Sermon Central
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Loving The One And Hating The Other
Contributed by John Walls on Jun 28, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: Making the proper choice between Chrsit and the world
LOVE THE ONE AND HATING THE OTHER
Introduction: We find a stern warning from God’s word that was uttered from the lips of the Lord Jesus. He shows the principle that you must choose whether you are going to serve God or the demon of materialism or money. The word "mammon" is only found 4 times in the scriptures. One time in the book of Matthew and three times in book of Luke is it found. Each time deals with this subject or should I say rather this choice that every person must make.
This principle really comes down to a fundamental truth, which is this: Is Jesus really Lord in your life?
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
This is the place that the Lord Jesus should be in our lives. His place is the #1 place. He should be #1 in our lives, our loves, our labors and our longings.
There are two kingdoms mentioned here. God and mammon will neither of them accept a divided empire.
Today I want to explore this exhortation of the scriptures. It is my desire to help others see the path clearly as David spoke in the book of Psalms. Psalm 119:105
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
This is one of those messages in which we ought to pray “Lord, speak to my heart today, I’m willing to obey”.
I. THE WORD MEANINGS IN THIS PASSAGE
Sometimes we look at words and think that we know all that it means. You may know part of the meanings of the words in this passage. I want to look at three of the most important words in this verse. They are “love”, “hate” and “master”.
Some preachers are afraid to preach or will not preach doctrine for this reason. They say that doctrine divides. So they preach on love. This passage shows that love divides. It basically says that you either love something or hate it. There is no middle road here. Margaret Thatcher made this observation. “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.”
A. The word LOVE in this passage means
1. To love; to approve of; to like; to treat affectionately or kindly
2. To show signs of love such as a kiss
3. To be fond of doing
B. The word HATE in this passage means to hate, pursue with hatred, detest, to be hated or detested. It also can mean that love less. Jacob loved Rachel but the Bible says that he hated Leah. It meant that he loved Rachel so much that his love for Leah would seem to be hate.
C. The word MASTER in this passage
1st Corinthians 6:19,20
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1. He to whom a person or things belongs
2. A title or honor expressive or respect and reverence with which servants salute or greet their master.
3. This is the title is given to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.
II. THE WARNING
A. It is clear. I like things that are clear in the Bible. It is hard to question them when they are crystal clear.
1. You will either love God and hate sin or
2. You will love sin and hate God.
B. It is concise. Because it is concise we don’t muddle up with all the traps of the devil.
1. It will cause us to mediate on our lives and loves.
If you were standing before God right now, how would your life add up in regards to your love and hate life. One reason why we have the problems that we do in our lives as Christians is that don’t have a clear understanding of this verse in our lives.
2. It will cause us to master our lives and loves. What you can control and don’t in your life, you really hate. It is like disciplining your children. If you don’t discipline them, you don’t love them.
C. It is correct. It is correct because it is God’s path of obedience that He demands of every Christian to take if he wants to really please Him.
1. It is the path of God’s peaceful way.
2. It is the path of God’s peaceful wisdom.
