Confronting God's Wrath: A Call to Righteousness

This Saturday is the tech booth training. I need help...as of now I only have Methos available for the back....he does a great job but that is a big ask to ask him to do the tech booth each and every week

if this is a crank turner for you or if you would like to just come see if it is for you or not I would love to have you attend...

this Saturday at 10 am

Let’s pray

Last week was heavy but God’s Word is heavy a lot of the time.

God’s Truth is His

it reflects His character and His holiness and reveals how unholy and how unrighteous and how sinful we truly are

that is hard but without that we can’t be changed by the Holy Spirit and Truth

without that heaviness and conviction we would never grow

without that heaviness and conviction we would never move from milk to meat

without that heaviness and conviction we would never mature in Christ without that struggle

without feeling the heaviness and conviction of God’s Word and therefore repenting and confessing and growing

to truly move from milk to meat

to truly mature in Christ

you must be okay with being uncomfortable

God moves you outside your comfort zone to grow you

If you are in your comfort zone you are not growing

God doesn’t live in your comfort zone

God lives outside your comfort zone because He is God

If you are comfortable with it and can do it on your own then where is God

God is the God of the impossible in our limited human terms and understanding

If you can do it you don’t need God therefore it probably is not from Him

Stop seeking comfort and seek God!

You must be okay letting go of long held beliefs if proven wrong by God’s Word

I come across this in my own life and as a pastor

pastor i have thought this and done this since I was a little kid it has to be correct

if it doesn’t match God’s Word it is not correct and needs and you must let it go

I am not saying someone intentionally led you astray

I am not saying that you purposefully are believing something that goes against God

Pastors, preachers, teachers preach and teach to their understanding at the time......they are growing and maturing and sometimes they realize they taught wrong

that happens to me and I have from this very pulpit addressed things when it does happen and i am sure it will happen again

the point is not that we have beliefs we must let go of because we are human trying to understand God

the point is you must be willing to lay down beliefs

you must be willing to walk away from beliefs and traditions that do not match God’s Word

If you are truly saved your desire is to love and honor God

that is done through obedience and renewing your mind in God’s Word

This morning is Truth

God’s Truth

so your opinion doesn’t matter

your feelings do not matter

all that matters is obedience through faith!

Romans 1:18

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Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”

Wrath of God

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We are going to deal with God’s wrath in detail

God’s wrath is not figurative but literal

no one....nor anything....no power....no being...no principality....no government

Nothing and no one can stop or survive God’s wrath

As we will see Jesus suffered God’s wrath for you and for me on the cross

you and I should fear God’s wrath because it is real and without Jesus we will be destroyed by God’s wrath

Psalm 90:7-8

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Psalm 90:7–8 “For we are consumed by thine anger, And by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.”

First God’s wrath is a consequence of sin

God’s righteous anger burns against sin and therefore sinners

that is why we need Jesus!

He took God’s wrath and offers us freedom and forgiveness in salvation

He offers us a pass on God’s wrath because you and I deserve God’s wrath because of our sin

Second God knows everything

we think we can hide sin but God knows and we will face His wrath for even our secret sins

Nothing is hidden from God

in digging and studying and preparing for this morning i came across commentary from John MacArthur in dealing with God’s Wrath in relation to Romans 1:18

It made a lot of sense so I am going to share it with you this morning

5 Kinds Of God’s Wrath

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1. Eternal

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This wrath is very self-explanatory

This is wrath that sends sinners to hell

those who reject Jesus

those who refuse repentance that leads to salvation

I say this about every week because it is important because there are those among us and those online who are not saved and they need truth

If you continue to reject Jesus you will face God’s eternal wrath

you will face judgement and be condemned to hell for eternity

it doesn’t matter how long you attended church

it doesn’t matter what you did to serve the church

it doesn’t matter how much money you gave to the church

it doesn’t matter how good of a person you were or thought you were

the only way to heaven and salvation and protection from God’s wrath is Jesus!

