Allen Jackson - The Power to Overcome Evil
If you have a US passport and you come to a port of entry in this nation, the process is different if you’re a citizen or a noncitizen. And when it’s time to approach Almighty God, the outcome will be different if you’re a citizen of his kingdom or you’re not. And it isn’t because of something we’ve done or we earned or we accomplished. It wasn’t an exam we passed. It wasn’t something we purchased, it wasn’t about achievement. It wasn’t an accumulation of good works. It was something he has done on our behalf. He rescued us from a kingdom of darkness just as certainly as he delivered the slaves, the Hebrew slaves, from Egypt.
Look at 2 Corinthians 1: «He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. And on him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers». That’s a fascinating sentence to me because of the verb tenses. And I’m not a great linguist, but he has delivered us is past tense. It’s something that is punctiliar. It’s happened. It was once, it was accomplished. He has delivered us. And he will deliver us is future tense. We will need deliverance again.
As you read through the book of Joshua, it’s a story of a tremendous deliverance. But the book of Judges is a story of a need for great deliverance again. And you and I have mistakenly too often labored beneath this notion that we were delivered from the kingdom of darkness, and that was really all the deliverance that was necessary. We’ve been born again, we’ve been saved, we’ve been converted. I believe in all of that. But folks, there is freedom to come. We live in a fallen world, a broken world. We’re inconsistent folk. He has delivered us, he will deliver us. «And on him, we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us». The continual present tense, that we will walk in his deliverance, that no matter what besets us. And here in Deuteronomy 28 it says: «The enemy will come before us one way and flee before us seven ways».
See, rather than believe the authority of God, the power of God, to deliver us, to help us be set free, we prefer some theological constructs that say to us, we can’t be encumbered. Either we choose not to believe in a kingdom of darkness or we choose not to believe in spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, or we construct some fanciful theology that they can’t impact us because we’re Christ followers and then we start to parse definitions between possessed, oppressed, depressed, recessed.
Stop! Our God is a deliverer. He is a deliverer and we better know how to walk in freedom and how to find freedom and how to help one another. It’s important. Well, for Joshua, in his generation, they’re gonna leave Egypt in slavery and engage in the greatest deliverance that the Bible presents to us until we get to the redemptive work of Jesus, the Exodus. It’s the second book of our Bible, but it’s far more than that. Joshua is a slave and the message ripples through the community that someone’s walked in out of the desert, kind of a mythical figure we knew about and we were told he’d grown up in Pharaoh’s palace. We heard he was a bit of a hothead, murderous, but Moses is back and he’s back with a story that we’re leaving and that relationship changes Joshua’s life. He becomes an understudy, a aide de camp, whatever label you prefer.
Moses is his mentor. And Joshua is witness to the plagues, to the Passover. Joshua witnesses Moses stretch out a shepherd’s staff over the Red Sea and he sees the waters parted, and he watches his people fearfully escape through those walls of water and then they turn to watch the Egyptian army drown. Joshua made the journey into the wilderness. Imagine that. You know, sometimes I think we pray for things: be careful what you ask for. God’s gonna set us free and now there’s hundreds of thousands of people and Costco is closed and Sam’s isn’t open and Publix won’t take their money and they need food and they need water and they have none.
If you’ll allow me some just general observations from Joshua’s journey. Since they’re in your notes you already have. The entrance into the purposes of God is not a partial commitment. The slaves of Egypt couldn’t really find the freedom God had for them unless they challenged the authority of Egypt. They couldn’t find God’s freedom on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea, they couldn’t fully be the people of God and just negotiate a new contract where they were. I would submit to you that to be the people of God takes a complete commitment. For far too long, for far too long, we have been advocating for partial commitment. The second observation would be there’s no story without the power of God as a routine part of the narrative.
This wasn’t like something, Moses didn’t have a strategy. He didn’t have a better game plan than the opposition. He didn’t have a training protocol. He didn’t have a system. It wasn’t like he could count cards and then he played poker for the freedom of the slaves. There’s simply no story to be told apart from the power of God. And I would say the same about you and me. We have no story to tell apart from the power of God. Folks, we’re not here because we were clever or wise or kind, that we were tenderhearted. We weren’t, we aren’t. God’s power has been at work within us, through us, around us and on our behalf, and he said he’ll continue to do that. It amazes me even until today.
Thirdly in Joshua’s journey, there’s no shortage of challenges or opponents or unanticipated obstacles. In fact, they just keep coming. It’s not just Pharaoh, it’s not just the armies of Egypt, it’s grumpy complaining people, it’s rebellions. I mean, one day the earth opens up and swallows a few thousand people who are complaining about Moses. And the next morning there’s people in the complaint line. I mean, you have to say that’s not really the quickest study. I mean, the challenges just keep coming and somehow we morph that into this imagination that we’re gonna be the generation that follows God, that links arms with the Spirit of God, and we’re not gonna face trouble. We’re not gonna have challenges. We act surprised when our schools are ungodly. We act like it shouldn’t be that the media would be more interested in propaganda than the truth.
