 I don't know, maybe sensitive is not the right word for the for the scenic sermon. Maybe you just have to have a little thick skin for this one. So we're talking about separation in our Baptist Basics series. We're talking about separation last week. Last week we had a sermon on separation, who we should separate from, what separation is, you know, why separate in our lives. But all from the perspective, and I kind of pulled a fast one on you because I'm going to finish out this idea of separation this evening, all from the perspective last week of separating from the unsaved. Separating from unbelievers. Okay? Tonight we're going to look at the perspective of separation from the saved. Separating from believers. And you're like, what? You're like, last week was enough. You know, I mean you're telling me that there's some believers in our lives that we need to separate from, and that is exactly what the Bible teaches. Now this Baptist Basics sermon, this is a great sermon series for newcomers to Verity Baptist Church. So please join us for all these sermons. But look, this is one of the things that we're going to talk about tonight that you're probably not going to hear at many other churches. This is a Biblically run church here. If it's in the Bible, that's what we're going to do here. Okay? So look, let's look into this idea of separation from believers. You're saying, you know, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, the Bible does teach that in some cases there needs to be separation from believers as well. So look, failing here actually in some ways can be more dangerous for a Christian than last week's sermon. So let's look into it. First Corinthians chapter 5. We just read it. The context of it is a church member, a brother in Christ who is in fornication. That is the context of this letter that Paul is writing here. You know, what is taking place? Go look back at verse number 1 and verse number 2 of 1 Corinthians chapter 5. The Bible says it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you. Such fornication as is not named among the Gentiles that one should have his father's wife. And you're puffed up and have not rather mourned that you have done this deed, that he that done this deed might be taken away from you. So not to get it too into detail on, you know, the situation with the father's wife. You know, whether the father was still alive or not. You know, we don't know. But look, you have somebody in fornication here, the Bible says. Okay? You have somebody that's in the church in fornication. In physical relationship with someone that they are not married to. And the Bible says in verse number 2 that he that done this deed, I mean Paul is saying here what to do. He's telling them what to do. They need to be taken away from you, that person. It doesn't say that this person isn't saved. It doesn't say that this person isn't going to heaven. It just says they're in this wicked sin and they need to be taken away from you. And then he explains why in this verse. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and look down at verse number 11. Now we did a whole sermon series on this. We did a whole sermon series on 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse number 11 specifically on reasons that people would be, you know, that church discipline would be exercised against somebody. Meaning somebody would actually be taken out of the church or asked to not come back to the church anymore. Look at 1 Corinthians 5.11. So we have the context of this man in fornication and then Paul says he should be taken away from them. And then Paul gives other specific sins that fall under the same category where that type of person that's in these sins should also be taken away. Now look at verse 11. But now I've written unto you to not keep company. Look that means not hanging out with, not being around, not fellowshiping with. If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or a cubitist or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner. With such in one, no not to eat. So this is the context once again is someone that you're going to church with. Now if somebody, obviously I've explained this before, this says, you know, somebody that's called a brother. So the mechanics of this, if somebody comes to the church and they're living with their, you know, someone they're not married with, married to, you know, then obviously by the time they get involved in the church and they understand the church and they're called a brother, they're in fellowship with the church, at that point they're going to be given some options. And this has happened here. They're going to be given some options. Either they have to stop that living situation, they have to get married, or they have to not come to church here anymore. Because you say that's mean. That's what the Bible says. I don't care how mean it sounds. I don't care what anybody thinks. I care what the word of God says. That's what I care. So I mean, and you think about, and the Bible here in 1 Corinthians 5 actually gives us very good reasons why this is here. The Bible doesn't just say just do this. It gives us actual reasons for this. And look, the reasons for it are for you and for the person that's in sin. Look at verse number 5. The first reason is this. I mean why you have someone in fortification, why would you be so mean as to kick them out of a church for that? Well, the first reason is in verse number 5. The first reason is for that person. Actually