They Must Be Giants - Part 5: Hate

They Must be Giants

Part 5 – A Giant Named Hate

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

Most of us are all familiar with the story of David & Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.

Remember these points from David & Goliath over the next few sermons;

†        The battle between the Palestinians and the Israelites was a spiritual one.  

†        David had the Holy Spirit just as all of those who belong to God have access to.

†        David recognized the battle was spiritual even though everyone around him could not.  He was walking in the spirit, not by sight, but by faith.

†        When David faced the giant, he knew the battle was not a man against a giant, but a giant against the power of God.

†        The battle was the Lord’s!  David had the right perspective.

We must remember these points in our lives as well when we face things.

1.      It’s a spiritual battle

2.      We have the Holy Spirit if we belong to God

3.      The battle is the Lord’s

Today we are talking about Hate.

I.       WHAT IS THIS HATE?

1.      Hate is a behavior comes from anger (which we spoke about last week.)

1.      Anger is a behavior which comes from the emotion of fear.

2.      Remember, there are only two emotions, love and fear, everything else we experience is a behavior based on one of these emotions.

3.      Just as it is with anger, there is righteous and unrighteous hate.

4.      Just as it is with anger, when you have unrighteous hate, you are living in sin.

2.      Living in a state of sin cuts you off from relationship with God

1.      You miss out on God's blessings, God's protection, and all the other benefits of living in the Kingdom of God here on earth.

2.      Scripture also say that God does not hear the prayers of the unrighteous.

3.      We cut ourselves off from relationship with God when we live in sin.

1.       Galatians 5:19 – 21

“19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

2.      These fruits are not the fruits of the Spirit, but fruits of our sinful nature.

3.      Living in sin and unrighteousness cuts us out of the Kingdom of God.

4.      If you are living in sin, you are not living in the body of Christ.

4.      Those living in sin, claiming to be in the Body of Christ, are seriously mistaken and deceiving themselves

II.   RIGHTEOUS HATE?

1.      Yes, there is righteous hate

1.      So what is righteous hate?

2.      What does God hate?

3.      Is it as Westboro Church suggests?

4.      Does God hate fags?

1.      Some so-called Christians would like you to think so

2.      We know the scripture we read states that those who live in unrighteousness will not inherit the Kingdom of God, but does God hate fags?

1.      Some say that's what the Word of God says in Leviticus 20:13

2.      Listen closely in the original Hebrew;

3.      Leviticus 20:13

“And a man who lies down with a male, as one lies down with a woman, both of them have DONE an abomination…”

4.      The Word of God clearly states that they have “done” something God hates.

5.      Isn't that what happens when any of us sin?

6.      We “do” unrighteousness

7.      The scripture says God hates what they have done, what any of us do when we live in unrighteousness.

8.      God doesn't hate them...He hates sin.

3.      Those who judge are condemning themselves

1.      What the so-called loving Christians who cry out “God hates {fill in the blank with a person}”, whether it be gays, soldiers, Americans, Muslims, etc...are doing is saying that God hates people who sin.

2.      Remember, God also states in Leviticus that he hates adultery, which Jesus tells we commit in our mind if we even think with lust.

3.      Verse 23 tells us that “all of these things they committed, I abhorred them.”

4.      The abominations are not the people, but the actions of the people.

4.      The argument of 1 Corinthians 6:9

1.      But what about 1 Corinthians 6:9?

“9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders”

2.      Well, you are correct, homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and neither will the sexually immoral (pornography, lust, adultery, fornication or sex without marriage, etc...), idolaters (putting ANYTHING before God, whether it be an object, or person), prostitutes, and so on.

3.      And if you keep reading, you will see this;

4.       10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

5.      Listen, God does not hate homosexuals...He abhors sinful behavior

III.                        What exactly does God hate?

1.      We need to know

1.      Because this will help us understand what righteous hate is.

2.      As it is with anger, most of the time we feel hate towards something or someone, it is going to be unrighteous, and if we do not repent, we are living in sin.

2.      We read that God hates the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians 5

1.      We know from scripture that God is a righteous God, and judge’s unrighteousness.  Therefore, if God hates something, that is righteous hate.

2.        One of the most well known lists of what God hates is found in;

1.      Proverbs 6:16 – 19

“16 There are six things the LORD hates,
       seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes,
       a lying tongue,
       hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
       feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
       and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

3.      Haughty eyes, means uplifted eyes.  Head held up.  Or pride.

1.      Pride tops the list, as it always does, for it is what caused Satan to fall.

4.      A lying tongue

1.      God hates lying so much, it made it to His top 10 list

5.      Hands that shed innocent blood

6.      A heart that devises wicked schemes

7.      Feet that are quick to rush into evil

8.      A false witness who pours out lies

1.      A false witness is a person who is teaching things other than what the Word of God teaches, in the name of god.

9.      And stirring up dissension among brothers.

3.      We see from this scripture again, it is the actions that god hates.

4.      How easy is it to be a liar?

1.       1 John 4:20

“If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

IV.Does Jesus Hate?

1.      You will not find a scripture that says “Jesus Hates” in the Bible

1.      Jesus is the full expression of God's love

2.      We see that Jesus loved all He came in contact with, no matter what their sin

3.      He said that He did NOT come to judge, but to set captives free

4.      Are you helping those trapped by sin to be free through Christ Jesus?

5.      Or are you finding yourself trapped by sin as you stand there pointing at their sin?

2.       Deuteronomy 25:16

“…all that do unrighteousness, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.”

1.      ALL that DO...

V.    GOD'S LOVE MESSAGE

1.      We see that the New Testament is a message of love to the lost

1.      The world, everyone in it, is full of unrighteousness and sin

2.      Yet, while we were still sinners, God sent His only Son to die, to pay our debt

3.      This is God's love for us

4.      Now we are to share the love God has given us with the world

5.      With who?  Those who already love God?

1.      Jesus said, “I did not come for the righteous...”

2.      We are to take the message of salvation to those who need it most...the lost

2.      Our mission as Jesus instructed

1.      There is not one scripture where Jesus told us to go into the world and tell them how much God hates them...

2.      Is that serving the Lord?

3.      Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28 to go into all the world, which includes every race, nationality, religion, etc..., baptize them into a knowledge of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then teach them to obey all that Christ commands.

3.      Telling someone, “Hey, God hates you! Now make Him your Lord and Savior and trust Him.” is absolutely insane.

1.      Is this teaching people how to love the God who lives them?

2.      Is this making people want to seek the Lord with all of their heart?

3.      Jesus said, “I did not come into the world to condemn it, it is already condemned.  I came to save it!”

CLOSING

We, as the Body of Christ are supposed to be saving people from their captivity!

We need to show Christ’s love for the sinner, the same way Christ showed His love to us when we were lost and trapped by sin.

It is OK to have righteous hate for sin, but it is sin to have unrighteous hate for sinners!

That’s what the devil wants, so you never reach the lost!

Righteous hate belongs to actions alone, while unrighteous hate is for anything, or anyone else.