It’s more normal than not. We just haven’t wanted to be bothered. We wanted to be blessed. We didn’t want to fool with it. Let somebody else deal with it. If I can keep my portfolio growing and my kids can stay on the teams I want them to stay on, it’s not my problem, hm. Joshua’s story is a tale of tremendous change. Tremendous change. As a young man, he knows the Egyptian gods and the Egyptian holidays, he knows the humiliation of slavery. And as a mature man, he’s a leader of the armies of Israel, an unimaginable change. Joshua understands the challenge of obedience.
See, I think we’re disingenuous. We act as if obedience is no big deal. I mean, we know some disobedient people but we’re shocked by them. You know why we’re silent in the face of it? Because we know how vulnerable we are. If we don’t say anything to them, then maybe we’re good to go. The challenge, it’s very much a part of Joshua’s story. It’s very much a part of his story. I brought you some verses of scripture. I’m not gonna dwell on 'em, we don’t have time, but they’ll underscore those observations. There’s no partial commitment in God’s kingdom. Romans 12: «I urge you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship».
A living sacrifice, folks. It’s language that goes with the sacrificial system, not the sacrifice in the way we use the word, but an animal sacrifice. If you brought a bull or a goat or a lamb, presented it to the priest as a sacrifice, they would literally slaughter the animal. And after that, they would put it on the altar. You never put a living animal on the altar because the altar was a place of fire. It’s a huge grill. The aroma of the sacrifices in Jerusalem would have filled the air over the city every day. So Paul’s borrowing that language when he writes to the believers in Rome and he said, «Offer yourself as a living sacrifice». He said, «That’s just your reasonable expression of serving God». He said, if you do that, you’ll be able to understand the will of God.
See, you can’t know the will of God with a partial commitment. Jesus is ultimately the one we follow. We call him Lord. Jesus modeled this for us. It says in Philippians 2, it’s not in your notes, but it’s in the book. He said he became obedient, he humbled himself and became obedient; obedient to death, even death on a cross. He didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he made himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant. He became one of us. It wasn’t a partial commitment. It wasn’t like a little side hustle. God has asked us for more.
If you prefer Jesus’s words in Luke 9: «He said to them all,» not just some private group, not some subset of super achievers. «He said to them all: 'If anyone…'» anyone would come after him, he must deny himself, «'and take up his cross daily and follow me. Because if you wanna save your life, you’ll lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will save it.'» The language there is very inclusive: «If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself». There’s no plan B, there’s no alternative. There’s no like, kind of, sort of, Christian. You can’t design your own faith. That’s not easy. It’s not easy. It’s uncomfortable.
Just as Joshua has no story without the power of God, neither do you and I: we really should stop arguing that God has stopped doing miracles because we’re gonna need them. Have you read the end of the book? It is a very supernatural narrative. In Ephesians 1: «I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe».
That’s Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus. I would submit to you just as a matter of biblical interpretation of understanding your Bible, if Paul is saying there’s something I pray for you on a consistent basis, it’s because he thinks it’s somewhat either diminished, lacking, or absent. He’s not just affirming them; that would be different language. So he said these are the things I’m praying that you will not lose sight of, that you’ll hold on to. «That you may know the hope that which he’s called you to». There’ll be reasons to lose hope. «That you’ll know the glorious inheritance in the saints». That there’s a value in choosing the kingdom of God. And it’s glorious, spectacular, unbelievable.
«And I pray that you never lose sight of his incomparably great power for us who believe,» because we’re gonna need it. We’re not gonna outthink evil or outwork evil or out-organize evil. Joshua models for us the reality that there’s no shortage of challenges. There were opponents. 1 Peter, Jesus recruited him: «Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the painful trial you’re suffering». I always am. I mean, I’m well into my thirties now and I’m still surprised, right? How many have ever ever been through a painful trial? About a third of you. Well, bless your hearts, the rest of you.
Peter says, «Don’t be surprised». I’m always shocked. «Well, God, that’s not fair. I don’t like it». It’s been a while. I doubt very many of you were here. Once upon a time at church, I gave everybody a candy pacifier. I’m kinder now. And I said, Every time you’re tempted to tell God he’s not there, just pop it in. And then wait until somebody asks you why you have it. Again, if Peter says not to be surprised, you know why he said that? He’s shocked. And I have been, but he gives us some pretty wise counsel. «Don’t be shocked or surprised at the painful trials that you’re going through». And then he explains himself. You see, it’s not something strange happening to you. «Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ».
