Covenant Theology: Obedience, Disobedience, and National Judgment

What it Means to Hate God

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2004-05-23

Synopsis: John Weaver examines the biblical teaching that many people hate God, not necessarily by verbal declaration but through practical actions. He distinguishes between intellectual and practical atheists, then demonstrates from Scripture that hatred of God is manifested in four ways: rejection of His person, refusal to obey His precepts, regarding what He prohibits, and rebellion against His position. The sermon calls for self-examination, warning that a life of disobedience betrays a profession of love for God.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles today to the book of Exodus chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20. Those of you that were here last week, you remember I preached the message which I entitled Death Wish. And in that message, I kept quoting Proverbs 8 in verse 36, where our Lord said, he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. And so the thought came to me as I was preaching last week. Well, I wonder if most people know what it means to hate God. So the message I'm going to be preaching today is entitled Hating God or what it means to hate God. So look in Exodus chapter 20, beginning there with verse five.

[John Weaver] Many of you will recognize that this is the giving of the Ten Commandments. In verse 5, God says concerning idols, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Now, I'm going to be coming back to this text in just a little while, but I want to just call your attention to the phrase in verse 5 where he says, Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. Hating God is an unthinkable and almost an unutterable concept. Who in his right mind could or would hate the Most High?

[John Weaver] the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Sustainer, and the Preserver. Yet Scripture tells us over and over that men do hate God. I would ask that you hold that to this chapter 20, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8, and let me show you verse 7 and 8. Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. Romans 8, verse 7. Once again, here's a text that declares man's enmity against God. Romans 8, verse 7.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, because the carnal mind, now the word carnal there refers to fleshly or that which is by nature. So you could read that because the natural mind, that is the unconverted mind, the unregenerate mind, or because man by nature is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. So the Bible says the carnal mind is enmity against God. So man not only hates God by nature, but the Bible tells us his very nature, the cause of sin and rebellion, is enmity itself against God. Now the word enmity is an extreme word for an extreme hatred. So he says that man's nature because of his sin, his rebellion, his wickedness, his enmity against God. And then he says in verse 8, So then, that is because of this enmity, so then they that are in the flesh, that is man by nature, cannot please God. So man by nature then harbors an extreme animosity against God.

[John Weaver] His hatred so influences his attitude and his actions Therefore, he cannot please God. So his nature then is completely and totally unacceptable to God. Unless he is born from above, the way our Lord told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, he will in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. Now, very few men would be bold enough to publicly state their hatred of God. However, there have been a few notable infidels who have done so. It is amazing to me to discover that many of those who deny the existence of God spend a great deal of their time, effort and money expressing their denial and hatred of God. I mean, if I did not believe that God really existed, why in the world would I waste my time fighting him? But isn't it amazing those who deny God are the ones who fight him the most?

[John Weaver] Now, let me just explain where I'm going with this. I want you to understand there is a difference between an intellectual and a practical atheist. Most people are practical atheists. There are very few intellectual atheists. An intellectual atheist is a man who says this. According to my reasoning abilities, according to my rationalizations, according to my powers of thinking, there is no way that I can deduce or discover God. So based upon my reasoning abilities, God does not exist. That is an intellectual atheist. What is a practical atheist? A practical atheist is someone who may admit there is a God. He may even confess that God is. But he lives as if God does not exist, and he lives as if God's truth, God's word, has no relevance to his life. So while on the one hand he may acknowledge God, his life is totally opposite in the fact that he does not recognize God's sovereign authority over him.

[John Weaver] While most would never verbalize their hatred of God, you don't walk down the street every day and see men clenching their fists and gritting their teeth saying, I hate God, I hate God. Most people would never verbalize their hatred of God. And yet, they demonstrate their hatred of God privately and publicly by living a life that manifest that extreme hatred, their lives for that which indicate and manifest and reveal their hatred of God. They are practical God haters. They may not be intellectual God haters, but they are practical God's haters.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to just cover two points today. I want to cover, first of all, the reality of man's hatred and secondly, the manifestation of man's hatred of God.

[John Weaver] Now, the second point is going to be far more developed than the first point. So, first of all, the reality of man's hatred of God. Scripture is exceedingly clear when it expresses man's hatred of God. It is useless to try to attempt or to endeavor to water down the concept of man's hatred of God. Neither can you soften the meaning of the term. Every time you come to the word hate, it is the Hebrew word Sone. That word occurs 146 times in our Bible, and 136 of those times it is translated as hate or hatred, and the rest of the time it is translated either as enemy, foe, or hateful. So it is a strong word that is used in reference to God, and it is also used in reference to man. So you cannot soften the meaning of the word hate. So when the Bible says that men hate God, it means that they are a real, genuine hater of God. Therefore, they are the enemy of God. They are the foe of God.

[John Weaver] Now, what I want to do in this first point is this. I want you to just follow up with me as I show you a number of scriptures. It is from these scriptures that we're going to mine and bring forth the doctrine of man's hatred of God. When I get to applying the truth, I'm not necessarily going to use every one of these scriptures. I'm going to use a good many of them. But I want you to see how many times this concept occurs over and over in the Bible. So let's look, first of all, in our Bibles, having read Exodus chapter 20, go to Deuteronomy chapter 7, and let's read verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy 7, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, Now know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, Be faithful to God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hated him. He will repay him to his face. Now note, if you would, and repayeth them that hate him to their face. And then again, he will not be slack to him that hated him. So very obviously, There are some who hate God.

[John Weaver] Look at Deuteronomy 32 and verse 41. Deuteronomy 32 verse 41. Deuteronomy 32 verse 41, God says, For if I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. Note them that hate me. There are a number of people that hate God. Look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles. Turn right on over 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and look if you would please at verse 2.

[John Weaver] We will come back to this passage a little later. 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and verse 2. I want you to note the question that is asked of Jehoshaphat. By Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer. Watch 2 Chronicles 19 verse 2. And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him, that is to meet Jehoshaphat, and said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Now, he asked a simple question. Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord? There are people who hate God. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 21 and verse 8. Psalm 21 verse 8. Psalm 21, look if you would please at verse 8.

[John Weaver] Here's what the scripture says, Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. By right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Note if you would, those that hate God are referred to as God's enemies. So he says by hand shall find out all my enemies by right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Look in Psalm 68 and verse one very quickly. Psalm 68 verse one. Psalm 68 verse one.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate him flee before him. Let them also that hate him. I hope you're beginning to see there is a teaching in the Bible that some people hate God. They are referred to as God's enemies. Look at Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69 verse 4. And this verse, of course, It's applicable to the Messiah. They that hate me without a cause, and by the way, this is used of Christ in John 15 and verse 25. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy me being my enemies wrongfully are mighty, then I restored that which I took not away. But notice says them that they that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Look at Psalm 81. And verse 15. Psalm 81, notice if you would please, verse 15, I'll come back to this text a little bit later. The Bible says in Psalm 81, verse 15, the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him, but their time should have endured forever.

[John Weaver] The haters of the Lord. Isn't that an awesome phrase? The haters of the Lord. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 83 and verse 2. Psalm 83 verse 2. For lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They that hate thee have lifted up the head.

[John Weaver] Now, it'll be interesting to discover what that means. They that hate thee have lifted up the head. Look in Psalm 129 and verse 5. Psalm 129. And verse 5. Psalm 129 verse 5. Let them all be confounded to turn back that hate Zion. Now I realize this does not say that hate God, but you remember Zion is a city of God and by the way. As I take you through these verses. I want you to know that each one of these verses contain the word hate. I have not. chosen verses that alluded to the fact that men hate God, or are illustrations of the fact that men hate God, or that there are parables that indicate that men hate God, the verses that I've chosen, every one of them say that men hate God. They actually use the word sonne, which is the word for hate. Look in Proverbs 8, verse 36. I quoted this verse last week. I quoted it at the beginning of our message today. Proverbs 8, verse 36.

[John Weaver] Our Lord says, He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. By the way, I skipped one passage, but I'll just quote it for you. In Psalm 139, verse 21, David says, Do not I hate them that hate thee, O Lord? Yea, I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. But do not I hate them that hate thee? So there are men who hate God. Look in Matthew 6 and verse 24. Matthew 6, verse 24. Almost through. Matthew 6, verse 24. Our Lord says this, and of course, In the context, talking about God and Mammon, he says in Matthew 6 and verse 24, No man can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. No, you will hate the one and love the other. So men who love Mammon hate God. It's just that simple. Look in your Bibles to John 7 and verse 7.

[John Weaver] John 7, verse 7. John 7 and verse 7, look what our Lord tells his disciples. John 7, verse 7. It's his brethren he's talking to, not his disciples, but he says there when I say his brethren, I'm talking about his half brothers, he says the world cannot hate you But me, it hated because I testify of it, that its works there are evil. What's the Bible say? The Bible says the world hates Christ. Look in John 15 and verse 18, John 15, verse 18. Now, our Lord is talking to his disciples and he says this, if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

[John Weaver] I hope you can put two and two together. The reason Christians are so hated in this world is because people hate Christ. Look in your Bibles to John 15, beginning there with verse 23. Our Lord says he that hated me hated my father also. Oh, did you hear that? He that hated me hated my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father." So our Lord says, whoever hates Him hates the Father. Look in your Bibles, Luke 19 and verse 14.

[John Weaver] Here's a passage we will come to a little bit later. Luke 19 and verse 14. Luke 19, verse 14. Here the Word of God says, but his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying, we will not have this man to reign over us. Now, one last passage. Look at Romans 1 and verse 30. Romans 1, verse 30. Romans 1, verse 30. And look at the phrase that is used, describing the unregenerate, describing the pervert. God says backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.

[John Weaver] Now, out of all of these verses in the Old and New Testament. I hope you've come to realize there is such a thing as hating God. There are a great many people who hate God.

[John Weaver] Now, the question has to be asked. How do we know who hates God? How do we know whether a man is a lover of God or a hater of God? So that brings me to the second point, the manifestation of man's hatred. And I want to spend the rest of my time in this message day showing you from the Bible how man's hatred of God is manifested, how it's evidenced.

[John Weaver] Now most of us have heard the old expression, I can't hear what you are saying for the way you are acting. What's it mean? It means your actions are betraying your profession. Your actions are totally opposite from what you are saying. So the Bible is going to teach us that is really our conduct. It is really our attitude and our actions that communicates what we truly believe.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord said it very simply in Matthew chapter seven and verse 20. Let me just quote it for you. Our Lord said. By their fruits, you shall know Doesn't matter what they say. It does matter what they do, so by their fruits you shall know them. You remember Solomon, the wise man. Who in Proverbs 23 and verse 7 said this as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

[John Weaver] In other words, ultimately what you genuinely and truly believe is going to be manifested in your conduct. Now, man's hatred of God I believe is manifested in at least four specific ways. Now, I'm going to call these four specific ways an irreducible minimum. I'm sure that if we went through the Bible, we could probably find a great many more ways as to how men's hatred of God is manifested. However. I do not believe you could reduce the number to any less than these four and still accurately convey the concept of man's hatred of God.

[John Weaver] So let's ask the question again. How do we know whether or not men hate God? Well, the answer is we look at their fruit. We look at their conduct. We look at their actions. We live in a day and time when professing Christians are so easily deceived and duped. It is almost unbelievable. Do you realize all a movie star or a politician has to do is to just say he's a Christian and maybe quote a few verses of scripture or use a little Bible terminology and then the multitude of professing Christendom is absolutely convinced that those individuals are genuine children of God. While their entire lives are contrary to what God says. A case in point, all you have to do is look at the politicians who have gotten on the born again bandwagon.

[John Weaver] And you look at their voting records and how they vote for abortion and sodomy and socialism. Welfareism. In other words, their conduct and their action totally speaks differently than their profession.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to first John, chapter two, I want to show you a passage. I've quoted this passage to you many times in the past. But I'm going to emphasize this passage several times today, and I want you to be extremely familiar with. Look in first John, chapter two. In fact, let's read verse three and then we're going to read verse four, verse four is the first that I really want to emphasize, but just so that you can see the context in verse three.

[John Weaver] And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. Now look what verse 4 says. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar. And the truth is not in him.

[John Weaver] Now folks, how is it that so many politicians and movie stars and people can make a profession of faith, and gullible Christendom believes them, even when their lives are contrary to Scripture. Note what God says. God says, He that saith, I know him. He that makes a profession of faith. He that says he's a Christian. And yet that man keeps not God's commands. What does God say? That man's a liar.

[John Weaver] And the truth is not in him. What does that make our politicians? What does that make our professing movie stars? I'm not saying that you cannot be a politician and not be a Christian. Nor am I saying you cannot be a movie star and not be a Christian. But I am saying this. If you are a politician, if you are a movie star, and you live by the word of God, you're not going to be in office long, nor a star very long.

[John Weaver] Now, it's very important to hear what our Lord said. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not any.

[John Weaver] Now, how does man's hatred of God express itself? In four ways. First of all, a rejection of his person. There is a rejection of his person. Clearly, this should be an obvious manifestation of hatred. You do not cling or cleave to the one that you hate. You do not desire to be near or around the one that you hate. I'm sure that every one of us can think of people that we detest. We dislike intensely. And do we want to be around them? Well, of course not. Why do we not want to be around them? Because we dislike them, we despise them, we detest them. The same thing is true with God. Whenever there is a hatred of God, there is rejection of His person. I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 19. I told you that we would come back there.

[John Weaver] Here Jehu the son of Hanani asked the question of King Jehoshaphat. Now we should look at this question that he asked him. 2 Chronicles chapter 19. Notice if you would please verse 2. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat. Now look at this question. Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them but hate them more? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Shouldest thou help the ungodly, or love them that hate the Lord? Now, the questions that are being asked to King Jehoshaphat are in reference to Jehoshaphat's teaming up with King Ahab, who is the most wicked and the most vile king in Israel. Jehoshaphat was king of the southern kingdom. Ahab, that of the northern kingdom. Now, Ahab summons Jehoshaphat, and he says, Know ye not that Ramoth and Gilead is ours, and we be still, and do not take it?

[John Weaver] In other words, the Syrians have control of this land. This is our land. Will you go with me and help me recover this land? Well, look in chapter 18 and verse 3. And Ahab, king of Israel, said unto Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, wilt thou go with me to Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war. Now, to me, I don't even understand how Jehoshaphat can say what he could say to Ahab. I am as thou art, and my people as thy people? No, they were two totally separate peoples, and Jehoshaphat was not like Ahab.

[John Weaver] But what he's saying now, I'll go with you to battle. But I want you to know that he made this statement before he inquired of the Lord. Therefore, verse 4 says, A Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, of the word of the Lord today. Well, he should have inquired before he agreed. Verse 5, Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?

[John Weaver] And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand. So here are 400 prophets saying, Go up, Ahab. Go up. God's going to deliver you, Ramoth Gilead. Go on up. It's a piece of cake. It's all yours. But look at what Jehoshaphat asked. Verse 6, But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, besides that we may inquire of him? Now, wait a minute. Here are 400 prophets. But they're not the prophets of the Lord. What kind of prophets were they? They were prophets of Baal. You know why? Ahab had murdered the prophets of God, drove some out of the land, and what few were left, he imprisoned and tortured.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to watch what happens. Jehoshaphat says, I want a prophet of the Lord. I don't want a prophet of Baal. Is there not a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of him? Look what it said. Verse 7. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man. You know, I'm going to preach on that one of these days. That thought hit me as I was reading this passage coming up. There is yet one man. God always has a man. He says, There is yet one man watched By whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him. Why? For he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil. The same as Micaiah, the son of Imlah, and Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Now watch. And the king of Israel called for one of his altars and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah, the son of Imlah. Now here's a question I want to ask you. How did Ahab know who Micaiah was? I mean, don't you remember the Spirit of the Lord oftentimes took these prophets hither and yon?

