Challenge #4 - Deliverance from evil

Challenge #4: Deliverance from evil

Series: Christmas Challenges

I. We Live in a Dark, Evil World.

Genesis 1:2–4 – “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”

In the beginning (literally), things were dark until God showed up. Our world is still dark today.

Imagine a stadium full of people all on a pilgrimage to a holy place in the town of Mecca. They are all pressing in, shoulder to shoulder, pacing around a “sacred” rock that supposedly fell from heaven. They are doing it to symbolize renewal, triumph over evil, and submission to God.

Now imagine a similar crowd spilling into the streets of India to carry a Ganesha idol to the river. The pilgrimage ends when masses drown the idol in the water, symbolizing a washing away of obstacles and sin. Again, this is a triumph over evil.

Lastly, imagine thousands of pilgrims traveling to a wall thousands of miles away to insert their heartfelt prayers into the crevices of a large wall – believing that God’s presence is stronger there than anywhere else to answer prayers and overcome any evil that might befall them or their loved ones.

These are all ways that people in this world that belong to some major religions try to overcome evil. Their devotion, sincerity, and enthusiasm may be thought of as inspiring and admirable to some. However, it can also be thought of as tragic, misguided, and useless to others.

Does devotion, sincerity, and sacrifice really deliver people from evil? Is victory found in religious rituals or pilgrimages? Or is there a better way to be delivered from evil?

Joke: The Sunday School Christmas play was in full swing. The pastor asked, "What was it that guided the wise men from the East?"

Right on cue the pre-schoolers, each with one large letter in their hands, turned the letters to face the audience.

Somehow, the last four kids had gotten out of sequence, and the answer shown in big letters was:

C H R I S T M A S R A T S

Sometimes even “rats” show up in the Christmas story. I’m not talking about the mice in the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ (“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”) Nor am I talking about the robbers that showed up to try and steal things from Kevin in the movie Home Alone. I am talking about the evil rats that showed up during the Christmas story in the Bible.

II. The ABC’s of This Dark/Evil World

(A)ll have sinned

Forgot those who say that deep down that all people are good. God tells us in the Bible that the opposite is true.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 – “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”

Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Romans 3:9 – “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.”

Romans 5:12 – “ Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”

(B)ad by nature

Not only are all sinners. It started from birth. We are born into this bad, ainful nature.

Psalm 51:5 – “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Romans 3:12 – “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:10 – “It is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one”

Psalm 14:1 – “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

(C)hoose over and over to sin

Men choose to be evil. We constantly make bad choices that trap us.

Proverbs 16:25 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Proverbs 5:22 – “The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.”

Romans 1:21 – “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

(D)arkness is in man’s hearts/lives

Mankind is dark, deceitful, and evil by nature.

Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

John 3:19 – “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

III. Deliverance from Evil is What Christmas is All About

You may have not thought of Christmas as a time when people get delivered from evil. But That is what it is all about! Today, I want to illustrate this fact in the story of Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born

Many years ago, I visited the modern town of Bethlehem. It is much different than I imagined. I imagined a quiet town. A town full of life and history. A town that exudes the presence of God because the Son of God was born there. A town welcoming and hospitable. However, what I found was quite different.

First off, to get into the town, you have to go through extreme security measures across a heavily fortified border that includes large, tall concrete walls, barbed wire, and security checkpoints. You find out that Jews are not allowed into Bethlehem, so if you have a Jewish guide, he is swapped out for a non-Jewish guide at the entrance. Then your bus stops at the border, and border agents check every person’s passport to see if they are allowed in. While this is going on, other guards are checking luggage and vehicles for anything dangerous. They even have Bomb-sniffing dogs working around the outside of each vehicle.

Once you have made it successfully past the border checkpoint, you are then allowed to cross into the city. As you drive in, you see graffiti on the walls, political messages everywhere, and gated stores and homes. You realize that you are now in an area called the West Bank that is controlled by Palestinian leaders and is very dangerous to anyone who doesn’t follow their mandates and religion. Bethlehem, you soon discover, is predominantly Muslims, with about 80-90% of the population identifying as such, even though it was originally the home of Jews and the birthplace of Jesus.

As you travel further down the streets towards the place where Jesus is believed by many to have been born, you see police presence everywhere and peddlers out trying to sell various items.

Finally, you arrive near a place called The Church of the Nativity, believed to be the oldest church in the world. Once there, you think that the atmosphere might change due to the significance of the place. But you again find something different than you expect.

You enter into the church through a small opening you crouch through and emerge on the other side witnessing for the first time an old church that is part of three churches combined together. The three churches belong to The Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenians. You find out that the three Christian churches don’t get along very well, as they argue over sacred space, cleaning, and oversight. And it has been that way for hundreds of years. Then you notice the church altar full of shiny objects, incense, and strange icons. Despite the shiny objects, the place feels unusually dark and dreary. You are told to keep quiet and don’t talk above a whisper. Then you are led to a back staircase that leads to what is believed to be the actual cave where Jesus was born, now located under the church. One by one in a long line, each person is led down a small staircase into a small cave called the Grotto of the Nativity to see what is described as the birthplace of Jesus. After waiting your turn, you enter the small cave and see a decorated cave somebody a long time ago placed a silver star on the ground to commemorate the birthplace of Jesus. Some people sit and pray. Others marvel. And some kiss the star. Then you leave and conclude the tour of Jesus birthplace.

