INTRODUCTION:
We are coming back one last time to the book of Proverbs. If I were to sum up the purpose of the series “Wisdom for Right Living” I would do it with two words: THINK BIBLICALLY!
In America today its popular to say you believe in God, or call yourself a Christian. What is the difference between American Christianity and Biblical Christianity? The difference may be as great as the distinction between heaven and hell. It is not good enough to just call ourselves Christians; we must think and live our lives biblically—in obedient surrender to God’s word.
A well know Christian was being interviewed on the radio. The host asked, “How would you defend Christianity?”
“I can’t defend Christianity.”
“But I thought you were a Christian, why won’t you defend Christianity?”
“I am a Christian, but Christianity means something different to you and to me—there are as many different definitions of Christianity as there are listeners. I can’t defend Christianity, but I can talk with you about the love of Jesus and how he has changed my life.”
Bottom line—biblical Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship with Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God. The world does not need more “Christians.” The world needs more men and women who are more in love with Jesus.
When you love Jesus, you will live your life differently. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word” (John 14:23 MsgB). That’s genuine biblical Christianity!
Someone has said, “The secret to godly living is simple: LOVE WHAT GOD LOVES AND HATE WHAT GOD HATES.” Therein is our 10th key to wisdom for right living.
Key #10: Love what God loves and hate what God hates. (Proverbs 6:16-19)
Some of us may have a difficult time thinking about God hating anything. The bible tells us God is love. Sometimes we make the mistake of picturing God like an old grandpa who just passively accepts us as we are. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The capacity to love is defined by one’s capacity to hate. The deeper one loves the more you will hate anything that threatens the one you love.
• 1 John 3:1 (MsgB)
What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.
God loves you with an infinite love; His love for you will never fail. Because God loves you with such a great love, He hates the things that would separate you from His love. Let’s be clear: GOD LOVES PEOPLE, BUT HATES THEIR SIN. Those who choose to hold on to their sin separate themselves from God. In His love God made a way for man to be reconciled to God—“while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly”—but many choose to reject God’s love and prefer their sin instead. Thus God hates sin all the more because it separates Him from those He loves.
• Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)
[16]There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: [17] haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, [18] a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, [19] a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
• Proverbs 6:16 (MsgB)
Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion.
Hate is a pretty strong emotion. Hebrew= Saw-nay’; to hate personally:-enemy, foe, hate utterly. “Detestable”, Hebrew=To-ay-baw’; something disgusting, repulsive, an abomination.
Here are things that are morally detestable and nauseating to God. In other words, God hates these things because they make Him sick.
Sin puts us on a slippery slope. Each compromise we make—each temptation we yield to takes us further down the hill closer and closer to the jagged cliff of death and destruction. Sin isn’t satisfied with just a little. Sin won’t be satisfied until it has taken control of every part of who you are.
The downward spiral of sin can be seen in these six sins God hates and the final one which is detestable to the Lord.
1. GOD HATES HAUGHTY EYES.
The eyes have been called the window to the soul. Our eyes can reveal the emotion of the heart—the sparkle of love, the tears of joy or sorrow, the hollow eyes of despair, the red hot eyes of anger, or the haughty eyes of pride.
• Proverbs 16:5 (NIV)
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
• Proverbs 16:18 (MsgB)
First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
During a Civil War battle Union General John Sedgwick was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to a fortification from which he overlooked the Confederate Army. One of his officers suggested it was unwise to stand overlooking the enemy and should duck. “Nonsense,” snapped the general; “they can’t hit an elephant at this distance.” A moment later Sedgwick fell to the ground fatally wounded.
• 2 Chron. 26:16 (MsgB)
But then the strength and success went to [Uzziah’s] head. Arrogant and proud, he fell. One day, contemptuous of God, he walked into The Temple of God like he owned it and took over, burning incense on the Incense Altar.
Why does God hate pride? Pride strips a person of their dependence upon God. Pride blinds a person to their need for God’s help; they mistakenly believe they know the way better than God. Instead of being led by the Holy Spirit, the prideful choose their steps. God knows we cannot make it without Him, so He hates sin separating us from His loving care and protection.
The prideful look and haughty eyes produces more sin in our lives. Pride is only the beginning of our slide down the slippery slope of sin. Pride in the eyes leads to a lying tongue.
2. GOD HATES A LYING TONGUE.
The tongue joins the eyes in sin. The downward spiral of sin moves to take complete control. Sin won’t be satisfied with just having a little piece of your heart. It wants all of you.
The book The Day America Told the Truth gives these sobering statistics:
91% lie routinely about matters they consider trivial,
36% lie about important matters,
86% lie to their parents,
75% lie to their friends,
73% lie to their siblings, and
69% lie to their spouse.
• Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)
The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
• Revelation 21:8 (NIV)
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
Americans don’t group liars together with murderers, or the sexually immoral. We grade on the curve and give liars a passing score, but God doesn’t. His wrath will be poured out on those who do not speak the truth.
The slippery slope of sin has captured the eyes and the tongue. Now the hands slide under the control of sin.
3. GOD HATES HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD.
Perhaps you’re thinking it’s a big jump from pride and lying to murder. We would probably all agree this has nothing to do with any of us—after all we’re not guilty of murder. Perhaps none of us would never be put on trial let alone convicted of murder in a court of law, but in God’s eyes we are all guilty.
• Matthew 5:21-22 (MsgB)
[21] You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ’Do not murder.’ [22] I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ’idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ’stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
Hands that shed innocent blood speak about how we treat one anther. Are we compassionate, or are we selfish and uncaring? Are we kind to one another or are we harsh? Are we patient or pushy and demanding? Are we forgiving or looking for a chance to get even?
God knows we commit murder in our hearts long before we would ever actually take someone’s life in a fit of rage. How we talk about others and how we treat them reveals how far we have fallen down the slippery slope of sin. Sin wants to be our master.
• Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
[31] Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. [32] Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The downward spiral of sin continues: eyes, tongue, hands, next our heart is infected.
4. GOD HATES A HEART THAT DEVISES WICKED SCHEMES.
A heart that manufactures evil plans, lays the foundation, builds upon it, and completes the superstructure of iniquity.
• Matthew 15:19 (MsgB)
It’s from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing.
What fills your heart? What thoughts fill your mind? What thoughts are you feeding through your daily routine? Too often we fill our minds with the things of this world as we sit idle in front of our TV’s or in the movie theater. Hollywood will not encourage righteousness in your life; instead it will encourage evil imaginations.
• Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
• 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The slippery slope and downward spiral hastens to destroy our lives. When the eyes, tongue, hands and heart are rushing toward sin, the feet are sure to follow.
5. GOD HATES FEET THAT RUSH TO EVIL.
Sin is taking full control of the person who is caught within the downward spiral of sin. More and more of an individual is consumed by the things God hates when their feet rush toward evil.
Feet that rush toward evil is more than just yielding to the temptation to sin. The heart is hardened toward God and the feet take us into a premeditated act of sinning against God. We no longer care what God or anyone else thinks, we’re going to do as we please.
• Proverbs 1:15-16 (NIV)
[15 My son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; [16] for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.
• Isaiah 59:7 (NIV)
Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.
• Psalm 1:1 (NIV)
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
6. GOD HATES THE FALSE WITHNESS WHO POURS OUT LIES.
We have come full circle, but this is much more than just simply not telling the truth. Literally God hates those who “breaths out lies.” The Hebrew translated pours out means “to blow with the breath of air; to fan, to kindle a fire.”
• James 3:5-6 (NIV)
[5] Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. [6] The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
• 1 John 2:4 (NIV)
The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
7. GOD HATES A MAN WHO STIRS UP DISSENTION.
Sin has gained full control of the person who has fallen into its downward spiral. The slippery slope of sin leads to death.
Six sins God hates. The seventh sin of division is totally detestable to God—this makes the Lord sick!
Sin has now reached the grand finale.
• Sin began with pride in the eyes.
• It infected the tongue with lies and deception.
• The downward spiral then contaminated the hands through the way we treated on another.
• Next our hearts imagined new ways to invent evil.
• Our feet led us into premeditated sin; the way we live is corrupt.
• We breathe out more lies because the truth is not in us.
• The ultimate characteristic of sin (utterly repulsive to God) makes us a person who stirs up dissension among brothers.
• Romans 1:28-29 (NIV)
[28] Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. [29] They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
• Proverbs 26:21 (NIV)
As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
• Matthew 5:9 (MsgB)
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
“The secret to godly living is simple: LOVE WHAT GOD LOVES AND HATE WHAT GOD HATES.” Therein is our 10th key to wisdom for right living.
