Soldiers Who Hate and Win

One event in the history of this country involved a man named Benedict Arnold. He was a heroic officer of the United States militia that was fighting against the British in 1776. He led several campaigns that did quite well. The British under Cornwallis were an overwhelming force that should have annihilated easily the forces of the army here, the Continental Congress and others. And yet, events were such close calls here and there that you could see the hand of God at times that made events go the way they did. And Benedict Arnold was an individual who was an agent of change, both here and up in Canada and back. The problem wasn't that he wasn't a good officer. It wasn't that he didn't have heroism. It wasn't that he didn't have insight and smarts that put him forward as one of the leaders in that time in the year 1776 and again in 1777 and 1778. The problem was that Benedict Arnold was about Benedict Arnold and he wanted himself to be advanced. He wanted others to note him and promote him. And he wanted all the things and trappings that came along with his promotions. And yet he made certain mistakes. We're all human. We all make certain mistakes. And it stung so badly whenever he was corrected. And he didn't like that. And his general attitude was such that people tended to hold him back. Even though George Washington was his biggest ally and supported him to the Congress, tried to overturn some of the challenges that went against him and some of the decisions that went against him, he had great support in George Washington. And yet it was by the year 1779 that through his own discouragement of his being promoted and being recognized, even though he had been given the assignment of West Point, he began discussions with the British Army and eventually defected and gave them West Point. He did so out of pride, out of feeling that he was held back, and also out of money. He received 10,000 British pounds for that appointment. And Benedict Arnold has been ever since known as a traitor, one who was a turncoat, one who was strongly with one side and sold out and was strongly then with the other side. Defectors, former soldiers, joined a battle. Somewhere along the way they became disillusioned. Oftentimes what they were doing, they ceased to believe in. Sometimes they turned and even joined the enemy. In our modern warfare we have experience with this. As people associated with the Western powers are fighting with those in the Middle Eastern, and you'll see some soldier or soldiers on this side who actually will, on behalf of the other side, kill, wound, destroy, try to cause the side that they are on, that they've trained with, that they've sworn their allegiance to, to fail. What causes that? What causes that? A soldier starts thinking about something to do with himself, something about me, and the results either goes, MIA, a missing in action, wanders off, leaves, takes off, or becomes even a defector. Let's see how this happens within the church. Let's look in 2 Peter chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 15.

Talks about individuals who have defected and are actually trying to take people with them. They were once leaders of the church, teachers of the church, but now they are turning on the church and they are trying to get people to defect with them. Verse 15, they have forsaken the right way. They were once of the right way, but they have forsaken the right way and they've gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. Benedict Arnold loved the wages and the anticipated assignment that the British would give him, personal.

But he was rebuked for his iniquity. Verse 18, for when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure. They are trying to allure through lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the very ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. The ones who are on the team, they're trying to draw away and take to the enemy. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption, for by whom a person is overcome, by him he is also brought into bondage.

It's interesting that Benedict Arnold, when he went back to England, yes, he was paid off, but they didn't trust him. I wonder why. He became a failure in business, and eventually went broke. He came to Canada, allied under the Crown at that time, and tried to start something there. It didn't work. He went back to England and died unknown. There actually many Benedict Arnold's from that period of time, and this is just one that went into ignominy and died in poverty. As we read down in verse 20, for if they, after they escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled and overcome.

The latter end is worse for them than the beginning, for it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it and turned from the Holy Commandment delivered to them. These are individuals once in the Church, once have tasted, once have experienced, once have even been examples that turn from the Holy Commandment that God delivered to them, opened their eyes to show them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, a dog returns to his own vomit. You ever see that?

And my dog barfs, and one thing I do is race to clean it up before she can get at it, because that grosses me out. And a sow having washed to her wallowing in the mire. Have you ever been around a pig farm? It's the most worst smell on the planet. Pigs and penguins for some reason. But pigs, the smell of their stench is so pungent. And over in England, we had one of our leading, one of our leading leaders in the college lived off campus in a beautiful home, and it was gorgeous. The only problem was there was a pig farm just up the road.

And the smell that infected that home made that place horrible to have to go to. Just get into your nostrils, and here's a pig going back to wallowing the mire. Now, these are pretty terrible situations of Benedict Arnold, somebody that would return, somebody would take others and go back away. 90% of the 20th century church that you and I have been part of went missing in action, and quite a number of those actually defected to serve the enemy.

