Is not that I did choose thee? Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nibert. In Romans chapter 12, verse 9,
the Apostle Paul says, abhor that which is evil and cleave
to that which is good. I want to preach to you this
morning on this subject, good and evil. Abhor, hate, shudder
at, be horrified by that which is evil, but cleave, be glued
to, be joined to, be united to that which is good. Now, I can
hear what some people would say about that. Prayer is good. Cleave to that. Pornography is
evil. Abhor that. Reading the Bible
is good. Cleave to that. But reading literature
that speaks contrary to the Bible is evil. Abhor that. Self-control is good. Cleave to that. Addictions are
evil. Abhor that. Right-wing conservative
family values is good. Left-wing values that are contrary
to that is bad. Abhor that. Going to church is
good. Cleave to that. Going to movies
that are unwholesome are bad. abhor that. Now if that is the
kind of thinking that I get out of abhor that which is evil and
cleave to that which is good, I've really missed the point. Good and evil. Now there is such a thing as
good and evil. And this was true before the
fall of our first parents in the garden. You'll remember that
God placed in the garden before the fall the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. Interestingly, so-called philosophers
have come up with what they call the problem of evil. If God is
all-powerful and God is good, why does He permit evil to exist? Why do bad things happen? Why is there hunger and suffering
and disease? Why are there natural disasters?
If God is good and God is all-powerful and He could prevent these things,
why does He let them take place? Now, in reality, that's not a
problem with evil. that is a sinful, finite creature
sitting in judgment upon the God of glory and disagreeing
with what He does. Now that is a place you and I
should not want to go. God is God. He's in control of
everything, and I really don't question what He does. Whatever
He does is right, and it's right because He does it, and God is
not going to be subject to the puny judgment of men, calling
what he does a problem. And you know, it's also true
that in this day, the lines have been blurred between good and
evil by men. It doesn't take away from the
reality that there is good and there is evil, but with all the
relativism We have. Everything's relative. There's
no absolute truth. That's the way most people think.
There's no absolute right and no absolute wrong. Everything's
relative. And the lines have been blurred.
And then there's this emphasis on toleration, only the meaning
has been changed. In our day, toleration is not
seeing we have differences and tolerating those who have differences
with us. People think it's wrong to view
your view as the right view and somebody else's view as the wrong
view. And so the meaning of toleration has actually changed. Discrimination. We need to discriminate. Now,
racial discrimination is evil. Discrimination is evil and age
discrimination is evil. There's no question about that,
but we need to discriminate and have some discernment to know
what's good and what is evil. Now, there is, I repeat, there
is such a thing as good and there is such a thing as evil. And
there are men that the Bible calls good men. And there are
men that the Bible calls evil men. Listen to these scriptures. He maketh his son to rise on
the evil and the good. The scripture says a good man
out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things, an
evil man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil
things. And then he said, O generation
of vipers, how can you Being evil, speak good things. We read in Proverbs 15, verse
13, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding both
the good and the evil. We're instructed in Amos 3, verse
15, to hate the evil and love the good. Isaiah 5, verse 20,
Isaiah says, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil. Jeremiah 4, verse 22, speaks
of those who are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 3 John 2 says, Follow not that
which is evil, but that which is good. And Paul said in Romans
chapter 16 verse 9, I would have you wise concerning that which
is good and simple concerning that which is evil. Now here's
the big question. How can I know the difference?
How can I discern between good and evil? Listen to this scripture
from Hebrews 5, verse 12. The writer to the Hebrews said,
For when the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that
one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles
of God. You need to be taught the ABCs over, is what he's saying.
You've not become grounded in the alphabet of the gospel, the
ABCs, the fundamentals. For everyone that uses milk is
unskillful in the word of righteousness. He's obeyed, but strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full age. Even those by reason
of use have their senses exercised to discern. to know the difference
between good and evil. Now, how can I know the difference
between good and evil? How can I discern? Now, the first
scripture that I would like us to consider is found in 1 Kings
3. This is when Solomon asked for wisdom, and this is actually
a very well-known Bible story. I even heard it referred to on
ESPN a couple of weeks ago when one of the commentators were
making some kind of statement, and he actually referred to this
story. But this is where King Solomon
asked the Lord. to give him something. The Lord
said, whatever you want, you can have. Ask me for it, and
you've got it. And here is what Solomon asked
for. In 1 Kings 3, verse 9, he says,
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge
thy people, that I may discern between good and bad. Give me an understanding heart
so that I can know the difference between good and evil. Now, what's this look like? What
did he do that proved he had this understanding heart that
knew the difference between good and evil? Well, something took
place in this very chapter that demonstrated to the people his
wisdom. We read in verse 16 of 1 Kings 3, then came there two
women that were harlots. These were immoral women. They
certainly were not women of sterling character. They were harlots.
These harlots came unto the king, and stood before him. And the
one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house.
And I was delivered a child with her in the house. And then it
came to pass on the third day, three days later, that I was
delivered, that this woman was delivered also, and we were together.
