be accused of not being a husband to her.

The classic picture of this "coming out" for communion with God is the story of the prodigal son, who decided to come out from the pig pen and the pigs and go home to his father. The story is found in Luke 15. The prodigal son got tired of feeding the swine, and he realized three things:

He realized: There is meat at the Father's house.

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

I'm talking about communion with God, a communion that puts you in the position of having Him BE a Father unto you. The food for the Christian is God's holy word, the Bible! Some of you Christians almost NEVER get a real blessing from the word of God. You aren't in fellowship with God, and you don't enjoy reading His word.

Some of you have been saved for years and have never read the Bible from cover to cover even a single time. You will watch television. You will read the newspaper. You will play games for hours on your computer. Shame on you. Don't tell me you are in fellowship with God when you don't listen to Him.

If you fellowship with the devil's crowd all week, don't expect to get a lot out of the message when you come to church. You're not in fellowship with God. As a preacher, I can sometimes identify the people who are sitting in the church house, but who are in heart as far away from the Father's house as they can get.

A wicked, compromising church member will eventually complain to his preacher, "I'm just not getting FED here anymore." The truth is, OTHER people in the church ARE getting fed. OTHER saints in the church are GROWING! Others are becoming workers and leaders. Others are learning the word of God. If you will come out from among that old worldly bunch, you will get something from the word of God, too!

Second, the prodigal son realized: There is merriment at the Father's house. People who are in fellowship with God ENJOY church. People who are out of fellowship with God just ENDURE church. When the wayward son returned, his father commanded:

Luke 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

Separated people are merry! They have the joy of God! They love the things of God and take pleasure in HIM!

Two weeks ago I baptized a couple of converts. While I was baptizing, some of our personal workers were dealing with others who had responded at the invitation. After I had changed back into my suit coat and was headed toward the front, I was asked if a teenager who had just been led to Christ could also be baptized. Why not? I changed back into my baptismal jacket, and we baptized the young man. I changed back into my suit.

As I returned to the pulpit, a personal worker brought a man and his wife to me who had just gotten saved. They wanted to know if it was okay for them to be baptized right away. Well, glory to God! I changed clothes the third time and baptized this dear young couple.

We got out of church nearly an hour later than usual, but, oh, what a meeting we had! People were talking about that Sunday for a long time. However, I know human nature. I am POSITIVE that not everyone enjoyed the fact that we stayed "overtime" to baptize people who had just been won to the Lord.

I am CERTAIN that some people were aggravated because their next meal for their BELLY had been delayed. Doubtless some of them were muttering under their breath as they left the church that morning. The truth of the matter is, those people are out of fellowship with God, and they don't know the MERRIMENT of the Father's house!

Some of you need to COME OUT from that stupid television and come to the Father's house! Some of you need to COME OUT from the supper table and come to the Father's house on Sunday night! Some of you need to COME OUT from your school things and enjoy the Father's house on Wednesday nights and revival services!

If you love your television program, your noon meal on Sunday, your school activity, or ANYTHING else more than you love God's church, hearing the word of God, and seeing people saved and converts baptized, you are NOT in fellowship with God, and you don't know the joy of communion with Him!

When David sinned against God, he lost his joy, according to Ps. 51:12. You aren't going to have the joy of God like you should, seven days a week, if you refuse to come out from the ungodly crowd and be separate.

Hold on to the joy of God! Listen. If you don't live a holy, separated life, you won't have the joy of God, and you won't be a strong Christian. One of the main secrets to Christian strength is having God's joy:

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Third, the prodigal son realized: There is majesty at the Father's house.

Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

Amen! The BEST robe was given to that son when he returned to his father and separated from the pig sty. A ring was put on his hand and shoes were put on his feet. He quit groaning in grace and began to live in his father's grace! He left the hogs and went home!

I said, first, that we should come out and be separate because of the crowd who watches us. Second, we should come out and be separate because of the change made within us. And last, we should come out and be separate because of the communion that awaits us.

When we trusted Christ as Savior, we obeyed God's call to come IN for SALVATION. Now, we need to listen and obey God's call to come OUT for SEPARATION. We will not regret it, because one of these days we are going to hear God's call to come UP at the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. Oh, my friend, let's come out from among them, and be separate. Let's be a peculiar people, set apart for God to use as He desires. Will you do it?                                                 U