THE 3 RS (GOD HATES)
Our God is a loving Father, is He not? Let the reader keep in mind John 3:16. Did He not also provide for every thing He created food and drink, that all creation might have provision? For Gen. 1:31 says that He saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Since He has created every thing that we possess, each of those things is a blessing from Him, is it not? Even every ability that we possess, did He not give these abilities to us as further blessings? And yet, when we realize this, there are many among us who have not given Him His due in return, have we? Just as we have the cliche about the school of the 3 Rs, there are 3 Rs that God hates. I would like to share them with you. Many of you who are reading this know of them, but have never seen them put together like this, but I think you will appreciate how I have laid them out. I pray it will help you with your relationship with Him during your daily activities, and it prevents you from being involved with one of them, peradventure.
The first "R" I want to introduce you to that God hates is "R"eplacement. He doesn't like the idea of being replaced, and mankind does it just as much if not more nowadays as in the days of the Old Testament. I bring up the Old Testament because my first example is from Exodus in the Old Testament. Exod. 32:1-4 has it that while Moses took so long up on the mount communing with God, that the people ganged up on Aaron and commanded him to make them a god of gold, and he made them a golden calf. While the Lord and Moses were communing, He told Moses that the people had corrupted themselves, having made and worshipped a golden calf, and claimed it to be their gods, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt. This is in Exod. 32:7-8. That's replacement! Think He reacted with gladness at being replaced? Would you? NO, He was HOT! Exod. 32:10 has it where God told Moses to let Him alone, so His wrath may wax hot against them, and He may consume them, and make of Moses a great nation. Fitting response, don't you think? The Israelites replaced Him with a golden calf, so God planned to replace them after consuming them from the earth with a great nation from Moses himself! If not for the appeal for mercy from Moses in the way that he did it in Exod. 32:11-35, the Almighty would have replaced them in return! I tell you, many of us have received this same mercy today from our God. We are all guilty at some time in our lives of having replaced Him, are we not? Have you ever gone on a long trip on the day of worship, instead of going to church? Ever miss church for a sporting event, whether in person or on television? How about the kids and their soccer game instead of church? Or how about replacing Him not just for one day, but permanently because of an issue at church that left one feeling unable to go back there any more? Who, upon reflecting on their past, is not guilty of it? Thanks to God for His forgiveness and mercy!
Now another "R" that God hates is "R"ebellion, and I will use another situation from the Old Testament as an ensample of God's response to it to illustrate how God views rebellion. Num. 16:1-50 covers the rebellion of Korah, who acted not alone, but with Dathan and Abiram, and other men of Israel, and among them were 250 princes of the assembly, renowned men of the congregation, and they rebelled against Moses and Aaron, God's appointed leaders, accusing them of lifting themselves over the congregation, which really amounts to jealousy. Moses said to them that they should realize they were not just rebelling against him and Aaron, but also against the Lord. In Num. 16:11, they were still stiffnecked against the Lord and His chosen ones, Moses and Aaron. So as Moses spoke of the action God was going to take against those in rebellion, it so took place, and the ground swallowed up Korah and all who followed him in Num. 16:31-32. In sheer foolishness still, on the very next day the congregation again came against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of killing the people of the Lord in reference to the extermination of Korah and his ilk, and the Almighty's response to Moses was to tell him to get away from the congregation that He might consume them in a moment, and Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, and Moses told Aaron to take a censer and make atonement, and Aaron did so, staying a plague where he stood between the living and the dead (from plague), and 14,700 died in that plague after those who died with Korah! Let us thank the Father for His grace upon man since of old, which Noah found in Gen. 6:8, His unspeakable gift in the form of His Son sacrificed for all of our sins on the cross, but how few among us can say they never rebelled against God for whatever reason? How wonderful the longsuffered patience of the Lord with all in this age who has at some time rebelled, perhaps blaming God for the loss of a loved one, or rebelled against one of God's undershepherds finding fault in them but being unrighteous in their indignation! And should the rebel have their eyes opened to their error while they still live, how blessed are they whom Jesus forgives at their confession and repentance!
The last "R" that God hates is "R"ejection. I will confess to foreshadowing John 3:16 being used here as I first used it at the beginning of this message. Peradventure someone reading this be unfamiliar with it, it is written, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Know also that Jesus, the Son of God said this, which is why it is redlettered. Our Father in heaven loves us so much, He did not spare His Son, sending Him to be the perfect sacrifice on the cross, that His shed blood be for the remission of sins for anyone who believes in Him, Jesus Christ. Throughout all four gospels, the scribes and Pharisees are famous for their rejection of Christ. Most famous is the rejection by the Pharisees in Matt. 12:22-37, Mark 3:22-30, & Luke 11:14-54, wherein Christ bid woe unto the scribes, Pharisees and lawyers who not only rejected Him, but accused Him of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Now this is listed as blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, the unforgivable sin, and Jesus teaches that it may also be calling the work of the Spirit that of Satan. While the circumstances for this type of sin cannot be duplicated today, one can still commit an unforgivable sin, and that is rejecting Jesus Christ as your Savior. I bring your attention to the redlettered quote above, and point out that there is work involved in being brought to eternal life and not damnation, and therein is written what must be done; (that you not reject Jesus, but believe in Him, so that you not commit the unforgivable sin.) Now belief in Him is a deep concept. By this I mean, you can't just say, "Okay, I believe in Jesus", and walk away doing whatever you please. Believing in Him means loving Him for what He did, accepting His ownership of you. He died for you, you were bought for a price, and God does not love as carnal man does, God equates love to obedience. Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Also, in Matt. 7:21-27, Jesus explains that obedience to the will of God brings eternal life, and likens all who obey His words to being a wise man who built his house on a rock, as opposed to a foolish man who builds their house on sand.
So in summation let me say that we who believe do not want to replace, rebel, or reject Him, but rather give Him our heart, soul, and mind. When we surrender all to Him, and love our neighbor as we do our own selves, then we shall be found pleasing in His sight. He does not expect us to do this perfectly, we are human, but to do so as often as we realize opportunities how, then we may be found pleasing in His sight.
