War not Peace - a warning from 23 years ago to the FPC of today, Part 2. Judges 2:1-3

At a time when peace in the community and how best to achieve it are topics on virtually everyone's lips. It is a time therefore when it is all too easy for the child of God to forget the war that Christians are duty-bound to maintain. The espousal of Bible Christianity is utterly impossible without a marked degree of contentiousness. That is why the historic creeds and confessions of the Church of Christ contain such vigorous denunciations of the sins of their age. It is easy to fail to see that true peace and tranquillity on a national level is inextricably bound up with the Christian maintaining a war-like attitude on a spiritual level. In the cause of national peace, resisting evil is just as important as assisting good. In Judges 2/1-3, the angel of the Lord rebukes Israel for making peace with her enemies. The challenge facing the Free Presbyterian Church in the future is to maintain the war against those enemies against whom God expects us to fight relentlessly. In this second part of the message, the following points will be dealt with: * AN EXAMINATION OF THE ARGUMENTS FOR PEACE. Peaceful co-existence with the enemy has always had its advocates within the Church of Christ. * THE CONSEQUENCES OF MAKING PEACE. To man's eye there appears to be many benefits in disobeying God's commands. But man is utterly wrong. No good whatsoever comes from disobedience. * THE REWARDS OF WAR AGAINST THE ENEMIES OF GOD. Only one war is truly a blessing to men. That is 'the good fight of faith'.