Ribbons of Blue

Date: April 5, 2018

Bible Text: Numbers 15 | Travis Burke

Series: Separation and Standards Transcribed Sermons

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-XGSEKeP-8?rel=0]

Numbers 15:37-51

Ribbons of Blue

If you would please take your Bible with me this evening and turn to the book of  Numbers chapter 15. I do want to say thank you to the Church and Pastor Damron, I have absolutely loved the conference  this week. As I have told a few people, not just the preaching that has been preached, but the spirit in which it has been received.  You know you go a lot of places and preach what has been preached here and you can feel your eyeballs crushing me, right. Others when they talk of music but --- you just kept smiling, Amen-ing and that gave great liberty and I thank the Lord for that.

I'm very thankful for this place and thankful for your pastor. I am thankful for so many people here, I have good friends and am thankful for the memories here.  Every time I get on campus you see things and there is a story with everything. As someone mentioned earlier, I think it was Pastor Allison, about rules and there is a name by every rule.  I was thinking about people I know who there is a rule for now. Not me, I did not have any, but a lot of my friends did know. I think of the giant fountain that used to be there and now there is a little birdbath like a mockery.  It is a mockery! One good improvement though, I remember when I first came, there was that demonic duck that chased everybody around. It was terrible. I am so glad someone took it on a ride and I hope they put it on a torture rack and just stretched it.  I heard though it got a career - - - it is selling insurance now or something, I don't know. I love you all and I mean that. I am glad I can say that I love you all. I thank the Lord for you. I thank the Lord for the spirit of this place. It is really just a  wonderful thing to be able to say that tonight the friendliness the love, I praise the Lord for you.

Keep us in prayer, pray for us as we seek to continue to serve the Lord, that we might see souls saved.  Just like I said, we are busy down at Cozaddale. We as of right now planted three different churches. I think that is  the model in the New Testament and I am thankful for that opportunity. So pray for us, we are stretched thin, but the Lord provides and He is building His  church, and I thank him for it.

So I am kind of sad that I did not preach first because the band stayed up.  I have always wanted to preach in a church where music could be played while you preach.  I have never had that opportunity. Wouldn’t it be great make a point that trumpets play, that would be great so you might consider that, that would be neat.

Anyways, Numbers chapter 15, we live in an age of compromise.  Lord willing we will wrap things up tonight. Everybody knows we live in this age of compromise, politicians compromise to get a vote, we have compromised -- people do not even know  what gender they are today. You know there is no respect for authority. The flattery of children has become more important than the honoring of parents. We have just compromised everything.  If you do take a stand you are called “judgmental” you know women preachers everywhere, sodomites, churches are just compromising in so many different ways. They have brought in the world's music.  There was a church near us and I use that term “church,” very loosely, but there is a building of people that get together. You know they bought this big billboard and they are advertising a church for people who do not like church. I have news for you  I need the church. People that do not like church are not gonna feel very comfortable at ours and I understand that, but understand church is for the maturing and the perfecting of the Saints, so that we can go out and win the lost. That same church recently had another billboard that said, Come back, we won't throw the book at you.  Can you imagine that being up front of here? Right, we won't use the Bible at all. You know churches taking off “Baptist.” I thank the Lord I am a Baptist. I am nothing to be proud of...it is a heritage I am thankful for. Baptism, just the whole doctrine kind of thrown away, the Lord's table, they've brought in the world's dress, music, activities and it makes God sick. God expects his people to be just that--his people.  Friendship with the world is still enmity with God. We are still commanded to come out from among them and be separate.

