This is the Scripture-Driven Church broadcast brought to you by Teaching the Word Ministries. The Church of Jesus Christ must be the Scripture-Driven Church, relying on God's inspired and inerrant Word as our sole authority and our infallible critic in every area of life and ministry. And now, here's author, Bible teacher and Teaching the Word president, Dr. Paul Elliott, to introduce today's program. Greetings and welcome to this special edition of the Scripture Driven Church broadcast. Today we're presenting part two of a message titled, America's Wasted Legacy. In our last broadcast we focused on the problem, and today we focus on the solution. If you go to a tea party rally or listen to talk radio here in America, You may find people praying. You may find speakers who quote the Bible. And you may find speakers who talk about the biblical heritage of the founders of this country. But one thing you won't hear is this. You won't hear these speakers and the talk radio hosts saying that Satan and his demonic forces are the ones behind all of the evils that we see around us. Well, that's what we're saying in this message because that's what the Word of God says. But we live in a time when 52% of evangelical Christians do not even believe that Satan is real. Christians need to understand that Satan is a real person. He's alive and active in this world. And Satan and his demonic forces are behind all of the evils that we see in America and in the world at large. What's the answer for America and for the world? The answer is that the church needs to change before the nation can truly change. That's the focus of the second part of this message, so I hope you'll stay tuned for it. And Heavenly Father, once again I pray that you will use this broadcast to wake up Christians and cause us to pay attention to what your Word says about these vital issues. Thank you for what you are doing. Thank you that you are saving souls through these broadcasts. Thank you for building up the saints. This is your work, Father, and I pray that you would keep us faithful in it. And I pray these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Now what does Paul say about the nature of the conflict? We've seen some of that already. Here in particular, he brings us to the most important thing that every Christian must recognize today. If you take nothing else away from this message this morning, I hope that you'll take away this one thing. This is the fact, the vital fact that every Christian needs to realize. It's the fact today that is the key to the situation in America, the key to the situation in the entire world, and in fact, it is the underpinning of the gospel message in the Bible from beginning to end. It's one of the underpinnings. You see, there's something unique about the Bible. We understand that this is the only book in the world that gives this teaching that we've just read. You won't find it anywhere else. That's because this is the only supernatural book, the inspired and errant, infallible Word of God. This isn't man speaking. This is God speaking. This isn't the world's wisdom. This is God's genuine wisdom. The world doesn't have this. Only the Bible has it. Only the Christian has it. The whole viewpoint of the Word of God is different from anything else in the world. And so our worldview, our perspective on what we see going on around us needs to be different from anything that the world has to say about the nature of the situation and how to deal with it. Nobody understands. The world as it really is this morning, except the Christian, if you, in fact, truly accept this teaching. If you understand that it's true and if you think and act accordingly, And I submit to you that our willingness to accept this teaching is really a very thoroughgoing test of our acceptance of the Christian faith, because this teaching is essential to the Christian faith. Sin, the fall of man, man's need, God's remedy. That's essential to the Christian faith. And so Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us this vital fact, the fact that every Christian must face. And he puts it both negatively first and then positively. He starts off with the negative. Why must I do all this? Why must I be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might? Why must I put on the whole armor of God? Why is it true to say that no other power, no other armor can enable me to stand in this conflict? Well, Paul gives the answer. He says, we wrestle. But how? How? Not against flesh and blood. And actually, in the Greek, Paul says we wrestle not against blood and flesh. What's his point? What's he saying? He's saying we wrestle not against men. We wrestle not against men. We're not up against men only. Not human beings only, not what they do. Our problem is not that of manner of mankind. It is something else. And this is a basic and fundamental proposition of God's word. And here we see how very different the biblical viewpoint is from the worldly viewpoint. The first thing you've got to realize, Paul is saying, is that the problem that's confronting you as an individual, the problem that's confronting this nation, the problem that's confronting this world, is not merely a human problem. It's much higher than that. It's much wider than that. It's much deeper than that. And therefore, it's much more difficult. It took the intervention of God Himself. The solution is not a human solution. Now, the world, of course, doesn't believe this, and that's why the world is as it is. The world says that the cause of the trouble is economic or it's political, it's social, it's moral, whatever you want to name. And we can only, if we can only deal with those things, things would change for the better. All would be well. The problem, some people say, is that we've departed from our founding documents, our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. That is true, but that is not the problem. Some say the problem is the unbridled growth of government. No, it's not the problem. The problem is lack of integrity in government. No, it's not. The problem is the threat of radical Islam. No, it's not. The problem is the deterioration of family values. No, it's not. The problem, some say, is abortion. No, it's not. As horrible as that is. All of these things and a thousand others that we could name are not the problem. They are symptoms of the problem. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Man isn't the problem. What man is doing or not doing isn't the problem. The problem is not merely on a human level. Yes, there are human problems, deep problems, serious problems, tragic problems. Those are the symptoms of the disease. They're not the disease itself. The real cause is higher and further back, not against flesh and blood. The whole way that the world is conducting itself this morning is, and even much of the church, the whole way things are being conducted is based on the supposition that we're only wrestling against flesh and blood. That the problem is man and that the problem can therefore be solved by human earthly ways and means. And the world and much of the church is focused on man. They never rise higher than that in their thinking. They never grasp and understand that the real problem is a spiritual problem, not a problem of flesh and blood. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. This is absolutely basic. So Paul has first put it negatively, and then he also puts it positively. He says we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Well, against what then? We wrestle against the devil. Against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places, against, against, against. What is this? Well, once again, let me say it. We're looking straight into the face of what is the most essential thing in the biblical record and in Christian teaching. The thing that's at the heart of the problem that God came into this world to solve. What's the problem of America this morning? What's the problem of the world this morning? What's the ultimate cause? It is not man. It is the devil and his unseen forces and powers. That is what God's Word says is the real truth of the matter. Now, let's face it. Here is something that's not only not believed today. It's rejected, it's ridiculed, it's scorned. Many times it's treated as a joke. The devil! Principalities and powers, unseen spiritual forces. The world says that this is an insult to man's intelligence. There may be somebody sitting here thinking that right now. How can anyone in the 21st century believe this? What in the world are you doing with the world as it is? Are you really going to preach about the devil? Are you really going to propose that unseen spiritual forces are the problem? Why don't you tell us something practical? Why don't you tell us how to solve the political problems, the economic problems, the terrorism problem? Why don't you face the stark realities of life in the 21st century? Instead of talking about unseen spiritual forces. Instead of talking about the devil. This is nonsense. It's impractical. That's what's being said, isn't it? The biblical viewpoint is being utterly and completely ridiculed in the world today. They don't want to hear it. But what's more troubling than that is this, as I've said, not only is it being ridiculed in the world, it's being played down in the church. It's even being ignored in the church. It's even being ridiculed in the church. The evangelical church is to a great extent occupied with symptoms. Not dealing with the root problem. Let me ask. Does what we've just covered come into your essential thinking? We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. Is this always in your thinking? Is this the basis of your worldview? As you look at the world as it is today, do you say immediately, here's the explanation? Do you normally think like that, Christian people? All I can say is that if we don't. We've got a very defective sort of Christianity. This is an essential and vital part of the gospel message. And Paul says that you must think this way. You must never relax, never relent. You must understand that this is the reason why it is the job of the church to do two things and two things only to preach the gospel to the world, to nurture the saints and found doctrine that produces right living. If anything's going to change the world, that is going to change the world. That's the only answer. The gospel of Christ and the gospel alone is the answer for this troubled and unhappy and chaotic world. You know, there's no telling what God will do if we, his people, repent of our unscriptural ways of not always having that worldview. We live in a time when I believe that God's hand of righteous wrath is poised against this nation. And rightly so. This nation has fallen into great evil. And the main reason has to do with the evangelical church itself. It's bad enough that God's word has been pushed aside in the public square. But in our time, the word of God has been pushed aside within the evangelical church in many places. And God's people need to repent. We often find in the pages of the word of God and in the history of the world. That God was merciful to a nation because of a faithful remnant. And we should not think that it's too late for God's remnant to plead for his mercy, but we must be a faithful remnant. Why is our nation in the shape that it's in? The Bible has lost its influence. We read of a parallel situation in Nehemiah chapter nine. I don't want you to turn there this morning, but. Nehemiah chapter nine, here's the setting. A remnant of the children of Israel has returned to the land of Canaan from captivity in Babylon after 70 years. And we read in Nehemiah chapter nine, verse one, that all of the people assembled together with fasting and sackcloth with dust on their heads. signs of repentance and sorrow. And they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And what was the iniquity that they confessed? Well, we find the heart of it in verse 26 of Nehemiah 9. They said, Lord, we rebelled against You and we cast Your law, Your Word behind our backs. Here's the picture. The man's walking along the road. He has the Word of God in his hands. And as he's walking, He just throws God's Word over his shoulder, lets it fall to the ground behind him, and he keeps going. Utterly forsakes God's Word. Tosses it behind him, rejects it, treats it as useless. And as a nation, that's exactly what we've done. The influence of the Bible on this nation over the last 50 years, my own lifetime, has gone down and down and down. Why has this happened? The Bible lost its influence in the nation. Listen, the Bible lost its influence in the nation because the Bible first lost its influence in the church. That is where the problem began. It began long before Madeleine Murray decided to go to court to get prayer and Bible reading thrown out of the schools. It began long before the Supreme Court ruled that killing her unborn child is a woman's constitutional right. And it began long before