Scripture:
II Corinthians 6:14-18 NKJV
[14] Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? [15] And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? [16] And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” [17] Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” [18] “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”
Observation:
I could explain how the letters to the church in Corinth came about and how they believed 2 letters were never found. But I have already done that. Every morning for the past almost 2 years, I have woken up and hit my knees to thank GOD for waking me. Then I ask HIM to write a SOAP that is life-changing and profound and ministers to those who take the time to read it. Grabbing a cup of coffee, I go to study. This morning, this is where we landed. The letters to the church in Corinth have what seems to be a lot of correction in them. But if no one tells us that we need to change, we will never know. So I’m grateful to GOD for HIS word that corrects me when I get off course. Let’s take a look at what the Holy Spirit wants to say to us. The first verse in Second Corinthians chapter 6 that we will look at this morning is verse 14. Now I know that most of us probably understand what a yoke is, but for the sake of making sure I will explain it. A yoke is a big wooden and leather-lined tool made to connect 2 oxen together for the purpose of sharing work. It keeps the 2 working together at the same pace. Allowing them to get twice the work done. The issue with it is when the oxen is not even in strength and stamina, 1 of the ox will do a bigger portion of the work and get worn out faster by carrying the less able oxen. Now Paul, when he was talking to the church in Corinth, saw that there was an issue with how they were going about things they were conducting themselves with others and tying themselves to people who did not believe the same way they did. What was happening as the result of doing so is that those who believed were slowly fading into unbelief. Getting exhausted from carrying those who did not believe, and their faith was getting beaten down and they were losing hope. His warning here is designed to catch their attention and get them to see that staying around like-minded people brings a level of assurance that you don’t get hanging out with those who don’t wholeheartedly believe as they do. His argument continues for the next 2 verses, asking, what do you have in common with them, and how can they contribute to the work you are doing his reference to Jesus having anything in common with the idol worship of Belial is to show that the 2 are like oil and water they just don’t mix. You can’t worship idols and worship Christ it’s like heading east to get west. It just can’t happen. The church in Corinth had made a lot of mistakes. Tying themselves into business with those who did not believe like them led them astray. One of the other things that 2 oxen evenly yoked does is that it keeps the plowed lines in the field straight even and consistent. Now, here is the key to the whole thing verse 17 tells us that we are to be different. Paul tells us to come out from among them. Yes, I said he said to come out from among them. There should be a difference that people can see. A difference that stands out. Looking at the second half of verse 17, it seems to poke some holes in what I have been taught from preachers in the past, and I’m sure it gets glanced over and not brought to the surface. The Corinthian church was taking part in eating food sacrificed to idols such as Belial. Their worship was divided. They had tied themselves to the world and GOD, and the inconsistency showed. As we know, GOD is a jealous GOD. HE will not share us. You are HIS, or you are not.
Application:
I want to refer to the Old Testament for a minute and ask you a question. When GOD sent HIS people to conquer a land, HE told them to kill them all…. do you know why… it almost seems heartless. But in fact, it’s because it’s because GOD knows the power of influence. HE knew that by leaving any of them alive, that HIS chosen people would be influenced by what the others were doing and honestly how dangerous that was. I remember about 10 years ago. I was in a pulpit preaching when I had this marvelous idea to go over to my cousin’s house and lead him to Christ. He smoked pot drank and did meth. The first few times I went over there, I did just fine. I was able to get in and out with no issues. I could sit there while he smoked pot, and I had no problem saying no. Eventually, I gave him a job and worked with him daily, and his ways became my ways. Drinking and smoking pot became a part of my daily life, which eventually led back to meth. It wasn’t the idea of ministry that was the problem it was yoking myself to him that brought the issue. We are to come out from among them. When we tie ourselves to unbelievers, we take the risk of being influenced by their behavior and beliefs. Several times in the Old Testament, GOD warned HIS people not to marry them and not get mixed up with them. The crazy thing is each time HE did, they would not heed the warning before you knew it…. HIS people would be worshiping idols. Listen, I know how hard it is to separate from the world. The way unbelievers live and act can be very influential. I like the analogy of a thermostat and a thermometer. One is designed to set the temperature, and the other is designed to tell the temperature one is influenced by the other. That’s how relationships go. You are either a thermostat or a thermometer. You are influencing or being influenced. In my life, I want to be a thermostat. But if my actions don’t stand out as different, then I am just like them. The only one I want to reflect is Jesus. Lest influence tge world by standing out for Jesus christ to be in the world not of it don’t yoke yourself to its ways. Tie your ways to what the bible says, and the temperature do not reflect it.
Prayer:
Father, I know that you are good. You can take what has been said and make sense of it. You have called us to be different, not the same as the world. Help us to see how to be in this world only as we travel through it. This world is not our home. Let us be yoked tightly to you and nothing else. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray amen.