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Alright, we're here in Matthew chapter 10, and this is the fourth and final sermon from Matthew chapter 10 It's a long chapter and the name of this sermon is loving God or loving family loving God or loving family now Hopefully in life you don't have to make this decision You can both be very close to God and be very close to your family, but unfortunately Oftentimes you do have to make a decision What are you gonna put first God or family because oftentimes your family can believe very different things about religion in the Bible And God and so you've got to make that decision and of course we must always put God first in our lives Now here's what it says in verse number 34 think not that I am come to send peace on earth I came not to send peace But a sword if you have a red letter Bible Then you're gonna see that these letters are in red because these are the words of Jesus And he says think not that I am come to send peace because most people think that Jesus came to bring world peace and bring everybody together See point number one is actually division point number one is division now turn your Bible to Genesis chapter 1 Genesis 1 and I remember when I was a kid, you know, I my older sister my mom would sometimes watch, you know the Miss America beauty pageant and Miss Universe beauty pageant and And you can say it's not a beauty pageant It is a beauty pageant But then they have like at least they did in the past like this this question that the women would ask We're basically, you know They'd be asked some political question or something like that And what's your response and often they'd be asked a question like what is the biggest thing that's missing in this world? Every single time there was a two-word answer world. Peace world peace World peace and here's the thing. It sounds good. I mean, I wish that there were no Wars I wish that there was peace and it sounds great except it doesn't make any sense. It's not possible It's illogical you say why because of the fact there are certain topics that you cannot agree to disagree Now look we can agree to disagree on what's the best color? I mean you say it's red I say it's blue, you know, whatever who cares we can agree to disagree on whether or not jolly be or chow King is the better restaurants. I say chow King you might say jolly be okay But there's certain topics such as I don't know abortion Or it's not just a matter of differences like well, you know, you think it's murder, you know, and I don't think it's murder Let's just agree to disagree about it. Right, you know, you think the LGBT are an abomination. I think they're perfectly fine and funny That's not a minor thing that you disagree on or how about this? You know you say that it all roads lead to heaven and I say Jesus is the only way no big deal Just a minor disagreement No Those are big things that you're disagreeing on and see certain things in this life are not a matter of just well We can agree to disagree. It's not a big deal. No certain things are a big deal now Genesis chapter 1 We see the concept of division right at the beginning of the Bible Genesis chapter 1 Genesis chapter 1 and it says here in verse 1 in the beginning God created the heavenly earth and the earth was without form and void and Darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said let there be light and there was light and God saw the light that it was good and God Divided the light from the darkness even in Genesis chapter 1 we see that God is dividing you say But that's literal light and darkness, but doesn't the Bible often talk about walking in light versus walking in darkness Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world Doesn't the Bible say that you're when you're reading the Bible and letting God guide you that you're in the light Whereas other people are stumbling in darkness and right at the beginning. We're seeing a division between light and darkness And this is not just saved and unsafe but even among saved people there can be a division you say why because some people want to walk in light and Others are perfectly happy to stumble around in darkness and right in Genesis chapter 1. What are we seeing that God is a God of? division go to Exodus chapter 8 Exodus 8 You say but I thought God was just all love. It's like you need to go back and listen to my anniversary sermon Right I didn't work division into the acronym of Jehovah, but you know what it also applies You know God is a God of division. He said I did not come to send peace on earth I came not to send peace, but a sword God is a God of division You say well, why can't we just all get along well if everybody just starts believing what I believe about important topics I'll get along perfectly well with them Because in this room I get along with the people at this church I Believe salvation's by grace through faith you believe salvation's by grace through faith. We can have good fellowship can't we? But what about with people that believe different things it's like well certain things You cannot just agree or disagree about us. It's no big deal. No certain things are a big deal Exodus chapter 8 verse 22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms of flies shall be there To the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth And I will put a division between my people and thy people Tomorrow shall this sign be now there are a lot of references to God being a God of division in the Bible I'm just showing you a couple here, but we're seeing that God makes a division between his people and the Egyptians Because the Egyptians their holy book is known as the book of the dead. I Mean I would look at our book and if you want to give it a name besides the Bible It's it's the book of life, right? I mean, it's a book that gives life It's a book that has the blessings of God very different than the book of the dead Right the religions of the Egyptians and the Hebrews were very different. So what does God do? He makes a division between his people and The people under a wicked religion go in your Bible to Matthew chapter 5 Matthew 5 Matthew chapter 5 Now look I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm saying because you know We should strive to get along with people in our lives The Bible says as much as lieth in you if it's possible live at peace with all men live peaceably with all men We should strive to get along with people I mean if you're at a restaurant you go to Jollibee and you get in an argument with the cashier and You know You're just in your personal life you get an argument with your neighbor and it's like you're coming to church saying I'm going through so Much persecution because I'm running into Catholics and they have a different religion It's like no no, you're not being persecuted because of what you believe you're being persecuted because you're a jerk I mean if you're fighting with every cashier and every single person you run into that's a problem with you Because if everywhere you go there's fights around every corner That's that's saying