Would you turn back to Romans
chapter 12? I guess it goes without saying
that we don't put any religious significance to the holiday of
Christmas. We rejoice in the birth of Christ. We rejoice in the death of Christ. We rejoice in the resurrection
of Christ. But I just don't feel like any
kind of holiday is, we do this every day, and we actually rejoice
in him, and we're so glad he came, and I like this time of
year. I like it. I'm not going to apologize for
that. I like the goodwill and the time off people get and people
getting together and families getting together. So Merry Christmas. Is that politically? That's funny. Tonight I'm going to be speaking
on this subject, when does a man understand? When does a man understand? I've entitled the message for
this morning, Good and Evil. Verse 9, abhor, hate, shudder
at, be horrified by that which is evil. and cleave, be united
to, be joined to that which is good. Abhor that which is evil
and cleave to that which is good. Prayer is good. Cleave to it. Pornography is evil. Abhor it. Reading the Bible is good. Cleave to it. Reading literature
that fills your mind with bad things. Abhor it. Self-control is good. Cleave
to it. Addictions are bad. Abhor them. Going to hear the gospel is good. Going to a G-rated movie is probably
morally neutral. Going to an R-rated movie is
bad. Abhor that. Conservative values that promote
family values is good. Liberal values that are against
that is bad, is evil. Pro-life is good, cleave to that. Pro-choice is evil, abhor that. Now, I would imagine that you've
agreed with pretty much everything I've said. I would imagine you
have. However, if that is all I get
out of this statement, abhor that which is evil and cleave
to that which is good, I have got nothing from this statement. Now do you understand that? Now there is such a thing as
good And there is such a thing as evil. And this was true before
the fall of man, wasn't it? Remember, there was the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil before the fall that Adam
was forbidden to partake of. Now, philosophers have long discussed
what they call the problem of evil. If God is good, if God
is all-powerful, why does he let evil exist when he could
prevent this? And this is called the problem
of evil. Now, what that is in reality
is men's problem with God. It's not a problem with evil.
It's men's problem with God. They're then sitting in judgment
on God. I think, you know, the Lord knoweth
the thoughts of the wise, that they're vain. I love that statement.
And all of men's complaints with, well, why does God allow this?
Why does God do that? God's God. And you and I have
no business sitting in judgment of him. Whatever he does is right,
and we bow to it. Now, good and evil. You know, it's also true that
the lines between good and evil have been blurred because of
our fallen condition, and there are different ways we blur the
lines. Here are three words, I think,
that describe what I'm trying to say. Relativism. Relativism. Everything's relative. There's
no absolute truth. There's no absolute good and
absolute evil. There are no moral absolutes.
Everything is relative. And that's actually what most
people believe. Kind of a view of everything's
relative. And then there's a big word in our day, toleration.
Toleration. What I think is interesting about
this word, and listen, toleration's a good thing. Toleration's a
good thing. But the meaning has been changed
from tolerating differences to saying it's wrong to think one
way is better than another. And that's totally wrong. That's
totally wrong. Now, we've got to be tolerant.
We're never going to get along with anybody if we don't. But
to change the meaning of toleration to where it's wrong to think
your view is better than somebody's or more accurate than somebody
else's, well, that's wrong. I love what Rich Berg told me
one time. In one of his governor's school
classes, they were talking about toleration, and he just couldn't
resist it. He said, do we have to tolerate the intolerant? And
the person, you know, I don't know how to handle that one.
But another word that is used that blurs the line between good
and evil is the word discrimination. Like, discrimination is always
bad. And the thing that is, we have to discriminate. Now, it's
true that racial discrimination is wrong and gender discrimination
is wrong and age discrimination is wrong, no doubt, but we've
got to discriminate and discern the difference between what we're
hearing all the time. It's not a bad thing to discriminate. But none of those, none of this
in reality changes the fact that there is good and there is evil. and there are men that the Bible
calls good men, and there are men that the Bible calls evil
men. The Lord said, he, speaking of
his father, maketh his son to rise on the evil and the good. The Lord said, a good man out
of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things, and
an evil man Out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil
things. He said to one group, O generation
of vipers, that's strong language, how can
you, being evil, speak good things? We read in Proverbs 15, verse
three, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the
evil and the good. We read in Amos 3, verse 15,
to hate the evil and to love the good. Isaiah 5, verse 20
says, woe unto them that call evil good. and call good evil. Jeremiah 4.22 speaks of those
who are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. Third John chapter two, John
says, follow, pursue, 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
between good and evil? How can I know? I must know.
