Sermon for Sunday April 29th, 2007

 Response To Evil by Steve Shepherd

Romans 12:9-12:21

INTRO.- We all know what took place at Virginia Tech on Monday, April 16th, of this last week. A 23 year-old South Korean Senior student at the school went on a shooting rampage, killing 32 students and professors and then killing himself. Some 15 others were wounded.

You know well about school shootings since it happened here in Jonesboro at Westside School on Tuesday, March 24, 1998.

Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English, arrived in the United States as boy from South Korea in 1992 and was raised in suburban Washington, D.C., officials said. He was living on campus in a different dorm from the one where Monday’s bloodbath began.

Police and university officials offered no clues as to exactly what set him off on the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

"He was a loner, and we’re having difficulty finding information about him," school spokesman Larry Hincker said.

News reports also said that he may have been taking medication for depression, that he was becoming increasingly violent and erratic, and that he left a note in his dorm in which he railed against "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus.

Classmates said that on the first day of an introduction to British literature class last year, the 30 or so English students went around and introduced themselves. When it was Cho’s turn, he didn’t speak.

The professor looked at the sign-in sheet and, where everyone else had written their names, Cho had written a question mark. "Is your name, `Question mark?’" classmate Julie Poole recalled the professor asking. The young man offered little response.

Cho spent much of that class sitting in the back of the room, wearing a hat and seldom participating. In a small department, Cho distinguished himself for being anonymous. "He didn’t reach out to anyone. He never talked," Poole said. "We just really knew him as the question mark kid," Poole said.

Why that young man went berserk and shot those 32 people, only God knows. And now he’s facing his judgment along with those other 32 innocent people.

PROP.- From our text in Romans (and others) let’s consider our response to this evil and to all other forms of evil that take place in life and in our lives. How must we respond? 1- We must exhibit compassion 2- We must ask God 3- We must not blame 4-We must point to the truth

I. WE MUST EXHIBIT COMPASSION (toward the hurting)

Rom. 12:9-10 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” 15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Matt. 9:35-36 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

ILL.- A man put up a sign in his yard that read: "Puppies for Sale." Among those who came to inquire was a young boy. "Please, Mister," he said, "I’d like to buy one of your puppies if they don’t cost too much." "Well, son, they’re $25."

The boy looked crushed. "I’ve only got two dollars and five cents. Could I see them anyway?" "Of course, maybe we can work something out," said the man. The lad’s eyes danced at the sight of those five little balls of fur.

"I heard that one has a bad leg," he said. "Yes, I’m afraid she’ll be crippled for life." "Well, that’s the puppy I want. Could I pay for her a little at a time?" The man responded, "But she’ll always have a limp."

Smiling bravely, the boy pulled up one pant leg, revealing a brace. "I don’t walk good either." Then, looking at the puppy sympathetically, he continued, "I guess she’ll need a lot of love and help. I sure did. It’s not so easy being crippled." "Here, take her," said the man. "I know you’ll give her a good home. And just forget the money."

Brothers and sisters, how can we not sympathize with hurting people since we, too, hurt at times? We may not have lost a child in a tragic shooting like those at Virginia Tech, but we all suffer hurt and pain at times. Consequently, we need to reach out in love and compassion to others.

President Bush said, “As you draw closer to your families in the coming days, I ask you to reach out to those who ache for sons and daughters who are never coming home.”

There needs to be more compassion in our world and American and in the church! And if it isn’t in the church then it won’t be in the world!

II. WE MUST ASK GOD

Rom. 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

In the midst of any kind of affliction, we must be faithful in prayer and especially for those who are hurting.

ILL.- Recently, I learned of two preacher friends who are dying with cancer. One is about 59 years old and is a school classmate of mine from Ozark Christian College. His name is John Scott of Long Beach, CA. Another is a preacher who is in his mid to upper 70’s and has held thousands of revival meetings and crusades and has done a world of good in the field of evangelism. His name is Roy Weece, who was for many years the Campus Minister of Columbia, MO.

How can we not pray for hurting families like these?

I wrote John’s wife, Deborah, and she wrote back.

ILL.- Thank you so much. John is pretty low right now. He is not very responsive although once in awhile he will "talk" (move his lips) so I can tell what he’s saying. This morning he said he wanted to go to church. Please, God, let it be so. Keep praying. I appreciate it. - Deborah Scott

I also wrote Roy Weece’s son, Jon, and told him I was praying for him and his family and he wrote back these words:

ILL.- Steve— Thanks for writing! I will pass this on to my parents and siblings. We’ve all had a chance to meet with dad individually and as a family, which has been a blessing and joy. He is in the care of hospice right now, but ultimately his life is in the hands of God and we have a “peace that passes understanding” because of the hope He provides us. Please pray that God is merciful and takes dad quickly so the suffering can end. His funeral will be in Joplin. We’d love to have you come and worship with us when that time comes.- Jon Weece.

ILL.- Sir George Adam Smith tells how he and his guide were climbing the Weisshorn in the Swiss Alps. It was stormy and they were making their climb on the sheltered side of the peak. When they reached the summit, they were filled with the exhilaration. Sir George forgot about the fierce winds, leaped up and was nearly blown over the edge to the glacier below! The guide grabbed hold of him and exclaimed: "On your knees, sir. You are safe here only on your knees!"