I think we’ll just cross that out. «Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed». That same chapter I cited a moment ago in Philippians 2, it says, «Because Jesus did all of those things, God gave him a name that’s above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth». When God asks you to stand in a difficult place, he will respond to you. And if you don’t see his response in the moment or in the season or in time, I assure you when his glory is revealed, you will see his response. It’s worth serving the Lord, but Peter doesn’t stop. He knows we’re kind of a tough audience.
«If you’re insulted because of the name of Christ, you’re blessed». Cancel culture didn’t start with COVID. «For the spirit of glory and God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief or any kind of a criminal, or a meddler». If you’re behaving in an ungodly way and you suffer for it, you don’t get a blessing. Now, we can be candid enough to say, «I’ve been ungodly and the consequences have settled upon me. Will you pray for me to be delivered»? Those prayers are appropriate. But it’s inappropriate to sit in church and act like the devil and expect a blessing because you’re suffering. We’ve tolerated way too much, folks. We’ve winked at it. We’ve played God as if he were a fool. He’s not.
Peter doesn’t stop. «However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name». Peter modeled that for us. He and John on more than one occasion are called in on the carpet in front of the same group of people that condemned Jesus to death. And they said, «Don’t ever mention his name again. If we see you or hear of you doing it, we’re gonna do to you what we did to your boss,» and then they escalated it and they beat them. And it says they left the session rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus.
Well, what happens if I take Jesus with me to work or to school or to my friends or to my family? What happens? What happens when it isn’t always easy? What happens when there’s difficulty? Well, Peter gave us a little coaching. «Praise God that you bear that name». I’ll give you one last one. My time’s up. 1 Corinthians 9. The challenge of obedience. This is Paul writing to a church. He said, «I don’t run like a man running aimlessly. I don’t fight like a man beating the air. I beat my body and I make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize». Paul said, «I don’t want to forfeit anything. So I’m gonna choose a disciplined life».
I wanna encourage you. I know obedience is not always easy, but it’s always worthwhile. Honoring God is not always simple, but it’s always worthwhile. Giving the Lord your best is not always cheered broadly. There is a blessing in obedience to the Lord. As you read the book of Joshua, think about the transformation that comes to his life. He could have lived and died in the brick pits of Egypt and he occupies a tremendous place of significance in the unfolding story of God. He didn’t have the right education. He didn’t have the right financial support. He didn’t have access to the halls of power. He didn’t know the right people. There was simply no reason other than he chose to be a person who honored the Lord.
I brought you a blessing I wanna close with. I’m gonna ask you to help me. We did this last Sunday morning and it worked well enough. I’m gonna see if the Saturday night group is quicker. I want you to bless one another. Are you ready for this? So we’re gonna separate the room into some sections and I’m gonna let one section bless the other. And then we’re done with that, I’m gonna ask the section that received the blessing to give a blessing. And then together, we’re gonna say a blessing for all the people not in the building. We want to invite the blessings of God in our lives, all right? And it’s really a little exercise. You can take this, folks. You can say a blessing over your home. You can say a blessing over the place where you work. You know, we tend to believe that curses are real, some of us, but we act like blessings are just kind of make believe hocus pocus stuff. Why, that makes, even physics says that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.
So I brought you a blessing here. I’m gonna start with this side of the room. So from this aisle over and from that aisle right back there, this group, all right, we’re gonna bless these folks. They look like they need it, don’t they? All right, why don’t those of you that… stand with me, okay? You’ve got the blessing in your notes, all right? It’s taken from Numbers 6. It’s not like something I manufactured. It’s the Aaronic blessing. This was the blessing God gave to Aaron. He said this is how you’re to bless the people. So we’re really borrowing something biblical, all right? Are you all ready to receive a blessing? These are some world-class, Grade A, top shelf blessers, okay? I’m not sure how well your receivers work. You have to be willing. Are we ready? Okay, here we go.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; and the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace, amen.
All right, now y’all can be seated. All right, come on. Don’t let me down here. There’s a lot more of you. But this group looked like they really needed a blessing. So I saved a few extra in this group, okay? And I know you’re in church and we whisper. Can you speak with the authority you would want someone to speak if it was a blessing coming to you? Will you do that with me? All right, are you all ready to receive? You gave first. So you get a double portion, huh? All right, here we go.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace, amen.
Now, let’s all stand here. I wanna say that blessing over our congregation, our community, our state, our nation, amen? With some enthusiasm. If you’re at home, you can say it with us. We can hear you right through those… no, we can’t. The Lord can. All right, together.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace, amen.