Posts Tagged ‘ Evil ’
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:7, ESV
We are very limited in our knowledge of life, the universe, and everything.
Once we acknowledge this, we can seek the One who knows all things and has told us what is good.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21, ESV
Everything we do apart from Christ is evil, yet He came to overcome our evil with His righteousness by His death.
May we live like our Lord and Savior, loving others sacrificially and with goodness.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5:24, ESV
We like to think we are basically good, but we have inherent sin that separates us from God and has us under His judgment.
If we believe the truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as our only means of salvation, then we are saved.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8, ESV
Honestly, this world is scary and evil, and it can be easy to be overwhelmed and become cynical.
God wants us to focus on the good things – not ignore the bad, but focus on God, His goodness, and the goodness spread by His Church and goodwill.
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:15, ESV
We rebelled against God, yet He came to show goodness to us.
Likewise, we show kindness to each other inside and outside the Church to show His goodness.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21, ESV
We know God is in control and allowing evil people to build up their wickedness (and wait for all who will come to Him), so, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we endure the evil in this world and work toward combating evil with good works and Christ’s love.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Luke 6:35, ESV
God has shown His kindness and goodness to all of us (everyone) who has sinned (rebelled and disobeyed) against Him.
We remember that vengeance is the Lord’s against those who wrong us, and, just as we can never earn grace nor our own salvation but must accept His gift, we give of ourselves to help others.
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:12, ESV
God is ever-present in our lives, but He pulls away from evil. Let us stay within His presence by seeking Him and His righteousness.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45, ESV
It is what we treasure that flows out of us.
Do we long for personal satisfaction, or do we long for God to be glorified out of our love for Him and therefore our love for others?
The only good in us is God in us.
I have started a small group series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). I am sharing my notes in case anyone else wants to use them with their group. [Reminder that these are only notes!]
Matthew 5:1-2:
Jesus wants to teach the crowds: Who are they? Jewish disciples: People who understand the
Scriptures (at least to a point). Notice from 7:28 the crowds still came along, but this teaching is for His disciples.
What does “blessed” mean?
Based on the first twelve verses, blessed means realizing our own wretchedness and need for a Savior. In other words, it is becoming/being a Christian.
What was discussed last time?
• Giving to the needy
• Love your neighbor as yourself
o We are serving Christ when we serve others.
Matthew 6:19-21:
But isn’t wealth a sign of blessing?
Matthew 6:22-24:
What is Jesus saying?
What does it look like to serve two masters?
Jesus always takes us deeper.
a simple man of God 