Are You A Separatist
As I was putting together my notes, it brought me back to when I was in grade school. I can remember my teacher, as we were learning how to spell different words, she would say “Sound the word out and then go look it up in the dictionary.” As many times as I sounded the word out, I misspelled!
Now, once I learned how to use the dictionary, you get to a word like the one you see here. The title of the message is “Are You A Separatist?” I know what the word means but I decided to go to the dictionary to look it up.
The dictionary says a separatist is someone who favors separatism. (Laughter) So, now you look up separatism. It’s a belief in, movement for, or state of separation. How many of you know what separatism means at this point? Not a clue. (More laughter) I have to look up one more word to find out what it means to be a separatist.
I have to look up the word separation. It is the act or process of separating or it’s the state of being separated. What do we know about about being a separatist? Absolutely nothing. And this is from the dictionary. We finally find out what separation means with the next definition: it’s a point, line or means of division.
So, being a separatist means that you’ve drawn a line in the sand on an issue and you’re standing on one side and others are standing on the opposite side.
The title of the message again is “Are You A Separatist?” We’re going to start in First Peter and put a marker in Exodus 19.
When you read the book of First Peter, you see two dominant themes throughout the book. One is separation. God has called us to be separate from the world. That’s the first dominant theme. The second dominant theme in First Peter is suffering. Ooooh. We don’t want to suffer. Sorry. That’s part of living the life of a disciple. Separation and suffering go hand in hand when it comes to your walk as a son of God.
And this is something that has been on my heart for quite a while because, when you think about the state of our country – and many people my not agree with this – but we have the country that we have right now because the Body of Christ, the Church, has given it to us. Tomatoes. Onion. If you want to throw them at me, that’s fine. But we have the country we have right now because of Christians.
If you want to know where a person stands, in their hearts as it relates to what the Bible says, talk about politics. You will find out real quickly if a person’s heart is aligned with God’s heart. And I will tell you this, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to you, the heart of most Christians is not aligned with God’s heart. Just listen to how they talk about President Trump. And, unfortunately, I made this same observation four or five years ago when Christians were saying things about former President Obama. God was not pleased then and He’s not pleased now.
And yet, the verse we’re going to read, they will claim that verse very quickly. And just because that verse is in scripture and God says that is who we are, it does not mean we are living who we are. Now before I read this, I want to share something with you that I posted on Facebook. And I know some of you have already seen this because you are friends with me on Facebook or at least you were yesterday. (Laughter)
The title I gave the post was “A life most are not choosing.”
“I’ve been meditating First Peter over the past few weeks and two words rise up in my spirit time and time again: separation and suffering. In First Peter God calls us to separation from the world. “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) First Peter says “as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind…” What mind? We have to get it settled in our hearts that we will suffer in the flesh just like Jesus did if we are truly following Him.”
This is the condition – if we are truly following Him. Now most of the body of Christ have abdicated their responsibility and authority to live and walk for Jesus. Much of the church preach tolerance and acceptance. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to be, you can be very unhappy with Barry Johnson right now. God does not teach tolerance. God does not teach acceptance.
God teaches My Word is My will. If you’re doing things that are not in accordance with God’s Word and God’s will, then you can forget about the things that God has in store for you.
Back to the Facebook post.
“First Peter presents a truth that many of us don’t want to accept – when you live a holy lifestyle you are going to suffer (be persecuted). We would much rather accept what we hear from those who preach a gospel of positive one-liners that make us feel good about who we are, a gospel for the good life that await the sons and daughters of the king, a gospel of acceptance without change, a gospel of love without responsibility, a gospel that zaps the life, the power, and the authority out of the word of God.
“Ladies and gentlemen, that is the state of the body of Christ today. We don’t want a gospel that calls us to be different from the world. We don’t want a gospel that calls us to stand for God and be ridiculed for that stand. We don’t want a gospel that calls us to take a “hit” when we disagree with the world (and most Christians) on social issues. No, this is not the gospel most Christians want. But you will never hear us say this.
“Living holy – living as a Christian described in scripture – means we are “out of step” with the world. Living holy means “we stick out like a sore thumb” when we speak about the things the world has embraced.
[Same sex marriage. Abortion on demand. “My rights.” Depending on the government to take care of me. I was raised to depend on God. And let me make one more point before moving on. God did not choose our president or members of Congress. We did. God does not, now listen to me, God does not put people in office. That’s our responsibility. We have dominion here. We have authority here.]
“Living holy means that Christians who are living by an “altered gospel” are going to criticize and marginalize Christians who are living by the true gospel – “the sincere milky of the word” (1 Peter 2:2).
