Spiritual Viruses
About a month ago I wasn’t paying attention clicking open junk e-mails. And I clicked on one and as soon as I did it I knew I was in trouble. I ran my anti virus program but it had been to long since I updated it and it only caught one virus. I thought that I was safe but four more viruses found their way to my hard drive and made themselves at home.
It wasn’t until a month later that I started noticing I had trouble. Illegal functions, and permanent errors we popping up every time I tried to do anything. So I ran my anti-virus again but no errors so I did what any other red blooded American male would do, I went out and bought a bigger program. When I ran this on it found 4 more viruses and during the whole process my hard drive crashed. I did what I could with my limited knowledge and even Got Tim Glover to look at it but it was no use.
When I wasn’t paying attention I let something come in and destroy my hard drive. Now here is the parallel hard drives aren’t the only thing that crash. There are many people our brotherhood that have let spiritual viruses creep into their lives and they are crashing. Today we are having an all day sermon on Spiritual viruses. We are going to look at four in particular, two this morning and two tonight.
I. The first virus we encounter is Pride
Thomas Adam declared, "Pride thrust Nebuchadnezzar out of men’s society, Saul out of his kingdom, Adam out of paradise, Haman out of court, and Lucifer out of heaven." It is no wonder, then, that Augustine named pride as the greatest of all sins,
Pride is such an dangerous thing. It invades every facet of a person’s life. One can be proud of himself, proud of his accomplishments, proud of his possessions, proud of his people, proud of his race, proud of his nation in such a way as to take the glory away from God. We can even be proud of our humility! You have heard of the man who was given a medal for his humility, and then had to have it taken from him because he wore it!
A. PRIDE IS USED IN TWO SENSES
(1) The good sense. In this sense, pride is synonymous with self-respect and personal dignity. Such is admirable and necessary.
Matthew 22:39 And the second command is like the first: ’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’
(2) The bad sense. In this sense, pride is self-importance, and arrogance.
Let us make sure that the pride that we possess is the kind that keeps the chin and head up and not the nose!
B. PRIDE IS A SIN
(1) The Bible specifically says that pride is sinful. " A high look, and a proud heart, is sin." (Proverbs 21: 4). Pride is a sin that God hates. (Proverbs 6:16-19; 16:5; 8:13) It is a sin that generates from an evil heart; yea, that defiles a man. (Mk. 7:21-27)
(2) Too, "the pride of life" is one of the channels through which Satan tempts man to sin. (1 In. 2: 15-17). Satan used this avenue of approach in the temptation of Christ (Matt. 4:1-11), and in the temptation of Adam and Eve. (Gen. 3: 1-6).
C. Struggles with pride Is not new with us.
(1) Old Testament Examples. Uzziah in II Chronicles 26, Haman in Esther 3-7 and Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4
(2) New Testament Examples. The Pharisee (Luke. 18:9-14), Herod (Acts 12:20-23) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).
Also let me remind you that the disciples of the Lord were puffed up with pride. They constantly fought to see who would b the greatest in the kingdom.
D. PRIDE LEADS TO MANY OTHER THINGS
In fact, pride is the root of all sin. It caused the first sin on earth. (Gen. 3:5ff). It preceded that and was the cause of Satan’s fall. Though the application of Isaiah 14: 12-15 and Ezekiel 28: 11-19, it seems that it may very appropriately apply to the original fall of Satan. Pride made Satan, Satan. (I Tim. 3: 6).
Being more specific, let us now notice some other things that pride leads to:
(1) Pride will prevent conversion. (Matt. 18:14) One must be willing to assume the role of a servant in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:3).
(2) Pride will cause one to refuse to confess his sins. Some cannot humble themselves low enough to say, "I’m sorry, I’m wrong, I’ve sinned." Often we need to say this to God and, at times, to others.
(3) Pride will cause one to try to live beyond his means. We are plagued today with not keeping up with the Joneses but being better than them. We are plagued with buying things we do not need, with money we do not have, to impress people we do not know.
(4) Pride causes contention. (Proverbs 13:10)
(5) Pride leads to rebellion. (Psalm 10:4).
(6) Pride leads to apostasy. Proverbs 16:18 Pride will destroy a person; a proud attitude leads to ruin. A Chinese proverb says, "He who stands on a pedestal has no place to step but off.”
