Eradicating My Enemies

The Old Testament boggles the mind of many unbelievers, atheists, and liberal Christians. The plagues, wars, blood, death and destruction are too much for them to digest. Massive death and destruction cause them to doubt that character and nature of God, as well as the credentials of the Old Testament. Liberal Christians reject and dismiss the value of Old Testament to their own detriment.

The matter is really quite simple. God has made a promise that He keeps. We have seen this promise at work through the course of history. We will see its grand conclusion, and we will stand, and cheer, and shout for joy, while we raise our voices praising His Holy Name for all eternity.

You share in God’s passion for this cause. It is the destruction of the enemies of man and the enemies of God. Let me ask you a question. Will heaven be heaven if it contains liars? Will heaven be heaven if it contains the sexual immorality? Will heaven be heaven if it contains material idolatry? Of course not! Heaven will only be heaven if all of the enemies of God and man are absent.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

In the Old Testament, God was eradicating wickedness. He was making a Holy People for Himself and for humanity. We often forget how beguiling evil can be. We are surrounded in this world with evil, and sometimes it lures us into it fold. God is in the process of destroying evil. If we desire to join in His cause, we must embrace the ways of God. His ways are above our ways. His ways are the best ways to love others. His ways are the only ways that endure the test of eternity.

Even death itself is an enemy of man that God will destroy. He has already proven himself powerful over death, and it is the final enemy to be destroyed.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26

He has given you a promise, and you can begin embracing it today. He will destroy all of your enemies, and you can enjoy a bit of heaven today by embracing his commands through faith in His perfect son, the Lord Jesus Christ.


Know the Blessing

Photo: Dr. Squintum Exaltation or the Reformation - Great Awakening Revivalist George Whitefield

Note: Read Psalm 37 for futher encouragment

The End of the Law & the Ruthie Syndrome

If you've ever watched the TV program Seventh Heaven, you surely remember Ruthie. She's the cute little younger child that is always batting her eyes, and helping her siblings get into trouble, though she tries to stay out of it. Ruthie will often meet her parents' expectations with technical obedience, but her heart is in rebellion with her older siblings. This begs the question of whether obedience precedes faith or faith precedes obedience, but we won't go there now. Brothers Crow, Coker & I have already rode that horse off into the desert.

The Ruthie Syndrome is an illustration of the Old Testament (OT) Law. Under the OT Law with all of its dos and don'ts, the Hebrews were under the weight law. The law was the tutor and it was their curse. There was no way to live up to it. Man could not do it. And even if he could hold up to some expectation of the law, there was still the question of why. Was it merely and outward representation combined with a rebellious heart? This is the Ruthie Syndrome.

Christ is the of End of the Law. The word "end" has multiple possible meanings. It could be termination or fulfillment. In the case of the sacrificial system, Hebrews 10 communicates both. Christ fulfilled and made more meaningful the OT sacrifices that foreshadowed The Sacrifice to ended all sacrifices. Indeed to continue to sacrifice goats and bulls for sins, when the Son of God has been sacrificed for all sin is an abomination.

With the moral law, Christ fulfilled and ended the OT law at the same time. He made the OT moral commands more rich, in that He raised the expectation from mere outward appearances to the capture the innermost intentions of the heart. He also lived the law, exemplifying that which no man could accomplish without the Spirit of God.

Paul asks a great question in Galatians 3:2...

"Did you receive the spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you
heard?"

Christ' work on the cross liberates us from the weight of the law and draws our hearts to the spirit of the law at the same time. We are freed from sin, and become slaves to righteousness, out of heart felt conviction and love for God. Now the letter of the law need not be manipulated to make you feel better or accomplish your goal. It is the spirit of the law and the love of God's ways over mans' ways that makes us one with Him in spirit and in Truth.

America Bless God