How can I know? Turn with me for a moment to
Hebrews chapter 5. Verse 12. For when the writer to the Hebrews
says to the Hebrews, for the time, you ought to be teachers. You have need that one teach
you again, which be the first principles, the ABCs of the oracles
of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of
strong meat. For everyone that useth milk
is unskillful, unexperienced in the word of righteousness,
for he's a babe, he's an infant, but strong meat belongeth to
them who are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." They can
see the difference. Now, he's saying to the Hebrews,
We need to spend all of our time with you fellas building again
the foundation. And he tells what those foundational
principles are in chapter 6 verses 1 and 2. And if the foundation
always has to be worked on over again, the superstructure is
never going to come up, is it? What importance to understand
the difference between good and evil. Now, do you know good? Do you know what the Lord meant
when he said to the rich young ruler, why callest thou me good? There is none good, but one only,
that is God. Do you understand why the Lord
said that to him? Do you understand what Paul meant
when he said there is none that doeth good. No, not one. Do you understand what the Lord
meant when he said to his disciples? I'm not talking about unbelievers.
I'm talking about his disciples. Do you understand? Can you enter
into what the Lord meant when he said, if you then being evil, Know how to give good gifts to
your children. How much more shall your heavenly Father give
good gifts to them that ask him? Do you know what the Lord meant
when he said, if you then, being evil? What if he said that to
you personally? Do you know what Paul meant when
he said in Romans 7, verse 18, I know that in me That is, in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing. Do you understand that? And to
abhor that which is evil and to cleave to that which is good,
I'm first going to have to understand what is good and what is evil. Would you turn with me to 1 Kings
chapter 3. Now what I have done is I've
looked in the scriptures where the terms good and evil are said. And this is a famous story. It's about King Solomon and his
wisdom. What I think is interesting,
I heard this story referred to on ESPN. That's how well known
this story is. He was talking about some kind
of sports event and they referred to this that took place. But
look in Verse 9, this is where God had promised to give Solomon
anything he wanted. Anything, whatever you want,
you're going to get it. And here's what he asks for in
verse 9. Give therefore thy servant an
understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern
between good and bad. And that word bad is the same
word that's generally translated evil in the Old Testament. Give me understanding that I
may discern between good and evil for who is able to judge
this thy so great a people. And you know the Lord granted
him this request and he gave him this wisdom and he demonstrates
it in the story later on in the chapter. Look beginning in verse
16. God granted him his request and
here's what it looks like. Verse 16, then came there two
women that were harlots, prostitutes, obviously of no
moral character, but these are the people who came to Solomon. And they stood before him, and
the one woman said, oh my Lord, I and this woman dwell in one
house. And I was delivered of a child
with her in the house. We both had a baby about the
same time. And it came to pass the third day that after 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, two babies just three days apart. And this woman's
child died in the night, because she overlaid it. She turned over,
slept on it, and smothered it. And she arose at midnight, and
took my son from me 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. And when I had considered
it in the morning, behold, it was not my son which I did bear.
And the other woman said, Nay, but the living son is my son,
and the dead is thy son. And this said, No, but the dead
is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before
the king. So the king who has now been
given wisdom, rehearses what they said in verse 23. Then said
the king, the one saith, this is my son that liveth, and thy
son is dead. And the other saith, 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. 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
in no wise 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 in no way slay it. She is
the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment
which the king had judged and they feared the king for they
saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment. Now we have two harlots and the difference between those
two harlots was one loved the living child and the other did
not. And do you want to understand
the difference between good and evil? Think of this child who lives
and is complete. If you divide the child in half,
what's going to happen? You're going to have a dead child. with no life in it, of no value. It's dead. Now, the gospel is
a living gospel, is a complete gospel, is an undivided gospel. It's complete. Now what do I
mean by that? I mean it is complete without
your fingerprint on it. It's complete without you doing
anything. For 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 did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called,
them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. Now that is a complete salvation. 2 Timothy 1 says He saved us
and 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. Now that is a completed
salvation. It can't be divided. By one offering, Hebrews 10,
14, by one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are
sanctified. And that sounds complete, doesn't
it? Colossians chapter two, verse 10 says, you are complete in him. If you're in Him, you
don't need anything else. It's a completed salvation. It's
not something that you can add to. It's not something you can
take from. What happens if you divide this? It no longer has any life. It no longer has any saving efficacy. If you divide this, and if you're
willing to divide this, if you're willing to leave anything out,
if you're willing to set aside something, you don't love the
truth. It really is that simple. You
do not love the truth. That woman who is willing for
that baby to be divided had no love for that baby. A willingness
to leave any part of the gospel out. I don't care if it's election.