something about you because most of us if you go to a restaurant you don't get in fights Right, you can live your life and just get along with people in your personal life Look, you should strive to be at peace with your neighbors strive to be at peace with your family Strive to be a peep at peace with people that you run into but there are times it is not possible Okay. Now here's how you can be at peace with a cashier at a restaurant The topic of what's the true religion never comes up when I order at Jollibee or whatever It's like they're being paid To you know serve you food or take your order or whatever and it's like I'm there for that purpose It's like when we go soul-winning we'll give the gospel but in your personal life You should be getting along with people that you run into But here's the thing. We should not sacrifice Our standards in order to have peace because notice what the Bible says here in Matthew 5 verse 8 in the Sermon on the Mount Verse 8 blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God in these verses what comes first purity or peace? purity Blessed are the pure in heart and in the next verse blessed are the peacemakers and you're going to see this Consistently in the Bible that purity precedes peace and see here's the thing We should strive to be at peace with people but never Sacrificing our purity for the sake of having peace Right. So for example, somebody could come up to you and say well, you know, all religions are pretty much the same. Don't you agree? Well, if you're striving to have peace, what are you gonna do? Well, yeah, you know We kind of believe the same thing as the Muslims and other religions, but is that the right thing to do? No because what you'd be doing is sacrificing your purity for the sake of peace and we should never sacrifice our purity and our standards and Righteousness in order to just get along with people going about a James 3 James 3 And You know what this is a real issue that Christians have because many Christians people that are genuinely saved You know how they spend their time at the turn of October November on All Saints Day and All Souls Day They go down to the graveyards to hang out with a bunch of dead bodies with their Catholic relatives And why do they do that? Do they think it's biblical? Nope Do they think it's the right thing to do nope Why do they do it in order to have peace with their family? Is that not true? but you know what you're doing is you're sacrificing your purity and righteousness for the sake of peace and You know, here's the thing. I would presume that nobody in this room got their relative saved at a graveyard Most likely when you got your relative saved it was like in a normal location where they're not basically doing some satanic ritual I mean, I'm all for trying to get your relative saved I'm all for being at peace with your relatives, even if they believe a different religion, but not Sacrificing your purity in order to have that peace Look, you'll probably have a lot of Catholic relatives that want you to go to Catholic Mass with them during the Christmas season And you say wow, I'm gonna go even though I don't believe in it just because I want to get along with them Look the Bible shows you always put purity before peace James 3 verse 17 You say well, maybe that's a coincidence in Matthew 5 it's just a coincidence that purity is mentioned the verse before peace Well, let's just be very clear here then in James 3 verse 17 in case there's any doubt but the wisdom that is from above is first pure Then peaceable. It doesn't just say it's pure and it's also peaceable. No, it says first pure What is the Bible saying? purity comes before peace we do not sacrifice our standards and our righteousness and what we believe for the sake of peace and So if somebody is trying to bully you into accepting their lifestyle saying well, you know There's nothing really wrong with the LGBT, you know, don't you agree or whatever? It's like no don't sacrifice your purity in order to get along And I'm not saying to go out and trying to get in fights But don't go to the other extreme and just deny what you believe in order to get along with people Turn your Bible to Hebrews chapter 4 Hebrews 4 Hebrews chapter 4 You Look in life, you know, we should strive to live in a way where we can be at peace with people You know if you have a neighbor and you know, we you know one thing that we're thankful for where we live We don't have any mice or rats. We've never had a problem the reason why we don't have any mice or rats is because there's a lot of cats and What that means is sometimes I put the trash outside and then 30 minutes later It's just like I gotta clean up, you know, the trash that's on the ground now and you know Clean the ground and everything like that I mean sometimes you know cats will just you know, leave their droppings everywhere and everything and it's like let's say for example You know the cats like make a mess and it's kind of in between your house and the house next to you You know what? You should do in order to have peace. Just clean it up That's what you say what because you're striving to be at peace with people It's kind of a gray area It's like just clean it up Right do what you can to go above and beyond in order to have peace in your life And yes, I've done that many times. I will do that But if it comes to my relative or my neighbors that are Catholic trying to say hey, you know, we all believe the same thing It's like well, no, I mean, I don't believe the same thing as the Catholic Church, you know, and I'll be polite about it I'll be nice about it I'm not going to intentionally be rude, but I'm not going to sacrifice my peace in order for purity and Probably most of you in this room if not all you know, even though you're not Catholic most of your family is probably Catholic and If most of your family is Catholic You're kind of the bad guy in the family, right? Everybody else is just getting along and you're the one causing the problem Right. Look we've all been down that road I Understand how it works. They're gonna look at you as being the problem. Even if you're polite even if you're nice So look, I'm not saying it's your fault If you've got relatives that are basically just look at you as the bad guy or overly strict or overly religious You know, I'm not saying it's your fault. We should strive to be at peace if it's possible and at times it is not possible Most of my wife's family here in the Philippines is Catholic My wife was raised Catholic like most people here she became a Christian when she was 12 years old and so, you know her family her parents converted to Christianity and so You know, sometimes they will have big get-togethers and they have a lot of influence in this giant family So there's opportunities to preach the gospel So I preach the gospel many times to a large group of her relatives and it's amazing that right when I get up to preach The gospel all of a sudden you see like one-third of the crowd be like a lot I'm gonna take a nap and then they just go into the house because they don't want