922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran

Confusing Things Christians Say
Week 4 - St. Peter
Pastor Tim Glende

I promise only two more weeks, one more after this and we'll have something new, but maybe not as good. Welcome to week 5 of Confusing Things That Christians Say.

My guess is if you ask people on the street, “Do Christians say confusing things?” They would say yes. If I ask you do your Christian friends say a lot of confusing things, you would probably say yes, if I asked you do your pastors, say a whole lot of great things, but I'll often times very confusing things, you would probably say Yes. Like Christians say a whole lot of confusing things, a series of six weeks is probably not going to tackle all of them and give you insight and wisdom that you desire in certain areas in certain ways. But over the course of the last four weeks, we've seen some confusing things that Christians say: “Born again. It's not a religion. It's about a relationship.” We've talked about the word “fellowship" and last week we talked about “walking with God” and all those things can be confusing. Over the next two weeks we are going to tackle two more but I'm going to be honest with you today, the confusing things that Christians say a phrase of the day is oneI wish didn't make the list. And it's not because it isn't confusing.

It is in some ways, it's pretty straightforward and easy to understand. Like the phrase itself, you could probably look at the words, you could probably decipher through them. It's not a Christian word or Christian-ese that needs some deciphering or an explanation. That's not the confusing part. It's confusing because, It confuses The Head and the Heart.

And how it's applied.

And I wish it wasn't on the list because I honestly know how hard it is going to be to preach on it.

Like Pastor Mike likes to tackle tough topics. I don't look so much like some of the things that Mike likes. And this is one of them and here's why it's going to be hard.

It's going to be hard for me to be very clear and explain the truth and not confuse you more.

Because I've done that before. Like I've used this phrase that we're going to talk about today in a class. I was about to do catechism for adults who are going through an intensive study of the catechism. I actually said it and it caused confusion because I didn't say enough or and I didn't explain it well,

And I think it's also going to be hard for some of you because it's going to hit you in the heart.

Like for some of you it's going to hit you in the heart and and you're going to be sitting in your seat squirming because you're the person that this needs to be applied to.

And four others of you are not going to like it because it's going to remind you of that person and you're not going to like how God would have you apply the phrase properly.

Because here's the thing about today's phrase, like there's a tension today, it's the tension that's going to make this really hard for me. It's the reason why I kind of wish we weren't doing this topic because it's threading, a needle, so to speak. There's a thin line between loving sinners and hating sin.

Like hate the sin, but love the sinner is such a common phrase. Like the time I used it with all those adults about 10 years ago, I caused a whole lot of confusion because there's a lot of biblical truths that are behind this Thin Line.

Maybe if you want to you can play along, throw your hands up in the air if you agree. I'll give you a Biblical agree or disagree. See if you believe that this is actually a Biblical truth, God hates sin. How many of you agree with that?

All right, some of you get me to go to Pastor Michael Starting Point class. You're not sure.

How many of you believe God loves sinners? Like if you didn't, you shouldn't be in church because that's what church is all about.

Third one. How many of you believe God in the Bible? It says he hates sinners.

I saw like one little hand goes like this. Yes.

Like what I said, God hates sin, but he loves The Sinner. The people in the class were confused because I was giving the impression that it was unbiblical to say that God hates sinners. But the Bible clearly does, say there's passages on it and it's important to understand that because it plays into today's phrase and why they're such a thin line.

In our life when we use the phrase, when we speak in this way, we need to get it right. We need to make sure we understand it and we need to properly appreciate it and apply it.

So we're going to walk down this narrow road and try to understand what's behind the phrase and more importantly, not be confused by the application of the phrase. In order to really get it right, we talked about hate and hating sin, and love, and loving Sinners. We probably just need to do a quick pit, stop and and define those words. God uses the phrase, hating Sinners, and God uses the phrase hating sin, but we're not going to get to that for just a while. Then what does he mean by the word hate? Well, if you look it up in the dictionary, Hate by definition, is this an intense dislike? A loathing, detesting, something you can't stand. Can't stomach something you despise and regard with the disgust. When I was growing up, my parents said hate, was not a word I was ever allowed to use. Sorry Mom, I hate broccoli. Like I detest it, it may, it's disgusting to me. I don't like it. I loathe it. And some of you are going to Pastor Tim. Like I heard you like to eat healthy. It's like one of the greatest foods you can never eat. I don't care.

