Separation

[0:00] Psalm 29, if you've got your Bibles, then you can just follow along as I will be touching on a number of scriptures.

[0:12] ! Let's pray. Lord, we thank you. We tremble at your word, Lord. We take it seriously, Lord. We pray. Let it speak to each one. Do your work in our hearts deep down within, Lord. Do that holy work by your Holy Spirit's power.

[0:49] As your Holy Word is delivered, let it be a holy message, as it were, for your holy people here today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[1:00] Psalm 29, from verse 1, Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

[1:16] Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Now, holiness is something that's kind of mocked and scorned, derided, kind of a bit of a joke, some would say, of those that are holy or churches that talk about holiness, as if that's something that's archaic, that's obsolete, that's old-fashioned, that's irrelevant, that's not 21st century.

[1:41] Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

[2:11] Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. It's something that's special. It's pure. It's precious. The purity, the devotion of holiness.

[2:23] And what does the Bible tell us about holiness? About being set apart? Of course, as I say, some kind of look at it as something that's kind of not for today. It's something old-fashioned churches have holiness, but nowadays it's all about the gloss and the glitz and the glamour and the hoo-ha and the noise and the smoke machines and the latest razzmatazz that people can be given to kind of attract people to Jesus, as if it's all about having a big kind of attraction to bring the crowd.

[3:04] But God says there's something special about holiness, about that separation from sin and unto the Lord. Something special happens when we make that dedication. Holiness is more than that God wants us, more than being separated from sin.

[3:24] It's more than that, that God wants us separated from sin and unto him. Separated unto our holy and precious Saviour, our mighty God and Redeemer.

[3:37] It's something special and precious and beautiful. And the Word of God tells you, people of God here today, look, I'm honoured to be in your presence, to be amongst the saints of God.

[3:52] The saints of God. Because believers are called to be saints. The saints of God. We've got Saint John here. Wow. Saint John.

[4:02] Saint John. Saint John. Saint John. Saint John. Saint Peter. Saint Barry. Saint Carolyn. Saints of God. The believers of God.

[4:13] We're saints of God. That's a precious truth, isn't it? That we are called to be saints. What does that mean? Holy ones. Called to be saints. A holy people.

[4:25] Holy worshippers. A holy temple. Each one of us. And in him, we are made saints. We are designated saints. I know I kind of like to say, kind of tongue in cheek, that really the Pope doesn't make anybody a saint.

[4:41] But God makes all who call on his name to be saints. And he calls you saints. He declares that you are saints. And that you are made partakers of his holiness.

[4:54] Wow. Isn't that something? Partakers of his holiness. Brought into oneness with God. And we're set apart unto him. Unto him.

[5:04] For his glory. For his honour. Unto his esteem. Unto his praise. What makes holiness? Certainly not the Pope.

[5:15] God. God makes holiness. God makes holy ones. He is the Lord who sanctifies. That's one of his names in Leviticus 21 verse 8.

[5:27] I, the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy. He is the Lord who sanctifies. It's one of his attributes. One of his names.

[5:38] The Lord who sanctifies. And it's about being rightly related to God. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30.

[5:48] But of him, of Christ, are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

[5:58] That word sanctification is holiness. He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification or holiness and redemption.

[6:10] The one who redeems us. Sets us free. Jesus is our holiness. He is our holiness. And the more that we, more about Jesus, the more we have of him, the more he has of us, then we have that holiness of his.

[6:27] And as he fills us, we are filled with who he is, the Holy One, our mighty conqueror, the Lord Jesus, our Saviour. And he fills us with who he is.

[6:39] So we receive his character. We receive his purity, his nature, his life. Will you receive him? Or vainly go on your own way?

[6:51] You know, some try to make their own holiness. As if they can try to be holy such that they can manufacture their own holiness. And we miserably fail, don't we, when we try that?

[7:04] As many religions and religious people will try and try and fail. It's not about trying, it's about trusting. It's not about doing, it's about the done. It's about what Christ has done that makes us holy.

[7:16] And we cannot go up our own way. We can't try to climb up some other way. We've got to go through the door. The Lord Jesus, he is the door. One way. One way. We are to worship the Holy One in the beauty of holiness.

[7:30] There's something precious there. No other worship will do. The worship that we ought to render unto him ought to be holy worship. No other worship will do.

