Overcoming evil in your life

9 Love without hypocrisy, detesting evil, clinging to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters, preferring to honour one another.

11 Don’t lack diligence in zeal, being fervent in the Spirit, serving the Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope, being patient in affliction, being persistent in prayer.

13 Sharing with the saints in their needs, pursuing hospitality. 14 Bless those persecuting you, bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those rejoicing, weep with those weeping, 16 living in harmony with one another, not being proud, but, associating with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

17 Not repaying anyone evil for evil. Giving careful thought to do what is honourable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, living at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, not avenging yourselves, but, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will repay, says the Lord. 20 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. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Romans 12:9-21

This week, someone will wrong you. A coworker will take credit for your work. A family member will speak a harsh word. A stranger will cut you off in traffic.

And in that moment, a war will break out in your soul. A war between your flesh that screams for payback, while God’s Spirit whispers the way of love.

Into this conflict, the Apostle Paul speaks a single word. Love. Not a sentiment. Not a feeling. A radical, active force. He defines it in Romans 12:9-10. He says, Love without hypocrisy, and says that love detests evil. Love clings to what is good. He says, Love that is deep prefers to honour one another. The text before is shows us how love clings to the Lord in devotion in Romans 12:11-12. How love gives preference to the saints in community in Romans 12:13-16. How love detests evil by conquering it in the world in Romans 12:17-21.

Christ’s love empowers you to actively overcome evil by doing good to all.

This is the life transformed by the gospel of grace. It is a life of zealous love. And zealous love must connect to the right power source.

Love’s power source

Zealous love must connect to the right power source.

11 Don’t lack diligence in zeal, being fervent in the Spirit, serving the Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope, being patient in affliction, being persistent in prayer.

Don’t lack diligence in zeal. The world hears the word zealot, and it thinks of a fanatic. A madman. A man consumed by a cause he will kill for. God calls for a different zeal. Holy fervour. Divine obsession. We are to be zealous for the Lord. Is your soul set on fire for Christ? Or is it cold ash?

How is this fire stoked? Not by your own strength. You cannot manufacture zeal for God. You must connect to the right power source.

The text lays out the cycle of grace: First, be fervent in the Spirit, fuel your spirit in His Spirit. This is the ignition. You do not burn alone. The Holy Spirit burns within you. Second, serve the Lord, fix your service on the Lord. This is your focus. You are a slave to Christ. Not to man. Not to your ego. Your work is for your Master. Third, rejoice in hope, fortify your heart with future hope. This becomes your fuel. Rejoice, not in comfort, in His promise. Fourth, be patient in affliction, be patient as you suffer for the gospel. This is your endurance. The fire of testing. The proof that you are genuine. This is the refining furnace of affliction. Fifth, be persistent in prayer, stay faithful in prayer. This is your connection. The cord that runs from your helplessness to His throne of grace. This cycle of grace is not a one-time act. It is a continuous act. Drawing power from Christ, who is your Head.

Consider the soldier. He does not charge the battlefield without checking his gear. Without connecting to his commander, he is a dead man. Consider your phone. The screen is black. If the battery is dead, it is a useless slab. Can you imagine that frustration? That powerlessness? That is a soul unplugged from God.

Now feel the relief. The power. Of being switched on. Connected. It is the difference between striving in your own strength and flowing in His.

If you are not plugged into God… you will be defeated by man. This is how love overcomes evil. Not by your effort. But by His power. A zealous love, connected to the right source, will actively do good.

But this power is not meant to be hoarded. It is meant to be practiced. And God gives us a safe training ground. The church.

Love’s training ground

The church is the gym where we build our love muscles.

13 Sharing with the saints in their needs, pursuing hospitality. 14 Bless those persecuting you, bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those rejoicing, weep with those weeping, 16 living in harmony with one another, not being proud, but, associating with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

This love is not a solo sport. God never intended you to train alone. Is a single bee a swarm? Is a lone wolf a pack? Is a solitary ant a colony? You, by yourself, are not the church. You are one member. A part of this body.

Now, the church is like a gym where we build our love muscles. This text shows you the exercises. First, share with the saints in their needs. This is your basic strength training. It builds the muscle of selflessness. You lift one another’s burden. Second, pursue hospitality. This is your functional movement. You open your home. You open your life. You welcome one another. Third, bless those persecuting you. This is heavy-weight training. The maximum lift. You speak well of those who speak evil of you. You bless and do not curse. Fourth, rejoice with those rejoicing. This is a hard exercise. It is easy to weep with the hurting. But to celebrate another’s blessing when you are in need. That requires divine strength. Fifth, weep with those weeping. This is an endurance test. You enter into another’s sorrow. You carry it with them. Sixth, live in harmony with one another. God loves peacemakers, not trouble-causes. Seventh, don’t be proud. This is the team drill. associate with the humble. Kill pride. Cultivate humility. Forge unity. Eighth, Do not be wise in your own estimation. Understand your place in the community. You are not the head, Christ is. And the brother or sister standing next to you is as important to our head as you are. These are not suggestions. This is the divine workout plan.

