Scripture Reading: Psalms 139:18-24

A Time to Hate

Intro.

1. Taught from childhood not to hate others -- Even enemies (Lk. 6:27-28; Matt. 5:43-44). Yet...

a. A time to hate, Eccl. 3:8. “Set against”, hence, to set oneself against.

b. Comparative / relatively speaking, Lk. 14:26.

2. God so loved the world...yet, God hates sin, Prov. 6:16.

3. King David prayed for God’s vengeance upon the wicked with expressions of “perfect hatred” from a good heart, Psa. 139:21-24.

a. Hate (miseō): "To hate (personally): -enemy, foe, ...odious" (Strong's Hebrew & Greek Dictionary,119).

1) No friendship with, Prov. 3:32.

2) No delight in, Prov. 11:20.

3) "A right feeling of aversion from what is evil" (Vine), Heb. 1:9.

b. Abomination: "Disgusting, an abhorrence" (Strong's, 123).

4. Sin is loathsome, detestable, reprehensible and repulsive to God because of His holiness; so it must be with us, His people (Hab. 1:13), 1 Pet. 1:15-16.

5. Abhor what is evil, Rom. 12:9 (aversion to sin; repulsed by it).

I. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD SIN MUST BE LIKE GOD'S, Psa. 97:10; 119:104; 139:20-24 (pure, absolute, intense hatred).

A. Fear of God is Lacking when We do not Hate Sin, Prov. 8:13 (cf. Acts 10:35).

B. Our Hatred of Sin Reveals Itself in our Conduct, Jer. 44:4-5.

1. Only by repentance and separating ourselves from sin do we truly hate it!

C. There will be a Corresponding Love for what is Good, Amos 5:14-15; Rom.12:9.

1. Hate sin because of what it does to all that is good!

2. Love good because of its blessings to us now and eternally!

II. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: WE MUST HATE ALL SIN, 1 Jno. 5:17; Col. 3:17; Matt. 7:23.

A. A True Commitment not to Love the World, 1 Jno. 2:15-17.

1. Immodest clothing (1 Tim. 2:9-10); Shame of indecency, Jer. 8:12.

2. Works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). Such conduct is out of the question, Eph. 5:3-5.

3. Have the mind of Christ, 1 Pet. 4:1-5; Cease from sin! No longer live...to the lusts of men...the desire of the Gentiles...

B. Refuse Fellowship with Error (sin), Psa. 26:1-5.

1. Walk in truth, not evil, Eph. 5:7-11.

2. Come out and be separate, 2 Cor. 6:14-18.

3. More and more brethren have an aversion to obeying this:

a. Work of the church added to – look on approvingly.

b. Worship of the church – “Don’t make an issue out of it.”

c. Fellowship with those remarried unscripturally and those who endorse it (Matt. 19:9) – “Let them alone, we can work together.” (1 Cor. 5:11)

4. Hatred of sin empowers us to obey, 2 Jno. 9-11.

C. A Genuine Aversion to Sin, Psa. 101:3-4.

1. Do not put trust in those who oppose God/truth, Psa. 31:6.

2. Determination to oppose false teachers, Gal. 2:4-5.

3. Some try not to fellowship sin/error while silently accepting those who teach and/or practice doctrines of error.

a. Today: “Let so and so preach/hold meetings – Just stay silent on controversy”.

b. Some who believe false doctrine and some who will not teach against false doctrine are taking this approach.

4. Mark and avoid the errorist, Rom. 16:17-18. WHY? Causes division and stumbling.

5. False teachers identified so their work would not grow, 2 Tim. 2:16-18.

6. We do not hate error when we allow those who teach error to go unopposed and their influence to increase, 2 Tim. 4:2; Jude 3.

Conclusion

1. Some will say this lesson is hateful and negative; too narrow, too strict, too judgmental.

2. But, like God, we are to have no friendship with and take no delight in sin - in any of its forms.

3. Like God, there is a "time to hate" (Eccl. 3:8).