I have one question, where they've been all week. Amen. That's good, isn't it? I love that old hymn. I really do. A lovely old hymn. Tonight I'd like to deal just a little bit with what I didn't finish last evening and then go on into the message of the evening. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the Book of First John. The problem of the Christian life being the sin or sins area. We looked at that just briefly last evening, a few thoughts. I'm sure that many of you could give some of the same thoughts and maybe even many more. It would be just as beneficial. There's a lot to be covered on that subject. However, I felt it very necessary to touch just a little bit tonight on one aspect of forgiveness. Now, indicated on our chalkboard two marvelous truths. unconditional forgiveness and unconditional acceptance. Those are two divine truths that I believe if we'll allow to sink into the deep core of our being, they'll have a very settling effect on our life. To know that I am unconditionally forgiven. God didn't say, Donald, I'll forgive you if from the day forward I forgive you that you'd be a good boy, that you keep your nose clean, Stay out of trouble, and really be like my servant Paul or Samuel or Moses. As a matter of fact, he made no conditions when he forgave me. I'll give you two quick scriptures. I'll not take the time to turn to them real quick because it seemed like I'm a poor steward of time and always wind up short on the time situation. One is that it's found in the book of Colossians two and thirteen, having forgiven you all Trespasses. Now find a condition in there. Find one. He absolutely frankly forgave me, having nothing to pay. There's the principle, Luke seven. A certain creditor had two debtors. When they frankly had nothing to pay, or when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Which of them will love him most? And you remember the passage. That's the basis that my blessed Lord gave me. He said, wait a minute, you had to receive the Son, true enough. But when I received His Son, the forgiveness was one of the fringe benefits. Let us not forget that. That salvation is not the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is having Christ, and one of those blessed benefits is getting your sins forgiven, and getting eternal life, and having the Holy Spirit to come in and seal you and just wonders and wonders and wonders. And, of course, preeminently Christ in you the hope of glory. But, remember... He didn't forgive me on the basis of saying, look, Donald, if you will do this and if you'll do that after I save you, then I'll forgive you all trespasses. No, he says, having forgiven you all trespasses. Ephesians one seven, we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins according to our good works. The riches of his grace, you know better. The riches of his grace is the basis for it, beloved. According to the riches of of his grace, unconditional. Now, I have unconditional acceptance. You can see that in the same epistle. I just mentioned Ephesians one-seven. You can see in Ephesians one and verse six, to the praise of the glory of his, what? His grace. That's the basis of my acceptance. Wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved. He didn't say, Donald, I'll accept you in my Son if you'll look like this man or act like that man or be like this person or memorize so many scriptures. He said, I simply and wondrously accept you in my Son, in the beloved. And beloved, may I say to you tonight, that is an unconditional acceptance and an unconditional forgiveness. And I'm confident if more believers would allow that to settle in the deep core of their being, it would enhance their life. Some of us might take off running down Leona Street, shouting, Hallelujah. You know, that wouldn't hurt. Might help. Get it out. Tell the Lord you're thankful for unconditional forgiveness, for unconditional acceptance. And I'm convinced that the basic insecurity of every lost sinner is only and fully resolved when they are accepted in the beloved until then everyone is insecure. God made us so we'd never be rightly secure until we're in Christ. It's Christ all the way through. Please, if you missed everything I've said so far, and so much as I said, I wonder sometimes if it's, you know, if I'm communicating. But if you missed it all, get this. The whole of our life is Christ. I have been, and presently am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I, but... Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Since then view the fact that you have been what? Raised. Really it's not so much if then you've been risen with Christ. Is there any question that you've been raised with Christ? No question. In the first class conditional sentences of the subjunctive mood, you can see not an if so much as a present reality. Since in view of the fact that we've been raised with Christ and you've been raised with Christ, speak those things which are both, where Christ is on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth, for you're dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, our life, who is is italicized in King James. Christ, our life, he's our life. He's our peace. He's our joy. He's our mercy seat. I'd like to get into that. It's a beautiful one. Over in verse John chapter two. Remember in verse one, my little children, I write these things unto you in order that you sin not. And if any man sinned, we have a comforter with the Father. Remember, one is called to our side here on earth. Yonder, the Lord Jesus is at the side of the Father. And he's not up there trying to hold the Father up, beloved. Father doesn't have to be held up. You know, he's been called to the sign of the Father, seated at his right hand, at the right hand of the Majesty. What's he doing? He ever lives there to make intercession. What is his ministry? He presents you and I to the Father in all the value of his redemptive work. Here, the Holy Spirit on earth is ministering Christ to us. There, Christ is presenting us in all the value of himself. Therefore, we're absolutely, continuously cleansed by His blood. If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses. It keeps on cleansing from all sins. What a marvelous person we have in the Lord Jesus. So we can see then that the main feature of the message this week is that we see Christ in the center, our life, our hope, our confidence, our joy, our peace, our Our propitiation, literally mercy, speak, and so on. Well, in First John, Chapter One, we'll notice that He has said in Verse Eight, if we say that we have no sin, that doesn't say sins, that's most important that we see the difference between sin and sin. Don't forget, sin is the parent, sin is the offspring. Sin is the root, sin is the fruit. Sin is the disease. Sin is the symptom. One is the cause, the other is the effect. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Romans seven makes that clear. It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwell up in me. Where did they get it? Conception, birth, and nature. In baseball, free strikes, and you're out. So likewise in the subject of sin. David said, I was conceived in sin, Psalm fifty-one five. Thomas said in Psalm fifty-eight three. He was born in it. The wicked are saints from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. And, of course, in Ephesians chapter two and verse three, we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. It's most natural for you and I to sin. It's just as natural for you and I to sin as it is for a rooster to crow, more so, as it is. All right, some roosters may not crow, but we all sin. If we say we have no sin, that's that that dwells in us. That's that that we receive in a genetic sense, so to speak. He said, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves in the truth not innocent. If we confess our sins, and the word confess is an interesting word. It is the word. This word in English would be H-O-M-O, homo, same. Logus is word. So when we confess, we're saying the same word about something that God is. What he did not say is, if we confess that we have sinned, someone goes to a throne of grace and altar and says, Lord, our sin, so what? Who has it? Or it says, well, when you get time to come back and obey what I told you, well, I'll be listening. I'm ready to listen. He said, if we confess our sins, that's naming those things, those dirty, defiling deeds and thoughts. God wants us to name them. If we confess our sins, notice we get into an area of condition. Over there, unconditional forgiveness. Over here, conditional. Here we have position. Over here, we have practice. Our prayer. Our position is inexorable, unalterable. Our practice is variable. I wish it were not. Oh, that I'd just be in rapture with my blessed Lord and walk through this world just like He did. But the sad part is sometimes I don't. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. There are those who teach where you don't have to confess them. Now, if I do like the King did in the time of Jeremiah, get my pen knife out and cut a few of those verses out, maybe I say, well, forget about confessing. You're forgiven anyway. Why do you say if? This is not first-class conditional. This is a subjunctive. This is absolutely an if situation. It's conditional. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just. He's faithful. He can't fail. He's just. He's absolutely righteous in doing it. To do what? Forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let me give you a little story that I fabricate. Part of it's true. Part of it's just fabricated because it's an illustration. But years ago, as a kid growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, we used to do a lot of rabbit hunting. And I carried a weapon in my back pocket, my right-hand back pocket, and one in my hand. And I can't tell you the name of it here, because some of them might think I was prejudiced. We'll call it a colored shooter. We had another word for it down south. And some people call it a slingshot, but that didn't write. was a good long piece of leather, thin, and then at the bottom it swelled out for a pouch, came right back up the same area, thin, and a loop on the end. Put a stone in there, sling it around and around, and that's a slingshot. But let me tell you, two rubbers on a wooden stalk and a leather back here and a nice good round railroad rock in there is not a slingshot. We've got another word for you. You can ask me after the meeting. We'd go out rabbit hunting. Well, we had to rule around our place. You didn't leave the place. Let's Papa said you'd go or mother. We had to get permission. So the boy had to come by and say, Don, let's go rabbit hunting. Where are you going out in T.P. Oilfield? Good. Let's go. Well, wait a minute, fellas. I've got to go ask Dad. We'll hurry. So I go ask Dad, can I go rabbit hunting? Son, can I go ask Dad, can I go rabbit hunting? Yes, sir, Dad. Got them all done. Are you sure? Every one of them. Dan, I sure want to go run in T.P. Oilfield. Oh, no. Can't go in T.P. Offer. Why not, Dad? Well, the slush pit's out there, son. You might get in a slush pit and drown. Oh, but, dad, you know, we won't get in a slush pit. Oh, son said, you know, you can't tell what that rabbit's going to do. Oh, but, dad, you don't know me. That was a bust, wasn't it? Oh, he knew me better than I knew me. But, dad, I said, you know, dad, I promised. You know, I just, you know, crossed my heart all those things that we do when we're kids, you know. You go through the