Evil into Good, Good into Evil

August 31, 2014

Exodus 3:1-15 Romans 12:9-21 Matt!" 1#:21-2$

On April 15, 1912 the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic and more than 1,500 people lost their lives. The
Titanic had een e!"ipped #ith a ne# technolo$%, radio. At that time, radio #as ne# and still some#hat o& a
novelt%. Not all ships %et had s"ch radios and man% did not have a radio operator at ni$ht. 'n &act, altho"$h
several ships #ere close eno"$h to the Titanic to have rendered assistance to the s"rvivors, possil% even e&ore
the ship sank, none o& them had radio operators on d"t% that late at ni$ht. A&ter the sinkin$ o& the Titanic and the
ens"in$ investi$ation, man% chan$es #ere made that impacted the sa&et% o& ever%one at sea. Since that time
ships are no# re!"ired to carr% eno"$h li&eoats &or ever%one on oard and li&eoat drills are re!"ired so that
passen$ers kno# #here to $o and #hat to do in the event o& an emer$enc%. Also, radio #as re!"ired &or all
passen$er ships, operators had to e on d"t% 2( ho"rs a da%, and the radios had to have a secondar% po#er so"rce
so that the% co"ld contin"e to operate even i& the ships en$ines #ere stopped. )inall%, the Titanic tra$ed% led to
the &ormation and &"ndin$ o& the international ice patrol that locates and monitors the movements o& all iceer$s
in the North Atlantic so that ships at sea can sa&el% avoid them.
On April 20, 1999, t#o hi$hs school seniors entered *ol"mine +i$h school, m"rdered 1, people and in-"red 21
more e&ore &inall% committin$ s"icide. The tra$ed% and sense o& loss to that comm"nit% and to the nation #ere
"nima$inale. ."t since that time, parents, police departments, &ire departments, schools, teachers and even
st"dents have made chan$es to the #a% #e do thin$s. 'deas to do thin$s etter, to keep o"r children sa&er, have
come &rom all o& these places and &rom the creative minds o& people ever%#here. Since the events o& *ol"mine
+i$h School there have een several similar sit"ations that #ere &ar less serio"s onl% eca"se o& the chan$es that
#ere made &ollo#in$ that tra$ed% and no one can co"nt the n"mer o& sit"ations that have een avoided entirel%
eca"se o& those chan$es. /"st this #eek ' read o& %et another school teacher #ho invented a #a% to !"ickl% lock
a classroom door to keep a $"nman o"t and keep st"dents sa&e and the cost #o"ld proal% e less than &ive or
ten dollars per classroom.
+o# man% lives have een saved0 Altho"$h s"ch events are tra$ic and involve "nnecessar% loss o& li&e, the%
compel "s to take action to prevent s"ch thin$s &rom happenin$ a$ain. 't is impossile to calc"late ho# man%
lives have een saved eca"se ships at sea have li&eoats and sa&et% e!"ipment and emer$enc% radios. 1e have
no idea ho# man% lives have een saved eca"se o& the chan$es that #ere made a&ter the events at *ol"mine
+i$h School, "t #e kno# that man% people have taken action2 the% have invested their time, e&&ort, mone% and
s#eat into rin$in$ $ood o"t o& evil.
T#o #eeks a$o, #e spoke ao"t ho#, thro"$h his son /es"s, 3od reached #as ale to trans&orm evil into $ood.
't is eca"se 3od desires to contin"e to trans&orm evil into $ood, that he has called "s to do the same. O"r
callin$ is to $o into the #orld, to &ind nei$hors, &riends, and stran$ers #ho are lost in the darkness and call them
into the li$ht. O"r callin$ is to e at #ork, doin$ #hat #e can, #ith 3od4s help, trans&ormin$ darkness into li$ht
and evil into $ood. O"r callin$ is to take action.
O"r script"re lesson this mornin$ e$ins in Exodus 3:1-15, #here #e meet Moses as he #atches over the &locks
o& his &ather5in5la# /ethro. And on this da%, 3od calls Moses to take action so that evil can e trans&ormed6
1
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far
side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2
There the angel of the ord appeared to him in
flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
!
