Overcoming Evil with Good

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's brand new book, Reignite. But first, here's his message, Overcoming Evil with Good. Take your Bibles and turn to the 12th chapter of Romans. Verse 14 says, In other words, we are to walk in honor and humility before all. And then in verse 17, Repay no one evil for evil.

We live in a get-even world. But God says, Repay no one for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Think about what is honorable.

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. And verse 19, key verse, 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. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head. That is, it will be a strike to his conscience. But then verse 21, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The Christian is always a victor and never a victim. We are overcomers. We are more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ. We overcome evil, and we live in an evil world.

Satan and all the hordes of hell are in attack mode. And we know that there's so much hate and so much anger and so much violence and so much division, political, cultural, racial, and all the rest. And then there's the personal side in which so many people are facing personal challenges and even resistance and persecution. And if you have ever been betrayed, if you have ever been broken or hurt or wounded, if you have ever experienced pain and suffering at the hand of someone else in your life, then this message is for you.

It's for all of us because we overcome evil with good. Light penetrates the darkness. The darkness cannot overcome the light. That's the message of the Gospel. That even in the darkness of sin, in the hate of humanity, the light of Jesus Christ has come. And when Jesus rode into that city offering Himself as King to be rejected as King, to die on the cross for our sins, to rise again on the third day, that was light penetrating, destroying the darkness.

That was good overcoming evil. The message of Jesus Christ, the cross, the resurrection is the message ultimately of forgiveness. We all have a sin problem and that sin separates us from God. It is a debt that we owe that we cannot pay. It is disobedience to God. It is defilement in the presence of God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, to even look at iniquity. But God in His holy love sent His Son.

He came on a mission of reconciliation to forgive us of our sins. And the way that He did that, it was not cheap. It is costly. Forgiveness is costly.

Don't forget that. It will cost you something to forgive. It costs Jesus His life, His blood poured out at Calvary in order to forgive us, in order to change our lives. And so we remember the cross.

The first words that Jesus spoke from the cross were these words, and He spoke them again and again apparently, as is recorded in the language of the New Testament. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Father, forgive them.

Father, forgive them. He prayed for His enemies. He died for His enemies. And we are all born with our backs towards God. We are all estranged from God.

We chose rebellion and sin. We have become the enemies of God, and yet God has made peace with us. If you don't have peace in your heart, if there is strife and chaotic lifestyle in you, then that's because you don't know the peace of God in your life. And that's because our sin has broken that peace. But Jesus came on an errand of peace, and He died on the cross, and He prayed, Father, forgive them. When Jesus was in the garden preparing for His death on the cross, praying drops of blood, the betrayer came, Judas, one of his own. It's especially hurtful, isn't it, when we are betrayed and hurt by someone that should love us.

Someone hurts us that we know and care about very deeply. Judas was one of the beloved disciples of Jesus, and yet he betrayed Him. And Simon Peter, the fisherman, took a sword that he had somehow brought with him. And he started slashing away as the Sanhedrin guard came to arrest Jesus. He cut off the ears of one of the soldiers, and he wasn't trying to cut off his ear. He was trying to cut off his head. He was a fisherman, a bad swordsman, just missed.

And you remember what happened. Jesus healed the man's head, his ear, and then he spoke very straightforwardly to Simon Peter and to us. He said, you live by the sword, you die by the sword. He said, don't you know that I could say the word, and my Father in heaven would send ten thousands and ten thousands of angels to deliver me. But it wasn't the nails or the persecutors or the killers of Jesus that kept him on the cross.

It was love that kept him on the cross. He didn't say, I mean, he said, Father, forgive them. I mean, he could have said, judge them.

He could have said, destroy them. But he said, Father, forgive them, for they are ignorant of what they do. And with those words, we are reminded that our ignorance of our own sin brought us to a judgment. That Jesus took our judgment and our sin on the cross, the debt that we owed that we could not pay, and he died for you and me. Forgiveness is what Christ is all about. Forgiveness is about what the cross is all about and the reason for our hope.

Now Jesus practiced what he preached always. Jesus said in Matthew 5 44, the Sermon on the Mount, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you.

And of course, Paul is picking up on this same passage in Romans 12. Bless those who curse you. Speak well of those who speak evil of you. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hurt you.

And pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. This is an impossible saying, isn't it? Peter wanted to know, actually Peter thought he had it figured out. He said, Lord, how often should we forgive our brothers? Thinking he was being magnanimous, he said, seven times? And Jesus said, no. Seven times seventy.

Seven is a perfect number. He's talking about infinity there. Just keep forgiving. God is doing this eternally for us. And we do need to remember that no person is beyond the love and the mercy and the forgiveness of God, not one. If Jesus could pray for his accusers and attackers, it reminds us that there is no person in our lives, no person that we know who is beyond the love and the grace and we ought to keep praying for people who need the Lord. We ought to love lost people.

No person is so far away that they are hopeless. And there are people we know, you know, I know that need to know Jesus and we can't give up on them. We keep praying, God, Father forgive them. Bring them to grace and forgiveness and cleansing. And it was at the cross that our sins were forgiven.

And by the resurrection that we are raised to a new life. The question is, have you been forgiven? Have you come to the place in your life where you repented of your sin, which means to turn from your sin and then to trust in Christ and Christ alone to be your Savior and your Lord? Have you come to the cross and because of the resurrection believe that Jesus is alive?

Have you trusted him? Have you been forgiven? You can be.

You must be today. Are you forgiven? You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, overcoming evil with good. Bring fresh passion and joy to your faith with Dr. Graham's newest book, Reignite, an intimate account of how God led Dr. Graham through one of the darkest seasons of his life.

Whether you're facing disappointment, doubt, depression or heartache, Reignite offers biblical insights to encourage you in your pain and help fan the flames of faith in your life. And it's our way to thank you for your gift to PowerPoint. This is the last week of this offer. So call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is Jack Graham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, overcoming evil with good. Secondly, if you are forgiven, are you a forgiving person? Because what Jesus taught us and what Romans 12 here is saying to us in a variety of ways, each sentence that we have that we read earlier about our relationship with others and how we are to treat people and that we are to walk among the lowly and not just among those who are prideful and arrogant, that we are to live honorably and bless those who curse us and love those who hate us and so on. But the key passage that we stopped to note was give space to the grace of God. The Scripture says, and Paul is quoting the Old Testament here as well as giving us New Testament truth, vengeance is mine, says the Lord. In other words, you can trust God to bring justice in your situation.

You can believe in a God who will get it all right and make it all right. So the question is, have you forgiven those who have wronged you, who have hurt you, betrayed you? Judges 4 32, be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even, even as God in Christ forgave you. Are you forgiving as you have been forgiven? Many people live with resentment, revenge on their minds, full of hatred, anger, hostility, bitterness and even rage.

But I want to give you a warning. Unforgiveness is hazardous to your health and well-being. Not only to your spirit but your soul, your mind, your body. As someone said, unforgiveness is like pouring a cup of poison for your enemy and drinking it yourself. Modern medicine has made a clear link between toxic emotions such as anger and hostility and rage and bitterness and unforgiveness in particular have made the connection between that and physical and emotional health and damage to our physical and emotional health.

This damage includes cardiac problems, high blood pressure, stroke, emotional problems such as depression and anxiety, and even cancer. But it's also been noted that if unforgiveness causes these problems then forgiveness, when we forgive, that these conditions can even be reversed. We can be healed, body, soul and spirit. The well-known renowned Mayo Clinic has correlated acts of forgiveness with positive healthy outcomes in your life.

Their studies show, and I quote, letting go of bitterness leads to lower blood pressure, fewer stress-related illnesses, healthier relationships, and reduced risk of alcohol or drug abuse. So if there is unforgiveness, which really is unrepentant of sin in our own lives, what did Jesus say? When He taught us to pray, forgive us our debts, sin is a debt, forgive us our debt as we forgive those our debtors who are our debtors. Jesus said, you want my forgiveness, pray for it, ask for it, but not without the willingness to forgive others. You say, I can't forgive that person.

I just can't do it. I won't do it. Then don't expect the forgiveness of God, not in terms of your eternal salvation if you're a Christian, but if you are a believer and you have an unforgiving, unrelenting spirit in your life towards someone else, you're cutting yourself off from God. The Bible says, he who regards iniquity in his heart, God will not hear him. You want God to answer your prayer, then forgive others. You want God to forgive you, then forgive others.