Ooh, the enemy? Who's the enemy? Well, we're going to talk about that today. What is Jesus's concern for the remaining 10% of us that still believe in the laws and the commandments, that still try to worship and obey? What is his concern for us? Let's go to Revelation chapter 2 and read a little bit of his concern for us. Revelation chapter 2 and verse 4 is concerned that you and I might also be caving in, you and I also might be partying, as it were, with the enemy and slipping away from that which we are called to.

Revelation chapter 2, verse 4, Nevertheless, I have this against you that you have left your first love. Or if you look up the words there that you have left, you have left agape as your primary goal. That's what we're here for. Remember, Jesus said the whole law is summarized as agape for God the Father and for our fellow man. And we've left that as our first love. Something's turned inward. Verse 5, Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, repent, and do the primary. The Greek word protos, again, means the chief or the primary things. Focus on what's first, the first great commandment, and the second is like unto it, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.

Are we listening to him? Or are we saying, oh, I don't have to listen to this. He's talking to the first century people 2,000 years ago. Really, he just said, I will come to you quickly. Sounds like he's about to return. Sounds like this is talking about his church. Unless you repent, you'll be taken out of the church is what he's saying.

Let's also notice in verse 7, He who has an ear, let him hear. Do I have an ear? Too much, I don't listen. Too much, I get my own things in my mind. Too much, I think we as a church don't turn to certain places and really pay attention, even though he's given us ears to hear that we may hear and eyes to see that we may see. But here we see, to him who overcomes.

Overcome is a military term. He who overcomes, overpowers, he who wins the war, a successful soldier, as it were, the winning army I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. We can't be like those individuals that are caving in, that are being drawn away by their own lusts, as Peter called it, to go back and wallow in the mire and serve the enemy, be part of the enemy. Must not be part of that. Now, let's look in verse 19 through 27. I know your works.

Love, service, faith, your perseverance. And as for your works, the last are more than the first. You're really persevering. That's us. That's great. We can identify with this. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants, to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idol. Well, must not be talking about us. Certainly, he wouldn't be talking about the false religions that float around under the name of Christianity and Christ, that have their origins in Babel, Babylon, down through Greece and Rome and false Christianity, the religion that killed the apostles, that crucified Jesus Christ, that's come after the church all down through time, and ultimately is named by Christ as Babylon, the great mother of harlots, that will thrash the church and kill all of those who keep the commandments and ultimately will be thrown into the lake of fire, the great leader who will call himself Jesus Christ, using the name of God, the Messiah, who's coming, that individual, our Jesus Christ, when he returns, the last thing he does in Revelation 19 is throw him in the lake of fire. But how much do we schmooze over there with the music and with the books and the encouraging religion that's, oh, all about me, makes me sound good, makes me feel good. What about the television entertainment that's all about adultery and fornication, that's all about wrong sexuality that's permeating the news now, permeating our culture. Are we okay with that? Are we tolerant with all that? Are we saying, well, those lifestyles, you know, they're Christians too, and you know, we just kind of pretty soon, look what he says. This woman is teaching and seducing my servant to commit either mentally or physically, spiritual adultery, physical adultery. How much are you and I resistant to what is drawing the church away from its calling? You know, we live in an environment that if we are thinking of ourselves, we could easily become a Benedict Arnold and say, oh, that feels right for me, this seems right for me, that helps promote me. And the next thing you know, just as we've read in Peter, we can be taken away. What says that the 10% that's left is all going to be left when Christ returns? Oh, I don't think so. We haven't yet come to the lawless one, the one declaring himself Jesus Christ, standing in the holy place, bringing out signs and wonders, declaring himself that he's the Messiah, the Christ in the name. Jesus said they will come in my name, saying that he's the Christ with the Messiah, and deceive many, if possible, even the very elect.

When that happens, we know that the church is decimated. The power of the holy people is completely shattered. Jesus prophesied that the agape of many will wax cold, they'll start turning each other in. We know over in Revelation 12 and 13 that once part of the church is taken into place of safety, Satan goes to make war with the remnant of her seed, and then we see that the false one comes after everyone who will not obey him and worship him and kills them. We'll see in a few minutes about an innumerable multitude who die during that period of time. Now, you have been selected as a soldier. You, like Benedict Arnold, in a sense, a very different sense, are in an army. As a soldier, you have voluntarily taken an oath to God that you will fight and you will win. You will be an overcomer, a winner, in a military sense. There's no turning back. You've counted the cost. You said you will go all the way, just like the other 90% that left. And just like all those in the future, they're prophesied to leave. Are you and am I knowledgeable and convicted of that which we have signed on for? Or are we more opportunists that are still, you know, weighing the odds, summarizing what is best for us and what we will do in certain situations?

