The Path You Chose vs The Wrath Reserved for Those Who Oppose
When Mrs. Morris, our next door landlord, looked out her kitchen window and saw me taking hold of the well bucket attached to the end of a rope - the bulk of which was wrapped around a spindle with a handle attached - then saw me let go of the bucket so that the spindle went crazy as it unwound, and the bucket fell to the bottom of the well, making a huge splash, she came huffing and puffing across the backyard, yelling, “Charles Cunningham, if you do that one more time, this old woman is gonna take hold of you and drop you down that well!”
Now, folks, if you had known this dear “old woman” and had seen her the way I saw her – the only female I had ever seen with a mustache, and one of just a few who never shaved their legs - with a body weight of about 290 pounds – then you understand what I mean when I say: I felt like “The Wrath” was about to be unleashed on me!
Mrs. Morris’ threat scared me so bad that, as much as I wanted to, I dared not pull that stupid stunt again. So, early in my life I learned of the existence of an intense emotion conveyed by the word wrath. Thus, in reading the Bible, whenever I come across the phrase “the wrath”, no one has to convince me to take it seriously.
Against the backdrop of our previous session when I reframed the suggested topic to point out three truths about a lovely Christian life, let’s reframe our lesson today to contrast the path you in your wisdom chose versus the wrath reserved for those who oppose the way of Christ. And I suppose Paul had this contrast in mind when he composed this part of his letter to the Romans - Romans 1:18-25 . . .
Some folks consider the concept of wrath “too hot to handle”. So I defer to one of the great all-time theologians whose interpretations of scripture have stood the test of time and received the acclaim of a broad base of Christian scholars.
To better understand the essence of the contrast between the path you chose when you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, and the wrath that awaits those who reject the Way of Christ, I turn to C. S. Lewis who, like me, cannot be pigeonholed by a label such as fundamentalist or conservative or moderate or liberal.
As an independent thinker endowed with the gift of intellectual discernment as well as spiritual insight, the conclusion this great theologian reached concerning “the wrath to come” was this: There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done”, and those to whom God says, “thy will be done”.
Folks, the sum and substance of “the wrath” (the judgment) prescribed by God . . . preached by Paul . . . applicable to all people, can be stated in a brief sentence which no one should find difficult to understand: “All people that on earth do dwell” must choose between the path that leads to heaven and the wrath that is hell! Notice what Paul says:
(1) God’s wrath is being revealed. The initial stage of the wrath is seen in the here and now in the lives of people who persist in doing evil. Some live out their days in prison - others, in prisons of their own making, in the sense that their manner of living turns out to be “hell on earth” - and, who would disagree with the obvious: persistently evil people - Saddam Hussein . . . murderers . . . fornicators . . . blasphemers etcetera ad nauseum - either have been, are being, or one day will be, held accountable . . . unless they choose “the path” before it’s too late!
(2) God’s judgment is reserved for the ungodly – as rendered in the 1st Psalm . . .
Would you believe that some folks joke about it as if to say, “Bring it on”? I read an article about hundreds of bikers who gathered in Texas to pay their last respects to a founding member of the feared Bandidos gang. One biker yelled: “Give ‘em hell, Grandpa.”
Another remarked: “The Devil’s in the unemployment line now that you’re there!” Some even joked about what a good time they are going to have when they join their biker friend in Hell.
You know, there’s a lot of misinformation out there concerning “The Wrath”.
Apparently some folks believe that God has changed His mind about the plight we invite upon ourselves; or they choose to relegate God’s wrath to the Old Testament while pointing to the New Testament’s focus on “love” – a concept interpreted by some to mean, “God so loved the world that He would not send anyone to Hell!”
And you know what? In a very real sense, they’re right, just as Jesus told Nicodemus: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in Him stands condemned already.” Personal accountability!
To believe in Christ is to live for Him . . . choose “the path” not “the wrath” . . . choose eternity with Him (Heaven) not choose eternal separation from Him (Hell)! “The Wrath” is something we don’t like to think about . . . talk about . . . preach about. We shy away from naming evils associated with “the wrath”.
But name them Paul did; and proclaim the truth Christians must. Which is why Paul preceded his pronouncement concerning “wrath” with that courageous statement of personal conviction: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”
When we tell people the good news of salvation, yet they deny their need for God’s forgiveness, and go so far as to renounce the Giver – constantly, consistently and contemptibly - in word and in deed – dare we not speak the whole truth in love – as succinctly put by John in a Good News-Bad News scenario: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” Why let it “remain” when it can be “removed”?
(3) The way we live reflects the God, or gods, we serve! To commit to any of the “gods” of man’s own making is to live in denial of standards set from the “git go” by the LORD God . . . the moral order inherent, though not invisible, in God’s creation . . . truths we hold to be self-evident.
Rebellion against God and rejection of His Son, thereby inviting extremely serious consequences, has been documented throughout history . . . chronicled in the Old Testament . . . has been warned against by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament . . . is even now being witnessed by those of us who keep up with the news on a regular basis.
Self-degradation, self-destruction, terrible acts of war and domestic violence have become the world’s daily diet - from telecasts to podcasts to stones cast at each other. Yet there is hope!
Think with me about another experience that occurred at a well, this time in Samaria just across the border from Palestine. There (on the spot where Jacob pitched his tent) Jesus met a woman whose life was being ruined by sinful escapades, none of which satisfied the longing in her heart for true happiness.
Then Jesus came along, interrupted her routine, and offered her a way out – a path of life that would lead to genuine, lasting happiness!
Rather than unleash wrath onto this searching soul . . . threaten to throw her into a dungeon of despair . . . lash out at her, grab her by the hair of the head, drag her into the town square to be stoned to death by hypocrites who then would dump her body onto the smoldering trash heap outside the city (known as “Gehenna” from which comes our word “Hell”), Jesus reached out to her in love . . . told her of the way out of self- imprisonment . . . offered her the path of a lovely Christian life, the first step of which would be to “go and sin no more”.
Thus, yet another sinful soul decided to follow Jesus, saying “No” to the wrath that leads to self-destruction, while saying “Yes” to the path that leads to total restoration! This woman at this well chose the path rather than the wrath!
Christianity is the only “religion” in the world that pleads with sinners to: repent and receive God’s forgiveness . . . be saved by God’s grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ . . . surrender to the Spirit’s control . . . bask in wholesome pleasures of which there are plenty to keep reasonable people happy for as long as they live and then some - as denoted by the psalmist in his “shout out” to the Lord:
“You have made known to me the path of life; you will satisfy me with joy in your presence, and with eternal pleasures.” (Psalm 16:11) Amen!