whole gamut, see. But, dad, I promise, oh, dad. Really? Honest. Well, son, if you promise that you won't get around the flush pit, you can go rabbit hunt. Okay, Dad. Boy, now out the door of the building. Okay, gang, I can go. And so we walk down the teepee oil field, great big old perimeter fence, and we know where to slip under the corner. And the weeds are taller than we are. You know, great big old tall weeds. So they have these famous rabbit dogs. Of course, they're Heinz, fifty-seven little bitty jobbers, you know. And... So we turn the dogs loose in the teepee oil field. We're out there, and the little dogs are just with their nose on the ground just going this way and that way, and they're just active as ants around honey, and they're just, you know, they're really getting with it. And about that time, one of them goes, and he goes to barking, and we know what's happening. He's got on a rabbit trail. Well, you know, Mr. Peter Cottontail doesn't know my dad. He never has met him. And the first place, in the second place, he doesn't speak Texan. He just doesn't know that language. But he knows one language. He knows that dog language. When that dog goes to bark and he's on the run. And so Mr. Peter Cottontail is running for his life, and guess who's right behind him? The dogs. Once the dog jumps the rabbit, the other dogs join him, and the race is on. And guess who's third? Us boys, right behind him. Well, Peter Cottontail hadn't got time to sit down with his computer and figure out the best place to go. By nature, by nature, he heads for a certain dam. And they build a dam around the slush pit. And down inside some cap tail, and there's some lovely holes where that little rabbit can get in there, and the dogs can't seem to get around in that slush and get them out. So he's going through the weeds and he's heading for the dam, and the dogs are going right behind the rabbit, and we're right behind the dogs and trying to keep the weeds out of our eyes, and we're fighting through those weeds and running because we want to see the race and we want to see the catch. You know, that's half of it. And about that time Peter Rally goes up over the dam and down into the flesh pit and over into the cat tails and the dog goes up over the dam and down and erk. And you knew it, did you? Right in the flesh pit I went. Oh, sulfur and black crude oil and quicksand and the odor is horrible, but the look is worse. So the fellas pull me out, you know. What's the first reaction to thinning on our part? Cover up. Isn't that right? Now, don't you deny that. Come on, you'd be honest. Don't you deny that. You know, good and well. So the first, I said, oh, I promised Daddy I wouldn't. And look at it. Oh, he's going to see it. So we begin to get some, break some weeds off and begin to try to scrape that stuff off. Oh, and the more you scrape, the worse it gets. And the stink is unbearable. You just have to hold your nose, you know. It's just terrible. Well, you know, they spend quite a while trying to get this off. And it's spoiled the hunt and everything. And they're, you know, really tore up. But guess who is tore up? Sure enough. I mean, I'm tore up. And I'm thinking about my dad. And I've got to meet my dad. And I say, fellas, you know, I just can't go home yet. They say, Donald, we've got to go home. We've got to be back. And it's time for us to be home. It'll soon be a supper time. And, oh, but fellas, you can't leave me here. I've got to get this stuff off. I can't face that like this. That's what Donald We're sorry, but we'll just have to leave you. Oh, fellas, don't leave me. I don't want to go home by myself. Somehow, misery likes company. Boy, I just can't think of going home by myself, so they got to go with me. Well, anyway, if it took ten minutes to walk to T.P. Orville, it seemed like it took an hour to get back. Oh, all the way home, I'm kind of squinking back here. You know, I can just almost feel the barn somehow and other. So I finally get back. Delayed action. Some of you finally got there. Okay. It's real, though. It's real. You know it is if you ever had a papa like mine. So we finally can make the long story short. We get back. And what I could do now, I could tell, I said, Dad, they threw me in. My dad was smarter than that. He knew better. I knew I didn't dare do that. That just only would make it worse. Because then I'd have a lie plus that problem on me. Well, anyway, so there's but one thing to do. Of course, the waterworks begin to turn on. The valve is pretty easy. You know, it just works out up here. And the tears began to stream down my face. And I walk in and I finally face Dad. Oh, I'm just hoping. It'd be nice if he's gone tomorrow on a trip. But he's there. But in a short time ago, you know, he doesn't usually leave that quick. And I got to face him. And I walk in and I'm crying. I said, Dad. I didn't mean to, Dad. I didn't have to tell him what I did. It's pretty self-apparent, you know. He said, Son. When he really was in a nice mood, it was Donald. When he changed his mood, it was Donald Ray. Donald Ray. Isn't it? By this time I'm squabbling. I couldn't tell him what happened if I wanted to. I'm crying so bad. I'm already feeling them licks. Well, I'll tell you, I stand up for my dad. He was a fair man. Very fair. And my dad was willing to forgive me. Of course, he put me through the paces out at the barn. You know, we went to the wood shed, and we had a little education in class, and he was teaching, and I was learning. And he thrashes me for my wrong, but he forgave me. What did that do? It restored our fellowship. After he said, son, I forgive you. You're forgiven. I could look my dad in the face, and I didn't dread his appearance at all. I was glad to be with him. I can tell you that. It