Proverbs 13:21 “Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.” Solomon wrote this at least 3,000 years ago. Solomon was wise but he also observed people, places, things, events, milestones in life. He concluded that most of life was vanity of the mind. It reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw in the early 90 s. “He who dies with the most toys wins!” it proudly announced. Let me share with you part of a parable Jesus taught over 2000 year ago. The Lord was speaking about a man who had raised a huge crop so that his barns could not store it all. His solution was to build bigger barns. Then a touch of reality came when Jesus taught the following Scripture, Luke 12:20 “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” This proves Solomons point about what our work accomplishes. Nothing.
Solomon was also a student of human nature. He saw wickedness in the world. Wickedness is simply doing things that are not moral, right or correct.
Wickedness is the act of doing evil things. This brings to mind another scripture Solomon wrote about the topic. Proverbs 11:19 “As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.”
See what it says? If you pursue evil it will eventually kill you. In my 43 years of ministry I have seen so many men and women that have addiction, habits and thoughts that control the person instead of the person being able to control them. Alcoholics, addicts, people with impure thoughts and actions that bring them to the point of suicide. Evil pursueth sinners and whoever desires the evil will die ‘by it’ or better ‘in it.’
The only release from wickedness or evil is Jesus. The Alcoholics Anonymous speaks of a higher power. Jesus is that higher power. Each addiction program teaches that you need help, a sponsor, someone to call, to be accountable to. Jesus is ultimately the only one that can help.
In many instances alcoholics can stop drinking but the evil of its use and the remembrance of the “good feeling” chases the alcoholic the remainder of his life. People who use drugs are even harder to get sober than the alcoholic. Drugs have more pull, and some actually are able to stop, yet the urge to do drugs is never far from the consciousness of the addict. It worries around the edges of their mind, drawing, wooing, sometimes pleading for just one more high.. .what can just one more hurt?
The problem is that you will be an addict or alcoholic all your life. It will pull at you. In times of stress, it will overwhelm you. You will desire to seek release from the stress and the evil tells you, “You know how to get release. You know the answer. Just do it!”
The answer of wickedness is more wickedness. The world talks about gateway drugs. Starting with small things and escalating into wicked stuff is what the doctors and researchers are talking about. Wickedness in the world whatever its form, works the same way. The first thrill creates a desire for more and “better” thrills. Wickedness creates a passion for the thrill. Another 90s saying was “Whatever floats your boat!” Wickedness always begins small and gets worse each year. What used to thrill you is now commonplace and you need more, bigger, or better to satisfy that longing. Evil pursueth sinners. Evil has always pursued sinners and it always will. Human nature almost demands sin, evil or wickedness to be part of our lives. Let me quote Paul, ICorinthians 6:9-10 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
All those Paul spoke of are basic actyions of the fallen nature of man. Paul calls it the old man, Ephesians 4:22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;” But how can we defeat all this desire for wickedness in our lives? Excellent question! Let’s talk about the new man which Paul assures us is the opposite of the old man of our nature. The same paragraph gives us the answer, Ephesans 4:24 “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
It is a change in nature that has its beginning is Jesus Christ our Lord. Let me remind you that God created man and God loves His creation. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
It only takes “believing in him” as the scripture tell us, but how is that really accomplished? Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
There is a progression here to obtain eternal life. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. It brings us to the point of making a decision, do I want to continue in wickedness or do I want release from it. If I chose to accept the finished work of Jesus Christ, then I will need to believe, confess, and receive him into my heart. If I am earnest about confessing my sin and being willing to forsake it, then when I ask, Jesus will cleanse me and make me a “new creature in Christ”.
2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
I personally love the “old things are passed away”. God forgive us of our sin and forgets it as we bnecome the new creature, the new man in Christ. Don’t let evil pursue you to your death. Receive Jesus as your Savior and live as a person, having Heaven as you destination when you die. Do you need help? Come to Vian Baptist Church any Sunday morning and I will help you find your path away from addiction and to find Christ.