I don't care if it's Christ's effectual redemption. I don't
care what it is. If I am willing to leave any
part out It's because I don't really love the truth. Good is
a complete salvation. Evil is a divided salvation. It's not salvation. That's why
it's evil. You know, Paul said, I've not shunned to declare unto
you all the counsel of God. I've kept back nothing that was
profitable to you. So if you want to know what good
is, good is a complete salvation that can't be divided, that's
whole, that can't be added to or taken from. And that's exactly
what Christ accomplished for everybody who believes. A complete,
finished salvation. He said it is finished and it
was what? Finished. Finished. That's good. That's good. I find salvation in a completed
salvation that I don't have anything to do with and He did it all.
You take any aspect of the truth and it no longer has life if
you take it away. If you divide it, it no longer
has life. That's evil. Cleave to that which is good,
a complete salvation. Abhor, shudder at, despise that
which is evil, dividing the child. What you end up doing is killing
the child. Now turn with me to Deuteronomy
chapter 30. Deuteronomy chapter 30, beginning in verse 11. See, I'm sorry, verse 15. See, I have set before thee this
day life and good and death and evil. Now what did he say when
he had said, I've set this before thee? We'll look back in verse
11. For the commandment which I command thee this day, it's
not hidden from thee, Neither is it far off. It's not in heaven
that thou shouldest say, who shall go up for us to heaven
and bring it into us that we may hear it and do it. Neither
is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say, who shall go over
the sea for us and bring it to 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've set before thee this
day life and good and death and evil. Now, you know that Paul
quoted this passage of scripture in Romans chapter 10. Now this
is good, this is evil. Turn with me to Romans 10 and
let's see how Paul interprets this passage from the Old Testament. Romans chapter 10, verse 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness
which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things
shall live by them. Now, if I'm gonna come into God's
presence in my own righteousness, here's what I'm gonna have to
have. Perfect righteousness. where I never sin in thought,
word, or deed, but I keep God's law perfectly. That's not good. Not for me it's
not. Because I've already blown it. I've already blown it. And there
isn't any hope for me in that. That is not a message of good. Now Paul quotes what Moses said
in Deuteronomy chapter 30. Here's what is good. But the righteousness which is
of faith speaketh on this wise. And I think it's interesting
he begins by telling us what not to say. Say not in thine
heart, who shall ascend into heaven? That is to bring Christ
down from above. Don't even think, what can I
do to get Christ to come down here and save me? Don't even
think that. Get rid of that thinking. Verse 7, or who shall descend
into the deep? That is to bring up Christ again
from the dead. Don't think, what can I do to
make his blood and his death work for me? And that's pretty
much what everybody thinks by nature, isn't it? What can I
do? We're not saying we believe purely
in works, but what can I do to make what he did work for me?
What can I do to get him to come down here and look in mercy on
me? What can I do to make what he did work for me? What can
I do? Don't say that. Forget doing. All together, forget
doing. Okay? What's it say? Verse 8. The Word is nigh thee. Forget this thing of you doing
something to bring it to pass. It's already here. What saith
it? 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 shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him
from the dead thou shalt be saved now here's what is good it's
not something far off it's something that's in your heart right now
if you confess Jesus to be Lord he's the Lord You don't make
Him Lord. You don't put Him to office.
He is the Lord. You confess that. He's the Lord.
He's the Lord of creation. He spake the world into existence
as an act of His will. He's the Lord of providence.
Everything that happens is His will being done. Everything.
He's in control of it all. Most especially is He Lord of
salvation. Salvation's in His hands. Your
salvation is up to Him. It's not up to you, it's up to
Him. You believe in your heart and
you confess that He's Lord and you believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead. Now, that means more than you
believe that He was raised, although obviously do, but you have some
understanding as to why He was raised. He was delivered for
our offenses. He was raised for our justification. He was raised because God was
satisfied with what He did. God could ask for nothing more
and He could accept nothing less and God was completely satisfied
with what He did. Now that's good. That's good. Salvation by works is bad. It's evil. It won't do you any
good. Salvation by faith is good. God
is satisfied with what His Son did. And He's satisfied, completely
satisfied with everybody in His Son. That means if I'm in His
Son right now, God is completely satisfied with me. You know,
I'm not satisfied with me. I'm not satisfied with anything
I've ever done. I'm not satisfied with a gift I've ever given,
a prayer I've ever prayed. I've not been satisfied with
a sermon I've ever preached, every message I preach. I wish
I would have said this, or I wish I wouldn't have said that. While
I'm not satisfied with both myself, though, the God of glory is completely,
perfectly satisfied with me. Now that is the gospel. That's
good. Salvation by works, that's evil.