E. VARIOUS FORMS OF PRIDE
J. Noel Meredith in the May 5, 1966 issue of the Gospel Advocate suggested the following forms of pride:
(1) Spiritual pride. Spiritual pride causes one to trust his own virtues rather than the grace of God and the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:8-10)
(2) Intellectual pride. (I Corinthians 8: 1-2) This kind of pride causes one to look down with disdain on the unlearned, illiterate, oppressed, poor and downtrodden.
(3) Pride of material things. This pride causes one to trust in his material possessions, talking of me, my and mine, while forgetting that all material blessings flow from God. (1 Chronicles 29: 12; Jas. 1: 17)
(4) Social pride. This pride will manifest itself in class, racial and caste arrogance.
F. If you are struggling with pride there are some things we must do.
(1) We must come to possess, the attitude of God toward pride. (Proverbs 6:16-19)
(2) Love will cure pride. (I Corinthians 13:4).
(3) We must remember that we are but men. (Psalm 9:20).
(4) We must never forget that we have no sufficiency in and of ourselves; rather, our sufficiency is of God. (In. 5: 30; II Corinthians 3: 5).
(5) We must avoid thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. (Rom. 12:3; Gal. 6:3).
(6) We must walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8).
(7) We must remember that we are debtors, since all we have has obtained through the grace of God and the help of others. (1 Corinthians 4:7; 15: 10; Deut. 8: 11-20)
(8) We must come to glory only in the cross of Christ. (Gal. 6: 14) (9) We must crucify self. (Gal. 2:20) "I" is the middle letter in both pride and sin.
G. PRIDE ALWAYS RESULTS IN TRAGEDY
"Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)
II. The next virus that attacks our spirituality is Worry
We spend so much time with this virus.
If we do not have a job, we worry about that. If we have a job we worry about losing it.
If we do not have any money we worry about that. If we have money we worry about "where it all goes."
If we do not have a car we worry about that. If we have a car we worry about it breaking down.
If we do not have an education we worry about that. If we are getting an education we worry about passing the course.
If we are sick we worry about that. If we are well we worry about getting sick.
If we feel a flutter of the heart or a pain in the abdomen we are convinced that we have heart trouble or ulcers.
Now, life cannot be lived free from all sense of anxiety and concern. But, the problem is this: it is easy to let our concerns become cares, and our forethoughts become fear-thoughts. Then the sin of worry results.
A. DIFFERENT KINDS OF WORRY
(1) We worry about things that have already happened. That’s like trying to saw sawdust. Past deeds cannot be undone. Past words cannot be unsaid. If the past involves sin, obey the conditions of pardon and let God abundantly forgive.
Isaiah 55:7 The wicked should stop doing wrong, and they should stop their evil thoughts. They should return to the LORD so he may have mercy on them. They should come to our God, because he will freely forgive them.
(2) We worry over things that are going to happen. Some people worry about dying; but, they will die. (Heb. 9:27) Some people worry about growing old; but grow old they must.
(3) We worry about things that will never happen. Mark Twain said, "I have worried over a great many things in life, the most of which never happened."
B. MATTHEW 6:24-34 THE LORD’S CLASSIC TEXT ON WORRY
From this text we can learn that worry is:
(1) - Unnecessary - "Your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. " (Vs. 32) We are children of an omniscient heavenly Father who is sensitive to our every need. Such obtaining, why worry?
(2) Cruel - "Behold the fowls of the air . . . your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Vs. 26) The idea that God would take care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air and not take care of us is preposterous; even, ’brutal and cruel.
(3) Prohibited - "Be not anxious. " (Vs. 25,31,34) The same Lord that made belief and baptism a requisite to salvation is the same Lord that prohibits worry!
(4) Futile - "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" (Vs. 27) One can put on the highest heels and wear the tallest hat, but he will still not be any taller. Worry is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but it will get you nowhere. The women worried about who would roll the stone away from the sepulcher, only to find the stone had been rolled away. (Mk. 16:3,4). How fruitless was their concern?
(5) For Heathens - "For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. " (Vs. 32) Jesus is affirming that anxiety is a characteristic of the sinner, the heathen, and the lost; but we are not among that number. Rather, we are the saved! And, the saved are not to worry.
(6) Faithlessness - "0 ye of little faith?" (Vs. 30) Jesus used the phrase, "0 ye of little faith" four times. In Matt. 6:30 he used it in connection with anxiety, in Matt. 8: 26 in connection with fear, in Matt. 14:31 in connection with doubt, and in Matt. 16:8 in connection with human reasoning. In reverse order, it is interesting to observe that human reasoning produces doubt, doubt produces fear, and fear produces anxiety. Faith is the remedy for all of these heart disturbers. (In. 14: 1).
