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Seven Things The Lord Hates!

SEVEN THINGS THE LORD HATES

 

Our lesson this evening comes from the book of Proverbs

 

Proverbs 6:16-19: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

 

There are many things that God loves, but we learn from this passage that there are some things that He hates. Now the word hate in this context also carries the meaning to detest or to abhor those things which are abominable. The word abominable means a disgusting thing or a scheme that that brings about evil. These things that God hates come from a person’s heart. Jesus said in Matthew 15:19: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” 

If we don’t allow God’s Word to be our guide, then we will quickly find ourselves coming up with all kinds of ideas that will oppose God’s will. When we do this, we become God’s enemy. That is why it is imperative that we study God’s Word and try to be Christians that posses a pure heart.

 

The first thing God hates is a proud look.

 

This describes a person who thinks they are all that and then some. We would describe this person as a know-it-all or person who thinks they are better than everyone else. We might also describe this person a being arrogant or haughty. Let me give you some examples of what this kind of person does. First of all, this kind of person will argue with you until their blue in their face even if they are wrong and it has been proven that they were wrong because they don’t want to admit that someone else could possibly be right.

 

 Another Characteristic of this type of person is one who has a habit of belittling others to make himself or herself feel superior. We need to keep in mind that God hates this kind of attitude, and this attitude is not spoken well of in the Scriptures. Look at what Paul tells Timothy in,

 

2 Timothy 3:1-2: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…”

 

Not only does Paul warn Timothy and us about people who have a haughty attitude, he tells us to turn away from such people. Paul also says that people like this are always learning, but they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. When we get to the point where we think we know it all, it becomes impossible for someone to teach us anything because we are so wrapped up in ourselves. While having this attitude might make you feel good on the inside, it will only be temporary, and it is not worth the cost of your soul.  Now look at what James says about a proud person.

 

James 4:6:  "God resisteth the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

 

 

The second thing God hates is a lying tongue.

 

Lying is a false statement that is made with the intention of deceiving another.

 Even without the influence of television and the news media, some find it easier to tell a lie than to tell the truth. Children have a tendency to lie when they think they can get themselves out of trouble. Adults are tempted to lie when they think they can avoid a confrontation and especially when it comes to staying out of trouble themselves. While telling a lie might be easy to do, it is certainly is not without its consequences. When I think about severe consequences to lying, I always recall what happened to the couple we read about in,

 

Acts 5:1-11:  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet,but Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God, and Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.    Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”

 

These two became great examples of how serious God takes the sin of lying. While He doesn’t immediately kill people today for lying, there are far greater consequences that we will face if we continue in this sin.

 

Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." 

 

So, even if you don’t see any harm in your little lies, surely you can see from this passage that if you continue in your little white lies, you will find yourself at home in pits of hell with all the other sinners mentioned in this text. Friends, we need to work on this sin and not make light of it. We also need to remember what Jesus said about the origin of lying.

 

John 8:44: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

 

 

The third thing God hates is hands that shed innocent blood.

 

This is talking about murdering the innocent, and we see this happening over and over again in our society. During my lifetime I have been on this earth, I have known of many senseless murders that have taken place. Some murder themselves because they don’t feel like life is worth living anymore. I have known of many married couples where the man or the women would murder their spouse and then themselves because thought their spouse was cheating on them. Some have murdered their spouse over a heated argument. So, jealousy and uncontrolled anger have caused many to commit this sin that God hates.

 

We have several examples from the Bible of those who shed innocent blood. Our first example comes from Genesis 4:3.

 

Genesis 4:3-12:  “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.  4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,  5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.  6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.  9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"  10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.  11 "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.  12 "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."

 

This murder was caused by Cain’s jealousy. Instead of being happy for his brother, all he could think about was himself, so he murdered his brother and he had to pay for that sin. The Bible teaches us that he would no longer have success at growing food, and he would have to wander the earth without a place to call his home.

 

Sometimes those who stand for the truth of God will be murdered. This happened with Stephen when he was put on trial by his fellow Jews for believing and teaching about Christ. The book of Acts describes Stephen’s innocence by describing his face as looking like an angel. Stephen gave his defense for his belief, but things got ugly at the end as we pick up this story in:

 

Acts 7:51 " You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.  52 "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,  53 "who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."  54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.  55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,  56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"  57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;  58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.  59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 

 

This murder was driven by pure hatred for what Stephen stood for. While most of us will never be put to death because of our belief in Jesus, we must follow Stephen’s example and never let intimidation or death itself keep us from standing on God’s truth.

 

 

The fourth thing that God hates is a heart that devises wicked plans. 

