Battle of Good and Evil

I woke up this morning with some thoughts about the message I will be giving next week to kick off our series on Great Bible Battles. These are some random thoughts that will hopefully get tied together by next weekend.

1. The battle of good and evil is not between God and the devil. God and the devil are not equal players battling it out. A child's riddle says, "What is stronger than God and more evil than the devil?" The answer: nothing. Put another way, the opposite of God is not the devil, (God has no equal and no opposite)the opposite of the devil is Michael. Revelation tells us that it is Michael, whose name means "Who is like God?" who kicks Lucifer out of heaven.

2. So if the the battle of good and evil is not between God and the devil, who is it between and how do we understand God's role? The battle is fought between human beings and angels vs. the fallen angels. We battle to choose God and to serve him, we battle to set our hearts free. Since the devil and the fallen angels have failed in their absurd notion they could unseat God, they come to take us out. God who could sqash the devil like a bug and will at the end of time, allows us to battle and fight evil. God is making us into warriors.

3. God wants to fashion us into warriors who depend upon him and his power, who call upon his name for strength. Scripture tells us we will share in God's glory, but first we must recognize him as the source of all that is good. Throughout the bible, two groups are contrasted: the good who call upon God's name and the evil who try and make a name for themselves as the devil did.

4. It is incorrect to say that God is on our side. That is the ultimate hubris. If someone says, "God is on our side" then run away from them. They have bought the lie that we are the center of the universe. The battle we fight is that whether by our choices and decisions, we choose to be with God or not, whether we choose the good, the true and the beautiful. Saying God is on our side will lead to unspeakable evil. I.E. 911

5. We are not prizes in the battle between God and the devil or simply pawns in the game. As said above, God isn't fighting the devil, read Isaiah 14 to see how absurd that thought is. God has created us to be the warriors who fight evil. We fight for our own hearts and for our own destiny. We fight for the healing and restoration of our hearts and whether we will share in the glory of God because we have chosen him as our portion and our cup or whether we will fall for the worthless idols of this world.

6. Every good we try to do will be opposed. When we try to restore our hearts by getting rid of anger, greed and envy, we will be opposed. When we try to go on vacation and be refreshed and spend quality time with our family, we will be opposed. When we try and lead others to God, we will be opposed. Paul says in Romans, "I find this principle at work, whenver I try to do good, evil is there right along with me." We are opposed because we are in the battle of good vs. evil.