[7:41] Worship him in the beauty of holiness. Help your heart right with God. Get right with him. Know him. Love him. No other worship will do. No other service will do.

[7:51] No other effort can please him. Cain's sacrifice and worship was rejected. And many still are like Cain. They worship in vain. They claim to worship God today, but they do not worship him in the beauty of holiness because they're not right with God.

[8:07] We cannot receive our worship if we're not right with him. So that is the core and the starting point. To know him. Whom to know is life eternal. To know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

[8:20] So what is the object of your worship? The object of your love. It must be Christ. Christ and him crucified. High and lifted up. And his train fills the temple.

[8:31] The risen, ascended, interceding Saviour. Alive and in touch with you. And not just interceding in heaven, but in dwelling your heart by faith.

[8:46] No other worship can do. The object of your worship must be the Holy Christ. He says, have no other gods before me. Make him your one and only. Don't two-time God.

[8:57] He must be your one and only. Your only Saviour. Your only Lord. He says, have no other gods before me. We must have Christ. Christ. Christ alone.

[9:09] 2 Peter 1.3 it says. 2 Peter 1.3. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.

[9:24] As his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. So life in the present, the day by day and godliness.

[9:37] Godliness. He has given us all things that pertain unto that. The preacher Lloyd-Jones put it, you have already received all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

[9:48] You do not need another experience. You do not need some new gift. You have been given everything in Christ. Everything in Christ. You are in him from the beginning of your Christian life.

[10:02] And you are just a slacker, lazy, indeed a liar if you are not living this life. It must be in Christ. We must be in Christ. Know him. Know him.

[10:13] And he has given you all things to make that Christian life possible. To make that holiness possible. That through human effort we know it's unattainable. But he puts within our heart that willingness, that desire to obey him.

[10:27] To let him have all your heart. To let him have his life out and live it out in and through your life. Moment by moment. Not just at some holy times.

[10:38] You know, some people think, oh, I'll put on my holy face. You know, you get yourself straightened out. And you walk in and you put on your holy face for a few, you know, for a certain part of your life.

[10:50] And then you take your holy face off and you just live normal. No, we should be holy all the time. It shouldn't be that with some plastic pretense. Some put on, make believe.

[11:06] It must be real, mustn't it? That our holiness is real. It's all the time. That we are separated. We are set apart people. Not just at some special times, but all the time.

[11:17] We are his and he is ours. And just as our Lord, he was set apart from all sin and impurity. The source of real holiness is God, isn't it?

[11:27] Not of any of our own effort or doing. Our own effort and attempts are vain and empty and fleshly and full short. But the source, the source of real holiness, it's Christ.

[11:41] It's Christ. It's Christ in you. It's his very nature. His very character. And separation is not a doing by us, but really what God has already done.

[11:54] D-O-N-E. Done. What God has done. And glory to the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb. All praise to the Lord. Separation.

[12:06] Not a doing by us, but what God has already done. He's declared you holy. You know, he talks in 1 Corinthians about some particular sins and sinners.

[12:18] And he says, And such were some of you. Such were some of you. But you are washed. You're washed. Washed. How clean you are in his sight. There's a cleansing that he affects.

[12:31] And in Christ we are fully accepted by God. Ephesians 1 verse 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. I know someone talking about witnessing to cults and they don't know that certainty accepted.

[12:50] Accepted in the beloved. We are fully accepted by God. We don't have to do anything to prove a worthiness or to affect his gift.

[13:03] We just simply receive. We're accepted in the beloved. By God himself. And as we place our trust in Christ, he sets us apart unto himself forever.

[13:17] In 1 Corinthians 1, it tells us verse 2, Paul addresses, To them that are sanctified. That's you. You are sanctified.

[13:28] You are, in other words, set apart. You are separated. To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Called to be saints. Which means holy ones, set apart ones, separated ones.

[13:42] With all them that are in every place called upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is written for you. To all them that are sanctified. That are called to be saints.

[13:52] And like I say in 1 Corinthians, we know what a bunch of saints they were. A lot of misfits, weren't they? You wonder. They didn't have much to recommend themselves to God, did they?

[14:08] Really, when you think about it. It says what a carnal bunch they were, the Corinthians. Foolish, weak, base, despised.

[14:24] That no flesh should glory in his presence. Yet sanctified. Called to be saints. Glory. Amen. Glory. That we are in their number.

