THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT
Program Air Date - 11-18-01
LESSON TITLE: SOCIALLY ACCEPTED SINS OF TODAY: "HATRED"
WELCOME
Thank you for joining us this morning for the Living Word Program. It is always a privilege to have you with us for this time of offering to God. We welcome you to this service for our Creator.
Today, we have the opportunity together to worship and praise our God. This morning we will glorify our Lord through songs of praise and through the study of His perfect Word. Won't you do your part to make this time together acceptable in His sight. Now, let's approach our Father's throne in prayer.
(Prayer)
This morning we again want to begin by mentioning one of our sister congregations which helps financially to make this program possible. Today, I would like to introduce you to the Dawt Church of Christ in Tecumseh, Missouri. We are happy to have these brethren as a part of this effort for Christ. We also appreciate their like desire to do God's will, as we together reach out to this area with the Gospel of Christ.
If you have opportunity, please take advantage of meeting with these brethren - even this morning. Today, they will assemble together for a worship service at 10:30 a.m. I hope you will visit with them very soon.
If you have any questions or need further information about this congregation, please feel free to contact me or their minister brother Wayne Stewart. Their contact number is (417)284-3349.
It's time to start our praise through song. Won't you join in the first song of the morning, as we sing together, "Higher Ground!"
(SONG # 1)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
When was the last time you heard someone say, "I don't care what they think," or, "it doesn't matter what they say about me." The fact is, we all have probably said this from time to time - not really considering that it is in contradiction with what the Bible says!
The truth is it does matter what we say and how people perceive us in the world in which we live. Our name is very important because we are either seen as Godly and righteous by those around us, or rude and unlikable. I like the way Solomon put it in Proverbs 22:1, there we read, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches," There we have it from the wisest man who ever lived. The most important thing in life is that we live in such a way to exemplify Christ in all that we do, so that those we come in contact with will want to know more about our Jesus.
The New Testament writers also had a clear handle on our topic this morning. You might recall what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, there we read, "...but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Notice the many areas Paul encouraged Timothy to be a good example in. In fact, if you consider the many areas which are mentioned he really covers the entire spectrum of life: what we say, what we do, how we treat others, how our attitude is. Furthermore, he mentions that faith and purity are a part of what all must see in us as Christians.
I also like the way Paul instructed the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11:1. There he told them, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." Again in a nut shell we are to be Christ-like. Those of this world must see Christ in everything we do.
A final verse I might mention is found in 1 Peter 2:21. There it says, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:" You see we are to follow the example which Christ left. If that doesn't mean that we are to be Christ-like - I don't know what else would!
So let me encourage us all to remember how important it is that our names show forth the praises of Him who died for us. So that in all things God may be glorified and His Will may be done.
I am excited to introduce our speaker this morning because I feel he is one of the best men on earth. You have had the opportunity to hear him before on this program - his name is Jerry Sullins. I am always happy when my father is in town and able to be a part of this time we give to God. I know we all look forward to his lesson this morning.
Our topic today will again focus on our series called "Socially Accepted Sins of Today!" Our specific study this morning concerns, "Hatred!" So stay with us and in a few minutes brother Sullins will return and lead us in our thoughts of the Day. Now it's time to join in our second hymn of the morning, the name of the song, "I'm Not Ashamed To Own My Lord."
(SONG # 2)
LESSON
Speaker: Jerry Sullins
It's a pleasure to come into your home today and to study with you from God's Holy Word. We're going to be studying a very important subject today, something that maybe all of us have difficulty with from time to time and that's the subject of hatred. When we look at the word itself 'hatred' or 'hate', someone has defined it as just being the opposite of love. As we look it's characteristics this morning and other facets of how it is used and who hated and who did not hate in the Old and New Testament, I think the definition of the word will come much more clear to all of us.
Hatred is condemned in the Old Testament and the New Testament. But someone or we all have asked ourselves from time to time, "Is it possible to hate and still be right in our lives?" Well, it depends on what we hate. Not necessarily whom we hate, because we are not really supposed to hate any living person but we can hate the acts of a person. That's just exactly as we view the Father Himself, that is God in heaven. In Malachi chapter 2, verse 16 it says that, "God hates divorce." So it's possible to hate something but certainly we should not hate someone.