“If what I have just written doesn’t describe you, I encourage you – no, I plead with you – to take a hard look at your life. What you do in this life affects your life for all eternity. When you stand before our Lord, my heart’s desire is that you will hear Him say “Well done. You made Me proud. Welcome home and enjoy the treasures you laid up for yourself.”
There are very few of us, ladies and gentlemen, who are living the lifestyle that God desires for us to live. And there are very few of us who are willing to stand up, who are will to stand out, who are willing to be noticed as individuals who stand for what God says. When that happens, you could lose friends, family members and encounter problems on the job.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have to remember that we are not part of the world. Have you ever noticed that when we try to infiltrate the world to get the world to see things the way we see them, that we are the ones who are infiltrated the ones who are influenced? It shouldn’t be that way.
Look at 1 Peter 2:9. This is the verse that all of us latch on to. This is the verse that all of us want to claim. This is the verse whee all of us say “This is me.”
It says, and I’m not going to spend time on it just yet, but you notice that the first word in this verse is what? But. Just thought I’d share that with you. (Laughter) And as you know, “but” puts in contrast what has gone before.
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
We like that. We like being a chosen people. We like being a holy nation. We like being a peculiar people. And we like being a royal priesthood. I got news for you. This is how God sees us but this is not how many of us are living. I’m not getting many Amens this morning and that’s fine.. (Laughter)
What God has given us here in 1 Peter 2:9 – it comes with responsibility and accountability. It’s talking about what comes with maturity.
“But ye are a chosen generation.” This word “generation” means “a brand new species that never existed before.” What are you telling me Bro. Barry? That you are no longer a sinner saved by grace. If you were, then you cannot be a brand new species that never existed before.
The verse says we are “a royal priesthood.” In the Old Testament, Judah was the royal line. Levi was the line fo the priesthood. But Christians are neither one. We are something completely different. We “royal priests!” Remember, we never existed before. We are both!
The verse also says we are “a holy nation.” In other words, you are a nation within a nation. Why do you say this Bro. Barry? Is the United States a holy nation? No, And that would be the case for any nation where Christians are living.
And, finally, we are “a peculiar people.” We are a people that has been bought with a price. We are a people that belong to God.
Again, just because 1 Peter 2:9 says we are chosen generation, we are a royal priesthood, we are a holy nation and we are peculiar people does not mean that’s how we’re living. Remember, First Peter is all about separation and suffering. How you are living will determine how much suffering you will go through – how much persecution that will come against you because of your stand on God’s Word.
Now let’s see the shadow in Exodus 19. We’re going to read verses 5 and 6 and then we’re going to come back and read verses 1 through 6.
(5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.
(6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Doesn’t this sound like what we read over in First Peter. You see, this chapter in Exodus is about separation too.
(1) In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
We see in this first verse that Israel has separated itself from Egypt.
(2) For they wee departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
(3) And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
(4) Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians …
First point: before God calls them a peculiar treasure, before He calls them a holy nation, He reminds them that they had already experienced what He had done for them. “You know what I can do. You have seen Me operate in your lives.
You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
In Colossians 1:12 we read “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” God has made it available for us to be partakers, just like He made it available for Israel to be partakers of what He had for them.
Colossians 1:13 says “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness. When God did this, what did He do? He separated us from darkness to light.
Back to Exodus 19.
You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself.
(5) Now therefore, if … [Why is the “therefore” therefore? It’s because of the conditions we’re about to read. And “if” is always the issue with the body of Christ. Are we going to allow our emotions govern how we respond to God’s Word if it says something different that what we believe or what we want to do? Are you following me?]
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice … The word “obey” is repeated. In the Hebrew it means “in obeying, obey.” In other words, God is saying “You just don’t hear Me but you do what you hear.”
It’s the same word that God uses with Adam in Genesis 3:17. “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast heartened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” What God is saying “You listened to someone other than Me that disagreed with what I have said.”
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant …
I love the way God brings us back to Genesis. In Genesis 2:15 he told Adam to keep or guard the Garden. It’s the same word and it means to build a fortress around. It means you don’t allow any who shouldn’t touch it to touch it. God is telling Israel “I want you to take my covenant and guard it like you would your own life. You don’t let anyone convince you that My covenant is not what I say it is.”
This is the shadow of 1 Peter 2:9. If you are going to be 1 Peter 2:9, the first thing you will have to do is hear God and then do what He tells you to do. You will have to obey in the face of persecution, criticism and in the face of being marginalized. When you stand up and say, for example, that abortion is wrong people, and many of them Christians, are going to come against you.
We have to make a decision in this life. Either God’s Word is true or it’s not. Either we’re going to stand for what God says or we’re not. We’re either going to be men and women who have a backbone or we’re not. If Satan sees that you don’t have a backbone, that you are not willing to stand for what the Bible says, he is going to run over you with a tractor. And if you don’t stand up, and you have people watching you and your Christian walk, they’re not going to stand up either.
