Sermon Starters

How to Live Victoriously in an Evil World Key Verse: Galatians 1:4 I. The world in which we live today is evil. A. The world was not always evil. 1. The creation narrative many times states that what God made was good (Gen. 1:4, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). 2. The world became evil through man’s disobedience to God (Gen. 3). 3. In Greek the most common word for the world is kósmos, “the sum total of the material universe, including man.” Kósmos is derived from the verb kosméō, “to beautify,” which indicates the original creation and purpose of the world. It was good. But since the fall of man, the good and beauty in the world can best be discerned and enjoyed by those who have God within them. These are the blessed and the meek which are described in the third beatitude (Matt. 5:5). They are the ones who inherit the earth, who enjoy its original purpose. 4. The Greek word, however, in Galatians 1:4 is aiṓn, which means “age, generation, or a kind of people” (Matt. 13:22; Luke 16:8; 20:34; 1 Cor. 1:20; Eph. 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:12). B. This generation of evil will continue only for a time. 1. Jesus did not come the first time to put an end to this generation. 2. Jesus will put an end to it at a specific time in the future when He will come again in His glory. For this reason Paul calls the current time “this present evil world.” a) The first time Christ came as a Lamb to take away the sin of the world (kósmou, the people within this aiṓn, “generation, time frame”). See John 1:29,36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19. (1) He saves individuals within this world (kósmos) and time (aiṓn), but He does not take them out of the world (see John 17:6, 9, 12–20; 1 Cor. 5:9, 10). (2) He preserves the redeemed in the world during this age (1 Pet. 1:5). b) He will come again to judge the world (Matt. 25:31–46; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 24:25; Rev. 20:11–15). (1) This will be the consummation of the age (suntéleia toú aiṓnos, often wrongly translated as “the end of the world.” See Matt. 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; Heb. 9:26). (2) When this present age is consummated, there will be a new age. This is designated as “the age coming,” ho aiṓn ho erchómenos, meaning “the next life” (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30) in contrast to “this age,” ho aiṓn hoútos (Matt. 13:22; Luke 16:8; 20:34; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:12). (3) At that time our human bodies will be changed (Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:20–22, 51–55; 1 Thess. 4:14–17), and so will the whole universe (Rom. 8:19; Rev. 21:1). II. Christ’s death saves us from sin while we are still in this evil world (Gal. 1:4). A. Christ’s death was a voluntary gift: “Who gave himself.” His love for us prompted Him to give Himself for us while we were still ungodly enemies of God and at home in this evil world (Rom. 5:6–8). B. Christ’s death was necessary because of our sin. This can be seen by considering what “for” means in the sentence, “He died for our sins.” 1. He died in behalf of or because of our sins. This is the basic meaning of the preposition hupér, translated “for.” When He did that, our sins were removed from us once and for all. They were buried in the depths of the sea, so to speak (Mic. 7:19). He forgave our sins. The word “forgive” in Greek is aphíēmi, “to send away from us.” The death of Christ thus deals first with our sins by removing them from us. 2. He gave His own body, voluntarily accepting death for the sake of our own dead bodies. Our bodies were dead because of sin (Eph. 2:1). Moreover, with His own resurrection, He also raises unto newness of life all those who believe on Him. Ephesians 2:5 states it clearly: “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved).” That word translated “quickened together” is sunezṓopoiēse; He gave His life to simultaneously give us the life of His resurrection. See also Colossians 2:13. 3. Thus, Jesus through His death and resurrection took away our sins and endowed us with His life. 4. This achieved our justification before God. When Christ presents the believer to the Father and declares that His offer has been accepted by the sinner through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, then the Father declares the sinner free of guilt. He is then justified and acquires peace with God and access to God (Rom. 5:1; Gal. 2:16). At the time the sinner is changed to a new creature, he or she becomes just. He acquires God’s righteousness and His nature (2 Cor. 5:21). C. If we do not recognize our sinfulness, His death for us is ineffective. My recognition of the fact that I am a sinner is absolutely necessary if Christ’s death is to obtain salvation for me. III. Accepting Christ’s death and His salvation leads to a life of constant struggle in this sinful and evil world. A. When Christ removes our sins, He changes us completely (2 Cor. 5:17). 1. But the world and age in which we must remain continues to be the old, fallen, unredeemed world (kósmos) and age (aiṓn). 2. They will not change until Jesus comes to reign forever and ever. That expression “forever and ever” is aiṓnes aiṓnōn, “the ages of the ages,” and it means interminable or interminably (see Gal. 1:5; Phil. 4:20; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 13:21; 1 Pet. 4:11; 5:11; Rev. 1:18; 4:9, 10; 5:13, 14; 7:12; 10:6; 11:15; 14:11; 15:7; 19:3; 20:10; 22:5). B. Christ’s sacrifice can deliver the believer from the spirit of this evil age. This is clearly stated as one of the purposes of Christ’s death, “that he might deliver us [the believers] from this present evil world [aiṓnos, ‘age’]” (Gal. 1:4). 1. This does not mean that He takes us away physically from the world, but He gives us victory against sin while we are in an age permeated with evil. We can be in the world, but not of the world as our Lord prayed in John 17:15 in His high-priestly prayer (John 17:9–18): “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” 2. This “present age” represents the philosophy of life of this age and it is evil. The Greek word for evil is ponērós, “malevolent.” 3. “According to the will of God and our Father” (Gal. 1:4). a) The will of God is always that we may not be affected by any worldly philosophy of life. b) Although we are surrounded by evil, God should never be blamed for it. We are reaping the consequences of our inherited and personal sin. c) In spite of all the evil that surrounds us, God is still our Father and He will fully protect us while we are in the world and on our way out. Spiros Zodhiates, Sermon Starters : Volumes 1-4 (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1998).