His Wrath

Ton, as we cont our study in the attributes of God, we come to the attribute that's the one that is most rarely discussed. Many churches tend to run from the subject. Others just bypass it or jump over it altogether. But to do so would paint an incomplete picture of God. And so we need to study this attribute, specifically centered on the wrath of God. And if you have your Bible, I would invite you to turn with me to the book of Nah for no other reason, just to figure out where it is in the Old Testament.

The book of Nah, first chapter. I want to read to you what the Bible says about our God. And then spend some time this evening discussing the wrath of God. It says in Nah chapter 1, verse number 2: A jealous and avenging God is the Lord. The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is his way, and clouds are the dust beneath his feet.

And then down in verse number six: Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the burning of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken up by him. That's our God. We need to understand that our God is an avenging God, that our God is a wrathful God. Now you might not like that, you might not want to hear that, and you might even think that you don't agree with that. But the important thing is that you understand what the Bible says about the attributes of God So, tonight we want to cover four points with you.

The first is this: we want to have a discussion on the wrath of God. What does the Bible say about God's wrath? We'll move from there and talk about the display of his wrath. How was it displayed on a regular basis? And then we're going to talk about the day of his wrath. And then we're going to talk about the deliverance from his wrath. It's always good to end on the good news. But we'll begin, first of all, with the discussion.

His wrath and cover three areas. Number one, the concept itself, the contrast between God's wrath and God's goodness, and then the comparison between God's wrath and our wrath.

First of all, the concept. I'm convinced that unless you understand the wrath of God, you will never fully comprehend The love of God. God is perfect. His love is perfect, therefore, his wrath. Is perfect. There's nothing imperfect about the furious avenging wrath of God. It's perfect because God is holy. And God is sinless. But the Bible says that God actually gets heated up.

In fact, over in Psalm 18, it says this in verse number 7. The earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were trembling, and were shaken, because he, that is God, was angry. Smoke went up out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth. Devoured. Coals were kindled by it. God's anger is pictured symbolically as smoke burning from his nostrils. Over in Psalm 78, verse number 21, it reads as follows: Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath. and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also mounted against Israel.

The Bible speaks often of the wrath of God. 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 7 and 9: The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. I read you those verses because you need to understand that that is just a very small portion of what the Bible has to say about God's wrath.

It says in Psalm 45, verse number 7, Thou hast loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That's our God. Sin is an outrage against God's holiness. His justice requires that he punish sin. And his love for his people demands that he destroy sin because it threatens their well-being. Your sin doesn't threaten God's well-being. Your sin threatens your well-being. God knows that. God loves you so much that He will pour out His wrath to keep you from sinning any further. Because he doesn't want you to experience the turmoil.

But let's move from the concept to the contrast. Turning me over to the book of Romans, the 11th chapter. Romans chapter 11. It states the contrast very clearly. Listen to what it says. Verse number 22. Behold, then, the kindness. Severity of God to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness. If you continue in His kindness, otherwise, you also will be cut off. Paul says, behold the kindness, the goodness, and the severity of God. It's important to strike a balance between the two. The word severity means to be cut off.

And Paul points to God's goodness, and then he points to God's process of cutting off. The cutting off of God's goodness is the description of God's wrath. Does that make sense? When God cuts off His goodness from you, You will then begin to experience the wrath of God in your life. When God's patience against sin expires, God cuts people off. From his goodness. He no longer makes available to them his love, his patience, his support. And so, therefore, we need to understand the balance of these two.

Let's move on now to the comparison between God's goodness and our God's wrath and our wrath. There's a big difference. We get angry when we've been wronged. We get angry when our pride gets in the way. We get angry when someone mistreats us. We get angry when we have been inconvenienced. We get angry when someone treats us unjustly. We get angry when someone fails to meet our need. Now, maybe you don't relate to that. Maybe you never get angry. I don't know. But that's what happens to us. But you see, Our anger stems from a sinful heart.

We're going to talk about this on Sunday, about wars and conflicts among you. Where do they all come from? Why isn't there so much war and conflict in our family? Why is there so much war and conflict in the church? Why isn't there peace? Why isn't there harm We're going to talk about that on Sunday. But we need to understand that in us is a selfish motive. But with God, He's sinless. With God, He's holy. He's pure. He's untainted from any sin. And so God never just flies off the handle. God never goes into a temper tantrum.

