Separation

In the Bible’s opening chapter we see God create every tangible thing in the universe, but He also created some intangible things. For example God created time, days, the seven-day week, and the Sabbath concept of a day of rest. But He also gave us a glimpse of something that would prove to be the imperative doctrine of separation.

Notice the repetition of the verb separate in just five verses of Genesis 1:

6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so…14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years…17 God set [the sun and moon] in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

Four times in five verses we see separation. I believe God inspired Moses to emphasize this separation because it was a foreshadowing of salvation and the Christian life. Separation is synonymous with holiness, and God is holy. God is completely unlike anything in the universe, so we can say that God is separate. He is separate from Allah, separate from Buddha, separate from Zeus. That is why He declares, “I am Yahweh, beside me there is no other (Isaiah 45:5).”

In order for us to be saved we must also become separated from the world. The Father instructs us to “Come out from among them and be separate…Do not touch what is unclean (2 Corinthians 6:17),” and “Be Holy for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16).” We must chose to become so unlike the world that we stand out like a sore thumb.

Holiness, the process of separating ourselves, remains an ongoing work as long as we live down here. A third synonym for separation and holiness is sanctification, which Paul stated was the will of the Lord for our lives (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The more we are sanctified the more the world will notice our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Just as the Creator separated light from darkness during the first week, He will one day separate the sheep from the goats. To the former He will say, “Well done;” to the latter He will say, “Depart from me.” Separate yourself from the world now, or you may be separated on Judgment Day.

You Found Me

    

 I am very excited to be having Big Daddy Weave (and Aaron Shust) here in Union this October for Church Night at the Fair. Mike Weaver is a talented songwriter, and together with his brother Jay wrote a song called You Found Me for their newest CD.

     The song is about the day that God saved the singer, but the best part is the bridge. It says, “I don’t think that I could ever be the same, but who would want to be anyway?”

     What a great thought! After God has saved us, why would we ever want to go back to the way we were when our spirit was at war with God? That question should be rhetorical, but so many people are going back, so it begs to be answered.

     Jesus died to make us free from the power of sin, not to make us free to sin and then ask for forgiveness. Jesus saved us to a life of good works out of gratitude to Him, not to a haphazard life of saying “works don’t save me.” Jesus called us to holiness, not to the lame excuse of “nobody’s perfect.”

     If you have gone back to the way you were before your conversion, you have to ask yourself, “What did I convert from?” Before you give me the taken-out-of-context line about me not judging you, please realize that I am asking you to judge yourself. Do what Paul told the Corinthian believers to do, and “examine yourself, whether you be in the faith.” That verse (II Corinthians 13:5) goes on to say that we will see that Jesus Christ is within us—unless we fail the test!

   If you have gone back to the life you lived before God found you, maybe you haven’t fully given your life to God. Examine yourself, and if you see changes that need to be made, make those changes. Then never go back…who would want to anyway?   

(Read about Big Daddy Weave's song "If You Died Tonight" here)

Transplant

This past week my wife Alicia received a kidney transplant in Charlotte. Alicia was diagnosed with a hereditary kidney disease while she was pregnant with our daughter in 2008, and since then her kidneys began to shut down at a rapid rate. In early 2010 Alicia was approved for a transplant, but was told the waiting time for a new organ was 3-5 years.

Two weeks later we had a match.

A very generous man in our church named Sean had himself tested, and over the course of almost 6 months underwent a ton of testing. Finally, on September 13^th, Sean allowed his working kidney to be removed from his body and placed into the body of my wife. Through a process known as a transplant, Alicia now has a healthy, functioning organ that she otherwise would not have had.

A transplant is a life saving procedure that requires either a selfless living donor or the death of a thoughtful donor. I can’t help but think about how Jesus Christ offers us a similar life changing transplant.

Jesus will remove our evil heart and replace it with a new pure heart. This transplant is possible through the sacrifice of our selfless Savior, and He makes it available to all who call out to Him for it. This new pure heart is essential to new life with Christ.

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”

Hebrews 3:12

The Will of God

If you were at Philippi last Sunday morning you heard Pastor Brad talk about the will of God. Many people make this will out to be a mystery, which it is not. God’s plans may be a mystery, but His will is pretty clear. Romans 12:1 tells us that we can know God’s perfect will (if we present our bodies as a living sacrifice), so this devotion is adapted from last Sunday morning’s message.

I Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God: your sanctification…” God’s will is not a mystery because this verse clearly tells us that God’s will is for us to be sanctified. What does it mean to be sanctified? Read on. It says, “…that you abstain from sexual immorality; not in passion of lusts like the Gentiles, who do not know God…for God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”

We cannot argue with these verses. God’s perfect will for our lives is that we totally abstain from anything unclean. To fail to do that is to be outside the will of God. But that is not it; let’s look at what Jesus said about those who do not do the will of God.

Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!”

So every person must first turn from their sin and turn to God for salvation, for this is God’s will. Then that person will automatically want to stay away from uncleanness because they have been changed. If they do not, they probably have not been changed by God. Have you? Are you doing God’s will?

Meeting Royalty

Most people are familiar with the life of Joseph, but if you aren’t, you can read about him in Genesis 37-50.

In chapter 41 Joseph is about to be released from prison, where he had been held for a crime he didn’t commit. Not only is he being let out, but he is going to meet pharaoh, who was the equivalent of the president in Egypt. In verse 41 we see that Joseph “shaved himself and changed his clothes” before he met pharaoh.

If you were going to meet the President of the United States (like the Florida Gators National Championship track and field team did last week), would you make some changes to your appearance? Regardless of your political views, meeting any president is an honor; I know if I were going to meet the president today I would take a shower, put on my nicest clothes, brush my hair, and put on cologne.

Most of us will never meet the president, though. However, every one of us will meet Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews tells us that we each have an appointment with death, and then our judgment. If you knew that today you were going to stand before Jesus, would you make some changes?

Would you delete music from your iPod? Would you erase text messages or change your ring tone? Would you first break off a relationship, or clean up your language? Would you forgive someone, or ask someone to forgive you? What changes would you make if you were going to see Jesus today?

We probably aren’t going to stand before Jesus today, but we might. Are you willing to gamble eternity on a probably? Since we will all meet Jesus someday, why not make those changes today?