Episode Transcript
All right, if you take God's precious Word and turn to the book of Proverbs, please.
Proverbs chapter 10, God willing, we'll be expounding verse 12 tonight.
The title of the message is "Rest in Peace.
" Rest in peace.
Can I chase a rabbit real quick and just get some off my chest?
If some unbeliever passes away, don't put on Facebook "Rest in Peace.
" If they're an unbeliever, there is no peace, saith God, to the wicked.
There's no peace apart from Jesus Christ.
And hell they lift up their eyes being in torments.
And for us to wish them peace outside of Jesus is for us to wish something contrary to the will of Jesus.
There is no peace.
There is no rest for those outside of Christ.
Proverbs 10, 12, the title of the message is "Rest in Peace.
" Love is the greatest commandment in the Bible.
Love is the greatest gift that you or I can receive.
It's the greatest gift that we can give.
Love is the reason we're saved.
God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son.
If you've been in church long and everyone in here has, and maybe if you're online, maybe you haven't, but if you have, then you've heard a lot, I'm sure, about the love of God and the love that we should show to one another.
What you may not have learned a lot about though is hate or hatred.
We don't have a lot of sermons on hatred.
Tonight we're going to preach a sermon on hatred.
How popular would that be?
But you may not have heard a whole lot about hatred.
If you look in verse 12 with me, you're going to see that verse 12 begins with that topic, the topic of hatred.
What is hatred?
Have you ever thought about that?
I've thought a lot about what is love because God is love.
I've thought a lot about love before pondering on it because of the Scriptures, but what is hatred?
Is hatred like darkness?
That the absence of light is darkness, or the absence of love is hatred?
What about hot and cold?
The absence of heat is cold, the absence of love is hatred.
Is that how it works?
No.
Hatred is not simply the absence of love.
Hatred is the opposite of love.
Hatred is not the absence of love.
Hatred is the opposite of love.
Galatians chapter 5 verse 14 says, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
" What did you read that commandment to us, Brother Richard?
I thought we were talking about hatred.
Well, every commandment in the Bible can be summed up in one word, and that's love.
Every single commandment summed up in one word, and it is love.
The will of God is expressed in the commandments of God.
This means the will of God can be expressed in one word, love.
God's will summed up in one word is love.
Love is the summation of the law and will of God, and because of that, hatred is our opposition to the love and will of God.
Hatred is our opposition.
So the will of God summed up in love, hatred is our opposition to God's will.
Does that make sense?
It is our opposition, our active opposition in the heart and in actions to the will of God.
Love seeks to do God's will.
If you love me, keep my commandments.
Love seeks to do God's will.
Hatred seeks to destroy God's will.
Notice in our text tonight that both hatred and love perform action.
You see that?
Hatred is not simply just the absence of love, it is the opposition of love, but they both perform action.
Solomon said, "Hatred what?
It's storath.
" It's storath.
What does love do?
Skip on down.
What does love do?
Storath, doesn't it?
So they both perform action, just like God and the devil.
The devil is not the absence of God, is he?
He opposes God, but he's not just the absence of God.
Same way with hatred.
Hatred is the opposition of the will of God.
Hatred storath, we're going to modernize that hatred stirs.
Now this isn't the kind of stirring that you're probably thinking of.
When Solomon says hatred stirs, most of us are probably thinking about stirring in the sense of agitation.
Stirring something up, getting a stick, stirring it up.
That's what we think of when we think of stir.
When a person's about to paint, they put a stick in the bucket of paint and they stir it up.
Someone puts cream in their coffee, they put a spoon in there and they stir it up and they agitate the contents to ensure it's all mixed together.
That's not the type of stirring Solomon is talking about tonight.
The Hebrew word that's translated storath here, it means to wake up.
To wake up.
Not in the sense of you and I just waking up, but in the sense of us waking somebody up.
We're going to stir them up.
When we think of stirring here, we have to think of waking somebody up.
It can mean somebody opening their eyes and waking up, but in this case, hatred stirs.
It stirs up.
It's waking up.
The Hebrew word has the idea of opening the eyes.
Someone's asleep.
You say, "Hey, Brother Richard, wake up.
" I do like that.
That's the idea of stirring behind this Hebrew word.
And since it's Christmas season, I'm going to use a seasonal illustration to clarify the meaning of this word.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was, say it with me, stirring.
That's the type of English usage for the word stirr tonight, not even a mouse.
The idea that everyone in the house was asleep, not even a mouse was stirring.
This is how the word stirr, stirrth is being used in our verse tonight.
Hatred wakes up strife.
That's what Solomon's saying.
Hatred opens the eyes of strife.
It wakes strife up.
There's an old saying.
Goes like this.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Let sleeping dogs.
.
.
Well, with this proverb doesn't.
.
.
We're thinking of stirring in the sense of waking someone up.
Let those sleeping dogs lay there and leave them alone.
What happens when you mess with a sleeping dog?
You may get bit.
You may have some problems.
I used to have a big dog at my house named Princess.
And Princess was very sweet, but she couldn't stand anybody or anything outside our family entering the domain of our home, whether in the yard or in the physical house.
If you would have entered my home or if you would have come over and entered my backyard and she wasn't locked up, then she would have been ferociously chasing you off the property.
She was a liability to me.
She really was, but man, did she do a great job protecting the place.
Every now and then, Princess would be minding her own business out in the backyard, sleeping nice and peaceable like.
Not bothering anybody.
She looked so sweet when she was sleeping.
And I would see a squirrel in our backyard.
Now, that dog's asleep.
That dog is at rest.
That dog is resting in peace.
And that squirrel is eating acorns in peace, nice and happy.
Princess over there taking her afternoon nap, but I knew that if Princess knew there was a squirrel in the backyard, it would drive her crazy and the chase would be on.
I knew that.
So I had a choice.
I could either let that dog sleep and enjoy her peaceful nap or I could stir her up.
I could wake her up and open her eyes to the knowledge that there was a squirrel nearby in the yard.
I could either allow that squirrel to do what God created it to do in peace or I could stir the dog up and get a kick out of watching the chase.
And most of the time.
I would if I was inside the house and I saw a squirrel.
I'd raise the window up.
I put my mouth to the screen.
That's a princess.
And since I saw her eyes open to say squirrel, she'd immediately jump up and look, look, look all over the fence, all over the wire, wherever she was used to seeing squirrels and that dog would get angry when she saw that squirrel and the chase would be on the dog would get mad and the squirrel would get scared.
Two creatures perfectly happy until I decided to wake up until I decided to stir up my dog.
And there I was being entertained by the conflict between those two creatures.
I know we're chuckling, but you think about it.
There I was being entertained by the conflict of those two creatures.
That is the picture that Solomon is painting in this verse tonight, except he's not talking about waking up dogs.
He's talking about waking up people.
And the same kick that I got out of waking up my dog to the fact of that squirrel being in the yard, the same kick that I got out of watching the conflict between those two creatures and the entertainment value it brought to me, people have that same desire to stir up people and get a kick out of the conflict they stir up in human beings.
It's very sad.
Church, God wants people to live in peace.
He wants us to live in peace.
Romans chapter 12 verse 18 says, "If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.
" God wants us to live in peace.
And one day we're going to have a kingdom of God operating here on earth and there will be no conflict, no peace, no competition between anybody, nothing but absolute love, joy, peace, and rest with all the neighbors.
When in God's love Jesus was born into the world, the angel said in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2 verse 14, they said, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
" God's love brings peace, but our hatred stirs, look back in your text now, up-stryphs.
Our hatred stirs up-stryphs.
When I woke my dog up, when I opened her eyes to the squirrel in the yard, I woke up in strife a dog who otherwise would have been resting in peace.
Who does the same thing with people?
Most people want to live in peace.
Some of you all just want to live in peace.
Most people just want to live in peace.
Most people want to go to work, do their jobs, and go home in peace.
Most people want to be able to visit with their families at Thanksgiving or at Christmas or at some time like that without conflict, without arguing.
Most people want to live with their neighbors in peace.
But our sinful flesh desires to be entertained by conflict.
You believe that?
What do we pay to watch men beat each other's heads in in the ultimate fighting championship?
Seriously, what do we pay to watch that?
Our sinful flesh wants to be entertained by conflict.