C. WHY WORRY IS A SIN
(1) It is disregard for the commandments of God.
(Matt. 6:24-34; Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 1:13) Yes, the Lord’s word commands us not to worry. Why will we not be as concerned in obeying this command as we are in the commands to pray, read our Bibles, visit the sick and be faithful in our attendance?
(2) It is a waste of time.
Studies conducted by the University of Wisconsin reveal that 40% of the worries of people are over things that never happen, 30% are over the past and things which cannot be changed, 22% are over petty and needless worries, and only 8% are over things legitimate; thus, how futile and how wasteful is worry! The time and energy thus spent could be so much more profitably directed toward worthwhile meditation, study and activity. (Eph. 5: 16)
(3) It impairs health.
"She’s worrying herself sick," can certainly express the truth. In the chapter, "David and The Giant - Worry," Dr. S. I. McMillan (None of These Diseases, pg. 90-93), shows how unusual fatigue, hives, edema, asthma and high blood pressure result from worry and emotional stress. One doctor observed that incidents of stomach ulcers go up or down with the stock market. A little girl asked her mother one morning, " Aren’t you happy?" "Yes," sharply replied the worried mother. "Well, you haven’t told your face yet," responded the little girl. Yes, worry will destroy the beauty of your countenance, the strength of your mind, and the vitality of your body. And, 1 Corinthians 6: 15-20 teaches us that it is wrong to harm the body.
(4) It keeps prayers from being answered.
For our prayers to be answered we must ask in faith. But, worry is distrust in God.
D. HOW TO OVERCOME WORRY
(1) Make up your mind you are going to conquer it. Abraham Lincoln said, "1 have been about as happy as I have made up my mind to be."
(2) Form the right relationship with God. Paul commanded the Philippians to "be careful (anxious) for nothing." in Philippians 4:6.
But, in vs. 1 of the chapter he had exhorted the brethren to "stand fast in the Lord" (the right relationship with the Lord
(3) Develop the right attitude. First, look for the silver lining. Count your blessings. Do not concentrate on the little black dot on the sheet of paper to the neglect of seeing all of the white that remains. Secondly, do not manufacture problems and troubles. Ulcers are things that people get from mountain climbing over molehills.
(4) Do what you can and turn the rest over to God. If you are worried over the fact that you are hampered in life due to a lack of education, then do what you can to correct the situation and leave the rest to God. If you are worried over having stolen some item many years ago, do your best to make restitution and leave the remainder of the consequences to God.
(5) Live one day at a time. (Matt. 6:11,34; Deut. 33:25).
Yesterday is buried and tomorrow is unborn. So, live nobly today. In fact, the best way to prepare for tomorrow is to fulfill the duties of today.
(6) Take it to the Lord in prayer. (Psalm 55:22; 1 Pet. 5:7). As the area of prayer advances that of care recedes. " An eagle soaring in the upper air does not have to worry about how it will cross-rivers."
CONCLUSION
Here is a good memory test: What were you worrying about a year ago today?
Today if there are viruses in your life God stands ready to heal. And this family stands ready to heal. If we can meet you needs please come for a\ward as we stand and sing.
Spiritual Viruses (PM)
This morning we began talking about how a virus attacked my hard drive and left my computer useless. Taking our cue from that we also looked at how we allow viruses’ get into our Spiritual lives and render us useless. This morning we looked at Pride and Worry. Tonight we will look at two more.
III. The third virus we struggle with is Hatred
Hate is a virus forbidden of the’ Lord in both the Old and New Testaments.
Matt. 5:43-44 "You have heard that it was said, ’Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.’ But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.
A. It’s not wrong to hate but we need to have God’s attitude
God hates sin Proverbs 6:16-19
But, God loves the sinner. John 3:16
God wants his children to hate sin. Revelation 2:6
B. THE Reason we need to rid our lives of this virus
(1) Hate is a characteristic of the worldly state. "We ourselves also were sometimes.... hateful, and hating one another." Titus 3:3-5
(2) Hatred is among the works of the flesh. In the list of sins, hatred is associated with adultery, fornication, murders, drunkenness and other vices.
