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Sermon:
"Execration"
...a sermon about hating sin
by Chris Cumming
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How many times in my ministry have I spoken to the
concept of people out there in the world and from history finding a bit
of truth and embracing it as something to live by. One such man was
Dwight L. Moody. Among other things, he founded the Moody Bible
Institute and Moody Publishers back in the late 1800s. You all may be
familiar with his publishing house, as they publish all manner of
Christian books and Bible helps.
Mr. Moody once made a profound and very true statement:
“The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible”
Is this a true statement? Will the Bible keep me from sin? If so, how?
Where do I need to be, spiritually, to conquer sin? Does God hate sin?
In what way does He hate sin? Am I to hate sin the way He hates sin? The
second part of the quote states that sin has the power to keep me away
from the Bible. If I fail to conquer sin, will sin conquer me?
In this sermon, we will answer all these questions as I admonish and
encourage all of us to hate sin. Hate sin the way God hates sin.
Hate sin.
It may be that the word, “hate” is too tame a word these days. We know
for a fact that God uses other words for hating sin in His word. Let us
begin with the title of this sermon:
Execration [ek-si-krey-shuh n].
Notice the list of synonyms for this word:
abhorrence: Abhor sin
abomination: Sin is an abomination
blasphemy
condemnation
detestation [dee-te-stey-shuh n]…to
detest something
contempt
hatred
loathing
Many of these words are used in the Bible to describe how much God hates
sin and how much we are to hate sin. The mission here is for us to hate
sin so much that it can not gain root in our minds. We desire to have
both the words and the emotions to abhor and detest the sin. There are
verses where God will use multiples of these words to overwhelm us with
how much He hates sin. Clearly, God is a perfect being and He can hate
sin with a perfect hatred and contempt. We are not prefect, but we have
God's Holy Spirit meaning that we have the indwelling power to
continually approach having this kind of loathing towards sin and sinful
thoughts.
Does God hate sin?
Let us see some scriptures to find out.
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination
unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in
running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among
brethren.
The word, "hate" in verse 16 is Hebrew 8130 and means to hate
personally, to see the object of one's hatred as the enemy and foe. It
means to hate utterly. God hate these 7 listed things utterly and His
hatred is very personal. The John Gill commentary says that God hates
these things for the simple reason they are contrary to His nature, will
and law.
Psalm 5:5
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of
iniquity.
Proverbs 15:9
The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him
that followeth after righteousness.
The word, "abomination" is Hebrew word 8441 and means that the object of
the abomination is disgusting. It is an abhorrence. The word,
"abhorrent" is defined as:
1] causing repugnance.
2] something detestable or loathsome.
3] something to which one is opposed or contrary or in conflict to.
Firstfruits must have a spiritual kneejerk reaction in the mind, emotion
and spirit that feel repugnance to the thought or subject of sin. We
must instantly recognize it and know we are opposed and contrary to it.
A righteous hatred must instantly form followed by fleeing the source or
mentally destroying the source. The evil thought must be instantly
incinerated.
Notice something else about Proverbs 15:9. Not only does the verse
define what is an abomination to God; it shows us how to destroy and/or
avoid the sin. The second part of the verse gives us a duty and action
whereby we conquer sin. We conquer sin by following after righteousness.
The Pulpit Bible commentary says the meaning for the phrase, "followeth
after." It means, "Chaseth, implying effort and perseverance. It then
makes reference to Proverbs 21:21 but keep a finger on Proverbs 15:9.
Proverbs 21:21
He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life,
righteousness, and honour.
What? He that peruses righteousness finds righteousness? Absolutely.
Now back to Proverbs 15:9 and a question for you. Is your pursuit after
righteousness going to include prayer? If you do, you had better look at
Proverbs 15:8, the later part of that verse:
Proverbs 15:8b
...but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Notice what the John Gill says about this passage:
But the prayer of the upright is his delight
- the prayer of such, whose hearts are right with God; who have right
spirits renewed in them; are Israelites indeed; have the truth of grace
and root of the matter in them; are honest, sincere, and upright in
heart: the prayer of such, which is an inwrought [working
closely with something] one, wrought in his heart by the
Spirit of God, and so comes from God, and is his own breathing in him,
must be well pleasing to him; that which is fervent, earnest, and
importunate [urgent or persistent in
solicitation], which cometh not out of feigned lips, but from
the heart, and is put up with a true heart, in the sincerity of it; the
prayer of faith, the cry of the humble; the prayer which is addressed to
God as a Father, in the name of Christ the Mediator, which comes
perfumed with the incense of his mediation, introduced with the
celebration of the divine perfections, contains humble confessions of
sin and unworthiness, ascribes [gives credit]
all blessings to the grace of God, and expresses thankfulness for
favours received, is very acceptable and delightful to God; though it is
the prayer of a poor, mean, despicable creature in his own eyes, and in
the eyes of others, Psalm 102:17. This stands opposed to the pompous
rites and ceremonies, the gaudy worship and costly sacrifices, of wicked
men. ~John Gill
Quoted verse ...after
speaking of the poor and despicable [in
their own eyes] who come to God in
prayer
Psalm 102:17
He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their
prayer.
This is a profound commentary by the John Gill and you will have to
study and meditate on this one for a while. Let us try to break it down
into its individual and collective parts:
God delights in the prayers of the firstfruits who
1] are right with God.
2] have right spirits renewed in them [Romans 12:2 and Titus 3:5].