"o Moses
thought, #$ will go o%er and see this strange sight&wh' the bush does not burn up.(
)
*hen the ord saw that he had gone o%er to look, God called to him from within the bush, #Moses+ Moses+(
,nd Moses said, #Here $ am.(
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#.o not come an' closer,( God said. #Take off 'our sandals, for the place where 'ou are standing is hol'
ground.(
/
Then he said, #$ am the God of 'our father, the God of ,braham, the God of $saac and the God of
Jacob.( ,t this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
0
The ord said, #$ ha%e indeed seen the miser' of m' people in 1g'pt. $ ha%e heard them cr'ing out because of
their sla%e dri%ers, and $ am concerned about their suffering.
2
"o $ ha%e come down to rescue them from the
hand of the 1g'ptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with
milk and hone'&the home of the 3anaanites, Hittites, ,morites, 4eri55ites, Hi%ites and Jebusites.
6
,nd now the
cr' of the $sraelites has reached me, and $ ha%e seen the wa' the 1g'ptians are oppressing them.
78
"o now, go. $
am sending 'ou to 4haraoh to bring m' people the $sraelites out of 1g'pt.(
77
9ut Moses said to God, #*ho am $ that $ should go to 4haraoh and bring the $sraelites out of 1g'pt:(
72
,nd God said, #$ will be with 'ou. ,nd this will be the sign to 'ou that it is $ who ha%e sent 'ou; *hen 'ou
ha%e brought the people out of 1g'pt, 'ou will worship God on this mountain.(
7!
Moses said to God, #"uppose $ go to the $sraelites and sa' to them, <The God of 'our fathers has sent me to
'ou,= and the' ask me, <*hat is his name:= Then what shall $ tell them:(
7)
God said to Moses, #$ am who $ am. This is what 'ou are to sa' to the $sraelites; <$ am has sent me to 'ou.=(
7-
God also said to Moses, #"a' to the $sraelites, <The ord, the God of 'our fathers&the God of ,braham, the
God of $saac and the God of Jacob&has sent me to 'ou.=
#This is m' name fore%er,
the name 'ou shall call me
from generation to generation.
Altho"$h the nation o& 'srael had lived in 7$%pt &or h"ndreds o& %ears, and altho"$h the% had een cr"ell%
oppressed ever since a ne# 8haraoh had come to po#er #ho did not rememer /oseph, 3od had never &or$otten
his people. 3od had heard their cries &or help. 3od "nderstood the evil that #as ein$ done. ."t &or reasons
that 3od alone "nderstood, 'srael had remained6 "ntil no#. The time had come. On this da%, 3od set in motion
the release and the resc"e o& his people. On this da%, 3od sends Moses to resc"e 'srael and to end evil.
Moses resisted and made all sorts o& e9c"ses #h% he tho"$ht 3od had the #ron$ man &or the -o, "t Moses
#ent, and he did #hat 3od called him to do. 1e m"st e ca"tio"s #hen 3od calls "s eca"se #e are o&ten like
Moses. 1e resist 3od4s call and make e9c"ses #h% 3od m"st have the #ron$ person &or the -o, "t #hen #e
&ail to do #hat #e are called to do #e stand opposed to 3od. 'n Matt!" 1#:21-2$, 8eter tries to $et /es"s to
resist the call o& 3od and /es"s sa%s, #ell, let4s read the stor%6
2
27
>rom that time on Jesus began to e?plain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer man' things
at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the
third da' be raised to life.
22
4eter took him aside and began to rebuke him. #Ne%er, ord+( he said. #This shall ne%er happen to 'ou+(
2!
Jesus turned and said to 4eter, #Get behind me, "atan+ @ou are a stumbling block to meA 'ou do not ha%e in
mind the concerns of God, but merel' human concerns.(
2)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, #*hoe%er wants to be m' disciple must den' themsel%es and take up their
cross and follow me.
2-
>or whoe%er wants to sa%e their life will lose it, but whoe%er loses their life for me will
find it.
2/
*hat good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, 'et forfeit their soul: Br what can an'one
gi%e in e?change for their soul:
20
>or the "on of Man is going to come in his >ather=s glor' with his angels, and
then he will reward each person according to what the' ha%e done.
