Hope Now Bible Church: Fresno, California

Be Strong in the Lord and The Strength of His Might

Ephesians 6:10-13 Pastor Roger Feenstra

Please take your Bible and turn to the book of Ephesians, chapter 6. We are nearing the conclusion of our study through this wonderful letter of Ephesians, written by the Apostle Paul to the church in the city of Ephesus nearly 2,000 years ago. As we have shared with you over the past few months, because this is the holy Word of God, this letter is just as relevant for us today in 2009 as it was when it was first written.

Throughout the book of Ephesians we have touched on a lot of subjects that are of importance to us:

In Chapter 1 we are told to be "holy and blameless" (vs. 4)

In Chapter 2 we are told that our salvation is purely a gift of grace, not works.

In Chapter 3 we are told to be rooted and grounded in love and to know the love of Christ.

In Chapter 4 we are instructed to "Put off our old self" (vs. 22)

In Chapter 5 we are commanded to "Be imitators of God" (vs. 1); to not be sexually immoral (vs. 3); to not get drunk (vs. 18); for wives to submit to their husbands (vs. 22), and for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church (vs. 25)

In Chapter 6 we're given instruction for children to "obey their parents" (vs. 1); For fathers to "not make their children angry" (vs. 4); for slaves, or in our day, employees, "to obey your earthly masters" (vs. 5)

And now, Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit begins to sum up the entire book in chapter 6:10 with a powerful message to us all:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might."

I love this verse as it is touches on the heart of the Gospel (Or, the Good News) of Jesus Christ.

What is the Good News? What is the Gospel? If you had only one minute to tell someone about Jesus Christ; who he is, what he did for you, you might give a one minute testimony of your life; what Jesus has done for you and how your life is changed. This might be a good approach, but probably one of the best ways to tell someone the pure Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ is to quote 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Keep your place in Ephesians, but turn back a few books to 1st Corinthians.

The Good News is this,

"Jesus Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time...then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles and finally to the apostle Paul" (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

So when this verse in Ephesians tells you to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might it is proclaiming good news to you and me. The Lord, strong and mighty, who had the power to rise from the dead, is the source of your spiritual strength.

How to Be Strong

Have you ever needed spiritual strength? Perhaps you have been through a time in your life when it seemed as if there was no hope? Maybe you've lost a loved one and all of your plans and dreams came crashing in around you? Possibly you've lost a job, or have financial difficulties? Maybe you're trying to live your life for Christ, but your friends and family mock you for your new found faith and they say, "It won't last." Maybe you need spiritual strength today, right now? Is it possible to be "Strong in the Lord and the strength of his might?"

By the way, do you know when the best time is to be strong in the Lord? It is when you are weak -- when you've reached the end, when you can go no farther. When the world is against you. Hear the words of the Lord from 2 Corinthians 12:10:

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul is not talking here about his own strength. He's not saying, if I just pull myself up by my bootstraps and try harder I'll be strong. No, Paul is talking about being strong in the Lord and the strength of his might whenever you encounter trials.

Tortured For Faith

History is replete (filled) with Christians who have endured trials like you; those who have been persecuted for their faith and yet have remained strong in the Lord and refused to turn away from their Lord.

In the book Tortures and Torments of Christian Martyrs (A martyr is someone who suffers to the point of death), by Antonio Gallonio written in 1903; He lists various methods that Christians were tortured for their faith.

He describes:

Red hot plates: a piece of metal heated to the point of glowing red hot was placed upon the Christian until he or she renounced their faith in Christ.
Burning torches: A branch with its tip dipped in pine tar and lit on fire was pressed against the Christian.
Stakes or crosses: Where the Christian was hung sometimes upside down and fire lit beneath him to produce a long, slow, torturous death.

Other punishments for believing in Christ included:

Buried alive: Often these martyrs for Christ were not buried completely, but only up to their necks where they were left to bake in the sun without food or water.

Sewn inside a bag and thrown into the River.
If ever there was a time when spiritual strength was needed, it was during these times.

What was it that allowed these Christians to remain true to Jesus Christ? How could they endure the slow pain of death? It was because they were "Strong in the Lord and the strength of his might."

Strength in the King of Glory

All of our strength comes from Jesus Christ. We can never be strong in ourselves. We can never be strong in our own might.