governments began passing laws that make Christian apologetics a hate crime. The Bible subsequently lost its influence in the nation because the Bible first lost its influence in the church. The church has gone after all kinds of other things. In many ways, the church has tossed the Bible over its shoulder, just as ancient Israel did. And that is where the problem must be solved in the church. But the answer to the political and economic and moral and social crises of our time is not for evangelicals to organize more political pressure groups. The answer is not for evangelicals to become involved in a wider range of so-called faith-based initiatives, as many are today treating symptoms. The answer is not for evangelicals to seek empty promises from political candidates. And the answer is not for the evangelical church to reinvent itself to please the world. The answer to the crisis of our times is submission to the word of God. We need to repent, we need to go back, we need to go back and pick up God's word. The church needs to pick up God's word again in ways that we haven't for a long time. We need to go back and get it. We need to do what ancient Israel did in the book of Nehemiah and then in chapter nine, We read that during this time of repentance, the entire remnant of the nation stood and heard the Word of God read and explained to them for a number of days, for six hours a day. And they spent another six hours confessing their sins and worshiping the Lord their God in a proper way. They meant business. True repentance, true worship, true turning back to the Lord and to His Word. That genuine turning to the Word of God meant that The Israelites saw that they needed to make some hard decisions. They had to give up practices and associations and relationships that were contrary to God's word. And they recognized that, and it wasn't easy. Many tears were shed. But they did it. And God blessed them for it, and God reestablished the nation in that generation because the remnant had repented. God's warning to the nation of Israel in the second book of Chronicles, chapter 7, verse 14. Those familiar words. And it is a warning. It is also God's warning to the church today. What does He say? He says, if My people who are called by My name... And He's speaking not to the nation as a whole, but to the people of God, the remnant within the nation. If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, not the wicked ways of the nation, but the wicked ways of the people of God. Then, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Dear friends, Guess you might have noticed I'm passionate about this message this morning. I believe that this is an undeniable truth that we need to face. As the church goes, so goes the nation. The healing of the nation will begin with the repentance of the church. The repentance of the church will come through faithful, prophetic, expository preaching of the word by faithful men. And I thank God that that's what you have here. Never forget that you have the answer. Never get sidetracked onto other things. That's what the devil wants you to do. Don't do it. Remember, you wrestle not against flesh and blood. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Father, We need an adjustment in our worldview. Perhaps some of us, Father, need a radical adjustment in our worldview this morning. I pray, Father, that you would speak to us through your word and work in our hearts and in our minds that we might think your thoughts after you. And that we might recognize those things that are of eternal importance. And we might recognize those things that will really make a difference in this world. And focus our attention and our thoughts and our efforts in our homes. In our church. In the workplace. In the political realm everywhere, father, in every area of life and ministry on those things that really matter. We pray in Christ's name, Amen. We'd be happy to send it to you without cost or obligation. Just ask for the message titled, America's Real Problem. Once again, just ask for the free audio CD, America's Real Problem. And as we close today, let me remind you once again of our current free book offer. The title of the book is This Little Church Stayed Home, A Faithful Church in Deceptive Times. We'll be happy to send you this book without cost or obligation if you contact us and request it. This book explores the pressures that churches and individual Christians are facing. Pressures to conform to ways of thinking that are not according to God's Word. Pressures to cast aside God's Word. and to walk in our own sinful wisdom instead of walking according to God's perfect wisdom. And this book will tell you from Scripture how you and your church need to respond to these challenges. Once again the title of the book is This Little Church Stayed Home, A Faithful Church in Deceptive Times. and we'll be happy to send you a copy without cost or obligation. If you can enclose a gift to support this ministry and to help underwrite this offer, we'll be grateful, but we hope you'll request your copy of This Little Church Stayed Home, whether you can send a gift at this time or not. And that's also true for the audio CD, America's Real Problem. You can call us to make your request toll-free in the United States 24 hours a day at 888-804-9655. Once again that's 888-804-9655. You can also make your request online by going to our website teachingtheword.org and clicking the contact link. That's the contact link at teachingtheword.org. or you can write to us at Box 2533 Westminster Maryland 21158 USA. Once again that's Box 2533 Westminster Maryland 21158 USA. And once again our toll free number is 888-804-9655 and our website is teachingtheword.org. And please be sure to ask for the audio CD, America's Real Problem, and for the book, This Little Church Stayed Home, A Faithful Church in Deceptive Times. Next week we're going to resume our series on the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the book of Colossians. We're looking at the four pillars of Christian unity that we find at the beginning of chapter 2. And next week we're going to be focusing on the pillar of agape love, sacrificial love. It's so important to understand what Jesus meant when he told believers to love one another. And until next time, may God richly bless your personal study of His inspired, infallible and inerrant Word. This weekly program, the Scripture Driven Church, is brought to you by the faithful friends and supporters of Teaching the Word Ministries.