[John Weaver] How did Ahab know exactly where Micaiah was? Now, he's already said, I hate him. He never prophesied any good concerning me. Always evil. And, of course, Jehoshaphat, Christ of past vibes says, let not the king say so. Well, look, if you would please, in verse, let's skip down to verse 11. And all the prophets prophesied, so saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it in the hand of the king. And the messenger then went to call Micaiah, spake him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent. Lift thy word, therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go up to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? I wish I knew the intonations and the inflections that Micaiah used. Because he said this so sarcastically, the king immediately knew that he was mocking him.

[John Weaver] Look what he said. And he said, Go ye up and prosper. And they shall be delivered into your hand, verse 15, and the king said to them, How many times shall I assure thee that I'll say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the Lord? He knew his mocking. Watch verse 16. Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no master.

[John Weaver] Let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil? Now watch. And again, he said, therefore, hear the word of the Lord. And he tells how God has sent lying spirits in the mouths of these false prophets that he might get Ahab up to Ramoth Gilead, that he might kill him.

[John Weaver] Now, remember what he said? He said he's never going to speak anything good concerning me, but evil. There's one man, he said, but I hate him. I ask you. How did he know where Micaiah was? How could he tell his man, fetch him quickly? Well, watch for yourself. Skip down if you would please to verse 25. Then the king of Israel said, take ye Micaiah and carry him back to Ammon the governor of the city.

[John Weaver] And the Joash the king's son, and say thus said the king, put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace. And Micaiah said, if thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me. Where did he get Micaiah from? Out of the prison. He knew where he was because he had him imprisoned. Now what did he say?

[John Weaver] He said, I hate him. Now let me ask you a question. How can a man who hates God manifest his hatred of God? I mean, he cannot climb to God's throne and shake his fist in the face of God and intimidate God. And just simply saying, I hate you is not sufficient. No, he demonstrates and he manifests his hatred of God by evidence of his hatred of God's representative, which is God's man. In other words, he hates God's prophet. He hates God's preacher.

[John Weaver] Do you not remember when I quoted this passage in Matthew 10, verse 40? Our Lord said, he that receiveth you what? Receiveth me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord says, when you receive my disciples, when you receive my messengers, you're receiving me. And when you receive me, you're receiving the Father who sent me. The opposite is also true. When you refuse to receive the prophet of God, you also are refusing Christ. When you refuse Christ, you're also refusing the Father. Do you not remember in 1 Samuel chapter 8, when they rejected God and would not have God to reign over them? Do you remember what God said to Samuel? As they have done to me, so now they do also unto thee. In other words, they've rejected me.

[John Weaver] They're going to reject you. Whenever a person rejects God or God's representative, it is a manifestation of his hatred against God. Let me just show you. Look in your Bible since you're in 2 Chronicles. Go to chapter 36 and look at verses 15 and 16. Second Chronicles 36 verses 15 and 16. Second Chronicles 36 verse 15. Here it is. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers rising up the times and sending why?

[John Weaver] Because he had compassion on his people on his dwelling place. Well, what do they do? But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words, that is, God's words, and misused His prophets until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore, He brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword, and the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young men, or maiden, or old man, or him that stooped for age.

[John Weaver] He gave them all into His hands. Now note, when they hated God, what did they do? They mocked They misused and abused his prophets. How do we know that men reject the person of God? Because they reject his messengers. They reject his preachers. They reject his prophets. The very first manifestation is there is a rejection of God's person.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just remind you of a simple truth to set you up for the second point. A king rules by his law. That is true of the earthly king. It is certainly true of the divine king. Wherever there is a rejection of the king, there is always a rejection of His law. So how does man's hatred manifest itself? First of all, in a rejection of God's person.

[John Weaver] Secondly, in a refusal to obey His precepts. In a refusal to obey His precepts. When God's person is rejected, so is His law. If you have no regard For the person, you certainly will not respect his word. Men are like Pharaoh of old. Do you remember in Exodus chapter five, Moses had come to Pharaoh and said, thus said the Lord, let my people go. Pharaoh's response was a classic one. He simply said this, who is the Lord? That I should obey his voice to let Israel go. I know not the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go. When there was a rejection of this person, there was a refusal of his precepts. He said, I don't know God. I don't receive that God. I reject that God. That God has no authority over me. Therefore, I refuse his precepts.

[John Weaver] He has no right to tell me what to do. You remember the unjust judge in Luke chapter 18? What did he say? Though he feared not God, nor regarded man. You see, when there is no fear of God, in other words, when there is a rejection of God's person, no one is going to obey the precepts toward man or toward anybody. So the second manifestation of man's hatred against God is in regards to refusal to obey his precepts.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20, where we begin. I want to just very quickly take you through the Bible and a number of selected passages and show you the truth. That those who love the Lord, that is, those who receive his person also Receive and obey his precepts. Look at Exodus chapter 20 and verse 5 again. God says in reference to those.

[John Weaver] Idols, thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord, by God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

[John Weaver] Now watch and showing mercy on the thousands of them that love me and want and keep my commandments. Do you see the distinction? Those that love him keep his commandments. Those that hate him refuse his precepts. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 5. You'll see the same truth taught again. Deuteronomy 5 verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy 5 beginning there with verse 9. God says, Thou shalt not bow down myself unto them, nor serve them. For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and show mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Now, look at Deuteronomy 7, and let's go back to verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9. Watch this distinction. Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repaid them that hate him to their face to destroy them.

[John Weaver] He will not be slack to him that hated them. He will repay them to their face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day to do them. In other words, you don't hate God. You love God. Therefore, thou shalt keep the commandments and the statutes. Isn't that clear?

[John Weaver] Now, the exact same truth is taught in the New Testament. God does not change, neither does His truth. If you'll go in your Bibles to John chapter 14. John chapter 14. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John 14. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. John 14 verse 15. Look what he says, John 14 verse 15. If you love me. Keep my commandments. If you love me, keep my commandments, skip down to verse 21. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them.

[John Weaver] He it is that loveth me. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.

[John Weaver] Now note what he said. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he that is that loveth me. You remember one of the things that I told you over and over is every positive has a negative. So if he says he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he that is that loveth me, what does it mean negatively? He that does not keep his commandments does not love him. He hates him.

[John Weaver] And if that's not clear, look down in verse 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." So he said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. If you do not love me, that means if you hate me, you will not keep my sayings. Look in Romans 13 and verse 10. Romans 13 verse 10.

[John Weaver] What the Bible says about what? Romans 13 verse 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Now, what is love? Love is the fulfilling of the law. So if I love God, what do I do? I obey his law. I keep his commands. Skip down over in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John 5. And notice if you would please in verses 2 and 3. 1 John 5, verse 2 and verse 3. 1 John 5, verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commands. How do I know that I love the children of God?

[John Weaver] Well, I act obediently toward them. I keep God's commandment toward them. Look in verse 3. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous. What is the love of God? The love of God is that we keep His commandments. So if we love Him, we obey Him. If we hate Him, we will not obey Him.

[John Weaver] Now go back to chapter 2. I want you to see this passage again in light of what I've just been teaching you. 1 John 2, verse 3. Hereby we do know that we know Him and we keep His commandments. Now, here's my question. How do I know that I'm genuinely born again? How do I know that I've been genuinely converted? Here's how. Because God's grace enables me to obey Him.

[John Weaver] As my life is being brought into more and more conformity to the Word of God, I have assurance. Now, if I say I'm a Christian, and you see me out running around with my wife, or getting drunk, or stealing, you know, you're going to figure out something's wrong. But he said, hereby, do I know that I know him if I keep his commandments? Therefore, in verse four, here's the opposite. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar.

[John Weaver] And the truth is not in him. So if I'm telling you I'm a Christian and I'm running around violating all of God's law constantly, consistently, incessantly. Hope you understand that I'm not a Christian. Look in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation 12, verse 17. Watch what the Bible says. And the dragon, which of course is symbolical of Satan, and the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Who is the devil after? Those who keep the commandments of God and those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Look in chapter 14 and verse 12. Revelation 14 verse 12. Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Who are the saints? Those that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

[John Weaver] Now, go back in your Bibles to Mark 12. Having given you all of these passages, I think now that you can understand very clearly Mark 12, verses 28 through 34. Look in Mark 12, beginning there with verse 28. Mark 12, verse 28. And one of the scribes came And having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength. This is the first commandment, and the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbors thyself, There is none of the commandment greater than these, and the scribe said unto him, Well, master of the house, well said, for there is one God, and there is none other but he. And to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, with all the strength, and to love thy neighbor as thyself is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.

[John Weaver] And when Jesus saw that, he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that verse asked him any question. What does it mean to love the Lord? It means to obey. It means to keep His commands. That's what he just said. If you love God, you will honor Him and obey Him, and you will treat your fellow man right, because you will be treating that fellow man the way God says he used to be treated.

[John Weaver] How does man's hatred manifest itself? in a rejection of God's person and in a refusal to obey his precepts. We've got to understand what our Lord taught us. It is not by a man's profession that we may know him, but by his fruits. That is, by his life, by his action, and by his conduct. All who say they know him and their lives are completely contrary to the Word of God. God says that man is a liar and the truth is not in him. Here's the third way that man's hatred manifests itself. Not just in a rejection of his person and a refusal to obey his precepts, but thirdly, in that he regards that which God prohibits. There is a regarding of that which God prohibits. In Jeremiah 44 and verse 4, God says, while expressing His disdain and detestation of sin, God says, O do not that abominable thing which I hate. God hates sin. God says, don't do that abominable thing which I hate.

[John Weaver] You see, the Bible says in Habakkuk 1 in verse 13, Thou art of purer eyes than behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity. Now, what it means is this, that God is so holy and God is so pure, God cannot look upon evil condoningly, nor can he look upon iniquity approvingly. In other words, it is an abomination to God. God hates it. God despises it. But what do men do who hate God? They regard and they revel in that which God hates. They are so perverted that they call evil good and good evil. And when men call evil good, it's just simply a manifestation of their perversion, their hatred of God.

[John Weaver] You know, you hear people, maybe they've gone out and gotten drunk. Or committed adultery, fornication. And you hear them talking the next day, Boy, we had a good time last night, didn't we? You know what they're doing? They're calling evil good. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 5. And let me show you how the people who do that bring a curse upon themselves. Look in Isaiah chapter 5. Notice, if you would, verse 20, Isaiah 5, verse 20. Look what God says concerning those individuals. Isaiah 5, verse 20. Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Note what he says. Woe unto them. Woe unto them. That is a curse. A calamity, a woe comes upon those individuals who cause evil good and good evil and bitter sweet and sweet bitter and life for darkness and darkness for light. God says they just simply revel and glory in that which I hate and that which I despise.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you what God's admonition is. for those who love Him. And I will quote it rather than asking you to turn there. In Psalm 97 verse 10, God says, Ye that love the Lord hate evil. Ye that love the Lord hate evil. I'm going to tell you something, folks. I'm not going to sit down and watch a movie or TV program that glorifies sodomy. I'm not going to do it. Or glorifies anything else that I know that's absolutely contrary to God and His truth. We're not going to call evil good, nor are we going to call good evil. God says ye that love the Lord, what are you to do? You're to hate the evil. Despise it the way God despises it. Detest it the way God detests it. You know what He said in Amos 5 and verse 15? Again, God said, hate the evil and love the good. Those are commands. If we love Him, we hate that which is contrary to Him and we love that which is inconformity to Him.

[John Weaver] The very fact that men love that which God hates. Manifest their hatred of God, for had they loved God. They would hate that which was contrary to God. And his holiness. So how do men manifest their hatred? First of all, there was rejection of his person.

[John Weaver] Secondly, there was a refusal to obey his precepts. Thirdly, There is regarding of that which he prohibits, and fourthly, there is a rebellion to his position. I hope you see how all of these points fit together like a glove. In fact, in reality, it is impossible to separate them. When one rejects the person of God, at the same time, he refuses to obey his precepts. At the same time, he is regarding that which God prohibits. And in doing that, it's nothing less than rebellion to his position. Well, you ask me, Pastor, What is God's position?

[John Weaver] The answer is very simple. He is God. He is the sovereign, the Lord, the only God of the universe. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He only has rightful authority to rule and to reign. And the very fact that men refuse to bow to His sovereign position is a manifestation of their hatred. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 2. Very quickly, Psalm 2.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Look in Psalm 2 and verse 1. Here's a Psalm that is directed mainly to kings and to rulers. Psalm 2, verse 1. The question is asked, why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? Now watch verse two. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, let us break their bands of sunder and cast away their courts from us.

[John Weaver] In other words, they're trying to rebel against God. They are rebelling against God. They don't like God's boundaries. They don't like God's limitation. They don't like God's sovereign control. They do not like God's saying, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further. And so they rebel against Him. Look back in your Bibles to Psalm 81 again. Psalm 81. We read this verse earlier. Look at Psalm 81, verse 15. Just to show you the rebellion that is in those who hate God. Notice what he said. Psalm 81 and verse 15. The Word of God says the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him. What does that mean? It means those who hate God are not in submission. They're rebelling against him. They're rebelling against his position of sovereign authority. And then if you look at Psalm 83 verse 2 that we read earlier. Look what he says.

[John Weaver] For lo, thine enemies make a tumult. They that hate thee have lifted up the head. What does lifting up the head mean? It speaks of arrogance, pride, haughty rebellion. You're not going to tell me what to do. You're not going to order my life. I'll do what I want to do. I'll say what I want to say. That's what lifting up the head is. So they are in rebellion to God.

[John Weaver] Remember, I quoted it earlier from Luke 19 in verse 14. What did those people say? But the citizens of that country hated him, and they said, we will not have this man to reign over us. That's rebellion. That's rebellion. Now, why? to men not bow to God? The answer is very simple. Not just simply because they're rebellious. But because they want to be God themselves. It's the age old temptation that you find in Genesis 3 and verse 5. You remember what the serpent told Eve For God doth know that in a day that you eat thereof, then you shall be as God's knowing good and evil. Now, the word knowing. Is a very emphatic word in the Hebrew, and it literally means determining you shall be as God's determining good and evil.

[John Weaver] In other words, once you eat this fruit, says a servant, you don't have to have God to tell you what's right and wrong. You can judge what's right and wrong for yourself. You can be your own God. You can make your own rules. You can make your own law. And so men who reject God's sovereign authority do so that they may elevate themselves to the status of Godhood and do what they think best.

[John Weaver] And live their lives according as they determine. You see, Rebellion to God's position. Is a manifestation of hate. Our Lord said it best in Matthew 12 and verse 30, he said it like this, he that is not with me, what is against me and he that gathered not what? Scattered abroad. So let's put it together. Having understand the concept of hating God, we could paraphrase that verse like this. He that rejects me, he that refuses to obey me, he that rebels against my position is the one who hates me. And instead of gathering with me, he regards that which I hate, that which I despise, and therefore he's scattering abroad. Our Lord makes it very simple.