How do we have the Roman Colosseum and the gladiators?
Suppose someone comes up to you one day and they say something bad about another church member in here.
Has anyone ever had anybody ever tell you anything bad about a church member?
Not here, not necessarily here, but anywhere in your lifetime have you ever had anyone come tell you anything bad about another church member?
I have two.
You two.
Suppose someone comes up to you and says, "I tell you what, Brother Larry, I would never take my vehicle to Billy Baker.
He's no mechanic.
I wouldn't trust Billy Baker to work on my bicycle.
" What if they said that to you?
What if they said that to one of you all tonight?
You know that Brother Billy Baker's feelings would be hurt and it would cause strife between him and the other church members if Brother Billy ever learned what that person said about him.
Now, no one said that, but you know that it would hurt Billy and it would cause discomfort between those two people.
I've had people here at this church, I've had people express concern about coming to church because they think another church member has a problem with them.
Grow up and get over it.
Man, are we coming for other people?
We coming for Jesus.
Don't wear your feelings on your sleeves.
But there's some people that want to stir that stuff up.
Now as long as Brother Billy doesn't know what was said, his eyes would be closed to the matter.
He'd be resting in peace.
But if you open his eyes to the matter, if you stir him and wake him up to the matter and you say, "Hey, do you know what Brother Neil said about you?
Brother Neil told me he wouldn't trust you to work on his bicycle.
I couldn't believe he said that.
We need to pray for Brother Neil.
Amen, Brother Billy.
" You pose it like a prayer request.
You know what that's going to be?
The eyes of them both were open.
Their eyes were awakened to something they should have never known, Adam and Eve, when they ate that fruit.
When you tell Brother Billy that, you just stirred his eyes open and gave him knowledge that he shouldn't have known.
Listen, there's not a person in here who hasn't said something about someone that they later regretted saying.
Am I right?
Many times, I mean many times to this day, do I have to say to myself, "Richard, you and your big mouth, you say something and you feel like you've just got to let it out.
It's going to hurt if you don't say it.
" But you say it, you're like, "Oh God, I'm sorry.
" And you can't get it back in.
There's been so many times I wish I wouldn't have said things.
We all speak out of turnabout people.
And if you love people, then keep their eyes close to the matter and let them rest in peace.
Now, if someone in here comes up to you and they say, "I tell you what, Brother Fulton, I think he's been stepping on my toes on purpose.
I've had a mind of coming up here and pulling my gun out and shooting that fella.
Please stir my eyes and let me know about it.
" Okay, that's different because now what's the difference when you open my eyes to the idea that someone wants to do me bodily harm?
What's the difference between that and letting me know someone doesn't want me to work on their vehicle?
By opening my eyes, you're preventing conflict, not creating it, you see?
But in Brother Billy's case, you're creating or you're stirring up the conflict rather than preventing it.
If you have to tell somebody, it's like fighting in war, "Thou shalt not kill.
" But if Brother Shepherd has to use deadly force on the side of the road, it's not to harm somebody, it's to protect somebody.
See, it's just like in war.
You don't go to war because you want to hurt people.
You go to war because you need to defend people.
But by and large, 99% of the time, if you love those people, let them keep their eyes closed to the matter and let them and both of them rest in peace.
When you open someone's eyes and wake up strife in them, you are acting in hate toward that person.
You're hating them.
If I were to go tell Brother Billy something like that, for it to say, "Hey, Brother Neil said he won't trust you to work on his bicycle.
" That's not loving Brother Billy.
That's not loving Brother Neil.
That's me acting in hate toward both of those brothers.
Because I didn't help Brother Neil and I sure didn't help Brother Billy.
I hurt Brother Billy and now I hurt Brother Neil because now Brother Billy is not only hurting on the inside for himself, he's now angry at Brother Neil as well.
I've hurt both those men.
I've stirred up strife, acting in hate.
You're depriving them of tranquility and peace in their lives.
That's not love.
It's hatred stirs up strife.
Look back in your text tonight.
But love covers.
Hatred stirs, love covers.
I tell you what, my study of this verse did me so much good in my practical life this week.
I've enjoyed it so much.
Hatred stirs, love covers.
You want to be able to differentiate between your inward motives and what you should do.
This will help you solve it a lot of times.
Am I stirring, am I waking, or am I covering?
If I am stirring, I'm acting in carnal hate.
If I am covering, I'm acting in godly love.
It's a beautiful way to determine if you need to keep your mouth shut or not.
It's a beautiful way of determining how you need to behave, what direction to go.
Hatred stirs, love covers.
Here's the kingdom and truth for you tonight.
Hatred opens the eye to sin, love covers sin to the eye.
Hatred opens the eye to sin, love covers the sin to the eye.
You see the difference?
The Bible says the devil is the accuser of the brethren.
In chapter 12 verse 10, "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ.
' For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
" You know what the devil does?
He accuses you.
He accuses you before God.
What is the devil doing when he accuses the brethren to God?
He's trying to get God to see our sins, trying to get God to see our faults.
He's trying to stir God to see our iniquities.
That's the hatred of the devil.
But the love of God doesn't stir.
It covers.
It covers our sins, how through the blood of Christ.
Remember the word atonement?
What does the word atonement mean?
It means to cover.
Isn't that beautiful?
So the whole idea behind the word of atonement is to cover in what covers, love covers.
Love brought the atonement.
God said it's the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
It was the love of God that sent his son to make the atonement.
God's love covers the blood of Christ, covers our sins to the eyes of God.
Forever ending the strife between God and man.
Bible says Jesus made peace through the blood of his cross.
So through the atonement by love, Jesus covered and brought peace, not strife.
That's what love does.
And that's what God has called us to do.
To walk in love toward one another, to cover the sins of others with the grace of God as God has covered you.
How many of our sins do the love of God cover?
Alma said love covers how many sins?
Lubback in your text, all sins.
All sins.
Man, you know what this is?
This really is a gospel message here in the book of Proverbs.
Love performs action.
Love covers.
There is an object to love's action.
What does love cover?
It covers sins.
Is God love?
Yes, God is love.
So what does God do?
He covers.
What is the object of God's love?
The sinner.
He covers sins.
What is the extent of God's love?
He covers them all.
He covers them all.
All sins.
That's how come we know we're going to heaven.
That's how come we're not worried about, "Well, I've got to keep living.
" Living good enough.
Man, if all of my.
.
.
"Blessed is the man to whom iniquity is not imputed.
" "Blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin whose iniquity is covered.
" I did not quote it just right.
It's the same thing.
Since it's covered, it can't be imputed because when God covers.
.
.
You listening?
When God covers, when God atones, he does not atone a partial amount of sin.
The atonement of Christ does not cover half your sins.
90% of your sins, it covers all your sins or it doesn't cover it all.
Because God loves and God loves perfectly.
Therefore, God covers perfectly and it says here, "Love covers all sins.
" They're not a single sin that God can point at and say, "Look, there's a sin that Richard has.
" You remember the hireling prophet Balaam?
Every time they tried to get Balaam to say something, the prophet saw bad about all those Jews.
The Holy Spirit would come on Balaam and just talk nothing but sweet, wonderful things about those Jews.
Were those Jews sinners?
Boy, you better believe they were.
But you know what?
God covered them with His love.
He covered them through the blood of Christ so we could live in peace with Him.
And beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
The next time you're tempted to open someone's eyes to another person's sin, yield to God's spirit.
Think of this verse.
Remember that hatred stirs, love covers.
You remember that and then you yield to God's spirit and you cover that sin with the grace and love of Jesus as God has covered you.
Don't stir your neighbor's eyes to your neighbor's sin.
Take the sin to the cross and let them live in peace.
And with that, we'll close and Lord willing, take back up next Wednesday and the next verse.
Man, that's a keeper right there.
Father, thank you so much for your precious word.
Thank you for the kingdom truth that you've given us in your scripture tonight.
That hatred opens the eyes to sin, love covers sin to the eyes.
That's what you did.
We don't deny our sin.
You didn't deny our sin.
Rather we confessed our sin and you covered it.
Thank you Lord for the extent of your love and that you covered all sin.
None remain to your eyes because of the atonement Jesus made.
Thanks be unto God for this unspeakable gift.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
