2 Samuel Chapter 21

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Revelation 20: 1-10

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Numbers 22:1-41

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The Enemy of Love: Envy, Strife, Jealousy, Wrath

Galatians 5:19-21

Introduction: I am excited about the direction the elders have led us as we start the new year. Hopefully and prayerfully this will help us be more thorough in our work together, better share the work so that no one person is overwhelmed, and fulfill needs that often get neglected.

I loved what Adam said Wednesday evening: this is not so that deacons do all the needed work, but so that they can better identify the work needed and help us all find a way we can use our talents to help. 

That being said, and without taking away from the good possibilities ahead, I want to share with you what should be our greatest concern. In fact, it was the greatest concern of Jesus while on the earth. It is the greatest concern expressed by Paul, Peter, and John in all of their letters. That concern is that we do not allow the love we have to be destroyed. 

1. The Greatest Concern
   1. Ecclesiastes 9:18–10:1, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” It doesn’t take a group, it doesn’t take a faction, it just takes one person, and much good can be destroyed.
   2. Titus 3:8-11 “The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” 
      1. What kind of person is the above? Is he or she humble, following Paul admonition of submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ?  – “valuing others above yourself”?
      2. What causes a foolish controversy? Is it not when a person insists on their way and can’t just back off, realizing that Paul commanded, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Col. 3:15).
   3. Why do these rivalries take place? I would suggest that the number one reason comes from what Jesus said when he rebuked the rivalries of the apostles: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:25-28). We must stop thinking we are “somebody” and that we “deserve” something!
   4. We could multiply scriptures like the above, could we not? “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Please note: this is a “new commandment.” It is not the command to love is new, but the extent of the way we are to love is new because it has been defined by the way Jesus loved us.
   5. Galatians 5:19-21 Much has already been said about this text, but as a reminder, please note that we are very, very good at being aghast at the sins listed before and after the sins in verse 20. We certainly must recognize the dangers of the sensuality and sexual immoralities, but who would argue that the sins of verse 20 are not extremely dangerous and destructive? Further, these sins will just as easily keep us from inheriting the kingdom as murder, orgies, and sexual immorality.
2. Enmity & Strife
   1. These words are complementary, and thus placed side by side. Enmity: the result of two or more parties setting themselves against another in mutual animosity, inclined to work against each other’s good in favor of each party’s own, competing good, rather than working together for the common good. It is also defined as, “Self-centered competition leading to the erosion of community.” 
   2. When we define strife, it looks like this: “a quarrel, i.e. (by implication) wrangling: — contention, debate, strife, variance.” I have to tell you, by what I saw growing up and sometimes still see, I thought what I read in this definition was what Christians did during Bible class and during men’s business meetings.
   3. This Greek word [eris] is used ten times in nine verses in the NT. Notice a few of these:
      1. It is used in Romans 1:29 to describe the sins of the Gentiles: “They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.” 
      2. It is used in Romans 13:13 when Paul urges Christians to stay away from the sins of darkness: “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.” Notice how easily Paul mentions the “big” sins in the same breath.
      3. It is mentioned three times in the Corinthian letters in the beginning of 1 Corinthians and at the end of 2 Corinthians as an indication of their divisiveness: “For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers” (1:11). “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (2 Cor. 12:20). From the beginning of the first letter to the very end of the second, quarreling was Paul’s main concern.
      4. It is used again by Paul to Timothy in referring to some in the church who craved controversy: “He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions” (1 Tim. 6:4).
   4. Rule of thumb: enmity/strife/quarreling is all sinful. Practice it, and we lose our soul. Practice it, and we destroy God’s church. Instead, the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.
3. Jealousy and Envy
   1. The Greek word for jealousy (zelos) is used 16 times in the NT, but only half those times is it used in a bad sense. The word is also translated “zeal” and is used in a good sense as in zeal for God. Of course, in our text the word is used in a negative sense.
   2. As a sin, jealousy is having unfriendly feelings that are excited by another person’s possession of or enjoyment of something good. 
   3. When compared with “envy” there is a similarity to a point, in that there are bad feelings toward another’s good fortune. But envy is always used in a bad sense and has the additional desire to take away what another has. Thus Saul was envious of David and wanted to kill him. The chief priests were envious of Jesus and later the apostles and sought to do them harm.
   4. Thus, envy is the inability to do what Paul commanded in Rom. 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” The envious person does not care about another’s pain or misfortune but is annoyed at their successes.
   5. Three things help to overcome this sin:
      1. Anything you see that others have will not satisfy them or you. Even if you owned what they have, it would not change your level of joy and that thing would disappoint you.
      2. Our treasure is in heaven. Our reward is not and will not be enjoyed in this life. When we are envious and jealous, we are acting like Israel in the wilderness, unthankful and discontent for the rich blessings God has given us. Without contentment, there is no joy. Desire what you already have and you will not be troubled with envy.
      3. If your greatest joy is found in God, it is impossible to be envious! How could I be? I already have the best.
4. Wrath
   1. The Bible is filled with warnings about anger and how sinful it is. However, it is interesting how difficult it is for us to apply these passages to ourselves. Sinful anger is commonly justified because it is so commonly practiced. 
   2. You will notice that in most of our modern translations we read, “fits of anger” or “outbursts of wrath.” However, the Greek simply has “wrath” or “anger.” There are numerous forms of anger all the way from a “fit of anger” to giving the “silent treatment” or withdrawing ourselves to someone with whom we are angry.
   3. We must remember that though this sin may happen more behind closed doors, it does not change the fact that we “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Sinful anger may be one of the most rationalized sin because we have convinced ourselves that expressing our anger is the only way we can get a person not to act in a manner that is offensive to us. But that does not excuse the sin.
   4. We need to recognize anger for what it is – a means to punish a person for behavior we do not like. Who gave us the right to punish? Even when someone else’s actions or words and sinful, it does not give us the right to punish with our anger.
   5. The angry person does not believe they can calmly reason with the person with whom they are angry. In fact, it never crosses their mind.
   6. But here is what is critical. A raised voice, an agitated response, a disrespectful criticism, destroys love. Angry people think they are correcting bad behavior but the result is destroying love and respect. “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.” (Proverbs 18:19). Thus, anger or offensive speech builds the bars of a castle, and makes it less likely that this person will respond to you in the future.
   7. Anger is also displayed in ways that we typically do not identify as sinful. For example, we may not have an anger fit, but withdrawing from a person with whom we are upset instead of talking out the difference is a way we punish a brother or sister. Matthew 5:45-46
      1. Paul said in Romans 12:17,19, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all…Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God…” So when someone hurts our feelings by how they spoke to us or how they treated us, what is a typical response? What reaction does our flesh want to take? Well that’s easy; I don’t want to be around that person any more. I withdraw from them. I avoid them. I may even leave the church because of them. 
      2. Okay, now what have we done? Our withdrawal is a way to use an anger weapon. When a person does that to you, do you feel punished? Is it extremely hurtful? We have repaid evil for evil. 
      3. Jesus identified this sin when he said if a brother sins against us seven times in a day and then repents, we are to forgive (Luke 17). What if the first time you sinned against God, the first time you grieved the Spirit of God by your sinfulness, what if God just withdrew from you, and said, “That’s that! I warned you! I’m done with you!”  

Conclusion: The way we treat one another should always be a grave concern! These sins, along with all the other sins of the flesh have a devastating affect on us, on others, and on our relationship with God. But the worst thing we do is cease to be lights for God and we turn people away from the truth and increase the chances that they will live eternally without God – along with us!

Berry Kercheville

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2 Samuel Chapter 18

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Revelation 20:1-10

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