[John Weaver] The issue is cut and dried. You either love him or you hate him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make very quickly three illustrations or three applications. The first one is this, and it should be obvious, men do hate God. The Word of God declares it to be so. There are some, however, who hate him privately. Others hate him publicly. But whoever hates him privately or publicly always hates him positively and practically. There is always a practical manifestation and a practical demonstration of hatred. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles very quickly to 1 John chapter 3. I've taught you in time past that love is always practical. Love is always demonstrable. 1 John 3.

[John Weaver] Note, if you would please, verse 16. Look what he says. 1 John 3, verse 16. Hereby perceive we. That means to comprehend or to understand. Hereby comprehend or understand we the love of God. Why? How? Because He told us no. Because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Now watch the practicality. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. If I love you, what do I do?

[John Weaver] I demonstrate it in a practical way. If you're hungry, I feed you. If you're thirsty, I give you water. If you're naked, I give you clothing. There's a practical application to the doctrine of love. There's likewise a practical application to the doctrine of hate. That is, they despise the gospel. They do not walk worthy of it. They disclaim and discard the doctrines of the word of God.

[John Weaver] They cast off God's show and they maltreat His people. They love that which God hates. All hatred of God is manifested in a practical way. By rejection of His person, by refusal of his precepts, by regarding that which he prohibits, and refusing to bow to his position. Here's the second application. Those that offend Christ do the greatest wrong to themselves, to their own souls. Let me just quote Proverbs 8, verse 36 again. Our Lord said, He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. When people hate Christ, they wound their own conscience. They bring a blot and a stain upon their own souls, which renders them odious in the eyes of God, and of course unfits them for communion with God, and they deceive themselves They disturbed themselves, they destroyed themselves, as our Lord said, it is a wronging of their own soul. And God may righteously say to them, as he did to those in Hosea 13 in verse 9, thou hast destroyed thyself. Hating God is nothing less than self-destruction.

[John Weaver] Here's the third and final application. The great question is, do you hate God? You may answer, no, I don't hate God. But your life can betray you. You remember when Peter was denying our Lord. Matthew 26 it is and around verse 73. They asked him, do you know this man? No, no, I don't know that man. They said, surely you're one of them for your speech betrayed you.

[John Weaver] You've got to be a Galilean. We may say, no I don't hate God, but our lives can betray us. If our conduct, if our attitude, if our actions are not brought in conformity to the word of God, what does our Lord say? He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Our Lord summarized very well in Luke 6 in verse 46 when he said, Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say unto you?" If Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we will demonstrate it by obedience. If He is not our Lord, we will demonstrate it by rebellion and wickedness and sin. If you do not love Him, You hate him.

[John Weaver] I'm not saying this to be funny, but to make a point. But being saved is like being pregnant. Either you are or you ain't. There's no in-between. It's just that simple. And we either love him Or we hate Him. If we love Him, we will manifest it. If we hate Him, we will manifest it. But please remember this, folks. There are people who hate God. But thankfully, there are also some who love Him.

[John Weaver] And that's who I want to be around. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for Jesus Christ. We're thankful for the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Enabling us to bring our lives in conformity to his word, we are what we are only by the grace of God. We do not keep by law. We do not obey thy word in our own power, in our own initiative. But Father, by the regenerating grace of God and the converting grace of the Holy Ghost, we are brought to love thy law and delight in it. And we delight in honoring and obeying thee. Help us, Father, to continue in your love. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

What it Means to Hate God

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	680415359
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Obedience, Disobedience, and National Judgment
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-05-23
Dictation Name
Book	Book 044: Covenant Theology: Obedience, Disobedience, and National Judgment — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	91

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Unthinkable Concept of Hating God

Weaver introduces the topic by referencing Proverbs 8:36 and Exodus 20:5, noting that Scripture repeatedly declares that men hate God, though it seems unthinkable.

Let's open our Bibles today to the book of Exodus chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20. Those of you that were here last week, you remember I preached the message which I entitled "Death Wish." And in that message, I kept quoting Proverbs 8 and verse 36, where our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." And so the thought came to me as I was preaching last week, "Well, I wonder if most people know what it means to hate God." So the message I'm going to be preaching today is entitled "Hating God" or "What it Means to Hate God." So look in Exodus chapter 20, beginning there with verse five. Many of you will recognize that this is the giving of the Ten Commandments. In verse 5, God says concerning idols,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."

Now, I'm going to be coming back to this text in just a little while, but I want to just call your attention to the phrase in verse 5 where he says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

Hating God is an unthinkable and almost an unutterable concept. Who in his right mind could or would hate the Most High?

The Reality of Man's Hatred of God

A survey of Old and New Testament passages using the Hebrew word 'sone' (hate) to establish that men genuinely hate God, not merely dislike Him.

Now, the second point is going to be far more developed than the first point. So, first of all, the reality of man's hatred of God. Scripture is exceedingly clear when it expresses man's hatred of God. It is useless to try to attempt or to endeavor to water down the concept of man's hatred of God. Neither can you soften the meaning of the term. Every time you come to the word "hate," it is the Hebrew word "sone." That word occurs 146 times in our Bible, and 136 of those times it is translated as "hate" or "hatred," and the rest of the time it is translated either as "enemy," "foe," or "hateful." So it is a strong word that is used in reference to God, and it is also used in reference to man. So you cannot soften the meaning of the word "hate." So when the Bible says that men hate God, it means that they are a real, genuine hater of God. Therefore, they are the enemy of God. They are the foe of God.

Now, what I want to do in this first point is this. I want you to just follow up with me as I show you a number of scriptures. It is from these scriptures that we're going to mine and bring forth the doctrine of man's hatred of God. When I get to applying the truth, I'm not necessarily going to use every one of these scriptures. I'm going to use a good many of them. But I want you to see how many times this concept occurs over and over in the Bible. So let's look, first of all, in our Bibles, having read Exodus chapter 20, go to Deuteronomy chapter 7, and let's read verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy 7, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9.

The Bible says, "Now know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hateth him. He will repay him to his face." Now note, if you would, "and repayeth them that hate him to their face." And then again, "He will not be slack to him that hateth him." So very obviously, there are some who hate God. Look at Deuteronomy 32 and verse 41. Deuteronomy 32 verse 41. Deuteronomy 32 verse 41, God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:41

"For if I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me."

Note "them that hate me." There are a number of people that hate God. Look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles. Turn right on over 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and look if you would please at verse 2.

We will come back to this passage a little later. 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and verse 2. I want you to note the question that is asked of Jehoshaphat by Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer. Watch 2 Chronicles 19 verse 2.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:2

"And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him,"

that is to meet Jehoshaphat,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:2

"and said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord."

Now, he asked a simple question.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:2

"Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord?"

There are people who hate God. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 21 and verse 8. Psalm 21 verse 8. Psalm 21, look if you would please at verse 8.

Here's what the scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 21:8

"Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee."

Note if you would, those that hate God are referred to as God's enemies. So he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 21:8

"Thine hand shall find out all mine enemies, thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee."

Look in Psalm 68 and verse one very quickly. Psalm 68 verse one. Psalm 68 verse one.

The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 68:1

"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate him flee before him." "Let them also that hate him."

I hope you're beginning to see there is a teaching in the Bible that some people hate God. They are referred to as God's enemies. Look at Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69 verse 4. And this verse, of course, it's applicable to the Messiah. "They that hate me without a cause"—and by the way, this is used of Christ in John 15 and verse 25—"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy me being my enemies wrongfully are mighty, then I restored that which I took not away." But notice says "them that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head." Look at Psalm 81 and verse 15. Psalm 81, notice if you would please, verse 15, I'll come back to this text a little bit later. The Bible says in Psalm 81, verse 15, "The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him, but their time should have endured forever."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 69:4

"The haters of the Lord." Isn't that an awesome phrase? "The haters of the Lord." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 83 and verse 2. Psalm 83 verse 2. "For lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head." "They that hate thee have lifted up the head."

Now, it'll be interesting to discover what that means.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 83:2

"They that hate thee have lifted up the head."

Look in Psalm 129 and verse 5. Psalm 129 and verse 5. Psalm 129 verse 5. "Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion." Now I realize this does not say "that hate God," but you remember Zion is a city of God and by the way. As I take you through these verses, I want you to know that each one of these verses contain the word "hate." I have not chosen verses that alluded to the fact that men hate God, or are illustrations of the fact that men hate God, or that there are parables that indicate that men hate God. The verses that I've chosen, every one of them say that men hate God. They actually use the word "sone," which is the word for "hate." Look in Proverbs 8, verse 36. I quoted this verse last week. I quoted it at the beginning of our message today. Proverbs 8, verse 36.

Our Lord says, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." By the way, I skipped one passage, but I'll just quote it for you. In Psalm 139, verse 21, David says, "Do not I hate them that hate thee, O Lord? Yea, I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies." "But do not I hate them that hate thee?" So there are men who hate God. Look in Matthew 6 and verse 24. Matthew 6, verse 24. Almost through. Matthew 6, verse 24. Our Lord says this, and of course, in the context, talking about God and Mammon, he says in Matthew 6 and verse 24, "No man can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon." No, you will hate the one and love the other. So men who love Mammon hate God. It's just that simple. Look in your Bibles to John 7 and verse 7.

John 7, verse 7. John 7 and verse 7, look what our Lord tells his disciples. John 7, verse 7. It's his brethren he's talking to, not his disciples, but he says there—when I say his brethren, I'm talking about his half brothers—he says,

Scripture Reading — John 7:7

"The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil."

What's the Bible say? The Bible says the world hates Christ. Look in John 15 and verse 18. John 15, verse 18. Now, our Lord is talking to his disciples and he says this, "If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you."

Scripture Reading — John 15:18, 23

I hope you can put two and two together. The reason Christians are so hated in this world is because people hate Christ. Look in your Bibles to John 15, beginning there with verse 23. Our Lord says, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Oh, did you hear that? "He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father." So our Lord says, whoever hates Him hates the Father. Look in your Bibles, Luke 19 and verse 14.

Here's a passage we will come to a little bit later. Luke 19 and verse 14. Luke 19, verse 14. Here the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Luke 19:14

"But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying, We will not have this man to reign over us."

Now, one last passage. Look at Romans 1 and verse 30. Romans 1, verse 30. Romans 1, verse 30. And look at the phrase that is used, describing the unregenerate, describing the pervert. God says, "Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents."

Now, out of all of these verses in the Old and New Testament, I hope you've come to realize there is such a thing as hating God. There are a great many people who hate God.

The Manifestation of Man's Hatred: Introduction

Actions reveal true beliefs; hatred of God is evidenced by conduct, not just words. Four irreducible ways hatred is manifested are introduced.

Now, the question has to be asked. How do we know who hates God? How do we know whether a man is a lover of God or a hater of God? So that brings me to the second point, the manifestation of man's hatred. And I want to spend the rest of my time in this message today showing you from the Bible how man's hatred of God is manifested, how it's evidenced.

Now most of us have heard the old expression, "I can't hear what you are saying for the way you are acting." What's it mean? It means your actions are betraying your profession. Your actions are totally opposite from what you are saying. So the Bible is going to teach us that it is really our conduct. It is really our attitude and our actions that communicates what we truly believe.

Now, our Lord said it very simply in Matthew chapter seven and verse 20. Let me just quote it for you. Our Lord said, "By their fruits, you shall know them." Doesn't matter what they say. It does matter what they do, so by their fruits you shall know them. You remember Solomon, the wise man, who in Proverbs 23 and verse 7 said this, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." In other words, ultimately what you genuinely and truly believe is going to be manifested in your conduct. Now, man's hatred of God I believe is manifested in at least four specific ways. Now, I'm going to call these four specific ways an irreducible minimum. I'm sure that if we went through the Bible, we could probably find a great many more ways as to how men's hatred of God is manifested. However, I do not believe you could reduce the number to any less than these four and still accurately convey the concept of man's hatred of God.

So let's ask the question again. How do we know whether or not men hate God? Well, the answer is we look at their fruit. We look at their conduct. We look at their actions. We live in a day and time when professing Christians are so easily deceived and duped. It is almost unbelievable. Do you realize all a movie star or a politician has to do is to just say he's a Christian and maybe quote a few verses of scripture or use a little Bible terminology and then the multitude of professing Christendom is absolutely convinced that those individuals are genuine children of God, while their entire lives are contrary to what God says. A case in point, all you have to do is look at the politicians who have gotten on the born again bandwagon.

Manifestation 1: Rejection of His Person

Hatred is shown by rejecting God's representatives—His prophets and messengers—as illustrated by Ahab's imprisonment of Micaiah.

Here Jehu the son of Hanani asked the question of King Jehoshaphat. Now we should look at this question that he asked him. 2 Chronicles chapter 19. Notice if you would please verse 2. "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat." Now look at this question. "Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord." "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, or love them that hate the Lord?" Now, the questions that are being asked to King Jehoshaphat are in reference to Jehoshaphat's teaming up with King Ahab, who is the most wicked and the most vile king in Israel. Jehoshaphat was king of the southern kingdom. Ahab, that of the northern kingdom. Now, Ahab summons Jehoshaphat, and he says, "Know ye not that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we be still, and do not take it?"

In other words, the Syrians have control of this land. This is our land. Will you go with me and help me recover this land? Well, look in chapter 18 and verse 3. "And Ahab, king of Israel, said unto Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war." Now, to me, I don't even understand how Jehoshaphat can say what he could say to Ahab. "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people"? No, they were two totally separate peoples, and Jehoshaphat was not like Ahab.

But what he's saying now, "I'll go with you to battle." But I want you to know that he made this statement before he inquired of the Lord. Therefore, verse 4 says, "And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, of the word of the Lord today." Well, he should have inquired before he agreed. Verse 5, "Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" "And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand." So here are 400 prophets saying, "Go up, Ahab. Go up. God's going to deliver you, Ramoth Gilead. Go on up. It's a piece of cake. It's all yours." But look at what Jehoshaphat asked. Verse 6, "But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, besides that we may inquire of him?" Now, wait a minute. Here are 400 prophets. But they're not the prophets of the Lord. What kind of prophets were they? They were prophets of Baal. You know why? Ahab had murdered the prophets of God, drove some out of the land, and what few were left, he imprisoned and tortured.

Now, I want you to watch what happens. Jehoshaphat says, "I want a prophet of the Lord. I don't want a prophet of Baal. Is there not a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of him?" Look what it said. Verse 7. "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man." You know, I'm going to preach on that one of these days. That thought hit me as I was reading this passage coming up. "There is yet one man." God always has a man. He says, "There is yet one man"—watch—"by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him. Why? For he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil. The same is Micaiah, the son of Imlah." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Now watch. "And the king of Israel called for one of his officers and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah, the son of Imlah." Now here's a question I want to ask you. How did Ahab know who Micaiah was? I mean, don't you remember the Spirit of the Lord oftentimes took these prophets hither and yon?

How did Ahab know exactly where Micaiah was? Now, he's already said, "I hate him. He never prophesied any good concerning me. Always evil." And, of course, Jehoshaphat, Christ of past vibes says, "Let not the king say so." Well, look, if you would please, in verse, let's skip down to verse 11. "And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it in the hand of the king. And the messenger then went to call Micaiah, spake him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent. Let thy word, therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go up to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" I wish I knew the intonations and the inflections that Micaiah used. Because he said this so sarcastically, the king immediately knew that he was mocking him.

