In a Nutshell

Reading:
Deuteronomy - Chapter 28

1. Introduction

We read in (1 John 4: 8) that “God is love.” What do we mean by this: and what do we mean by the word love? Walk down the street of any western city and ask a dozen people what comes to mind when the word ‘love’ is used and you will be amazed at their answers. For the fact is even the word ‘love’ has been hopelessly twisted. To millions it means sexual intercourse. To others it means a romantic, dreamy attraction. To a comparatively few it means devotion to one's family. The fact is that Yahweh's love is a divine principle which manifests itself in kindness, mercy, charity and patience to mankind in general and His children in particular. There is nothing romantic or sexual about Yahweh's love. The Bible says:

John 3:

16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

This sermon, however, is not about the Almighty's love. Millions of very good sermons have been preached on that subject. This sermon is about the Enemies of God: about those who have rejected God and have now placed themselves in the camp of His enemies. For make no mistake, YAHWEH the Almighty the God of Israel does have enemies - many enemies!

2. The Almighty’s Friends

But first a little about Yahweh's friends. Who are they? And what makes a person a friend of God? We get a few clues from these verses.

Abraham

James 2: 23: “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.“

Genesis 26: 1: “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
2: And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
3: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
4: And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5: Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Moses

Exodus 7: 6: “And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.”

Numbers 12: 7: “My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.”

Exodus 33: 11: “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”

We can see from these verses that Abraham and Moses are called friends of God because they believed and obeyed the commandments of the Most High. God's friends, in short, are those who believe and obey Him.

3. The Almighty’s Enemies

Even though God is extremely patient, kind and merciful, and loves mankind more than we can remotely imagine, millions choose to become His enemies. Who are they?

SATAN
Satan is Yahweh’s enemy Number 1. He is sometimes referred to as the Adversary mainly because his main preoccupation is finding fault with the Almighty, His Son Yeshua, His Word the Bible, His law and His people Israel. The story of the patriarch Job provides ample evidence of Satan's evil schemes.

Job 1: 6: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.”

4. Yahweh’s Hate ... Unbelief & Blatant Sin

Besides Satan there are others who become the Almighty's enemies: He loathes them for their unbelief and evil ways. The Bible tells us that God began to hate Esau, the brother of Jacob, because Esau despised the sacred things of God. He not only disbelieved, but he mocked.

Genesis 25:

29: “And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31: And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33: And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34: Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”

God said of Esau:

Romans 9: 13: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

‘How can it be,’ you may well ask, ‘that God loves the world and at the same time hates certain people in the world?’ The following verses provide the answer to this puzzling question.

Psalm 5: 5: “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”

Proverbs 6: 16-19:“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him.

A proud look
A lying tongue
Hands that shed innocent blood
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations
Feet that be swift in running to mischief
A false witness that speaketh lies.
And he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Proverbs 16: 5: “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not go unpunished.”

Proverbs 3: 32: “For the froward (the pervert) is abomination to the Lord.”

We can see from these and other verses that the Almighty detests evil in all its myriad forms and eventually He begins to hate those who blatantly sin or despise His ways. They are then classified as Yahweh's enemies. To be sure if they repent and forsake sin they will be pardoned and become the children of God: but as long as a person wilfully breaks the commandments he/she is reckoned as an enemy of the Most High. This is a sobering, frightening fact. Never forget it.

5. The Fate of Yahweh’s Enemies

Now that we have learned who the Almighty reckons as His enemies, and why He hates them, let us turn our attention to their fate. It would be a betrayal of a sacred trust for A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada to keep silent about the awful fate of the enemies of the Most High. Their future is horrible to say the least. It is described in Scripture in no uncertain terms.

Deuteronomy 32: 39: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
40: For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
41: If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
42: I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
43: Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”

Psalm 68: 1: “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2: As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.”

Psalm 92: 9: “For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish...”

Nahum 1: 2: “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.”
Malachi 4: 1: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2: But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3: And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Matthew 13: 40: “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41: The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42: And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Many will classify these passages as ludicrous, religious bigotry at its worst! Call it what they may, these are not our judgments, but the words of the living God. And they must be printed: because millions of souls are totally ignorant of their fast approaching fate.

6. The Fear of the Lord

How may one escape such terrifying judgements? What has one to do to obtain mercy? The answer, in a nutshell, is to put your faith in the Almighty and keep His commandments. As king Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:13,

“Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Proverbs 8: 13: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”

Psalm 97: 10: “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil...”

Mark 16: 16: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

John 3: 16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Romans 10: 9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

7. Become Yahweh’s Friend

Is it possible for us ordinary people to become friends of God? The answer is yes, it is. By putting our faith in the Almighty and doing what He says, we are reconciled to Him. We, who were once His enemies, now become His friends and His children! That is another eternal fact you should never forget.

Colossians 1:

21: “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled...”

1 John 3:

1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3: And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

8. Love Not the World

How is this process of self-purification possible? Who is the power behind it? What does purification mean anyway? The answer is: the Almighty gives the true believer power to overcome sin, to become pure, to put away the things which alienate us from Him: those cherished sins which distanced Him and made us His enemies.

Titus 2:

14: “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

1 John 2:

15: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17: And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

Will it be worthwhile? The Bible assures us that it will.

1 Corinthians 2: 9: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

AMEN!

In the Son’s Name - For the Father’s glory.

www.avoiceinthewilderness.org
www.avitw.ca

Exodus 7:	6: “And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded* them, so did they.”*
Numbers 12:	7: “My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful* in all mine house.”*
Exodus 33:	11: “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”

Psalm 5:	5: “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”
Proverbs 6:	16-19:“These six things doth the Lord hate:* yea seven are an abomination unto him.* A proud look A lying tongue Hands that shed innocent blood An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations Feet that be swift in running to mischief A false witness that speaketh lies. And he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Proverbs 16:	5: “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord:* though hand join in hand, he shall not go unpunished.”*
Proverbs 3:	32: “For the froward (the pervert) is abomination to the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 32:	39: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40: For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. 41: If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. 42: I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. 43: Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”
Psalm 68:	1: “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. 2: As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.”
Psalm 92:	9: “For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish...”
Nahum 1:	2: “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.”
Malachi 4:	1: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2: But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3: And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Matthew 13:	40: “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41: The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42: And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Proverbs 8:	13: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”
Psalm 97:	10: “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil...”
Mark 16:	16: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
John 3:	16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Romans 10:	9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”