[ ] 1/29/2012 #970 EVIL AND THE WILL OF GOD Habakkuk 1:1-4

INTRODUCTION: Everything God created in the beginning was good. We know from Scripture and experience that all things are not good today. All around us there is sickness, disaster, pain and suffering. God’s people suffer hardship and pain as do others. We hear daily of tragic stories and evil things that are done to men, women, and children. If God is a good God and He is all powerful, why does He allow these things to happen?

Habakkuk was troubled with the moral conditions of Judah. God’s people had turned their backs on God and had forsaken His law. It was dangerous to be on the streets because crime was rampant. Lawlessness had become so great. Wickedness seemed to prevail in all of society. In his anguish, Habakkuk cried out to God and asked God why He didn’t do something.

Habakkuk was asking the Lord: “why don’t you do something about this wickedness?” God told him: “I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.”

On October 2, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, a milk delivery person from Bart Township, PA, entered the one-room West Nickel Mines School at approximately 9:51 a.m. with a 9 mm handgun, 12 gauge shotgun, .30-06 bolt-action rifle, about 600 rounds of ammunition, cans of black powder, a stun gun, two knives, a change of clothes, an apparent truss board and a box containing a hammer, hacksaw, pliers, wire, screws, bolts and tape. He used 2×6 and 2×4 boards with eye bolts and flex ties to barricade the school doors before binding the arms and legs of the hostages. He ordered the hostages to line up against the chalkboard and released the 15 male students present, along with a pregnant woman and three parents with infants. The remaining 10 female students he kept inside the schoolhouse. The school teacher contacted the police upon escaping at approximately 10:36 a.m. The first police officers arrived about nine minutes later and attempted (unsuccessfully) to communicate with Roberts using the PA broadcasters in their cruisers.

The gunman apparently killed himself along with five school girls. Three of the girls died at the scene, with two more dying the next morning from related injuries. Five girls were in the hospital in critical condition. Reports have stated that the girls were shot execution style in the head. The ages of the victims ranged from 6 to 13. Roberts fired at least 13 rounds from his 9 mm semi-automatic pistol.

The tragic schoolhouse shooting of ten Amish girls at Nickel Mines in Southern Lancaster County stunned the world. What was even more surprising was the Amish response of forgiveness in the face of this unprecedented slaughter of the innocent of the innocent. By the end of that awful day in October 2006, five young girls were dead and five others were fighting for their lives in emergency rooms. How could God allow such evil? If He is really all powerful and all knowing, why didn’t He stop it?

How could the Amish people be able to forgive the one who did such an unspeakable act of evil?

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” Romans 11:33-34

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Adrian Rogers: “God allows evil in this world. He does not create it, but He allows it. He does not destroy it, but He defeats it by putting His Son upon a cross and taking upon Himself the sins of all mankind. Our ability to choose evil must necessarily exist in order for us to have the ability to choose good.”

I. REASON FOR EVIL IN THE WORLD Everything that is consistent with God’s holy nature is good, and everything that is contrary to God’s holy nature is evil. God is omniscience. He knows all things. He knows good and evil, but He does not know evil from experience. God cannot commit evil and still be God.

God established the standard to measure whether something is good or evil, right or wrong according to His holy nature.

“The only thing that can be defined as evil is sin (to conduct oneself outside of the will of God). Never does the Bible say God is the author of sin.”

A. ENTRANCE OF EVIL. 1. Treason of Satan. (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:13-17) 2. Transgression of Adam. According to the Bible, evil became a reality in the very beginning with the first couple. Sin produced evil. (Gen 2:9) The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17

“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:22 (KJV)

In essence, Adam was declaring himself as God.

Man discovers what is good and evil through his experiences.

B. EXTENT OF EVIL. 1. Sin’s effect on man. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:21-23 2. Sin’s effect on creation.

“. . . cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Genesis 3:17-19

“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Romans 8:20-22

God gave all mankind the freedom of choice just as He did Adam and Eve. Mankind has a choice simply because the Sovereign God of creation gave man that choice. We can choose to follow the Lord or we can pursue the evil that’s in our heart.

Deut. 30:15: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil”

Adrian Rogers: “To begin with, we need to understand, very simply: suffering is the fruit of sin. Not necessarily the personal sin of an individual. But we live in a world that is infected with sin and, therefore, calamity.”

II. RESPONSE TO EVIL IN THE WORLD A. PROPER ATTITUDE. In order to have a proper attitude in a world full of evil, we must remember that God is good.

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 107:1

He is eternally and infinitely good by His divine nature.

“The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Psalm 145:9

“. . . for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45

“. . . for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Luke 6:35

B. PROPER ACTION. It is important for us to take the proper action in dealing with evil, lest it overcomes us. 1. Worship the Lord. (Job. 1:20-21) “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:20-21

2. Trust the Lord. (Job 13:15) “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15 “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:10-12 3. Reproof of evil. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” Eph. 5:11-12

4. Overcoming the evil. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is 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, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21

“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Luke 6:35

There is a story from World War II that is a symbol of quiet determination. As Allied forces were on a search mission in Germany after the armistice, they came upon an abandoned house. On an inside wall a holocaust victim had etched, "I believe in the sun, even when it does not shine. I believe in love, even when it is not shown. I believe in God, even when He is silent."

III. REMEDY FOR EVIL IN THE WORLD A. REDEMPTION OF THE SINNER. “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” Galatians 1:4

B. REIGN OF THE SOVEREIGN. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Rev. 21:4-5

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8

LESSONS FOR LIFE: 1. We are to live by faith. (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17) 2. We must believe in the goodness of God. 3. Evil will be overcome and the will of God will be done. 4. We shall see the glory of the Lord and experience His grace throughout all eternity. It will be worth it all.

WHEN WE SEE CHRIST It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ; One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase, So bravely run the race ‘til we see Christ. God’s word to Habakkuk was “the just shall live by his faith.” (Hab. 2:4) This is God’s word to us today. (Rom. 1:17) We too are to live by faith. We may never have all of our questions answered, but for now, we need to hear the words of Apostle Paul: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) With the presence of darkness and evil in this world, God’s love, grace, and mercy shine all the brighter. When a man begins to see the blackness of his sinful heart, he will appreciate God’s redeeming grace. When he enters through the gates of that heavenly city, he will rejoice and praise the goodness of his God.