Look what he said. "And he said, Go ye up and prosper. And they shall be delivered into your hand." Verse 15, "And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?" He knew his mocking. Watch verse 16. "Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no master." "Let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?" Now watch. "And again, he said, Therefore, hear the word of the Lord." And he tells how God has sent lying spirits in the mouths of these false prophets that he might get Ahab up to Ramoth Gilead, that he might kill him.

Now, remember what he said? He said he's never going to speak anything good concerning me, but evil. "There's one man," he said, "but I hate him." I ask you. How did he know where Micaiah was? How could he tell his man, "Fetch him quickly"? Well, watch for yourself. Skip down if you would please to verse 25. "Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city."

"And to Joash the king's son, and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace. And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me." Where did he get Micaiah from? Out of the prison. He knew where he was because he had him imprisoned. Now what did he say? He said, "I hate him." Now let me ask you a question. How can a man who hates God manifest his hatred of God? I mean, he cannot climb to God's throne and shake his fist in the face of God and intimidate God. And just simply saying, "I hate you" is not sufficient. No, he demonstrates and he manifests his hatred of God by evidence of his hatred of God's representative, which is God's man. In other words, he hates God's prophet. He hates God's preacher.

Do you not remember when I quoted this passage in Matthew 10, verse 40? Our Lord said, "He that receiveth you"—what?—"receiveth me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me." Now, our Lord says, when you receive my disciples, when you receive my messengers, you're receiving me. And when you receive me, you're receiving the Father who sent me. The opposite is also true. When you refuse to receive the prophet of God, you also are refusing Christ. When you refuse Christ, you're also refusing the Father. Do you not remember in 1 Samuel chapter 8, when they rejected God and would not have God to reign over them? Do you remember what God said to Samuel? "As they have done to me, so now they do also unto thee." In other words, they've rejected me.

They're going to reject you. Whenever a person rejects God or God's representative, it is a manifestation of his hatred against God. Let me just show you. Look in your Bible since you're in 2 Chronicles. Go to chapter 36 and look at verses 15 and 16. 2 Chronicles 36 verses 15 and 16. 2 Chronicles 36 verse 15. Here it is. "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes and sending"—why?

"Because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place." Well, what do they do? "But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words," that is, God's words, "and misused His prophets until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore, He brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword, and the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young men, or maiden, or old man, or him that stooped for age." "He gave them all into His hands." Now note, when they hated God, what did they do? They mocked, they misused and abused his prophets. How do we know that men reject the person of God? Because they reject his messengers. They reject his preachers. They reject his prophets. The very first manifestation is there is a rejection of God's person.

Now, let me just remind you of a simple truth to set you up for the second point. A king rules by his law. That is true of the earthly king. It is certainly true of the divine king. Wherever there is a rejection of the king, there is always a rejection of His law. So how does man's hatred manifest itself? First of all, in a rejection of God's person.

Manifestation 2: Refusal to Obey His Precepts

Those who love God keep His commandments; those who hate Him refuse His law. Multiple Scriptures contrast love/obedience with hate/disobedience.

Secondly, in a refusal to obey His precepts. In a refusal to obey His precepts. When God's person is rejected, so is His law. If you have no regard for the person, you certainly will not respect his word. Men are like Pharaoh of old. Do you remember in Exodus chapter five, Moses had come to Pharaoh and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go." Pharaoh's response was a classic one. He simply said this, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go." When there was a rejection of this person, there was a refusal of his precepts. He said, "I don't know God. I don't receive that God. I reject that God. That God has no authority over me. Therefore, I refuse his precepts."

He has no right to tell me what to do. You remember the unjust judge in Luke chapter 18? What did he say? "Though he feared not God, nor regarded man." You see, when there is no fear of God, in other words, when there is a rejection of God's person, no one is going to obey the precepts toward man or toward anybody. So the second manifestation of man's hatred against God is in regards to refusal to obey his precepts.

Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20, where we begin. I want to just very quickly take you through the Bible and a number of selected passages and show you the truth. That those who love the Lord, that is, those who receive his person also receive and obey his precepts. Look at Exodus chapter 20 and verse 5 again. God says in reference to those. Idols, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

Now watch, "and showing mercy on the thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." Do you see the distinction? Those that love him keep his commandments. Those that hate him refuse his precepts. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 5. You'll see the same truth taught again. Deuteronomy 5 verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy 5 beginning there with verse 9. God says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them. For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and show mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Now, look at Deuteronomy 7, and let's go back to verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9. Watch this distinction. "Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him to their face to destroy them."

"He will not be slack to him that hateth him. He will repay him to their face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day to do them." In other words, you don't hate God. You love God. Therefore, thou shalt keep the commandments and the statutes. Isn't that clear?

Now, the exact same truth is taught in the New Testament. God does not change, neither does His truth. If you'll go in your Bibles to John chapter 14. John chapter 14. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John 14. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. John 14 verse 15. Look what he says, John 14 verse 15.

Scripture Reading — John 14:15, 21, 24

"If you love me, keep my commandments." "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Skip down to verse 21. "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them."

"He it is that loveth me. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." Now note what he said. "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." You remember one of the things that I told you over and over is every positive has a negative. So if he says "he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me," what does it mean negatively? He that does not keep his commandments does not love him. He hates him.

And if that's not clear, look down in verse 24. "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." So he said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. If you do not love me, that means if you hate me, you will not keep my sayings. Look in Romans 13 and verse 10. Romans 13 verse 10. What the Bible says about what? Romans 13 verse 10. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." Now, what is love? Love is the fulfilling of the law. So if I love God, what do I do? I obey his law. I keep his commands. Skip down over in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John 5. And notice if you would please in verses 2 and 3. 1 John 5, verse 2 and verse 3. 1 John 5, verse 2. "By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commands." How do I know that I love the children of God?

Well, I act obediently toward them. I keep God's commandment toward them. Look in verse 3. "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous." What is the love of God? The love of God is that we keep His commandments. So if we love Him, we obey Him. If we hate Him, we will not obey Him.

Now go back to chapter 2. I want you to see this passage again in light of what I've just been teaching you. 1 John 2, verse 3. "Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments." Now, here's my question. How do I know that I'm genuinely born again? How do I know that I've been genuinely converted? Here's how. Because God's grace enables me to obey Him.

As my life is being brought into more and more conformity to the Word of God, I have assurance. Now, if I say I'm a Christian, and you see me out running around with my wife, or getting drunk, or stealing, you know, you're going to figure out something's wrong. But he said, "Hereby do I know that I know him if I keep his commandments." Therefore, in verse four, here's the opposite. "He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar." "And the truth is not in him." So if I'm telling you I'm a Christian and I'm running around violating all of God's law constantly, consistently, incessantly, I hope you understand that I'm not a Christian. Look in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation 12, verse 17. Watch what the Bible says. "And the dragon," which of course is symbolical of Satan, "and the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Who is the devil after? Those who keep the commandments of God and those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Look in chapter 14 and verse 12. Revelation 14 verse 12. "Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Who are the saints? Those that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Now, go back in your Bibles to Mark 12. Having given you all of these passages, I think now that you can understand very clearly Mark 12, verses 28 through 34. Look in Mark 12, beginning there with verse 28. Mark 12, verse 28. "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength. This is the first commandment, and the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast well said, for there is one God, and there is none other but he. And to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, with all the strength, and to love thy neighbor as thyself is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

"And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question." What does it mean to love the Lord? It means to obey. It means to keep His commands. That's what he just said. If you love God, you will honor Him and obey Him, and you will treat your fellow man right, because you will be treating that fellow man the way God says he ought to be treated.

Manifestation 3: Regarding That Which God Prohibits

Haters of God call evil good and revel in what God hates, while lovers of God hate evil. This perversion manifests hatred.

How does man's hatred manifest itself? In a rejection of God's person and in a refusal to obey his precepts. We've got to understand what our Lord taught us. It is not by a man's profession that we may know him, but by his fruits. That is, by his life, by his action, and by his conduct. All who say they know him and their lives are completely contrary to the Word of God, God says that man is a liar and the truth is not in him. Here's the third way that man's hatred manifests itself. Not just in a rejection of his person and a refusal to obey his precepts, but thirdly, in that he regards that which God prohibits. There is a regarding of that which God prohibits. In Jeremiah 44 and verse 4, God says, while expressing His disdain and detestation of sin, God says, "O do not that abominable thing which I hate." God hates sin. God says, "Don't do that abominable thing which I hate."

You see, the Bible says in Habakkuk 1 in verse 13, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity." Now, what it means is this, that God is so holy and God is so pure, God cannot look upon evil condoningly, nor can he look upon iniquity approvingly. In other words, it is an abomination to God. God hates it. God despises it. But what do men do who hate God? They regard and they revel in that which God hates. They are so perverted that they call evil good and good evil. And when men call evil good, it's just simply a manifestation of their perversion, their hatred of God.

You know, you hear people, maybe they've gone out and gotten drunk. Or committed adultery, fornication. And you hear them talking the next day, "Boy, we had a good time last night, didn't we?" You know what they're doing? They're calling evil good. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 5. And let me show you how the people who do that bring a curse upon themselves. Look in Isaiah chapter 5. Notice, if you would, verse 20, Isaiah 5, verse 20. Look what God says concerning those individuals. Isaiah 5, verse 20. "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." Note what he says. "Woe unto them." "Woe unto them." That is a curse. A calamity, a woe comes upon those individuals who call evil good and good evil and bitter sweet and sweet bitter and light for darkness and darkness for light. God says they just simply revel and glory in that which I hate and that which I despise.

Now, let me tell you what God's admonition is for those who love Him. And I will quote it rather than asking you to turn there. In Psalm 97 verse 10, God says, "Ye that love the Lord hate evil." "Ye that love the Lord hate evil." I'm going to tell you something, folks. I'm not going to sit down and watch a movie or TV program that glorifies sodomy. I'm not going to do it. Or glorifies anything else that I know that's absolutely contrary to God and His truth. We're not going to call evil good, nor are we going to call good evil. God says ye that love the Lord, what are you to do? You're to hate the evil. Despise it the way God despises it. Detest it the way God detests it. You know what He said in Amos 5 and verse 15? Again, God said, "Hate the evil and love the good." Those are commands. If we love Him, we hate that which is contrary to Him and we love that which is in conformity to Him.

The very fact that men love that which God hates manifests their hatred of God, for had they loved God, they would hate that which was contrary to God and His holiness. So how do men manifest their hatred? First of all, there was rejection of his person.

Manifestation 4: Rebellion to His Position

Hatred is expressed by refusing to submit to God's sovereign authority, seeking to be one's own god, as seen in Psalm 2 and Luke 19:14.

Secondly, there was a refusal to obey his precepts. Thirdly, there is regarding of that which he prohibits, and fourthly, there is a rebellion to his position. I hope you see how all of these points fit together like a glove. In fact, in reality, it is impossible to separate them. When one rejects the person of God, at the same time, he refuses to obey his precepts. At the same time, he is regarding that which God prohibits. And in doing that, it's nothing less than rebellion to his position. Well, you ask me, "Pastor, what is God's position?"

The answer is very simple. He is God. He is the sovereign, the Lord, the only God of the universe. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He only has rightful authority to rule and to reign. And the very fact that men refuse to bow to His sovereign position is a manifestation of their hatred. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 2. Very quickly, Psalm 2.

And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Look in Psalm 2 and verse 1. Here's a Psalm that is directed mainly to kings and to rulers. Psalm 2, verse 1. The question is asked, "Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?" Now watch verse two. "The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us." In other words, they're trying to rebel against God. They are rebelling against God. They don't like God's boundaries. They don't like God's limitation. They don't like God's sovereign control. They do not like God's saying, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further." And so they rebel against Him. Look back in your Bibles to Psalm 81 again. Psalm 81. We read this verse earlier. Look at Psalm 81, verse 15. Just to show you the rebellion that is in those who hate God. Notice what he said. Psalm 81 and verse 15. The Word of God says "the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him." What does that mean? It means those who hate God are not in submission. They're rebelling against him. They're rebelling against his position of sovereign authority. And then if you look at Psalm 83 verse 2 that we read earlier. Look what he says.

"For lo, thine enemies make a tumult. They that hate thee have lifted up the head." What does lifting up the head mean? It speaks of arrogance, pride, haughty rebellion. "You're not going to tell me what to do. You're not going to order my life. I'll do what I want to do. I'll say what I want to say." That's what lifting up the head is. So they are in rebellion to God.

Remember, I quoted it earlier from Luke 19 in verse 14. What did those people say? "But the citizens of that country hated him, and they said, We will not have this man to reign over us." That's rebellion. That's rebellion. Now, why do men not bow to God? The answer is very simple. Not just simply because they're rebellious. But because they want to be God themselves. It's the age old temptation that you find in Genesis 3 and verse 5. You remember what the serpent told Eve? "For God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, then ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Now, the word "knowing" is a very emphatic word in the Hebrew, and it literally means "determining." "Ye shall be as gods, determining good and evil."

In other words, once you eat this fruit, says the serpent, you don't have to have God to tell you what's right and wrong. You can judge what's right and wrong for yourself. You can be your own God. You can make your own rules. You can make your own law. And so men who reject God's sovereign authority do so that they may elevate themselves to the status of Godhood and do what they think best. And live their lives according as they determine. You see, rebellion to God's position is a manifestation of hate. Our Lord said it best in Matthew 12 and verse 30, he said it like this, "He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not scattereth abroad." So let's put it together. Having understood the concept of hating God, we could paraphrase that verse like this. He that rejects me, he that refuses to obey me, he that rebels against my position is the one who hates me. And instead of gathering with me, he regards that which I hate, that which I despise, and therefore he's scattering abroad. Our Lord makes it very simple.

Applications and Conclusion

Hatred of God is always practical; it wrongs one's own soul. The sermon closes with a call to self-examination: does your life betray hatred or love for God?

Now, let me make very quickly three illustrations or three applications. The first one is this, and it should be obvious, men do hate God. The Word of God declares it to be so. There are some, however, who hate him privately. Others hate him publicly. But whoever hates him privately or publicly always hates him positively and practically. There is always a practical manifestation and a practical demonstration of hatred. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles very quickly to 1 John chapter 3. I've taught you in time past that love is always practical. Love is always demonstrable. 1 John 3.

Note, if you would please, verse 16. Look what he says. 1 John 3, verse 16. "Hereby perceive we"—that means to comprehend or to understand—"Hereby comprehend or understand we the love of God." Why? How? Because He told us? No. "Because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Now watch the practicality. "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." If I love you, what do I do?

I demonstrate it in a practical way. If you're hungry, I feed you. If you're thirsty, I give you water. If you're naked, I give you clothing. There's a practical application to the doctrine of love. There's likewise a practical application to the doctrine of hate. That is, they despise the gospel. They do not walk worthy of it. They disclaim and discard the doctrines of the word of God.

They cast off God's yoke and they maltreat His people. They love that which God hates. All hatred of God is manifested in a practical way. By rejection of His person, by refusal of his precepts, by regarding that which he prohibits, and refusing to bow to his position. Here's the second application. Those that offend Christ do the greatest wrong to themselves, to their own souls. Let me just quote Proverbs 8, verse 36 again. Our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." When people hate Christ, they wound their own conscience. They bring a blot and a stain upon their own souls, which renders them odious in the eyes of God, and of course unfits them for communion with God, and they deceive themselves. They disturbed themselves, they destroyed themselves, as our Lord said, it is a wronging of their own soul. And God may righteously say to them, as he did to those in Hosea 13 in verse 9, "Thou hast destroyed thyself." Hating God is nothing less than self-destruction.

