Enmity in the Unregenerated Heart

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Greetings in the precious name of our Lord this morning. I trust you've had an encounter with him already. And it has blessed your soul and given you the courage and strength to live for him. [00:00:31] When a few years ago, down in our pond, the geese seemed to have come back every year and hatch out their little goslings. One day three goslings came walking in the driveway and there was no mother or no father, just three abandoned geese. So we had a goose experience that summer. We tried to domesticate them and we fed them and we took care of them and we tried to teach them how to swim. [00:01:02] That might sound strange to you, that you'd have to teach a goose how to swim. But that's the way it was. We put them in a tank, and you know what those geese did? They rolled upside down, head underwater, and didn't know how to swim. Later, we threw them into the pond. We said, you're going to learn how to swim. They made the most frantic effort to get out of the pond. So I don't know what we mean when we say, as a duck takes the water. But that's the way it was. [00:01:35] We taught those geese. We kept those geese for a while. They grew bigger. First they didn't know how to fly, but they sometimes started practicing and they went down over the hill where there was an incline and they learned to fly eventually. Then something happened. As time went on, other geese came by. They flew overhead and you know how the geese honk. That did something to these geese. [00:02:08] They began to honk. Now they did not know those cousins of theirs. They just were domesticated geese to a certain measure. They followed us. They were our friends. They trusted us, it seemed like. But then they would hear another honk. And one day they rose up, and we don't know exactly when it was, but they must have risen and circled and joined the geese and they were on their way. The call of the wild is what they were hearing, I'm sure. [00:02:42] And the reason they heard that call is because there was something within them that identified with that. Now, that's not what we're going to preach, but maybe you will see a connection as we continue on. We'd like today to think about the conflict for the souls of men. There's a battle raging today, all around us and sometimes within us. As you look around, you see today all kinds of things happening that sometimes, I don't know what to say, I'm speechless as I think of the things that happen to people. [00:03:26] The things that people do that any person that would stop and think would know is destructive. So you have the nickel mine road. Tragedy And many others You have churches dividing You have families breaking down And all kinds of evil things There's a battle raging We don't always understand We think of the people involved And there are people involved [00:03:58] But there is more than what meets the eye And that's why we want to think about To a certain extent this morning That is the conflict for the souls of men Man was created in God's image, we all know that And in his likeness and in fellowship with God Then came the usurper And he tempted man to believe a lie Man made a choice [00:04:29] And that image was broken and the fellowship was broken And God said at the outset back there in Genesis 3.15 that I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed. Enmity means conflict. And as I was looking at this conflict and this war, I'm not sure what all I would see. Normally when I think of a war, I think of like in the Old Testament times, [00:05:03] Sometimes you might think of the day when David and Goliath met out there between the Philistines and the Israelites. As I picture it, there was a valley down here between two mountains. Over here there was one group of people and over here another. They had their spears and their weapons of war and they were in a raid. The lines were set. They were waiting the moment when they would clash. The Philistines were going to fight Israelites and Israelite Philistines, but first they had that competition between two. [00:05:42] Before we look further at that, I'd like to just read a couple of scriptures. When Paul was here, he said he was not ignorant of the Satan's devices. Now, the conflict is set up between God and Satan. We all understand that. Paul said he's not ignorant of Satan's devices. I'm not always sure where the line is between overemphasizing, focusing on the enemy and being naive and overlooking the tactics of the enemy. [00:06:19] But I'd like to notice several things that the scripture tells us about this conflict. In Galatians the fifth chapter it says, for the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. We see a little different line of this conflict being set up. First you see God and Satan. Next you see flesh and spirit. And as we would look further into the scripture we would find as well that the conflict involves the world on the one side [00:06:55] and the church on the other, the kingdom of heaven. All three of these are in conflict with each other. Now in this battle that we see arrayed like the Philistines, like we normally might think of war, we see two opposing forces coming to clash with each other, to overcome each other. In the spiritual sense we see God and we see Satan. We see Calvary and we see the world. [00:07:28] Or