Wearing the Armor of God

The Blessing of Standing for the Truth

Book of Ephesians 6:10-24

We are advised many times in the Scriptures to be strong. As Christians our character must have two sides.

We must cease to do evil and have a hatred of all evil while not hating those who do that evil.

We must also learn to do good before all those that hate us.

As we struggle daily between these two things we will realize that the Christian life is a battlefield.

As Christians we will realize we are in a constant struggle in this evil world!

As long as we are in our flesh we will also be in a constant battle with our flesh!

It takes a brave Christian to always do right in every situation.

What is the one thing we must understand? We have a Father that this world can never overcome!

*****Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

We think of the Apostle Paul as the greatest of all Christian missionaries but when he says brethren he comes down to our level.

The Apostle Paul became a very humble man once he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

We should also understand that as believers we become Christian soldiers. There are foes outside the church that will seek to cause us harm but there are also foes within the Church who seek to destroy it.

We are at peace with God and we have the peace of God, knowing what lies in our future but day to day we are in a war with evil!

It is the brethren who make up the army of God!

We can be strong because our Lord is strong!

We can be strong because of the power of His might!

Deu 20:4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

If we become weak Christians, we will perish in this war. When our strength lies in the Lord, we are never alone at any time and we can never perish because he will never forsake us!

We must overcome the battle we have with our flesh, while we battle with the evils of this world.

We have seen that we must be mature Christians.

We have a renewed mind.

We have a changed behavior.

We understand God's will for us.

We understand our relationship with all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We have been prepared and it is time we get into this battle! We must stand for the truth!

We are on the road to Heaven, Satan will try to stop us, but our power comes from on high and our Lord witnessed the time when Satan was tossed out of Heaven.

Luk_10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Satan is on the losing side, but we must dress right, we must wear the armor of God!

*****Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

As I was taught in the military, we must know the strengths of our enemy and prepare to counter act his strengths.

Without the armor of God, we will not be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. This is a simple enough reason to be obedient to the entire Word of God!

God has prepared us armor for every part of our bodies except the back, we are to always face our enemy because to turn and run from the devil means he has won you as his servant.

There are many times in the Scriptures where we are told to wait on the Lord but even while we are waiting on a specific answer from God, we are still to be moving forward in this war with our flesh and this war with the devil.

We already know this armor has been tested and proven because it is the devil who will flee.

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The armor of God is another gift of God's "Grace" because there is no weapon of our own that can defend us!

This may seem to be a form of works to those on the outside, but it is only living the life of the Christian.

The Christian armor is not designed for show but to be put in use for our own safety and God says to take the whole armor which means we are not safe when we just wear the part of the armor that we choose to wear!

Satan does not possess the strength to take on the Lord for he would surely loose and he has already lost every battle, but we do not have the strength to face Satan alone without the armor of God.

Why do we need God's armor? God also gives us this answer. It is because are war is not really with any human being even those that are enemies to the Church.

*****Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

If we cannot obey the Lord in this thing, we will never conquer the greatest enemies of our life!

We must understand we are in a spiritual battle!

To wrestle is to struggle, to strive, to contend and we can add resist.

As we know Paul has used athletic forms many times and to wrestle is a contest between two people, one trying to overcome and pin the other to the ground. We are never to allow Satan or those who possess supernatural powers to pin us down!

What is it that each of us who believe must wrestle and win?

Principalities, the power of that Satan uses to control those that reject the Lord.

Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

As we war with the darkness of this world we must not get entangled with the affairs of this life.

2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

As Christian soldiers we must always listen to our God our Father in Heaven.

Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

We should understand it is not any man who teaches the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ, it is Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit.

As we look at our world we can see that the forces of evil are very powerful.

The forces of evil are very numerous.

The evil in our world is organized!

These forces of evil are also those who rule the darkness in our world!

Those in the Light of Jesus go to Heaven.

Those who are in the darkness of this world go to Hell and then on to the Burning Lake of Fire.

Those who are in darkness do not know this or they are willingly ignorant of these things!

There are also those who do not know where they are, but they refuse to believe that there are spiritual forces behind the evil in this world!

Most of these are to so-called intellectuals who highly educated.

It is these that say that Christians live in the "Dark Ages".

Satan can only be in one place at a time, but he is constantly moving about in this world.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

We must understand that God, just because He is God, must always tell the truth!

God would not say there was an evil force in this world if it was not true!

God would not say that this evil force has access to the spirit of mankind if it were not true!

It is Satan that rules over this evil force and his followers.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Satan rules all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, but he cannot touch the child of God without God's permission and God will allow this from time to time, but Satan cannot take away the salvation of any child of God at any time!

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

God knows what He is doing!

God provides the necessary armament for each of His children and this armament comes with instructions!

*****Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The war that we face as Christians is a spiritual warfare, but God will equip us even for this war.

Holy Spirit by the hands of Paul has given us the material we need to remain strong in this war.

We need the armor designed by God, no other armor will keep us safe!

In all the great armies of this world there were deserters and they received heavy punishment in most all cases.

In all great armies there was a time of retirement.

We must clearly understand that in the Army of God there is no retirement date. Every soldier in God's Army is to stand upon His truth!

It is our duty as God's children to put on the armor of God every day. We must with stand this day of evil!

Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The phrase "having done all" refers the armor of God.

*****Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

We could say we must where the belt of truth! We do not wear the belt of truth unless we understand that it is all the Word of God that is relevant and not in bits and pieces.

2Ti 3:16 "All scripture" is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The belt is used to hold the soldiers clothing close to his body just as we are to hold the truth of God close to us! The truth of God must be so solid in our inward parts that it shows in our outward parts!

How is our Lord described?

Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Luk 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

We must also wear the breastplate of righteousness.

The righteousness of God is the perfection of His nature.

Psa 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

By ourselves we will never be perfect, but we have the perfect Holy Trinity living within us, if we belong to the Lord.

Righteousness is doing things right and all the right things are listed for us in the truth of the Word of God.

But we must also protect our feet!

We must trust in "Gospel" enough that the "Gospel" will direct our every step which is needed considering the journey we have to go and this race that God has given us to run.

When we stand on these things that time we walk in the valleys will be short and we can spend more time on the mountain top!

The breast plate of righteousness is designed to protect our heart, which holds to the truth of the Lord.

2Co_3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Above all these other things we have the shield of "faith".

It is our "faith" which will quench the fiery darts of Satan.

It is our "faith" that will cause us to avoid temptations.

It is our "faith" that will give us the strength to just tell the devil to go back where he came from!

When know the truth of God we will never question our salvation.

We will never question the call of the Holy Spirit.

We will never doubt God's ability to save.

We will never become defeated Christians, because we are on the winning side!

We must also realize that our head is that part which must carefully needs to be defended!

One heavy stroke to our head can be fatal.

Our thinking ability is our greatest tool to claim victory and reject defeat!

We must have so much confidence in the promises of God that they become a reality within us!

These all the things that we need to defend against the attack of the devil, but God also equips us to go on offence.

The sword of the Spirit

Satan may know some of the Word of God having been around for so long. He may be even able to quote part of the Scriptures, but the truth is Satan cannot withstand a continuous assault of the Word of God.

When take our shield which covers us head to toe and our sword, the Word of God, Satan will go a running.

It is true that we must defend ourselves against Satan, but we must also attack Satan and hit him where it hurts with the Word of God.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We attack Satan, when we stand on the Word of God and do not compromise with the ways of the world.

We attack Satan, when we battle our flesh and win every day.

The Word of God is our greatest weapon, our "Faith" is our greatest defense but our prayer to our Holy Father is our greatest tool and will lead to our greatest resource.

It is just a great honor and privilege to step right in to the throne room of our Holy, All Powerful God!

*****Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Eph 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Eph 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Lord by the Holy Spirit has just described to us in words that are easy to understand saying that as Christians and the Saints of God, we had better wake up to the fact that we are in a war with the evil in this world. Our war is not with flesh, those who partake of this evil.

We first must overcome the evil in our own lives and we do this by giving our complete self over to the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we grow in the "grace" of God and face the battles ahead we are to tell the story of Jesus to all whom we contact, while defending ourselves against the evil in this world.

We can have no strength without the Holy Spirit, we cannot have the Holy Spirit with the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot have the Lord Jesus Christ without acknowledging the plan of salvation from our Father in Heaven.

Every child of God is equipped for this war, but the question remains, will you get into this battle.

These things start with prayer and it will be prayer that will carry us through to victory!

We must pray and then we must pray and then we must pray again, and this prayer must be in the Spirit!

Remember prayer is not always about asking, in most cases we just need assurance. Many times, we just need to talk but every time we need to take the time to listen.

We must realize there is nothing we can say to God that He does not already know. The Lord just wants us to be sure about what we are asking Him to do. and how it is going to affect others.

An answered prayer carries the force of the Almighty God!

Take a look at Paul's request.

Paul said "put me on your prayer list because we must always pray for one another.

We must always pray that the Word of God will reach all this world.

We must pray that the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ reaches all those who are lost so they will get the opportunity to make a choice about accepting the "Gospel" as the truth that it is.

We must pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ who are all in the same battle with evil that we are!

Act 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

What exactly is our job as Christians? "To boldly make known the mystery of the "Gospel". The same job that Paul had!

The same job the other apostles had!

The same job our pastor has!

Even while Paul was chained to Roman soldiers, he professed the "Gospel".

Even while Paul was locked up in jail, he professed the "Gospel"

Even throughout all the sufferings of the Apostle Paul, he never once stopped professing the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ!

Even Paul could not go himself with his "good news" he sent others that he trusted to proclaim the "Gospel".

*****Eph 6:21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

Eph 6:22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

When we face the war with our own flesh every day we occasionally need some encouragement

Notice that Tychicus was a beloved brother.

Notice that Tychicus was a faithful minister.

This is all the information that this church needed if they truly trusted the Apostle Paul.

To this day not much more is known about this godly man. In fact, what else does anyone need to know about any of us other than we are brothers or sisters in Christ and faithful ministers of the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ.

What else needs to be known of any of us?

Even God has chosen not to remember our past. It is the New Man Tychicus that these Ephesians will get to meet.

Tychicus would inform these Ephesians about the Apostle Paul for sure but he would also know if this church was true to the "Gospel" and take that information back to the Apostle Paul.

If we are not faithful to the Word of God, it will show when we have those who come to visit our places of worship.

We can always learn many things from Paul as he closes his epistles.

*****Eph 6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Paul is a spiritual brother to every believer and Paul gave no consideration of himself, but he would always give consideration to all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul loved the Church and it showed!

The Apostle Paul was a prayer warrior for the Church.

Paul prayed for the peace of the brethren in this church and we should also do this.

Paul prayed for all to now the love of Jesus Christ.

Paul prayed that love for Christ would come because of their faith in His promises.

Paul prayed that each one of them knew the "Grace" of God that could come only by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you know the "Grace" that comes by Jesus Christ?

Amen

Let's Pray!

Our Redeemer

The Redeemer Who Comes from Zion

Book of Isaiah Chapter 59

Today in this lesson before we get to the importance of our Redeemer, we will see how God describes our world.

The world believes that humanity is basically good and occasionally do bad things but this is far from the truth.

The truth is humanity is basically evil and on occasion some do good things!

If we go back to the Book of Genesis chapter 3 we will see not the origin of sin because the origin of sin was in Heaven. What we will see is a description of the entrance of sin into humanity.

Genesis chapter 3 gives us an historical event that took place!

Most all the world believe in an Adam and Eve, and they should, and the sin of disobedience against a Holy God was passed down through these two historical figures!