to hear it Because they've heard it many times and they don't want to hear it Now here's the thing though. If you actually care about unsaved people. What are you gonna do? you're gonna do everything you can to get them saved and Sometimes that means you're gonna be looked at as the bad guy because you're striving to get them safe But it's like if you care about them if you love them you're saying hey What can I do to get these people saved? I'm not going to give up on them and Look, I've seen family members that it took a long time to get saved that ended up getting saved It is worth it to keep putting in the effort and keep trying but you know what will take place sometimes is you're gonna be looked at as the the black sheep or the bad person in the family because Everybody else is getting along and then you might have a situation you say well, you know you You know, you're not Catholic and we get that but there's other relatives in the family and they go to born-again Church and we get along perfectly well But you are the one that's like too strict or has too strong of standards or whatever that just is the way it is and the thing is you do not sacrifice your purity and Your righteousness in order to have peace with your family Now what Jesus said was this think not that I am come to send peace on earth I came not to send peace but a Sword and if you were to think back 2,000 years ago, if you were to fight in a battle What is the primary weapon you would be using in a war or in a fight? probably a sword a literal Physical sword is what you're gonna be fighting with right? And of course you immediately get that terminology I mean, I think the first time I read the Bible immediately, that's what you're thinking And of course, that's what it's literally saying. But what is he symbolically saying? What is it that really causes the problems between? You and somebody else and your family that believes something different because the context here is about family Because you got to think about this. I mean if somebody is your flesh and blood You were you know Your brother your sister that you grew up with you spent time with that you had great Fellowship with or maybe your parents that you get along with really? Well, it's like what could really drive Such a difference between you and them and when he's saying a sword He's not really speaking of a literal sword But what he's speaking of is the sword of the Word of God as the Bible says because what really caused the difference between us and our unsaved relatives is a difference in beliefs in what the Bible says and So you quote the Bible and it's like oh, why do you always have to be a Bible thumper? Why do you have to be so strict? Why do you have to be so religious? I would say that probably for most of us if you got saved when you were older You got saved you were excited You try to talk to your family and your relatives and your co-workers and you're thinking man. I have this great truth I learned and now I'm going to tell my family and my friends and my relatives and they're all going to be so excited Just like I was and they're going to be so embraced and say hey, this is great I never knew this and then you start giving the gospel to your family and most of them don't get saved It doesn't cause them to embrace it. In fact, it does the opposite oftentimes they get mad at you and you think I'm explaining a gift Why would that offend you? I thought everybody loved Christmas, right? It's a gift. You don't have to work for it How dare you say that and it's like it's like what I mean But what's the difference is the Word of God and what we believe versus what somebody else believes Because the Bible is the one that sets the standard of right and wrong and you know Another thing I've noticed in life is that people get very mad when you quote the Bible sometimes to defend what you believe Because the thing is if it's just a matter of opinion then who really knows who's correct? But when you're saying thus saith the Word of God This is what Jesus said you're basically saying this is the authority and they get really mad It's like well, how dare you take the authority out of my hands? Because I could just decide in my own mind what's right and wrong and now that you're saying well thus saith the Word of God How dare you say it's wrong for me to have these rosary beads or this statue of Mary in my house? It's like well thou shalt not make any graven image I mean, it's why you don't have to get very far in the Ten Commandments to reach that and it's kind of like well There's nothing to debate about because this is what the Bible says It's like well, you know, I have my own opinion, but you said you believe the Bible. It's So it's like, you know, that's what the Bible says and then of course, they're very mad and then you're wondering What did I do? Right? I mean, I just I just told them what the Bible said Probably almost all of us if not all of us have been down this road to some level degree where you just show what? The Bible says and then people get mad at you for seeing what the Bible says and What's really causing a division is actually our beliefs on the Bible notice what it says in Hebrews 4 verse 12 For the Word of God is quick and powerful when the Bible says quick and powerful The word quick is a way to say alive like there is a you know, the Bible talks about the Holy Spirit quickening you It's saying to be made alive There is an old movie called the quick in the dead an old Western movie in the US meaning alive and the dead Okay, sometimes people try to criticize the Bible and they say the Bible is so hard to understand quick and powerful It's like my Bible doesn't move around it. It doesn't lift weight. So, you know, that's so confusing I've never heard anybody confused with the word powerful. I mean, I think we understand that can be Symbolic and you know, you might say well who actually says that I've read James White big book He's like the big, you know critic of the King James and that was his argument where he said Well, my Bible doesn't move around my Bible doesn't lift weight. So what do you mean is powerful? It's like saying something is powerful. Everybody can understand the symbolism what's confusing but the word quick in case you're not sure is referring to Alive, so the Word of God is alive. Okay, it's quick and powerful and Sharper than any two-edged sword Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and Intense of the heart now gives three examples in this verse it says soul and spirits and if you were to ask someone What is the difference between soul and spirit even every single pastor you would ask? It's not a very simple question to answer in a few seconds. They're very linked together Okay, the Bible mentions joints and marrow our joints and marrow the same thing. No, but they're very linked, aren't they? thoughts and intents of the hearts if you go to a dictionary website and look up synonyms for the word thought Guess what? you're gonna find you're gonna find the word intent and what the Bible is saying is the Word of God has a way of