maybe you want to make the lines or the comparisons at a different point. We see the Holy Spirit and the world. Maybe it would be a better place. God the Father in His plan of salvation. We see Calvary and we see the Holy Spirit and the world. We see the Word of God and we see fallen nature. And we see the church and we see the world. They are arrayed against each other. But there, as I was looking into the scripture, my view of that battle arraigned parted ways with what you might see in this case. [00:08:08] Usually a war is to overcome the enemy. And we're not going to say this morning that that's not a part of the spiritual war, but there is a sense in which that war is already fought. It's not a matter today of truth and untruth clashing to see which is going to win. The truth has already won. It'll always be truth and it'll never be overcome. God and Satan, they have had their conflict. [00:08:43] There's not going to be another contest to see which of the two is going to come out victorious. That war has been fought and the verdict is in. God has won and Satan was cast out and Jesus said, I saw him like lightning fall from heaven. He is a defeated foe. What is there to fight about? In my mind I see today these two opposing forces in array. [00:09:15] But there is a third thing that comes into play. Down here in this valley, you see the soul of a man. He's you and he's me. He's the entire world. There is the soul of a man. Now, who is going to fight against that soul? The conflict is with the individual. We were instructed a week ago, a number of times, as we made reference to this Wednesday evening, [00:09:51] how that this thought impacted us that God will never override the volition of man. Man has a choice. This war, it seems to me, consists primarily of this side and this side and coming and appealing, making an appeal, making a call, getting the response of this soul to the one side or the other. And the choice that you and I make as to which side we will join forces with is going to determine if we're going to be victors or losers. [00:10:31] Because the one side has already won. That battle is over with. But the battle for the soul of a man continues as long as we live. And depending on how much of that wild spirit that we have in us we will respond to the one side or the other in part. If you hear the call of the wild and there is an answering call within what will be your response and mine? [00:11:03] You'll hear that honk and it rings a bell. It reminds me of what an evangelist that used to come around here years ago of an illustration that he gave us when he talked about the bent towards sin. We know that if you take a piece of steel, a piece of steel has temper in it. It is, depending whether it's hot roll, cold roll, or whatever, it has a certain temper in it. It is strong. It withstands. But once you bend that steel, from then on it is going to bend easier at that point than it did before. [00:11:46] The bent towards sin. When man was fallen, though man may be taught, we may know what is right and wrong finally. And that's what Satan did. He presented that to Adam and Eve and said, you will know what is right and wrong. you yourselves will know but the bent towards sin certainly weakened man and we know that man is lost without God after that so [00:12:18] there is a definite decided advantage in not living not yielding to the bent of sin Although we have inherited the basic problem, but even the practice, the response to the wrong side continues to weaken us and weaken us and weaken us more. And that is why we believe this morning that we need a different mentality that exists in the world around us. [00:12:51] That is that we're only young once, so we need to enjoy, we need to give room to express that bent towards sin until we are a little older and then we settle down. Every step a man takes away from God is a step he will sometime have to retrace to come back to God. It brings bondage. This idea of spending some time when we have a different mentality and different ambitions and different zeal is a lie from the enemy. [00:13:33] It is an appeal that this one side is making to this soul down here in the valley and saying, listen, I have something to tell you. I have something to offer you. And when we ascribe to that appeal, we're experiencing something we don't realize. There are only two roads as far as I can tell in the scripture. There are only two sides. The one belongs to Satan, the other to God. [00:14:08] And every response I make in life is to one or the other. They are appealing to me, to my conscience, to my understanding, to my emotions. And when Satan's side speaks, if it's through the world, if it's through the flesh, or if it's from the satanic forces directly, it is taking me away from God. And the contrary is also true, thank God, this morning. [00:14:43] So, maybe you want to picture with me a little bit this warfare as being not so much two opposing parties against each other as the forces reaching out to get the voluntary response of a soul. and that joins one to one side or the other. The Bible tells us about this conflict in different terms. Jesus said, it's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [00:15:15] That gives you God's viewpoint. When he comes to a man or to a soul and he makes an appeal, it's because he wants to give us the kingdom. And