it's loving for that person to do that. And why? Look, to deliver such and one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Look, it doesn't say that they're going to go to hell. It says look to deliver them out to the world so they can suffer the consequences of their sin. That's what it says. Look, the goal of 1 Corinthians 5 is that the person would get right. Is that the person would get out of sin. And look, if churches if Christianity today would actually practice what the Bible teaches to practice, people's lives would be saved. Quite literally. It doesn't say to destroy their soul. It says or to take away their salvation. It says just so they can suffer the physical consequences of their sin. And they can get right. Look, they can suffer chastisement from the Lord and get right. And be, look, and be restored. And be restored unto fellowship. That is the goal. That is the most loving thing you could do for a brother and sister. There's another reason though. Look at verse number 6. There's another reason that all of these sins in 1 Corinthians 5 verse number 11 are to not be tolerated in the church. Now look around here. Look around here at all the kids in this church. Look at all the little kids in this church. And all the you know, this is a family integrated church. These kids, they're listening to the preaching of the Bible here. We're reading the Bible. These kids are hearing the Word of God. They're learning the Word of God. They're getting saved. And then they're living the Word of God. I mean, I'm sitting up here and I'm yelling and I'm screaming at the adults and the children. But look at verse 6. Your glorying is not good. No ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. You know what he's saying here? He's like, look, sin spreads. Sin spreads like leaven, like a fungus is what he's saying. So if you're around sin, especially in the church, you become you'll become desensitized to it. I mean, I've preached entire sermons about fornication and the dangers of fornication. Now fornication is sinning against your own body. And how God, you know, wants all these kids to grow up and to be pure when they go to their wedding day. And you know, that fornication will ruin their lives will ruin the lives of other people. And it's terrible. But then, so I preach all this, and then we've got a bunch of people in the church that are just in fornication and everybody knows it. What a joke. It makes a joke of me. It makes a joke of the Word of God. I mean, forget me. It makes a joke. I mean, these kids will grow up and they will think, yeah, you know, I hear what he's saying but look what they're doing here. Kids are not stupid. Kids are smart. That's why the family integrated church, that's why the Bible teaches that the kids should hear the Word of God. Because you know what, these kids understand way more than a lot of people give them credit for at a way younger age. And I've said it before, I'll say it again, what we do is way more important than what we say. So we will have a biblical church here. And it's not because I want it this way, it's because the Bible says it and that's what we're going to do. So this is talking about, for two reasons, this person is to be put out of the church. And, so I mean, this is all, this is nothing new to most of you who have been here. We've done a whole sermon series on it. So how does it apply to separation? This means very simply this. If someone is put out of the church for one of these reasons, listen carefully, you are not to continue fellowshiping with them. If somebody is put out of the church for fornication or drunkenness or whatever, a believer, someone that's called a brother, you're not to just okay they just can't come to church but we're all just going to hang out with them anyway. That's not what the Bible teaches. Look, you're not to keep company with them, the Bible says. Verse number 11, I mean, look, church discipline is one thing. But, I mean, if you try to, you know, run around church discipline and you still just have that same relationship with that person that's not even allowed to come to church anymore, look, you're standing in the way of God's chastisement on that person. And that's not, look, good luck with that. That's not where you want to be. But wait, there's more. So we're talking about, you know, separating from somebody who would be in those specific sins and get removed from the church. Hopefully to be restored. Okay, hopefully to be restored, to get away from that sin. To get that sin out of their life and to be back in fellowship where they should be, where all believers should be. But there's more. Turn to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3. If not someone who's thrown out of the church, we are to separate from them. If they were thrown out of the church, you know, I mean thrown out is maybe a tough term. You know, they've been removed from fellowship. You know, does that make you feel better? Removed from fellowship of the congregation. For the protection, for number one, to get them right and to protect the church itself. Okay, look, if we want to have a church like Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against, we better follow His rules. Is what it boils down to. Look at 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3. Look, there's more. It's not just someone who's been removed from fellowship. There's more believers that you may have to separate from in your life. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 look at verse number 10. The Bible says this. It says, for even when we were with you, this we commanded you that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly. Just underline that in your Bible. Working not at all, but our busy bodies. Now them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. So this is talking about somebody who's not working. Look, that's just the beginning of it. They're not working and what happens? They get into disorderly conduct. And it's somebody who's not working, they're just getting into disorderly conduct. But then look at verse number 14. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him. That he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy. Like look, he's not your enemy. Don't hate him. It's the same thing with the guy that gets, you know, the guy or the gal or whatever that gets put out of the church for those specific sins in 1 Corinthians 5. Look, don't hate them. They're your brother. They're your sister. You know, pray for them. Pray that, you know, pray that they get right. Pray that, you know, they can be restored. It's the same thing here. Look, this is the same exact concept as 1 Corinthians 5 is what we're dealing with him. Count him not as an enemy, but as a brother. So here, he's a believer. He's saved. But look, stemming from the fact that they don't work and they've gotten into disorderly conduct, we are commanded to separate from them. I mean, first of all, let me just, you know, park it here for a minute. You know, if you've ever heard the term the idle hands or the devil's workshop, it's talking about 2 Thessalonians 3. That's where that came from. Okay, that wisdom came from the Bible. Turn to 1 Timothy 5. Let me just park it here for a minute and just look at the root of this problem. You know, people that don't work and look, you will find plenty of saved people that are like this. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to report it. But look, people that don't work, you'll find plenty of saved people. You know, men that are just constantly on unemployment are constantly finding ways to not work. I mean, look, you will find saved people like this. But there's more. I mean, women as well. Look at 1 Timothy 5. Look at verse number 8. 1 Timothy 5 is number 8. I've read this many times. But if any provide not for his own, especially for those of his own house, he had denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. That's a bad verse if you don't work. Let not a widow, but then it continues. Let not a widow be taken in under 3 score years old. That's 60 years old. Having been the wife of one man well reported of for good works. If she had brought up children, she had lodged strangers, she had washed the saints' feet. If she had relieved the afflicted people, she had diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse. For when they, when they begun to wax wanting against Christ, they will marry. So basically, it's talking about you know, the unmarried women that are not to be taken in. I mean, if you're under 60, you're supposed to just get married having damn nation because they cast off their first faith. Now look at verse 13. It's the same thing as 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 is what happens here. And with all they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but tattlers, and here it is again, busy bodies. Speaking things which they ought not. It's the exact same thing on the women's side for 2 Timothy chapter 3. So basically, if you're a woman, you're under 60, you're not living with your parents. The Bible says you should get married. And certainly not supported and you say, well there's no one to marry. Well, that's another sermon in itself. But I mean, certainly not supported by the church, you know, to support yourself. Or the Bible says you'll cause trouble. Now look, with men and women, this is almost, look men and women, especially men I've seen it the most, that just will not work. It is like a guarantee. They are going to cause trouble. It's almost like the Bible's true. But every single time, as a matter of fact, I tried to think of a time, I tried to think of a time when I was writing this sermon that there was someone in the church that I could think about that didn't work and they didn't cause trouble. And I couldn't think of one. I couldn't think of one. Every single time that there is idle hands, a man that won't work in the church that did not work, they just cause trouble. Every time. So while working is the root cause the main problem is what? The main, you know, not working is the root cause the main problem is, you know, they become busy bodies, they're walking disorderly. What does that mean? That means they're, you know, they're getting into sin. They're getting into sins. It says don't eat with that person. Don't keep company with that person. Look, those people you know, and for the same reason as 1 Corinthians 5, they'll drag you into it. They will drag you into trouble. So here's a, here's a test for you. Here's a test for you. If there is someone that you could think of in your life that, you know, they're saved, you're like, you know, they're saved. No problem. But they just like, they just constantly are just putting resistance on you on the things of your spiritual life. To do spiritual things, to go to church, to go soul winning, to you know, fellowship, you know, with believers. Look, here's the thing with backslidden people, folks. It's