This is the crux (the heart, or main point) of the Gospel: That our spiritual strength comes from our Savior Jesus Christ who was so strong and mighty that he rose from the dead. That is the good news!

Psalm 24:8 describes him this way:

"Who is this king of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle."

How strong?

Jesus Christ was laughed at, tortured, beaten with rods, pierced on his head with a crown of thorns, spit upon, crucified on a cross, buried, YET, He rose from the grave, he conquered death -- He is strong and mighty even over death and he offers that same resurrection power to you and me! Because of Christ, we too have power over death and are promised to be resurrected someday. Our strength is made sure in the fact that we will someday escape this body of sorrow and death and will be resurrected to live eternally with Jesus Christ. Our strength comes from the truth that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has conquered death for us.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:!6)

The Lord strong and mighty!

Our Lord, strong and mighty!

Why Do You Need Strength

But why do we need to be strong in the Lord and strength of his might? I mean, we are not facing torture or physical persecution in Fresno in 2009.

No, you and I are facing a much greater foe. You need his strength because the devil is trying to destroy you. So Paul relays to us God's plan to help us to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might.

"Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (vs. 11).

Here's how the dictionary describes the word "scheme":

"A large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect...A secret of underhanded plan."

Satan has a secret plan to destroy you. You may not be facing red hot plates, burning torches, burning at the stake or being buried alive or thrown into the river for your faith in Christ, but make no mistake, you are being tempted and tested in other ways: drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage, stealing, lying, cheating -- all of the things from your former life (See Ephesians 4:22-31) Satan is making a bold attempt to draw you away from Christ, even to the point of physical death if need be.

Therefore, we need to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might and we need to put on the whole armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the secret underhanded plan of the devil!

You see, you may think that all of the temptations you face are a result of your former life or your upbringing - "That's the way our family rolled, you might say." But the truth is that the battle you face in serving Christ has nothing to do with your physical upbringing, your parents or your past.

And while the events of your past are real and cannot always be forgotten, the temptations you face today, to live your life for Jesus Christ, are purely from a spiritual battle that is raging all around you.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12).

Not a Physical Problem 

Your struggle with sin is not due to your background. You use that as an excuse, because it's all you know. The truth is, you can't change where you came from, or what your past was like. And you can't change the way you are. Why? Because your problem is not a physical problem, it is a spiritual one. You see, when you try to use the world's medicine to make your life better; when you listen to the Dr. Phil's and the Oprah's, and try your best to "heal" your past or to search for your inner happiness you will never be able to find it. Listen to the mission statement of Oprah Winfrey's television show:

"Our mission statement for ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ is to use television to transform people’s lives, to make viewers see themselves differently and to bring happiness and a sense of fulfillment into every home.

”

I don't know about you, but when I'm faced with a choice have my life transformed, and I'm facing great trials and temptations, I'm not going to turn to television for the answer. I'm turning to the Lord, strong and mighty.

Dr. Phil's method to help you overcome your sin and your past is to simply rely upon yourself to do it. And while his methods at face value seem harmless and at times even helpful, it is the same old false story that people have been listening to for thousands of years, "You can solve your life's problems on your own."

But the truth of the matter is when you become a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the power through Christ, not yourself, to overcome the struggle of sin in your life. And when you turn to your past to try to figure it out you are never able to trust our Lord Christ or to depend on his strength. You become what the apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 2:22 (quoting from Proverbs):

[Like a] dog [who] returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

You Can't Do It 

Satan is trying to bring you down and it is only by "being strong in the Lord and the strength of his might" that you will be able to move on in your life and conquer your past, your sin and the temptations that seem to so easily befall you.

Some people say to me, "I'm trying to change to become a better person, but it's just not working." That's good that you want to change, but do you know why it's not working? It's because you are trying to make the change in your life. Rather God says, "Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might."

Why do you think Jesus died on the cross? So that you could keep trying on your own to do good? Did he die simply so you could think he was a good guy? Did he suffer on the cross so that you could continue to be mired in your past life? No! Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to do all of the work for you! He took all of your sins, past, present and future and put them on himself so that you could place your faith in him and be rescued from a life of sin and death. Remember the sin you committed recently (maybe even last night?), the one that is causing you so much guilt? He took that sin too upon himself and he offers you forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

It is only through Jesus Christ that you can withstand and overcome the temptations that are thrown at you.

Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might: Because your problems are not physical. They appear physical because that is the lie of Satan. Jesus said this about Satan:

"He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

If he can make you think that your problems are about your past then he has succeeded in producing a great lie that you will believe.

Rather, the truth is that your struggle is against Satan and his forces. And to overcome that struggle you need to "Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might." You will not overcome your temptations and struggles by trying to do good, or trying to figure out your past, or blaming others. When you do that, Satan has you right where he wants you.

You are to "be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might." And to fight this battle that is raging all around you, you need to "put on Christ." And next time we'll look more closely at what that means and how we do that.

Jesus is Your Covering

But the Bible is clear that to fight the spiritual battle; to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might, you need to put on Christ. Here's what God said about putting on Christ in Romans 13:14:

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

You see, Jesus is our covering. He covers us with his righteousness, and this is what God was showing us from the very beginning. Turn to Genesis 3:21. After Adam and Eve sinned, they were immediately guilty -- their guilt showed in that they realized that they were naked and their nakedness caused them shame. Therefore, verse 21 says that God "clothed them." This verse is a prophecy of what Jesus Christ would someday do for us. From the very beginning God was showing that he was going to make a covering for our sin. And that covering is Jesus Christ.

From the moment you believe in him, you are covered with the righteousness of Christ. No longer are you walking around naked in your sin, you are covered with his righteousness; and to fight the spiritual battle, you are to put on Christ.

That's why so many Christians today (even many in this room), are weak and defeated. Christian by name only, but not by deed. They walk around week after week, with the same problems. "Woe is me" they cry. I have so many problems, you don't understand my problems." And they go through life never growing in their relationship with Christ, never reading God's Word, praying only when they have a real serious problem. Playing hit and miss when they attend church to worship the Lord. Denying their children the blessing of learning about Jesus Christ by not bringing them to Sunday School and not training them up at home to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to love Him.

This is a spiritual battle -- be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. Put on Jesus Christ daily - wear him as your whole armor against the onslaught of Satan. Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might:

"Santoso" is a farmer and a pastor for a small village church in Indonesia. Recently, he was attacked on the way home after sharing Christ with Muslims on a farm in the city of Poso. He and a friend, both on motorbikes, were hit with a machete wielded by a Muslim who jumped from a bush. The Muslim tried to cut off his head but missed, hitting him in the mouth. He ran to his village holding his face. Because of the attack Santoso lost 10 teeth and damaged his tongue and his friend's fingers were cut off. (This was the third attempt on Santoso's life.) Before going into his last surgery, he said, "I read Ephesians 1:19 which promises God's great power to us who believe. God sends me power so I can bear suffering. We rejoice that one Muslim has come to Christ."

Where do men and women like Santoso get their strength to endure torture? It comes from the Lord Jesus Christ -- by being strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. The power to live our lives for Jesus Christ comes through recognizing that we are not in a physical war, but a spiritual one; and to win the war, we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Next time, I am going to share with you how to do that. In Ephesians, it's called "putting on the whole armor of God."

Do you need spiritual strength today? Then be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. And when you do that; when you take the focus off your own strength which is weak and feeble, and when you finally determine to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might, then we can rest assured that we will win the sprirtual battle and will become as Paul said in Romans 8:37:

...In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
There is good news for us today! Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might!

Are you trying to fight the battle of life on your own strength? Do you try and take matters into your own hands on a daily basis? You need money so you steal and rob. You struggle with your relationship with your wife or husband or girlfriend or boyfriend so you act superior, like you're better than them and you become the shot caller in your relationship. I'll take control of this myself, you say. But God is calling out to you today -- to be strong in the Lord and strength of his might. He is calling you to turn to him, to put your faith and trust in him. And when you do, he promises to help you and to guide you and to give you the strength you need to overcome the spiritual battle that you are facing.

Some of you might even leave here today and ignore everything that God has been trying to show you today. You'll go home and get drunk or high. You'll revert back to your old self -- But God is still calling you -- Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might is his call to you. Follow him and be strong in him today.

"Our Lord strong and mighty, please give me the strength right now to put my trust in you, to be strong in you and the strength of your might." Amen.

Three Kings: Guys Like Us

By Pastor Roger Feenstra

The Bible is an interesting book.  You may think that all of the people the Bible talks about are holy people.  But in reality, they are people just like you and me.  Take for example the guys below:  Probably the only difference is that they were Kings, but in all other aspects of their lives, they struggled with the same things you and I might struggle with.

