The Book of Romans: "Overcoing Evil With Good"

 

The Book of Romans

Introduction:

Good morning friends. I suppose that I should take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Stuart Davidson. I am the pastor here at ESBC. I just want to take a second and welcome all of you. What a true privilege it is to be with all of you. If you are visiting with us today, either in person or online, thank you for choose to be with us this morning. You are our honored guests. I’d love to have the chance to meet you this morning. I will be in the foyer of the church at the conclusion of today’s service. Come say “hello”. Let me meet you and see how I can pray for you. 

Speaking of prayer, we have a tremendous prayer line here at the church. Each week we have members and guests send our prayer team urgent prayer needs. Many of those messages are sent directly to me requesting prayer. So think about it, if you have an upcoming surgery, or if you have a family member that needs prayer, or if you are having to make a big decision, send a text to 251-709-7202. I promise that at that very moment a member of our prayer team will stop right there, right then, to say a prayer for you. Many times those messages are forwarded to me to pray for as well. So go ahead and send us a prayer need. Again, the number is 251-222-8977. 

Over the past several years, I have become more interested in the plight of the unborn child. Perhaps never before have unborn children been more under attack. Statistics from the WHO, the World Health Organization say that some 74,000,000 children are aborted every year around the world. Right here in America, these United States, over a million children are aborted. It is hard to reckon with these statistics. Over the years I have read books, listened to podcasts, and watched hundred of videos trying to understand the motivation of mother’s willing to undergo child sacrifice. I have heard just about every excuse why a woman should be afforded one extra right than men, that extra right of terminating the life of her unborn child. 

What if the child is destined for suffering? Shouldn’t we then allow a woman to end the life of the child? 

No. Suffering is a human part of life. Everyone suffers. From the richest to the poorest, suffering is a destination that eventually everyone will arrive. 

So no, that won’t work. 

What about if the mother has been abandoned by the father of the child? That mother will not be able to afford the child. Wouldn’t it be better therefore to allow the mother to terminate the life of the child so that she will be able to better provide for herself?

Yet again…no. If you carry this logic out to its farthest extent, born children are much more expensive then infants. In order to dodge poverty or make life more affordable, should we allow women to kill their older born children?

Obviously not. 

Then we get to the most famous for all abortion narratives. Parents, in order to protect the listening ears of younger audiences, I will use the letter R and I and trust that you know what I mean. What about abortion in the case of “R” and “I”? For the record, this accounts for less than 1% of all abortions worldwide. Most people who are on the prochoice side of the fence will use the most extreme case to try to prove their murderous point. Shouldn’t a mother be allowed the right to kill the unborn child of the evil wicked man who impregnated her?

By the way, in my teenage years and on into my 20’s, this was reasoning that I held on to. I believed wrongly that abortion in the instance of “R” and “I” was not only ok but right and good. 

That was until I met Madison’s son. Madison a former student of mine. She attended a large state school. She was given a drug that rendered her incapacitated. She was then “R’ed” and became pregnant. I will never forget the incredibly brave decision to carry the child to term. She chose to raise the child, love him, and allow him to become the apple of her eye. 

Should the child pay for the sins of his father?

Should Madison have answered the evil of R with the evil of murder?

Evil never becomes righteous simply because it follows another evil. Sin does not sanctify sin. Violence does not purify violence. The taking of an innocent life does not undo the wickedness that conceived it. It only multiplies the tragedy.

Romans 12:19 to 20 reminds us that vengeance belongs to the Lord. God has not deputized us to correct one injustice by committing another. He has not authorized us to heal pain by destroying life. When we respond to evil with more evil, we step outside the will of God and into the very darkness we claim to oppose.

Abortion is not redemption. It is retaliation. It is not justice. It is judgment taken into human hands. It is not overcoming evil with good. It is answering evil with greater evil.

The Gospel calls us higher.

The cross shows us another way.

We do not defeat darkness by creating more of it. We overcome evil with good.

Friends, that brings me to the title of my message this morning…”Overcoming Evil With Good”.

Today’s Message:

“Overcoming Evil with Good”

Introduction To Today’s Thought:

Friends, that bring me to the “Today’s Thought” portion of your sermon outline. You can fill in these blanks if you like. 