And I think of using the definition of the word correctly, right? Blows it. I dislike it.

But it gets tricky when we're talking about that in sin and God and sinners. But here's the truth. God lows detest sin. It discussed him. It breaks his heart.

And, If someone lives in sin, unrepentant of sincontinues, down the path of sin. He also, then comes along with the the other definition of hate, is not just a koala, an intense loathing of a quality, but he can go beyond that. And it being intense intentionality to destroy if a person lives in sin and does not repent of sin and continues to pursue sin. And basically says, forget you God, God hates unrepentant sinners.

That's biblical.

Now the the Thin Line and the threading of the needle, you and I need to remember, is none of us are God.

So it comes to hating sin and loving the sinner. We don't get to work with the same definitions that God gets to work with and the same applications.

So you also need to understand the definition of love. It can have those same things. It's a quality and intense emotion over something, or someone can even be something. That is intentionally shown to bless someone even in spite of the presence of some unsavory. Quite like, I can love someone who there is an unsavory quality about them.

Like, I can still love my child, when they're throwing a temper tantrum true or false.

Like I can still love my spouse when they do something that is wrong or hurtful to me from a Biblical perspective, all those things are true. Like there's this Thin Line Between Love and Hate. I might hate what you did but I love you. And that's what God wants us to be able to do, walk the fine line to thread the needle properly. And in order to do that understanding, there's some confusion in the definitions. I probably need to say one more thing before I help you understand when it comes to, what does God hate? And what does God mean, when he talks about love? I meant the honest thing that is probably most confusing on this topic is our world has developed a new definition for love. Like if I asked you what it means to love someone. If I asked the world and what our culture talks about is love, love has kind of been redefined. Love now means to support me. To support, who I am. To support and accept. What I do.

And you know what happens if you don't love someone, support them for who they are, what they do.

You become a hater.

Like that's the world in which we live today, the politically correct world in which we walk. If you don't love somebody, support who they are for, what they are for all that they do you become hated because you are the hater. So when people talk about loving the sinner, this idea this concept this cultural influence, affects you and it affects me but just be honest. And we need to get it right. We need to apply it, right? We need to thread the needle properly. We need to walk the the thin line between loving The Sinner and also hating the sin. So let's talk about Sin.

Like sin is what the Bible says is bad. Sin is anything and everything. The Bible says is bad. Like, if you want to understand what it means to hate sin, hate everything that the Bible says is bad. Because God says, it's bad.

Because God hates it.

Like it can't be denied, it is very biblical. If you're wondering what it is that God hates look no further, or think back. No, further than when you last learned reviewed, or went through the Ten Commandments, if you want a simple summary of what God hates, walk through the 10. Because God says, there are things that are bad and things that are good. The commandment number one as you shall have no other gods, mixing and matching religions is bad.

And if you're down that path, God says it's a sin and he hates it.

If you love your kids, if you love your spouse, if you love money, if you love your job, if it gets the first place in your heart, more than God…. bad.

Commandment number two, don't misuse the name of the Lord your God. How many times over the last week? Did you use Jesus and God's name? Inappropriately bad.

Third Commandment, remember the Sabbath day like not worshiping God regularly, not participating. The means of Grace regularly talking about. It's not about religion, but it's about my relationship. I can worship God, anywhere and everywhere, but if you don't truly worship, if you are honoring, God, if you are not spiritually resting, if you aren't in his Word, bad. I could go on for if you disobey the law of the government, even if you disagree with it, don't like it. If the state around, you does something different. If the speed limit on Montana is 80, but in Wisconsin at 65, you don't get to go 80 in Wisconsin, you go 65. Authority, God established parents, listen to them. Fifth commandment don't hurt or harm. Someone guard their reputation, don't gossip.

