LOVING AND HATING TO THE GLORY OF GOD

LUKE 14:2

A. WE FIND THAT THE BIBLE TEACHES GREAT TRUTHS BY CONTRASTS
  1. The two men that went to the temple to pray:
    1. One was a Pharisee,
    2. The other was a publican - Luke 18:10-14
  2. The prodigal and his brother: Luke 15:11-32
  3. The priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan: Luke 10:30-37
B. OUR OPENING TEXT SHOWS THAT OUR LORD EMPHASIZED GREAT TRUTHS BY USING CONTRAST
  1. A lover who knows how to hate:
    1. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and his mother, and wife, and children and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
    2. These are strong words, centering on the little word "hate"!
    3. Who can claim to be a true child of God and yet hate his parents, his wife, his brethren, yea, his own life?
    4. How can these things be?
  2. The interpretation of our Lord's words focus on the word "hate"; if we understand the meaning of the word "hate", we will see the reasonableness of our Lord's statement:
    1. The general concept of the word "hate" is to feel an intense aversion to, to detest, abhor, to dislike exceedingly.
    2. This attitude to our fellowmen is strictly forbidden in the Bible. Read our Lord's discourse in Matt. 5:38-45; Ex. 20:12-17
    3. The word "hate" in our text actually means -- love less - Deut. 21:15; Prov. 13:24
    4. Matthew does not use the word "hate"; he uses the word "love more" - Matt. 10:37
    5. The point is that we must make God first, regardless of relatives or even life itself -- that is the law of heaven.
  3. Loving and hating to the glory of God:
    1. Loving to the glory of God means to make Him and His word and work first and foremost in our life - EXAMPLES -
      1. Mary Magdalene and her ministry to Jesus - Luke 7:44-47
      2. The poor widow and the treasury - Mark 12:42- 44
    2. Loving to the glory of God simply means that our affections for God and His word are such that they can easily be read by men - EXAMPLES -
      1. Paul and the brethren - Acts 21:13
      2. Stephen - Acts 7
    3. True love means renunciation of all personal claims - Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
    4. Loving Christ is cross-bearing.
  4. Hating to the glory of God:
    1. Hate sin.
    2. Hate hypocrisy.
    3. Hate every evil way.
    4. Hate the world of sinful pleasures.
C. LESSON FOR US
  1. No man can serve two masters:
    1. That is what our Lord teaches - Matt. 6:24
    2. We cannot be halfway in our relationship with God and the world - 1 Ki. 18:21
    3. A double minded person is unstable in all his ways - Jas. 1:8
    4. There are some among God's people, they have a double standard - Jas. 4:8
  2. If we set our affections on the things above, we will do both -- love to the glory of God, and also hate to his glory:
    1. Love righteousness.
    2. And hate iniquity - Heb. 1:9


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