II Corinthians 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Today is the last day of 2022. Much has happened in this year. We have seen a massive protest brought to the heart of Canada. We have seen the government reject anything this protest wanted to speak of. The government proved again that they do not care what the people say. The P.M. travels to different parts of the world talking of the importance of democracy. Democracy is a smoke screen set up by the devil. People assume that they have a say in the governing of the country through democracy. Those who are watching can see that money has been more important in the elections than people’s votes. The governments have proven that they can manipulate an election to their own advantage if they have enough money.
The problems facing Canada and the world will never be fixed with protests, or even with weapons. It is foolish to think that an uprising will change anything for the good.

Psalm 127:1  Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

God certainly does not expect His children to take up arms to try to overturn a corrupt government. Jesus Christ lived during a time of corrupt government and of corrupt religion. He did not ever encourage the disciples or any other person to take up arms to fight against the corruption. Jesus trained His disciples to know the Scriptures. In Acts 2, the disciples were indwelt with the Holy Spirit. They were not taught how to do guerrilla warfare or any other type of physical warfare. They were equipped to go and preach the Gospel.

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The hope of man is repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. That is what is needed. You cannot force anyone to believe the truth. As we noted yesterday, Jude was directed by God to exhort the saints to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. We need men who are born again and then trained to preach the Gospel of Christ faithfully and unashamedly. We do not need smooth talkers. We need men with humility and boldness to speak the truth in love.
Someone might want to accuse me of being a pacifist. The Bible teaches that there are times to go to war. The nation of Israel was led to fight against the enemies of God. God gave David the ability to be a good strategist and a good fighter. He had some very well trained fighters in his army. David’s strategies came from God.
The apostle Paul reminds us that in our time, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. The world has fought two major wars in the past century. There have been other wars as well. What has changed as a result of those wars? We took out a dictator with the second world war. China is run by a dictatorship as is North Korea and Venezuela and even Canada. All of these countries want to spread their propaganda to the rest of the world. They understand the way to success is through a corrupt and greedy media, not with bombs and tanks.
We may not want to admit this, but this is the fact. Who runs the U.N.? Are they God-fearing people who want true peace? Of course not. What benefit is coming from the current war in Ukraine with Russia? Will this war settle things for the future? The answer is no. The Bible tells us there are more wars coming. The Bible also tells us that the solution to these wars is to turn to the Lord in repentance and being saved. This sounds too simplistic to some. It sounds ridiculous to others.
Jesus warned the disciples at His arrest that those who take up the sword shall perish with the sword. Jesus did not fight off the enemies that were ever present with Him. Peter and John did not take up swords to fight against the false teachers in the book of Acts. The apostle Paul did not take up weapons to fight off the false teachers or the Roman government. We are not living in a time when physical fighting will win the day. We are not promised a land on this earth that we must go and conquer. We are not told to remove the inhabitants of that land because the cup of God’s wrath is full against them.
We are living in the time when the preaching of the Gospel of Christ is the weapon that we are to use. God’s Word is mighty to the pulling down of strong holds. God used prophets and physical fighting in the Old Testament. Today, we need to be trained in the use of God’s Word properly.
We can see that not many are interested in listening to the Word of God. We can also see that not many are equipped to preach the Word of God. We see much mixing of truth with humanism in various forms. We see more results from this mixing than from the faithful preaching of the Word. This is to be expected. People still like to have their itching ears scratched. The few that are listening to God need to be encouraged at this late hour, to fight the good fight of faith. Don’t let the devil convince you that God cannot keep His promises. Don’t let the devil discourage you from being a faithful member of a true local church. Join the faithful saints and as you do, encourage others to come and see. God has not changed, and His Word has not changed.

Luke 21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Jesus did not tell His disciples to hide in a corner somewhere and wish for death. He told them to lift up their heads. This lifting up is not in pride, but in faithfulness to the true God and Saviour of mankind. Those who are truly saved live in hope. We live with a faith that has substance that is hoped for. Where is your hope today? God never fails. Jude knew that and we will get back to that study as well. He did not write as a robot. He was a thinking man who knew that Jesus Christ was real. He knew that submitting to the will of God was the only hope of man. He was not wrong. God’s way is still the only way that works. True saints look beyond the here and now. They look up and see that God’s redemption is nearer all the time.
Pastor Bartel