Pastor Allison read this passage in Numbers chapter 15, about when the man was gathering the sticks.  I had been praying about what the Lord would have me preach, and when he read this passage it just confirmed in my heart what God wanted me to preach tonight.  But of course, the man, I am not gonna read that again, he went out on the Sabbath day he collected the sticks, because he broke God's law that man was put to death.  Now immediately after this God institutes something with his people starting in verse number 37. If you look at that with me real quick in Numbers chapter 15 and in verse number 37.  “And, the  Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of the garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue:  And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that he may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye used to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.  I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Now we are not Jews, we are not held by a lot of these different laws.  But all Scripture was written for our learning and in this text we find something very interesting that God instituted something for his people. God instituted for his people that they would have this blue ribbon that would be tied and attached to the fringes of their garment.  So I got really interested in that a while back and I decided to look into that and what exactly that was. I bought one and it has been hanging in my car, and here it is. Alright you can get anything on Amazon, it is amazing right. Just type in Jewish blue ribbon, alright and there it is.  This is a lot like what some of them would use to this day. It is something like this that they would attach to the the fringes of their garment, and they would wear this. God had a purpose in it.

We see it in this passage of Scripture, and the purpose in this for the Jew was the same purpose of which everything that has been preached this week.  To remind us that we have a holy God and we belong to him, everything. All these standards and all these things that we have talked about, yes they are of great importance, not because we are trying to earn favor with God.  Guess what, God loved you before you had standards and he will always love you. If you are here tonight and you do not get these standards, and you have not known or learned these things you have not grown in these things. Guess what, God loves you just as much as He loves me just as much as He loves Pastor Damron.  God loves you tonight and when you realize the great love of God you know what happens, when we know that He loves us we love Him. Then the more you fall in love with God, guess what happens, you have a desire to keep His Commandments. So as you learn the love of God, understand that I totally endorse all of the standards that were preached here this week.  That is not what makes you religious, that is not going to earn any favor with God.

I love the book of Deuteronomy and God.  Moses looks at the people and says why did the Lord love you.  Now they kind of look at him with this dumb look on their face and he gives the answer.  The Lord loves you because He loves you. I love that passage of Scripture. He chose to, we did not earn it and you can not lose it.  He will always love you whatever choices you make, the Lord will love you. But He hates sin and when we love Him we ought to want to reflect His holiness.  Let me show you real quick, we will come right back to this, so hold you place. Look over in the book of James, chapter number one. I will show you what real religion is alright.  In James chapter number one, can I remind you real quick one of the signs of the last days. You remember, Paul was talking to Timothy and he said, some of the signs of the last days, is that there will be those who will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. Now all these standards that we have talked about this week, that is a form of godliness.  Amen! Those are godly, those are things we should be doing, but when you read that passage of scripture it is not talking about the Neo who is out there dancing on the stage with all their purple lights and long hair, right. That is not a form of godliness.

There is a young man that, and I hate admitting this but years ago, he went to our Academy.  He totally went down that path and he leads, in downtown Cincinnati, a group of people that meet every Saturday night and they have beers and hymns.  That is a blasphemy, that is not a form of godliness. So what is a form of godliness, I will tell you what a form of godliness is. You are looking at it.  I mean, I have standards, I have my King James Bible. You are a form of godliness tonight. I mean you have on the right clothing, you say amen. All that I mean is you have standards.  You have all these things, but having all this stuff is great and wonderful and we should do it. It does not make you religious, it does not mean you are even right with God. Real religion, and one of the signs of the last days is that you are going to have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.

Now one of the things I am thankful for and I have already said it tonight, is for the liberty that is here to preach this week.  You know what that is, that is the Holy Spirit working this week. He is the one that gets in and grants that liberty. But understand that there are all kinds of even Independent Baptist churches and institutions out there that have all kinds of standards, but that does not guarantee the power of God.  That does not guarantee that you are going to be a religious person. They automatically say, I am right with God because I wear dresses, so that means I'm a religious person. The book of James in chapter number one verse number 26 says, “If any man among you seem to  be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”  You can put on whatever you want to and listen to all  the music you want to, but if your mouth is spewing out words of corruption, and carnality, and criticism ,and you have a hateful attitude, and anger you can put on whatever you want to you are not a real religious person, if you can not bridle your tongue.  If you are a young person that can stand in here and sing, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, and you can let it rip and you can just sing that all you want to, but then when you are with your friends you are talking and sharing dirty things you are not religious, you are fake.  Men you can put on your tie or you ladies can put on your dress. You can do all these different things but if you are sitting there gossiping and tearing people apart and eating and chewing up the pastor every time he preaches a message, you are not religious you are a hypocrite.  If you can not bridle your tongue then your religion is in vain.

