Week of Feb 10th – Don’t Be a Hater

Key Thought:
Recognizing that God is love, there might be no greater offense that believers could propagate than that of hatred toward others. All humans have been uniquely created by God and in His very image. All people are immensely dear to God and everyone is loved by Him. Every person has a soul and every person has the opportunity to be forgiven of the greatest offenses even until their final breath of life.

Yet, throughout history we learn of countless acts of hatred that have been perpetrated by followers of Jesus and amazingly some of these instances have occurred “in the name of Jesus!” The Gospel message is a reflection of God’s pure love for us. It is a story of His selfless sacrifice, His tireless pursuit of all mankind, and His patient waiting that allows us to come to Him of our own will, without any coercion.

How could Christians ever convince themselves that such things as: the Crusades, or the execution of the reformers, or the leadership of Hitler, or the justification of slavery and segregation, or the persecution of homosexuals, or the hatred of terrorists is OK in God’s eyes? I recognize that we live in an evil and unjust world that requires tough and lethal measures at times. However, these weighty responsibilities belong to our authorities whom God has placed over us to create an ordered and just world. You and I must pray and work for peace and never vengeance. We must pray for our leaders that they would have wisdom as they protect us, but we must just as earnestly pray for our enemies. We must even love our enemies. Not because I said so. Those are Jesus’ convicting words to his contemporaries who would have taken any opportunity to repay evil for evil against the cruel Roman occupiers.

Sermon Highlights:
Take some time to write down some important thoughts that have stuck with you from Steve’s sermon Can I Hate a Terrorist? (Feb 10th , 2008).

Bible Reading:
Monday – Ephesians 4:31-32
Tuesday – Leviticus 19:16-18
Wednesday – Matthew 5:43-48
Thursday – Luke 6:22-36
Friday – John 15:18-25

Key Questions to Ponder During the Week:

1. What is the definition of hatred?
2. Who have you struggled not to hate?
3. Why do we hate to be hated and why should we expect and accept being hated in certain circumstances?
4. What forms and behaviors reveal our inner hatred of someone?
5. Why is hatred among Christians unacceptable? How do we overcome hating?