Beholding God’s Glory: God’s Wrath
Romans 1:18-21
How are we doing in memorizing Daniel 11:32? I am excited about what God has store for us in 2012 – but to experience what He has for us we will need to stand firm and take action.
And what will enable us to stand firm and take action is knowing God – which is why we are doing a four-week series called “Beholding God’s Glory” – and why we are working on memorizing Daniel 11:32. So let’s review it together –
“Daniel 11:32 -- The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action – Daniel 11:32.”
So far in this series we have talked about the holiness of God – how God’s perfections set Him infinitely above every other wow there is. And we have talked about the righteousness of God – that when God sees His infinite perfections, the only right thing is to do everything to uphold and display His holiness, His glory, His wow.
And today we are going to talk about a topic that is both painful and crucial – the wrath of God.
It’s painful – because all of us have faced God’s wrath, some of you might still be facing God’s wrath, on the Cross Jesus endured God’s wrath, and our lost friends are facing an eternity of God’s wrath.
But it’s crucial – and God tells us about His wrath in this book – because if we rightly understand God’s wrath we will be transformed – we will praise His righteousness, be stunned at the Cross, stop playing footsie with sin, and plead with the lost. That’s what I am praying will happen in me – and us – this morning.
So let’s start with this question – does God have wrath? Isn’t God loving? (He is – as you will see.) So why do we believe God has wrath?
Let me show you two Scriptures – one in the Old Testament, and on in the New. First – here’s what Isaiah says about God’s wrath in Isaiah 66:15 –
For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
This is speaking of God’s judgment at the end of history. Notice the words anger, fury, and rebuke.
And here’s what John says in the New Testament – Rev 6:16 --
And they called to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
This is also talking about the end of history – the great day of their wrath. Whose wrath? The wrath of the Lamb – Jesus – and the wrath of the Father.
So at the end of history there will be an outpouring of wrath from Jesus and His Father. Why? Because of how we have responded to God.
How have we responded to God? The answer is given in Romans 1:18-21 --
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Notice that God has clearly revealed Himself to each of us through creation. Think about it. How did we – and everything around us – get here? You are a conscious being who thinks and loves and laughs and reads and talks and works. And you have a body of amazing complexity and order – with, among other things, an automatic leak detection and repair system which – when you skin your knee -- coagulates just the right amount of blood at exactly the right place. You live in a world where photosynthesis produces wheat, and the sun gives you vitamin D.
Did all this come about from matter interacting randomly over billions of years? Impossible.
The fact that you are alive with the body you have in this amazing world shows that there is a God who is overflowing with goodness and love. He is flawlessly wise – think of how your body works. He is infinitely powerful – think of the size of the universe He created.
Deep down inside we all know that there is a God – a good, loving, powerful, wise being to whom we owe everything.
But what have we all done? Look again at v.21 --
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.
We all know that we are here becauseof God’s love and goodness and wisdom and power – but instead of honoring Him as God and thanking Him – we ignore Him. We disobey Him. We don’t seek Him. We’ve all rebelled against Him.
Imagine a sea captain who builds a boat with state of the art equipment and luxury cabins, fills the kitchen with amazing food and drink, and gathers passengers to take them to an amazing destination in the Caribbean. But then imagine that the passengers mutiny – throw the captain overboard, and take over.
That’s what we all have done. So how should God respond?
Two weeks ago we saw that God was holy – which means that His perfections set Him infinitely above everything else that is. There exists a being of infinite perfection – who has always been, who is so powerful that He spoke a Word and the universe sprang into being, who is so massive that His presence fills this huge universe, who is sovereign over everything, who as a Trinity is full of joy in His own perfections, and who is perfect goodness and love. God is holy – infinitely glorious.
And last week we saw that God was righteous – which means that God responds in the way that perfectly fits reality. So as God looks at reality what does He see? He sees that He is the infinitely most valuable being in existence. So what can God do that fits that reality? What’s righteous for God to do?
What He does is do everything to uphold and display His perfection. When something honors and trusts His perfection – God loves it and rejoices to do it great good. But when something dishonors and scoffs at His perfection He is angry and seeks to punish it.
Think about the glory of Half-Dome. It is one-of-a-kind – beautiful – spectacular. There is no other Half-Dome on planet earth. So how would you feel if you read in the paper that some graffiti artist with indelible ink spray-painted his tag all across the face of Half Dome – so forever Half-Dome is desecrated. How would you feel?
