The Importance of a Biblical Fellowship – Part 1

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The Importance of a Biblical Fellowship Part 1
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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• When we consider the holiness and power of God we
  marvel that man could ever have a relationship
  with God. (Isa 61-5)

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• Isaiah 61-5 - In the year that King Uzziah
  died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high
  and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled
  the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim each one
  had six wings with two he covered his face, with
  two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• 3 And one cried to another and said "Holy, holy,
  holy is the LORD of hosts The whole earth is
  full of His glory!" 4 And the posts of the door
  were shaken by the voice of him who cried out,
  and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I
  said "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a
  man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of
  a people of unclean lips For my eyes have seen
  the King, The LORD of hosts."

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• We need to know that our God is pure, He is light
  and has no darkness.
• Our God also sees and knows everything including
  our actions and they very thoughts of our hearts.
• If this was all we knew about God then we would
  be in despair.
• Our God has also sought man out and has a plan to
  bring us to Him.

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• What Isaiah needed was forgiveness. (Isa 66-7)

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• Isaiah 66-7 - Then one of the seraphim flew to
  me, having in his hand a live coal which he had
  taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he
  touched my mouth with it, and said "Behold, this
  has touched your lips Your iniquity is taken
  away, And your sin purged."

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• Our God has acted on our behalf to provide
  forgiveness. (Rom 623)

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• Romans 623 - For the wages of sin is death, but
  the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
  our Lord.

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We need to be reminded daily what it means to be
in the presence of God.

• Once forgiven God has a plan to mold us to become
  more like Him. Here is where we need to learn of
  Gods ways and the ways in which we should walk.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• A walk with God will lead in paths that are
  distinctly different from the world and worldly
  religion. (Isa 556-9)

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• Isaiah 556-9 - Seek the LORD while He may be
  found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the
  wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man
  his thoughts Let him return to the LORD, And He
  will have mercy on him And to our God, For He
  will abundantly pardon.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• 8 " For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor
  are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 9 "For as
  the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My
  ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than
  your thoughts.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• When man is left to himself he does what he wants
  to do!
• The essence of worldliness is that there are no
  standards, no right or wrong and no one should
  tell anyone else what to do.
• Our God tells us that this is not freedom but in
  fact a terrible slavery to the God of this world.
  (Rom 616-21)

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• Romans 616-21 - Do you not know that to whom you
  present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that
  one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin
  leading to death, or of obedience leading to
  righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though
  you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the
  heart that form of doctrine to which you were
  delivered.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• 18 And having been set free from sin, you became
  slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human
  terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For
  just as you presented your members as slaves of
  uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more
  lawlessness, so now present your members as
  slaves of righteousness for holiness.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• Men do not like to hear that they are not in
  charge.
• You are blessed when you are able to see the real
  nature of this world and how each of us need to
  help and guidance that our God can give. (Jn
  1430 1 Pt 56-9)

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• John 1430 - "I will no longer talk much with
  you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and
  he has nothing in Me.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• 1 Peter 56-9 - Therefore humble yourselves under
  the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in
  due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for
  He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant
  because your adversary the devil walks about like
  a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing
  that the same sufferings are experienced by your
  brotherhood in the world.

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Gods ways are not the ways of man

• If we want to walk with God and have His
  blessings we must learn how to have a
  relationship with God! Where are the paths to
  walk with God?

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Consider the great battle this kind of thinking
  has with our current culture.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• The dont judge mentality is winning out in
  such a way that we are afraid to say anything for
  fear of being branded bigots and fear-mongers.
  The only real sin of our times is that of
  speaking out against actual sins. We have learned
  that we cannot really call sin out for what it is
  because that would mean we are hateful,
  judgmental hypocrites. On the Silencing of
  Sin by Doy Moyer

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The world will fight your walk with God

• To the experienced Christian this is nothing new.
  (1 Pt 43-4, 12)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 1 Peter 43-4 - For we have spent enough of our
  past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles
  -- when we walked in lewdness, lusts,
  drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and
  abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these,
  they think it strange that you do not run with
  them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking
  evil of you.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 1 Peter 412 - Beloved, do not think it strange
  concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,
  as though some strange thing happened to you

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Consider the battles that Nehemiah had to fight.
  Satan will use opponents in these ways to
  stop you.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Ridicule and peer pressure. (Neh 219, 41-3)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Nehemiah 219 - But when Sanballat the Horonite,
  Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab
  heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us,
  and said, What is this thing that you are doing?
  Will you rebel against the king?

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Nehemiah 41-3 - But it so happened, when
  Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall,
  that he was furious and very indignant, and
  mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his
  brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What
  are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify
  themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they
  complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones
  from the heaps of rubbishstones that are burned?

