12/22/13 THIS BABY BROUGHT HOPE

Hope Over The Evil One

    While we are talking about the hope we have in Jesus, I am going to start today talking about the opposite.  I want to talk about evil for a few minutes.  Jesus is our hope over the evil one.  So, let’s look at evil for a bit.
    There is evil in the world.
Evil:  deeply immoral, malevolent, malicious
extreme wickedness and depravity
    The reason why so many horrible things happen is because of evil.  When unspeakable things happen people are always asking why these things are.  How can anyone do them?
    There are evil people who work hard against God.  One was the famous twentieth-century English novelist Sir Kingsley Amis. Sir Kingsley’s son, the novelist Martin Amis, told of a conversation his father had with the Russian poet and novelist Yevgeni Yevtushenko. He asked Amis if it was true that he was an atheist. “Well, yes,” said Sir Kingsley, and then added, “But it’s more than that. I hate him.”
    Can you imagine hating God?  Can you imagine hating someone you don’t even believe exists?
    One of the horrible events of our modern world was the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.  Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 students and 1 teacher and injured 24 others before taking their own lives.
    Dylan’s mother, Susan Klebold, in O Magazine.
    “Dylan was a product of my life’s work,” Susan writes, “but his final actions implied that he had never been taught the fundamentals of right and wrong. There was no way to atone for my son’s behavior.” She goes on to write:
    In raising Dylan, I taught him how to protect himself from a host of dangers: lightning, snake bites, head injuries, skin cancer, smoking, drinking, sexually transmitted diseases, drug addiction, reckless driving, even carbon monoxide poisoning. It never occurred to me that the gravest danger—to him, and as it turned out, to many others—might come from within.
Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Quebec, Canada; source: Susan Klebold, “I Will Never Know Why”, O magazine (November 2009)
    When the heart is controlled by evil, all of the other knowledge that is probably important is not enough to overcome the destruction that resides within.
    Evil is deceptive.  It doesn’t say to a person “I will destroy you and send you to hell to suffer in torment forever”.  It makes itself look desirable, then it destroys.
    But, we have hope over the evil one because of Jesus.  After Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph followed the Law given by Moses and went to the Temple.
Luke 2: NKJV
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
    Simeon was righteous and devout.  He lived an upright life.  This means more than simply conforming to the commandments. The righteous one lives in a right relationship with God.
    The righteousness that God desires in His people is a heart founded faith, love and reverence for God.  It is not that a righteous person is morally perfect and faultless.  They follow God sincerely and rely on him completely.
    Luke wrote that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.  He was living in a time of awful spiritual conditions.  He was devoted to God and lived by Holy Spirit guidance.  He was looking for the promised Messiah.  When he saw Jesus he rejoiced, for he knew God had kept His word and provided the Savior.
    Jesus came to the world and perfectly fulfilled the plan of the Father to provide for us life and eternity.  It is up to us to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
    As we live today, we still face the battle against evil.  God’s power to overcome evil is just as strong as ever. Through the power of God, we can destroy the work of the devil.
    Jesus came to set us free by destroying the devil’s work.  Look at these passages. I John 3:8 NKJV
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
II Corinthians 4:3-5 NKJV
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
Galatians 1:3-4 NKJV
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
I John 5:19 NKJV
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
I Peter 1:3-5 NKJV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
    Because we are free, we have the hope that Jesus brought to the world.  We have the hope of overcoming the evil forces that live to bring fear and destruction.  Jesus said Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.  We have Christ’s abundant life.  We can, through Jesus, break the bondage holding people, holding this area hostage.
    Evil is real.  The enemy is still out to steal, kill and destroy.  One of evil’s favorite targets is children.
    In May of 2006, John Allen Muhammad was convicted in Maryland for the murder of six people as part of his “Beltway Sniper” reign of terror in October of 2002. Muhammad had already been sentenced to death in Virginia for murders there. However, during the trial, some frightening information was revealed about what Muhammad would have done if he had evaded capture.
    According to Lee Boyd Malvo, Muhammad’s accomplice in the sniper attacks, Muhammad planned to bomb schools and children’s hospitals after the sniper phase of his plan was completed. When Malvo asked why, Muhammad said: “For the sheer terror of it, the worst thing you can do to people is aim at their children.”
“Quotables & ‘Toons,” World (6-10-06)
    This is evil personified.  How can the be overcome?  Through God’s power.
THINKING AND DISCUSSION
Do I really believe that evil is alive and well in this area where we live?
What can be done about evil to overcome it?
Can we make a difference in destroying evil?
What does this have to do with Christmas?

    We have the victory in Jesus.
Romans 8 NKJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.