Romans 7: 4 - 25 will be referenced during our lesson on the Grace of God's Law. The sermon, entitle "Of Enmity, the Prophets and the Church: God's Care for us unto Eternity, will focus on Romans 8: 1-11 and will reference, among other Scriptures, Acts 24. Jacques Ellul was a teacher and professor prior to WWII, put out of his position in Vichy France because of his outspoken resistance to the compromises of French officials to the Nazis. He went on to become a famous French Resistance Fighter against the Nazi. During that time, he studied Nazi propaganda seeking to discover their tactics and methods used to eviscerate the heart of men and women. 20 years later he would write a book called “Propaganda” in which he demonstrated almost 30 years of increased expertise in the subject we call propaganda. Propaganda has nothing to do with telling big stories to persuade people, but rather, he taught there are two kinds of propaganda which work hand in glove with each other. One type is Agitation Propaganda…which has its sole purpose to cause resentment and social unrest. It gives many people “purpose” in life to simply “resent” society. There is another kind of propaganda which is Integration Propaganda, which acclimates the heart to accepting new trends, new movements and new ideas without resistance. Jacques Ellul warned these two arms of modern propaganda are, in his opinion, the two greatest dangers to society’s peace and well being. They are also Satanic… and are being played out in the streets of America. Every man and woman are born fallen, and according to the Book of Romans exhibits a knowledge of the One True God whom the heart detests. The heart of man, in its fallen estate without the new birth, is born with enmity (hatred) toward the One True God. Romans 1 and 2 tells us the fallen man knows the judgment of man to come and is guilty of violating God’s holy laws. Thirdly, fallen man tells us the Law of God is written on every fallen man and woman’s heart (Romans 2.) The Prophets, as a movement, shook the world according to many modern historians (even secular historians admit it). The singular characteristic of the Prophetic voice was that as Paul describes it in Romans 7- “Sin taking occasion by the commandment worked in me all manner of lust.” The word for Occasion in the Greek is Aphorme. It means, sin through enmity, takes the commandment as a base of operations to attack the commandment in our hearts. The Prophets did not merely preach. They struck the very core of fallen men inside and outside the church. They struck at the deepest resentments toward God found in all of us. Whenever God’s Will shows up, your enmity and mine will find a reason to malign it, avoid it, substitute something else for it, replace it, misread it, accuse it and excuse itself… UNLESS God’s Grace combats and overcomes that enmity. The Prophets and the Apostles were made a spectacle- struck down- because they preached a gospel that struck at enmity “God Hatred.” According to both the Prophets and the Apostle Paul (Romans 7) one of the unique functions of the Law of God is to strike at the enmity in men and women. It is a struggle to the death. If sin prevails, the Church becomes apostate. If Grace prevails, judgment prevails and righteousness flourishes. According to Ephesians 2, the Prophets and Apostles were the foundation of something much greater built upon them, unto which they ministered, the Church of Jesus Christ. She may not look powerful. She doesn’t have command of tanks, missiles and guns. Her weaponry is far more powerful. Her sword strikes at the heart of enmity and as such, the Church assumes the mantle of the Prophetic Voice in the world.