that would be a message in itself. Now, what is the kingdom? What all does it include? You work that out. You search that out. What is the kingdom that the Father has good pleasure in giving to us? On the other side, we see the scripture in 1 Peter, where is about chapter 5, I think, where it says, [00:15:48] For your adversary, the devil, goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may, say it, devour. See the difference? The motive between the two sides is completely opposed. One is to give the kingdom. The other is to appear as a friend, but the purpose is to devour, to destroy. [00:16:23] He has not come but to destroy, the Bible says. That's his real purpose. One side we have a holy and loving God. On the one side, we have a sinful and hateful enemy. On the one side, we have a celestial city. On the other side, there is a raging inferno. On the one side, we have a heavenly choir. On the other side, we have wailing and gnashing of teeth. [00:16:54] On the one side, we have eternal day. And on the other side, there is outer darkness. They are completely opposed to each other. It seems to me that if I understand right what is in the mind of our enemy it is, he knows he cannot come back against God. He knows he cannot overcome God. He has lost his position, he has lost his right, and the way that he seeks to come back to God is to steal God's crowning creation. [00:17:32] and to get our devotion. So He's after us. Let us remember this morning there are two opposing forces. They are both calling us. We are a wanted people. It's a blessing to think of that when you think about God wanting us. But let's remember we are also wanted by the other side. He is going about seeking, seeking, seeking Whom ye may devour So both sides appeal to the soul [00:18:07] And we hear contradictory calls My heart goes out To young people As I see the wickedness Abounding in this world I don't know what my grandchildren I don't know what some of you young people are all going to have to face in this world because more and more the darkness is encroaching. Now I know that throughout scripture we find accounts of how wickedness [00:18:39] roined over the earth till God even repented himself that he had made man. But the scripture also says that in the end times evil men shall wax worse and worse and worse. Now we're not saying this morning that we need to live with a spirit of fear and dread because fear itself is a tactic of the enemy. We can today trust in God with hope and confidence that He which has begun a good work in us will perform it till the day of Christ. [00:19:12] Yet, as I think back to the times when I was where many of the young people are today, when I was 15, 14, 15, 16 years of age, Maybe things haven't changed so awful much But I remember when I was experiencing what you can read in Romans the 7th chapter I'd like to read there from 7 to the end I'll just break in here He's talking about the law and what the law does [00:19:42] What shall we say then? Is the law sin? He was saying here how that getting the law he got under a He got into problems And you know what? That's what the law is for. To get us into problems. Or to get us to understand that we have a problem. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin but by the law. For I had not known lust except the law. It said thou shalt not covet. But sin, sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. Now concupiscence means all manner of lusts or desires. Just all kinds of things that my heart longs after. [00:20:27] Sin gave me those desires. Remember, young people and older, because the call of the wild continues to the day of our death. No one is today exempt from being tempted and tested in this warfare. But especially as we start out on this course of life, we have all kinds of desires. Make sure who is calling when you have a desire in your heart. Is it this side or is it this side? There are only two sides. [00:21:03] I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And as we begin to understand right and wrong, as we begin to understand the moral values of life and God's view of life, you know something happens we begin to see ourselves as having covetousness in our hearts all kinds of things come out of this cesspool when we really get the true picture when we see God's plumb line on our life [00:21:36] when the commandment came sin revived and I died and the commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death God said, live like this and it will please God. Then we hear what God says, but the next thing we hear is, you're condemned to die. Why? Because we cannot live the commandment of God in ourselves. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. [00:22:07] But also, that sin might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, soul under sin. For that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. [00:22:38] For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. for to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not for the good thing I would I do not but the evil thing which I would not that I do now that's where I went in my thinking as I remembered back to when I was that age I remember coming home on the school bus night after night and I was just expressing [00:23:10] And what was in here? Not just wicked things, although I was found in. I'm going to leave that. But just emptiness of life. Something was not satisfying. Nothing was satisfying. And I would resolve, tomorrow I'm going to do better. And I'd get to school and I'd come home again on the school bus [00:23:42] and I'd be caught up in this loose, living, frivolous life, happy-go-lucky type of thing and there was that emptiness again. As empty as a paper bag. Just nothing. And then I'd make another resolve in my heart. The good that I would, I did not. And what I did not want to do, that I did. It was a cycle. There were voices calling. [00:24:13] There were pressures there. There were allurements, invitations, compelling forces. And so I went. That's why I say my heart goes out to young people. When you face these voices, if you're facing these voices on your own, my friends, you're a victim. The scripture says, well, maybe I should say this yet. [00:24:45] Sometimes a person gets to the place where you feel like you're torn into two. That's what Paul was saying. The good I would, I did not. What I didn't want to do, that I did. Life was just a whirlpool of failure, of misery. Nothing fulfilling. That's not God's standard for life, my friends. Life has more to offer than that. Paul ended up in this scripture saying, [00:25:18] Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I don't know if you can identify with me this morning that kind of an experience. When you say, this is wretchedness. This is not what the people are talking about. This is not what the Bible says. This is empty. This is flat. I don't have anything to look forward to till the next thrill, but then it goes away. [00:25:49] And when you're alone at night Just you and God and your thoughts, then what do you hear? What do you see? Maybe I'm different than all other people, but I remember that. Until one night, and I didn't know how you handled situations like this. There were no revival meetings. There were no invitations. Nobody told me how to get born again, how to get off of this cycle, till one night the Lord spoke to my conscience. [00:26:35] I didn't even know what he was saying. I didn't even know it was the Lord speaking. One thing I knew, that this world was an awfully dark place. It had nothing to offer. You see, this side that had been coming with all its offers, with all its invitations, with all its opportunities, was hiding in that darkness, that outer darkness, when you don't see what's going on. I went through a night like that. God was merciful to me. Before that one night I was with one of my friends. We were going out south of Goshen on Route 33 and all I could remember is I heard the stones flying and our cars swerved around and all the lights went out. [00:27:30] I was unconscious in a crash car. It was just two days before time to go on our school field trip. And I thought, I'll be good enough in the morning to go, but I didn't go along. And I thank God that God spared me and gave me another opportunity. It was one of those calls from the right side. When God in His mercy gave me a wake-up call and He gave me another opportunity. [00:28:08] But then that time came when my motive, my desire was that I wanted to live for God. I didn't enjoy the life I was living. It was empty and flat. I finally got baptized. I joined the church. I listened to the instructions. But I had no peace in my heart It felt kind of good It felt better But it wasn't enough Then that Saturday night [00:28:42] When the Lord spoke to me The next day I went to church I didn't know what was going on I thought by then I was losing my mind Thank God I lost it. I went home with my next door neighbor friend. He wanted to play some games, but my mind was far from those games. Fact is, I was afraid if I would try hard enough to think how to win this game, [00:29:17] I'd lose what little mind I had left. So I just chugged along. but by Sunday night in church we sat there, the preacher preached German I'm sure I don't know what he said but all at once the light went on and right there there was a revelation that the other side was calling I don't know if I should be telling you this or not [00:29:48] because it's not what you read in the Bible But I trust it's what comes as a result of what you read in the Bible. All at once I understood I was lost. I was lost. I had no hope. I was without God. I was baptized. I joined church. I went to church. I did a lot of good things, but I was lost. And in that service, I began to have a struggle. [00:30:24] You think, you talk about being torn apart on the inside. That's what it was. There was a struggle. This voice was saying, What are the people going to say if you admit that you are lost? This voice said, What does it matter what the people say? This voice said, you're going to lose your friends. This voice said, I'll be your friend. And there are more friends to be had. [00:30:56] There I was in that lurch. And it came to the point where there was a decision had to be made. Either I will go the way of this voice, or I'll go the way of this voice. and I knew in my heart this wasn't working and I said Lord I don't care what it costs I don't care what people think there's just one thing [00:31:29] that I need to have that I must have that is I must become your child and when I made that commitment right there in that church service nobody showed me how and all that emptiness got filled up before I would go through this cycle resolve, fail, resolve, fail I didn't see anything visible happen [00:32:01] but I made a commitment that night that I was going to go and talk to my father explain to him My heart and whatever it takes, that's fine. It was a commitment. I believe 50%, that's an arbitrary number, a goodly percent of a person's victory in the Christian walk depends on the degree of his commitment. [00:32:34] That was the hardest part, was to make the commitment. After that, those things, you know what? They just kind of disappeared. I didn't make a resolution the next day. I'm not going to do this. Or I'm going to do this. There was a new desire. The old passed away and all things became new. I wonder if that's really the focal point of this warfare. [00:33:07] is to get the consent of the soul of a man. The two sides are appealing. They're calling. We are a wanted people. There's a conflict going. The Bible says Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you like wheat. Jesus said that to Peter. The devil goes about seeking, seeking. Jesus said, Father, I will that they that Thou hast given me be with me where I am. [00:33:44] He wants us on His side. Again, the Bible says that when the sheep was lost, the good shepherd went out at great cost to himself to find the sheep. He wouldn't do that if He didn't want us. He wanted us. and in Peter it says the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but he is long-suffering to us we're not willing not willing that any should perish that means [00:34:15] he's willing that all should be saved he wants us the two sides are calling Satan uses many tactics We could talk a long time as a brotherhood about things involved in this subject. But I'd like to just expose a few of Satan's tactics that we may identify them. One of them, the first thing about the nature of Satan is that he's a deceiver. [00:34:49] That's one of his names. The things he tells us are not true. They may seem ever so true, but they're not true. He is a liar. He's the father of lies. He is called the deceiver. At the very best, like Moses in Egypt, it says he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. At the very best, the things that Satan offers us are of short duration. [00:35:25] That's the best he can do. The reality is, everything he promises is empty. He has nothing to give. He has been defeated. In thy presence, our memory verse said this morning, is fullness of joy. On God's side. Satan uses allurements, he puts out the bait, but he hides it, he hides something inside the bait, that hook [00:35:59] He puts out the allurement, it looks like we're just having a good fun time Friends, we're not saying this morning that we can't do some things that are enjoyable I believe Christians, fun is a pretty cheap word, but I'll use it this morning because it's commonly used. Christians have some fun. At least they have enjoyment. They have pleasure, but it's the right kind of pleasure. It's not something that leaves you as empty as a bag. [00:36:35] He comes with allurements, pleasures, ease, riches, honor. whatever else he comes with accusations Satan does not care how he gets us all he cares is that he gets the response from our hearts so he comes with accusations to some people he says to some people you've crossed the line you're too great a sinner he says [00:37:06] just think of all those temptations that you face you're guilty But let me tell you this morning, there's a difference between temptation and guilt. Some people struggle with a tender conscience and a thought comes to their mind and now they feel all dirty. If you do not respond to that temptation, you are not guilty. We can trust in God's provision for that. [00:37:38] The Bible says every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed. And lusts when it hath conceived bringeth forth sin. And sin when it is finished bringeth forth death. The temptation is not the sin. If we don't consent to that temptation, not guilty. Sometimes we simply need to send Satan on his way. Tell him where to go with his accusations. [00:38:10] Another thing he does to people is he says, even people that have tried to make things right, he says, yeah, but you didn't say everything. You didn't say it quite right. Just think of that other little thing that you didn't mention. My friends, God understands better than we do. If our heart was in the confession, the forgiveness is there. Don't let Satan bring those accusations to your mind and take you all over the place. [00:38:47] Why do I say that? Because I walked that road. But I thank God also there's a road where you can trust God in His forgiveness. Forgiveness is not in the confession. Forgiveness is in the heart of God what he worked at Calvary. He knows what we mean even when we don't say it quite right. Another thing that he does, he uses flattery to get our attention, [00:39:19] to draw us to his side. Pretty good job you did there. Pretty good job you did there. Sometimes Satan comes to me with those things. and says that was just alright and about the first thing I hear is another voice says but what about over here and I say how stupid to even think anything like that how foolish [00:39:51] if anything good ever happens in me or through me it comes from a greater source than from this body It comes from God Himself. And that really helps to get things in perspective. I don't think