I Will Be Your God

I Will Be Your God

Wed Night Sermon 1/22/25

1 Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty—— Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

What are the promises that Paul is reminding us of? I will be your God and you will be MY people. He is our Father and we are His children. Our whole identity as a people rest in these promises. He is my Father. I am His child. He walks with me. He talks with me. And He tells me I am His own. ‬‬

This is FOUNDATIONAL to your Christian walk. If you do not grasp this with all your heart, you will consistently struggle. You will go around the same mountain again and again. You will never overcome sin and the world. You will struggle with the questions of the age, “who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?” 

It is your faith foundation and the ultimate plan of Jesus- to bring us back into relationship with the Father and no longer be orphans in an alien world. It is the reason you do not feel at home in this world. Your Father’s house is in a kingdom not of this world. 

There are 43 verses in Scripture concerning the phrase or similar phraseology, “I will be their God, so Paul reminds the church of who we are as the people of God and what is expected of us as God’s own children. It is more than a mindset- it is a way of life. We, as God’s own, are set apart. We are different than the world and because we are different, we should think, speak and act differently.

What does this mean to you?

1) Know who He is and know who you are. The Prophet Isaiah asks a series of questions of every person in this room and on this planet. He asks:

Isaiah 40:21-23 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? has it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is {God} that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in: 23 That brings the princes to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

It is God that created all things, and it is God Who sustains all things. He controls all things around this planet and all things around our lives. It is this God – the God Who has made and established the innumerable stars, and knows each one of them by name for He has named them (Psalm 147:4) – this immense Creator God Who wants to know you and for you to know Him.

To whom was the promise “I will be their God” first given? It was first given to a broken man named Abram. God appeared to Abram when he was 99 years old, and in a helpless and hopeless situation. Abram had a wife he loved but he had no children to carry on his name. God had promised Abram children many years before but still he was childless. God appeared to Abram. The Bible says:

Genesis 17:3-8 … Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall your name anymore be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. 6 And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and to your seed after you. 8 And I will give unto you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I WILL BE THEIR GOD.

God took the broken Abram and turned him into Abraham. What did Abram have to give God to get this wonderful promise? The Apostle tells us:

Romans 4:3 … Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Abram did not go to Abraham because he was worthy, because he cleaned himself up, or because he made himself better. God told Abram “I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you”. Abram heard what God said and believed God. Because Abram believed God’s promise God changed him into Abraham, the father of many nations. Abram realized he was broken, he gave his heart to the Lord, trusted I the Lord to lead him and God gave Himself to Abraham and his children to be their God. The Apostle said that Abraham …

Romans 4:19-25 … being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 {Abraham} staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

If God is your God, you trust in Jesus to save us from our sins. We trust Jesus to take care of us in this life and see us home. Abraham didn’t consider his broken body, but considered the God Who is able! We too put our faith in Jesus and we can know the living God as our Father and we can be known to Him as His children.

2. God has a plan. “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

Here is the famous quote from the book of Jeremiah, 

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Here are a few things you should know about God’s plan: 

1))Yes, He has a plan for you, but it is only as you are a part of and stay connected to His people. The plan that Jeremiah spoke of was for the nation of Israel- a people group in Christ, that as we move and breath and live connected to the vine; God has a plan. Your calling for a certain work and position in the Body is personal, but His PLAN is connected to the Body of Christ. His plan includes:

Being conformed to the image of Jesus:

Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Death to self:

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Come out of the world:

James 4:4  [a]Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

A work to do for His kingdom:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Spread and Multiply:

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

You are a part of God’s cosmic plan for His people.

2)) It is God’s plan, not your plan. Jer 29:11 the YOU version: “For I know the plans I have for my life and God blesses my plans to bless and prosper me”. 

God leads and directs my life. He is in charge, you are not. He has the final say. He leads where He wants you to go. Blaze your own path and you will find yourself in ruins.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot make plans- it means that those plans must be submitted to the authority of the Lord. PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING, Not just the big things, but all things. You will find that God has a say in every area of your life. He is not to be prominent, but rather preeminent. (Explain) 

3)) You have to trust God’s plan. His plan is always for our good and His glory. This means that you will be lead to the mountain and will have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He is leading you in places- for your good and His glory.

I am reading this book on trusting God. Obedience is easier than trust. Why? Obedience has clear boundaries and parameters. It is rational. It is written in black and white. Trust has none of these. It is often hidden and irrational. But it is only our trust in that pleases Him. We trust that where He is leading is good, regardless of the path it takes to get there.

Stop singing Oceans! Unless you really mean it. Trust has not borders. I remember when the Lord told me to quit college- it was irrational.

4)) God’s plan always includes a time of waiting. ALWAYS. There are long waiting seasons of heavy plowing and toiling. Israel had to wait 70 years for the plan to come into effect. You may not have to wait 70 years, but you have to wait. This also does not mean idly sitting by, it is a working while you wait. 

