SermonUngodly People Against Godly People
An all-creatures Bible Message

Ungodly People Against Godly People
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
6 November 2016
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Job 19:23-29
Psalm 98:1-9
Haggai 2:1-9
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Ungodly people against Godly people have been a major problem in the world since our ancestors disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.
 
Godly people are those who are the truly born again peacemaking children of God who live in His heavenly will, and do everything they can to bring His heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven, including helping to free the whole of creation from its present corruption.
 
The ungodly people of this world should be following the examples of these Godly people, but instead they see the Godly witness before them as a threat against their worldly lifestyles, which they don’t want to give up, so they fight against the Godly people.
 
Let’s look at an example: this past Tuesday was All Saints Day, which the church established to honor the saints (Godly people); the evening before was called All Hallows Eve, but over time the ungodly people of this world changed this into Halloween, which really honors the devil and the evil and death in this world, instead of the lovingkindness and everlasting life that Jesus Christ gives us.
 
This kind of corruption of God’s heavenly will continues to this very day; thus, it sets ungodly people against Godly people.
 
The Bible tells us that Job was a righteous man, even though he raised animals; but other than that, we should consider him to be one of the Godly people we are talking about; so, with that in mind let’s take a look at Job 19:23-29…

23. "Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
 
24. "That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!

Job wants his Godly message and witness to be seen by everyone, especially the ungodly people of the world even after his death, and even to this present day.

25. "And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

From 4,000 years ago, Job envisions the second coming of Jesus Christ.

26. "Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
 
27. Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes shall see and not another.
My heart faints within me.

Job knows that even after his death, he will see the Lord.
 
Then Job talks about the devil and the ungodly people who are fighting against him and his Godly stance.

28. "If you say, 'How shall we persecute him?'
And 'What pretext for a case against him can we find?'

Today, we see these same kinds of things coming from ungodly people against ethical vegans who have taken a stance against all forms of animal exploitation, which causes billions of animals to suffer and die every year.
 
Then Job tells us the fate of those ungodly people in the following warning...

29. "Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know there is judgment."
NASB

This is a warning from God to all the ungodly people against Godly people, and who are against His heavenly will, for they will face His judgement.
 
As we look at Psalm 98:1-9, let’s see how the psalmist views the heavenly will of God and the corrupt ways of this world where He finds ungodly people against Godly people.

1. Sing to the LORD a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

We believe that the victory God has gained is over the devil and the ungodly people who follow him.

2. The LORD has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
 
3. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

God has never hidden His lovingkindness and gift of salvation from anyone; He has always made it visible in His creation and in the lives of the peacemaking children of God who still live in the world, so that they forever stand as a witness against the ungodly people who follow the devil and his worldly ways that cause so much pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death in the world.
 
Each and every one of us needs to be active as one of these witnesses.

4. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
 
5. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre;
With the lyre and the sound of melody.
 
6. With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.

However, as most of us know, not everyone who sings joyfully before the Lord is also living as a child of God who lives according to His heavenly will.
 
Many of those people still have one foot in the world while trying to have the other foot in heaven, and that way of living is not in the heavenly will of God, for they have joined themselves to the ungodly people against Godly people.

7. Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
 
8. Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the mountains sing together for joy

If the people of this world won’t sing for joy to the Lord with a pure heart that is set upon the heavenly will of God, then God will have even the rivers and mountains do it.

9. Before the LORD; for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with equity.
NASB

This means that He will not accept those unrepented people who live in and follow the corrupt and evil ways of this world, which cause so much suffering and death to millions of humans and billions of animals every year.
 
In this portion of his prophecy, Haggai 2:1-9, the prophet speaks of God’s desire for the people, assuming that they also follow the heavenly will of God here on earth as it is in heaven.

1. On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet saying,
 
2. "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people saying,

This took place shortly after the remnant of people returned from captivity in Babylon, some 2,500 years ago.

3. 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?

The first Temple, Solomon’s temple, was destroyed by the Babylonians when they took the people of Judah and Jerusalem into captivity some 70 years prior to the time that Haggai is speaking about.
 
God saw the ungodly people against Godly people, and the ungodly people vastly outnumbered the Godly people, so He passed judgement upon the ungodly people and gave them into the hands of the Babylonians.
 
Now, because of their repentance, God is once again reaching out to help them in a public way.

4. 'But now take courage, Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD, 'take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,' declares the LORD, 'and work; for I am with you,' says the LORD of hosts.

God is telling the leaders to take courage, because the whole of Jerusalem is in ruins, and they are being charged with encouraging the people to rebuild the city and the Temple, which was to be a symbol of God’s righteousness on earth.

5. 'As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!'
 
6. "For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.

God is going to show His majesty so that all can see and be without excuse.
 
Ungodly people will no longer be able to say, “I didn’t know!”
 
And, we believe that this still rings true to this very day.

7. 'And I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations; and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD of hosts.
 
8. 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' declares the LORD of hosts.

The vast majority of people forget that everything God created is His, and He has only granted us the permission to use it during our lifetimes, but we are also charged with protecting it from harm from the ungodly people of this world, and leave it in as good or better condition than we received in the beginning.
 
And, this is what God is asking the people to do.
 
They are not to covet the money that will come in to pay for the reconstruction.

9. 'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and in this place I shall give peace,' declares the LORD of hosts." 
NASB

These kinds of things can only happen when we collectively live as the peacemaking children of God who bring God’s heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven.
 
Let’s see if we can find any examples of ungodly people against godly people in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13.

6. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

Paul is speaking about the ungodly people of the world, and cautioning us not to be a part of them and their lifestyle; we are to rise above them to constantly live in the heavenly will of God.

7. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you,

Paul is saying that he and his fellow ministers are living as children of God and following His heavenly will as an example to the people in this world, which we should all strive to do, so that others will follow our example, rather than the ungodly people of this world who follow the corrupt and evil ways of the devil and his minion.

8. nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you;
 
9. not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example.

Again, Paul is encouraging us to follow his example and the heavenly will of God, and we should be doing the same before others.

10. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat.
 
11. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.

These are the ungodly people against Godly people that we need to recognize and take a stand against, while still encouraging them to return to the heavenly will of God, just as Paul writes.

12. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
 
13. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
NASB

We have heard many people in the vegan and animal advocacy movement complain about being weary and want to stop trying to make this a more gentle world, because they don’t see a lot of immediate results; but we can testify to you that over the more than 30 years we’ve been in this movement, we have seen a lot of changes and they are just beginning to become mainstream.
 
If we are going to take a stand against the ungodly people of this world who are responsible for most of the world’s violence, suffering, and death, we need to look at the long goal of bringing God’s heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven when we will have true peace on earth.
 
In the meantime we are to focus upon the small steps we are accomplishing toward that goal, even while we face the evil ways of the ungodly people of this world.
 
We can make a difference.
 
We can overcome the ungodly people of this world.
 
We can help free creation from its present corruption.
 
Amen.

Return to: Sermons Archive