This blog unpacks Pastor Tim Matthews’ sermon from the Church in the Wild series on July 7, 2024: The Why Behind The What

Imagine you just got married. One of the most important days of your life just happened, and you are now in a covenant with your most trusted and intimate partner. Then, at the end of the night, you see your spouse flirting with someone else.

“But we’re just friends,” your partner says.

Imagine how God must feel when we enter into covenant with Him and then we then continue to flirt with sin because we’re “just friends” with it. 

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN. 

In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul sets some boundaries for the church of Corinth—specifically to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Paul advises against forming binding partnerships with those who do not share the same faith and values because such relationships can lead to spiritual death.

Flirting with sin breeds lust; lust evolves into sin; sin equals death.

Think of two oxen connected by a yoke. If the two oxen are not working at the same pace and compatibility, it’s impossible for them to successfully plow the fields. When we enter into covenant with Christ, we’re a lot like those two oxen. We are yoked to God. He wants to be around us, within us, beside us, working with us.

The command to "not be unequally yoked" is not just about avoiding sin but also about embracing one's identity as part of God's holy people. We are called to live in a way that reflects our connection to God and His holiness.

That is the why behind the what.

God sent His son in man form so He could be in proximity to us–to truly know us.

Imagine that.

Jesus took on flesh, died on the cross, and rose again so that the Holy Spirit could dwell inside us. The story of the Bible teaches us that God's desire to be with his people far exceeds the desire of God's people to be with them. He is in relentless pursuit for our hearts. God is constantly chasing after us, even when we turn the ways of the world and try to break the yoke.

It’s easy to praise the Father with our mouths, but it’s also easy to turn our back on Him with our actions.

It’s easy to show up to church on Sunday and not live out the word Monday through Saturday. It’s easy to pick and choose which sins we want to justify and which ones we want to condemn.

But the Apostle Paul’s reminder to the Corinthians serves as a reminder for us: we cannot mix the sacred with the profane, righteousness with lawlessness, light with darkness. When it comes to the kingdom of God, or our relationship with God, there is no flirting with sin.

If we are still “flirting” with sin, it’s because we haven’t given Him our full yes.

Imagine how much lighter our yoke would be if we pursued holiness. If we quit flirting with sin. If we partnered up with Christ and pulled the weight together.

God didn’t save us for Heaven. He saved us for something way more glorious than that. He saved us for Himself. He saved us for His presence.

Flee from the things that God delivered you from, and run towards what He saved you for.

He so longs to meet you with open arms.