God could have said, “...the wall,” but He intentionally use an adjective to described the wall as being a BROAD WALL.
WHY DID GOD INTENTIONALLY TELL US THE WALL WAS A BROAD WALL?
He did this for a special reason.
Illus: If you were to go to the library and do some research on what qualifies a city to be classified as a GREAT CITY, you would discover that a great city in America must have so many:
• Libraries,
• Public parks,
• Schools,
• Universities,
• Hospitals,
• Zoo,
• Churches
• Jails
• Court houses.
That is, this is the standard by which modern cities are measured by in order to obtain recognition as being a great city.
However, it was different in Bible times. In order to reach the status of greatness in those days they had to have a wall around them.
The BIGGER THE WALL the GREATER WAS THE CITY! For example-
Illus: Babylon was the capital city of the Babylonian empire.
The city of Babylon became known world-wide as a great city.
Why? Because they built a wall around the city that was:
• 344 feet high
• 86 feet wide.
• The city had 100 bronze gates -- twenty-five on each side.
Again, any city that had a BROAD WALL around it was considered to be a GREAT CITY. Such is the case in our text.
Jerusalem was classified as a GREAT CITY because IT HAD A GREAT WALL around it.
What the wall meant to the city of Jerusalem is symbolic of the spiritual wall that should be around God’s Church today.
For example...
I. THE WALL MEANT SEPARATION.
We Christians are IN THE WORLD, but we are NOT OF THE WORLD.
The Lord was concern about His church would be infiltrated by the lost world.
We can see the concern for His church in His prayer in John 17, Jesus prays for His followers that as they remain on earth they will be KEPT FROM THE EVIL OF THIS WORLD!
Look at the Lord’s prayer in John 17:12 while He was here. We read, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
Jesus, about to return to heaven, says in verse 15, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, BUT THAT THOU SHOULDEST KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL.”
One way God’s people can be kept from evil is the moment we become a child of God is for God to take us to heaven immediately.
But when we are saved He does not take us out of this evil world.
WHY? He has a mission He wants us to accomplish while we are here on planet earth.
Can you imagine the condition this world would be in if God took people to heaven the moment they got saved!
God leaves us here to be a light, a godly influence, to DRIVE BACK THE FORCES OF DARKNESS AND SIN.
Illus: Our public schools have deteriorated largely by parents have taken the Christian young people out of the public schools and put them in PRIVATE and CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. That leaves the public schools lacking in the strong Christian witness that was there years ago.
Every time there is a withdrawal of Christians there is deterioration in morality.
Even in the organized church this is true.
• If you take all the dedicated Christians out of a church you will see the church begin to deteriorate immediately.
• If a strong Bible preacher is removed from the pulpit and replaced with a liberal preacher you will see a deteriation in the church immediaterly.
God wants every church to build a SPIRITUAL BROAD WALL to keep the evil world from infiltrating his church.
But it is obvious today that many churches have not built a spiritual BROAD WALL to keep the lost world from infiltrating God’s church.
Illus: George Gallup, known for the famous Gallup polls, addressed a national seminar of Southern Baptist leaders and reported his findings of one of his polls horrifying.
He said, “We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior of churchgoers and those who are not active religiously... The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are remarkably similar in both groups.”
In fact, many who claim the name of Christ have become so worldly that when you go to church to some Sunday school classes you do not hear folks talking about God. Instead they are talking about the same thing sinners talk about. They discuss sports, movies, clothes styles, television programs, politics, and business, etc.
Illus: A woman was giving her testimony on Youtube why she left the Mormon church. She said she went to the Mormon church to hear about Jesus and for months and months the name of Jesus was not even mention.
She heard all about Joseph Smith and the history of the Mormon church but she did not hear anything about Jesus. SHE LEFT THE MORMON CHURCH!!!
If we give the devil his due, we would have to admit that he has been very successful in infiltrating God’s church to become like this evil world.
WE NEED TO BUILD A BROAD WALL TO KEEP THE WORLD OUT OF OUR LIVES and CHURCHES.
That is why God’s Word clearly tells us in II Cor. 6:17. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
Look at II Cor. 6:17 again. We read, “Wherefore come out from among them...”
To keep God’s church from being infiltrated by sin we need to consider two things in this verse in II Cor 6:17.
(1) First look at the words “come out” are translated from the Greek word, “exerchomai,” which means, “Get out.”
The Lord did not say we should take a poll to see if everyone thinks it is a good idea we should come out from among those who are evil.
