Distancing
Proverbs 1:10-19

Good morning. It’s good to see everyone out this morning. Thank you for the opportunity you’ve granted to me to present a message to you this morning. It's good for each of us to be here. We didn't plan or coordinate all this, but the reading that was read for us and the song that we sang, of course, goes along fairly well with what we're going to talk about this morning. We say about how amazed we should be at God's amazing Grace. In fact, we should be. We were, in fact, wretches who were without hope. Now we have hope to be separated from a sinful world and to be found acceptable, as the scripture reading said.

One of the things that we're all very familiar with these days, in fact we might be a little tired of hearing about it, is the phrase “social distancing”. The news is full of it, among other things. We are told we have been told for the last 20 months now that we are to practice social distancing?

Did it ever occur to you that God has told us to be spiritually distant? We are told to be spiritually distant from certain things and from certain people for the health of our souls. We're all familiar with how far we are supposed to stay away from each other. 6ft. That's social distancing. They have the little signs there on the floor, if you go to the Marks grocery store, it says, stand here, and stand here. 6ft. 6ft. 6ft. We've heard that until we're sick of it along with the other things.

God tells us to spiritually distance from certain things and certain people a lot further away than 6ft. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter one. God has warned his people to avoid certain things, certain activities and certain people who engage in those activities since the days of old. Proverbs 1:10 where it says, “My son if sinners entice you do not consent. If they say, Come with us, let us lie and wait to shed blood. Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them alive like Sheol or the grave and like those who go down to the pit, we shall find all kinds of precious possessions. We shall fill your house with spoils. Cast in your lot among us.” Come along with us, in other words. Associate with us, don't distance yourself from us. That goes on, and of course what have we been told? Verse 15, “my son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain, the net is spread in the sight of any bird. But they lie and wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.”

We say, okay, we're not going to kill anybody. That sounds kind of extreme, does it? It seems pretty straightforward. We're not going to associate with those who rob and plunder and lie and wait for people. But there are ways to do that, of course, that are physical and ways to do that that are not physical. In other words, do people ever cheat anybody else; ever rob anybody else by defrauding them of things?

Nonviolent, in other words, do you take advantage of people? This passage is a lot broader than simply let's lie and wait and jump someone on the road, so to speak. Look at verse 19. “So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.” So you say, I'm not going to rob anybody. Are you greedy? How much do you value money? In other words, don't associate with those who are greedy. We may not join a band of robbers, but there are other evil acts we may commit because greed.

Let's go back to where we were when we talked about being the grocery store. Have you ever been tempted to or you ever seen anyone do this? You see, it someone who just sort of just sort of looking around and nobody's going to notice. So they take something and they put it in their jacket. It might be a candy bar. Maybe nobody will know. It's just, as they think, a little thing, just a little bit of shoplifting never hurt anybody. Right? We're told not to be involved in such activities.

We need to be careful of our money, yes, that's true, because, of course, we've been entrusted with it as a responsibility. But we need to remember that we're not here to make money. Far from it.

Turn over to the New Testament, First Timothy, chapter six. A lot of people, of course, will reassure and comfort themselves by saying, I'm not this or I'm not that. Remember, the Pharisee in his prayer is compared to the tax collector when he said, God, I thank you that I'm not like all these other people, and he gives a long list of all the people who commit the obvious, “sins”. I'm not even as this tax collector over here, essentially. A lot of people like to do that. They reassure themselves that they haven't committed any of the as the world sees that any of the “big sins”, the major sins, the things that are crimes according to the law of the land, but are we greedy? Remember that the word of God is a judge of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

How much do you really want money? What are you willing to do for money? I teach history. I can tell you. Throughout history, people have been willing to do a lot for money. Recently saw a video on Francis Drake, who was a pirate captain in the 1500s. His voyages for gold took him literally all the way around the world. He became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, sailed all the way around the globe, and he did it in the name of plunder.

The video documentary made clear said his cargo he brought back of gold and spices and silver was worth millions and millions of dollars in today's money. And it cost the lives of more than 100 people. Not to mention all those that Francis Drake himself killed. What people are willing to do for money! Of course, as the writer of Ecclesiastes points out, people haven't changed.

Now First Timothy 6:6 it says, “Now Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” The Egyptian Pharaohs are perhaps most famous for this, trying to carry things with them into the next life. That's what the originally the pyramids were built for. People think of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. That was the only one that was ever discovered in tact, because originally what people don't realize is the pyramids were covered with gold. And of course, they were filled with treasure. What do you suppose happened to them? Very quickly after the mummy was put in and the pyramid was sealed, it didn't stay sealed for very long. Essentially, it was a huge sign that said, rob me. Essentially, people broke in, ripped the mummies apart because the Pharaohs were wrapped with layers of jewels, and well that was it. They didn't take it with them. Even Tut, of course, whose tomb was still around. Even it had been broken into once in antiquity. His tomb was still relatively intact. He was still here, what was left of him, his mummy, his physical body was still here. So were all the gold and all the jewels.

You cannot take it with you. And so we see it is certain, of course, that we can carry nothing out. Moving on here in verse eight it says, “having food and clothing with these, we shall be content. But those who” (notice it doesn't say are rich) “ those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and to many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” Or the ESV (English Standard) says “in many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

“For”... is money bad, by the way? A lot of philosophers have said that money itself is evil. No, it's what we do with it. Of course it says in verse ten, as we're probably familiar with, “for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have straight from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” or “many pains” in the ESV, “but you a man of God, flee these things.” In other words, “stay” what... “stay distant from these things and pursue righteousness Godliness faith, love, patience, gentleness.

If you look on the Internet, there are all sorts of click here and get rich, essentially. How I made... insert your monetary amount here. I made $50,000 working from home in two weeks. We're familiar with the get rich quick schemes. We need a spiritually distance, spiritually distance, far more than 6ft from those who would involve us in acts that revolve around love of money, evil, greedy acts. Is that it? We're not greedy, so we're good. No, of course, there are far more instances on that account that we can get into.

For example, the number of Boy Scout leaders, coaches, doctors, Catholic priests who have committed sexual sins against innocent children and those who are a lot older in the case of College athletes is a disgrace. TV and movies portray wrongful sexual desire, as normal, as healthy, as good. Of course it is not. We need the spiritual distance from all sorts of sins both those society regards as more acceptable and less acceptable. The Scripture warns us that there are many people who seem safe, but they aren't safe.

Turn over to Second Peter chapter two. The whole chapter actually is dedicated, if you will, to warning about false teachers and false prophets. You don't have to go very far on television, on radio, on the Internet, on some printed media that still comes out, to find people who will tell you things that are flat out wrong. Many of them, the worst ones and I say the worst because they're probably the most dangerous, because people tend to listen to them, are the ones who say, “I'm speaking for the Lord.”

One of them literally said, and I won't mention His name here, that only prophets can judge prophets. I'm quoting him here. “Only prophets can judge prophets. Therefore, unless you've received a message from God, you can't say what I'm teaching you is wrong.” We have a prophetic word, of course, (we sang that one too—Give me the Bible). That's what we need. That is what we need to build our lives on. Not what I say, or Brother Tom says, or Brother Mark says, or anyone else tells you, ultimately, we build our lives on, as the children song says, we build our house upon the solid rock, upon the foundation, upon Christ and upon God's word.

To quote part of that chapter here's Second Peter, chapter two. We could read the whole thing, but we won’t. We'll move in on verse nine. “So then the Lord knows how to deliver the Godly out of temptations or trials and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day of Judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh and the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.” The ESV says the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

I don't need to give you illustrations. Turn on the news. You see people who do this, but it continues. (Second Peter 2:10-13) It says “They are presumptuous, self-willed; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,”

Notice this part here, “while they feast with you.” In other words, where are they? Within the Church, with you. They feast with you. In other words, just because someone claims to be for Christ doesn't make it so. What did Jesus say? They're Wolves and sheep's clothing. He said, by their fruit, you will know them. What did He also say that many will say to Him in the judgment, Lord, Lord, did we not do what? Exactly what some of these people claim to be doing right now.

