If you were to attend a church conference and have multiple break-away mini-sessions, which class will draw more attendees…the one that offers a title of ‘Understanding the wrath of God” or…”How to find God’s blessings as you pursue your purposes in His kingdom”?
Can we admit that there are various subjects found in the bible that make us ‘feel uncomfortable.’ And probably for an assortment of reasons.
Take ‘speaking in tongues’ for example. That phrase itself sends up all kinds of red flags in some people. Maybe it’s because it is unfamiliar to your particular denomination or perhaps you were taught to run from such folks who ‘do that’ or even teach it?
So what do you do when you read in 1 Cor. 14 where Paul wrote: I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.” (18). Or how about when he said: “I wish you all spoke with tongues.” (5). And what are we going to do with his directive there when he writes: “Do not forbid to speak with tongues”? (39). Oh, am I allowed to throw in Mark 16:17 that says ‘these signs will follow those who believe: …they will speak with new tongues”?
Ok…take a deep breath…I’m not here to discuss that topic today. I merely want to point out this level of discomfort that arises in us when we simply quote or share scripture right out of our beloved bibles. What is that…that rises up in us and creates nervousness or anxiety? Doesn’t that seem just a bit peculiar that as ‘believers’, we would have that kind of response to God’s word?
Do you know what we have a history of doing when we come across subjects in the bible that we are not particularly fond of; or maybe they just don’t ‘fit’ with how we learned something? We tend to write commentaries and create doctrines to explain those things away as if they are not relevant to us anymore. Don’t like it or need it? Fine…just water it down or set it aside and let’s pretend it does not even exist.
Friends…that is such a dangerous practice to fall in to when we are talking about God’s word. That might explain why we have so many denominations today in our ‘Christian Churches’, you think?
Have you ever sat down to assemble something, having the instruction manual close by and all those pieces scattered out before you…and just when you think you have finished the task, you find a handful of ‘other pieces’ that were hidden to you. And the idea of having to go back and dis-assemble your work seems so unappealing. After a quick inspection and all seems to look good and it works well without those ‘extra pieces’ you …lay them aside and hope for the best. We do that with the bible all the time.
Imagine the fate of that skydiver who after jumping from the plane has this ‘aha moment’ where he realizes…”OH…THAT is what the ‘rip cord’ was for that I left in the bag back in the hangar!”
I mentioned it the other day and will state it here once again: We need not be afraid of God’s word.
Granted…previous bad experiences or distorted teachings can scar us and make us resistant to want to hear some topics in the bible. I can understand that. My wife is convinced something similar happened to me years ago that keeps me from liking ‘good pumpkin pie’, but I digress.
So let us explore again, this topic of ‘the wrath of God’. I know, it has such an ominous tone to it when you just hear or read that. But the bible has a lot to say about it and choosing to ignore it, or not wanting to understand it is probably a good reason why so many people suffer needlessly today.
For those who do have somewhat of an understanding to what all ‘God’s wrath’ might entail, they would quickly label it as an ‘unpleasant’ subject and would much rather listen to something that is ‘uplifting’ or ‘positive’. Sounds like those folks in Isaiah 30 that told the prophet to ‘tell us smooth and pleasant things’…get off this talk of God’s holy anger and such. (10)
Others probably want to associate all that ‘wrath talk’ with the Old Testament. And we all know that today we ‘live in the New Testament’ with Jesus who came to talk about a God of love and no longer judges people”, or so we’ve been led to believe.
Yet, the very first gospel in the NT does not take long to introduce us to John the Baptist; and one of the very first questions he asked a group of curious religious leaders was this: “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matt.3:7). He then goes on to lay the groundwork in vs. 8-12 sharing what all is about to ‘go down’ and how folks better get more concerned with bearing ‘good fruit’ because some ‘axe’ is already laid to the root of trees and explains that every tree which does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in to some fire. I will admit, those are some chilling words. Which would be all the more reason to sit up and take note.
If you are at home watching TV and the local weather station breaks in to tell you of a large tornado bearing down on your neighborhood…do you just turn the channel and watch some other show because you are not a fan of ‘bad news’?
My goal in sharing this here today (and most likely tomorrow) is not to spur some kind of emotional reaction in you and ‘scare you closer to God’. This is not akin to the classic message preached years ago by Jonathan Edwards titled ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’.
I merely want to point out verses for your study as I think you will find them very interesting and beneficial. It might even take your relationship with God to a ‘new level’ of love and appreciation for Him…given that is what Jesus came to save us from….the wrath of God. (Rom. 5:9)
Did you catch that? Jesus came to ‘save us’ from…the wrath of God. Let that sink in a moment. God’s wrath was (and is) on the earth today because sin brought a curse of death and judgement. Hence the term of a ‘fallen world’ with so much brokenness and pain and suffering and sickness. God did not bring that…sin did.
In fact, take a look at John 3:36 now…as in, go open your bible and mark that verse (if you do mark your bible). It clearly states the condition of anyone and everyone prior to coming to Christ. It reads that ‘whoever does not believe in the Son…the wrath of God abides or remains on him.”
Read that one again, slowly, if you would please.
This is the condition that every person in the world finds themselves in when they are born into the world because of the curse and judgement of sin. God’s wrath is on them. Period. This curse of wrath and death and judgement was passed down going all the way back from Adam. (Rom. 5:12-14) This is such a fundamental and core teaching of the bible and there simply is no getting around it. We were born cursed. And because of this, God’s wrath was on us. (Go read John 3:36 again if you need to).
And what did Jesus came to ‘save’ us from? Again…God’s wrath. (Rom. 5:9)
If we don’t understand what the wrath of God actually is, how it got here and what it does, then we will fail to truly understand what it is that Jesus came to ‘save us from’. And that would include…HOW…He saves us from the wrath of God. [*Spoiler Alert* - there is more to it than just saying a prayer admitting you believe Jesus is the Son of God.]
So maybe we should get a better understanding of what that word means or what actually is…the ‘wrath of God’. That would help. And I want to direct your attention to three verses (all which I have shared here before). Yes…we do tend to associate this idea of ‘wrath’ with God’s ‘anger’. But what exactly is…this ‘wrath’?
Psalm 78:49. “He (God) cast on them the fierceness of His anger...wrath, indignation, and trouble by sending angels of destruction among them.” Think in terms of ‘fallen angels’ or ‘demons’.
Again…our condition prior to turning to Jesus with our whole hearts can be found in Eph. 2:1-3. We were once ‘by nature, children of wrath’ as the ‘demon spirits’ worked IN us operating through the lust of our sinful flesh nature’. Hence, the reason John said that this whole world was under his control and influence. (1 John 5:19).
That might be the reason Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
I hope you join me tomorrow.
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