King David

The first guy is King David.  You remember David don’t you?  He was the guy who, when he was a young boy, went up against the giant named Goliath.  David was a tough guy. 

David said this about himself in the Old Testament book of 1^st Samuel:

But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went   after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And  if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him  and killed him.(1 Samuel 17:34-35)

 When David grew from boyhood, he was appointed King of  Israel.  He was a mighty King and nearly every battle he fought,  he won.

But there came a time in David’s life as King that he decided to stay back from the battle, he let his commanders go and fight instead – and that was the beginning of David’s downfall.  Let’s pick up the story in the book of 2 Samuel 11:

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful… (2 Samuel 11:1-2)

Look at verse 4

So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, "I am pregnant."(2 Samuel 11:4-5)

There were two problems that David was now dealing with.  One, he had sex with a woman he was not married to and second, this woman, Bathsheba, was already married and her husband was away fighting the battle.  Now David was in a jam.  So he called her husband back from the battlefield and tried to coerce him to go and have sex with his wife, then he would think that the child was his.  But the plan didn’t work, because her husband, Uriah, was such a loyal soldier, he couldn’t think of having sex while his fellow soldiers were out on the battlefield sacrificing their lives.

So, David, rather than do the honorable thing and admit what he had done, sent Uriah to the front line of the battle where he knew Uriah would be killed.

And because of David’s treachery God allowed the child that was born to him by Bathsheba to die.  And for David, it was a very difficult time.

King Solomon

David had another son named Solomon, and after David’s death, Solomon became King of Israel.  God was blessing Solomon.  The Bible tells us in 1 Kings that:

Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father (1 Kings 3:3. 

The Bible tells us the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said,

“Whatever you ask for I shall give you.”  (1 Kings 3:5)

And Solomon, rather than asking for things said to God,

“I ask for wisdom and understanding.”  (1 Kings 3:9)

And this pleased God and God granted to Solomon wisdom and understanding.  In fact the Bible tells us that Solomon was the wisest man who lived and the wisest man who would ever live!

Solomon loved wealth.  Look at 1 Kings 10: 14

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield. And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. The throne had six steps, and at the back of the throne was a calf's head, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 

The passage goes on to say that he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, 

But there was something Solomon liked more than gold and chariots.  Women – the text says “foreign women.”  It seems he couldn't keep his eyes, or his hands off of them.

Look at 1 Kings 11: 3,

He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

Verse 6 goes on to say,

So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:6)

And because of that disobedience, it was the beginning of the end for Solomon.

King Rehoboam

When Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam came into power.  The Bible tells us that Rehoboam was a harsh leader.  He treated the people of Israel as slaves.

In the book of 2 Chronicles 11 we read that Rehoboam loved power.  And rather than putting his trust in God, he took everything into his own hands:

Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and he built cities for defense in Judah.(2 Chronicles 11:5)

And Chapter 12 tells the sad conclusion of Rehoboam:

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.(2 Chronicles 12:1)

What Causes People to Turn From God?

Why did these men, who seemingly had all they wanted and were blessed by God, turn their backs on God? 

More importantly, maybe you’ve turned away from God and have decided to do things your own way.  Why?

Well the answer is found in the New Testament, in the book of 1 John 2:15, 16:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 John 2:15-16)

You see, these men began to love the world more than they loved God. 

• David pursued the “Desires of the flesh” when he took Bathsheba and had sex with her
• Solomon pursued the “Desires of the eyes” when he was consumed with wealth and gold and foreign women.

And

• Rehoboam pursued “Pride in possessions” which essentially means he “loved the power that he had.”

 Sex, Money, Power.

 In themselves and when done rightly, these are not bad things.  But  when your life is consumed by either of these things, God becomes  just an afterthought.

 The Bible uses a word for anything you put before God – its called sin.

Now we all sin, but John tells us in this same book in chapter 3

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (1 John 3:6)

In other words, John is telling you and me to not make it a practice of sinning.

David, Solomon, Rehoboam started off on the right track, but they began making it a practice of sinning. 

In the book of James we find the progression of sin:  How it takes hold in our lives:

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)

What’s this “death” that James is talking about? 

Well, its eternal death – You know, you’re not going to live forever.  What is going to happen to you when you die?