“... have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name...?” Notice Jesus never denies that. He doesn't say no, you didn't. You didn't prophesy, not in my name. He simply says what? “depart from me you who practice iniquity” or you workers of unrighteousness. “I never knew you.” Always be careful here. One more verse here. They “having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin.” Some people seem to be, and they've addicted themselves to it; they're addicted to sin. “enticing unstable souls.”

Let me read this verse one more time from the English Standard. It says “they have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed.” “They have a heart trained in callous practices,” in King James, “and are accursed children.” We need to stay away from those people. In numerous letters, say the end of Romans, for example, Paul tells us, tells the Romans, and he tells us, stay away from those who claim to teach the gospel, but aren't. We need a spiritually distance from those situations where lewd and luster promoted. Now Some of these are pretty obvious, but also stay away from those who claim to be on the right, straight and narrow, literally and aren’t. We need to focus on good and proper behaviors and focus and anchor ourselves on God's word. Some of the situations obviously look wrong or more obviously look wrong. Of course, wrong and sin are committed. Some situations though, are in some ways much more dangerous because they look good. They look right. What does Paul tell us? That Satan himself appears as what, “an angel of light”.

Of course, today is the day people call Halloween. One of the images that get circulated, of course, is the devil is this literally demonic figure with red skin and pointed ears and pointed horns and a pitchfork. He looks terrifying. He's depicted as a Dragon in Revelation. Do you suppose the devil is going to appear to most people that way? Of course, the answer is no, because some people yes, would follow someone who will look like that. Most of the time, however, the devil and those who will lead you into sin are not going to say “I'm evil, follow me”. In fact, they'll be far more dangerous, far more deceptive than that. Sin is going to look good. If sin weren't fun, weren't physically pleasurable, in other words, no one would do it. Of course, we need to stay away from this. We need to spiritually distance from the devil, from sin and from those people in those situations that will entice us to sin. We're told what back in verse nine of this passage, we just read Second Peter, chapter two, verse nine, that God knows how to deliver us from (it depends on your version) temptations or trials.

Is there anything else we should stay away from? We could go on and on, but let's just have one more example here. It'd be very obvious, the big sins. There aren’t big and little sins, but most people regard as being the really, really bad behavior. Let's talk about something that's a little closer to home.

We'll start with the story here. The story is told of a young student who asked his father to help with his homework. The student said “I do not understand how wars get started, how wars get started. Will you explain it to me?” “Well”, said the father, “Suppose that the United States did not agree with the price that England wanted to charge for pencils....” “The United States does not get their pencils from England. So why should we care about the price of their pencils?” the mother broke in. “That's a stupid example. Why are you talking about pencils? The United States not get their pencils from England so why do we care of the price of the pencils?” “It was just an example”, the dad said, “Well, it was not a very good example,” Mother said. “I think it was a fine example,” said dad, rather briskly. “It was not a fine example. It was a lousy example,” said the mother, raising her voice. “I understand now” said the student, “I understand how wars get started”.

Turn over to James, please. I know you've been studying James quite a bit with Mark, but here's a couple of passages from James, chapter three. I can tell you while you're turning there. As someone who studies history, war has been pretty much the constant condition of humanity. I read an article in Military History Quarterly that in the last 2000 or 3000 years, there have been seven years of peace all over the world. In other words, there have been seven years in the last, at least a couple of thousand years, in which there has not been a war somewhere on planet Earth. War is constant.

War is a condition of humanity. Let's take that at an individual level, fighting and strife are a condition of humanity. I also teach government. I want to tell you about that because nobody ever fights and quarrels do they? So, James 3:5 says, “Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest, a little fire kindles,” (ESV—how great a forest is set of blaze by such a small fire.)

There are wildfires in the west these past few years. Well, they all started with something. A spark. It’s a myth, by the way, of course, that a cow kicked over a lamp in Chicago and burned the city down, but the blaze started somewhere. Some people can get angry over trivial matters. There have been all sorts of stories about, of course, and yes, the Pandemic has stressed out a lot of people, but the increasing number of instances of road rage, of rage in the middle of airports or on airplanes, of rage and rudeness in restaurants, of rage and rudeness in retail. Some people can get angry over trivial matters. We should not be one of them.

