Overcome Evil With Good

Romans 12:18–21 KJV 1900

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Introduction

Much of life is learning to respond the right way to what is thrown at us.

When difficulties come we can become defeated, depressed, discouraged, or we can be determined and dependent upon the Lord.

When faced with heartbreak, we can become hateful, hostile, or we can be hopeful, even happy in the Lord.

When we are attacked, harassed, and troubled by enemies, we can become angry, bitter, and fight back. This is a typical response, but we can also respond the right way, which is God’s way.

This is what we’ve been looking at for the last couple weeks...

How do you respond the right way to people who hurt you, harass, trouble you or are hostile toward you?

Perhaps the most challenging of all the commands in this series is the one we are looking at today—to overcome evil with good.

This command, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” summarizes the entire chapter of Romans 12...

Our natural inclination when someone has wronged us is to try to get even, but God tells us that our response as a Christian should be the opposite of what our nature tells us.

Humanly, we think it is impossible to repay evil with good.

It is true; in our own strength, there is no way we can do good to those who have done severe wrong to us, but God can give us the strength to obey His command.

Evil wants to destroy us…before diving into the main point, let me give you some examples of how evil overcomes us…It’s more than just thinking of our enemies.

Evil overcomes us when we choose sin over Jesus.

Evil overcomes us when we choose religion over Jesus…More on that in just a minute...

Evil wants to rip apart our sense of family with one another, that goes for our families at home as well as our family at church…Evil takes joy when churches are full of strife and division.

Evil overcomes our effectiveness in the ministry and causes us to be consumed with busyness and apathy...

We are so busy, but not getting anything accomplished…Ya’ll ever feel like that? I do!

Staying so busy all the time distracts us from that “good part” that Jesus spoke to Mary and Martha about...

Luke 10:40–42 KJV 1900

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Apathy keeps us from caring that we are neglecting the “good part” - What was the good part? It was lying at the feet of Jesus...

Apathy keeps us from caring about what happens at the church…Religion brings us to church - it’s just a tradition, but apathy keeps us from getting anything out of the service…

Evil comes from within us, our depraved, sinful, nature, and it takes on many forms…evil is the opposite of good, and Jesus said, “…there is none good but one, that is, God:..”

So, the main question that pops up here is, “How in the world do we overcome evil with good?”

We are given four things in these verses that answers that question, let’s look at them:

I-Be Peaceful

Romans 12:18 KJV 1900

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Let me preface this by saying, the believer who seeks to obey God is going to have enemies...

When our Lord was on the earth, He had enemies, obvious, right? He was crucified, why? Because men hated Him…They hated His message, they hated the Truth!

No matter where Paul and the other apostles traveled, there were enemies who opposed their work.

Many believers have enemies for the wrong reason though…they have enemies because they lack patience and love, not because they are faithful in their witness...

Warren Wiersbe said, “There is a difference between sharing in “the offense of the cross” and being an offensive Christian!”

We need to remember that.

Paul says, “If it be possible.…” Sometimes battles have to be fought and stands need to be taken against error, inaccuracy, deception, unscriptural traditions, and wrongs. Paul continues, “as much as lieth in you.”

As far as it depends on you, make sure your behavior and attitude is right. We are to forsake grudges, bury bitterness, and live peaceably with all men. We are not to be obnoxious or naggy.

John Philips writes, “It is not always possible to live peaceably with all men, but the initiative in disturbing the peace should never lie with the Christian.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers...”

II-Be Patient

Romans 12:19 KJV 1900

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Warren Wiersbe tells a story of a friend of his who once heard a preacher criticize him over the radio and tell things that were not only unkind, but also untrue. His friend became very angry and was planning to fight back, when a godly preacher said, “Don’t do it. If you defend yourself, then the Lord can’t defend you. Leave it in His hands.” Mr. Wiersbe’s friend followed that wise counsel, and the Lord vindicated him.

I know this isn’t popular preaching, but it’s Bible preaching...On no account is a Christian to seek revenge for injuries done to him. He is to recognize that vengeance belongs to God, and God will repay…Literally, the word says, “…avenge not yourselves...”

We are to give place to wrath. We are to leave God room to punish the person. Give God time to take care of the matter.

Taking revenge is to steal that which is not yours. It belongs to God. Taking vengeance will end up hurting you. It will foster more bitterness and guilt. God gives an IOU to you and your offender. He says, “I will repay!” God pays His bills.

Booker T. Washington said, “I will not allow any man to make me lower myself by hating him.”

Most people return good for good and evil for evil, but Christians have a higher standard. We are to return good for evil.

Remember that God, in Jesus, didn’t repay us evil for evil like we deserved, but instead he has called us his beloved.

This command requires love and faith that God will work His will in our lives and in their lives. We are to obey the Lord in this matter.

Remember, the Lord saw everything that happened and He will see that the record is set straight, whatever it takes!

III-Be Positive

Romans 12:20 KJV 1900

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

This reminds us of Christ’s words in Matthew 5:44–48.

Matthew 5:44–48 KJV 1900

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

These words are easy to read but difficult to practice. Surely we need to pray and ask God for love as we try to show kindness to our enemies.

Will they take advantage of us? Will they hate us more? Only the Lord knows.

Our task is not to protect ourselves but to obey the Lord and leave the results with Him.

Paul referred to Proverbs 25:21–22 as he urged us to return good for evil in the name of the Lord.

In Egypt, a man showed repentance by carrying a pan of burning coals on his head.

It was a symbol of shame, conviction, guilt, and the changing of the mind. Our generosity and kindness would bring about conviction and a change in attitude toward us.

The coals of fire also indicated an investment in the life of your enemy. Heaping coals of fire on the head was an indication of caring for your enemy. Fire was precious, especially when you traveled from one place to another.

To give someone your coals was to provide them with warmth.

The result is our kindness will overcome evil.

IV-Be Pleasant

Romans 12:21 KJV 1900

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Don’t be the kind of person who is always looking for something to be upset about. There are people like that! They love nothing better than for someone to offend them so they will have an excuse for their bitter attitudes. Be a pleasant person by being Christlike in every situation.

You have no control over how you are treated by others, but you have absolute control over how you respond to them.

We must not allow hatred and evil done to us by others to overcome and overwhelm us or to destroy, discourage or make us bitter. We are not to allow ourselves to be dominated by our own evil responses.

Our own rage, hatred, and bitterness, destroys us more than others.

Have you been hurt and are you still angry? Invest in your enemy by praying for them or showing kindness...

Conclusion

When we overcome evil with good, we allow God to work in amazing ways and demonstrate His love to those who do not realize they need it. Let us see every unjust act toward us as an opportunity to do good and overcome evil.

How do you look when you are laid alongside the word of God in this chapter?

Is there room for improvement?

If so, there is no better time than no to make the necessary adjustments in your life so that you will be everything the Lord saved you to be.