What Ought to Anger You

Nowadays all you hear about is how “love wins.” People say that there is no room for hate. They say that hate only causes more problems—it only feeds the fire. Sadly this theory has made its way into the church. My friend, love does not win. It is a love for righteousness and a bitter hatred toward all sin that wins in the end.

Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). We ought to love people. However, if we genuinely love someone, we will automatically hate those things that are harmful to that person. There is nothing in this world that is more harmful than sin. In fact, it was sin that made this world the way it is today. If sin had never entered into this world, we would be living in a world of utter perfection. There would be no crime, no disease, no death, etc. However, “through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all [have] sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Sin is the number one most destructive force this world has ever known. James 1:15 says that “sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” My friend, if you let it, sin will creep into your life, it will take over your life, and it will ruthlessly eat at you until it has devoured every part of you. Sin will promise you pleasure every time; but as Adrian Rogers used to say, “Once you get what you want, you won’t want what you get.”

This message is for anyone who is willing to listen, but it is mainly aimed toward those who already believe. My friends, the church has grown cold. Apathy has set in. We have been deceived into inviting what we call “harmless” things into our homes, and we have failed to stand up against the things that we claim we believe are wrong.

Luke 19:41 says, “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it.” When is the last time that you grieved over the things that grieve God? When is the last time that you were angered by a television commercial? When is the last time you were angered by a billboard? When is the last time that it grieved your soul to drive by a so-called “church” of some false religion? Sadly, most of us cannot even remember the last time that we grieved over the things that grieve God. If that is you, you need to wake up!

Does it anger you to hear someone take your Lord’s precious name in vain? It should. Does it anger you to hear someone use profanity? Are you angered by the immorality portrayed in modern-day television and literature? Ephesians 5:3-5 says, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

This nation and this world are under attack. We cannot stop it, but we can slow it down drastically. Get that filth out of your mind and out of your home. Make up your mind and take your stand! The longer we have a laissez-faire attitude toward sin, the more people it will bring down with it.

I challenge you to please pay attention to what you watch on television, listen to on the radio, and read in books. If sin is not shown as sin, do not support it. Do not buy into the theory that secular music, literature, etc. can help you learn how to better share your faith with the lost. While that may be true, those things do far more harm than they do good.

As most of you know, I love music. I have an iPod and download music quite frequently from iTunes. I asked someone the other week if there was any way that I could change the homepage of the iTunes store because, quite frankly, it infuriates me to see some of the covers of the albums advertised there. I am enraged when I turn on the television in the afternoon and the first thing I see on the screen is “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” You might say that show is harmless, but it angers me to know that that woman is influencing our nation.

Now, I don’t hate Ellen, Lady Gaga, or anyone else, for that matter. However, I do hate what they stand for. While I pray that they would come to know Jesus as Lord of their lives, I also pray that they would somehow be taken out of the spotlight. If they want to continue to live the lifestyles that they are currently living, I say more power to them; however, there is no need for them to bring the rest of America down with them.

The longer I live, the more I realize that David Wilkerson was right when he said that we need a “call to anguish” in America. I truly believe that, if every Christian would stand up for what he knows is right and stand up against what he knows is wrong, we would see a big revival in this nation. When will we start taking God’s Word seriously?

If you do not know Him, it can only be because you have failed to grieve over the things that grieve God. When will you admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior? I am here today to tell you that you need to fall on your face before Almighty God and grieve over the fact that you have offended Him by the sin that you are harboring in your heart. If you will turn completely from all sin and confess Jesus Christ as Lord, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.