Like if you're a gossiper and you've told yourself, it's not really that bad. It's bad. I won't even get into the sixth commandment bad, like God's Gift of marriage. What he wants to protect when we go outside the boundaries, but the Bible says is bad equal sin. God hates sin. And he tells you to hate it too. Like in the Book of Revelation John is writing to the church is one of the churches God himself commends them for hating the practices of the new Nicolaitans and then he says which I also hate. God hates sin.

Like, you might be uncomfortable right now, but think about the fact that I've preached this two plus times now already

Like a God says I command you for hating it as well, because it's bad.

And you know why it's bad. We read it before, in the words of sin in Greek, the wages of sin is death.

When Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, caused them to die physically. But more importantly, if someone dies in their sins, if someone remains in their sin, if someone doesn't know that Jesus paid for their sins, if someone says forget you, God, in regards to their sin, they died spiritually, eternally. God hates sin.

But it is a very Biblical word to right we're going for from the Apostle Paul but this is also true. Love God, says The Sinner.

God says to you in the middle of the center because the Bible says God loves sinners. So here's what love is, if you want a definition to work off of to help apply this properly. God says no matter what the sin is, everything that's bad. Love is what the Bible says is good.

So loving The Sinner and things that God loves our good to apply. Like look no further than 1st Corinthians chapter 13. The famous love chapter. Many of you had it read at your weddings, or studied it at that point. Love is patient. God said patience is good. Being patient with people who are behind you who are moving slowly, you have to deal with that and apply that in the situation. Are you love a sinner? There's patience. Love is kind the words. I speak matter, Love believes the best, always trusts, always hopes, love perseveres. Like, that's what love is when you love the sinner, you persevere. When Love is sometimes a sinner, you have to trust them and take their word until you see their actions. Sometimes you have to not keep a record of wrongs, all these things are, what love is God, says love in the Bible is all these things. Think of Jesus' work. Says what? Jesus’ words are, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That's the best. Put them first. That's the best. Love your spouse first. That's the best. Like love is anything, and everything that the Bible says is best. Which should really help us apply this. Well, right.

Sin is What God Says, is bad. He hates those things. We should hate those things but but love is what's best. We should have the best interest of our family of our friends, of our others. In mind, we should apply the words of what love looks like. Patience kindness, all those things.

Which once again brings us back to the Bible. This is really hard, isn't it?

Because there are things that God hates into tests.

That know on that in all honesty I think they are not just horrible, but they are disgusting.

And sometimes I don't just loathe the act. Loathe the person.

Like people who trade other people in our world today.

I struggle with those kind of people.

Like I can really hate the sin, but I don't know if I really want to love the sinner.

I don't really know if I want to do that.

And, I really start such struggle sometimes, because I know that's bad. But I really love you.

Like as a pastor, I can look some of you in the angle. You need to knock it off. That's not godly, it's bad. But when it's my wife, my kids are my close friends. That's hard.

And if you guys want to fire me tomorrow because I don't get it right all the time. I get it.

That's why it's hard. I know what the Bible says is best is the love and kind of love that person and so I don't really hate the sin.

And yet God says this loving even what's best is God disciplines those, he loves part of love and what's best is discipline calling out calling since in addressing it? He chastens everyone, he accepts as a son, this is a part of our walk with God.

I really want you to see and understand this and maybe, as we just kind of describe it, you can now understand that the narrow path that were on the difficulty of threading, the needle perfectly because there are three possible paths when it comes to this phrase because we're influenced by culture and more confused by some of the words, three possible paths. What is this? I just described it. It's not the path of hating the sin and loving the sinner, but we veer down the path of hating the sinner.

Like we get angry and unrighteous with the sinner we turn into Pharisees who are angry with other Christians, don't avoid them. Like how dare you hang out with that person.

