By Greg Johnson
August 27, 2006
http://www.LovingGodFellowship.org
God’s wrath is His reaction to sin and evil. Many today have a misunderstanding of God’s wrath in that they compare God’s wrath to man’s anger. Man’s anger is manifested in fits of rage, retaliation, screaming, shouting, abuse and acts of violence. God’s wrath is His reaction to sin and evil due to His righteousness. Don’t compare God’s wrath to man’s anger. Man’s anger is sin. God’s wrath is the result of His righteousness.
Under the old covenant, God’s wrath or His reaction to sin and evil was revealed beginning in the garden when Adam and Eve were separated from His presence because of their sin. His wrath was revealed in the flood that came upon the earth in Geneses chapters 6-8. In the Old Testament, His wrath was revealed through famine, pestilence, drought and annihilation.
The wrath of God displayed under the old covenant describes and points to the wrath of God that is to come at the end of this age. Daniel has a vision concerning it given to us in Daniel chapter 8. (Daniel 8:19 NIV) "He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end." Jesus said (Matthew 24:21 NIV) "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again." Revelation chapters 5-19 gives a vivid description of the wrath of God that is to come at the end of this age on all those who do not love Jesus.
It is important that servants of Jesus understand the wrath of God that is to come. That is why we are given Revelation. Revelation begins by saying (Revelation 1:1 NIV) "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place". Why is it so important that servants of Jesus understand the wrath of God which is to come? First of all, an understanding of the wrath to come will motivate us to a life of holiness through allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us. Second of all, an understanding of the wrath to come will motivate us to proclaim the good news of God now so that “whosoever” will come to Jesus and be saved from the wrath that is to come.
Signs of the end of this age are all around us. I believe it is crucial today that servants of Jesus understand what is coming. Jesus has laid on my heart to take Loving God Fellowship through Daniel and Revelation in our Wednesday night Bible Study that will begin on September 27, 2006 at the Shilo Inn in Salem, Oregon. We will also be making the messages available to the worldwide LGF Internet church community at http://www.LovingGodFellowship.org and http://www.LGFinternetChurch.org . Please share this important news with your friends and family. It is going to be a valuable series and will be very relevant to our day.
In Paul’s conclusion of Romans chapter 1, he is not talking about God’s past wrath or God’s future wrath. Paul is talking about God’s present wrath. He is referring to God’s reaction to sin and evil in our day; right now; in the present.
HOW GOD’S WRATH IS BEING REVEALED IN OUR DAY.
(Romans 1:18-32 NIV) "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, {19} since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. {20} For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. {21} For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. {22} Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools {23} and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. {24} Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. {25} They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. {26} Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. {27} In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. {28} Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. {29} They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, {30} slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; {31} they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. {32} Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Please notice the added emphasis in the above Scripture. The wrath of God is being revealed today through God turning people over to their sin. In Romans 1:21-24 we are told that people have exchanged the glory of God for things. The result is that God has given them over to their sin. In Romans 1:25-27 we are told that people have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. The result is that God has given them over to their sin. In Romans 1:28-32 we are told that people have exchanged the knowledge of God for the knowledge of the world. The result is that God has given them over to their sin.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT GOD’S WRATH IS NOT HIS FINAL WORD TO US.
Romans 1:18 talks of the wrath of God being “revealed” to us today. It is revealed to us today through God turning people over to their sin. Please be reminded that God’s righteousness has already been revealed to us. (Romans 1:17 NIV) "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."” The opposite of God’s wrath is God’s righteousness. God’s wrath is being revealed to us today through God turning people over to their sin. God’s righteousness has been revealed to us through the gospel; the good news of God which tells us that there is a solution to our sin problem. Jesus is the solution! Jesus died for our sins. After three days in the grave, he rose from the grave re-glorified. Because He conquered death, hell and the grave, we are given opportunity to live victoriously in this life and eternally around the throne of God basking in His righteousness. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to walk in victory.
The moment we place faith in what God did for us at the cross through Jesus, the power of sin is broken over us. Jesus becomes our Savior and we make Him our Lord as we die to sinful self. Sin no longer controls us. Jesus regenerates us into new creatures by giving us the Holy Spirit to indwell in us. We start walking in the Spirit instead of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16-26 NIV) "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. {17} For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. {18} But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. {19} The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; {20} idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions {21} and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. {22} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. {24} Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. {25} Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. {26} Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
Beloved, We live in a world that grows increasingly out of step with the gospel. The wrath of God is being revealed in our day through God turning sinful people over to their sin. God has given us everything we need to avoid His present wrath and His wrath to come on all who do not love Jesus. God has given us His Word which is the authoritative guide for all of our beliefs and actions. He has given us Jesus to be our Savior and our Lord. He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live holy lives in the midst of a wicked and perverse world. Live by the Spirit! Walk in total victory! Be consumed in God’s righteousness instead of being consumed by His wrath! Praise be to an awesome God who loves us!
http://www.LovingGodFellowship.org