[14:35] By his mercy. God has placed us in his son. In the one who is the most holy. You are placed in the son. Do we walk with him? Are we walking in his holiness?

[14:50] It's a question, isn't it? Something that should occupy our thinking. I put to you that we should walk as he has walked. We should endeavour to be like Christ.

[15:01] To live as he would live. To act as he would act. And separation is beautiful. It's beautiful. It's not a drudgery. Not a dreary, dismal thing. The beauty of holiness.

[15:13] It's the most beautiful person you can be. Is to know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. To let his love shine through you. And live his life through you.

[15:24] It's our great purpose. It's where we find our great fulfilment, as it were. To be with God. To know him. To know that beauty, that joy of God's presence, of his holiness.

[15:37] He is with you. And you are in him. And he is in you. And separation is beautiful. It's a contrast to where we were. Where we have been. It's the opposite of all that is defiling and unclean.

[15:51] Everything that is clean and right. And righteous and true. And to be esteemed and sought after. That cleansing. That righteousness. That brightness. That glowing. That presence of Christ in us.

[16:04] Holiness. So, I'll get to my first point now. Separation. Firstly, I put to you, separation is unto God. Unto God.

[16:15] It's a dedication of our lives unto him. Unto him. Because we see as the motto of the Old Testament saints.

[16:27] Holiness is unto the Lord. Holiness unto the Lord. No other way will do. It's not holiness unto a religion.

[16:38] Holiness unto a set of standards of men. Or of a church. It's holiness unto the Lord. He is the standard. He is the standard. There's no higher standard.

[16:48] There's nothing higher than we can attain unto. Than holiness unto the Lord. No other way will do. 2 Corinthians 6 from verse 16.

[17:00] It says, 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.

[17:11] And be ye separate, saith the Lord. And touch not the unclean thing. And I will receive you. And I will be a father unto you. And ye shall be my sons and daughters.

[17:22] Saith the Lord Almighty. I will dwell in them. And walk in them. And they shall be my people. My people. Wherefore come out from among them.

[17:32] And be ye separate. And touch not the unclean thing. And I will receive you. Separation. Unto the Lord. Separation. It's holy living. How can we attain that?

[17:43] It's like just so high. So high. I can't reach it. That holy living. That holiness that is Christ. Christ. It's a dedication of our lives to him.

[17:56] Our wills. Our worship. Our work. And Hebrews 10 verse 10. We are made holy by God. Even the weakest Christian is a saint. Can you get that?

[18:08] That's an amazing truth. Isn't it? If you're a Christian. He has declared you. You are sanctified. You are called to be saints. Hebrews 10 verse 10.

[18:20] By the which will we are sanctified. Through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Once for all. Even the weakest Christian is a saint. We are made holy by God.

[18:35] And yet we know we. Humanly. I know me. I can fall short. Of God's best for me. Of his ultimate intent for me.

[18:47] And how we should be redirected to get back on track. When that happens. I put to you. Separation. As being declared sacred and holy.

[18:58] Declared. God says you are holy. And yet there is also a striving. Be ye holy. As I am holy. Of course there is that. That continuous aspect.

[19:10] That progressive aspect. But there is that sense that you are declared holy. By God. In other words you're set apart. Set apart.

[19:22] There's something that is about you. That God has set you apart. We don't run with the crowd. And we don't have that same mindset. There's been a mind shift.

[19:33] There's been a heart shift. A heart change. And it's all by the power of God. By the power of his blood. Hebrews 10.14. By the power of his word.

[19:44] John 17.17. And by the power of his spirit. 2 Thessalonians 2.13. He must do the work in us. His blood. His word. His spirit.

[19:55] Sanctifies us. So. Of separation. Of holiness. There's much we could say. And I'm really just scratching the surface. And of course there is that sense where we declared holy.

[20:08] But there's that sense where there's a progressive. A sanctifying. A sanctification. A process of sanctification. Separation. And separation includes.

[20:20] From all that is evil. And it includes unto. The worship and serving of our great Lord. And saviour. The almighty. Separation.

[20:32] It speaks of our loyalty. Of our faithfulness to Christ. Not a toleration of sin. Sin. The.

[20:44] The attitude we ought to have to sin. Is it something that unsettles us. We're not settled there. There's a. There's an unease about that. There's a. There's a conscience there.

