Beware, Evil Follows Good
An all-creatures Bible Message

Beware, Evil Follows Good

A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church

29 December 2019

Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Isaiah 63:7-9
Matthew 2:13-23
Hebrews 2:10-18

Beware, evil follows good, seeking how to corrupt the good in our own lives, and the goodness of the Lord that he has bestowed upon us.

We hope that you remember our discussion about how good always tops evil, and it does, but if we allow the devil and the evilness that is in the world to discourage us about our faith in God’s lovingkindness and His heavenly will for us to live by, to the extent that we begin to believe some evil is good, such as believing in things such as “God wants us to eat meat,” which He doesn’t, then we have allowed evil to devour some of God’s goodness in us.

Therefore, we always have to keep on the alert, for beware, evil follows good.

Some people make new year’s resolutions about changing some aspect of their lives, but when something about that resolution goes wrong, they give up instead of taking a firm stand against the evil that causes things to go wrong until it is defeated.

We can help free God’s creation from the evil that has corrupted it and causes million of humans and billions of animals to suffer and die every year, and polluted our world, that is, if we sincerely want to.

With these thoughts in mind, let’s take a look at Isaiah 63:7-9…

7. I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has granted us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion,
And according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.

Today, we hope we all realize that God’s lovingkindnesses extend far beyond the house of Israel to the whole world, and it’s time we peacefully, but forcefully, take it back.

We need to stand up to every evil no matter where it comes from, and this includes, conspiracy theories, which are also outright lies as well as other lies, people who speak and act in support of the evil things that corrupt this world and act against the heavenly will of God.

8. For He said, "Surely, they are My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely."
So He became their Savior.

And this includes us, if we are truly living as the peacemaking children of God that the Lord calls us to be.

9. In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them;
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
NASB

Jesus has taken upon Himself all the evils that the devil and his followers have piled upon us, and we need to spiritually cleanse ourselves of this filth, and fully accept the Lord’s mercy and redemption, as well as His power that strengthens us through His Holy Spirit.

If we are truly Christians, we need to stop making excuses for the evil in people just because they do something that we like.

Either we are the Lord’s or we’re the devil’s; we cannot have it both ways, for beware, evil follows good.

Let’s continue by looking at Matthew 2:13-23…

13. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."

In other words, beware, evil follows good, and we need to listen to the Lord’s messages and promptings that the Holy Spirit bestows upon us, just as Joseph did over 2000 years ago.

14. And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt;

15. and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Out of Egypt did I call My Son."

Verse 15 is taking a step forward in time…

We are not told whether or not Joseph made the connection with this prophecy, but the writer did, just as we hope that all of us can see today that this is another prophecy that Jesus’ life upon this earth fulfilled, which is also further proof that Jesus is the Lord.

With verse 16 we are taken back to the time of Herod.

16. Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi.

This is a perfect example of how evil follows good seeking to destroy it, and it causes a lot of damage and heartache in the process.

17. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,

18. "A voice was heard in Ramah,
Weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
And she refused to be comforted,
Because they were no more."

And these horrible things are happening all the time around the world to both humans and animals, and it’s time we who know the Lord and live in His heavenly will take a firm, but peaceful stand against the evil that is all around us, and unfortunately even in most of our houses of worship.

19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,

20. "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead."

Even to this day, the Holy Spirit will prompt each of us in the ways that the Lord wants us to live and not live until it becomes part of our normal way of life.

21. And he arose and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

And like Joseph then, we are to obey the Lord.

22. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee,

23. and came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
NASB

We strongly believe that the Lord will guide us and our daily lives in the same way, when we tune ourselves in to truly listen.

Beware, evil follows good, and the Lord will help us to recognize the threat and how to overcome it and/or avoid it.

In Hebrews 2:10-18, the writer addresses what a life in Christ is all about, and we need to listen to it in our present time, because it is for us today just as it was for the people for whom it was originally written.

10. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

From what we have observed and learned from history, we believe that true Christians, like others in the world, could also suffer along with Jesus in this lifetime on our way to the glory that awaits us and the animals in heaven.

11. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12. saying,
"I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren,
In the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise."

13. And again,
"I will put My trust in Him."
And again,
"Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me."

We believe that salvation is a gift for all people, but only those who accept His gift are saved along with the innocent such as infants, mentally handicapped, and animals.

14. Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15. and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

True believers don’t seem to fear death, so we believe that this is referring to non-believers and those who do not live according to His heavenly will.

16. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

And today we believe that this includes all true believers who live according to God’s heavenly will.

17. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

And we believe that the Lord knows about the suffering and problems that affect every single living being on earth, past and present.

18. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
NASB

The devil is constantly trying to tempt and deceive us, so if we rely upon the Lord, He will help us through these situations.

So, beware, evil follows good.

And with the Lord’s help, we can stand up against the evil in this corrupt world.

We can!

Amen?

Amen.

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