Jump Start # 772

John 3:20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

The words of our passage come from Jesus. They follow what is probably the most famous verse in the Bible, “For God so loved the world…” God loves but often man hates. God invites and often man shuns. God forgives and often man wants to remain in the sewer of sin.

The “Light” of our passage is Jesus. He is the light. Evil hates Jesus. Evil wishes Jesus never came. Evil wants to continue being evil. Evil is dumb. Evil doesn’t realize that it’s traveling rapidly down a dead end street and whether he likes Jesus or not, he will come face to face with Him. There is no future in evil. Evil will not win.

Jesus gives us one of the many reasons evil hates Him. Evil fears that his deeds will be exposed. Evil doesn’t want that. Evil wants to remain in the shadows. Evil thrives in the darkness and the secrets of life. Exposure means all know. Exposure means motives, methods and means will be uncovered. Exposure means guilt, shame, punishment and rejection. Evil fears Jesus. Jesus is truth and there is no darkness in Him.

Jesus never sinned. Jesus never did anything that was inappropriate. Jesus never apologized or had to return the next day and make things right. Jesus was right every time. Right actions. Right words. Right attitudes. Right motives. Jesus was pure and perfect, all the time. Evil doesn’t stand a chance next to that. Evil has no defense when in the presence of Jesus.

Instead of changing, evil flees. Instead of seeking forgiveness, evil hates Jesus. Instead of trying to make self better, evil tries to make Jesus worse. So the books, the TV shows, the blogs, the websites, the documents that attempt to expose Jesus as a fraud. Rumors of the Holy One having been married, or being homosexual, or having an anger issue, or taking advantage of the apostles are nothing more than hateful words of evil. They build ideas and theories about life that do not include God. Evil would rather believe in aliens than in the God of Heaven. They try to discredit the Word of God. They alleged errors and mistakes all the while missing the entirety of the message and the purpose of the Book. They twist passages to say things that God never said. They remake the Bible to support and defend their sinful and evil lives. Evil hates the Light.

It is hard for many of us to grasp that there are people who not only enjoy and thrive on evil, but they want evil. Given the choice between evil and righteous, they’ll take evil every time. There are those who will devote hours upon hours of trying to do wrong. If they had just spent that same time doing right, they wouldn’t have the problems they do. That won’t happen. They love evil. They want evil. If they could vote for evil, they would. They surround themselves with others who think like they do. They love music, movies and literature that promotes evil. The sacredness of life, the noble principles of God, the goodness of mankind are laughed at and mocked by those who are evil. They would love to see all Bible burned, all churches closed down and any reference to God removed from society. Evil has a digressive way about it. Once the barn door is opened, things tend to go from bad to worse. More corrupt. More evil. More godless. More sick. Farther and farther away from God. More callous in heart. More indifferent. More stubborn. More selfish. More lost

These are not happy thoughts. For some of us, family members come to our mind. For some, our co-workers fit this description. Our neighbors may fall into this category. They are not interested in your wonderful Jesus. They don’t want to be invited to church services. They don’t want you praying for them. They don’t want you to give them a verse. They hate Light.

What is sad is that righteous folks know what is coming. The Bible is true. The road and life of evil ends horribly.

Evil and righteous co-exist in this world. What are God’s people to do? Should we avoid evil? Should we ignore evil? What if evil is in our family?

First, we must guard ourselves lest we be influenced and become evil. Guard the hearts of the young. Foul language is not acceptable. Trash talking God, His people or His book should not be tolerated. If someone wants to go toe to toe in an intellectual discussion, go for it. But a one sided, throw mud in the face of God tirade should not be accepted. If evil persists, leave. Remove yourself from that environment until people can respect and be sensible.

Second, as God’s people we will continue to invite, pray and try to teach. Yes, evil hates, but evil doesn’t know. Kindness and tact are important, but hiding our faith is not an option. Our faith is who we are. I have known people who have nothing to do with God, calling when there is a crisis. Evil doesn’t have any hope or help at those moments. Evil wants help but doesn’t believe in God. When death comes near, even evil looks for God.

Rejoice in that God loves you. Rejoice in that you have found the Lord, or more so, He found you. Rejoice in that you have left evil yourself and can be named among the righteous. Don’t let evil wear you down. Don’t let evil get the best of you. Don’t do evil yourself in combating evil.  Love God and long for sweet, sweet Heaven.

Roger