We hate the sinner when we don't continue to pursue them, who hate The Sinner by not speaking to them and avoiding them. We hate the sinner when we don't pray for them. God says, pray for your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. That's what love is and what love looks like pursue, persevere, pray Love.

But sadly all too often we hate.

And that causes a lot of confusion to people about this phrase.

Like sadly, sometimes it isn't that? You've been labeled a hater, you have become one.

And God says that path is not godly, that would be sin. Like God, at the end of the day, is the judge God. At the end of the day is the one who will condemn unrepentant, Sinners, not you not me. God wants all people to come to Faith. God wants all people to repent. Remember the story of Jonah God sent Jonah. We talked about a few months ago to some of the worst people on the face of planet Earth and Jonah hated them. He didn't think they were worthy of Grace. That is not acceptable when we use this phrase. Hating the sin is about the action. But loving the sinner is about what we long for them to know. God wants them to know Path. Number 2. And it's just as dangerous. We love the sin because we love the sinner.

Like we We love the sinner so much that we

Love the sin. It might start with not calling its in, it might start with overlooking the sin. It might sin become someone who endorses the sin accepts it as okay. Tolerating it even though it's not your flavor or your thing like this is the whole support idea of love. Like I love that person. So I go along with the sin. I endorse the sin and sadly if you get down this path, a long way, you know what you will start doing. Stop listening to 200 proof truth.

Because you love The Sinner and the sin. And you think that's wrong even though it's something God says is bad.

And that's a dangerous path for you and them.

It's the soul that sins is the one that dies, if remaining in that sin is the path of choice and that person loves it more than they love. God, their eternity that steak,

So you can see the possible paths and the confusion that can be created when we don't get these ideas, right, right. Because they don't walk us down the thin, The Narrow Path. The Thin Line Between the truth, the path God wants us on La hate the sin. Love The Sinner. God can be true of God that he hates Sinners and hate sin and love Sinners. It could be true. God, humanely hard for us to Fathom and understand God hates unrepentant. Sin, you know how I know.

Because God has told us that those who do not repent of their sin, those who did not believe in Jesus as their savior spend. Eternity away from God. He loved the world that he gave, but whoever believes in him who has a repentant heart will not perish, but have eternal life, it's that simple.

Which makes this really hard.

But that's the path. God wants us to be biblical. He actually says it in Romans 12 as he applies it to how we are to treat one another. How we live together in this world. How do we apply it to love, must be sincere. Hate, what is evil Bad cling to what is good love.

Like, this is the path God Wants You and Me On.

He wants you to hate the sin and he wants you to also love The Sinner.

And he wants you to apply it and carry it out properly for the good of others.

And I need you, too. To do the same thing. For one another. Like, the church that gets this right in the church that lives this at the church, that understands that this is the path of God. Blesses, the church blesses other Christians, like if my wife overlooks my sins and doesn't call me out. I'm still doing bad. And that's not loving The Sinner.

And we need to do that for one another.

And I know it's hard because we love Sinners, but we can't love the sin. Because you know what doesn't get punished in hell.

Like Sinners, get sent to Hell. Jesus paid for the sin.

The sends been punished. The unrepentant Sinner gets punished.

So, I need you to avoid these two dishes.

You need to avoid the ditch that you don't say it's bad.

Please say it's bad. It might not be. Big and bad in your world or the world. But sometimes stopping it before it gets big and bad is, is the point. Whether it's your kid, whether it's your spouse, whether it's people in your life group, whether it's people that you love in your family likes to say. It's bad when it's bad.

Don't say more than God says. But if God says it's bad, it's bad. And right alongside it.

Do, what's best? Like say it in love. Let them know that they're loved when you when you say it's bad. Also Point them in the direction of the one who was good.

You need to avoid the ditch of not saying it's bad but you also need to avoid the ditch of doing. What's best? Pray for that person? Love that person, don't give up on that person. Like if you spoke to someone once and they just said, I don't care. Keep the door open and look for opportunities. Like I know it is hard and maybe you need to pause and take time. I know some people are believers and unbelievers in one navigate, the avoiding these ditches differently, but how we say it's bad,

When we say it, Process of saying what's best is so important and what's best, what's truly best is what God says he is. And that is love. God doesn't want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. God is love.