like, they don't like other people outgrowing them. I've seen this so many times. Backslidden people don't like getting past. They like everybody else to stay where they are. And this is what it's talking about in 2 Corinthians 3. Look, so they want you to know, no, no, no, stay where I'm at. Don't outgrow me. So they'll discourage spiritual things. So the Bible is telling you to watch for this. You know, the Bible calls this in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, calls it Levin. It calls it Levin that spreads through the church. You know, so we're to watch out for this. Backsliding can spread. Be careful with this. And usually, you know what, and it's 2 Corinthians chapter 3, it just attacks right on 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Because guess what? Almost every single time I can think about it, it's the same sins. It's almost like the Bible knew what it was talking about when it listed those specific sins in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Almost every time it's fornication, it's drunkenness, it's idle hands, people not working, those things right there. I mean, you see this stuff amongst believers, folks. So when you see it, you may have to separate if it is dragging you down. Look, for you and for them. Both. Turn to numbers chapter 16. Look, I mean, look if you have a friend, say you have a good friend. You have a good friend that just like, you know, you're in this Christian life and you guys are just killing it together. And all of a sudden, you know, you just like, you just keep growing and for whatever reason they just start backing out of the Christian life. Look they're not, it's not that they're not losing their salvation, they're still going to be in heaven with you all that. But look, in this life on this earth it's, I mean, they're probably not, either they're not growing as fast as you, usually though, one of them turns and goes the other way. Because in this Christian life what I've seen is you're either going forwards or you're going backwards. There's very few times where you'll see somebody like, you know, just trying to put it in cruise control. You're either growing or you're backsliding. That's kind of how it is. That's kind of what you'll see with the, you know, the pragmatics of it. Look at Numbers chapter 16. But here's the thing, with that friend of yours that just gets backslidden and you're growing, don't you want them to get right? I mean, who in the world would have a Christian brother or a Christian sister, you know, in Christ that they would love to just see fall and sin and just ruin this life? I mean, so look, you've got to let God's chastisement work. Look, God, they're saved. God's their heavenly Father. He's going to take care of it. Don't you get in the way of it? Look at Numbers chapter 16. Look at verse 25. Look what the Bible says, And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Nathan and Abiram on every side, and Nathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents and their wives and their sons and their little children. He's like, look, just get away from them. Look, he's talking to saved people here. Here's these wicked people and he's telling the saved people, just get away. Why? Because you're going to get sucked into their sins. You're going to get dragged into their sins. So the first thing is, you want your friend to get right. You want your friend to do something in his life to keep plowing his Christian life. You want him to get right. Step out of the way and let God handle it. Don't stand in the way of God's chastisement. Don't try to make it better for them. That's why you're supposed to just separate from them for that time at least. Same thing as 1 Corinthians chapter 5. But the second thing is, you don't want to be near those people when the missiles start raining down. I mean, you know, the earth swallowed these people up and the people that were around them too. In Numbers chapter 16. But look, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 is not just about people. I just want to get this point across very carefully. It is not just about people getting thrown out of church. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 is one of the most consistently demonstrated concepts in the Bible from my perspective. Because it is just a guarantee. Look, and if you're paying attention in this Christian life it's fairly easy to recognize people that are dragging you down in your Christian life. It's fairly easy. If you want to recognize it, you will. Are these people that I'm around right now making me more or less spiritual? And trace it back and you will find yourself a backslidden believer right there. Someone that's wrapped up in the four things that we talked about this morning. That's wrapped up in covetousness. That's wrapped up in just, you know, some sin. Drunkenness, fornication, not working. You know, that's wrapped up in false teaching. You know, Romans 16. Separate yourself. You know, get away from people that are teaching different doctrines. You know, maybe they're teaching some, you know, maybe they're saved and they're teaching some weird stuff. Look, it happens. Maybe they get some stupid idea that they want to go spread around. Look, stay away from that. That's what the Bible is telling us. And then youthful, I mean, youthful foolishness. Maybe they're just foolish. It's possible. Or just, you know, watch out for backslidden buddies is what I'm trying to get you to understand. Recognize it and stay away from it. So there could be people in the church that get removed from the church. You're supposed to separate from those people. That's an easy one. You'll see that. You'll see the mechanics of that happening. You don't have to do anything because you'll see that happen. You'll see that happen. Recognize it. But look, it's a little bit more complicated when you look at somebody who's backslidden. So you kind of have to be checking yourself here. You kind of have to be checking yourself. Look, is this, for some reason, I'm just not feeling positive about church anymore. I'm not just, you know, I don't want to go. I don't want to go soul-winning anymore. I don't want to do this thing. You know, recognize if there's somebody that's causing that. That's causing you to stumble and stay away from it is what the Bible is saying. So we see, folks, that there you have it. There is some believers. There is some times where you will need to separate from believers. So there you have it, folks. We need to withdraw from all fellowship with unbelievers. We need to stay away from all believers that are in sin, that are walking disorderly. Let's form a commune and move to Idaho, or North Dakota, or whatever. You know, except this, actually. Turn to John chapter 17. Oh, Pastor warned you about this. Here it is. I should have waited a couple more months before I dropped this one on you. No, no, no, no, no, no. Except this, okay? Except this. Except this. Look at John chapter 17. I have to just, I've just got to like, I mean, I can't hang around anybody but these people that are right here right now. Except this. Look at John 17 and verse 14. Look at what Jesus says, I've given them thy word and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from evil. Jesus is praying here, okay? And he says, look, he says, I don't want you to take, he's talking about disciples that he's armed with his word. Look, hey, that's us, okay? He's talking about his disciples, his ambassadors that he's armed with his word. And he prays to God and he says, I pray, he says, God, don't take them out of the world. Says, don't take them out of the world, but, but this, but that thou should keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. And as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes, I will sanctify myself that they may also be sanctified through the truth. So verse number 15 here is the reason for this separation doctrine. Okay, you wonder, what's the reason for all these, all these, these two sermons that I just preached? What's the reason? The reason is verse number 15. It's to keep us from evil, because we're going to be in the world. But we want to be kept from evil, kept from harm, okay? The easiest, look, the easiest solution to be kept from the harm of the world would be to just completely withdraw from the world. And look, some, you know, some people do. I remember growing up and around my wife's, my wife's ranch that she grew up in a couple miles away. There's a big commune of this just religious sect. I don't even know what they believe, but I'm sure it's not the right thing, but they just withdrew from the world. And it's these 20 houses or whatever, and these people all just live out in the middle. Look, people do this. I was joking about it. People do it. There's all these little communes all over North Dakota. There's a lot of them. But the problem is what Jesus says is that we're supposed to be in the world. And verse 18 we've been actually sent into the world. We've actually been sent, look, these lessons on separation in fellowship is their pragmatic instructions on how to keep us from evil while we are in it, while we're in the world. Doing what? Well, preaching the gospel. Getting other people saved. How are people going to get saved if the people, the only people that know the gospel are living on a mountain in Idaho? Or, you know, in a field in North Dakota? How's that going to work? That's not how it's supposed to work. Men, you have to go out and work in the world. But we have to go out and work with unbelievers. But that doesn't mean that we fellowship with them, that we're hanging out with them, all this. But now, just to put a bow, so we're not supposed to withdraw from the world. Okay, so there's this separation from believers and there's separation from unbelievers, but I have to be in the world, you're like how's this work? Well, I'm going to explain it to you. I'm going to explain the mechanics of it. I'm going to explain how it looks. Okay, so first thing, I want to give you two points on how the mechanics of separation should work in your life. Okay, the first thing is this. It's tied separation and your separation from unbelievers and then, you know, in certain cases, believers, it's tied to your maturity. It's tied to your Christian growth. Okay, I mean, someone that just gets in church you know, they just got saved, you know, they're not going to want to go and just like cut off their whole family and everyone they've ever met after they get in church for five minutes. You know, I mean, it's tied to growth because first, once somebody gets saved and once somebody gets in church, look, there's opportunity there. There's opportunity to preach the gospel to the people that they know. There's opportunity to be an influence to them. There's opportunity, but what you'll find in Luke chapter 9, I'll just read it for you in verse number 62. This was from the first sermon in Luke chapter 9 verse 62, Jesus said unto