There Is A Certain People, God's Case For Separation

Esther 3

After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

² And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.

³ Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?

⁴ Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.

⁵ And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.

⁶ And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

⁷ In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.

⁸ And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.

Mordecai would not bow down to Haman because he was a Jew. This made Haman very angry and he went to the king and told him about this CERTAIN  People who had laws and customs that caused them to be different than all other people. Basically Mordecai told the king that these people didn't FIT IN.

Leviticus 20

²⁴ But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people.

²⁵ Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.

²⁶ And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

God separated his people from all the other peoples of the world. The dietary laws God gave Israel were not carried over into the New Testament Church. There are still laws in grace, it is the law of Christ, which is written on the heart. God's people are required to live a holy separated life. He takes delight in his people being distinguished from other people. He has distinguished his people to be his very own.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

God still has a particular people. God told Abraham, "I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you." Seeing as how we have put on Christ through baptism in His name, we are heirs of this promise as well!

It means something to be a child of God! 

^{Galatians 3:26-29} For now that you have faith in Christ you are all sons of God. All of you who were baptised “into” Christ have put on the family likeness of Christ. Gone is the distinction between Jew and Greek, slave and free man, male and female—you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, you are true descendants of Abraham, you are true heirs of his promise.
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)J. B. Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition by HarperCollins

^{Galatians 3:26} For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.²⁹ And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
King James Version (KJV)by Public Domain

Numbers 23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

We don't have to be like the rest of the world for them to know that we are different, and that we are God's people. 
God is going to have a people that are not like the rest of the world. 
We are God's people. 
We should not desire to be assimilated into this world. 
The cost is way to much! 
God  has brought us out of the world! 
We don't go back! 
We can't afford to go back to being like the world! 
When we go back to being like the world, God will remove himself! 
The presence of God will not remain in a church who has gone back to being like the world!

How much of the word of God are you going to discard to fit in with the world? 
What are we  going to do with the Bible? 
How much of the Bible is expendable to you, for you to fit in with the world?

We are to be separate in: 
  Modesty-without a trace of the lewd or salacious.

  Adornment

  Entertainment-we are not to be entertained by sin! We should not have a television in our homes or watch movies.

  Speech

  Morals

  Fellowship

  Home environment

  Ultimate goals- Heaven is our ultimate goal.

                                         

^{2 Corinthians 6:14} Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God corrects his children because He loves us! He will have a people that are different than the rest of this world. This doesn't mean we have a holier than thou attitude. We are to love the world. We are not to be like sinners, but we can be friends and eat with them and love them. That doesn't mean we have to partake of their sins. Part of our separateness is that we do not partake of their sins.

^{Mark 2:15} And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

¹⁶ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The apostle Paul had sinner friends. The certain ones of the chief of Asia were not church people. They were government officials. Paul had friends that were government officials. 

^{Acts 19:30} And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.

³¹ And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.

There is a difference between friendship and fellowship. Fellowship is based on Jesus Christ, the light we have, His name, the spirit we share, and the light we walk in. If someone doesn't have that, we can still be good friends, but it doesn't constitute fellowship. The point is to be like Jesus!  This automatically makes life different. The word of God is our culture. We are a holy nation unto him because we walk according to the word of God!

^{1 John 1:5} This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The darker the night the brighter the light. We are to be the light of the world. The world can be such a dark place. God saves from immorality.

My success as a child of God is based on how much I think, love, and act like Jesus Christ. I am not willing to let ANY of God's word go to fit in with the world! Every part of the Bible is very important. There is a certain people!

Notes from a Great Message by Bro. Booker & My Study

http://www.inlandlighthouse.com/page.php?ID=239
"There Is A Certain People" 12/19/12