6-11-2014

Good Morning All,

         1 Timothy 2: 3-4; “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

        Over the last few years we have read about or seen on the news about people, or groups of people who claim that God hates someone.  It might be homosexuals, or abortionists, or pedophiles, or any one of a number of other people.  When these comments start showing up there is a firestorm of protest.  It seems that the idea that God hates causes people to come completely unglued.  It is true that God hates but we must be careful in how we read it.

    Scripture tells that God hates, he abhors, he finds things detestable.  There are plenty of verses that tell us that.  Yet we also have verses like the one we have today that show that God wants all people to be saved.  So how do we balance these two thoughts?

    So what does God hate?  God hates sin.  God hates sin and what it does to the relationship between God and man.  Sin separates us from God’s love.  Sin corrupts God’s perfect creation causing all the pain, destruction and death.  Sin leads us away from God’s perfect harmony and into a life of selfishness and greed.  Sin leads us to turn our back on God and despise all the he does for us.  Sin leads us to run from God and seek after other gods of our own making.  God hates sin because it leads us to harm one another and to harm his creation.  God hates sin because it pollutes, corrupts and destroys the creation and the creatures which he created to be perfect.

    God does not hate people; his desire is for all to be saved.  Yet God abhors sin and what sin is and what sin does to us.  But in his mercy, he forgives sin.  He forgives sin because by his very nature; God loves us.  If God hated us, we would be long since destroyed.  Yet God did not destroy us, rather he went the other way; he redeemed us.  He bought us back at a terrific price, the death of his only son.  All out of love for you.  We know that God hates our sin because of what it does to us and to our love for him.  We know God hates our sin because of what sin does to our relationships with our fellow man.  We know God hates our sin which causes us to abuse his creation.  Yet we know, without a doubt, that God loves us.

    So we can see that God does not hate us, rather he hates what is separating us from hid love and benevolence.  So no matter how horrible you think the sins you committed are, no matter how much you think God might hate you; he doesn’t.  He is pained and saddened that the perfect relationship that man once had with him is now broken but it is being restored, one heart at a time.  God’s love for you is immeasurable.  He wants you to be with him, in his kingdom for eternity; that’s a promise!!

Father of love, we come to you praising your name for the mercy you show us.  Through you we know love.  Send your Spirit to those who experience only hate.  Be with them and give them your comfort and your peace.  Lead them to know your love.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret