Separation from the World II — Spiritual Growth for New Believers

I. The Typology of the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt

1. The Result of Redemption is to Go Out

God's salvation of the Israelites was through the Passover lamb. When God's angel came to strike down every firstborn in Egypt, He passed over the houses marked with blood. If there was no blood on the doorposts, the firstborn in that house would die. The issue was not the quality or condition of the house, the doorposts, or the behavior of the firstborn; the issue was whether or not there was blood. The difference between condemnation and salvation is not about the quality of your home or your character, but whether or not you accept the blood. The foundation of salvation is the blood, and this has nothing to do with who you are.

All of us who have been saved by grace are redeemed by the blood. But remember, when you are redeemed by the blood, you must depart, you must leave. Being redeemed by the precious blood does not mean you simply settle down in a house. Rather, those who are redeemed must leave immediately that very night. Before midnight, they were to slaughter the lamb, use hyssop to apply the blood to the doorposts, and eat in haste, with their loins girded, staff in hand, because they had to leave immediately.

The first result of redemption is separation, going out, leaving behind. God never saves someone and leaves them in the old place to live in the world. There is no such thing. Once a person is born again and saved, they must take their staff in hand and depart. When the angel of death separates the saved from the lost, you must go out. The angel separates you, and you must leave Egypt.

A staff is for walking; no one holds a staff while lying in bed. A staff is for walking. Every redeemed person, whether an adult or a child, must have a staff and leave Egypt that very night. The moment you are redeemed by the blood, you become a pilgrim, a sojourner on earth. Once you are redeemed, you must immediately separate from the world, and you cannot continue to live there.

There is a story of a sister teaching children. She once shared the story of the rich man and Lazarus, and asked the children, "Would you choose to be Lazarus, or would you choose to be the rich man? The rich man enjoys pleasure today but suffers later; Lazarus suffers today but enjoys later. Which would you choose?" A little girl, about eight years old, stood up and said, "I want to be a rich man while I'm alive, and Lazarus when I die." I tell you, many people are like this. When I need salvation, I rely on the blood of the Lamb, but after the blood saves me, I settle more securely in Egypt, so I have the best of both worlds.

Please remember, redemption by blood takes you out of the world. Once you are redeemed, you immediately become a pilgrim in this world. It doesn't mean you don't live in the world, but that you are immediately separated from the world. Wherever there is redemption, this separation occurs. Whenever you are redeemed, your path changes, and you must leave the world behind. The blood's separation is the separation of the dead from the living; it is also the separation of those in the world from God's children. You cannot remain in the world.

2. Pharaoh’s Many Difficulties

Looking at the Exodus of the Israelites, we can see how difficult it was for them to leave Egypt, for Egypt kept holding them back. When the Israelites were about to leave, Pharaoh only allowed the able-bodied men to go, but insisted that the children and the elderly stay behind. Pharaoh knew that if the elderly and children were left behind, the able-bodied men wouldn't go far—they would certainly return for their families. Satan’s strategy is always to prevent us from completely separating from Egypt. Therefore, Moses, in the beginning, rejected Pharaoh's difficulties. If you leave behind anything, or anyone, you will not go far; you will definitely return.

Remember, Pharaoh's first offer was that they worship God in Egypt, not go into the wilderness. Later, he urged them not to go too far. On the third attempt, he said only the able-bodied men could go. On the fourth attempt, he said all the people could go, but the cattle and sheep must stay. Pharaoh’s basic idea was that they could worship God, but only in Egypt. He knew that if someone served God in Egypt, that person would have no testimony. If you serve God in Egypt, you will also serve Pharaoh. You cannot serve God without also serving Satan.

If you want to serve God in the world, you will surely become a slave to Satan, and you will have to make bricks for him. That’s why Pharaoh won’t let you go. Even if he lets you go, he won’t let you go too far. He will allow only the able-bodied men to go; the rest of the people must stay in Egypt. Pharaoh knew well the words of Matthew 6: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." He understood that treasures and people go together. He knew if he left the cattle behind, people wouldn't go far, and eventually, they would follow the cattle back. But God wants the cattle to follow the people, and the people to be saved from their treasures.

So, once saved, you must go, and go into the wilderness. You must take all your people and all your possessions with you. Otherwise, you will stay in Egypt, with no separation. God's command is that those who serve Him must separate from the world.

3. Our Path is in the Wilderness

It’s not enough to simply confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth, or to say, "I believe in Jesus today." This testimony is insufficient. You must come out from among them and be separate. This is a step beyond just confessing Jesus as Lord. A mute Christian cannot serve, but merely talking is still not enough; you must be separate from the world. You can no longer maintain past friendships, relationships, or ties. You must recognize that your position in the Lord is precious, and you must leave your past position behind. People must go, and things must go. Perhaps people will say you are foolish, but do not listen to them. "I am leaving this place today." From the moment you and I became Christians, our path is always in the wilderness, not in Egypt.

In New Testament terms, Egypt represents the world, and the wilderness also represents the world. Egypt refers to the moral world, the world with moral significance. The wilderness refers to the material world, the substantial world. As Christians, we live in the substantial world, not the moral one. We must see that the world has two aspects: one is a place, and the other is an organization. There are so many things and material things that relate to the world. These attractive things provoke the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. This is Egypt. The world also means a place, a material world.

4. Leaving the Moral World

Today, as Christians, we are coming out of the system and organization of the world. When we talk about leaving the world, we mean leaving the moral world, not the material world. We must leave the moral world, not the physical world. In other words, we are still in the world, but this world is a wilderness.

What is the world to us? Mr. D.M. Panton said it best: "When I am alive, the world is a road; when I die, it is a grave." For believers living on earth, the world is just a road; when they die, the world is just a grave to bury them. We must be separate from the people of the world. Every believer must separate from the world. To the people of the world, you are a person in the wilderness, a pilgrim. They are the ones truly living in the world.

5. We are Sojourners, Pilgrims in the World

We must see that we are sojourners in this world, pilgrims. As for the moral world, we have come out of it; they want to keep us there. If you remain there, you cannot serve God. They want us to be closer to them, but the closer we are, the more impossible it becomes to serve God. They want us to leave people and possessions behind, but if we leave them behind, we cannot serve God.

From now on, our faces are turned toward the promised land, and we are separated from Egypt. The basis of that separation is the blood. The blood has purchased us. Those not redeemed by the blood are Egyptians; those not saved are worldly people. Those who are redeemed belong to another world; therefore, we must leave this world.

For example, when you go to a watch shop and buy a watch, what happens? When a purchase happens, leaving also happens. I cannot buy the watch and leave it there, telling the owner to use it! There’s no such thing. Buying means leaving. Wherever a purchase happens, leaving happens. When I go to a rice shop and buy a sack of rice, it leaves the store. Once you buy, you leave. Remember, the blood has bought us, and we must leave the world. When a person is bought by the Lord’s blood, they must go to the promised land. Buy one, and you go; those who are not bought do not leave, but once bought, they must leave. When a person is bought, they must follow the Lord. If I am bought by the Lord, I must leave the world and follow the Lord.