It is endlessly fascinating to me, just how specific the Word of God is on virtually every subject. Most thinking people are aware on some level of the basic human desire to be remembered after passing on. Some call it a legacy – some want their name in the history books – some want a nice eulogy at their funeral. However it is expressed – it seems to exist in all people on some level – and that is why it is addressed in the Bible.
What is notable about the Bible and Its treatment of this subject, is that It is only concerned with God’s memory of our legacies. Not things made with human hands, such as plaques, memorials, headstones, charitable trusts, art work etc. . .
Do you know that to God – there are only two kinds of people? Sheep and goats, or saved and unsaved. That’s right – not good, bad, hard working, lazy, selfish, charitable or greedy – it makes no difference. You are either justified and sanctified by the Blood of Christ or you are not.
Proverbs 10:7
The memory of the just is blessed:
Think about that – if you repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior He has promised that He will not remember your sins, because God will only see His righteousness – and we achieve justification through Him.
Psalm 103:11-13
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.
but the name of the wicked shall rot.
No matter how famous, no matter how much charity, no matter how many good works – the promise for the wicked unrepentant is that every idle deed and word is remembered – none of the record of their world famous deeds will stand – none of their riches – not even a bowling trophy! The only thing, the only thing that matters is that you trust in Him today without delay!
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;
The separated life is simultaneously positive and negative. The old adage – “be in the world, but not of the world,” was derived from the topic of this article.
Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. . .
Read that carefully! We are to be “separated unto the gospel of God”! This is POSITIVE SEPARATION.
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.
We must come out of ANYTHING that is contrary to the perfect will of God. This is NEGATIVE SEPARATION.
FOR THE BELIEVER – TO BE SEPARATED – MEANS TO BE SANCTIFIED (SET APART) FOR SALVATION AND SERVICE
1. The Word of God has the power to separate the believer from sin. John 17:17 – Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth. Ps. 119:11 – Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.
2. God the Father has the power to separate the believer unto the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess. 5:23 – And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. God the Son has the power to separate the believer unto righteousness, “not having spot, or wrinkle.” Eph. 5: 24,27 –
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;
26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,
27 That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
4. God the Holy Spirit has the power to separate the believer unto salvation and service. 2 Thess. 2:13 – But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
If we are not separated, we can still have a relationship with God, but we can not have fellowship with Him. This is the problem of the dominant church spirit at this time – Laodicea. The majority of churches are now so closely allied with the world, there is no fellowship with God. They may be united with Him at Calvary, but separated from Him in sin.
Isaiah 59:1-2
59 Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.
Without separation we can have:
Influence without power
Movement without achievement
Trying without trusting
Serving without success
Spiritual battle without victory
WITHOUT SEPARATION UNTO GOD – OUR ENTIRE CHRISTIAN WALK WILL BE “WOOD, HAY, AND STUBBLE.”
THE TRULY ABUNDANT LIFE IS ONLY MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST – MADE REALITY BY SEPARATION UNTO HIM.
Search me, O God, And know my heart today; Try me, O Savior, Know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be Some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from every sin And set me free.
I praise Thee, Lord, For cleansing me from sin; Fulfill Thy Word, And make me pure within. Fill me with fire Where once I burned with shame; Grant my desire To magnify Thy Name.
Lord, take my life, And make it wholly Thine; Fill my poor heart With Thy great love divine. Take all my will, My passion, self and pride; I now surrender, Lord In me abide.
O Holy Ghost, Revival comes from Thee; Send a revival, Start the work in me. Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need; For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.
James Edwin Orr (January 15, 1912 – April 22, 1987)[1] was a Baptist Christian minister, hymn-writer, professor, author[2] and promoter of Church revival and renewal
He was a professor in the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary where he taught courses in the history of missions to career missionaries.
James Edwin Orr was born in 1912. His education includes earned doctorates from universities in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, including the Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University and the Ed. D. from U.C.L.A. in 1971.
In his many travels, Dr. Orr has visited a hundred and fifty countries, including the Soviet Union, and has been in two-thirds of the world’s six hundred major cities.
Despite these numerous life-long accomplishments, J. Edwin Orr will no doubt be best remembered as author of a simple, revival hymn text—“Cleanse Me.”
Dr. Orr recalls that he wrote the Cleanse Me text, in 1936, during an intense movement of the Holy Spirit at the Easter, revival convention in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand—
For some time prior to this Easter campaign, an attitude of unusual expectancy had been prevalent among these people. Prayer meetings spread throughout the city with much fervency, and intercession led to wide-spread confession and reconciliation among the believers. Great numbers of unconverted students professed faith in Christ. The next night was given over to exultant testimony, with singing such as one expects in heaven.
The revival news soon spread throughout all of New Zealand. Dr. Orr reports that as he was leaving New Zealand, four Aborigine girls approached and sang for him a beautiful Maori Song of Farewell.
Mr. Orr was so impressed with the beauty of this Polynesian melody that soon afterward he wrote new verses to the tune on the back of an envelope. The text was based on the familiar words of Scripture found in Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Further campaigns by Dr. Orr throughout Australia in the 1930s and later in nearly all of the English-speaking world, soon popularized this prayer hymn everywhere. http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/sng_cleanseme.htm
PSALM 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Our study last week left off with the cursing of Ham’s youngest son – Canaan. Genesis 10 is a genealogy, which is best observed in graphic form.
One of the greatest difficulties the believer faces while in the flesh – is to be in the world – not of the world. God sanctified Noah by removing him from the sinful world that was – before judgment – a beautiful picture of the rapture of the saints. The believer’s sanctification requires continual rejection of the world’s temptations.
JOHN 17:15-16
15 I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
There is a clear principal expressed in the Word of God, which indicates that the LORD wants Christians in the world as a witness – without becoming contaminated by the world and its trappings. If the Christian loses his testimony – his ability to witness effectively will be very difficult. These failures are infamous, and leave the church exposed to ridicule, rather than admiration.
MATTHEW 5:13
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
The Scriptures are chock full of examples of men so affected by the world surrounding them, that they temporarily lose their testimony through their failure. These cases are intended to serve as an example to us of what not to do! Sanctification (being set apart from the world and unto God’s service) is our goal once saved, and it is so important that we all, as believers, should pursue sanctification with due diligence. We are not to continue living our lives in the same old way.
Noah’s family was saved (sanctified) from the Flood, but soon afterwards they fell into a variety of sins. Noah’s family carried the wickedness of the pre-flood world into the Ark with them. Faithful Noah got his family out of the completely evil world system, but he could not get “the world” out of his family.
HOW ABOUT US? ARE WE LIVING A SANCTIFIED LIFE? OR DO WE LIVE ONE WAY AT CHURCH – AND ANOTHER WAY AT HOME AND WORK? ASK YOURSELF – HOW IS THE WORLD INFILTRATING MY FAMILY? TV? INTERNET? VIDEO GAMES? DO WE SING PRAISE TO OUR HOLY GOD ON SUNDAY – AND THEN GO HOME AND WATCH R-RATED MOVIES, OR HALF NAKED CHEERLEADERS DURING HALF-TIME? ROMANCE NOVELS? SOAP OPERAS?HOW ABOUT THE NEW PROBLEM – COVETING OVER PINTEREST?
Sanctification occurs in the past (when we are saved) the present (occurs daily as we cleanse our lives of sins) and in the future (as we are saved from the presence of sin.)
Our “present” sanctification should be the work of every Christian. How?
Studying the Word of God brings sanctification. John 17:17 – Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.
Surrendering to the Lord’s Will brings sanctification. Romans 12:1,2 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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.
Sanctification is brought about in the life of the believer by his separating himself deliberately from all that is unclean and unholy, and by presenting, continually and constantly, the members of this body as holy instruments unto God for the accomplishment of His holy purposes. Thus by these single acts of surrender unto holiness, sanctification soon becomes the habit of life.
William Evans
1 JOHN 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
James Edwin Orr (January 15, 1912 – April 22, 1987)
The Vine Vigil 