You and I were very convincing to a minister at our baptism. We wanted nothing more than to fight on God's side, to be on his team.

Could you become a defector? Could you become a partial defector? Could you go missing in action, be an M.I.A.? Is that possible? Well, today we're going to look at what it means to be soldiers of God, soldiers who fight. We're going to examine the requirements of soldiers and see how we rate. The title of the sermon today is Soldiers Who Hate and When. Soldiers who hate and when. Now, the title itself probably is a little bit shocking because we've moved into an era where hating, that's a bad word, shouldn't hate anybody, shouldn't hate anything, shouldn't have feelings like that, shouldn't feel that strong. I mean, after all, who's one person to have an opinion over anything? Everything's relative, if you're a relativist. Let's take a look then at soldiers who hate and when. The title is abrasive, isn't it? Soldiers who hate and when. And yet, it's a biblical term. Bibles full of hating and people who hate and should hate. And the only ones who win hate and they hate a lot. And if you and I are part of a passive generation who don't have hate in us, we will lose. We will cave. We will slide under and over to the other side with the enemy. Who's the enemy? We'll have to discuss that. Soldiers are not nice guys. As much as we all think of ourselves as nice people, you're going to be a soldier with God.

Soldiers aren't nice guys. Now, why is that? Well, it comes from a mental approach. I looked up some things about soldiering. I've never been a soldier. I don't want to be a soldier. But some of the training can fall into four different aspects. One is the brutalization. To start out by brutalizing the potential candidates. I mean, think of yourselves and the people in this room. We're a bunch of nice people. How do you turn us into people who hate and who want to kill and want to annihilate to where that is gone and doesn't come back? Well, hmm, I think we'd all just get up and walk out, wouldn't we? I'm not for that. Well, and so you have to go through boot camp. And boot camp changes actually your personality. It actually changes your perspective. It changes how you make decisions. Your reactions. Brutalization. Another aspect is resocialization. That's a big word. It means to go against one's aversions. I have an aversion to hating. We'll fix that. We will re-socialize you, okay, to where it's no longer an aversion to hate. We'll re-socialize you. If you don't want to kill somebody, we'll re-socialize you there, too. See? You will kill anybody you are told to, and you'll be fine with it. That's part of the process that they use in modern warfare. The modification of conditional responses. In other words, you go into this situation normally. We go into this situation and say, bear! Run! No, well, we change that. Bear! Oh, attack! See? Well, in this case, it would be the enemy. Enemy! Oh, I don't want to see the enemy. Close the door. Lock it. Close the mind. Close the eyes. Don't want to think enemies. Through modification of conditional responses, the Pavlov theory is you recondition to where you see the enemy, you attack. You attack immediately. You take that enemy out. And then the fourth one is modification of voluntary behavior. Instead of voluntary behavior, would you like to attack the bear? And you say, no, thank you. The modification of the behavior is you are told to attack the bear and you do it. You do not think voluntarily. You do as you're told. Now, let's ask a question here. In modern warfare, we have soldiers that are typically then taught, once they go through all this conditioning, to then hate something. Posters usually are made, or videos or something, news. There's conditioning to hate a certain other people, or a certain other section of people, or belief of people, ideology, whatever it is. And so that becomes the enemy, and they go off and they apply everything that they've learned to that enemy. They develop a violent attitude towards that enemy. They practice ruthless killing of that enemy without any concern or over concern for their own welfare. They just become killing machines. Okay, I'm going to go in there, I'm going to do that, doesn't matter, camaraderie, blah, blah, blah, you know. Here we go. Now, let's ask a question. Do you have an enemy that you hate? I don't mean dislike. I mean that you absolutely hate. I hope you do. But who is that enemy? Or what is that enemy? Let's go to 2 Timothy chapter 2. You know, how can you and I actually kill our enemy, if we want to use that term, if we're timid, if we're tolerant, if we're accepting, if we're easily tempted, and swayed, and we're all about me like Balaam. I don't care if I sell out all of Israel, but I want the money. I don't care if I'm letting a new nation go under like Benedict Arnold, but I want the prestige and the money. Is there one thing for which nothing would dampen your hatred, that you would lose your own life trying to do away with it? 2 Timothy chapter 2. This is a very different kind of mindset. I hope you're uncomfortable with this. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2.