Here's the third and final application. The great question is, do you hate God? You may answer, "No, I don't hate God." But your life can betray you. You remember when Peter was denying our Lord. Matthew 26 it is and around verse 73. They asked him, "Do you know this man?" "No, no, I don't know that man." They said, "Surely you're one of them for your speech betrayeth you." You've got to be a Galilean. We may say, "No I don't hate God," but our lives can betray us. If our conduct, if our attitude, if our actions are not brought in conformity to the word of God, what does our Lord say? "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Our Lord summarized very well in Luke 6 in verse 46 when he said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say unto you?" If Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we will demonstrate it by obedience. If He is not our Lord, we will demonstrate it by rebellion and wickedness and sin. If you do not love Him, you hate him.

I'm not saying this to be funny, but to make a point. But being saved is like being pregnant. Either you are or you ain't. There's no in-between. It's just that simple. And we either love Him or we hate Him. If we love Him, we will manifest it. If we hate Him, we will manifest it. But please remember this, folks. There are people who hate God. But thankfully, there are also some who love Him.

And that's who I want to be around. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for Jesus Christ. We're thankful for the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Enabling us to bring our lives in conformity to his word, we are what we are only by the grace of God. We do not keep by law. We do not obey thy word in our own power, in our own initiative. But Father, by the regenerating grace of God and the converting grace of the Holy Ghost, we are brought to love thy law and delight in it. And we delight in honoring and obeying thee. Help us, Father, to continue in your love. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Biblical Reality of Hatred Toward God

Summary: Scripture repeatedly and plainly declares that men hate God, using the strong Hebrew word 'sone,' leaving no room to soften the concept.

Evidence: Weaver cites Exodus 20:5, Romans 8:7, and many other passages where 'hate' is used of man's attitude toward God.

Practical Atheism vs. Intellectual Atheism

Summary: Most people are practical atheists who may acknowledge God's existence but live as if He has no authority, thereby demonstrating hatred.

Evidence: Weaver explains the difference between intellectual atheists (who deny God by reasoning) and practical atheists (who live contrary to God).

Hatred Manifested Through Rejection of God's Messengers

Summary: Rejecting God's prophets and preachers is a direct manifestation of hating God, as seen in Ahab's treatment of Micaiah.

Evidence: The account of Ahab imprisoning Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18-19) is used to show that hatred of God's representative equals hatred of God.

Love and Obedience Are Inseparable

Summary: Loving God is demonstrated by keeping His commandments; conversely, disobedience proves hatred, not love.

Evidence: John 14:15, 21, 24; 1 John 2:3-4; and Exodus 20:5-6 are used to show the link between love and commandment-keeping.

Calling Evil Good as Hatred of God

Summary: Those who hate God regard and revel in what He prohibits, calling evil good and good evil, which brings a curse.

Evidence: Isaiah 5:20 is quoted to show the woe upon those who invert moral categories, and Psalm 97:10 commands lovers of God to hate evil.

Rebellion Against God's Sovereign Rule

Summary: Hatred is expressed by refusing to submit to God's authority, seeking autonomy, and saying 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

Evidence: Psalm 2:1-3, Psalm 81:15, Psalm 83:2, and Luke 19:14 are cited to show rebellion as hatred.

Self-Destruction Through Hating God

Summary: Hating God is ultimately self-destructive; those who hate Him wrong their own souls and love death.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:36 is quoted: 'All they that hate me love death,' and Hosea 13:9 is referenced.

The Necessity of Self-Examination

Summary: Listeners are urged to examine whether their lives betray a hatred of God, despite any verbal profession of love.

Evidence: The example of Peter's speech betraying him (Matthew 26:73) and 1 John 2:4 are used to call for honest self-assessment.

Key Arguments

Hatred of God is a biblical fact, not an exaggeration.

Summary: The Bible uses the word 'hate' (sone) over 130 times, including direct statements that men hate God, making it an undeniable doctrine.

Evidence: Weaver lists numerous verses (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 7:9-10; Psalm 21:8; John 15:23; Romans 1:30) that explicitly say men hate God.

Hatred is primarily demonstrated practically, not verbally.

Summary: Most people do not verbally declare hatred for God, but their actions—rejecting His law, loving sin, rebelling—prove their hatred.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Most people would never verbalize their hatred of God. And yet, they demonstrate their hatred... by living a life that manifests that extreme hatred.'

Rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God Himself.

Summary: Because God identifies with His prophets and preachers, mistreating them is a direct manifestation of hating God.

Evidence: The story of Ahab and Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18-19) and Matthew 10:40 are used to show that reception or rejection of God's representatives equals reception or rejection of God.

Obedience is the only valid test of love for God.

Summary: Jesus and the apostles teach that keeping God's commandments is the evidence of love; failure to obey proves hatred.

Evidence: John 14:15, 21, 24; 1 John 2:3-4; and 1 John 5:2-3 are cited to establish that love equals obedience and disobedience equals hatred.

Loving what God hates is a mark of hating God.

Summary: Those who hate God embrace and celebrate what God calls abominable, inverting moral categories and calling evil good.

Evidence: Isaiah 5:20 pronounces woe on those who call evil good; Psalm 97:10 commands lovers of God to hate evil.

Rebellion against God's authority is rooted in a desire to be one's own god.

Summary: The refusal to submit to God's rule stems from the original temptation in Eden—to determine good and evil for oneself.

Evidence: Genesis 3:5 is referenced: 'Ye shall be as gods, determining good and evil,' explaining the motive behind rebellion.

Hating God is self-destructive.

Summary: Those who hate God wrong their own souls and love death; their hatred brings ruin upon themselves.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:36 is quoted: 'All they that hate me love death,' and Hosea 13:9 is alluded to.

Profession without obedience is self-deception.

Summary: Claiming to know God while living in disobedience makes one a liar, according to 1 John 2:4.

Evidence: 1 John 2:4 is repeatedly cited: 'He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.'

Scripture References

Exodus 20:5

Context: God visits iniquity on those who hate Him, showing mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Romans 8:7-8

Context: The carnal mind is enmity against God; those in the flesh cannot please God.

Deuteronomy 7:9-10

Context: God keeps covenant with those who love Him and repays those who hate Him to their face.

Deuteronomy 32:41

Context: God will render vengeance to His enemies and reward them that hate Him.

2 Chronicles 19:2

Context: Jehu asks Jehoshaphat, 'Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord?'

Psalm 21:8

Context: God's hand will find out His enemies and those that hate Him.

Psalm 68:1

Context: Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let them that hate Him flee.

Psalm 69:4

Context: They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head (applied to Christ in John 15:25).

Psalm 81:15

Context: The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him.

Psalm 83:2

Context: Thine enemies make a tumult; they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

Psalm 129:5

Context: Let them be confounded that hate Zion.

Proverbs 8:36

Context: He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me love death.

Matthew 6:24

Context: No man can serve two masters; he will hate the one and love the other; you cannot serve God and mammon.

John 7:7

Context: The world hates Christ because He testifies that its works are evil.

John 15:18, 23

Context: The world hated Christ before it hated believers; he that hateth Christ hateth the Father also.

Luke 19:14

Context: His citizens hated him and said, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'

Romans 1:30

Context: Among the sins of the reprobate are 'haters of God.'

1 John 2:3-4

Context: We know we know Him if we keep His commandments; he that says he knows Him and keeps not His commandments is a liar.

John 14:15, 21, 24

Context: If you love me, keep my commandments; he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.

Isaiah 5:20

Context: Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.

Historical References

Ahab and Jehoshaphat's alliance (2 Chronicles 18-19)

Context: Jehoshaphat allied with wicked King Ahab, who hated God's prophet Micaiah and imprisoned him, demonstrating hatred of God through mistreatment of His messenger.

Pharaoh's rejection of God (Exodus 5)

Context: Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?' illustrating rejection of God's person leading to refusal of His precepts.

The unjust judge (Luke 18)

Context: The judge 'feared not God, nor regarded man,' showing that rejection of God leads to disregard for His law toward others.

Peter's denial (Matthew 26:73)

Context: Peter's speech betrayed him as a Galilean; similarly, one's life can betray a profession of love for God.

Important Quotes

He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death.

Significance: This quote from Proverbs 8:36 frames the sermon's theme that hating God is self-destructive and leads to death.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar. And the truth is not in him.

Significance: Key verse used to argue that profession without obedience is self-deception and evidence of hatred, not love.

If you love me, keep my commandments.

Significance: Jesus' direct statement linking love for Him with obedience, used to define the opposite—disobedience as hatred.

Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness.

Significance: Shows that those who hate God invert moral categories, bringing a curse upon themselves.

The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him.

Significance: Demonstrates that hatred of God is expressed through refusal to submit to His authority.

We will not have this man to reign over us.

Significance: The cry of rebellion from Luke 19:14, illustrating the heart attitude of those who hate God's sovereign rule.

Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say unto you?

Significance: Jesus' question that challenges empty profession and calls for a life of obedience as proof of genuine lordship.

Discussion Questions

What is the difference between an intellectual atheist and a practical atheist, and why does the Bible focus on practical hatred of God?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between those who deny God's existence intellectually and those who live as if He does not exist, emphasizing that practical atheism is the more common manifestation of hatred.

How does the story of Ahab and Micaiah illustrate that rejecting God's messengers is equivalent to rejecting God Himself?

Context: Ahab imprisoned God's prophet Micaiah because he hated his message; Weaver uses this to show that hatred of God is often directed at His representatives.

According to 1 John 2:3-4, what is the relationship between knowing God and keeping His commandments? How does this challenge common notions of assurance?

Context: Weaver repeatedly cites this passage to argue that obedience is the only valid evidence of genuine faith, and that disobedience proves one is a liar.

In what ways do people today 'call evil good and good evil'? How should Christians respond to such cultural inversions?

Context: Isaiah 5:20 is applied to those who celebrate sin; Weaver urges believers to hate evil as God does.

Why is rebellion against God's authority ultimately a desire to be one's own god? How does Genesis 3:5 explain this?

Context: Weaver traces rebellion to the temptation in Eden, where Satan promised that humans could determine good and evil for themselves.

How does hating God lead to self-destruction, according to Proverbs 8:36? Can you think of examples where sin has 'wronged one's own soul'?

Context: The sermon concludes that hatred of God is ultimately self-destructive, loving death rather than life.

What does it mean for our lives to 'betray' our profession of faith, as Peter's speech betrayed him? How can we examine ourselves honestly?

Context: Weaver uses Peter's denial as an analogy for how actions can reveal true loyalties, urging self-examination.

How does the sermon's teaching on love and hate challenge the idea that one can be neutral toward God?

Context: Weaver states that there is no middle ground: 'You either love him or you hate him,' based on Matthew 12:30.

Applications

Examine your life for evidence of hatred toward God.

Summary: Listeners are urged to honestly assess whether their actions—disobedience, love of sin, rebellion—betray a heart that hates God, despite any verbal profession.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We may say, "No I don't hate God," but our lives can betray us,' and cites 1 John 2:4.

Demonstrate love for God through obedience to His commandments.

Summary: True love for God is shown by keeping His commandments; believers should strive to bring their lives into conformity with God's Word.

Evidence: John 14:15 is quoted: 'If you love me, keep my commandments,' and the sermon emphasizes that love is practical.

Hate what God hates—evil and sin.

Summary: Lovers of God are commanded to hate evil; this means refusing to entertain or celebrate what God calls abominable.

Evidence: Psalm 97:10 is cited: 'Ye that love the Lord hate evil,' and Weaver applies it to avoiding media that glorifies sin.

Submit to God's sovereign authority rather than rebelling.

Summary: Instead of seeking autonomy, believers should bow to God's rule, recognizing that rebellion is a mark of hatred.

Evidence: Psalm 81:15 says 'the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him,' and Luke 19:14 is referenced.

Do not be deceived by empty professions of faith in others.

Summary: Weaver warns that many public figures claim Christianity but live contrary to God's commands; believers should judge by fruit, not words.

Evidence: He criticizes politicians and movie stars who profess faith but support abortion and sodomy, citing 1 John 2:4.

Recognize that hating God is self-destructive.

Summary: Those who persist in sin and rebellion are wronging their own souls and loving death; this should motivate repentance.

Evidence: Proverbs 8:36 is quoted: 'All they that hate me love death,' and Hosea 13:9 is alluded to.

Receive God's messengers as you would receive God.

Summary: How one treats God's preachers and prophets reflects one's attitude toward God Himself; rejection of them is rejection of God.

Evidence: Matthew 10:40 is referenced: 'He that receiveth you receiveth me,' and the Ahab narrative is used.

Do not call evil good or good evil.

Summary: Christians must maintain biblical moral categories and not celebrate or approve of what God condemns.

Evidence: Isaiah 5:20 pronounces woe on those who invert moral labels; Weaver applies this to cultural issues.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:58:30Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:07:57Z

