Sermon- Hatred growing
- As I’m studying I often go through little Christian Forums. I’m looking for other
people’s thoughts about what’s happening in our world.
- A trend that I’m noticing more & more is hatred.
Q- Hatred for who?
- I would immediately list the answer as the lawbreakers, or the ungodly.
- No, overwhelmingly the answer is towards Christians.
- Some how, no matter what may be happening, the Christian is blamed.
- There is a hatred that is being fueled in our world.
Q- But, Who is it That’s pouring the fuel to this hatred?
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- I know that we already knew the answer to be Satan, but remarkably his name rarely
comes up.
- As we get into this message, let’s ask that the Lord to guide us.
Prayer
- You would think that in such a pandemic great voices would be echoing the good
news, Jesus Christ is the Great Physician, our Savior.
- An anchor for CNN, Chris Cuomo said,"If you believe in one another and if do the
right thing for yourself and your community, things will get better in this country. You
don't need help from above. It's within us."
- At first, It might seem like he’s just saying, we know to do better, but what is he
actually saying?
- The same thing Lucifer said,
Isaiah 14:13-14
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
- Inside all of us is the attitude of two words, I can.
- These two words seem harmless, & even paint the picture that this person has a can
do attitude.
Q- So, Here’s the question that stops the movement. What happens when we can’t?
- We all want to be winners, but in a race there is only one winner.
- Our society has flipped that notion on it’s head, because now we offer little
participation trophies, & other awards to the losing teams.
- Once again, that sounds great. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad.
- The truth however is, we all were in a race called life, & we failed. We lost the
race, because each & everyone of us tripped over sin.
- I don’t care who you are, you are a sinner.
- Paul made that clear to the Church of Rome.
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Q- What is it that has driven us to such a state like this, even in a pandemic we don’t
turn to God?
- This time it’s one word, Pride.
Proverbs 16:18
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
- Pride
- Last month a celebration was publicized even on our children’s tv networks,PBS,
Disney, Nickelodeon. It was Gay pride.
- Those in the commercial talked about what pride meant to them.
- I’m not very old, but I’ve never seen a movement take off with such enthusiasm,
such force.
- Yes, I know there’s a lot that is wrong with the world, but here’s where I see a great
change in the way the world is headed.
- A research was done. It was for the beginnings of the Corona Virus, & What
they said in the research was, There’s evidence that this virus has laid dormant
throughout the world until just the right atmospheric conditions existed.
- I’m not trying to scare anyone, or even mislead anyone, but think of how Lucifer
was described in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 28:11-19
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
- For Some time now I have brought a message against this gay pride, it’s of the devil!
- My tactics are changing though. I realized a long time ago that you will never argue
someone to Christ. We’ll along with that, you’ll never shame someone to Christ
either.
Q- Why do you think that is?
- That One Word, Pride.
- Listen, we celebrate pride now. It’s open, it’s for all to see, & it’s still a reproach
unto God.
- We remember the fall of The northern part of Israel. They fell because they practiced
their idolatry, & sin openly, without any care for God.
Q- Would these people listen to Hosea?
- No, Pride made sure they wouldn’t.
Q- How does Jesus counteract this pride?
- Jesus, with the woman who was found in adultery. He looked at the men who were
going to stone her to death & he said,
John 8:7-11
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
- The shame wasn’t there!
- It was clear to her, she had sinned.
Q- How did Jesus confront her sin?
- Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
- Each person is weighed in the God’s balance. We each do not make the mark
for Righteousness.
Q- But will Christ condemn us for missing this mark?
- Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. There’s the Words of comfort. I see your
struggle, your brokenness, & I feel your pain.
* Jesus stretched Himself across that cross, because He was showing us I’ll cover you.
I will bear the burden, I will mend the brake, & I will hold you in the pain.
- In Those Words Jesus was telling this lady that she is weak, but He is strong.
- You can’t overcome the hurdle of sin, but He can.
- Notice again Jesus’ Words.
John 8:11
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
- When sin mounts up against you, He can bring you through it, if you’ll trust Him.
- If the world saw that the church mirrors the actions of Christ.
- What they would finally see is,
- There is no room for hatred, or judgement in the church.
- When we take the authority to pass judgement, we take God’s place.
Q- What does the church do?
- We introduce them to this Jesus.
Romans 8:1-11
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
- Christ offers all people an opportunity. He looked at the men who were ready to cast
their stones, & said, He that is without sin cast the first stone.
- That was their opportunity. It wasn’t necessarily an opportunity for them, but it
was an opportunity for this lady to be saved. Here’s the amazing word, Christ
used those men unawares, because His Words stopped their wrath.
- Here’s Where I want to begin to close this message.
Q- Why is hatred growing in this world?
- Without a doubt Pride is growing out there, & it’s also growing inside of churches
too.
- So many feel unwelcome because they’re judged.
- Now, My opening scripture is my last scripture.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- The Gospel cannot be hid under our showing of righteousness.
- All That Does is, it makes the world see us.
- Instead, the world should see the Gospel from our works, or Righteousness.
- I was taken aback when I was reading of the hatred people have towards the
church.
- Then I realized, none of these people saw Christ in these churches. No, they saw
the people.
- This mornings call is to show Christ in everything, & to not cover Him up!
Prayer