The Lord simply commanded, “Get out!”
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was having breakfast with a very successful real estate man. He went to a liberal church down town that was well attended.
• He said to Dr. Belger in their conversation at breakfast you want believe what my church did yesterday.
• I said what did they do?
• He said they voted as a congregation they no longer believe in the virgin birth of Christ!!!
He said he was stunned!!!
Listen, every Bible believing Christian should have gotten up and walked out and never looked back.
The devil has infiltrated God’s church doctrinally and in in practice.
That is, when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we need to GET OUT of the world, we need to leave the evil of the world behind.
Illus: The urgency is the same as it should be for a man who is about to walk into a cave where dynamite is planted. Everyone is hollering, “GET OUT OF THERE,” because they recognize the danger he is placing himself in.
God is telling Christians to GET OUT of this evil world when you accept the Lord.
But it seems that many churches have not gotten the message.
• We have so-called Christians today who will sit in front of their televisions and watch the filth on the HBO, and Movie channels listening to people taking God’s name in vain and nudity and think nothing of it.
WHAT ARE THEY doing there?
GOD SAID THAT CHRISTIANS SHOULD GET OUT OF THERE!
• Don’t you know if your children are exposed to Sodom long enough they will be corrupted by Sodom? GET OUT OF THE WORLD!
• Don’t you know when you go to those movie theaters and watch movies filled with cursing, adultery, lying, cheating, nudity…WHAT ARE DOING THERE? Get out of there!
• Don’t you know as a Christian when you support with your attendance and money the evil of Hollywood in these theaters you become an accomplice to their evil. GET OUT OF THERE!!!
When it comes to BIBLE SEPARATION we have to consider, it is not an OPTION; it is a COMMAND FROM ALMIGHTY GOD!
The words “COME OUT” means to GET OUT!
But also, to keep the devil from infiltrating our church we need to look at the word…
(2) SEPARATE
II Cor. 6:17. We read, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
Look at the word, “separate.” This is translated from the Greek word meaning, “Sever.”
For example, a fellow might be at work and his arm severed from his body in an accident.
We, who once were in lock-step with the ungodly, are no longer in lock-step with this evil world in which we live. We have been severed (cut off) from the ungodly.
The devil has infiltrated our churches like never before!
You can go into some of these liberal churches today and you would think you are in a night club.
• Dark Inside the building (Need a flash light to see who you are sitting beside)
• Lights from all parts of the building flashing all over the building!!!
• For Machines
• Go Go dancers with their short dresses on the platform (They call them worship leaders)
• Seducty Clothing
• Loud music
• Dancing
Illus: it is true in the Bible that David dance before the Lord. But it was not the kind of vulgar dancing that you see in some of these liberal churches today that you see in night clubs.
The Bible talks about a happy dance not a vulgar dance that has infiltrated our church today!
I would be embarrass to show you on these screens in this auditorium some of the vulgar dancing you see in some of these liberal churches.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was watching one of these ungodly churches on television one night and men and women doing the same kind of dancing you find in the night clubs.
They even had an old man with his shirt tail hanging out with no tie, britches with holes in them, he even had the top buttons on his shirt unbutton to show his chest and he was dancing and jumping around like he had ants in his pants…IT WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE A MIGOT THROW UP!!!
There is a difference between a happy dance and a vulgar dance.
Illus: You ever been to a football game and your team made a touch down. The fans become so happy they start to jump up and down and they do a happy dance.
There is a difference between a HAPPY DANCE and the VULGAR DANCE that we see in some of these liberal churches we see in their churches and the night club.
Today modern liberal churches are taking their lead from the LOST WORLD, NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!
Illus: Jim Bakker was asked when he started the PTL show years ago how he came up with the idea of the PTL Club. He said he got the idea from the JOHNNY CARSON SHOW on television.
Isn’t it ashame today that christians are led by Hollywood and not the Holy Spirit.
WHAT KIND OF SEPARATION DOES THE BIBLE TELLS US TO ADOPT?
The LORD JESUS IS OUR EXAMPLE when it comes to SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD.
Let’s see the TWO ways He built a BROAD WALL between Himself and the lost world.
A. He built a broad wall between Himself and sin.
Illus: C. H. Spurgeon observed that as we read through the Bible, we see this about Christ, “Truly, He drew near to sinners, as near as He could draw, and He received them when they were willing to draw near to Him, but He did not draw near to their sins.”