The Bible says there are only two alternatives.  Heaven (life).  Hell (death).

Romans 6:23 puts it this way:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You see the payment, or wages of unforgiven sin is eternal death.  But fortunately, there is a way of escape from this death.  That is by receiving the free gift of eternal life that is offered by Jesus.

Then, the Bible says that when we sin all we need to do is confess it.  You see, once you believe in Jesus:  That he is the Giver of Salvation – when you believe in him, you are automatically guaranteed eternal life.

• There is nothing else you need to do except believe
• There are no magic words you have to say
• There are no works you have to perform
• You don’t even have to be holy to believe in Jesus

The Bible says, “Even while you were still a sinner, Jesus Christ died for you.”

So, you can make a decision.  You can choose to go your own way like David, Solomon and Rehoboam did.  Or, you can choose to stand up and follow Jesus: To proclaim his message of Salvation to your children, your wife, your girlfriend, your mom, and your friends.

And of course that would be our prayer for you today:  That if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior, that you tell him you believe in him and make a decision to follow him.  The instant you believe in Jesus, your sins, past, present and future are forgiven!  It doesn’t matter what you have done.  God has forgiven your sins. 

Maybe you know Jesus already.  Perhaps you followed him once, maybe in jail or prison, or maybe as a young person.  But now, you’ve put him behind you.  You don’t think of him much.  You certainly aren’t living your life for him.

Do you know you can confess that sin right now?  Tell him you’re sorry and you want to follow him.

Simply say in your heart, "Lord Jesus I believe in you.  I want your free gift of eternal life.  I want to follow you."  And if you prayed that and meant it, then the Bible says that Jesus now lives within you.  You have the power of the Holy Spirit in you life.  And, you are assured of eternal life.

Maybe you already know Christ, but you haven’t been following him.  Ask him to forgive you right now.  He promises he will.  The Bible says, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  Sure there are pressures that you’ll face each day, but wouldn’t you rather face them with the power of God on your side?  Why not determine to follow God beginning right now.

Obeying God in Times of Sensuality: Studies in the Life of Elijah

We live in a sensual world. Sensuality can be defined as "Enjoying the pleasures of the body." Theologians might describe sensuality as "Worldly." Self-gratification might be another way to describe the idea of sensuality.

It seems we are caught in a battle between serving our sensual nature and serving God. Is it wrong to gratify our selves? After all, doesn’t God want us to be happy? While it is not God’s intention to make people unhappy, the apostle Paul makes it clear that those who believe in him are not to "Gratify the desires of the flesh’ (Galatians 5:16.)

Why does Paul give this warning? Throughout history man has rejected God and replaced him with self-gratification. The Bible records from the beginning of time people who sought to enjoy the sensual pleasures of life rather than follow after God.

In the Old Testament book of 1st Kings we read about a Prophet of God named Elijah. He lived about 2,800 years ago yet his message to the King of Israel of turning from sensuality to a life of serving God is still as fresh today as it was then.

THE BACKGROUND

The Old Testament is filled with true stories of people like you and me; people with faults; sensual people. When God created the earth and mankind his purpose was that man would follow him and obey him. Yet God gave man the freedom to make his own choices and man chose to obey his sensual desires rather than his Creator.

The Old Testament tells the story of the nation of Israel. They were to be God’s chosen people; a people set apart to worship God and serve him. In fact, God told them what their lives would be like if they continued to obey him. In Deuteronomy 28 God laid out a list of blessings the nation of Israel would receive in exchange for obedience.

Specifically God told the Israelites that he would bless them if they did not "Go after other gods to serve them" (vs. 14.) God’s ground rules weren’t that difficult to follow in order to obtain this blessing – if they would just follow him they would experience:

• Honor among all the nations of the earth (vs. 1)
• Safe cities to live in (vs. 3)
• Abundant crops (vs. 3)
• Healthy children (vs. 4)
• Increase in livestock (vs. 4)
• Safety to walk the streets (vs. 6)
• Plenty of food (vs. 5)
• Lack of enemies (vs. 7)

By obeying God they would have everything they needed to live a long and prosperous life.

THE PROBLEM

The Israelites were weak. They saw all of the nations around them enjoying the sensual pleasures of life and they wanted to be like them. (It’s hard to be too tough on the Israelites because they were just like us. We also are weak and want to enjoy the pleasures of life.)

