Feeling the Icy Grip of Evil
CrossRoads Community Church
Glenn H. Teal, Lead Pastor
Sunday December 11, 2005
Why would anyone write a classic children’s fantasy tale and set the story in a lovely place called Narnia but then go and spoil it all by making it always winter there and never Christmas?
Come to think of it why anyone put a white witch in charge of everything – even if temporarily
And why would an otherwise nice young boy named Edmund fall prey to the witch’s evil influence by eating too much candy?
What’s so bad about candy especially one called Turkish Delight a soft chewy fruit candy rolled in sugar that melts in your mouth – why make candy out to be some kind of temptation?
What’s wrong with wanting a little more and a little more candy?
If you’ve heard anything about C. S. Lewis’s classic children’s stories called the Chronicles of Narnia and particularly the first installment The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe you’ve likely heard about the forces of evil that are unleashed upon the world called Narnia.
Jack Lewis as he was known to his friends wrote some of the greatest Christian books of the 20th Century – many of them brilliant intellectual arguments for the tenets and belief of Christianity. Mere Christianity is perhaps the most powerful book of our times in explaining Christian faith to skeptics like the professor at Oxford and Cambridge where Lewis worked as an English Professor.
But books that made him world famous were the 7 children’s fantasy tales he wrote one a year from 1950 to 1956 which begin with the story of four children find their way to the magical land of Narnia by going through the doors and out the back of a huge freestanding clothes closet or wardrobe.
Much has been written and speculated in the past few weeks about just how seriously Jack Lewis’ Christianity shows up in his book and now in the movie. Most of us are not used to thinking in the somewhat abstract world of children’s fantasy. So any real church-goer just wants us to give it to them straight.
The Lion is named Aslan and he’s Jesus -- right?
The White Witch who has cast the spell of winter is named Jadis and she’s the devil -- right?
Those kids - Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy – each a representative of the various traits of boys and girls and men and women -- right?
To which Mr. Lewis said – not so fast!
According to Jack Lewis he didn’t really just write an allegory about Jesus and the devil in fantasyland –he actually tried to do more than that. He tried to write some terrific children’s stories that reflected what he truly believe about good and evil and right and wrong as if someone like Jesus went to a world where animals talked and humans were outsiders. In other words – he not only wanted to give us a great treat – high adventure -- he wanted to make us think!
And he deliberately – knowingly – on purpose wanted to make us think about something he considered to be one of the central issues of Christian Faith. Good and Evil.
The battle between right and wrong. Because – Lewis knew that if you take God out of the equation of life and make humans – not a reflection of a holy creator God – but instead accidental animal life forms that just happen to exist. Then right and wrong don’t matter anymore.
Without God we’re just highly evolved pond scum making up silly rules about taking property and valuable things away and having sex with the proper partners and deciding arbitrarily who can kill whom and when and where and why – like in wars or as punishment for crimes.
The Christian view of the battle between good and evil that rages to this day on this planet is profound and makes sense out of the way each of us experiences life. According to the faith brought to us in Christ -- evil really does exist -- and so does Good!
Consider classic Christian belief that tells us this planet we call earth is the handcrafted creation of a loving and holy God who made it and everything on it good. But our loving creator at the dawn of time decided to allow free will among his subjects which opened that door to the possibility of evil. You can only really love – if you aren’t forced to love. So God created us with the capacity to choose and because our first parents and every one of us since have chosen our own way instead of God’s perfect way the whole of creation has fallen into what we call sin – an ongoing rebellion against God and his goodness.
From the dawn of creation to this moment now -- this broken sin-stained world suffers under the influence of the evil forces unleashed as a result of our cosmic rebellion against our Creator. The leader of those dark forces – the evil one -- is wreaking havoc within this fallen world and every person in it. Sickness, death, war, immorality, impurity and selfishness surround us and lie within us.
But the reality of Evil and its influence is not the whole story.
Here and there across the landscape of God’s fallen creation the forces of darkness are being pushed back by an underground movement of goodness and light. This movement to bring goodness and light is centered in the one and only son of the Creator himself. This Savior stepped from heaven to earth at the precise moment when the Father of all Creation determined it was time.
There came a perfect moment when our Creator decided to act decisively to take back his fallen world. At that precise moment God’s one and only son entered the body of a Jewish peasant girl and on a starry night arrived on planet earth in a feedbox in a cattle stall while angel choirs announced his birth to shepherds. And that child became a man who completed his earthly assignment by giving his life – the innocent for the guilty – the pure for the stained – the holy for the wicked.
And when he did – something timeless and eternal was unleashed – an amazing force of love and goodness called grace – that began turning things around. Death was broken and the one who was a sacrifice became a sovereign – a King above every other King or Ruler or Leader the world had ever known.
He earned the right to lead the rebellion of goodness to take back the land of darkness that had long lived in the shadow of evil and to make it the land of light and freedom and joy. This great savior now leads and increasingly powerful legion of the people of the light. Though they somethings suffer and appear to taste defeat their victory is certain – their destiny is sure.
To this very day – in this very room – all those who call themselves followers of the Risen One are deeply involved in the battle for the hearts and minds and souls of everyone they meet.
Every person who becomes a true follower of Christ sooner or later realizes that there really is a battle between Good and Evil and we are in the thick of it. It not only rages all around us – but it rages within us and only in Christ can we win!