Verse 27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction,”  You know who those two groups of people represent?  Those are groups of people that are struggling in an area.  When they are fatherless and when they are widows they are struggling in this area called love.  They are growing up without love. Every one of you tonight that has grown up in a home with a daddy who loves you, you ought to praise God for that.  Man it is our responsibility to teach love and what love is to our family. You wonder one of the reasons why the world doubts the love of God, because they have no idea what love is.  They either don't have a daddy at home to show them, or have godly examples at all. What is called love is sick. So they grow up and you and I knock on their door and tell them that there is a God, the Father, that loves them and they roll their eyes.  They do not understand love. If you want to be a real religious person you guard your tongue and you love people. Love people, do not be afraid to tell people that you love them. 1st Corinthians chapter number 13, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not…” what?  [ CHARITY - I love when people talk in church.  We all do it right. We will be having a conversation, how you doing brother and, we bring out our church voice.  Every time we have to repeat something, (CHARITY) right. You watch, everyone always does it, you have your church voice (CHARITY).]  If you do not have charity you know what you are, you are as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. You are just a bunch of noise, you are not real.  Did you know this is one of those things I think that we as Christians really need to shape up on is sharing love. Sharing love this is not just my opinion, I mean what did the Lord say the greatest commandment was, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and the second is like unto it to love your neighbor as  yourself upon this hangs all the, what, the law. You can have all the standards in the world, and all that is great and wonderful. We need to do it and I will talk about tonight, but if you don't do it with a heart of love you are wasting your time. You need to love, tell somebody you love them tonight.

My family and I do a bus route at home, we love it.  There is this one girl, and she is rough man Every time, she is that girl that one, my bus pulls in and when I walk in the building the Sunday  school teacher says is Shay here. When I say yes, they sye and say okay, she is that girl. The other day when she got off the bus I was standing there.  She got off and I said, Shay have a good week, I will be praying for you, and I love you. She looked at me like I was the weirdest freak of nature, she was like - excuse me -- and that is sad.  If people can not find love here where are they gonna find it. If we can not look at each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and say I love you, what hope does a lost world have of us loving them.  If you can not get along with each other here, something is wrong.

I am thankful when I walked in Tuesday morning and one of my heroes in life, Fred Edwards was standing back there and he hugged me and I hugged him.  Then he said good to see you, I love you and I love him. You ought to love each other you have to. There is this one man in my church when I first became the pastor that made a statement to me.  I love my wife, do you tell her, no, I told her once and if it ever changes I'll let her know. I said that is wrong, right. If you will look every day of your life God tells you that he loves you.  One of the things that someone challenged me to do (a preacher from Oklahoma), he challenged me years ago, he said write down something every day that God has done for you. I have done that now for over almost four years.  Because there are times when the devil whispers in your ear and tries to make you doubt the love of God. I love pulling out that list and saying, oh wait a second. Look at this page after page after page my God loves me. Guess what, he loves you.  You know why we have discipline problems - lack of love. I know there are other things, but ultimately it is lack of love.

I can not tell you how many times whether it be with a bus route where we take kids on a trip or we take some kids from rough families.  Then that kid ends up having to stay by you the entire time and they hate your guts. You know, sit next to me, I don't know why you make me do this Pastor Burke.  Can I go over there? No. gotta stay by me. Hey, take me home the whole time, but after three days, they don't want to go home. When those kids look at you and say, can I stay with you, because they finally found someone who loves them.  You know what I found, a lot of times people that always, always, always are discipline problems is because it is the only way they can find to get people's attention. I am not saying this is a cure-all but all I'm saying is this, we have a great lack of love today in our world.  Sin problems - they don't understand love. Suicide is a major issue - they don't understand love. Love people.

It is not just my opinion, how many times did the Lord say to love your neighbor, tell you how you ought to love them.  This just hit me the other day, in John it says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.”  The verse right above that verse number 12, tells us that we are to “love each other as Christ loves us.”  That is quite the standard.  He always loves me no matter what I do, He loves me.  No matter how awful I have been to Him, He loves me. That is the way I am supposed to love other people too, just love.  In James, I gotta go on but, “if any man among you seem to be religious,and bridleth not his  tongue, ... this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion ... is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”   Yeah, yeah we have standards in our life.  We separate from the world. Yes, but I guess, before I even get into the message, I just want to encourage you, have standards, hold them high, but don't forget what God said.  To watch your mouth, be careful what you say, love people, and then keep yourself unspotted from the world. Because if you are always yapping, and you do not love -- all the dresses and suits and stuff in the world won't help you reach anybody -- so have real religion.

Now back to numbers turn there real quick and alright this is quick, I promise.  Why would God have his people wear these. Why would God have the Jews put these ribbons of blue upon the fringes of their garments.  First of all, there in verse number 39, it says, “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all  the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that you seek not after your own heart  in your own eyes, after which he use to go a whoring:”

Number one, I believe God  had his people wear this as a principle.  Then everyday when they put on their garments, they would remind themselves, I am Gods.  We do not wear these and I get that. Every time you put on modest clothing, every time you turn on godly music (because you have a choice to put  on and listen to whatever you want to). But every time we choose to do what is right we are saying to ourselves, I am gods. I belong to him. I love the fact that God chose blue.  You know, take the ocean, I asked the teenagers one time at our Academy, I said hey what color is the ocean and everybody said blue. And I said actually you are wrong. Water does not have a  color. If you dip something out of the ocean guess what, you can see right through it pretty much. What looks blue though, you know why because all it does is reflect the sky. In the Bible the sea represents mankind and guess what on our own were nothing.  All our life should be about us reflecting the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. When our life is all about that and every day when we follow the Lord God and every day when we do what is right and every day when we put on the right clothes and listen to the right music and we keep our hands off of each other before we are married.  Amen! Whenever we hold the line on what is right and we have these different standards in our life and we don't put junk in front of us and we try to live this holy life, we are reminding ourselves every day I am NOT my own I have been bought with the price I belong to God.

I believe secondly, though they had to wear this because of perception.  Perception other people would see this and know who they were. When they saw that they knew immediately that was one of God's people.  Well the great problems we have in the world today in Christianity is this. You put the typical Christian out in the middle of the world and you can not tell the difference.  They stand there they look like everybody else they act like everybody else. He can not hardly tell the difference. It is like the guy, when we took a group of teenagers to Cedar Point, and he walked  up to us and saw the way that we were acting and dressed and knew that we were Christians. He is the one, remember I told you, here he said dude I am a Christian. I looked at him because he did not look like a Christian.  He could tell by the way we all were dressed. He is like, dude, I'm a Christian. You are Christians. I am. He is like no dude, check this out and he showed me his necklace. It is a cross man. Isn’t it cool. He said dude, see this, you like that.  I was like ahh. And he said dude, then he rolled up a sleeve and he had a tattoo. It had a scripture reference on it. He said dude. I was like dude. Then he said, but here is the best one. He said look at this, and he leaned down and he had in one earring.  He said you see it? Yeah. He said what’s it say. I said, WWJD. And he backed off, right. You know what that means, right. I said, I do. He said what's it mean dude. I said, what would Jesus do. He goes right on. And I said, dude do you know what Jesus would do?  He was like, what? I said, he'd rip the chain off your neck and rip that out of your ear. He's like dude! True story, man.