it's wrong to just thank God that He considered you worthy to use you for His glory. That's a blessing. It's humbling, really, to think about it. God blessed somebody in spite of who you were [00:40:23] and He chose to use you. Get this flattery thing straightened out. It's nothing but sheer pride. There is the lies. Some people he tells it's too late. Young people, I think one thing that is common to young people, if I still remember right, is that he comes and he says, it costs too much. Look at what all you're going to give up. Does God ever say that? If God doesn't say it, who says it? [00:40:56] We know who says it. It costs too much. Tell you what, it costs a whole lot more not to respond to God's call than it does to respond to it. Now, it costs everything we have and are to respond to Him. But it will cost more than that not to. Besides that, whatever we give to God, He always gives something better back to us. So what does it cost? It's a good investment to speak to God, to say yes to God. [00:41:30] But God, or Satan, says you're going to lose your friends. You know some of those people that were my friends that I didn't know what they were going to do to me? If I made this foolish step, they're still my friends today. And I have better friends. Our friendship is different than it was back then. But I can still go up to them today, and I think they have greater respect now than they did before. [00:42:07] But what if they didn't? What if I would have lost that friendship? God will give you better friends. Friends that will really help you, not friends that hold you back. Friends that keep us from moving out with God are friends that are taking us over there to that camp on the wrong side. And we don't want to go there. You don't want to go there. Another tactic he uses is fear. Fear what others may say. I think about this every once in a while in revival meetings. [00:42:42] When people are afraid, I think back to a day in Ohio, one evening, in a revival meeting, where there was an invitation given. Nobody responded. But it seemed like there was a special message from the Lord that said, the preacher said that night, It could be that others are sitting here waiting on you. [00:43:15] Maybe you are holding others back. Maybe you're the cause that others aren't responding. And you know what happened? A person got up and a whole group of people got up. It just seemed, instead of being fearful what others may say, fearful that we'll be considered odd, It may be that you are the key that God is holding to other people's hearts as well. That's a tactic of the enemy. [00:43:49] He uses fear. He says, but if you try, you're surely going to fail again. That's fear. God says, come, I will help you. Then there are those things like wrong responses to wrong issues. There are times when there are issues that are wrong that need attention, but Satan doesn't care how he does it. He may get us to say we've got to deal with this issue, but we may do it out of a wrong attitude, out of a personal preference. [00:44:29] Something that God can't use to really change that person's heart. Satan does not care. I'd like to share one thing. We talk a lot about family here and family responsibilities and that's a very important thing. But my heart says that it takes more than just limiting things and activities. If we as families feel we should take a position and deal with issues and change issues, [00:45:03] May we know one thing, and that is that we need to offer something better in its place. It is not enough to just discontinue. People have done that through the ages. We must replace something. If we're going to ask something of our children, we'd better provide something for our children. Man cannot live in a vacuum. In the Bible you read about that man where the evil spirits dwelled. [00:45:35] That evil spirit was cast out. But he came back and he found the house empty, swept, and garnished. But he brought others with him and got in again because it was empty. We must provide something better in its place. It is not enough to make all the right lines We must have something to offer For instance, if we tell our children they can't go away tonight [00:46:08] And just so you know, I think there's way too much going Way too little family time together But one of the reasons may be that when there is what we call family time, there is not really family time. It's just being in the house together or being on the property together. But interaction is missing. That's the thing we really need. Well, this is not finished. [00:46:41] But could I say this much yet? The right choice of that soul down there in the valley begins with the choice to repent. The way back to God, the way to say yes to God's side is always through repentance. And repentance means that we sense our guilt before God, our need before God. It means as well that we confess our need to God. [00:47:13] And it means something else. It means that we turn from the wrong side to the right side. It means making a decision for God. Repentance means a 180 degree turn. It seems like some people think it's a 360, where you go clear around and go the same way again. But no, it's going the other way. Young people, old people, children and everyone. [00:47:48] The call today is to recognize we are here in between two opposing forces. One or the other is going to get our amen.