Resist the devil

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” ESV James 4:7

Often times when reading about war and military actions the word resistance comes up. And it usually carries the implication of conflict or the meeting of opposing forces. I looked the word up online and found this definition: “the act of opposing.” Similarly, a quick search on the word resist yielded: “to oppose actively.” These definitions make an important point; to resist, or the act of resistance is not passive. Resistance is active.

So, to resist is to actively oppose or engage. Likewise, in the case of our verse today, to resist the devil would mean to actively engage and oppose him. Rather than being passive against evil and the power of the devil, James is telling us to actively oppose him and the result will be that “he will flee from you.”

I have a passing interest in Civil War history because troops from the North and the South spent a lot of time, and often fought, right here in our backyard. So, I enjoy occasionally mining historical nuggets with a local connection. One day while I was reading from Shelby Foote’s Civil War about some troops stationed in Tuscumbia, I came across a rather brash quote from a young General that is meaningful to our discussion of active opposition. In a message to Jefferson Davis, John Bell Hood wrote this: “You may rely upon my striking the enemy whenever a suitable opportunity presents itself, and that I will spare no effort to make that opportunity.”

Now think about the parallels for a moment. Hood was engaged in a physical battle. Christians are engaged in a spiritual battle. Hood vowed to strike (actively oppose) his enemy. Christians are commanded to resist (actively oppose) our enemy; the devil. Hood vowed to strike whenever he could. Does James indicate that Christian resistance is part-time? Finally, note that General Hood vowed to “spare no effort to make that opportunity.” May I suggest that we are to do the same? Spare no opportunity to resist the devil.

Followers of Christ can anticipate, even expect the devil to be lurking around every corner. The bible says he is like a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8) Why then should we spare any effort to unveil him? Why should we spare any effort to reveal the devil who is camouflaged, hidden in the shadows, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness? The answer is obviously that we shouldn’t. We must spare no effort to reveal the devil and resist him.

In physical combat, the tools of resistance are munitions designed to inflict bodily harm; guns, bombs, etc. Next week, we’ll look at the spiritual tools of resistance. Tools that make the enemy flee.

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville where he leads an adult Bible study. Comments are welcome and may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.

Fear, Imagination & Reality

“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. ESV Deuteronomy 18:10-12

There was a “New Earth Festival” in Huntsville this past Sunday. Apparently, this festival provided a forum for tarot card readers, ghost hunters, new age healers and the like. Now I don’t pretend to know all the details, but here’s how the Huntsville Times reported on one of ten topics under the heading: Do skulls hold key to world salvation?

“According to folklore, 13 crystal skulls were created in a dimension other than this world up to 30,000 years ago and hidden in Central and South America. On Dec. 21, 2012, the skulls will reunite, activate and save the Earth from doom.” (I’m not making this up.) To which one person is quoted as saying: “I’m a believer and I’m a skeptic. I just don’t know.” How’s that for a disciple?

If it were not so sad, the whole event would provide much comic relief; it’d be a hoot. But it is sad. It’s sad because it’s just another example of the extraordinary lengths our society will go to both fuel and quench our fears of mortality with our own imaginations. We go to all manner of trouble to obscure and/or soft pedal truth. And in so doing, serious discussion is replaced with entertainment. As Neil Postman said in his aptly titled book, we are Amusing Ourselves to Death. I mean think about it. We’re all one day closer to meeting our maker today than yesterday and these folks would have us seek answers at a conference for fortune tellers…It’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic; useless.

The Bible says that there is no place for such nonsense with God’s people. But the nonsense is not new. We’ve may communicate it differently, but it was present even in the times of Moses!

The nonsense endures, but the truth endures as well. And the truth is that an all-powerful, timeless, all-knowing, righteous, just and holy God created the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them. And he’s not served, glorified or amused by our entertaining antics.

So, what is the key to world salvation? The writer of Hebrews says it best: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville where he leads an adult Bible study. Comments are welcome and may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.

