4/22/18 “WHAT YOU INTENDED FOR EVIL” – Pastor Shane Idleman

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Complete Sermon Notes

“What You Intended For Evil”

THEOLOGY ON FIRE PART 8

Ponerology is a study of evil.

“If the sleeping church doesn’t awake, there is little hope.”

THE NATURE OF EVIL: Why do bad things happen to good people?

If the staple answer is the correct answer seek no other answer.
The irony of atheism is that they often use evil to disprove God.

Original sin: The condition we all share from Adam/Eve via the fall (Gen. 3).

The propensity to sin vs. original sin

We know that something changed because DEATH and DISEASE followed.
Without toxic environments & damaged DNA, the body was designed to live.

EPIGENETICS: the study of changes caused by gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.

Pelagianism [propensity] vs. Paul

1 Cor. 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Vs. 18 – “…so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
Ephesians 2:3, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”.

IN SHORT, we lost “original righteousness” and God’s image became “effaced and damaged.”

WHO ARE YOU TRUSTING IN TO RESTORE THIS?

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THE PURPOSE OF EVIL: Kingdom minded vs. comfort minded

WHAT WE DO KNOW – There is a conflict that is hard and difficult. God can use evil. People have a choice. Many things don’t make sense.

Missionary Tortured by ISIS Led 40 to Christ

OFTEN, THOSE WHO DENY GOD BECAUSE OF EVIL ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE!

Could suffering ALSO be conforming us and preparing us?

2 Corinthians 4:17 | NIV For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Hebrews 5:8 says that Christ “learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

NASB Study Bible – “Though He was the eternal Son of God, it was necessary for Him as the incarnate Son to learn obedience–not that He was ever disobedient, but that He was called on to obey to an extent He had never before experienced. The temptations He faced were real and the battle for victory was difficult, but where Adam failed…, Jesus resisted and prevailed.”

Wayne Grudem, “It is very clear that Scripture nowhere shows God as directly doing anything evil but rather as bringing about evil deeds through the willing actions of moral creatures. Moreover, Scripture never blames God for evil or shows God as taking pleasure in evil and Scripture never excuses human beings for the wrong they do.”

“A very clear example is found in the story of Joseph. Scripture clearly says that Joseph’s brothers were wrongly jealous of him (Gen. 37:11), hated him (Gen. 37:4, 5, 8), wanted to kill him (Gen. 37:20), and did wrong when they cast him into a pit (Gen. 37:24) and then sold him into slavery in Egypt (Gen. 37:28). Yet later Joseph could say to his brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5), and “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Gen. 50:20).”

1 John 5:19 [NIV] We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

1 Kings 14:9 [NIV] You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Reject every kind of evil.