[20:56] That we know. We must. Abhor it. And abstain. Are you separated unto God? Committed unto him? And of course.

[21:08] It's almost a continuum isn't it? That we. We want to be committed. And yet. There's that struggle deep down within. As in Romans. Paul said. I struggle. The old man.

[21:19] The new man. There's this battle going on. This boxing match. This wrestling match. Within. The good that I would. I don't. And the. What I ought not do.

[21:29] I do. Separation. Is that. Is a sense of a striving. Of. Of. Of God's best for us. And of. Our intent.

[21:40] To. Aspire to that. That commitment. To renew that commitment. To refresh that commitment. To. Remake that commitment.

[21:51] That day by day. That crucifying of the flesh. I die daily. It's a daily walk. Isn't it? A daily battle. A daily striving.

[22:03] But yeah. It's not of our own. Making. It's God. Drawing. It's God. Fashioning. It's. It's Christ being formed in you. It's his working.

[22:15] By his spirit. And. Such that our position shifts. Our conduct shifts. Such that we want to be. Aspiring to that. It's a separation from evil. A conformity unto God.

[22:27] Because who is God? He is all holy. And righteous. He's the ultimate. Example. The model. Christ. And so as a believer.

[22:38] As you have this wrestling match. You have these questions. These decisions. These. Conflicts of life. At times. That you intend. God helping you.

[22:50] To choose that which is right. So you don't play with fire. You see it for what it is. You don't pretend with God. You're real. And open. And confess your sins.

[23:00] Your faults to him. He sees who you really are. And while we are not. Of this world. Yet we are here in it. And we know. The world. Has that influence.

[23:12] Upon us. Our responsibility. Is whatever the case. Let your light shine. Matthew 5.16. We are to be of the world.

[23:25] But not in the world. So there's constant conflict. Isn't there? As we know. And as much as. The dearest saint here tonight. And the most.

[23:38] Bible literate saint here tonight. Can testify. I'm still on that road. I'm still on that journey. I haven't attained yet. I'm still on that race. I'm striving.

[23:50] And we see. Of the world. But not in the world. Is that reality that we have. Isn't it? We grapple with that. Because we are in the world.

[24:02] We are meant to be in the world. As salt. As light. As light. And this can be illustrated by. The example of a submarine.

[24:12] It is in the water. But not of the water. It is on the ground. Out of the water. It is of no purpose. The submarine has to be in the water.

[24:23] For it to accomplish its mission. And likewise for you. Brother. Sister. We are not called to be hermits. To you know. I know there was a brother.

[24:36] Brother Dorrie had a tree house in his backyard. It is a bit like the. You know in the old. In the old days. In the. I guess the dark ages. People used to have these. Big columns.

[24:47] And they used to climb on the top. And people would haul their food up to the top of the column. And they would live this monastic. Kind of life. Where they are living. In some isolation. Or in some cave.

[24:58] As a hermit. As if that would make you holy. That you have to live. In some kind of isolation. As it were. But no. We are meant to be like a submarine. In the water.

[25:09] But not of the water. In the world. But not of the world. So that. As. This submarine accomplishes its mission. It's in the water. And it's in the water.

[25:20] Of course it must be insulated. But not isolated. You know on the water coming into your submarine. When you're down there. Under the. Under the sea. If the water ever gets into the submarine.

[25:33] There's cause for alarm. It's an emergency. But we must be. Insulated. From the world. But not isolated. From the world. So there's a sense where. Separation.

[25:44] Is not isolation. The Lord wants you to be in the world. He wants you to get out there. And tell. The world. Talked about that this morning.

[25:55] Somewhat. And we see. That the Lord Jesus. He met with publicans and sinners. He wasn't. Isolated from them. He mixed with the multitudes.

[26:07] John 6. And he was. In the midst. Jesus in the midst. And so likewise we. We've got a mission. To accomplish.

[26:18] So we must be in the world. But not of the world. This is that. That grappling. That goes on. And Paul reached out to people. He said. In 1 Corinthians 9.

[26:29] 22. I am made. All things. To all men. That I might. By all means. Save some. It's like. Paul is in contact. With the world. Reaching people around him.

[26:41] So they're separating. It is a dividing. It's a stepping across the line. It's a decision. But it's not that we should be. Isolated from the world. We should be in the world. Not of the world.

[26:52] So God does not intend his people. To act. As some self-righteous Pharisees. Strutting around. In their vanity and pride. God does not intend us. To walk around. Proud. Of what we don't do.

[27:04] That can be a trap. Can't it? I know. Look. I get some times. Where I think. Oh. Wacko things. Down the road. I'm glad we've not. Got anything to do with that. But we don't want to.

[27:15] We've got to guard against pridefulness. Don't we? Because it can happen to. Any of us. I put to you. And as someone has said. A good way of doing it is.

[27:27] Do so fast. You don't have the time to don't. You know. The holiness is not. It's not about what you don't do. It's that you're doing. You're doing for God. Such you don't have to.

[27:38] Worry about what you shouldn't be doing. Because you don't have time for that. You don't. Have your life. Your life is so filled with the Lord. And what he wants for you. And his work.

[27:48] You're so occupied with what is right. That you don't have time to concern yourself with the world's attractions. And that which will deviate and distract. Separation.

[27:58] It's especially meant to be positive unto the Lord. Unto the Lord. If we get that part right. Then that will help you to overcome.

[28:10] Separation is especially meant to be positive. You stand for something. We stand for something. In this church. We stand for the truth. We stand for what is right.

[28:21] We stand for integrity. Psalm 24. 3 and 4. It talks about clean hands. And a holy heart. A pure heart. And when we fully recognise and realise the holiness of God.

[28:35] Who he is. And what we aspire to. It helps us to get everything else in context. There was a story of a woman in northern England. She was hanging out her washing.

[28:47] She was so proud. She'd done the washing. And it was just so. It looked so white. The clothes looked so white. That she'd been washing in her washing machine. And gone through the laundry process.

[28:58] And she thought that it glistened. And then the snow came down from the sky. And there was this beautiful snow white carpet. This blanket of white snow. And she saw her clothes up against the backdrop of the snow.

[29:14] And she exclaimed. What can a poor woman do against God's almighty snow? She saw that the white of her clothes was nothing compared to the brilliance of God's snow.

[29:26] There was such a pure white radiance. And likewise God's holiness is so white and glorious. And beyond compare. Beyond man's reckoning. What can any man or woman do against the purity of God almighty?

[29:40] All of us will fall short. So I put to you separation is unto God. Number one. Secondly, separation is unto God's gospel. In Paul we see Romans 1 verse 1.

[29:53] Paul says, Paul separated unto the gospel of God.

[30:03] Paul shows us the beauty of separation lived out in everyday life. He called himself separated unto the gospel of God. What about we?

[30:14] Are we separated unto the gospel of God? Separated, totally dedicated unto this gospel good news. This glad news. This great news. This joyful news.

[30:25] The news of Christ our saviour. Are we dedicated to that message? Devoted to that good news? To Christ and the message of his saving grace and work of the cross.

[30:36] Paul was devoted. He was separated unto the gospel of God. And how we ought to be so minded today. When we see so many counterfeits.

[30:47] When we see so many man-made gospels so called. They are false gospels. False gospels. You know, I was in Adelaide just last week.

[30:57] Walking down the street. And a couple of fellas were there. JW Org. With their material. With their propaganda. And what a tragic, tragic thing it is.

[31:11] That well-meaning people should propagate a lie. A false gospel. A gospel that is no gospel at all. It's bad news, not good news. And we see the pretend, the sham, the false gospels all around us.

[31:26] The self-esteem gospel. The prosperity gospel. The do as you please gospel. Take your pick. But they're false. They're counterfeit. Are we devoted to the gospel of God?

[31:40] This should occupy our hearts, our love, our energy, our devotion. Be separated unto the gospel. God's great gospel news. Do you have a love for the saviour?

[31:52] The precious message of life that we have to impart. The saving work of the cross. His continued work of reaching the lost. And how? Through you. Through you. You are the messengers.

[32:04] Take his gospel. Be separated unto the gospel. Be dedicated and devoted to taking its message to others. So separation. Separation unto God.

[32:15] Secondly, separation unto God's gospel. And thirdly and lastly, separation unto God's work. Unto the master's use. 2 Timothy 2. 21.

[32:26] Paul says, If a man therefore purge himself from these, talking of wickedness, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

[32:41] Sanctified, made holy, made meet, made fit for the master's use. I put to you that as believers, as every Christian here today, we are separated unto God's work.

