Jesus was crystal clear about the grave dangers to ALL people that evil presents.

This article, the third in this series, looks at …

• what Jesus said about evil
• how Jesus dealt with evil
• Jesus’ disciples’ powerful warnings and observations about evil
• what 2 of the Old Testament writers said about evil

Recap of Part 1 and Part 2

The Lord does NOT want you to fear evil.

He DOES want you to know HOW to protect yourself, your loved ones, and those in your care from it.

He DOES want you to recognize that evil is a reality that must be confronted. He experienced this reality himself during His own exhausting experience of being tempted by and having to confront Satan (Matthew 4: 1 – 11).

He DOES want you to respect evil’s power and intelligence.

This is why He teaches you to pray to the Father that He will deliver you from evil (Matthew 6:13).

He explains that Satan, the ‘wolf’, ‘cares nothing for the sheep’ (John 10:13).

He explains that He is the one who protects you from the ‘wolf’, Satan (John 10:15).

He explains that He, Jesus the Lord, is the one who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:15).

What Jesus Said/Says About Evil

Note

Words in bold indicate my emphasis

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Jesus said:

• My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

John 17:15

Jesus said:

• “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come —sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.

Matthew 7:20 -23 NIV

Jesus said:

• “And lead us not onto temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13 NIV

• “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10 NIV

• “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Matthew 12: 34 -35

• The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.

John 7:7

• You belong to your father the devil, and you want carry out your father’s desires. 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.

 John 8:44 NIV

• Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

John 12:31 NIV

• I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over Me …

John 14:30 NIV

• …the ruler of this world has been condemned.

 John 16:11

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicized

 

• Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

Luke 13:16

• I have given you authority to …overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Luke 10:19 NIV

 

In addition, the Lord explains that you must

• acknowledge the reality of the kingdom of Satan (Matthew 12: 26 – 28)
• pray regularly for deliverance from it (Matthew 6: 9 - 13)
• understand Satan’s purposes for YOU (John 10: 10)
• be aware of the characteristic subtlety of Satan (John 10:1)

 

How Jesus Dealt/Deals with Evil

1.  He HEALED it

…Jesus of Nazareth, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Acts 10:38

An outstanding characteristic of Jesus’ ministry was its healing of evil in those who were oppressed by the devil. 

Jesus healed these people by

• by performing exorcisms (Matthew 10:1, 8; Mark 3: 15; Mark 6: 13; Mark 16: 17; Luke 9: 42; Acts 8: 7; Acts 16: 18; Acts 19: 12)

• by prayer (Mark 9: 28 – 29)

• by the power of His FAITH (Matthew 17: 20; Luke 9: 41) 

2. The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13: 24 – 30 NIV  

In the Introduction to this series on understanding evil, I explained that the devil works his darkness on you and me by being profoundly subtle.

The more important his target is to him, the more subtle he is.

Remember, his job is always to blindside you, to catch you with your clothes off!

I was not surprised, therefore, to hear Jesus explain the best way to deal with Satan when he makes his way into YOUR life, as he most certainly will at some time, usually when you least expect it. 

Let’s read it here:

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?

‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”’

Matthew 13: 24 – 30 NIV

Jesus teaches you something very important to remember when you are confronting evil.

In everyday life situations, He explains, you experience both good and evil side by side together.

BE CAREFUL in these situations, says Jesus.

Never try to pluck out the evil arbitrarily by yourself.

Leave this to the Lord.

Why?

Because in destroying the evil, you might also destroy the good!

When the Lord knows the time is ripe, He will destroy the evil.

Note

When evil is attacking you, it takes both great patience and great faith to resist the temptation to root out the weeds that are causing you so much strife!

The good news is that the Lord gives you both once you keep asking Him.

What Do Jesus’ Disciples Want You to Know About Evil?

1. God became Man in order to defeat the devil:

• Now the Son of God came to earth with the express purpose of liquidating the devil’s activities.
• John 3:8 J. B. Phillips translation (PHILLIPS) 

2. God has already defeated all the powers of evil

• And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant attack!

Colossians 2:15

J. B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

 

 3. Always Keep in Mind That the Devil is Constantly Looking for Someone to Destroy

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV

 

 4. Satan Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light

 

• • …Satan disguises himself as an angel of light

2 Corinthians 11:14

New Living Translation

 5. Cling to What is Good

• • Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Romans 12: 9 NIV

 

6.  Keep Away from Anything That Smells of Evil

• • …do not give the devil a foothold.

                                                        Ephesians 4:27 NIV

7. Your struggle is not against Flesh and Blood

• • For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

John 3:20

New Catholic Bible

 

8. Put on the Full Armour of God

• • Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…

…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Ephesians 6: 11 – 18 NIV

 

9. The Whole World Lies in the Power of the Evil One

• • the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

 1 John 5:19 NIV

 

10.  You Must Renounce the Dominion of the Devil if You Desire Eternal Life

• • to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’                                

 Acts 26:18 Revised Standard Version

 

11.  It is Satan Who Prevents Unbelievers from Benefiting from Christ’s Gospel

in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Corinthians 4:4

12.  God Has Rescued You from the Influence of Satan

• • For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son…

Colossians 1:13

 

13.  The Power of God in You Far Exceeds the Power of the Devil

• • …greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

John 4:4-5

 

14.  Jesus HEALED All Who Were Oppressed by the Devil

• …Jesus of Nazareth, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Acts 10:38

 

15.  The Lord Willingly Gave Up His Life in Order to Break the Power of the Devil

• • Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—

Hebrews 2:14 NIV

 

16.  The Lord Enables You to Endure Any Temptation

• …God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 

17. .. will … crush Satan under your feet

• • The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

Romans 16:20 

18.  Reject Every Kind of Evil

…reject every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 – 22

 

19. The Lord Will Rescue You from Every Evil Attack

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

Timothy 4:18

20.  Hate what is Evil

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Romans 12:9

21. You can Rely on the Lord to Strengthen and Protect You When Evil Attacks

• • But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  

                 2 Thessalonians 3:3 New American Standard Bible

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I trust you’re beginning to take on board the importance the Lord himself places on…

• acknowledging the stark reality of evil
• understanding it
• protecting yourself, your loved ones, and all those in your care from it

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Wisdom About Evil

From Some of the Old Testament Writers

 

You need also to go back to the writers of the Old Testaments. They, too, educate you about evil.

They tell you:

• You need to shun/hate evil

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7 – 8

• Shunning evil keeps you in good PHYSICAL health

This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7 – 8