The fact is people think they're religious.  This one man came to our church recently. He got saved a few months ago and I mean the Lord changed his life.  He had been working at the same place for 15 years. When he went back he told his co-workers he got saved. All of a  sudden everybody was religious at his workplace. Oh, you got to come to church with me. Well where have you been the last 15 years.  The fact is everybody knows how to be a little bit religious. Everybody wants to just blend in with everybody, but if you are gonna be God's child you ought to stand out and be different than the world.  People ought to see you and know that you are a peculiar people. I agree with what was said earlier this week, you don't have to look like a dork and be a Christian. I am handsome, smooth, debonair but I am still a Christian.  I do not understand why you are laughing at this moment? Alright, alright sad but the fact is this you can dress like a Christian, you can act like a Christian, and you ought to be different than the world.

I hear all of everybody's excuses, well God looks upon the heart.  He does -- and yours is wicked! The heart is desperately wicked. I know God sees the heart but guess what, keep reading my friend, man looketh on the outward.  No man can see your heart, but what they can see is your life. The last time I checked the Bible tells us that we are the light of the world and that light is not to be hid.  If you look like the world, you act like the world, you dress like the world, your car is thumping just like everybody else's car is thumping. You are driving down the road and you have the same attire that they do and you got the same kind of standards that they have guess what  you're not a light. It is hid under a bushel - - of junk. The Bible says in the same passage, if the salt has lost its savor. If you are no longer good as salt you know what God said he is gonna do - throw it away. It was preached on this week, I think Dr. Starr preached, on it how that there in Revelation a church at Ephesus did they have a form of godliness, yes, but they lost their love.  God said I will come and remove that candlestick if you do not repent what good are you and I if we're going to be just like the world. God left us here for a purpose he wants us to stand out as his people.

It is a matter of  principle, it is a matter of perception, that  people can see what we are but I wanna give you this too it is also a matter of power.  A matter of power. Did you know and I believe this, you can have everything else right but if you get rid of your standards, you also will begin to lose the power of God in your life and in your ministry.  Now there's a difference between growing in the Lord and a knowledge. I'm not talking about that person I'm talking about the person that knows better. And guess what, if you have been here this week you have a lot of responsibility.  Now to whom much has been given much shall be required. You and me because we have heard some wonderful Bible teaching this week. There is a scary thought - I have eight young people with me for my church this week. You know when we lose our standards when we lose these things and you have heard it this week.  It's a scary thing, now if I go home to my kids and say to them I know it was preached from the Bible but we are not going to do that. I have just put them down a very dangerous path, when I decide what I can choose to follow and not. Guess what, we are all in the same boat now. That is a lot of responsibility.

You remember Samson, he had these areas of separation, that Nazarite vow.  But as he lost his areas of separation he lost his power. When the salt loses its savor it is thrown away.  When the church loses its first love, the candlestick is removed. The Laodicean church was just lukewarm -- it made God sick.  If we really want the power of God in our lives and in our churches, now that we know, we need to obey because disobedience will grieve the spirit of God.  Let me show you something interesting, keep something there. Go go over with me real quick to the book of Malachi. Look over at Malachi, real quick find Matthew and hang a left and you'll find it really quick.  All right now chapter number 4, watch this real quick. I'm gonna show you something - why I make this point tonight. Malachi chapter number 4, verse number 1 says:

Here is a prophecy that the Sun of righteousness is coming and there would be healing in his wings.  Now you know what that word ‘wings’ means? It means fringes, which is why, turn over just a few pages to Matthew chapter number 9.  Matthew 9 and in verse number 20 says:

Why, she believed the prophecy of the sun of righteousness.  There was nothing special about the hem of His garment. It was the fact that she had faith of who He was.  Turn over a few more pages to Mark chapter number 6. It was not just this one instance of Mark, look at chapter 6 and verse number 55.  Mark 6 and verse number 55 says:

