Overcoming Good
Rom 12:9-21
(9) Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
(10) Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
(11) Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
(12) Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
(13) Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
(14) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
(15) Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
(16) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
(17) Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
(18) If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
(19) Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
(20) To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
(21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (NLT)
21. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (The Message)
“You are not necessarily called to do something great; you are called to do small things with great love.”
EOLS: The greatest weapon the Lord gives us against overwhelming evil is the passion and conviction for overwhelming good.
Do we live in an evil world? Do you believe that evil abounds and that it wreaks havoc among nations, among countrymen, in the workplace and in the family? It seems that everywhere you look, evil men cause great suffering. It seems that evil increases on every hand, in every situation.
We fight two major wars and several skirmishes this very day; the United States is still involved in the longest running war in our history in the nation of Iraq. And it all started on that terribly dark day in 2001, a day that we will remember in just a couple of weeks.
Greater carnage still has happened in ten years on the streets of major cities than the sum total of our war-fronts over the past ten years. Think of how many families have been devastated right here in America over the past ten years, and how many innocent people have suffered and died because of evil actions. We don’t have to leave the country to find a war.
Sin and evil have already been defeated by Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. There is no titanic struggle between God and Satan-he is a defeated foe. The battle is between you and satan, and the only weapon he has against you is deceit and intimidation.
John 10:10
(10) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Let there be no doubt, we’re in a war of our own, and it is serious business:
Eph 6:12
(12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The forces of hell are not random, they are organized and they have targets and goals. There is a war between two worlds that rages even as we speak and it’s manifested in a variety of ways, from international affairs to the privacy of our own inner thoughts.
The scriptures in Ephesians 6 continue to give us the defensive weapons that we need during the spiritual battle: the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet covered with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.
And finally our offensive weaponry:
Eph 6:17
(17) and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
In other words, we need defenses and we need weaponry. When it’s time to fight we need the greatest firepower available and the latest technology.
The “secret weapons” of warfare give one side the advantage and leverage. Kingdoms rise on superior weaponry both offensive and defensive, and they fall in time and give way to new technology.
At one time the bow was new technology and gave a band of people tremendous advantage!
Weaponry often provides the elements of surprise or intimidation. My grandmother’s generation saw the invention of the airplane and watched it become a “surprise” advantage in World War I. Some of us here remember real- time the Manhattan Project and the race to build the first atomic bomb through nuclear fission.
Most of us remember the arms race and the days of the Cold War that was fought primarily on a psychological battlefield. Remember the “secret” weapon of SDI that Reagan bluffed the Soviet Union with, ultimately causing them to fold?
One of the “secret” weapons we hear a lot about today are drones. They’ve played a big role in Iraq and Afghanistan. In ten years of fighting, the war industry has produced some absolutely amazing weaponry in this area of umanned flight. Right now, drones as small as dragonflies can provide surveillance which would have been impossible only twenty years ago. Drones the size of small, two-seater aircraft can launch “hellfire” missiles to obliterate targets with surgical precision. Osama bin Laden was spotted by drones and the intelligence even tells us that they took a couple of shots at him over the time that he was hunted by the US Forces.
So, what about the battle that rages between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God? This is the battle that we’re caught up in. We can’t win this battle with our old flintlock black powder guns, or with our primitive spears and bows.
We need some serious firepower, we need some technology. We need the best weaponry that can be obtained.
Are you ready for our super-weapon that will absolutely surprise and devastate the dastardly plans hatched against us by your enemies?
It’s one of the most dangerous weapons on the face of this earth, the most effective weapon ever used by mankind.
It’s called “overcoming love.” It’s our “secret” weapon of advanced technology that will give us the ultimate advantage in our fight.
The Bible tells us that the only effective way, and the primary way that God calls us to defeat evil in this world is by-overcoming evil with good!
We’re using national defense here as an analogy and the Scriptures tell us that there is a time for war and a time for peace. I’m not advocating a stance of true pacifism. Yet even in matters of national security and defense, when devastating warfare is necessary, the goal of peace, harmony and the ultimate alleviation of suffering will prove to be the greatest overcoming weapon of warfare.
It’s been said that one of the greatest things that can happen to a country is to be defeated by the United States, because we spend billions of dollars to modernize and re-build our enemies!
The Scriptures are speaking today however about the way we conduct ourselves in inter-personal relationships. This is where we live with our families, our friends, our co-workers and acquaintances. This is how we live with total strangers that we may meet. This is how we deal with conflict.
Paul is simply teaching Jesus to the Romans, He knew well the words from the Sermon on the Mount:
Mat 5:44-46
(44) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
(45) so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
(46) For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
The Clarified Objective
In any warfare large or small, there must be a clear and clarified objective. There must be a working definition of victory and every step taken by a fighter or an army must support that objective of victory.
We talk about “quagmires” of war; Viet Nam is the most glaring example. Many people believe the same thing has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. Often as the battle rages on the original objectives are blurred or completely lost. A skirmish leads to battles and pretty soon battles lead to more battles and we find ourselves in a vicious cycle where no one really remembers why or if the war was even necessary!
If we approach our personal battles as Jesus taught us, we will do so with one objective-redemption and love. Living in harmony with people and
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
You can’t change someone else’s heart, you can only guard your own. Paul says, as he teaches us Jesus- do everything you can, within your own capacity to live at peace with all men. When your objective is clarified and your focus is on the clear definition of victory, you won’t waste your time with side battles and wars.