As I did, I began to identify in greater degree with the words that the author wrote in the verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem. Here are his words…

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light;

The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.

Even today, in the dark streets of Bethlehem shines an everlasting light. You can find Jesus in Bethlehem, and in other dark places. Jesus has come to deliver us all from evil. That is what Bethlehem represents – even today. And that is what Christmas is all about as well.

Isaiah 9:2 – “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

Isaiah 60:3 – “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

IV. Faith In Jesus Will Deliver Us From Evil

My main topic today is Deliverance from evil. Jesus told us that we should pray along those lines in the model prayer he gave us. We call it the Lord’s Prayer. Here’s how it goes…

Matthew 6:9–13 – Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ ”

Faith in the Jesus that came at Christmas can deliver all of us from evil. Jesus said it in as many words.

John 8:12 – “ When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 12:46 – “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

When you put your faith and trust in Jesus, he will deliver you from evil. Darkness will not overtake you.

John 1:5 – “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”

In his 1942 devotional Abundant Living, E. Stanley Jones, Methodist doctor and missionary to India, writes:

The early Christians did not say in dismay: “Look what the world has come to,” but in delight, “Look what has come to the world.” They saw not merely the ruin, but the Resource for the reconstruction of that ruin. They saw not merely that sin did abound, but that grace did much more abound. On that assurance the pivot of history swung from blank despair, loss of moral nerve, and fatalism, to faith and confidence that at last sin had met its match.

V. The ABC’s of Deliverance

How do you put your faith and trust in Jesus for your deliverance?

(A)dmit you are a sinner

Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” This includes you.

(B)elieve on the Lord Jesus

John 3:16 - 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(C)onfess your sins

1 John 1:9 - 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 10:9 – “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

(D)eliverance from evil will take new place.

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Video: The Spoken Word

VI. Respond to Accept Jesus

Let me share with you a testimony of how God pursues us to get our attention until we surrender our life to Him.

Ira D. Sankey was a hymn writer and song leader at many of D. L. Moody’s revivals.  One Christmas Eve, he was on a steamboat and the other passengers requested that he sing a song.  So he sang “The Shepherd’s Song.”  After he did so, a man came up to him and peppered him with questions: Had he served in the Union Army during the Civil War?  Was he ever on picket duty at night in 1862?  

As the questions got more specific, the man revealed that he’d been a sharpshooter in the Confederate Army.  One night he’d seen a Union soldier.  When he was just about to shoot him, the soldier’s voice had wafted over the air, singing “The Shepherd’s Song.”  The music had touched his soul, and he’d put down his gun.  That night on the steam boat, he realized that God had stopped him from shooting Sankey, and he came to faith in Christ.

Maybe you need to take that step of faith today like this young soldier did so many years ago. This Christmas can be your time to fully surrender your life to Jesus and have your life changed. Jesus will become your Lord and Savior. He will forgive you of your sins. And he will become your Prince of Peace. The Bible says in Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Do you want that for your life today? Give opportunity for salvation:

Song: Wonderful by Cain and Steven Curtis Chapman

VII. Let The Light of Jesus Shine.

God fills us with his love, his light, and his presence so that we can shine His lilght into this dark, evil world.

2 Corinthians 4:6 – “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

End with the lighting of candles as we symbolically let the light of Jesus in us shine to those around us.

Song: This little light of mine (I’m gonna let it shine)…. Followed by “Joy To The World”

Dismissal and Closing

December 21 is the longest night and shortest day. It is the time hen things seem bleakest to many. But, December 21 is also the day the light turns around. It is the point where the darkness has stretched itself as far as it possibly can and physically cannot take one more minute. And from here on out, the days get longer. Not dramatically. Not all at once. But measurably. Even if you can’t feel it yet.

Which feels…on brand for God.

This is the day that feels like a Christmas present slipped under the tree early. No wrapping paper. No tag. Just the quiet knowledge that the light is coming back whether it feels like it or not.

And the wild part is that December 21 doesn’t look hopeful. It doesn’t feel warm. Nothing about it screams breakthrough. It’s still dark when you wake up. Still dark before dinner. If you judged the situation by appearances alone, you’d say nothing has changed.

But something has.

The math has shifted. The trajectory has turned. The longest night has already passed by the time you realize it. Darkness has lost ground even though it still feels heavy.

Which is exactly how God works most of the time.

He doesn’t usually flip a switch and flood your life with sunlight. He nudges the direction. He changes the arc. He does work underground, in silence, while everything still looks cold and unchanged.

Christmas works the same way. The world didn’t get brighter overnight when Jesus was born. Rome was still Rome. Herod was still Herod. People were still struggling. But the light had arrived. And darkness had officially been put on a countdown it couldn’t stop.

I think December 21 is God’s little reminder that just because you’re still in the dark doesn’t mean the dark is winning.

Sometimes the gift isn’t immediate relief. Sometimes the gift is knowing this is as dark as it gets. The turning point already happened. You’re just living in the early minutes of the change. Embrace the light of Jesus as it dispels the darkness and evil. Share the light of Jesus to everyone you know. It doesn’t need fanfare or fireworks. Just the quiet promise that the days ahead hold more light than the ones behind you. May you be reminded this Christmas of the light of Jesus that delivers us ALL form evil.

Let’s pray!