Why did they want to touch the border of his garment they believed the Word of God that he is the  Sun of righteousness. Guess what was on the border of his garment. He was a Jewish man. Was there anything special in this, any magical powers, not at all.  It was not the touching of this. You know you have seen those people, who if you send them a hundred dollars, we will send you a handkerchief they prayed over, right.  It is a fraud - in case you wonder, but if you are really into that, I will send you all the hankies you want to for a hundred bucks, all right. If that is something you like to do, I will oblige, right.  But the fact is this, all right - - there is no such thing as some special magic hanky, nor is there any special power in the ‘blue ribbon’ but they believed that woman with the issue of blood, believed that is the Sun of righteousness.  That is the one that was prophesied would come. All those sick that were in the beds that were being brought said, if we can just touch the hem, if we can just touch the fringe. We know because there is healing in his wings. He is the Sun of righteousness.

The fact is this, the power in the believers life is the holiness of God.  It is when we believe that he is who he says he is that we know that he is my God.  He is the king of kings, he is the Lord of lords. Someone once said, if he is not Lord of everything then he is not Lord of anything.  If you do not give him everything, quit fooling yourself he is not your Lord. Do you know you can be saved and not a Christian. The word  Christian means what? Christ like. I know a lot of saved people that are not Christians. I have been there, so have you. And the reason why I say why are we putting on our standard clothing, why are we listening to right music, why are we not letting kids have their hands all over each other.  Why, why do we have these different standards in our life? We are not hurting the love of God, we are not impressing anybody, we are definitely not impressing God. We imagine whatever holiness we can muster up, God is saying that is impressive right, not a chance. He is holiness, he is righteousness, and all have come short of the glory of God.  I do not care if you are the most righteous, holy, person in this auditorium -- you are a wicked sinner, I am a wicked sinner. The only reason and one of the great reasons and it should be our motivation on why we live a life of standards and holiness is not to impress anybody, not to impress God ,not to earn favor with God or man. It is my way of saying you are my God, you are my Lord you are my master and I want to serve you.  The love of christ constraineth me. I can do whatever I want to and so can you. But I choose to live this life because I want to live this life. I love my God. I know how much He loves me and I have no problem putting on the right clothes. I have no problem not running around with half naked clothing like half the Christians in the world do. I have no problem not not putting on rock music or country music or whatever other junk is out there.  I enjoy living a godly life. Why, because I love him, I belong to him. You know what happens when God sees a useable vessel? You can lift up holy hands and go to God. God says, I am going to use that person and the power of God begins to flow.

You see when we know better and do the opposite, I don't care today whether you're 65 or 16, when you know better but do the opposite.  You have heard what good godly music is this week. I remember when I first came to college. In my first couple of days, I heard all these people turning in their music and getting reports their music was not approved.  I was like you bunch of heathens. I could not believe their music. When we turned in our tapes, right, (first time I ever saw a CD was here, right.) You know if it was turning in their tapes and they were not returned look man you guys are heathens.  So I went proudly to the front desk, I said I would like to turn in my music. I did not get any of them back. I was like, this place is crazy. You going around looking in a dorm for little red stickers and now I can listen to that, right. You know me, I could not believe my music was not approved.  You know what I found out, my music was wrong. I am like a lot of you this Thursday night. I was mad that they said I was not right and it took God a few months maybe a year so to begin to chisel away some things. I told Brother Olson in the library, the neat part was when I graduated and left this place, guess what, I did not have a taste for that anymore.  It is amazing when you step away how God can remove these things out of your life. And I am thankful because I want the power of God in my life. If you say, oh I am still listening to what I want to listen to you are grieving the spirit of God. Then the power of God is not as real in your life. Then you are looking around saying why can’t I enjoy the Christian life like everybody else.  And then you are getting frustrated, you are just skipping your midweek service because you are not getting anything out of it. Then pretty soon you see all these people growing and someone led someone to the Lord. Then you say God just does not care about me. That is what I have learned. And then people quit. It was not God -- it is our sin.