The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses commit these to faithful men. Not people who don't know, not people who aren't solid and strong and committed and will go to the wall. They've counted the cost. They'll die with their boots on like the apostles did and like Jesus Christ did to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. There's our commanding officer. There's what we are called in the Bible, a soldier. And we are to be faithful. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life. It's not going to be about me. It's not going to be about my comfort. It's not going to be about my lust, my thoughts, my dreams. No. He does not entangle himself with affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. We're going to take our orders from Jesus Christ and we're not going to be thinking about how this is going to impact me. Whether even giving our lives for what we believe is a problem. Too many in God's church will lose out on the kingdom because they're not faithful soldiers. They're not going into warfare with enough despisement of the enemy.

I know what you're thinking. This guy's unbalanced. He's out of touch. Or he's making something up. Well, that's typical of resistance. We don't want to do what I'm talking about today, so we're going to find a way to avoid thinking about it. We're going to run back and jump in the grace bucket. We're going to do anything but do what we're called to do. Now, the serpent said to the first couple who were in this position, now he says, has God said that you shall not eat of the tree? They got to thinking. Oh, he says, oh, that's nonsense. Think a little more about yourself. Think about how enlightened you could be. Think about how great you could be. You know, you could enhance your life almost like the gods yourself.

Think how it would please you. And they did. And this is where we get taken down as the faithful soldiers of God, one by one, you know, division by division, have just been taken out. And there's few left. This message isn't about my concept, my terms. This is God's terms, God's concept. Let's dive into his word. The first question is asked to ask is, do I have an enemy? And if so, who or what is my enemy that I am to hate? Absolutely hate. Well, we know that to hate any person would be a sin. Matthew 5, 44, Jesus said, you know, love your enemies. People, do good to those who hate you, despitefully use you, pray for them, help them, love them, turn the other cheek for them, give your life for them. That's what he did. So we've just identified our enemy as nobody.

Is Satan my hated enemy? Maybe we're to go after him. Yeah. It says in the Bible something about, hate your enemy, the devil, who's seeking who he may devour or something like that. Right? So yeah, let's all hate Satan. We'll go after him. Where is that guy? I can't see him. Well, let's actually stop and check that concept over in 1 Peter, chapter 5 and verse 8, where it says, be sober and be vigilant because your adversary, oh, it didn't say enemy, your adversary or the one who is opposing you, okay? The one who opposes, the devil, the one who opposes, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It just says, resist him. Steadfast in the faith. We're to be locked solid in what we are doing as soldiers of Jesus Christ. So is he our enemy? No, but we're his enemy. And he's trying to kill us. Again, it's about self-promotion on his side. He wants the third spot. He doesn't want the sons of God coming in under the Father and Jesus Christ. And he wants to annihilate any and everybody associated with that. So who is our enemy? Who is our sole enemy? Let's find out from David, let's say, Psalm chapter 119, verse 128. It's one of the places we find our enemy. Psalm chapter 119, verse 128. David says, therefore God, all your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right, I hate every false way. There's one definition of your enemy. Do you hate or are you okay with false ways? Are you okay with Jezebel? Are you okay with spiritual adultery and idolatry under the right names? Are you okay with physical adultery and idolatry or mental adultery and idolatry? The worship of Satan with the new movies that come out and the new books that come out about the spirit world and about witches and about sorcery and all the things that Satan uses to entice little minds and get people to thinking about the dark side? Or are you okay with the love stories that just roll out with fornication on top of fornication, on top of adultery, and somehow they all sew up in the end and it's so encouraging?

Now, do we hate or are we tolerant? Are you a soldier committed? Are you in for life or death? Will you go to the wall no matter what opportunities come your way, how good they look, how much fun they are, how self-promoting they are?