God says “no” to retribution, no to retaliation and no to events. However, God says “yes” to reconciliation. 

Today’s Thought:

God Says No To Retribution, Retaliation And Revenge. However, God Say “Yes” To Reconciliation. 

Boy, when I am done wrong, I want to get back. I want to strike back harder, with greater force, and with more firepower than was done to me. When I feel like I have been dealt with unfairly, everything inside of me screams for payback. There is something deep inside of me that wants the other person pay. I want to personally balance the scales. However when you stop and read our Scripture today, you see that getting even, making it right, making the wrong-doer pay is not my job, it’s God’s. 

It does not belong to the wounded. It does not belong to the offended. It does not belong to us. When we seize revenge, we step into a role that God has reserved for Himself.

God says no to retribution because He alone is just. He says no to retaliation because He alone sees the full picture. He says no to revenge because He alone can judge without sin. However, God says yes to reconciliation because reconciliation reflects His heart. At the cross, Jesus did not retaliate. He reconciled. He did not destroy sinners. He died for them.

When we overcome evil with good, we are not excusing evil. We are entrusting it to God. We are choosing to believe that His justice is better than our anger. His timing is better than our impulse. His mercy is better than our bitterness. That is the way of the Gospel. That is the way of the cross. That is the way of Christ. 

Introduction To Today’s Quote:

You know friends, I have always loved and admired John MacArthur. What a great Godly man, filled with faith. A great expositor of God’s Word. Sadly, Pastor MacArthur has gone on to be with the Lord. I found this quote in one of his New Testament commentaries. Listen to what Pastor John had to say on this issue. 

“An unforgiving heart is a barrier to fellowship with God. Those who refuse to forgive show they do not understand the magnitude of the forgiveness they themselves have received.”

Brothers and sisters, we are not called to revenge but to render grace. If you remember last week, I informed you that we are all equal at the foot of the cross, all sinners in need of redemption. Who am I that I should be the one to seek revenge? Who am I that I should withhold mercy when I am in such desperate need of mercy myself?

Oh that the Lord would make me more graceful.

Oh that Jesus’ example would inspire me to give more mercy. 

Oh that the mind of God would take over my sensibilities that I could live out Micah 7:19. 

Micah 7:19 CSB

He will again have compassion on us;

he will vanquish our iniquities.

You will cast all our sins

into the depths of the sea.

Today’s Quote:

“An unforgiving heart is a barrier to fellowship with God. Those who refuse to forgive show they do not understand the magnitude of the forgiveness they themselves have received.”

-Pastor John MacArthur’s “The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1–7”

Introduction of Today’s Scripture:

Friends, open your Bibles to Romans 12:19-20. The is the 12th week that we have been in Romans 12. In the entire letter to the Church in Rome, there may not be a more practical chapter than this singular chapter. When we arrive to chapter 12 Paul shifts from doctrine to duty. Paul has done everything he can to move us from knowing the right way, to walking the right way. 

When we get to verses 19 and 20, Paul is talking about how believers respond when they are mistreated. These Christians in Rome were living in a pressurized situation. They were persecuted at every turn.. Paul does not tell them to rise up. He does not tell them to strike back. He tells them to leave room for God’s wrath and to respond to enemies with acts of kindness. Imagine that now for a second. Imagine that someone was actively trying to hurt you. 

You work hard only for a co-worker to lie about you and get you fired. 

You work hard, practice diligently, only for an opponent to take a cheap shot and injure you for the rest of the season. 

What do to the man, the woman, or the student who lies about you, slanders you, or posts negative things about you on social media? Of course, if we were living in a different part of the world, the persecution might look more violent. What do you do when someone physically attacks you for being a Christian? What do you do to the person who jails you for possessing a Bible? What do you do when someone throws you and your family out of your home because you were hosting a secret church in your house? People living in the Middle East, India, and North Korea are playing for higher stakes and undergo greater levels of persecution than we do here in the States.

What do you do when you are abused, abandoned, betrayed, and maligned?

Well, the Bible says that we love them. We feed them when they are hungry. Give them something to drink when they are thirsty. We trust God with justice. That is the context. A redeemed people living differently in a hostile world. Not repaying evil for evil, but overcoming evil with good.