I believe this ribbon was a matter of protection.  It reminded them every day there are some places. Now I think it is protection for them.  It reminded them but also other people knew what it represented. You know, if that Jewish person decided that 11 layer bologna sandwich sounds  pretty good ,right. I am going to go down to the pork store and get me a bologna sandwich. (I guess it is pork, who knows what is in Bologna, right.)  They start to go in there and all of a sudden the owner looks down (and he sees the fringe.) Yeah you know, that reminds him it is not for me. And we ought to have certain things in our life that are constantly reminding us that some of the other stuff is not for me.

It is also I believe a promise when you see the promise back in Numbers, turn back there I will  close. You see a promise in Numbers chapter 15, read the verses again starting in verse 37. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, ...  Now we do not wear blue ribbons, but I do want to remind you of something and for the same reason that they had to put these on is the same reason we put on what we put on.  The same reason we listen to what we listen to. The same reason we do not go to movie houses. I do not know if it has been mentioned this week. That is something that was always preached when I grew up and you never hear it anymore, you never hear it anymore.  I think most pastors have come to the conclusion, that well, because everybody has it in their home you know, they have Netflix and Hulus and whatever else you know you can stream your stuff with. They think well, what is the point, there is no difference. Well we already mentioned this morning, things in the works of the flesh ought not be part of our entertainment.  Also even if whatever you want to rationalize you put in your home all right, but you have no control over what is going on in some movie house. Even if you want to rationalize, you can stream whatever you are going to stream inside your house. You can say well I have control of that. Well you better be careful, watch the works of the flesh. I will just tell you that, but then I will tell you this there is no business going into a movie house because you have no control over anything that is being put in front of you.  All it takes is a brief moment of some lewd picture or wicked thing. I went to watch Bambi, right, I have heard these things all my life right. It is fine, there is nothing wrong with it. Yeah, but what are they showing you before that came on? What are the people around you doing? And when you leave that place, what testimony did you just portray? Other people have no idea that you just watched Bambi or whatever other movies. I'll just give you this advice stay -- out of them. Stay out of them and all the reasons we don't do these things are the same reason they were there in verse 38 speaking to the children of Israel.  Bid them that they make them fringes in the borders. I bid you tonight, keep your standards throughout their generations. I'm thankful my grandpa had standards I'm thankful my dad had standards. I am glad to be able to teach standards to my children. To my three children sitting in here tonight, your daddy wants you to always have your standards, but if you are just doing it for daddy's sake it probably won't last you. Do it for the Lord's sake. They put on the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue. You belong to God it shall be unto you for a fringe, you may look upon it remember all the commandments of the Lord, and what --  do them.

You leave this place, you have heard the commandments of the Lord, do them that you seek not after your own heart.  Our hearts are desperately wicked. We do not want to do these things, do not seek after your own eyes, after that which you used to go a whoring.  All that God saved us from, let's not return back to it. Here is the promise that you may remember and do all the commandments and be holy unto your God.  I am the Lord your God which brought you out of the land of Egypt. Aren't you thankful today for the God of heaven that delivered you from this world. If you are saved today you ought to be thankful that you have been redeemed from all the filth and the wickedness of this world and you are not headed towards the devil's hell but you are going towards an eternity in heaven with the Lord.  The Lord your God delivered you from that. I am the Lord your God which brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I do not care what lies ahead in the future He is going to be your God. Not only for what He has done in the past and what He is going to do in the future, but verse 41 the end, do not forget I am the Lord your God. Man you ought to remember what he has done for you.  You need to remember what He is going to do for you. Well, we could talk all night on that …. There is a greater day of coming, but right now He is your God, be holy because He is your God.

Topics: Separation