Clean Transcript

What it Means to Hate God

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bibles today to the book of Exodus chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20. Those of you that were here last week, you remember I preached the message which I entitled "Death Wish." And in that message, I kept quoting Proverbs 8 and verse 36, where our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." And so the thought came to me as I was preaching last week, "Well, I wonder if most people know what it means to hate God." So the message I'm going to be preaching today is entitled "Hating God" or "What it Means to Hate God." So look in Exodus chapter 20, beginning there with verse five.
#1 | 0:01 to 0:48 | cleaned
Many of you will recognize that this is the giving of the Ten Commandments. In verse 5, God says concerning idols, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." Now, I'm going to be coming back to this text in just a little while, but I want to just call your attention to the phrase in verse 5 where he says, "Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Hating God is an unthinkable and almost an unutterable concept. Who in his right mind could or would hate the Most High?
#2 | 0:50 to 1:42 | cleaned
the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Sustainer, and the Preserver. Yet Scripture tells us over and over that men do hate God. I would ask that you hold that to this chapter 20, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8, and let me show you verse 7 and 8. Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. Romans 8, verse 7. Once again, here's a text that declares man's enmity against God. Romans 8, verse 7.
#3 | 1:43 to 2:18 | cleaned
The Bible says, "Because the carnal mind"—now the word "carnal" there refers to fleshly or that which is by nature. So you could read that "because the natural mind," that is the unconverted mind, the unregenerate mind, or "because man by nature is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." So the Bible says the carnal mind is enmity against God. So man not only hates God by nature, but the Bible tells us his very nature, the cause of sin and rebellion, is enmity itself against God. Now the word "enmity" is an extreme word for an extreme hatred. So he says that man's nature because of his sin, his rebellion, his wickedness, his enmity against God. And then he says in verse 8, "So then," that is because of this enmity, "so then they that are in the flesh," that is man by nature, "cannot please God." So man by nature then harbors an extreme animosity against God.
#4 | 2:18 to 3:31 | cleaned
His hatred so influences his attitude and his actions. Therefore, he cannot please God. So his nature then is completely and totally unacceptable to God. Unless he is born from above, the way our Lord told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, he will in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. Now, very few men would be bold enough to publicly state their hatred of God. However, there have been a few notable infidels who have done so. It is amazing to me to discover that many of those who deny the existence of God spend a great deal of their time, effort and money expressing their denial and hatred of God. I mean, if I did not believe that God really existed, why in the world would I waste my time fighting him? But isn't it amazing those who deny God are the ones who fight him the most?
#5 | 3:32 to 4:36 | cleaned
Now, let me just explain where I'm going with this. I want you to understand there is a difference between an intellectual and a practical atheist. Most people are practical atheists. There are very few intellectual atheists. An intellectual atheist is a man who says this: "According to my reasoning abilities, according to my rationalizations, according to my powers of thinking, there is no way that I can deduce or discover God. So based upon my reasoning abilities, God does not exist." That is an intellectual atheist. What is a practical atheist? A practical atheist is someone who may admit there is a God. He may even confess that God is. But he lives as if God does not exist, and he lives as if God's truth, God's word, has no relevance to his life. So while on the one hand he may acknowledge God, his life is totally opposite in the fact that he does not recognize God's sovereign authority over him.
#6 | 4:37 to 5:52 | cleaned
While most would never verbalize their hatred of God—you don't walk down the street every day and see men clenching their fists and gritting their teeth saying, "I hate God, I hate God." Most people would never verbalize their hatred of God. And yet, they demonstrate their hatred of God privately and publicly by living a life that manifests that extreme hatred, their lives for that which indicate and manifest and reveal their hatred of God. They are practical God haters. They may not be intellectual God haters, but they are practical God haters.
#7 | 5:54 to 6:40 | cleaned
Now, I want to just cover two points today. I want to cover, first of all, the reality of man's hatred and secondly, the manifestation of man's hatred of God.
#8 | 6:40 to 6:53 | cleaned
Now, the second point is going to be far more developed than the first point. So, first of all, the reality of man's hatred of God. Scripture is exceedingly clear when it expresses man's hatred of God. It is useless to try to attempt or to endeavor to water down the concept of man's hatred of God. Neither can you soften the meaning of the term. Every time you come to the word "hate," it is the Hebrew word "sone." That word occurs 146 times in our Bible, and 136 of those times it is translated as "hate" or "hatred," and the rest of the time it is translated either as "enemy," "foe," or "hateful." So it is a strong word that is used in reference to God, and it is also used in reference to man. So you cannot soften the meaning of the word "hate." So when the Bible says that men hate God, it means that they are a real, genuine hater of God. Therefore, they are the enemy of God. They are the foe of God.
#9 | 6:54 to 8:06 | cleaned
Now, what I want to do in this first point is this. I want you to just follow up with me as I show you a number of scriptures. It is from these scriptures that we're going to mine and bring forth the doctrine of man's hatred of God. When I get to applying the truth, I'm not necessarily going to use every one of these scriptures. I'm going to use a good many of them. But I want you to see how many times this concept occurs over and over in the Bible. So let's look, first of all, in our Bibles, having read Exodus chapter 20, go to Deuteronomy chapter 7, and let's read verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy 7, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9.
#10 | 8:06 to 9:06 | cleaned
The Bible says, "Now know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hateth him. He will repay him to his face." Now note, if you would, "and repayeth them that hate him to their face." And then again, "He will not be slack to him that hateth him." So very obviously, there are some who hate God.
#11 | 9:06 to 9:43 | cleaned
Look at Deuteronomy 32 and verse 41. Deuteronomy 32 verse 41. Deuteronomy 32 verse 41, God says, "For if I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me." Note "them that hate me." There are a number of people that hate God. Look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles. Turn right on over 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and look if you would please at verse 2.
#12 | 9:44 to 10:27 | cleaned
We will come back to this passage a little later. 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and verse 2. I want you to note the question that is asked of Jehoshaphat by Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer. Watch 2 Chronicles 19 verse 2. "And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him," that is to meet Jehoshaphat, "and said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord." Now, he asked a simple question. "Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord?" There are people who hate God. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 21 and verse 8. Psalm 21 verse 8. Psalm 21, look if you would please at verse 8.
#13 | 10:27 to 11:31 | cleaned
Here's what the scripture says, "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee." Note if you would, those that hate God are referred to as God's enemies. So he says, "Thine hand shall find out all mine enemies, thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee." Look in Psalm 68 and verse one very quickly. Psalm 68 verse one. Psalm 68 verse one.
#14 | 11:31 to 12:00 | cleaned
The Bible says, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate him flee before him." "Let them also that hate him." I hope you're beginning to see there is a teaching in the Bible that some people hate God. They are referred to as God's enemies. Look at Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69 verse 4. And this verse, of course, it's applicable to the Messiah. "They that hate me without a cause"—and by the way, this is used of Christ in John 15 and verse 25—"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy me being my enemies wrongfully are mighty, then I restored that which I took not away." But notice says "them that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head." Look at Psalm 81 and verse 15. Psalm 81, notice if you would please, verse 15, I'll come back to this text a little bit later. The Bible says in Psalm 81, verse 15, "The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him, but their time should have endured forever."
#15 | 12:08 to 13:24 | cleaned
"The haters of the Lord." Isn't that an awesome phrase? "The haters of the Lord." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 83 and verse 2. Psalm 83 verse 2. "For lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head." "They that hate thee have lifted up the head."
#16 | 13:24 to 13:51 | cleaned
Now, it'll be interesting to discover what that means. "They that hate thee have lifted up the head." Look in Psalm 129 and verse 5. Psalm 129 and verse 5. Psalm 129 verse 5. "Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion." Now I realize this does not say "that hate God," but you remember Zion is a city of God and by the way. As I take you through these verses, I want you to know that each one of these verses contain the word "hate." I have not chosen verses that alluded to the fact that men hate God, or are illustrations of the fact that men hate God, or that there are parables that indicate that men hate God. The verses that I've chosen, every one of them say that men hate God. They actually use the word "sone," which is the word for "hate." Look in Proverbs 8, verse 36. I quoted this verse last week. I quoted it at the beginning of our message today. Proverbs 8, verse 36.
#17 | 13:51 to 15:11 | cleaned
Our Lord says, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." By the way, I skipped one passage, but I'll just quote it for you. In Psalm 139, verse 21, David says, "Do not I hate them that hate thee, O Lord? Yea, I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies." "But do not I hate them that hate thee?" So there are men who hate God. Look in Matthew 6 and verse 24. Matthew 6, verse 24. Almost through. Matthew 6, verse 24. Our Lord says this, and of course, in the context, talking about God and Mammon, he says in Matthew 6 and verse 24, "No man can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon." No, you will hate the one and love the other. So men who love Mammon hate God. It's just that simple. Look in your Bibles to John 7 and verse 7.
#18 | 15:11 to 16:25 | cleaned
John 7, verse 7. John 7 and verse 7, look what our Lord tells his disciples. John 7, verse 7. It's his brethren he's talking to, not his disciples, but he says there—when I say his brethren, I'm talking about his half brothers—he says, "The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil." What's the Bible say? The Bible says the world hates Christ. Look in John 15 and verse 18. John 15, verse 18. Now, our Lord is talking to his disciples and he says this, "If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you."
#19 | 16:28 to 17:24 | cleaned
I hope you can put two and two together. The reason Christians are so hated in this world is because people hate Christ. Look in your Bibles to John 15, beginning there with verse 23. Our Lord says, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Oh, did you hear that? "He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father." So our Lord says, whoever hates Him hates the Father. Look in your Bibles, Luke 19 and verse 14.
#20 | 17:26 to 18:11 | cleaned
Here's a passage we will come to a little bit later. Luke 19 and verse 14. Luke 19, verse 14. Here the Word of God says, "But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying, We will not have this man to reign over us." Now, one last passage. Look at Romans 1 and verse 30. Romans 1, verse 30. Romans 1, verse 30. And look at the phrase that is used, describing the unregenerate, describing the pervert. God says, "Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents."
#21 | 18:11 to 19:07 | cleaned
Now, out of all of these verses in the Old and New Testament, I hope you've come to realize there is such a thing as hating God. There are a great many people who hate God.
#22 | 19:07 to 19:20 | cleaned
Now, the question has to be asked. How do we know who hates God? How do we know whether a man is a lover of God or a hater of God? So that brings me to the second point, the manifestation of man's hatred. And I want to spend the rest of my time in this message today showing you from the Bible how man's hatred of God is manifested, how it's evidenced.
#23 | 19:22 to 19:53 | cleaned
Now most of us have heard the old expression, "I can't hear what you are saying for the way you are acting." What's it mean? It means your actions are betraying your profession. Your actions are totally opposite from what you are saying. So the Bible is going to teach us that it is really our conduct. It is really our attitude and our actions that communicates what we truly believe.
#24 | 19:53 to 20:27 | cleaned
Now, our Lord said it very simply in Matthew chapter seven and verse 20. Let me just quote it for you. Our Lord said, "By their fruits, you shall know them." Doesn't matter what they say. It does matter what they do, so by their fruits you shall know them. You remember Solomon, the wise man, who in Proverbs 23 and verse 7 said this, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
#25 | 20:28 to 21:03 | cleaned
In other words, ultimately what you genuinely and truly believe is going to be manifested in your conduct. Now, man's hatred of God I believe is manifested in at least four specific ways. Now, I'm going to call these four specific ways an irreducible minimum. I'm sure that if we went through the Bible, we could probably find a great many more ways as to how men's hatred of God is manifested. However, I do not believe you could reduce the number to any less than these four and still accurately convey the concept of man's hatred of God.
#26 | 21:03 to 21:46 | cleaned
So let's ask the question again. How do we know whether or not men hate God? Well, the answer is we look at their fruit. We look at their conduct. We look at their actions. We live in a day and time when professing Christians are so easily deceived and duped. It is almost unbelievable. Do you realize all a movie star or a politician has to do is to just say he's a Christian and maybe quote a few verses of scripture or use a little Bible terminology and then the multitude of professing Christendom is absolutely convinced that those individuals are genuine children of God, while their entire lives are contrary to what God says. A case in point, all you have to do is look at the politicians who have gotten on the born again bandwagon.
#27 | 21:46 to 22:56 | cleaned
And you look at their voting records and how they vote for abortion and sodomy and socialism, welfareism. In other words, their conduct and their action totally speaks differently than their profession.
#28 | 22:59 to 23:20 | cleaned
Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John, chapter two. I want to show you a passage. I've quoted this passage to you many times in the past. But I'm going to emphasize this passage several times today, and I want you to be extremely familiar with it. Look in 1 John, chapter two. In fact, let's read verse three and then we're going to read verse four. Verse four is the first that I really want to emphasize, but just so that you can see the context in verse three.
#29 | 23:21 to 23:54 | cleaned
"And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments." Now look what verse 4 says. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar. And the truth is not in him."
#30 | 23:55 to 24:13 | cleaned
Now folks, how is it that so many politicians and movie stars and people can make a profession of faith, and gullible Christendom believes them, even when their lives are contrary to Scripture. Note what God says. God says, "He that saith, I know him." He that makes a profession of faith. He that says he's a Christian. And yet that man keeps not God's commands. What does God say? That man's a liar.
#31 | 24:13 to 24:57 | cleaned
"And the truth is not in him." What does that make our politicians? What does that make our professing movie stars? I'm not saying that you cannot be a politician and not be a Christian. Nor am I saying you cannot be a movie star and not be a Christian. But I am saying this. If you are a politician, if you are a movie star, and you live by the word of God, you're not going to be in office long, nor a star very long.
#32 | 24:58 to 25:30 | cleaned
Now, it's very important to hear what our Lord said. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
#33 | 25:34 to 25:43 | cleaned
Now, how does man's hatred of God express itself? In four ways. First of all, a rejection of his person. There is a rejection of his person. Clearly, this should be an obvious manifestation of hatred. You do not cling or cleave to the one that you hate. You do not desire to be near or around the one that you hate. I'm sure that every one of us can think of people that we detest. We dislike intensely. And do we want to be around them? Well, of course not. Why do we not want to be around them? Because we dislike them, we despise them, we detest them. The same thing is true with God. Whenever there is a hatred of God, there is rejection of His person. I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 19. I told you that we would come back there.
#34 | 25:44 to 26:50 | cleaned
Here Jehu the son of Hanani asked the question of King Jehoshaphat. Now we should look at this question that he asked him. 2 Chronicles chapter 19. Notice if you would please verse 2. "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat." Now look at this question. "Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord." "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, or love them that hate the Lord?" Now, the questions that are being asked to King Jehoshaphat are in reference to Jehoshaphat's teaming up with King Ahab, who is the most wicked and the most vile king in Israel. Jehoshaphat was king of the southern kingdom. Ahab, that of the northern kingdom. Now, Ahab summons Jehoshaphat, and he says, "Know ye not that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we be still, and do not take it?"
#35 | 26:51 to 28:04 | cleaned
In other words, the Syrians have control of this land. This is our land. Will you go with me and help me recover this land? Well, look in chapter 18 and verse 3. "And Ahab, king of Israel, said unto Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people, and we will be with thee in the war." Now, to me, I don't even understand how Jehoshaphat can say what he could say to Ahab. "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people"? No, they were two totally separate peoples, and Jehoshaphat was not like Ahab.
#36 | 28:04 to 28:46 | cleaned
But what he's saying now, "I'll go with you to battle." But I want you to know that he made this statement before he inquired of the Lord. Therefore, verse 4 says, "And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, of the word of the Lord today." Well, he should have inquired before he agreed. Verse 5, "Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?"
#37 | 28:47 to 29:14 | cleaned
"And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand." So here are 400 prophets saying, "Go up, Ahab. Go up. God's going to deliver you, Ramoth Gilead. Go on up. It's a piece of cake. It's all yours." But look at what Jehoshaphat asked. Verse 6, "But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, besides that we may inquire of him?" Now, wait a minute. Here are 400 prophets. But they're not the prophets of the Lord. What kind of prophets were they? They were prophets of Baal. You know why? Ahab had murdered the prophets of God, drove some out of the land, and what few were left, he imprisoned and tortured.
#38 | 29:15 to 30:07 | cleaned
Now, I want you to watch what happens. Jehoshaphat says, "I want a prophet of the Lord. I don't want a prophet of Baal. Is there not a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of him?" Look what it said. Verse 7. "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man." You know, I'm going to preach on that one of these days. That thought hit me as I was reading this passage coming up. "There is yet one man." God always has a man. He says, "There is yet one man"—watch—"by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him. Why? For he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil. The same is Micaiah, the son of Imlah." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Now watch. "And the king of Israel called for one of his officers and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah, the son of Imlah." Now here's a question I want to ask you. How did Ahab know who Micaiah was? I mean, don't you remember the Spirit of the Lord oftentimes took these prophets hither and yon?
#39 | 30:10 to 31:17 | cleaned
How did Ahab know exactly where Micaiah was? Now, he's already said, "I hate him. He never prophesied any good concerning me. Always evil." And, of course, Jehoshaphat, Christ of past vibes says, "Let not the king say so." Well, look, if you would please, in verse, let's skip down to verse 11. "And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it in the hand of the king. And the messenger then went to call Micaiah, spake him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent. Let thy word, therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go up to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" I wish I knew the intonations and the inflections that Micaiah used. Because he said this so sarcastically, the king immediately knew that he was mocking him.
#40 | 31:17 to 32:26 | cleaned
Look what he said. "And he said, Go ye up and prosper. And they shall be delivered into your hand." Verse 15, "And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?" He knew his mocking. Watch verse 16. "Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no master."
#41 | 32:26 to 32:54 | cleaned
"Let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?" Now watch. "And again, he said, Therefore, hear the word of the Lord." And he tells how God has sent lying spirits in the mouths of these false prophets that he might get Ahab up to Ramoth Gilead, that he might kill him.
#42 | 32:54 to 33:15 | cleaned
Now, remember what he said? He said he's never going to speak anything good concerning me, but evil. "There's one man," he said, "but I hate him." I ask you. How did he know where Micaiah was? How could he tell his man, "Fetch him quickly"? Well, watch for yourself. Skip down if you would please to verse 25. "Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city."