[32:52] Every one of us. We have a work to do. You know, your mission, if you choose to accept it. We've got a mission, haven't we? Every one of us has a mission. Will we accept it?

[33:04] Will we take the challenge? Are you separated unto him, your master, for him to use you and work through you? Live out Bible-based separation.

[33:15] What is that? It means it's positive. It's God-glorifying. It's soul-winning. It's Holy Spirit-activated. It's not a harsh, cold, forced thing. It's not because me or anyone is telling you to do or not do certain things.

[33:31] It's God in you. It's motivating you. It's unto God, his glory, his standard. It's unto the gospel he's given you to be a missionary of.

[33:42] And it's unto the master's use, unto God's work. Separation. It's honouring God. It's honouring him. Placing him front and centre of your life.

[33:53] Giving him your devotion. That every day you are his servant. When you wake up and when you go to sleep, you are a servant of God. A holy minister.

[34:04] Each one is a servant of God. And are we prepared for every good work? It's about being available. Your use of time and resources.

[34:16] Is God your prime motivation in how you live, in how you spend your day? Sanctification. It's not God taking us out of the world. It's God taking the world out of us.

[34:28] Isn't it? Not God taking the world out of you. I'm sorry. Not God taking us out of the world. But God taking the world out of us.

[34:41] You know, the story is told of, you know, how do you make this glass empty of air? You fill it up with water. And how do we make a Christian more holy?

[34:52] To get rid of the things that are not holy. Fill it with God. Fill the vessel with God. Be a vessel unto honour. Let God fill you such that there won't be any room for other things, as it were, undesirable things, unrighteous things.

[35:08] As Christ has all of you, there won't be space for that which is questionable. So how do we get there? To really get to that place of separation, we need to take the pathway of the cross.

[35:23] If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. And take up his cross. And follow me. It's the exchanged life, isn't it?

[35:36] Deny himself. Take up his cross. Follow me. The exchanged life. The way of the cross is opposite to the way of the world.

[35:48] Paul says he gave God the glory. He says, A preacher said, That he crucifies the flesh by renouncing it with all his heart, by dying to its appeal, by having a sincere desire for its removal.

[36:12] And through a realisation that his only hope of deliverance from this sinful nature is through his complete identification with Christ and his cross.

[36:22] That identification with Christ and his cross. It means dying to yourself and your selfish ways.

[36:34] If a believer is crucified unto the world, he will overcome in this conflict those issues of worldliness. And he will be driven by the Spirit of God.

[36:46] Crucified unto the world. May that be our goal. To be crucified unto the world.

[36:59] To die to the world. To die to the flesh. To identify so with Christ.

[37:11] That we are crucified with Christ. And we know the scriptures tell us I am crucified with Christ.

[37:32] Nevertheless I live. Yet not I. But Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live. In the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.

[37:45] Who loved me and gave himself for me. A complete identification with Christ. And with his cross. Now some people think, well look.

[37:59] I'll let God be the co-pilot of my life. And he's the co-pilot. And someone said, if God is your co-pilot, change seats. Because he shouldn't be the co-pilot.

[38:12] He should be the pilot. Amen. You know, let not God be your co-pilot. As if I'll sort of go God's way when he kind of takes the controls. And when I let him.

[38:24] No, he is the pilot. He is the pilot. And that means full surrender, doesn't it? A full surrender to Christ. And it's easy to use those words, full surrender. And some would grapple with that.

[38:38] How do I get that? But... That full surrender. And it's just seeking after his best, isn't it?

[38:52] So God helping you. You'll make those surrenders. And those surrenders might be one surrender after another surrender. One thing after another.

[39:03] That you think, what is God prompting me to do or not do to be? Where is he placing me? How does he want to use me?

[39:15] As a believer, do you seek to honour God in how you walk? Is your testimony credible before the watching world? I think that's probably the most telling thing, isn't it?

[39:26] Sometimes it's easy to, as the phrase goes, blow your testimony. Isn't it? And, you know, you're in a workplace and you're having a bit of a grumpy day.

[39:40] And people think, oh, he or she's a Christian. Look at them. They're, you know, they're just as miserable as we are. Not... Excuse me.

[39:53] Not that you need to have some fake or plastic pretense and putting on some show. Because we need to be real with people too, don't we?

[40:03] We're still human. But our testimony, we want it to be credible before the world. And sometimes you've got to be honest with people, don't you, when you're having a bad day and just be honest and open.

