Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

This week we have witnessed such evil on our doorstep, with the bombing in Manchester.

An act of terrorism that took the lives of so many so young.

We all woke up to the devastating news on Tuesday morning, we were appalled, and sickened to our stomachs as the carnage and tale of horror was relayed.

Such evil, it becomes so apparent, so real when it gets close to home, but lets be clear about it, this world if full of evil.

Its a wicked world out there, and day and daily there are unspeakable acts being carried out, all over the world.

For many unbelievers they have a hard time understanding why evil exists.

Many people have a hard time in their mind understanding how a good and a loving God could allow such evil things to take place in the world?

I wanted this morning to address the subject of Evil in the World

So why does evil exist in the World?

I. Evil Exists Because of Society

A. A Society Full of Pride

Sometimes people do evil things because of their pride.

Pride is a big problem in the society in which we live in and many times it is that pride that leads to people doing evil things.

Furthermore,

teaches us that sin often times results from people’s pride.

Pride says that we are in charge, it thinks more highly of ourselves than we ought.

People who deal with pride do not like to be told what they can and cannot do; therefore being subject to commands and rules is not easy.

People who deal with pride often think they have the right to act out.

Many of the most wicked people in the world have done the things they have because of their pride.

B. A Society Without Fear of God

I can guarantee that if more people feared God then there would be less times we would have to talk about evil things that take place.

There would be less shootings, there would be less violence and there would be more good done.

A lot of sin and evil comes because people really do not fear God in their lives.

People today cannot fear a God they do not believe in.

Years ago many people did what was right because they had a fear of God, and that motivated them to keep out of trouble.

Now since many people do not believe in God, they have no one to fear, and since there are no consequences in their minds beyond this life for their actions, then in their minds it does not matter what they do.

They have nothing concrete to deter them from doing evil.

C. A Society Without Love

Some people do evil things because they do not have a true love for other people.

You cannot act violently to people that you really love.

Many people act out in evil because they do not love.

You remember the greatest command is to love the Lord your God and the second greatest is to love your neighbour as yourself.

I would assume that if people would obey those two commands there would be a whole lot less evil done to other people.

A lot of evil stems from a lack of love.

When you think about a lot of the terrorist activity and how some so willingly take lives, you can see plainly that hatred fills their hearts and not love.

A lot of evil comes from a heart that is full of hate and empty of love.

We as Christians need to ensure that we are being an example to others as to what it means to love one another.

If you love others you will not only cease from doing wrong to others, but you will also do good to others.

D. A Society Without Respect of Authority

One of the main problems of our society, is that people today do not respect authority.

In fact, children are brought up today taught to question or challenge authority in any way that they can.

We cannot forget that we are called to be submissive to different type of authority that God has established.

The reason children disobey their parents, people break the law so readily, and sin against God is because they have no respect for any authority.

Perhaps this stems back to pride, but people often times do not like to think about any person in a position of authority over them and they certainly do not like the idea of someone setting rules for them as to how they are to live.

A lot of evil comes from a lack of respect for authority, whether that authority be in the home, in the government, or whether that authority is God himself.

We need to be willing to submit ourselves to authority.

E. A Society Without Accountability

A lot of evil takes place because people are not accountable to anyone for their actions.

We are taught today that it really does not matter what you do, and that if we talk about your evil actions than we become judgmental.

We are taught that what we do is our own business and that it is no one else’s.

It used to be that kids were always accountable to their parents and that accountability deterred them from doing a lot of things, but now with the breaking apart of the home often times there is no one for kids to be accountable to.

We need to realise that there are consequences to our actions and there are people we are accountable to for what we do.

If we break the law there are consequences and we will have to give an account for what we have done.

If people who consider the consequences and remember that they are accountable to someone else for the things that they do than there would be less evil done.

Many people see themselves as their own person, and they think they do not have to answer to anyone at anytime.

More than being accountable to people on earth for our actions, we are also accountable to God in the end for our actions.

Many people act the way they do because they do not think that there is a God to whom they must give an account.

One of the greatest tragedies that exists in the world today is teaching children that God is not their creator and certainly is not their judge.

If kids growing up today believe they evolved from animal, why not act like animals Moreover, if they believe they were not created they certainly do not think they will be judged.

When I know that I am accountable not only to man for my actions, but also to God it keeps me in line.

Whether people like it or not, or whether people realise it or not, each person will give an account to God for their lives.

Knowing this fact causes us to live in obedience to his commands, but having no sense of accountability for our actions leads us to act out in evil.

It sure would help if people were accountable at work for their actions, at church to the leadership for what they do and how they live, at home by their parents, and ultimately in Heaven by God himself.

Knowing that we are accountable to people will hinder sin from running rampant.

F. A Society Without Standards

One of the most obvious reasons for evil in the world is because there are many varying views on what is evil and what is right and wrong.

It is one thing to do something wrong, but it is different when you do something wrong and feel no guilt or remorse from it.

The reason people can do that is because they don’t think what they did was wrong.

In other words, they have no standards or wrong standards.

Some people see nothing wrong with homosexuality; therefore they have no guilt for their actions.

How can they have guilt for something they do not see as wrong?

Fundamental Muslims sincerely believe they will be eternally rewarded for killing people who do not believe what they believe.

We look at things like what happened in Manchester and consider them evil, most people consider it evil, but to the people involved they thought sincerely what they were doing what right because they have a different standard.

That is a big problem.

If there are millions of different standards in the world which people live according to and only one standard by which we will be judged by then we have a problem.

Our problem is we sometimes try to set our standards based on what we think and what we feel rather than on something objective like the Word of God, which is our standard of judgment.

A constant use of the Word of God helps us to distinguish good from evil.

It teaches us right from wrong in the eyes of God.

A lot of people in the world have no moral standards by which they live at all, and they show it through how they act.

What makes people unashamedly do the things that they do?

Their standards or lack of standards!

We need to make sure that we teach ourselves the correct standards through God’s Word and if we would do that and if everyone had the same standards of what is right and wrong, less evil would take place.

So evil exits because of society, then secondly...

II.

Evil Exists Because of Sin

Many people, even non-Christians realise the problem of evil in the world today.

Many of those people look for answers.

It is not uncommon to hear people in the media asking the question, “What causes people to act in this way?” and they will come up with many varying different problems all of which may have had some relevance or truth.

They talked about upbringing, they talked about depression or other mental disorders, and they talked about how other people may have caused the offender to act out.

Do you know what one word I never heard mentioned?

Sin!

No one ever said that people act this way because they loved sin, because they harboured sin in their heart and allowed it to fester and grow without dealing with it.

They wanted a quick and easy answer to why these things in the world take place, and the main reason they take place is because of sin, or a violation of what God has commanded.

We live in a world full of people who have chosen to sin and do opposite of what God has said to do

Incidentally, when someone wonders how a good and loving God can allow evil in the world, they forget that God has commands, laws, and helps in place to combat that evil.

They also forget that there are consequences for that evil and more than that a future punishment for the evil that is done.

One day all sin will be dealt with.

When you are outside of Christ, you are a slave to sin, and sin dominates your life.

It controls what you do and how you think.