Dividing things that are so closely linked together Because the Bible is trying to put in your mind the idea of surgery and when somebody goes under the knife or goes under surgery They will oftentimes fix something that's very small on the inside That's the problem and Yet the Word of God has a way to divide something even more small and narrow and what it's talking about is really that The Word of God has a way to get to the inside of your heart like no physical sword could actually do isn't it true that sometimes you quote the Bible and people get so angry and So mad at what you said and it's like but if you don't believe the Bible Why does it offend you? Because if you were to sit up here and quote the Bhagavad Gita, nobody's gonna get offended If you're gonna sit up here and quote the Vedas nobody gets offended by that I mean if you're gonna sit up here and quote, you know The pearl of great price to the Book of Mormon people don't get offended by those words because it's dead. It has no power But see the Bible is alive and it's powerful and when you quote the Word of God It truly does hit people on the inside Isn't it true that you're in church and you hear sermons preach and sometimes it gets you hits you on the inside and I know this is true whether you admit it or not. Sometimes you get mad at me for what I say And what I would say is there's really no easy way to drive a sword into somebody's heart It's like no matter it's like, you know, I can say it as lovingly as possible Like I mean if you're a drunk and I'm preaching against alcohol, it doesn't matter how lovingly I drive that sword in I mean, it's gonna hurt Because you're guilty Right, and here's the thing. You have two possibilities when that hits you you can either make the change Or be stubborn and get mad now to church like ours. What do people do they make the change? You come to this church Because you want to hear the truth and you hear the truth and you make the changes But you do realize that most people don't want to make those changes Just because you want to live for God doesn't mean that everybody wants to live for God It's easy it easy for us to get this idea that since I am this way everybody's like this way I don't understand why someone would want to listen to a Joel Osteen sermon. I Don't get it. I Don't understand why they would want to listen to Kenneth Copeland. I mean when your your pastor looks like a devil I mean, that's kind of scary, but I guess a lot of people like, you know horror movies and stuff Maybe that's why they like Kenneth Copeland. I don't understand why people like preaching like that. I Don't understand why you would take time out of your day to learn nothing and to not hear anything That's going to change your life For me. I just want to know the truth and then make the changes Look, I mean, it's not like I was a finished product when I got saved nor am I a finished product now I mean I had a lot of issues when I first started coming to church and then you slowly change over time Right on T on T. You slowly change and that's the way it is for anyone who starts coming to our church This is all new to you oftentimes and you're learning new things. You're slowly making changes. That's perfectly fine. That's understandable But you're here because you want to make changes you want to serve God you want to do what's right? And yet most people they do not want to know what's right. They don't want to do what's right I'm amazed at how many times I've heard people say that even if the Bible says this I don't want to know it And I'm just thinking What I've heard many people say that about the rapture sometimes even if the Bible teaches a post-term rapture. I don't want to hear it It's like why don't you want to know the truth? Right me I want to know the truth and then make the changes But what's really making a division is the Word of God because even though you want to make changes in your life and do what's Right and imagine that you've been doing something wrong for 20 years The wrong thing and God is mad at you for it. It's a sin It's wrong But you do not know and then all of a sudden you hear a sermon or you read the Bible and you learn Isn't it good to know that you've been doing something wrong for 20 years and God's not blessing you because of what you're doing And just make the change It's not a big deal you've messed up you've done wrong just make the change that's what all of us do But a lot of people do not want to make the changes They want to be able to live their life in whatever way they want without anybody telling them that what they're doing is wrong Turn back your Bible to Matthew 10 Matthew 10 Matthew 10 Matthew chapter 10 The first thing we see in this passage is division a lot of people get this idea Well, Jesus just came to bring love mercy and peace and bring everybody together It's like you do realize, you know the story that they killed him, right? You don't get killed by just saying nice things Right, you do realize that even before they killed him. They tried to kill him. They tried to arrest him, right? I mean so the idea that Jesus just came to bring love and peace and that's ridiculous. It's not what the Bible teaches He said I came to bring a sword whatever one we see division point number two We see differences with family differences with family verse 35 for I'm come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her mother and The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a man's foes shall that be they of his own household the Bible speaks that about a division That would take place inside of your own family. Okay, go to Genesis chapter 12 Genesis 12 Genesis chapter 12 Now Of course we're not intentionally Trying to just not get along with our family It's just the reality though That if you believe something and your family does not believe that it will often cause a major division Where you just don't get along with them Right. I mean I would say this that when it comes to my wife's family It's like I believe that we get along with everyone in my wife's family that that I've met You know, I've met probably about a hundred family members. They're all in Pampanga pretty much we get along with all of them But here's the thing. We're not super close To them meaning we get along with them. We see them once a year and we act friendly we act nice But they understand we believe very different things and we never take up Invitations to visit a Catholic Church or to go to the graveyards or anything like that And it's kind of like well, I can be at peace with them. I'm not seeing them all the time We try to give them the gospel sometimes, but I'm not super close to them either Okay, because there's differences with your family Sometimes that cause you to be at enmity with one another or just not be that close to one another Here's what it says in Genesis 12 verse 1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee God specifically tells Abraham Leave your family leave your country leave your kindred leave your father's house I do not want you to be that close to your family