#43 | 33:16 to 33:47 | cleaned
"And to Joash the king's son, and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace. And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me." Where did he get Micaiah from? Out of the prison. He knew where he was because he had him imprisoned. Now what did he say?
#44 | 33:47 to 34:08 | cleaned
He said, "I hate him." Now let me ask you a question. How can a man who hates God manifest his hatred of God? I mean, he cannot climb to God's throne and shake his fist in the face of God and intimidate God. And just simply saying, "I hate you" is not sufficient. No, he demonstrates and he manifests his hatred of God by evidence of his hatred of God's representative, which is God's man. In other words, he hates God's prophet. He hates God's preacher.
#45 | 34:08 to 34:49 | cleaned
Do you not remember when I quoted this passage in Matthew 10, verse 40? Our Lord said, "He that receiveth you"—what?—"receiveth me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me."
#46 | 34:49 to 35:01 | cleaned
Now, our Lord says, when you receive my disciples, when you receive my messengers, you're receiving me. And when you receive me, you're receiving the Father who sent me. The opposite is also true. When you refuse to receive the prophet of God, you also are refusing Christ. When you refuse Christ, you're also refusing the Father. Do you not remember in 1 Samuel chapter 8, when they rejected God and would not have God to reign over them? Do you remember what God said to Samuel? "As they have done to me, so now they do also unto thee." In other words, they've rejected me.
#47 | 35:01 to 35:39 | cleaned
They're going to reject you. Whenever a person rejects God or God's representative, it is a manifestation of his hatred against God. Let me just show you. Look in your Bible since you're in 2 Chronicles. Go to chapter 36 and look at verses 15 and 16. 2 Chronicles 36 verses 15 and 16. 2 Chronicles 36 verse 15. Here it is. "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes and sending"—why?
#48 | 35:39 to 36:30 | cleaned
"Because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place." Well, what do they do? "But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words," that is, God's words, "and misused His prophets until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore, He brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword, and the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young men, or maiden, or old man, or him that stooped for age."
#49 | 36:31 to 36:58 | cleaned
"He gave them all into His hands." Now note, when they hated God, what did they do? They mocked, they misused and abused his prophets. How do we know that men reject the person of God? Because they reject his messengers. They reject his preachers. They reject his prophets. The very first manifestation is there is a rejection of God's person.
#50 | 36:58 to 37:35 | cleaned
Now, let me just remind you of a simple truth to set you up for the second point. A king rules by his law. That is true of the earthly king. It is certainly true of the divine king. Wherever there is a rejection of the king, there is always a rejection of His law. So how does man's hatred manifest itself? First of all, in a rejection of God's person.
#51 | 37:35 to 38:11 | cleaned
Secondly, in a refusal to obey His precepts. In a refusal to obey His precepts. When God's person is rejected, so is His law. If you have no regard for the person, you certainly will not respect his word. Men are like Pharaoh of old. Do you remember in Exodus chapter five, Moses had come to Pharaoh and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go." Pharaoh's response was a classic one. He simply said this, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go." When there was a rejection of this person, there was a refusal of his precepts. He said, "I don't know God. I don't receive that God. I reject that God. That God has no authority over me. Therefore, I refuse his precepts."
#52 | 38:12 to 39:23 | cleaned
He has no right to tell me what to do. You remember the unjust judge in Luke chapter 18? What did he say? "Though he feared not God, nor regarded man." You see, when there is no fear of God, in other words, when there is a rejection of God's person, no one is going to obey the precepts toward man or toward anybody. So the second manifestation of man's hatred against God is in regards to refusal to obey his precepts.
#53 | 39:23 to 40:02 | cleaned
Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20, where we begin. I want to just very quickly take you through the Bible and a number of selected passages and show you the truth. That those who love the Lord, that is, those who receive his person also receive and obey his precepts. Look at Exodus chapter 20 and verse 5 again. God says in reference to those.
#54 | 40:03 to 40:33 | cleaned
Idols, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."
#55 | 40:35 to 40:48 | cleaned
Now watch, "and showing mercy on the thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." Do you see the distinction? Those that love him keep his commandments. Those that hate him refuse his precepts. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 5. You'll see the same truth taught again. Deuteronomy 5 verses 9 and 10. Deuteronomy 5 beginning there with verse 9. God says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them. For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and show mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Now, look at Deuteronomy 7, and let's go back to verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9. Watch this distinction. "Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him to their face to destroy them."
#56 | 40:48 to 42:03 | cleaned
"He will not be slack to him that hateth him. He will repay him to their face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day to do them." In other words, you don't hate God. You love God. Therefore, thou shalt keep the commandments and the statutes. Isn't that clear?
#57 | 42:04 to 42:24 | cleaned
Now, the exact same truth is taught in the New Testament. God does not change, neither does His truth. If you'll go in your Bibles to John chapter 14. John chapter 14. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John 14. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. John 14 verse 15. Look what he says, John 14 verse 15. "If you love me, keep my commandments." "If you love me, keep my commandments." Skip down to verse 21. "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them."
#58 | 42:25 to 43:06 | cleaned
"He it is that loveth me. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him."
#59 | 43:08 to 43:14 | cleaned
Now note what he said. "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." You remember one of the things that I told you over and over is every positive has a negative. So if he says "he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me," what does it mean negatively? He that does not keep his commandments does not love him. He hates him.
#60 | 43:14 to 43:36 | cleaned
And if that's not clear, look down in verse 24. "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." So he said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. If you do not love me, that means if you hate me, you will not keep my sayings. Look in Romans 13 and verse 10. Romans 13 verse 10.
#61 | 43:37 to 44:06 | cleaned
What the Bible says about what? Romans 13 verse 10. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." Now, what is love? Love is the fulfilling of the law. So if I love God, what do I do? I obey his law. I keep his commands. Skip down over in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John 5. And notice if you would please in verses 2 and 3. 1 John 5, verse 2 and verse 3. 1 John 5, verse 2. "By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commands." How do I know that I love the children of God?
#62 | 44:06 to 45:01 | cleaned
Well, I act obediently toward them. I keep God's commandment toward them. Look in verse 3. "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous." What is the love of God? The love of God is that we keep His commandments. So if we love Him, we obey Him. If we hate Him, we will not obey Him.
#63 | 45:01 to 45:21 | cleaned
Now go back to chapter 2. I want you to see this passage again in light of what I've just been teaching you. 1 John 2, verse 3. "Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments." Now, here's my question. How do I know that I'm genuinely born again? How do I know that I've been genuinely converted? Here's how. Because God's grace enables me to obey Him.
#64 | 45:21 to 45:48 | cleaned
As my life is being brought into more and more conformity to the Word of God, I have assurance. Now, if I say I'm a Christian, and you see me out running around with my wife, or getting drunk, or stealing, you know, you're going to figure out something's wrong. But he said, "Hereby do I know that I know him if I keep his commandments." Therefore, in verse four, here's the opposite. "He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar."
#65 | 45:49 to 46:20 | cleaned
"And the truth is not in him." So if I'm telling you I'm a Christian and I'm running around violating all of God's law constantly, consistently, incessantly, I hope you understand that I'm not a Christian. Look in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 12. Revelation 12, verse 17. Watch what the Bible says. "And the dragon," which of course is symbolical of Satan, "and the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
#66 | 46:20 to 47:11 | cleaned
Who is the devil after? Those who keep the commandments of God and those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Look in chapter 14 and verse 12. Revelation 14 verse 12. "Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Who are the saints? Those that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
#67 | 47:12 to 47:44 | cleaned
Now, go back in your Bibles to Mark 12. Having given you all of these passages, I think now that you can understand very clearly Mark 12, verses 28 through 34. Look in Mark 12, beginning there with verse 28. Mark 12, verse 28. "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength. This is the first commandment, and the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast well said, for there is one God, and there is none other but he. And to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, with all the strength, and to love thy neighbor as thyself is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
#68 | 47:44 to 48:51 | cleaned
"And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question." What does it mean to love the Lord? It means to obey. It means to keep His commands. That's what he just said. If you love God, you will honor Him and obey Him, and you will treat your fellow man right, because you will be treating that fellow man the way God says he ought to be treated.
#69 | 48:52 to 49:16 | cleaned
How does man's hatred manifest itself? In a rejection of God's person and in a refusal to obey his precepts. We've got to understand what our Lord taught us. It is not by a man's profession that we may know him, but by his fruits. That is, by his life, by his action, and by his conduct. All who say they know him and their lives are completely contrary to the Word of God, God says that man is a liar and the truth is not in him. Here's the third way that man's hatred manifests itself. Not just in a rejection of his person and a refusal to obey his precepts, but thirdly, in that he regards that which God prohibits. There is a regarding of that which God prohibits. In Jeremiah 44 and verse 4, God says, while expressing His disdain and detestation of sin, God says, "O do not that abominable thing which I hate." God hates sin. God says, "Don't do that abominable thing which I hate."
#70 | 49:18 to 50:52 | cleaned
You see, the Bible says in Habakkuk 1 in verse 13, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity." Now, what it means is this, that God is so holy and God is so pure, God cannot look upon evil condoningly, nor can he look upon iniquity approvingly. In other words, it is an abomination to God. God hates it. God despises it. But what do men do who hate God? They regard and they revel in that which God hates. They are so perverted that they call evil good and good evil. And when men call evil good, it's just simply a manifestation of their perversion, their hatred of God.
#71 | 50:52 to 51:39 | cleaned
You know, you hear people, maybe they've gone out and gotten drunk. Or committed adultery, fornication. And you hear them talking the next day, "Boy, we had a good time last night, didn't we?" You know what they're doing? They're calling evil good. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 5. And let me show you how the people who do that bring a curse upon themselves. Look in Isaiah chapter 5. Notice, if you would, verse 20, Isaiah 5, verse 20. Look what God says concerning those individuals. Isaiah 5, verse 20. "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." Note what he says. "Woe unto them." "Woe unto them." That is a curse. A calamity, a woe comes upon those individuals who call evil good and good evil and bitter sweet and sweet bitter and light for darkness and darkness for light. God says they just simply revel and glory in that which I hate and that which I despise.
#72 | 51:39 to 53:05 | cleaned
Now, let me tell you what God's admonition is for those who love Him. And I will quote it rather than asking you to turn there. In Psalm 97 verse 10, God says, "Ye that love the Lord hate evil." "Ye that love the Lord hate evil." I'm going to tell you something, folks. I'm not going to sit down and watch a movie or TV program that glorifies sodomy. I'm not going to do it. Or glorifies anything else that I know that's absolutely contrary to God and His truth. We're not going to call evil good, nor are we going to call good evil. God says ye that love the Lord, what are you to do? You're to hate the evil. Despise it the way God despises it. Detest it the way God detests it. You know what He said in Amos 5 and verse 15? Again, God said, "Hate the evil and love the good." Those are commands. If we love Him, we hate that which is contrary to Him and we love that which is in conformity to Him.
#73 | 53:07 to 54:40 | cleaned
The very fact that men love that which God hates manifests their hatred of God, for had they loved God, they would hate that which was contrary to God and His holiness. So how do men manifest their hatred? First of all, there was rejection of his person.
#74 | 54:41 to 55:06 | cleaned
Secondly, there was a refusal to obey his precepts. Thirdly, there is regarding of that which he prohibits, and fourthly, there is a rebellion to his position. I hope you see how all of these points fit together like a glove. In fact, in reality, it is impossible to separate them. When one rejects the person of God, at the same time, he refuses to obey his precepts. At the same time, he is regarding that which God prohibits. And in doing that, it's nothing less than rebellion to his position. Well, you ask me, "Pastor, what is God's position?"
#75 | 55:08 to 55:56 | cleaned
The answer is very simple. He is God. He is the sovereign, the Lord, the only God of the universe. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He only has rightful authority to rule and to reign. And the very fact that men refuse to bow to His sovereign position is a manifestation of their hatred. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 2. Very quickly, Psalm 2.
#76 | 55:57 to 56:31 | cleaned
And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Look in Psalm 2 and verse 1. Here's a Psalm that is directed mainly to kings and to rulers. Psalm 2, verse 1. The question is asked, "Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?" Now watch verse two. "The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us."
#77 | 56:31 to 57:03 | cleaned
In other words, they're trying to rebel against God. They are rebelling against God. They don't like God's boundaries. They don't like God's limitation. They don't like God's sovereign control. They do not like God's saying, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further." And so they rebel against Him. Look back in your Bibles to Psalm 81 again. Psalm 81. We read this verse earlier. Look at Psalm 81, verse 15. Just to show you the rebellion that is in those who hate God. Notice what he said. Psalm 81 and verse 15. The Word of God says "the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him." What does that mean? It means those who hate God are not in submission. They're rebelling against him. They're rebelling against his position of sovereign authority. And then if you look at Psalm 83 verse 2 that we read earlier. Look what he says.
#78 | 57:03 to 58:06 | cleaned
"For lo, thine enemies make a tumult. They that hate thee have lifted up the head." What does lifting up the head mean? It speaks of arrogance, pride, haughty rebellion. "You're not going to tell me what to do. You're not going to order my life. I'll do what I want to do. I'll say what I want to say." That's what lifting up the head is. So they are in rebellion to God.
#79 | 58:06 to 58:32 | cleaned
Remember, I quoted it earlier from Luke 19 in verse 14. What did those people say? "But the citizens of that country hated him, and they said, We will not have this man to reign over us." That's rebellion. That's rebellion. Now, why do men not bow to God? The answer is very simple. Not just simply because they're rebellious. But because they want to be God themselves. It's the age old temptation that you find in Genesis 3 and verse 5. You remember what the serpent told Eve? "For God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, then ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Now, the word "knowing" is a very emphatic word in the Hebrew, and it literally means "determining." "Ye shall be as gods, determining good and evil."
#80 | 58:36 to 59:48 | cleaned
In other words, once you eat this fruit, says the serpent, you don't have to have God to tell you what's right and wrong. You can judge what's right and wrong for yourself. You can be your own God. You can make your own rules. You can make your own law. And so men who reject God's sovereign authority do so that they may elevate themselves to the status of Godhood and do what they think best.
#81 | 59:48 to 1:00:13 | cleaned
And live their lives according as they determine. You see, rebellion to God's position is a manifestation of hate. Our Lord said it best in Matthew 12 and verse 30, he said it like this, "He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not scattereth abroad." So let's put it together. Having understood the concept of hating God, we could paraphrase that verse like this. He that rejects me, he that refuses to obey me, he that rebels against my position is the one who hates me. And instead of gathering with me, he regards that which I hate, that which I despise, and therefore he's scattering abroad. Our Lord makes it very simple.
#82 | 1:00:16 to 1:01:13 | cleaned
The issue is cut and dried. You either love him or you hate him.
#83 | 1:01:14 to 1:01:21 | cleaned
Now, let me make very quickly three illustrations or three applications. The first one is this, and it should be obvious, men do hate God. The Word of God declares it to be so. There are some, however, who hate him privately. Others hate him publicly. But whoever hates him privately or publicly always hates him positively and practically. There is always a practical manifestation and a practical demonstration of hatred. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles very quickly to 1 John chapter 3. I've taught you in time past that love is always practical. Love is always demonstrable. 1 John 3.
#84 | 1:01:24 to 1:02:23 | cleaned
Note, if you would please, verse 16. Look what he says. 1 John 3, verse 16. "Hereby perceive we"—that means to comprehend or to understand—"Hereby comprehend or understand we the love of God." Why? How? Because He told us? No. "Because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Now watch the practicality. "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." If I love you, what do I do?
#85 | 1:02:23 to 1:03:04 | cleaned
I demonstrate it in a practical way. If you're hungry, I feed you. If you're thirsty, I give you water. If you're naked, I give you clothing. There's a practical application to the doctrine of love. There's likewise a practical application to the doctrine of hate. That is, they despise the gospel. They do not walk worthy of it. They disclaim and discard the doctrines of the word of God.
#86 | 1:03:04 to 1:03:27 | cleaned
They cast off God's yoke and they maltreat His people. They love that which God hates. All hatred of God is manifested in a practical way. By rejection of His person, by refusal of his precepts, by regarding that which he prohibits, and refusing to bow to his position. Here's the second application. Those that offend Christ do the greatest wrong to themselves, to their own souls. Let me just quote Proverbs 8, verse 36 again. Our Lord said, "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." When people hate Christ, they wound their own conscience. They bring a blot and a stain upon their own souls, which renders them odious in the eyes of God, and of course unfits them for communion with God, and they deceive themselves. They disturbed themselves, they destroyed themselves, as our Lord said, it is a wronging of their own soul. And God may righteously say to them, as he did to those in Hosea 13 in verse 9, "Thou hast destroyed thyself." Hating God is nothing less than self-destruction.
#87 | 1:03:28 to 1:05:06 | cleaned
Here's the third and final application. The great question is, do you hate God? You may answer, "No, I don't hate God." But your life can betray you. You remember when Peter was denying our Lord. Matthew 26 it is and around verse 73. They asked him, "Do you know this man?" "No, no, I don't know that man." They said, "Surely you're one of them for your speech betrayeth you."
#88 | 1:05:12 to 1:06:00 | cleaned
You've got to be a Galilean. We may say, "No I don't hate God," but our lives can betray us. If our conduct, if our attitude, if our actions are not brought in conformity to the word of God, what does our Lord say? "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Our Lord summarized very well in Luke 6 in verse 46 when he said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say unto you?" If Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we will demonstrate it by obedience. If He is not our Lord, we will demonstrate it by rebellion and wickedness and sin. If you do not love Him, you hate him.
#89 | 1:06:03 to 1:07:08 | cleaned
I'm not saying this to be funny, but to make a point. But being saved is like being pregnant. Either you are or you ain't. There's no in-between. It's just that simple. And we either love Him or we hate Him. If we love Him, we will manifest it. If we hate Him, we will manifest it. But please remember this, folks. There are people who hate God. But thankfully, there are also some who love Him.
#90 | 1:07:14 to 1:08:07 | cleaned
And that's who I want to be around. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for Jesus Christ. We're thankful for the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Enabling us to bring our lives in conformity to his word, we are what we are only by the grace of God. We do not keep by law. We do not obey thy word in our own power, in our own initiative. But Father, by the regenerating grace of God and the converting grace of the Holy Ghost, we are brought to love thy law and delight in it. And we delight in honoring and obeying thee. Help us, Father, to continue in your love. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
#91 | 1:08:08 to 1:09:05 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:58:30Z