22
#Trul' $ tell 'ou, some who are standing here will not taste death before the' see the "on of Man coming in his
kingdom.(
1hen 8eter tries to tell /es"s to re&"se the call o& 3od, /es"s compares his actions to those o& Satan himsel&. 't is
an act o& evil to oppose 3od, to re&"se his call, and to &ill o"r lives #ith concern onl% &or o"rselves. /es"s sa%s i&
#e #ant to e his &ollo#ers, then #e m"st p"t aside the thin$s that "! #ant, and do the thin$s that #e are called
to do. /es"s even compares o"r sel&ish disoedience, #hen #e do o"r o#n thin$ instead o& 3od4s thin$, to
#alkin$ a#a% &rom o"r eternal re#ard. /es"s said, :*hat good will it be for someone to gain the whole world,
'et forfeit their soul:( 1hat $ood #o"ld it do %o", to do %o"r o#n thin$, to make all %o"r e9c"ses, to re&"se
3od4s call, to have it %o"r #a%, and then to $et rich and $ain the #hole #orld, onl% to lose %o"r so"l in the
process0 1hen 3od calls, #e m"st ans#er or #e do evil.
1hen 3od calls, #e m"st take action.
."t ho#0 'n Romans 12:9-21, 8a"l e9plains it this #a%6
6
o%e must be sincere. Hate what is e%ilA cling to what is good.
78
9e de%oted to one another in lo%e. Honor one
another abo%e 'oursel%es.
77
Ne%er be lacking in 5eal, but keep 'our spiritual fer%or, ser%ing the ord.
72
9e Co'ful
in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in pra'er.
7!
"hare with the ord=s people who are in need. 4ractice
hospitalit'.
7)
9less those who persecute 'ouA bless and do not curse.
7-
DeCoice with those who reCoiceA mourn with those
who mourn.
7/
i%e in harmon' with one another. .o not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low
position. .o not be conceited.
70
.o not repa' an'one e%il for e%il. 9e careful to do what is right in the e'es of e%er'one.
72
$f it is possible, as
far as it depends on 'ou, li%e at peace with e%er'one.
76
.o not take re%enge, m' dear friends, but lea%e room for
God=s wrath, for it is written; #$t is mine to a%engeA $ will repa',( sa's the ord.
28
Bn the contrar';
#$f 'our enem' is hungr', feed himA
if he is thirst', gi%e him something to drink.
$n doing this, 'ou will heap burning coals on his head.(
27
.o not be o%ercome b' e%il, but o%ercome e%il with good.
,
8a"l sa%s that the handook &or trans&ormin$ evil into $ood is simple. +ate evil and clin$ to #hat is $ood.
+onor one another. ;ove others more than %o"rselves. Share #ith those in need. <o not repa% evil &or evil.
;ive at peace #ith ever%one. .e #illin$ to associate #ith people o& lo# position. *are &or %o"r enem%. And
then this= :.o not be o%ercome b' e%il, but o%ercome e%il with good.(
1e live in a #orld #here #e are contin"all% con&ronted #ith evil. 'n o"r nation, and in o"r comm"nit%, there is
evil #ithin and #itho"t, "t o"r callin$ is to e stron$, &aith&"l, and oedient so that #e are not overcome % evil.
'nstead #e are called to take action so that evil mi$ht e overcome. 1e are called to take action so that evil can
e trans&ormed into $ood.
;ive at peace. *are &or %o"r enem%. Re-ect pride. Share. ;ove.
O"r callin$ is to $o into o"r comm"nit%, and into the #orld, and do these thin$s so that evil can e overcome.
3o.
Ans#er 3od4s call6
6and trans&orm evil into $ood.
(

>o" have een readin$ a messa$e presented at Trinit% ?nited Methodist *h"rch on the date noted at the top o& the &irst
pa$e. Rev. /ohn 8artrid$e is the pastor at Trinit% o& 8err% hei$hts in Massillon, Ohio. <"plication o& this messa$e is a part
o& o"r Media ministr%, i& %o" have received a lessin$ in this #a%, #e #o"ld love to hear &rom %o". ;etters and donations
in s"pport o& the Media ministr% or an% o& o"r other pro-ects ma% e sent to Trinit% ?nited Methodist *h"rch, ,@5@ ;incoln
1a% 7., Massillon, Ohio ((A(A. These messa$es are availale to an% interested persons re$ardless o& memership. >o"
ma% s"scrie to these messa$es, in print % #ritin$ to the address noted, or % contactin$ "s at
s"scrieBtrinit%perr%hei$hts.or$. To s"scrie to the electronic version si$n "p at http=CCeep"rl.comCvAl>n. These
messa$es can also e &o"nd online at http=CC###.scrid.comC8astor /ohn 8artrid$e. All Script"re re&erences are &rom the
Ne# 'nternational Dersion "nless other#ise noted.