You do what you know you need to be doing while you are waiting. You serve, give, tithe, pray, fast. Do all things while you are waiting for an answer. Do not jump ahead of God. DO not take matters into your own hands. (like Abraham) Just wait until you get the green light. Don’t know? Follow peace.

3. Fellowship matters. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.”

Coming out of the world includes forming new attachments. Because I love my children, I monitored very closely who their friends were. Kids were allowed into our home in order for us to monitor what was going on, what the kids were listening to and watching. But my kids were not allowed to go to just anyone’s house. 

Parents: there is no wisdom in letting your kids just go anywhere or do anything with anyone. Do you know what happens when you give a child too much freedom too early in their lives? They are not mature enough to handle it. Parents who are overly permissive and allow their teens to dress and act and go places as they please will soon discover that  teenagers do not have the mental capacity nor the wisdom to handle too much freedom so early in life. They will go too far too fast and will end up resenting you for not disciplining them when they needed those clear boundaries.

As a good parent, God sets boundaries for our relationships! 

Our closest friends and confidants are NOT our biological family members, they are those in Christ.

Matthew 12:48-50  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

IF the people of God are not your family and closest fellowship, you will fall into deception. This is what happened to the Israelites- they adopted the pagan ways of those around them instead of staying the separated and pure people of God.

1 Corinthians 15:33  Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

 You are not stronger than the Scripture. You do not have more knowledge or wisdom than the Scriptures. Why do you not take it seriously?

Ex: I told the women not to have close friendships with men, or with unbelievers. I had a married lady tell me her best friend, was not only a man but a nonbeliever and she was right to stay in that relationship. She is now in apostasy.

Why do you think you know better than God? Even your own family will lead you astray. I knew a mother that went to bars with her daughter in order to “win” her to the Lord. I warned her to which she replied, “I am going after the lost!” NO! you are not. You are condoning sinful behavior and deceiving yourself.

Be wise and receive God’s wisdom. 

4. You must be separated from the world.

Holiness is two part. It means that we have been separated from the world and its sinful ways in order to be set apart unto the Lord for His glory.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 … I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I WILL BE THEIR GOD.

Ezekiel 37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I WILL BE THEIR GOD.

Sin is the offense that crucified our Savior. We do not make light of sin. You say you are a Christian and sin is acceptable? You are a liar. You are not one of His, not one of our brethren. Jesus told us:

John 8:34 … Verily, verily, I say unto you, whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.

If you serve sin, you are the servant of sin. This is what Jesus was telling us. What or Who you serve tell you what or Who your God is.

In the world,  we are told we are to be tolerant of all things. But is this true? The promise God gave to Abraham and their seed (which is we who have believed in Him) is “I will be their God”. If God will be our God then we are to like what He like, and hate what He hates. You are not saved by works no more than Abram became Abraham by his works – but once saved you become a person who belongs to God. You are to serve God and not the world and its way of thinking.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]homosexuals, nor [b]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

You cannot partake of the world’s sinful ways and inherit the Kingdom of God. Men that do such things shall not go into Heaven. Do not be deceived. None of these people have any part in God’s Kingdom. 

EX: Let me tell you a true story of a lady I used to worked with. SHE spit in her co-workers mashed potatoes. I let her stay with me, she shoplifted while she was with me in the store.

When you bring your sin into the church and refuse to repent and deal with it- you are spitting in our mashed potatoes, soiling our food while smiling the whole time, you are a thief and allowing us to be thrown in jail because of your sin. Sin is selfish! 

Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Your sin affects us all! Deal with it. Repent and bring it to the Lord so that you may be healed. 

Notice Paul says we have a part to play in holiness, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

I have heard people say, “If you just love God and let Him love you, you will not sin”. I disagree. I love the Lord with all my heart. I know He loves me and gave Himself for me. I live loved. AND yet, my flesh still wants to sin. I have to partner with the Holy Spirit, discipline my flesh, and walk in accordance with the Spirit. This takes active participation. You must be involved in your spiritual walk and health. You must come out of the world, renew your mind and stop thinking like the world does. Otherwise, if you let your flesh run amok, sin will again once more take over. If I did not fear the Lord, do you know what kind of mean, vile person I would be?  Matt and I say this-just give me one 24 hour period to not be a Christian. I would wreak havoc. But I am a child of God. I have come out of the world. I no longer think and act like the old man. I fear the Lord. Some do not.

But the Apostle goes on to say:

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Oh Praise God! Has not the Lord promised:

Romans 6:14 … Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under Grace.

And again,

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

And again,

John 8:36 … If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

You may have been born broken –  but God has the power to set your life aright. Our Lord Jesus came into this world to destroy the works of the devil 

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

We have the power of the living God in us to overcome the flesh and sin so we may be truly hear Him say,  “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty