Today’s message summary of June 7, 2015 from Pastor Gus Brown:
God reveals through his Scripture that He has His people through every dispensation. God has always maintained a remnant.
What is striking about this is that He is calling His people out from bad company. He is calling His people away from those who are not praying to Him or edifying Him.
God will be calling His people away from Babylon:
Revelation 18:3-4
For all the nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury. Then I heard another voice from heaven: Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.
God’s people are meant to be the influence over the world and not the other way around; however, there are situations where His people need to remove themselves from being weakened or influenced by the pleasures and luxuries of the world.
Look at the church today…are we involved with the sins of the world? Before you answer, remember that God knows your heart.
God wants you to avoid those who are choosing not to do what is right.
Revelation 18:5
For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
God wants His people to be removed before His judgment comes.
Even when there are churches that are not very good overall, God may have a remnant of people within the church to make a testimony for Him.
Consider that Lot was called out from Sodom and Gomorrah. God sent two angels in to bring him out because there was a pending destruction.
Genesis 19:15-16
At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. Then they brought him out and left him outside the city.
The Lord declares that some will not acknowledge Him or accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. Some people will continue to live the way that they choose, and they will face destruction.
If you have God warning you to get away from a situation, what would cause you to hesitate? Is it based upon worldly pleasures?
In Babylon, the people are worshiping anything but God. Even if the people of God were to speak up and say “that’s wrong,” it would put that person in peril. To take a stand for God’s standards and principles is to take sides.
Our church should not be in the entertainment business–it is to be in the teaching business. Believers are always present to shine the light of Christ.
Proverbs 24:1-2
Don’t envy evil men or desire to be with them, for their hearts plan violence, and their words stir up trouble.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-8
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us. For you yourselves know how you must imitate us: We were not irresponsible among you; we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
In Babylon, there will many who say they know God or proclaim that they are righteous and have all sorts of religious artifacts. Their actions will show otherwise. How would you know if someone is really saved or not? You would have to observe how a person lives over time to see if it matches up with his words.
Christians are to expose those things that are unrighteous, heretic or unclean–those things that are not of God.
Ephesians 5:11-14
Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made clear, for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore, it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.
There is a way to share with those who are living in sin, and all of it involves prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit.
Romans 16:17-18
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them, for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11
I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.
Don’t associate with those who are living in opposition with God. While we are ministering to the world and are not of the world, we need to come to a place where we heed the warning that God gives to His people.
God called Abram (Abraham) to another land. (Genesis 12:1-4)
God called His people, Israel, out from Egypt. (Exodus 3:7-21)
God wants you to look forward to where He wants you to go and to not look back.
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