The Crooked Yoke

September 3, 1998

May 6, 1990 (pm)

2 Corinthians 6:14; 7:1

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temples of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the Lord Almighty.

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Introduction

The message of Jesus Christ to fallen mankind is a message of liberation, of hope, and of freedom. In Colossians (2:20 3:1) Paul writes: "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees ... in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? ... If then you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

And so a message which says "Do!" or "Don't!" seems to be a contradiction to that freedom and liberty. [It is NOT! Trust the Spirit! He hates legalism and grudging service! He is the Spirit of Christ and of God and of love!]

What does it mean to obey: Come out from among them and be separate? Is this valid for today? Is this a "Nazarene" problem? Clarify "separate" and the motivations for "separation."

I. THIS IS A MESSAGE OF LOVE, NOT LIMITATION

  1. This message is not to unbelievers but to God's children. God doesn't begin His great salvation by saying: "I want to make you my child, so for the rest of your life you have to be different from everybody else (different=wierd)!" He starts by saying: "I DON'T WANT YOU IN BONDAGE TO ANYONE!"

    The people who are in bondage in this world are those who have never met God in Jesus Christ. The Bible says that all sinners are slaves to sin!

  2. THE MESSAGE IS MORE A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE THAN A LIST OF RULES.
    1. There is a probably a proper time for all children to learn life rules; growing up in our society or any society we teach children, "DO this because I say so!" or "DON'T do that!" We don't let six year olds get driver's license we don't allow thirteen year olds to marry, usually. There are good reasons.
    2. But with growing maturity comes growing personal responsibility for personal choices. We think: "Now I am able to make my own choices!"
  3. BUT IT IS CLEAR, AND STRAIGHT: COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE! DO NOT BE UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS!
    1. How are we to receive such a word? The message of separation is spoken to believers.
    2. It is not a message of salvation. We do not separate in order to be saved. We are saved by grace: "just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me."

      [In answering that question ("How shall we receive such a word...") Paul asks several questions. One of them is ...]

  4. WHAT DOES A BELIEVER HAVE IN COMMON WITH AN UNBELIEVER?
    1. One answer is ... quite a bit, actually! We are human ... we have families to raise ... we hurt the same ways.
    2. Perhaps in our day the question might be turned around: What does a believer NOT have in common? What is it that is offended by being unequally yoked?

      That one sacred thing A LOYALTY TO GOD AS FATHER AND A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR.

      THE PERSONAL LOVE OF GOD! IT IS LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE the reality of knowing God. It is precious. It must be nourished. To "believe" is not just a matter of facts we know To believe to be able to believe is precious! It must be nourished.

      It is hard to describe, perhaps but it is unmistakable:

      [I ran into Mrs. M. It was a thrill to sense the acceptance and one ness of this Protestant pastor and that very Catholic lay woman.]

II. THIS PASSAGE IS A CALL TO LIBERATION, NOT TO BONDAGE

  1. The command is: DON'T BE YOKED! ["Don't stick your neck in a noose!"] WHAT DOES BEING YOKED MEAN? Certainly it is neither possible nor desirable to have nothing to do with unbelievers.

    But to be YOKED means to enter into binding, intimate, partnership relationships with people that fundamentally disagree with what is most important and vital to our very lives!

    One kind of UNEQUAL YOKE would be to marry someone who did not love Christ! This all too often leads to real sorrow!

    But there are many relationships and intimacies that will challenge the first ness of the Christ relationship. We are called to take Jesus Christ with us into every part of our lives.

    OUR INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS MUST NOT DENY WHAT WE REALLY ARE!

    [Another question asked here is:]

  2. WHAT AGREEMENT IS THERE BETWEEN THE TEMPLE OP GOD AND IDOLS?

    How is this question relevent?

    We know:

    1. the temple is not a building. But perhaps the building itself can illustrate the point. Would we have purely social times in this building? Would we allow worship of idols?
    2. there are things which are appropriate at certain times and in certain places. there are other things which are never appropriate, anywhere, ever. We need to be careful in blurring all distinctions between "sacred" and "profane" that we do not "homogenize life" in a way that is theoretical and sad and deadly.
      1. 1. is there a sacred and a profane?
      2. 2. if all of life is sacred, what do we do with vulgarity?
      3. 3. where do we put the garbage cans?
      4. 4. what is the difference between garbage and poison? Both must be disposed of one is deadly.
    3. Is bringing someone else's idol into the house of God ever appropriate? ... under what circumstances?

      [Properly, I would be angry to have someone promote worship of some 'deity ' that pretends to equality with Jesus Christ. I would not tolerate it here in this place, dedicated to the worship of God. But ... ]

    4. If we wouldn't feel comfortable about doing some things here in God's "house" what, then, about bringing profanity and vulgarity and values antagonistic to Jesus into the corridors of our minds? What about holding on and letting go of questionable things? What about toying with X rated videos? What about tolerating suggestive thoughts? What about greed and envy and hatred? DO WE HAVE TO SIN IN THOUGHT? IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO COMMIT ADULTERY OR TO COVET OR TO HATE IN OUR MINDS SIMPLY BECAUSE WE ARE 'HUMAN'?

[Transition: SO, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO OBEY: COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE? Is this valid for today? Is this a "Nazarene" problem? Is it even a viable possibility, to think that we can separate our minds and bodies from the filth of the pervading sins of our time? ]

[Of course it is possible! I CLOSE WITH AN OBVIOUS OUTLINE FROM II COR. 7:1 "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."]

III. THE CALL AND THE PROMISE ARE FOR CLEANSING

[How may we begin to comprehend the richness of being a child of God, in good standing and fellowship, having His divine approval on our lives? How may we be so unbelieving as to think it makes no difference how we live in relation to how we fellowship with the Father? How may we expect to be life sharing, world changing, Christ revealing people when we are absolutely no different from the world we seek to serve? How can we call ourselves God's children when we, ourselves, sit upon the throne of our little kingdoms, and refuse to have God tell us anything we do not first want to hear?]

  1. As believers we are called to A PURIFYING! ("Having these promised, BELOVED, let us cleanse ourselves ...")

    Such a cleansing is possible, or the imperative would not be here. We can be set free from the garbage piles of the day and age into the freedom of pure fellowship with God.

  2. We are called to be active in this cleansing process: Only God can sanctify but here the imperative is "Purify yourselves!" Take some initiative! Get out of the manure piles of the world!
  3. The secret to cleansing is CONTROL! Dare to turn things over to God! We think we have a Nazarene problem... when in fact we have a "control" problem. We (naturally) do not want ANYONE to tell us what is good for us. If we will cooperate with God, He will purify from "all defilement;" OF FLESH (anything that keeps us from pleasing God in our "BODY", FLESH") AND SPIRIT! (God can even deal with our attitudes and motives!)

CONCLUSION: Listen to these words again not as a challenge, now, to reprobate sinners, or to rebels but as a loving call to God's own dear children:

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Will you ask God to perfect His work of holiness in your heart and life, beginning just now?

#246 Is Thy Heart Right With God?