No Middle Ground

A. Love for God is normal for a Christian.

1. We are the happy recipients of the love of God.

2. God’s love, revealed at the cross, calls for our love in return.

B. Hate for sin is normal for those who love God.

1. We are to love sinners but hate sin.

2. Let’s see how our text today demands that we hate evil.

Psalm 97:10–12 NKJV

10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

C. Our choices bless us or distress us.

We Can Choose Deliverance or Danger (v. 10)

Psalm 97:10 NKJV

10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

1. The Lord preserves those who live for Him.

2. Rejecting compromise with evil brings deliverance from its consequences.

3. The Lord always gives His best to those who live for Him.

4. “Those who love the Lord will see His love revealed to them in protection from their enemies and as they keep from evil, all evil will be kept from them.” (C. H. Spurgeon)

5. The Lord deserves our full commitment to Him. (Rom. 12:1-2)

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We Can Choose Light or Darkness (v.11)

Psalm 97:11 NKJV

11 Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart.

1. To love the Lord demands walking in the light.

2. Those who follow Christ do not walk in darkness. (Jn. 8:12)

John 8:12 NKJV

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

3. “Right leads to light. In the furrows of integrity lie the seeds of happiness which develop into a harvest of joy. God has lightning for sinners and light for saints. The gospel of Jesus, wherever it goes, sows the whole earth with joy for believers”. (C. H. Spurgeon)

4. Paul: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” (Romans 13:12)

5. Light and darkness have no agreement, deserve no fellowship (2 Cor. 6:14)

We Can Choose Rejoicing or Regret (vv. 11-12)

Psalm 97:11–12 NKJV

11 Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

1. Loving God and walking in the light brings rejoicing.

a. Thanksgiving flows from committed hearts.

b. Compromising with the enemy brings regret.

2. We hate evil because we love our holy God.

a. We rejoice in the righteousness of our Lord.

b. We give thanks for His holiness.

3. Loving God and hating evil has become our compass for life.

Conclusion:

A. Full Surrender must be our goal.

B There is no middle ground.

C Love for God is measured by our hatred for evil.

D. How much do you love your crucified and risen Lord?