I’m no great chess player, but if you’ve ever played seriously you’ll understand what I’m saying. Every move you make in a game of chess needs to be centered on hemming up your opponent’s King into a position of check-mate. Certain players on the board are high-value targets because of their power and ability to move in different directions. It always feels good to capture an opponent’s bishop or knights, or even the queen.
Yet if I find myself simply going after my opponents powerful pieces, trying to increase my captures…it won’t be long before I work myself into a corner and hear those words from someone else “Check-Mate.” Game over. Lost due to lack of focus and objective!
Highly competitive chess players are able to think ahead by five, ten or more moves and to develop “if-then” scenarios in their mind. Yet every scenario, every pre-plan is centered on one thing, freezing the opposing king- the victorious “check-mate.”
Every one of us have been through battles, and it is a certainty that we will go through more.
You may be in the heat of a battle this very moment. What if suddenly you decided to clarify your objective, and the one working definition of victory was redemptive love and peace? How would it change your approach, and how would it turn the tide?
“The problem with revenge is that it never gets what it wants; it never evens the score. Fairness never comes. The chain reaction set off by every act of vengeance always takes its unhindered course. It ties both the injured and the injurer to an escalator of pain. Both are stuck on the escalator as long as parity is demanded, and the escalator never stops, and it never lets anyone off.” (Philip Yancey)
The Element of Surprise
I’ve heard varying interpretations of the “hot coals on the head” from verse 20.
But I believe the strongest and best modern translation would be that we have the ability to “absolutely bug the dickens out of our enemy” by doing good to them! When we show kindness to our enemy, it will often stop them in their tracks; it’s the surprise element, the secret weapon that absolutely floors the attacker.
How do you respond to someone who you have sought to destroy, when they turn around and give you food when you’re hungry or water when you’re thirsty?
Can you think of a time when you had possibly treated someone badly; maybe you could even justify it in a sense, because they had hurt you in some way. That person then did something nice for you, something to help you, and it was sincere.
Did it totally throw you? Did it bring you to tears? Did it cause you to be ashamed of your actions? I’ve been there.
In the year 1818, Tamatoe, King of Huahine, one of the South Sea Islands, became a Christian. He discovered a plot among fellow natives to seize him and other followers of Christianity. The plan was for the King and the others to be put to death. King Tamatoe organized a group to surprise the enemies, capture them and then to have a great feast for them. This unexpected kindness surprised the enemies who decided to become Christians. (Bible.org Sermon Illustrations)
Identify the True Enemy
Do you remember the line made famous by comedian Flip Wilson “the devil made me do it?”
The truth is people do evil things of their own free will, and the devil can’t make them do anything.
Yet in a very real sense the people who seek to hurt others are powerfully influenced by the lies of the enemy. So when we find ourselves being attacked, locked in a battle we have to realize that the true enemy is not the person who is hurting us or seeking our destruction.
Jesus loves that person just as much as he does me, and He died for that soul. He seeks to redeem that person and bless their lives. In a very real sense if we get caught up in retribution in an attempt to defeat the person, we set ourselves against God.
The true enemy is the enemy of our soul, the one who has come to “steal, kill and destroy.”
That’s why verse 18 tells us to “never avenge ourselves.” He knows the heart of both sides.
Once we take on the responsibility, the Lord will take His hands off of it and let us handle it.
I have to realize that I can very quickly become the “enemy” or the one at fault in this scenario if I choose to take things into my own hands. I need to line up with God and let him handle the revenge part.
Clara Barton, Red Cross founder, was asked if she remembered an especially cruel thing done to her years before. When she seemed not to recall it, a friend asked, "Don't you remember?" "No," said Miss Barton, "I distinctly remember forgetting it." God has forgiven us, it is now time that we forgive others so that we can get on to a bright future. Is some cruelty holding you back? Forgive and Live.
The Steady Delivery
Any professional warrior or fighter will tell you that anger and rage lose the fight. The second you start to get angry your strategy goes out the window and every punch, every kick becomes an attempt to knock out the enemy. It doesn’t take long for the opponent to see an opening in your anger and deliver the knock-out.
Muhammed Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy- Ali would use an opponent’s own adrenalin, power and instinct against him. He’d cover up, lean and roll on the ring ropes and act like he was in trouble. The larger and stronger man would punch himself into exhaustion and then Ali would deliver the knockout.
The cool calmness in the heat of a battle: Have you ever dealt with someone who refuses to be flustered or angered? It can be very frustrating, when all we want to do is fight it out!
Keep your cool in the heat of battle, and remember your objectives! Once they've punched themselves out, you can deliver the knockout- overcoming love!
The Cycle Breaker
The enemy cannot respond to love unless the heart is changed. When we overcome evil with good it breaks the vicious cycle of the war. It changes the playing field and suddenly I’m not
just going shot for shot, bomb for bomb, battle for battle. I’ve introduced a whole new element to the equation.
If everyone followed “an eye for an eye” form of justice, very soon the whole world would go blind. (Ghandi)
Overwhelming, overcoming love. It’s the love that God has for us that breaks the cycle of sin in our own lives.
Romans 5:20
(20) Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
Grace, grace and more grace! Grace abounds! Whenever we sees sin rear its ugly head and we feel like we are being attacked on every hand, stop and look up…because your Redeemer lives and His grace is new every morning! You have been given grace, and you are called to give it!
The Personal Story: Mrs. C’s House, a story of overcoming love.
Do all the good you can, By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can, In all the places you can,
At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you ever can. (John Wesley)
Overcome Evil with Good!
