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A Good Soldier Of Jesus Christ Rather Than A Soldier Of Caesar -Part 1

April 22, 2007

wars shall be among the nations

Matthew 24:6-7 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…”

THE WARS OF MEN ARE SOURCED IN SINFUL LUST

James 4:1-2 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

The nations are against the Lord Jesus

Psalm 2:1-3 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed [His Messiah], saying, 3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."

the devil presently rules over the nations

Luke 4:5-7 And the devil, taking him (Jesus) up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of ~~the~~ this world (nations) in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If (conditional) thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

All nations deceived

Revelation 18:23 “…for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. “

all The nations walk in their own ways

Acts 14:16 Who [God] in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

Their ways are wicked

1 Peter 4:3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles[or the will of the nations] -- when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

they are people that do not seek the kingdom of Gdo

Luke 12:29-32 And seek not ye (His disciples – His church v.22) what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things (earthly things – things not of faith) do the nations of ~~the~~ this world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

The Lord’s church is distinct from the

nations of this world

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Christians should not behave like the nations

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye [church] henceforth walk not as other Gentiles [or nations] walk, in the vanity of their mind.

Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus says the LORD, "Do not learn the way of the nations..”

the nations ARE AT STRIFE AMONG THEMSELVES

Luke 22:24-24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles [or “of the nations,”YLT] exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

Not so among you church

Luke 22:26 But ye [church] shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

the kingdoms of this world belong to christ

at His return

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded (at the end of this present age – the second coming of Christ): And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"

my kingdom is not of this world

John 18:36a Jesus answered (Pilate), My kingdom is not of this world…”

The servants of Christ do not fight

John 18:36b “…if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

PUT YOUR SWORD AWAY!!

Matthew 26:51-52 And behold, one of those (disciples) who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

a good confession before Pontius pilate

1 Timothy 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

Jesus came to save men not destroy them

Luke 9:54-56 And when his disciples James and John (members of the Lord’s church) saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

A chosen soldier of Jesus Christ

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou (Christian) therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth [“engaged in warfare,” NKJ; “in active service,” NAS; “serving as a soldier,” NIV] entangleth himself with [“gets involved in,” NIV]; the affairs of this life; that he may please him (Jesus Christ) who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

taking an oath divides your loyalty

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon

Be not servants of men

1 Corinthians 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

love not your country

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things (your country) that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (logic states that if A=B, and B=C, then by default, A=C)

the two great commandments

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets