The Continuing Warfare.

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I think the reason the believers in Christ do not exercise more diligence in avoiding moral temptation is that they do not realize they are in a war. If we could see what is going on in the spirit world we might be much more determined to resist temptation. When it comes to alcohol, or drugs, or cigarettes, or profanity, or homosexual behaviour, or pornography, if we could see the demon personalities who keep on seeking to draw us into their influence, we might recoil in disgust or horror and turn away from them. But it has pleased God that we choose to obey His commandments on no basis other that we want to please Him and obey His will.

(8/13/2007) As I was praying in preparation for the morning sermon my mind was drawn to Psalms 18. This is one of my favourites. In fact, I have written a booklet based on this Psalm. It is titled, "The Warrior’s Prayer."

Psalms 18 was written by David, a warrior. He tells of the horrors he experienced as the enemy sought to destroy him. David reveals how he learned to trust God, to know God as his strength, his shield, his fortress.

We do not learn the importance of having God as our Protector and Deliverer until we undergo severe attacks by the forces of evil.

As I spoke I began to realize how vulnerable our young people are. They are bombarded by the wicked forces of our culture. There is the constant invitation to pornography, drugs, alcohol, filthy speech, abortion on demand, and in particular, homosexual behaviour. May I say in passing that homosexual preference is the ultimate in selfishness. We take that which is designed to bring new life into the world and squander it on our desire to feel good.

In the young person’s mind may be a variety of reasons why he or she would like to engage in pornography, or drugs, or alcohol, or homosexual behaviour, or any of the other destructive activities of our culture—behaviours which destroy our health, or emotional or mental strength and stability, or which may result in imprisonment.

In some instances, the young person is rebelling against the values of his or her parents. Even though he may pick up AIDS or some other venereal disease, he is getting back at his parents for denying him what he wants. Sometimes the reason for deviating from what the Bible tells us is pleasing to the Lord is that he wants to be acceptable to his friends.

On other occasions the sheer power of the lust, as in pornography, overcomes his better judgement.

The problem is, the young person cannot see what is going on in the spirit world. He does not realize the final battle between God and Satan, between Christ and Antichrist, is at hand. He does not see himself as a potential soldier in Christ’s army who could help bring about victory in the final battle. He sees only the "fun" he will have as he engages in the fruitless, destructive behaviours the Bible condemns.

If he actually could see Satan and his demons, he then would have perspective on what he is choosing. When Christ returns it is for the purpose of setting up His Kingdom on the earth. Because of Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the armies of demons, all of whom consider the earth and its nations to be their desired and proper inheritance, the Kingdom of God must be established on the earth by force.

The force is not that of physical combat, or even of spiritual power against spiritual power. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, retains all power. The warfare is truth, righteousness, and strict obedience to God as opposed to lies, wickedness, and disobedience to God.

Any believer who is not living in the truth, who is not behaving righteously, who is not sternly obedient to God, will not be resurrected and ascend to meet the Lord in the air when He comes. Why not? Because he has not conquered evil in his own personality and therefore is neither qualified nor competent to help with the work of installing the Kingdom of God on the earth.

It is instructive to examine how Satan has managed to move Christian people away from righteous conduct, which is central to Christ’s government. The Catholic Church emphasizes the doing of penance instead of repentance. This is a form of conducting our own atonement.

The Protestant churches emphasize faith and belief in Christ rather than righteous conduct, believing that somehow a mystical belief in the existence and work of Christ will enable them to have fellowship with God. This actually is more Gnostic than it is Christian.

Where does one go to hear about how we are to live, and the power to live that way, rather than being instructed in the nearly worthless tenets of a particular religion? One can see that the Muslims make some attempts to promote righteousness in the avoidance of alcohol, in modesty of dress, and in the abhorrence of homosexual behavior. But without Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God they cannot possibly overcome the wiles of Satan, and so they end up murdering the innocent in their blindness.

But do not go into a Christian church and expect to hear about how the Bible condemns adultery, fornication, anger, unforgiveness, covetousness, gossip, slander, and how through the Spirit of God we are to renounce these and similar wicked behaviours. No, you will hear about how we should attend that church, make a profession of belief in Christ, and look forward to release from trouble through a "rapture."

What I am saying is, there is little clear, power-filled teaching of righteous, obedient behaviour in the United States of America. Having been involved in public-school teaching and administration for a number of years I know how little emphasis there is on moral behaviour. Since the Bible is not considered an authoritative guide to moral behaviour, what is left is a vacuum. Into this vacuum is stepping how we should be tolerant of homosexual behaviour.

How different life would be if there were no Satan, no world spirit, no demonic pressure, no continual attacks by anti-God forces on every person. We perhaps could just make up our mind that we were going to be a godly person, and proceed live a wholesome life.

But today we are bombarded by Satan using the electronic communication devices. Only the strongest are able to shout a resounding "No!" when demons whisper in their ear and work on their glands.

I know from the Old Testament that God is not giving up on the earth. He is going to come in supreme power and take the operating of the world away from mankind. We have had at least six thousand years to make a better world. Today we are on the edge of wiping life from the face of the earth. We have had our chance.

Now it is God’s turn. He is going to use the rod of iron to compel obedience to Himself and His commandments. Those who refuse and resist will be removed from civilization, and who knows what other torments they will endure—perhaps for eternity!

Ours is a time of preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, and for a chance to be a soldier in the army of the Lord. What are you doing about it?

Such an opportunity may never come again for you!

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; They will sing before the LORD, for he comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in his truth. (Psalms 96:11-13)

At night, Psalms 73 was the topic. When we see wickedness coming to maturity in our country we can join in the sin, or we can become angry and fret ourselves, or we can pray until we have peace.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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