now Look, I don't think you need to take this sermon you say pastor. I'm motivated by this sermon I'm gonna move to another country. I'm putting in the paperwork to move to China tomorrow or whatever It's like that's not what I'm saying But we are seeing here in this story that this is what God tells to Abraham very specifically leave your family leave your country leave Your father's house. Why would God say that to Abraham go to Joshua 24, Joshua 24 Joshua chapter 24 Joshua 24 and notice what the Bible says here in Joshua 24 verse 1 Joshua chapter 24 verse 1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shesham and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and For their officers and they presented themselves before God and Joshua said unto all the people Thus saith the Lord God of Israel your father's dwelled on the other side of the flood in old time even Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nacor and they served other gods Now, of course during these days usually when people are worshipping a different religion. They have literal physical actual Idolatry that they're worshipping Same thing here in the Philippines most, you know Catholics have actual literal idolatry now in the United States You don't really see a lot of literal physical idolatry that people are grasping on for but here it's everywhere, right? And it was like that with Abraham's father Terah So imagine that you know what you live in a house and you're trying to do, right? You're trying to serve God and then you go to the living room and then all of a sudden, you know You've got your you know relative your your parent or your cousin and they're bowing down before an idol It's kind of like it's gonna grieve you all the time. It's gonna make you mad Right and just seeing that all the time convex your righteous soul and you know what? Here's the thing if somebody is really into idolatry There's probably a lot of other sins that they could easily pass on to you and there's certainly a time where sometimes you got to separate Now that doesn't necessarily mean that you never see them again, but it might mean that hey I need to live in a different place I need to have a healthy bit of separation because I don't want this to influence my life and what the Bible is saying is that Abraham was influenced by his unsaved father Terah and Terah is worse being false gods and then it affects Abraham Go to verse number 15 verse 15 And you know, this is a very famous verse Joshua 24 verse 15 We saw the context at the beginning of the chapter and it says verse 15 And if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom you will serve whether the gods which your father Served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell but as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord and See Joshua saying that you need to have this attitude as a husband and a leader that I'm gonna serve God Wife's gonna serve God our kids are gonna serve God, you know one thing that can hinder that is if you've got other gods It's kind of hard to get your whole house serving God if in one room you got Shiva and then another room you got the Bible it's gonna be hard and There are times when maybe you do need to make a bit of a separation you say why because you don't want to be influenced By a false religion turn your Bible to Ruth chapter 1 just forward in your Bible two books. Joshua judges Ruth Now, let me say this. I do believe that the best Situation if it's possible before you're married is to live with father and mother before you're married The Bible says, you know leave father and mother and cleave on to your wife Okay, but I don't think that everybody's in that ideal scenario where it's actually the best thing to live with your parents You know before you get married you say why do you say that because of the fact if they're really Worshipping a false religion and a false God or maybe they have a lot of sin and worldliness I mean if they're getting drunk all the time and Smoking or watching a lot of dirty things that might affect you in a really bad way where it's actually not a good thing It is the best scenario it is ideal But at the same time there's certainly exceptions because neither John the Baptist nor Jesus live with their parents until they're married You know, they didn't get married, but I'm just saying they left the home and in some situations It is the best thing for a single guy or a single girl to actually leave their home You say why because they're being influenced by the wrong religion And that's not always an easy question to have a direct answer to but I do believe there are times When you might need to separate from your family before you're even married because they're just affecting you in a very negative way And I'm not trying to drive a wedge between you and your family because even if they're unsaved I think it's good to try to stay close to them if possible But you have to be honest with yourself and ask yourself are they Influencing me too far or do I need to set some real standards where it's like hey, we'll spend time fellowshipping But there's certain rules where it's like we're not gonna allow that I would not allow my kids to be around relatives drinking. I don't want my kids to be in the presence of alcohol I'd you know, you might agree or disagree and that's fine with our family It's like we see our you know, my wife's unsaved family every once in a while around holidays or whatever But it's like if they're drinking it's like alright. Well, you know, we'll just quietly head out I don't want to be around people that are drinking you say why because there's a lot of other sins that are associated when people Are drinking it's not the atmosphere what I would be teaching my kids in my opinion is that alcohol is not that big of a deal Which would go against everything I bet you say but I'm telling them it's wrong So what difference does it make if you're in the presence of it if you've already told them it's wrong because Actions speak louder than words and I can say all day that alcohol is wicked and sinful But then if I allow my kids and my family to be in the presence of it like it's no big deal That's gonna speak volumes about how I really feel about it, right? And so you've got to make your own decisions of where you're gonna separate I'll give you an example of a very godly woman in the Bible that Separates from unsaved family as an unmarried woman And in fact in Ruth chapter 1 the only woman that you will ever find called virtuous in the Bible is who? Ruth She's the only woman ever called a virtuous woman. We have the Proverbs 31. Here's the virtuous woman The only woman ever referred to as being virtuous is actually Ruth I'm not stating that she's the only woman who was virtuous obviously I'm just stating she's the only one specifically called virtuous. And here's a woman who? Separated from her parents and you know, she's working and she left her family not being married You say why because she did it to serve God and So there are certainly times when it would be the right thing to actually