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he
  said, Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up
  on it, he will break down their stone wall.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Direct attack. (Neh 47-9)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Nehemiah 47-9 - Now it happened, when
  Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and
  the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem
  were being restored and the gaps were beginning
  to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and
  all of them conspired together to come and attack
  Jerusalem and create confusion.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and
  because of them we set a watch against them day
  and night.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Negotiations to compromise principle (Neh 61-3)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Nehemiah 61-3 - Now it happened when Sanballat,
  Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our
  enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and
  that there were no breaks left in it (though at
  that time I had not hung the doors in the gates),
  2that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying,
  Come, let us meet together among the villages in
  the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me harm.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am
  doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.
  Why should the work cease while I leave it and go
  down to you?

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Slander and Gossip (Neh 65-9)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Nehemiah 65-9 - Then Sanballat sent his servant
  to me as before, the fifth time, with an open
  letter in his hand. 6In it was written It is
  reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that
  you and the Jews plan to rebel therefore,
  according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the
  wall, that you may be their king.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 7 And you have also appointed prophets to
  proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying,
  There is a king in Judah! Now these matters
  will be reported to the king. So come, therefore,
  and let us consult together. 8 Then I sent to
  him, saying, No such things as you say are being
  done, but you invent them in your own heart.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 9 For they all were trying to make us afraid,
  saying, Their hands will be weakened in the
  work, and it will not be done. Now therefore, O
  God, strengthen my hands.

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Notice that in every case Gods people stayed
  focused on Him and were not
  distracted in fear. (1 Pt 312-15)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 1 Peter 312-15 - For the eyes of the Lord are
  on the righteous, And His ears are open to their
  prayers But the face of the Lord is against
  those who do evil. 13 And who is he who will
  harm you if you become followers of what is good?

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The world will fight your walk with God

• 14 But even if you should suffer for
  righteousness sake, you are blessed. And do not
  be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. 15
  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and
  always be ready to give a defense to everyone who
  asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
  with meekness and fear

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Fellowship with God requires winning the battle
  for the mind and heart.
• While we are not to withdraw from the world, we
  do not need to let our hearts be enticed and
  beguiled by the world and worldly religion.
• Who is in your great cloud of witnesses? (Heb
  121)

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The world will fight your walk with God

• Hebrews 121 Therefore we also, since we are
  surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let
  us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so
  easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance
  the race that is set before us,

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The world will fight your walk with God

• When we become concerned about what the world
  will tolerate and accept, then we have taken a
  significant step away from God.
• We need to carefully evaluate what we are letting
  into our hearts and what kind of relationships we
  sustain.

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• This is incredibly humbling and exciting.
• Why would God want to be that close to me?
• The love of God is the basis for the love in
  marriage. (Eph 525-26, 32)

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• Ephesians 525-26 - Husbands, love your wives,
  just as Christ also loved the church and gave
  Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and
  cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• Ephesians 532 - This is a great mystery, but I
  speak concerning Christ and the church.

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• A marriage means that we walk together and keep
  ourselves from things that destroy that
  relationship.
• What a blessing marriage is when you marry one
  who loves God.
• Marriage will change every person who enters into
  it, for good or bad.
• Israel was likened to an unfaithful mate. (Jer
  36-10)

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• Jeremiah 36-10 - The LORD said also to me in
  the days of Josiah the king "Have you seen what
  backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on
  every high mountain and under every green tree,
  and there played the harlot. 7 "And I said,
  after she had done all these things, 'Return to
  Me.' But she did not return. And her treacherous
  sister Judah saw it.

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• 8 "Then I saw that for all the causes for which
  backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had
  put her away and given her a certificate of
  divorce yet her treacherous sister Judah did not
  fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 "So
  it came to pass, through her casual harlotry,
  that she defiled the land and committed adultery
  with stones and trees.

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• 10 "And yet for all this her treacherous sister
  Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart,
  but in pretense," says the LORD.

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• We are engaged now but the actual marriage will
  take place in the future. (Rev 212-4)

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• Revelation 212-4 - Then I, John, saw the holy
  city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
  from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
  husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven
  saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
  men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall
  be His people. God Himself will be with them and
  be their God.

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• 4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their
  eyes there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
  nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the
  former things have passed away."

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• I still remember my bride coming down the isle
  for me.
• Can you imagine what our God has for us!
• It is so humbling to consider the plan our God
  has revealed.
• The Spirit and bride say Come! (Rev 2217)

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Our God want to have a relationship with us that
is likened to a marriage

• Revelation 2217 - And the Spirit and the bride
  say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!"
  And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires,
  let him take the water of life freely.