Where do you stand? I hope today to teach you about godly hatred because God hates the same enemy that you and I are supposed to hate, and he leads us in that hatred. Verse 163, I hate and abhor lying, but I love your law. How do we feel about that? If we come to identify the enemy, are we schmoozing with the enemy? Are we selling out to the enemy? Are we bringing the enemy within our borders and spreading it around a little bit? Because, you know, we all like the concepts of Jezebel and we all like the concepts of lying. It fits with our the human nature, that we devised since we were little kids, we grew up with, and we kind of nurtured and fed that. So it's easy to slip back. It was easy for the 90% to go right back and say, oh yes, this false Jesus that traces His self back to Babel and Ur, this false Jesus wants it to be about me, and it can feel very, very good. But how does God feel about it? Let's go to Proverbs chapter 8 verse 13. Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 13. I told you that God hates. He's a great example of hating. The godly form of hatred the Bible uses is something that maybe has been washed out of us because we're not to see anything judgmentally. Not to have any strong opinions. We're all supposed to just get along and be in peace, and I wish the whole world would sing in peace and harmony. We'd all be one, no religion, no possessions. Well, what does God say? What does God do? Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 13.

You know, I knew this would happen.

Just a second here. You know how it is when you're on the spot. You cannot remember. So you tell me, I'm going to throw it out there. You tell me where it is. Where does it say, these six things the Lord hates?

Oh, here it is. Chapter 6. I see it now. I'm just in the wrong place. It should be chapter 6, not chapter 8. Proverbs 6 verse 16. These six things the Lord hates. Wow. God hates. Now we can say that those things are things that he really, really dislikes. But going on, seven are an abomination to him. Remember the smell of pigs? Remember the dog doing its thing with the... Those are things I dislike. These are things God hates. And when God gets his full power and emotion behind something and hates it, if that thing is in John Elliot, I'm not in a real good position, am I? And neither are you. And this is what Jesus Christ is saying back there in Revelation about his Church. There are issues. There are things that you and I take on at times that are things that he hates. He doesn't hate people. He hates sin. A proud look. Remember how pride in 1 Peter, those who were pride, proud, knowing nothing, but somehow they slipped back into sin? Benedict Arnold, it was about pride. A proud look. A lying tongue. David just said, I hate a lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked plans against God's law. Evil. Feet swift running to evil, breaking God's law. And lawlessness. A false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among the brethren. Those are things that God hates. Do you hate those things? Or are we pretty good with those things? I mean, it kind of sounds like almost one of the discord among the brethren. That could be one of the sitcoms. No, that could be one of the BBC, what do they call it, soap operas anymore? Some kind of drama that runs on week by week. Or the ones you see on American television, these series that go on year after year. What are we looking here? Well, let's see, pride and lying and innocent blood, breaking God's law, telling lies and breaking apart relationships. That's our entertainment. That's a good series. Sign up. That's what God hates. Have we internalized hatred for those things? Which army are we with? We need to come to hate what God hates. Let's go back to Revelation 2 and verse 6, where he's speaking to his church. Jesus Christ here is speaking to his church. 60 years after his death, he's back speaking to his church.

Revelation 2 verse 6. But this I have, this you have. He's commending the church here. This you have that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaiitans, notice, which I also hate. Hey, we're on the same page, at least on one thing. God hates it. What is it? The followers of Nicholas? No. The deeds of the followers of Nicholas God hates. And he's commending us for hating those deeds as well. It's important that we develop a hatred like God's, that we come to hate what God hates. Just as we've seen there in Proverbs chapter 6, the six things God hates. It's not just poetry. Again, do you hate enough? I don't hate enough. And yet think, wow, you know, this message just bothers me a little bit. Yeah, I hope it bothers you a little bit. I hope it'll bring about a new reformation of thought that we need to get in line with God. God hates sin so much that God died to get rid of it. That's how much God hates sin. Think about that for a minute. Not a man. We're talking about on the right hand of the Father is the one who divested himself, came as a human being to be scourged, that came to be reduced in every way. He hates sin so much, he came to be tortured to death. That's how much he hates sin. And he did that so he could get rid of it. That's the price he paid to get rid of it in me and in you and in all the world. The Father hates sin so much and loves us so much that he divested himself of the only family that he had. And he put that family up against Satan the devil in the flesh in a position where he could have failed. If Jesus Christ were not faithful, if he wasn't committed, remember he tried to lure him, go after him. Oh, let's do you let's try pride. How would you here come and see all the nations of the world. Let's appeal to your pride. See if that'll work. Well, that didn't work. Let's appeal to your belly. You know, have fasted four days. Here, let's have some food, wonderful bread, you know. That didn't work. See where he went after him. He tried. You know, a question that worries me when I look at the lives of God's people is we don't hate enough and will we ever hate enough. I too often see soldiers in love with the enemy and sometimes I'm one of them and I hate that.

