Be Distinct. Standing Firmly Against the World's Tides

219 Pages·2011·1.25 MB·English

by  Warren W. Wiersbe

BE DISTINCT
Published by David C. Cook
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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced
or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
(Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
NIV
Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan. All rights reserved; are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960,
NASB
1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; are taken from the New King James Version.
NKJV
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; are taken from The
NEB
New English Bible, Copyright © 1961 Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press; are
NLT
taken from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004
by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers; and are taken from The
MLB
Modern Language Bible: The Berkeley Version in Modern English, © 1945, 1959, 1969 by Zondervan.
Used by permission.
LCCN 2010934943
ISBN 978-1-4347-0051-3
eISBN 978-1-4347-0264-7
© 2002 Warren W. Wiersbe First edition of Be Distinct published by Victor Books®
in 2002 © Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 0-7814-3303-7
The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Jack Campbell, and Karen Athen Series Cover
Design: John Hamilton Design Cover Photo: iStockphoto Second Edition 2010
Contents
The Big Idea: An Introduction to Be Distinct by Ken Baugh A Word from the
Author
1. The Parting of the Ways (2 Kings 1—2)
2. Amazing Grace (2 Kings 3—4)
3. Three Men—Three Miracles (2 Kings 5:1—6:7)
4. The Battle Is the Lord’s (2 Kings 6:8—7:20)
5. Reaping the Harvest of Sin (2 Kings 8—9; 2 Chronicles 21:1—22:9) 6. The
Sword and the Crown (2 Kings 10—11; 2 Chronicles 22:10—23:21) 7.
Focusing on Faith (2 Kings 12—13; 2 Chronicles 24)
8. Nine Kings—Five Assassinations (2 Kings 14—15; 2 Chronicles 25—27) 9.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms (2 Kings 16—17; 2 Chronicles 28) 10. The
Making of a King—Part I (2 Kings 18:1—20:11;
2 Chronicles 29:1—31:21; 32:24–26; Isaiah 38) 11. The Making of a King
—Part II (2 Kings 18:17—19:37; 20:12–21;
2 Chronicles 32:27–33; Isaiah 36—37; 39) 12. The End Is Near (2 Kings
21:1—23:30; 2 Chronicles 33—35) 13. The End Has Come (2 Kings 23:29
—25:30; 2 Chronicles 36) Notes
The Big Idea An Introduction to Be
Distinct by Ken Baugh Do you know
that you are a unique creation of God?
You are! Your fingerprints are unique to
you, your heart beats at a rhythm that is
unique to you, you also have unique eye
and voice prints—you are distinct from
anyone else in all creation. You are a
unique, one-of-a-kind masterpiece! In
addition to your physiological
uniqueness, the Bible says that at the
moment of salvation, you become a
child of God (John 1:12–13) and are set
apart for the work of God (1 Cor. 6:11).
As a Christian, you are a preacher of the
gospel (Rom. 10:14–15), an ambassador
for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), and a member
of God’s “chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God.… Once you were not
a people, but now you are the people of
God; once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy” (1
Peter 2:9–10 NIV).
Makes you feel pretty great, huh? Here’s the ironic thing: As distinct as we
are as human beings and as children of God, there is a relentless pressure to
conform to the “pattern of this world” (Rom. 12:2 NIV). Even though we are
unique, we drift into the behaviors of “what everyone else is doing” so as to
make us indistinguishable from the people of the world.
Recently I read an unsettling book by George Barna, who heads a research
group that conducts surveys of both Christians and non-Christians in order to
discern trends within our culture. In his book Growing True Disciples, Barna
makes an alarming discovery: After studying 131 different indicators of who we
are as people, we concluded that it is difficult for non-Christians to understand
Christianity since few born-again individuals model a biblical faith. While there
are instances in which believers are different from nonbelievers, when we
compare the two groups, the statistical differences are minimal. To the naked
eye, the thoughts and deeds of Christians are virtually indistinguishable from
those of nonbelievers.1
To put it simply, Christians have conformed to the pattern of this world to
such an extent that it is difficult to tell the difference between a believer in Christ
and a nonbeliever. This is a serious problem, because when Christians lose their
distinctiveness, they lose their testimony for Christ to a watching world.
Unfortunately, this problem is nothing new for God’s people.
As you have read the Old Testament, you may have noticed how many times
the Lord warned the Israelites not to conform to the lifestyles of the pagan
nations around them. Yet tragically, time and time again we read about their
compromise. But God is always faithful to keep His promise. These are the twin
themes, the Big Ideas, of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
For example, in 2 Kings we witness the severity of God’s discipline for
compromise as He allows Israel (the northern kingdom) to be conquered by the
Assyrians, and 150 years later Judah (the southern kingdom) falls to the
Babylonians. They destroy Jerusalem, including Solomon’s temple, and carry
God’s people into captivity for seventy years.
God warned the people of Israel and Judah through the prophets Elijah and
Elisha, as well as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Hosea, yet they did not
relent from conforming to the patterns of the godless culture around them. Make
no mistake, there are dramatic consequences for the sin of conformity. But God
does not abandon His people; He only disciplines them for a season.
The book of 2 Chronicles was most likely written and read to the Israelites
during their captivity in Babylon. It speaks of God’s faithfulness to forgive and
restore: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14 ). At
NIV
the end of the seventy years of captivity, that’s exactly what God does: He
brings the Israelites back to the Promised Land as a united people once again.
The story of God’s people in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles must not be forgotten
by God’s people today, because we have the same pressure to conform to the
pattern of this world. Compromise does not happen overnight—it’s a slow, often
unperceivable process. Compromise begins in the small things—a little white lie,
a lingering hug with a person who is not your spouse, or a slightly padded
expense report that you submit to your boss. These are easily justifiable because
we think everybody else is doing it. But as a Christian, you’re not “everybody.”
You are different. You are distinct, set apart for the work and glory of God. So
as you read 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, keep your eyes open for the subtle drift
into compromise. Take note of the warnings given by the prophets, and learn
from Israel’s and Judah’s mistakes. Never forget that as a child of God you must
Be Distinct.
***
Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me
over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly
academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a
way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or
a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s
insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the
other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of God’s Word and
learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will
find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church Aliso Viejo, California
A Word from the Author “The Christian
life is not a way out of life but a way
through life,” said evangelist Billy
Graham. God doesn’t save us and hide
us away until He takes us to heaven. He
saves us and then drops us into the
midst of difficult situations and
challenges, and He expects us to make a
difference. According to Romans 12:1–
2, if we surrender to the world around
us, we become conformers; but if we
yield to the Holy Spirit and dare to be
different, we become transformers and
God uses us to accomplish His will.
The book of 2 Kings describes what happens to a people when the
conformers take over. It records the end of the northern kingdom of Samaria
when the Assyrians took over and the captivity of the southern kingdom of