meant something. Well, my dad's son said, Son, you're forgiven. That meant a great deal to me. That relieved me. And I knew our fellowship was restored. Until that, there was a wall between us. And I dreaded to see his face. Isn't that right? You know it's true. About that time Mom steps on the scene. And she says, Son. She has a way of saying, she's kind of Cherokee. Son. And I said, Yes, ma'am. Of course, I just got through this little lesson we had up in the barn, and then the waterworks are on. And she says, Well, you go in the bathroom and said, You get out of those clothes, and I'll bring your clings through the clothes, and you get scrubbed up from head to toe. And then you put those clean clothes on. Yes, ma'am. So I go in there, and I draw some hot water. And that's after we got a hot water heater. It used to be a tea kettle. And we had a hot water heater. And I never forget them telling me I embarrassed them. They were looking for another house one time. We walked in the house and had a hot water heater, and I didn't know what it was, and they said what it was. I said, hot water heater, what's that? And boy, they got embarrassed, and they told me later, but anyway, we had hot water then and turned the hot water tap on, and got me a good bath and scrubbed up, and got in that clean through the clothes. And I walked out, and there was something different. Before I got the clean suit and clothes on, before I got all washed up, when I looked down, even though my dad had forgiven me, even though the fellowship was restored, and I could see his face, I couldn't stand myself. See what I'm getting at? If forgiveness restored fellowship, cleansing, restores conscience, and beloved, I could forgive myself. My father had forgiven me, and I was in agreement with him. And from the pollution and the defiling of my sins, it was gone. Why? I was cleansed. And God not only, beloved, forgives us our sins, and too many Christians have hung up right there. They've accepted the forgiveness. They said, Thank you, Lord, for forgiving me. And they can see their father's face. But their conscience doves them almost to their grave, and they're a crippled Christian. If you're willing to accept his forgiveness, beloved friend, brother and sister, please accept his cleansing. He wants you to be freed from that pollution, you know. And He promised He was faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God does a full job. It's not half done when He does it. So in reality, we cannot say we have no sin. If we do, we're a liar. But we can say, and get this point now, please, we can say we have no sins. There's a difference. If I get before my Father's throne and I confess in genuine repentance and brokenness of heart, my sins and name them, He has promised to forgive me and cleanse me. And when I rise up, I can say, thank you, Lord. I am forgiven. I have no sins. I still have sins, but no sins. Isn't that good? Thank God for that. A wonderful fellowship and a wonderful conscience. My Father has cleansed me. Now let us go tonight quickly into the message that I wanted to give, and that's found over in the book of Second Timothy Chapter Two. I'm going to take up something tonight on separation. Separation. I'm not talking about isolation, but separation. Some Christians have, I think, gone so far as they've almost isolated themselves. I do not believe that to be God's principle. I believe separation is a divine principle, and it was the mixed multitude that came out with Israel that was such a snare on the nation of Israel as they departed from Egypt into the wilderness, wondering. Looking now at chapter two, second Timothy, and beginning our reading at verse fifteen, study to show thyself approved under God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Notice now the word of truth. What are we going to say about the word of truth? Well, the word of the truth obviously is the Scriptures. What about the Scriptures? Well, four quick things now. Real quick, four. Number one, they're divine in origin. We're not treating the Word of Man, my beloved friends. And one was quoting tonight, that passage found over in Thessalonians. We're treating the Word of God. It's divine in origin. Second Timothy three, sixteen. All Scripture is God-breathed. It is given by inspiration of God is all. One Greek word, Theos numitus. It means all Scripture was breathed of God. God breathed words out. You say, wait a minute, didn't say words. Just one moment. First Corinthians chapter two. The Scripture says in that particular chapter. You have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit wishes of God, that you might know the things that are freely given to you of God, which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual with spiritual. God gave words. He says to Jeremiah, Behold, I put my words in your mouth, said the words of God. It's divine in origin. Secondly, it's eternal in nature. Jesus said in Matthew twenty-four. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. Brother Peter said, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, how? By the word of God, which lives and abides forever. Oh, what a marvelous word we have, rightly dividing the word of truth. The word of truth is the scriptures, divine in origin, eternal in nature, thirdly infallible in content. Where are you going to get that? Quickly, let's go to the book of Psalms. S Psalm nineteen. Oh, let's turn to Psalm twelve first. That'll be a good one. Psalm twelve. Verse six. The words of the Lord are pure words, implying strongly no impurities or imperfections. as silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times. Psalm nineteen, verses seven and eight. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. How is it? Perfect. The testimony of the Lord is pure, making lives as simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Then, of course, Psalm one hundred nineteen. Psalm, one hundred nineteen. Look what the writer says there. Verse one hundred forty. Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it. The word of God is not only divine in origin and eternal in nature, it is infallible in content. Notice, if you will, Luke chapter four and see what our Blessed Lord does there. If you consider the Lord, If you consider the Lord perfect, and I'm sure that you do, notice what happens in Luke chapter four and verse sixteen and following. Luke four and sixteen, and Jesus came to Nazareth. where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for the reads. And there was delivered unto him the book of the private Ezekiel. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovering of the sight of the blind. To set at liberty those who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book and gave it to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of them all that were in the synagogue were fashioned on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Do you think that if the Word of God, if the Bible, the scriptures were fallible, that the Lord Jesus would have used them in his ministry and quoted, I do not believe that you can say that. I'm confident the Word of God is infallible in content. I've heard people say various parts of the country, well, the reason I don't believe the Bible, it contradicts itself. And so many times I've shoved this old book right to their face. I said, all right, fine, one contradiction. Don't show me ten. I couldn't take it. Just one. Just one. And I've seen more mouths stop that away. Well, beloved, it's not only that, divine in origin, eternal in nature, infallible in content, but it is unique in power. There is nothing like the Bible. Absolutely nothing. The Scripture says in the book of Hebrews, chapter four, verse twelve, the Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and joints in the marrow, and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And then, of course, we can see in Romans one sixteen the gospel is the power of God to salvation. That's a portion of the Word of God. And it's the power of God to salvation. It's a power for cleansing. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto, according to thy word. Of course, the Lord makes it clear to you through Paul. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. What a tremendous power is the word of God. So, Paul says to Timothy, chapter two, second letter, verse fifteen. Study to show thyself approved unto God. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But, shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat as death us, where it says canker. It's the Greek word gandgreen, from which we get our English word gandgreen. Had that to happen to me, in nineteen fifty-one, the month of January, my appendix had ruptured. It was the third day after they ruptured before I finally got to a hospital. I was in training during the time of the Korean War and the military, and I was a long way from the Lord at the time, and I'd had some bad experiences, and I'd finally had passed out in my sack. And it didn't report for training and work that day, and they found me in my sack. A pinnacle had been ruptured about the third day. I think they indicated that it happened. And Gagarin had already set in. It looked like I might not make it. The Lord was merciful and spared me, but it's a terrible thing. So he says their word will eat as if a canker or Gagarin, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth, have earned saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the face of some. Now, I'd like to remind this. that we're not to get too alarmed about that. We should be concerned, but not overly alarmed. Why? Don't forget, don't forget that the Word of God teaches in First John chapter five, a very beautiful truth in connection with this verse. It says there in verse four, I'll read it for you. For whatsoever is born of God, and you could put down there whosoever, and get the right idea, whosoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world? But he that believes our faith that Jesus is the Son of God. Now that verse tells me, or those verses tell me, that those who have exercised faith in the Son of God are the overcomers. They're not overcome by the world, they overcome the world. You read it several times and see if that's not what you get. Now he says here, Paul writing to Timothy, he says, Their word will eat as just a canker or gangrene of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred. And many have in our day, saying that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, don't be too alarmed. He says, Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands steady, sure. firm having this field, one field, and it has a twofold aspect. One is the divine. The Lord knows them that are his. The other is the human. Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purged himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. So often, in our vocabulary of New Testament words, there are certain words that to us have a standard one-direction connotation. One of those words that really stands out to my mind at this moment is the word covet. Almost nine times out of ten, if you ask people, what about coveting or covetousness, is it bad? And you'll get a yes answer. It is bad. But don't forget, that same word is used in a good sense, too. First Timothy chapter three, to give you a literal translation of that particular passage, where there you have the requirements and qualifications for those who take spiritual oversight. Just those of you who want to look at it, we've glanced at it. Faithful the Word. If any stretches toward overseership, he passionately desires a good work. And the Word there, in our King James Version, it says something like this. This is a faithful saying if a man... desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. The second word desire, rendered desirous, is the same word that's translated in Romans chapter seven, verses seven and eight, covet, lust, and concupiscence. And immediately we'd say, well, concupiscence is terribly bad, but the truth is the same word. And I just despise this idea of saying, well, boy, you know, this word is always bad. We've got to look it up. I know one time a brother was ministering on this subject of elders who take oversight. He was is taking up elders. Well, frankly, the word elder doesn't appear in First Timothy chapter three that I remember at all. However, in his exhortation, he indicated, he indicated that, you know, the idea of blameless, there was a certain word for blameless for the elder, and then he said there's a different word for blameless for the beacon, and they're distinct, he said. It makes it clear that they're distinct, two different words, and one goes for one, one goes for the other. But the real problem with that is this. The Holy Ghost used both words for Elders who take oversight. Go to Titus chapter one, and you'll see that the other word for blameless is used for the elder who takes oversight. One word is literally not called in. The other word is literally not taken upon. And both blamelessnesses apply to the elder who takes oversight. Just one applies to the beacon. Now, we can see then... that oftentimes in our word studies we come up to a connotation, well, you know, this is really bad, and therefore it can't be used in a good sense. There are probably several other words like that. I'll not take the time to go into that, but I'd just like to prime our mind with the thought that there are some words that kind of can be used in a neutral situation. They can lean to the right or they can lean to the left, and we have one in our passage tonight. Let's see if we can discover it. Okay. Timothy was to avoid or shun, propane, and vain babbling. Oh, he says, Timothy, that's bad. They will increase the more ungodliness. Don't be involved. Their word will eat us with a gangrene. That brings death. Of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus. You know, Paul believed in naming names, didn't he? Of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred. Now, Timothy, take notice of this. Hymenaeus and Philetus have erred concerning the truth. What have they done, Paul? Paul says they said that the resurrection was passed already. And in so doing that, they're overthrowing the faith of some. John said they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they no doubt would have continued with us, but they went out that it might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Some are going to shake off the vine. But let me tell you, those real ones are not going to be overcome by the world. What, sir, is born of God, overcomes the world. God says it. I believe it. With my heart I do. There are thousands and hundreds of thousands of people who profess to be Christian, who are not anymore saved than that wall. And as dead as that wall. I think some of them twice dead, floating up by the roof. They got religion, but lost. Nevertheless, oh, Timothy, don't be too disturbed. They're always throwing the face of some. Don't be too distressed. The foundation of God stands sure. Having this seal. God knows those that are his. There's the divine side of the seal. There's the heavenly side. There's God's side. And then he says there's an earthly testimony side. Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Guess what the word depart is. How many of you ever heard, you don't have to raise your hand, but how many of you ever heard the word apostasy? There it is. It's right there. Apostasy. You mean a Christian apostatized? Yes. Here's what I'd like you to notice. It is the word apostato. It's a third person, singular, secondary, imperative of the word aphistamine. Now the word aphistamine is two words. It's compounded. It's aphal meaning from and histamine meaning to stand. So when you link it together from or away from being APA and histamine meaning to stand, apostasy literally means to stand away from. And oftentimes I had heard it meant a falling away. But did you realize that the word fall sometimes has the connotation in English of accident? I've spent two and a half years in safety engineering for Ling, Tim, Co. Vault, Aircraft Corporation in Dallas, Texas. While there, I learned what I believe is a good definition of an accident. I'll pass it along to you. We defined an accident as, quote, an unplanned event, unquote. Now suppose for the illustration that I'm holding a divine truth in my hand, something from the Word of God. And I'm going to carry this truth. But I don't realize there's a pencil on the floor, and I stumble, and I fall, and I drop. Well, you see, I fell away from my path that I was walking. That could imply an accident. But that's not the case of this word. It's not accidental. It's intentional. God is saying to you and I, dear brothers and sisters, The foundation of God stands sure or steady or firm, having this seal or this evidence. A seal is an evidence of something. What is it, Lord? Well, the Lord says, I know all of those that are mine. I know them. And He says, let everyone that names the name of Christ once for all stand apart. You say, what do you mean once for all? It's the ERISH tense. And the action, the kind of action in erist tense, is equally important, if not more so important, than the time of the action. The time ordinarily is past. But sometimes the past time has to be stated out and just characterized the kind of action. And a place of that is found in Acts, sixteen and thirty-one. In our English Bible it says, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's what it says. Any way you look at that in English is going to be present tense. But it happens to be an erist. It happens to be an Irish. That means the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit, is saying to us, believe once for all on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It's one time in your life in brokenness of heart and godly sorrow you have repented and you're willing to exercise confidence in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, who was plunged into death for your sins and raised up out of the dead. And the moment you believe like that, God says you're saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved in the house. Now there is the same Irish tense. However, here, It's a one-for-all action in another direction. It's standing away from something. There it's going to, someone. Here it's standing away from something. So the word, apah meaning from or away from, and histamine meaning to stand, means that you, of your will, your conscious mind, of your heart and will, you stand apart from something. And what is it? Where it says here, iniquity, it is the word for righteous, prefixed by the little letter A. Dikaius is the Greek word for righteous, and when you prefix it with a little letter A or alpha, you have unrighteousness, just like theos means God, atheist, no God. Gnostic means to know, agnostic, you can't know, or don't know. And so the word diikaius, righteous, adikaius, unrighteous. So he says, let everyone that names the name of Christ once for all stand apart from unrighteousness. And then he gives a beautiful illustration. He says, but in a great house there are not only vessels of what? Notice now, gold first and silver and then wood and earth. On the one hand we have precious metals. On the other hand we have common things, wood and earth. Some to honor, I take that to be the gold and silver. some to dishonor, I take that to be, would in earth. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he, singular, shall be of Bethlehem to honor, sanctified, and meet for the masters, you've been prepared unto every good work. What I'm trying to say is this, beloved. God wants you and I to apostricize. From what, Donald? First of all, here they are, real quickly, in the last five minutes. Number one, and I'll nail them to you, and then we'll get as much covered as we can. Number one, from persons of unrighteousness. See, where do you get persons? It's very clear in the context how many is in Philetus. And vessels are people. You say, where do you get vessels are people? He says in verse twenty, in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, also wood and earth, some to honor, some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he the man shall be a vessel. People are vessels, you know. So, number one, God wants us to apostasize or stand apart from persons of unrighteousness. Who might they be? Quickly. As much as we can cover. Well, let me name the others. Principles of unrighteousness, places of unrighteousness, and practices of unrighteousness. And we'll cover as much as we can. Number one person. Hymenus and Phaletus are two of them. They're characterized as those who are teaching false doctrines. God says, purge yourself from them. Notice if you will, Romans chapter sixteen. Verse seventeen. Now beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you've learned, and avoid them. Purge yourself from them. Those that bring divisions and offenses contrary to the teaching which you've learned. Avoid them. Apostasize. Withdraw. Purge yourself. Some others. First Corinthians five. Just kind of a next-door neighbor to Romans. First Corinthians five. just for the sake of time. Verse eleven. But now I have risen unto you not to keep company. If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, covetous, idolatrous, railer, drunkard, or extortioner with such in one, know not to eat, purge yourself. Some others. You say, wait a minute, that's church discipline. True enough, but I'm just trying to pick out some aspects of separation. Here, obviously, the assembly is called upon to separate this man from the assembly. In Timothy's time, it's a singular aspect. It may get so. Thank God it isn't here. But it could get so in some places that the majority are going with the unrighteousness. And if so, a man is called upon individually to purge himself. Then you can see also, look at First Timothy chapter four. First Timothy chapter four. Well, let's go to Philippians. That'd be a good one. Run to Philippians right quick. That'll be quicker. And I'm going to run out of time. That's the hardest clock ever raced. I missed. Philippians chapter three, I said four maybe, but chapter three. Verse eighteen and verse nineteen. For many, well let's read seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk says you have us for an example. For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now I tell you even weeping that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, or their appetite, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. I believe God would have us to stand apart from persons like that. You can see also that in First Timothy four, he gives us a little bit there. You'll want to glance at it while we're running in this commentary. First Timothy four, there are some that have departed. Spirit speaks, expresses that in the latter time some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, and so on. I'm confident God would have us to apostatize from those kind of people. Of course, in Second Timothy