Do you think that's crazy? Well, I'll tell you a story about Mr. Olick. Mr. Olick was a good friend of mine. He was a member of the German army in World War I. He fought under Kaiser Bismarck. He was a loyal German soldier against the Allies. Man, I loved dearly later on. He was a conditioned soldier fighting the trenches. You've seen images of those muddy battlefields over there where the Germans were dug in on one side and the Allies were dug in just a short distance away and they were all underground so nobody could really do that much to each other. It was just a muddy mess. Well, Mr. Olick was in their trenches and he was killing guys in our trenches. But he was conditioned to do that. And on December 25th, I believe it was in the year 1917, the second to last year of the war, last December in the trenches, since they were all Christians, they called a day off. Not a truce, necessarily. They just called a day off to the fighting and everybody on both sides agreed to keep Christmas. So they all got out of their trenches and they came over and they talked and they exchanged cigarettes and they exchanged food and the Germans didn't have what the Americans and the British and the other French did and they had a grand old time. He says, it's just fantastic. We made some good friends and everything. Then as the day wound down, they all headed back and got in their trenches and they went at it again. And one, I guess, I won't say which side, but somebody fired mustard gas and got Mr. Olick with the gas. And so he was a shaky man and he had spittle running down his cheek and he could never function really well. But he moved to Canada and became a farmer and he loved the enemy. He loved the enemy in that one day that he got to meet the enemy. Saw no problem with him, but he took his orders from somewhere else.

Us in the church, really, in one sense, we see our enemy, which is sin, but in the one sense, we also love our enemy, you know? It's not what God intends. Let's go back to Romans 7, verse 15. We've got to realize that we all have the tendency that Benedict Arnold did. We all have the tendency that we saw those in Peter. We all have that leaning, as it were, because we're human.

Romans 7, verse 15. For what I'm doing, I don't understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice. But what I hate, that I do. See, we schmooze with the enemy sometimes. It's part of our nature to not really hate it bad enough to kill it, to really bury that old man, to die.

Dropping down.

It says in verse 19 and 20, Now if I do what I will not to do, I'm doing what I will not to do. It's no longer I do it, but sin that dwells in me. Whoa! There's the enemy, and it's living in me. We've got to understand where that enemy is. It's not over there. It's not in someone else. It's in me. It's in you. And there's the sin that we tend to find that we do, because we're schmoozing with the enemy. We kind of like the enemy. We're tolerant of the enemy. I find, then, a law that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. It's kind of like Israel. You know, Israel was God's people called to the Promised Land. They were established in the Promised Land, and they were God's people. But they loved Baal. They loved the enemy. They loved to sin and break God's law. In 1 Kings 18, we come to a place in time. 1 Kings 18, verse 17-22, we come to a time where Israel was in love with the enemy. The story here involves Israel versus Elijah. Imagine that. Israel versus Elijah. And Obadiah, his housekeeper, and a hundred people who were prophets or teachers that were hiding in caves. Israel against Elijah. And we pick up the story here in 1 Kings 18, verse 17. Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, this is Jezebel's husband, the king of Israel. Ahab said to him, Is that you, O troubleor of Israel? I've been looking for you. I've been sending emissaries even to foreign countries and making those leaders swear on their life that you are not in their country. And now you just come popping up. Elijah was bold. Elijah knew God, he knew the truth, he knew what he stood for, and he was walking into certain death. His wife was cutting down and slaying all the true prophets. And for him to walk up to Ahab is suicide. And Elijah answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the bales. Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table. This is a man who was a soldier. He stood where nobody else stood. And Elijah came, gathered all the prophets, verse 21, he came to the people and said, How long will you falter between two opinions? What do you stand for? You know, you stand for God or you stand for Baal. Do you stand for righteousness or do you stand for sin? Who is the enemy here? What is it that you stand for? These people were saying, Oh, we're Israel. We're God's people, but we love breaking God's laws. Sometimes you and I falter between two opinions. Oh, we're all about God. We're all about the Sabbath. Of course, we don't really know when the Sabbath starts or when it ends. We don't really do much different, but you know, we're Sabbath-givers. We hate sin. We hate adultery. Of course, what's on TV? We hate the ways of this world. And too often we're doing kind of what the world does only. We don't work on Saturdays and we don't eat pork. Do we halter between two opinions? Might say, do we falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him. It says here in verse 21, but if Baal, follow Him. One or the other. Clarify it. Draw the line. People didn't answer a word. They were not soldiers. They were not devoted. They were not dedicated. They didn't know what to say. And Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of the Lord. I'm the only one standing here. I'm the only one who's really standing up. You don't see anybody, including the ones in the caves.