leave your parents even before you're married you say why? Because it's preventing you from actually serving God 100% Ruth 1 verse 14 And They lifted up their voice and wept again and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law But Ruth clave on to her and she said behold thy sister-in-law has gone back under her people and under her gods return thou after thy sister-in-law and Ruth said and Treat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee for whether thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord do so to me and more also of oppa death part Be in me when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her then she left speaking on to her So in this story in Ruth chapter 1 Ruth forsakes a wicked culture and the the Moabites you say why for the purposes of Religion for the purposes of serving God for the purposes of doing what's right. She makes a decision You know what? I don't want to be around these false gods anymore I want to end up serving God and loving God and look I I believe that if someone's in a situation where they do not have access to a good church They should try to do whatever they can to get to a good church if possible I mean, what do you think would take place if you lived in an Arabic country and you got saved as An 18 year old or a 20 year old. I do you think that your parents would be excited to find out that you know Their daughter or their son converted to Christianity They're more likely to kill you than shake your hand Right It's like the best thing for you could certainly be Leave the country do whatever you can for safety purposes. You say why because sometimes religion causes such a wedge Sometimes that's sort of the Word of God Causes such a wedge with a difference of beliefs that honestly you need some separation from even your family turn back to Matthew 10 Matthew 10 Matthew chapter 10 And I would say, you know, and this is my opinion and you can agree or disagree And I'm not saying everybody's in the same situation here. I would say though that for most people Once you decide to really start serving God, I don't believe you should have a 100% Separation from your unsaved family. I think for more family that's not as zealous I would say for most of us you should probably really kind of think in your mind Okay, I need to make some separation and make some guidelines to help me make the right choices I don't think for most people a hundred percent separation is the way to go now. It could be for you I'm not saying it's like that for everybody I would say for most of us it probably makes sense to have a bit of Separation, you know a bit of a change or a bit of guidelines to help guide you but not a hundred percent But you know There might be some people that get saved and you can be around your family all the time and it does not influence you in A bad way and you know, it's perfectly fine Even if they're you know, not saved, maybe it doesn't really influence you in a bad way at all But for some people you might even have to think about complete separation because the fact your family is just really ungodly or they hate What you believe and so I'm not gonna stand up here and say this is a judgment for anybody specific situation The way that it works is you hear preaching and you make the applications in your personal life if you have questions I can try to help guide you or give you advice. I don't claim that my advice is always perfect though And so as a safe person with the Holy Spirit of God inside of you pray to God Let God guide you and he can help you, you know, make the right choices now the reason why I don't think it's necessarily true that you should make a hundred percent separation from unsaved relatives is Many people through the years of this church have gotten relative saved And so it made sense that you didn't just completely cut them off. It's like hey, you know, I'm a Baptist I'm never gonna talk to you ever again. I don't think that's normally the right way to go But maybe it is in your situation. I don't know your exact situation that you have Point number one we see division point number two We see differences with family point number three We see dedication being dedicated or really wanting to serve God Matthew 10 verse 37 Matthew 10 verse 37 he that loveth father mother more than me is not worthy of me And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me Now some people try to use this and apply this to salvation I don't think this has anything to do with salvation. And the reason why I say that is None of us are worthy to be saved We already know that So it would mean nothing to say well if you're not gonna put me before your family you're not worthy to be saved Well, we're not worthy to be saved regardless of how much relationship we have with our family Right for all of sin to come short of the glory of God We're not worthy to be saved But I think what it's saying is if you're gonna go all in for serving God, you cannot make exceptions in your life I'm gonna serve God a hundred percent and be dedicated and follow them to the end but Here are some areas where I'm not gonna do what's right it's like no you need to be willing to make the separations when necessary in your life to serve God and He that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me It says in verse 38 now go to Matthew 16 Matthew 16 And the Bible talks about taking up your cross and obviously there's symbolism too with the fact that we all have a cross to bear We all of our situations in life that we deal with Obviously, we don't take this literally like some people do in Pampanga and other parts of the Philippines where they literally take up a cross And beat themselves, you know during Easter time But the Bible speaks about not being worthy of following God and the Bible speaks about this a lot and it's only one point in the sermon But I'll show you this reference in Matthew 16 verse 24 Then said Jesus on to his disciples if any man will come after me Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me the Bible speaks about denying ourself now there are false religions like a lot of the Eastern religions and denominations of Hinduism and Buddhism where they will basically say We've got to deny everything from our lives And you know the ones that are most extreme that I know about are the Janes Where they'll literally say that you know, you should not even wear clothing because you've got to deny yourself You should not brush your teeth. I mean it that's bizarre Because there's nothing sinful about brushing your teeth What the Bible is saying is you deny things that are wrong or sinful or worldly It's not saying deny yourself eating food. Well, there's nothing sinful about eating food Okay, what the Bible teaches is yes, we should deny the sins in our life We should deny our worldliness and our flesh has certain desires that are wrong All of us have desires for certain things that are wrong and yeah, we should deny our flesh in those areas Okay, and the Bible is saying that hey if you really want to follow God 100% You've got to be willing to deny your personal desires and your personal ambitions Right because look when you first get saved and start serving God There are gonna be a lot of areas of your life that you have to change if you really want to follow God You say well what areas are those? Well when I got saved and I decided I want to start serving God I start reading the Bible I realized I've got to change all of my music. I've got to change all of my movies I've got to change all of my TV shows. I Mean, there are a lot of things that you got to make changes on you say why because they're wrong But my flesh desired that stuff. So what do you have to do? You got to deny your flesh You basically got it every single day. Just say hey, you know what? I'm in charge Not my flesh this is what I want, but this is what my flesh wants, but this is what is right I'm gonna deny my flesh and do what's right? So man, I have a desire to drink alcohol, but it's wrong. I'm gonna deny my flesh and do right I have a desire to smoke but it's wrong. I'm gonna deny my flesh and do right all of us every single day We've got to deny our flesh We've got to set aside our personal desires that are sinful and wrong and just say it doesn't matter how much I desire it I'm not going to do it verse 25 for whosoever will save his life shall lose it and Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world? And lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul when the Bible says losing your own soul This is applied in some parts of the Bible to salvation for unsafe people It is also applied to save people in situations saying that hey, you know what instead of serving God You're allowing all these things to be before God and you let you basically lose your own soul not saying you're going to hell But basically you lose out on all the promises of God and the blessings of God why because you're unwilling to make changes Turn your Bible to Matthew 10 Matthew chapter 10 Point number one we say we see a division point number two We see differences with family point number three We see dedication being dedicated to serving God point number four. We see a discovery Now I want to first show you that in Matthew 10 This is really parallel to what we just saw in Matthew 16 because notice verse 39 he that findeth his life shall lose it and He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Isn't that pretty much? Parallel the same thing we saw in Matthew chapter 16 sounds like it's pretty important Right if over the course of just you know a handful of chapters the same exact idea is being brought up It's obviously a very important thing. It says he that findeth his life shall lose it. What does it mean to find your life? You're gonna lose it Here's what it means a lot of people that they decide that they're not gonna go all out serving God because they don't want to Change their personal desires. They don't want to change their music. They don't want to change their movies They don't want to change what they want in life and they just feel like well I'm saved and on my way to heaven, but it's like I don't want to make these sacrifices I don't want to give up all these things to serve God because I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of stuff and They're unwilling to make changes and the Bible says you're actually gonna lose your life What does that mean? It means that you are unwilling to make changes because you think it's gonna make you happy By continuing to keep your sin and your worldliness and in reality, you're actually losing all of your happiness You're losing out on all the blessings of God You think that your life will be so much more fun by keeping your sin and your worldliness and the Bible actually says no The person that wants to find their life is gonna lose it the Bible says Maybe sometimes you talk to acquaintances or co-workers and they're like, hey, what did you do this past weekend? I went to church. I Mean, I drove like three hours to go to town. I resolve. Oh, what were you doing there? It's a great vacation spot, you know, I was preaching the gospel to people they're like what? They're not gonna get it They're like you you drove hours. I mean, I remember those conversations when I worked at a secular office It's like oh, what are you doing this weekend? It's like, you know I remember a couple times we did so many marathons where we drove through the night to get to the location me and my friends It's like well, we're driving to New York City this weekend. It's like, oh, what are you doing there? We're gonna tell people how to go to heaven. They're like What It's like go to go to a sporting event Do something fun. I mean you're losing out on all these exciting things by being too dedicated to God it's like loosen up a little bit and they think that by Keeping all these things in their life. It's gonna make them happy and what the Bible actually says is they're gonna lose it They're gonna lose out on what they could have because here's what it says in the second half of this verse and he that Looseth his life for my sake Shall find it now something you find is a discovery Imagine that you're in your backyard and then all of a sudden, you know You you're just kind of cleaning stuff up and all of a sudden you see a piece of gold Like I had no idea that there was gold in my backyard or maybe you're cleaning up your house and all of a sudden you See like a thousand peso bill. It's like man. I had no idea I had a thousand pesos in my I mean that's happened to me before you find money You didn't know you have you discover something you weren't aware of it's exciting You had no idea it was there you found it you discovered it You know what the Bible saying that when you make the decision to do what's right? You do it because it's the right thing to do and what you do not realize is you're gonna discover Happiness in a better life that you never knew even existed Isn't that true? I? Mean, I remember when I first started making changes in my life I did not want to quit listening to the music that I listen to I Enjoyed it. I had fun with it and I thought that man. I'm just gonna do it because it's the right thing to do I'm not gonna be happy. It's gonna make me miserable and what ends up taking place. I'm like Why didn't I give that up even earlier in my life? I'm not missing out on anything You make changes in your life you make sacrifices and you feel like man I'm gonna do it because it's the right thing to do But I'm not gonna be happy and it's like I'm missing out on all this stuff And then all of a sudden you realize like six months later. Yeah, my life is so much better now You found something you did not know existed But it starts with just doing the right thing Man, it's always frustrating we talk to people They get saved we try to get them to come to church and we realize in the back of our head Your life is going to be so much better You start coming to church and make changes and make Sacrifices people at first feel like I got to change the way I dress and what I watch and what I listen to This is so hard and then all of a sudden