Things the Wicked Despise

Text: Leviticus 26:14-32

 

I.         This might come as shock, but have you noticed? The world is full of wicked people who are not nice.

            A.        Why do the wicked behave as they do?

II.        The wicked only care about themselves

            A.        They despise their fellow man - Proverbs 14:21

            B.        They only care about what benefits themselves. Other people get trampled - Proverbs 18:3

            C.        They don’t even value their relationship with their parents - Proverbs 15:20

III.       The wicked believe they right

            A.        They have contempt for others - Luke 18:9

            B.        Therefore, they can’t stand being proven they wrong - Proverbs 1:7

                        1.         They aren’t interested in changing – they don’t believe they need to change.

                        2.         Having no fear of God, there is no motivation to align themselves with a higher power

            C.        But this also means the wicked don’t want to be told what to do - Proverbs 13:13

                        1.         II Peter 2:9-10 - They despise authority

                        2.         God’s word breaks down our barriers and changes us - Jeremiah 23:29

                        3.         God takes note of those willing to change - Isaiah 66:1-2

                        4.         But the wicked will be held accountable to the Word of God because they won’t change - Proverbs 13:1

            D.        The wicked despise discipline and correction - Proverbs 15:32

                        1.         Because they refuse to improve themselves, they really despise themselves

                        2.         Doing right, being committed, having faith, etc. requires effort, but the wicked wants nothing to do with such things.

                        3.         The path to righteousness requires hardships - Hebrews 12:5-6

IV.      The wicked reject God

            A.        Those commands come from God, and so the wicked despise God - Proverbs 14:2

                        1.         It isn’t like they will get away with it. God warned the Israelites what would happen to them - Leviticus 26:14-32

                        2.         God will try to get them to turn but in the end, they don’t like God and God will abhor them

            B.        They despise anything good - Psalms 36:4

                        1.         “Good” is the opposite of what they want to do, so “good” is rejected

                        2.         The wicked spend their days planning evil

V.        God uses the despised because it is what the wicked rejects - I Corinthians 1:27-29

            A.        The Son of God came into the world, but he was despised - Isaiah 53:3

            B.        The great treasure - eternal life – is on a path that no wicked person will consider

            C.        The righteous moves in the opposite direction of the world and that should make us happy.