3] are Israelites indeed.
4] have the truth of grace [salvation process]
and root of the matter in them.
5] are honest [with self, others and God],
sincere and upright in heart.
6] work continually with the Holy Spirit that is in them.
7] invoke the power of that Spirit.
8] has God breathing in them.
9] are fervent, earnest and persistent in their solicitation of God.
10] never gives lip service to God, Christ or the Word of God.
11] pray with a true heart in sincerity.
12] pray in unwavering faith.
13] pray in the name of Jesus Christ
14] couples his/her prayers with the perfume of mediation, confessions
of sin and unworthiness.
15] celebrate God's divine perfections.
16] gives credit to God for all blessings, healings and interventions.
17] is thankful.
18] though contrite, feeling poor of spirit and despicable knows that
God will hear their prayers.
Quoted verses:
Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Titus 3:5 [see
Lesson]
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost [Spirit];
Is this not a comprehensive list of the elements of the entire salvation
process?
If one is pursuing this list, they will vehemently hate sin. Their
repugnance toward sin will be instantaneous and ever-growing in power.
I want to speak for a moment on how this affects and deepens our
understanding of
Assiduity praying, for surely this will be a foundational tool in
our conquering sin. For those not yet initiated into Assiduity praying,
hear this:
Assiduity means strong focus. It means constant or close application or
effort and diligence. When I refer to our "assiduity praying", I am
speaking to the concept of putting all things into the hands of God on a
day-by-day basis. I want to take you a step deeper into this concept as
it relates to the idea of our hating sin with a vengeance.
I often refer to assiduity praying as the action of our putting all our
actions and thought and duties into the hands of God and looking for His
intervention all through the day. It is more than that. Indeed,
everything we could possibly put into His hands is already there. Your
entire life and everything you do is already in His hands. Better than
just saying that we are putting everything into His hands, we are
acknowledging they are already there. The second part of assiduity
praying is surrendering to Almighty God, praying that our procedures and
thinking do not hinder His mercy and actions.
Acknowledgement followed by total surrender.
I often couch my discussions of assiduity prayers in the physical,
possibly because we can see those things. We are acknowledging much more
that this. We are surrendering much more than this. If we are going to
conquer sin, we have to acknowledge that God the Father, by way of Jesus
Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit is the greatest conqueror of sin
in the Universe. Christ is the one who conquered sin.
Let us begin taking our assiduity prayers to a higher level. Begin by
giving acknowledgment to God that He and His Son are the great
conquerors of sin. Put your battle against sin into His hands as you
acknowledge that they were already there. Next, surrender your life
today with its actions and procedures to Him. Pray that nothing in our
procedures, actions or thinking will hinder His mercy or His doing
battle for us. Pray that He gives us knowledge, understanding, wisdom
and power to address those 18 points I just gave you.
When you do these things; when you do this kind of assiduity praying you
are surrendering to point 8 in that list; "Has God breathing in them."
Isn't that what you have been doing all along in this kind of praying.
You are asking God to be your partner and leader in every action you
take today. You are asking for continual intervention by God in all
things. You are "seeing" the face of God. You are asking God to conquer
the sin in your life that begins with all those evil and wrong thoughts
that come your way from that prince and power of the air. What are you
doing in your prayers? You are acknowledging that God is God and that
His Word is truth and salvation. Turn to 1 Corinthians 14.
1 Corinthians 14:37
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him
acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments
of the Lord.
Let's see more scriptures on hating sin.
I told you that God sometimes uses a number of these words in the same
scripture passage. Turn to Deuteronomy 7.
Deuteronomy 7:25-26
...speaking to the children of Israel as they
enter the Promised Land.
25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt
not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee,
lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy
God.
26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou
be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou
shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
God makes it clear that sin defiles the firstfruit.
Mark 7:20-23
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Here is another passage speaking to the question of someone letting sin
conquer them.
1 Corinthians 3:16-23
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise
in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is
written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are
vain.
21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death,
or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Let us read through the Sin chapter; Romans 6
Romans 6:1-23
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of
sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death
hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he
liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey
it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto
sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his
servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your
flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and
to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?
for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Verse 6 says that we are crucified with Christ and henceforth we should
not serve sin.
Verse 11 says that we are to reckon ourselves dead to sin.
Verse 12 says to not let sin reign in our bodies.
Verse 13 encourages us to yield to God.
Verses 17 and 18 speak to us obeying the Word of God and therefore being
made free from sin because we live in righteousness.
Verse 19 states that righteousness leads us to holiness. When you are
confronted by sin or even a sinful or evil thought, rebuke them by
stating that you choose to be holy.
Verse 22 shows us the 10,000-year perspective by declaring that holiness
ends in everlasting life.
Verse 23 shows that this is all possible through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Since we are in the Book of Romans, turn over to chapter 12 and verse 9.
With this scripture and others, we will see what we must do to conquer
sin.
Romans 12:9
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to
that which is good.
Psalm 34:14
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Psalm 45:7
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Psalm 97:10
10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his
saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in
heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance
of his holiness.
Psalm 119:104
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false
way.
Psalm 119:163
I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil
way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Zechariah 8:17
...God wants us to hate the same things He does.
And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour;
and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the
LORD.
Hebrews 1:9
...exact wording of Psalm 45:7 above
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Let us finish with what I said about rebuking evil by stating that you
choose to be holy:
1 Peter 1:15-16
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Be Holy;
Hate Sin
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