One Pt 1 The Danger of Isolation

One” Part 1: The Danger of Isolation  

Proverbs 18:1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.

Studies show that isolation tends to have negative effects on mental health. Social isolation can lead to:

1. Increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
2. Higher rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse, 

A Season of Man Caves and She sheds – Come out of WINTER Hibernation! 

Remember the Gadarene demoniac – the guy who had a legion of demons? 

• Mark 5:5, “Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones”.  
• Luke 8:27…and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and abode not in any house, but in the tombs. ‘

He Cut Himself, When you hurt yourself – You are precious to God. He’ll leave the 99. The Good Shepherd will leave the 99 and look for you. 

• The Devil hates you because you are made in the image of God.

Another thing, he was undressed. He was naked. 

• Any tendency to shed clothes is the work of the enemy. 
• Why? Because you are beautifully and wonderfully created, and there’s a dignity.
• The Bible doesn’t say your spirit is the temple of God. It says your body is the temple of God, amen. So the temple of God is holy. 

But the Gadarene demoniac was cutting himself, he was naked, and he was crying, crying all the time, sad, depressed. 

• That’s the work of the enemy in that person’s life, huh? 
• And the Bible describes him as, “He was alone”. 
• So effectively when you put yourself out of the assembly of God, you are alone. 

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment” (Proverbs 18:1).

• Question is: What kind of isolation did the wise man have in mind? 

The next verse gives us a clearer picture:

• (Proverbs 18:2) A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. 

He doesn’t want to hear what others think; he only wants someone to hear what he thinks. 

• • Our temptations need accountability 
  • Our opinions need to be challenged 
  • Our pains need prayer 

• Our worship requires the Body of Christ! 

From the Beginning God said, “It’s not good for man to be alone!” 

• Prolonged isolation develops rigid or extreme viewpoints.
• Isolation will bury you in conspiracies and paranoia. 

• You can destroy yourself through isolation and hearing only your opinion and your point of view! 

At root, it’s our desires that isolate us: Are Satanic – why? 

• Satan invented ‘doing my own thing” – He is the false god of isolation and division. 
• His work is to separate, break up, distract, divide and isolate! 

Think about it: When Adam and Eve sinned, what was their first inclination when they heard the voice of God: ISOLATE AND HIDE. 

God constantly identifies himself as a shepherd who knows the importance of keeping the sheep together in one flock. 

• If one got away, a cunning wolf could grab it and kill it. 
• I Peter 5:8 The devil is roaming around looking for someone to devour. 
• He is devouring those who have disconnected themselves from the Body of Christ. 

• The devil is a liar and is like a hungry lion waiting to devour you. 
• The Bible tells us to not be ignorant of his devices. 
  • A device is a snare or trap he sets in front of us secretly. 

I’ve heard many people say they believe in God, but not organized religion.

• Some view it as a man-made institution that God is not involved in. 
• The truth is, we can’t judge an entire organization based on the actions of a few.
  • That’s like saying, “I don’t believe in organized military.” 
  • Just because there have been abuses of power, mistreatment of soldiers, and corruption in leadership, the organization itself is a great service to our country. 
  • The military serves a vital purpose and so does God’s church.

Heed the warning of the Holy Ghost: Don’t isolate yourself from believers in a time like this. 

• Your sister or brother in Christ may: disappoint you or fail you, 
• But forgive them and love them anyway. 

James  1:14-15 tells us. “Whenever someone leaves or avoids the community he needs, and when tempted he has been lured away by sinful desires”  15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

• The desires that keep us from one another are varied, but they’re all rooted in selfishness, offense, feeling sorrow for ourselves, and offense.

Jude 18–19 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, void of the Spirit.

Satan studies and preys on our desires. 

• He’s a master gardener, carefully seeding selfishness, discontentment, and bitterness in just the right places.

What Are The Benefits of Gathering with Other Believers?

• Success through Godly Guidance: 

1. 1. Proverbs 11:14“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” 
      1. “The most effective and fruitful people are those who distrust themselves enough to seek guidance before deciding!”
   2. Proverbs 15:22 “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” 

• Avoiding Severe Loss Through Correction:

1. 1. Proverbs 27:5–9 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. . . .Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 

• When iron sharpens iron, it creates friction. 
• And it’s God that does the sharpening of both, not the iron! 
• When a friend corrects you, it wounds you, it hurts. 