they realize later on in their life, you know I don't even miss that stuff and my life is so much better being in God's will That if I was not in God's will you discover something you did not know existed and That is the way it is with serving God that you know what you start doing something because it's the right thing to do and Then one day you're gonna find out you know what not only is it the right thing to do It's also making me so much happier than I ever was before It says in verse 40 he that receiveth you receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me he never received the prophet the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward and he that received the righteous man in the Name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward and whosoever shall give it on to drink under one of these little ones a cup of cold water Only in the name of a disciple verily I say to you he shall no wise losers reward now turn to Matthew 12 real quickly We'll close up. I just want to show you very quickly that Jesus is not a hypocrite with what he's telling them to do Now I would say this that you know, sometimes people say well, you know, I don't I don't go to church because it's filled full of hypocrites Well, yeah every single person in this world to some level of degree is a hypocrite because we're sinners, right Sometimes we say things and we don't really do them, right? All of us are hypocrites to some level of degree To the best of my ability when I try to give advice or tell you things that you should do I try to follow the same example but I'm sure that I will fail you at times in my life because I am a sinner just like all of us are and You know, sometimes I know what the Bible says But it doesn't mean that even even if I can preach what the Bible says and try to live by it It doesn't mean I perfectly always live by it. I make mistakes I do things that are wrong all of us do but Jesus is the one person that is of course not a hypocrite at all He's giving this advice of what to do And here's what he says in Matthew chapter 12 when he actually deals with this situation Matthew 12 verse 46 while yet talked to the people behold his mother and his brethren stood without Desiring to speak with him Now look imagine if you lived in an area and you're a pastor and you're preaching a sermon and your family lives nearby the area they live a couple minute walk away or one tricycle right away or one jipney right away and You're preaching a sermon and it's after the sermon They didn't come to church and then all of a sudden it's like hey, they want to talk to you It's like well, they could have talked to me last night. They could talk to me tonight, but it's like it's church time But they want to talk to him and it's just kind of like the first question is well Why aren't you listening to the sermon with everybody else? Right, and here's what he says in verse 47 then one said on to him behold I mother and my brethren stood without desire to speak with thee verse 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him who is my mother and who are my brethren and he stretched forth his hand Toward his disciples and said behold my mother and my brethren for whosoever So do the will my father which is in heaven the same as my brother and sister and mother and what he's basically Saying here is you know, what my spiritual family is More important than my physical family Anyway, that is a tough truth for a lot of people to take for a lot of people This is really the issue that prevents them from serving God That our spiritual family should be closer to our physical than our physical family If you've got unsaved relatives by all means try to get him saved Don't give up unless it's really causing not to be able to serve God I mean try to get him saved do whatever you can pray for them. Take every opportunity come up with ideas Maybe even someone from our church can visit and talk to them if they live in the area I mean do whatever to try to get him saved But but here's the thing as close as you are with them or as close as you were with them before They're only your brother or sister or your mother or father for your time on earth For 80 years But here's the thing about this if somebody's my brother in Christ, they're my brother in Christ for all eternity You're only gonna be you know linked to your relatives here on earth now Hopefully they're saved and hopefully you'll see them in heaven and I do believe that you're probably the person that is designed by God to Give them the gospel because you have more opportunities than anybody else But here's what I'm saying If you have to make a decision It's like is it about you know being close to my physical family or about you know serving God It should not be a tough decision you always put God number one and What Jesus is saying is and look I'm sure Jesus had love for his physical brothers I'm sure he had love for Mary who was also his sister in Christ, but here's the thing he's saying hey I'm serving God right now. They're not here serving God So, you know what I'm gonna be closer to my spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ that are serving God and doing right than my physical brothers and My physical family and look when it comes to making decisions in your life. You need to put your spiritual family Above your physical family you say well, what if I'm not willing to do that, then you're not worthy to follow Jesus Well, how dare you say that that's exactly what Jesus said And look and look you can go on too big of extremes on this because I want to be very clear I'm not saying that hey, you know what I was inspired by that sermon. I'm never talking to my family again I doubt that would be the proper response for anybody in this room But we do really need to stop and ask ourselves Do I need to make some levels of separation or maybe I'm not as closed or put some guidelines in my life or in certain? Times like well, hey, it's the Christmas season they go they get drunk on the 24th I'm just not gonna hang out with them on the 24th I'll hang out with them when they're not drunk, but not when they're getting drunk or whatever it is You need to make decisions in your life and say hey, what's right? What does the Bible say? What divisions do I need to make why because Jesus did not come to bring everybody at peace with one another? He actually brought a sword the Bible says let's close the word of prayer your heavenly father Thank you for allowing us to be here today and ask you to just bless the sermon our lives Help us to apply this sermon including myself and my family God Asking to help all of us make the right decisions and and and get your wisdom on what to do in there They're their families and their situations God asking to help everyone in this room to get their unsafe family save God Just give opportunities God open up doors of opportunities to preach the gospel to them that they would be receptive and willing to listen God But help us also all be willing to make separations in our life for divisions if necessary in Jesus name we pray. Amen