If Adam was not a real person who brought sin into humanity then there would be no need for Jesus to redeem humanity.

Therefore, this is the reason such a great attack on the Creation facts of the Book of Genesis!

So how are these things seen in the eyes of God?

First God will make some things very clear. There is no one that He cannot save and there is no prayer that He cannot hear if it comes from the heart of someone seeking Him!

Verse 1:

*****Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

God is also very clear about His salvation. If you are not saved from eternal separation then it is not because He has lost His ability to save. In other words, the fault is your own and not His!

Instead of running to God, the truth is this world flees from Him!

Repeatedly, we have seen where we can only be saved by "faith" in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to purchase us from the slave market of sin!

The hand of God cannot be shortened because it is connected to the arm of God, which arm is the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is by sin and the rejection of the truth of God that humanity cannot be saved but God will still deal with everyone!

It is very important that we understand what sin is and then understand that we are sinners. We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners, it is in our heritage passed down from generation to generation!

When we understand that we are sinners, it is only then we will realize we need a Redeemer, we need a Savior!

God did not just create us all and then move on somewhere else doing God things, God truly cares for each and every one of us!

Those who believe that God has just gotten too old to care for us or to care about us, do not understand that God cannot age and His Word will never change!

God would not have made Himself known to us if He did not want to share our lives with us but sin places a wall between us and our God!

*****Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

It is sin that stands as a barrier between us and our Creator. The greater the sin the greater the barrier. Where sin sets in, guilt begins!

Sin caused a wall of separation between Him and Adam and sin still does the same today to all humanity!

Mic 3:4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

Those who are wicked in this world do not even realize the dilemma they are in!

They have a problem that is disastrous and they believe they are safe in a dying world but that is far from being true!

When God's "Grace" cannot reach us because of that wall between us, then we are faced with eternal separation and an eternal death of misery beyond our imagination!

There are many times when we have a need to reach for the help of Heaven but it will not come if we have sin in our lives that has not been forgiven, simply because we have not asked for forgiveness.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

God looks into the heart to see the truth of each of us!

What is sin? Sin is any transgression of the law of God.

There are 613 laws in the Old Testament that the Jews had to follow and it was impossible for them to do this.

Most of this world think only of the Ten Commandments but even these cannot be kept by anyone!

The Lord Jesus simplified these laws so we all could understand what God was saying.

Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

If we truly obeyed these two laws we would have no problem with sin but even these laws become impossible to do in this evil world!

God says there is just no natural affection for one another in our world!

The Jews had been separating themselves from the Lord for many years and we can see that has not changed for the biggest part of our world today.

When we say these things to the world we are accused of so many things, including being evil ourselves but we should remember it is not we that say these things, it is a Holy God and we are just passing along His message!

Then God gives a picture of what He is talking about.

*****Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

We use our hands in almost everything we do but when God says they are covered with blood, God is talking about the murder of the innocent.

We could say that we are not murderers and all murderers certainly should be punished and they are certainly sinners but then do you support abortion which is the murder of innocent children.

If we stand against the truth of God, we are murderers just as if we committed the crime ourselves!

When we read the Scriptures, we can see that only a very few of God's prophets lived to die of old age, they were murdered for preaching the Word of God which is all true.

Do you support the truth of the Scriptures?

Only the Apostle John died of old age of the 12 Apostles of the Lord, the rest were murdered for preaching the Words of Jesus, which we now call the "Gospel of Jesus Christ".

Do you support the truth of the "Gospels"?

Do you realize that if God has laid it on your heart to witness to a certain person and we refuse and that person ends up in Hell, we have just become a murderer!

There is the sin of commission and there is the sin of omission.

Commission is knowingly committing sin and being disobedient to God.

Omission is failure to do what is required of us being disobedient to God.

It is a terrible thing that our hands are so bloody that even our fingers are defiled!

Defiled means, made dirty, polluted, soiled, corrupted, sinful!

To tell just one lie is impossible because that one lie will have to be defended by another and then many others.

To lie is an intentional violation of the truth and therefore an intentional violation of the Law of God and shows that you do not love the Lord with all your heart. To lie is to deceive and the great deceiver is Satan himself.

Perverseness is acting in opposition to what is proper and the Word of God has given us all the proper ways to act!

And God continues.

*****Isa 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Justice is doing what the Word of God commands and those that reject the Word of God do not want to see true justice for God's people. In fact, they are only interested in fulfilling their own desires for personal justice as they see it themselves!

These are the same people that call all good things bad, and all bad things good!

Justice is an attribute of God:

Psa 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

When we refuse to allow justice to move forward we are violating the intention of the Lord!

Divine justice is that side of Divine righteousness which exhibits fairness!

Job 36:17 But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on thee.

To serve the Lord, who will never do wrong, is to follow in His example!

Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Those that try to satisfy their own justice are only searching for vain glory of themselves. We can put many politicians in this category today. They forget they were chosen to serve the people and serve their own vain glory!

They speak lies, they conceive mischief, and they bring forth iniquity (sin) and they are proud of themselves for what they have accomplished which is vanity (nothingness)!

We have a government full of freeloaders, who do nothing but hinder the truth and expect to be paid for it and even more expect to live off that nothingness the rest of their lives. Wake up America!

What else does God say?

*****Isa 59:5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

Isa 59:6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Many believe that the "cockatrice" to be the horned viper which is very poisonous but only about a foot long. To me this is a picture of the devil!

The Word of God says that those who get to see the antichrist will be amazed at his nothingness!

Jesus said all those who twist the Word of God into something that is no longer true are all the true vipers!

Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Mat 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Those whose actions are to plot evil and mischief and cause methods to trap the innocent are the most terrible of all. They are poisonous and they spread their poison as far as they can get away with and even when it seems they are crushed that viper is still dangerous!

We all know that you cannot make garments from the spider’s web. The spiders web is intended to be a trap for some innocent passerby!

These false doctrines put forth by these deceivers serve no purpose except deception! Also, their attempt to disguise their sin is easily seen through if we will just look at their actions.

Mat_7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat_7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Their works are all of sin and the power to violence is in their hands unless they are stopped!

*****Isa 59:7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

It's sad but there some people who dream about being evil and when they wake up they go about performing what they dreamed about, in fact they rush to perform it. They are so full of mischief they cannot help themselves!

Most everything they accomplish causes harm to innocent people some things even causing the death of some totally innocent person. These people even claim to take delight and pleasure in the things that they do.

A good example of these things will happen on the upcoming day of celebrating our National Freedom Day. Many will begin their day with the intent of overdoing alcohol and in the end, many innocents will be injured or die and there are many other examples of these who run to do evil.

Their thoughts are thoughts of sin and it shows in their conduct and their actions with no regard for others! They have made them own selves’ gods!

They show no concern for wasting their own lives and destroying the lives of others and when one day ends another will begin with the same actions and the same results.

Pro 15:26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.

Rom 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

Therefore, they never know peace!

*****Isa 59:8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

They will never know peace because they have no desire for peace and in fact peace can only come to those who do things the right way. The right way is according to the Word of God!

Isa 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

The way to eternal life is straight and all those who choose their own path are traveling a "crooked path"!

Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

They cannot see the light of Jesus, for the darkness of this world!

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In fact, they really do not know how to escape from this dark world! (Therefore, this is our job to show them, that there is a way)

*****Isa 59:9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

The truth is, God will never deliver any of these without a complete change of their mind and their actions and they know it.

God has already passed "judgment" on all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If they have a sinless thought God will think nothing of it!

God will not revenge their wrong because they are already sentenced to death an, eternal separation from our Holy God!

God will not even punish their enemies who are just as guilty in sin!

God will never take vengeance for what one sinner does to another sinner! (Wake up sinner)

God will not take vengeance for what one evil nation does to another evil nation but God will provide for those who love Him in any case, understanding that God may just select to take many home to be with Him.