For example, when the Lord Jesus talked to the prostitute in Samaria, He talked to her at the city well which was in public view. He DID NOT GO where she practiced her trade!
HE BUILT A BROAD WALL BETWEEN HIMSELF AND THE SINS OF THE SINNER!
The liberal churches today have this ridiculous idea to reach the lost we have to become like them. This is why their church services resemble the night clubs.
WHATEVER HAPPEN TO THE BIBLE IDEA TO REACH THE LOST THEY MUST BECOME LIKE US--- NOT FOR US TO BECOME LIKE THEM!!!
The Lord built a strong wall between Himself and sin.
B. He built a broad wall between Himself and temptation.
The model prayer the Lord teaches us to pray (Matt. 6:13), “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...”
Every day WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE ENEMY -- SATAN -- IS TRYING TO GET INTO OUR LIVES AND INTO OUR CHURCHES!!!
This is why we need to PRAY DAILY -- “GOD, HELP ME TO BUILD A BROAD WALL TO KEEP SIN OUT OF MY LIFE.”
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
• Listen christians you may not know this but the devil is HOT ON YOUR TRAIL. Every day he wants to infiltrate your life!!!
• Listen church you may not know this but the devil is HOT ON YOUR TRAIL trying to find ways to infiltrate this church!!!
Every person who comes to know the Lord has to battle with Satan every day. Satan is always trying to invade our lives and churches.
Illus: Look at the life of Christ. If Christ had gone along with what the people had wanted, they would have made Him to be their king. Satan tried to use that to invade Christ’s life.
Look at Matthew 4:8-9, “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, ALL THESE THINGS WILL I GIVE THEE, IF THOU WILT FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME.”
But Christ had built a BROAD WALL and the enemy could not penetrate His heart.
Illus: Have you ever been to a veterans parade and watched hundreds of soldiers march together? That is, there are many there, and they are all in lock-step together.
What ONE DOES THEY ALL DO!
What a perfect picture of the lost world. They are ALL waiting for the next command so they will know...
• What to drink.
• What to wear.
• What books to read.
• What movies to see.
• Who to admire.
• Who to hate.
They are all in lock-step with each other. What ONE DOES, THEY ALL DO!
Illus: We have preachers all over this nation old preachers and young preachers standing in the pulpit with holes in their brithches, no tie, shirt tails hanging out, wearing sandals. (again, It is enough to make a migot throw up!)
The Lord is no longer good enough to dress up for!!!
God does not want his children to be in step with the world. That is why we need a BROAD WALL to keep from being enticed into partaking of the sins that sinners indulge in.
When we show we are different from the lost world, then sinners can see that we are IN THE WORLD, but we ARE NOT A PART OF THE WORLD.
We all need to build a BROAD WALL to SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM SIN. Sin is the enemy and the enemy is always trying to get in.
You can not play with sin. Christians have been playing with sin for years and look where it has got us as a nation…
• Some these old preachers use to preached against going to movies. Why? They recognized the Hollywood crowd had no morals. They would do anything to make a dollar and those who would watch what they produced would soon be affected by it.
• Some of these old preachers preached against radios when they first came out. Why? They could foresee the danger of allowing our families to be exposed to all kinds of ungodliness such as the country and western songs that encourage adultery and rock and roll that encourages illicit sex.
• Some of these old preachers preached against televisions when they came out. Why? Because many could foresee the problem of having them in our homes and allowing the Hollywood crowd to fill our homes with cursing, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, etc.
• Some of these old preachers preached against having in our homes the internet who would never enter a porn shop in fear someone will see them but now in the privacy of their home they can punch a few keys on their computer and have porn in the privacy of their homes. Today all across this nation we have men and women hooked on pornography.
• We have on our computers where men and women can chat with the opposite sex about personal problems in their marriages. And soon these men and women are meeting together and all and all over this nation marriages are being destroyed.
• Some these old preachers preached against the danger of women leaving the home to go out into the workplace. Why? They could foresee that when mom left the home the children would not have anyone to take care of them, and mom would be in the position of facing temptations she would not have if she had stayed home.
I am telling you once again what the Word of god tells you, THE DEVIL IS HOT ON YOUR TRAIL AND YOU NEED TO BUILD A BROAD WALL OF PRAYER TO KEEP HIM OUT OF YOUR LIFE.
Listen, if we do not separate ourselves from the world it will destroy our testimony.
Illus: Have you ever made the mistake of feeding a stray cat? If you have, you know you have made a friend that will follow you wherever you go, and the only way you can get rid of that cat is to walk off and leave him. HE IS NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU!
God cautions us that the only way you and I are going to keep the world out of our lives is to COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM!
Jerusalem was a great city because it had a BROAD WALL to keep the enemy out. That BROAD WALL KEPT THE ENEMY OUT -- IT STOOD FOR SEPARATION.
That wall also stood for something else.
II. THE WALL MEANT SECURITY.
Illus: If a small town did not have a wall it was in constant danger of being destroyed by enemies.
However, those who lived in Jerusalem could lay their heads on their pillows at night and know they were secure.
They had a BROAD WALL surrounding them and no enemy could penetrate their walls.
The BROADER THE WALL the more secure the city was. Aren’t you glad that our salvation DEPENDS ON JESUS and not on ourselves?
Look at Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Before I close I want to tell you a personal experience I had while I was in Bible college. I am some what reluctant to tell you this story because when I personally hear such story I do not know if they are true or not.
You can judge for yourself but I stand in the presence of God to tell you it is true and you can do with it what you want to do with it.
When I was in college I had been in class all morning and when the classes was over I went to my job at Kraft food company in Lakeland Florida.
When I got off of work that evening I had been so busy that day I had no prayer time so I went to the prayer room on the second floor of my dorm.
For some reason it was unusally quiet that night because most of the time it was noisy.
I walked in the prayer room and knelt down by a window to pray. I was the only one in the prayer room at this time.
And this is the personal experience I want to share with you.
As I was praying I sense the door was open and someone was coming into the room.
When I turned to see the room was being invaded by some horrible little creatures making a screeching sound and I assumed they were demons. Never having such an experience I was scared!!! REALLY SCARED LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN MY LIFE!!!
They were small in size but it seem like it was a hundred of them in that room surrounding me. In fear I stood up and these demons had infiltrated this room and I was so scared I could not move as I stood by this window.
I thought about jumping out of the window even though I was on the second floor. I wanted to get out of this room and did not care if my jumping would kill me or injure me for life. I just wanted to get out of that room but I felt if I move they would bite me!
He later said the Lord taught him through that experience he can see why some people would commit suicide.
If I was on a ten story building I would have jumped!!!
In fear I stood there scared to death praying. And as I was praying God impressed upon him to PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS. That is what he did and just like it seem like all those demons entered that room they all left just as fast.
It was an experience I never had before and I hope I never have again.
But I stand here in the presence of God telling you this is what happened to me and you have to decide to do with this story what you want to do with it.
But from that experience I learned some things about suicide and I also learn there is POWER IN THE BLOOD.
He said often when we sing POWER IN THE BLOOD he remembers that experience.
There is power in the blood of the Lord Jesus to defeat the devil.
Listen, this is exactly why Christians are secure. It is not because of anything we have done. It is BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE BEEN WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
One day, when the lost world is reaping the wrath of God, we will be spared because of the blood.
THE BLOOD OF CHRIST IS OUR BROAD WALL THAT WILL KEEP THE WRATH OF GOD OUT OF OUR LIVES! IT IS OUR SECURITY!
We need to build a BROAD WALL around us for SEPARATION and SECURITY.
Conclusion:
The devil is always trying to invade our life.
Uncle Bud Robinson, the well-known Holiness preacher was taken by friends to New York, and shown around the city. That night, in his prayers, he said, “Lord, I thank You for letting me see all the sights of New York, and I thank You most of all that I didn’t see a thing that I wanted!”
In our text for this sermon the Lord prayed that we not be conformed to this world. Also He tells us how we can keep from being drawn into the net of worldliness.
Look at verse 17. We read, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
If we are going to be set aside for the master’s use, the only way we can protect ourselves from allowing the world to penetrate our lives is to STAY IN THE WORD OF GOD!
Illus: A young Christian man was testifying. He said that when he was pondering on accepting the Lord after hearing a fiery Bible sermon, the devil began to say to him, “If you do this, you will have to leave all your friends!” Well, he knew the Bible said the devil was a liar. He took a stand for what the Bible teaches. He discovered the devil is a liar. He did not have to leave the sinner friends. Once he took a stand for Christ, they left him. Show me a professing Christian who is not into the Word of God daily and I will show you a Christian being contaminated by the world.
I. THE WALL MEANT SEPARATION
II. THE WALL MEANT SECURITY