Over in the New Testament in Titus chapter 3, we see very clearly beginning in verse 3 through 5 Paul speaking to Titus said, "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, but when the kindness of the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by the works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us through the washing or regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." So God hates the sin but He loves the sinner. God hates those who hate, but God loves the soul of that person who hates and certainly through the blood of Jesus Christ desires that all men overcome any sin through that blood that was shed on the cross of Calvary.
Now we want to describe hatred this morning or hate itself and of course we go to the Bible to find the characteristics of hatred. Hatred is a characteristic of someone who has not been born again as the scripture stated in Titus 3, verses 3 through 5 that we just read. It says that "we ourselves also were sometimes hateful and hating one another." Now when is this period of time that we are hateful and hating one another? That's before we become a child of God because a child of God is supposed to overcome sin, and hatred is a sin as we will readily see it described in the New Testament.
In Galatians chapter 5, verses 19 through 21, it says, "The works of the flesh which are manifest are these" and then it says, "adultery and fornication and murders and drunkenness and other vices" And hatred is also associated with those sins of the flesh.
And then Paul went on to say there in verse 21 of Galatians chapter 5 that "they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." So hatred is listed among one of the sins of the flesh.
The Bible points out in Proverbs chapter 10 verse 18, Solomon writing this verse. He said, "He that hideth hatred with lying lips and he that uttereth slander is a fool." So one may hate and Solomon says that person who hates will also normally be a liar and he in the sight of God is a what? He in the sight of God is a fool.
Well what about hatred? The scripture also says that hatred is cruel. In Psalm 25 verse 19 it says, "And they hate me with cruel hatred." What was it that brought about the death of Abel? Cain slew his brother Abel because of what? Hatred.
What is really the feeling that brought about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary? It was hatred of the Jews. Hatred of the Jewish leaders because they knew Jesus was going to replace their religious system. They did not want to lose their power, the power that they had in the religious system being priests and those who directed the spiritual affairs of the people and in many cases the secular affairs of the people. They knew when Jesus came that Jesus' purpose was to replace the law of Moses, and by replacing the law of Moses they would also be replaced. So consequently they hated Jesus, and this hatred brought them to the very murder of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Going back in the Old Testament in Genesis chapter 37, we know that Jacob had many sons and all of his sons hated one of his sons. Why? Because Jacob showed favoritism toward his son who was named Joseph. All of his brothers hated Joseph because Joseph was the one who was given the coat of many colors. He was the one who was shown favoritism by his father and actually his brothers hated him.
Hatred is also shown as an evidence of immaturity. In Matthew chapter 5:43-48, the scripture points out how we are to love people, not to hate people. We'll read that passage of scripture in a few moments from now. But the word 'perfect' in this text is from the Greek word Tilios, which means mature. So people who are mature do not hate. People who are mature love one another.
Now we see so many problems develop in our society today by people who hate one another. You probably in your thinking right now can think of someone that you know really does not like you. In fact, you might have come to the conclusion that not only does this person not like me, but because of his or her actions, because of what they say to me, because of their relationship with me, they really hate me. They're trying to do something to me from time to time that is trying to destroy maybe my relationship with others on the job, maybe my relationships with others at the local congregation because every time I am around them, they do despicable things, they say things that are mean and ugly and they try to destroy my reputation. This is a person who is stirring up trouble.
The writer of Proverbs, again Solomon said in Proverbs 10, verse 12, "Hatred stirreth up strife but love covereth all sins." Now what does hate do? It stirs up strife. How true that is. Remember the story we just gave from Genesis chapter 37? Now hatred become a part of the feeling of Joseph's brothers toward him to such a degree that not only did it stir up many's strife, but it caused them to even want to kill him. They eventually sold him into slavery and went back and lied to their father about what had happened to Joseph. How sad that is, but that's what happens in the life of one who hates. That person normally becomes a liar.