 

This describes a person who has wicked heart and is always thinking or planning something evil.. Let’s face it, people that behave this way are just bad to the bone. Again, we have several examples of people like this in the Bible.

 

Our first example comes the story of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab wanted the vineyard that belonged to Naboth, but he would not sell it to him. We are going to see how wicked Jezebel is and how she is guilty of this abomination to Lord as we pick up on this story in:

 

1 Kings 21:4-11:  ”So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.  5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, "Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?"  6 He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.' "  7 Then Jezebel his wife said to him, "You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."  8 And she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.  9 She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; 10 and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, "You have blasphemed God and the king." Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.  11 So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters, which she had sent to them.”        

 

As the story goes on, this poor man is murdered all because Jezebel wanted to satisfy her husband’s greed. Her plotting and scheming didn’t go unnoticed by God because He made it known that the she would be eaten by dogs and that is exactly what happened to her. She fell to her death and before they went to go get her body, the dogs came and ate her.

 

There are other examples of those who are guilty of this abomination in the Bible. For instance Joseph’s brothers could not stand him because their father loved him more and gave him a special coat of many colors. So, they plotted and they schemed about killing him. Instead of killing him, they sold him in to slavery and lied to their father and told him he was dead. Even though the devised this wicked plan against Joseph, God blessed him and made him prosper and ultimately made him second in command in Egypt.

 

 

The fifth thing that God hates is feet that are swift in running to evil.

 

This describes those who are eager to do wrong and will go out of their way to run to evil. Another thing that can be included in this sin is gossip. Thanks to our media, our society has been trained to spread gossip without finding out if what they are spreading is true. Some people cannot wait to tell someone about the latest gossip they have heard. But as Christians, we must watch ourselves and make sure that we are not spreading lies.

 

I have one Biblical example that shows a man literally running toward evil. It has to do with what happens after Naaman is cured from his leprosy.

 

2 Kings 5:20-27:  “But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him."  21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, "Is all well?"  22 And he said, "All is well. My master has sent me, saying, 'Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.' "  23 So Naaman said, "Please, take two talents." And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him.  24 When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed.  25 Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, "Where did you go, Gehazi?" And he said, "Your servant did not go anywhere."  26 Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?  27 "Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever." And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.”

 

Gehazi was so eager to deceive and make a quick buck that he ran after Naaman to pursue his evil. As Christians we have to be very careful that we don’t find ourselves being like Gehazi and running after evil things.

 

 

 

In 1 Timothy 6, Paul told Timothy to flee from sinful things, and he gave him some great advice on how to keep from running to evil. Paul said,

 

1 Timothy 6:11-14: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.  12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,  14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing.”

 

We must follow this same advice if want to avoid having feet that are swift to running to evil.

 

The sixth thing God hates is a false witness who speaks lies.

 

I have always found it interesting that two of the sins that God hates involve lying.  In this instance, it’s referring to someone who gives a false report against another. This is another one those sins with which society has a problem.

 

Proverbs 19:5:  A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies will not escape.

 

A biblical example of a false witness comes from Jesus’ illegal trial at night by the Jews.

 

Mark 14:55-59: “Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.  57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying,  58 "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.' "  59 But not even then did their testimony agree.”

 

Jesus had not done anything wrong, so the false witnesses had to come forward and make up lies, but as you can see, their lies did not match up, which showed them to be false witnesses, which was also a direct violation of the 10 commandments, but no one seemed to care about that because their focus was on putting Jesus to death. Anyway you look at it, being a false witness is wrong and God hates that sin and we should hate it as well.

 

The seventh thing God hates is one who sows discord among the brethren 

 

This is describing a person who goes around causing division by creating strife in a congregation. Basically, this is describing  troublemakers. If a troublemaker doesn’t like someone, they will say and do whatever they can to turn the rest of the congregation against that individual or family. One of the characteristics of a troublemaker is they are never satisfied because they will always find something wrong with someone. So, even when they are successful at turning people against their target, they will just move on to a new victim. 

 

Ephesians 5:6-7: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.”  

 

God’s Word teaches us that we should not allow people like this to remain in a congregation if they continue to sow discord.

 

Romans 16:17-18:  “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.  18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.”

 

Titus 3:10-11: “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,  11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”

 

Over and over again, God’s Word warns us about these types of people and to keep an eye out for them, so they can’t have the opportunity to sow discord and cause division in a congregation.

 
Well, we have examined 7 things that God hates, and if God hates these sins, so should we. We need to realize that if we are involved in any of these sins, then we are opposing God, and if we continue in our sin, we will be eternally lost.
 
Jimmy
Adapted: Lone Grove church of Christ
05/17/09   PM



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