Matthew 10:28

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Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Him here is God

God alone holds the power to condemn someone to eternal torment and destruction in hell

anyone who rejects Jesus and His offer of salvation will be condemned by God to hell for eternity

You should fear God’s eternal wrath

2. Eschatological es·chat·o·log·i·cal

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This is the final day of the Lord

II Peter 3:10

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2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

Final judgement on heaven and earth and the elements because of sin

think about the picture that is painted by this scripture

first no one knows the day or time so when you see these predictions that the world will end at this time ignore them

God just said no one will know...like a thief in the night.....

second when we hear all this nonsense about humans destroying the earth that should not sit will with you because God just describe the destroying of the earth and it has nothing to do with humans or

climate change

or pollution

or whatever

No God will destroy the earth and elements with His fervent heat

3. Cataclysmic

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Genesis 19:24-25

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Genesis 19:24–25 “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”

I encourage you to read the entire account of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis 18:22-19:38.

In verses 24-25 we see God’s wrath poured out due to sin and a refusal to repent

God’s wrath is final

God’s wrath is effective

God’s wrath is unstoppable

This really happened by the way

This is not figurative God pour out His wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah and completely destroyed it

In fact today archeologists are finding

The following quote is from an article posted online from the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archeology

“A sensational discovery made international headlines in 2021: At the biblical site of Sodom—Tall el-Hammam—jaw-dropping evidence had been uncovered of some sort of fiery holocaust event that wiped out the city instantaneously, killing all inhabitants within half a second. Chemical analyses of remains from the site revealed temperatures briefly spiking to levels approaching that of the surface of the sun.

4. Consequential

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this is the principle....the truth...of reaping and sowing

Galatians 6:7-9

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Galatians 6:7–9 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Adam and Eve and the serpent are great examples of consequential wrath

each sinned

each faced consequences for that sin

all different but all fair

we will not always get consequences from God but if God pours out consequential wrath consequences will ensue

5. Abandonment

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God removing Himself

I am not going to spend a lot of time here as we will hit this hard when we get to it in Romans 1:28.

This is when God leaves us in our sin

He removes Himself because one has completely rejected God

God chooses when

where

how

and on whom He pours out His wrath

So many today dismiss God’s wrath because it doesn’t fit their all loving, all inclusive God

the problem is that god is not the God of the Bible and it a god created by a people who want the protection of God but not the expectation of God

God’s wrath is also not hidden but

Revealed

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God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness

revealed here means to uncover, make visible, make known

God reveals His wrath two ways

1. Indirectly

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This is the natural consequences of violating God’s moral law

Grab a hot curling iron you get burned

Treat people horribly you have no friends

Tell a lie and spend so much time and energy trying to cover it up

you reap what you sow

2. Directly

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This is through His personal intervention

Adam and Eve

the flood

Sodom and Gomorrah

King Saul

There are so many stories in the Bible showing God directly revealing His wrath due to sin

We experience both of these

it is easy for us to understand natural consequences

if your going to be dumb you better be tough is how I used to teach this to my boys

the harder of the two for many people is direct wrath

God directly giving or allowing consequences in our lives

People wrestle with this idea that if God is loving

If God forgives

how could He give direct consequences

The answer is because He loves us and wants to forgive us so He gives direct consequences to bring us to repentance

The world says that a loving God would never give consequences but be accepting of all sin and lifestyles

A loving God would have zero consequences

zero accountability

He just accepts you just as you are so you don’t have to change but can just keep on

living in sin

living in lust

living in lies

living fleshly without any fear of consequences

Those who believe this lie will be in shock and awe when they face Jesus face to face in judgement and He says away from me I never knew you

That is what this is all about

God created you and me

God loves you and me

God loves us so much He sent Jesus to become the sin of the world, including yours and mine, and poured out His wrath upon His only Son on the cross

Everything is designed to bring sinners to repentance that leads to salvation....including God’s wrath

We must choose to stand on scripture!!!!!!

We have looked at God’s wrath

the kinds of wrath

how God reveals His wrath

Now the rest of our time together this morning I want to look at

who

what and

why

The what

Against all ungodliness

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ungodliness is a lack of reverence for, devotion to, and worship of God

When I was a kid the world at least seemed to respect God

Take sports

youth sports

school sports

no sports contests were ever scheduled on Wednesday nights

why

because that was church night

back then even if they would have scheduled something on a Wednesday night the attendance would be so poor they wouldn't do it again because parents took church and God seriously

I can remember leaving practice early in middle school on Wednesday nights because it was church night

Today Wednesday is just another day

no one bats an eye at a Wednesday evening contest

Shame on us for allowing this

If the church would stand on this and say absolutely not things would change

but before we can say absolutely not to sports and such on Wednesday night you have to care about God enough to show up on Wednesday night