You would feel passionate anger toward that person – passion to have that person be punished – because he has dishonored something of great glory.
Our sin dishonors infinitely great glory – the glory of God. When we worry – it’s like we are standing on top of a mountain shouting out – God is not good and He can’t be trusted! When we are bored – we are shouting – there is nothing of beauty and majesty to capture my heart and my life! When we lust – we are shouting – God lies when He promises fullness of joy in His presence!
That’s why God has wrath – against all of us. Because all of us have dishonored His infinite glory.
But now what exactly is God’s wrath?
God’s wrath is His deliberate, righteous passion to punish those who dishonor His infinite glory.
It’s deliberate – because all through the Bible we read that God is slow to anger. My dad likes to say that God’s anger is a slow-burning fuse. Slow – slow – slow. Which shows that God does not lose His temper. When God chooses to exercise His wrath – it’s deliberate.
And it’s righteous. God is not a sadist who enjoys punishing people. But when God sees His infinite glory dishonored – His righteousness stirs in Him a passion to punish. Not because He enjoys punishing – but because He loves His righteousness – He loves truth – He loves beauty.
So God’s wrath is His deliberate, righteous passion to punish those who dishonor His infinite glory.
But for now – the fuse is still burning. For now – God is being patient. But the day will come when God will chose to bring history to a close – and that’s when His wrath will be fully poured out – as He casts people into hell forever.
One of the most terrifying pictures of God’s wrath is given in Revelation 14:9-11 –
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."
That is terrifying. This is a picture of what it will mean to drink the wine of God’s wrath – poured full-strength into the cup of His anger. Tormented with fire and sulfur. Forever and ever. No rest day or night.
So God’s wrath is His deliberate, righteous passion to punish those who dishonor His infinite glory.
That’s one way God pours out His wrath. But that’s not the only way. There is another way.
How else does God pour out His wrath? We just read about the wine of God’s wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger. Do you remember what Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane? “Father, take this cup from me.” What cup? The cup of the wine of God’s wrath poured full strength in his anger.
Why did Jesus have to pray that? Because the Father and Jesus had chosen to do something astonishing. To display the perfection of their love, the goodness of their love, the mercy of their love – they chose to have Jesus be punished in our place.
See -- God can’t just sweep His wrath under the rug. That would be unrighteous. Because God’s wrath is righteous – it has to be expressed – every sin must be punished. So Jesus willingly went to the Cross – knowing that on the Cross the cup of God’s wrath would be poured upon Him. And the Father willingly sent His Son – knowing that on the Cross His wrath would be poured upon Him – Jesus would be punished in our place for our sins.
And if you will bend your knee before Jesus, surrendering completely to Him, trusting Him as your Lord and Savior and heart-satisfying Treasure – then all the wrath God has felt towards you – that deliberate, righteous passion to punish you – was poured out upon Jesus 2,000 years ago. And you will be forgiven. You will never taste a drop of that cup. Instead God will be rejoicing to do you good with all His heart and soul.
Any questions?
So how should this impact us? When we see God’s wrath clearly and biblically – we will be transformed.
First, we will praise God’s righteousness. I hope that after this morning none of you is embarrassed about God’s wrath. I hope you can see that because God is holy – infinitely perfect – and righteous – responding perfectly to His infinite perfection by doing everything to uphold and display His glory – His wrath against our sin is perfect, holy, pure, righteous.
Second, we will love the Cross. The more clearly we see the horror of God’s wrath, the more clearly we see the wonder of the Father’s love in being willing to pour His wrath on His Son, and the wonder of Jesus’ love in being willing to endure God’s wrath for us. So love the Cross.
Third, we will fear God’s wrath. If you are trusting Christ – then you will never taste God’s wrath. So why fear it? Because if you turn towards sin and persist in sin – that would show that you never genuinely trusted Christ – and you would face God’s wrath. It’s like when Jan and I were at Glacier Point last year. I leaned over the edge and looked down, down, down – and felt fear. Not that I was going to fall. But knowing that if I chose to lean too far – I would be destroyed. If you lean too far into sin – you could end up destroyed. So fear God’s wrath.
And fourth, we will weep for the lost. This is painful. But for the sake of God’s glory, for the sake of your joy, for the sake of your neighbors – I want to press it home. Your neighbors are facing the cup of God’s wrath. Are you weeping? Your work-associates are facing the cup of God’s wrath. Are you pleading? See God’s wrath – and weep, and plead.