chapter three, very near where we were while ago in our text. Let's know also that in the last days perilous time shall come, then shall be lovers of their own selves. What do we do about us? Verse five, having a form of godliness but denying the power they are from. Such turn away, apostatize, stand apart from persons of unrighteousness like that. Then we can see also we're to stand away from principles of unrighteousness. What are some of them? One is an unequal yoke. That's a very unrighteous thing. For one in whom is the Spirit of God and the person of Christ, to yoke up with one in whom is Satan and not the person of Christ. A Christ's rejection, no less. Oh, someone said, well, they hadn't rejected Christ yet. Yes, they have. Jesus said, he that's not with me is against me. He that gathers not with me scatters abroad. Those who are not safe have rejected Christ. You say, well, I don't believe, you're going too strong. I don't believe this. I don't believe the devil's in him. You don't. Do you believe Ephesians? You read Ephesians chapter two, verses one through three, and then tell me your conclusion. There it says, And you have the men alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, who in time passed, and he begins to describe what we were in our past time, and there he speaks of the Spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. And pray, tell me, who is that Spirit? Satan. all of its power. He doesn't want to give up a soul. And the glorious gospel is able to reach in in all of its power and snatch them from the burning through the person of Christ. And so, beloved, we're to withdraw from or stand apart from or apostatize from principles of unrighteousness. The unequal you'll. How about those principles of compromising the word? Someone said to me a while back, they were trying to get me. I was on a panel. They were really trying to get me on the spot. The Lord's And I'm on the spot anyway, so there was too much problem. Large conference, very large conference, had me on a panel. And the panel presiding person, talking to all the panel, finally turned to me, said, Donald, what do you think about a Christian joining certain organizations to promote the Gospel of Christ? I said, well, brother, I'll tell you. I had to think a little bit. I thought, well, if I don't answer, I'm going to raise such a curiosity in all the minds here. It's going to be worse yet. And if I do answer, it's going to make a bunch of them mad. But here we go. So I said, well, I'll tell you, brother, I find in the Word of God that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. And I see that the local expression of that church, which is his body, is the local assembly. And I see it's God's school, God's training ground, God's center of activity in divine life. And frankly, I cannot see myself going out and yoking up with organizations that deny portions of the Word of God. Oh, too much they said, well, they give the gospel, yes. But you know what? They don't want you to say a word about baptism. And it was my Savior that told me to go out and make them, mark them, mold them. He said, preach baptism. Philip did. They're driving along the chariot. He says, he hears water. What does he hear me be baptized? Who told him about baptism? Philip did. And I'm not about to get yoked up to some organization, says you can't mention baptism. I'm not about to get yoked up to some organization, says go join the church of your choice. It's not the Word of God. So I said, as for me, dear brother, I said, I cannot yoke up with any of them. And I do not believe I have to compromise the Word of God to preach the gospel. I'll stick with a local assembly, I believe it's for the institution of God on the earth. And there's my answer. And I'll say to you, my dear Christian brothers and sisters, you stick with the local church. And when you finally run out of something to do, in the local assembly, you might look for something else, but I have a sneaking suspicion you'll never run out, that you're going to be busy doing what God wants you to do, functioning in the local assembly, and then going out to a lost world to tell about Jesus and salvation. You can see principles of unrighteousness. I've listed something else here. There are those who mix the bad with the good, my time is running out, but I'll actually cite these verses of Scripture for you. You read Ezekiel twenty-two, starting at verse twenty-three. Ezekiel chapter twenty-two and verse twenty-three. There, they make the bad seem good and so on and so forth. And then, of course, Isaiah five and twenty. That'll be another good verse. And then, of course, you can think about places of unrighteousness. There's plenty that you could name. A few. the saloons, the dance halls, the movie houses, the brothels, and so on and so forth. You say, oh, that's awful crude, that's true, but I could get a little closer on my focus if I had more time, that I don't have time, and last of all, practices of unrighteousness, and there's plenty of those, but... Dear friend, I call upon you tonight. Think soberly about this passage. God has called us to separation. And guess where it's from and to? The Lord Jesus. He is the center. And if we're really going to be in company and fellowship with Him, we're going to have to separate from those things. May the Lord help us. Perhaps there's someone here tonight that's not saved. Maybe you're not saved. Please remember, Christ died for the ungodly. He was buried. He rose again. The third day, according to the Scriptures. He accomplished an eternal redemption. He paid your debt, and He's offering you eternal life if you'll receive Him. And I'd like to talk to you tonight about salvation. Give me that privilege, would you? Shall we pray? My Father...