So Narnia’s Turkish Delight is a reminder that some seemingly good things can tempt you and seduce you and bring you great pain.
"Wouldn’t think I’d fall for it
Wouldn’t think I’d lie
But I think I’d do anything
For that tiny bit of pie
I would sell you out
I’d give you all away
A life of treats might do me in
But I gotta get another taste" Lyric Turkish Delight by David Crowder Band
As we look together for the next few minutes at the reality of evil let’s hear what God would like to say to us about it.
EAT CANDY NOW: Would everyone – if you haven’t already – would you join me in eating your jelly candy now. Please.
Yummy!
#1 Observe that our world – like Narnia – has been stained by sin.
When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned… Yes, Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone… Romans 5:12 & 18 NLT
We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one. I John 5:19 NLT
Mass confession time:
Anyone here who in the past 10 days
Got really angry with the way some stupid person was driving --
Became irritated with cell phone provider –
Had a run in with someone who was a different skin color or spoke with an accent –
Stood in a line way too long
Shouted a profanity – out loud or in your head
Used an inappropriate finger gesture
Lingered over an sexually charged image on TV or Computer
Lost your temper with your kids or your parents
Kicked the cat or the dog – preferably the cat
Saw someone in need but just kept going
Worried more about what people were thinking of you than you were about them
Drank too much
Ate too much
Spent too much
Anyone?
What if we used the BIG SCREEN to show highlights of your most embarrassingly sinful moments. Your own personal NOT Top Ten? How would you fell then?
Most of us find it pretty easy to see evil around us
Almost every day in the headlines – another toddler kidnapped – sexually abused and killed – deception in big business – local politics
We see evil exists all right – bank robbers – terrorists – sexual predators – the really bad guys of the world.
Fact of the matter is – it exists in me too – and you and you and you.
#2 Understand that sin is not only generally present -- it is personally resident.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 NIV
"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives…" Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT
Ever notice that you don’t have to teach kids to be selfish – they just naturally know how to say – MINE!
We have to teach them to share RIGHT?
Ever watch your kids – maybe they don’t see you and they do something wrong – America’s Funniest Home Videos – sweet little girl – 4 or 5 stealing in the cookie jar and is interupted cookie in hand – she screams at her mother for daring to spy on her. The sting of getting caught makes her yell in indignation. How much like that do we act at times?
Remember the 7 deadly sins
1 Pride – excessive focus on myself
2 Lust – cravings for bodily pleasure
3 Greed – failure to be satisfied with money and possessions
4 Envy – longing after traits things and circumstances of others
5 Gluttony – hunger to consume more and more without satisfaction
6 Anger -- allowing my negative feelings to boil over in hostile words or actions
7 Sloth – becoming so lazy that I don’t make any contribution to good around me
They certainly are real aren’t they?
#3 Admit that you have personally participated in sin’s darkness.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NIV
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 TNIV
First you think about it – NOT yet a Sin
Then you settle on it – when I get the chance I’m going to do that – Edge of SIN
Then you do it – SIN
Full-grown – get hooked – get a pattern – get a groove worn so deep
Edmund ate so much Turkish Delight it hardly tasted good anymore – it gave him a stomach ache – but he still wanted more!
Everyone here has your own particular flavor of Turkish Delight.
The only way free of it – is to get help from beyond yourself.
No good turning over a new leaf
No good deciding to be better after today
#4 Realize that Jesus Christ came as the Light to dispel the darkness.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 NIV
Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." John 8:12 NLT
“Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace." Luke 1:78-79 NLT
Here’s the Christmas connection – Jesus came to break the grip of evil in the world. It was under the powerful spell of the Evil One
First Christmas has all but been sanitized out of our modern celebrations – We wish you a merry holiday!
There is this sinister subplot not far from Bethlehem – the baby Jesus is barely old enough to walk when the wise men come on a mission from a madman – find the baby let me know too so I can worship him
Ultimately 100s of Hebrew baby boys are murdered trying to catch the one who is the enemy of evil – the personification of GOOD.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
1 John 3:8 NIV
#5 Trust in Jesus Christ alone to defeat sin and death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NLT
Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:22 MSG
We must each make a deliberate personal decision to respond in faith to everything God has done.
It involves realizing that Turkish Delight is wonderful but it will ruin me if I keep on eating it!
I am powerless over sin by myself
Gambling
Eating
Drugging
Sexual habits
Lying
Obsessing with myself
I cannot break it I cannot stop it alone.
First I have to be forgiven – Jesus makes that possible. Then I have to be changed – He can do that too!
An absolutely key word to the Christian view of how we cope with the reality of sin is spelled C-O-N-F-E-S-S
Confess is based on the following: Con is Latin – With and Fess means – to Say
So when we confess – we say along with God – we admit – that we have sinned and we turn to him for forgiveness
CONCLUSION:
One of the more touching scenes in the Chronicles of Narnia the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe comes near the end after Edmund has fallen under the spell of evil. He has become obsessed with Turkish Delight to the point where he betrays his own brother and sisters.
Once Aslan has forgiven him – he brings Edmund to his siblings and says: There is no more need to talk to Edmund about the past.
Perhaps the most amazing thing of all about God’s forgiving grace – is that once he has cleansed and pardoned us from our sins – there is no more need to talk about the past. In Christ it has been completely dealt with and is now as far from us as East is from West. Infinitely removed.
Now that’s a reason to celebrate!
Let’s Pray!
