Now I want to say to every mother's child in this building tonight there is a battle, and if you don't get in it, you have SINNED against the Lord. Listen to me. The Bible says in that same chapter, "And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben shall your brethren go to war and ye sit here?"

     Now I hear a lot of people say, “Well, you know, I just don’t want to get involved.” No man has a right to be at peace when his brothers are at war.

     We've got a job to do, and it is a big job. We've been in a battle. We've been in a battle against unbelief, against liberalism, against moderatism. And it's a battle. Now we have a young generation who say, "Well, it's time to stop fighting." The fight will never be over until Jesus comes.

     My young preachers, you listen to me. If you think I am being bellicose or belligerent, I am not. But I have a heart tonight, and I want to say that of every great fortune that has ever been earned there are generally three steps. One generation generates. Another generation speculates. And a third generation dissipates. And then it's gone.

     I'm afraid that we've got some speculators here and in ten or fifteen years we'll have some dissipators here.

     The first thing is that there is a mandate for victory. We are at war, and we will always be at war. You read every one of Paul's epistles, he's fighting someone or something. Don't get the idea now that it's all going to be all honey and no bees. The mandate for victory.

     Here's the second thing: I want you to see the method of victory. What is the method of victory? Well, first of all, there are the weapons that we must employ. Look at verse 15, "And Elisha said unto him, 'Take bow and arrows.’ And he took bow and arrows." Take up your weapon. Show that you mean business. Now this is highly symbolic. Verse 17 says that arrow was the arrow of the Lord's deliverance. That is, symbolism.

     II Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal." Paul knew that he was at war. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." Our weapons must be spiritual because our enemy is a spirit being. And unbelief and apostasy are primarily an idea, and you cannot shoot down an idea with a bullet or even with a little arrow. Our weapons are spiritual weapons. Our battle ax is the word of God. Our artillery is prayer. Our ally is the Holy Spirit. Our shield is faith. Philosophy has a place. Marketing, that we hear so much about, has a place. Psychology has a place. Politics has a place. Organization has a place. But you listen to me. The devil has outgunned us in every one of these areas. And if you try to build your church on those things, you're going to fail.

     Now we hear a lot about being seeker sensitive. And I believe we ought to be. We ought not to be rude to unsaved people. We ought to make them welcome. Even in business, the businessman says, "Business goes where it is welcomed and stays where it is treated well." We ought to do the same thing, but listen to me, precious friend, it is not our job to fill the pew. It is our job to fill the pulpit and to preach the Word of God regardless.

     Now, listen, we are outgunned in all of those other areas. But we have the holy Spirit of God, and it is time we dropped the H-bomb. It is time, friend, that we depend upon God and what God can do. And so, number one, there is the weapons that we must employ.

     Secondly, there is the weakness that we must empower. We are naturally weak. ... And here's the key to victory. Not only must you have the right weapons, but you must be anointed with the right power. ... Your weakness is an asset. It is not your scholarship; it is your relationship. It is not your fame; it is your faith. It is not who you know; it is whose you are....

     Third, there is the wickedness we must encounter. ... We must encounter this wickedness. We can’t hide from it.

     The next thing I want you to notice is ... the warfare we must engage.... Now so many of us don’t want to be at war. We don't want to open the window. We don’t want to shoot the arrow. We just want to go back and stay in our little stained glass prison. We are saying more or less to the devil, "Look, devil, if you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone. ... Never, never, never lay down the sword. Open the window. Shoot the arrow. Declare war. We are at WAR. You say, “I don't want to be at war." I hope a wart grows on your nose. Listen, there is a battle, and it is real. But we have the victory in the Lord Jesus.

     Now here's the final thing I want you to see. Now here’s the important part in my estimation. And it is the measure of victory. Look again at verses 18 and 19. ... I’ve learned one thing in my ministry, that God does business with those that mean business. And I'll tell you something else. You will measure your own victory. ...

     Now we hear a lot today in the Southern Baptist Convention about being moderate. ... Now there are some things we ought to be moderate about. Most of us ought to be moderate in our eating. We ought to be moderate in our recreation. But there are some things we better not be moderate about. Now I don't mind a man being moderate about the right things. That’s an asset, and that is a character quality. But if I were to ask you, "How do you feel about the inspiration of the word of God?" and you say, "Well, I'm moderate about that," I think you've got a real problem. It would be like asking you do you love Jesus and you say, "Moderately." You see, a man and his word may be different, but God and His Word are not to be separated. He is the Word God and the God of that Word. We can’t be moderate about these things. ... Moderate heat never boiled water. ...

     Vance Havner once preached a sermon entitled “The Menace of Moderatism.” And he said, “The greatest peril we face today is not extremism, serious as that is, but moderatism. By moderatism I do not mean moderation. The Scriptures teach moderation. Temperaments that avoid excess. But moderatism is something else.” Then he went on to describe Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and he said this, “The only colors that Mr. Spurgeon knew were black and white. In all things he was definite. With Spurgeon you were either up or down, in or out, alive or dead. As for middle zones, graded lines, light compounded with shadow, and a graceful exercise of give and take, he only looked down upon them as implacable enemies of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. I say, may his tribe increase.”

     Now somebody is going to say, “Adrian told us to be belligerent.” No, I’m telling you all to be militant. Back at the very peak of our theological battle one of the leading moderates put his hand on my shoulder, a very sincere man, and he said to me, "Adrian, if you don't compromise, we'll never get together." Now folks, I want to say something to you, I am always willing to apologize. I am willing to repent. I am willing to forgive. I am willing to negotiate. I am willing to counsel. I am willing to dialogue. But the Word of God is not up for negotiation. I said to that dear man, "We're not going to compromise the Word of God." He said, "Well, we'll not get together." I said, "We don't have to get together.” I said, “The Southern Baptist Convention

doesn't have to exist.” I said, "I don't have to be the pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church." I said, "I don't even have to live. But one thing I have to do is to stand before God and give an answer to Him. And by the grace of God, I will not - if He will only help me - ever compromise His Word or be moderate about the Word of God.” And I am calling you, my brothers and sisters, to a burning, blazing, passionate, emotional love for Christ and His Word. And don’t simply strike the ground three times. Give us men of passion! Give us men of

emotion! Give us men of resolution! Give us men of determination! Nothing pleases God more than to be greatly trusted. God wants to do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. Young preacher boys coming along, don't just strike the ground three times. Get out of the boat with both feet and go for God with all that is in you.