Where do you plant your flag?

Be Transformed by the Power of the Holy Spirit

Paul so far in the book of 2Corinthians has been leading us through his ministry emphasis of reconciliation and transformation.

Last week we took time to size up our hearts. If you opened your chest up right now what would your heart look like?

Reconciliation and transformation is literally bringing different parties together for a greater good. Some would call it “compromise.”

Is “compromise” a “dirty word?” Is it a dirty word as far as the Bible is considered? Is there any good that comes from “compromise?”

Are there clearly compromises that are beyond the liberty that God has given us? — Yes!!

We as followers of Christ, claim the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin, for the foundation that we currently find ourselves on. Now that foundation can be built on sand and is able to be washed away or it can be built on the solid rock of Christ and be able to stand whatever the world throws at it.

Jesus said it...

Mt 7.26

Matthew 7:26 ESV

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

My sense is that everyone’s foundation has been “rocked” in the last couple of years. By what you ask...

Politics

Government

Science

Medicine

Your job

Your career

The Church may have let you down

Your Pastor may have let you down

Your Family

Your community

Your friends

You have probably felt it, I know that I have.

But the question remains… is your FOUNDATION “sand” or is it built on the solid rock of Christ?

I certainly cannot answer it for you… It is an important question to survey yourself.

It is also our BIG QUESTION for Today...Where do you PLANT your flag?

History has a way of opening books on the world as we think that we know it. So many of the things that we hold truest might not even be.

Let me give you a couple… just a couple

In 1947 the US government captured and continues to hold alien life forms at Area 51 in the Nevada desert. I’m not sure… are you?

All of the gold from Fort Knox is GONE. I’m not sure are you?

Elvis Presley did in FACT not die in 1977… I’m pretty sure but maybe NOT.

Now without bursting over into things that people really fight over I’m going to stop there.

Now each of these three you can make a spiritual issue… How’s that you ask

American’s for many generations have Americanized Faith in Christ. How’s that Jeff?

I don’t disagree with these I’m just stating some facts.

We must fly a US Flag in our sanctuary. I do agree, we are one nation under God.

The US regularly injects our might and power in places around the world and bringing our brand of Christian values with it. Some may agree doing this...

We insist when migrants come to the US that they speak English, assimilate our culture and worship Jesus in the same way that we worship Jesus. I’m not sure about this… But it certainly brings up a lot of conversation, at least at my house.

God wants “so and so” to be President… That’s not what Romans 13 is talking about. But yet we somehow make it so.

Are these the COMPROMISES that Bible talks about and warns us about?

I HOPE NOT!

Ladies and gentleman… All of these pale in comparison to the compromises that scripture cares about.

These things are simply temporary. I know it doesn’t feel like it… it doesn’t appear like… BUT IT IS!

Just a little research revealed the the top 81, yup 81 places where people. “God’s people” compromised their Biblical values for something that looked right, felt right, seemed to be right,

BUT WAS NOT RIGHT!!!

This starts with

Gen 12.

Genesis 12:11–13 ESV

11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”

Abram did NOT believe that God would protect and provide when he went to Egypt during a famine so he compromised his relationship with Sarai, his wife to save his own hide

and after 79 more… at least, we get to The Book of Revelation.

This is the church of Thyatira

Rev 2.

Revelation 2:20–23 ESV

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

A HUGE Compromise was made here… or will be made if the Book of Revelation still awaits fulfillment sometime in the future… like beginning tomorrow.

The Bible calls out nearly all the names that we are familiar in taking part in some sort of compromise...

Abram and Sarai

Abram and Lot

Sarai and Hagar

Abraham and Abimelech

Joseph and his brothers

The Golden Calf incident

Samson and Delilah

Solomon

Jeroboam

Jehu

Israel

Judah

Ananias and Sapphira

And many, many more

WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD!!

A part of being a temple of the living God is this...

God transcended his space and come to dwell with us in the form of Jesus and The Spirit

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus the bodily form of God that came to earth and successfully took on manhood.

Was crucified and beat death once and for all.

When he left the earth to return to the father he left us with God’s presence in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said

John 15

John 15:26 ESV

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

John said this about The Spirit

John 16:8 ESV

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

That’s all we should need to lead, guide and direct us in the actions and activities of our lives.

UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT!

In some way or some fashion we find the Holy Spirit is not enough. We don’t stop and listen to His guiding. We don’t

There is nothing stronger than the testimony of a saved man or woman to prove that God sent His one and only Son to die for my sin.

To REJECT the world with all of its trappings

Proverbs 8:11 The Message

11 For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

But it is NOT...

We seem to always want more...

We should pray for and search for the WISDOM of God.

But our WANTS AND PERCEIVED NEEDS often and usually overwhelm any foundation that is built upon the ROCK and usually gets built upon the sand.

Waiting for the first storm to come on by and wash it all away!

Let’s get to

2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 ESV

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Now that I have beat you up pretty well let get to this passage

2 Corinthians 6:14 ESV

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

#1 - Everything is SPIRITUAL… everything!

I bought a new car...

I bought a house

I invested in stocks and bonds

I am a partner in a business relationship

(These items require a partnership with a nameless, faceless company or with a nameless, faceless person on the other end of a telephone line.)

Since we do not know… unless we ask what the standing of the person is that we deal with, we must be very weary.

The next phrase is written as a rhetorical question… its really rhetorical but very literal.

2 Corinthians 6:15 ESV

15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

There are many things that Christians and non-Christians may share together. Language, food, humanity, culture, desires to “do the right thing.”

Simply put what they DON’T have in common is what ultimately matters...

Faith in Christ, and the eternal saving relationship with God, which accompanies it.

Ok… Somebody is sitting on the edge of their seat ready to pounce my hide at the door at the end of the service

Let’s try and save my hide...

There are “Christians” who use the title to do the worst of the things possible to others. In fact it just happened to so and so over thus and such

I have only one thing to say… God help them!

Here is what Paul says about them...

2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV84

17 “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

#2 - “come out from them...”

IF the Holy Spirit is speaking to you… LISTEN!!

IF your wife is speaking that’s almost the Holy Spirit… LISTEN!!

IF the deal falls apart or gets “difficult”… LISTEN!!

The last verse in the passage is really 7.1. so let’s take a look.

2 Corinthians 7:1 The Message

1 With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.

#3 - Clean up your spiritual trash!

Make a clean break if that’s what it takes

Blame it on your Pastor and the Holy Spirit for convicting you to go in another direction

Make your body a fitting temple for the HOLY SPIRIT!

Let’s return to our BIG QUESTION for today...

Where do you PLANT your flag?

That’s the question… its up to you. I can’t answer it for you. I can barely answer it for me.

But after today I have a much better footing to launch from.

What exactly is our reward???

Why should we put all of this effort into our relationships?

Here it and

2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV)16 ...For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Let’s Pray!

This week Jill is in Indianapolis with the newest Pagel, Levi Scott Pagel. I will be flying out on Tuesday morning to join them for a few days. Gallo is bringing the message next week. We will NOT have communion next week, the 3rd, but will instead have it on the 10th.