We need to avoid the ditches because God says this. The Arrogant cannot stand in your presence. Like if there's someone that you love that is doing something that's bad and they're arrogant about it, they haven't repented of it, they're going to continue to do and I know some of you are struggling right now, the pastor, there's a sin, I fight and I get 95% of time and I fail like that's a walk with God. That's on the right path that that falls and fails. But he repents and gets back on the path. Like I'm not talking about Unwritten, I'm not talking about repentant, Sinners unrepentant, sin, like the Arrogant cannot stand in your presence. He hates them. They will be judged.

And I don't want that for you and I pray that you don't want that for them. Not saying the staff is good and this half is bad. Okay. The Lord examines the righteous, he knows the heart but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates like, avoid the ditches because this how God views it? And how God feels.

But, Remember that, this is how God also feels and what God wants them to know and you to know the Apostle. Paul said here's a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance of Christ. Jesus came into this world to save Sinners of whom. I am the worst, the Apostle Paul said, my rap sheet is longer than any of yours and what's on my rap sheet and what's against my record is far worse than was any of yours. I've put Christians in prison. I’ve broken the second commandment so many times in attack the name of God and undermine the ministry of Jesus Christ. I even probably approved of people's murder like the Apostle Paul's rap sheet was about. As bad as it gets, he was the worst. But he said here's a trustworthy saying Jesus came into the world to save me and he did. And he knew the grace of God.

And he knew that he hadn't gotten all the way there yet, but he continued to pursue it and wanted to direct other people to it.

Because my friends, that's the solution to walking the Narrow Path. Like, at the end of the day, I want you to hear this too because some of you right now are probably wrestling with the sin that, you know, God hates like, I pray that my voice might be the one that you hear. First from turn to God, run to God turn from the sin because God loves Sinners, he loves you.

He loves me. He loves them the solution to walking that thin line of hating sin and loving the sinner is found there on the cross.

Jesus. Walk the thin line to the cross. Jesus perfectly threaded, the needle of hating sin and loving the sinner. If you want to see the epitome of the freeze, read the gospels, and you will find it and see it in Jesus Christ. Like he hated sin, he called Sin Sin. He loves sinners like the Pharisees even and and the tax collectors and the adulterous woman, he didn't tolerate their sin. He said go and sin no more. He called it out. Jesus is the epitome, my friends, of hating sin and loving sinners, and a cross proves it. The wrath of God was born by Him on it. How God feels about it is visible right there in his own Son’s carrying the very weight of hell.

Because Jesus became the sinner.

So that you and I might get to. What's best?

Love.

Agape love of God, the sacrificial love of God. You know, that's the word in the Bible, that is for God. So, loved the world agape. Love for the unlovable, Love by definition. So that you and I might get. What's the best?

Because God, just like the story of The Prodigal Son. That Jesus spoke. The father is, is waiting with open arms. Welcome arms to welcome anyone who turns from their sin and returns to him. Because he loves sinners.

And that's possible, only because he Erected the Wrath. And hate for sin on his son.

Perhaps God and His word. That tells us what's best and what's bad is the best place to end. You see at just the right time when we were still powerless, God Christ died for the ungodly. You me them. God demonstrates, his own love for us in this while we were still sinners Christ died for us. God made him, who had no sin to be sin for us. Jesus became the center. So that we might become the righteousness of God, the holy righteous God. Who expects Perfection has given you the best Perfection, because Jesus became the sin.

And that's why God wants us to live this phrase. Because he wants everyone to have that. For eternity. The best.

Like I said, hard. Like, it's hard to hate the sin, Love The Sinner and thread the needle to Fine Line.

But it's so important.

To not be confused, but to see the truth.

Because what we want all to know and to experience you and me is the amazing love of God that has rescued us from our sins.

And we don't want anyone to be confused about that. Because that is true because the word says it.