Winning with Love: The. Rev 5 Revelation 12: 7-11; (5: 1 – 10); Ephesians 6: 10 – 18 How does love defeat evil?
I was 27 at the time. I had just completed six years of probation and it was my first year after ordination. I walked across the lawn with a devout Christian. He was speaking about how the devil had got into him. I was struggling with what to say to him. I knew what he said, was wrong, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. I didn’t believe the devil made us do things. Not sure that I do now. It was an interesting statement. At the time I heard it as a cop out. I was thinking don’t blame the devil for what you do. Take responsibility. I might have even tentatively said something to that effect. However it was one of those moments that has stuck in my memory. Then I believed very much in the strength of the individual. Today I recognise that sin has the power to grab hold of us and mould us to the point we’re controlled by it. In Biblical times they labeled that as demon possession. The demon has possessed you.
We may scoff at such thinking. However on reflection we often speak of the demon of alcohol or drug addiction. What the ‘demon’ does is control and direct our actions. That is what the demonic means. – something is controlling us. In the light of this truth it is interesting how humans create things that in time come to control them. A benign example is the motorcar. Yes, the motorcar. We developed the horseless carriage – the motorcar. It was wonderful. Henry Ford made it possible for the average person to have a motorcar. The motorcar increased our freedom. Before long this wonderful instrument of transport became the designer and director of our houses. Housing and suburbs were now designed around the motorcar. The motorcar in countries like Australia became a very important liberating influence in our lives. It changed the landscape of the city and town. Note how in our time we have moved from the single car property design to the double car property design. The garage has moved to the front of the home. It has so determined our life style that we play catch up with our public transport. The motorcar is a benign example of how what we develop begins to control our lives. Ironically what we possess can end up possessing us.
Let’s move to some more devilish things. Let’s consider how apparently harmless ideas, but inherently flawed, have destroyed lives physically, psychologically and socially. Think of Australia’s white assimilation policy that tore apart the lives of the Aboriginal community. Think of the reasonableness of white South Africa’s separate development policy for the races that led to torture, unjust imprisonment and high infant mortality rates. Think of Germany’s national socialism that reached fever pitch in the final months of the war to exterminate as many Jews as possible before Allied forces took over. Now reflect on the good people of those nations and how they were sucked into that way of thinking. How they seemed powerless to stop the madness. In fact by their action or inaction they made it happen. Yes, the lack of witness to the truth – their silence – helped make these demonic systems work.
There are forces that press upon us today. I have identified only a few examples from the benign and helpful motorcar to the fear and prejudice driven policies that have caused untold harm. I say to you don’t scoff at the Biblical writers’ thoughts on the demonic powers. That is exactly what evil wants you to think. Listen to what Paul and John of Patmos say.
Paul, in Ephesians, says that we’re up against spiritual powers and great forces. He writes in
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Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The book of Revelation paints these surrealistic pictures of dragons, beasts and forces of nature that conspire against us. Yet if we look and listen to our world today we are faced with beastly, dragonish evil forces, which seem beyond our powers to stop. There is the mad mindlessness of ISIS; the rampant fear of millions of displaced peoples taking over our space; and, the oppressive market forces that exclude good hardworking people from the housing markets in Melbourne and Sydney. Albert Einstein made a relevant and insightful observation when he said; It is easier to denature plutonium than denature the evil spirit of humanity. His statement tells us that he recognised the forces of the human spirit. Walk into some institutions and you sense a good spirit, and in others you sense a dark spirit.
The point I am making is that we humans are not the free agents we think we are. We are caught up in systems and ideologies that rob us of the freedom that God wants us to have. How can we become free from such forces? Even the force of capitalism, which is not as bad as other forces, tends to control us
John of Patmos’ surrealistic pictures of the struggle between good and evil provide the answer. To break the force of the demonic powers and spirits we must hold firm to what is true, proclaim it and be prepared to pay the price of standing against the tide. The Wilberforces, the Nightingales, the Mother Theresas, Bonhoeffers, Mahatma Ghandies and lesser known characters have paid the price of making this a better world.
John of Patmos reminds God’s people of the strength they have. He says that the demonic power of evil has been destroyed. This is what he says. But they have conquered him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. [Rev 12: 11]
John of Patmos gives us three very important steps in combating evil in the world.
Firstly, the evil in the world will not be overcome by violence but by the sacrificial love of Jesus. Christ Jesus defeated evil through the power of love that overcame the demonic in the political systems. Why does love work and violence not? Well violence destroys or stops a force in such away that there is no place for anything but fear or fearful respect. Violence or forcefulness merely tells you that you don’t have enough power to combat what you have encountered. Corporal punishment at school merely told me to avoid it. It never told me how to change. In fact I developed a deep disrespect for some who administered it. When forcefulness meets forcefulness that is all you have. Now I know that there are times when there is no alternative. However if violence is met with love an alternative is presented. Violence may and will win, but those who love in return will leave a mark, a seed and they themselves will not burn with hatred and revenge. Love eventually stops the cycle of violence. The only way to destroy evil is to confront it with love and restorative justice.
Secondly, he says that the demonic powers have been broken by the word of testimony. If
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the love of God lives on in the Resurrected Christ Jesus it also lives on in the lives of his followers. Every time Christians speak a word about Christ Jesus they sow seeds of love, hope, and faith. Faith, hope and love are the ingredients of renewal and reconciliation. Our testimony to Christ changes the scene. It reminds us that we are to love our enemies as our Lord told us to. It tells the other that there is another way forward to life and liberation. Our testimony is vital.
Thirdly, he says that the witnesses did not cling to their own lives. That is, they were not going to stop witnessing to God to save themselves from persecution. They knew that they were not volunteers who had the option of opting out. They understood that this was a life and death matter. They knew that with Jesus Christ they had eternal life. Without Christ they had only themselves They knew that death was not the end but the beginning of eternity. They did not put themselves first but gave themselves for the sake of others and the praise of God. So again the love of God lives on renewing, reconciling and regenerating.
We are called to live the Resurrected life, to witness to Christ Jesus, tell others about him and faithfully endure to the end.
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Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC: 11/06/2017 pgwhitaker@tpg.com.au / www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au
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