What it Means to Hate God

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines the biblical teaching that many people hate God, not necessarily by verbal declaration but through practical actions. He distinguishes between intellectual and practical atheists, then demonstrates from Scripture that hatred of God is manifested in four ways: rejection of His person, refusal to obey His precepts, regarding what He prohibits, and rebellion against His position. The sermon calls for self-examination, warning that a life of disobedience betrays a profession of love for God.

Introduction: The Unthinkable Concept of Hating God

Weaver introduces the topic by referencing Proverbs 8:36 and Exodus 20:5, noting that Scripture repeatedly declares that men hate God, though it seems unthinkable.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."

Now, I'm going to be coming back to this text in just a little while, but I want to just call your attention to the phrase in verse 5 where he says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

Hating God is an unthinkable and almost an unutterable concept. Who in his right mind could or would hate the Most High?

The Reality of Man's Hatred of God

A survey of Old and New Testament passages using the Hebrew word 'sone' (hate) to establish that men genuinely hate God, not merely dislike Him.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:41

"For if I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me."

Note "them that hate me." There are a number of people that hate God. Look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles. Turn right on over 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and look if you would please at verse 2.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:2

"And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him,"

that is to meet Jehoshaphat,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:2

"and said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord."

Now, he asked a simple question.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:2

"Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord?"

There are people who hate God. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 21 and verse 8. Psalm 21 verse 8. Psalm 21, look if you would please at verse 8.

Here's what the scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 21:8

"Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee."

Note if you would, those that hate God are referred to as God's enemies. So he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 21:8

"Thine hand shall find out all mine enemies, thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee."

Look in Psalm 68 and verse one very quickly. Psalm 68 verse one. Psalm 68 verse one.

The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 68:1

"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate him flee before him." "Let them also that hate him."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 69:4

"The haters of the Lord." Isn't that an awesome phrase? "The haters of the Lord." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 83 and verse 2. Psalm 83 verse 2. "For lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head." "They that hate thee have lifted up the head."

Now, it'll be interesting to discover what that means.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 83:2

"They that hate thee have lifted up the head."

Scripture Reading — John 7:7

"The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil."

Scripture Reading — John 15:18, 23

I hope you can put two and two together. The reason Christians are so hated in this world is because people hate Christ. Look in your Bibles to John 15, beginning there with verse 23. Our Lord says, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Oh, did you hear that? "He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father." So our Lord says, whoever hates Him hates the Father. Look in your Bibles, Luke 19 and verse 14.

Here's a passage we will come to a little bit later. Luke 19 and verse 14. Luke 19, verse 14. Here the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Luke 19:14

"But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying, We will not have this man to reign over us."

Now, out of all of these verses in the Old and New Testament, I hope you've come to realize there is such a thing as hating God. There are a great many people who hate God.

The Manifestation of Man's Hatred: Introduction

Actions reveal true beliefs; hatred of God is evidenced by conduct, not just words. Four irreducible ways hatred is manifested are introduced.

Manifestation 1: Rejection of His Person

Hatred is shown by rejecting God's representatives—His prophets and messengers—as illustrated by Ahab's imprisonment of Micaiah.

Manifestation 2: Refusal to Obey His Precepts

Those who love God keep His commandments; those who hate Him refuse His law. Multiple Scriptures contrast love/obedience with hate/disobedience.

Scripture Reading — John 14:15, 21, 24

"If you love me, keep my commandments." "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Skip down to verse 21. "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them."

Manifestation 3: Regarding That Which God Prohibits

Haters of God call evil good and revel in what God hates, while lovers of God hate evil. This perversion manifests hatred.

Manifestation 4: Rebellion to His Position

Hatred is expressed by refusing to submit to God's sovereign authority, seeking to be one's own god, as seen in Psalm 2 and Luke 19:14.

Applications and Conclusion

Hatred of God is always practical; it wrongs one's own soul. The sermon closes with a call to self-examination: does your life betray hatred or love for God?

What it Means to Hate God

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	680415359
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Obedience, Disobedience, and National Judgment
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-05-23
Dictation Name
Book	Book 044: Covenant Theology: Obedience, Disobedience, and National Judgment — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	91

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Unthinkable Concept of Hating God: Weaver introduces the topic by referencing Proverbs 8:36 and Exodus 20:5, noting that Scripture repeatedly declares that men hate God, though it seems unthinkable.
The Reality of Man's Hatred of God: A survey of Old and New Testament passages using the Hebrew word 'sone' (hate) to establish that men genuinely hate God, not merely dislike Him.
The Manifestation of Man's Hatred: Introduction: Actions reveal true beliefs; hatred of God is evidenced by conduct, not just words. Four irreducible ways hatred is manifested are introduced.
Manifestation 1: Rejection of His Person: Hatred is shown by rejecting God's representatives—His prophets and messengers—as illustrated by Ahab's imprisonment of Micaiah.
Manifestation 2: Refusal to Obey His Precepts: Those who love God keep His commandments; those who hate Him refuse His law. Multiple Scriptures contrast love/obedience with hate/disobedience.
Manifestation 3: Regarding That Which God Prohibits: Haters of God call evil good and revel in what God hates, while lovers of God hate evil. This perversion manifests hatred.
Manifestation 4: Rebellion to His Position: Hatred is expressed by refusing to submit to God's sovereign authority, seeking to be one's own god, as seen in Psalm 2 and Luke 19:14.
Applications and Conclusion: Hatred of God is always practical; it wrongs one's own soul. The sermon closes with a call to self-examination: does your life betray hatred or love for God?

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Hatred of God is a biblical fact, not an exaggeration.

The Bible uses the word 'hate' (sone) over 130 times, including direct statements that men hate God, making it an undeniable doctrine.

Weaver lists numerous verses (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 7:9-10; Psalm 21:8; John 15:23; Romans 1:30) that explicitly say men hate God.

Hatred is primarily demonstrated practically, not verbally.

Most people do not verbally declare hatred for God, but their actions—rejecting His law, loving sin, rebelling—prove their hatred.

Weaver states, 'Most people would never verbalize their hatred of God. And yet, they demonstrate their hatred... by living a life that manifests that extreme hatred.'

Rejecting God's messengers is rejecting God Himself.

Because God identifies with His prophets and preachers, mistreating them is a direct manifestation of hating God.

The story of Ahab and Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18-19) and Matthew 10:40 are used to show that reception or rejection of God's representatives equals reception or rejection of God.

Obedience is the only valid test of love for God.

Jesus and the apostles teach that keeping God's commandments is the evidence of love; failure to obey proves hatred.

John 14:15, 21, 24; 1 John 2:3-4; and 1 John 5:2-3 are cited to establish that love equals obedience and disobedience equals hatred.

Loving what God hates is a mark of hating God.

Those who hate God embrace and celebrate what God calls abominable, inverting moral categories and calling evil good.

Isaiah 5:20 pronounces woe on those who call evil good; Psalm 97:10 commands lovers of God to hate evil.

Rebellion against God's authority is rooted in a desire to be one's own god.

The refusal to submit to God's rule stems from the original temptation in Eden—to determine good and evil for oneself.

Genesis 3:5 is referenced: 'Ye shall be as gods, determining good and evil,' explaining the motive behind rebellion.

Hating God is self-destructive.

Those who hate God wrong their own souls and love death; their hatred brings ruin upon themselves.

Proverbs 8:36 is quoted: 'All they that hate me love death,' and Hosea 13:9 is alluded to.

Profession without obedience is self-deception.

Claiming to know God while living in disobedience makes one a liar, according to 1 John 2:4.

1 John 2:4 is repeatedly cited: 'He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.'

Scripture References

Exodus 20:5: God visits iniquity on those who hate Him, showing mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Romans 8:7-8: The carnal mind is enmity against God; those in the flesh cannot please God.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10: God keeps covenant with those who love Him and repays those who hate Him to their face.
Deuteronomy 32:41: God will render vengeance to His enemies and reward them that hate Him.
2 Chronicles 19:2: Jehu asks Jehoshaphat, 'Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord?'
Psalm 21:8: God's hand will find out His enemies and those that hate Him.
Psalm 68:1: Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let them that hate Him flee.
Psalm 69:4: They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head (applied to Christ in John 15:25).
Psalm 81:15: The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him.
Psalm 83:2: Thine enemies make a tumult; they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
Psalm 129:5: Let them be confounded that hate Zion.
Proverbs 8:36: He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me love death.
Matthew 6:24: No man can serve two masters; he will hate the one and love the other; you cannot serve God and mammon.
John 7:7: The world hates Christ because He testifies that its works are evil.
John 15:18, 23: The world hated Christ before it hated believers; he that hateth Christ hateth the Father also.
Luke 19:14: His citizens hated him and said, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'
Romans 1:30: Among the sins of the reprobate are 'haters of God.'
1 John 2:3-4: We know we know Him if we keep His commandments; he that says he knows Him and keeps not His commandments is a liar.
John 14:15, 21, 24: If you love me, keep my commandments; he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.
Isaiah 5:20: Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.

Historical References

Ahab and Jehoshaphat's alliance (2 Chronicles 18-19): Jehoshaphat allied with wicked King Ahab, who hated God's prophet Micaiah and imprisoned him, demonstrating hatred of God through mistreatment of His messenger.
Pharaoh's rejection of God (Exodus 5): Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?' illustrating rejection of God's person leading to refusal of His precepts.
The unjust judge (Luke 18): The judge 'feared not God, nor regarded man,' showing that rejection of God leads to disregard for His law toward others.
Peter's denial (Matthew 26:73): Peter's speech betrayed him as a Galilean; similarly, one's life can betray a profession of love for God.

Important Quotes

He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death.

This quote from Proverbs 8:36 frames the sermon's theme that hating God is self-destructive and leads to death.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar. And the truth is not in him.

Key verse used to argue that profession without obedience is self-deception and evidence of hatred, not love.

If you love me, keep my commandments.

Jesus' direct statement linking love for Him with obedience, used to define the opposite—disobedience as hatred.

Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness.

Shows that those who hate God invert moral categories, bringing a curse upon themselves.

The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him.

Demonstrates that hatred of God is expressed through refusal to submit to His authority.

We will not have this man to reign over us.

The cry of rebellion from Luke 19:14, illustrating the heart attitude of those who hate God's sovereign rule.

Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say unto you?

Jesus' question that challenges empty profession and calls for a life of obedience as proof of genuine lordship.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What is the difference between an intellectual atheist and a practical atheist, and why does the Bible focus on practical hatred of God?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between those who deny God's existence intellectually and those who live as if He does not exist, emphasizing that practical atheism is the more common manifestation of hatred.

[Question]

How does the story of Ahab and Micaiah illustrate that rejecting God's messengers is equivalent to rejecting God Himself?

[Context]

Ahab imprisoned God's prophet Micaiah because he hated his message; Weaver uses this to show that hatred of God is often directed at His representatives.

[Question]

According to 1 John 2:3-4, what is the relationship between knowing God and keeping His commandments? How does this challenge common notions of assurance?

[Context]

Weaver repeatedly cites this passage to argue that obedience is the only valid evidence of genuine faith, and that disobedience proves one is a liar.

[Question]

In what ways do people today 'call evil good and good evil'? How should Christians respond to such cultural inversions?

[Context]

Isaiah 5:20 is applied to those who celebrate sin; Weaver urges believers to hate evil as God does.

[Question]

Why is rebellion against God's authority ultimately a desire to be one's own god? How does Genesis 3:5 explain this?

[Context]

Weaver traces rebellion to the temptation in Eden, where Satan promised that humans could determine good and evil for themselves.

[Question]

How does hating God lead to self-destruction, according to Proverbs 8:36? Can you think of examples where sin has 'wronged one's own soul'?

[Context]

The sermon concludes that hatred of God is ultimately self-destructive, loving death rather than life.

[Question]

What does it mean for our lives to 'betray' our profession of faith, as Peter's speech betrayed him? How can we examine ourselves honestly?

[Context]

Weaver uses Peter's denial as an analogy for how actions can reveal true loyalties, urging self-examination.

[Question]

How does the sermon's teaching on love and hate challenge the idea that one can be neutral toward God?

[Context]

Weaver states that there is no middle ground: 'You either love him or you hate him,' based on Matthew 12:30.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:07:57Z