But Baal's prophets are 450 men.

Where do you stand? Where do I stand? Remember how Jesus Christ gave His life through torture to kill that enemy sin, to remove it. How much do you hate sin like Christ does? Let's go to Hebrews 11 verse 35.

Hebrews 11 and 35. And just be reminded that there are those who hate sin enough to actually not have nice things in this life. Hebrews 11 verse 35. Breaking in the middle. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. Now, it's one thing to sign on for a better life, happy marriage, nice family, all the blessings of God's way of life, hopefully be in the place of safety, reign with Christ, etc. Who signed on for this? Tortured, not accepting deliverance. Others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented. They didn't have couch handbags or coach handbags and, you know, designer labels and fancy cars and whatever.

In chapter 12, verses 1 through 3, it says, therefore we now, when we look at these individuals that were committed and the apostles that all got slain, except for John, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, that enemy that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the stake, the tree that he was nailed to, despising the shame. But you see, that's what he did to do away with the enemy. And he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your lives.

We need to identify the enemy. We need to fight and kill it out of every place where it exists. That's the lesson of the days of the Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread, a season in which we are still in, by the way. We are counting down the 50 days, the seven weeks, of being soldiers, of marching forward, of putting sin out of our lives, of getting ready for the harvest of firstfruits, which is the next holy day that comes upon us. Christ is going to erase sin from the earth later. He'll remove it all.

We're going to help by judging the angels that fell, that were removed out of their place, agents of sin. He will take Satan and the angels and deal with them. There will be no sin anywhere. But for now, our war within must rage on, and it must be strong.

Are we warring? Are we warring the way God wants us to? We aren't fighting Satan, remember. We're not fighting other people. We're fighting against devices that encourage sin within us, in our minds and in our deeds. Notice James chapter 3. If you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. So this self-promotion, looking after oneself, it's of Satan and the demons. For where envy and self-seeking and confusion exist, every evil thing is there.

We look in chapter 4 and verse 6.

First we find wars and fights and all these things. Well, it's terrible. Verse 4, adulterers and adulterers. I mean, what mind do you subscribe? What mindset do you subscribe to? Strongly. So in verse 6, God gives more graciousness to those who are repentant. Remember, he is gracious, full of mercy, and slow to anger. For anybody who is in the getting rid of sin process, he hates sin. And if you're involved in that, he's very gracious because he's eliminating sin. That's what God is about. Therefore, verse 7, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We have got to identify who the enemy is. We've got to hate that enemy. We've got to go after that enemy. We can't be of two opinions, double-minded, and playing these games that take so many people out of the church. Most everybody. Many are called, Jesus said, you are chosen. And when he says the word few, you can bet it's the very few. Very few. I want you to be one of those very few. I want you to be an overcomer, a winner. I want you to hate like nobody on this earth hates the enemy. Most people love the enemy. It's what this earth is all about is the enemy. The lawless sinning one is coming to get this earth to totally embrace the enemy. There's only a few that will hate it. In Matthew 11, in verse 12, Jesus makes an interesting statement. Matthew 11, verse 12, it's a controversial statement. The exact meaning of it is examined and re-examined. The Greek words are examined. People are of all kinds of different opinions what this means. And I can't tell you that I know exactly what he was saying here because sometimes his words are said, maybe an Aramaic, translated into Greek, down through time, put into English, and then revised in various translations. It's not like you always get the exact sense of what was stated even at the time. But let's read what he said, Matthew 11, verse 12. And from the days of John, the Baptist, until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. But the word violence and violent involve a Greek word or two Greek words, different tenses, that can mean various things, and therefore in the application of it, people can really get confused. It could be saying, as one translation said, that those who are very active and committed, see, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who are very active and committed, like soldiers, and they're fighting the enemy of sin, they are taking it by great exertion.