The Scriptures make it very clear that we shouldn't. Turn back to the book where we started—back to Proverbs. Not only should we not engage in this, we shouldn't associate with those who do. We should spiritually distance ourselves. Proverbs chapter 22, beginning with verse 24 because you say, well, I'm not doing it. So why does this matter? There's such a thing called mob mentality.

Recently it was at the University of Tennessee, had an incident where fans were pouting the opposing team's coach with objects, bottles. He was hit in the head with a golf ball. It was because he had been their coach, and now he's a coach at the University of Mississippi. These things usually start with one person. One person, as we say, goes off and then it sort of spreads. It's contagious. So we need to not hang around such people.

Proverbs 22:24 says; “make no friendship with an angry man” or ESV “a man given to anger and with a furious man or a wrathful man, do not go.” Why not? Next verse, “lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.” What does Paul tell us? famously in Romans, “evil companions corrupt good morals” or good manners, either one, it depends on your version. They corrupt good morals or good manners. Hang around the wrong people and you start to pick up their habits.

Of course, people pick on teenagers for doing this, “You shouldn't hang around with that crowd.” Well, guess what. 15 year old shouldn't hang around with the wrong crowd. Nor should 95 year olds hang around with the wrong crowd. Doesn't matter if you're ten or 110 hanging around with the wrong people can have a bad effect on you.

Back to James. James 1:19 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” or ESV, “the righteousness that God requires”.

Let’s continue with one more image. We'll wrap it up with this image this particular lesson up here. The magazine cover one set a series of cartoon boxes. They have the little speech boxes and such. In the first a boss was angrily yelling at a man. In the next box, the man goes home and yells at his wife. Next box. She then yells at their son. Next box. The son then yells at his baby sister. Then the next box. The baby's sister yells at the dog and pulls the dog's ears. The next box. Next, the dog bites the neighbor's cat. The next box. The neighbor's cat then scratches a visiting lady. Next box. She goes home and yells at her husband for taking her to dinner with those people with a mean cat. And the next box. The next day their husband goes to work and yells back at the man in the first picture. The point, of course, being anger is a cycle. It goes around and around and it's going around a lot in our society. If anything is spreading faster than the virus, it's bad behavior, bad attitude.

The people, again see the news, are screaming and yelling at each other over the most trivial things. Proverbs tells us that we should avoid learning the ways of the angry man. We are to try to tame our tongues. And it's not easy. I've been here recently when Mark talked about that, about the tongue no man can contain. It's not easy, but we have to do it.

Hebrews 12:14, the New King James, I'll read it again from the ESV afterwards says, “pursue peace with all people and Holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

The ESV here says, “strive for peace”. In other words, it takes effort; “strive for peace with everyone and for the Holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” So it matters. People think, well, I think actually the masks are sort of in a way contributing to that because there's anonymity... there's a sense of, well, you can't see me what I'm doing behind this mask so you don't know the face I'm making so I can get away with things now. Mask or no mask of course, God sees you.

We need to keep that in mind. To wrap our thoughts up as we think of social distancing and it's important of course, to protect each other physically. But it's even more important to protect ourselves and do what we can to protect others spiritually and spiritually distance from these things that are not according to God's word, from greed, from lust, from anger. We need to be mindful about our virtual contacts as well as our physical contacts.

First Corinthians 15:33 “do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.” There are other sins we could mention. We could go on and on and on. But this is a start. Sin is always fatal. Thanks to vaccines and thanks to other therapies that are coming out, Covid while still very dangerous is not as dangerous as it was when this all started. But sin is 100% fatal. Covid has a pretty high fatality rate compared to, say, the flu or the common cold. But sin is 100% fatal... unless the blood of Christ is applied.

In order to get it we must do what we're about to sing about. We must trust and we must obey. That means we must hear that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. We must believe that he is. We must be willing to confess that faith we have in Him before men. We must be willing to repent of our sins. We must be willing to do as He has commanded, which is put Him on in baptism. And then we need to continue to live, not like the world lives.

Be distanced from the world, whether there's a pandemic or not a pandemic, live spiritually distanced from the ways of the world and get closer to God. If you need to put on Christ in baptism or there's any need you have, you need to get closer to God, we'd certainly be glad to do everything we can to help you as while we stand and sing this song.