The Church Today In Its War Against Sin

The Church Today In Its War Against Sin THE CHURCH TODAY IN ITS WAR AGAINST SIN
W. S. LONG In obedience to the highest impulse—the desire to do good —I come before you this morning to speak of the Church of Christ and her war against sin and Satan. When we remember that the Church cost the blood of Christ and was established to save sinners it should stir every fiber of our souls. When the word is used as Jesus used it there comes before us that mighty army of saints and martyrs who have suffered through the past 1900 years—fighting for those principles dedicated by the blood of Christ and His apostles. It has always been composed of the noblest, purest, and bravest men and women who have ever adorned our common humanity. The earthly life of Christ was one continuous battle against the forces of darkness, and His victorious struggle gave to his Church the power to overcome sin, Satan, and death, and there are no such words as failure or defeat to those who follow Him.

Let us think of every Christian as a soldier, clad in the armor of righteousness, and bravely contending for the right against error in every form.

It has been said, We are against too many things, but not for enough things, but the true soldier of Christ must not only stand up for all that is true, holy and right but he must stand out clearly against all forms of sin without fear or favor. Men who have accomplished the most for the world, and who have measured up to the preaching of the Apostles and their contemporaries, were severe on false doctrine and were recognized as “fighters.” Every one should fight sin. Stephen delivered but one sermon that was recorded, and yet he was immortalized because he fell with his face toward the foes of death, and with the sword of the Spirit drawn against false doctrine. He was not one of those “tender footed” men, afraid some one would be offended if he exposed their errors. If you want to know the attitude of the Apostolic Church and the preachers of that time regarding Sin and Satan, I present to you today men like Paul, Peter, James, and Jude, and call upon them to be our witnesses. Hear their words as the Holy Spirit sat upon their lips in glorious power and majesty. Paul would walk into our midst and say, “The night is far spent, and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12). “Thou, therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus * * * * no soldier on service en- tangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.” In his last message to the Church at Ephesus he says, Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.” To the Chruch in wicked Corinth he writes, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” rwomen from the fires of Sin which is near to consume their souls. Peter says to the great army everywhere “Arm yourselves with the same mind.” (1 Peter 4:1).

Now, the solemn question, which we are considering is; Does the Chruch of today measure up to the Apostolic Church in its warfare against sin and Satan. Are we equipped for the struggle? * Are we ready to endure the hardships as did they? Are fired with the same degree of zeal possessed by those great souls? Have we forsaken all that we might follow Christ? Has worldliness, selfishness, prejudice, narrowness, and petty jealousy been swallowed up by our love for the Chruch, and our desire to save lost souls from the hand of Satan?

I. Preparedness.
The warfare against Sin is the greatest work in all the earth, and if we would succeed in such a conflict we must, first of all, be well prepared. To be equipped we must follow the divine instructions, which say “Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17) The next step in this preparation is to ask God’s guidance and help. So Paul says, “Praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” What an inspiring picture is here presented of God’s people all over the world in their war against sin. Each clad in the Armor of the Lord, each lifting his voice to God in prayer constantly for guidance, and each praying for all other Christians that they, too, may be more than conquerors through Him who loved them and washed them in His blood.

II. Satan’s Tactics.
In the second place we must know the tactics of Satan, and his many methods of leading people into sin. Is not this what Jesus means when He says, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Did not Paul drive this truth home to every heart when he said, “Watching, there- anto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints'.' By knowing the tactics of Satan do not think for a moment that I mean for any one to go to the places of Sin and follow he ways of Satan to learn his devices. No, you don’t get it that way. The banker knows the counterfeit money, the worthless imitations, because he knows the genuine. He does not go out and take part in handling the false money and passing it on the public to know the difference. So if you know God and His truth, you can at once detect the errors of the evil one, and false teaching the very minute it comes to light. Oh, how Satan has attempted to whiten and beautify sin that it may appear to have the sweetness of the rose and the luster of the lily. Look at the billboards stretched along our highways from Maine to California, picturing the poison cigaret in the fingers of the innocent girl. The cigarette in the fingers of the girls today is the serpent that will destroy this nation tomorrow. Every device possible has been seized upon by money lovers to make sin appear to be harmless and helpful. To illustrate: The country boy sees a glowing picture of his possibilities if he will enlist in the Navy or Army. It offers a trip around the world and a liberal education. But every sowing must have its harvest, and in a few years he faces the fact that he is engaged in the work of wholesale murder under the name or patriotism.

“Be not deceived—whatsoever you sow that shall you reap.” This Christian warfare, my fellow countrymen, is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against Spiritual wickedness in high places. Satan seeks every avenue possible to deceive the hearts of men. He uses his servants to secure a seat as instructor in our colleges and universities. He comes under the pretense of a preacher of the gospel and from the pulpit he destroys the faith of many in the wrnrd of God. Such instructors ore but Satan’s servants and are using the Bible, but handling it deceitfully, as did the Devil when he tried to destroy our Savior in His hour of temptation. Paul warns us that Satan will transform himself into an angel of light and his servant as a minister of righteousness. I pause here to say, I thank God that we have colleges such as Abilene Christian College, in which all the teachers are true to God, and that Satan can never have a part as an instructor. Sin and Satan have entered into thousands of what is thought to be the best books and magazines, and in this way the souls of our youth are being destroyed—and character undermined. The warfare is prodigious sin for Satan is the “Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is at work in the children of obedience.”

III. Begin at Home.
In this great battle against Sin, we must begin first at the House of God. Jesus twice came to His Father’s house and cleansed it of its thieves and corruption. The first Church in the world was kept clean as long as it existed. Men could not slip into the Holy place and into its sacred worship with a corrupt life and be held in esteem because they were men of prestige in the world. They were openly rebuked at once, and if they failed to show fruits of repentance the Church immediately withdrew fellowship. The Holy Spirit so commands us today. “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). Again, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6). The story of Akin and the golden wedge is no doubt given to teach us that we are defeated—anl church is crippled and defeated— when it permits men and women to be held in good fellowship when it is known that such are unfaithful and impure.

IV. Endure Hardness.
But with all our knowledge and all our scholarship we can never expect to make successful warfare against Sa^an unless we know ourselves true soldiers. The true Christian will not be content with a soft seat and be of ease. A Christian is not a fair weather person who attends worship just to be entertained. He is faithful for God, and must “endure hardness,” face the bitterest weather, the deepset sorrows, and the most discouraging conditions—and this will do with his whole heart if he loves God. The success of the Revolutionary War was due to the courage of men like Washington, Adams, Heni'y, Putnam, and Pitt, wlio faced the charges of the wilderness and who hungered, suffered, bled and died that we might sing of the “Land of the True, and the Home of the Brave.” By indescribable hardships they planted the tree of liberty in American soil and watered it with their tears and blood.

If for such a cause they gladly suffered so much, then how much more should we suffer for the most glorious and sacred Cause in all the earth. The Church of Christ has a glory higher than the heavens, transcending all time, more sacred than the bleeding cross upon which our Savior died, and more enduring than all the Kingdoms of ages past. Such a great cause, and such a warfare calls for men of the highest type and the deepest convictions. Is it any wonder that Paul exclaimed: “Watch ye, sand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” Our greatest need at this hour is men who are ready to suffer and to fight.

“God give us men: A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and willing hands:
Men whom the lust of office cannot kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and will,
Men who have honor: Men who will not lie:
Men who can stand before the Demagogue
And scorn his treacherous flattery without winking;
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and private thinking.”

V. A Love Which Inspires
The Church in the days of the Apostles had a love and a zeal that came from the very heart of Jesus they loved the cause better than all other things of earth. Upon their banner was inscribed the hope and happiness of all nations. They believed the word of Christ. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul.” They knew the gospel was the only power to save men, and that if it was rejected the world would be left in midnight gloom. The principles for which they contended included every promise, type, and phophecy of the Old Testament, from the smoking sacrifice of righteous Abel to the Lamb of God whose precious blood was shed upon the cruel cross. They were ready to suffer and to die for this gospel because it embraced all the hopes held sacred in the heart of Abraham and all the holy prophets for four thousand years. Without this hope no welcome voice resound along the dark channel house of death: No rose of immortality would blossom upon the grave of our loved one. It was the Gospel of Our Lord and Savior that inspired their love and inflamed their souls because it sent its shafts of light divine across the centuries and wrote life joy, peace and hope upon the dust and ashes of the tomb of every child of God. Their love was so deep so high and so holy that they fought with the courage of true men, and with the Calmness of angels till they had given every ounce of strenght, and (some of them) every drop of a martyr’s blood. No higher compii- ment was ever paid to men and women than the one recorded in the 11th Chapter of Hebrews: “And what shall I more say, For the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah: of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance: that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of mockings and scouragings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonments: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword: they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented * * wandering is deserts and mountains and caves, and holes of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:32-39).

I pause and ask, to what degree do we measure up to those brave and illustrous characters? Is our courage comparable to theirs? Are we found in the slums? trying our best to save the lost and forsaken? Do you believe the Church of today compares favorably with the Church in Apostolic times? I fear we are “weighed and found wanting.” The knowledge that in our Christian wrfare there is no such word as failure or defeat should stir the heart of every Christian to the greatest zeal and the brightest hopes. Mighty kings have risen rapidly to worldly splendor, and received the praise of milions, but soon their flag and their cause trailed in the dust of forgetfulness, but across the banner of Christ is written, “Eternal Victory,” and all the powers of earth and hell can never defeat God’s faithful. We are assured too, that every act of service in Christ’s name will be rewarded even to the cup of cold water. Napoleon, while an exile at St. Helena, had time to meditate upon earthly kingdoms, and he gave utterance to the following words. “ The more I study the world the more I realize the inability of force to create anything durable. Charlemagne, Alexander the Great, Caesar and myself, have built empires, but I ask upon what did these creations of our genius depend. They depended upon force. Jesus Christ built His Kingdom upon Love, and today millions would die for Him.” Massive monuments have been erected to men of earthly fame, who led armies to victory or defeat, and who drenched the land in blood, but the humblest soldier of the Cross, by faithful service, and a firm stand for truth can come to the closing bounds of life and say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, and I have kept the faith.” It will be there the answer will come re-echoing from the throne of Christ, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.’ Then may he say in the words of the poet:

“On palaces, Sculptures, and crowns,
Your pride with disdain I survey,
Your pomp is but shadows and sounds,
That pass in a moment away.
The crown that my Savior bestows,
Yon permanent sun will outshine,
My joy everlasting flows
My God and my Redeemer is mine.”

VI. Our Greatest Need I am persuaded that our greatest need is faith.
Israel lost 40 years wandering in the wilderness because of unbelief. John tells us that “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” In Apostolic days it was Faith that cast out all fear and sent the Gospel into all parts of the earth in less than a century. God give us faith, and victory is certain.