(3) Hatred is harbored only by fools. "He that hides hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool." (Proverbs 10: 18)
(4) Hatred is cruel. "And they hate me with cruel hatred." (Psalm 25:19). In its cruelty hatred led to the murder of Abel (l John 3:11-15), and also to the murder of Christ. (John. 15:18-25) Then, it was in its cruelty, that hatred led Joseph’s brethren to mistreat him. (Gen. 37:4,5,8).
C. HATE LEADS TO MANY OTHER SINS
(1) Hate stirs up trouble. "Hatred stirs up strife: but love covers all sins." (Proverbs 10:12) The strife that existed between Joseph and his brothers came from hearts of hate.
(2) Hate generates envy and envy generates hate. Joseph’s brethren hated him and, likewise, "his brethren envied him."
(3) Hate leads to murder and assassination. Because they hated him, Joseph’s brethren said, "Let us kill him." Absalom hated Amnon and had him killed. Because of hatred Cain slew Abel. And it was the sin of hatred that crucified Jesus.
(4) Hate leads to sins of the tongue. David said, "They have said hateful things about me and attack me for no reason." In Psalm 109:3. Solomon said, "Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words, but in their minds they are planning evil… Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can ruin others" Proverbs 26:24,28.
(5) Hate leads to bitterness, and resentment. God forbids all such. And, we have been tricked by the devil when we are convinced, "revenge is sweet."
Stephen, David, Moses, Esau, Joseph, nor Christ were revengeful.
D. The Virus of Hate
(1) Hate will rob you of happiness. As long as you hate you will be miserable.
(2) Hate will make you a slave. Somebody said, "Hate somebody, and you become his slave! He controls your thoughts, invades your dreams, absorbs your creativity, and determines your appetite! He affects your digestion, robs you of your peace of mind and good will, and takes away the pleasure of your work. He ruins your religion and he hounds you wherever you go. You cannot get away from the man you hate! He is with you when you are awake, and he invades your privacy when you eat. He is close beside you while you drive your car He affects your attitude on the job, and distracts your mind so you can have neither efficiency nor happiness. He influences even the tone of your voice when you speak to your boss, your wife or your child. He requires you to take medicine for indigestion, headaches, and loss of energy. He steals your last moments of consciousness before you go to sleep. If you want to be a slave to somebody find some person to hate!"
(3) Hate will harm you physically. How many people do you know that have suffered headaches, ulcers, and even heart attacks because of their hatred?
(4) Hate results in spiritual suicide. When the honeybee drives his stinger into the flesh he imbeds it so firmly that the only way for him to escape is to leave the stinger behind. However, in so doing sure death results. So, when we sting others with our actions of hate, we are not only hurting the victim but such will also result in our spiritual death.
(5) Hate will keep you out of heaven. Hatred is one of the works of the flesh and Paul says, "That they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5:19-21)
E. What can we do to get this virus from our lives?
(1) Love
With the Bible writers there is no middle ground between love and hate. It is either hate or love. Therefore, love is the only protective, or preventive, or cure available for hate. So to overcome hate we must instill, implant and nurture love in our hearts
(2) Pray for the person who is the object of hate.
It will be difficult to continue to hate one whose name you constantly call before the throne of grace.
(3) Find something good to do for the person who is resented
A compliment, a note of encouragement, Christmas greeting card, inviting the other person’s child to a party, offering to carry someone or deliver a package somewhere - some good deed will make a dent in the critical attitude and will start destroying hate."
(4) Try sincerely to understand the person who is disliked and resented.
"To know all is to forgive all," is a good proverb to remember. If we walked in the shoes of others our attitude toward other people would drastically change.
Solomon said, "It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you than to eat meat with those who hate you." Proverbs 15:17
IV. The last virus we are going to look at today is the virus of Unforgiveness
A. Lets look at what Forgiveness is not.
(1) Forgiveness is not:
(a) just ignoring those who wrong us.
(b) Forgiveness is more than a refusal to strike blow for blow, tooth for tooth. One might refrain from such but still harbor bitterness and ill will.
(c) Forgiveness is not ignoring the sin. God does not overlook sin; nor, should man.
(d) Forgiveness is not putting the offender on probation, while we discuss how inexcusable his behavior was, and then promising to forget it providing no other offenses are forthcoming.
(2) We can tell what forgiveness is by observing what God does when He forgives.
(a) He removes the notation from his record,
(b) He forgets, putting it out of His memory, Hebrews 8:12.