him, having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. He's like, if you want to, what you'll find and this is why Jesus said this, if you want to put your hand to the plow, if you want to put the hand, your hand to the plow in this Christian life, you want to grow and you want to mature, separation is going to be necessary. That is what you're going to find because one can't happen without the other. And you can think that you're going to make it happen and you can think that you can have one foot here and one foot there, but look, Jesus is telling you and I'm telling you that it's not going to work. You can't plow and look back at the same time. You can't do it. Meaning, you can't grow unless this separation at least begins to happen in your life and those steps need to be taken. Look, you're going to keep up, you're going to keep up all those, here's what's going to happen. You're going to keep up all those stages you're probably all going to go through. You're like, you know what I got saved, I'm in church, I preached the gospel to some people, some got saved, some didn't. I'm just going to keep up all these worldly relationships and then what it's going to do is it's going to stall out your growth. That's what will happen. This is why you see so many mature Christians and they all have the same stories. They all have the same stories of separation because they got to be mature Christians because they went through that separation process. I mean, look, they've had those uncomfortable conversations. They've preached the gospel and had people not accept the gospel. Then they were like, okay, okay, we're going to still go to this stuff but we're going to separate from the sin of it. They've gone through that step. We're going to go to the Thanksgiving thing and the wedding but we're just not going to keep the people, we're going to leave the sin. That's what we're going to do. We'll go to the wedding but we're not going to drink and then, you know, I mean, we're just going to leave before everyone's drunk at that event or whatever. Look, they've all gone through all these things. They've compromised their standards just to keep the peace in certain relationships. Finally realizing, as I said last week, you know, what's the point of this? There's no fellowship here anyway. What's the point of this? And then, step two is they decide, you know, I'm going to put my hand back to the plow. But that whole time where they were like doing this one foot in and all this is wasted time, they did not grow. They did not grow. So then they decide, you know what? First of all, the cycle I just mentioned to you years can be spent in that cycle. Years of people's lives can be spent in that cycle. Just not growing, trying to keep one foot in over here and, you know, then, you know, maybe they decide, you know, hopefully they decide finally. They just put the hand back to the plow and they just get moving in their Christian life. But the fact is this, folks, and the reason I said it's tied to maturity, it's directly proportional to maturity, is that the better at this that you can do, the better you become at this separation that we talked about last week and this week, the more you will grow and the faster you will grow. The more, look, the more you will plow in your Christian life. Think about that. Think about that. I mean, if I came up, I mean, if somebody just came to this church, we just went out, we got somebody saved and they visited the church and I just like told them my story, like the first time they came to church, they would be like blown away. They would be like, are you kidding? I mean, if I told them about the separation, about the moves, I mean, it would sound extreme to somebody like that. I know it would. But for mature Christians, it's just another story. It's just another of the same story, is all it is. Because the mature Christian knows, the mature Christian that is in this life and they're like, you know what, my hand is on the plow and I'm going forward, they know that nothing gets in the way of their plowing. They're not going to allow anything to get in the way of their growth. And that is somebody who is going to be extremely productive in their Christian life. So look, it's a, I mean, are you following me here? It's a little bit of a chicken in an egg situation. I mean, growth in your Christian life will spur separation as a natural process. Okay? But look, I mean, from this unsaved and from the saved. So growth will spur that separation. But without that separation, the growth will stall. It will stop. As you hold on to those things, as you can't do what you know you're supposed to do. Because look, what will happen is you'll gain the knowledge. You'll gain the knowledge and you'll know what you're supposed to do. And then you just won't do it. You'll just hold on to those things. You'll just hold on to those relationships. Look, that friendship with the world will become enmity towards God and you will stop growing in your Christian life. That's what will happen. It's just, it's tied, it will stall you out. Look, and if you get back slidding, it could cause chastisement. You can't plow looking backwards. Jesus knew what He was talking about. Imagine that. So look, the reality of it is this, folks. The reality of it is this. You get saved and then there's this honeymoon period. That's what I call it. There's this honeymoon period where all we got saved. I'm going to tell everybody that I know this is the greatest thing ever. I mean, we all had that feeling, this is the best thing ever. I mean, hello, it's free. Anybody could have it. We go out and you preach the Gospel or you attempt to and your infancy of your Christian life. You probably mess it up a few times. You probably wish that you would have been a little more mature before you tried to lay the Gospel on people in a lot of situations. But there's this honeymoon period where you're out there and you're preaching the Gospel. And then you realize that, okay, most people aren't really accepting this for some weird reason. I don't know why. Most people aren't accepting it. Then you're like, okay, but we're separating from all this sin. We're not doing this stuff in our house anymore. You go through the sin separation period and then you know what? You're going to end up with, here's what's funny. You go through the sin separation period and then, you know, a lot of people will separate from you. You might not have to separate from everybody you thought you were going to have to because as soon as people realize that you're not into everything that they're into anymore, you're not going to just validate all their sin. They're going to feel like you're judging them or whatever. I just don't want to do that. You think you're better than everybody? Then you're like, okay, well, what's the point of this fellowship? Then it just becomes silly because a lot of times you realize with these people that it's really about the influence people thought that they had over you. Then when people realize that they don't have that influence over you or your kids anymore, they don't want fellowship. Once they realize that, they'll separate from you. You might not have to do anything. The last thing I want to say is this. The last thing I want to say is this. Everybody's going to go through these same cycles. It's all tied to how fast you want to grow. The last thing I want to say to you is this. It's complicated. I have to see it here. I have to write two sermons like this with a church full of people. Some people are baby Christians. Some people are teenage Christians. Some people are mature Christians. How do you write a sermon and apply it to people that are at all different stages of growth in their Christian life? It's difficult to do. I want to just say, look, every case is different. Ask advice about this. If you have specific cases, you should pull me aside. You should ask advice to my wife and you should say, what do you think about this situation? I have a lot of experience in this area actually. But ask advice about it because in most cases are very easy. Most cases are very easy to discern, but feel free please to ask advice about it because you're all at different stages of your Christian life. But these principles here folks, they apply to everyone. They apply to every single one of you. So I encourage you to ask questions if you have questions. But generally let me say it again. As you grow and mature, you will separate. It will happen. If you do not separate, you will not grow and mature. That's it. That's the crux of it. And to me, look, to me, especially to me, maybe I got saved in my 30s, other people that got saved later in life, I don't know about you, but in my perspective, we don't have much time here. That's kind of where I'm at in my life. I don't feel like I have much time here. I waste it a lot of time. And I want to get moving as fast as possible. I don't want to waste time. I don't want to waste time in my Christian life. And look, and this is an especially dumb one. Because in cases where I drag my feet where I shouldn't have, I knew what the right thing to do was. I knew it. I knew it as clear as the hand in front of me. I knew what to do. But it's just difficult to do sometimes. But look, I mean, there's not a lot of time to waste here. And that's my perspective. I'm trying to make the most of my little vapor on this earth. And many of you, like myself, maybe we feel like we have to make up for lost time. I wasted a lot of time in my life chasing the wrong things. I wasted a lot of time in my life not plowing for Jesus. So I'm figuring out what the Bible says, and I'm doing it. And, you know, if that offends some people along the way whatever. That's why, you know, this church, as we go through this doctrinal series, it doesn't really matter where you came from the church, the way you did it before and all this kind of stuff. We're just going to do it this way. And I mean, by my last breath, we're going to do it this way. And that, I mean, that's kind of, you want to grow fast. You want to grow fast and you want to use the time that you have left on this earth, you know, the pour in the glass of water on the ground. That's your life. You want to use that as much as possible. Just do what you know you're supposed to do. Just make those decisions. Make those decisions if you, sin can keep you for years. Sin can grab you and take you away from the Christian life. A brother, a sister in Christ can pull you away from the Christian life and derail you for years. Seeing it happen. Just be careful. Do what you're supposed to do. And that is how you will use the most out of this Christian life. It's really up to you. You know, you're saying, oh, what should I do? Ask questions in certain situations and I'll be happy to give you biblical advice on that. But I'm not for wasting time. Because we don't have a lot of it. We don't have a lot of it. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.