The surrounding nations had kings to rule over them and Israel did not. God had promised to be their king. Nevertheless, they wanted a king from among themselves. They wanted to be like everyone else.

God gave them what they wanted, and the line of kings began in Israel with Saul, David, and Solomon. As the nation grew the people began to fight among themselves. This infighting resulted in a split in the nation of Israel. Rather than being one united nation under God they became two kingdoms: The kingdom of Israel to the north and the kingdom of Judah to the south. Each kingdom had its own king.

God had specifically told them not to "Go after other gods" yet they didn’t listen and they did the exact opposite of what God commanded. Around 874 B.C. the northern kingdom of Israel grew strong. It was at that time that King Ahab began ruling Israel.

Ahab was not a man of God. The Bible says, "Ahab…did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him" (1 Kings 16:30.) Ahab’s father who ruled before him was an evil man as well. Ahab not only followed his father’s tradition of evil, he took it one step further and married a Sidonian woman named Jezebel who could care less about God. She introduced Ahab to her god, the false god Baal. And so, the era of sensuality in the nation of Israel began.

WHO IS BAAL?

Baal was the pagan god of fertility. He was known by many of his traits including that of storm god. As Baal was introduced to the nation of Israel people began to like the idea of worshiping him. They were able to practice their sensual desires. The worship of Baal included sexual practices as well as human sacrifices. If they wanted to have sex with a prostitute it was okay. They were so blinded by their sins that they even sacrificed their children by burning them to death as offerings to Baal (Jeremiah 7:31; 19:4-6.) Their sensual pleasure overruled the thought of losing a loved one. They wanted to do their own thing and live their lives as they pleased; satisfy their own desires and not worry about some God putting a damper on it for them. They could party freely, and best of all, it was blessed by the government!

In fact, King Ahab did the following:

• He served Baal (1 Kings 16:31)
• He worshiped Baal (1 Kings 16:31)
• He erected an altar to Baal (1 Kings 16:32)
• These altars are called "High Places" in Scripture. They were usually setup high on a hill to be seen by all who passed by.
• He built a temple for Baal in Samaria (1 Kings 16:32)
• He made shrine to the female goddess Asherah (goddesses were consider sacred prostitutes.)
• Ahab had disregarded the One True God so badly that the nation was now "ripe for the sickle of God’s judgment!"

COURAGE TO SPEAK OUT

The nation continued to plunge itself into moral darkness. The worship of Baal was a huge money making opportunity for the kingdom. People would pay to go to the temple to have their needs met. They would come to Samaria from all the surrounding towns and villages to worship Baal. It was an economic boomtown. Ahab even provided a builder named Hiel with enough money to rebuild the city of Jericho (1 Kings 16:34.) But with total disregard for the Scriptures, both Hiel and Ahab forgot what the deadly consequences would be if that city were ever rebuilt (See Joshua 6:26.)

Against this powerful king and queen and their booming economy stood a man named Elijah. In the New Testament, James the brother of Jesus describes Elijah as someone who was just like us, he had a "Nature like ours" (James 5:17.)

God uses people like you and me to accomplish his work. He isn't looking for the best dressed person or the most educated. God wants to use people who are obedient. In 1st Corinthians 1:27 Paul writes, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." You may say, "God could never use me. I don't know enough. I'm not well educated. I'm still learning the Bible. But God says, "When [you] are weak, then [you are] strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10.) That is the time when God wants to use you. When you look at yourself and realize that you cannot do anything on your own; that you need his power. It is then that you receive power from Christ to do his will.

Elijah was a Tishbite from an area in a place called Gilead. It was most likely a small backwoods village where he grew up. But God called him to confront the powerful king.

Elijah didn’t waste time in making his prophetic remarks to King Ahab. He stood directly in front of the King and said, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, "before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word" (1 Kings 17:1.) That’s all that he said. The message he wanted the King to understand was this; I serve the True God of Israel, the living God. You have turned your back on him and have chosen to serve and worship a false god. Because of that, your country is going to experience a drought like it has never felt before. You say you want to follow this Baal, this storm god? Well, let’s see what he can do for you.

