Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Different World- 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1*

* *

*Introduction*

When I was a kid, I loved watching this show called, “A Different World.”

It was a spin-off show from the Cosby Show as it featured Denise Huxtable’s adventures post high school into the college world.

And it was a different world for Denise where she learned to adapt to many differently made and unique students like Dewayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert and Ron Johnson, all who would eventually be her closest friend.

But the plot of this show was the difficulty these main characters faced in this new world of freedom and responsibility.

No longer were Denise’s parents there to make the decisions of life for her.

No longer was Whitley Gilbert able to rely on the millions of dollars from her parents.

No longer was Dewayne Wayne just a geeky math nerd desperate for a date.

There world had changed.

It reminded me of this passage of Scripture that I want to focus on tonight as we take a breather from Colossians for a moment.

So let me give some brief introduction into this letter to the Corinthian church.

Paul had written actually 4 letters to the Corhinthian church.

Although we posses just 2 letters within the pages of our New Testament; Paul mentions writing 4 letters all together.

Paul wrote the letter we know as 1 Corinthians because the people in the church were still dealing with worldliness, unwilling to divorce the culture around them.  Paul eventually visited Corinth after writing this letter and there he was confronted with false teachers that slandered Paul and the gospel he preached.

These false prophets had infiltrated the church with the intent of mixing pagan religious practices with Christianity to make it a more appealing sort of church to the pagan in the city and eventually get rich from it.

After leaving Corinth with what he would consider an “unsuccessful visit, Paul wrote the Corinthians to address these issues with worldliness and false teachings more specifically.

It is a common practice in our church today for churches to focus on luring the unbelieving people of our world to our churches with all sorts of schemes.

Many of times this is done by providing an exciting electric presentation with music, lighting and video, only to give them a watered down feel good message from the Word of God that does not mention sin, judgment or God’s wrath.

They want to make church so appealing but their effort usually is spent of stimulating the senses of the people instead of the spirit of the people and the truth of God’s Word is ignored.

But the Bible calls the church of God “called out ones.”  1 Peter 2:9 says “/But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”/

So we are to be different from this world because Jesus made us different and placed into a new world; a spiritual world with new attitudes, actions, and purposes.

John Macarthur comments,

 

/“This passage identifies two opposing worlds.

The terminology is clear.

One of those worlds is marked by righteousness, light, Christ, believers, and the presence of God.

The other is marked by lawlessness, darkness, Satan, unbelievers, and the presence of false gods.

And these two worlds are utterly different and distinct, so much so that they are mutually exclusive.

They cannot work together in common partnership, they cannot fellowship together, they are not in harmony with one another.

One is old, the other is new.

One is earthly, the other is heavenly.

One is deadly, the other is life giving.

One is wicked, the other holy.

One is built on lies, the other is all truth.

One perishes and the other lives eternally.

“/

 

 

Yet there seems to be confusion on the minds of some people including myself, as to what degree of separation we must adhere to in this world.

*So the Bid Idea tonight is:**  Believers are called to be separate from the World in all spiritual activities and relationships.*

/Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?//

//Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?// //Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?

For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.//

//“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.

“And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.//

//“And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.//

//Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God./

 

First, Paul focuses on the…

*1.    **Separation Commanded** v. 14 a *

 

Bound with others -Hetero (another of different nature) zugos (yoke- something that binds two things together i.e. like cattle)

/ /

This principle was familiar in the OT as Deut.

22:10 say,/ //“You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together./

/ /

This device was a large piece of wood that rests upon the shoulders of two of the same animals in size and manner, like oxen or donkeys.

You could not yoke two different animals like one ox and one donkey because they were not like minded and each had different strengths.

The same animals would be bound together with the same strength and same focus to drive forward with the plow together as a unit.

So Paul tells us not to be bound together with… 

 

Unbelievers-   The Greek word for faith, /pistos/, with a Greek “alpha” added to the front of it, means “no faith.”

So Paul is using an illustration for two people being yoked or bound together like two animals on a farm.

If you can imagine this with me; two animals bound together driving a plow have to be the same size, strength and focus.

But how does this relate in our Christian lives?

What does Paul mean about us not being bound or yoked together with unbelievers?

*2.

**Separation Explained vs. 14b-16*

* *

*What it does NOT mean?*

\\ It does not mean to disassociate from world.

/1 Corinthians 5:9-10- //I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;// / /I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world./

Paul uses the word “associate” to also mean “mix together.”

In John 17, Jesus prays to the Father/ “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.//

/Our intent is not to enter a monastic lifestyle like the monks who removed themselves from society.

Jesus prays to the Father and asks Him to keep us in the world but to protect us while we are here.

*What does unequally yoked mean?*

It means that Christians cannot be bound with unbelievers specifically in the work in the church, but on a broader level, in any spiritual relationship.

As Christians we must seek the things of Christ and be separate from the things of this world.

Again, we are not talking about isolation, we are talking about corruption.

*Jesus wants us in the world, but not corrupted by the desires of a life that we once lived.

* In Colossians 3, Paul says, /“//Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”/

Our minds are to be set on heavenly things while our hearts break for the lost world.

Warren Wiersbe says, “*/like a skillful physician, we must practice “contact without contamination.

Otherwise, we will isolate ourselves from the people who need our ministry the most.”

So the issue in this passage is more about being polluted through your association with the world than voiding it all together.

/*

 

So imagine that there is a yoke upon your neck.

Your purpose as an ox is to drive forward toward holiness.

You cannot accomplish that task if a worldly goat is in that yoke with you.

It is going to think about itself and want to stop and eat the grass, while you strive twice as hard toward your goal.

Two different natures breeds two different purposes.

So the problem with Corinthian church was that Christians were participating in pagan rituals.

Some Christians were sleeping with pagan temple prostitutes.

So Christians who had Christ living in them were participating in activities of the worship of false idols.

That is why Paul said, “/for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?//

//Or what harmony has Christ with Belial.”/

The term Belial is an ancient name for Satan.

Satan wants to sneak into the worship of churches and into the spiritual relationships of believers and he wants to inject a virus that will destroy these activities.

He wants to put a stop Christians worshiping and honoring God.

Unbelieving Relationships

Now many people take this to mean that Christians should avoid all unbelieving people in the world but the truth is you cannot avoid unbelievers in the world.

You would have to walk around in a bubble, not work, not play sports, nothing.

That is not what Paul is referring to here.

Paul is referring to those things that are spiritual.

An intimate relationship in your life should be one that both people reflect Christ as Lord and Savior.

I am not talking about friends as much as those who end up being our intimate friends and boyfriends and girlfriends.

You ask me what is the difference?

Well, if you begin to date someone that is an unbeliever, you may fall in love.

If you fall in love, you may eventually want to get married.

Marriage is a spiritual commitment that we engage into under the direct supervision of God.