You ever seen somebody go into a temper tantrum? Pick up dishes and start throwing dishes across the kitchen, throwing phones and knives and forks. Not in your house, right? Sure, doesn't that happen in your place? Get off on some kind of temper tantrum. God doesn't have temper tantrums. Not at all. In fact, turn back with me, if you would, to Joshua chapter 7. You know the story in Joshua chapter 7 that the nation of Israel lost a battle, and they couldn't understand how they had lost a battle to a very small A group of people.

And what had happened is that Achan had stolen some good. And because he stole some goods. And hid him underneath his tent, there was sin in the camp. And God told Joshua that he had to deal with the sin in the camp. And so it says in verse number 16: So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he brought the family of Judah near, and he took the family of the Zarah, and he brought the family of the Zerah near, man by man. And Zabdi was taken.

And he brought his household near man by man, and Ach, son of Carmi, son of Zabdai. Son of Zerah from the tribe of Judah, all those names which you will be quizzed on after our time together this evening, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me. Joshua says, Ach, you need to confess your sin. You need to give glory to God and confess your sin. Not so you'll get off the hook.

Not so you won't be punished. But you confess so that God's judgment against sin would be seen as just and righteous. And so Achan would confess his sin and all that had taken place. And so the nation would take Ach, his whole family, and stone them. Look what it says. Verse number 24. Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep. His tent and all that belonged to him, and they brought them to the valley of Achor.

And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned them with stones, and they burned them with fire after they had stoned. Them with stones, as if stoning them wasn't good enough. You had to stone them and then you had to burn them. That wouldn't go over so well in our society today. And then it says this, and they raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day. And the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. There, the name of that place has been called the Valley of Ac to this day.

God was angry. God was vengeful. Why? Because somebody sinned. They shouldn't have sinned. And so we see a demonstration of God's wrath. And Joshua would implore him, you confess your sin. Because what God's about to do is just and right. So, you give glory to God, you praise His name, you confess His sin. You see, when you confess your sin and you're really serious about getting right with God, you're telling God, what you do, God, is okay with me because you're righteous and just. Think about it.

That's true confession. That's just a general discussion of the wrath of God. You probably have more questions now that you've heard that. So let's move to point number two, the display of his wrath.

We'll look at it in two categories: from heaven and from earth. Or on earth. Romans chapter 1. Turn with me if you would, please.

Romans chapter 1, verse number 18, reads as follows. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who supp the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident. Within them, for God made it evident to them. God is not into hiding his wrath, he wants to reveal it. He brings it to light. He makes it known. And it's expressed against ungodliness and expressed against unrighteousness. The text literally reads that it is constantly being revealed.

So God's wrath is constantly being revealed against all those who are ungodly and who are un. If you read through the Bible, understand what God has said in His Word, you read and understand that God has revealed His wrath through death. Through pestilence, through exile, through destruction of cities and nations, God has always revealed his wrath. He revealed it at Sodom and Gomorrah. He revealed it in Genesis 6 at the flood. He revealed it in Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel. He revealed it in Genesis chapter 3, with the very first sin of mankind, when he expelled Adam and Eve from the garden and brought death into existence because of their sin, God's wrath is being revealed constantly.

Upon unrighteousness and ungodliness. God hates sin so deeply that He poured out His fury on His own beloved Son. Now you've got to hate sin pretty bad to give up your son and to make him take on the sin of the world. But God the Father hates sin that bad that he would sacrifice the dearest possession that he had. To demonstrate not only his wrath, but his love. Turn with me over to John chapter 2.

Not only is God's wrath revealed from heaven, it's revealed when Christ was on earth as well. Over in John chapter 2. I find this very interesting. The early life of Christ, the outset of his public ministry, the very first time that he goes into Jerusalem and does his first public act.

This is the first public act of Christ's in Jerusalem. And it's not a way in which you're going to win friends and influence people. It's not a way to begin a crusade in the city of Jerusalem. But it says in verse number 13, and the Passover, the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers seated. And he made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen.

And he poured out the coins of the money changers. And over their tables. And to those who were selling the doves, he said, Take these things away. Stop making my father's house a house of merchandise. His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal. For thy house will cons me. A quotation of Psalm 69, verse number 9. Zeal, meaning passion, meaning a word of indign. When Christ went in for the Passover, he saw priests mish the temple of God and you were able to see a demonstration of the wrath of God as one man was able to change the whole complexion of the temple with thousands of people in it.

Because of his anger, it was kindled to a point where he had to unleash his wrath upon man. Which leads to point number three: the day of his wrath.