With that message, Elijah left. The Lord told him to "Hide yourself by the brook Cherith" (1 Kings 17:3.) God wanted Elijah to lay low while the minutes, hours, days, months and years of the drought ticked by. Because of Elijah’s obedience, God provided a place for him to obtain water and performed a miracle causing ravens to bring him food each morning and evening.

WHAT CAUSES TOTAL DISREGARD FOR GOD?

How did the nation of Israel go from loving God and serving him to a nation that turned their backs on him in favor of the sensual pleasures of life? What causes us to do the same?

The book of James tells us how it happens:

1. It begins with temptation (1:13.) Temptation in itself is not wrong. Everyone is tempted. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that temptation is "Common to man." Jesus said, "Temptations to sin are sure to come" (Luke 17:1.)

2. Temptations come by our own desires (1:14.) James says temptations come when we are "Lured and enticed" by our desires. A lure is a something a fisherman uses to catch fish. It is usually a very bright object that resembles the type of food that the fish want to eat. The problem is that there is a sharp hook on the end of it ready to snag the fish as soon as it bites at the lure. That’s how our temptations come – we hold our desires out in front of us and we make them look better than they really are – we forget that there is a hook that will catch us and drag us away from God.

3. We think of the desire over and over in our minds (1:15.) James says, "Desire when it has conceived…" That word "conceived" literally means to "capture", like we capture a picture on a camera. What does a person do with a picture? He looks at it over and over again. Get the idea? Temptation doesn’t become a problem until we "capture" it in our minds. At that point, we have just given birth to sin. This birth is not an exciting one because it always ends in death.

WHAT LURES YOU AWAY FROM GOD?

Ahab was lured by his desire for Jezebel. The hook she brought with her was the moral impurity of her false gods.

Think of the things in your life. What lures you away from God? What entices you to capture your desires and hold them in your mind? Is it Music? Pornography? Sex? Materialism? Recreation? When God is outside of your desires you are susceptible to sin. It happens quickly and without mercy.

YOU CAN’T LOVE YOUR DESIRES AND GOD?

James makes it pretty clear. You can’t capture desires and still love God. He says, "Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4.)

He gives three solutions to the problem of sensual desires that captivate us:

1. Submit to God (James 4:7.) Submitting to God is a form of resistance. Resistance against whom? The devil. James says, when we resist the devil he will flee… Submission to God keeps the devil away.

2. Draw near to God (James 4:8.) James says, God will draw near to us when we draw near to him. We draw near to God by making sure we are clean; by confessing our sins.

3. Be humble (James 4:9.) The Bible says when you are humble you will be exalted. We think just the opposite? We think, If I am humble I’ll never get noticed. I need to sound my own horn and let people know how great I am. If I don’t people will walk all over me. But God says that’s not true, he says, "When you are humble I will "exalt you."

Ahab didn’t figure this out. He chose to submit and serve Baal rather than God. He chose to worship and draw near to Baal rather than God, and he chose to be prideful by disobeying God’s command to "Not go after other gods" thinking he knew what was best for his nation.

HOW CAN A BELIEVER HELP SOMEONE WHO IS CAUGHT IN SENSUALITY?

Elijah wasn’t afraid to go before the powerful king. Why? He wanted his nation to be healed. He wanted them to turn from their evil ways and serve the one true God. That should be our desire too for those we know who are captured by sin.

The apostle Paul says, "If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted" (6:1.) The person who is following Christ is to restore the one caught in sin. To restore means to "mend" or to "make whole."

Even gentleness can sometimes feel like a huge blow to our ego! Look at what king David said about being confronted when he sinned:

"Let a righteous man strike me – it is kindness;
let him rebuke me – it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it" (Psalm 141:5.)

We’ll find out later what Ahab’s response was to Elijah. Did he take it as kindness? Or, did he refuse it?

Study Questions

1. If you had been a follower of God during Ahab’s reign, what pressures and temptations would you have felt?
2. What things do you see people "worshiping" today? Why would they rather worship these things than God?
3. Would it be difficult for you to hear a righteous person confront you regarding your sin?
4. Is it easy or difficult to point out someone else’s sin? Explain.

This week: Ask God to show you the areas of your life that might be luring you away from him. Determine this week to "submit" to God in all areas of your life. If you are struggling with a specific sin, make a decision not to "capture" it in your mind. Share your burdens with someone you can trust who will pray for you.

Why Does God Allow Evil?