Should you be here on Sunday absolutely but if you only come on Sunday you are not going to grow much in Christ

it takes time and dedication during the week

first and foremost time everyday in the secret place praying, listening, and studying God’s Word

second you must commit to fellowship and Bible study with other believers during the week

We offer several opportunities

Monday nights we have a men’s Bible study from 6:30-8 pm right here in the fellowship hall

We also have a Women’s Bible study from 6-8 pm that meets at the Boutique marketplace

Wednesday nights we have an adult bible study and a jr sr high bible study that meets from 7-8 pm

Friday at noon we have womens and mens lunch and separate bible studies that meet here at the church Free in Him

Maybe God is laying on your heart to start a small group in your home

Men we have a men’s breakfast and fellowship the second saturday of every month

I am also a member of a men’s group that meets monthly that is studying how to be godly men

You will never grow by sitting on your couch....well you will grow but it will be rounder not closer to Jesus

You have to be committed to God and His Word and being with His people and your brothers and sisters studying the Word

the reason that God and church and the Word of God is being ignored and disrespected by treating Wednesday night as just another night is because we are comfortable with ungodliness in our lives because we don’t respect God enough to be in His house on Wednesday night

we are tired

we are busy

we have work

we have this

we have that

we love the world too much to put God first

Today’s society is the direct result of a slow fade

the world demanded more and more and Christians and churches and pastors and church leaders gradually gave more and more and more until Wednesday night became just another night

God is no longer looked at with devotion and worship and reverence and that is just in most Christians lives not to mention the world

Ungodliness

It is all around us and is in fact a daily part of most of our lives

you and i both have parts of our lives we do not live in reverence for

devotion to

and worship of God

when we live like that we are ungodly and live in ungodliness

Unrighteousness

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unrighteousness is a lack of conformity in thought

in word

in deed to the character and law of God

is the result of ungodliness

when you lose reverence for God then you lack conformity

you and I are to be holy as God is holy but when we refuse to conform to God and His Word we are unrighteous!

when the unrighteous then face God’s wrath it proves the Bible to be true

It is plain to them....those who are unrighteous by the very nature of humanity and moral law that there is a God!

no excuses

you have no excuse to not believe

you can choose to deny

you can choose to reject

you can choose to justify away

but you cannot say God doesn’t exist!!!!

We will go over this in more detail when we get there but I want to make sure we get conforming

Romans 12:1-2

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Romans 12:1–2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

You must have your mind renewed

you never had to be taught how to sin

you never had to be taught how to be selfish

you never had to be taught how to look out for number 1

no that comes naturally through our sinful nature that we are born with thanks to sin entering the world in the Garden of Eden

you have to learn to be righteous and you cannot learn that from worldly source

the only source you can learn that from is Holy Spirit as He teaches you God’s Word and leads you to conform through obedience of faith

What does it look like to have your mind transformed

Colossians 3:1-17

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Colossians 3:1–17 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

I am preaching on Colossians 3 Tuesday night at the revival....I am planning on attending Monday Tuesday and Wednesday

I preach on Tuesday and our praise band will lead worship that night...if you can attend each night Monday through Friday I highly encourage you to do so

Colossians 3 is a perfect example of transforming your mind

you used to chase these things listed in Colossians 3

sexual immorality which is fornication

sex outside of marriage

adultery

pornography

sexual thoughts and dreams and fantasies

inordinate affection being passionate about

desiring

loving something usually sexual in orientation so much it consumes you

lying

unforgiveness

anger

wrath

this shows a very sinful person

an unrighteous person

if these are in your life you are not transformed but the same

you are ungodly and unrighteous and in danger of facing God’s Wrath

Church I love you

God loves you

And I want what God wants for you repentance that leads to salvation

if you are being led by the Holy Spirit to that repentance leading to salvation come and I will talk with you and pray with you

maybe you are under the heaviness of conviction this morning

come

deal with that as God has said to deal with it by confessing it to Him and asking for forgiveness and being cleansed of all unrighteousness

you can do that at your seat sure but I encourage you to come to the altar for a few reasons

first satan can talk you out of it in your seat by coming to the altar you are committing to getting with God

second what if someone is truly struggling with getting up and coming to Jesus....by you getting up and coming to the altar you show them it is okay and give them the strength to get up and come themselves

The time is now and the choice is yours

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