[40:18] You don't have to be some super saint that's beyond those grumpy days and have those moments where the flesh kind of sometimes shows its ugly face.

[40:29] Crucify it, but move on and keep strong. Don't let that slipping stop you from still being a Christian witness where you can be.

[40:41] Be a credible testimony before the watching world. And whether you are living separated unto God will show in your walk. So just to recap, give unto the Lord the glory that is due unto his name.

[40:55] Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. There's a separation, a setting apart. Unto the Lord, unto God, you're accepted. You're received. You're set apart.

[41:05] You're sanctified. You're called to be saints. And it's a beautiful thing. Separation unto God. It says that we're also separated. As Paul declared, I'm separated unto the gospel.

[41:17] You've got God's gospel. It's a message so critical, so essential. This is more than the cure to cancer. This is the ultimate message that God has given to you.

[41:30] And you're separated unto God's gospel. And then we see that you're separated unto God's work. A master's, the master wants to use you, to fill you.

[41:42] And, you know, it's about having that vessel clean and ready, purged, as it were, you know, as they do.

[41:53] I suppose in the medical profession, they put things in some high temperature container and they purge it. It's just totally purged of any matter, of any contamination.

[42:11] And we should be purged, made clean, a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use, fit for him, prepared unto every good work.

[42:24] And so, friends, tonight, separation, being set apart, being made holy, it starts with confessing Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

[42:38] You know, I'm not presuming tonight that everyone is saved here. You might think, well, look, I preach here. I try to be holy.

[42:48] I sometimes go to church and I sometimes open my Bible and read a few words and I try to be good. And I think maybe one day my good will outweigh the bad and God will sort of look on the good that I've done, that it'll be good enough.

[43:05] But no, the Bible says that all have sinned and come short. The glory of God, the standard, it's beyond our reach. The wages of sin is death.

[43:17] It's going to cost you death, death, the second death, hell. Lost for eternity. Without Christ, there's no hope. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[43:32] Don't miss that, that gift. And really to know him, to receive him, to call on his name, to confess him. Whosoever, anybody who will call on his name, the name of the Lord shall be saved.

[43:44] And that's where it begins, salvation. Jesus died on the cross for my sin, rose again. I confess him. I believe in my heart. He's died for me. He's rose again. I believe in my heart and I confess him.

[43:56] Lord, I receive your saving love. I receive that glad, great good news that you died for me. I receive that. And I'm trusting you.

[44:08] And that's bang when it happens. Salvation. Wow. The light goes on. And I have a saved heart. And that's the beginning. Salvation and sanctification, the holiness, is that kind of...

[44:25] It gets brighter and brighter until the perfect day, doesn't it? Brighter and brighter until the perfect day. That we'll get... Ultimately, we get... A deeper...

[44:39] A deepening, a refreshing, a crucifying, a dying to self, a strengthening, a filling, an enabling of God such that he helps us to live right and do right.

[44:52] And then ultimately, glorification. Now, that's the ultimate, isn't it? Praise the Lord. Just looking forward to that day. There won't be any...

[45:03] Won't have any sickness or sadness. No grief. No loss. It'll be glory. There'll be no need for false teeth. There'll be no need for any...

[45:15] Anything of the medical profession. Because it'll be glorification. Glorified. Our body will be glorified. God. And one day that's...

[45:25] Could be one day soon, couldn't it? To see him. And meantime, we're still on that journey. And some of you might beat me to it. You might have a glorified body before I have.

[45:36] And I'm going to feel a bit like I've missed out. But for me to live is Christ, to die is gain, isn't it? And let's our focus, our surrender. Let it be a day-by-day surrender.

[45:49] It's not like there's a full surrender and you suddenly... You've got, you know, full sanctification and sinless perfection. No, there's that progression.

[46:01] There's that sanctifying work that he does. And it's by his Holy Spirit. As he has more of us and we have more of him.

[46:13] Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that you are so gracious, Lord. And we love you and thank you for your great grace. It's beyond our human words.

[46:23] Lord, we thank you for your mercy and love. For every soul here gathered. Lord, for all your tender mercies. Your loving kindness. Your faithfulness.

[46:35] Lord, your drawing power. By your spirit's wooing and leading and prompting. Helping us to be such a people. Called to be saints. Sanctified in Christ Jesus.

[46:47] Amen.