Consider the South African rugby team. Four-time world champions. They do not learn complex plays for the first time in a test match. They would fail. They would be thumped. They practice relentlessly for months in training camps. Our church is our practice field. Preferring a brother. Blessing a sister. Sharing with a saint. This is how we build the muscle memory of love.

The church is the gym where we build our love muscles. This is how love overcomes evil. This is not a theory. This is a practiced skill. A love, trained in the family of God, will actively do good.

Once we are powered up and practiced, we are ready to be deployed. We are ready to take this love into a world at war with itself.

Love’s battlefield

In the battlefield of the world, love is the divine strategy to overcome evil.

17 Not repaying anyone evil for evil. Giving careful thought to do what is honourable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, living at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, not avenging yourselves, but, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will repay, says the Lord. 20 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. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

We live in an evil world. It may feel at times as if evil is winning. But God will not have evil win in the end. In the end, God will have evil conquered by good. And love is the weapon He chooses to use as He fights the foe.

Listen to His divine strategy. First, love does not repay anyone evil for evil. Refuse the world’s economy of retaliation. Break the cycle. Not a doormat. But do not play the enemy’s game. Surprise him with grace. Second, love gives careful thought to do what is honourable in everyone’s eyes. You are not only holy. You are shrewd. Live so nobly that your conduct silences slander. Give no ammunition to your accusers. Third, love lives at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on you. Peacemaking is your assignment. Peace is not always possible. You cannot control a trouble-causer’s heart. But you can control your own. Exhaust every righteous avenue for peace. Fourth, love does not avenge. Not passive surrender. Active transfer. Hand the case to the righteous Judge. It is far worse for an evil man to fall into the hands of an angry God than for you to get your petty revenge. But by loving your enemy, you may win him to Christ. Fifth, love conquers evil with good. This is the ultimate objective. Love, demonstrated through you, is God’s chosen weapon to win a world to Himself.

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean steals the bishop’s silver. He is caught and dragged back. But the bishop does not seek vengeance. He gives him the candlesticks as well. And says, I have bought your soul for God. Shocking grace shattered Jean’s life of hatred. Setting him on a new path. Grace melted the frozen heart of a convict with the burning conviction of unearned love.

This is God’s strategy. Love is not a weakness. Love is your weapon. And love overcomes evil by actively doing good in every sphere of life.

And where did we learn this strategy? In Jesus. On the cross, as His enemies drove in the nails, He prayed, Father, forgive them. He conquered the ultimate evil of sin and death with the ultimate good of His sacrificial love. And His resurrection is the proof that God’s strategy to conquer evil with good works.

Connect to the gospel

So we have seen the path. The posture of clinging to Christ. The practice of preferring the saints. The power of conquering evil. This is what the life of love looks like.

But how is this possible? How can a heart bent toward payback learn to bless? It is only possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our old self was crucified with Him. That vengeful nature. That selfish heart. It was put to death on His cross. And the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells within you. He is the power source for your zeal. He is the strength for your service. He is the fuel for your forgiveness.

The life you now live is not by your own effort. It is His energy. A life united to Christ. Empowered by the Spirit. Pleasing to the Father.

Application for believers

Here is your mission. This week, launch one love attack. Identify a point of evil in your path. A grudge you are holding on to. A gossip you are tempted to share. A difficult person you are avoiding.

Now target it. Defeat it with one specific act of good. Refuse that gossip. Speak that blessing. Pray for that person. Do it in the Spirit’s strength. Do it for the Son’s glory.

You are not managing your sin. You are conquering evil. You are a soldier on a mission. Act like it.

Application for unbelievers

And if you are here this morning and you know you cannot do this, because Christ is not in you. The Spirit is not enabling you. The Father has not forgiven you. You are right. You cannot. Your heart is bent toward payback. You are chained to your old self. Stop trying to reform what God has condemned. It is a lost cause.

You do not need a new plan. You need a new heart. Turn to Jesus Christ. His death on the cross is for sinners who cannot save themselves. His resurrection offers you a new spirit. A new power. A new life. Come to Him today. He alone gives the power for this love.

Conclusion

This week, someone will wrong you. A coworker will take credit for your work. A family member will speak a harsh word. A stranger will cut you off in traffic.

And in that moment, a war will break out in your soul. A war between your flesh that screams for payback, while God’s Spirit whispers the way of love.

You have seen the path this morning. The posture of clinging to Christ for your power. The practice of preferring the saints in your training. The power of conquering evil on the battlefield. This is the life of love.

You are not left to fight this war in your own strength. Your old self was crucified with Christ. His Spirit now dwells within you. This is how you fight. This is how you love.

Thus the argument of God stands firm. Christ’s love empowers you to actively overcome evil by doing good to all.

So go from this place as conquerors. Not with swords raised. But with hearts ablaze. Meet gossip with silence. Meet slander with blessing. Meet hatred with prayer. Heap those fiery coals. Melt hard hearts with the burning conviction of unearned love. This is our weapon. This is our warfare. This is our win.

And if you cannot… if you know this love is beyond you… behold, Christ stands ready. He offers you His death for your sin. His resurrection for your life. His Spirit for your strength. Come to Him.

May we be a people known for this love. A community where evil is conquered by good. A church that lives the revolution of the cross.