(c) And, He treats us just like He did before we had sinned, receiving us back wholeheartedly. (Lk.15: 20-24).
(3) We can tell if we have forgiven another by taking the "Have I Really Forgiven My Offender" test.
(a) Do I secretly rejoice when I hear of some misfortune assailing my offender?
(b) Do I purposefully avoid his presence?
(c) Do I speak to him hesitatingly and only under duress?
(d) Do I vividly remember the wrong committed?
(e) Do I ever sit in silence and meditate and brood over the wrong done me?
(f) If a particular circumstance arose related to the offender demanding prayer, would I happily and anxiously go to God in his behalf
(g) have I sought an opportunity to do him a favor?
B. Forgiveness is a necessity
(1) It is a command.
Mark11:25 When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins."
There are no unimportant commandments! Forgiving one another is just as important as baptism and the Lord’s Supper
(2) The example of Jesus Christ demands it.
We follow his example in being baptized, in eating the Lord’s Supper, in attending worship services, etc. Will we not follow his example in forgiving others?
(3) Love calls for it.
(4) We forgive because we have been forgiven.
(5) In order that we might be forgiven.
(6) We must forgive to walk with God. (Amos 3: 3).
C. Some of us struggle with this because we think
(1) "I cannot forgive. " No, God does not require the impossible! It is rather, "I will not forgive." Now, read Jas. 2: 10. The greatest of men have been able to forgive the severest of offenses. Joseph and Stephen are examples of this.
(2) "I’m going to forgive you, but in the future I’m not going to have anything to do with you. " We are to "forgive" as Christ "forgives" (Eph. 4:32); and, he certainly does not forgive in this manner. Do you remember the definition of forgiveness?
(3) "It’s a favor from me to you. " Actually, the reverse is true; for, the penitent offender can be forgiven of God without my extending forgiveness, but I cannot be forgiven unless I do forgive him!
(4) "I’m going to forgive you, but I’ll never forget it."
D. HOW DO YOU LEARN AND CULTIVATE FORGIVENESS?
(1) Remember that hatred, ill will and bitterness, might harm what we hate, but it does far more harm to the hater.
(2) You will find it easier to forgive when you consider how greatly you have been forgiven. The parable of the unmerciful servant portrays this. (Matt. 18: 23-35) "Went out" (vs. 28) are key words in this parable. It is because we go out of the presence of God, forgetting His mercy extended to us, that we are in danger of acting, as did the unmerciful servant.
(3) Ask for the assistance of God. But make sure you really want to be forgiving. This is the difference in saying and praying a prayer.
(4) Practice praying for your offender. Be specific and call his name. Jesus prayed for his offenders; not for their punishment, but for forgiveness to be extended to them. (Luke. 23: 34) Forgiveness has to do with feelings; and, through meaningful prayer on behalf of the offender we come to create a love and feeling that is hard to obtain otherwise.
(5) Speak to others in a kindly manner about the person who has done you an injustice.
(6) Develop an understanding heart. (Proverbs 8:5; 1 Kings 3:9, 12) There is usually a cause why a person acts discourteously. He may be a victim of his own heredity or environment; or, he may have had something misrepresented to him, resulting in his offensive behavior.
E. To get rid of this virus we must learn to forgive
(1) From the heart according to Matthew 18:35
We must avoid mere lip forgiveness while we continue to harbor malice and ill will in our hearts.
(2) "As" God forgives.
(a) freely - no constraint,
(b) abundantly - no piece-meals;
(c) immediately - no time payments;
(d) finally - does not bring it up again; and,
(3) and continually
Peter thought seven times was sufficient. The rabbi said to forgive three times. Peter doubled this and added one, thinking such would be entirely sufficient. But, Jesus said, "I say not unto thee until seven times: But, until seventy times seven." (Matt. 18: 21, 22)
Jesus is teaching us that forgiveness is about quality and not about quantity.
Christ teaches, do not keep a ledger; for, forgiveness "is not a matter of arithmetic or of bookkeeping, but of love; and, love has no limits."
Let us avoid saying, "It will do no good to forgive him, he will do it again." As long and as frequently as a man will turn and say, "I repent," we are to forgive him. (Luke 17:3-5)
Conclusion:
Tonight we can also receive this forgiveness.
If you struggle with Pride, Worry, Hatred, an unforgiving heart, or any other spiritual virus God stands ready to forgive you tonight.
