Wrath Revealed

Intro:

Open your bibles to Romans 1.

Today we are going to look at God’s wrath on unrighteousness. Before we jump into the subject of wrath, I want to look at several foundational truths about the nature of God. Without a base concept of these truths, we will fail to understand the revelation of God’s wrath.

1. God is good. To understand this we must recognize that God’s goodness is the perfection of his nature and moral excellence. The goodness of God is not determined by the good things that He does, goodness is an outflow of who he is. The good things He does are an outward revelation of who He is. He is not trying to become good through good works, He is good and therefore does good.

2. God is love. God’s love is the divine attribute that indicates God’s disposition to be self-giving and for the good of the other. His love is demonstrated in his goodness, mercy, grace, compassion, and faithfulness, but it is also demonstrated in His holiness, justice, jealousy, and wrath. His love is personal and relational, as He is a God who comes near to his creatures, seeking fellowship with them.

3. God is merciful. The mercy of God describes his focused disposition of compassionate forgiveness toward his people, especially in light of their distressful and dire circumstances. Mercy is a relational expression of God’s covenant relationship with His people.

4. God is gracious. God’s grace is unmerited divine favor, a favor from which comes many gifts. Even in humanity’s fallen state, God freely grants to his creatures good things they do not deserve. The greatest of these is Jesus Christ.

5. God is Holy. The holiness of God speaks to God’s existence as completely separate from his creation and, at the same time, to his pure and utterly incorruptible nature.

6. God is righteous. The righteousness of God speaks to God’s character, specifically in regard to the coherence between his revealed will and his actions on behalf of his people. The revealed attributes of God are rooted in His righteousness. His communicated goodness, love, and mercy to creation reveals his righteous worth to reign as king. His attributes also serve as the standard for how his people are to act.

7. God is truth. His identity is the source of all truth and the unfailing conformity of all divine action and revelation to this identity. God’s word is not true because it conforms to some external reality called truth. His word is an expression of the truth itself because it is an expression of his personal essence. God cannot lie because He would have to deny himself.

8. God is Wisdom. God’s wisdom is the perfect divine judgement and insight arising from his infinite knowing, and this wisdom is something he shares with his creatures according to their need for their good. His wisdom is evident in all his divine purposes and decrees. He doesn’t have wisdom, He is wisdom which causes his judgements to be pure and right.

9. God is Just. The perfection of his nature whereby he is infinitely righteous in himself and in all he does, the righteousness of the divine nature exercised in his moral government. The idea of justice is characterized by the rendering of what is due or merited. It is rooted in fairness and impartiality.

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Submit:

Now as we consider the wrath of God revealed in Romans 1 I want us to view it through the lens of the attributes of God. Many in the American Church struggle to understand the wrath of God because there is an internal picture that God is just an angry deity waiting for us to mess up. Romans 1:18-20.

This morning my desire to help us understand the place of wrath within the attributes of God. Turn to Romans 1:18-20.

Romans 1:18–21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

The first thing I want to point out about this passage of scripture is that the wrath of God is revealed. If something has to be revealed, it means that it was previously concealed.

Revelation of wrath was initiated by something. In this case it is against ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in un-righteousness. (Think about this in reference to the attributes of God. Who is truth? God himself.) Men are attempting to suppress God himself through unrighteousness.

God has revealed himself to the world since creation through his attributes, eternal power, and Godhead. This revelation leaves the world without excuse.

The revelation of wrath came because although the knew who he was, they made the conscience decision to reject him as God. This comes back to our understanding of desiring the throne.

Just like Satan, mankind professed to be wise apart from God. Romans 1:22-23.

Romans 1:22–23 “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”

Mankind was not intended for wrath, but in the exchange to deny God and take His place wrath was revealed. God’s wrath is his revulsion against evil, his settled displeasure with sin and sinners.

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Apply:

The result of rejecting the glory of the incorruptible God is uncleaness leading ultimately to wrath. Remember, Jesus first message was Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

This kingdom paradigm is rooted in the attributes of God I shared at the start of this message. His glory and the essence of His rule and reign is rooted in His goodness, love, mercy, grace, holiness, righteousness, truth, and wisdom. Rejection of his reign ultimately invites his righteous justice.

It would be one thing to reject a God who is evil and unkind. But when the revelation of that God is benevolent and kind beyond what we could every imagine how can we escape wrath, if we neglect so great a salvation?

Romans 1:24-32 simply reveals the outward signs of people who reject the rule and reign of God in their lives, and are unrepentant. This portion of scripture reveals the nature of those who choose to rule and reign in their own lives.

Romans 1:24–27 “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

Romans 1:28–32 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

The revelation of God’s wrath is not because he enjoys it. It is the result of men and women who know the righteousness judgement of God and yet choose to practice and approve of things that are deserving of death (this is speaking of eternity). Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Instead of repentance and surrender, they willfully choose sin.

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Closing:

The result of the decision is seen in Romans 2:1-12.

Romans 2:1–6 “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:”

Romans 2:7–12 “eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law”

The revelation of wrath will come because God is just. Each one will be rewarded according to their deeds. The message of the kingdom is to bow the knee while we have the ability to make the choice of our own free will. For those who reject the truth and live their lives on the throne of their heart. There will come a day when the wrath they have stored up for themselves will be revealed.

It will not bring God pleasure to reveal His wrath. 2 Peter 3:9.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

But because He is faithful and true it will be revealed.

My prayer today is that each of us choose the way of surrender in the kingdom.

Let’s Pray!

Salvation.

Total Surrender to His ways.