Seeing Sin as God Sees It
August 09, 2006
Pastor Matt Black
Midweek Service
1 John 3:11-16
Discipleship: What are the Ten Commandments of God’s moral law?
(Quote them.)
Introduction: Open your Bible tonight to 1 John 3:11-16. The title of tonight’s message is “Seeing Sin as God Sees it”. Our text here reads: “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
Martin Luther wrote a hymn on the Ten Commandments. The stanza on the sixth was articulated quite well:
Kill thou not out of evil will,
Nor hate, nor render ill for ill;
Be patient and of gentle mood,
And to thy foe do thou good.
--Martin Luther
Hatred is Murder
What this passage teaches is that hatred is the spirit and attitude and disposition of murder. Hatred of the heart is something which if it were acted out, would lead you to murder someone just as Cain did. Hatred seems like such a private sin that does no one harm, but it is a lie of the heart to believe that. The private rage and anger that no one sees would lead you to kill a person if all the restraints of society and culture were gone. The secret grudge, the envy and jealousy and bitterness which is cherished in the heart, is murderous in its tendency. The spirit which would lead to murder is in your heart, and that God will hold him responsible for it.
If it were not for the outward restraints of human laws, and the dread of punishment, these feelings that we harbor would often lead to the act of murder. You say that is not true. That is an extreme statement. If you disagree with that statement, then you disagree with the Bible. If you really believed the Bible and were walking in the Spirit, you would be ashamed at the hatred in your heart.
Look tonight at the Problem
The message tonight is really an attempt to paint sin as ugly as God paints it, and to see sin in our lives as God sees it so that we can defeat it! We are looking at the sin of murder which is really linked to every sin that we commit. We don’t lie to people because we love them. We don’t steal from our employer because we are demonstrating mercy to our boss. We sin because we hate and if the truth be known, everyone of us has a deceitful, murderous heart. There is violence in our hearts. We have rebellion in our hearts. The reason you don’t see sin’s ugliness is because we are not living holy lives and we are making excuses for our sins.
In traffic, we get upset with the guy in front of us, and our murderous heart honks at him or tries to outrun him. You say “I have not control over it!” Oh really? It is amazing how controlled you can be when the lights of the police car flash in your rear-view mirror. You make excuses. You fight with evil words with your spouse until another brother in Christ comes to the door. Then, you do control it.
Where do I Begin?
You may think tonight that to view hatred as evil as murder is extreme and over the top. You think that because you love your sin and you do not know the holiness of God. We do not understand or comprehend the holiness of God. He says “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16), and we make excuses. Christ tells us to be “perfect” as the Father is “perfect” (Matthew 5:28).
This is why we need the omnipotent power of Jesus. He is the only One that can break our “stony heart” and give us “an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). He is the only one who can tame the viciousness of your selfish heart. By the power of His Spirit He can “rule you with a rod of iron” and “break” your sinful nature like a “potter’s vessel” (Revelation 2:17).
The reason we can’t stop the hatred and bitterness in our hearts is because we keep trying to use it to serve God! You cannot do the work of the Lord with the arm of the flesh. It will fail you every time (2 Chronicles 32:8). Paul says, “…in my flesh…dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18). Do you understand that all “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8)?
A Matter of Life and Death!
Do you see verse 14, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren”
Let me ask you, is there bitterness in your heart tonight? Is your heart formed and molded in perfect love with every single person here tonight? Is your heart filled with love for your spouse, for your family, for your brother or sister in Christ here tonight? Examine yourself. If you would not be a murderer tonight, then do as Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice”.
All Sin is a Matter of the Heart
Your bitterness and jealously is as murder in the eyes of God. Do you see that? Listen again to the Apostle John, who said, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” You cannot miss that this is God painting sin to be ugly. God judges men as he sees them to be in their hearts. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God by the powerful two-edged sword of His word judges not just our actions, but “the thoughts and intents of the heart”. The Lord Jesus said to the religious people of His day, “Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). David said as he saw the ugliness of sin that “thou desirest truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6).
What is the Christian’s Response?
Look at verse 16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
What we should do is lay down our lives for others. We should be crucified. We should deny ourselves. ‘
Turn over to Acts 16 as we close. Acts 16 and verse 22. The Bible says about Paul and Barnabas that they had been preaching the Gospel, and “the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
Conclusion: Do you see your sin as God sees it? Don’t rename your hatred. We call it concern and frustration and that we are “upset”. No it is hatred and hatred is murder. Don’t confuse your desire for vengeance as some sort of righteous indignation. You have a murderous heart. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Be as Christ who was “oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). If you hate another, you are a murderer and you do not have eternal life abiding in you! Do you see this sin of murder as God sees it? Blindness to this leads to eternal death. Beg God to open your eyes and give you eternal life!
Closing Hymn: 366 Have Thine Own Way Lord