Some would call them martyrs but God just calls it "Come On Home" my child.

Psa_116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Those that reject the Lord may look for a brighter day but they will only remain in darkness!

A sinner can truly come to only one conclusion, "all the world is just as sinful as they are".

Just ask one and you will see!

Either they will recognize that what they do is not really sin at all but simply the freedom to be their own god or they will say that they are no different from the rest of the world. They most all have a desire to take what they wish especially from those who are innocent and those that try to do good!

God says: 2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

They grope around as blind people in a blind world.

What does God say for the believer to do?

Mat_15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

*****Isa 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

Notice these who love sin are aware that they are in darkness and in a pathetic sort of way, they are looking for their own lighted pathway that simply does not exist!

They have some vague sense of what "Brightness" is, comparing it to the noon day Sun but they are just as "dark" as if they were at midnight!

From verse one, we know they know that God has the ability to save them but they are like Judas and they cannot find it in their heart to repent!

These people want to be saved, but they just love their sin too much to give it up! "And So, Goes Our World Of Today"

Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

When we seek for the Lord in places that do not know the Lord enough to obey the Word of God, then He will not and cannot be found!

*****Isa 59:11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

Since only trained bears actually roar, bears do have different modes of making noises and they usually get alone to do these noises.

Likewise, the dove when it has lost its mate, will get alone and mourn by itself.

This is the state of many who would love to be saved when they are alone but as the dove they refuse to give up their mate (sin) and like the bear they do not care for those who would take away their freedom to sin!

They look for salvation to come to them without having to give up their sinful behavior but this will never happen and as time passes eventually they will become very angry at those who claim freedom from the wages of sin!

Many people think to repent is to say, "I'm sorry" and even though this is a small part of it, true repentance is walking away from that old life with no regrets!

Psa 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.

We already know that God keeps a written record of our sin and upon repentance that record is blotted out but for those who do not that record just accumulates.

Psa_51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

God is always ready to show His mercy and God has already taken the first step by the substitution of the Lord Jesus Christ in payment for our sins but we must take the next step and that next step is a leap of faith.

*****Isa 59:12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;

Isa 59:13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Before God will hear us, we must confess our sins!

Our sins testify against us!

Our sins rise up against us as our witness to this world!

When we openly confess our sins to the Lord, it makes us aware of just how sinful we are!

When we repeat a sin, and then confess it, we will then feel the shame of repeating any sin.

Our sin will constantly haunt us all our days! It would be a whole lot better if we do not wait to be so old to confess our sin to the Lord.

The Lord will forgive and forget but we on the other hand will still find it hard to forgive ourselves, once we know the Lord!

It takes a close personal relationship with the Lord to clear a guilty conscience!

Sin is a rebellion against the Word of God and His Son!

Israel had professed to be the followers of God but the sin of rebellion was their greatest sin.

Rebellion is denying the Word of God as the truth!

We cannot claim to know the Lord and reject what He says!

Jesus said: Luk_6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

The more we deny the Lord in our hearts but still confess Him with our mouth, the dirtier we become!

Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

God will never deliver such a people!

*****Isa 59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Isa 59:15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

How can there be a better statement of America today than "truth has fallen in the street".

We live in a land of perverted justice, where the guilty have more rights than the innocent and because riches can be made from this, it is allowed!

Shame on us as a nation to allow these things.

Shame on juries that allow this to keep happening in the name of justice!

Justice can only happen when the truth succeeds!

Justice stands so far off today it cannot hear those who make an appeal for justice!

False witnesses prevail over the truth and true witnesses are not allowed to testify or even be called!

Equity, which is true justice, is not even allowed into the court room because it would go against the ideals of an evil society.

Justice must remain outside the courtroom!

What a shame. Oh, did I write these things, no Isaiah was told by the Holy Spirit to tell us all about this world we live in today!

Psa 82:2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

Psa 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Psa 82:4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

Psa 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

Truth cannot fail, it can only be ignored!

When we are "Born Again" into the family of God and repent from our evil ways, we then make ourselves the prey of this evil society!

Truth that should be the social fabric of every society and ground work of morality is tossed aside. This is the worst thing that can happen to any people and to any nation!

Here we are today in a society that has become blind, abiding in darkness. The church has been quiet or in more cases have accepted this as our future just to keep the doors open.

The Word of God has become an old relic of little use!

The true church must raise up its voice and at least go down fighting!

God says we are on the winning side, so in a Godly and Holy way, why do we not prove this to be the truth!

Once we allow falsehood to take the place of the truth, then lying cannot be discredited and moral goodness and moral law will become non-existent!

This world we live in has forgotten that we have a God who has His eyes on everything that goes on in this world!

The real truth is, that those that trust the truth of God do not live in a hopeless world, in fact this world is not even our home!

When God saw these things in the past He sent us a Savior and this same Savior will return to gather those He has already Redeemed and take them own Home in just a short time!

*****Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

These Scriptures tell a story of mankind that should cause us great shame but more than that great concern.

Why as a human race do we not defend those who are being mistreated?

Where has the love for one another gone?

Why is it that certain groups with very big mouths think that they have rights that no one else does?

Why do we not defend good and condemn evil as it should be?

I believe our Holy God "was and is" certainly disappointed in His creation!

God gave the human race the knowledge and wisdom to overcome the obstacles of evil in this world and most of this world has just joined in to absorb more evil and less good!

Since there was no one who would stand in behalf of the "truth" and in behalf of "right" over wrong, God took drastic measures to save those who would have "faith"!

Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Have you been a boss with skilled men under you and requested for something to be done and that thing that was done did not meet your standards of quality and you decide you would have to do this thing yourself to get it right?

Then think about what God is saying here!

That "therefore" means because this thing called "salvation" could not be done right by anyone on this earth, God decided He would have to do this thing Himself!

Why is this thing so hard to understand?

The only skills available to overcome sin are the attributes of the Eternal Living God, Jehovah!

Our God then became our Savior!

Why is this so hard to understand?

Not one human could pay the price for sin, even for their own sin without eternal death, much less for the sin of this entire world so Jehovah God had to be the Intercessor.

For this reason, the "LORD" stepped into this world to save His own creation, the entire human race!

Why is this so hard to understand and accept as the truth?

The arm of the LORD is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Not just some Messenger, not just some Prophet, but our Savior!

Why are these things so hard to understand when God says them over and over again!

Psa 98:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Psa 98:2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

This world we live in is always seeking some champion!

Some find him in sports, some find him in politics, some find in in so-called religion, some find him in philosophy but God looked at the champions of the world and not one stood for those who are oppressed and slaves to sin!

There was no one on this earth that stood for "righteousness" which just means doing all things right and the right way is according to the Word of God!

God came to make things right!

*****Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

What is the nature of our God? "Righteousness"

If you miss this then you are wrong, we are in a war for our salvation!

We will lose that war without the Lord Jesus Christ!

In church, we sing about our "victory in Jesus" and many have forgotten the truth of that song!

There is no victory without Christ Jesus!

If the Lord Jesus Christ is my "righteousness" then it stands to reason that without Him I have no righteousness at all!

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

We also see that "righteousness" also includes "vengeance".

Much of the religious world have decided what a loving God will do and will not do, while ignoring what Jehovah has said He will do!

If our Loving God found that there could be no human Intercessor and He had decided that He must leave the portals of Heaven and become that Intercessor for the human race then certainly He would be angry at those who rejected His actions to save us all and why would we expect Him not to be?

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

If you had done such a thing for your own family, you would certainly be angry if your actions were rejected!

We call all believers the "church", "Bride of Christ" and these things are certainly true, so then why would we not expect God not to be angry enough to be vengeful to all unbelievers?

In fact, this Scripture says the Lord will wear "zeal" as a cloke.

Our Savior will have a great zeal for salvation!

