Day: April 4, 2025

April 4, 2025

The first human emotion recorded after the fall wasn’t love, joy, or hope—it was hate. The moment we broke fellowship with God, we turned against each other. In Genesis chapter 4, Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. Abel brought the firstlings of his flock—his best. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground—something, but not necessarily his best.

“And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:3–5)

Cain wanted acceptance without obedience. He didn’t give in faith—he gave what he wanted, how he wanted, and expected God to bless it. When God rejected it, instead of repenting, Cain got angry. But his anger wasn’t directed at his own sin—it was aimed at Abel, the one who did right. This is the seed of hate. It is pride wounded by truth. It is rebellion cloaked in religion. Cain’s response is the same we see today—people get angry not at their failure to obey but at the righteous who expose it.

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:6–7)

God offered Cain a way back—a chance to repent. But Cain hardened his heart. Hate grew. And hate gave birth to murder:

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” (Genesis 4:8)

Cain killed the righteous because he hated being exposed, as well as a few more emotions I’m sure. That same spirit is alive today. Want me to continue from here with PART TWO rewritten in depth?

Fast forward to the New Testament. Jesus picks up where Genesis left off—only now He digs even deeper. In the Sermon on the Mount, He does something that startled His listeners. He raises the bar—not to add to the Law, but to fulfill it with divine clarity. He shows that murder doesn’t begin with the weapon; it begins in the heart.

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…” (Matthew 5:21–22)

Here, Jesus is not lessening the seriousness of physical murder. He’s revealing the seriousness of internal hatred. Hate is the seed of murder—and to harbor it, protect it, or excuse it is to carry within you the very thing that leads to destruction. He continues:

“…and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:22b)

To call someone “Raca” (Ray-kah) was to treat them with open contempt—worthless, empty, beneath you. “Thou fool” was a moral condemnation—casting someone off as corrupt or unsalvageable. Jesus wasn’t saying name-calling alone condemns, but that these words come from a heart of hate, a heart void of mercy, a heart that has already committed the act spiritually. Jesus is stripping away superficial religion. He’s telling His listeners—and us today—that it’s not enough to simply avoid killing someone. If your heart harbors rage, resentment, or contempt, you are guilty already. That’s not hyperbole. That’s divine judgment. It’s not the act—it’s the intention, the posture of the soul. And that’s why so many in the modern world—and modern church—are blind to their sin. They say:

• “I never hurt anyone.”
• “I didn’t act on it.”
• “I just have a temper.”

But Jesus says that hate itself—quiet, internal, even unspoken—places you in danger of hell fire. He wasn’t being soft. He wasn’t being gentle. He was being holy. Jesus doesn’t stop at identifying the root of murder in the heart—He gives a clear directive on what must be done about it. He says:

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24)

In Jesus’ time, the altar was the most sacred space. To offer a gift was to approach God in worship, often at great cost. But Jesus says: stop everything—even your offering to God—if your heart is not right with your brother. This is radical. He is declaring that God is not interested in your worship if you have unresolved hate, bitterness, or offense. Reconciliation takes priority over ritual. Too many Christians come to church full of praise on their lips but poison in their hearts:

• Harboring grudges.
• Nursing bitterness.
• Pretending things are fine while ignoring those they’ve hurt—or been hurt by.

God says, “Go fix it. Then come to Me.” Why? Because you cannot worship a God of love while hating someone He made in His image. You can’t bring an offering with clean hands if your heart is dirty. This verse is not about performance. It’s about spiritual integrity. God doesn’t need your gift. He wants your heart—and that includes a heart that’s willing to forgive, confess, and restore peace.

Jesus doesn’t end His teaching with the altar. He pushes it further—into the courtroom. He gives a metaphor that would have made perfect sense to His Jewish audience, but also applies just as deeply to us today:

“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” (Matthew 5:25–26)

This was a real-world scenario—if you owed a debt or had a dispute, the offended party could take you to court. If the matter reached the judge and you were found guilty, you would be imprisoned until every last cent was paid. The “farthing” mentioned was a Roman coin of extremely small value—less than a penny. Jesus is telling us plainly: Don’t let unresolved sin follow you to the courtroom of God. This isn’t just legal advice. It’s spiritual truth. God is the Judge, and if we carry hate, bitterness, or unrepented offense all the way to judgment, we will pay for it fully. There will be no early release, no second chances beyond the grave. This is not about salvation by works. It’s about proof of salvation by a changed heart. The one who knows Christ will seek reconciliation. The one who clings to hate has not known Him. You cannot preach Jesus and carry unrepented hate. You cannot take communion and carry unresolved offense. You cannot ask God for blessing while refusing to bless your brother. The courtroom warning is urgent because judgment is real—and it’s coming. If we don’t deal with the sins of the heart now, we will be held accountable for every farthing of guilt. God is gracious—but He is also just. He offers forgiveness now, not later. Now is the time to make things right. Now is the time to cast out the anger, the grudge, the bitterness, and return to the altar with clean hands and a clean heart. Jesus connects hate not just to action, but to speech. In Matthew chapter 12, He addresses the Pharisees after they accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. His response is sharp, and it exposes a vital truth:

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34)

Jesus wasn’t being politically correct. He wasn’t sugarcoating anything. He was calling evil exactly what it was—and He said it loud enough for everyone to hear. His words weren’t hateful, but they were piercing. And they reveal something critical: what comes out of your mouth exposes what lives in your heart. You don’t have to commit the act. If your speech is filled with sarcasm, contempt, slander, gossip, or verbal violence, you’ve already proven what’s inside. Hate has taken residence. This is especially important for those who claim Christ. We live in a time when politicians, preachers, and people in the pews call themselves Christians while speaking with venom:

• Condemning their enemies with their mouths.
• Justifying insults because of disagreement.
• Pretending righteous anger while harboring unrighteous hate.

Jesus says that our words will either justify us or condemn us. (Matthew 12:37)

Too many today—on both the political right and left—speak as if hate is a weapon given to us by God. But it is not. God’s people are called to speak truth in love, not in wrath. That doesn’t mean softness. It means holiness. The person who cannot control their tongue has not yet surrendered their heart. The one who mocks, scorns, and lashes out while claiming the name of Christ is a hypocrite—the very kind Jesus exposed. So if we would be faithful, if we would be holy, if we would be true followers of Christ—we must watch our mouths, because they testify of our hearts. Perhaps nowhere is the seriousness of heart-condition more evident than at the Lord’s Table. Communion is not just a symbolic act—it is a sacred moment where we proclaim the death of Jesus Christ and examine our standing with Him.

Paul gives this warning:

“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:27–30)

This is not figurative. Paul says plainly that some in the early church were sick—and some died—because they approached the Lord’s Table with unrepentant hearts. This includes unresolved conflict, unforgiveness, bitterness, or hate. The table is holy. To partake of it while clinging to sin is to mock Christ’s sacrifice. It’s not about being sinless. None of us are. But we must come with a clean essence—a heart that has dealt honestly with known sin, that is not hiding or holding grudges. If the Holy Spirit brings someone to your mind—someone you’ve hurt or refused to forgive—that’s not a distraction. That’s your warning. Communion is a mirror. It’s where we look into the suffering of Christ and ask, Am I honoring what He died to free me from? Hate has no place here. Bitterness has no seat at this table. Jesus gave His body so that we could be made whole—not so that we could go on wounding others with our hearts full of contempt. If there is hate in your heart—deal with it before you eat the bread or drink the cup. Forgive. Confess. Reconcile. Come to the table clean—not perfect, but surrendered. The time for excuses is over. The time for religious appearance is over. Jesus did not die for us to live with hate in our hearts. He died to make us new—people marked by love, truth, mercy, and forgiveness.

If you’ve seen yourself anywhere in this sermon—in Cain’s jealousy, in the Pharisees’ hypocrisy, in the bitter heart that refuses reconciliation—then hear this: there is still time to repent. The grace of God is greater than your sin, but it must be received with humility. Drop the pride. Lay down the anger. Go to your brother. Forgive the offense. Confess the sin. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse not just your reputation—but your heart. We do not get to preach Christ while hating others. We do not get to claim communion while dividing the body. We do not get to speak of heaven while speaking curses under our breath.

Church—it is time to clean house. It is time to make things right. It is time to be honest with God and honest with one another. Because hate is murder. And the heart that holds on to it is a heart that condemns itself.

If this message has stirred your heart—do not ignore it. Let it drive you to action. Let it bring you to your knees. Let it heal what’s been broken. Because the Lord is not far from those who seek Him with a broken and contrite heart.

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Shalom Shalom.