How to Overcome Evil With Good in a Dark World | Romans 12:21

Scripture

• Romans 12:21

About this sermon

How do you overcome evil with good? Romans 12:21 says, "Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." In the original language, that word "overcome" is aggressive, not passive. We don't adopt the tactics of evil to fight evil — and we don't sit still either. We conquer it by doing good, aggressively, on purpose. ✝️ Daily devotionals from Ed Young: https://www.edyoung.com/devotionals In this message, Pastor Ed Young opens with a principle that connects two passages: what we remember determines how we respond, and how we respond determines what we remember. Deuteronomy 8 is about remembering. Romans 12:21 is about responding. And in Scripture, remembering is never just mental — it's behavioral. Over 200 times God tells His people to remember. Right before Israel entered the Promised Land, He said in Deuteronomy 8:11, "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God." We tend to have selective memory. We remember what we should forget, and forget what we should remember. THREE THINGS WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET: 1. EVIL IS REAL — The Bible doesn't sugarcoat evil, explain it away, or psychoanalyze it. Isaiah 5:20 warns, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness." Our culture loves to call evil "complex," but often that's just a way of avoiding the truth. Evil dealt with superficially will never defeat evil substantially. Pastor Ed names what he calls a toxic trifecta of ideologies pressing against the church today: Marxism and socialism, which have never worked and carry a catastrophic historical death toll; LGBTQ and transgender ideology, which cuts against God's design for men and women; and Islam, which he addresses as a belief system at odds with the freedom found in Christ. 2. FREEDOM HAS A PRICE — Nothing is free. Freedom always has a price tag and freedom always has fences. We were slaves to sin, and meeting Jesus made us free — but that freedom cost Him everything. Freedom enjoyed without freedom remembered can become freedom lost. 3. COURAGE IS COSTLY — Three times God told Joshua to "be strong and courageous." Courage is the God-given ability to stand up for what is right in the face of fallout and fear, no matter the cost. Every believer carries a warrior spirit. Don't waste it. HOW TO OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD — BE FIERCE: F — FIGHT. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called." 1 Timothy 6:12. Do you feel the fight? In your marriage, with your kids, in God's Word? I — IDENTIFY the enemy. "Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14. You can't play the game without knowing who's on the other side of the net. E — EXPOSE the darkness. "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:11. Anger, greed, lust, slothfulness, envy — bring them into the light. R — RESIST. "Submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7. C — CONFRONT. "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18. The church kicks the gates of hell down. E — ENGAGE. "Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground." Ephesians 6:13. The only offensive weapon in that armor is the sword of the Spirit. Pastor Ed also shares a story about a bodybuilder who visited a remote village, flexed his muscles for the chief, and was asked what he did with all that strength. "I pose and I flex." The chief shook his head: "What a waste." A lot of us have the muscle and we're only posing. THE THING WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET MOST A hill outside Jerusalem two thousand years ago, where a 33-year-old carpenter voluntarily placed Himself on a wooden cross to take the sins of the world. Every demon in hell looked at the scoreboard and thought evil had won. Saturday came and went. Then on the third day, Jesus rose with resurrection power. That's why we are not fighting for victory. We are fighting from victory. If you've never made that decision, you can make it right where you are: "God, I remember that You died on the cross for my sins, that You were buried and rose again. I believe it, and right now I respond. I turn from my sins and open the doors of my life to You. I give You everything." — RESOURCES — ✝️ Daily devotionals from Ed Young: https://www.edyoung.com/devotionals ⛪ Join us at Fellowship Church in person or online: https://www.fellowshipchurch.com Pastor Ed Young, Fellowship Church How to Overcome Evil With Good | Romans 12:21 #overcomeevilwithgood #romans12 #fellowshipchurch

Topics

• Overcoming Obstacles