Okay? Kind of as a metaphor, because you can't take the kingdom, can you?

But the kingdom of heaven could be suffering violence because Jesus was killed, John the Baptist was killed, the apostles were killed, so many people are killed, you know, Satan is out to destroy the church. I mean, if you want to be part of that army, you have the whole world and the darkness of the spirit world against you. There is violence against that kingdom, against the children of God being revealed. And those who are, bad term here, probably, the violent take it by force. But the soldiers, those who are committed, those who are fighting sin, those who hate sin and hate the influence that the sinning spirit beings are doing, load themselves up with armaments, defensive armaments, Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10, and through that passage. And they clothe themselves in articles of warfare, and they defend against that enemy. That's what God wants us to do. The New International Version translates that word forcefully advancing, instead of the violent. Those who are forcefully advancing take it by force. They have an enemy. They're forcefully advancing on that enemy. They're marching, they're getting unleavened bread. They're getting leavened out of their life, and they're putting the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, and they're copying their master, who is the great one who has the bread of life. Webster's defines the word violence, which is what this word is translated here as, energy or force in action, intensity, severity resulting from strong feeling, furious, intense, very strong. Those are the ones who are taking the kingdom, as it were. Those are the ones who are advancing. A coward will not win. Let's go to Revelation chapter 21, verse 8, as we wrap this up. Revelation chapter 21 and verse 8. A coward is not a soldier. A coward is not a winner. A coward is not one who has defined the enemy and hates it enough to advance on it and decimate it. Revelation 21a. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, are those who love that, and they embrace that, they enjoy that, they are entertained by that, with the sorcery, it says here, sorcerers and all the entertainment for that, and the idolaters and all the entertainment for that, and the false religions, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. Sin is coming to an end. That is the enemy. There will be no sin. There will be no breaking of God's law in the kingdom which begins in verse 9 with New Jerusalem. That aspect of the kingdom.

Don't encounter sin like Adam and Eve did. They caved in. They went M.I.A. Rather be like Paul, who said, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Be like verse 7. He who overcomes, and that's a battle term, he who overcomes, he who hates the enemy, advances on the enemy, and wins the fight, wins the battle, shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. Why? Because we had the same enemy. We hated the same thing. We went after it. I gave my life for it. I gave my son for it. You gave your life for it. You died to it. We're on the same team, and we have crushed it at this point.

As we read, God made Jesus Christ our commander-in-chief. He is the commander of the army, and we are soldiers that God has enlisted to fight, and we must hate sin. We must fight sin. We must be committed to its removal, and the place that it's most removable at this point in time is in us as individuals. We have seen the enemy, and it is us. Well, the enemy isn't us, but it's in there. We are the holy and the beloved. We're the children of God. We are precious in his sight, but the enemy is in there. That which we hate, we still do. As we conclude, let's go to Revelation 7.

Let's read of those who are yet ahead of us. Maybe some of us, I don't know.

But I want to show you a committed army that will not give up, no matter how difficult it becomes, no matter what they are offered, as far as pride, renumeration, missing horrible things. It's a very, very honorable group. I think we can give honor to them as God has shown here, as he will give honor to them. Revelation 7, verse 9. After these things I look and behold a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed with white robes with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice. This could be an inset. You know, Revelation is not in order. It's all over the place. This could be at the seventh trumpet or after the seventh trumpet, right in there. Don't know. But they're standing all of a sudden before the throne of God. Could be just a vision. Not sure.

It says here, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne. These individuals are granted eternal life. Why? And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures and they fell on their faces before God and worshiped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. And then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes? And what are white robes? As we discussed last time, the righteous acts of the saints. Revelation 19, verse 8. And I said to him, Sir, you know, so he said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will dwell among them, and they shall neither hunger anymore, which meant they were starving and they will not thirst anymore, which meant they were in a dire physical situation before their death. The sun will not strike them. Once again, the sun, nor any heat, whatever they were going through, was terrible and they lost their life. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water. Which you read of in Revelation 21-22. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Which you read of in Revelation 21, verse 4. God will honor the heroes who don't go missing in action, who won't defect, who won't take others with them, who won't cave in, who won't stop fighting sin, ever. Right now, God is choosing a few good men and women to be in His army. Are you one?