But it’s honing! 

• Definition Hone, to smooth and sharpen (a blade). Or to develop a skill over time. 
• So, do you see? There’s a difference between honing someone and harming someone. 
• There is a difference between someone being loved and someone feeling loved. 
• Jesus loved everyone well, and some people felt hurt. 
• So they crucified him. 

Don’t judge your church or small group or friendship by the honing! 

•  Ask what that friction is producing in you over time. 
• Is the friction you feel slowly drawing you closer to Christ and making you more like him? 

Destiny is personal but not private. 

• The Bible is always the language of relationships. 
• It is interdependence, not independence (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). 
• Jesus taught on the power of agreement. 
  • He even sent out his disciples two by two (Matthew 18:19, Luke 10:1). 
  • The marriage covenant rests on the power of relationship (Genesis 2:18).

Don’t slip into loneliness and depression (Genesis 2:18, Psalms 68:6). 

• If you want to go fast in life, go alone. 
• If you want to go far, go with the right people. 

The blessings of destiny connections are numerous; 

• Safety, synergy, strength, encouragement etc. 
• There are no defensive weapons in the Christian armor; we are to cover each other (Ephesians 6:10-17). 
• What killed Uriah was not the forefront of the hottest battle but the fact that valiant men withdrew from him (2 Samuel 11:15).

Antidote for Isolation

Hebrews 10:24–25 Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 

• Is the day of the Lord approaching near?

THE Presence of God in UNITY AND ONE PLACE 

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

• • Jesus had instructed them to tarry in Jerusalem until they are endude with power on high. 
  • They prayed and stayed! – For 10 days. Jesus never told them it would be 10 just to Tarry. 
  • Now what if the 120 had come on days that were convenient to them 
  • “I can make it two days, but I cannot pray and stay or tarry, Lord. “
  • They would have made one or two services but missed the Spirit! 
• You are making the services by watching online and coming once in a while in person, but that’s just a service, not the SPIRIT!
• THE PRESENCE OF GOD and Agreement
  • How is a word from the Lord established – in the mouth of two or three witnesses

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

• • God is attracted to agreement – IT IS SUPERNATURAL!
  • Agreement brings God into a place
  • Interestingly the word: Agree (sumphoneo; soom-fo-neh’-o )= harmony; compact (sun = with; phone/fo-nay’ =voice/speech). So to “agree” is to speak in harmony.

In the OT, people disobeyed God and thought, “Why don’t I build my altar and worship God my way, just my family and me?” 

• They called these altars – High Places
• They would find a hill or mountain and place their altar there to the Lord. 
• Burger King Worship, BK has it your way – but the result would fill Israel with Idolatry 
• There was only one place, and one way to worship the Lord – The way that he prescribed, and not your personal preference. 
• Why is this? 
• Because God defines worship and prescribes how He is to be worshipped. 

So he had a temple that everyone had to travel to and sacrifice at. 

• This was not convenient nor was it comfortable, but the individual way would always lead to idolatry and the fall of the nation. Then God would raise a judge prophet or king that would have to go through Israel and destroy all the high places that were filled with Syncrytism, (a blend of paganism and worship of the one true God, ex. Ashera, the Cannanite Consort God of fertility that was to give Yahweh a female counterpart, Ba-al, and Anu) 

Psalm 133 A Song of Ascents. (Sung as you walked the steps of Mt. Zion to worship at the Tabernacle of David) 

1Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!a 2It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 3It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Have you ever heard of the tabernacle of David? 

• David expanded the Kingdom and killed off all the giants
• But what was his greatest achievement? 

The Tabernacle of David was a tent in Jerusalem where King David placed the Ark of the Covenant to worship God. It was a central part of David’s reign and a model for the church. 

How was the Tabernacle of David used? 

• David set up the tabernacle in Jerusalem
• He surrounded the ark with singers and musicians who sang to God 24 hours a day
• All who entered the tabernacle could see the glory of God without a veil

Conclusion: John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.