Our Savior will also have a great zeal of anger for all those who reject Him and His salvation plan!

Zeal is a great eagerness and a great desire to accomplish these things He came to do!

The Lord first came to save!

The Lord will next come for vengeance!

The breast plate of righteousness because He will do "all" things right!

The helmet of salvation because no evil thoughts are His intention!

The garments of vengeance are to are the tools of His arsenal.

The cloke of zeal is His love for the believer combined with His displeasure for who reject Him.

How does God expect each believer to dress?

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Most of this world still does not realize that we are in a war and it is much better to be on the side of the Lord because this is the winning side!

God says we will certainly reap what we sow!

*****Isa 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

It should be obvious that those who reject the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, will see the "Judgment" of God!

An old saying from my past was "they don't believe cow horns toot"!

When God is ready, He will execute a "just" retribution to all those who reject His message!

God is perfect in "Righteousness" and God is perfect in "Judgment", because "perfection" is also an attribute of Jehovah God!

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Who are the adversaries of God? These are those who claim to know the Lord as their personal Savior but, serve their own selves and actually hinder the truth of God.

Who are the enemies of God of God? These are those who serve in false religions.

Those "islands" are all those who have made themselves to be God, in many cases we say Atheist but this goes beyond these to all others.

1Pe_4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

The truth is we will certainly reap what we have sown, all people will be repaid exactly what is due them and we already know that the wages of sin is "death" eternally separated from the Living God!

There will be great fear in the "Day of the Lord"!

*****Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Our enemy is called by different names. The serpent, the devil, Satan, the roaring lion, the deceiver and there are other names.

Some say he has great power but his power is limited! He is a crafty deceiver who refuses to make himself known. He has obtained many followers many of those unknowingly. He is the force behind the principalities and powers that rule this sinful world for riches and power that they hold over the head of the poor and they plan to keep it this way in defiance of the Lord.

Think back to the tower of Babel and we can see our world has not changed at all since that time!

Gen 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

These people will be much more than confused when the Lord returns!

When this enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him!

Once we understand the truth of God and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved by the "Grace" of God, we have a new owner and the Holy Spirit takes up a permanent residence with us.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

It is only by the power of the Triune God that we can resist the Devil!

2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

We not only proudly wear the seal of our Savior upon or soul but that same sealing does not allow Satan to ever possess us again!

The seal of the Holy Spirit says that we belong to Jehovah God! We have a new owner who is much more powerful than Satan and his followers!

It is the Holy Spirit who plants the Standard of God upon our soul and that Standard is the Lord Jesus Christ!

He is much stronger than our enemies!

He is much wiser than our enemies!

He is much closer to us than our enemies can ever get!

The soul cannot live in the devil but the soul has life by the Holy Spirit!

The soul can live without the devil but soul cannot live without the Holy Spirit.

When the heavens depart as a scroll and the Lord appears, all His enemies fill have a true and sincere fear of the Lord that will overwhelm them all!

Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Our Lord has made promises and all of them will be fulfilled!

*****Isa 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

Isa 59:21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Our Redeemer, the One who purchased us with His own blood out of the slave market of sin and set us free from sin's bondage after He has removed us before His wrath shall come to Zion and bring us with Him.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Isaiah knew all these things because it was the same Holy Spirit who fills each believer that gave Him these words!

The truth and the promise of God is, once we are filled with the Holy Spirit who will teach us the Word of God, then these things can never depart from us and since the Holy Spirit cannot die, neither can the soul of each believer!

Each and every adopted child of God will enter into the Kingdom of the Messiah and experience the glory of the Lord in the presence of God!

These Scriptures shows us the promises our Father made to our Redeemer.

This promise is for the Redeemed of Jacob!

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

This promise is for the Church!

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

What did Jesus say to His Father?

Joh 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

When we have received the Word of God and we have recognized the truth of God and have believed, then we can understand the promises that God has made with the knowledge that God has never broken a promise He has ever made!

Amen!