I want to spend just a few moments talking about the day of his wrath in three areas. Number one, it is a certain event.

Number two, it is a cataclysmic event. And number three, it is a climatic event. And I want you to notice what Revelation chapter 6, verse number.

16 says, We'll start with the first number of 15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the commanders, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave, and freem, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the presence of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath. of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand? And listen, and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

You'd think that they would repent. You think that, oh God, be merciful unto us, but they blasphemed his name. The anger and the depravity and the wretchedness of the human heart is so bad, is so wicked. The Bible says, our heart is so.

So desperately wicked, you don't even know your own hearts. It's desperately wicked, the Bible says. See that? If you don't understand the wrath of God. You'll never understand the love of God, and you'll never repent from your sin. See that? They did not understand the wrath of God. This is so important for us to grasp. It's a certain event. It is a cataclysmic event. It says in Isaiah:. The day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation, and he will exterminate its sinners from it.

Wow. That's our God. My friends, the day of God's wrath is a certain event. You can bank on it. It is a cataclysmic event, and it is the climact ev. Why is that? Because Revelation chapter 20 tells us that the great day of the wrath of God is not the end. It's just the beginning of the end. Revelation chapter 20, verse number 10. Reads as follows. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. Where the beast and the false prophet are also, and they will be tormented day and night forever.

Verse number 15. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he too was thr into the l of fire. Folks, that is the climactic event for the world. the day of the wrath of God. When God takes them and throws them into the lake of fire, well they will burn forever and ever and ever and never cease from burning torment. That's why Paul said, know the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. 2 Corinthians:. Which takes us to point number four: the deliverance from his wrath. The deliverance from his wrath.

You say, man, I don't want my family going through this, and I don't want my family to experience God's fury. I don want my family to see. And exper the great and terrible day of the Lord. I don 't want those things to happen to me or my family. How do I escape it? Where 's the deliverance? Two things you need to understand. Number one, there needs to be a realization.

A real, number one, of the wrath of God, and number two, of the work of God. A realization of the wrath of God. That's why we spent time this evening talking about it. And number two, a realization of the work of God.

The wrath of God is real, and the work of God res you. From that torment, it says over in 2 Corinthians 5:2, He who knew no sin bec sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. It says over in Galatians chapter 3, verse number 13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. You need to realize the wrath of God in order to realize The work of God. Things are so bad for us that we need to grasp the work of God, that He would sacrifice Himself for us.

That his son would satisfy the wrath of God. Think of all the things we've read about God's wrath. His fury, his anger, the sores, the people biting through their tongues, the begging the rocks to fall upon them. That's God's wrath, and God took more of that. He put it all on the son, on the tree. So you never have to experience it. The greatest fury of the wrath of God is not the day of the Lord, it's what happened at Calvary 2,000 years ago. When God the Father was separated from God the Son, as he hung in that tree, and he cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Folks, that is the greatest work of God so that you and I would experience salvation from the wrath of God. It says over to Romans chapter 5, verse number 8. You know it? But God demonstrates his own love toward us, and that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. And then in verse number 9, much more than, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved. From the wrath of God through Him. How are you saved from the wrath of God? Through Jesus Christ, the one who demonstrated His love.

The cross for mankind. It says over in 1st Thessalonians chapter 1, verse number 6, that those people of Thessalon received the word of the Lord with joy. And then it says in verse number 10. And they waited for Jesus, who delivered them from the wrath to come. Point number two, once there's a realization, there needs to be a repentance.

There needs to be rep. Listen to Psalm 7, verse number 11. God is a righteous judge and a God who has indign every day. Think about it. Indignation every day. Then in verse number 12, if a man does not repent, he will sharpen his sword. He has bent his bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for himself deadly weapons. He makes his arrows fiery shafts. Our God is a God who is in indignation every day. And if man does not repent, the text says, it tells us that he sharpens his sword, he bends his bow, he's ready to unleash his fury, unless Unless a man repents of his sin.

It says over in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse number 9. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient. Towards you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. That's what God wants. It was Jonathan Edwards who said this: Let everyone that is yet out of Christ and hanging over the pit of hell. Whether they be old men and women, or middle-aged, or young people, or little children, now hearken to the loud call of God's word. And Providence awake and fly from the wrath to come.

That would be my prayer for you, and that would be my prayer for anyone who would listen. To what the Word says about the wrath of God. I trust that you will escape and be delivered from that wrath, that you might experience the joy of the Lord.