There's a correlation here. And you can't live your life always uptight and stressed out and angry and vengeful. And when it comes to holding on to our past pains, our problems, and certainly resentments in the past, if you keep holding on to that stuff, it's only going to break you down.

God wants to set you free with a freedom that only he can give, it's the freedom of forgiveness. And that's what this passage is teaching us. Hebrews 12, 15 says, look carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God. Lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by this many become defiled. So bitterness, I define bitterness as anger turned inward. Bitterness is the root, rage, anger on the outside is the fruit. And many people are bitter because they've been betrayed or hurt and they can't let go. So bitterness is within. And the Scripture says you've got to let go of that because it causes not only destructiveness in your life, but defilement. I've known people who because they are bitter, angry at God, angry at someone else, that they've fallen or leaped into all kinds of other sins, defiling sins in their life because they're so angry about something that's happened in their lives.

That's bitterness. And it will defile you, it will destroy you. An embittered, resentful, revengeful spirit dishonors God and grieves the Holy Spirit. You're a Christian, you don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit. And yet, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30 says, and this is the New Living translation, and do not bring sorrow or grief to God's grief, to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember He has identified you as His own, you're God's child, guaranteeing you that you will be saved on the day of redemption. You glad you're saved?

Of course you are. So what? Verse 31, get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

There it is again. Have you been forgiven? And if you have been forgiven, are you a forgiving person?

Because forgiven people forgive others. So many people are walking around angry and mad and agitated all the time. And some Christians, they just stay mad all the time about something. And they're mad that you're not mad about what they're mad about.

Just a perpetual state of being ticked off, irritated, agitated, critical, cynical, carnal, finding fault. And when one problem gets resolved, they're looking for the next problem or the next person to hate on. They're always offended about something.

You know, most of our offenses are not major crimes, but they're common, ordinary, variety offenses that we take on and refuse to let go. And if you ever notice that bitter, angry people are always running their mouths because they're unhappy, they want you to be unhappy. Because they're angry, they want you to be angry. They can't keep their thoughts to themselves.

They spread the venom and the poison. That's why in verse 18 it says, As much as is possible, be at peace with all people. Some people are impossible. But you've got to keep trying.

As much as is possible. Now, I'm not going to compromise truth. There's some things I will never compromise to be at peace. I'll not compromise the Word of God just to get along.

I'll not compromise truth just to get along, and neither should you. But as much as is possible, some people are impossible. They're not lovable. Love them anyway. Bless them that curse you. Love those who hate you.

Keep on loving them. It doesn't mean, forgiveness does not mean that you endorse bad behavior or approve of sinful behavior. But it means that like Christ, you give your life to God, surrender your will to His will, and let God take care of the rest. Because when you do, you will be on the pathway to freedom. I'm not saying it all happens overnight. It can be a process.

Things we have to work through in our lives. But if you will get on the pathway, you will find the freedom of forgiveness. And you will set the prisoner free.

And guess what? The prisoner is you that is set free. With God's grace and the Holy Spirit's help, yes you can forgive. You say, I just can't do it.

Yes you can. You have the supernatural work of God's Spirit in you. Not only yes you can, but yes you must, if you want to live in victory in your life. Overcoming evil with good. Maybe you've been hurt in some way and you need to forgive and then move forward on a mission for Christ. To do something good in the name of God. To overcome evil with good. Let your pain become the platform for your purpose in life. Overcome evil with good. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Overcoming Evil with Good. Chances are you've faced your share of crisis.

Maybe you're even in the fight of your life right now. Or maybe you're simply feeling exhausted by the busyness of life and sapped of spiritual strength. Whatever you're facing, we want to help fan the flame of faith in your life by sending you Dr. Graham's newest book, Re-Ignite.

This personal account of how God led Dr. Graham through his own crisis will help you focus on God during difficult seasons so you can experience fresh passion and joy in Jesus. And we'll send you a copy as thanks for your gift today. This is the last week of this offer, so call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? If you're looking for biblical resources to encourage you, guide you, and help you grow in your faith, then please visit JackGraham.org. My entire sermon library is there completely free because I want you to be able to find the help you need at any time. Just visit JackGraham.org and go to the Sermon Library tab to listen to any message I've ever given for no cost at all. You can also listen to PowerPoint radio broadcasts, watch PowerPoint TV, read articles and stories from other listeners, and much more.

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