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.
With all of this in mind, let’s go back to First Peter and close. I want you to see and understand that this book was written to the body of Christ. Look at 1 Peter 1:1.
(1) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asian and Bithynia.
The word “strangers” means “an alien along side.” Ladies and gentlemen, Peter is talking to you. If you are a chosen generation, a species that never existed before until you were born again, you are an alien. This world is not our home but so many of us have put down roots.
(2) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, [This simply means God didn’t choose you from beginning. He simply knew from the beginning that you would choose Him.] through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
I find it interesting that God says “grace to you, and peace, be multiplied.” I understood this once I saw the theme running throughout the book. God is saying “You’re going to need my grace and peace multiplied in your life if you’re going to live the kind of life I’ve called you to live.”
Let’s jump down to verse 13.
(13) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
(14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [Do you see separation here? You’re living a different life now.]
(15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy all manner of conversation. [If God has called you to be holy that means at some point in your life you were not holy. Now that He has called you to be holy, He says…]
(16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. [Would God tell you to be something that you cannot be? No.]
(17) And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judge the according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning [Remember, you are a stranger, an alien who is passing through.] here in fear:
(18) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
(19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
(20) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
(21) Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
(22) Seeing ye have purified your souls [How do we purify our souls? We pray in tongues. We meditate the Word. We worship. We fast.] in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
(23) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
(24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof fallen away:
(25) But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Chapter 2, verse 1.
(1) Wherefore [Based on everything you’ve read to this point.] laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking,
(2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
The word “sincere” means “fulls strength, not watered down.” Most of the body of Christ cannot handle the Word of God full strength because they will have to start thinking in a way that’s different than how they’re thinking right now.
(3) If so be [Since] ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The word “tasted” doesn’t mean you taste something to see if you like it or that it’s lacking something. That’s not what Peter is talking about. It does not mean to experiment or try. It means “to know intimately.”
In other words, when it comes to what the Bible says, you and Jesus are on the same page. It’s the same word that Hebrew 2:9 uses when it says “Jesus tasted for every man.” It means Jesus experienced it. It means Jesus paid the full price.
God is telling us, “You have experienced me. You are not someone who doesn’t know me. You have experienced me. You understand me.”
You cannot be verse 9 if you don’t know God.
(4) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.
(5) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
(6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
The word “confounded” means to “be ashamed or let down.” You are not going to be disappointed because you truly believe Jesus is who He says He is.
(7) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: [The word “precious” means “He is the preciousness. In what way is Jesus the preciousness? There is nothing more valuable in this life than us belonging to Him!] but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.
The verse talks about those who believe and those who are disobedient. Let me rephrase it this way: “Unto you who have faith, Jesus is the preciousness. But to those who are living in unbelief, who are not living in faith, He’s the stone which the builders rejected. And that same cornerstone is the foundation on which is built the faith in which we now stand.”
(8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient [without faith]: where unto also they were appointed.
Now do you see and understand the word “But?” “But ye, ladies and gentlemen, you are not the ones who are stumbling at the Word of God. You are not the ones who are not living in faith. Why?”
God says “Because you are a chosen generation. You know Me! You understand Me! You know what’s important to Me!”
God says “You are a royal priesthood.” Why? Because you do not stumble at the unadulterated Word of God. It does not give you an upset stomach. You are able to take it. You are able to digest it. You are able to live it! That’s why you are a royal priesthood.
And God says “you are a holy nation” for the same reason. You are not a holy nation just because you got born again. No. It’s a maturation process.
You have to believe and know that God’s Word stands whether anyone believes it or not.
God’s Word stands, ladies and gentlemen, whether your ever receive a healing or not.
If it’s not God’s Word to you, then you are not living as a chosen generation.
If it’s not God’s Word to you, then you are not living as a peculiar people.
If you don’t believe God’s Word, then you are not living as a holy nation.
If you are not believing God’s Word, then you are not living as a royal priest.
You are living like the world lives if you don’t believe God’s Word. If you believe God’s Word, then when people have a conversation with you, it should be different than the type of conversation they’ll have with someone who is not born again. You will always bring the truth of God’s Word.
When you read on in First Peter, he says think it not strange when those who used to spend time with you, don’t want to spend time with you anymore. In other words, it shouldn’t be strange when darkness wants to avoid light!
I encourage you ladies and gentlemen, make a decision that your life will not be determined by anything else other than God’s Word. Make that decision. You won’t be able to make that decision once you get to Heaven. Always stand for your Father. Never compromise. Make your Father proud! Amen!