Tonight we are going to examine the question, "Why Does God Allow Evil?"  It is a good question that needs to be answered.  While we could make up an answer on our own, it is always a best practice to find the answer directly from the Bible.

INCORRECT STATEMENTS

There are two statements that are typically made:

1.  "Either God is all powerful, but not all good, therefore he doesn't stop evil."

Or,

2.  "God is all good, but not all powerful, therefore he cannot stop evil from existing."

The Bible is clear in showing us that neither statement is correct.  Before we can answer the question, "Why does God allow evil?" we need to see what the Bible says about God Himself.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

1.  In the gospel of Luke, Jesus said this about God, "No one is good except God alone?"

Therefore Jesus tells us that God is good.

2.  In the Old Testament passage of Jeremiah 29:11 the prophet Jeremiah records God saying the following:  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare (or peace) and not for evil to give you a future and a hope."

Here we read that God's plan for us is not evil.  Instead, he wants our life to be good.  God is good and he wants good, not evil for us.

The Bible shows us that mankind was created perfect, not evil.  In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, after God created the entire world and everything in it including Adam and Eve, he said, "It was very good."  God's creation was good from the very beginning.  His perfect plan for mankind was to be free from sin and to live forever.

THE CHOICE

But God created mankind with the ability to choose right or wrong.  In Genesis 2:17 God tells Adam that there is only one tree that he may not eat its fruit, "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  But in the next chapter Adam decides to make a willful choice to disobey and sin -- he eats of the fruit from the tree.  Therefore, in Romans 5:12 we read, "...Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."

MAN CAUSED SIN, NOT GOD

It was man who has caused sin, not God (remember Romans 5:12.)  God is good; his concern for us is not evil.  When you sin, it is a deliberate choice that you make.  God does not cause you to sin, neither does God tempt you to sin (See James 1:13-15.)

SO WHY NOT CREATE MANKIND WITH THE ABILITY NOT TO SIN?

To create people who could not sin would be the same as creating a bunch of robots.  Robots always do what their maker programs them to do.  God was not interested in creating robots.  His desire was for his creation to love him and serve him willingly, not in a forced way -- God created you as a free being.  Love can never be forced (1 Corinthians 13:4-7.)  Love must always be sincere, or else it is not love, it is manipulation instead.

WHAT ABOUT NATURAL DISASTERS?

Because sin entered the world, there are natural consequences of that sin.  For example, if you have sex outside of marriage and the person has AIDS, you are very likely to contract the AIDS virus, become sick and die (Hebrews 13:4.)  Because sin entered the world, if you are bitten by a rattlesnake and do not get the proper anti-venom, there is a chance that you will have a reaction to the snakebite and die.  Hurricanes knock down houses and cause flooding.  Earthquakes destroy buildings which trap people.  All these things are consequences of sin and eventually, everyone dies (Hebrews 9:27.)

DO SOME DISASTERS COME UPON PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE BIGGER SINNERS THAN OTHERS?

Jesus talked about a big news story of his day (Luke 13:4,5.)  In Jerusalem a tower had collapsed and eighteen people were standing nearby when it happened.  The tower fell on the eighteen and killed them all!  Jesus said, "Do you think that [the 18 people] were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem [and didn't die]?  His answer to the question is "NO."  Accidents happen because there is sin in the world.

WHAT ABOUT SATAN?

If Satan tempted man to sin, how did Satan become sinful?  The answer is that Satan too was created with the ability to choose right or wrong.  He rebelled against God and chose to disobey (Isaiah 14:12-14.)

ONE FINAL THOUGHT

Evil in the world exists because of sin.  God has provided a way for our sin to be cleansed through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ on the cross.  By confessing our sins to God we are immediately cleansed of our sin and can enjoy a right relationship with God.

1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

STUDY QUESTIONS

1.  What has been your idea of God for most of your life?  Do you think the same way about him today as you did when you were younger?

2.  Tell of a time when you thought that God was not fair?

3.  After reading the passage in Luke and Jeremiah, is your perception of God different or the same?

4.  Explain what it means to have the ability to make choices of right or wrong in your life?

5.  Tell of a choice you can make this week that would be a right choice.  (For example, I may choose to not respond to someone in anger.)

6.  What is your normal reaction when you sin?  What does the Bible say we should do when we sin?

This week, ask God to give you the strength to overcome sin.  Thank him for his forgiveness.