That doesn't even mean good at all. I don't even want to have
anything to do with that. But oh, how we rejoice in salvation
through faith. The word of faith. Now, would
you turn with me to Micah chapter 6? You've already been to Micah
once. I hope you put your mark there. Micah chapter 6. It's
right after Jonah, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. Micah chapter 6. Abhor that which is evil. Cleave to that which is good. 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 and the fruit of my body for the sin of my
soul? You know, people have done that. They've actually given
their children as sacrifice in order to somehow appease God. That's so obviously evil. That's
evil. Salvation by your personal sacrifice,
that's evil. What do you got that God could
accept? What have you done that God could accept? All that is
is evil. Now look in verse 8. He hath showed thee, O man, what
is good. And what does the Lord require
of thee? Three things. But to do justly. And to love mercy. And to walk humbly with thy God. Now this is what is good. Salvation
by sacrifice, your personal sacrifice, that's evil. It's not going to
get you anywhere. But he showed what he requires
of thee. Now, number one, let's consider
these three requirements. And notice the language. It says
to do justly. It doesn't say to intend to do justly. It doesn't
say to try to do justly. Well, I always try to do what's
right. Nobody believes that. No, you don't. Not one person
in here that always tries to do that, which is right. What's
he talking about when he says to do justly then? Because that's
a requirement. It means exactly what it says,
to do justly. Now, how in the world am I going
to do justly? There's only one way that I'm
going to do justly is if all my sin is taken off me and given
to the Lord Jesus Christ to where He bore it, where it became His
sin, to where He actually became guilty of it, bore it on Calvary's
tree and put it away. And He really was guilty of it
when my sin became His sin because that's why He died. He was guilty.
He was guilty. And just as truly as my sin became
his sin so that he became guilty of it and that's why his father
slew him. So his perfect doing justly becomes mine. So that I, Todd Nybert, do justly. That's what justification is.
I do justly. It's not some legal transaction
that took place, but I'm still the same. No, I really, in my
person, through the substitutionary work of Christ, this is what
is said of me. He's always done justly. Now that's what God requires.
He'll accept nothing less than to do justly. And that is how
real justification is. The gospel we believe is so glorious.
God actually makes it through the substitutionary work of His
Son on the cross where Todd Nybert really has done justly. I got confidence in that. Don't have any confidence in
me, but I got confidence in that. And the second requirement, to love mercy. Don't you love being saved by
the free, sheer, sovereign mercy of God? where God absolutely,
positively does not give you what you deserve, but he gives
you all that Christ deserves. That's mercy. Mercy. Now, if all you're seeing is
all your fault, what do you need? Mercy. Now, if your sin's not
all your fault, you need justice. You need somebody to right those
wrongs in the way you've been done. But if all your sin is
all your fault, there's one thing you need, the mercy of God. where God does something for
you that you positively absolutely do not deserve. You need mercy. You know when people argue against
God's sovereignty and election, How could that be fair for God
to choose one and not choose another? And how could it be
fair for Christ to die for one and not die for another? All
we're saying by that is we believe we have something coming. And
we think it's wrong for God to deal with us like that. That
person doesn't need mercy. He needs justice. I need God
to give me what I got coming. If you want to go that route,
go for it. Not me. I need and I love mercy. The mercy of God. And you know
what? I love being merciful. What I
want more than anything else, other than being in Christ, is
I want to be a merciful person. Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy. Oh, I want to be a merciful person.
I want to be like my Redeemer. Merciful. Now, what does God
require of thee? To do justly. Not just to have
justice charged to your account, but for you to actually do justly.
And the only way that can be done is through the justifying
and substitutionary work of Christ on the cross. And he requires
to love mercy. And thirdly, what's the third
thing he says? He says to walk humbly in all lowliness with
thy God. Humility. What a beautiful thing
humility is. What is it? It's a just estimate
of yourself. I wonder how much I really know
that in and of myself, I'm nothing but sin and have nothing to be
proud of. but I sure am thankful for the
mercy of God in Christ Jesus and I walk humbly in lowliness
with my God. Not in pride and arrogance and
self-righteousness. Oh, that's so ugly. But how beautiful
humility is to walk humbly with my God. Now here's what's evil.
Salvation by your personal sacrifices. That's evil. That won't do anybody
any good. What's good to do justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God. Turn to Romans chapter 12, 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.
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. Be not overcome of evil. and to cleave to that which is
good. Teach us what it means to abhor
ourselves and our efforts of self-salvation. And cause us to cleave to that
good work that you've accomplished in your son. Lord, teach us what it means
to not be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good.
Bless these words for Christ's sake. In His name we pray. Amen.