A Dose of Reality

“Jesus said to him [Thomas], "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ESV John 14:6

These last few weeks we’ve looked at who God is (Creator of all things and worthy of all praise), what God demands of creation (to love Him with every fiber of our being and our neighbors as ourselves), and our societal drift in opposition to God’s commands; namely, the self-centered attitude of “it’s all about me;” my wants, my desires and my gratification supersede all else.

Do you see the conflict between God’s commands and society’s attitude? That conflict can only result in separation from God. Now, this is the point where a politically correct columnist would move on, but let’s talk frankly about this separation issue. One of these days, the same God who created the world is going to judge the world. And those found wanting, will be banished from His presence forever. It won’t be fun; it will be torment; it will be hell.

But ask someone to join you in Bible study and you’ll get all kinds of answers: I know I need to be in church… I’m going to clean up my life… I’m a good person; I’m ok… I’m a member at _____church… Momma used to carry me to church every Sunday… I’d come, but the church is full of hypocrites…I’m not into organized religion…The sad reality is that none of those answers will suffice on judgment day. When we meet our Creator, all excuses and human reasoning will be out the window. Instead, a holy God will judge sinful man and sentence him on the spot.

But the same God who will judge sin has provided a means of reconciliation with Himself. And that means is through His Son, Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, God “gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). There is no catch, but here’s something very important: Jesus is the only means of reconciliation that God has provided. There is no other way to be reconciled with God; religion won’t do it; cleaning up your life won’t do it; your momma’s good intentions won’t do it. “No one comes to the Father except through me [Jesus].

Drew Jones has written a short song (The Gospel Song) that has captivated me because of the way it beautifully summarizes this central Bible truth. It goes like this: “Holy God, in love became -- perfect Man to bear my blame. On the cross He took my sin. By His death I live again.”

Amen.

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville where he leads an adult Bible study. Comments are welcome and may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.

It’s All About Me

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” ESV Romans 3:20

Last week’s article asked the question: What does God demand? The answer, from the Gospel of Matthew, was that we are to love God with all of heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. How does the reality of our lives compare to commands of God?

I had an opportunity this past week to read about the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. You know the story, but let me point out a few similarities to our society. In Genesis 9, God had commanded the survivors of the great flood to “multiply and fill the earth” and again to “teem on the earth and multiply in it.” Now, any way I read it, I get the impression that God is telling them to scatter about the earth; as in the whole earth. But when you come to Genesis 11, you’ll find the people all congregated together, living large and comfortably on the plain of Shinar; one big happy family.

The text goes on the say that not only had they settled in this land, but that they also desired to make a name for themselves by building a tall tower reaching into the heavens. They justified the goal and building project by suggesting that such a creation would prevent them from being “dispersed over the face of the earth.” Do you see any contradictions emerging here? The desires of mankind were directly contrary to God’s commands; contrary to God’s Law. Now I ask you, is it really any different today or are the natural desires of man contrary to God’s commands found in Matthew?

Isn’t it amazing how timeless the Bible is? The same issues were present in Rome during the Apostle Paul’s time. And in our text today, he points out that knowledge of God’s Law doesn’t bring us closer to God. No, the knowledge of God’s commands only brings to light the sins for which we are guilty. In other words, knowledge of God’s commands reveals just how self centered we really are! Admittedly, such knowledge should bring about a remorseful and repentant attitude, but that’s certainly not always the case.

No, our generation seems intent on satisfying personal desires without regards to God’s commands. We truly do live in an age whose motto could be: It’s all about me. The same attitude was prevalent in Paul’s day, that’s why he goes on to say in verse 23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned and our sin separates us from God. Honestly ask yourself, is my life 100% God-centered and not the least bit self-centered?

So what is the answer? If God commands one thing while we pursue contrary desires, something has to give or we’ll find ourselves eternally separated from God. More on this next week…

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville where he leads an adult Bible study. Comments are welcome and may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.