Statement of Belief:

So friends, let me remind you that…

“We are opening the living and powerful Word of God…truth without error, breathed out by Him, and fully sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our authority, our guide, and our hope. In honor of the God who gave us His perfect Word, I invite you to stand with me as we read it together.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 12:19-20 CSB

Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God's wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.

Pastor: “This is the Word of the Lord!”

Congregation: “Praise His name, praise His Holy name.”

Paul’s Call: Overcoming Evil with Good

First…Release the Right to Retaliate vs 19

Brothers and sisters, the Apostle Paul is calling us to higher, more holy lives this morning. He is calling us to go the Jesus way, to overcome evil with good. 

Our first point this morning is simple, but not easy. 

Release the right to retaliate. 

We see this point illustrated clearly in verse 19. “Friends, do not avenge yourselves.” 

You can see the explanation there on your outline. 

“When we refuse revenge, we surrender our claim to justice, placing our hurt into the hands of Christ.”

Not long ago, in fact it was in 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona, a man named George Alan Kelly was accused of shooting and killing a migrant who had crossed onto his property near the southern border. 

The case immediately became political. 

Emotions ran high. 

Commentators on both sides of the aisle demanded swift and severe justice. After months of proceedings, the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. The judge declared a mistrial. For a season, everything hung in the balance. 

What struck many folks was not the legal and political drama of it all, but it was the  public reaction. Social media exploded with calls for retaliation, outrage, and escalating rhetoric. People who had no personal involvement were ready to pick up stones, at least verbally. The temperature of the room rose quickly. Everyone wanted someone to pay.

That is the human instinct. When something unjust happens, we want justice immediately. We prefer our justice like Burger King. We want it now and we want it our way. We want it personally. We want it visibly. We want to avenge.

Paul says, “Friends, do not avenge yourselves.” The Greek word is “ek dik EH oh” or “ek-dick-eh-oh”. It means to exact justice by your own hand, to carry out punishment personally. It carries the idea of settling the score, making sure the offender feels what you felt.

You know church, we should be thankful that you and I are not called to be the judge, jury and executioner. 

A judge has to see everything clearly. A judge has to know every motive, every hidden detail, every contributing factor. You and I dont. 

We see through wounded eyes. 

We interpret through hurt feelings. 

We remember selectively. 

God alone searches the heart. We only see outward appearances. God alone knows the thoughts and intentions of a person. When we assume the role of judge, we pretend to possess knowledge that only God has. 

Our perspective is partial. His is perfect.

Why are we not the jury?

A jury deliberates carefully. They weigh evidence fairly. A good jury remains impartial. Yet when we have been wronged, we are anything but impartial. Our emotions become the loudest voice in the room. 

Think about it like this…

Anger argues the case. Pride presents the evidence. Bitterness votes early and votes often. We are not neutral observers. We are personally involved. That disqualifies us from rendering a righteous verdict.

Lastly, why are we not the executioner? 

The executioner carries out the sentence. That requires perfect justice. That requires a heart free from sin. You and I cannot punish without being tempted to over-punish. We cannot repay evil without being tempted to escalate it. When we execute vengeance, we often add sin to sin. We move from being offended to becoming offenders.

Oh friends, vengeance is not our assignment. Justice is not ours to execute in our personal relationships. God alone sees all facts. God alone judges without bias. God alone can repay without sin. When we step in to avenge ourselves, we are stepping into a role reserved for the Judge of all the earth.

So release the right to retaliate. We obey Romans 12:17 ESV, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”

Paul’s Call: Overcoming Evil with Good

First…Release the Right to Retaliate vs 19

Next…Rest In The Righteous Judge vs. 19

Ok folks, let’s move to our second point this morning. Paul’s call to overcome evil with good means we release the right to retaliate. Next, you can fill these blanks there on your outline, rest in the righteous Judge. Go back to verse 19 in Romans 12.

“Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

Again, there on your outline is a good explanation of this point.

“Trusting God’s justice frees us from carrying the burden of judgment, allowing us to rest in His perfect timing and authority.”

Let me ask you a quick question. Who is your favorite judge?

If you are a child of the 80’s there was Judge Wapner. 

If you are a kid of the 90’s you have the famous judge from the OJ Simpson case, Judge Lance Ito. 

My favorite Judge is the Supreme Court Justice, Judge Clarence Thomas. I have always found him to be brilliant and brave. 

But then, perhaps the most famous of all the judges. Can you guess HER name?

JUDGE JUDY! 

For more than two decades, Judge Judy dominated daytime television. Her courtroom show first aired in 1996 and ran for 25 seasons until 2021. Over 6,000 episodes. Thousands upon thousands of cases. For years she was the highest paid personality on daytime television. Millions tuned in daily to watch her render verdicts.

Why was she so popular?

Because people love justice. 

People love confrontation. People like to see wrongs righted.  They love to see someone decisive, confident, and firm say, “Here is the verdict.” There is something inside of us that longs for a righteous ruling. We want clarity. We want finality. We want someone to set it straight.

You may think Judge Judy is the greatest television judge in history, and by the standards of daytime TV she probably is. Yet she pales in comparison to God. 

She only hears what is presented in a short time slot. 

God hears everything. 

She only sees the evidence placed before her. 

God sees the heart. 

She can be wrong. 

God cannot. 

She can be biased. 

God is perfectly impartial. 

She can miss details. 

God misses nothing.

Why can we trust God’s judgments? God is holy. His character is without flaw. God is omniscient. He knows the beginning from the end. God is omnipresent. He was there when the offense occurred. God is just. He never under-punishes and He never over-punishes. His verdicts are never rushed, never emotional, never reactionary. They are always righteous.

Earthly judges have to think. They have to ponder all the angles. They have to look at every side. Not God. God doesn’t think. He never ponders. He always knows. He doesn’t have to look at all the angles. He doesn’t need a video review. He doesn’t need hear an expert. He doesn’t need to visit the scene of the crime. He was there, He saw it, He understands every motivation, sees every thought. Nothing escapes Him. 

When Paul says, “Leave room for God’s wrath,” he is telling us to step back and let the only perfect Judge handle the case. We do not have to carry the weight of settling scores. We do not have to lose sleep over balancing the scales. We rest in the righteous Judge.

Listen to Deuteronomy 32:35 NASB

“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution;

In due time their foot will slip;

For the day of their disaster is near,

And the impending things are hurrying upon them.”

Paul’s Call: Overcoming Evil with Good

First…Release the Right to Retaliate vs 19

Next…Rest In The Righteous Judge vs. 19

Lastly…Respond with Radical Kindness vs. 20

Well friends, we have made it to our last point. Paul’s call to overcome evil with good means we release the right to retaliate. It means that we rest in the righteous Judge. Our last point this morning is that we respond with radical kindness. Go back to verse 20 this morning.

“But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.”

Look there at our last explanation on your outline.

“Gospel love does not merely avoid revenge, it pursues kindness towards the one who caused the injury.”

Church, I suppose I should offer you the difference between ordinary kindness and radical kindness. 

Ordinary kindness is being polite. Please and thank you. Yes ma’am and no ma’am. 

It is holding the door. Age before beauty as they say. 

It is saying thank you. It is saying youre welcome. 

Radical kindness moves toward the one who hurt you. It offers a hand of help to the one who slandered you. It blesses the one who betrayed you. Radical kindness crosses the line that pride draws and walks straight into enemy territory with grace in its hands.

Jesus is our example.

When Jesus ate with Zacchaeus, He showed pursuing kindness. Zacchaeus was corrupt, greedy, despised. Yet Jesus invited Himself over. He entered his home. That meal changed a man’s life. When everyone else hated Zacchaeus, when everyone else made fun of him, Jesus loved him and saw his potential. 

When Jesus touched the leper, He showed compassionate kindness. Lepers were untouchable. Religiously unclean. Isolated. Feared. Yet Jesus did not simply heal from a distance. He reached out and touched him. He gave dignity before He gave deliverance.

When Jesus protected the adulterous woman, He showed merciful kindness. A crowd stood ready to stone her. She was guilty. She was exposed. Jesus did not condone her sin, but He confronted her accusers and extended mercy. “Neither do I condemn you.” That is radical kindness.

Church, radical kindness is so important in the life of the Christian. Radical kindness reflects the character of God. Kindness disarms hostility. Kindness softens hearts. Kindness creates space for repentance. Kindness demonstrates that we