Life is not easy. We all go through periods of stress and strain. The only safe place in this life is on our knees. The only safe place is in the arms of God.

III. WE MUST NOT BLAME

Rom. 12:17-21 “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

When tragedies happen like this one at Virginia Tech people tend to blame others and often want some action, some vengeance, etc.

No sooner had the wail of sirens replaced the crackle of gunshots Monday than many people were asking, “Who’s to blame for not preventing this?”

There are several reasons why bad things happen to good people. Let me remind you. We need to understand this and keep them in mind. And we need to be careful where we place blame.

1- Some bad things happen to people in our world because of God’s judgment.

Gen. 6:5-7 “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth...’”

ILL.- Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? Gen. 18:20 “Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin is so grievous...’”

In Gen. 18:32 God said if he could find just 10 righteous people in Sodom he would not destroy it. BUT THEY COULDN’T BE FOUND! And we know the “rest of the story.”

I don’t think anyone would say that what happened at Virginia Tech was God’s judgment but sometimes people do indicate this. They did during 9/11. Some prophets and preachers thought that terrorism was God’s judgment on sinful America. But I don’t buy it…not then and not now.

2- Some bad things happen to good people because we live in an imperfect world where imperfect things happen all the time.

Rom. 8:18, 19, 22 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.... For the creation was subjected to frustration... We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

The Scripture seems to indicate that our world, which God created, is not perfect. We suffer in this life. The whole world is frustrated and groaning because of its imperfection.

Cars break down. Human bodies break. We contract various diseases. Some cause awful pain and some cause death. Accidents happen. Some maim. Some kill. We live in an imperfect world.

3- Some bad things happen to good people because of sin. Because of our own sin and because of the sins of others.

When we make terrible mistakes, we often pay for those mistakes. Drinking too much can cause serious health problems and so with smoking, etc. Driving too fast causes accidents and death.

ILL.- I know of a preacher and his wife who were killed by a drunken driver probably 40 years ago. Things like this happen all the time…sad as they are. Sin causes terrible things to happen to people.

4- And some bad things also happen to good people because evil exists in our world today.

John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Job 2:6-7 “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, he (Job) is in your hands; but you must spare his life.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.”

Satan was out to destroy Job, but God wouldn’t allow Satan to kill him. SATAN IS OUT TO DESTROY PEOPLE TODAY. HAVEN’T YOU HEARD?

Instead of blaming America or the President of Virginia Tech or anyone else, let’s put the blame where it belongs: ON SATAN! He is evil one who is behind all evil and what happened at Virginia Tech is evil!

IV. WE MUST POINT TO THE TRUTH

Rom. 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

No matter what happens we must keep our spiritual fervor, our spiritual fire and serve the Lord. This also means that we must always point people to the Lord as the answer to all of life’s problems. As one man said, “The Lord is the only one who can make things right when things go wrong.”

On Tuesday afternoon, thousands of people gathered in the basketball arena, and when it filled up, thousands more filed into the football stadium, for a memorial service for the victims. President Bush and the first lady attended.

Some of you may have watched the memorial service that took place in the gymnasium at Virginia Tech on Tuesday afternoon.

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger received a 30-second standing ovation, despite bitter complaints from parents and students that the university should have locked down the campus immediately after the first burst of gunfire. Steger expressed hope that "we will awaken from this horrible nightmare."

ILL.- I received this email in response to the Virginia Tech shooting. It’s from the WorldNetDaily.

Speakers at the Virginia Tech convocation yesterday called on Allah and Buddha in their efforts to minister to the survivors, family and friends of victims of the shooting massacre at the school – but Jesus wasn’t mentioned.

It was left up to President Bush to come the closest to offering a biblical message of hope, when he suggested the school community that lost 32 members to the shootings by an out-of-control resident alien student find "comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God." But even he didn’t bring Jesus into the memorials.

One reader wrote, "I’m sitting here watching the convocation service at VT. Five minutes ago they had four representatives from the local ’religious community.’ The Muslim specifically invoked Allah’s blessings and he didn’t shy away from saying the name of Allah. The Jewish rep asked for God’s blessings. Buddha was represented. The only name omitted, of course, was Jesus Christ."

ILL.- In 1992 America watched the LA riots after the Rodney King beating trials. Thousands of people in Los Angeles joined in what has often been characterized as a race riot, or a mini-civil war, involving acts of law breaking compounded by existing racial tensions, including looting, assault, arson and murder. In all, 53 people died during the riots.

I’ll never forget watching TV when one national newsperson stepped up to a black lady to ask her opinion about those riots. She said, “What’s the matter with all these crazy people? Don’t they believe in Jesus?”

Jesus is the answer to this world of sin. He alone is the answer and we must keep on pointing people to Him.

CONCLUSION---------------------------

ILL.- Preacher Vance Havner once told a story about an elderly lady who was greatly disturbed by her many troubles--both real and imaginary. Finally, someone in her family tactfully told her, "Grandma, we’ve done all we can for you. You’ll just have to trust God for the rest." A look of absolute despair came over her face as she replied, "Oh dear, has it come to that?"

Havner commented, "It always comes to that, so we might as well begin with that!"

Our only hope in this world of sin is to trust God and His son, Jesus.