There was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in
the house, us and our children, our babies, infants. And this
woman's child died in the night, because she overlaid it. She
rolled over on it, and it suffocated. And she arose at midnight, and
took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid
it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when
I arose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was
dead. But when I considered it in the morning, behold, it was
not my son, which I did bear. It was her son. And the other
woman said, Nay, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy
son. And they said, No, but the dead is thy son, and the living
is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Now we see the story.
So Solomon, in his wisdom, repeats the situation. Then said the king, The one saith,
This my son that liveth, and thy son is dead. And the other
said, Nay, but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before
the king, and the king said, divide the living child in two,
cut him in half, and give half to the one and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the
living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her
son. And she said, oh my Lord, give
her the living child, and you'll know why I slay it. But the other
said, let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then
the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and know
wisely that she is the mother thereof." Now think of this living child,
one complete child. One woman loved this child. The
other did not love this child. There was a whole complete child. And the one who loved the child
would not let the child be divided because then there would be no
life in the child. Now listen real carefully. The
gospel is a living thing. It's a whole thing that cannot
be divided. And Christ's salvation is a complete
salvation that cannot be divided. It's a whole salvation. Now,
what am I talking about? Salvation. The salvation of Christ. It began with God's foreknowledge. Whom he did foreknow, forelove,
he always loved. whom He did foreknow, them He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He predestinated, them He also called. And whom He called, them
He also justified. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. And that's not talking about
something that hasn't yet taken place. They've been glorified. If I'm in Christ, I'm already
glorified because if He is, I am too because I'm in Him. Now that's
a complete salvation. And it was all accomplished really
before I was even born. A complete salvation. Listen
to this scripture. He saved us. He called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. All of God's salvation was given
to me, a complete salvation, before time began. Hebrews 10,
14 says, by one offering, He hath perfected forever. them
that are sanctified. Colossians chapter 2 verses 9
and 10 says, In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in
a body, and you are complete in Him. Now that's a full undivided
living salvation. And if you divide it, if you
leave some part out, you no longer have life. You have nothing but
death. And the one who loved the child
would not suffer it to be divided because she loved it. She had
to have the whole child. The one who had no love for the
child would suffer the child to be divided. Now, If you let
some aspect of the truth go, you don't love the gospel. If
you can let it be divided, you don't love the gospel. You see,
that which is good is that which is whole. Oh, you know, I can't
tell you how much I love the completeness of God's salvation. Nothing left out, nothing for
me to do, nothing for me to add. It's a whole, complete salvation. That's good. And you take away
any aspect of it, that's evil. Cleave to that which is good. A whole salvation, a complete
salvation that's in Christ, where you don't add anything to it.
He did it all. Cleave to that. That's good. Oh, abhor any kind of division
of the gospel, taking parts off or suffering something to be
left out. Paul said, I've not shunned to
declare unto you all the counsel of God. He said, I kept back
nothing that was profitable to you. So cleave to a whole salvation. That's good. Abhor a divided
salvation. It's evil. There's no life in
it. Now I'd like to read a passage
of scripture from Deuteronomy chapter 30, and actually this
is quoted in Romans chapter 10, but let me read this to you.
Verse 11, Deuteronomy chapter 30. For this commandment, which
I command thee this day, is not hidden far from thee, neither
is it afar off. It is not in heaven that thou
shouldst say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it
unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond
the sea, that thou shouldst say, Who shall go over the sea for
us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But
the word is very nigh thee in thy mouth, and in thy heart that
thou mayest do it. See I have set before thee this day
life and good and death and evil." Now what Paul says or what Moses
says is I just set before you good and evil. Now let's look
at how Paul uses this passage of scripture in Romans chapter
10. Beginning in verse 5 of Romans
chapter 10. For Moses describeth the righteousness
which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things
shall live by them. Now, the only thing that the
law recognizes is perfect, continual obedience all the days of your
life. You can't give in to sin one
time. And you want to me, that's not
good. The problem's not with the law,
the problem's with me. It will not save me. If that's
the case, that's an evil case for me because I can't be saved.
But let's go on reading what Paul says when he quotes this
passage from Deuteronomy chapter 30. But the righteousness which
is of faith, the righteousness which is of the law, you can't
come up with it. I can't come up with it. That's
not good. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on
this wise, say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven,
that is, bring Christ down from above. Don't say, what can I
do to get Christ to come down here and save me? Or, who shall
descend into the deep, that is, to bring up Christ from the dead.
Don't say, what can I do to get Christ to save me? What can I
do to get his blood to work for me? He says, banish that kind
of thought from your mind. But what sayeth the word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is the word of
faith, which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Now, this is
not something you have to go out and get. It's not something
you have to go out and do. It's near you. It's in your heart. The word of faith which we preach,
Paul says, if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
you believe that He is Lord. That's not an empty title. That
means you believe He's the absolute sovereign of the universe, the
controller of all things, Lord of creation. He spake the world
into existence. Lord of Providence. Everything
that happens, He's the first cause behind. Lord of salvation. Salvation's up to Him. Somebody
says, won't you make Jesus the Lord? You can't make Him the
Lord. He is the Lord. And your only hope is that He
would have mercy on you. You confess with your mouth the
Lord Jesus, and you believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead. Now, that doesn't simply mean you believe in the
actual resurrection, although that's part of it. But you understand
why God raised Him from the dead. Because God was satisfied with
what He did, and the justice of God demanded Him to be raised,
because all sin was paid for, and all of God's people must
be saved. It's what's called justification.
That's why he was raised. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. And in your heart, you believe
that. Now, salvation by works is evil. Abhor it. Be horrified by it. Salvation by faith is good. It's the only way you can be
saved, simply believing who he is and what he did. Now here's
a third scripture I'd like us to consider. It's in the book
of Micah. In Micah chapter 6, verse 6, wherewith shall I come
before the Lord? and bow myself before the high
God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings and calves
of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with
thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall
I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body, for the
sin of my soul?" He's saying, should I give my children and
let them be sacrificed to make up for my sins? Oh no, that's
evil. Salvation by something you give
up, salvation by your personal sacrifice is evil. There's a sacrifice that God's
already accepted. And for you to try to bring something
else is no different than you sacrificing your own children.
No. Salvation by personal sacrifice,
it's evil. Now, verse 8. He hath showed
thee, O man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require
of thee? but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God. Now this is what God requires. This is what's good. He's shown
us what's good. First of all, to do justly. Somebody says, well, I always
try to do the right thing. Nobody believes you. I don't
believe that for a second. You don't always try to do the
right thing. You might tell other people you do, but you don't. And what does this scripture
say God requires? Not to just know you ought to
do justly or to try to do justly, but to do justly, where I myself
have done justly. I've never sinned. I've always
done that which is right. I've never done that which is
wrong. That is God's requirement. Now, the only way I can do justly
is if the very righteousness of Christ, the just doings of
Christ actually become my doings. And beloved, here's the gospel.
My sin, my personal sin became his sin so that he was actually
guilty. before God, and the proof of
that is that God killed him. And just as truly as my sin became
his sin and he bore the punishment of it, his righteousness becomes
my personal righteousness, so that it is said of Todd Nybert
and every other believer that they've done justly. That's what justification is.
It means I've never sinned. I've heard people describe justification
as just as if I never sinned. No, that doesn't do me any good
because I still sinned if it's just as if I never sinned. No,
if I'm justified, I never sinned. I have done justly. What does God require of thee?
To do justly and to love mercy. Now, I can say I love mercy. I love salvation being by the
mercy of God. You see, if you're a sinner,
and if all you're seeing is all your fault, you're not a victim,
you're to blame. If you're a sinner, the only
hope you have is pure, free, sheer mercy. The mercy, the sovereign
mercy of God where he said, I will be merciful to whom I will be
merciful. You love mercy because that's the only hope you have.
And you love being merciful. Having experienced the mercy
of God, You love being merciful. This is what God requires, to
do justly, to love mercy, and thirdly, to walk humbly with
thy God. You realize that you're nothing
but a sinner saved by grace, and you can't do anything but
walk humbly with God. Humility, it's so beautiful,
it's a just estimate of yourself. That's what it is. It's not low
self-esteem. It's a just estimate of yourself. I know that I am what I am by
the grace of God. I'm a sinner, and it's only by
the grace of God I know that. But I'm a saved sinner, and that's
by the grace of God. And God requires us to walk in
humility before Him, not in pride and arrogance and self-righteousness,
but in humility. Now, there's one other scripture
I would like to look at regarding this thing of good and evil. Here's evil, salvation by personal
sacrifice, abhor that. But here's what's good that we're
to cleave to, to do justly, through being justified, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with God. And then Paul said in Romans
12, beginning in verse 19, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves,
but rather give place unto wrath, for it's written, vengeance is
mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Do you know the Lord is
going to punish every sin that has ever been committed? Every
one. Either you're gonna have to bear
the punishment or it was punished in Christ, but all sin will be
punished. So nobody will get by with a
thing. You may not know it now, You'll
know one day. Nobody will ever get by with
the thing because God is just. Vengeance is mine, saith the
Lord. Verse 20. Therefore, if thine
enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink.
No, don't pay him back. Don't reward him for how he treated
you. If he hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink.
For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be
not overcome of evil. but overcome evil with good. Now, don't pay back. Don't get
vengeance. Don't get even. Abhor that. That's evil. Be horrified by
that. But cleave to repay, cleave to
not being overcome with evil, but overcoming evil with good.
Treating people in a good, gracious, merciful way, meeting their needs. That's good. Now, good and evil. Divided gospel is evil. A whole
gospel is good. Salvation by works is evil. Salvation
by faith is good. Salvation by personal sacrifice
is evil. Salvation by being justified
and loving mercy and walking in humility is good. Getting even is evil. Abhor that. Being merciful is
good. Cleave to that. Abhor that which is evil. and cleave to that which is good.
May the Lord teach you and I what is good in His sight and what
is evil in His sight. Now we have this message on CD
and DVD. If you call the church, write
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