Hatred is something that generates envy and envy generates hate. Again that happened between Joseph and his brothers. Hate leads to murder and assassination. That's exactly what as we said Joseph's brothers wanted to do to him. That's exactly what happened to Jesus Christ. The hatred that people had for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lead them to crucify Him on the cross of Calvary. Hatred caused Cain as we said to slay his brother, Abel. So it says in 1 John 3:15, in the New Testament, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." Now do you understand what John is saying here? He is saying that "whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Now that's a serious statement. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. Now have you ever envisioned that a murderer is going to go to heaven? John through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said that if you hate your brother, you are a murderer. And what did he go on further to say in the scripture? You know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hate leads to so many sins of the tongue. David said, "They can pass me about also with words of hatred." Solomon said, he said in Proverbs 24 and verse 28, "He that hateth dissembleth with his lips a lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it." So lying, gossiping, whispering, tale-bearing, slander, fault-finding, false witness and cutting remarks are all generated from a spirit and an attitude of hatred. Now you just think about it friends. Hatred is not worth losing your soul over. I would suggest this to you that if you are entertaining the fact that you hate someone, maybe one of the best things you can do right at first is to stay away from that person. Try not to be in that person's presence until you get yourself under control. A Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ cannot hate. We do not have the right to hate. In fact, if we hate, the Bible says we are truly not one of His.
Now what will hate do? Hate will rob you of your happiness. I have never seen a person who is what we refer to as a hateful person or one who hates who is happy. Have you? Have you ever seen such a person? How does hate make you act and behave? Well actually it makes you act like a slave. You might say, "Well, that seems unusual. How could I be a slave?" Because the person you hate controls your thoughts. The person you hate invades your dreams. The person you hate absorbs your creativity and determines your appetite. In fact, when one is possessed of hate, one is controlled by hate. One becomes a slave to hate. Some have suggested and I know that this is true that hate can bring about even physical impairment. Many people say that the disposition of hate found within a person brings about physical ill health. How true that is. And so hate results also sometimes in what we might refer to as spiritual suicide. There's no way a person can be faithful to God and there is no way a person can really be like God wants him or her to be if he hates, because hate is not of God, but hate is of the evil one.
Now what is the cure for hate? Well certainly friends, I think you already know the answer to that. The cure for hate is love. Love is the exact opposite of hate. So you might be asking yourself, "Really how can I prevent myself from hating other people?" Replace your hatred with love. That's how you do it. It is necessary that we as Christians love one another. A badge of our discipleship is love. When men see us as they saw Jesus' actual disciples, they were recognizing Jesus' disciples because of what reason? They loved one another. The Bible is even stricter on this command because it says, "Not only is it the second greatest commandment that you love your neighbor as yourself." But John said in 1 John 4:7 and 8, "One must love his brother to be of God, to be born of God and to know God." So if you fail to love your neighbor or to love your brother, you are not born of God. You do not know God. And you are not of God. In fact, John put it this way, "If one does not love his brother, he does not love God" (1 John 4:20 and 1 John 5:1-2).
I would like to suggest this to you that you go home this afternoon and when you are at home this afternoon, turn to the book of 1 John and read it in it's entirety. It won't take you very long to do that. What it will do is it will motivate you have the love of God in your heart for those that you might refer to as your brothers. In fact, as we really get down to it, in Matthew chapter 5, it tells us that not only are we to love God but we are to "love our enemies." We are to do good to those who despitefully use us, to pray for those who misuse and abuse us. God wants us to love because if we love, we are of God. If we fail to love, then we are not of God. So what is the nature of the love that we have for our brethren? It's the same type of love that God had toward us. "We're to love our brethren as ourselves" (Matthew 22:39). "We are to love our brethren fervently" (1 Peter 1:22-23). "We are to love them without hypocrisy." That means not to say that we love them but really we do not love them.
I want to challenge all of us today to do just exactly just as Jesus did, to do just exactly what the Father above did, to love everyone as much as we can, to love them as God has loved us and by doing this we will overcome that hatred that is part of our nature. We can overcome that nature with the love of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for listening today.
(SONG # 3 - "I Am Resolved!")
CLOSING COMMENTS
Let me thank you again for choosing to be with us today for the Living Word program. I hope and trust, that together we have all benefited from this service to our Lord. Let me also invite you to join us every Lord's Day morning at 7:30 as we give this time to our Creator.
Now let me ask if you have any questions or comments about today's lesson? Maybe, you would like a free transcript or a free cassette tape of this program? Possibly, we could assist you with free Bible materials or free Bible correspondence courses? No matter what your need is, please contact us at the following address:
The Living Word
2540 N. Kansas Expressway
Springfield, Mo. 65803
Many of these items are also available on our web sight:
That address is:
www.thelivingwordprogram.com
Or if you prefer, you may call us at:
(417)869-2284
Let's all acknowledge the fact that hatred will not only hurt those we come in contact with, but that it will also destroy our lives. There is no place for hate in the service of God.
(Program closing)